TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : MAERSK LA PAZ
- SA Navy man appointed as Director Elect of World Hydrography Organization
- New Lamu port – First of 3 berths to open in March 2018
- Anadarko calls for contract services in Mozambique
- Combined Maritime Forces ups its presence in the face of pirate activity
- CMA CGM upgrades EURAF 3 container service
- NATO SNMG1 and BALTOPS
- PRESS RELEASES
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : EVER SUCCESS
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Maersk Line’s container ship MAERSK LA PAZ has just pulled away from the Durban Container Terminal and is making her way across the harbour towards the entrance channel and the open sea that beckons beyond. The 300-metre long, 45m wide ship is distinguished by her unusual bow line and has a container capacity of 7,450 TEU. Maersk La Paz was built in 2011 at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Ltd, South Korea as their hull number 4216. These pictures are by Terry Hutson
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SA NAVY MAN APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR ELECT OF WORLD HYDROGRAPHY ORGANIZATION
The South African Navy Hydrographer, Captain Abri Kampfer, has been elected as the first Director of the International Hydrography (IHO) with effect from 1 September 2017.
Announcing this yesterday, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said that the prestigious appointment demonstrates the high level of integrity that the SA Navy’s Hydrographic Department…[restrict] is held in the international maritime community.
The IHO is headed by three directors – a secretary General, First Director and Second Director – who are elected by the member-states. This year there were nine nominations from Turkey, France, Brazil, Italy, Germany, South Africa, Mexico, Bangladesh and Russia. The Secretary General appointed is Mathias Jonas from Germany, the First Director is Captain Abri Kampfer from South Africa and the Second Director is Mustafa Iptes from Turkey.
Captain Kampfer was appointed as Hydrographer to the SA Navy in 2003 and in 2009 was awarded the Alexander Dalrymple Award by the UK Hydrographic Office for outstanding work in World Hydrography. In his tenure as SA Navy Hydrographer, Captain Kampfer headed the departments responsible for producing all the maritime charts necessary to ensure the safe navigation of ships and craft sailing in South African Waters.
For the next six years Captain Kampfer will work from Monaco, where the IHO is based.
The SANDF says that it is noteworthy that the Hydrographer of a small Navy such as South Africa can be elected as the second-in-charge of the world body overseeing Hydrography. “All South Africans can indeed be proud. The SA Navy might be small in numbers but its impact is felt worldwide.”[/restrict]
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NEW LAMU PORT – FIRST OF 3 BERTHS TO OPEN IN MARCH 2018
Kenya’s new port at Lamu will open the first of three berths for traffic by mid-March 2018.
According to a report in the Business Daily, the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (Lapsset) Corridor project development authority director-general Sylvester Kasuku said…[restrict] the anchor project will beat the deadline with the second and third berths set to be complete by December 2020.
The Kenyan government is spearheading the Sh48 billion port project to link landlocked South Sudan and Ethiopia to the Indian Ocean by constructing a major highway, a railway and an oil pipeline.
“It is going to unlock latent economic potential covering about 70 per cent of Kenya’s land space located in the larger northern parts of Kenya,” Mr Kasuku said.
“Heavy machinery for the construction of the causeway linking up the main land and port terminals for cargo transport channel are on site,” he added.
Part of the reason for the Lamu corridor is to reduce pressure on the Mombasa port.
When completed by 2030 Lamu will have a total of 21 berths, compared with 18 at Mombasa.
The berths will be able to accommodate crude oil carriers with deadweight tonnage of up to 200,000 tonnes and a capacity of two million barrels of oil,” Kasuku said.
The Lapsset Corridor also plays an important role in a proposed Great Equatorial Land Bridge across Africa, linking the Indian Ocean with the Atlantic
National Land Commission chairman Muhammad Swazuri said the commission had played a major role in land acquisition and the provision of compensation for land around the Lapsset project.
“The government has already set aside 70,000 acres of land for the project,” Dr Swazuri said, adding that all those whose land is to be expropriated will receive compensation.
Dr Swazuri said the government will use land rather than cash to compensate property owners along the Lapsset corridor from Lamu to Moyale.
Despite these assurances, the port plan has been plagued by controversial in Lamu. Environmentalists say the project will destroy delicate marine life and choke coral reefs and mangroves.
