TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
Click on headline to go direct to story : use the BACK key to return
- First View : STOLT VIRTUE
- Mombasa port receives two new harbour cranes courtesy TMEA
- Walvis Bay receives a whale of a visitor
- Côte d’Ivoire invests in grain and container terminals
- Tanzania turns to Inland Dry Ports to de-congest Dar es Salaam
- Int’l: USS Kearsarge to Hurricane Harvey: Don’t mess with Texas!
- Int’l: NATO warships conclude Open Spirit 2017 exercise
- PRESS RELEASE: First Offshore Vessel with DNV GL’s Shore Power Class Notation
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : THERESA DUMAI
SEND NEWS REPORTS AND PRESS RELEASES TO
info@africaports.co.za
News continues below
Stolt Tankers chemical and oil products tanker STOLT VIRTUE (25,230-dwt) enters Durban harbour headed for one of the Island View oil and liquid chemical berths earlier in August. Stolt Tankers vessels are regular callers at Durban. Stolt Virtue was built in 2004 at the Shimanami Shipyard at Imabari in Japan. The ship is registered in Monrovia and operated by Stolt Tankers BV of Rotterdam who are also shown as the owners. This picture is by Keith Betts
News continues below
MOMBASA PORT RECEIVES TWO NEW HARBOUR CRANES COURTESY TMEA
The Kenyan Port of Mombasa received a major boost last week with the arrival of two modern diesel-electric powered mobile cranes, which had been funded by TradeMark East Africa working with the UK government’s International Climate Fund (ICF) facility.
The cranes cost a total of US$98.7 million for the two machines and form part of a comprehensive programme in supporting the Port of Mombasa’s resilient port infrastructure initiatives.
These cranes are aimed at…[restrict] mitigating negative effects on the environment and will utilise a dust control system to minimise the escape of dust during discharging, along with a reduction in running expenses on average by 30%. The Eco Hoppers will complement mobile harbour cranes for dry bulk cargo handling.
The Kenyan Government has made it a priority to continually invest in infrastructural development and the modernisation of the Port of Mombasa. Some of the key projects include the construction of the phase 1 of the Second Container Terminal which increased the port’s annual capacity by 550,000 TEUs, the construction of Berth No. 19, and the dredging of the entrance channel which has enabled the Port to handle larger vessels.
TMEA has been working closely with KPA to implement short-term and high impact projects including the improvement of Gate 18/20 which enhanced port access as well as the upgrading of Yard 5 which increased capacity at the port.
Together with support from TMEA Kenya Ports Authority has developed a green port policy which seeks to position the Port of Mombasa as a leading world port providing sound stewardship and management of the environment as affected by port operations. The strategy highlights the need to place people first, while addressing the negative impacts occasioned by port operations as well placing a premium on technology-rich and sustainable port operations. source: KPA and TMEA[/restrict]
News continues below
WALVIS BAY RECEIVES A WHALE OF A VISITOR
Not for nothing is Namibia’s main port known as Walvis (Whale) Bay.
In years gone by it held a whaling station, but that was a long time ago and today Walvis Bay is a busy port on the South Atlantic coast, developing a reputation as a gateway into Central Southern Africa and even to South Africa.
Just as the port was enjoying the first days of spring, they received unexpected visitors at the Small Craft Harbour, as if to remind them of the changing of the seasons.
No less than four sightings of whales took place during the week in the Walvis Bay environment. The photo’s above depict the closest sighting of what was tentatively identified as ‘Humpback’ whales species at the port’s Small Craft Harbour right in front of the quayside wall. The whale appeared to be in good health and uninjured.
Increased sightings of whales have also taken place at the Port of Lüderitz within the last 10 days.
reporting by Edith Kukuri
Namport
News continues below
IVORY COAST INVESTS IN GRAIN AND CONTAINER TERMINALS
It’s not just China and the United Arab Emirates that are investing in Africa, reports Medi Telegraph. Japan has also decided to get involved, granting a favourable loan to a grain terminal in the port of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The loan, which is worth €90 million, was granted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). A communiqué from Côte d’Ivoire’s Council of Ministers explains, “This project seeks to increase the freight moving capabilities of the autonomous port of Abidjan (PAA), for the construction of a new grain terminal and a storage area.
It will allow the PAA to…[restrict] cope with the increase in shipments of grain products and will thus contribute to Côte d’Ivoire’s and the West African sub region’s economic development.”
The financing was granted by JICA with an interest rate of 0.1 percent, to be repaid in 40 years, 10 of which can be deferred.
The terminal is part of the 2016-2020 National Development Plan’s major infrastructural projects. A terminal will be built with a dedicated berth for grain and channel depths of 13.5 metres. It will consist of a 10-hectare cargo storage area to be used as customs warehouses equipped with cargo handling equipment that the government is requiring to be modern and efficient.
