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TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS

Newsweek commencing 1 December 2024.  Click on headline to go direct to story: use the BACK key to return.  

FIRST VIEW:   NOMASA

• Fair treatment of seafarers: ITF joins affiliate unions’ demands
• WHARF TALK: expeditionary passenger ships – LE BOUGAINVILLE & LE DUMONT D’URVILLE
• U-Ming Marine orders Rotor Sails for VLOC, ship will call in South Africa
• China eyes alternatives as seaborne coal imports lose market share
• IMO and fisheries: Key treaties under FAO, ILO and IMO support – Mombasa workshop
• New Officer in Command for Naval Base Simon’s Town
• Ports Regulator Record of Decision on the Tariff Application by TNPA for the Tariff Year 2025/26
• WHARF TALK: offshore construction vessel  – SEVEN SISTERS
• Djibouti maritime forces benefit from EU supported exercise
• COP 29: A common goal – Decarbonising transport
• EARLIER NEWS CAN BE FOUND UNDER NEWS CATEGORIES…….

Africa Ports & Ships

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Masthead:  PORT OF CAPE TOWN

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FIRST VIEW:  NOMASA

AMSOL’s AHTSV NOMASA (IMO 9366316) departs from the Port of Durban after a period in maintenance that included dry docking.

The anchor handling supply vessel, which was built in 2006 at the Keppel Singmarine shipyard in Singapore, has a length of 60 metres and a width of 16m.  Her gross weight is 1727 tons and deadweight 1833 tons.

The vessel was departing Durban for her next assignment at Afungi in northern Mozambique, the peninsula on which much of Mozambique’s land-based Liquefied Natural Gas project has and will in future be taking place.

The Mozambique LNG project is led by TotalEnergies and involves the development of the Golfinho and Atum fields.

Offshore this coast is the FLNG named Coral Sul, operated by Eni, which is processing gas in the southern part of Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin, roughly opposite the little town and harbour of Mocimboa da Praia.

Coral Sul has a production capacity of 3.4 million tons per annum (MTPA) and began operations in mid-2024.

These pictures are by Benny Janse van Rensburg

Africa Ports & Ships

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Fair treatment of seafarers: ITF joins affiliate unions’ demands

Edited by Paul Ridgway 
Africa Ports & Ships
London

Seafarers must be treated fairly and not subjected to unjust criminalisation or unfair treatment – that was the message delivered to governments from around the world gathered in Geneva in week ending 30 November.

Guidelines

The ITF joined global seafarers’ union affiliates at the Third meeting of the Joint ILO–IMO Tripartite Working Group to Identify and Address Seafarers Issues and the Human Element.

The meeting had the specific aim of discussing and adopting ‘Guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing crimes’.

Seafarers’ Section Chair and President of the Seafarers International Union of North America, David Heindel, commented: “Time and again, we have seen cases where seafarers are treated like criminals, held for months on end without trial and given sentences for crimes they didn’t commit.

“These are gross human rights abuses, and they must be called out as such so that this appalling criminalisation of seafarers ends.”

Consistent lobbying

The ITF has consistently lobbied for a strengthening of frameworks protecting seafarers, citing the global nature of unjust seafarer criminalisation and unfair treatment, and the wide range of issues for which seafarers are increasingly criminalised and detained, whether maritime accidents, illicit cargo or pollution infringements.

In September this year, two seafarers were sentenced to 30 years imprisonment after drugs were found on a vessel docked in Turkey. The pair, who had already spent a year in remand prison, had their sentence handed down despite no evidence of wrongdoing.

At the time, General Secretary of ITF affiliate, the Croatian Seafarers’ Union, Neven Melvan, called the decision “outrageous” and showing “a complete lack of understanding and respect for what seafarers do”.

Nautilus International General Secretary and Seafarers’ spokesperson at the ILO, Mark Dickinson said it is well known that right now the industry is facing a recruitment and retention crisis.

“Seafarers are too often considered guilty until proven innocent, denied their fundamental rights, and this sends a terrible message which risks the future of our maritime industry and undermines the resilience of global supply chains.”

The IMO and the ILO new Guidelines are intended to ensure that, “seafarers detained on suspicion of committing a crime are treated fairly during any investigation and detention… ”

The new Guidelines:

* Set out the different responsibilities to treat seafarers fairly when detained on suspicion of committing crimes: for port and coastal states, flag states, shipowners and the state of which the seafarer is a national.

* Provide support towards seafarers, including access to consular services, legal assistance, and specify the importance of non-custodial measures during an investigation.

* Emphasise the enjoyment of fundamental human rights for seafarers, and the need to treat seafarers with respect and dignity at all times.

* Call for the strengthening of co-operation between flag states, the states of nationality of seafarers, the port state where the seafarers are investigated or detained, and also with ship owners and seafarers’ representatives.

* Agree that seafarers need to be made aware of the risks of incriminating themselves, and the options available should they end up in a situation where they are investigated or detained.

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WHARF TALK: expeditionary passenger ships – LE BOUGAINVILLE & LE DUMONT D’URVILLE

Pictures: Keith Betts 
and Trevor Jones
Story by Jay Gates

As most all casual maritime observers are aware, passenger cruise vessels come in all shapes and sizes, and very often are built as a class of sisterships. What then happens is that the various sisterships are deployed by their owners across all points of the compass, and around all four corners of the globe.

What doesn’t normally occur is for the sisterships to be deployed on the same cruise circuit, and turn up at the same port together, on the same day, after both arriving from the same previous operational area, and heading to a new, and same operational area. However, in this period of time where the Houthi menace has turned the shipping world on its head, nothing remains as it was, and Cape sea route diversions mean that the norm is no longer the norm.

