TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : JOLLY DIAMANTE
- TNPA ports wins four out of seven PMAESA Awards
- Vale Moçambique pulls out of exporting coal via Port of Beira and Sena Railroad
- Nigeria issues directive enforcing palletisation of containerised cargo
- SA Agulhas arrives in Port Louis, Mauritius
- RFA Tidespring joins the Fleet
- Total and CMA CGM agreement on LNG supply for newbuild CMA CGM container ships
- Video of Miniature Wonderland — Hamburg’s largest model railway
- Guinea — SMB-Winning announces a US$ 3 Billion Investment
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : BOSPHORUS PRINCE
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Ignazio Messina Line’s Ro-Ro container ship JOLLY DIAMANTE (IMO 9578957) at her usual position in the City Terminal (otherwise known as the Point) in Durban harbour, the southern terminus for the service operated by this and three other sister ships. The Messina ships operate a regular service calling at ports between Genoa in Italy and Durban in South Africa via the Red Sea and East Africa coast. Built in 2011 by the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering at Geoje in South Korea, the 46,635-dwt Italian-flagged ship is always an attractive sight whenever she is in port. At 240 metres long and 38m wide, with a draught of 10.5 metres she’s impressive in all respects. This picture of Jolly Diamante against her berth is by Ken Malcolm
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TNPA PORTS WINS FOUR OUT OF SEVEN PMAESA AWARDS
The Port of Durban scooped three awards at the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa’s (PMAESA) African Ports Awards ceremony held in Livingston, Zambia for the categories Best Container Terminal Productivity, Best Port Management Information System, and Best Transshipment Port.
Durban was also a runner up in the Best Quay Productivity and Best Transit and Supply Logistics Port categories.
TNPA took a total of four out of seven awards as well as several runner-up positions in a hotly contested competition featuring ports from countries such as Mauritius, Kenya, Seychelles and Djibouti.
Other wins for TNPA were Best Quay Productivity: Port of Saldanha, with Port of Durban the first runner-up, followed by Port Elizabeth as second runner-up.
The Port of Ngqura was first runner up in the Best Transshipment Port category followed by Port Louis in Mauritius. The Port of East London was second runner up in two categories: Best Transit and Supply Logistics (won by the Port of Mombasa, managed by the Kenya Ports Authority) and Best Performing/Progression for Traffic Growth 2015-2016 won by the Port of Victoria, managed by the Seychelles Ports Authority).
Durban Port Manager Moshe Motlohi said it was great to receive this recognition from the region’s premier port management association. It affirms TNPA’s efforts to create world-class ports.
“Our operating strategy is geared towards reducing ship turnaround time, vessel waiting time and cargo dwell times, and to optimise our use of port assets in an effort to reduce costs for our customers,” he said.
While TNPA has been positioning the Port of Ngqura as a regional transshipment hub in sub-Saharan Africa, Durban still maintains the lion’s share of the country’s transshipments, as its busiest container port.
Meanwhile, there were also accolades for the Port of Mombasa in Kenya, which was declared the best Transit and Supply Logistics Port in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The Port of Mombasa, which is managed by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), also emerged as second runner-up in the category of Best Container Terminal Productivity after South Africa’s Port of Durban and Port of Ngqura respectively.
The award comes soon after the Port of Mombasa was recently named, for the third year in a row, as the best cruise Port in Africa by the World Travel Awards.
The Port of Victoria of Seychelles managed by Seychelles Ports Authority emerged number one under the best performing/progression for traffic growth 2015-2016 and was followed by Port Louis (Mauritius) and Port of East London (South Africa) second and third place while Namibia’s Port of Walvis Bay under the Namibian Port Authority was named the best port policy for capacity building. Source: TNPA, PMAESA, Citizen News
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VALE MOÇAMBIQUE PULLS OUT OF EXPORTING COAL VIA PORT OF BEIRA AND SENA RAILROAD
Vale Moçambique, a subsidiary of Brazilian mining group Vale, is to stop using the Sena Railroad and the port of Beira for its coal exports, and will instead focus all exports on the Nacala Logistics Corridor (CLN) and the Nacala deep-water port.