According to the experts, agriculture is one of the most promising sectors of the African economy, also in view of the continent’s expected demographic boom. The data from FAO, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, show that Sub-Saharan Africa is the only developing region in which it is predicted that the numbers employed in the agricultural sector will continue to grow in the coming decades, from 200 million in 1950 to 800 million in 2050.
In its 2016 report on African agriculture, the FAO emphasises the obstacles that prevent African products from reaching markets: the high cost of transportation, limited access to more lucrative markets, a limited capacity for storage to take advantage of seasonal price increases, and weak bargaining power. In particular, the high transportation costs are caused by the lack of adequate road infrastructure, free competition, efficient rules for the freight logistics sector, and obstacles to cross-border trade (formal and informal duties, tariffs, payoffs, and delays).
The World Bank calculated that the cost from the producer to the so-called primary market is four times higher than that from the primary market to the wholesale market. The first phase of distribution, that is short-range distribution, accounts for 45 percent of the total transportation cost. This reduces producers’ margins, such that they are not encouraged to invest in increasing productivity.
It was estimated that a 10 percent decrease in the agricultural producers’ transportation costs would produce a 25 percent increase in volume sold.
Côte d’Ivoire is one of the most active countries in terms of infrastructure investments. Besides the recent financing for the grain terminal in Abidjan, last year Côte d’Ivoire concluded an agreement with the Geneva-based container carrier company MSC for the construction of a container terminal at the country’s other port, San Pedro. MSC is investing $200 million.
Last year, Côte d’Ivoire’s government cleared the way for the project to build a terminal in the port, which is the second most important in the country and is specialised in handling colonial-type goods such as coffee and cacao.
Côte d’Ivoire has awarded the contract to a consortium formed by the Swiss company MSC, led by the Aponte family, and by the Bilal Group of the United Arab Emirates (which will invest $300 million). In San Pedro, MSC already holds a concession for five hectares to be used for container handling. The extension will increase the space dedicated to containers to a total of 23 hectares. source: Medi Telegraph[/restrict]
News continues below
TANZANIA TURNS TO INLAND DRY PORTS TO DE-CONGEST DAR ES SALAAM
As competition among ports in Eastern and Southern Africa stiffens, the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) has turned to the creation of a Master Plan for the establishment of dry ports in strategic regions to ease clearance and shipment of transit cargo, especially to neighbouring countries, reports the Tanzania Daily News
TPA’s Director General, Deusdedit Kakoko was visiting in the Ruvu-Vigwaza area (inland of Dar es Salaam) together with Works, Transport and Communications Minister, Prof Makame Mbarawa, where they were inspecting the construction of a dry port.
He said that for years TPA has…[restrict] developed and operated its dry ports minus any master plan, but this was to change with the introduction of a dynamic, short and long-term planning document that provides a conceptual layout to guide future growth and development.
He said this has been submitted to the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications for further processes before putting it in action.
In the Master Plan the TPA intends constructing an Inland Container Deport (ICD) in the Arusha Region to facilitate clearance and shipment of cargo entering the country through the port of Tanga.
The Arusha dry port would attract customers from the neighbouring countries of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, including the northern regions of Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Manyara to use Tanga Port and Dar es Salaam harbour.
Referring to neighbouring Kenya Kakoko said: “Our competitors have built a dry port at Taveta area in Kenya. This means that containerised cargo that enters through Mombasa Port with destinations in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi is now transported up to Taveta as a strategy to attract customers from those countries.”
Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL) management had been approached to look at the possibility of reviving the Tanga-Arusha railway to facilitate the shipment of containerised cargo from Tanga Port to the Arusha dry port.
He said the construction of the Ruvu-Vigwaza dry port in the Coast Region also formed part of the Master Plan, as was Mwanza port on the southern banks of Lake Victoria.
In Phase I and II of the construction of Ruvu-Vigwaza dry port, the government has injected over 9bn Shillings. The ICD is scheduled to start operation early next January and it will be able to handle a significant throughput of containers. Ruvu-Vigwaza dry port would also help to decongest the streets of Dar es Salaam City which is swamped by road vehicles calling to load containers for the neighbouring countries.
However, the establishment of new ICDs and upgrading of the existing ones must go hand in hand with improvements to the Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara ports, processes that are already underway, the D-G said.
About three months ago, TPA signed a 36-month contract with China Harbour Engineering Company Limited to upgrade seven berths at Dar es Salaam Port in order to receive larger cargo ships and thereby to compete better with other ports along the Indian Ocean coast.
The government would also be implementing other projects such as railways and roads to speed up the clearing and transportation of cargo to and from the port, he said.
