TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
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- First View : MAERSK TANJONG
- South African port statistics for June are now available
- Portuguese-speaking Africa leads the way to Africa Free Trade Zone
- T-TRIID competition to improve transport in Africa & South Asia now open
- The fight over Djibouti’s Doraleh goes on as DP World is offered $500 million to “go away”
- Local steel, aluminium no threat to US security
- Transnet among pre-qualifiers to operate Cameroon’s Kribi Multipurpose Terminal
- Launch of the RRS Sir David Attenborough
- DHL partners with MallforAfrica on delivering African-made products to the world
- Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
- Cruise News and Naval Activities
- Pics of the Day : SC VIRGO
- The port in the masthead today (Wednesday) is Port of Apapa, Lagos
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Maersk Line’s 8400-TEU capacity container ship MAERSK TANJONG (IMO 9332511) enters the Durban port channel on her way to the container terminal. The 113,478-dwt ship has an overall length of 332 metres and a width of 43.2m and was built in 2007 at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering yards in Geoje, South Korea. Owned and managed by Maersk Line she is currently flagged in Hong Kong. This picture is by Trevor Jones
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SOUTH AFRICAN PORT STATISTICS FOR JUNE ARE NOW AVAILABLE
Port statistics for the month of June 2018, covering the eight commercial ports under the administration of Transnet National Ports Authority, are now available.
Results indicate a similar month to May for the national ports, with Richards Bay (8.427 million tonnes), Durban (7.586mt) and Saldanha (5.087mt) all standing out but the other ports also making positive contributions to the grand total of…[restrict] 24.851 million tonnes during June (24.384mt for May). Container throughput was also quite good at 395,023 TEU handled at all ports (401,073 TEU for May).
In June 2017 the eight ports handled a total 24.264 million tonnes, a figure quite similar to that achieved this year June.
Container volumes for all ports during June last year were 392,904 TEU, again quite similar to the figure for this year’s equivalent month.
For detailed comparison with the same month of the previous year – June 2017 – please go HERE; afterwards use your BACKSPACE button to return to this page.
These statistic reports on Africa PORTS & SHIPS are arrived at using an adjustment on the overall tonnage compared to those kindly provided by TNPA and include containers recorded by weight; an adjustment necessary because TNPA measures containers by the number of TEUs and does not reflect the weight which unfortunately undervalues the ports.
To arrive at such a calculation, Africa PORTS & SHIPS uses an average of 13.5 tonnes per TEU, which probably does involve some under-reporting. Africa PORTS & SHIPS will continue to emphasise this distinction, without which South African ports would be seriously under-reported internationally and locally.
Port Statistics continue below
Figures for the respective ports during June 2018 are:
Cargo handled by tonnes during June 2018, including containers by weight
| PORT | June 2018 million tonnes |
| Richards Bay | 8.427 |
| Durban | 7.586 |
| Saldanha Bay | 5.087 |
| Cape Town | 1.276 |
| Port Elizabeth | 1.192 |
| Ngqura | 0.967 |
| Mossel Bay | 0.155 |
| East London | 0.160 |
| Total all ports | 24.850 million tonnes |
CONTAINERS (measured by TEUs) during June 2018
(TEUs include Deepsea, Coastal, Transship and empty containers all subject to being invoiced by NPA
| PORT | June 2018 TEUs |
| Durban | 246,019 |
| Cape Town | 65,772 see notes above |
| Port Elizabeth | 16,873 |
| Ngqura | 59,056 |
| East London | 5,656 |
| Richards Bay | 1,647 |
| Total all ports | 395,023 TEU |
SHIP CALLS for June 2018
| PORT | June 2018 vessels | gross tons |
| Durban | 237 | 9,190,816 |
| Cape Town | 106 | 3,623,524 |
| Richards Bay | 146 | 5,840,177 |
| Port Elizabeth | 67 | 2,189,844 |
| Saldanha Bay | 35 | 2,460,788 |
| Ngqura | 43 | 2,498,918 |
| East London | 24 | 0,743,920 |
| Mossel Bay | 42 | 172,979 |
| Total ship calls | 700 | 24,720,966 |
— source TNPA, with adjustment[/restrict]
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PORTUGUESE-SPEAKING AFRICA LEADS THE WAY TO AFRICA FREE TRADE ZONE
By coincidence or design, the Portuguese-speaking African countries are in the forefront of signing up the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) project.
