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 INES

MSC Ines, Durban January 2018. Picture: Ken Malcolm, featuring in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
MSC Ines. Picture: Ken Malcolm

Mediterranean Shipping Company’s 108,637-dwt container ship MSC INES (IMO 930 5714) at the Pier 1 laybye berth where the ship is undergoing major repairs to her stern quarters including the rudder following the sudden freak storm of 10 October 2017, when the large 349-metre long, 43m wide, 9,115-TEU capacity ship broke from her moorings and was blown halfway across Durban Bay and into the entrance channel, where she grounded sideways-on across the channel. Quick work and skillful piloting and tugging by the TNPA marine crews had the ship afloat and out of the channel within a matter of hours, thus avoiding one of the port’s abiding fears of a ship becoming grounded and immobilised while blocking the channel. Since that fateful day, in which several other ships were also blown off their moorings and one other vessel, a French naval frigate, received collision damage, MSC Ines has remained in port undergoing repairs – with the rudder damage understood to be extensive. MSC Ines is a product of Hyundai Heavy Industries Ltd Co of South Korea, where she was built as hull number 1681. This picture is by Ken Malcolm

 

NAUTICA PASSENGERS UNABLE TO GO ASHORE IN MAPUTO – OFFICIALS TO BE DISCIPLINED

Nautica in Durban on an earlier visit. Picture: Trevor Jones, featuring in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
Nautica in Durban on an earlier visit. Picture: Trevor Jones

Disciplinary action is being taken against Maputo immigration officials who refused to clear passengers on board a visiting cruise ship in December because their equipment was faulty.

As a result the passengers on board the vessel were forced to remain on board instead of spending the next six hours touring the city and spending much-needed US dollars on souvenirs, food, transport etc.

Although the ship has not been identified in Mozambican reports, Oceania Cruises’ NAUTICA was the only cruise ship scheduled…[restrict] to call at the Mozambique capital that day.

Reports said that the ships was carrying 564 passengers, consisting of 341 Americans, 131 Canadians, 18 Germans, 14 Australians, 11 Britons and the remainder from other nations.

The Mozambican National Immigration Service (SENAMI) says that it intends taking disciplinary action against seven of its officials for sabotaging the visit by the cruise ship, which remained in port for just three hours before sailing once it was clear that its passengers would not be allowed ashore.

Tours of the city had been arranged on board the vessel with most of the passengers having intended going ashore to visit downtown Maputo, which the government has been trying to promote as a tourist destination. Nautica was in the process of making multiple cruises along the southern African coast between Cape Town and Maputo. Oceania Cruises makes regular similar cruises in these waters each summer but incidents such as this are capable of dissuading cruise lines from making a particular port call.

A SENAMI spokesperson, Cira Fernandes said that officials working at the port failed to advise their superiors of the problem with their equipment. It was only later after the ship had sailed that the SENAMI management discovered that the ship spent a mere three hours in the port before leaving without a single passenger going ashore.

After sailing from the Mozambique port Nautica headed for her next port of call at Durban.

Fernandes told the Portuguese language newspaper O Pais that the ship’s visit had been planned well in advance, with a team of immigration officers scheduled to be on hand at the port to process the passengers passports and to issue frontier visas. Fernandes said the officials acted in bad faith by not communicating with their superiors when they discovered a problem with the equipment, which is designed to read the passports and issue visas.

A subsequent investigation uncovered the fact that the equipment was not faulty. “In fact, they were just badly connected. From the inquiry we undertook, we found that the cables had just been wrongly connected,” said Fernandes.[/restrict]

 

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PORT CHANGE FOR HAPAG-LLOYD’S SOUTH AMERICA – SOUTH AFRICA TRIANGLE SERVICE

Hapag-Lloyd container vessel. Picture: Hapag-Lloyd, featured in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news

German container line Hapag-Lloyd has announced a structural port change for the South America – South Africa Triangle Service (SAT) which it operates together with several other lines.

