
TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : STOLT APAL
- Corrected Port Container Statistics for Port of Cape Town
- Nigerian Navy reiterates its commitment to keeping maritime domain safe
- Cyclone threat for Horn of Africa
- Mossel Bay port takes part in annual SMME Expo
- South Africa remains committed to continental AfCFTA
- Container seized in raid at Maputo port reveals ivory stolen from state warehouses
- First Silk Road train arrives at Port of Antwerp
- New China to Iran freight train beats ocean shipping
- Nigeria commits to US$6.68 billion SGR line between Ibadan and Kaduna
- Silversea signs with Fincantieri for a third 40,700-gt all-balcony cruise ship
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : BBC MARYLAND & BBC SKYSAILS
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The Cardiff-registered Stolt oil and chemical products tanker STOLT APAL (IMO 9719240) seen departing from the port of Durban earlier in May. The 32,798-dwt Stolt Apal is 185 metres in length and 29m wide and was built in 2016. Owned by Norwegian company Hassel Shipping she is on charter to Stolt Tankers and has been a frequent caller in Durban. This picture is by Trevor Jones
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CORRECTED PORT CONTAINER STATISTICS FOR PORT OF CAPE TOWN

CAPE TOWN CONTAINER TERMINAL STATS:
On Tuesday this week 15 May we reported the following: Please note we are querying the container figures shown for Cape Town as these appear to have been duplicated with those of March 2018. We will advise what Transnet has to say and may have to adjust all the results.
Following our query Transnet NPA has confirmed that this was so and has provided the corrected container figures for the month with their apologies.
As a result we have corrected the statistics that were published on Tuesday and these now reflect the updated results, which for ease you can find by CLICKING HERE
NIGERIAN NAVY REITERATES ITS COMMITMENT TO KEEPING MARITIME DOMAIN SAFE

The Nigerian Navy says that it has the strength, will and ability to effectively maintain the safety of its maritime domain, both in the seas opposite Nigeria’s coastline and in its riverine environment.
The achieve this the navy now possesses an impressive 173 vessels of assorted types and sufficient to maintain control of the many waterways from which illegal activities including piracy have emanated.
Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete was speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday to mark the Nigerian Navy’s 62nd anniversary.
The admiral said the strength of the navy was capable of matching the requirements for the navy to effectively police the maritime areas and to carry out surveillance on illegal activities with the ability to act accordingly.
As an example, he said that 42 vessels have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in illegal activities. These were now the subject of further investigations and prosecutions.
The growing success of the navy in combatting the smugglers, pirates and other criminal elements can be judged by 76 reported attacks on various vessels in 2016, which was reduced to 34 in 2017. He said that so far this year the numbers show signs of being even less. “This is because our ability to counter these attacks has improved due to the various exercises we engage in to build capacity of the men,” the admiral said.
These successes were made possible by the upgrading of available maritime surveillance equipment, which includes the Regional Maritime Awareness Capability (RMAC) and Falcon Eye systems.
“Accordingly, the NN has nine RMAC sites established at Badagry, Bonny, Naval Base Apapa, Ibaka, Brass, FOB FORMOSO, NHQ as well as the Headquarters of the Eastern and Central Naval Commands. Similarly, the NN is working towards increasing its Falcon Eye system from nine sites at present to 12.
“When completed, these facilities will enable the NN expand its surveillance coverage of Nigeria’s maritime domain, with more effective checks on illegalities.” source: Ships and Ports Nigeria www.shipsandports.com.ng
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CYCLONE THREAT FOR HORN OF AFRICA

A storm developing in the Horn of Africa region, called officially a Tropical Disturbance, was yesterday (Wednesday) some 55 nautical miles south-west of Socotra Island at position 11.8N 53.2E. The storm is located in an area of light to moderate (10-20 knot) vertical wind shear.
Sea temperatures are reported to be very warm (30-31 degrees Celsius) which supports further development of the storm. Reports said that numerical models predict that the storm, identified at present as 91A, will track westward into the Gulf of Aden and remain over water for several days.
As it tracks westwards over warm water with favourable environmental conditions, models are predicting that 91A will intensify to a borderline Tropical Cyclone within 24 hours.
Maximum sustained surface winds were estimated yesterday at 28 to 33 knots. Minimum sea level pressure is estimated to be near 1000 MB.
The report last night said that the potential for the development of a significant Tropical Cyclone within the next 24 hours had been upgraded to High.
Latest:
At midnight Wednesday it was reported that Tropical Cyclone 01A (now so-named) was located near 13.2N 49.5E, approximately 687 nautical miles south-west of Masirah Island and had tracked westward at 10 knots over the previous six hours. Maximum sustained surface winds were estimated at 35 knots gusting to 45 knots.
source: Cyclocane
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MOSSEL BAY PORT TAKES PART IN ANNUAL SMME EXPO

