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TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS

These news reprts 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

Click on headline to go direct to story : use the BACK key to return  

FIRST VIEW:   MORNING COMPOSER

• Transnet reopens Cookhouse-Blaney branch line in Eastern Cape
• Landmark trial eliminates mosquito pest
• WHARF TALK: Long range ‘feeder’ – MAERSK VISBY
• IN CONVERSATION: Blockade of Port Sudan: what’s behind it and what can end it
• Fire at Port of Richards Bay terminal extinguished
• China-US freight rates plunge, but China manufacturing woes create new headaches for shippers
• WHARF TALK: Anchor Handling Support vessel – SD HONOUR
• Mozambique Report: COP 26 – gas & cyclones?
• HMS Trent deploys to West Africa to support maritime security
• Berth at Port of Mwanza on Lake Victoria to undergo upgrade ahead of new ferry entering service
• Mozambique Report: Total says LNG will go ahead, but three years late
• WHARF TALK:  offshore vessel – NORMAND INSTALLER
• IN CONVERSATION: South Africa’s massive ‘sardine run’ leads fish into an ecological trap
• TRADE NEWS: Jan De Nul contracts Castor Marine to connect entire fleet
• Kenya commissions new naval base in Manda Bay
• President Ramaphosa gives ‘green light’ for cruises
• WHARF TALK: Dolphin S57 type bulker – STAR CEPHEUS
• DP World Maputo reaches new heights in container handling and transshipment at Port of Maputo
• TransNamib leases additional locomotives from South Africa to increase capacity
• Sri Lanka Ports Authority in BOT agreement for new container terminal
• Transnet infrastructure investment pays off: SA citrus exports up 12 per cent
• WHARF TALK: a tug named – OUBANGUI
• IN CONVERSATION: Global shortage of shipping containers highlights their importance in getting goods to Amazon warehouses, store shelves and your door in time for Christmas
• Nigeria’s ultra modern Records Centre in commission
• WHARF TALK: bulker from Ehoala – BRANT
• SGM donates to Home Run for Education
• The Walvis Bay Kids Haven continues to benefit from Namport’s generosity
• Second big drug haul for French frigate in a week

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

The Monday masthead shows the Port of Durban Container Terminal by night
The Tuesday masthead shows the Port of Tin Can Island, Lagos
The Wednesday masthead shows the Port of Tema, Ghana
The Thursday masthead shows the Port of Saldanha (futuristic view)
The Friday masthead shows the Port of Saldanha iron Ore Terminal
The Saturday masthead shows the Port of Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT)
The Sunday masthead shows the Port of Richards Bay

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FIRST VIEW:  MORNING COMPOSER

Not every ship watcher’s favourite but an essential type of ship for the cargo carried, a trade that has grown expeditiously over the previous 25 or so years. Seldom does a day go by when there is not at least one of the car carriers in the port at Durban and on some days it’s possible to see two or three at the motor vehicle terminal. Likewise on those same days there could be ships of this type calling at East London and Port Elizabeth, with these three ports having South Africa’s three official vehicle carrier terminals.

East, South and West African ports feature prominently on the trade routes covered by a number of the vehicle carrier lines, of which one happens to be EUKOR, the owner and operator of MORNING COMPOSER (IMO 9336074). The South Korean-based company delivers over 3 million Car Equivalent Units (CEU) annually, across a network of world-wide trade routes while making approximate 3,650 port calls a year. The name EUKOR incidentally, comes from combining the EU and KOR from Europe and Korea.

MORNING COMPOSER was built in 2008 and has sailed with Eukor since her launch and is possibly nearing the end as far as the company is concerned, though there is no indication of this being likely other than the ship’s age. The vehicle carrier’s gross weight is 57,542 tons and her deadweight 21,052 tons. She has a length of 200 metres, a width of 32m and draught of 8.8 to 9 metres. The ship is flagged in Panama.

Morning Composer is listed as registered to a nominal company care-of EUKOR Car Carriers of Seoul, South Korea. Her ISM manager is Wilhelmsen Ship Management Korea Ltd based in Busan, while EUKOR Car Carriers remain the ship and commercial managers operating out of Seoul.

Of additional interest in Keith Betts’ photos shown here is the port pilot boat, LUFAFA, which travelled alongside the large ship from inside the harbour until well down the channel, waiting for the marine pilot to complete his or her duties and to board the boat and return to base. Pilots must welcome such duties for there are no long ladders to negotiate, rather a handy side opening in the ship almost perfectly level with the pilot launch. It’s similarly convenient when the port helicopter is on duty – then there’s a large and mostly unencumbered topside flat deck from which to be winched aloft. – trh

The above pictures are by KEITH BETTS

Added 3 October 2021  Africa Ports & Ships

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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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Transnet reopens Cookhouse-Blaney branch line in Eastern Cape

Transnet re-opened the 200km Cookhouse-Blaney branch railway on Thursday, 7 October and reaffirmed its commitment of a R26 million investment in the reinstatement and rehabilitation of the Eastern Cape branch line.