Starting with the sailing of GERHARD SCHULTE voyage 267E on 16 February, the service will call at Itajai instead of Navegantes.

Calling now at Itajai, replacing Navegantes
The revised port rotation will be as follows:

Itajai – Paranagua – Santos – Rio de Janeiro* – Cape Town – Durban – Port Elizabeth – Luanda – Pointe Noire*

*alternating Rio de Janeiro and Pointe Noire calls:

All CMA CGM vessels call Rio de Janeiro, but do not call Pointe Noire
All Hamburg Sued and Nile Dutch vessel do not call Rio de Janeiro, but call Pointe Noire

new port rotation, out with Navegantes, in with Itajai, featuring in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
new port rotation, out with Navegantes, in with Itajai

 

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CONDITIONAL APPROVAL FOR SINOPEC’S SOUTH AFRICA CHEVRON BUY

Sinopec banner, featured in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news

South Africa’s Competition Commission has recommended to the Competition Tribunal that SOIHL HK, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), be conditionally approved.

In order for the approval to be granted, China’s SOIHL has had to commit to future investments in the country as well as…[restrict] the upgrading of the Cape Town refinery.

SOIHL is also required to develop the fuel marketing business by introducing small and black-owned business as fuel retailers over the next five years.

The terms of the purchase give SOIHL the 75% stake in assets held by Chevron in the 100,000 bpd oil refinery in Cape Town, a lubricants plant in Durban, 820 fueling stations plus other oil storage facilities. Included also are 220 convenience stores across South Africa and Botswana.

The deal was previously halted by Glencore in October with a bid after local shareholders, who hold the remaining 25%, exercised pre-emption rights following delays to the SOIHL deal.

Reports say that a final decision from South Africa’s Competition Tribunal can be expected in March or April.[/restrict]

 

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TANZANIA’S PRESIDENT MAGUFULI PLACES TEMPORARY BAN ON FOREIGN SHIP REGISTRATIONS

Tanzania flag, featuring in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news

Following the seizure of a number of foreign ships flying the Tanzanian flag in several parts of the world, Tanzania’s President John Magufuli has reacted by placing a temporary ban of all foreign ship registrations.

He has also ordered that over 400 ships flying Tanzania’s flag be investigated for allegations of involvement in criminal activity.

At least five Tanzanian-flagged ships have been arrested or detained in other parts of the world on charges of carrying illegal drugs and weapons.

One of them involved the vessel ANDROMEDA which was…[restrict] seized in Greece with materials on board that are used to make explosives. The vessel was reportedly bound for Libya. A second ship is the KALUBA which was detained on 26 December 2017 off the coast of the Dominican Republic with 1.6 tonnes of cocaine on board.

Both ships had been registered by the Zanzibar Marine Authority.

Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous territory of Tanzania, has in previous years been accused of allowing Iranian and North Korean vessels to use the Tanzanian flag to circumvent United Nations sanctions.

In 2012 a shipping agent in Dubai reflagged 36 Iranian oil tankers with the Tanzanian flag to escape UN sanctions, without the African country’s knowledge and approval. The tankers were later de-registered.

Meanwhile, two Tanzanian businessmen has appeared before a magistrate in Dar es Salaam on charges of being involved in organised crime and having illegally flown the Tanzanian national flag on a Chinese ship.

The two were being held in custody until yesterday (22 January) when the court was due to hear submissions on their applications for bail. Those held are Issa Haji, alias Salum, a director of Lucky Shipping Company, and Abdullah Issa Hanga, a director of Saha Company .

They are accused of committing the offences in Dar es Salaam between 19 July 2017 and 16 January 2018, according to a report in the Tanzanian Daily News. It is said that they assisted or brought about the illegal flying of the Tanzanian flag on the foreign fishing vessel HUIHANG 68. They also flew the Tanzanian flag on the Chinese ship previously known as GREKO-02, without the certificate of registry from the Registrar of Ships.

As a result of the recent detention of Tanzanian-flagged ships President Magufuli has personally taken action. He instructed security forces to conduct a thorough investigation and to vet all the 470 ships on the Tanzanian register.

