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TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS

These news reports are updated on an ongoing basis. Check back regularly for the latest news as it develops – where necessary refresh your page at www.africaports.co.za

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FIRST VIEW:   DUGONG ACE

• Six new RTGs for APM Terminals’ WACT Onne
• WHARF TALK: Odfjell’s MR2 products/chemical tanker, BOW SUMMER
• Former ‘Toti girl serving with US Naval Air Station Jacksonville
• River transport between Sudan and South Sudan resumes
• Takoradi looks at becoming an import-driven port as largest ship calls
• East Africa: IMO supports maritime security activities
• WHARF TALK: Back in service – MSC DIEGO
• Ethiopian Airlines teams up with Israel’s IAI for freighter conversions
• A P Moller-Maersk accelerates fleet decarbonisation: 8 large methanol-powered ocean-going vessels proposed
• Transnet and Minerals Council agree on finding rail and terminal solutions
• WHARF TALK: Special mission for a legend in her time – SA AGULHAS II
• Lebombo Border Crossing – Truck drivers stage protest
• British aid to Haiti: Royal Navy help in earthquake-hit Haiti
• Dar es Salaam port entrance to be deepened to -15.5 metres
• Extortion and call-up woes outside Tin Can Port
• New 42-metre RAstar tugboat for Kenya’s Port of Mombasa
• WHARF TALK: Large gearless bulker in Cape Town – ADS GALTESUND
• Update on progress with Transnet and plans for Durban and Cape Town ports
• Mozambique Cabo Delgado conflict: updates
• ABS White Paper: Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage
• WHARF TALK: Another tanker with refined fuel for Cape Town – UACC RAS TANURA
• World’s biggest container ship, 24,000-TEU Ever Ace, sails on her maiden voyage
• WHARF TALK: LR1 tanker OKYROE has a proud reputation
• Port Window: Durban Port Bulletin report
• WHARF TALK: Excellent working of gearless NORTHERN PRELUDE at private berth
• Introducing: The San Marino Ship Register
• WHARF TALK: story of a bunker tanker named SOUTHERN VALOUR
• DP World completes successful real-time trial of BOXBAY high storage system
• ABS White Paper: Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage
• Seall, A Marine Technology Company, Expands with Key Global Partner, Mackay Marine
• Preventable death of seafarer during crew change offshore

EARLIER NEWS CAN BE FOUND HERE AT NEWS CATEGORIES…….

The Monday masthead shows the Durban Container Terminal by night
The Tuesday masthead shows the Port of Durban MPT, City or Point Terminal
The Wednesday masthead shows the Port of Durban Island View Terminal
The Thursday masthead shows the Port of Durban Maydon Wharf
The Friday masthead shows the Port of Cape Town Elliott Basin
The Saturday masthead shows the Port of Cape Town dry dock area
The Sunday masthead shows the Port of Cape Town Tanker Basin

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FIRST VIEW:  DUGONG ACE

MOL Car carriers’ RoRo vessel DUGONG ACE (IMO 9777838) called at the port of Lyttelton on New Zealand’s South Island on Wednesday last week (18 August) to discharge motor vehicles. She sailed the following day at 15h30 but only after her arrival and berthing had been observed by ship fan and photographer Alan Calvert.

The vessel, one of MOL’s more recent types, was built in 2019, entering service in March of that year.  The 200-metre long, 32m wide ship has a deadweight of 16,500 tons and a gross tons of 62,500. The ship is powered by a MAN B&W 2-stroke diesel engine, model 7S60ME-C8 producing 19,253 HP or 14161 kW. Propulsion consists of a single fixed pitch propeller.

Dugong Ace’s registered owner is listed as Primavera Montana SA c/o the ISM, ship and commercial manager, Shunzan Kaiun KK of Imabari in Japan.

Pictures:  Alan Calvert

Added 22 August 2021

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Photographs of shipping and other maritime scenes involving any of the ports of South Africa or from the rest of the African continent, together with a short description, name of ship/s, ports etc are welome.

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Six new RTGs for APM Terminals’ WACT Onne

APM Terminals’ West Africa Container Terminal Nigeria (WACT), which is owned and operated by APM Terminals, has taken delivery of an additional six state-of-the-art Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes (RTGs) to enhance service delivery at its terminal at the Onne Port, Rivers State.

The new arrivals increase the terminal’s fleet of RTGs to 14.

WACT managing director, Naved Zafar, said the aim was to consolidate WACT as the best equipped port terminal in Nigeria’s eastern ports.

In addition to the 14 RTGs, WACT has four Mobile Harbour Cranes in addition to several other items for cargo handling. These include Reach Stackers, terminal trucks and an empty container handler.

Zafar said the new cranes will increase yard capacity, improve vessel operations at the terminal and fast track the delivery of cargo.

“For the terminal operator, a crane is like a baby. Naturally, we are very happy to welcome this baby to the APM Terminals/WACT family.

“We already have eight RTGs and it is good to see that these six additional RTGs have arrived in good time for proper testing and commissioning. We have been recruiting new operators, and have trained them very well, so they are very ready and excited to operate these cranes.”

The RTGs form part of an investment by APM Terminals of US$100 million to upgrade the terminal. Included in this upgrade, the terminal has installed 600-plug reefer racks along with expansion of the current yard, a new workshop and a new terminal gate complex.

“The eastern Nigeria market is projected to grow. Therefore, it is important that infrastructure keeps pace with the projected volume growth. This is why APM Terminals is investing over US$100 million in WACT for new equipment and yard expansion, so as to keep pace with market growth and better serve our customers in East Nigeria and beyond,” Zafar said.

Commercial Manager of WACT, Noah Sheriff, said the that one of the challenges currently is high yard density due to high import volume. “So these new arrivals will give us the opportunity to continue handling the strong volume growth we have seen throughout this year,” Sheriff said.

He added that volume growth at the terminal is as a result of WACT’s ability to provide premium services to its customers.

“If you can recall, we changed our quayside mode of operations last year from ship gear to Mobile Harbour Cranes and this year we are transforming our main yard from reach stacker to RTGs operations.”

“Our e-commerce capabilities coupled with the ongoing upgrade project, which are key milestones in our transformation journey, has undoubtedly set us apart, as we offer products second to none in the east Nigeria market,” Sheriff said.

WACT, which is owned and operated by APM Terminals, started commercial operation in 2006. It is the first Greenfield container terminal in Nigeria to be built under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The terminal is located within the Oil and Gas Free Zone in Onne Port, Rivers State.

Added 26 August 2021

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WHARF TALK: Odfjell’s MR2 products/chemical tanker, BOW SUMMER

The arrival of yet another MR2 products tanker, with multiple parcels for South African ports, is always of interest to the casual ship observer. The arrival of a true combined products/chemical tanker is of added interest. The variety of small chemical parcel tanks on deck is always the giveaway as to her type identity.

On 20th August at 23h00 the products/chemical tanker Bow Summer (IMO 9215270) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage and after an overnight stay, she entered Cape Town harbour at 08h00 the following morning, on the 21st August, and went alongside the tanker berth in the Duncan Dock. She had arrived from the Spanish oil port of Carteya Guadarranque, where she had loaded at the CEPSA refinery.

Built in 2005 at Stocznia Szczecinska Nowa shipyard at Szczecin in Poland, Bow Summer is one of eight sisterships. She is 183 metres in length and has a deadweight of 49,592 tons. She is powered by a single Cegielski Wärtsilä 6RTA58T 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine, producing 17,335 bhp (12,750 kW) to drive a controllable pitch propeller to give her a service speed of 14.6 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three MAN 6L28/32H generators providing 1,260 kW each, and a MAN D2866E emergency generator providing 218 kW. She has an exhaust gas powered Alfa Laval Aalborg AV-8N boiler, and an oil fired Alfa Laval Aalborg AQ-18 boiler.

As a combined MR2 products/chemical tanker Bow Summer has 40 tanks, of various capacities, with a total cargo carrying capacity of 52,244 m3. This compares to 12 to 14 tanks on a pure MR2 products tanker, with a similar carrying capacity.

Owned by Odfjell Asia of Singapore, Bow Summer is operated by Odfjell Tankers ASA of Bergen in Norway, and managed by Odfjell Management AS, also of Bergen. This is not her first visit to South Africa this year, as she was a visitor to both Durban and Richards Bay in July.

On completion of the discharge of her fuel parcels in Cape Town, Bow Summer sailed on 22nd August at 17h00, bound for Durban. She arrived off Durban on 25th August, and berthed at Island View 7 at 13h00 to begin her discharge of the remainder of her fuel parcels.

Added 26 August 2021

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Former ‘Toti girl serving with US Naval Air Station Jacksonville

Report by Alvin Plexico
Navy Office of Community Outreach

A former resident of Amanzimtoti in KwaZulu Natal is serving with the U.S. Navy’s cutting-edge maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft squadron in Jacksonville, Florida.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Zenka Yodice joined the Navy one year ago. Today, she serves as a personnel specialist.

“I wanted to make a difference and do something bigger than what my life at the time offered,” she said.

Yodice serves with Patrol Squadron Five, a high-tech maritime patrol and reconnaissance squadron tasked with monitoring the world’s oceans in the state-of-the-art P-8A Poseidon.

Growing up in Amanzimtoti, Yodice attended Kuswag High School and graduated in 2006. Today, she finds the values in Amanzimtoti similar to those needed to succeed in the military.

“I learned about resiliency and being able to adapt quickly knowing that life can be much more difficult than current circumstances,” said Yodice. “I also learned that kindness goes a long way.”

These lessons have helped Yodice while serving in the Navy supporting the P-8 Poseidon mission.

The P-8 Poseidon mission is to conduct maritime patrol and reconnaissance as well as long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and intelligence gathering missions. They deploy around the globe to monitor the world’s oceans wherever they are needed.