The line provides a rail link between Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and East London, as well as connecting the two Eastern Cape Industrial Development Zones (IDZ) of Coega and East London IDZs.

The volume projection for the line is a mere 30,000 tons per annum, which poses the question, why reopen a line with 2.500 tons of traffic a month. Wasn’t that why it was closed in the first place?

Africa PORTS & SHIPS hopes to feature more detail concerning the reopening of this little used branch line as well as some of its background and history in our next edition. Look out for this report on Monday 11 October.   -trh

Added 7 October 2021

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Landmark trial eliminates mosquito pest

In a first for the Southern Hemisphere, researchers have shown a bacteria can successfully sterilise and eradicate the invasive, disease carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito which is responsible for spreading dengue, yellow fever and Zika.

It is understood that the breakthrough could support the suppression and potential eradication of Aedes aegypti worldwide.

CSIRO report

This news was issued by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and published on 4 October. The landmark trial involved releasing three million male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Northern Queensland, sterilised with bacteria called Wolbachia, across three trial sites over a 20-week period during the summer of 2018.

The sterile male insects search out and mate with wild females, preventing the production of offspring.

Scientists returned the following year and found one of the trial sites, Mourilyan in Queensland, was almost devoid of mosquitoes.

International collaboration

The trial was an international collaboration between Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, University of Queensland (UQ), Verily Life Sciences, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and James Cook University (JCU).

CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said the organisation was proud to build on a 100-year legacy of protecting Australia and Australians.

He said: “The creation of our Health and Biosecurity team back in 2016 meant we were prepared for COVID-19, and that preparation is paying off across other biosecurity threats like mosquitos which spread some of the world’s most serious diseases.

“Over 40 per cent of humans suffer from mosquito-spread diseases, so it’s an opportunity for Australia to develop environmentally-friendly mosquito control tools to tackle current and future mosquito incursions.

“By working with Australian and international partners we can tackle two of Australia’s greatest challenges at once – health and security – with breakthrough research translated into effective global export solutions.

“CSIRO is leveraging great Australian science to create new technologies to make this approach more cost effective and suitable for the climates of less developed countries that suffer most from mosquito-borne viruses, strengthening and protecting our region.””

JCU Adjunct Professor Scott Ritchie said the Wolbachia trial was a successful international collaboration which saw contemporary science working together with cutting-edge technology, to help eliminate the dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito.

He added: “It was a hugely successful project. We reared the three million male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes needed for the trial in the insectary at James Cook University in Cairns.”

Verily Product Manager, Nigel Snoad, said community engagement was also essential to success of the project.

He said: “It was a huge achievement by the joint team to setup and operate the mosquito rearing, sorting and release systems, and develop strong community engagement and support.

“We were proud of the work we were able to do in collaboration with the CSIRO, James Cook University and the local community. The ongoing suppression after releases stopped is an important result, indicating that sustained impact is feasible for this disease vector.”

CSIRO scientist and UQ Associate Professor, Nigel Beebe, said the trial demonstrates this technique is robust and capable of effectively suppressing mosquito populations.

He said: “During the trial, we saw over 80 per cent of the mosquito population suppressed across our three trial sites.

“When we surveyed the sites the following year, we were very encouraged to see the suppression still in effect, with one of our most productive towns for Aedes aegypti almost devoid of this mosquito with a 97 per cent reduction across the following season.

“One year on, the mosquito population at the second trial site remained substantially suppressed, while the population fully recovered at the third site.

“We are currently investigating the differences observed in the following mosquito season as they are incredibly informative in further developing this technology and in modelling how we could remove this exotic virus-transmitting pest in other locations worldwide.”

The technique can also be used to remove the virus-transmitting Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, that has now established at Australia’s doorstep in the Torres Strait Islands.

Techniques from the trial are being used to support CSIRO-led mosquito suppression programmes in French Polynesia and the Hunter region in New South Wales, Australia.

 

 

 

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London

Added October 2021

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WHARF TALK: Long range ‘feeder’ – MAERSK VISBY

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

No matter what angle they are viewed from, nor the distance they are viewed from, there is one shipping company, whose vessel ownership, and identity could never, in a month of Sundays, be confused with any other shipping company, anywhere. It is simply all down to the appearance of, and the use of, the unique colour combinations of hull, accommodation and funnel employed by that company.