On 26th November, two expeditionary passenger cruise liners, sisterships of each other, arrived within four hours of each other off the Durban Bluff, with both having departed from Athens within three days of each other, and having tracked each other via bunker calls at both Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands, and then Walvis Bay, in Namibia. At this point their itineraries diverged until they both arrived together off Durban Harbour.

The vessels in question were ‘Le Bougainville’ (IMO 9814040), and ‘Le Dumont D’Urville’ (IMO 9814052), with the former entering Durban harbour on the 26th November, at 07:00 in the morning, from Walvis Bay, and the latter entering Durban harbour on the 26th November, at 11:00 in the morning, from East London.

Both vessels were built in 2019 with their hulls being built by the Vard Tulcea SA shipyard, at Tulcea in Rumania, and then towed to Norway where they were both outfitted and completed by the Vard Søviknes Werft AS shipyard, at Ålesund in Norway. They are both 132 metres in length and both have a gross registered tonnage of 10,038 tons.

They are diesel electric vessels with power being provided by four Wärtsilä 8L20 generators providing 1,480 kW each. Power is transferred to two ABB Indar electric motors, producing 2,000 kW each, which drive two Rolls-Royce controllable pitch propellers, giving them a cruising speed of 12.5 knots, and a maximum speed of 15 knots.

Their auxiliary machinery includes a single emergency generator providing 775 kW. They each have four Alfa Laval Aalborg CHR Economiser exhaust gas boilers, and two Alfa Laval Aalborg CHO oil fired boilers. For added manoeuvrability they have a single bow transverse thruster providing 800 kW.

As expeditionary passenger cruise vessels, operating in some of the worlds most restricted, and sometimes challenging waters, the sisterships have sixteen watertight compartments and an ice classification of ICE 1C, which allows them to operate in Baltic Sea first year ice thickness of 0.4 metres. The accommodation was designed by the naval architect company of Stirling Design International, of Nantes in France, and the internal outfitting was designed by Studio Jean-Philippe Nuel, of Paris in France.

Both vessels are a part of a group of six sisterships, and with ‘Le Bougainville’ being the third built of the class, and ‘Le Dumont D’Urville’ being the fourth built of the class. The class is known as the ‘Explorer’ class, with all of the sisterships being named after famous French, historical, maritime explorers, with ‘Le Bougainville’ named after Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811), and ‘Le Dumont D’Urville’ named after Jules Sébastien César Dumont D’Urville (1790-1842). Each vessel of the class cost US$150 million (ZAR2.71 billion) to build.

Both vessels are owned by Compagnie des Îles du Ponant, of Marseilles in France, and both are operated and managed by Compagnie de Ponant Cruises, also of Marseilles. They have seven decks, with five of the decks for passenger use, and four of those decks being cabin decks. There are a total of 92 cabins, all of which have balconies, terraces, or verandahs.

A total of 184 passengers can be carried, looked after by a crew of 112. The onboard facilities of the class include two restaurants, two lounges, two bars, theatre, boutique, art gallery, kids playroom, spa, massage rooms, treatment rooms, beauty salon, gymnasium, deck shuffleboard, golf driving range, and nine hole mini-golf course. Unusually, the single swimming pool is set extremely aft, on a lower deck, and is an infinity pool, which overlooks the retractable marina, which is used as the boarding area for her onboard fleet of zodiacs, used by passengers for landing at remote locations, as well as kayaks, paddleboards, and snorkel diving.

One other unique passenger facility of the ‘Explorer’ class is that they all have an underwater lounge. The lounge is located 3 metres below the waterline, and incorporates two large, eye shaped, underwater viewing windows. There are also three underwater cameras, which project their views on large TV screens around the lounge. There is also a hydrophone mounted on the vessel keel, which transmits the received underwater sounds on to vibrating sofas, which give the passengers a full interactive experience of the waters in which the vessels are navigating.

Both vessels are on diversionary voyages, courtesy of the Houthi terror, and both appear to be positioning voyages, without carrying a full load of passengers, and both taking slightly different routes to reach their final destinations on each voyage. The itinerary of ‘Le Bougainville’ appears to be long passages between bunker stops only. Her itinerary was Athens- Las Palmas- Walvis-Bay-Durban. After a short eight hour stop in Durban, and on completion of her uplift of bunkers, stores, and fresh provisions, ‘Le Bougainville’ was ready to sail. At 15:00 in the afternoon of 26th November she sailed from Durban, now bound for Victoria, in the Seychelles.

The itinerary of ‘Le Dumont D’Urville’ was entirely different from her sistership. Whilst she also followed the same Athens- Las Palmas- Walvis Bay routing, she then completed a full, coastal port call through to her arrival in Durban. Her diversionary voyage was utilised by the Ponant Cruises decision makers, and future cruise planners, as a scouting voyage to sample what each port along the Southern African coast could offer for passengers on a future cruise programme.

Her itinerary from Walvis Bay was Walvis-Bay (16th November 09:00-19:00)- Saldanha Bay (19th-20th November 09:00-07:00)- Cape Town (20th-21st November 13:00-20:00)- Hermanus (22nd November 08:00-18:00)- Mossel Bay (23rd November 08:00-18:00)- Port Elizabeth (24th November 11:00-19:00)- East London (25th November 06:00-14:00)- Durban (26th November). At 19:00 in the early evening of 26th November, four hours after her consort had sailed, ‘Le Dumont D’Urville’ was also ready to sail, and she sailed from Durban, now bound for Maputo, in Mozambique.

Her call in Maputo (28th-29th November 06:00-07:00) was not the end of her slow ramble along the Southern African coast, as ‘Le Dumont D’Urville’ then continued to sail further along the Mozambican coast, arriving off Pomene (the MSC leisure destination) on 30th November at 19:00 in the evening. Her ultimate destination of this ‘taste’ cruise is expected to be Port Louis in Mauritius, as she is scheduled to undertake a series of cruises around the Indian Ocean islands, and East Africa, starting from Port Louis on 8th December.

