TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : MERCER STREET
- SA Agulhas completes her refit in readiness for her scheduled 2018 journeys
- GRUPO ETE facilitates largest ever Portuguese clinker export to Ghana
- Armscor announces it retains management control of Simon’s Town Naval Dockyard
- Kenya has 70,000 barrels of crude stored awaiting delivery to Mombasa for export
- Djibouti-Any port in a storm? Careful how you tread, says Allan and Associates
- Azamara to cruise in South African waters from 2020
- Fire rages on car carrier AUTO BANNER in Incheon harbour
- Wilhelmsen hits the digital turbo button
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : SANCO ATLANTIC
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The oil products tanker MERCER STREET (IMO 9539585) arriving in the entrance channel to the Port of Durban in April this year. The 49,992-dwt, 182.5 metre long by 32m wide tanker and until January 2014 sailed with the name Pacific Lapis. She was built in 2013 at the Onomichi Dockyard in Onomichi in Japan. The tanker is managed by Zodiac Maritime of London, UK. This picture is by Trevor Jones
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SA AGULHAS COMPLETES HER REFIT IN READINESS FOR HER SCHEDULED 2018 JOURNEYS
A newly spruced up SA AGULHAS, the country’s only dedicated national cadet training vessel is back in the Indian Ocean waters alongside the East London dry dock, ready for her next major operations at sea this year – one beginning at the end May 2018 and the other, later in the year.
The second major ocean journey for the vessel, scheduled for about late November, will be her third research and training trip along the Indian and Southern Oceans as far the Antarctica region, carrying on board a group of Indian scientists as well as new cadets from South Africa.
In preparation for the two operations, the vessel, owned and operated by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), went into dry dock in East London for about a week in late April 2018, after which some major paint work and refurbishment continued once back on water again at the river port in the last couple of weeks.
According to Roland Shortt, Operations Manager: SAMSA’s Maritime Special Projects, from East London, the SA Agulhas will sail to Port Elizabeth tomorrow (Thursday 24 May 2018) where the ship will then bunker on Monday prior to commencing with her first operation involving deployment of scientific research equipment to the east coast of South Africa.
The deployment operation will set off from Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth) on 31 May 2018 and finish up in Cape Town on 16 June 2018.
To catch a glimpse of work, the SAMSA blog tagged along to see what was actually going on and spoke to the vessel’s commander, Captain Daniel Bosman, and it’s all contained in this 5 minute video below. source: SAMSA
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GRUPO ETE FACILITATES PORTUGAL’S LARGEST EVER CLINKER EXPORT TO GHANA
GRUPO ETE has successfully facilitated the largest Portuguese clinker export ever, on behalf of its client Cimpor, an InterCement company, by concluding the loading of 55,902 tonnes of clinker on the bulk carrier VINAYAK (58,100-dwt), bound for Ghana.
This export operation, completed in a record time, was carried out on the Tagus river. The clinker was transported in barges pushed by tugboats down the river from Cimpor’s Alhandra plant terminal and loaded by floating cranes into the Vinayak which was anchored midstream in the port of Lisbon.
In total, two floating cranes, three tugboats and 23 barge voyages were used in this operation.
The experience wasn’t something new to GRUPO ETE, the only company doing…[restrict] inland waterways transport and performing midstream at anchor loading and unloading operations in Portugal. On average more than 25 clinker vessels per year exceeding the one million tonne mark are handled by the company.
It requires the exceptional natural conditions of the Port of Lisbon associated with the navigability of the Tagus river to allow sustainable and environmentally friendly operations.
The Tagus is one of the few Portuguese rivers that allows inland cargo transportation, permittng all industries settled along the river for up to 60 km from the Tagus mouth to benefit from the competitive and environmental inland waterways transport mode. With this and the natural conditions found in the Port of Lisbon, a large vessel like the Vinyak wsa able to carry out the loading required ahead of the voyage to Ghana.
The operation of loading the clinker on the river removed the need for 2,300 road trucks and avoided 54 tons in carbon dioxide emissions, when compared to road mode. All Cimpor’s clinker exports are carried out by inland waterways, using the midstream cargo operation in the Port of Lisbon, thus offering important environmental advantages.
“Clinker exports are only feasible if it can be highly competitive, flexible and responsive,” said Pedro Marques, board member of Cimpor Trading e Inversiones S.A. “GRUPO ETE, our strategic partner for more than 40 years, offers us a key-in-hand river transport and handling solution that brings this process the needed additional competitiveness and efficiency.”