Five of the six Lusophone African nations are among the 49 countries that have subscribed to the AfCFTA project.
The first step towards the creation of the AfCFTA was taken at the end of March in Kigali, Rwanda, at the summit of heads of state of the African Union (AU), with the signing of an agreement that provides for the creation of a customs union similar to that of the European Union (EU).
At the head of the signatories is Angola, who was represented at the summit by its president, João Lourenço, as well as Mozambique, also represented by…[restrict] the head of state, Filipe Nyusi.
According to Angolan economist José Carlos Costa, Angola, under Lourenço’s leadership, “embraced this project with enthusiasm,” in contrast with the position hitherto opposed to greater economic integration in the region.
“I would like Angola to embrace regional integration tomorrow and to face a hemispheric integration in the medium term without any reservations, and I, therefore, hope that the enthusiasm shown with the signing of the agreement in Kigali will have as its first consequence a change of position on regional economic integration,” Costa wrote on his website Angonomics.
From the AfCFTA project “there will certainly be more positive than negative things, such as the cheaper import of products from other countries in the region and the expansion of markets for our already exporting companies and the emergence of opportunities for those that do not yet export,” he added.
Following the signing of the Kigali agreement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique, José Pacheco, stressed the importance of Africa “to unite to do inter-African business.”
Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said the agreement “has important economic implications for the African population, as it will open the market to 1.2 billion people with the possibility of generating great wealth for the continent, accelerating investment, diversifying the economy and increasing trade.”
Signatories of the agreement include Equatorial Guinea, through its prime minister, Francisco Obama Asue, São Tomé and Príncipe and Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), represented at ministerial level.
Guinea-Bissau was thus the only Portuguese-speaking country that did not sign the Kigali agreement.
Moroccan think-tank OCP Policy Center, in a recent analysis of the signing of the agreement, stressed that the “translation of vision into action,” will not be easy, not least because of the need to include large economies such as South Africa* and Nigeria, which are still studying their membership, but also to limit the exclusion of products and to define rules of origin for them.
“All African nations are also faced with the need to improve transport infrastructure to enable trade to take place. The larger and richer economies, notably China, the European Union and the United States, have an interest in the success of the free trade zone and there is much they can do to promote a favourable outcome,” said the OCP Policy Center. source: macauhub
* South Africa has since signed the AfCFTA agreement, having indicated earlier at Kigali that it would do so.
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T-TRIID COMPETITION TO IMPROVE TRANSPORT IN AFRICA & SOUTH ASIA NOW OPEN
Africa Transport Innovation
It was announced on 5 July that the (UK) Transport-Technology Research Innovation for International Development (T-TRIID) competition is now open and will close on 16 August 2018.
Under the Applied Research Programme in High Volume Transport (HVT*), this competition will fund short projects supporting innovative and novel ideas that enable safer and more efficient transport in various countries across low income countries of Africa and South Asia. This programme is implemented by IMC Worldwide, supported by KTN and funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).
It is understood that the competition provides funding up to £30,000 for ten collaborative projects which show potential to address transport challenges in the following themes: (a) long distance strategic road and rail; (b) urban transport; (c) low carbon transport and (d) gender, accessibility and inclusion (particularly the disabled) in HVT.
Magdalena Leisten Johansson, DFID HVT Advisor commented: “The research programme supports individuals and organisations to identify and share innovative concepts and solutions to the challenges facing transport sector in Low Income Countries. T-TRIID is not about ideas but about making those ideas happen.”
More information including guidance notes and details of how to apply can be found : CLICK HERE
* High Volume Transport (Applied Research). This is a five-year research programme funded by DFID to increase access to transport services, more affordable trade routes, and safer, lower carbon transport in low income countries.
From 2017-2021, IMC will manage the DFID High-Volume Transport applied research programme along national and regional transport corridors and within cities in low-income countries (LICs) in Africa and South Asia.
There is international agreement that transport plays a key role in reducing isolation and poverty, and in facilitating economic activity. Strong transport links can facilitate international trade transitions, which, under appropriate circumstances, boost national income, reduce poverty, and contribute to economic and social development.
