TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : FORTITUDE
- Port of Durban returns to normal after big storm
- SA AGULHAS II to visit Durban for first time
- NSRI & TNPA in another joint medivac from ship at sea
- Swaziland-Richards Bay rail link project to create jobs
- Mozambique Govt launches its ‘Policy & Strategy of the Sea’
- A digest of IMO news – Mid-October
- DHL named Top Employer in 18 African countries
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : RUI CHANG HAI
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The general cargo ship FORTITUDE (12,638-dwt) is seen here departing from Durban earlier this month. Built in 2008 at the Qingshan Shipyard in Wuhan, China, the project cargo type ship with a rather appealing name especially given the ship’s normal duties, is owned and managed by Peter Doehle Schiffahrts-KG of Hamburg, Germany. Flagged in Antigua & Barbuda, Fortitude has also operated with the names Opal Grace and Beluga Fortitude. The pilot boat alongside waiting to take off the pilot is LUFAFA. This picture is by Ken Malcolm
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PORT OF DURBAN RETURNS TO NORMAL AFTER BIG STORM
With all navigable areas of Durban Bay having been surveyed and declared safe for navigation, shipping activity in the Port of Durban was able to return to normal on Friday, 13 October, three days after one of the worst storms ever to hit Durban brought almost all outside activity to a halt.
The storm broke in mid-morning with sudden ferocity, bringing visibility to almost nil. Winds gusted to a measured 91 knots (168kph) and between 100 and 200mm of rain in less than two hours fell across the southern parts of the city including the port, where ships broke loose of their moorings, others took strain and the port’s fleet of tugs was hard pressed to maintain control.
That they did so to a large extent successfully is to the credit of the marine staff at Transnet National Ports Authority. Where they lost control it was quickly restored. Among their biggest concerns was the plight of the 348 metre, 108,600-dwt MSC INES which broke free and was blown out into the channels and towards the harbour entrance. That the ship reached this position without major collision elsewhere in the crowded harbour seems a miracle in itself but once in the channel the ship’s luck ran out and she broached across the width of the 220 metre wide channel to become stuck like a cork in the bottle.
Back at the container terminal the equally large MS NEW YORK also broke her moorings but went aground on a nearby sandbank where she stuck fast. Another container ship to have broken free of her moorings was the 336-metre long, 109,800-dwt MSC SUSANNA which had come into contact with other vessels and also appeared to be heading for the entrance before the tugs got control of her, while down at Maydon Wharf the MARITIME NEWANDA had broken some of her moorings and had swung round to double banked with another vessel at a time when the wind was blowing at 80 knots.
In the enclosed bay known as Island View the tanker BOW TRIUMPH had similarly broken from her moorings and was blown the short distance ashore on the sands off Salisbury Island. Fortunately this is soft sand and no breaches of the hull occurred.
As has been reported earlier, once the storm was over the tug crews of TNPA were able to secure the release of MSC Ines from the entrance channel without any reported spillage taking place. The container ship appears to have serious rudder damage which will require repair before she can resume her voyage. As of yesterday (Sunday, 15 October) she was berthed at the City Terminal (Point). MSC Susanna which was also taken to a berth on the T-Jetty for underwater examination has since returned to the container terminal berth 108/9 where yesterday she was working cargo.
MS New York completed her cargo working and has sailed. At Island View Bow Triumph is also working cargo.
Other ships which appear to have received damage include the container ship MAERSK VALLVIK which is currently at C berth, and the French Navy frigate FS FLOREAL which was forced to delay the scheduled departure from port. From photographic evidence the ship has some severe denting along her starboard hull with slight denting or paint marks alongside the port hull – whether this is a result of the storm or whether the warship arrived in this condition is not clear.
Parts of the quayside also took damage – again whether this was from one of the ships colliding with the quay wall or from other causes during the storm is not known to Africa PORTS & SHIPS.
Transnet meanwhile has put into place a number of business continuity plans for all three of its operating divisions affected by last week’s severe storms in KwaZulu-Natal – TNPA, Transnet Port Operations (TPA) and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR).