Transnet National Ports Authority’s Port of Mossel Bay participated in the Mossel Bay Municipality’s annual SMME Expo held last Friday, 11 May 2018.
The theme of the Expo was ‘SMALL Business is BIG Business.’
Port Manager Shadrack Tshikalange said the Mossel Bay SMME Expo – which is held to foster the development of small and medium-sized enterprises – was a perfect platform for Transnet to showcase its vision of being a meaningful contributor towards empowering previously disadvantaged individuals, sustainably developing local industry and improving skills to support localisation and industrialisation objectives.
“We want to transform our supplier base by engaging in…[restrict] targeted initiatives that allow us explore procurement opportunities that particularly emphasise the youth, Black women, small businesses, people with disabilities and rural entities, while striving to enhance the capability, capacity and efficiency of local suppliers,” he said.
Mossel Bay’s main economic activities are agriculture (aloes, cattle, dairy, ostriches, sheep, timber, vegetables and wine), fishing, light industry, petrochemicals and tourism.
Upcoming SMME business opportunities at the Port of Mossel Bay include a plumbing contract which will be up for tender at the end of August 2018 and a gardening services contract and cleaning services contract which will each be up for renewal at the end of October 2018.

The tender for extension of the Port Admin Building will be advertised by the end of May 2018 with 20% of the contract value set aside for supplier development focusing on capability and capacity building (localisation), job creation, small business promotion and rural integration.
Repairs and maintenance will be required at the port’s slipway. Water and electricity meter efficiency will need to be investigated. Quay 4 in the port will require structural integrity investigations and maintenance of the storm water channel.
Other projects include general repairs and maintenance to buildings and infrastructure, as well as the supply of components and spares, petrochemical products, paint, small tools and equipment, safety equipment and accessories. There are also specialised business opportunities such as hull cleaning and removal of derelict vessels.
Tshikalange said TNPA at the Port of Mossel Bay participated in the expo to highlight its services, as well as unpack its procurement processes and the various opportunities available for SMMEs to conduct business with TNPA.
“We will certainly be looking for more opportunities to explore the important role that can be played by SMMEs in our port and will endeavour to provide tools and resources that better enable these businesses to understand and comply with Transnet’s procurement mechanisms,” said Tshikalange.[/restrict]
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SOUTH AFRICA REMAINS COMMITTEED TO CONTINENTAL AfCFTA
South Africa remains committed to becoming a signatory to the African Union’s agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In March, South Africa held off on signing the actual agreement until legal and other instruments associated with AfCFTA are processed and ratified by South African stakeholders and Parliament.
But on Tuesday, International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu announced that South Africa as a signatory to the agreement is on Cabinet’s agenda.
“South Africa is fully committed to the AfCFTA and signed the Kigali Declaration launching the AfCFTA, which demonstrates South Africa’s political commitment to sign the Agreement and its Protocols, once it has fulfilled its domestic requirements, including…[restrict] consultations with social partners and ascension by Parliament,” the Minister said in her pre-Budget Vote briefing.
The agreement is the initiative between three regional economic communities: Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, East African Community and Southern African Development Community in the Eastern and Southern Africa which liberalise services and aims to tackle so-called “non-tariff barriers” which hamper trade between African countries, such as long delays at the border.
It is aimed at deepening African economic integration by promoting agricultural development, food security, industrialisation and structural economic transformation through single-air continental transport market with free movement of persons, capital, goods and services.
The envisaged AfCFTA is designed to combine market integration with industrial and infrastructure development to address Africa’s productive capacity.
This will remove supply-side constraints, promote the diversification of Africa’s export base from dependence on raw materials to value-added products, as well as alleviate the chronic infrastructure deficit on the continent.
Besides offering an opportunity to create larger economies of scale, a bigger market and improved prospects for the African continent to attract investment, the AfCFTA will provide new export opportunities for South African products and services in West Africa and North Africa.
Minister Sisulu said South Africa’s participation in the AfCFTA will assist South African businesses to expand into the African market and in so doing contribute to economic development on the continent.
“For South Africa in particular, it will serve to address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality as set out in the National Development Plan (NDP).”
According to the Department of Trade and Industry, the AfCFTA is being pursued under the development integration approach.