The P-8A Poseidon, the Navy’s newest maritime, patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, is a replacement aircraft for the legacy P-3C Orion. According to Navy officials, leveraging the experience and technology of the successful P-3C Orion with the needs of the fleet, the P-8A is designed to be combat-capable, and to improve an operator’s ability to efficiently conduct anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Serving in the Navy means Yodice is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“The Navy protects people by deploying around the world,” said Yodice.

With more than 90 per cent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasise that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

According to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, four priorities will focus efforts on sailors, readiness, capabilities, and capacity.

“For 245 years, in both calm and rough waters, our Navy has stood the watch to protect the homeland, preserve freedom of the seas, and defend our way of life,” said Gilday. “The decisions and investments we make this decade will set the maritime balance of power for the rest of this century. We can accept nothing less than success.”

There are many accomplishments that come with military service, and Yodice is most proud of being named the honour graduate at boot camp.

“Being the top of my class made me proud because it confirmed that I can overcome anything,” said Yodice.

As Yodice and other sailors continue to train, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.

“Being able to do something and be part of something that many people where I’m from dream about has been rewarding,” added Yodice. “Serving in the Navy means I’ve accomplished something I can always carry with me.”

Added 26 August 2021

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River transport between Sudan and South Sudan resumes

As bilateral relations warm between Sudan and South Sudan, river transport between the two African countries is set to resume.

This follows the announcement last Friday (20 August 2021) by the Sudanese River Navigation Authority at the Ministry of Transport that river transport would re-commence from September. The call came during the visit to South Sudan of Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok.

The Sudanese River Navigation Authority called on all river transport companies and owners of river vessels that operate in the south of Sudan, and all chambers of commerce and service institutions inside the river ports, to prepare for the resumption of transport.

To facilitate this the river crossing facilities in Kosti, a little to the north of the border with South Sudan, will re-open.

At the same time, flights between the two countries will also recommence.

Hamdok’s visit was aimed at fostering bilateral relations between the two Sudans and on revitalising the peace agreement for South Sudan, as Sudan is a guarantor of the peace agreement between the South Sudanese signatories.

source: Radio Dabanga

Added 26 August 2021

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Takoradi looks at becoming an import-driven port as largest ship calls

Video coverage on the opening of the Liquid Bulk Terminal at Takoradi. See below for animated depiction of the jetty. [3:42]

As the Ghanaian port of Takoradi this week handled its largest ship ever, the 300-metre long, 49-metre wide GOLDEN SPRAY, it’s been suggested that the port, traditionally an export-focused port, may migrate towards being import driven as well.

The 210,666-dwt bulk carrier Golden Spray, (IMO 9856945) arrived at the anchorage outside port this week from Singapore to load 203,500 tonnes of manganese ore for China.

Takoradi, on the west coast of Ghana on the outskirts of the industrial section of the city of Sekondi, is the country’s oldest port, having been commissioned in 1928 to handle Ghana’s international trade. The country’s other main port is Tema further to the east.

In 2019 Takoradi handled 75% of Ghana’s seaborne exports and 38% of the country’s total seatrade. Takoradi handled just 17% of Ghana’s imports, but that may soon change, according to Peter Amo-Bediako, the port’s human resource manager.

Amo-Bediako, who is also responsible for port’s Marketing and Public Affairs departments, suggested that Takoradi could be migrating towards handling more imports in the future. This, he said, could result from the expansion works being undertaken at the Port of Takoradi.

This was in reference to the ongoing construction of the Atlantic Terminal Services, a multi-purpose container terminal.

He said the port possessed the capacity to handle imports along with having the required modern equipment to handle increased volumes of general cargo.

According to Amo-Bediako, the multi-purpose terminal operated by Atlantic Terminal Services will be capable of handling the largest container ships of 20,000-TEU and more capacity.

Director and chairman of turnkey engineering solutions company IBISTEK and Atlantic Terminal Services Limited, Kwame Gyan, said the construction of the dry bulk jetty when completed will eliminate double handling of manganese, bauxite and clinker at the Port.

He was optimistic that the expansion works at the port will reduce the waiting time of vessels at the anchorage and highlighted the private public partnership arrangements between Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority (GPHA) and IBISTEK which resulted in an offdock terminal called TACOTEL, the liquid bulk terminal, and the ongoing construction of the Atlantic Terminal Services.

Major commodities currently handled through the Port of Takoradi are manganese, bauxite, clinker, wheat, bulk and bagged cocoa, quicklime, containerised cargo, equipment for the mining and oil/gas industry.

Animated video depiction of the recently installed Takoradi Oil Jetty complex [3:48]

Added 26 August 2021

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East Africa: IMO supports maritime security activities

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has assisted in the strengthening of maritime security governance in East Africa by participating in two regional events during August: the Strategic Maritime Security and Blue Economy course (held 9-13 August) held in Kenya, and also the annual Cutlass Express event (26 July-6 August), a United States Naval Forces Africa led, maritime security exercise conducted in the Western Indian Ocean.

For the Strategic Maritime Security and Blue Economy course, Kiruja Micheni, IMO project manager for the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) facilitated a module on maritime security governance. This focused on the establishment of a National Maritime Security Committee, development of a National Maritime Risk Register and formulation of a National Maritime Security Strategy.

Government of Japan sponsorship

This course was organised by the Peace and Conflict Studies School (PCSS) of the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC) and sponsored by the Government of Japan through the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)4. It is designed to tackle the complex convergence of existing maritime security policies, implementation hurdles and the significance of an integrated approach to maritime security for the sustainable development of the regional maritime sector.

Those attending included senior officials from various stakeholder ministries/departments in Kenya, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

IMO also participated in the Cutlass Express maritime security exercise, which was held in Kenya, Djibouti and Seychelles this year. In addition to acting as one of the facilitators and assisting with planning, Micheni delivered a presentation on the DCoC and its Jeddah Amendment (JA) and its role in enhancing maritime security in the region.

Improving regional cooperation

The Cutlass Express exercise aims to improve regional cooperation in support of the DCoC JA, increase information sharing, promote Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), push for maritime interdiction and adherence to the rule of law, as well as counter-proliferation interdiction capabilities in strengthening safety and security in East Africa.

This year’s event was attended by representatives from Canada, Comoros, Djibouti, France, Georgia, India, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, United Kingdom, the United States, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and IMO.

 

 

 

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London
based on material kindly provided by the IMO media service

Added 25 August 2021

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WHARF TALK: Back in service – MSC DIEGO

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

The last 18 months has played havoc with the shipping world, with not every sector being able to weather the international pandemic storm. Many vessels, who still had years ahead of them in trade were, instead, sent to an early, and ignominious, end at the breakers yard. Some were placed into lay-up to await better times. Whilst not always the case, one of the tell-tale pointers of a ship lying in still waters over a period of time is visible marine growth, of the weed variety.

Lloyds reported that cargoes, carried on container ships, had fallen by up to 10% in 2020, the largest decline in this sector’s 64-year history. The sheer volume of lay-up of container ships had not been seen since the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009.

Covid-19 fallout resulted in up to 15% of the global fleet of container ships being removed from trading, as shipments of dry bulk commodities and consumer goods contracted. The outcome was turbulence, with hundreds of scheduled services being cancelled throughout the year, as container ships were placed into warm lay-up by their owners.

On 19th August at 12h00 the container ship MSC DIEGO (IMO 9202649) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage, and like most container ships before her calling at Cape Town, had to endure a two day wait at anchor for her berth to become available.

At 20h00 on 21st August she finally entered Cape Town harbour and went alongside 602 berth at the Container Terminal in the Ben Schoeman Dock. Her hull, at the waterline, was markedly contaminated by marine weed growth, which extended a fair way along her hull. A sign of recent lay-up, perhaps?

Built in 1999 by Hanjin Heavy Industries at Busan in South Korea, MSC Diego is 260 metres in length and has a deadweight of 56,889 tons. She is powered by a single Hanjung-Sulzer 8RTA84C 8 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 43,476 bhp (32,420 kW), driving a fixed pitch propeller to give a service speed of 23 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes four MAN-B&W 7L33/30H generators providing 1,060 kW each, and a Cummins 6CTA8.3G emergency generator providing 150 kW. She has two KangRim boilers, one oil fired, and one composite exhaust gas powered. Her container carrying capacity is 4,076 TEU, with 150 reefer plugs fitted.

Owned and operated by MSC Geneva, MSC Diego is managed by MSC Naples. She is one of four sisterships built for MSC, and in 2005 her sistership MSC Gina arrived in Durban and, at the time, was the largest container ship to have ever arrived at a South African port. How times have changed!

She is operating on the new MSC India Africa Service (IAS), which was only inaugurated in January this year, and whose port rotation links India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Ghana, Togo, Benin, South Africa, UAE, Pakistan and back to India. She sailed from Cape Town on 23rd August at 17h00 for Ngqura, with a very small amount of containers carried on deck. However, at Ngqura, where she is to discharge 120 containers, she will then load 800 export containers, before sailing on to Durban for her next stop on the service.

On 26th July 2016, whilst berthed in Montreal, in Canada, MSC Diego was rammed at high speed by a 20 foot speedboat. The impact destroyed the speedboat, which sank almost immediately. The single occupant of the boat was drowned, and his body was not recovered until several days later. The Canadian Coast Guard did not rule out suicide, although they thought that the speedboat had collided with a river buoy at high speed, before running head on into the hull of MSC Diego. The wreck was lifted from the St. Lawrence River on 4th August.

On August 14th 2019, MSC Diego was fined C$12,000 by the Canadian Government for breaking a mandatory speed limit of 10 knots in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The speed limit was imposed in April 2019, by the Government, to protect Right Whales which congregate in the gulf between April and August. This was after six of the whales had been killed due to collisions with unknown vessels. The Canadian government stated “Vessels must transit in a way that does not harm the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale population.” The fine issued to MSC Diego was the highest that could be imposed at the time.

