TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : MAKIKI
- MSC Alice briefly detained after snagging submarine cable
- Dredging clears Grindrod’s Matola terminal for Panamax ships
- Drama & tragedy near St Francis Bay as chokka boat capsizes
- Nigeria regains top spot as Africa’s largest oil producer
- Vale Mozambique ships first metallurgical coal to Australia
- INTERNATIONAL: NATO and EU discuss future cooperation at sea
- PRESS RELEASES: Reefer shippers assess risks from ocean carrier consolidations
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : MERIDIAN 1
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The bulk carrier MAKIKI slips into Durban earlier in July to a berth at Pier 1, berth 104. The 190-metre long, 54,525-dwt bulker was built in 2006 at the Tsuneishi Heavy Industries (Cebu) Inc shipyard in Japan as its hull number 059. Makiki was formerly named CE Guardian and before that Pacific Guardian and in keeping with her previous names, the ship is named for Makiki, an area in Honolulu in the Hawaiian Islands. She is currently owned by Greek interests and managed by Unisea Shipping of Athens, Greece and is flagged in Liberia. This picture was taken by Keith Betts
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MSC ALICE BRIEFLY DETAINED AFTER SNAGGING SUBMARINE CABLE
A container ship owned and operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company, MSC ALICE (43,170-dwt) was briefly detained by Somali authorities after the 1980-built, 243-metre long ship reportedly dragged her anchor ad snapped the main fibre cable leading to the port city of Mogadishu.
According to a Somali government statement, the country lost US$10 million a day because of the damage caused by the broken communications cable, which left an estimated 6.5 million cut off from the internet in the south-western region of the Horn of Africa country.
MSC said from its head office in Geneva that the matter was being investigated. “Following reports that an underwater cable was damaged, MSC is investigating the incident with other relevant parties and these investigations are at an early stage.”
Whatever has since transpired, the container shop has since been allowed to sail and is currently (Sunday evening) off the coast of north-west India.
A spokesman for the Somali government said that together with the communication company Dalkom which is part of the consortium that provides the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System, said last week it should be able to have communications restored by the end of the week. It is understood that the target was achieved.
After a late start, Somalis have rapidly adapted to the idea of being connected with the rest of the world by internet ever since fibre optic was made available in 2014.
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DREDGING CLEARS GRINDROD’S MATOLA TERMINAL FOR PANAMAX SHIPS
The recent dredging of the Port of Maputo access channel, early this year, from -11 to 14.3 metres has served as an enabler to other infrastructure projects, some already taking place at the Mozambique port.
Terminal de Carvão da Matola (TCM), an open storage dry bulk handling terminal customised to handle coal and magnetite, is the port’s first terminal to take…[restrict] full advantage of the dredging initiative with the completion of the Berth Deepening and Quay Offset project.
The works, which were completed on 4 July 2017, included the deepening of its existing berth pocket to -15.4 metres below Chart Datum to accommodate fully-laden Panamax vessels and refurbishment work and the installation of a new fender support structure and fender system extending the quay by an 8.5 metre offset.
In addition, the larger TCM ship loader has been modified, with the boom extended to load at this offset. An engineering study is underway to evaluate the changes that need to be made to the second ship loader, where the modifications will then be implemented in the latter half of the year.
The installations and modifications were completed during a 19 calendar day operational shutdown of the existing quay. The berth was reopened on 5 July 2017 and the first Panamax vessel, the bulker MARTINE (86,800-dwt) successfully loaded 83,403 tons and sailed on 8 July destined for China.
“Congratulations to the project team and contractors for completing the project as scheduled and we thank our customers for their support during the process,” said Bongiwe Ntuli, CEO Grindrod Freight Services.
Railing continued to TCM during the berth outage period so that export volumes can increase significantly from July onwards as the terminal stock levels will be near capacity.
