TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : SENTINEL
- Tema Port Expansion workers in protest against poor working conditions
- East African Indian Ocean container trade to grow by 7 Million TEUs by 2020 – Dynamar
- New strike brings Kenya’s oil reserves to 750 million barrels
- Loss of mv Bukoba, Tanzania’s ‘Titanic’ remembered
- CEAR busy rehabilitating strategic Malawi railway lines
- Tug number six to be launched this week
- PRESS RELEASES
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pic of the Day : KIARA
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The bulk carrier SENTINEL (63,500-dwt) is seen here on berth at Bulk Connections, which has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons, after another bulker named Julian crashed into the berth on 30 April, toppling a ship loader which then fell onto a conveyor gallery. The toppled shiploader can be seen on the right beyond the stern of Sentinel. The latter ship has an overall length of 200 metres and is 32m wide and was built in 2013. The ship is owned by Greek interests and managed by Primerose Shipping of Piraeus, Greece. She flies the Liberian flag.
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TEMA PORT EXPANSION WORKERS IN PROTEST AGAINST POOR WORKING CONDITIONS
Workers involved at the Tema Port expansion project on behalf of Chinese Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) in Tema have embarked on an industrial action of demanding better conditions of service.
Clad in red head and hand bands, the angry workers converged in front of the construction site of the Tema Harbour expansion project and chanted their demands through singing and drumming.
In addition to asking for better conditions of service, they also demanded the sacking of L’aine Services Ltd, the Human Resource subcontractor in charge of their salaries and welfare.
According to the workers, CHEC pays L’aine Services Ltd well but they on the other hand reduce the amount drastically when paying the workers.
The workers claim that their Chinese employers maltreat and humiliate them at the slightest provocation.
They complained also of discrimination between them and their Chinese counterparts.
The angry workers have vowed not to return to work until their demands are met. source: GPHA
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EAST AFRICAN INDIAN OCEAN CONTAINER TRADE TO GROW BY 7 MILLION TEUS BY 2020 – DYNAMAR
Dynamar B.V. of Alkmaar, The Netherlands, has recently issued another report in its Container Markets and Trades series: the fourth biennial edition of the “East & Southern Africa (worldwide) Container Trades”. Salient details and some of the interesting findings of the study are discussed in this review.
West Africa
West Africa is clearly moving into the direction of maturation. Compared to East Africa, the ships are…[restrict] bigger, there are more carriers and there is a substantial presence of international port operators. Currently, 112 box ships sail the core Asia-West Africa routes. Deployed by ten different carriers, their average capacity is 5,300 TEU, with the biggest ship measuring no less than 13,100 TEU.
East Africa
East Africa still has clearly some way to go compared to West Africa. The average of the 52 container vessels serving the area from Asia is 2,900 TEU, which is little more than half the size of its West African sister. Including the largest 4,900 TEU unit, they are operated by nine different carriers.
Hub and spoke is not practiced in East Africa. Hutchison Port Holdings (Dar es Salaam) was the single foreign terminal operator in the region until, recently, DP World started operating Berbera and sister company P&O Ports announced to develop Bosasso. Mombasa, the region’s largest outlet, is operated by its port authority.
Defunct, but increasingly served
Somalia may still be considered partly defunct, but ever more containerships are coming to its ports. Eight different services are concerned, operated by six carriers: CMA CGM, Emirates Shipping, MSC, PIL, Simatech and X-Press Feeders. Ports called are Berbera, Mogadishu and Kismayo. The seventeen ships used have an average capacity of 2,000 TEU, ranging between 1,100 TEU and 2,700 TEU.
More and less than East Africa
In terms of container trade, the East & Southern Africa report covers three African regions, comprising 23 countries. In addition to East Africa, these are:
Indian Ocean: Madagascar, Mauritius, La Réunion and three more, small island states.
Port Louis and Port Reunion are the ports of Mauritius and La Reunion respectively. They compete with each other for transshipment trade from wayport calls of service en route to Australasia, South America or West Africa.
Southern Africa: littoral Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia, plus four landlocked nations.
Expensive to be landlocked
Sixteen of all Africa’s 56 countries, making up for a quarter of the Continent are landlocked. Their lifeline is the connection with the nearest seaport in an adjacent country. Inland transport is up to two-and-a-half times more expensive than ocean carriage. It means that 228 million people in eleven East & Southern African countries pay more for their imports and get less for their exports, impacting welfare.
As befits good neighbours, authorities in the coastal countries, often with the help of China or Japan-based investors, have initiated grand plans to develop new corridors. These come in addition to the many passageways already in existence some of which may be improved, expanded or extended.