Edited by Paul Ridgway
London
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THE FIGHT OVER DJIBOUTI’S DORALEH GOES ON AS DP WORLD IS OFFERED $500 MILLION TO “GO AWAY”
Djibouti has made another approach to settle its dispute with DP World over the arbitrary cancelling of the Dubai terminal operator’s 50-year concession to operate Doraleh Container Terminal in Djibouti.
DP World was forced to abandon its operation and leave the country after the Djibouti government issued claims that DP World was failing to meet its agreed obligations. The Djibouti government was also angry with DP World’s attempts to sign up and operate other ports and terminals in the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden region.
The matter finally came to a head when news broke that DP World, which had been awarded the concession to run the port of Berbera in neighbouring Somaliland, announced that it had sold a 19% stake in Berbera to Ethiopia in return for which…[restrict] Ethiopia agreed to develop transport links with the Somaliland port and make use of Berbera for some of its imports and exports.
Ethiopia is Djibouti’s most important port user, with over 90% of its international trade being handled at Djibouti. Recently an electrified railway connecting Ethiopia with the port at Djibouti was completed and has gone into service. The Djibouti government felt threatened by the Berbera development and stated that DP World was failing to meet all its obligations at Doraleh on account of its involvement elsewhere.
DP World has rejected these claims and stories and says it is taking the matter to arbitration in London. The matter there has still to be heard.
Now, according to a report by the Financial Times, the Chairman of the Djibouti Ports & Free Trade Zones Authority (DPFZA) says that Djibouti has no interest in negotiating ownership of the Doraleh Terminal and that it would be willing to pay the Dubai-based company compensation in the amount of US$ 500 million.
“For us arbitration is over,” he is quoted as saying.
This is in the aftermath of DP World saying last week that it would take legal action against both Djibouti and China as a result of both those countries involvement in creating a Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ), of which Doraleh Terminal is an integral part.
He is quoted as saying that DP World must sit down with them, take their money and go.[/restrict]
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LOCAL STEEL, ALUMINIUM NO THREAT TO US SECURITY
South Africa has re-emphasised that its steel and aluminium products does not pose any threat to US national security.
“It is clear that SA does not pose a threat to US national security and the steel and aluminium industries but it is a source of strategic primary and secondary steel used in further value-added manufacturing in the US,” said Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies.
Speaking at bilateral meetings in Washington DC with US trade representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer and the Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, as well as Senators Chris Coons and Johnny Isakson, the Minister said South Africa’s exports of steel to the United States accounted for less than 1% of total US imports.
He further added that South African exports also…[restrict] account for 0.3% of total US steel demand.
Although this represents a small fraction of US imports, South African exports of steel to the US accounted for 5% of South African production equating to 7,500 jobs in the steel value chain.
In May, US President Donald Trump signed proclamations granting permanent country-exemptions to a select number of countries and extended by one month the Section 232 steel and aluminium tariff duty exemptions for some.
South Africa was not exempted in the application of steel and aluminium duties.
During the meetings Davies said that South Africa’s exports of aluminium were about 1.6% of total US aluminium imports.
South Africa supplies specialised aluminium sheet, coil and plate for automotive, battery, and aerospace industries in the United States.
Investigation into automobiles and components
Minister Davies also expressed his concern on the on-going Section 232 investigation on automobiles and auto components.
This as South Africa accounted for 0.4% of total US imports of automotive products.
Davies also said that if Section 232 duties were to be imposed on auto exports from South Africa, Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) benefits for South Africa will be significantly eroded taking into account that Section 232 tariffs effectively suspends AGOA preferences.
“The development integration agenda that the African continent pursues provides huge opportunities for cooperation between the US and the continent. The continent’s key objective is to change the structure of our economies and there is a potential for practical cooperation between South Africa and the US in promoting business-business commercial trade and investment relations,” he said.
Rob Davies, SA Minister of Trade & Industry
Davies together with Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu were in Washington DC, in the United States to participate in the 17th AGOA Forum.
The Forum brought together trade Ministers from AGOA-eligible countries, the US government, private sector and civil society to discuss the implementation of AGOA under the theme ‘Forging New Strategies for US -Africa Trade and Investment Forum’.
FTA negotiations
During the forum, African Ministers highlighted that African countries were not in a position to enter into Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the US, pending finalisation of the African Continent Free Trade Agreement AfCFTA) in line with the AU Heads of States and government summit decision in Mauritania.