On 21st September at 09h00 the container vessel MAERSK VISBY (IMO 9411367) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage from Durban, and as with almost all container vessels before her, had to endure over a three day wait at anchor for a berth to become available. On 24th September at 19h00, she entered Cape Town harbour, and initially went alongside the Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT) at F berth in the Duncan Dock to begin her discharge.

Her stay in Cape Town was not the usual container vessel turnaround, of a few days at most as, on 27th September, she was transferred over to the Cape Town Container Terminal to continue working cargo. One day later on the 28th September she was shifted once more, back to F berth and the Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT) to complete loading, prior to sailing.

Built in 2010 by Dalian Shipbuilders, at Dalian in China, Maersk Visby is one of four ‘V’ Class sisterships built for Maersk Line. She is 180 metres in length and has a deadweight of 26,036 tons. Officially, a container vessel with a deadweight as small as this would be considered to be a Feeder vessel. She is powered by a single MAN-B&W 7S60ME-C 7 cylinder 2 stroke main engine, producing 18,282 bhp (13,447 kW) to drive a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 20 knots.

Owned and managed by Moller Singapore AP Pte Ltd of Singapore, Maersk Visby is operated by Maersk Line AS of Copenhagen, and is deployed on the Maersk American Express (AMEX) service between South Africa and the East Coast of the USA. For this service she has a container carrying capacity of 1,810 TEU, with reefer plugs provided for 281 refrigerated containers.

The reefer plug aspect of Maersk Visby has been well utilised from May 2021, until this northbound AMEX voyage. Maersk Line added Philadelphia to the AMEX port rotation back in May to provide for the South African Citrus Export crop to be carried to the USA. With the SA Citrus season now winding down, this is expected to be the last time this year that Maersk Visby will call at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in Philadelphia.

Currently, the AMEX port rotation is Durban – Cape Town – Newark – Philadelphia – Norfolk – Baltimore – Charleston – Freeport – Ngqura – Durban. The call at Philadelphia is to be dropped from the rotation this month, for the reasons already given.

She finally sailed from Cape Town on 3rd October at 11h00, after a more than eight day stay alongside, bound for Newark, located in the US State of New Jersey. On departure, the new Maersk Line hull marking of a sloping raised boot topping towards the bow, giving their vessels the equivalent of a ‘go fast’ stripe, was clearly evident as Maersk Visby left port.

Of greater interest to the observer was the appearance of the venerable Pilot Boat PB Petrel, who shadowed Maersk Visby as she moved down the shipping channel into the open ocean, and who took the Transnet Harbour Pilot off the vessel once she had cleared the harbour.

Added 7 October 2021

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IN CONVERSATION: Blockade of Port Sudan: what’s behind it and what can end it

 

Abdu Mukhtar Musa, Omdurman Islamic University

An ongoing blockade of Sudan’s main port by political protesters is putting a huge strain on the country. The Sudanese government says it’s at the point of running out of essential medicines, fuel, and wheat. Sudan is still going through a finely balanced transition following the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Political expert, Abdu Mukhtar Musa, provides insights into who’s behind the blockade and why it’s been a challenge in getting it lifted.

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Who is behind the blockade of the Port of Sudan?

The blockade is a reaction to the procrastination on the part of the central government of Khartoum to respond to the demands of the people of the eastern region of Sudan.

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Read more:
Sudan’s food riots show that the transitional government still has much to achieve

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They are represented by Sayed Tirik, their major tribal leader. He is chairman of the “High Council for the Tribes of the Beja” – composed of six tribes – who live in the north-eastern part of Sudan.

They have put forward some demands as conditions to terminate the two-week-long blockade of the port. Chief among them is the cancelling of the Juba Peace Agreement which was signed in October 2020. They believe that it underestimated the injustice inflicted on the region by the successive central governments of Khartoum since independence.

There are also a number of theories circulating in Khartoum about the blockade. Among them there are:

• that people close to the deposed militant Islamists’ regime are staging a “counter revolution”,
• that members of the military component of the Transitional Council of Sovereignty who remain loyal to the toppled President Omar Al-Bashir are involved. The silence of the military component of the Transitional Council of Sovereignty has increased suspicions about a counter revolution.

These rumours have been fuelled by the attempted coup d’état on 21 September  which was thwarted by the military.

What are the grievances against the government?

They believe that the government has neglected their demands particularly when it comes to sharing power and wealth and their fair representation in the central government. Their demands also include:

• deposing the cabinet of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and replacing him with a technocrat,
• the dismantling the system of the toppled regime,
• cancelling the Juba agreement which was signed October 3, 2020. This gives the eastern region some concessions which the leaders of the blockade consider far below their aspirations;
• allocating appropriate share for the eastern region from the revenues of the region.
• suspending any ongoing projects in the region, including in mining and agriculture, until an agreement is reached about how the region will get a fair share.