Chairman of Vale Moçambique, Márcio Godoy said in an interview with the daily newspaper Noticias on the sidelines of the ceremony to sign contracts for financing the CLN (see yesterday’s Africa PORTS & SHIPS), that Vale intends…[restrict] increasing coal exports from 12 million tons this year to 17 million or 18 million tons in 2018. He said this is “a quantity that can easily be accommodated in the CLN.”
Although considerable improvements have been made to the shorter Sena Railroad, giving it the capacity to handle approximately 20 million tons annually, the Port of Beira’s access channel can only accommodate vessels with a gross tonnage of up to 40,000 tons and also requires almost constant dredging because of silting.
Godoy told the newspaper that the deep-water port of Nacala can handle ships up to 180,000 tons, which he said is much more advantageous to Vale Moçambique.
“We intend to start exporting 18 million tons of coal per year, almost the same capacity that the port of Beira has, but for us there is an advantage in using the port of Nacala due to the higher capacity of vessels that can dock there,” he said.
Mining group Vale and its partner group Mitsui & Co last week signed an agreement for funding this project, which included the participation of members of the government and donors, in particular the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the African Development Bank, among others. See that report CLICK HERE
By signing the agreements, conditions are in place for Vale and Mitsui to improve the Nacala Logistics Corridor, through work on the line, purchasing rolling stock, including freight cars, locomotives and other equipment for cargo handling. Sources: Noticias, Macauhub[/restrict]
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NIGERIA ISSUES DIRECTIVE ENFORCING PALLETISATION OF CONTAINERISED CARGO
In an attempt at making it more difficult to smuggle arms into the country using shipping containers, the Federal Government has issued a directive enforcing the palletisation of all cargoes loaded into the containers.
The move follows a number of interceptions made at the country’s ports, notably Tin Can Island, where ammunition and weapons were discovered hidden inside several containers that had been imported. There was a concern at the time that the arms and ammunition might be for the militant Boko Haram insurgents that are active in the West African country, although the nature of the weapons suggests otherwise.
Recently the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali, accused…[restrict] shipping companies of aiding and abetting the importation of arms into the country, and now the Federal Government has given instructions that all cargo packed in containers must be loaded on wooden pallets.
The reason given for this is that it will assist with the examination of cargo when containers are stopped for inspection. The ruling will come into effect from 1 January 2018 and will remain in force at least until the installation of scanners at the ports and border stations.
The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said that the government was fast-tracking the acquisition and installation of the scanners. In the meantime she warned all importers and exporters to acquaint themselves with the latest guidelines to avoid sanction.
The arms that have been intercepted and confiscated so far this year all came from Turkey. A total of 2,671 firearms have been seized – all were being transported hidden in containers and imported illegally. Shipping companies involved with their importation were accused of altering the cargo manifest. The arms were described in the documents as being steel doors.
The minister said that while the new ruling will come into effect from 1 January 2018, cargo already loaded for shipment to Nigeria prior to this date will not be affected by the palletisation policy.
The list of cargoes of goods that may be exempted from palletisation is to be placed on the website of the Federal Ministry of Finance and Nigeria Customs service shortly, the minister announced.[/restrict]
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SA AULHAS ARRIVES IN PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS
The South African Maritime Safety Authority’s (SAMSA) dedicated training vessel, the SA AGULHAS has arrived in Port Louis, Mauritius.
The training vessel sailed from its base in Cape Town on 24 November, en route to the Antarctic but first to Mauritius to take on board a group of between 40 and 47 Indian scientists from the Indian Nation Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research. The scientists will be visiting Antarctic bases to undertake studies and tests…[restrict] between now and March next year.
Travelling on board from Cape Town are 37 crew members under the command of Captain M. Barnes. Along with the crew were an additional 20 cadets and 2 dedicated Training Officers in order to ensure the training objectives during the long voyage are realised.
Fourteen of the cadets are from KwaZulu-Natal, five from the Western Cape and one from Gauteng. Nineteen of the students are taking part in maritime studies at the Durban University of Technology and Cape Peninsular University of Technology.