TCM plans to run at 185ktpm – 200ktpm coal exports for the remainder of 2017 in addition to the 300ktpm – 350ktpm of magnetite.
During the period January to June, TCM exported 750,000 tons of coal and 1,800,000 tons of magnetite. Said Ntuli: “The increased volumes are attributable to the demand for export capacity driven by the recovery in commodity prices, and the support from our rail partners Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) and CFM. We look forward to continued partnerships ensuring a cost effective and efficient solution for South African miners.”[/restrict]
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DRAMA & TRAGEDY NEAR ST FRANCIS BAY AS CHOKKA BOAT CAPSIZES
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) reports on the drama that took place in the early hours of yesterday (Sunday) near St Francis Bay in the Southern Cape, where a chokka (squid) boat capsized in the surf.
The NSRI said that the NSRI St Francis Bay duty crew was activated at 03h30 yesterday morning by the MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) following reports of…[restrict] red distress flares seen by Chokka fishing vessels at sea off-shore of Thyspoint.
The Chokka fishing vessel Silver Eagle had witnessed the red distress flares at around 03h00 and raised the alarm calling Telkom Maritime Radio Services and MRCC.
An EPIRB (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon had then also been intercepted by MRCC and additional flare sightings were reported.
Two chokka fishing vessels, Silver Eagle and Megalodon, diverted to investigate and were able to confirm that the chokka fishing vessel Maredon had capsized.
Silver Eagle came upon a life-raft and then reported that the life-raft had drifted too close into towards the rocks and could not be reached in safety.
Megalodon reported to have recovered one survivor from the water.
NSRI St Francis Bay launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of St Francis II into rough sea conditions with 6 metre swells and a gusting to 50 knots Westerly wind and rain and a search commenced for survivors of the chokka fishing boat Maredon confirmed to have 16 crew onboard.
The SA Police Services, Private Care ambulance services, local security company members, NSRI Jeffreys Bay and NSRI Oyster Bay, EC Government Health EMS, a Police Dive Unit and an NSRI Port Elizabeth NSRI ASR team aboard an SA Air Force 15 Squadron Charlie Flight BK-117 helicopter all responded.
Meanwhile, shore patrols and a sea and air search continued.
The survivor plucked from the sea by the Megalodon was transferred onto the NSRI’s Spirit of St Francis II and he was taken to shore from where he was transported to hospital by Private Care ambulance services in a stable condition.
During the continued search members of the public, including the owner of other Chokka fishing boats, and NSRI rescuers, recovered the body of one of the fishermen on the shore in the vicinity of Sunset Rocks. Five survivors were also found on the beach at Sunset Rocks.
The deceased man has been taken into the care of the Forensic Pathology Services.
The Maredon was found capsized and hard aground at Sunset Rocks where surf conditions did not allow rescuers to get close to the stricken vessel during the high tide.
As high tide approached waves caused the stricken vessel to roll over a few times and one survivor was witnessed climbing out of the vessel. NSRI rescue swimmers waded out towards the casualty boat and rescued the survivor who has been airlifted to hospital by the SAAF helicopter in a stable condition.
Yesterday at about midday the NSRO reported that seven survivors had been confirmed rescued, of which six have been hospitalised. One body was recovered and another eight men remained missing.
While the search for survivors continued, efforts were underway to breach the hull of the chokka boat as the tide receded to conduct a search within the vessel.
An inquest docket has been opened by the SA Police Services and the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SMASA) is launching an investigation.
UPDATE
In an update issued in the early evening yesterday NSRI said that despite an extensive search by sea, from the air and along the shoreline, no sign of the missing eight crewmen had been found. Police divers were able to breach the hull of the boat using cutting tools but no crew were found inside the hull.
SAMSA said last night that the search would continue from first light today (Monday).
Tanker Theresa Arctic grounded on Kenya coast refloated
In other news concerning ship casualties, the tanker THERESA ARCTIC, which went aground off the Kenya coast in June while en route to Mombasa, has been successfully refloated.