The Indian Ocean cruises of ‘Le Dumont D’Urville’ will continue until late February 2025, when she is expected to once more take the Cape sea route, and a further potential call at South African ports, whilst enroute back to begin a European summer cruising season in the Eastern Mediterranean from March 2025 onwards. At the end of the European Summer, in late 2025, ‘Le Dumont D’Urville’ is scheduled to make a crossing of the North Atlantic Ocean, where she will conduct a winter cruising season in the Caribbean Sea.

For ‘Le Bougainville’, after her voyage from Durban, direct to Victoria in the Seychelles, she is then expected to sail for the Persian Gulf, where she is scheduled to complete a short season of cruises around the Western Gulf States and Oman, before she will voyage south once more, and back into the Indian Ocean, to conduct a further series of cruises to the Indian Ocean islands and East Africa. On completion of her Indian Ocean cruise programme in March 2025 she is also due to reposition via the Cape sea route, back to the Mediterranean Sea, for a European summer cruise season.

Louis Antoine de Bougainville, after whom the vessel was named, was the Commander of an expedition in 1764 that set up a French Colony in the Falkland Islands, which he termed Îles Malouines’ after the settlers who hailed from the Brittany port of St.Malo. This term was corrupted by future Spanish settlers as ‘Las Malvinas’.

On his return to France he was made the Commander of the first French expedition to circumnavigate the world. His voyage on the frigate ‘Bodeuse’, departed from the French port of Brest, in Normandy, on 5th December 1766. He arrived in Rio de Janeiro in June 1767, where his onboard botanist, Philibert Commerçon, brought back a new flowering shrub back to the vessel, that he had found outside Rio, and which he named after his Commander. The Bougainvillea, a beautiful, climbing, pink flowering shrub that adorns many houses in South Africa, is the result of its discovery on this voyage.

The ‘Bodeuse’ then went through the Magellan Straits, into the Pacific Ocean, where Bougainville thought he had discovered Tahiti, where he had arrived on 5th April 1768, but which had been claimed the previous year, on 18th June 1767, by Captain Samuel Wallis RN, Commander of HMS Dolphin on his voyage of circumnavigation. It was in Tahiti that Philibert Commerçon’s botanical assistant, Jean Baret, was discovered to be a woman masquerading as a man, and who was, in fact, the Botanist’s lover. She thus, inadvertently, became the first woman in history to complete a circumnavigation of the globe.

After calls at Batavia, in the Dutch East Indies, and Port Louis in Mauritius, Bougainville and ‘Bodeuse’ arrived in Table Bay on 9th January 1769. His stay in Cape Town was only for just over one week, and on 17th January 1769, ‘Bodeuse’ sailed for France, where she arrived in the port of St.Malo on 16th March 1769 to complete the circumnavigation.

For Jules Sébastien César Dumont D’Urville, he had completed a voyage to Australasia and the Pacific Ocean, which began from Toulon on 22nd April 1826, but was not undertaken as a voyage of circumnavigation. His vessel for this voyage was the Fluyt ‘L’Astrolabe’. He was on his way back to France, having sailed from Port Louis in Mauritius, and he arrived in Table Bay on 23rd December 1828. His stay in Cape Town only covered the Christmas period, and on 2nd January 1829 he sailed from Table Bay, bound for France, where he arrived back in Marseilles on 25th March 1829. His ship was to gain fame on his next major voyage.

Jules Sébastien César Dumont D’Urville is revered in France, as he was the first French man to conduct explorations in Antarctica. His second voyage, once more conducted on ‘L’Astrolabe’ had departed from Toulon on 7th September 1837. On 22nd January 1840, he discovered new lands on the Antarctic continent, which he named Terre Adélie, after his wife, and claimed for France. He also discovered a new species of Penguin, the Adélie Penguin, again named after his wife. His Antarctic voyage was completed when he returned to Toulon on 6th November 1840.

The French Antarctic, and Sub-Antarctic possessions are collectively known as ‘Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (TAAF), and the administration of Terre Adélie is conducted from the French Scientific Research station on the continent, which is named ‘Dumont D’Urville’. The current French Antarctic resupply icebreaker, which is manned by the French Navy, and is an irregular visitor to both Cape Town and Durban, is ‘FNS L’Astrolabe P800’ named after the exploration vessel of Dumont D’Urville, and which was reported on in the 27th June 2023 edition of Africa Ports & Ships.

That both Louis Antoine de Bougainville, and Jules Sébastien César Dumont D’Urville, both stepped ashore in Cape Town, on both of their respective voyages of discovery, gives a nice touch to the fact that both the modern iterations of exploration passenger cruise vessels, ‘Le Bougainville’ and ‘Le Dumont D’Urville’, will possibly once more call into Cape Town, or possibly into Durban, on their return voyages from the Indian Ocean in March 2025. It is a nice touch.

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U-Ming Marine orders Rotor Sails for VLOC, ship will call in South Africa

Africa Ports & Ships

U-Ming Marine Transport has appointed UK technology provider, Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd, to install Rotor Sails on a VLOC, in another investment in sustainable initiatives by the Taiwan-based corporation.

The agreement is for four Rotor Sails to be installed on one of U-Ming’s 325,000-dwt Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOC).

The installation work is expected to be completed at the end of 2025, with fuel and emission savings of approximately 10-12% anticipated on deep-sea routes between China and Brazil, South Africa, and Australia.

The vessel will be retrofitted with four of Anemoi’s 35m tall, 5m in diameter, cylindrical sails. The Rotor Sails will also be installed with Anemoi’s bespoke folding deployment system, whereby the sails can be folded from vertical to mitigate impact on air draught and cargo handling operations.