Are their grievances justified?

Yes, to a great extent. But the means they have pursued are not acceptable. The blockade will harm the entire nation instead of only disturbing the ruling elites.

In my view the leaders of the protest should strike a balance. They need to put pressure on the government to respond to their demands. But they need to do so without throttling the national economy. The blockade is stopping the flow of imports and exports of the country through the main Port of the Sudan. The cabinet said earlier this week that the country was running out of basic commodities notably essential medicines, fuel and wheat.

This suggests that Sudan is on the brink of a damaging crisis that may trigger popular discontent against the government.

The blockade is putting the government in a critical situation. It’s adding more problems to a country that has a great many. People’s living conditions are bad. And there are serious tensions in the civil-military relationship. This is bound to affect the mutual trust between the two components of civil-military alliance of the transitional government.

What must be done to resolve the situation?

It’s a fact that the eastern region suffers from relative deprivation and marginalisation. But it is also true that the means the tribal leader is pursuing are not logical nor acceptable.

In addition, it’s clear that Tirik doesn’t represent the whole region nor is he supported by all ethnicities. The eastern region is a home for about 17 tribes besides the Beja – to whom Tirik belongs.

There are also other stakeholders, such as civil society organisations, political forces, religious groups, and the Native Administration (traditional tribal administrative system). According to the Juba agreement which was signed October 2020 all components of the region are to take part in discussing the problems and demands of their region in one common forum. But, the High Council of the Beja Tribes persists on having its own forum to channel its demands – aloof from other groups and components of the eastern region.

The government should take the following steps:

• Reject the tribalisation and politicisation of people. The central government has to declare its refusal to deal with any tribal leader. And that it won’t approach problems (or demands) on ethnic lines.
• Invite communities and all forces of the eastern region to send representatives to negotiate in one forum to discuss possible alternative solutions. The invitation should go out to civil society organisations, political parties, trade unions and native administrations.
• Declare the blockade a threat to the national security of the country.
• Declare a state of emergency in the eastern region.
• Name a technical committee to work out a strategy for a comprehensive solution to the eastern question.

Abdu Mukhtar Musa, Professor of Political Science, Omdurman Islamic University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Added October 2021

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Fire at Port of Richards Bay terminal extinguished

Transnet National Ports Authority, Port of Richards Bay, advises that a fire broke out at one of its terminals at the port at approximately 22h30 on Wednesday night.

Damage was caused to one of the terminal’s conveyor belt.

The fire was extinguished in the early hours of Thursday morning. Later a technical team and Risk personnel reported on site to carry out an investigation.

At the time of this report (15h30 Thursday) the cause of the fire had not yet been established and the investigation was continuing.

There were no injuries to personnel on duty overnight or since.

Added 7 October 2021 

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China-US freight rates plunge, but China manufacturing woes create new headaches for shippers

●Spot freight rates are plummeting.
●Chinese factory output is throttled by power shortages, exacerbating trade imbalances, and distorting demand for shipping containers.
●Freight forwarders are left holding the bag as demand for space falls along with prices.

Shippers might finally be catching a break, as China-US spot freight rates plunge in the first week of October.

With Chinese manufacturers throttling production due to the power crisis and the off-season coming into view, competition for freight capacity in terms of containers and vessel space has fallen off, moving prices down by up to 51.4% on some (North American) routes.

Data provided by digital freight forwarding company Shifl shows that the spot rate for shipping a 40-foot container from China to Los Angeles dropped by $9,000, or 51.4% between September and October of this year, from a high of $17,500 to $8,500.

For China-US East Coast shipping, rates dropped by 28.2% in one month, down to $14,000 per container in October from $19,500 in September.

However, this temporary reprieve could soon be overshadowed by a growing backlog of unfulfilled orders. Chinese energy rationing policies and the impact of COVID-19 shutdowns are throttling factory output meaning that US and EU manufacturing orders are not being filled on time. While US and EU businesses scramble to diversify their supply chains, inventory shortages and price increases will become more pronounced.

“Before the pandemic, our customers were getting containers shipped for around $1,500,” said Shabsie Levy, Founder, and CEO of Shifl.

“Some agents (co loaders) took advantage of the price increases and congestion by buying up capacity, and now they are looking to unload it as quickly as possible,” he added.

“For shippers with inventory still in China, access to capacity at lower rates is great news. But the big question now is whether or not there will be products to fill these containers.

“These rates could go even lower. We’re already seeing long-term rates for shipping 40-foot containers from China to the U.S. go below $5,000,” added Levy.