One from KZN had a national diploma in Mechanical Engineering and is currently an engineer cadet on the Agulhas.[/restrict]
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RFA TIDESPRING JOINS THE FLEET
On 27 November RFA Tidespring was welcomed to the Fleet when a Service of Dedication was held at HM Naval Base Portsmouth in the presence of guest of honour and Honorary Commodore-in-Chief of the RFA, HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
The new 37,000 tonne ship, one of the four biggest tankers to be purpose-built for the RFA, recently arrived at Portsmouth in preparation for her official acceptance into operational service. Once in service with the RFA, she will…[restrict] provide fuel, food and stores for Royal Navy and Allied warships all around the world.
Tidespring is the first of class of the Military Afloat Reach & Sustainability (MARS) Tankers and together with her three sister ships Tiderace, Tidesurge and Tideforce, are flexible, advanced design double-hulled vessels, which will provide key future support to the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers.
Head of the RFA Service, Commodore Duncan Lamb, said: “Tidespring’s arrival into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary today is an exciting milestone in the history of the RFA. She is a tangible demonstration of the success of the MARS Tanker project which is delivering first-class global support for a first-class global Royal Navy.”
The Tide Class tankers are replacing the RFA’s single-hulled vessels [which have called frequently at Simon’s Town Naval Base in South Africa].
Significantly larger than their predecessors they are an advanced capability, specifically designed to provide fuel water and stores to the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers. They can also operate; Chinook, Merlin or Wildcat helicopters from their flight decks.
In addition to their supply duties in support of the RN, these state-of-the-art vessels will also provide a flexible capability to undertake a wide range of maritime operations, such as constabulary patrols policing shipping lanes and humanitarian relief, as well as providing support to NATO and coalition allies.
David Farmer, Head of the Commercially Supported Shipping Project Team at (UK) Defence Equipment and Support, added: “The service of dedication is an occasion of immense pride for the dedicated and professional project team at DE&S who, working closely with the RFA, have overseen the construction and customisation of these world-class tankers which will support Royal Navy operations all over the world. We look forward to seeing Tidespring’s three sister ships, Tiderace, Tidesurge and Tideforce, join her in active service over the coming months.”
The MARS Tanker programme has an extensive domestic supply chain involving around 27 UK companies.[/restrict]
Edited by Paul Ridgway
London
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TOTAL AND CMA CGM AGREEMENT ON LNG SUPPLY FOR NEWBUILD CMA CGM CONTAINER SHIPS
Total and CMA CGM have signed an agreement covering the supply of around 300,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) a year for 10 years starting in 2020.
This unprecedented volume in the history of LNG bunkers will fuel CMA CGM’s nine newbuild container ships, scheduled for delivery from the beginning of 2020 onwards.
CMA CGM, the first shipping company in the world to equip its giant 22,000-TEU capacity container ships with LNG propulsion, has selected Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions, the Total affiliate responsible for marketing marine fuels worldwide, for these future supply operations.
In February 2017, CMA CGM and Total had already signed…[restrict] a cooperation agreement to examine the most environmentally responsible propulsion solutions to meet the International Maritime Organization’s 2020 implementation date for new sulphur regulations.
By selecting LNG as a fuel today, CMA CGM says it is opting for a solution that will outperform the sulphur cap of 0.5% required in 2020.
Fuel for the future
“LNG is the fuel of the future for shipping,” commented Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CMA CGM. “With this ground-breaking decision by the CMA CGM Group, the entire maritime industry will benefit from the new supply chains that will be created.”
Saadé said that CMA CGM is pursuing its expansion through a combination of growth, profitability and environmental responsibility. “By combining the expertise of two French companies, each one leader in its field, we are consolidating France’s prominent role for a more sustainable transportation and in favour of the energy transition.”
Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Total said that CMA CGM’s decision to adopt LNG propulsion for its new build container ships is sending a strong signal to the maritime world.
“The wider use of LNG as a fuel is an important component of Total’s LNG strategy, and we are delighted to support CMA CGM as it implements this ambitious project,” he said. “This agreement highlights our involvement in developing dedicated supply chains for this new fuel. We are once again demonstrating our ability to provide customised energy solutions to our customers.”
Under this agreement, Total will provide a tailor-made solution for LNG supply. The Group is currently considering chartering on long-term basis a LNG bunkering vessel that would not only deliver fuel to CMA CGM in Europe, but also to other customers in the same region.