“We cannot allow the image of our country to continue being undermined by some people for their own interests,” the president said, adding that the ban on the registration of foreign ships would remain in force until the system of reflagging vessels has been reviewed.[/restrict]

 

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BALTIC TRADER TO BE SOLD BY ONLINE AUCTION

Baltic Trader. Picture: Ron van de Velde / Shipspotting, featuring in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
Baltic Trader. Picture: Ron van de Velde / Shipspotting

The sale by online auction of the general cargo ship BALTIC TRADER (IMO 7396472) is being held and will close at 12h00 on Tuesday, 13 February 2018.

The general cargo ship, built in 1975, and flying the flag of Panama, has a gross tonnage of 1739 gross tons, a deadweight of 1664-dwt and has an overall length of 82 metres and a width of 13m.

The vessel was built in Norway and lengthened in 1987 also in Norway with additional improvements. She carries onboard cranes, pallet lifts and forklifts and is fully operational and in class.

Currently in Cape Town, Baltic Trader’s last voyage was to Tristan da Cunha.

The ship’s MMSI is 372467000 and her call sign 3EJC2.

The firm of Clear Asset is conducting the online auction at www.clearasset.co.za – a refundable registration deposit of R20,000 / US$ 2000 applies.

RESTAURANT VESSEL CYNTHIA

A second sealed tender auction is being conducted also by Clear Asset for the restaurant vessel CYNTHIA which is currently in Walvis Bay Waterfront harbour, Namibia.

This vessel, which is brand new, has an overall length of 27.44 metres, a beam of 9.60m and a depth of 1.50 metres. The vessel seats 100 persons and carries a maximum crew of 22.

A customised floating mooring is also being offered as a separate item for sale.

A refundable registration deposit of R20,000 / US$ 2000 applies.

This sealed tender auction closes at 15h00 on Tuesday 13 February 2018.

 

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** INTERNATIONAL NEWS **

HUTCHISON PORTS THAILAND RECEIVES WORLD’S LARGEST QUAY CRANES

Stephen Ashworth (right), Managing Director – Thailand & South East Asia – Hutchison Ports, together with Captain Thanabodee Toopteanrat (left), Director Office of Operations of Laem Chabang Port, at a ceremony to mark the delivery of three super post-panamax quay cranes – among the world’s largest quay cranes – and eight electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes at Terminal D, Laem Chabang Port. These cranes are an integral part of the Terminal D development as well as the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project under Thailand 4.0 scheme. Featured in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
Stephen Ashworth (right), Managing Director – Thailand & South East Asia – Hutchison Ports, together with Captain Thanabodee Toopteanrat (left), Director Office of Operations of Laem Chabang Port, at a ceremony to mark the delivery of three super post-panamax quay cranes – among the world’s largest quay cranes – and eight electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes at Terminal D, Laem Chabang Port. These cranes are an integral part of the Terminal D development as well as the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project under Thailand 4.0 scheme.

Advanced remote control technology at Laem Chabang Port

It was reported from Chonburi on 22 January that Hutchison Ports Thailand, the largest container terminal operator in Thailand, is expanding its handling capacity with the development of Terminal D in Laem Chabang Port. Here the port has received three super post-panamax quay cranes – among the world’s largest type and eight electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes from Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co, Ltd (ZPMC), a leading heavy-duty equipment manufacturer.

Both types of cranes are equipped with advanced remote control technology and will enable Terminal D to operate safely and more efficiently, which in turn enable the terminal to achieve…[restrict] higher levels of vessel and yard productivity.

It is understood that the three super post-panamax quay cranes have an outreach of 24 rows and are capable of handling some of the largest mega-vessels currently in operation.

All Terminal D quay and yard cranes will be operated by remote control technology, making it the first terminal of its type in the world to fully install this technology for faster, more accurate and safer handling of containers.

