TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : MSC MARS
- SA Port Statistics for the month of May are now available
- Mozambique proposes building 3,800km North-South railroad
- New organisational structure for Hapag-Lloyd
- SA government says oceans working for the country’s economy
- Oceans open new wave of employment opportunities for South Africa
- Transnet issues statement on locomotive acquisition programme
- PRESS RELEASES
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : CAPE MARIN
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The side of the ship reads HYUNDAI but the name on the bow reveals something quite different – MSC MARS (124,092-dwt). Obviously recently renamed and still in the colours of her previous operator, the 2016-built, 324-metre long, 48-m wide ship is owned and managed by British-based Zodiac Maritime and now in service with Mediterranean Shipping Company as a sister ship to MSC Earth and MC Saturn that have also called in South African ports recently. MSC Mars was built by the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Ltd of South Korea and her container capacity is 10,055 TEU. This picture taken in Durban is by Trevor Jones. Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News
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SA PORT STATISTICS FOR MONTH OF MAY ARE NOW AVAILABLE
Port statistics for the month of May 2017, covering the eight commercial ports under the administration of Transnet National Ports Authority, are now available.
Total cargo handled at all eight ports during the past month amounted to 24.453 million tons, compared with the previous month (April 2017) when 22.031 million tons of cargo was handled, reflecting an increase of almost 2.5mt in cargo volumes month on month. The port of Richards Bay recorded…[restrict] a cargo volume of 8.001 (April: 7.325) million tons for the month, while Durban handled 5.592 (April: 6.774) million tons while Saldanha enjoyed a good month with a throughput of 7.472mt (April: 4.653mt). The increase on overall volumes was clearly a result of higher average commodity exports (coal and iron ore) while manufacturing and other general cargo continue to be constrained.
Container volumes were down by 32,776 TEU which negates a small increase the previous month.
For detailed comparison with the previous May (2016) figures please go HERE; use your BACKSPACE button to return to this page.
These statistical reports on africa PORTS & SHIPS are arrived at using an adjustment on the overall tonnage compared to those kindly provided by Transnet. This is to include containers by weight; an adjustment necessary because Transnet NPA measures containers by the number of TEUs and does not reflect the weight which unfortunately undervalues the ports.
To arrive at such a calculation, PORTS & SHIPS uses an average of 13.5 tonnes per TEU, which probably does involve some under-reporting. PORTS & SHIPS will continue to emphasise this distinction, without which South African ports would be seriously under-reported internationally and locally.
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Figures for the respective ports during May 2017 are:
Cargo handled by tonnes during May 2017, including containers by weight
| PORT | May 2017 million tonnes |
| Richards Bay | 8.001 |
| Durban | 5.592 |
| Saldanha Bay | 7.472 |
| Cape Town | 1.179 |
| Port Elizabeth | 1.068 |
| Ngqura | 0.859 |
| Mossel Bay | 0.113 |
| East London | 0.169 |
| Total all ports | 22.031 million tonnes |
CONTAINERS (measured by TEUs) during May 2017
(TEUs include Deepsea, Coastal, Transship and empty containers all subject to being invoiced by NPA
| PORT | May 2017 TEUs |
| Durban | 209,280 |
| Cape Town | 59,834 |
| Port Elizabeth | 14,983 |
| Ngqura | 63,636 |
| East London | 5,762 |
| Richards Bay | 1,334 |
| Total all ports | 354,829 TEU |
SHIP CALLS for May 2017
| PORT | May 2017 vessels | gross tons |
| Durban | 274 | 9,649,221 |
| Cape Town | 219 | 4,552,845 |
| Richards Bay | 151 | 5,579,468 |
| Port Elizabeth | 73 | 2,367,250 |
| Saldanha Bay | 53 | 3,672,901 |
| Ngqura | 43 | 2,916,661 |
| East London | 30 | 925,566 |
| Mossel Bay | 29 | 291,051 |
| Total ship calls | 872 | 30,154,963 |
— source TNPA, with adjustments made by africa Ports & Ships to include container tonnages [/restrict] Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News
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MOZAMBIQUE PROPOSES BUILDING 3,800-KM NORTH-SOUTH RAILROAD
Who thought the age of railroad building was dead?
Mozambique is the latest to get in on the act, despite the country being a little bit on the broke side, financially speaking. Last week a project to build a 3,800 kilometre railway from South to the North of the country was revealed.