The new supply chains created will lead to a wider use of LNG, especially in other shipping sectors, to achieve even greater and ambitious environmental responsibility.
CMA CGM has remained committed for many years to reducing its energy footprint to protect the environment, oceans and biodiversity, and has already reduced its carbon emissions per container transported per kilometre by 50% between 2005 and 2015. It has now introduced a far-reaching plan for a further 30% reduction by 2025.
Lubricants
In addition, both companies reached an agreement in principle on the potential supply of lubricants for the nine newbuilds, giving CMA CGM access to Total Lubmarine’s innovative products, technical expertise and global distribution network.
LNG fuel, a solution that meets the shipping industry’s new regulatory and environmental requirements
CMA CGM’s decision is fully aligned with the Paris Agreement and the talks currently under way at the international level. LNG offers a range of environmental advantages, including a 99% reduction in sulphur oxide (SOx) and fine particulate matter emissions. It also substantially reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and significantly decreases carbon emissions. LNG will play a growing role in the energy mix of the shipping world.[/restrict]
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VIDEO OF MINIATURE WONDERLAND — HAMBURG’S LARGEST MODEL RAILWAY
Miniatur Wunderland – Largest Model Railway video [4:54] (in case you are concerned, there is a ship included…..)
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Guinea: SMB-Winning announces a US$ 3 Billion Investment
In 2018, the SMB-Winning consortium will launch feasibility studies for the construction of an alumina refinery and a railway line to be built by 2022
CONAKRY, Guinea: The SMB-Winning consortium, a major player in the bauxite sector, presented to His Excellency Alpha Condé, President of the Republic of Guinea, a project to build an alumina refinery in Guinea as well as a railway to open up the Boffa corridor and to carry bauxite to the refinery and the Dapilon river port. The total investment planned for the whole project is estimated at US$ 3 billion.
The feasibility and social and environmental impact studies will be carried out as soon as early 2018 for a start of works planned in 2019. The construction phase will create 10,000 jobs and mobilise local companies, among which are experts in civil engineering, extraction, construction and services. The refinery will be located in Dapilon, in the Boké Special Economic Zone.
“This investment illustrates our ambitions for the Boké region and our contribution to Guinea’s economic and social development. The mining sector, together with agriculture, is the lung of the country’s development and, in our approach as a mining operator, must also focus on facilitating a local redistribution of the benefits, especially in favour of the communities, education, jobs, and priority sectors such as the agro-industry,” said Frédéric Bouzigues, Managing Director of Société Minière de Boké (SMB).
“The local processing of raw materials is one of the biggest challenges for a more inclusive growth in Africa because it creates more value locally while leading to economic diversification. This commitment to Guinea also demonstrates our confidence in the continued improvement of both its business environment and macroeconomic stability. This project also demonstrates the technical and financial complementarity of our Franco-Sino-Singaporean consortium to carry out this type of ambitious projects,” said Fadi Wazni, Chairman of SMB.
Founded in 2014, the SMB-Winning consortium brings together three partners in the fields of bauxite mining, production and transportation: Singaporean shipping company Winning Shipping Ltd, UMS, a French owned transport and logistics company that has been present in Guinea for over 20 years, and Shandong Weiqiao, a leading Chinese company in aluminium production.
The consortium has planned to export 30 million tons of bauxite in 2017, making Guinea the world’s largest exporter of bauxite and the consortium one of the major contributors to the country’s gross domestic product.
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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.
PIC OF THE DAY : BOSPHORUS PRINCE
The bulk carrier BOSPHORUS PRINCE (IMO 9198381) seen when on arrival in the port of Durban earlier in November, assisted by two of the older harbour tugs, UMSUNDUZI (at left) and INYALAZI. The 45,572-dwt, 186 metre long by 30.4m wide bulker has a draught of 10.9m and was built in 2000. Owned and managed by Turkish interests operating out of Istanbul, and flying the Panamanian flag, Bosphorus Prince has since sailed and is heading for Aqaba. These pictures are by Keith Betts
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Just as there is no loss of basic energy in the universe, so no thought or action is without its effects, present or ultimate, seen or unseen, felt or unfelt.”
– Norman Cousins
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