Eye-catching corridors
Two startling, because of the required investment in particular, such planned corridors are:
LAPSSET, is short for Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport corridor. LAPSSET is to connect the UNESCO World Heritage port of Lamu with the countries stated through an 880-km highway plus a 1,710-km railway. The first of 32 berths is slated for commissioning in 2018. Total costs including a 2,240-km crude oil pipeline are estimated at US$ 24.5 billion, equal to 40% of Kenya’s 2015 GDP. LAPSSET may ultimately be stretched to an equatorial land bridge touching the South Atlantic at Douala/Cameroon.
MWAPORC, stands for Mwambani Port and Railway Corridor Company. It includes a deep-sea port at Tanga/Mwambani, handling bulk and up to 18,000+ TEU box ships. An 8,500-km railway is to link the Indian Ocean from Tanzania through Rwanda, Uganda and Congo D.R. all the way to Banana of the South Atlantic Ocean. And furthermore: water, gas and oil pipelines, airport- and railway cities. The costs? How about US$ 30 billion?
What the above two and similar other somewhat megalomaniac corridors have in common is delays, stagnation and a lot of external scepticism.
Things will pick up. Yes, politically troubled South Africa caused a decline of the overall trade by 1% on-year in 2016. However TEU volumes for Southern Africa as a whole are forecast to grow by CAGR 3.2% over the period 2015 to 2020. For East Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands combined, the expected growth rate is nearly 10%.
The overall number of full containers to be carried by 2020 is anticipated to exceed 7 million TEU for the first time. There are not too many container trades able to post similar forecasts!
Carrier confidence
Most of today’s 20 different carriers serving the worldwide East and Southern Africa trades have done so interruptedly over many years, suggesting that they have strong reasons to do so.
5-year throughput of East and Southern African ports handling minimum 100,000 TEU
| PORT | Country | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 |
| Mombasa | Kenya | 1,091,000 | 1,076,100 | 1,012,000 | 894,000 | 903,400 |
| Dar es Salaam | Tanzania | n/a | 683,600 | 612,600 | 553,900 | 507,200 |
| Toamasina | Madagascar | n/a | 140,600 | 139,200 | 137,800 | 141,600 |
| Port Louis | Mauritius | 511,300 | 467,200 | 556,400 | 517,500 | 576,400 |
| Reunion | Reunion | 324,700 | 249,700 | 241,000 | 213,000 | 221,400 |
| Beira | Mozambique | n/a | 211,000 | 211,200 | 184,000 | 170,000 |
| Maputo | Mozambique | n/a | 140,900 | 134,000 | 127,500 | 101,200 |
| Cape Town | South Africa | 926,600 | 909,700 | 892,600 | 920,600 | 848,300 |
| Port Elizabeth | South Africa | 152,400 | 221,200 | 259,900 | 290,000 | 288,200 |
| Ngqura | South Africa | 571,400 | 661,300 | 705,400 | 774,800 | 574,900 |
| Durban | South Africa | 2,620,000 | 2784,300 | 2,664,300 | 2,632,500 | 2,568,900 |
| Walvis Bay | Namibia | n/a | 386,600 | 359,500 | 334,400 | 334,400 |
[/restrict]
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NEW STRIKE BRINGS KENYA’S OIL RESERVES TO 750 MILLION BARRELS
Tullow Oil plc has announced that its Emekuya-1 well in Block 13T in Northern Kenya has encountered around 75 metres of net oil pay in two zones.“
The Emekuya-1 exploratory appraisal well has made an important discovery in the northern part of the South Lokichar Basin. This well has proven oil charge across a significant part of the Greater Etom structure and we are very encouraged by the quality and particularly the regional extent of the reservoir,” said Angus McCoss, Exploration Director. ”
We now…[restrict] look forward to the remainder of the Kenya exploration and appraisal campaign in support of the ongoing work to prepare this important asset for Full Field Development.”
The new strike has pushed the estimated crude oil reserves in the South Lokichar Basin to 750 million barrels.
Emekuya-1 is located 2.5 km north of Etom-2 and had the objective of drilling a fault block on the flank of the Greater Etom structure. The well was drilled by the PR Marriott Rig-46 to a total measured depth of 1,356 metres and penetrated reservoir quality Miocene sandstones which correlate to those seen in the successful Etom-2 well.
Downhole pressure measurements and fluid samples suggest that the main oil reservoir is on the same static pressure gradient as the Etom-2 well which demonstrates that a major part of the Greater Etom structure is oil-filled. The reservoir sands encountered also appear to be extensive which further de-risks the northern play area and bodes well for future exploration in the region, says Tullow.