This latest announcement follows the successful installation of Anemoi Rotor Sails on various vessels including four Anemoi Rotor Sails with Rail Deployment Systems aboard an 82,000-dwt Kamsarmax bulk carrier in June 2023 and the retrofit of four folding Rotor Sails aboard a 388,000-dwt Valemax ore carrier in May 2024.

Rotor Sails, also known as Flettner Rotors, are vertical cylinders that harness the renewable power of the wind to provide additional forward thrust and improve the energy efficiency of the vessel, along with significant cuts to harmful emissions.

Rotor Sails are proving a popular choice amongst ship owners seeking net-zero technologies to enhance the energy efficiency of their vessels and aid their ships in meeting critical international emission reduction targets, including the Carbon Intensity Indicator.

Mr CK Ong, President of U-Ming said the state-of-the-art rotor sails will play a key role in U-Ming’s decarbonisation strategy and will complement their portfolio of existing emission-reducing technologies, including a fleet of LNG dual-fuel vessels.

“In addition, we will continue to research other emission lowering pathways such as carbon capture systems and retrofitting conventional vessels to Methanol dual-fuel. We look forward to continuing working with like-minded partners, like Anemoi, to help us reach our target of net zero,” Mr Ong said.

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China eyes alternatives as seaborne coal imports lose market share

Africa Ports & Ships

World’s largest coal importer diversifying supply with increased land borne providers

The share of Chinese coal imports being transported by sea have fallen sharply in the last two years, down from 93% of the total between 2015-2022 to 76% in 2023-2024 according to a new report by commodity market intelligence provider Oceanbolt (Veson Nautical).

The report ‘How China’s New Silk Road is Impacting Maritime Coal Transport’, states that despite coal exports to the world’s second largest economy soaring 62% to 473.4 million tonnes in 2023, seaborne imports only increased by 45%.

The data represents a seismic shift in global trade flows as China looks to diversify supply away from traditional exporters and capitalize on geopolitical uncertainty by purchasing discounted coal from other sources.

Australia bearing the brunt

The report also states that Australia’s share of China’s coal imports fell sharply, from 26% in 2019 to just 11% in 2023 after the unofficial ban on Australian coal imports was lifted. Since all Australian coal exports to China are seaborne, this decline largely explains the recent drop in seaborne coal volumes.

“The country that has been impacted the most in this shift to higher land borne volumes is Australia,” Mikkel Nordberg, Senior Maritime Analyst at Veson Nautical says. “And while there has been a recovery in imports of Australian steam coal to China after trade resumed in 2023, the coking coal trade has been heavily impacted.”

Nordberg adds that China imported just 2.8 million tonnes of Australian coking coal, a staggering 91% decline from pre-ban levels.

Cheap Russian coal sees imports rise

The report cites Russia as a growing supplier of coal to China. Russia’s share of Chinese coal imports grew from 11% in 2019 to 22% in 2023. This shift could be linked with the war in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions imposed on Russia by Western nations.

These sanctions effectively halted Russian coal exports to the EU and other Western allies, forcing Russia to seek alternative markets.

“With reduced global demand and limited buyers, China has capitalized on the opportunity to purchase Russian coal at discounted prices,” Nordberg says. “As a result, the Russia-China coal trade surged, increasing by 20% in 2022 and a further 50% in 2023, reaching 102 million tonnes.”

Mongolia emerging as major player

The report also cites Mongolia as a big winner as coal exports to China soar as infrastructure improves.

Around 90% of Mongolia’s coal production is destined for export to China due to limited domestic demand. According to the Mongolian Coal Association, the country has the potential to produce up to 100 million tonnes annually.

However, this capacity is constrained by border infrastructure and customs processes. In 2023, Mongolia took significant steps to enhance its coal export capabilities, including the inauguration of a new railway line connecting its coal mines to the Chinese border.

Consequently, Mongolia’s coal exports to China surged by 125% in 2023, reaching 70 million tonnes, and have grown another 27% so far in 2024. Approximately 75% of these exports are coking coal, making Mongolia China’s largest supplier of this resource.

“In 2023, Mongolia accounted for 53% of China’s total coking coal imports,” Nordberg says. “As a landlocked country, all of Mongolia’s coal exports are transported overland, which means that it is effectively replacing the seaborne coking coal volumes previously sourced from Australia.”

Growing land borne trade hurts seaborne trade growth

The report concludes that the increase in land borne coal volumes could have significant repercussions in the bulk carrier sector. Assuming that the land borne volumes should otherwise be sourced from Australia, the report argues that the total ton-mile demand lost out on 1% growth last year.

“This development has unquestionably hurt the Capesize and the Panamax class vessels, which are the largest carriers of Chinese coal imports,” Nordberg concludes. “It has been particularly evident in Panamax freight rates which underperformed the Supramaxes in Q3, and the usual seasonal rebound we tend to see in Q4 has not materialised.”

To read the whitepaper in full on the Veson Nautical website, see here

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IMO and fisheries: Key treaties under FAO, ILO and IMO support – Mombasa workshop

Edited by Paul Ridgway 
Africa Ports & Ships
London

Coordinated implementation of instruments

On 28 November the IMO new service reported that a workshop held in Mombasa from 18 to 24 November brought together officials from the three UN entities along with Kenyan officials to develop a model of coordinated implementation of these instruments, which address fishing vessel safety, labour rights, and rigorous port State measures against illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.

Treaties related to fisheries, which Kenya has ratified, are:

* The FAO Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA)

* The ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C.188)

* The IMO 2012 Cape Town Agreement (CTA)

* The STCW-F Convention

Inter-agency collaboration

Implementing the treaties in a holistic and harmonized manner helps strengthen inter-agency collaboration in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, forced labour and poor safety standards of fishing vessels.