Transnet also reported several premises as having had flood damage arising from the storm – one of these was Transnet School of Excellence which is situated near to Durban Container Terminal on Pier 2. Some cargo handling equipment belonging to TPT suffered damage at the DCT Pier 1 and Pier 2 terminals and damage to key cargo handling infrastructure was reported from the Bulk, Break-bulk and Car Durban Terminals.
A total of eight Ship-to-Shore cranes and three RTGs (rubber tyre gantries) were damaged. Several containers were reported washed into the bay.
Rail operations
TFR’s NatCor (Natal Corridor) and the Durban Complex railway operations were also affected by the storm and the rail freight company had to suspend NatCor mainline services after electrical damages to the infrastructure were reported.
A TFR team was endeavouring to clear the backlog around the Durban complex with some key rail operations reported as restored over the weekend.
Transnet said that all three divisions have put plans together to make ensure smooth and safe operations and said that it would like to assure all its affected customers that all possible operation solutions to deal with the backlog and damaged infrastructure will be considered and prioritised.
Praise for the port marine personnel
The marine crews comprising pilots and tug boat captains and crew at the port are meanwhile due for some deserving praise for the professional and competent way in which they reacted to and handled an unexpected and highly unusual weather condition and emergency. Often the butt of criticism, all those involved came through earning tops marks in our books at least.
Richards Bay
Although not as severely affected by the intensity of the freak storm, the Port of Richards Bay one hundred nautical miles northeast of Durban also felt its effects which impacted on operations at the port. In a statement last week TPT said that these unforeseen incidents were beyond the control of TPT which left the company no option but to invoke the provisions of the force majeure clauses in TPT’s commercial agreements and Standard Trading Terms and Conditions.
“Any claims arising herefrom will therefore be dealt with as such in terms of the applicable contractual agreements and Standard Trading Terms and Conditions.”
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SA AGULHAS II TO VISIT DURBAN FOR FIRST TIME
For the first time since she entered service five years ago in 2012, the South African the South African icebreaking polar supply and research ship S.A. AGULHAS II is to visit Durban later this morning.
The ship, built in 2012 by STX Finland Rauma shipyard in Rauma, Finland, is owned by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). She replaced the ageing S.A. Agulhas, which is now in service with the Department of Transport (South African Maritime Safety Authority – SAMSA).
The 4780-dwt research ship is en route to…[restrict] an expeditionary voyage in the Indian Ocean as part of the International Indian Ocean Expedition 11 (IIOE-2).
South Africa’s contribution to the expedition is an African research cruise along the East of Africa from the S.A. Agulhas II.
This will be the first African-led research cruise that is multi-disciplinary and comprising scientists and students from South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt.
Other international scientists and students joining the research cruise are from India, Belgium and Italy.
The data collection will cover physics, chemistry, plankton, biodiversity, biology such as whales, seals and seabirds as well as geology. All these areas provide important information in understanding the ocean environment and its links to developing a successful Ocean Economy.
This research will include collecting environmental data that can be used by countries situated along the Indian Ocean coast to uncover ways of unlocking their ocean economies and to study further the means of detecting and adapting to ocean-related threats to coastal towns, communities and infrastructure.
On her voyage from Cape Town the ship is carrying a group of journalists who embarked at Cape Town for the voyage to Durban. In Durban the invited African delegates and other scientists will join the ship.[/restrict]
CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
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NSRI & TNPA IN ANOTHER JOINT MEDIVAC FROM SHIP AT SEA
YouTube Video clip – patient evacuation off ship [1.01]
In another medivac from a ship off the South Africa coast, the NSRI Durban duty crew was activated by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) last Thursday, 12 October following a request for medical assistance from the chemical and oil products tanker BOCHEM OSLO (33,655-dwt, built 2010) which was at anchorage 10 nautical miles off-shore of the Port of Durban.
The ship was reporting a 39 year old crewman from India suffering chest pains.