About Cimpor
Cimpor, an InterCement company, is among the 10 major world cement producers. Its production units located in South America, Africa and Europe have a total production capacity of 48 million tons per year, making Cimpor a market leader in Argentina, Portugal, Mozambique and Cape Verde, second in markets like Brazil and Paraguay and with a strong regional leadership in South Africa and Egypt. Additionally, due to its strong export operations Cimpor has a leading position amongst the largest cement traders in the world.
About GRUPO ETE
Founded in 1936, ETE GROUP is the most experienced and largest Portuguese player in the maritime sector, integrating its six main areas – Port Operations, Inland Transport, Shipping, Shipping Agents, Logistic Operations, Engineering and Naval Repair. GRUPO ETE owns the largest Portuguese cargo shipping company; is the Iberian leader in inland water transport; in Portugal is the largest operator of port terminals and concessions; is the market leader in shipping agency in Portuguese ports; offers door-to-door multimodal national and international logistic solutions; is a reference in engineering, naval repair and shipbuilding; and also provides technical management services of ships and crews. It has an international presence with own operations in five countries (Colombia, Uruguay, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Portugal), on three continents.[/restrict]
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ARMSCOR ANNOUNCES IT RETAINS MANAGEMENT CONTROL OF SIMON’S TOWN NAVAL DOCKYARD
Armscor has confirmed that it will continue to manage the Naval Dockyard at the Naval Base in Simon’s Town.
This decision follows a lengthy process in which the dockyard was to have been transferred to Denel. However, it transpired that Denel failed to meet certain deadlines involving the finding of a strategic partner before the transfer could be confirmed.
After Denel missed its 28 February deadline of meeting its suspensive conditions,…[restrict] Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula decided that the proposed takeover of the Dockyard by Denel could not go forward. “I have determined no further extensions be granted and that the transfer process be cancelled,” she announced.
As a result Armscor will continue to provide the necessary maintenance services to the SA Navy ships.
“We welcome the pronouncement made by the Minister of Defence regarding the matter,” said Mr Temba Goduka, the former Acting Group Executive for Dockyard and quoted in Armscor’s Newsletter. “We firmly believe the move is quite strategic in the interest of business continuity and projects that require to be urgently implemented.”
In the Newsletter Armscor wrote that a mandatory local content of 60% was obligatory to shipbuilding which was in line with the broader government plans of Operation Phakisa. Project Hotel, the building of a hydrographic survey ship that will replace SAS PROTEA, and which has been awarded to Durban’s Southern African Shipyards, will result in an estimated 320 direct and 2560 indirect jobs through local sub-contracts and suppliers.
Construction of the Multi Mission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPV), awarded to Damen Shipyards Cape Town, will result in an estimated 250 direct and about 2000 indirect jobs. The contract is expected to run for approximately 7 years with delivery of the first vessel expected in 2019.
The project provides for the acquisition of a new Multi-Mission Patrol Capability for the SA Navy inclusive of three Multi-Mission Inshore Patrol Vessels and its associated integrated logistic support elements. The vessels will be employed off the coast of South Africa, operating within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It is envisaged that the MMIPV will be used amongst others and not limited to the inshore patrol and the protection of maritime resources, says Armscor.
The MMIPVs will have features enabling them to reduce fuel consumption and emission furthermore it will minimise slamming for improved safety on board.
The contract for the hydrographic survey vessel is expected to run for approximately four years with the 1st steel cutting envisaged to be in the last quarter of 2018.
The project provides for the acquisition of a new Hydrographic Capability Products System, inclusive of the Hydrographic Survey Vessel (HSV), with two fully integrated inshore survey motor boats, one sea boat and hangar/flight deck arrangement for a medium sized maritime helicopter, the upgrade to the current shore-based hydrographic office infrastructure located at the Silvermine Complex in the Cape Peninsula as well as the associated integrated logistic support elements, including a spare, fully equipped and operationally qualified Survey Motor Boat (SMB), identical to the two SMBs fitted on-board the HSV.
The contract with Southern African Shipyards was placed with the Durban yard in November 2017.
Armscor says the new survey vessel (HSV) gives the SA Navy, as a member state of the International Maritime Organisation, the ability to continue serving the international shipping community by providing nautical charts, survey and oceanographic related data, complying with standards stipulated by the International Hydrographic Organisation.
“This instils a fresh optimism and assurance that local people will get job opportunities and also advance their skills in the process”, said Mr Mkwanazi, the Acting Group Executive (Armscor, Acquisition and SCM). source: Armscor[/restrict]
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KENYA HAS 70,000 BARRELS OF CRUDE STORED AWAITING DELIVERY TO MOMBASA FOR EXPORT
Kenya’s emerging oil industry has resulted in 70,000 barrels of crude being stored in Lokichar in readiness for transfer to the Port of Mombasa for export, reports Business Daily and TMEA.