About Shifl: Shifl is bringing the freight forwarding industry into the future with technology and innovation that brings a huge array of real-life benefits to its customers. Shifl is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in China, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Georgia, and The Philippines. To learn more, CLICK HERE

Added 7 October 2021

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WHARF TALK: Anchor Handling Support vessel – SD HONOUR

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

The passage of offshore support vessels, of all shapes and sizes, through Cape Town and en-route to, of from, the oilfields of mostly West Africa is common. The same is true of the pit stop of the Anchor Handlers when towing an offshore industry barge, rig or FPSO past Cape Town. Today, usually, the Anchor Handlers belong to well known offshore operators. Much rarer is the Anchor Handler that belongs, instead, to a respected harbour tug operator.

Back on 13th September at 07h00 the Anchor Handling Tug SD HONOUR (IMO 9704910) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage from the Indonesian port of Batu Ampar. After a short wait in the anchorage, she entered Cape Town harbour at 09h00 and proceeded to the Landing Wall in the Duncan Dock. She was obviously not in for bunkers, but for some engineering requirements, and big ones at that.

Within hours, shore based engineers were aboard SD Honour draining engine oil tanks, and air conditioning engineers were removing filters, and parts, of her a/c system and taking them ashore. By 20th September, a sign of her ongoing issues became apparent when she entered the Sturrock Drydock.

However, the incorrect positioning of the blocks on the drydock floor, caused her to have to come out of drydock to allow the correct setting to take place, before she could return into drydock the next day. An unnecessary error, causing an unnecessary delay.

The major problem became apparent when the Port Azimuth Nozzle was taken apart. It would appear that SD Honour had spent a long period in layup, with little or no preventative maintenance taking place. Damaged seals in the port propeller system, had allowed seawater to enter and contaminated the system oil supply. This became apparent on her positioning voyage across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town. Added to this were generator issues, and other maintenance requirements of a minor nature.

Built in 2017 by PT. United Sindo Perkasa Shipyard at Kabil, on the island of Batam in Indonesia, SD Honour is 50 metres in length and had a deadweight of 795 tons. As an Azimuth Stern Drive Anchor Handling Tug she is powered by two MAN-B&W 9L27/38 9 cylinder 4 stroke main engines, producing 4,160 bhp (3,060 kW) each, driving two Azimuth Propulsion Units, to give her a service speed of 14 knots.

She was built to the order of Tai Kong Holdings of Singapore, and named Golden Honour. An as Anchor Handling Tug she has a bollard pull of 120 tons, and has a FiFi2 firefighting capability, producing 7,200 m3 per hour. For manoeuvrability, she is equipped for DP2 position keeping.

Purchased and owned by the great Dutch towage company, Kotug International of Rotterdam, SD Honour, with the initials SD describing her role as a Stern Drive tug, is described as an Infield Support Vessel, for use in the oil and gas industry as a support vessel, specifically for FPSOs, FSOs, FLNGs and other large assets requiring robust anchor handling and protection. Whilst better known as a provider of harbour tug services, both in Holland and Worldwide, Kotug also provide offshore services to the oil and gas industry.

On completion of her urgent maintenance requirements in Cape Town, prior to continuing her voyage to her next contract, SD Honour exited the Sturrock Drydock on 1st October and repositioned to the end of the Landing Wall. On 4th October everything was complete, and at 15h00 she departed Cape Town, bound for Port Gentil in Gabon, and her next role.

Added 6 October 2021

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Mozambique Report: COP 26 – gas & cyclones?

Report by Joseph Hanlon
Mozambique News Reports and Clippings

Much hinges of a very tiny number. The 2016 Paris agreement “to limit global warming to well below 2º, preferably to 1.5º Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels” was a political fudge. Half a degree seemed too small to argue about. But in 2018 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the official and highly respected research agency, issued a report comparing 1.5º and 2º and it found the impact is unexpectedly huge. IPCC said 2º would bring higher land and sea temperatures, hotter extremes in most inhabited regions, as well as heavy rain in some places and drought in others.

The fossil fuel industry as opted for the high 2º target, which allows a major increase in LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) production. The International Energy Agency (IEA) published a dramatic report on 18 May which showed that to reduce global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to net zero by 2050 and to limit the long-term increase in average global temperatures to 1.5º C, requires that “beyond projects already committed as of 2021, there are no new oil and gas fields approved for development.” Gas has hit its peak and there can be no increase. The IEA is part of OECD and thus represents establishment, mainstream thinking. So when it says gas is done, that carries significant weight. Only two Cabo Delgado projects fit within the window – ENI’s floating LNG plant and Total’s suspended project.

It seems likely that the COP26 will back 2º and leave it for their children to try to return to 1.5º if they want to. There will be a crackdown on coal but not gas and oil, and back the gas and oil industry line on 2º. Indeed Total sees Mozambique as part of a huge increase in gas production.