The announcement was made to a group of potential investors in Tete last Thursday (8 June 2017) although it very much remains a projected investment because so far it hasn’t had the benefit of an official economic feasibility study.
An estimated cost of US$20 billion was touted around during last week’s Tete Infrastructure Forum. The railway would…[restrict] emulate what the so-called Great North Road tries to do, to link the north with the south of the country while also connecting with the relevant ports on the coast.
Like most African countries, existing railroads, which were mostly if not all built during colonial days, extend from the coast to inland destinations and in Mozambique’s case, remain isolated from each other. Partly as a result the south remains somewhat politically isolated from the central and north of the country and an effective transport connection might help offset this.
There would also be advantages regarding the transportation of agricultural products to different parts of Mozambique as well as to the emerging gas and oil activity in the far north of the country.
According to government officials present at the Forum they plan to raise the necessary investment for this project, as well as several other projects presented at the same time which include an airport complex at Nacala and a technology park at Mocuba in Zambézia province.
“It’s a project that does not yet have completed feasibility studies, but we think it’s time for us to bring this idea up and discuss it with investors,” forum spokeswoman Odete Simeão told Portuguese news service Lusa.[/restrict] Africa PORTS & SHIPS Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News
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NEW ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR HAPAG-LLOYD
Hapag-Lloyd, which recently completed its merger with United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), has announced that the combined company intends to leverage on UASC´s strong presence in the Middle East market and will further strength this presence by establishing a fifth Hapag-Lloyd regional center in the UAE.
In addition to Region North America, Region Latin America, Region Europe and Region Asia, Hapag-Lloyd will now serve in the newly established Region Middle East with its headquarters in Dubai. This new region will consist of five areas.
During the transition period, an ongoing review of the group’s entire office network is to be conducted to ensure optimised local presence in order to better serve customers’ business requirements.
Hapag-Lloyd says that some office addresses are likely to change and details will be made available in the office overview section on its website.
RNA = Region North America
RLA = Region Latin America
REU = Region Europe
RME = Region Middle East
RAS = Region Asia
Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News
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SA GOVT SAYS OCEANS WORKING FOR THE COUNTRY’S ECONOMY
With the international community celebrating World Oceans Day last week, South Africa has taken note of the strides made in Operation Phakisa to boost the economy.
Speaking at the Oceans Conference in New York on Wednesday, Environmental Affairs Minister, Dr Edna Molewa said South Africa’s grand plan to make the oceans work for economic growth has boosted job creation, in line with the objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP).
Nearly three years since its inception, South Africa’s Operation Phakisa: Oceans Economy is making inroads and growing the aquaculture sector.
Through the oceans economy,…[restrict] 2,000 additional tons of fish have been produced. This is a 35% increase for the sector, while a contribution of R500 million has been made to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The oceans economy is one of the three streams of Operation Phakisa and takes the country closer to unlocking the potential of South Africa’s oceans, which have the potential to contribute up to R177 billion to the GDP and create over one million new jobs by 2033.
Since its launch by President Jacob Zuma in July 2014, Operation Phakisa: Oceans Economy has made substantial progress.
South Africa has, to date, unlocked a total of R17.7 billion in investment through the Operation Phakisa: Oceans Economy process in the five initially identified areas, which are offshore oil and gas, aquaculture, marine manufacturing and transport, oceans governance and tourism. In addition, 6,952 jobs have been created.
Minister Molewa said South Africa has an ocean space that is greater than the country’s land territory, which makes it a resource that needs to be carefully managed.
The South African ocean region is globally recognised as unique and a hotspot of marine biodiversity, with over 10,000 marine species.
The region, however, is at a unique crossroads. The Atlantic, Southern and Indian Ocean’s fishing grounds are among the healthiest worldwide, and coastal tourism is among the biggest income earners for many countries.
Ports and other coastal infrastructure are growing in importance and the region is crossed by some of the world’s main shipping lanes. Emerging prospects of oil and gas development offer unprecedented opportunities for growth.
Minister Molewa cautioned that the accompanying challenges are just as great, with a high risk of environmental and socio-economic impacts.
“Nevertheless, the prospect for a vibrant, sustainable blue economy is on our doorstep and the framing of the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] provides both a vision and focused goals and targets for balancing economic, social and environmental aims, to bring benefits for the people of the region,” said the Minister. Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News
Pollution
Minister Molewa spoke out against pollution, saying 80% of all marine pollution stems from activities carried out on land.