The report quoted Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau who said Kenya is now ready to export crude oil through the Early Oil Pilot Scheme (EOPS). The only impediment has been the delay of Petroleum Bill 2017.
Kamau said…[restrict] that Kenya hopes to start transporting oil from the Lokichar basin in Turkana to the Port of Mombasa for shipment to the international market.
“We are ready to pilot, we are just waiting for the Bill because the oil is already in the tanks,” he said. According to Kamau the initial oil exports would be followed by commercial production and further exports after the pipeline is completed in 2021.
However there are a number of issues that need to be cleared up. These relate to the sharing of revenue as stipulated in the Bill.
“The issue of who gets what is still a problem because right now it (the Bill) states that the national government gets 70 per cent, 20 per cent goes to the county and 10 per cent to the community,” said Petroleum Chief Administrative Secretary John Musonik. “But that still needs to be defined when operationalising some of these issues.”
Until the Bill is passed, large-scale oil production is unable to commence. Numerous changes to the Bill saw it being temporarily withdrawn last month.
The Kenyan government plans to have the oil transported by road from Turkana to Eldoret for onward delivery by train to the Mombasa port — a distance of 1,089 kilometres. Source: Business Daily and TMEA[/restrict]
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DJIBOUTI: ANY PORT IN A STORM? CAREFUL HOW YOU TREAD, SAYS ALLAN AND ASSOCIATES
As countries across the Horn of Africa embark on ambitious programmes to attract foreign investment, Djibouti seems a stable option in a volatile region. But are there risks? A new report by political and security risk consultancy Allan & Associates (www.Allan-Assoc.com) offers guidance.
Download the study: CLICK HERE
When African Development Bank officials met in Busan, South Korea on Monday (21 May), details of new foreign investment opportunities in Africa were considered likely to emerge.
Djibouti, which is seeking to become a Horn of Africa trans-shipment hub, has proved attractive to investors in recent years. Located near some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, with access to the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, it can boast decades of peace and political stability, unlike neighbours that include divided Somalia, secretive Eritrea and war-torn Yemen.
“Djibouti offers an attractive environment for investors in the Horn of Africa, but be careful how you tread,” says Allan and Associates Senior Analyst and Sub-Saharan Africa specialist Olivier Milland and author of the report.
Indicators suggest that significant investment risks exist in Djibouti. These include:
* Growing corruption concerns as the country has slipped in international indices for transparency and governance
* Regional competition for contracts may see national elites attempt to access rents from foreign investors
* Poor macro-economic indicators, with public debt reaching 87 per cent of GDP in 2018
* Over-dependence on neighbour Ethiopia – 95 per cent of Ethiopian exports pass through the port of Djibouti – and China, its top source of foreign investment
* Vulnerability to a global protectionist trend, driven by United States President Donald Trump, due to a reliance on port traffic
* Rifts between Gulf countries threaten stability of investments
* Concerns over renegotiation of contracts under a new law and localization
“Changing geopolitical dynamics in the region, amid protectionist policies in the U.S. and a rift between the Gulf countries, are posing additional challenges for investors,” says Milland.
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AZAMARA TO CRUISE IN SOUTH AFRICAN WATERS FROM 2020
Another cruise line is coming to South Africa as from the 2020 summer season. Azamara Club Cruises will offer six return cruises out of Cape Town with the 30,277-gt, 710-passenger AZAMARA QUEST, followed later in the year with AZAMARA JOURNEY.
This is the first time that Azamara Club Cruises will have called in South Africa and the African continent as part of its coverage.
Azamara Quest is one of the former Renaissance ships, R7, and first entered service in 1999. In January 2020 Azamara Quest will offer six round cruises from Cape Town visiting the ports of Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, and Richards Bay.
The cruise itineraries will focus on providing land programmes that will take passengers to the winelands of the Cape, the game parks of the Eastern Cape and KZN, Shakaland near Eshowe in Zululand and including pre and post Micato Safari trips.
Azamara Quest will arrive in South Africa in January 2020 and it is expected that most of her guests will be from Europe making use of the fly/cruise option on direct flights to Cape Town. On completion of her programme of six cruises in February, Azamara Quest will sail for Southampton where later in the year she will offer six cruises out of Britain.
Azamara Journey will arrive in South Africa in December 2020 to operate a similar range of cruises taking her through to January 2021.