A chart comparing likely gas consumption with 1.5º and 2º targets along with many more details and explanations of the difference, is in our Special Report HERE

Most recent forecasts are that global 2º compared to 1.5º will make Mozambique hotter and drier, leading to droughts and reduced food production in the south, and there will be much more intense cyclones. Cyclone Idai which hit Beira in 2019 was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Indian Ocean basin and is now accepted as a cyclone made worse by climate change. This is the new normal. Mozambique will receive little revenue from the gas until 2040, but the climate crisis costs of drought and worse cyclones are already here.

In 2015 at the Paris COP 21, the rich countries which have caused the climate emergency agreed to a system of jointly providing $100 billion annually by 2020 to poor countries for mitigation and adaptation. But it did not happen. And Mozambique received aid of only half the cost of the damage of Cyclone Idai, and two-and-a-half years later there are still 93,000 people displaced.

Agreeing on the 2º target means a huge increase in gas production, and a huge increase in climate damage in Mozambique.

And the children will pay

Mozambique’s children will already pay a higher price for climate change, even if we commit to 1.5ºC, but accepting 2ºC raises the price, according to a 26 September article in the prestigious journal Science. And if the children decide they have to go for 1.5ºC to reduce the damage, they will pay a massive price in living standard changes.

The article is on ‘Intergenerational inequities in exposure to climate extremes’. The main article is behind a paywall but the supplementary material which has more detailed data and maps relating to Mozambique can be downloaded free.

The study looked at six types of extreme events. Global heating has a major impact on three of them in Mozambique – heat waves, river floods, and droughts. Global heating has a significant but smaller impact in Mozambique on cyclones and crop failures. Their sixth extreme event, wildfires, does not seem an issue in Mozambique.

“Changes in extreme event frequencies have relatively little effect on lifetime exposure for cohorts above age 55 in 2020, but this rapidly changes for younger cohorts as they experience increasing extreme events in the coming years and decades,” the report says. The diagram compared the group born in 2020 across the world with the group just born, in 2020. The over 60 group has four extreme heat waves in their lifetime and for most no more will occur.

But for those born last year, it depends on current decision makers, mostly in the over 60 group. If global heating is kept to 1.5º (left, yellow bar), then last year’s child will face 18 heat waves – 4 times as much as their grandparents. If heating is kept to 2º, this jumps to 22 events, 6 times as much (middle, orange bar). And if we stick to current pledges, that child will experience 30 heat waves in its life (7 times as much).

For sub-Saharan Africa, the over 50s get off easy, the 20 to 50 age group gets hit, but those born in the last 20 years will be really hammered. The authors have maps comparing all countries and for a single type of event and all events combined. For Mozambique for all events, with 1.5º someone born in 2020 will see twice as many extreme events as someone born in 1960. And at 2º it will be 3 times as many as the now 60-year-old.

Cyclone Idai showed Mozambicans what an extreme event looks like. But it will get much worse. Only those aged under 40 years today will live to see the consequences of the choices made on emissions cuts. Those who are older will have died before the impacts of their choices become apparent in the world.

The research group Carbon Brief says that today’s children will need to emit eight times less CO2 over the course of their lifetime than their grandparents, if global warming is to be kept below 1.5ºC. That means the G7 decision to accept 2º and leave 1.5º to their children means their children will need to make massively larger lifestyle changes to prevent the climate crisis. When current leaders will be retired or dead.

What does ‘net zero’ mean for Mozambique

Total in its presentation commits to “net zero” CO2 emissions. Gas is billed as a “transition energy” and Total plans to use continued oil sales to ensure “strong cash generation to fund the transition and return to shareholders”.

“Absolute zero” means no greenhouse gas emissions. But another compromise in the 2015 Paris agreement was the call for “net zero” by 2050. The “net” means that for any greenhouse gas emitted, and equal amount must be removed. The idea is controversial because it is based on deciding on equivalences and is organised through carbon trading, which up to now has been unregulated and corrupt. Carbon credit prices have risen from €5 per tonne of CO2 in 2017 to €65 last week.

The biggest way to do carbon offsets is by planting trees. Total in its 2020 report “Getting to Net Zero” talks about using carbon credit from tree planting. So the carbon in trees is likely to become a major export crop for Mozambique. Tens of millions of trees will be planted, in giant plantations.

Giant forestry projects in the past two decades have largely failed and have come into huge conflict with local people. And a high profile pilot project in Gile, Zambezia has proved highly controversial. Set up in 2015 with support from the World Bank and UN Redd+ programme, it is to reduce deforestation and degradation jointly with local communities. And it has received substantial publicity from its backers as a model carbon credit project.