Added 25 August 2021

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Ethiopian Airlines teams up with Israel’s IAI for freighter conversions

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s most successful airline, has teamed up with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to introduce a conversion site for Boeing B767-300 passenger to freighter aircraft.

The new passenger-to-freighter conversion centre, which will operate from the company’s maintenance centre in Addis Ababa, will provide solutions for the rising demand for cargo aircraft of these models. The conversion line in Ethiopia will join existing conversion sites IAI operates at its campus in Ben Gurion International Airport and in Mexico.

Ethiopian Airlines’ MRO Centre is well-known and highly experienced and is approved by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The new site will be the largest and most advanced in Africa. The conversion site will provide solutions in the field of converting passenger aircraft to cargo configuration, aircraft maintenance and overhaul, staff training and guidance, as well as assistance in acquiring certification and licenses.

“We are witnessing a sharp rise in the demand for cargo aircraft as a result of the rise in e-commerce, which has peaked to record levels during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said IAI’s Executive VP and General Manager of Aviation Group, Yossi Melamed.

“IAI has an excellent reputation as a conversion centre of passenger-to-freighters aircraft, and we are constantly receiving requests to open such conversion centres in more and more locations around the world. I am excited by the opening of the current centre in Ethiopia, and thank my colleagues in Ethiopian Airlines for the trust they have put in IAI’s Aviation Group, as the world’s leader in conversions.”

Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, said that Ethiopian has been increasing its cargo capacity in fleet, ground service infrastructure and cargo connectivity network.

“We are partnering with IAI, one of the global technology leaders in the aerospace industry, in building a cargo conversion center in our MRO facilities in Addis Ababa Airport. The cargo conversion centre will commence its first business with three Ethiopian Airlines owned B-767-300 aircraft.”

He said the cargo conversion centre in ADD HUB airport will expand its services to all airlines in Africa and the wider region. Already the largest and leading cargo network in Africa, he capacity building will also help Ethiopian expand their MRO services with cutting edge technology and knowledge transfer.

Added 25 August 2021

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A P Moller-Maersk accelerates fleet decarbonisation: Eight large methanol-powered ocean-going vessels proposed

In the first quarter of 2024, AP Moller-Maersk will introduce the first in a ground- breaking series of eight large ocean-going container vessels capable of being operated on carbon neutral methanol fuel.

It is understood that the vessels will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and have a nominal capacity of approx. 16,000 TEU each. The agreement with HHI includes an option for four additional vessels in 2025. This series of new builds will replace older vessels, generating annual CO2 emissions savings of around one million tonnes. As an industry first, the vessels will offer Maersk customers truly carbon neutral transport at scale on the high seas. This was reported from Maersk in Copenhagen on 24 August.

Maersk’s customers’ commitment to zero carbon solutions

More than half of Maersk’s 200 largest customers have set – or are in the process of setting – ambitious science-based or zero carbon targets for their supply chains. As part of Maersk’s ongoing collaboration with customers, corporate sustainability leaders including Amazon, Disney, H&M Group, HP Inc., Levi Strauss & Co., Microsoft, Novo Nordisk, The Procter and Gamble Company, PUMA, Schneider Electric, Signify, Syngenta and Unilever have committed to actively use and scale zero carbon solutions for their ocean transport, with many more expected to follow.

Dual fuel

The vessels come with a dual fuel engine setup. Additional capital expenditure (CAPEX) for the dual fuel capability, which enables operation on methanol as well as conventional low sulphur fuel, will be in the range of 10-15% of the total price, enabling Maersk to take a significant leap forward in its commitment to scale carbon neutral solutions and lead the decarbonisation of container logistics.

In the words of Soren Skou, CEO, A.P. Moller – Maersk: ‘The time to act is now, if we are to solve shipping’s climate challenge. This order proves that carbon neutral solutions are available today across container vessel segments and that Maersk stands committed to the growing number of our customers who look to decarbonise their supply chains. Further, this is a firm signal to fuel producers that sizable market demand for the green fuels of the future is emerging at speed.’

Sourcing the fuel

Maersk will operate the vessels on carbon neutral e-methanol or sustainable bio-methanol as soon as possible, it is understood. Sourcing an adequate amount of carbon neutral methanol from the first day in service will be challenging, as it requires a significant production increase of proper carbon neutral methanol, for which Maersk continues to engage in partnerships and collaborations with relevant players.

These vessels will be designed to have a flexible operational profile, enabling them to perform efficiently across many trades, and add flexibility regarding customer needs. They will feature a methanol-propulsion configuration developed in collaboration with such manufacturers as MAN ES, Hyundai (Himsen) and Alfa Laval which represents a significant scale-up of the technology.

ABS class and Danish-flagged

The new vessels will be classed by the American Bureau of Shipping and sail under the Danish flag.

Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO, Fleet & Strategic Brands, AP Moller-Maersk added: ‘We are very excited about this addition to our fleet, which will offer our customers unique access to carbon neutral transport on the high seas while balancing their needs for competitive slot costs and flexible operations. To us, this is the ideal large vessel type to enable sustainable, global trade on the high seas in the coming decades and from our dialogue with potential suppliers, we are confident we will manage to source the carbon neutral methanol needed,’

Replacing Maersk tonnage reaching end-of-life

The new vessels come as part of Maersk’s ongoing fleet renewal programme and will replace tonnage of more than 150,000 TEU which is reaching end-of-life and leaving the Maersk managed fleet between 2020 and Q1 2024.

CAPEX for the announced vessels is included in current guidance for 2021-2022 of US$7 billion. Maersk further emphasise its strategy of maintaining a fleet capacity in the 4.0 to 4.3 million TEU range, as a combination of Maersk managed and time-chartered vessels.

As for customers’ comments Unilever’s Michelle Grose, Head of Logistics and Fulfilment reflected: ‘Unilever is committed to accelerating the transition to clean transport solutions, not just in our own operations but along global value chains as we work to achieve net zero emissions by 2039. With logistics and distribution accounting for around 15% of our greenhouse gas emissions footprint, it’s important that we work with partners shifting to lower carbon fuels. We are proud to partner with Maersk as they pioneer carbon neutral transportation on the high seas.’

 

 

 

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London

Added 25 August 2021

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Transnet and Minerals Council agree on finding rail and terminal solutions

Transnet met with the Minerals Council SA on Monday 23 August for a full-day workshop aimed at seeking out operational improvements on the rail and terminal networks.

Taking part were Transnet Group CEO, Portia Derby, the Transnet EXCO, the president of the Minerals Council, Nolitha Fakude, council vice president Themba Mkhwanazi, chief executive officer Roger Baxter, and several CEOs from the iron ore, chrome, coal and manganese sectors.

Joining them was Minister of Public Enterprises, Mr Pravin Gordhan.

The Minerals Council represents all of Transnet’s largest customers in the mining sector and most of the smaller mining companies.

According to Transnet there is a special focus on ensuring that they are able to stabilise operations and enable the mining sector to take advantage of the current commodity upswing. This would have the benefit of greater revenue generation for both Transnet and its mining customers, and their respective contribution to the growth and competitiveness of the South African economy.

Transnet has been under fire for loco unavailability, coal line shutdown disruptions, derailments and other operational issues, said to be largely a result of copper cable theft and vandalism. Due to current capacity restraints, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) recently cut coal export traffic by 9 million tonnes.

In 2020 a total of 70.2 million tonnes of coal was exported through Richards Bay.

At Monday’s meeting, Transnet and the Minerals Council agreed to collaborate on a number of key areas, in order to ensure operational improvements across the freight system, to get back to target performance levels in the short term and then to position for growth in the future.

These include:

1. The establishment of smaller working teams focused on the different commodity groups by corridor, to address corridor-specific issues.
2. Better engagement on annual maintenance shutdowns, to ensure improved planning, and to leverage support from the mining sector where Transnet experiences constraints.
3. Collectively working to ensure faster recovery from derailments.
4. Jointly addressing the issue of syndicated organised crime, including copper theft and illegal mining, and seeking support and intervention from Government.
5. The need to collaborate more closely on security issues, for the implementation of technologies to reduce theft and vandalism of infrastructure.

“We are firmly of the view that the mining sector and Transnet are joined at the hip,” Minerals Council president, Ms Fakude said. “It is crucial for us to collaborate and realise real synergies that grow export volumes, promote greater investment and growth in mining, and which grows Transnet’s revenue streams and sustainability.”

She said the workshop had been a meaningful step in firmly establishing cooperation and taking South Africa forward.

Manganese Exports

In a recent interview with MiningMx, chief executive Officer of South32, Graham Kerr, described the expansion of South Africa’s manganese operations as being challenged by TFR’s rail issues. Any expansion in the Northern Cape was dependent on overcoming Transnet’s capacity logjams, he said.

Quoted in the publication’s Mining Yearbook, Kerr said the expansion of its South African manganese business could still be viable, as rivals failed to finance deeper reserves. South32 has a 60% stake in its South African manganese operations, with Anglo American holding the other 40%.

Kerr said that South32 would be interested in a take or pay obligation that would assist with investment Transnet needed to make at its Saldanha Bay port. “I don’t think it’s all one side. We’ve got to think about we allow Transnet to align the network better.

“I still think that they will manage to squeeze another three or four million tons (a year) out of their network,” he said.

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WHARF TALK: Special mission for a legend in her time – SA AGULHAS II

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

That South Africa is the only African nation to have been involved in Antarctica as one of the initial signatories of the Antarctic Treaty of 1957, or is the only African nation to operate its own polar class icebreaker and research vessel, is well known. Equally well known is that this vessel supplies, and services, the three research and meteorological bases at SANAE, Marion Island and Gough Island.

