TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : STELLAR WISTERIA
- Somali pirates strike again – Indian cargo ship al Kausar highjacked
- SAMSA set on creating jobs and opportunities
- Commissioning of deepwater Kribi port delayed
- NIMASA tells owners to either remove or lose abandoned ships
- Japan provides loan for Abidjan grain berth construction
- Cruising: Take a virtual ride on Aegean Odyssey
- PRESS RELEASES: 5-axis machining centre boosts capacity
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : HAFNIA TAURUS
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The oil and chemical products tanker STELLAR WISTERIA (12,600-dwt) seen in the harbour at Lyttelton, New Zealand during March, where she’d called to discharge lubricants. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker is owned by Tokyo Marine Asia and managed by Singapore’s Unix Line. The vessel was built in 2011 at the Kitanihon Shipbuilding yard at Hachinohe, Japan. This picture was taken by Alan Calvert
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SOMALI PIRATES STRIKE AGAIN – INDIAN CARGO SHIP AL KAUSAR HIGHJACKED
Somali pirates are not wasting any time to attack new targets and this weekend they took on and captured an Indian cargo vessel, believed to be a dhow, named AL KAUSHAR (alternately Al Kausar).
The cargo vessel was on her way from Dubai and bound for Yemen’s Al Mukala when the attack took place. This was on Saturday 1 April but details have only become available yesterday (Monday). The cargo ship has a …[restrict] crew totalling 11 who come from Mandvi near the port city of Mumbai.
Details of the cargo vessel are not forthcoming and it is possible that she may actually be a dhow type trading vessel.
According to one report the pirates approached the al Kaushar which stopped to provide them with fresh water. Those in the skiff then brandished weapons and began to go on board. The master of the vessel managed to advise Dubai authorities before the pirates took control of the ship.
The ship/dhow has apparently been taken toward Eyl in Puntland from where no doubt a demand for ransom will soon be issued, if it has not been already.
This is but the latest in a fresh outbreak of piracy off Somalia where the situation had improved dramatically, to the point where Somalia was being described as a safe place to sail. That opinion will be suddenly revised right now.
In mid-March pirates seized and began demanding a ransom for the release of a small oil tanker, ARIS 13 that was on its way to Mogadishu. After an intervention by the marine police from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, the seafarers were released along with their ship which continued its voyage to Mogadishu.
A second vessel was subsequently attacked, a fishing vessel. Some of the crew were put ashore while enough to sail the vessel were required to remain on board. The fishing vessel then sailed in a north-easterly direction and arriving short of the island of Socotra, the pirates mysteriously departed by way of a skiff, leaving the vessel’s crew back in command.
It may be this group that has carried out the successful attack on al Kaushar at the weekend.[/restrict]
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SAMSA SET ON CREATING JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Radical transformation was necessary to transform South Africa’s ocean economy to create up to 650,000 jobs which are available in this growing sector.
That’s the message from Sobantu Tilayi, acting CEO of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA). To tap into the ocean economy, he said, government through its rapid expansion Operation Phakisa program, had identified marine transport and manufacturing activities, such as coastal shipping, trans-shipment, boat building, repair and …[restrict] refurbishment; offshore oil and gas exploration; aquaculture and marine protection services and ocean governance as key drivers to boost the economy.
Adding to marine transport and manufacturing and other potential sectors within the maritime hub this was poised to create up to 650,000 jobs, drawing many youth and the unemployed.
“Our government will explore the country’s natural advantage in maritime transport and manufacturing by capturing the benefits of growing volumes of cargo handling, sea and coastal shipping and supporting transport activities such as storage and warehousing,” Tilayi said.
He added that South Africa can utilise its location and expertise to increase its share of the global marine manufacturing market, including ship-building and repair, rig repair and refurbishment or boat-building.
Operation Phakisa is an adaptation of the Big Fast Results methodology that was first applied by the Malaysian Government, successfully, in the delivery of its economic transformation programme.
Tilayi was speaking to the media on the eve of the eThekwini Maritime Cluster which is taking place in Durban this week.
“We need to transform the industry so that it is inclusive. We must establish a maritime sector in which stakeholders work together instead of competing with each other. We need to exhaust all means possible to grow our maritime economy,” he said.
According to Tilayi, South African maritime ambitions must reflect a consciousness which recognises the development of other maritime sectors throughout the continent, availing itself to assist other countries, especially coastal countries in the SADC region.
He said maritime industry players needed to come to the table and fulfil their responsibility of contributing towards job creation.
“We have to engage with industry and motivate them to play their role in job creation. It is very important for us to get as many people as possible to participate in the maritime industry. We need more seafarers.”
