TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : AWANUIA
- Shippers pleased with scrapping of mandatory use of Nacala Special Export Terminal
- Call for greater utilisation of Nigeria’s inland waterways
- New line to connect North Africa with West and South Africa
- Nigeria calls on Dangote to complete refinery before 2019
- CMA CGM Marco Polo in towing exercise off La Havre
- South Africa’s population on the rise
- PRESS RELEASES: Marriott International targets Africa & Middle East
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : JOLLY PERLA
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Scene from Auckland harbour on New Zealand’s North Island. The Auckland-based bunker tanker AWANUIA (3,900-dwt) on her way back to her berth after refuelling a containership. The little oil products tanker is used for ship refueling and is owned by Auckland-based bunker supply company Seafuels and is managed by Bunker Shipz, with fuel being supplied by Z Energy Ltd. The tanker was built in 2009 at the Yardimci Shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey. This picture is by Alan Calvert
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SHIPPERS PLEASED WITH SCRAPPING OF MANDATORY USE OF NACALA SPECIAL EXPORT TERMINAL
The Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), which represents various sectoral federations, traders’ chambers and business associations, has commented favourably on the decision by the Mozambique government to eliminate the compulsory use of the Nacala Special Export Terminal with regards to exporting through the Mozambique port.
The CTA says it is also pleased that the cost of border visas has “been fixed”.
Issuing a statement yesterday, the CTA says the two measures will have a positive impact on the business environment in Mozambique. It called on the government to continue listening to the concerns of the entrepreneurs who it said were the driving force behind the country’s development.
Eliminating the mandatory use of the Nacala Special Export Terminal was a relief and would correct a situation that was creating serious problems for the economy, particularly the productive sector, the CTA said.
“The mandatory use of the Nacala Special Export Terminal constituted a major non-tariff obstacle to the development of business activity, affecting the competitiveness of Mozambique’s exports.”
The time and cost involved in exporting cotton, cashew nuts and vegetables, among other items will be significantly reduced by way of the new provision.
“However, it is a shame that this measure was taken only in July, because it will not affect the 2018 Doing Business classification, only the 2019 edition,” the CTA noted.
With regard to the new cost of border visas, the private sector said the US$50 fee was generally in line with practice in the region.
“First, it was a breakthrough to introduce border visas. Now we have gone further in reducing costs. As a private sector, it is true that we want more: we dream of getting a visa for investments, and will continue to work with the government in pursuing this objective,” the association said.
Background
In 2010 the Mozambique government approved the creation of a new 10-hectare port terminal in Nacala which was later concessioned to a private company – NCL & Africa Import and Export Ltd – which would operate it.
The purpose was ostensibly to unblock the existing port terminal at Nacala which was said to be completely overloaded. Initially the two terminals operated simultaneously while providing the same services to exporters and imports but in 2012 the customs authority announced a mandatory use of the new terminal for exporters.
However, traders in the Northern provinces raised objections to the introduction of the terminal and the use of a scanner which they said led to a duplication of tasks and was time consuming, increased costs, dysfunctional localization and lacked the minimum technical standards required for an export port terminal.
They also objected to the terminal not operating a 24-hour service. source Noticias
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CALL FOR GREATER UTILISATION OF NIGERIA’S INLAND WATERWAYS
A greater use of the country’s waterways as a means of alleviating road congestion and assiting with delays in moving cargo from the ports, was the centre of focus at last week’s National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) International Conference and Exhibition held in Lagos.
According to Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, the network of rivers, creeks lagoons and lakes are great resources that the country possesses. He called on…[restrict] the private sector to invest in transport on the waterways calling this a guaranteed profitable investment.
NIWA’s Managing Director Boss Mustapha said the agency was focusing on developing inland ports for cargo handling and passenger operations which eh said will help in the creation of connectivity for multimodal transport linkages – Road-Rail-Waterways-Sea transport.
He said that NIWA has commissioned an in-house project team to embark on a continuous dredging of the entire waterway system in Nigeria. Construction and installation of cargo handling equipment at the Baro, Lokoja and Oguta Ports are scheduled for completion. Along with the ports are a number of jetties and landing platforms in numerous places along the waterways.
Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Hadiza Bala Usman, said inland waterways are an integral part of the nation’s multimodal system. She used Apapa as an example, pointing out the need for a dual network (inland waterways and rails) to move cargo.