Dar es Salaam Port handles cargo to and from Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda and Zimbabwe. It is currently competing with Mombasa in the East Africa region, Beira in Mozambique and Durban in South Africa. source: Daily News[/restrict]
News continues below
INT’L: USS KEARSARGE TO HURRICANE HARVEY: DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS!
USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), amphibious assault ship, departed for the Gulf Coast region on 31 August in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s, and local and state authorities’ efforts to provide humanitarian and disaster relief for the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey.
The warship and her ship’s company were recently underway conducting shipboard drills, and returned to homeport of Naval Station Norfolk for 30 hours on 30 August to take on supplies and embark various units, including Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2; Commander, Amphibious Squadron 6; the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit; Tactical Air Control Squadron 22; and Fleet Surgical Team 4.
Warships transiting with Kearsarge to assist…[restrict] in disaster relief will be the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), the fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189), and the dry cargo ship USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12).
Kearsarge’s unique capabilities make her a key player in humanitarian and disaster relief. While in the Gulf Coast area, Kearsarge will be ready to serve as the hub for air and amphibious landing operations that will bring supplies, food and personnel to shore.
In the words of said Kearsarge’s commanding officer, Captain David K Guluzian “Besides delivering combat power from the sea, amphibious assault ships are ideally suited to deliver assistance and aid. We can transport large amounts of manpower and supplies to areas in need using our small boats, landing craft, and helicopters. We also have a robust medical suite, including operating rooms, an intensive care unit, X-ray, blood bank, and even counselling services. If required, we could care for injured persons or evacuees on board the ship.”
With the collaboration of all hands, Kearsarge took on more than 200 pallets containing items such as baby food and formula milk, diapers, bedding, water bottles, coolers, batteries, towels, canned and dry food items and food service supplies.
Command Master Chief Jason Knupp added: “Our hearts are heavy, but we are eager to serve our countrymen and the people of the great state of Texas in their time of need. Kearsarge and her sailors are energized and ready to focus their hard work toward loading the ship, putting to sea, and supporting the nation-wide relief effort.”
To some sailors aboard Kearsarge, the mission hits close to home. “It kind of changes things when this stuff happens so close to home,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Chelsea Hamann, from Houston, Texas, “Knowing that my family and friends are there, and that they might need my help, makes me even more motivated to head out there and do what we’re trained to do.”
Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) Jerome Fuda, also a native Texan, and veteran of relief efforts in New Orleans and Haiti, has mixed emotions about returning to his home state under such circumstances. He said: “Proud, scared and emotional. Proud because I am a Texan and all Texans are proud. Proud because this is what we do in the Navy. Just showing up off the coast will give the folks of Texas some relief and reassurance that everything will be alright. But I am scared and emotional because I am dreading seeing first hand the devastation. I know families that have lost everything, and towns that I used to visit as a kid are gone.”
Despite his trepidation, Fuda is ready for action: “Protecting our country does not always have to be from an enemy. Right now the freedom of millions has been taken away by a storm. I hope I get the opportunity to represent Kearsarge ashore and help in any way I can. Do not mess with Texas!”
The Navy’s involvement in the humanitarian assistance operations is led by FEMA in conjunction with the Department of Defense.
This article is based on material kindly provided by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dana D Legg, USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Public Affairs.[/restrict]
Edited by Paul Ridgway
London
News continues below
INT’L: NATO WARSHIPS CONCLUDE OPEN SPIRIT 2017 EXERCISE
31 August and the warships of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) conclude OPEN SPIRIT 2017
OPEN SPIRIT is a multinational Partnership for Peace naval mine clearance and ordnance disposal operation, conducted in the Baltic Sea. This year the operation was led by the Latvian Naval Force and took place inside Latvian territorial waters, in the Irbe Straight area, lasting from 18 to 31 August.
The aim of the operation was to…[restrict] clear the sea lanes, international shipping routes and fishing areas from the threat posed by the explosives laid and lost in the Baltic during the First and the Second World Wars.
In cooperation with other participants of OPEN SPIRIT, SNMCMG1 vessels searched a vast area of the seabed, identified 260 objects and found and destroyed nine historic explosives.
In the words of Commander of SNMCMG1, Commander Gvido Laudups, Latvian Naval Forces: “After concluding OPEN SPIRIT and besides the training, the results of the searched areas will provide a better knowledge of the seabed and of explosives in Latvian waters. This represents one of our main tasks – to give the population in general and those living in coastal areas, a greater confidence that their waters are safe for shipping and fishing.”
This year’s operation OPEN SPIRIT 2017 featured participants from ten countries: Belgium, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and the UK, involving 15 ships and six unexploded ordnance clearance dive teams.
SNMCMG1 currently consists of flagship LVNS Virsaitis (Latvia), ENS Sakala (Estonia), FGS Sulzbach-Rosenberg (Germany) and HNoMS Rauma (Norway).