The Ministers encouraged the US to engage with Africa as a bloc through the AU in the development of the architecture for the post-2025 trade and investment relationship rather than with individual countries.
This follows the announcement by Ambassador Lighthizer that the US plans to negotiate an FTA with an African country that would serve as a model to other countries in the continent.
Small business
Meanwhile, Minister Zulu co-chaired a session, with Deputy Associate Administrator of Small Business Agency Eugene Cornelius.
Minister Zulu said South Africa remains committed to the implementation of the AGOA partnership aimed at boosting trade and investment ties between Sub-Saharan Africa and the US, and deepening practical cooperation at enterprise to enterprise level.
This cooperation, she said, will provide opportunities for local Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) to participate in regional and global value-chains and build their capacities to compete globally.
Zulu said compared to large enterprises, SMMEs have a lower share of the global market, but are increasingly adapting to the growing technological revolution and benefiting from the growing online market.
Minister Zulu’s participation aims to promote cooperation towards promoting inclusive e-commerce that promotes the structural transformation of African countries and to tap into the 4th Industrial Revolution.
The recently concluded two-day AGOA Forum is an annual forum taking place on an alternating basis between sub-Saharan Africa and the United States. source”: SAnews.gov.za[/restrict]
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TRANSNET AMONG PRE-QUALIFIERS TO OPERATE CAMEROON’S KRIBI MULTIPURPOSE TERMINAL
The list of pre-qualifiers to manage and operate the Cameroonian deepwater Kribi Multipurpose Terminal has been announced and includes Transnet.
The call to would-be operators came after France’s logistics firm Necotrans, which was a partner in the KPMO group consisting also of a number of local operators, was ruled out when in January this year when Cameroon’s…[restrict] prime minister Philémon Yang stated that the group had failed to respect the conditions of the 2015 concession.
Necotrans was the leading member of the consortium which was left rudderless when Necotrans was declared to be bankrupt. Under the terms of the 20-year concession awarded to KPMO, Necotrans undertook to invest €26.2m million but came unstuck when in August last year a French court ordered the liquidation of the Paris-based operator as part of the company’s bankruptcy proceedings.
Among those that have pre-qualified are: Marsa Maroc (Morocco), Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company (Saudi Arabia), SEA Investment Afrique SA (Belgium), Transnet (South Africa), CAF Ship, Medlog SA (Belgium), Agence de Prestation Maritime (Cameroon).
The port is currently being managed on a two-year subcontract by Kribi Polyvalent Multiple Operators (KPMO) minus its Necotrans membership.[/restrict]
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A major milestone in the build of the UK’s most modern polar research ship was reached this past weekend (Saturday 14 July 2018), when the 129m loa, 10,000 tonne hull of the RRS Sir David Attenborough was launched into the River Mersey.
Once in the river, tugs towed hull number 1390 to Cammell Laird’s wet basin for the next stages of construction. The polar research ship is scheduled to come into operation in 2019.
Shipyard workers, engineers, scientists and maritime industry experts gathered with special guest speakers, including world-renowned broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, to celebrate this remarkable engineering achievement.
Commissioned by NERC, built by Cammell Laird and operated by the British Antarctic Survey, this is said to be the largest civilian ship built in the UK for 30 years.
Sir David Attenborough is part of a government polar infrastructure investment programme designed to keep Britain at the forefront of world-leading research in Antarctica and the Arctic. Launched in the summer of the Year of Engineering, this commitment represents the UK government’s largest investment in polar science since the 1980s.
Keynote speaker the Rt Hon Claire Perry MP, Minister of State for Energy & Clean Growth, said: “This incredibly exciting event marks the next stage in the construction of this remarkable new polar research ship. The RRS Sir David Attenborough will use sophisticated technology to monitor polar activity and will help strengthen our position at the forefront of climate and ocean research.
“The (UK) Government’s £200 million investment in polar research will allow us to gain a crucial insight into polar oceans to combat the devastating effects of climate change, and through our commitment to clean growth, we are putting vital science and innovation to mitigate global warming at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy.”
Special guest Sir David Attenborough added: “Britain began exploring the Antarctic over a century ago when it seemed to be an empty wilderness of little importance to the world as a whole. Now we recognise that what happens at the poles is of the greatest importance to everyone, everywhere.