Usman said that global predictions see an increase in seaport activity by 2020. Nigerian inland waterways will thus need to position itself to benefit from the increased traffic projections. Inland waterways cannot operate in isolation, but must be connected to the seaports in order to maximise the benefits. She called for a conducive policy that would encourage private investors coupled with incentives. source: Construction Review online[/restrict]
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NEW LINE TO CONNECT NORTH AFRICA WITH WEST AND SOUTH AFRICA
A new shipping service connecting Tunisia with ports in West and South Africa is on the cards, according to Tunisia’s Industry & Trade minister.
Minister of Industry and Trade Zied Ladhari was speaking to TAP during a day of bilateral economic meetings at the 35th Annual Conference of Heads of Diplomatic and…[restrict] Consular Missions, held in Tunisia.
Ladhari said that his department is working in close collaboration with the Tunisian Navigation Company on the route of this line. The intention is to have the shipping line service operational in the coming months in order to allow Tunisian companies regular access to the African market.
The decision will be finalised in accordance with the expectations of importers and exporters and the volume of their transactions with African countries, he said. The service may transit through Morocco.
The minister pointed out that Africa, with its 1.2 billion inhabitants and significant natural resources, is a market of the future. A number of African countries currently have double-digit growth rates.
Ladhari said that the strategy of the Tunisian government is to target several destinations by the strengthening of bilateral trade agreements. Tunisia will sign this year an agreement with COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), which brings together 19 countries (500 million inhabitants).
He pointed out that some countries which joined COMESA have multiplied the volume of their exports by forty, and emphasised the need to reposition Tunisia in order to gain market share. source: Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP)[/restrict]
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NIGERIA CALLS ON DANGOTE TO COMPLETE REFINERY BEFORE 2019
The Nigerian Federal Government has called on the Dangote Group to complete its refinery in the Lekki Free State Zone before 2019.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Ibe Kachikwu, was visiting the Dangote oil refinery site at Lekki Free Trade Zone, and said the government is ready to play its part in making sure the project is completed before the scheduled date.
The Dangote Group is building the world’s largest single line refinery, Petrochemical Complex, and the world’s second largest Urea Fertiliser plant. The refinery will have the capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The Petrochemical Plant will produce 780 KTPA Polypropylene, 500 KTPA of Polyethylene, while the…[restrict] Fertiliser project will produce 3.0 million metric tons per annum (mmtpa) of Urea.
The minister said the Federal Government is depending heavily on the Dangote Refinery to fulfil its promise to Nigerians of ending fuel importation by December 2019.
Saying that he felt overwhelmed by the dimension of the project, Minister Kachikwu explained that the present government had always believed that the private sector held all the aces in with industrialization projects, a belief that has been reinforced by what the Dangote Group is doing.
While acknowledging this role in meeting Nigeria’s challenges with a project as big as this, he said: “The challenge I will give you today is that of time; I see your time for completion is December 2019, but I am sure you will understand if I tell you that the refinery component of this project should come [on stream] earlier than the set date.”
He said that the government had made a very firm commitment to Nigerians that by 2019 petroleum products would no longer have to be imported. I intend keeping to this promise, he said, adding that it is absolutely important that the project is completed early.
“I am sure His Excellency President Buhari will be absolutely enthused if he were to find himself, not only crystallizing the policy position we have taken so far, but also coming here himself to open a facility as big as this before the end of his first term. Whatever configurations your engineers have come up with, I urge that they go back to the drawing board and get me my refined products before your said date.”
Responding to the government’s challenge, the president and founder of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote said he has accepted the challenge and would do all that was possible to achieve the feat.
“What the minister is trying to do is the best so far for our country, his own version is that Nigeria should not think of exporting crude; you know the problem we have in Africa is that we only export raw materials, not finished goods, so he is saying that, look, we should all do this by adding value and I pray that even at 2.5 million barrels, we should not export much, in terms of the crude.
“We will go back and see what to do to make this happen by fast-tracking our processes since the minister has assured us of government’s cooperation and support.”
Dangote said that his company was also building the largest sub-sea pipeline infrastructure in the world, with a length of 1,100 km, to handle 3 billion SCF of gas per day. “We also plan to construct a 570 MW power plant in this complex. As a matter of fact, gas from our gas pipeline will augment the natural domestic gas supply and we estimate an additional 12,000MW of power generation can be added to the grid with the additional gas from our system.