This approach combines market integration with industrial and infrastructure development to address Africa’s productive capacity and supply-side constraints. It is also expected to facilitate the movement of goods and services among African countries, resulting in the harmonisation of customs documentation and processes thus enhancing trade facilitation.
The AfCFTA will make Africa the largest free trade area created in terms of the number of participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organisation with a potential to create an African market of over 1.2 billion people with a Gross Domestic Product of 2.5 trillion US dollars. source: SAnews.gov.za[/restrict]
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CONTAINER SEIZED IN RAID AT MAPUTO PORT REVEALS IVORY STOLEN FROM STATE WAREHOUSES
A container seized last month in a raid at the Port of Maputo has revealed that one third of the 3-tonne contents consisted of ivory stolen from state warehouses.
The elephant tusks were wrapped in plastic and disguised as material going for recycling in Cambodia.
Police investigations have now revealed…[restrict] that almost one tonne of the ivory had been stolen from state warehouses.
A National Conservation Area Administration (ANAC) report quoted by the Noticias newspaper, on Wednesday said 813 kg had been stolen from the provincial Earth, Environment and Rural Development warehouse and the Criminal Investigation Service both in Lichinga, in Niassa province in northern Mozambique.
According to the latest ANAC reports Mozambique lost 48% of its elephant population between 2011 and 2016 and was risking being banned from international trade in derivatives of that species because of a lack of clarity in animal management. source & picture: Lusa [/restrict]
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On Saturday 12 May the first Silk Road train exclusively destined for Antwerp arrived at the port city.
The freight train, which had left the Chinese port of Tangshan on 26 April, was officially welcomed in the port of Antwerp. This direct railway link between China and Antwerp is part of the transnational Chinese ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, with which China seeks to revive the trade routes of the old Silk Road from Asia to Europe.
Belt and Road Initiative
The train is part of the ‘Belt & Road Initiative’ (BRI), the ambitious development programme of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The initiative provides for enhanced Eurasian connectivity through major infrastructure projects and restoration of the Silk Road, the historic trade route between Europe and the Far East which, in addition to…[restrict] the traditional maritime link, is an efficient land bridge link.
First ever direct train from China to Antwerp
The train left the Chinese port of Tangshan on 26 April and travelled via the border crossing of Alashankou, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Poland and Germany to reach its final destination, the port of Antwerp, after 16 days and having covered a distance of 11,000 km. It is the fist ever direct train from China to Antwerp.
The service is an initiative of Tangshan City & Tangshan Port, in collaboration with the Chinese state-owned shipping company Cosco Shipping Lines and the Chinese Railways (CRCT).
The consignee is Cosco Shipping Belgium, which will ensure the forwarding to the end customers. The train arrived loaded with a total of 34 containers, containing industrial minerals for use in various industries and productions such as paper and ceramics, toothpaste and cosmetics. They are unloaded at Euroports, which will transport them to their bulk terminal for subsequent distribution in Europe.
“This direct train link puts our port on the BRI map and will further strengthen our ties with China. We have long been working on this project, which represents an important milestone in our trade relations with China,” said Luc Arnouts, Director International Networks, Antwerp Port Authority.
Marc Van Peel, port alderman, pointed out that China is the fourth biggest partner country for Antwerp, with an annual traffic volume of nearly 14 million tonnes of goods. “Antwerp is ideally located on both the maritime route and the rail route between Europe and China, and our port is perfectly capable of acting as a transhipment port for trade between China and Africa via rail link,” he said.
Geert Gekiere, Managing Director Euroports Belgium said Euroports was proud and honoured to have the privilege of unloading and further handling the majority of the load of this first direct train between China and Antwerp. “We encourage our customers to optimise their supply chain, which is why virtually all of our terminals support both road, rail and water connections. Transport from the Tangshan region via conventional container ships on average takes +35 days, but this train manages to do it in a record time of 16-20 days, and at relatively low costs.”
Future cooperation
The local Chinese government is planning to run a direct train to Antwerp once or twice per month. To this end, Tangshan City is striving for closer cooperation with the Port of Antwerp and intends to sign an MOU/Sisterhood Agreement with the City of Antwerp. CRCT (Chinese Railways) is currently investigating the feasibility of setting up a commercial office in Europe.[/restrict]
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NEW CHINA TO IRAN FREIGHT TRAIN BEATS OCEAN SHIPPING