Tilayi said it was established in the early 1990s that there was a general lack of interest in the maritime sector on the part of the country’s citizens and part of his vision as a leader was to see greater awareness about the maritime industry as a viable economic sector in the country.
He said the maritime sector ought to be an attractive industry for the country’s youth and more should be done to “open up” the industry.
SAMSA, at present is busy establishing a full database of maritime sector professionals as well that of unemployed maritime sector graduates to improve the flow of skills and labour within the country’s maritime sector.
“We need to open up the industry to more people. We are currently having discussions with tertiary institutions such as the Durban University of Technology and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to devise strategies of making provision for graduates to easily enter the sector.”
Tilayi is expected to expand on radical transformation plans for South Africa’s maritime industry at the ‘Second Annual Maritime Summit’ where he will deliver a presentation titled “Utilising the strategic levers to promote radical transformation in the Maritime Sector”.
Sizwe Nkukwana, SAMSA Manager for Operation Phakisa, reiterated Tilayi’s pronouncements and further announced Parliament’s approval of the Maritime Transport Policy, currently before Parliament.
“The approval of the policy is a progressive step. The maritime industry has been pushing for the adoption of this policy since 2008. The policy is supposed to give direction with regard to the growth, development, transformation and effective governance of the maritime transportation sector in a way that benefits the entire country,” said Nkukwana.[/restrict]
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COMMISSIONING OF DEEPWATER KRIBI PORT DELAYED
The commissioning of Cameroon’s new deepwater port at Kribi has been inexplicably delayed yet again without any apparent reason emerging for the delays.
Built by the Chinese engineering company CHEC, with financing from China’s Eximbank, the new port has 650 metres of quayside of which 350 metres is intended for a container berth and terminal and the balance for the multi-purpose terminal. The container terminal has a …[restrict] designed capacity of 300,000 TEU a year and the multi-purpose terminal to handle 1.2 million tons of cargo annually.
When asked the question as to when the port will go into operation by the head of the European Delegation visiting Cameroon last December, Patrice Melom, managing director of the Autonomous Port of Kribi (PAK) said it would be within the first quarter of 2017, but that time has come and gone without any sign of commercial operations getting underway.
Meanwhile, Business in Cameroon reports that the port’s two tugs, provided by the Dutch firm Smit Lamnalco, have sat idle in port for almost two years, apart from conducting training exercises. They will shortly have to be sent away for servicing. Other equipment acquired for cargo handling is reported to be gathering rust.
Concessions to operate the container and multi-purpose terminals remain unfulfilled despite the concessionaires having been identified since 2015. They are the Necotrans-KPMO consortium for the multi-purpose terminal, and Bolloré-CMA CGM-CHEC to handle the container terminal. The concession for the container terminal was due to have been signed on 2 February but has been postponed for reasons not made public.
A second phase for Kribi is planned which will see a second berth being built at the container terminal to provide 700 metres for this purpose. In addition an ore terminalis planned which can handle ships with a draught of up to 16 metres.[/restrict]
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NIMASA TELLS OWNERS TO EITHER REMOVE OR LOSE ABANDONED SHIPS
Owners of ships and other vessels abandoned inside Nigerian territorial waters have been warned to either move them or face losing them.
That’s the warning from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) who has given owners until 28 April to comply failing which the vessels will either be forfeited or will be removed by the agency at the owners expense.
Director General Dakuku Peterside said it was imperative that …[restrict] Nigeria’s waters remained safe for navigation if the coiuntry’s maritime interests were to be served. He said that all abandoned ships would be declared as wrecks to enable their removal.
“In line with our mandate on the protection of the marine environment and safety of navigation within Nigerian waters and our powers as the receiver of wrecks, owners of all abandoned ships, vessels and derelicts are sternly warned to seek removal plan permits from the Agency and ensure the removal of these wrecks and derelicts from our waters on or before 28 April 2017 – failure of which would attract appropriate sanction,” Mr. Peterside said.
The Agency had the powers vested in it by the Merchant Shipping Act 2007 as well as other enabling Acts and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) instruments to carry out the removal of wrecks.
Peterside said that Nigeria is party to the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks (Nairobi Convention 2007), which is a treaty of the IMO with the purpose of prompt and effective removal of shipwrecks located in the parties’ territorial waters including its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that may be hazardous to navigation or environment. The convention gives States’ Authority to remove wrecks and in Nigeria’s case NIMASA is the receiver of wrecks.
All abandoned vessels littering the waterways and the shoreline of the country are affected by this directive, he said. source: Premium Times[/restrict]
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JAPAN PROVIDES LOAN FOR ABIDJAN GRAIN BERTH CONSTRUCTION
Japan has extended its involvement and investment programme in Africa with the signing of a loan agreement with the Ivory Coast for the construction of a grain berth and terminal project at Abidjan.