Broad attendance

This workshop brought together the Kenya Fisheries Service (KeFS), responsible for the implementation of the PSMA, the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), competent authority for implementing both the CTA and C.188, alongside experts from FAO, ILO and IMO, to review Kenya’s progress in aligning its legal, institutional and operational frameworks with these international standards.

Field visit

A field visit to the Liwatoni fishing port in Mombasa allowed for simulated inspections and interactive discussions to explore practical mechanisms for cooperation, evaluating resourcing needs and laying the groundwork for an inter-agency approach.

Collective action

The workshop underscored the importance of collective action in enhancing safety and working conditions of fishers, protecting marine ecosystems and combating IUU fishing, through collaboration across sectors.

Bolstering sustainable fisheries management

It was reported that outcomes of this initiative will bolster sustainable fisheries management in Kenya and support planning of a scalable model for other nations seeking to implement these vital treaties effectively.

FAO coordination

The workshop was coordinated by FAO with contributions from ILO and IMO.

CTA

To see the 2012 Cape Town Agreement (made simple) portal, for further information readers are invited to use the link here

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New Officer in Command for Naval Base Simon’s Town

by defenceWeb

In the same week a new Flag Officer Fleet (FOF) was named in Simon’s Town, management of the premier SA Navy (SAN) base at the same location was handed to a new commander.

A change of command parade at Martello sports ground saw Rear Admiral (JG) Sikumbuzo Msikinya given command of Naval Base (NB) Simon’s Town by outgoing base boss Rear Admiral (JG) Joseph Dlamini.

Msikinya has command at sea and ashore experience on his CV covering 27 years of service in the SAN.

One command at sea was as Officer in Command of SAS Protea (A324) from June 2017 before taking charge of the premier SAN training unit, SAS Saldanha. Msikinya’s association with the “White Lady” as the hydrographic vessel is affectionately known, all told covers 18 years – with three breaks – serving in training, as gunnery officer, executive officer and Officer in Command.

While away from Protea he attended a number of military development courses, was a divisional officer at the SA Naval College and did time as Officer Commanding the mine counter measures (MCM) vessel SAS Umkomaas (M1499).

Other Msikinya CV entries show he commanded the South African task group in the 2014 Exercise Good Hope, was part of the 2015 Exercise Oxide and was training officer entrusted with the junior officers’ combat course.

A day before taking office the SAN introduced its new FOF – Rear Admiral Handsome Matsane – to senior SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and SAN officers as well as SAN personnel at another Martello sports ground change of command parade.

Written by defenceWeb and republished with permission. The original article can be found here

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Ports Regulator Record of Decision on the Tariff Application by TNPA for the Tariff Year 2025/26

Africa Ports & Ships

On 29 November 2024, Ms. Mukondeleli Johanna Mulaudzi, Chief Executive Officer of the Ports Regulator of South Africa stated as follows:

1. On 01 August 2024 the National Ports Authority (“the Authority”) submitted its tariff application to the Ports Regulator of South Africa (‘’the Regulator”) in accordance with Section 72 of the National Ports Act, 12 of 2005.

2. The Authority requested an average tariff increase of 7,90% for the period 01 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, along with indicative tariffs increases of 18,61% for the period 01 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 and 2,52% for 01 April 2027 to 31 March 2028.

3. After reviewing the Application, stakeholder submissions, presentations in the public consultation process, and the updated inflation as per the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS, November 2024), the Regulator applied the Tariff Methodology, Tariff Strategy and the use of ETIMC to the Application and determined that an appropriate overall weighted average tariff increase for the Financial Year 2025/26 is 4,40%.

4. This will be differentiated as follows:
4.1. Marine services and related tariffs (Sections 1-8 of the Tariff Book, excluding Section 7 that deals with cargo dues) are to increase by 6.15%.
4.2. All cargo dues categories are to increase by 3.40%, except for:
4.2.1.Dry Bulk imports and exports which are to increase by 4.00%; and
4.2.2.Tariffs for empty containers on Deepsea and Transhipment will be equalised to Coastwise tariffs.

5. All marine tariffs (Sections 1-8 of the Tariff Book, excluding Section 7 that relates to cargo dues) for existing commercial South African flagged vessels, as well as commercial vessels registered in South Africa from 2019/20, will receive a 30% discount, applicable year on year until reviewed by the Regulator.

6. All license fees for port activities as per Section 5 of the Tariff Book, will continue to be discounted by 30%. Additionally, all license fees (Tariff) applicable per port for the tariff year 2025/26, can continue to be paid in equal instalments on an annual basis over the period of the license.

7. For the 2025/26 tariff year, a reduction in port dues will continue to apply in the following instances (as per Section 4.1.1. of the Tariff Book):
7.1. Vessels not engaged in cargo working for the first 30 days only;
7.2. Bona fide coasters;
7.3. Passenger vessels; and
7.4. Small vessels classified under Section 4, Clause 2 when visiting a port other than their registered port.

8. Vessels in port for longer than 30 days not engaged in cargo working or undergoing repairs will incur a 20% surcharge on the incremental fee of port dues.

9. Additionally, a 60% reduction will be granted to vessels calling for the sole purpose of taking on bunkers and/or stores and/or water or a combination of all three, provided the vessel’s entire stay does not exceed 48 hours. This reduction will not be enjoyed in addition to the 35% reduction granted for vessels not engaged in cargo working for the first 30 days only, bona fide coasters, passenger vessels and small vessels classified under Section 4, Clause 2.

10. The Authority’s request for a 10% reduction on port dues in liquid bulk tankers in possession of a Green Award Certification is supported by the Regulator.