The rig will now be moved to drill an up-dip appraisal well on the Greater Etom structure. Tullow operates Blocks 13T and 10BB with 50% equity and is partnered by Africa Oil Corporation and Maersk Oil both with 25%.[/restrict]
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LOSS OF mv BUKOBA, TANZANIA’S ‘TITANIC’, REMEMBERED
Twenty-one years ago (21 May 1996) the Lake Victoria passenger vessel mv BUKOBA (850-tons, built 1979) capsized while just half an hour away from the port of Mwanza in Tanzania.
The loss of this vessel and between 500 and 700 passengers was marked this week by relatives of those who lost their lives in an accident that brought…[restrict] all of Tanzania into a state of shock, with three-days of national mourning declared by the government.
Bukoba, which was owned and operated by the Tanzanian Railways Corporation, had a passenger carrying capacity of 433 people but like many of the lake vessels, was hopelessly overloaded. 114 passengers survived but the exact number of those who perished in the waters of the world’s second largest freshwater lake after North America’s Lake Superior, was never known.
Survivors described how, with the coast of Mwanza in sight, the vessel began to sway as it lost buoyancy before rolling over and throwing passengers on the decks into the water. Others were trapped inside the vessel where most drowned. It was reported later that the ship carried no lifejackets.
For some time passengers trapped inside could be heard banging on the sides of the ship. Rescuers ignored the advice of fishermen who had hurried to the scene and began drilling a hole to reach those trapped but all this did was to release the trapped pockets of air and hastened the sinking of the vessel into 27 metres of water.
Divers who came from as far as South Africa, Zanzibar and Kenya afterwards brought to the surface 441 bodies mostly from the third class section of the vessel. Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa then halted any further recovery of decomposed bodies from the wreck as this posed a health hazard to the divers and the ship became a permanent tomb to an unknown number. Many of those whose bodies were recovered were buried in a mass grave at Mwanza. A monument stands to this day at Mwanza in memory of this awful loss.
A local newspaper at the time described the tragedy as “Tanzania’s Titanic Disaster”.[/restrict]
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CEAR BUSY REHABILITATING MALAWI RAILWAY LINES
Central East African Railways (CEAR) has signed an agreement with the Malawi government to embark on the rehabilitation of the Limbe – Sandama railway line. The project is expected to start in the last quarter of 2017 with works expected to be completed in 2018.
Currently CEAR has engaged engineers and contractors to…[restrict] inspect the line to get the necessary specifications and the cost of the entire project before the submission of tenders in July this year.
The Limbe – Sandama line covers a distance of 72 km and the rehabilitation is expected to boost businesses and offer alternative transportation to people along the line which have been dormant since 2015 due to heavy flooding that washed away part of the line.
The rehabilitation of the line comes as CEAR has also recently embarked on a multi-million kwacha project to rehabilitate the Nkaya – Mchinji line in an effort to improve its services this part of the line.
The two year project has started with engineers and contractors inspecting the line before the submission of tenders for the actual work to begin. The works will among other things involve replacing of rails in critical areas of the line, putting ballast stone, placing concrete sleepers and repairing bridges.
Once completed, CEAR expects to have more local cargo like tobacco, sugar, cement and general cargo.
The rehabilitation of the line comes as CEAR is also rehabilitating the 96km long Limbe-Nkaya railway of which 62km has already been covered.
The Central East African Railways (CEAR) forms an important link in the Moatize – Nacala coal line corridor which makes use of the CEAR within Malawi.CEAR also provides an important rail link between eastern Zambia and the port at Nacala, and provides strategic opportunities for the future.[/restrict]
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TUG NUMBER SIX TO BE LAUNCHED THIS WEEK
Tug number six is about to be launched this Friday (26 May 2017) at the Durban shipyard of Southern African Shipyards.The new tug will be floated out making use of the shipyard’s floating dock, which has been used to launch all five of the vessel’s predecessors.
The new tug, which is installed with Voith Schneider propulsion and which is expected to have a bollard pull of around 70 tons, is part of a R1.4 billion (before escalation) order placed with the shipyard for nine tugs to go into service at South African ports.
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PRESS RELEASES
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TRADE EFFICIENCY BOOSTED IN ZANZIBAR WITH LAUNCH OF NTB MONITORING AND ELECTRONIC CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN SYSTEMS
The project is carried out in collaboration between TCCIA and ZNCCIA. The project started in 2012 at TCCIA and was then extended to ZNCCIA in 2016.
TMEA has already invested more than $600,000 in the project (TCCIA & ZNCCIA).
ZNCCIA has benefitted from ICT equipment to operationalize the system, solar system as a backup power for the system, consultancy to develop the system and a Technical Assistant to coordinate the project.
Zanzibar, Tanzania: Trade efficiency systems in Zanzibar is expected to become efficient with launch of an NTB monitoring and electronic certificate of origin systems by the Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture (ZNCCIA).