A new freight train service connecting Inner Mongolia to Tehran, Iran’s capital, will cut shipping times by over half compared to ocean carrier services, according to China’s state-run news agency Xinhua.
The test of the new route started with…[restrict] a train leaving the city of Bayannur in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on 10 May 2018.
It is making an 8,352-kilometre journey through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan before arriving in Tehran 15 days later, shortening transportation time by at least 20 days when compared with ocean shipping options.
The train is transporting sunflower seeds from Bayannur city, which is China’s biggest regional producer of the product.
Bayannur city exports about 180,000 tonnes of sunflower seeds every year, with 90% of them headed for Middle Eastern, European and US markets.
The city’s export volume has reached a worth of US$ 420 million as its agricultural products link China’s trade to more than 80 countries and regions.[/restrict]
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NIGERIA COMMITS TO US$6.68 BILLION SGR LINE BETWEEN IBADAN AND KADUNA

Nigeria’s Federal Government has committed itself to developing a US6/68 billion standard gauge railway (SGR) to connect Ibadan with Kaduna as part of the Lagos-Kano SGR railway.
The firm of China Civil…[restrict] Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) is the contractor building the railway line.
According to a statement issued by Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, the completion time of the contract should be between two to three years, depending on availability of funds. He said his department would be able to provide its counterpart funding between the 2018 and 2019 budge provisions.
The SGR will pass through Oshogbo-Ilorin-Minna to Kaduna, with a single track branch line from Oshogbo to Ado-Ekiti.
Nigeria has also entered into an interim contract with a consortium that includes General Electric of the USA and Transnet of South Africa, plus a Chinese construction company, to refurbish and operate the once faily extensive Cape gauge railway in the country, with the likelihood that a long-term contract may be signed within 18 months.[/restrict]
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Cruise ship operator Silversea has signed papers with Italian shipyard Fincantieri to build a third, 40,700-gt, all-balcony cruise ship to be named SILVER DAWN.
Delivery of the €320m ship is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021.
Silversea recently placed an order for the second ship in this class, which is to be named SILVER MOON and is to be delivered in 2020.
The new ships are to be sister ships to SILVER MUSE, which was also built by Fincantieri at its Sestri Ponente yard.
Silver Dawn will become the 11th cruise ship in the expanding Silversea fleet. Chairman of the line, Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio said it was his father’s dream to have a 12-ship fleet and Silversea was moving toward fulfilling that wish.
Silversea holds an option with Fincantieri for a further ship of the 40,700-gt class.
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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 : BBC MARYLAND & BBC SKYSAILS

Calling them two of his favourites, photographer and ship lover Keith Betts made sure he was available to capture these two ships on what makes up for film in these digital days. “These small General Cargo vessels are always so photogenic in their blue livery,” he says. Both ships are of a similar size and type – BBC MARYLAND (IMO 9433298) seen arriving in port at Durban (top) is 138 metres length and 21m wide. The ship was built in 2010 and has a deadweight of 12,720 tons and like Skysails is flagged in Antigua Barbuda. Her counterpart, BBC SKYSAILS (IMO 9399129) is the smaller of the two at 9832-dwt and a length of just 132 metres x 16 metres wide. Long-time readers of Africa PORTS & SHPS, or more accurately the original PORTS & SHIPS site, will recall we featured BBC Skysails on more than one occasion during the time when she was undertaking experiments using a giant kite-like sail to assist with her propulsion, hence the unusual name. Most BBC Chartering ships have names of countries – one of these has a permanent place on the South African coast and maritime history, BBC CHINA which unfortunately ran aground on the Wild Coast in October 2004 and was a complete write-off (lower picture). Pictures – BBC Maryland & BBC Skysails: Keith Betts. BBC China shipwreck: Chris Bennett
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.”
– Matsuo Basho
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