“We will be adding value to our economy as all these projects will be creating about 4,000 direct and 145,000 indirect jobs. We will also save over US$7.5 billion for Nigeria annually, through import substitution and generate an additional $5.5 billion per annum through exports of the refined petroleum products, fertiliser and petrochemicals. We envisage that these projects, which would cost over $18billion, would be completed in 2019.”[/restrict]
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CMA CGM MARCO POLO IN TOWING EXERCISE OFF LA HAVRE
A towing exercise involving one of the world’s biggest container ships, CMA CGM MARCO POLO, recently took place off the coast of La Havre in France.
The exercise was a simulation of a real tow involving an ultra large container ship and was arranged by the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea in liaison with the CMA CGM Group and Les Abeilles (Bourbon Group).
The tug employed in the exercise was the L’ABEILLE LANGUEDOC and included an…[restrict] ‘intervention’, ‘assistance’ and ‘rescue tug’ (RIAS) simulation.
During the exercise the CMA CGM MARCO POLO simulated engine damage to enable the crew of L’Abeille Languedoc, the assessment and intervention teams (IEE) and the Maritime Operations Center (COM) of the Maritime Prefecture of the English Channel and the North Sea to train at sea, in real conditions, with a large ship.
The traction and tensioning of the tow occurred off the coast of Le Havre while a “towing” team from the Maritime Prefecture and the Bees was deployed on board the container ship to ensure an assessment of the practical situation and the coordination with the crew.
In total, more than 80 people were deployed on the CMA CGM Marco Polo, L’Abeille Languedoc, the Cayman helicopter of the French Navy stationed at Maupertus and the operations centre (COM) of Cherbourg.
This exercise was undertaken in a context where the world’s maritime traffic remains at a high level of activity (90% of the world’s goods are traded by sea) and the trend towards gigantic ships, which began a few years ago, continues.
In the North Sea Channel, France’s northern coast is one of the most frequented maritime areas in the world. Between 20-25% of the world’s traffic passes through these seas and about 1,700 container ships, including ships of more than 13,000 TEU capacity pass through every year.
In 2016, the trend towards ship gigantism was also found in the cruise sector, with almost 300 reports of cruise ships of over 300 metres in length present in the North Sea [English] Channel, some of which were carrying more than 7,000 people.
For the Port of Le Havre, container port stops above 10,000 TEUs have multiplied by 10 over the past ten years and nearly 15% of the cargo ships stopping there are more than 320 metres long.
The Maritime Prefect, as the representative of the State at sea, is responsible for the safeguarding of persons and property, the safety of navigation and the protection of the environment.
Together with all its services and administrations, it does this work and anticipates any emergency response involving one of these giant ships, while maintaining an operational condition adapted to the new constraints they impose. These are marked by an urgent response time requiring a lot of reactivity in a small maritime space, which in itself is dense in terms of activities and is marked by difficult natural characteristics: 150 days per year of dangerous sea conditions (special weather bulletins with winds equal to or greater than 7 Beaufort), a sea temperature between 7-10°C from October to March, 40 to 50 days of fog per year, currents among the strongest in the world, and shoals.
In 2016, 21 maritime events that could have led to serious or major accidents were managed in the North Sea Channel by the Maritime Prefecture and the administrations under its responsibility.
CMA CGM Marco Polo was built in 2012 and is owned and operated by the CMA CGM Group. The ship measures 396 metres long by 53.6 metres wide, has a draught of 16 metres and a container capacity of 16,020 TEUs.[/restrict]
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SOUTH AFRICA’S POPULATION ON THE RISE
South Africa’s population has increased by close to a million from 2016 to 2017, says Statistician-General Pali Lehohla.
This week Lehohla released the mid-year population estimates 2017, which indicate that South Africa’s mid-year population is at 56.52 million. This shows an increase of about 902,200 from 2016.
Females make up the majority of the population, with about 28.9 million (51%) as compared to…[restrict] males who make up to 27.6 million (49%) of the population.
There is a majority of about 45.7 million black Africans living in the country, making up 81% of the entire population of South Africa.
The second largest population group is about five million coloured people who represent 9%, followed by about 4.5 million white people who make up to 8%, and the least being about 1.4 million Indians who represent about 2% of the country’s population.