Clifford Ireland, NSRI Durban station commander, said that the…[restrict] sea rescue craft Eikos Rescuer II was launched immediately, accompanied by two Netcare 911 rescue paramedics.
At the same time a TNPA helicopter was dispatched from Richards Bay, with the helicopter landing at the NSRI Durban base where an NSRI Durban rescue swimmer and a Netcare 911 rescue paramedic were taken onboard before the helicopter responded to the ship.
On arrival on the scene the TNPA helicopter hoisted the NSRI Durban rescue swimmer and the Netcare 911 rescue paramedic onto the ship where they stabilised the patient.
The patient was then secured onto a stretcher and hoisted into the helicopter, followed by the paramedic after which the patient was flown to a Durban hospital in a stable condition but suffering from a suspected heart attack.
Meanwhile, the NSRI Durban rescue swimmer was transferred from the ship down a Jacobs Ladder onto the sea rescue craft Eikos Rescuer II and the NSRI sea rescue craft returned to base.[/restrict]
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SWAZILAND-RICHARDS BAY RAIL LINK PROJECT TO CREATE JOBS
Plans are well underway to see one of Transnet’s ambitious railway projects, the Inter-Railway initiative between Transnet Freight Rail and Swaziland Railway realised. The two-country partnership will see the construction of a 150km railway line from Lothair (Mpumalanga) to Sidvokodvo (Swaziland).
The new line will be 50km long in South Africa and 100km in Swaziland and will also require the revamping of adjacent existing lines to align and provide support to the new link. The new line will provide an alternative route from the Mpumalanga coalfields to the Port of Richards Bay.
The feasibility phase has been completed. Preparation works are currently underway, and this involves graves relocation, acquisition of servitudes and the resettlement planning.
The feasibility study report…[restrict] received a green light from both companies to proceed to the next phase.
The project has been packaged as a public-private partnership (ppp) and the process of finding suitable partners is underway.
The project’s primary objective is to reduce rail and road traffic congestion based on a realistic and achievable system capacity. The outcome of a project of this magnitude will accommodate up to 26 tons/axle, 2.5km long/200 wagons trains and provide capacity for 12 trains per day.
This will result in a dedicated General Freight Business Corridor for Transnet, while providing necessary additional capacity for Swaziland Railway.
This expansion will add to the current capacity of 12 trains of 81 wagons per day traversing both direction on the current Swaziland Railway Komatipoort-Golela Line, thereby doubling the traffic volumes.
Consequently, the Swaziland Rail Link project will increase capacity on general freight business, decongesting the coal line and unlocking capacity on the eastern mainline and the North-South Corridor.
The line has been designed to carry trains with 150 General Freight Business wagons and will operate seamlessly without stopping at the border.
This project has already created opportunities on both sides of the border of the two countries. Approximately 3,000 and 6,500 jobs will be created in South Africa and Swaziland respectively during construction of the railway line. Business opportunities to the value of R894 million in South Africa and R1.7 billion in Swaziland will be created. Many more indirect job opportunities will be formed through the project.
Background
* The Swaziland Rail Link project (SRL) is a seamless project running across two countries, South Africa and Swaziland. The project is collaboration between two companies, namely, Swaziland Railways (from Swaziland) and Transnet Freight Rail (from South Africa). The project entails the construction of a 150 kilometre new railway line from Lothair in South Africa to Sidvokodvo in Swaziland and revamping two existing lines, the first from Ermelo to Lothair in South Africa and the other one from Sidvokodvo in Swaziland to Richards Bay in South Africa.
* South Africa and Swaziland signed the project MoU in 2012
* The SRL will also serve as back-up to the Coal Line
* The Swaziland Rail Link will enhance the capacity of the eastern seaboard GFB system
* The line has been designed to carry trains with 150 GFB wagons and will be operated as a seamless service without stopping at the border.[/restrict]
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MOZAMBIQUE GOVT LAUNCHES ITS ‘POLICY & STRATEGY OF THE SEA’
Mozambicans must defend maritime environment – President Nyusi
Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi says that preserving the marine and coastal environment is the duty of all Mozambicans.