The government says it is sensitive to environmental concerns, but points out that no large-scale infrastructure project can leave natural surroundings untouched. source: Business Daily[/restrict]
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ANADARKO CALLS FOR CONTRACT SERVICES IN MOZAMIQUE
US oil company Anadarko is contracting services for demarcation and land preparation as part of the natural gas exploration project in Rovuma Basin Area 01 in northern Mozambique, although the company has not yet announced the final investment decision.
Club of Mozambique reports that the invitation to interested parties concerns the demarcation, regularisation of rights, cleaning and preparation for agriculture of 2,262 hectares of land.
Exporting natural gas from the Rovuma Basin entered the final stretch last week. A consortium led by Italian oil company Eni announced its final investment decision on Thursday 1 June and launched the development phase of the Coral Sul project, estimated at US$8 billion (EUR 7.1 billion).
Underwater natural gas extraction is expected to start in 2022.
US-based Anadarko Petroleum plans an investment of US$15 billion (EUR 13.34 billion) in Cabo Delgado, but the final investment decision (FID) has not yet been announced.
To access the full invitation to expressions of interest you may GO HEREhere:
source: Club of Mozambique
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COMBINED MARITIME FORCES UPS ITS PRESENCE IN THE FACE OF PIRATE ACTIVITY
The 31-nation Combined Maritime Forces which operates in pirate-threatened waters such as those off Somalia, is making an increased number of warships available for escort duty and to go to the aid of merchant shipping threatened by pirates.
In particular, hotspots such as the Gulf of Aden and the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb strait into the Red Sea wil be more closely watched by the forces of CMF, the organisation has announced.
This is a result of a sudden return and flare-up of pirate activity this year, which has…[restrict] seen a number of ships threatened and in some cases, attacked. One small tanker sailing along the Somali coast earlier this year was boarded and the crew taken hostage although the pirates quickly released them after land forces of the Puntland semi-autonomous government intervened.
The pirates make their attacks using small fast skiffs each with up to six to eight men on board, all armed with automatic rifles and grenade launchers, which they use with little hesitation. In a number of cases only the presence of armed security guards on board the ships has prevented more ships from being captured.
The presence of naval ships from either the CMF or from EU NAVFOR, the European Union naval presence, has also made it difficult for the pirates to emulate the successes of their fellow pirates of some years previous.
The CMF said in a statement and referring to two particular attacks on ships (MV Galicia Spirit in October 2016 and MT Muskie in May 2017), that while these attacks using small boats have proved to be unsuccessful, they demonstrate a new and developing threat to the maritime community.
One of these boats exploded a short distance from the MT Muskie for an unknown reason.
CMF said it would be increasing the naval presence in the western Gulf of Aden.
The organisation pointed out that these attacks can develop rapidly and having warships positioned for an effective response depends on information provided by the shipping community.
To assist in providing this information, it is recommended that all mariners sailing through the High Risk Area register their transits with the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSC-HOA). In addition, vessels should report to UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) when entering the Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) and immediately if witnessing any suspicious event.
This will provide military forces in the area visibility on your transit, allow accurate accounting of your vessel, and enhance our ability to respond to any sort of attack, said the Combined Maritime Force.[/restrict]
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CMA CGM UPGRADES EURAF 3 CONTAINER SERVICE
French container line CMA CGM says that in order to continue enhancing its respective services, a significant improvement of its EURAF 3 service connecting Europe with West Africa, can be announced.[restrict]
As from 4 July 2017, the EURAF 3 service which is dedicated to Northern West Africa ports and which is operated with three vessels of 1,700 TEU will be upgraded as follows:
* Fixed-day service with a weekly frequency.
* Increased service reliability with improved transit times From/To Conakry, Freetown and Banjul.
* Liberia call is transferred on a new service (to be announced shortly).
The EURAF 3 Port rotation will be as follows:
Tangiers – Algeciras – Conakry – Freetown – Banjul – Tangiers[/restrict]
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It has been reported that Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) was recently (10 / 11 June) engaged in Exercise BALTOPS, as part of the Group’s deployment to the Baltic Sea. Together with 40 ships from 14 allied and Partner nations, they left Szczecin, Poland on 4 June. This was reported by MARCOM, the NW London-based NATO Maritime Command.
