Africa PORTS & SHIPS Maritime News

Bringing you shipping, freight, trade and transport related news of interest for Africa since 2002
Bringing you shipping, freight, trade and transport related news of interest for Africa since 2002

TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS

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FIRST VIEW: MSC SINFONIA

MSC Sinfonia at anchor off Portuguese Island, November 2017. Picture: Ken Malcolm, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
MSC Sinfonia. Picture: Ken Malcolm

MSC SINFONIA is seen here at anchor off Portuguese Island, Mozambique during her inaugural voyage of the season as far as the new resort of Pomene. As it turned out, passengers were unable to go ashore at Pomene due to worsening weather conditions, which later that day deteriorated sharply in the afternoon. However, the stopover at Portuguese Island which was earlier in the 4-day cruise was successful and passengers were able to go ashore and enjoy themselves on the island. MSC Sinfonia will be cruising out of Durban until April next year. This picture is by Ken Malcolm

 

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NEXT 11 MSC SHIPS COULD EXCEED 23,000 TEUS

The 19,400-TEU MSC Oscar, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news

It is now being predicted that the massive order placed by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for 11 ultra large container ships will break all barriers by being able to carry 23,356 TEUs.

This is based on a prediction by Alphaliner which says the ships will be larger than what was originally expected. It had originally been reported that the 11 ships ordered from South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering would each have a capacity of 22,000 TEUs.

To achieve this new record size the ships will be one row of containers wider than the…[restrict] largest container ships with a length of 402 metres and a breadth of 61.3 metres. This will provide a length of 24 container bays, a breadth of 24 deck rows, a height of 24 container tiers – 12 in the holds and 12 on deck, leading Alphaliner to christen this ship type the Megamax-24, or so Singapore’s Splash 247 has reported.

When they enter service in two years’ time the 11 Megamax-24 ships will be deployed on the Asia – Europe trade lane probably on a single 11-week loop within the 2M service that MSC shares with Maersk Line.

According to Alphaliner the MSC ships will carry 500 more TEU than the new CMA CGM ships also on order. The French line recently announced that their new vessels will be LNG-fueled and are to be built in Shanghai, China and these are likely to also be deployed on the Asia-Europe service probably on a 12-week loop. MSC on the other hand has ordered scrubbers for their 11 ships. It is estimated that the CMA CGM ships will have a capacity of 22,852 TEU.

Alphaliner makes this assumption on the basis that half a hold or one 40ft bay will have to be sacrificed for space for the larger LNG tanks. source: Alphaliner and Schednet[/restrict]

 

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DENMARK AND GHANA COOPERATE ON SAFETY AT SEA

Ghana and Denmark, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news

An authority-to-authority cooperation has been initiated between the maritime administrations in Denmark and Ghana to contribute to enhanced safety at sea and to develop the maritime sector in Ghana. This was reported by the Danish Maritime Administration on 10 November.

As part of ongoing cooperation between the maritime administrations in Denmark and Ghana, five Ghanaian ship surveyors visited the Danish Maritime Authority in week commencing 5 November. During the visit, the Danish and Ghanaian ship surveyors exchanged knowledge and experience about their responsibilities when acting on behalf of their maritime administrations.

On the visit, a number of workshops were held, and together the Danish and Ghanaian ship surveyors carried out a number of practical exercises on board the ferry to the island of Samsø and the ferry between the two towns of Hundested and Rørvig.

This visit was a follow-up on Danish ship surveyors’ visit to Ghana earlier this year and is merely one of several activities indicating cooperation between the two administrations.

In the words of Director General Andreas Nordseth from the Danish Maritime Authority: “International regulation of shipping is paramount to creating safety at sea and a level playing field in the global maritime sector.

“But regulation only has an impact if it is actually implemented and enforced all over the world. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we cooperate across the borders and learn from each other.

“Consequently, we are pleased to share our knowledge and experience in areas where Ghana requests our assistance for developing its maritime sector.”

Ghana is one of the States at the centre of the positive political and economic development that has taken place in large parts of Africa during the last decade. The maritime sector plays a major role in the continued development of Ghana, while the Danish shipping industry also has a large presence in West Africa.

Authority-to-authority cooperation is implemented in a close partnership between the Danish Maritime Authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the maritime authorities in Ghana. This cooperation, which dates from 2015 and will continue to August 2018, aims to support a continuous sustainable development of Ghana and Danish business activities in West Africa.

More specifically, work here is being made within three sub-projects, that is to say: (a) implementation and enforcement of international maritime regulation, (b) strengthening of pilotage in Ghana, and (c) the introduction of digital navigation instruments.

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London

 

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UGANDA-TANZANIA PIPELINE TO PUMP OIL FOR EXPORT IN 2020

route of the Uganda-Tanga pipeline, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
route of the Uganda-Tanga pipeline

The foundation stone for the Uganda-Tanzania oil pipeline was laid at the weekend with the presidents of both countries in attendance.