He was speaking in Maputo on Friday at a ceremony to launch the government’s ‘Policy and Strategy of the Sea’ (POLMAR), which aims at strengthening state sovereignty over Mozambican waters and developing a ‘blue, profitable and sustainable economy at sea’.
POLMAR, he said, resulted from…[restrict] a broad process of public consultation, expressing the imperative to ensure better control and balance in the exploitation and preservation of the sea and its resources.
The centrality of the sea for a country such as Mozambique, with almost 3,000 kilometres of coastline, is the reason why the government felt it necessary to establish a normative framework for the use of marine resources, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approved by the United Nations.
“We should all be aware of our duty to conserve this resource, and the balance it establishes in the environment of which we all form part”, he said.
Nyusi said the country needs legal instruments on the sustainable use of the sea. As a result the government has drawn a policy and strategy with vision of a safe sea, managed in an integrated and responsible manner, with socio-economic benefits for Mozambique.
POLMAR, the president said, was an instrument to support a strengthening of the state’s capacity in maritime governance, including the defence of the environment, the preservation of territorial integrity and the defence of national sovereignty. source: Club of Mozambique[/restrict]
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A DIGEST OF IMO NEWS – MID OCTOBER
IMO Workshop Thailand
According to IMO’s news service the latest in a series of workshops around the world to provide training in the development, adoption and updating of a National Maritime Transport Policy (NMTP) was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 9-11 October. This event highlighted the importance of a national maritime transport policy as a good mechanism for improved maritime governance in a sustainable manner.
Hosted by the Marine Department of Thailand the workshop was facilitated by Jonathan Pace and Josephine Uranza from IMO and Professor Max Mejia and Associate Professor George Theocharidis from the World Maritime University (WMU).
It is reported that 40 participants with a role to play in the preparation of an NMTP were exposed to the objectives, development process, content, implementation, and updating of such a maritime transport policy.
On the margins of the workshop, the IMO/WMU team met HE Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Transport of Thailand, to discuss the benefits of developing an NMTP and other matters of mutual interest. During the meeting, Minister Termpittayapaisith emphasised Thailand’s commitment to implementing IMO global maritime standards.
IMO regional pollution centre assists Greece oil spill clean-up
On 10 October it was reported from IMO HQ in London that the IMO-administered Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) was providing technical expertise to help clean up beaches in Greece affected by an oil spill.
Two days earlier two experts were in Greece to give technical support on sunken oil assessment, removal techniques and efficient oil removal from sandy beaches.
This work was expected to be completed by 14 October the support follows the sinking of Agia Zoni II off Piraeus a month earlier.
Experts came were from the Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (CEDRE) based in Brest, France, and from the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) in Rome. Both centres are members of the Mediterranean Assistance Unit (MAU), which was established in 1993 and can be mobilized by REMPEC* to assist in the event of an emergency.
MAU was established by the Parties to the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean. This unit is an expert advice capability mobilized by the Head of Office of REMPEC upon request by a Contracting Party when an emergency arising. An expert can be sent to provide national authorities with advice and technical expertise which they may need during the initial period of a marine pollution incident in order to decide which measures to take.
This advice and technical expertise may include: (a) assessment of the situation; (b) adapting national response according to the circumstances of the accident and (c) response methods and techniques, experts, equipment and products which can be requested from Contracting Parties or from private organisations.
In order to facilitate the mobilization of MAU experts and reduce burdens from Mediterranean coastal States, an MAU special revolving fund managed by REMPEC has been established by the 15th Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention held in Almeria, Spain, in 2008 to secure the funds required to mobilise an expert to cover up to a one month mission.
* IMO administers REMPEC, based in Malta, under the Protocol to the Barcelona Convention Concerning Co-operation in Preventing Pollution from Ships and, in Cases of Emergency, Combating Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea, 2002.
Port Management training in France
According to IMO high-level officials and decision-makers from maritime and port authorities around the world underwent intense training on port management and operational efficiency at the annual Advanced Course on Port Operations and Management based in Le Havre, France and held from 11 September to 13 October. This course included class-based training and site visits, including to the port of Le Havre.