BALTOPS marks SNMG1’s third large multinational exercise this year, after the Group’s participation in TG17-1/Dynamic Guard, off the coast of Norway in February and Joint Warrior off the coast of Scotland in March and April.
BALTOPS is an…[restrict] annual maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic region and one of the largest exercises in Northern Europe.
In the words of Commander SNMG1, Commodore Ole Morten Sandquist (Norway): “We are very excited to take part in BALTOPS 2017. The exercise offers SNMG1 valuable high-end training across the entire spectrum of naval warfare, and provides a great arena to enhance interoperability and share best practices between Allies and Key Partners.”
SNMG1 is currently deployed to the Baltic Sea, and has during the past weeks trained together with several Allies and Partners in the region. The Baltic Sea is an area of great strategic importance, and SNMG1 are providing maritime situational awareness to the Alliance.
Sandquist added: “After a successful pre-sail part in Szczecin, Poland, I look forward to commence the at-sea phase of the exercise. BALTOPS 2017 provides SNMG1 with valuable training across several areas of expertise, such as air, surface, sub-surface, mine warfare and amphibious operations, and is a visible demonstration of NATO`s commitment to the region.”
SNMG1 is currently provided by the NATO group flagship, Norwegian frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen and the Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen.
Commodore Sandquist is in command of one of five maritime task groups during BALTOPS. His task group comprises the two SNMG1 ships, and four additional ships: US destroyer USS James E Williams, Danish command and support ship HDMS Absalon, Swedish corvette HSwMS Nyköping, and Finnish minelayer FNS Hämeenmaa.
Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) is one of four standing maritime forces composed of ships from various allied countries. These vessels are permanently available to NATO to perform different tasks ranging from participation in exercises to operational missions. They also serve as an on call maritime force as a part of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).
About SNMG1
SNMG1’s main area of operation is to the North Atlantic, including the Baltic Sea.
Their main objective is to provide immediate maritime capability to the NATO Alliance, enhancing maritime situational awareness, demonstrating solidarity, conducting routine diplomatic visits, exhibiting forward presence and contributing to operational interoperability among Allied naval forces to support greater regional security and stability.
Through visible and credible presence the Group reaffirms NATO’s commitment to Allies. Through training, exercises and port visits, within a multinational force, it demonstrates its capabilities and readiness.[/restrict]
Edited by Paul Ridgway
London
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IMarEST announces voluntary commitments at UN Ocean Conference
The IMarEST was in attendance at the UN Ocean Conference (5-9 June 2017) at United Nations headquarters in New York. This high-level conference looked at ways to support the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14): Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
In his opening remarks, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres cautioned governments that unless they overcome short-term territorial and resource interests, the state of the oceans will continue to deteriorate: “The sea has a special relationship with all of us. It keeps us alive. But that relationship is now under threat as never before… Improving the health of our oceans is a test for multilateralism, and we cannot afford to fail. We must jointly address the problems of governance that have held us back.”
He urged an end to “the artificial dichotomy” between jobs and healthy oceans, highlighting that “the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources are two sides of the same coin,” and called for strong political leadership, new partnerships and concrete steps, such as expanding marine protected areas and reducing plastic waste pollution.
“The IMarEST is absolutely committed to supporting the implementation of SDG 14 and we are delighted to be here at the UN HQ in New York to add our voice to the global dialogue on sustainability of the oceans for the benefit of humanity,” said David Loosley, Chief Executive, IMarEST.
Stakeholders are encouraged to register voluntary commitments geared at driving implementation of SDG 14 and its associated targets. The IMarEST has made two voluntary commitments so far at the conference and hopes its members will continue to support efforts, and suggest new contributions over the coming weeks and months.
Voluntary Commitment 1: Protecting the environment from harmful aquatic invasive species and pathogens introduced via ships ballast water or on ships hulls.
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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.
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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 bulker EVER SUCCESS (58,086-dwt) sailed from Durban earlier in June. Built in 2011 the dry bulk carrier is owned by Taiwanese interests and managed by First Steamship SA of Taipei, Taiwan. First Steamship, or FSC was founded in 1994 and operates with a fleet of ten bulk carriers with a combined deadweight of over 600,000 tons. The picture is by Trevor Jones
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
― Omar Khayam
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