“The UK and the British Antarctic Survey have been making discoveries in both regions that enable us to better understand these global processes and this wonderful new research ship will enable British scientists to continue their crucial work in both the Arctic and Antarctic for decades to come.”
Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director of British Antarctic Survey, commented: “This is a fantastic moment for all of us. At British Antarctic Survey our scientists, engineers, and support teams – especially those mariners and project managers who have been working closely with the amazing teams at Cammell Laird – are tremendously excited to reach this milestone. It is an incredible achievement, and one that everyone in the country can be proud of.”
Edited by Paul Ridgway
London
DHL PARTNERS WITH MARKETPLACEAFRICA ON DELIVERING AFRICAN-MADE PRODUCTS TO THE WORLD
Marketplace Africa delivers the best of Africa to its global customers
DHL, the world’s leading international express services provider, has announced its partnership with e-commerce giant, MallforAfrica’s new platform, Marketplace Africa, to help online retailers bring African-made products to the US and global market. The site offers items from the continent’s most talented designers and artisans from a variety of categories including fashion, body care, handbags, jewellery and home décor.
Until today, African craftspeople have been isolated from global customers due to distance, fear of not receiving overseas payments, and complex shipping requirements. Customers who wished to purchase products directly from African artisans faced obstacles regarding accessibility of items, authenticity and validation of the product, uncertainty of delivery, high delivery costs, and payment security.
Marketplace Africa was created to help artisans sell on a global stage and simplify the ability to buy directly from African craftspeople and small enterprises. Powered by MallforAfrica’s award-winning patented e-commerce platform and payment system, MarketplaceAfrica.com’s global consumers can now shop directly from African businesses of all sizes and have the products shipped to their home with confidence.
DHL will manage all logistics services as their e-commerce delivery solutions are designed with small businesses in mind and provide the speed of delivery that customers expect. With the world’s leading logistics company behind it, Marketplace Africa will provide craftspeople and customers order verification, fast delivery, and shipment labelling and packaging services. Suitable delivery costs also keep products affordable.
Hennie Heymans, CEO for DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa adds, “We are thrilled to be a part of this innovative e-commerce solution for African artisans. DHL is a facilitator of global trade and if we can improve connectivity and accessibility to global markets for local business, this will go a long way in helping small businesses grow. We’ve been in Africa since 1978, so have seen first-hand, the huge opportunities that cross-border trade offers to local businesses. This is truly an exciting time for African businesses.”
The Africa Made Product Standards (AMPS) is used to ensure that the highest quality products are being sold on the Marketplace Africa platform. It provides consumers with the assurance that products meet an international standard in quality. All products are crafted with the utmost care by an African artisan.
“Africans finally have the opportunity whether banked or unbanked to showcase their amazing talents and skills to the world and sell their products. DHL and MallforAfrica saw the need to promote African-made products to the world and I am beyond proud to be a part of making history alongside a company that has pioneered logistics efficiency in Africa, and across the globe,” said Chris Folayan, CEO of MallforAfrica.
“Marketplace Africa will open the door for African designers and craftspeople and enable customers in the US and the world the ability to purchase authentic African-made products directly from the source.”
Worldwide retail e-commerce sales reached over $2 trillion in 2017 and according to DHL’s report, The 21st Century Spice Trade: A Guide to the Cross-Border E-Commerce Opportunity, cross-border market is expected to grow by about 25% annually until 2020 – nearly twice the rate of domestic e-commerce.
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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.
The 2018-built oil and chemical products tanker SC VIRGO (IMO 9801093) made an arrival in Durban harbour earlier this month to take bunkers in port, before sailing again bound for Mumbai in India. The 40,870-dwt handysized tanker has a length of 183 metres and a width of 32m and is registered in Hong Kong. Her owners are the Chinese firm Jiatong International Ship of Shanghai while the ship manager is Hainan Sinochem Shipping Co, also of Shanghai, China’s largest liquid chemical products transporter. Hainan Sinochem Shipping also operates in a partnership with Stolt Transportation, the Oslo-based Norwegian company which is the world’s largest transporter of chemicals products and other special liquids. These pictures are by Keith Betts
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“If the entire world sought to make itself worthy of happiness rather than make itself happy, then the entire world would be happy.”
― Criss Jami
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