It will be remembered that the IMO World Maritime Day theme of Connecting Ships, Ports and People has been particularly relevant to the course this year.
The 31st Advanced Course on Port Operations and Management, organized by the Institut Portuaire d’Enseignement et de Recherche (IPER) and the Grand Port Maritime du Havre (GPMH) has seen 17 participants sponsored by IMO. They attended from: Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, Jamaica, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines, Senegal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, the Sudan, Suriname and United Republic of Tanzania.
Edited by Paul Ridgway
London
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DHL named Top Employer in 18 African countries
Only organizations that qualify from the selection process receive the Top Employers title and certification seal
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – DHL Express www.dpDHL.com has been certified as a Top Employer in Africa for the fourth executive year, at the prestigious Top Employer Africa 2018 certification ceremony, held at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Thursday, 12 October 2017.
Hennie Heymans, CEO, DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, explains that this is the fourth consecutive year that DHL has been awarded this honour by the Top Employers Institute. “DHL Express values its employees and strives to make the company a rewarding place to work at. We are proud to have that fact affirmed by Top Employers Institute.”
This year, DHL was the only company to be certified as a Top Employer in 18 markets in Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Morocco, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Senegal, Uganda, and Zambia.
“DHL has cultivated an insanely customer centric culture across the entire organisation, which we see as a critical component of our success. Maintaining this culture across the world has relied heavily on our effective employee engagement programs,” said Heymans.
“It therefore goes without saying that employee motivation and development are important areas of focus for us. We are committed to having a team of high performers who operate in a high performance culture that promotes and drives leadership diversity.”
According to Heymans, DHL’s use of employee initiatives and programs, including the company’s Certified International Specialist (CIS) cultural change programme has helped to unlock the potential of the company’s employees across Sub-Saharan Africa. “This year, we have placed greater emphasis on up-skilling and empowering middle-managers and supervisors – as this rung of leadership is pivotal to the leading and executing of our growth aspirations in the years to come. As we continue to grow, we need every person in the business to understand their role and how to execute it efficiently. After all, the role of supervisors and middle-managers is to build trust and inspire great performance.”
DHL also recently completed the annual Employee Opinion Survey, which provides a platform for personnel to convey their thoughts and sentiments about the company anonymously. “This is an important tool in helping us identify what we are doing well, as well as areas that require improvement,” added Heymans.
In addition, our Employee of the Quarter and Employee of the Year awards are presented to our star performers, who are nominated by fellow employees. “We believe that the power of our incredible network is our people, so strategic planning and program implementation are vital.”
To be certified as a Top Employer in Africa, a company needs to operate in four or more countries and have exceptional employee conditions. The Top Employers Institute conducts comprehensive and independent research by getting employees in the relevant companies to complete a HR best practice survey.
The Top Employers Institute survey assesses human resource strategy, policy implementation, practices and employee offerings, to reveal whether the company provides exceptional employee conditions, develops talent on all levels and demonstrates leadership through optimizing the development of its employees and employee practices.
Every completed survey is reviewed by the Top Employers Institute and then the process is audited by a third party. Only organizations that qualify from the selection process receive the Top Employers title and certification seal but all participants receive a comprehensive feedback report.
“We are honoured to have been certified as a Top Employer in Africa for yet another year and we will strive to ensure we maintain our focus on attracting, retaining and developing our people across the region,” concluded Heymans.
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EXPECTED SHIP ARRIVALS and SHIPS IN PORT
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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.
PIC OF THE DAY : RUI CHANG HAI
The COSCO bulk carrier RUI CHANG HAI (27,298-dwt) is no stranger to South African shores having called here on previous occasions. In this photograph the ship is sailing from Durban after making a call for bunkers, loaded with logs and bound for the Far East. The 175-metre long, 26m wide ship was built in 1997 at the Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group shipyard in Shanghai and is registered in that city. The ship’s owner is Cosco Guangzhou of Guangzhou in China. This picture is by Keith Betts
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
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― Terry Josephson
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