Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News
TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : TRANSPORTER
- Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) closes Walvis Bay shellfish aquafarm
- Tema pipeline leaks raise port safety concerns
- Durban port affected by tugboat technicalities
- Speculation that port terminals may now seek consolidation
- PGS and South African SAMREF in data sharing agreement
- International: A healthy ocean needs viruses
- International: Mobile technology to boost pedestrian safety
- International: ABS joins Unmanned Cargo Ship Development Alliance
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : LOZA
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Simunye Marine Services’ crew supply boat TRANSPORTER heads off across Durban Bay with a heavy load of supplies and what look like several crewmen for a ship or ships outside port in the anchorage. Ports with anchorages outside rely heavily on supply vessels without the necessity of them having to enter port – an expensive exercise at any time. This picture is by Ken Malcolm
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DIARRHETIC SHELLFISH POISONING (DSP) CLOSES WALVIS BAY SHELLFISH AQUAFARM
An outbreak of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) has forced the closure of Walvis Bay’s Aqua Park 1 mussel farm.
Namibia’s Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources confirmed the closure after testing mussels in the production area this week. As a result mussels grown in the park may not be harvested for human consumption, according to the notice issued.
This followed specimens that were tested for biotoxins and levels of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) which were found to be above the maximum permissible levels by the Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) as part of the National Shellfish Sanitation Programme.
The testing was conducted on mussels only but oysters and clams may also be affected.
According to the notice, the ban remains in place until the results of two consecutive tests taken 48 hours apart show levels below the maximum permissible level. Only then will harvesting be allowed to continue, it states, adding that the industry will be informed accordingly.
DSP absorbed by humans can cause intense diarrhoea and severe abdominal pains, while nausea and vomiting may also occur. The symptoms reveal themselves within half an hour after eating affected shellfish and will take a day or more to dissipate. It is not normally life-threatening but a doctor should be consulted.
Shellfish farming is carried out in several centres in Namibia, namely Walvis Bay, Lüderitz, Swakopmund which is about 30km from Walvis Bay, and Henties Bay about 100km from Walvis Bay. The nutrient-rich Benguela upswelling system of the South Atlantic Ocean provides the Namibian coast with a competitive advantage over other areas practising shellfish farming across the world.
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TEMA PIPELINE LEAKS RAISE PORT SAFETY CONCERNS
Pipelines belonging to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and located at the Valco berth near the Dry Dock in the port of Tema are posing serious threat to the port following some serious leakages, says a report made available by the Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority (GPHA).
The pipelines are laid for the transmission of crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, among other highly inflammable products, to the refinery and other critical installations in the Tema metropolis.
A visit to the site revealed persistent leakage of petroleum products from the pipelines which is…
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DURBAN PORT AFFECTED BY TUGBOAT TECHNICALITIES
The Port of Durban was yesterday experiencing technical problems with its tug fleet which was affecting incoming ship movements only, said a communique from the Harbour Master, Capt Alex Mia.
The precise nature of the technical problem is not known to us nor has Transnet National Ports Authority chosen to reveal it. However, Capt Mia said the port was “working on it”.
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As the port has a fairly large fleet of harbour tugs it seems inconceivable that the technical problem relates to mechanical problems alone incapacitating most of the fleet at once, which leaves us to ‘thumbs-suck’ a guess that the port may have experienced a sudden shortage of available tug crew – engineers or tug masters – while possibly coinciding with some tugs with mechanical problems.
Any further news or confirmation from readers will be appreciated.
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SPECULATION THAT PORT TERMINALS MAY NOW SEEK CONSOLIDATION
With more than two thirds of the world’s container capacity in the hands of a smaller number of consolidated shipping lines, and the possibility that one or two more mid-range companies may also be swallowed by the big groupings, speculation is rising over the possibility of port terminal operators being forced into adopting similar mergers or consolidations.
In the United States South Korea’s Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has opted to close its Los Angeles container terminal which it says is a result of the new shipping alliances that have cost it volumes it can no longer afford to lose.
Details of how HMM will vacate its 91-acre Pier 400 California United Terminals are not clear. The property was sublet to HMM by APM Terminals and with the agreement of the port.
While terminals can’t be disposed of as easily as container ships, some face a…
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PGS AND SOUTH AFRICAN SAMREF IN DATA SHARING AGREEMENT
Norway’s Petroleum Geo-Services ASA (PGS) has entered into a data sharing agreement with the South African Marine Research and Exploration Forum (SAMREF) for use of surplus data to improve understanding of the oceans.
Data recordings like temperatures and salinity through the water column, currents and weather observations are collected as a part of the PGS seismic acquisition process in order to improve seismic imaging.
This activity has created…
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By Amorina Kingdon – Hakai Magazine
And the more we learn about them, the weirder they get.