The largest share of about 14.3 million people (25.3%) resides in Gauteng. KwaZulu-Natal has the second largest population, with 11.1 million people (19.6%) living in the province. The Northern Cape Province remains with the smallest share of about 1.21 million people (2.1%).
According to the report, about 29.6% of the population is aged younger than 15 years and approximately 4.60 million (8.1%) is 60 years or older. Similar proportions of those younger than 15 years live in Gauteng (21.0%) and KZN (21.1%).
Of the 60 years and older age group, their majority of about 1.10 million (23.9%) reside in Gauteng.
“The proportion of elderly persons aged 60 and older is increasing over time,” said Lehohla.
Migration
Lehohla said migration is an important demographic process in shaping the age structure and distribution of the provincial population.
“For the period 2016-2021 it is estimated that Gauteng and Western Cape could experience the largest inflow of migrants of approximately 1 595 106 and 485 560 respectively.
“Over the last five years, five out of every ten international migrants have settled in Gauteng Province.”
He also said Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga and the North West provinces are net receivers of in-migrants, whereas Limpopo and Eastern Cape experienced the largest outflow.
Fertility, mortality, life expectancy
Lehohla said fertility has declined from an average of 2.73 children per woman in 2007 to 2.41 children per woman in 2017.
Infant mortality has also declined from 48.1 infant deaths per 1 000 live births in 2002 to 32.8 infant deaths per 1 000 live births in 2017.
The crude death rate is also down from 13.4 deaths per 1 000 people in 2002 to 9.0 deaths per 1 000 people in 2017.
He said life expectancy has increased by approximately two years from the 2012 estimates.
Life expectancy at birth for 2017 is estimated at the average of 64 years, but it is at 61.2 years for males and 66.7 years for females, and the infant mortality rate for 2017 is estimated at 32.8 per 1 000 live births.
Lehohla said the decline in life expectancy between 2002 and 2006 can be attributed to HIV and Aids.
However, he also said the gains in life expectancy is accredited to access to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
“Approximately one-fifth of South African women in their reproductive ages are HIV positive.”
He also said HIV prevalence among the youth aged 15 to 24 has declined over time from 7.3% in 2002 to 4.6% in 2017.
The estimated overall HIV prevalence rate is approximately 12.6% among the South African population.
The total number of people living with HIV is estimated at approximately 7.06 million in 2017.
“For adults aged 15 to 49 years, an estimated 18.0% of the population is HIV positive.” – SAnews.gov.za[/restrict]
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MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL TARGETS AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, 31 July 31 2017: Marriott International today announced the expansion and strengthening of its Sales and Marketing Leadership Team for Middle East and Africa.
This bold new initiative comes on the heels of the successful mega merger between Marriott International and Starwood Hotels and Resorts and the fast progressing integration of the two companies. The revamped Brand, Marketing, Sales and Consumer Services (BMSC) Leadership Team comprises of highly experienced professionals from Marriott International and legacy Starwood Hotels and Resorts, bringing together exceptional talent and expertise from both companies and speaks to the company’s commitment to support its…[restrict] enhanced footprint and aggressive growth plans in the region.
Led by seasoned Marriott International veteran, Neal Jones, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International, the team will provide dedicated support to the company’s thriving regional portfolio and will be responsible for driving top line revenue for Marriott International brands, ensuring the regional Sales and Marketing strategy is aligned with the company’s vision and priorities.
With a current portfolio of over 240 hotels with 54,000 rooms in 30 countries, Marriott International is working towards targeting a projected growth of 150,000 rooms operational and pipeline in 38 countries by 2022 across Middle East and Africa.
Commenting on the announcement, Neal Jones said, “The leadership changes we are announcing today are important to foster greater synergies, teamwork, accountability and nimble decision-making critical to lay a strong foundation that will support our ambitious growth plans in the region. I am extremely excited to work together with such a talented and diverse group of leaders who bring with them exceptional domain expertise as well as regional insights that will enable us to create a more vibrant organization that delivers value for all stakeholders.”
“I am confident that with this, we have the right structure and talent in place to accelerate our lead in the market, drive further innovation and strengthen the positioning of our brands while keeping our loyal and new guests at the centre of everything we do, steering us into the next phase of our growth and success,” he added.