What is lesser known is that the latest voyage of the vessel was not for base resupply reasons, but to support an international conservation programme, and one that is crucial to the survival of some of the rarest seabirds on the planet.

On 18th August at 17h00 the S.A. AGULHAS II (IMO 9577135) arrived at Cape Town, and berthed at C berth in the Duncan Dock. She had arrived from Gough Island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, and after fulfilling the requirements of Customs and Immigration, she shifted back to her normal permanent berth on the East Pier in the Victoria Basin.

Built in 2012 by STX Finland at Rauma in Finland, S.A. Agulhas II is 134 metres in length and has a deadweight of 4,780 tons. She is a diesel-electric vessel and powered by four Wärtsilä 6L32 6 cylinder engines, each producing 4,023 bhp (3,000 kW) to drive two Converteam propulsion motors of 4,500 kW each, connected to two KaMeWa controllable pitch propellers, giving her a service speed of 14 knots.

A Polar Class 5 vessel, capable of operating at 5 knots in one metre thick ice, S.A. Agulhas II is owned by the South African Government, operated by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and managed by AMSOL of Cape Town.

The normal base resupply voyage to Gough Island takes place in the spring over September, October and November, so a voyage to Gough Island outside of that schedule is unusual enough. One of only a fortnight duration is extremely unusual. The reason was one of urgency.

She departed Cape Town, for Gough Island, on 5th August at 16h00. Her voyage was to collect the helicopters, equipment and personnel of the Gough Island Restoration Programme, which is a major conservation programme, majority funded by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the UK Government. It is a major conservation programme that few people are aware of.

Gough Island is situated at 40 degrees South, 9 degrees West, some 220 miles SSE of Tristan da Cunha, and some 1,550 miles WSW of Cape Town. South Africa has maintained a weather and biological research station on the island since 1956. The island is described by ornithologists as one of the most important seabird nesting sites in the world, as it is home to over 8 million seabirds, covering over 24 species, including three endangered species, one of which is critically endangered.

The problem for the seabird population is that over 2 million seabirds each year are lost due to predation by cannibalistic mice. The mice were brought to the island by either sailors, or sealers, centuries ago. The predation by mice is so severe that some species are heading for extinction, as their mortality rate is so high. An example being the McGillivray’s Prion, which nests on the island, where last year its fledgling success rate was 0%, as all healthy chicks were killed by mice.

The RSPB and the Tristan Government decided that they had to act together to try and save the critically endangered seabird populations on the island. This meant eradicating the mice population by baiting the island using helicopters. The terrain of the island is so severe, that only helicopters would be able to complete the mission. The Gough Island Restoration Programme would conduct the mission.

The programme got underway in early 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak meant that the baiting programme had to be postponed. The waiting team on Gough Island had to be repatriated under the most severe of lockdown conditions. This was achieved by the expedition yacht ‘Evohe’ (Steve Kafka), who sailed from Cape Town and picked up the team from Gough Island in late March 2020.

They sailed to Ascension Island, where the length of the voyage was sufficiently long to have been completed in the required quarantine period. From there they were flown by an RAF transport plane back to the UK. This enforced one year delay was devastating for the bird population of Gough Island.

Thankfully, the problem on Gough Island was not unique. A team of experienced pilots and baiters were available, who had already completed successful similar missions on the three sub-Antarctic islands of South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean, Macquarie Island in the South Indian Ocean and Campbell Island in the South Pacific Ocean.

Four Eurocopter AS350-B3 Squirrel helicopters were provided by South African aviation company Aeronautic Solutions, based in Midrand, and these were delivered to Gough Island by S.A. Agulhas II on another special voyage connected solely with the programme, in June 2021, along with the helicopter crews, ground support team, over 300 tons of equipment and all the bait required for the eradication programme.

The normal island complement of ten weather station personnel, had grown to 47 in support of the baiting programme. The majority of the scientific and logistical personnel for the programme had already been taken from Cape Town, to Gough Island, in three voyages between February and March 2021, using two expedition yachts. These were ‘Pelagic Australis’ (Skip Novak) and ‘Urchin’ (Stuart Kirk).

Over the next three months the helicopters, ZS-RBI, ZS-RNL, ZS-RWB and ZS-SEF completed two complete baiting runs across the length and breadth of the island. A small team of monitors were left behind on Gough Island to monitor the bird breeding programme, ensure that the island’s unique land birds were unaffected by the baiting programme, and to begin the scientific data collection needed to check on the success of the programme.

The funding cost of the programme is £10.5 million (ZAR218.1 million), and one can only hope that it is a success. Time will tell. The next programme for the eradication of alien mice, that are causing the same problem with important seabird populations, is due to take place on Marion Island, South Africa’s only overseas territory, in the South Indian Ocean in the coming few years. Funding, as always, is the problem for any South African wildlife programme, and the Marion Island mouse eradication programme is no different.

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Lebombo Border Crossing – Truck drivers stage protest

Long distance truck drivers have staged a protest at the important Lebombo Border Crossing between South Africa and Maputo in Mozambique, over claims that border officials are providing preferential treatment to certain truck drivers.

Those not in the select group are forced to spend several days at the crossing before being cleared to cross over, they maintain.

As a result trucks travelling between South Africa and Mozambique were prevented from doing so on Monday evening. The protesters said they will continue with their blockade of the border crossing until their complaints have been addressed.

“We are complaining because of SARS [SA Revenue Services], they are not taking us seriously as truck drivers,” they told the SABC. “The procedure is always fast for the tankers but slow for the side tipper trucks. But when we coming from Maputo there is no delay, [then] they take all the trucks serious.”

Another driver suggested that bribery was part of the reason, with those drivers who pay up being allowed through while others not prepared to pay a bribe are told to park their truck and wait.

This, he said, could mean a three day delay before being allowed to proceed. He said that where they are made to park there are no showers or toilets.

The SABC interviewed SARS’ Customs Senior Manager at the Lebombo crossing, Memory Ndou who told the broadcaster she thought the truck drivers were being misled.

Lebombo Border Post Manager, Obed Maditsi said there has been an increased number of truckers using the Lebombo crossing to Maputo.

A lot of work had gone into minimising the delays, he said. This included working with other departments to facilitate the movement of the trucks, but people should bear in mind that they are working in a pandemic, which means some processes are a little slow at the border port.

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British aid to Haiti: Royal Navy help in earthquake-hit Haiti

Royal Navy aircraft have helped survey some of the devastation in Haiti as they fly dawn-to-dusk flights over the earthquake-hit Caribbean country.

A helicopter from support ship RFA Wave Knight has been in the air since 20 August, flying over parts of the Tiburon Peninsula – epicentre of the quake which struck on 14 August– to locate villages, towns, and infrastructure urgently in need of help.

Information the aviators are gathering is helping direct the international aid effort, which Wave Knight has been supporting since 18 August.

The support ship – which is flagship of the Royal Navy’s Caribbean task group, also including patrol vessel HMS Medway – has been providing fuel for US Army Black Hawk helicopters heavily engaged in the relief effort ashore in Haiti.

Saving the helicopters from 228 Regiment the long flight back to their bases for refuelling, providing rest for crews and any mechanical repairs, the ship’s company have helped to turbo charge the American effort.

By committing her Wildcat helicopter – normally based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset – the ship is helping to concentrate that effort.

Joining the helicopter’s flight crew on the missions over Haiti are Captain Jake Lott, a Royal Engineer who’s in charge of the specialist disaster relief team of soldiers, engineers and Royal Marines embarked in RFA Wave Knight, and task group photographer Leading Seaman Rory Arnold whose imagery is pored over by those directing the relief mission.

“Engineer reconnaissance and conducting damage assessment is a core part of the Crisis Response Troop’s skillset. It’s great to see it being put to such good use,” said Captain Lott.

Leading Photographer Arnold added: “Knowing that my work is being used to assess the areas damaged by last week’s earthquake is humbling. It’s great to see my training being used to help those affected.”

The Wildcat – callsign Knightrider – is embarked in Wave Knight for precisely such missions, but can also be used for moving supplies, aid and personnel if required.

Flight Commander, Lieutenant Commander Eifion Parri, 213 Flight Commander commented: “The Wildcat is a brilliant intelligence-gathering aircraft – and it’s been great to use it to full effect. Embarking a photographer and Commando Engineer to gather imagery and conduct the damage assessment has shortened the time taken after the flight to feed analysis back to 228 Regiment and Joint Task Force Bravo.

“It is great to know that our work as a team is being used to prioritise the aid efforts ashore.”

 

 

 

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London

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Dar es Salaam port entrance to be deepened to -15.5 metres

Dredging of the port entrance channel at Tanzania’s Port of Dar es Salaam is making good progress along with other construction work at the port.

This work includes construction of the unusually numbered Berth 0 which is now complete while dredging of other areas within the port has also been concluded.

The depth of the entrance channel which is now receiving attention is being increased by 4 metres to a 15.5 metre depth to enable ships of up to 400 metres in length to access the port.

Director General of the Port of Dar es Salaam, Elihuruma Lema, said last week that all construction work at the port should be completed by 25 November this year.

In order for this to be accomplished, permission has been given for work to continue at night instead of just during daylight hours, as the project has fallen behind schedule. Instead of being at stage 64% it was currently at 51% complete, Lema said.

Other work that is continuing is the port access entry roads. The road construction work will help calm traffic, project engineer Musa Msafiri said.

The Port of Dar es Salaam is expected to see a 43% increase in traffic handled once all current expansion work is completed.

This increase in capacity for the port comes ahead of the completion of Tanzania’s new standard gauge central railway that will encourage and enable cargo from Tanzania’s inland regions, as well as some of the neighbouring states including Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, the Eastern DRC, Zambia and Malawi.