The decision to route the pipeline through Tanzania to the port at Tanga took most pundits by surprise after it had been expected that the line would follow the shorter route through northern Kenya to…[restrict] the port at Lamu.

However, it appears that fears of Somali militant groups could target the vulnerable pipeline may have influenced Uganda’s decision to go the longer but safer route through Tanzania. Oil was discovered in Uganda more than ten years ago.

The new pipeline will be the longest heated pipeline in the world being 1,445 kilometres in length, running from Holma in the Lake Albert basin in Uganda and around the shores of Lake Victoria before stretching across the plains of northern Tanzania. The pipeline will be capable of carrying 216,000 barrels a day and is set to transform Tanga from a quiet minor port into a busy commercial oil port on the coast of the Indian Ocean.

The cost of building the pipeline is estimated to be US3.55 billion. Tanzania will receive $12.20 in transit fees per barrel of oil transported to the coast. Ownership of the pipeline rests with the Uganda National Oil Company, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation, Total SA, Tullow Oil, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

Tanzania’s President John Magufuli meanwhile has called for the construction of the pipeline to be fast-tracked, saying that the three-timeframe was too long and ways of reducing it must be found.

“Why should we wait for the proposed competition date of 2020 and yet you the investors have the money?” he said. “The experts are here. You can hire as many contractors as possible and give each of them a section of the pipeline to construct or ensure you have both day and night shifts. After all you know that when we start pumping the oil you will get back your investment and returns.”

Magufuli was attending the official opening of the Mutukula one stop border post in Rakai district. He announced that he had issued a directive to his government to remove all unnecessary roadblocks between Mutukula and Dar es Salaam which he said were frustrating the efficient movement of vehicles transporting goods.

“Today we have opened up the border post and we now want passengers and trucks and vehicles to move to Tanzania without being disturbed. The trucks that have been spending three days here seeking clearance should stay for no more than an hour and it shouldn’t take more than 2 minutes to clear a traveller,” Magufuli stated.[/restrict]

 

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SUNKEN CRUISE SHIP SEA DIAMOND TO BE RAISED FROM WATERY GRAVE OFF SANTORINI

Sea Diamond starts to settle before sinking beneath the waters of Santorini, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
Sea Diamond starts to settle before sinking beneath the waters of Santorini, 2007

A cruise ship that sank in the sea-filled caldera of Santorini Island in the Greek Mediterranean, is to be raised, according to instructions from the Greek government.

The 22,412-gt SEA DIAMOND struck a volcanic reef on 5 April 2007, ripping a hole in her hull which caused the 1986-built ship to sink. Two French passengers…[restrict] went missing and are believed to have gone down with the ship, which lies in 90 metres of water. The ship had on board 1600 passengers and crew who were able to get to safety before the ship went under.

No sign of the missing 45-year old Frenchman and his teenage daughter was ever found, despite divers searching large parts of the ship.

The Santorini caldera and spot where the Sea Diamond went down, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
The Santorini caldera and spot where the Sea Diamond went down

The 143-metre long Sea Diamond was operated by Louis Cruise Lines. Originally a Baltic Sea cruise ferry for Birka Line, she underwent extensive refurbishment in 1999 to operate as a cruise ship, initially with Birka Line in the Baltic but in 2006 she was sold to the Cypriot Louis Cruise Lines and transferred to the Mediterranean.

Despite the pleas of islanders and environmentalists that the ship was an ecological disaster and a potential source of dangerous pollution, nothing was done for ten years but now Greek Shipping and Island Policy Minister Panagiotis Kouroumplis has published a letter ordering coast guard and local authorities to set in motion the removal of the wreck.

No mention is made of who will pay for the ship’s salvage and removal. Louis Hellenic blamed inaccurate charts after a private seabed survey of the accident scene revealed rocks that were not marked on the official charts.

Sceptics say the order to raise the cruise ship is a result of a small tanker that sank off Salamis Island on 10 September, leading to pollution along some of Athen’s most popular beaches.[/restrict]

 

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DREDGING UNDERWAY AT PORT OF BEIRA

Cutter suction dredger Volvox Atalanta now dredging the Beira port access channels, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
Cutter suction dredger Volvox Atalanta now dredging the Beira port access channels. Picture: Van Oord

Dredging of the Beira port access channels has commenced with th arrival of the Van Oord dredger VOLVOX ATALANTA.

The dredging began last week Thursday (9 November) and will last six months, during which time the channel will be restored to widths of between 135 and 250 metres and draughts of eight and 9.2 metres in the straight sections and Macuti curve respectively.

The cost of the contract is a reported EUR 25 million which is being provided by the Mozambican Ports and Railways (CFM).

Once dredging is completed, larger Panamax size ships of up to 60,000 gross tons will again be able to berth at the port, which is currently restricted to vessels of up to 30,000 tons.

The dredging is highly important for the export of coal from the mines at Moatize in Tete Province.

Once the emergency dredging is complete, maintenance dredging by another company will take over on a contract lasting for 18 months.

The Port of Beira has a high strategic importance for the neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and the DRC.