The tanker went aground on a mostly sandy seabed off the coast of Kilifi in Kenya on 20 June. It is reported that seven tugs were deployed to pull the laden vessel off the sand and into deep water. The salvage was undertake by Dutch salvage company SMIT, assisted by local Kenya company Alpha Logistics.
The tanker is carrying a cargo of 27,500 tons of vegetable oil, bound for Mombasa.
There are no reports of pollution or leaks.[/restrict]
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NIGERIA REGAINS TOP SPOT AS AFRICA’S LARGEST OIL PRODUCER
After a period of years Nigeria has regained top spot as Africa largest oil producer, relegating Angola to second position.
This became obvious from the monthly oil market report…[restrict] issued for June.
Nigeria traditionally was the continent’s biggest producer but lost ground after a period of unrest that saw oil majors forced to cut back on production.
In May Nigeria produced 1.637 million barrels of oil, whilst Angola produced 1.602. This trend continued into June when Nigeria produced 1.733 million barrels compared with Angola’s 1.668 million.[/restrict]
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VALE MOZAMBIQUE SHIPS FIRST METALLURGICAL COAL TO AUSTRALIA
Brazilian mining major Vale has fixed a vessel to carry a 70,000mt metallurgical coal cargo from Nacala in Mozambique to Port Kembla in Australia which was to be loaded last week between 13 and 15 July, S&P Global Platts reported on Thursday.
This would be the first direct shipment of Nacala met coal to Port Kembla, it said.
Calling the shipment…[restrict] of Mozambique coal symbolic because Australia is the largest seaborne exporter of met coal in the world, S&P Global Platts said the bulk of the shipment is premium HCCs, prized for its high CSR.
Australia exported 172 million mt of met coal in 2016, according to a Goldman Sachs January 2017 report, or 66% of the seaborne volume, based on the same report. The global seaborne met coal market was estimated at 259 million mt in 2016.
“Steelmakers are looking to diversify their purchases too,” said a ship chartering source with a mining major, adding there have also been iron ore imports into Australia.
“This is an interesting flow,” said a ship-operator source based in Australia. “The vessel will be going from one loading location to another, one from where they can almost for certain find a cargo with very little ballast,” the ship-operator said, adding this could replace some smaller parcels that were shipped from Queensland ports.
It is uncertain if this first shipment of Mozambique met coal is connected to the declaration of force majeure by Australian premium coal met coal producer South32 on Monday.
In November 2015, Vale sent its first shipment of met coal from Nacala to the west coast of India. Source: S&P Global Platts
The full S&P Platts report can be read HERE
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INTERNATIONAL: NATO & EU DISCUSS FUTURE COOPERATION AT SEA
Policy experts, diplomats and military representatives met a few weeks back to discuss maritime cooperation between NATO and the European Union.
This meeting, hosted at Norway House in Brussels, was designed to draw lessons for future cooperation at sea, building on NATO-EU experience in countering piracy in the Indian Ocean and working side-by-side in the Mediterranean.
Participants discussed all…[restrict] aspects of maritime cooperation from planning through to execution and post-crisis management, as well as legal considerations and the contributions of industry.
NATO and the European Union have built a solid track record of effective cooperation in the maritime domain. NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield and the EU’s Operation Atalanta worked side-by-side for several years, fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia. NATO and the EU have also worked together in the Mediterranean.
Since February 2016, NATO ships have been supporting the EU in tackling illegal migration in the Aegean Sea. In July 2016, NATO launched a new maritime operation, Sea Guardian, which supports some of EU Operation Sophia’s activities in the Mediterranean Sea.
The seminar was part of 42 cooperation measures which NATO and the EU agreed in December 2016. The event was organised with the support of the Mission of Norway to the EU and the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU.