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Extortion and call-up woes outside Tin Can Port

Gridlocks along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, resulting in delays at Nigeria’s Tin Can Port in Lagos, are continuing to disrupt port-related logistics, despite the recent introduction of an electronic call-up system intended to control the movement and volume of truck traffic on the roads outside the port.

Among the reasons for the reported failure of the overall e-call-up system are claims of a high level of extortion by members of the Nigeria Police Force, union members and young street hoodlums who extort payment from each truck.

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) together with the Lagos State Government recently issued a directive that all trucks accessing the Tin Can Port must do so via a booking on an electronic call-up system, after which drivers would be issued with a ticket to be presented at the port gates.

“Truckers must generate their access codes via ‘eto’ prior to approaching the port. This directive is to ensure seamless movement of trucks in and around Tincan axis and to ensure compliance with the e-call up drive.

“Please note that any truck without a valid eto ticket will not be granted access into the Port. Also, access codes will not be generated for any truck regardless of ownership or terminal destination. Kindly, note that only Petroleum tankers are exempted from this arrangement.”

An official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Committee said they were trying in particular to reduce the excessive number of truckers calling at the port between the hours of 15h00 and 18h00 each day.

However, it appears drivers are being allowed to continue between Mile2 and the Under Bridge section near the port gates on payment of an illegal toll. This is resulting in a section of the road becoming an illegal parking lot until they are called by ETO into the port terminals or the various tank farms in the area.

It is also reported that at least four extortion points exist along this section with truckers having to pay between N5,000 (US$12) and N10,000 at each point.

Furthermore, at Otto Wharf bus stop where a terminal owned by PTML (Port and Terminal Multiservices Ltd) operates, there are multiple collection points accosting vehicles exiting the terminal, while vehicles that want to make a U-turn towards Mile2 are faced by hoodlums who collect N1,000 from every vehicle before they are allowed to make the turn.

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New 42-metre RAstar tugboat for Kenya’s Port of Mombasa

The port of Mombasa will shortly receive a new tugboat to go into service at Kenya’s main port.

The RAstar 4200 ((MED-A42120) high-performance ASD tug was built by Turkey’s leading shipbuilder and operator, Med Marine, to a unique design by Robert Allan.

The tug, which has now been launched into the water, has still to be completed at Med Marine’s Ereğli Shipyard.

The state-of-the-art vessel (hull number EREGLI94) will be a vital addition to East Africa’s largest port and is part of the Kenya Ports Authority’s modernisation and maintenance programme that aims to enhance efficiency and safety at sea.

“The launching of our ER94 vessel, which is the longest, widest and deepest tug boat project ever built in our shipyard by now, has made us really proud,” said Kemal Bektaş, Shipyard Manager from Med Marine’s Ereğli Shipyard.

“We will continue our efforts to complete the sea trials as soon as possible to deliver the state of the art vessel. We also thank all our employees and solution partners for their dedication and hard work on this project,” he said.

The RAstar 4200 will join the KPA fleet of tugboats and will be available for salvage and harbour operations.

Equipped with excellent manoeuvrability and packing a hefty 120 tonnes of bollard pull, the vessel will deliver enhanced ship-handling and coastal towing performances. The tug is likely to become the most powerful harbour tug on the Sub-Saharan coast.

The vessel is being constructed and equipped according to SOLAS requirements.

Technical details:

LENGTH LOA: 42 metres
BEAM, moulded: 16 metres
DEPTH, least moulded: 6.4 metres
DRAUGHT, maximum: 7.2 metres
BOLLARD PULL: 120 tonnes
FUEL OIL: 500 m3
FRESH WATER: 60 m3
COMPLEMENT: 18 crew

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WHARF TALK: Large gearless bulker in Cape Town – ADS GALTESUND

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

The size of the port, the maximum depths available within the dock system, and the almost complete lack of shore based bulk handling equipment, means that Cape Town does not see gearless bulk carriers, unlike Richards Bay, Durban or Saldanha Bay. The only reason for the call of a gearless bulk carrier in Cape Town would be for running maintenance, or for a bunkers uplift.

On 19th August at 15h00 the Panamax, gearless, bulk carrier ADS GALTESUND (IMO 9336581) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage from Karaikal in India. After a short stay of 7 hours she proceeded into Cape Town harbour at 22h00 and berthed at the Eastern Mole in the Duncan Dock.

Her arrival at Cape Town, in a lightship condition, as a gearless bulk carrier, and with her berthing at the Eastern Mole all indicated that she was in for bunkers only, and the arrival of the bunker tanker Al Safa alongside her confirmed that indication. After completion of bunkers, and taking on fresh stores, ADS Galtesund sailed on 20th August at 14h00, bound for Paranagua in Brazil.

Built in 2007 by Universal Shipbuilding at Maizuru in Japan, ADS Galtesund is 225 metres in length and has a deadweight of 75,395 tons. She is powered by a single Hitachi MAN-B&W 6S60MC-C 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 12,590 bhp (9,260 kW), to drive a single fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 14 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three generators providing 400 kW each, and she has an Osaka oil fired vertical boiler. With seven holds, she has a grain carrying capacity of 89,431 m3. Owned and operated by Arendal Dampskibsselskab AS of Arendal in Norway, she is managed by OSM Ship Management AS, also of Arendal.

Her previous port of Karaikal is one of the newest ports in India, having been built only in 2009, and located in the far south of eastern India in the Pondicherry territory. The port is a major coal importer and has two ship unloaders, capable of unloading bulk cargoes at a rate of 40,000 tons per day.

The next port for ADS Galtesund, located in the south of Brazil is Paranagua, is the largest bulk port in Latin America, and is Brazil’s second largest port after Santos. It specialises mainly in the export of agriproducts, with soybeans making up the majority of those exports. It is also Brazil’s third busiest container port after Santos and Itajai.

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Update on progress with Transnet and plans for Durban and Cape Town ports

An update on the situation and progress being made at Transnet with particular emphasis on the ports at Durban and Cape Town, and on rail.

Minister Pravin Gordhan reports via YouTube [54:49]. This was streamed live last week on Monday 16 August 2021.  Click the ‘Watch on > YouTube’ tab

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Mozambique Cabo Delgado conflict: updates

Report by Joseph Hanlon
Mozambique News Reports and Clippings

In an update on the conflict situation in Cabo Delgado province of northern Mozambique, where it was reported in our last week’s edition of News that the harbour town of Mocimboa da Praia had been retaken from the Islamist insurgents by military forces from Rwanda, Joselh Hanlon posts the following updates:

Rwandan troops captured Mbau, a major insurgent base in dense forest, on Friday (20 August 2021), according to the Rwandan New Times (21 August). Mbau base is 5 km from Mbau town and 50 km from Mocimboa da Praia. Troops will now move further into the dense forest to attack the other two important bases, Siri 1 and 2. (Siri means “secret”) – New Times, Rwanda

The joint Rwandan-Mozambican force encountered 80 to 100 insurgents near the Mbau base “and battled them fiercely. The insurgents lost 11 fighters and lots of arms and ammunition before taking flight once again,” New Times reports. As they fled, the insurgents cut huge trees and used them to block the main roads so as to delay the joint forces’ advance.

New Times (18 August) also reports that Rwanda expects to continue to be involved in Cabo Delgado over the long term.

In other news:

Ex-Finance Minister Manuel Change will be sent back to Maputo, and not to the US, reports the Daily Maverick (21 August). Chang is charged in both the US and in Mozambique (not as part of the current case).

Chang was arrested on a US extradition warrant in December 2018 in transit through Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport and has been held him in jail since then. In order to stop him being sent to the US where they were afraid he would incriminate senior Frelimo figures, Mozambique also issued an extradition request.

Chang has remained in jail in Johannesburg while the ANC leadership dithered, trying to decide if it wants to protect the reputation of Filipe Nyusi and other Frelimo leaders. Having just sent troops to Mozambique to support the government, it appears the ANC leadership also decided to return Chang.

In another report….

US$2 billion secret debt trial started Monday (23 August) in Maputo

One of Mozambique’s biggest trials began Monday (23 August), of 19 people accused of involvement in the US$2.2 bn secret debt scandal. They include Ndambi Guebuza, the oldest son of former president Armando Guebuza; Gregorio Leao, the head of the Security and Intelligence Service (SISE) under Guebuza; Antonio do Rosario, the SISE officer who became chairperson of all three fraudulent companies; Guebuza’s political adviser, Renato Matusse; and Guebuza’s private secretary, Ines Moiane.

[The arrest of the accused on these charges, and the facts leading up to this case, has been reported previously in PORTS & SHIPS and Africa PORTS & SHIPS going back a number of years.  The case involves among other matters the acquisition from France of a number of fishing trawlers and interceptor boats by the Mozambicans from a French Shipyard.]

The trial will run at least until 6 October and will be broadcast live on Mozambican television. The trial is being held in a huge tent on the grounds of the Maputo top security prison.

The corrupt 2013 loans came from Credit Suisse and VTB banks. The prosecution has outlined the thread of bribes and links. Fixer Teofilo Nhangumele, contacted his old friend Bruno Langa, a SISE officer, to ask how to unblock matters; each received $8.5 mn. Langa turned to his friend and business partner, Ndambi Guebuza, the oldest son of the then President, Armando Guebuza. Ndambi agreed, provided he received adequate “thanks”. He took the project to his father, who gave the green light. The largest bribe was $33 mn, paid to Ndambi Guebuza, the prosecution says.

Former president Armando Guebuza has been called as a witness on 6 October. The court rejected an attempt to call President Filipe Nyusi as a witness.

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ABS White Paper: Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage

Climate change has taken centre stage globally, of this there is no doubt. Requirements are constantly emerging from regulatory bodies, financial institutions as well as several other organisations, driving companies to not only account for their carbon footprint but to also find ways to reduce it.