11. Tariff Assessment and approved revenue for the NPA
11.1. The Regulator takes cognisance of the volatility and fluctuations on the components of the Required Revenue which are driven by economic factors, deviation from projected and actual volumes, and over/under recovery of revenues by the Authority.
11.2. A key component of this tariff assessment was the inflation number. The Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) expects inflation to stabilise around the midpoint of the Reserve Bank’s 3.00% – 6.00% target.
11.3. The MTBPS figure suggests that the country has entered a transitional period to a low inflation trajectory. Whilst low inflation is favourable in increasing disposable incomes for households, in the adopted rate of return regulatory methodology low inflation increases the real return of capital. In an environment where volume growth is also muted, low inflation results in
increased tariffs in the transitionary period.
11.4. As a result, the Regulator has opted to use ETIMC to soften the switch from high to low inflation phase. Going forward, the low inflation phase allows port users to afford increasing tariffs which will be necessary for the NPA’s investment program.
11.5. The Regulator considers the long-term sustainability and affordability of the port sector. As a result, the Regulator will use R225 million of the ETIMC to mitigate transition to the low inflation phase and smooth tariffs for the FY 2025/26 for port users.
11.6. The Authority is approved Opex of R6 854m, including Group Overhead costs. In so doing, the Regulator disallowed the difference between approved operational costs and actual costs incurred in FY 2023/24, amounting to R 185 million as it believes that the Authority ought to control operational costs and over expenditure should not be passed onto port users. Furthermore, an insignificant disallowance comes from fruitless and wasteful expenditure of R 12 million.
11.7. Reported irregular expenditure of approximately R169 million has been noted in the Authority’s information. Whilst the Authority has substantiated the causes of the expenditure and reported that no financial losses were suffered, the Regulator will follow up to establish the outcomes of the determination tests to decide whether to any of this amount should be clawed back in the next tariff application.
11.8. The Regulator notes that the Ship Repair Strategy, requested in the last Record of Decision, has not been published. The tariff increase on ship repair activities is contingent on the publishing of the Strategy by 30 September 2025. Failure to do so will result in a clawback on the additional revenue resulting from the tariff increase approved herein for ship repair.
11.9. The approved tariff adjustment amounts to revenue of R15 318 million as opposed to the R15 663 million applied for. This will be recovered from R 10 292 million in Marine Services and Cargo Dues, and R 5 026 million in Real Estate Revenue.

12. Port Efficiency
12.1. The Regulator has again noted reports of continued deterioration of port performance caused by lack of refurbishment and investments in equipment by terminal operators. South African ports continue to rank poorly in performance indicators compared with other ports regionally and globally, resulting in increased costs for shipping lines, cargo owners and ultimately South African consumers.
12.2. The deteriorating port efficiency levels, measured through the Weighted Efficiency Gains from Operations (WEGO), have resulted in a loss of R217 million.
12.3. The Regulator will continue to monitor port performance and efficiency levels through the stakeholder engagement process.

13. Corporatisation of the National Ports Authority
13.1. The corporatisation of the NPA, first announced in June 2021 by the President, is expected to be finalised by 30 April 2025. The Minister of Transport, who now represents the shareholder of Transnet SOC Ltd (“Transnet”) has committed to this timeline, a position reinforced by the Minister of Finance (Treasury) through the reported conditions attached to the R47 billion guarantee facilities provided to Transnet.
13.2. The Treasury’s conditions reportedly include implementation of institutional reforms i.e. the corporatisation of the NPA and reform of Transnet Freight Rail business through the establishment of an infrastructure manager separate from rail operations, amongst others.
13.3. In noting the developments within government in relation to corporatisation of the NPA, the Regulator in evaluating the tariff application, has treated the Authority as a corporatised entity.
13.4. Furthermore, the Regulator anticipates that a corporatised NPA, will emerge as an autonomous entity, with an investment grade credit rating able to raise funding at a reasonable cost (interest rates) from the markets.
13.5. The Tariff Methodology is due for a review in FY 2025/26. During the review the Regulator will embark on an overhaul of all the aspects of the required revenue and tariff setting to suit the corporatised entity. The comprehensive review will include the assessment of the cost of funding, efficiency of the tariff structure and the strengthening of the abilities to provide
adequate infrastructure.

14. Conclusion
14.1. The Regulator’s decision follows a prudent approach and takes cognisance of the economic environment within which port users, importers and exporters find themselves in. Even within the binding constraints evident in the ports sector, the Regulator is committed to incentivising National Ports Authority investment, managerial and operational behaviour that will lead to
efficient ports.
14.2. The Regulator is guided by the Directives and in particular, Directive 23(1) that sets out the requirements and/or principles which must reflect and balance amongst others, the following:
i. A systematic tariff methodology that is applicable on a consistent and comparable basis;
ii. Fairness;
iii. The avoidance of discrimination, save where discrimination is in the public interest;
iv. Simplicity and Transparency;
v. Predictability and stability;
vi. Avoidance of cross-subsidisation save in the public interest; and
vii. Promotion of access to ports and efficient and effective management and operations in
ports.

15. The official tariff Record of Decision for 2025/26 tariff year can be found on the Ports Regulator website, www.portsregulator.org. The Tariff Book will be published by 31 March 2024.

About the Ports Regulator of South Africa
The Ports Regulator (the Regulator) was established in terms of Section 29 of the National Ports Act, No. 12 of 2005 (the Ports Act). The Ports Regulator is a Schedule 3A Public Entity of the Department of Transport, in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, No.1 of 1999, as amended. The Regulator is a key component of the ports regulatory architecture envisaged in the National
Commercial Ports Policy

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WHARF TALK: offshore construction vessel – SEVEN SISTERS

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’ 
Story by Jay Gates

Sometimes an interesting vessel calls in to Durban or Cape Town, along with one or two others calling at the same time, and after placing the said vessels in an order for putting down in a series of articles over the period of that week, the vessel given last priority then gets demoted down the list because something else more interesting, or topical, arrives and takes its place in the writing stakes. So it sometimes takes a while for the vessel to make it to the top of the list.