Agriculture Minister Celso Correia said on 12 August that Mozambique would get $50 mn from the carbon credits. But who does that money go to? Natacha Bruna of the Rural Observatory (OMR) presented a paper at the August IESE conference which showed a different picture.

Bruna found that in order to be registered for Redd+ and carbon credits, the projects had restricted local people from their traditional access to forests and they could not gather forest projects that were part of their normal life. Their access to farmland and water was reduced, and food insecurity increased. The money they received did not compensate for the losses. Local people also complained about the way the money was distributed.

And what are the implications for IDPs

Northern Tete province has 1.6 mn hectares available for agricultural investors, the Provincial Secretary Tete Elisa Zacarias, told the Maputo International Trade Fair on 2 September. Governor Domingos Viola went further and said 4 mn hectares of farmland were available. (Diario Economico 3 Sep) It was, again, a mark of senior Frelimo and government officials offering land to foreign investors. It feels like ProSavana again, when 11 mn hectares was offered to investors in the 2010s – and that project was defeated by the peasants who already occupied the land.

Thus the biggest obstacle for developing carbon credit plantations will be accommodating and relocating the people already on the land, who have in the past opposed such projects because they would lose out. Which suddenly makes Cabo Delgado interesting. Nearly the entire war zone of five districts has been cleared, with 745,000 war displaced people. This leaves more than 400,000 hectares empty of people, and some senior people seem to be discouraging their return.

Anadarko (now Total) has onshore exploration rights for 13,580 sq km (1.4 mn ha) in that zone which has blocked mining licences and major agriculture development in Macomia, Mocimboa da Praia, Nangade and Palma districts. There is no useful onshore gas or oil, but there appears to be a wide range of minerals including gemstones, gold and graphite. And a huge amount of unoccupied farmland.

It does appear that the Cabo Delgado oligarchs want to keep that land empty in order to make deals, in partnership with foreign companies, for mining and plantation agriculture. Palm oil and carbon credits would both be attractive export crops.

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HMS Trent deploys to West Africa to support maritime security

The Royal Navy patrol ship HMS TRENT (P224) has deployed to the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa where she will undergo security patrols in support of Britain’s allies in West Africa.

That’s according to the UK Ministry of Defence, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in a statement this week.

During the deployment the River-class patrol ship will visit Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Gambia and Cape Verde, conducting patrols and helping partner navies to build capacity through training.

During her deployment she will take part in French-led multinational training exercises that will bring together international partners in the region, known as Exercise Grand African Nemo.

This is the first time a Royal Navy ship has operated in the region for three years. HMS Trent will conduct maritime security patrols as well as support partner navies by helping them to develop key maritime skills and develop plans for future operations in the region.

The Ministry of Defence described this as a clear signal of the UK’s commitment to being more persistently engaged in the region, through which more than £6 billion of UK trade passes every year.

“This deployment shows the Integrated Review in action,” said Armed Forces Minister James Heappey. “It demonstrates how a truly Global Britain is stepping up on the world stage to tackle shared international security challenges.

“Working hand-in-hand with our allies we are utilising our forward deployed Armed Forces to tackle threats at the source, making the world a safer place for all.”

HMS Trent carries on board a contingent of Royal Marines from 42 Commando, which will train partner forces across the region in skills like boarding and searching of suspicious vessels, as well as evidence handling and medical skills.

As well delivering training to partner nations, 42 Commando are experts in boarding operations helping fight against illegal activity like piracy, drugs-smuggling and terrorism.

HMS Trent will attend the Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FoGG) G7++ conference in Dakar, which the UK is co-chairing with hosts Senegal. Britain established the group in 2013 as part of the then G8 to coordinate regional maritime security efforts.

HMS Trent’s Commanding Officer, Commander Thomas Knott, said that the deployment, which continues a year of forward deployed operations in the Black Sea and Mediterranean, marks an important return to the region for the Royal Navy demonstrating its commitment to improving maritime security in the area.

“We are extremely proud and excited to commence this deployment to what is an exciting new region for HMS Trent. We are looking forward to working with regional partners and also engaging with local communities in an effort to strengthen security,” he said.

HMS Trent is one of five Royal Navy patrol ships which are currently operating around the world in areas of critical importance to the UK – from the Indo-Pacific, South Atlantic to the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

This is part of the Royal Navy’s Forward Presence programme that seeks to put patrol ships in positions around the globe ready to respond to global events.

HMS Trent finished preparations for her patrol to West Africa earlier this week in the waters close to Gibraltar, refreshing skills following a period of maintenance and a rotation of crew.