Marriott’s BMSC leadership team for Middle East and Africa has been formed with the following seasoned hospitality professionals currently on board and a Vice President Luxury Brands soon to be announced.
Paul Dalgleish, Vice President of Sales & Distribution will be responsible for Property, Market and Area Sales Organisations as well as the Global Sales Organisation, whilst leading the Middle East and Africa Distribution Strategy. Previously Vice President of Sales for Marriott International, Paul has played a key role in the rapid expansion of the Middle East and Africa Region, deploying new and innovative sales strategies, whilst ensuring talent development lives as a discipline priority.
Sarah Allen, Vice President of Revenue Strategy & Analysis will be responsible for Property, Market and Area Revenue Management, Remote Revenue Management Solutions and Revenue Management Analysis. Formerly Vice President of Revenue Management, Marriott International Middle East and Africa, Sarah is a Marriott International veteran and has played a key role in moving hotels onto Marriott’s Revenue Management platforms implementing processes as well as setting up shared services across the markets to drive synergies. She was also the business leader for the integration of Protea Hotels which was acquired by Marriott International in 2014.
Jitendra Jain, Vice President of Digital, Loyalty and Portfolio Marketing will be responsible for the company’s award-winning Loyalty Programs, Partnerships, cross-brand marketing of Marriott International’s regional portfolio and will lead all Digital Marketing, Platforms and Products. A Starwood veteran, Jitendra previously led the Marketing function for the former Starwood portfolio in the Middle East, where he spearheaded the transformation of marketing processes, talent and culture, cultivating a data-driven and forward-looking mindset leveraging digital, brands and loyalty.
Sandra Schulze-Potgieter, Vice President of Premium and Select Brands will be responsible for Brand Marketing and Management for Marriott International’s compelling portfolio of Premium and Select Brands and will oversee Restaurants & Bars Marketing as well as Area Field Marketing. Sandra was previously Senior Director, Brand Marketing & eCommerce for Marriott International Middle East and Africa managing Field Marketing, Brand Marketing, Public Relations, Partnerships, Social Media, Digital as well as Loyalty. She was instrumental in positioning Marriott International’s lead in Brand Marketing in the region.
Sarah Walker Kerr, Vice President of Communications Middle East and Africa will be responsible for devising and implementing the overall Communications Strategy for Marriott International in the region, driving visibility, enhancing the perception of the company and its brands and increasing its share of voice in the media. She will provide strategic counsel to the senior executive leadership team, managing Internal and External Communications, Crisis Communications and Reputation Management as well as Brand Communications. A seasoned communications specialist, Sarah was previously Regional Director of Public Relations Middle East, Africa, India & Japan for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
Raheel Baggia, Senior Director, BMSC Planning and Services will be responsible for Integration and Change Management, Program Execution and Training. Prior to this Raheel served as Director, BMSC Consulting-Middle East and Africa. Since joining Marriott in 2013, Raheel has been working on strategic continent projects both in his previous role supporting BMSC-Middle East and Africa as well as in Europe where he was part of the Global Operations team.[/restrict]
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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.
Ignazio Messina’s RoRo container ship JOLLY PERLA (50,720-gt) and her sisters have appeared in Africa PORTS & SHIPS on several occasions, and why not, for these are highly interesting and attractive ships designed specifically for trade with the African coast, and with Durban as their southern terminus – Genoa being the port at the northern end of their regular journey. They are also ships that call at any or all of the East African ports – some on inducement, some as regular ports of call. Built in 2012 at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Geoje, South Korea, Jolly Perla was at the forefront of Messina Line’s newbuilding project that resulted in a fleet of modern RoRo type ships replacing the older tonnage that had served the Italian company so well. Jolly Diamante was the first of four identical 239-metre long, 37.5m wide ships to enter service in 2011 from the Daewoo yard. The other two vessels to follow were Jolly Cristallo and Jolly Quarzo. These were later followed by a second series of four similar ships, the Jolly Titanio class, which appeared in 2014 and 2015, making for a total owned fleet of eight vessels. Other ships are chartered in as required. Each of the Jolly ships has a maximum container capacity of 3,000 TEU or 6,350 linear metres (the name means ‘Joker’). These pictures of Jolly Perla were taken by Keith Betts
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering – because you can’t take it in all at once.”
― Audrey Hepburn
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