Yet the ignored vessel still retains a definite interest, if not because in itself it is an interesting vessel, representing a part of the maritime industry that always produces stupendous vessels, and one that invokes thrills for the casual maritime observer, but also because it has an African story to tell that evokes interest, and this publication is, after all, called Africa Ports & Ships.

A month ago, back on 25th October at 07:00 in the morning, the offshore construction vessel ‘Seven Sisters’ (IMO 9390604) arrived off the Table Bay anchorage, from Dakar in Senegal, and went to anchor for the next 24 hours. The next morning, at 08:00 on 25th October, she entered Cape Town harbour, proceeding into the Duncan Dock and went alongside outer berth of the Eastern Mole. As always, such a vessel, and such a berth, is a strong indication that the call is purely logistical and is almost certainly limited to a relatively quick turnaround based on uplifting bunkers, stores and provisions.

Built in 2008 by Kleven Werft shipyard at Ulsteinvik in Norway, ‘Seven Sisters’ is 104 metres in length and has a gross registered tonnage of 5,275 tons. She is a diesel electric vessel, and is powered by four Caterpillar 3516HD generators providing 2,188 kW each, which provide power to two Rolls-Royce AZP100 azimuth thrusters, each producing 2,000 kW, and giving her a service speed of 12 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes a single Caterpillar 3508 auxiliary generator providing 968 kW, and a single Caterpillar C9 ACERT emergency generator providing 189 kW. She can produce 25 m3 of fresh water per day. For added manoeuvrability ‘Seven Sisters’ has two bow Rolls-Royce Kamewa TT2200 transverse thrusters providing 1,050 kW each, and a single bow Rolls-Royce Aquamaster UL1201 retractable azimuth thruster providing 883 kW.

She has an Ice class classification of ICE C, which allows her to operate in Baltic Sea first year ice with a thickness of 0.4 metres. Her mix of azimuth and transverse thrusters gives ‘Seven Sisters’ a dynamic positioning classification of DP2, with her position holding requirements all controlled through a Kongsberg K-Pos DP-22 system which takes its position holding data from two DGPS systems, three Gyro compasses, two wind sensor systems, two vertical reference systems, one Fanbeam system, one taut wire system, and one HiPap system.

In terms of dynamic positioning classification, DP2 differs from DP1 by having some system redundancy, and allows the vessel to keep station with the failure of an active component. The redundant system must provide the ability to keep station until work can be safely stopped, and the transfer of operations must be automatic. The highest classification, DP3, has segregated redundancy and can continue station keeping even with the failure of an active, or static component, and the total loss of the equipment in a compartment due to fire or flood.

For her construction work ‘Seven Sisters’ has a Hydramarine knuckleboom crane, with active heave compensation, and a lifting capacity of 150 tons, which is able to work down to a depth of 3,000 metres. Her aft working deck has an area of 850 m2, with an additional mezzanine deck with an area of 290 m2, and a deck strength of 10 tons/m2.

In support of her subsea construction work she has a 7 x 7 metre moonpool, and is equipped with two Work Remote Operating Vehicles (WROV), one a Hercules 17 model, and one a Hercules 29 model, both able to work down to a depth of 3,000 metres. For logistical support, urgent needs, and crew change requirements, ‘Seven Sisters’ has a raised, bow, helideck which has a ‘D’ value of 20.9 metres, and a weight limit of 12 tons, which allows her to accept all models of offshore support helicopter up to the largest type in use, namely the Sikorsky S-92A.

With accommodation for 92 persons, ‘Seven Sisters’ is a part of Subsea 7 SA, of Luxembourg, and is owned by Subsea 7 Offshore Resources (UK) Ltd., in the London suburb of Sutton in the UK. She is operated by Subsea 7 International, of Aberdeen in Scotland, and is managed by Subsea 7 International Contracting Ltd., also of Sutton in London. She is a MT 6026 L design, and was purchased by her owners at a cost of US$84 million (ZAR1.53 billion).

Her arrival from Dakar was due to ‘Seven Sisters’ being contracted to the commissioning of the Sangomar Field since May 2024. The Sangomar Field is the first offshore oil project in Senegal’s history, and is located 54 nautical miles to the south of Dakar. It was discovered in 2014, and covers an area of 400 km2, lying in a water depth of up to 1,400 metres. It is estimated to contain 230 million barrels of oil.

Subsea 7 International were contracted from the outset in 2020 with a work scope for the engineering, procurement, construction, transportation, and installation of the Subsea Umbilicals, Risers and Flowlines (SURF) system and Subsea Production System (SPS). The Sangomar Field has a total of 46 pipeline terminations, with 45 km of umbilicals, 107 km of rigid flowlines, 28 km of flexible risers, and 24 km of flowlines of installed water injection, all installed in water depths ranging from 700 metres to 1,400 metres.

All of the SURF and SPS installations are linked back to Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, named ‘Léopold Sédar Senghor’ after the 1st State President of Senegal. The FPSO was originally built in 2001 as the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) tanker ‘Astipalaia’, with a length of 332 metres, and a gross registered tonnage of 170,296 tons.

The FPSO conversion from a VLCC took place at the Seatrium shipyard in Singapore. She sailed from Singapore in December 2023, under tow, and rounded the Cape, arriving on station in the Sangomar Field in February 2024, with Subsea 7 responsible for the hook-up of the FPSO to the subsea systems, using ‘Seven Sisters’, ‘Seven Oceans’, and ‘Seven Vega’, and with the first oil from the field being produced in June 2024.