One of the methods that many companies are exploring is carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS).

To introduce the topic there is a White Paper by the American Bureau of Shipping with the title Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage of August 2021. This document explores the potential of CCUS including current technology, opportunities for the use of carbon, its storage, as well as the vessels required to carry the liquified product.

The ABS White Paper may be downloaded by CLICKING HERE

 

 

 

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London

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WHARF TALK: Another tanker with refined fuel for Cape Town – UACC RAS TANURA

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

The second tanker of five, that arrived at Cape Town in the period of one week, was yet another that was delivering multiple parcels of refined fuel products to more than one South African port, as the continuous shortage of fuel production goes on with no end in sight.

On 15th August at 13h00 the MR2 tanker UACC RAS TANURA (IMO 9425318) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage from Durban, and after a short 3 hour wait for the previous vessel to vacate the tanker berth, she entered Cape Town harbour at 16h00 and proceeded into Duncan Dock. Her journey had begun in Ruwais, in the UAE, where she had loaded her multiple parcels at the vast Abu Dhabi ADNOC Ruwais refinery.

Built in 2010 by the now defunct SLS Shina Shipbuilding at Tongyoung in South Korea, UACC Ras Tanura is 183 metres in length and has a deadweight of 49,999 tons. She is powered by a single Doosan MAN-B&W 6S50MC-C7 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 11,640 bhp (8,561 kW), driving a fixed pitch propeller to give a service speed of 14 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three Yanmar 6N21L-EV generators providing 780 kW each, and she has two Kangrim PBO301-CS18 boilers. She has 14 cargo tanks with a cargo carrying capacity of 55,445 m3.

Owned by Emirates Ship Investment of Abu Dhabi, UACC Ras Tanura is operated by United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC) of Dubai, and is managed by Executive Ship Management of Singapore. When purchased by her present owners in 2014, she cost US$26.5 million (ZAR404 million).

UACC was formed as a subsidiary of the United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) of Dubai in 2007. One of nine MR2 product tankers in the UACC fleet, UACC Ras Tanura is named after a Saudi ARAMCO town and refinery complex in the north of the Persian Gulf. UACC was sold to the New York based investment company, the United Overseas Group, in January 2021.

This is not the first visit to South Africa ports this year by UACC Ras Tanura as she brought another multiple, fuel products, parcel cargo to Durban and Port Elizabeth in May 2021. On completion of her discharge in Cape Town on this current visit, she sailed on 17th August at 01h00, bound for Fujairah in the UAE.

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World’s biggest container ship, 24,000-TEU Ever Ace, sails on her maiden voyage

The world’s latest biggest container ship, the 23,992-TEU EVER ACE (IMO 9893890) is now well on her way to her maiden voyage from South Korea, where she was built at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard, to Northern Europe via loading ports in China.

The giant ship 235,579-gt vessel is 400 metres long and 62m wide and by way of comparison is 63 metres longer than the largest aircraft carrier. Ever Ace is the first of ten 24,000-class ships under construction or scheduled for the Taiwanese Evergreen Marine company.

Her next three sister vessels will be named Ever Act, Ever Aim, and Ever Alp and will come into service during the remainder of this year.

At her final call in China, at the Yantian International Container Terminals Ltd terminal in Yantian where she departed on 14 August, no less than 8,200 TEU were loaded, the largest number of boxes handled at any of the ports during this maiden voyage.

When she departed the South Chinese port after a 3-day, 4-hour call, the ship was already carrying 21,718 TEU on board. Her ports of call in Asian waters had been Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Taipei and Yantian, with her next call on 27 August being As Suways, the Egyptian port at the southern end of the canal. This is where ships start to congregate to form a convoy through the canal. After that it is straight on to Northern Europe as per schedule.

As you read this Ever Ace is sailing west in the Indian Ocean.

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WHARF TALK: LR1 tanker OKYROE has a proud reputation

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

With so much TV air time, and news coverage, currently covering the chaotic evacuation of Kabul, and the impending refugee crisis that the fall of Afghanistan will undoubtedly bring about, you would be forgiven for forgetting that a major refugee crisis is still being played out in the Mediterranean Sea every day, with mostly African refugees and asylum seekers. Many of these desperate people owe their lives to passing merchant vessels, whose crews fulfill the age old, and the honourable, humane tradition of assisting all those who are in peril upon the sea.

On 10th August at 15h00 the LR1 tanker OKYROE (IMO 9273088) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage and remained at anchor for almost four days, before entering Cape Town harbour on 14th August at 12h00 and berthing at the long tanker berth in the Duncan Dock.

She had arrived from Aliaga in Turkey, better known as the final resting place for many well-known passenger vessels, as Aliaga is an approved EU ship recycling and breakers yard. However, Aliaga’s prime industry is as an oil port, with two major refineries located there.

Built in 2004 by Hyundai Heavy Industries at Ulsan in South Korea, Okyroe is 228 metres in length and had a deadweight of 74,955 tons. She is powered by a single HHI MAN-B&W 6S60MC-C 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine, producing 16,580 bhp (12,195 kW) to drive a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 16 knots. She has 14 cargo tanks and a cargo carrying capacity of 82,053 m3.

Owned by PST Energy and Shipping of Athens, Okyroe is both operated and managed by Project Shipping and Trading SA, with both entities located at the same address in Athens. This is not her first visit to Africa this year, as she delivered refined product cargoes to Dakar in Senegal, on two occasions, first in April and then again in June 2021.

On 21st October 2016, Okyroe was involved in a rescue mission of huge proportions in the Mediterranean Sea. She had just departed from the Libyan port of Mellitah, bound for Thailand, when she was requested by the Italian Coast Guard to assist in a rescue mission occurring some 20 miles off the Libyan coast.

Over the next two days, in conjunction with the Italian Coast Guard, two other NGO Refugee Rescue boats and under guidance from the MRCC in Rome, Okyroe rescued not 1, not 10, not 100, not even 1,000 but 1,536 men, women and children from rubber dinghies and other unseaworthy vessels, crammed full of refugees and desperate migrants.

The enormity of the operation presented the Captain and crew of Okyroe with tremendous logistical challenges including providing food, water, shelter, and medical care for the rescued individuals, as well as maintaining security on board. Initial panic, resulting in scuffles amongst some of the rescued men, resulted in Security Officers from the nearby Siem Pilot rescue boat having to board Okyroe with riot shields and batons to quell the disturbances.

Once all refugees had been accounted for, 778 of the survivors were transferred to an Italian Coast Guard vessel. The Coast Guard then directed Okyroe to proceed to the Italian port of Augusta, located on the island of Sicily, where the remaining 758 rescued souls were safely transferred ashore into the care of the local authorities.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands, under whose flag Okyroe sails, recognised the ‘above and beyond’ seamanship and care provided by Okyroe, and the Commissioner of Maritime Affairs presented the Captain and Crew with a Certificate of Commendation for the crucial lifesaving role that they played in the huge rescue mission.

However, this was not the first rescue that Okyroe had been involved in that year, as on 1st April 2016, when she was in the Gulf of Oman, and some 60 miles south of the coast of Iran, the watchkeeper on duty on Okyroe spotted a liferaft ahead of the vessel. Again, showing great seamanship, the Captain brought the tanker alongside the liferaft and rescued seven seamen.

The rescued sailors were the crew of a local dhow, whose vessel had developed a major hull breach, which capsized the vessel and them having to abandon ship. They had been in the liferaft for over nine hours when they were rescued. They were landed safely at Port Qasim in Pakistan, some three days later.

Once more the Commissioner of Maritime Affairs of the Republic of the Marshall Islands recognised the great act of seamanship and presented the Captain and crew of Okyroe with yet another Certificate of Commendation for the rescue, and their upkeep of the finest traditions of the sea. Two rescue operations in less than one year. There are not many vessels that can make that kind of boast.

Added 22 August 2021

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Port Window: Durban Port Bulletin report

                                                                                                                               Moshe Motlohi, Transnet National Ports Authority General Manager reports:

 

This week, our ICT departments have been in the process of getting the port back to normality in as far as the systems are concerned. While this is the case, we are aware of the challenges pertaining to report generation as a result of the system downtime, however we are hopeful that in the next week we would have bounced back. We thank the ICT colleagues for their commitment to ensuring all teams are up and running.

A highlight for me was the resumption of our Decongestion Task Team meetings. While it was a short meeting, it was encouraging to experience the hunger to get the wheels turning again and ensuring a decongested port. We noted the issues relating to equipment challenges experienced at our container terminals – unfortunately these have been the direct impact of the system downtime in the past weeks.

We are aware that the terminals have bounced back, systematically, and are managing the deviations quite effectively while also in the process of introducing and exploring new interventions to help ‘de-bottleneck’ the terminals. With the amount of work already done at these terminals, I am confident that viable solutions will be delivered.

For us and the industry at large, it is really to support the container terminal management in their endeavours of improving productivity and ultimately delighting the customer. While we know that we are all creatures of habit and therefore where there is no certainty of what service level to expect, that doesn’t augur well with our natural instinct of establishing a routine, It is for that reason that reliability of equipment is critical in building the much desired rhythm in planning cargo movement to and from the port.

We recently had a representative from the African Rail industry association who shared plans of how we can work together in finding solutions to decongest the port. Rail is a major component of our value chain and any solutions or input to the work that we do is welcomed.

We have also received feedback from community forums surrounding the ports that have indicated their concerns around the trucks using the residential area roads. I am pleading with our partners to be at the forefront of engaging truck drivers to halt this conduct with immediate effect. I also call upon the law enforcement agencies to assist in monitoring this activity and enforce law and order in our surrounding communities.