The word virus conjures up hard-to-shake colds and swine flu, but these tiny microbes are far more than just the culprits behind annoying human ailments. They play an integral role in life on the planet, and a new study has shown that for marine viruses, that role is more complex than we thought.
Viruses are the most numerous life forms on Earth. And in the ocean, they outnumber bacterial cells a staggering 10 to one. But what exactly causes them to thrive or die? Since viruses reproduce by…
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MOBILE TECHNOLOGY TO BOOST PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
The following is not directly a marine-related report, but demonstrates the advances being achieved, in Australia this time, with autonomous technology and how it is about to transform our lives.
AUSTRALIAN tech firm Cohda Wireless has trialled its vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) technology on city streets for the first time.
The technology was originally designed to allow cars and motorcycles to avoid collisions by talking to each other.
In collaboration with Telstra and the South Australian Government, Cohda Wireless has conducted the first test of V2P technology over a mobile network in South Australia’s capital, Adelaide.
The system uses mobile technology to provide an early-collision warning to a driver and also alerts a pedestrian or cyclist via a smartphone application.
This innovation could become available in the 16 million smartphones in use in Australia and could potentially be extended to the two billion smartphones worldwide.
Cohda Wireless CEO Paul Gray said the trials highlighted the impact of Vehicle-to-everything communications on community safety.
“Giving vehicles 360-degree situational awareness and sharing real-time driving information is the only way we can create safer roads for the future,” he said.
“Cohda’s ongoing partnership with Telstra also demonstrates Cohda’s ability to deliver Cellular- V2X (C-V2X) solutions, an important part of the complete V2X system.”
The technology makes use of available 4G networks to allow riders, drivers and pedestrians who are further away to reliably receive necessary information.
Before a driver turns a blind corner the system will notify them of any pedestrian or cyclist crossing the adjacent street.
It was tested using other common scenarios, such as a car and a cyclist approaching a blind corner, a car reversing out of a driveway, and a car approaching a pedestrian crossing.
The trial was funded in part by the South Australian government’s AU$10 million Future Mobility Lab Fund to boost local testing, research and development of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies.
Cohda commands about 60 per cent of the global vehicle-to-vehicle communication market.
It previously developed a “digital protective shield” system, which transmitted information such as vehicle types, speed, position and direction of travel between cars and motorcycles, at a rate of up to 10 times per second to ensure a high level of accuracy.
This service could be transmitted to any device within a several hundred-metre radius.
Telstra Chief Technology Officer Håkan Eriksson said the technology would make Australian roads safer, more efficient, and better-prepared for the future of autonomous vehicles.
“The most important outcome of V2X technology is the increased safety for road users, as the impact of human error can be minimised by helping vehicles communicate with each other and react to their surroundings,” he said.
“This is the first time V2P technology has been trialled in Australia on a 4G network, and is an important step on the journey to fully-autonomous vehicles on Australian roads.”
South Australia has a history of involvement with autonomous car research and in 2015 held the first driverless car trials in the Southern Hemisphere.
It hosts a number of leading autonomous car companies including Cohda Wireless and its innovative V2X (Vehicle to everything) technology and RDM Group, which opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Adelaide earlier this year.
South Australia is also a leading driverless car research hub and earlier this week the University of Adelaide managed to improve artificial vision systems by studying dragonflies and other insects.
Watch now the related video clip [2:07]. Although in German the story can easily be followed.
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ABS JOINS UNMANNED CARGO SHIP DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE
In a related-type story to the one immediately above, ABS (American Bureau of Shipping), a leading provider of classification and technical services to the offshore and marine industries, says that it has joined the Unmanned Cargo Ship Development Alliance to work with industry partners, including class organizations, shipyards, equipment manufacturers and designers to advance autonomous shipping.
The design will integrate features of…
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EXPECTED SHIP ARRIVALS and SHIPS IN PORT
Port Louis – Indian Ocean gateway port
Ports & Ships publishes regularly updated SHIP MOVEMENT reports including ETAs for ports extending from West Africa to South Africa to East Africa and including Port Louis in Mauritius.
In the case of South Africa’s container ports of Durban, Ngqura, Ports Elizabeth and Cape Town links to container Stack Dates are also available.
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CRUISE NEWS AND NAVAL ACTIVITIES
QM2 in Cape Town. Picture by Ian Shiffman
We publish news about the cruise industry here in the general news section.
Naval News
Similarly you can read our regular Naval News reports and stories here in the general news section.
Coming and going! The bulk carrier LOZA (33,240-dwt) is seen arriving in port at Durban on a Wednesday during July and sailing on the Friday. The bulker is owned by Greek interests and managed by Dalex Shipping of Piraeus, Greece. She was built in 2011 and has previously operated for the first year of her service with the name NORD DUBAI. Loza flies the flag of Malta, being registered in Valetta. These pictures are by Keith Betts
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”
― Anne Lamott
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