The loan for the amount of 10.869 billion Yen will ensure the construction of the Abidjan Port Cereal Berth Construction Project, to give its full name. The objectives of the project is to meet an increasing demand for rice (a staple food in West Africa) plus other cereals in not only Ivory Coast but also the …[restrict] neighbouring landlocked countries that import through Abidjan.
These other states include countries in the Sahel region such as Burkina Faso and Mali.
The loan will be used for civil works including the extension of the quay, dredging alongside and elsewhere in the port access channels, as well as consulting services and general procurement of equipment. Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) will apply to the loans for the project. Japanese technology, such as steel pipe sheet piles, is to be utilised to mitigate weak ground conditions and the deep dredging depth.
Abidjan is one of the biggest and busiest ports in West Africa and handles the largest number of containers. But since the 1980s there has been little or no new investment because of political turmoil and strife and the port is in danger of slipping behind other ports in the region where new investment has and is taking place, although advances have been made with container handling. Likewise the port has not kept up with increasing demand resulting from natural population growth.
One of the existing three piers currently used for cereals and grains is due to become unavailable because of the construction of a new container berth, leaving the new cereal berth a priority for Abidjan. The new terminal will basically double the port’s cereal capacity and will be capable of meeting the increased demand both in Ivory Coast and the neighbouring states.[/restrict]
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CRUISING: TAKE A VIRTUAL RIDE ON AEGEAN ODYSSEY
Owned and operated by the cruise company Voyages to Antiquity, Aegean Odyssey was originally a car ferry but was extensively converted into a cruise ship in 1988 and then rebuilt again in 2010. The ship carries 380 passengers and has a crew numbering 180. During the European summer the ship is to be found cruising in the Mediterranean, and in the (northern) winter months she migrates to Asian waters.
Voyages to Antiquity is a single ship cruise company.
Maritime Memories – enjoy a short virtual cruise on board the AEGEAN ODYSSEY
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5-AXIS MACHINING CENTRE BOOSTS CAPACITY
South Africa-based self-lubricated bearings and manufacturer VescoPlastics will be able to machine custom components faster and easier thanks to the introduction of a new 5-axis computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) machining centre at its factory in Virginia, Free State.
The state-of-the-art Haas VF-11 machining centre has a 3,000mm travel, and allows the cutting tool to move across the X,Y and Z linear axes and the workpiece to tilt and to rotate in any direction.
Among the many applications that it may be used on is in the machining of daggerboard casings for high technology sailing boats that are used as an alternative to fixed keels on catamarans, for performance boat builders.
Other complicated machining jobs are also to be carried out.
“The machining centre will allow us to complete complex projects quickly and accurately,” says VescoPlastics chairperson Dr Jean-Patrick Leger.
“It will also save manufacturing time because components do not need to be transferred between machines for finishing,” he says.
VescoPlastics produces its proprietary brands of Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube bushings and wear plates that operate in dusty, dirty or wet conditions and still last longer than other products on the market.
The company also provides extensive machining services and has the largest machine shop in the Free State, with 60 computer numerically controlled lathes and machining centres, and numerous large conventional lathes that are capable of machining bushings up to 3000mm in diameter.
VescoPlastics has warehouses in Johannesburg, Texas, the UK, the Netherlands and New Zealand, with stocking distributors in Argentina, Australia and Singapore.
Leger’s South African Bureau of Standards-approved and ISO 9001-accredited company boasts a staff of 71, 25 of whom are employed in the sales and administration divisions, with 46 in manufacturing.
The company also focuses significantly on training and skills development, and is currently mentoring 30 young people as part of its learnership and apprenticeship programmes.
VescoPlastics boasts customers in more than 100 countries, exports over half of its total sales, and dispatches large orders regularly to the US, China, South America and Australasia.
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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.
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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.
PIC OF THE DAY : HAFNIA TAURUS
The Handysized oil and chemical products tanker HAFNIA TAURUS (50,385-dwt) enters the port of Durban during March. Hafnia Tankers are not regular visitors to this port so the ship assumed an added interest when she arrived. Built at Guangzhou Shipyard International shipyard in China in 2011, she is one of 42 tankers in the Hafnia Tankers fleet. The 176-metre long, 32.2m wide Hafnia Taurus is registered in Valetta, Malta where her owners are also registered, Hafnia Tankers Shipholding Malta Ltd. Ship management however comes out of the company’s own ship management company based in Denmark, with technical management from Wallem GMBH & Co of Hamburg, while Wallem’s other divisions in India and Philippines take care of crewing management. The ship has a total crew of 24 on board. This picture is by Trevor Jones
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
– Max Ehrmann ‘Desiderata’
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