We continue working on ensuring bullet-proof systems and ensuring that our internal stakeholders are up and running. The multi-stakeholder COVID-19 mitigation measures working committee meeting was held this week and fruitful discussions took place. A way forward has been crafted, however it still needs to be crystallised and communicated accordingly to industry.

While we can’t act upon everything that gets presented to us via social media, it is important to note the recent threats regarding another KZN shutdown. As the Port of Durban, we condemn such activities and anything that may be a threat to the functioning of the South African economy.

I would like to end this week [Friday 20 August] by encouraging everyone to ‘Take a shot’ for South Africa and get vaccinated. Continue to keep safe and adhere to all the COVID-9 regulations and protocols. Until next time, have a good weekend and a productive week ahead.

Note: There is no ‘Port of Durban Volume & Vessel Call Performance‘ available from the port at this time. It will hopefully return once all IT systems are up and running.

Added 22 August 2021

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WHARF TALK: Excellent working of gearless NORTHERN PRELUDE at private berth

Story by Jay Gates

The ongoing issues of poor efficiency, productivity and availability of Transnet assets and infrastructure in Cape Town harbour are well known. Sometimes these seemingly intractable problems are seen as being so great, that something different has to be tried to try and improve the way things are done in the port.

On 12th August, at 12h00, the gearless container ship NORTHERN PRELUDE (IMO 9450325) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage and spent just a few hours outside the port before entering the harbour at 22h00 that evening. She had arrived from Port Elizabeth and proceeded to B berth in the Duncan Dock. Yes, you read that right, a gearless container vessel to B berth.

Built in 2009 by Daewoo Shipbuilding at Okpo in South Korea, Northern Prelude is 264 metres in length and has a deadweight of 59,404 tons. She is powered by a single Daewoo MAN-B&W 8K90MC-C 8 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 42,251 bhp (31,507 kW), driving a single fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 24.3 knots.

Owned by Norddeutsche Reederei H Schuldt GmbH of Hamburg, Northern Prelude is both operated and managed by V Ships Hamburg GmbH, and is currently on charter for Maersk Line on the WAF schedule. She has a container carrying capacity of 4,606 TEU, for which 470 reefer plugs are provided.

So, observers got to see a gearless container vessel not going to either the Transnet operated Container Terminal in the Ben Schoeman Dock, nor going to the Transnet operated Multi-Purpose Terminal in the Duncan Dock, both of which are provided for working gearless container vessels. Already, the eyebrows are raised as this is quite unusual.

That’s right, a gearless container vessel going to a private terminal, at a berth which has no shoreside cranes, and where vessels usually conduct cargo operations using their own ship’s gear.

The operators of the terminal are FPT, who are no strangers to efficient port working and have a track record, that is both years long and that is second to none, in turning around reefers, geared bulk carriers and geared container vessels in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. As they say in South Africa “’n Boer maak ‘n plan”, which to non South Africans basically translates to ‘a farmer makes a plan’, or ‘not a problem, we will make this work’. And FPT did just that.

One can only assume that Maersk, who currently operate Northern Prelude on one of their WAF schedules between South Africa, West Africa, North Africa and Southern Europe have almost reached an ‘end of tether’ situation with the ongoing delays and other issues that befall their geared container vessels at Cape Town, that they were prepared to trial something not done before, in order to bypass the struggling Transnet system.

Currently, FPT already work the geared Maersk container vessels at A berth on their regular schedules from Asia, Europe and the USA, so they are well used to working within the Maersk system. It would seem that Maersk may have asked them to trial a large, gearless, vessel turnaround with no prior history of it having been done before and, oh boy, have FPT stepped up to the plate and delivered the goods, so to speak.

The vessel offload and onload container operation was conducted using a mobile crane, and not just any mobile crane. A seven axle, Liebherr LTM 1400-7.1TY mobile crane, provided by Absolute Cranes of Cape Town, was brought in to complete the job. For the observer, the deck load of containers appeared to be mostly reefer containers, and the container stack was uniform at two FEU high along the whole length of the vessel, which gave Northern Prelude a nice balanced look when she sailed on 14th August at 15h00, bound for Algeciras in Spain, after a well-coordinated turnaround at B berth of less than 40 hours.

For the ‘petrol heads’ who also like stats for specialised vehicles like this, the LTM 1400 is driven by a Liebherr 8 cylinder D9508A7 engine, providing 455 kW, to enable the crane to be driven on the open road at speeds up to 85 kph. The crane unit is powered by a Liebherr 6 cylinder D936L A6 engine, providing 240 kW of power for lifting work. With a telescopic, guy stayed, boom able to extend to 60 metres, and a maximum lift of 400 tons, the LTM 1400 can easily lift a 40 ton FEU at an outreach of 28 metres, and a 20 ton TEU at an outreach of 44 metres.

It is great to see something new happening in the harbour, that has not only been well managed, but also carried out very successfully, in a time frame that seems to reflect efficient working. If it continues, and more experience is gained, it can only get quicker. For that, kudos undoubtedly go to FPT for rising to this unique challenge, and meeting it with aplomb. Well done also to Maersk Line for making the courageous decision to go with this particular solution. Is this the sign of change a coming?

Added 22 August 2021

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Introducing: The San Marino Ship Register

Tiny, landlocked San Marino on the Italian peninsula has no clear maritime connections, which are usually the basis for a country setting up a flag registry. Furthermore, ITF investigations using global shipping data could not identify any ship owners from San Marino who have registered vessels with other countries’ flags.

So why is a country with no coast setting up a commercial ship registry?
Experts at ITF ask why.

The news comes in the same month the ITF added seven new countries to its list of Flags of Convenience — that register of ships with no genuine link to the country.

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Q&A

Many States have a poor record in protecting the seafarers who work on ships flying their flag. However, San Marino is new to this arena so the ITF thought it would be fair to allow them to speak for themselves.

ITF wanted to know why a landlocked country is registering ships, so they asked the Registry and its questions, and the answers from the marketing team at San Marino Ship Register (SMSR) are shown below.

ITF: Why have you set up this Registry? Given that San Marino has no coast or maritime links, is it fair to conclude that this is a purely commercial venture?

SMSR: San Marino opening its international ship register has exercised a recognised right according to the International Convention. In particular, San Marino offers an open registry which allows the country to gain international visibility. This fosters commercial collaborations, the creation of new businesses, and broadens the international network of the country.

ITF: On your website, you mention Italian investors. How does investment in a government agency work?

SMSR: San Marino Ship Register is a private company which supports the San Marino Maritime Authority in the management of the registry with technological solutions, know-how, fleet management, and staff training. There is no investment in the Maritime Authority, which is the government agency and flag administration of the country.

ITF: What are the advantages for ship owners of registering in San Marino over, say, Italy?

SMSR: We offer fast registration procedures and quick response times, digital online applications, electronic certificates, reduced paperwork, and global access thanks to a register which is fully online.

ITF: Is it your plan to register all types of commercial shipping? Are there any limitations on what you will register?

SMSR: We do not currently have limitations based on vessel type. Special discounts will be applied to ships less than ten years old. We would like a young and green fleet.

ITF: Does San Marino plan to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention? Are there regulations to protect the freedom of association of crews on San Marino registered ships?

SMSR: San Marino ratified the Maritime Labour Convention on 26 February 2021. The national government is in the process of submitting said ratification to the ILO. Freedom of association of San Marino maritime crews will be guaranteed.

ITF: What financial and other provisions have you put in place to deal with, for example, crew repatriation in cases where ships are abandoned by their owners?

SMSR: This and other provisions for the implementation of the MLC convention will be drafted in the period following the submission of the ratification to the ILO, in the preparatory phase to fully implement the convention.

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Commenting on SMSR’s response, David Heindel, ITF Seafarers’ Section chair said: “San Marino’s rhetoric sounds positive. We are especially glad to hear that it is taking its responsibilities as a flag State seriously because for a landlocked nation with no maritime links, the San Marino registry has all the tell-tale signs of a flag of convenience.

“The ITF and our network of inspectors globally will be watching the San Marino registry with bated breath. We hope that San Marino lives up to its promises to protect seafarers and guarantee their fundamental rights.

“Robust structures must be put in place, not only to fast-track registration of ships, but also to ensure proper inspections of seafarers’ rights and grievance procedures to respond to seafarers’ complaints in line with the MLC. If they do this it will put them ahead of other registers that are clearly driven purely by commercial interests alone.”

 

 

 

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London

Added 22 August 2021

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WHARF TALK: story of a bunker tanker named SOUTHERN VALOUR

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

From the maritime perspective, the geographical central location of the Cape, located halfway from either North America, South America or Europe, to the Gulf, Far East or Australia, makes Cape Town an ideal place for vessels to take on bunkers. More than 600 vessels a day pass along the South African coast.

Other than vessels whose port rotations have them scheduled to make regular stops at Cape Town, there is a large market out there of passing traffic who want to call in for no other reason than to take on fuel, and these fuel needs require servicing by the humble bunker barge, or in the case of Cape Town, the small bunker tanker.

This kind of service vessel is made even more important by the fact that the local refinery has been shut down for over a year, with no reopening date known, and the system for bunkers to be piped around the harbour is no more due to the shutdown of the pipeline system in 2016. In Cape Town, the need for a small bunker tanker is paramount, and Cape Town currently has two fulfilling that role. One of these is SOUTHERN VALOUR (IMO 9405150).

The history of the Southern Valour in being in Cape Town is slightly convoluted. Back in 2006 the Grindrod Group in Durban created Unicorn Bunker Services, to provide bunkers to vessels, originally in Durban harbour. For this enterprise, and to bring in new, state of the art, bunker tankers, two sisterships were ordered, to be built for delivery in 2008. One was to be named Southern Venture, and the other Southern Valour. A third sistership, Fumana, was built in 2010 by Dormac, at Durban.