The Minister said more effort can be focused on tackling land-derived pollution.
The Department of Environmental Affairs is mandated, among others, to manage and protect South Africa’s coastal water quality and support all beneficial uses of coastal water such as recreation, fishing, aquaculture and desalination.
“Considering the target on reducing marine pollution, we realise that tackling land-based sources of marine pollution will require the challenging but necessary collaboration with a variety of sectors and user groups. We have also optimised our efforts to handle this important matter through our regional partnerships,” said Minister Molewa.
World Oceans Day is celebrated annually on 8 June and has a history spanning over two decades. This year’s theme is ‘Our Oceans, Our Future: Focusing on encouraging solutions to plastic pollution and preventing marine litter for a healthier ocean and a better future’.[/restrict]
Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News
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OCEANS OPEN NEW WAVE OF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOUTH AFRICA
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) in partnership with the Department of Transport will celebrate the 2017 International Day of the Seafarer on the 25th of June in Bizana in the Eastern Cape.
Acting CEO for SAMSA, Sobantu Tilayi will join the international maritime community to celebrate and honour the contributions made by the South African seafarers to boost South Africa’s ocean’s economy, sending a reminder that the maritime sector is a viable option to promote growth and employment.
Tilayi said: “Marking this day in this remote town of the Eastern Cape affords the National department of Transport, SAMSA and all stakeholders an opportunity to…[restrict] impact on the village and its people with empowering information and resources about this industry.”
The Day of the Seafarer is a day marked by the International Maritime Organisation to recognise and celebrate seafarers worldwide. The day was established in a resolution adopted by the 2010 Diplomatic Conference in Manila to adopt the revised Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention and was first celebrated in 2011. The Day of the Seafarer has now been included in the annual list of United Nations Observances.
Sindisiwe Chikunga, deputy Minister of Transport will lead a high-level delegation to the International Maritime Organisation in London on 25 June to deliberate in a workshop focussing on recognising the unique contribution made by seafarers from all over the world to international seaborne trade, the world economy and civil society as a whole.
Chikunga said: “South Africa is a maritime nation and it is critical for us to be part of the deliberations that consider the lives of the millions of seafarers around the world. Maritime and seafarer careers involves scarce skills and avail opportunities for employment creation which is one of South African government’s central priorities.”
This year’s theme “Seafarers Matter”, allows government to engage ports and seafarer centres, to demonstrate how much seafarers matter as a fundamental resource which is critical to the maritime industry. South African seafarers represent excellence in the international community of seafarers. The idea is for ports and seafarer centres to share and showcase best practices in seafarer support and welfare, Chikunga said.
The Day of the Seafarer acknowledges that almost everything that we use in our daily lives has been directly or indirectly linked with sea transport. According to the IMO, around 90% of the world’s goods trade is carried out through ships manned by more than 1.2 million seafarers.
At the Bizana event, Seafarers will share information about their time at sea and the role that seafarers play in making sure that the world economy remains vibrant and dynamic. A career awareness exhibition will also be held by SAMSA to showcase to the community vast opportunities that lie within South Africa’s maritime sector.
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SAMSA has been observing the day for the past six years in accordance with the guidelines of the IMO.
SAMSA has already activated this year’s social media campaign which can be accessed through the following social media platforms.
Facebook: Page: Day of the Seafarer & South African Maritime Safety Authority
Twitter: @SAMSAMARITIME under the hashtag: #SeafarersMatter #SAMSACares #OceansEconomy #SASeafarers[/restrict]
Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News
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TRANSNET ISSUES STATEMENT ON LOCOMOTIIVE ACQUISITION PROGRAMME
Transnet SOC Ltd says it has noted the reports around the integrity of its procurement processes, particularly on its locomotive acquisition programme, which is the cornerstone of its infrastructure investment programme – the Market Demand Strategy.
The statement refers to claims that the purchase price of 232 diesel-electric class 45 locomotives ordered from China’s state-owned CNR-Dalian was artificially inflated from R30-million per locomotive to R42-million to the benefit of certain individuals.
Transnet said on Friday that it was…[restrict] confident that its procurement processes have sufficient checks and balances to guarantee integrity. “These include oversight at various governance levels.
“In addition, all contracts above a certain threshold are taken through our high-value tender process which is run by an independent auditing firm. Alongside process, one of the key considerations is value in terms of the competitiveness of the bid.