See our earlier report dated 1 November Van Oord awarded Beira port emergency dredging contract

 

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CONGOLESE OFFICIALS THWART GREENPEACE SAVE THE CONGO BASIN FOREST CAMPAIGN

Greenpeace's Esperanza, now in Congolese waters but barred from berthing at Pointe Noire, report appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
Greenpeace’s Esperanza, now in Congolese waters but barred from berthing at Pointe Noire

Greenpeace’s ship, the ESPERANZA was barred on Tuesday last week from berthing at the port of Pointe Noire in the Republic of Congo. For two days, the ship had anchored in Congolese waters. But port and government officials in Pointe Noire refused her to berth, claiming no prior knowledge about the ship’s arrival and planned activities in Congolese territory.

The claim has been rebuked by Greenpeace Africa and its local partners who say they had filed all necessary documents for the ship to berth in the Congo.

The Esperanza has been on a month-long tour of the coast of Central Africa to raise awareness about…[restrict] the importance of the Congo Basin forest. With a name tag of “Give the Congo Basin forest a chance,” the ship has toured Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) urging environmental stakeholders to safeguard and sustainably manage the Congo Basin forest which is the second largest rainforest in the world.

“We are deeply disappointed by the shrinking liberal space available to Congolese civil society organisations and their partners to have a frank exchange about environmental conservation,” said Victorine Che, Greenpeace Africa Forest Project Leader. “The refusal to allow our ship to berth in the Republic of Congo will only spur us to continue our role as an environmental watchdog and deepen our collaborative efforts with local and indigenous communities whose livelihoods depend on the forest,” added Che.

The Congo Basin forest is the second largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon. The forest serves as a vast carbon sink which needs to be preserved. Scientists recently discovered the world’s most extensive tropical peatlands in the DRC and Republic of Congo swamps which are believed to store some 30 billion metric tonnes of carbon. Protecting these precious forest resources is only possible if both countries collaborate with civil societies and local communities. However, industrial agriculture and logging pose a massive threat to the peats.

“So many indigenous people who travelled from far and wide to participate in the ship tour activities in Pointe Noire are disappointed by the government’s action,” said Sylvie N Banga, Coordinator of the Platform for Sustainable Forest Management, a grouping of national organisations in Congo. “We also envisioned discussing the forest revision text and its implementation to protect local and indigenous people,” added Banga.

The government of the Republic of Congo has been mobilising neighbouring countries under the Congo Basin Blue Fund initiative, to demonstrate leadership on Congo Basin forest issues. The same government prevented Greenpeace Africa, civil societies and local and indigenous communities from meeting to discuss forest conservation issues on board the Esperanza. These meetings had as main purpose to address issues related to forest governance in the country, and challenges associated to the rights of forest-dependent communities.

“This is contradictory. One country cannot, on one hand, want to go to COP 23 in Bonn with the objective of demonstrating leadership on environmental issues with the Congo Basin Blue Fund, and on the other, restrict the right of association of NGOs to raise awareness on the importance of Congo Basin forest,” said Christian Mounzeo, President of the national organisation: Rencontre pour la Paix et les Droits de l’Homme (RPDH) in Pointe Noire. “It is regrettable for the Congolese NGOs and communities who showed up to welcome the Esperanza at Pointe Noire,” concluded Mounzeo.

The month-long ship tour of Central Africa by Esperanza started in prelude to the COP23 climate meeting in Bonn, Germany. People in the Congo Basin region used a wish tree on board the ship as a medium to amplify the concerns of local communities that depend on the forest nationally and internationally during the upcoming Bonn meeting. Local communities and indigenous people in Cameroon and DRC also used this tree to send their ecological wishes to world leaders scheduled to meet later this month in Germany.[/restrict]

 

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GENERAL NEWS REPORTS – UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY

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EXPECTED SHIP ARRIVALS and SHIPS IN PORT


Port Louis – Indian Ocean gateway port

Ports & Ships publishes regularly updated SHIP MOVEMENT reports including ETAs for ports extending from West Africa to South Africa to East Africa and including Port Louis in Mauritius.

In the case of South Africa’s container ports of Durban, Ngqura, Ports Elizabeth and Cape Town links to container Stack Dates are also available.

You can access this information, including the list of ports covered, by going HERE remember to use your BACKSPACE to return to this page.

 

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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.

 

PICS OF THE DAY : NIHAT-M

Nihat-M. Pictures: Keith Betts, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news

Nihat-M arriving at Durban, November 2017. Pictures: Keith Betts, appearing in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
Nihat-M. Pictures: Keith Betts

The Turkish-owned bulk carrier NIHAT-M (32,942-dwt) makes an appearance at the Durban port entrance. The vessel which if flagged in Valetta, Malta, was built in 1998 at the Kanda Shipbuilding yard in Kure, Japan and is owned and managed by Iskenderun Gemi of Istanbul. These pictures are by Keith Betts

 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

“Love is holy because it is like grace–the worthiness of its object is never really what matters.”
― Marilynne Robinson, Gilead

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