FPSO ‘Léopold Sédar Senghor’ is moored in 780 metres depth of water, and is connected to 23 subsea wells. She has a production capacity of 100,000 barrels of oil per day, 130,000 ft3 of natural gas, and 145,000 barrels per day of water injection. Her oil storage capacity is 1.3 million barrels of oil, which are offloaded on a regular basis into receiving Shuttle Tankers.

The operator of the Sangomar Field is Woodside Energy, the Australian oil and gas company, who have an 82% interest in the field, and with the Senegal state owned oil company, Petrosen, holding the remaining 18% interest. The development costs of the Sangomar Field were set at US$5.2 billion (ZAR94.52 billion).

The stay in Cape Town for ‘Seven Sisters’ was, as expected, a short one and after 36 hours alongside uplifting bunkers, loading stores, and taking on fresh provisions, she was ready for departure. At 20:00 in the evening of 26th October she sailed from Cape Town, now bound eastward to Singapore, in anticipation of her next contract. She arrived there safely at midday on 20th November.

For the nomenclature aficionado, Subsea 7 have a fleet naming policy of giving their vessels names beginning with that of the owning company, namely ‘Seven’, followed by a word, with vessels in the fleet that have visited Cape Town over the past few years such as ‘Seven Oceans’, ‘Seven Oceanic’, ‘Seven Pegasus’, and ‘Seven Borealis’. In this instance ‘Seven Sisters’ is named after the range of coastal white chalk cliffs, which run along the coast to Beachy Head, in East Sussex in England, and which are a favourite area for coastal walkers, and weekend picnickers.

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Djibouti maritime forces benefit from EU supported exercise

by defenceWeb

The recently finished Exercise Doraleh in Djibouti is a further example of capacity building and improving training for the Djiboutian Navy and Coast Guard.

The European Union (EU) naval force in the area under the Operation Atalanta flag worked with the Djibouti code of conduct and regional training centre to improve regional co-operation, maritime security and capacity enhancement among nations and institutions involved with maritime security in the western Indian Ocean.

The exercise, held from 10 to 14 November, was the first tangible evidence of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed eight months ago.

“The Doraleh regional exercise is an excellent example of how collaborative efforts, particularly with the Djiboutian Navy and Coast Guard, can significantly improve maritime security in the region,” Force Commander Commodore Armando Valente Tinoco said at the opening ceremony.

“Several activities,” according to an EU NavFor statement, were carried out to improve the knowledge and capacities in maritime security of the trainees. The search and rescue seminar covered survival at sea and current and future search and rescue means concerning Operation Atalanta.

The legal seminar covered relevant areas of maritime interdiction operations (MIO), counter piracy operations (CPO), counter narcotics operations (CNO) and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF).

Maritime domain awareness (MDA) and maritime training operations (MTO) were also covered. The MDA component addressed different platforms to familiarise participants with maritime safety management technological tools followed by discussions of practical cases. The second consisted of theoretical session workshops on board the frigate and practical exercises at sea including an integration exercise.

Representatives from the Somali Police Force Department of the Coast Guard, Puntland Maritime Police Force, Djibouti Navy, Djibouti Coast Guard, EUCAP Somalia, CRIMARIO, Djibouti Code of Conduct, Djibouti Regional Training Centre and Djibouti Port Authority attended.

Doraleh, named after an extension to Djibouti Port, was the first time that maritime security forces of Djibouti and Somalia worked with the Seychellois and Madagascan co-ordination and fusion centres.

Written by defenceWeb and republished with permission. The original article can be found here

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COP 29: A common goal – Decarbonising transport

Edited by Paul Ridgway 
Africa Ports & Ships
London

An official side event at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP 29) brought together IMO, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) for a side event at COP 29: Decarbonising Transport: Policies and Strategies For Aviation, Maritime and Land. This was reported by the IMO new service in recent days.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez reminded participants that international shipping carries more than 80% of international trade and has already improved its energy efficiency performance by over 20% since the first IMO climate regulations came into force.

The S-G said: “I wish to highlight just one aspect which I think is key in achieving ambitious strategies in all transport modes – the need for abundant, safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable fuels and energy sources.

“While the end-fuels may vary across different transport sectors, we can work together to scale up the demand, and thereby boost the production and supply of zero- and near-zero fuels.”

A global framework for action

The IMO Strategy on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships, adopted in 2023, provides the global framework for action in the shipping sector.

According to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), inland transport contributes more than 72% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in the transport sector, with 69% stemming from road transport. Aviation is responsible for approximately 2.4% of total anthropogenic emissions of CO2 on an annual basis, whereas estimated total emissions from maritime transport correspond to 2–3%.

Progress made

The event at COP29 highlighted the recent progress made by UNECE, ICAO and IMO in addressing the impact of their transport sectors on climate change, as well as showcased how their Member States and key stakeholders are contributing to actions necessary to achieve carbon neutrality.

Need for global rules

In the shipping panel, public and private maritime experts highlighted various aspects of shipping decarbonisation under IMO’s leadership, including the development of sustainable marine fuel standards, the need for global rules, the importance of technological innovation, and the need for enhanced cooperation between governments, shipowners, charterers, shippers, fuel providers and the port sector.

The COP 29 side event

For more on the COP 29 side event readers are invited to see the link see here.

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GENERAL NEWS REPORTS

UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY

in partnership with – APO

Total cargo handled by tonnes during October 2024, including containers by weight

• see full report for the month in the news section here

PORT	October 2024 million tonnes
Richards Bay	7.650
Durban	5.821
Saldanha Bay	3.321
Cape Town	1.105
Port Elizabeth	0.088
Ngqura	1.229
Mossel Bay	0.088
East London	0.141
Total all ports during October 2024	20.105 million tonnes

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Terry Hutson