“Transnet is committed to continuous improvement in all its processes at management, governance and operational levels. In line with that philosophy, the company has set up a special committee made up of mainly independent directors to review the company’s processes, with a specific focus on the locomotive acquisition programme.
“We will pronounce once this process is concluded.”
The Economic Freedom Fighters party (EFF) said on Thursday last week that it intends bringing criminal charges against the finance minister, Malusi Gigaba whom, it said, was at the centre of the alleged corruption involving the locomotive deal. At the time of the procurement order Gigaba was minister of public enterprises, the ministry responsible for Transnet as a state-owned company.[/restrict]
Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News
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Gulf of Guinea Interregional Network to Fight Crime at Sea
The €9.2 million, four-year programme will support participating countries in developing joint planning, coordination, communication and IT infrastructure at a national, regional and interregional level
YAOUNDE, Cameroon: Nineteen coastal countries stretching from Senegal to Angola have started working together in a joint effort at fighting crime at sea.
The European Union project, Gulf of Guinea Interregional Network (GOGIN) (www.GOGIN.eu), started operations late last week. The €9.2 million, four-year programme will support participating countries in developing joint planning, coordination, communication and IT infrastructure at a national, regional and interregional level.
The programme covers a massive area, including 6,000 kilometres of coastline and the adjacent waters from Senegal in the north to Angola in the south.
“I’m delighted to be here in Yaoundé today to officially kick-start GOGIN after several months of fine-tuning with my African colleagues,” said Vice Admiral (Ret) and GOGIN Team Leader Jean-Pierre Labonne. “Our long-term aim is to support peace, stability and economic and human development throughout West and Central Africa. My team and I will spare no effort to make GOGIN a success.”
GOGIN is a tangible outcome of the Code of Conduct on the repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships, and illicit maritime activity in West and Central Africa that was adopted at the June 2013 Summit of Heads of State in Yaoundé – also known as the Yaoundé Process. The project is co-funded by the European Union and by the Government of Denmark; it is implemented by Expertise France, the French international technical cooperation agency.
The programme covers a massive area, including 6,000 kilometres of coastline and the adjacent waters from Senegal in the north to Angola in the south, as well as the archipelagos of Cape Verde and Sao Tome & Principe. The area is rife with criminal or illegitimate activity — from piracy, kidnappings and armed robbery at sea; to the trafficking in drugs, human beings, timber, arms and waste; illegal fishing and oil theft.
GOGIN underpins the Yaoundé Process by joining up existing national and multinational maritime security centres, coordinated by two Regional Coordination Centres in Abidjan and in Pointe Noire and capped by an Interregional Coordination Centre in Yaoundé.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Gulf of Guinea Interregional Network (GOGIN
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EU NAVFOR thanks Montenegrin protection unit on WFP ship off Somalia coast
EU NAVFOR Force Commander Thanks Montenegrin Maritime Protection Team for Protection of World Food Programme Vessel MV Esbjerg as it Sails Along Coast of Somalia
BRUSSELS, Belgium: During ESPS Galicia’s counter-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia, EU NAVFOR’s Force Commander, Rear Admiral Rafael Fernández-Pintado Muñoz-Rojas, took the opportunity to visit the EU NAVFOR Montenegrin maritime protection team that is currently on board the World Food Programme (WFP) ship, MV Esbjerg.
A key role for Operation Atalanta is to…[restrict] protect WFP ships as they travel along the coast to deliver food to the people of Somalia and over 1.3 million tonnes of food and other humanitarian aid protected by EU NAVOFR since 2008 has arrived safely in port.
The presence of the Montenegrin Maritime Protection Team on board MV Esbjerg also provides much-needed reassurance to the crew. If pirates were to attack their ship, they will be protected by EU NAVFOR and remain safe.
Distributed by APO on behalf of EUNAVFOR Atalanta.[/restrict]
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GENERAL NEWS REPORTS – UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY
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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.
You can access this information, including the list of ports covered, by going HERE remember to use your BACKSPACE to return to this page.
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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.
Lyttelton harbour, South Island, New Zealand as the Marshall Island-flagged container ship CAPE MARIN (41,462-dwt) prepares to come alongside the container terminal. Built in 2012 the 212-metre long, 32m wide ship is managed by Columbia Ship Management of Limassol, Cyprus. She has a container capacity of 2,758 TEU and was built at the Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard in China as their hull or yard number 406. These pictures in the maritime news are by Alan Calvert
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
― Omar Khayam
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