OPEN SPIRIT is organised by the navies of the Baltic States and takes place once a year on a rotational basis in Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania. Last year OPEN SPIRIT was hosted by Lithuania and in 2015 by Estonia.[/restrict]
Edited by Paul Ridgway
London
News continues below
Send your Press Releases here info@africaports.co.za and marked PRESS RELEASE. Provided they are considered appropriate to our readers we will either turn them into a story, or publish them here.
KL Sandefjord – First Offshore Vessel with DNV GL’s Shore Power Class Notation
Høvik: The offshore vessel KL Sandefjord, owned by K Line Offshore AS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (‘K’ Line), is the first offshore vessel with the DNV GL class notation Shore Power.
The Shore Power notation verifies the design and installation of a vessel’s on-board electrical shore connection. When in port, the vessel can shut down its engines and rely on a shore-based electrical supply for its needs at berth – the so called ‘cold ironing’.
“We are very pleased to receive this notation for our large and powerful anchor handler KL Sandefjord which reflects our commitment to ensure a cleaner port environment,” says Espen Sørensen, Senior Vice President, Operation and Technical in K Line Offshore AS.
“With an on-board shore power installation tested and verified by DNV GL, we now have an offshore vessel equipped for the future. And as result of the good cooperation we have enjoyed with the Bergen Port Authority and DNV GL during this process, we have also decided to apply for the Shore Power class notation for the sister vessel, KL Saltfjord.”
By tapping into an onshore electrical supply, vessels not only reduce their fuel consumption, but they also eliminate the associated emissions. This will have a marked improvement on the air quality in the port and surrounding environment, cutting PPM, NOx, SOx and reducing CO2 by using more efficient shore-based electricity. In combination with renewable energy sources, electrical supply can even result in zero emission operation for the duration of a vessel’s stay in port. In addition, it can free the engines for maintenance, reduce wear and tear, and limit noise.
“There is an increasing awareness of the impact of shipping emissions in ports and this is driving investments in cold ironing,” says Jon Rysst, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager North Europe, DNV GL. “This is leading to ports both requiring and incentivizing the use of alternative maritime power (AMP). As access expands, alongside the rise of fully electric and hybrid vessels, cold ironing could soon become standard procedure in many ports around the world – with a noticeable positive impact on air quality. With the Shore Power notation shipowners can easily document a safe interface between shore facilities and the ship, based on IEC standards.”
DNV GL’s electrical shore connection class rules cover safety requirements for a vessel’s on-board electrical shore connection. The Shore Power notation ensures a safe and efficient way of performing the connection and disconnection of shore power. DNV GL also verifies compatibility between ship and port and provides recommendations for a well-defined future proof technical solution.
The technical requirements are based on the international standard for high voltage shore connections established by IEC, ISO and IEEE in IEC/ISO/IEEE Publication ‘80005-1 Utility connections in Port – Part 1: High Voltage Shore Connection (HVSC) Systems’. Part 3 of this standard is currently under development and will deal with low voltage shore connections. DNV GL is actively involved in this work as a member of the IEC working group.
News continues below
GENERAL NEWS REPORTS – UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY
in partnership with – APO
News continues below
TO ADVERTISE HERE
Request a Rate Card from info@africaports.co.za
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.
News continues below
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.
PICS OF THE DAY : THERESA DUMAI
The oil and chemical products tanker THERESA DUMAI (29,500-dwt) seen from Millennium Tower overlooking the port entrance as she moves into Durban harbour and a place at the Island View complex. The tanker is owned by the Raffles Shipping Group of Singapore, who also manage the vessel. Built in 1991 she is now quite an elderly vessel as tankers go. Theresa Dumai was built at the Hanjin Heavy Industries shipyard in Pusan, South Korea and is registered in the port of Funafuti, Tuvalu. These pictures are by Trevor Jones
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”
– John Muir, 1869
ADVERTISING
For a Rate Card please contact us at info@africaports.co.za
Don’t forget to send us your news and press releases for inclusion in the News Bulletins. Shipping related pictures submitted by readers are always welcome. Email to info@africaports.co.za
SHIP PHOTOGRAPHERS Colour photographs and slides for sale of a variety of ships.Thousands of items listed featuring famous passenger liners of the past to cruise ships of today, freighters, container vessels, tankers, bulkers, naval and research vessels.P O BOX 809, CAPE TOWN, 8000, SOUTH AFRICA snai@worldonline.co.za http://home.worldonline.co.za/~snai
|
| South Africa’s most comprehensive Directory of Maritime Services will shortly be listed on this site. Please advise if you’d like your company to be included. To sign up for a free listing contact info@africaports.co.za or register online |