Following the completion of Terminal D’s construction, Hutchison Ports Thailand will be able to increase its handling capacity by 3.5 million TEUs to more than 6 million TEUs, further cementing its position as the largest container terminal operator in Thailand. Arrival of the new cranes will facilitate growth of Thailand’s container cargo volumes and help underpin the country’s modernization aligned with the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project under the Thailand 4.0 scheme.

About Hutchison Ports Thailand

Terminal D at Laem Chabang port, Thailand, featuring in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
Terminal D at Laem Chabang port, Thailand

Hutchison Ports Thailand (HPT) is specially designed to facilitate Thailand’s growing container traffic. It is situated in Laem Chabang Port, the largest port in Thailand, 130 kilometres south of Bangkok in the coastal province of Chonburi. The port provides a full range of auxiliary services, including a container freight station, a double track railway and improved highway connections with Thailand’s hinterland.

HPT operates Terminals A2, A3, C1, C2, D1, D2 and D3.

Hutchison Ports Thailand is a member of Hutchison Ports, the port and related services division of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited (CK Hutchison).

Hutchison Ports is one of the world’s leading port investors, developers and operators with a network of port operations in 52 ports spanning 26 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia.

Over the years, Hutchison Ports has expanded into other logistics and transportation-related businesses, including cruise ship terminals, airport operations, distribution centres, rail services and ship repair facilities.[/restrict]

 

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PRESS RELEASES

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.

A VOTE FOR COMPAC IS A VOTE FOR SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING

Thordon Bearings’ water lubricated propeller shaft bearing system, COMPAC, has been nominated for the 2018 Green4Sea Technical Award.

In response to the nomination, Craig Carter, Thordon Bearings’ Director of Marketing and Customer Service, says: “To be nominated for such an award is an honour. It instills confidence that our COMPAC system is meeting the shipping industry’s need for sustainable, environmentally-safe ship technologies.”

The Green4Sea award is presented to those companies that have made a significant technological breakthrough or have made a significant contribution in any aspect of environmental maritime activity.

The winners are selected by members of the global maritime industry who are invited to cast their votes. You can vote at www.green4sea.com/2018-green4sea-awards/

“A vote for COMPAC is certainly a vote for sustainable shipping,” attests Carter. “While pollution from sterntube leaking seals is still widely considered an unavoidable side-effect of using oil-lubricated systems in the ship-to-sea interface, we are encouraged that more and more Administrations and shipowners are looking at this avoidable source of pollution in the same way they view other systems that damage the marine environment.”

Recent orders from Login Logistica, Matson Navigation, Lomar, COSCO, Tropical Shipping, MSC Cruises and Viking Cruises attest to this.

Thordon’s belief is that seawater shaft lubrication systems provide the only guarantee of zero environmental impact from the propeller shaft, without detriment to shaft integrity, reliability and operability.

Voters can learn more about the environmental and operational advantages of using COMPAC at www.thordonbearings.com

About Thordon Bearings

A global leader in seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing systems, with over 35 years’ experience in this technology, Thordon Bearings is renowned for supplying high performance, oil and grease-free bearing systems to the global marine, clean energy, pump and offshore markets. Thordon Bearings is the only manufacturer of propeller shaft bearings to guarantee its award-winning COMPAC system for a 15-year wear-life. Thordon systems and bearings are available worldwide through over 80 agents and distributors.

 

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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.

 

PIC OF THE DAY : BOW FIRDA

Bow Firda arriving Durban January 2018.  Picture: Trevor Jones, featured in Africa PORTS & SHIPS maritime news
Bow Firda. Picture: Trevor Jones

Odfjell Tankers products tanker BOW FIRDA (IMO 9250751) arrives in Durban on a scheduled run – the Norwegian company tankers are regular callers in the port and have been so for many years. The 37,427-dwt ship was built in 2003 at the STX Norway shipyard in Floro, Norway for her owners and operator, Norwegian tanker specialist Odfjell. The oil and chemical tanker flies the flag of Singapore. This picture is by Trevor Jones

 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

“Tomorrow always comes, and today is never yesterday”
– S.A. Sachs

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