NATO and the European Union reinforce each other in a wide range of areas, from cooperation at sea, through resilience to hybrid threats, to helping build the defence capacities of partner countries. In a joint report, presented to NATO Ministers of Defence, NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg and EU High Representative / Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini confirmed that this cooperation is developing well and will continue, potentially expanding to new areas.[/restrict]
Edited by Paul Ridgway
London
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REEFER SHIPPERS ASSESS RISKS FROM OCEAN CARRIER CONSOLIDATIONS
Reefer shippers gather at Cool Logistics – Heavy weight shipper trio to address Cool Logistics Global in Algeciras this year
LONDON: Chris Swartz from AJC International, Chayenne Wiskerke from Wiskerke Onions and Stefano di Paolo of Chiquita Brands International will take reefer carriers to task at the 9th Cool Logistics Global Conference in Algeciras on 25-27 September.
Global fresh and frozen product shippers are becoming increasingly concerned about the level of service provided by ocean carriers, not just in in terms of service reliability, but critically when trying to access reefer containers from them.
Last year only 75,000 new reefer boxes were ordered, compared with the usual 100,000 to 150,000. As a result, shippers and freight forwarders are becoming concerned that sooner or later they may run out of equipment.
The effect of the likely box shortage on global perishable supply chains, coupled with the slower than expected realignment of carrier services on all routes handling significant volumes of perishables, will take centre stage at Cool Logistics Global this year, according to Thomas Eskesen of Eskesen Advisory. The bottleneck has become more acute since the announcement of the new alliances earlier this year.
“With Thomas Eskesen chairing the Ocean Freight Debate on the 27 September and Ole Schack Petersen, SVP and Chief Strategy Officer at LCL chairing the sessions on 26 September, this year’s programme will cover all the latest trends affecting the world of perishables”, says Alex von Stempel, managing director of Cool Logistics Resources.
No other shipping line, with the exception Maersk, has been buying large volumes of reefer boxes this year. Anne-Sophie Zerlang Karlsen, Global Head of Reefer Management and Catja Hjorth Rasmussen, Head of Equipment Excellence, Maersk Line will participate in various sessions, covering everything from technology to the effect of the Panama Canal and reefer container operations in Algeciras this year.
A ground-breaking technical pre-conference workshop on 25 September chaired by Mathijs Slangen, Head of Strategy and Strategic Accounts, TIP Trailer Services and featuring special guest Martin Rapos, Mobility Director, Route Monkey will ensure that delegates will be sitting on the edge of their seat while witnessing the latest developments in predictive analysis and how this will unleash whole new dimensions in perishable supply chain thinking.
The conference will be opened by Jose Llorca, President, Puertos del Estado and Manuel Morón, President, Port of Algeciras, setting the tone for a specially convened session on Ports and Perishables and will include as guest of honour Gonzalo Mortola, Chairman Port of Buenos Aires.
Key sponsors and exhibitors include the Port of Algeciras, Agro Merchants, Puertos del Estado, Anserlog, Emerson Climate Technologies, Daikin, Kuehne + Nagel, Zeeland Seaports, DP World London Gateway, Drewry, foodcareplus, Fruit Logistica, Port of Dover, Seaco, Visbeen, Daikin, Hamburg Süd, Hapag-Lloyd, Kuehne + Nagel, Maersk Line, RTE and Transito 2000.
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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.
A recent visitor to the Lyttelton dry-dock has been the Ukrainian owned trawler MERIDIAN 1. Three days were spent in the dock during early July to carry out urgent repairs to a leaking stern gland. A number of trawlers of this popular Soviet era design work in various joint ventures with New Zealand fishing companies. In recent years the Government has changed the rules for joint fishing ventures in NZ waters. All foreign trawlers must now be registered at a New Zealand port, in this case Nelson and they must comply with NZ conditions and pay rates. Food for thought for the South African fishing industry and foreign companies operating in the South African EEZ. Pictures by Alan Calvert
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different.”
― Aldous Huxley
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