At this time Unicorn Bunker Services had decided to go into a joint venture with the BEE investment company, Calulo Services, to form a new company called Unical Bunker Services, with Unicorn parent company, Grindrod, having a majority 75% shareholding.

Built by Yinxing Shipyard at Jiangmen in China, Southern Valour is 70 metres in length with a deadweight of 4,250 tons. She is powered by a Cummins QSK19-M 6 cylinder 4 stroke main engine, producing 660 bhp (492 kW).

Having eleven, fully segregated, cargo tanks with a capacity of 4,500 tons, Southern Valour can carry a maximum bunker load of 3,674 tons for Marine Fuel Oil (MFO) and 724 tons for Marine Gas Oil (MGO). Her pumping rate is 980 tons per hour for MFO, and 140 tons per hour for MGO.

All cargo tank valves are controlled from the bridge, where loading and offloading operations are monitored. As a modern bunker vessel, Southern Valour is equipped with closed loading systems, temperature compensated flow meters, and cargo tank levels are monitored via radar tank level gauging technology.

With her sister ship, Southern Valour was delivered to Richards Bay on 2nd June 2008, direct from the shipyard in China. Both vessels then sailed down to Durban, where Southern Ventur’ remained, and Southern Valour sailed to Cape Town on her longest voyage yet undertaken.

On arrival in Cape Town Southern Valou’ was contracted to Chevron for a period of five years, and the contract for supplying bunkers in Cape Town harbour began on 19th August 2008. At the time, Chevron were owners and operators of the Milnerton oil refinery at Cape Town. The contract continued until 2018 when Chevron sold the refinery to Astron Energy, a Glencore company.

In June 2011, both Unical and Chevron were parties to a High Court Case, where Chevron was in a charter dispute with Unical. The dispute was based on a discrepancy between the fuel stocks supplied to Unical, according to Chevron, and the amount of fuel recorded as being delivered as bunkers to vessels in Cape Town harbour. The difference claimed was not a small amount either, with Chevron demanding payment for the differing amounts of fuel supplied to the tune of over ZAR24.4 million. Unical disputed the Chevron claim.

The change of bunker fuel supplier, from Chevron to Astron Energy in 2018, tied in with the decision of Unical Bunker Services to sell the business to a BEE investment joint venture of WOESA (Women in Oil and Energy South Africa) and Linsen Nambi (a Black Youth owned shipbroking company). The newly created company was called Linsen Nambi Bunker Services, with WOESA having a 51% share interest, and the new company retaining the bunker contract in Cape Town with Astron Energy.

All bunkers, including with low sulphur content (LSMGO and VLSFO), are loaded into Southern Valour via a pipeline facility located on Landing Wall berth 4. Currently all bunkers at Cape Town are brought into the port by shuttle tankers, and pumped into a storage facility, due to the enforced closure of the Milnerton Refinery resulting in no bunker fuels having been produced locally for more than a year.

Added 22 August 2021

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DP World completes successful real-time trial of BOXBAY high storage system

DP World, which operates a number of container and multi-purpose terminal across Africa, including at Maputo and Luanda in Angola, has completed testing of the BOXBAY high bay storage concept at the first full-size facility constructed at Jebel Ali port in Dubai.

The test has demonstrated that the innovative technology works in the real world. More than 63,000 container moves have been completed since the facility, which can hold 792 containers at a time, was commissioned at the beginning of this year.

The test exceeded expectations with BOXBAY proving faster and more energy efficient than anticipated.

BOXBAY is a Joint Venture between DP World and German industrial engineering specialist SMS group. The system stores containers in slots in a steel rack up to eleven high. It delivers three times the capacity of a conventional yard in which containers are stacked directly on top of each other, meaning the footprint of terminals can be reduced by 70 percent.

In BOXBAY containers are moved in and out and between slots by fully electrified and automated cranes built into the structure. Individual containers can be accessed without moving any others. The whole system is designed to be fully powered by solar panels on the roof.

“This test proves that BOXBAY can revolutionise how ports and terminals operate,” said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World.

“The technology we have developed with our joint venture partner SMS group dramatically expands capacity, increases efficiency, and makes the handling of containers more sustainable. BOXBAY is part of DP World’s vision to apply innovation to enable global trade and be a provider of smart logistics solutions.”

Modifications made during the trial compared to the original design further improve performance and significantly reduce investment required for future installations. High performance levels of BOXBAY – 19.3 moves per hour at each waterside transfer table to the straddle carrier and 31.8 moves per hour at each landside truck crane – will also reduce the equipment needed in a terminal. Operating costs are also lower than anticipated, with energy costs better by 29 percent, all at significantly reduced maintenance costs.

Mathias Dobner, Chairman and CEO of BOXBAY, said that BOXBAY and its partner companies are very pleased with the results of the first six months of operation.

“In important parameters such as performance, reliability, energy consumption and many more our goals have been exceeded by far. For ports worldwide, this innovative and disruptive technology will not only increase their over-the-quay-wall handling volumes and container storage capacity, but will also allow them to make a further step towards sustainability, as power regeneration and solar panels on the roof help reduce the CO2 footprint to a minimum.

Added 22 August 2021

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ABS White Paper: Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage

Climate change has taken centre stage globally, of this there is no doubt. Requirements are constantly emerging from regulatory bodies, financial institutions as well as several other organisations, driving companies to not only account for their carbon footprint but to also find ways to reduce it.

One of the methods that many companies are exploring is carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).

To introduce the topic there is a White Paper by the American Bureau of Shipping with the title Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage of August 2021. This document explores the potential of CCUS including current technology, opportunities for the use of carbon, its storage, as well as the vessels required to carry the liquified product.

The ABS White Paper may be downloaded HERE

 

 

 

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London

Added 22 August 2021

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Seall, A Marine Technology Company, Expands with Key Global Partner, Mackay Marine

Aberdeen, Scotland-based Seall, has secured a partnership with global marine electronics and service provider, Mackay Marine, to distribute Seall’s suite of innovative software solutions and products to the maritime industry, as they expand their worldwide footprint.

Mackay Marine, headquartered in North Carolina, USA, has 50 locations in 16 countries, making it Seall’s largest distribution partnership agreement to-date. Seall will work with Mackay to build and scale their offering across their network of partners and customers. Mackay Marine is a leading electronic equipment, satellite communications, and onboard service provider for marine, offshore, and land-mobile applications.

Seall engineers have internally designed a….

Read the rest of this report in the TRADE NEWS section available by CLICKING HERE

Added 22 August 2021

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Preventable death of seafarer during crew change offshore

 

ITF calls for national approach

The Australian Government must urgently implement a nationally-consistent best-practice plan for crew changes on international trading vessels following the preventable death of a seafarer during a high-risk transfer off Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in week ending 14 August. This was the view held by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in a statement issued the same week.

Apparently the man died after reportedly falling from a ladder being used to transfer seafarers between the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Formosabulk Clement and a small vessel.

As the incident occurred in Australian territorial waters, approximately five nautical miles off Mooloolaba, the vessel was detained by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to allow an investigation into the death to occur.

Lack of national policy

The ITF said the lack of a nationally-consistent policy on international seafarer crew changes, along with restrictive state-based health orders, appeared to be the reason the high-risk offshore transfer was undertaken rather than occurring in port.

In the words of ITF Australia coordinator Ian Bray: “Currently, Queensland is one of the only states in Australia facilitating crew changes on international vessels — which in many cases have seafarers that have been effectively trapped onboard for more than a year due to the Covid crisis.

“Formosabulk Clement was reportedly sailing to a New South Wales port, where a crew change could have safely occurred at the berth, but because of that state’s restrictive health orders it appears the vessel operator instead decided to replace the crew while sailing down the Queensland coast.

“After spending the last year at sea, this seafarer was looking forward to finally returning home to his family, but instead they have received the tragic news that he died during the crew change.

“Our deepest sympathies are with his family, friends, and fellow crew members.

“It is essential that the Australian Government learn from this completely preventable death and take the urgent steps needed to address the crew change crisis that caused it.

“Australia is failing to live up to its legal obligations as a signatory to the Maritime Labour Convention, which outlines the nation’s responsibility to the health and welfare of the seafarers that keep the nation’s supply chains moving.

“State and Federal Governments are complicit in any fatalities that occur because crew changes are being undertaken in an unsafe manner due to their prescribed health orders.

“The Australian Government needs to urgently address this issue, working with State and Territory Governments to put in place a nationally-consistent, best-practice crew change policy that allows the safe transfer of crew members while vessels are in port.

“The current situation is seeing risky off-shore transfers take place, while some vessels are diverting to Queensland ports because it is the only Australian state with a comprehensive approach to crew changes.

The ITF

The International Transport Workers’ Federation is a democratic global union federation of 670 transport workers’ trade unions representing over 20 million workers in 140 countries. The ITF works to improve the lives of transport workers globally, encouraging and organising international solidarity among its network of affiliates. The ITF represents the interests of transport workers’ unions in bodies that take decisions affecting jobs, employment conditions or safety in the transport industry. For more information readers are invited to see here:

The ITF Inspectorate is a network of 147 Inspectors and Contacts, based in ports all over the world, whose job is to inspect ships calling in their ports to ensure the seafarers have decent pay, working conditions and living conditions on board. They conduct routine inspections and also visit ships on request of the crew. If necessary they assist with actions to protect seafarers’ rights as permitted by law.

 

 

 

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London

Added 22 August 2021

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GENERAL NEWS REPORTS – UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY

in partnership with – APO

More News at https://africaports.co.za/category/News/

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Laws control the lesser man… Right conduct controls the greater one.
– Mark Twain

 

More Earlier News at https://africaports.co.za/category/News/

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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  CLICKING 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.

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Don’t forget to send us your news and press releases for inclusion in the News Bulletins. Shipping related pictures submitted by readers are always welcome. Email to info@africaports.co.za

 

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