The pre and post safaris with Micato will include the Kruger Game Reserve, Victoria Falls, and a dawn game drive through Botswana’s Chobe Game Reserve.
Silverseas and Oceania Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Seabourn, as well as Hapag-Lloyd and Phoenix Reisen all operate short cruise ‘seasons’ in South African waters in addition to MSC Cruises who station a ship at Durban for six months each year. Apart from MSC Cruises few of the others cater or even market themselves for the South African passenger and instead rely on the fly/cruise option.
There is surely an opportunity here to develop this growing presence of cruise ships by attracting local guests, even if on a small scale to begin?
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Watch the news video above – although in Korean the visuals speak for themselves. Video courtesy of Yonhap News
The fire on board the Ro-Ro car carrier AUTO BANNER in Incheon harbour, South Korea, is proving to be difficult to bring under control due mainly to the shape and design of the ship.
Access to the area where the fire is raging is difficult and fire fighters have gone aboard using breathing equipment while a helicopter has been dropping water on the ship and a fire-fighting auxiliary vessel is spraying water along the sides and top to help cool the ship.
Meanwhile thick black smoke is escaping from the air vents and flames have been noticed on one side panel.
The fire is believed to have begun in a motor vehicle whose engine overheated and caught fire, setting others parked nearby also ablaze.
The crew of 28 was quickly evacuated – there were no injuries reported – and firefighters took over in attempting to bring the blaze under control. The ship which arrived from the USA and was due to have departed for North Africa (Libya), is berthed alongside at the port’s car terminal. Nearby are parked hundreds of new cars.
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WILHELMSEN HITS THE DIGITAL TURBO BUTTON
Wilhelmsen makes a strategic investment in the digital development company Dolittle, and positions itself to pull off larger and more advanced digital projects going forwards. In-house digital competence is favoured over external consultants.
Why does a global maritime company suddenly own digital capability? Wilhelmsen has the largest maritime network in the world, with operations in 2,200 locations. Yet, the company is still part of a largely analogue industry.
The past year has, however, shown a different Wilhelmsen able to think about the future in innovative ways. Evidence of this is Massterly, an autonomous shipping company created in a joint effort with the Kongsberg Group. You will not survive in this industry if you’re conservative, says Thomas Wilhelmsen, group CEO of Wilhelmsen. He continues: “By owning digital competency we enable all departments and companies within Wilhelmsen to develop and create valuable digital solutions. With help from Dolittle we can move quicker and cover the internal and external needs our customers have.”
Arif Shafique, CEO and co-founder of Dolittle, explains that the start-up creates new architecture and frameworks for digital product building. “We develop digital solutions for customers in a rapid pace. The first version of a newly announced software system for Wilhelmsen smart ropes was developed in a week and a half. This used to take months, even years. In addition to fast pace decision and development processes, we use tried-and-tested building blocks for all our products. This gives flexibility where we can scale all our products from day one,” says Shafique.
“Technology such as virtual reality (VR) and digital twins lets us simulate and test solutions in a safe environment before we use it out at sea in real life. With VR and digital twin technology from Dolittle, it’s about time we move new solutions onto the digital bridge,” says Wilhelmsen.
Dolittle’s team come from previous roles in Microsoft and the Norwegian online retailer Komplett, all team members with extensive experience building software and digital trade platforms. “This is a golden opportunity for us,” says Shafique. “We want to change the way software is built globally and Wilhelmsen wants to chart the course for an entire industry. Together we will lay the foundation for how we shape tomorrows maritime and software industry.”
Wilhelmsen has purchased 50% of Dolittle, splitting ownership 50/50 with the start-up founders.
About Dolittle
Dolittle’s framework is built on top modern software principles such as “Domain Driven Design”. It all starts with the actual business problem. In 2017, Einar Ingebrigtsen and Arif Shafique started a commercial company after several years in Microsoft where they helped traditional software vendors move to cloud. Michael Smith joined the team and Wilhelmsen chose to invest in the company as a strategic partnership to increase their digital capability. Dolittle now has eight employees. For more information, please visit www.Dolittle.com
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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.
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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 : SANCO ATLANTIC
The seismic research ship SANCO ATLANTIC (IMO 8610667) is seen departing from Durban on Sunday, 20 May, bound for Moroni. With six towing points Sanco Atlantic is one of eight vessels in the specialist company fleet. Built in 1987 the 4639-gt ship has a length of 91 metres and a beam of 17.4m. Her owners and ship managers are a Norwegian company based in Gjerdsvika, Norway. The ship flies the flag of the Bahamas. These pictures are by Keith Betts
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.”
– Henri Louis Bergson
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