Both systems have been supported by TradeMark East Africa (TMEA). The two systems have been developed as part of efforts by the Zanzibar private sector to facilitate advocacy and monitoring of NTBs. The launch was graced by the Zanzibar Minister of Trade, Industry and Marketing, the honourable Amina Salum Ali, ZNCCIA Executive Director, Ms. Munira Humoud and TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) Tanzania Country Director, John Ulanga.
The two systems will support ZNCCIA in fulfilling its goals of improving the business environment in Zanzibar by developing evidence based advocacy through realistic data and information gathered by the aid of the NTB monitoring system.
The electronic certificate of origin will ease the issuance of certificates of origin by reducing physical movements and time taken to process the document. The target is to reduce the time for issuance of the certificates from the current four days to just a few hours.
Two similar systems have been launched by TCCIA where more than 1000 certificates of origin have been issued electronically and more than 90 NTBs eliminated as the result of evidence based advocacy carried out by the private sector.
More than 2000 SMS have been received in the NTB SMS system at TCCIA. This information will be catalogued with an aim of eliminating those NTBs identified through the private sector advocacy platform.
The UK government through the department for international development (DFID) has provided its generous support to TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) to fund these projects.
The Guest of Honour during the launch, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Marketing in Zanzibar Honourable Amina Salum Ali, said, “The Zanzibar government commends TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) for this important support which is expected to boost trade efficiency and improve Zanzibar’s business competitiveness.”
Speaking on the agreement, TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) Tanzania Country Director John Ulanga said, “We as TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) are happy to support these two systems which are aimed at improving trade efficiency in Zanzibar while addressing and eliminating NTBs that curtail growth of trade. The private sector will now be armed with information to enable them advocate for improved and competitive business environment here Zanzibar”
On her part, ZNCCIA Executive Director, Ms.Munira Humoud said, “Grateful to TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) for extending their support to ZNNCIA with these two important systems which are expected to boost the isles competitiveness through evidence based advocacy and providing an efficient system that issues certificates of origin in just a few hours. We expect these two systems to contribute significantly to the improved business competitiveness here in Zanzibar.
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MOBILITAS-AGS INAUGURATES ITS BIGGEST MULTIMODAL LOGISTICS PLATFORM IN AFRICA
The Gauteng logistics hub’s goal is to improve Mobilitas-AGS’ services delivered to its clients, increase its competitiveness and support the growth of its activities across AfricaJohannesburg, South Africa:
The Mobilitas-AGS group’s new multimodal logistics platform in Gauteng province, South Africa ( CLICK HERE) has officially been delivered.
The facility is built on a 90,000 m2 site near the O.R. Tambo International Airport, the largest on the African continent. The Gauteng logistics hub’s goal is to improve Mobilitas-AGS’ services delivered to its clients, increase its competitiveness and support the growth of its activities across Africa.
The site is as a key international platform for the operations of each Mobilitas-AGS group brand, including the Laser Transport Group, the South African leader in logistics. It comprises four warehouses devoted to archive storage and document digitisation, with 150 km of archiving capacity, fine art storage and management and a bonded warehouse.
The site is also equipped with two special areas: one storage area for wine and another for sensitive products.
The Mobilitas-AGS group has invested R260 million rand (around EUR 18 million) in the construction and outfitting of the first tranche of the logistics site. “The inauguration of the logistics complex is an important step for the continuing development of Mobilitas-AGS activities in Africa. Moreover, because of its ultra-modern design, a complex such as the one we have just inaugurated improves the competitiveness of our businesses in southern Africa,” says Alain Taïeb, Chairman of Mobilitas-AGS’ Supervisory Board.
Infrastructures are a major issue for private-sector actors in Africa. Businesses can see their competitiveness reduced by 40% by inadequate logistical infrastructures. This situation increases the costs of goods by 30% to 40% when they are traded in Africa. By optimising the logistics chain, Mobilitas-AGS is meeting the market’s needs, which is a strategic development pillar.
The Gauteng logistics complex is in line with Mobilitas-AGS global strategy aiming at building multimodal logistics infrastructures. Similar projects have been completed over the last few years in France and Germany, and others are planned in Africa. Thus, Mobilitas-AGS continues to demonstrate its ability to implement major international projects.
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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.
The general cargo ship KIARA (8,277-dwt) was recently on the Eldock floating dock (Messrs Elgin Brown & Hamer) in Durban harbour undergoing maintenance and repair as is seen by this stern shot of her. The Antigua & Barbuda-flagged ship is German owned and managed by Klingenberg Bereederungs of Ellerbek in Germany. Kiara was built at the Dongfeng Shipbuilding shipyard in Hangzhou, China in 2009. This picture is by Trevor Jones
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.”
― Max Ehrmann ‘Desiderata’
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