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Berth at Port of Mwanza on Lake Victoria to undergo upgrade ahead of new ferry entering service

The Tanzanian government has instructed that the Tanzanian Ports Authority must upgrade the berth at the southern Lake Victoria port of Mwanza before the new ferry, which has been nicknamed ‘Hapa Kazi Tu’ (meaning ‘Just Work, Nothing Else’), enters service in 2022.

The ferry, otherwise referred to as VICTORIA LAKE though we are not aware of an official name as yet, will become the largest to operate on the lake, with the port at Mwanza as its port of registration.

The ferry which will carry passengers and motor vehicles, is 92.6 metres in length, 17m wide and has a height of 20 metres and a draught of 3.75 metres. Construction which is taking place in Mwanza, is to a design by Spain’s Sener and construction is under the control of GasEntec and Kangnam Corporation of South Korea.

The ferry will have the capacity of 1,200 passengers, 20 small and 3 large motor vehicles and 400 tonnes of cargo and is costing US$38.5 million (89bn Tz/-). Construction is now 54% complete with completion set for September next year.

The vessel’s service speed will be 14 knots.

As a consequence of this newbuilding, the government has instructed the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and the Marine Services Company Limited (MSCL) to upgrade the berth where the new ferry will dock when in service next year.

The vessel will operate from Mwanza to Tanzanian, Kenyan and Ugandan ports on Lake Victoria.

MSCL chief executive officer, Philemon Bagambilana, has meanwhile advised that repairs to two older ferries, MV VICTORIA and MV BUTIAMA have been completed at a cost of 25.5bn/- and 5.7bn/- respectively. Both ships are back in service on the lake.

Kenya toughens Lake Victoria compliance

In other news from the Great Lakes region, Kenya has toughened its regulations concerning compliance to maritime laws on Lake Victoria.

This follows another boating accident on the lake in Homa Bay on 21 September, when a boat accident led to the deaths of 10 people.

In future all coxwains are required to undergo formal training from Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA)-regulated colleges.

Crew operating the boats are now required to undergo medical fitness testing to enable them to navigate boats on the lake without causing accidents.

As might have been expected, the new regulations have not been accepted too happily by coxwains and boat owners, who question whether they will be able to afford the high costs of undergoing formal training.

They maintain it costs up to seven times as much as is charged to train and qualify someone to drive a motor vehicle compared with what it now costs to become a certified coxwain.

It is argued that the new ruling will result in unlawful means being employed to obtain licenses.

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Mozambique Report: Total says LNG will go ahead, but three years late

Report by Joseph Hanlon
Mozambique News Reports and Clippings

TotalEnergies expects Mozambique LNG to go ahead and to be producing in 2026 or 2027 – two or three years delayed from the expected start of 2024. It will play a part in TotalEnergies’ planned doubling of LNG sales between 2000 and 2030. The other contributors to the growth are Russian arctic, Papua and US, according to the 2021 TotalEnergies Strategy Outlook presented at the 28 September shareholders meeting.

Publishing it in an investor document makes it a firm commitment. But Patrick Pouyanné, TotalEnergies CEO, clarified that 2026 is dependent on staff returning to Mozambique in early 2022, but that is not guaranteed. “There are some positive evolutions on the ground but they have to be consolidated.”

If remobilisation is delayed further, first gas could be pushed to 2027, reported Tom Wilson, Acting Senior Energy correspondent of the Financial Times (28 Sep @thomas_m_wilson). This was confirmed by Finance Minister Adriano Maleiane who told an African Development Bank conference on 29 September that it would take a year to restart work, meaning production only in 2027. (O Pais 1 Oct)

Total is explicitly betting that the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow on 1-12 November will not crack down hard on fossil fuels, and allow gas consumption to grow. It is also betting that proposals for Rwandan troops to provide long term security will be confirmed quickly to allow work to restart. It also seems likely that ExxonMobil, the holder of the other half of Cabo Delgado Area 1, will not go ahead, and sell its interest, probably cheaply, to Total.

The decision to go ahead will have major knock-on effects in four areas, discussed in articles below: internal politics, local climate impact, trees, and the return of war displaced people.

For political reasons, Nyusi needs Total starting sooner

Energy Minister Maz Tonela said on 30 September that government would meet shortly with Total to try to convince them that security was good enough for a return to work early next year. (O Pais 1 Oct) It underlined just how much the gas and Cabo Delgado war has become part of the political battle within Frelimo.

The next Frelimo Congress will be held in just a year, on 23-28 September 2022. The Congress will select the people who will choose the next presidential candidate, thus the likely president. Mozambique has a two term limit, so Filipe Nyusi cannot stand again.

There is now an intensifying battle between the two “big beasts” – President Filipe Nyusi and former President Armando Guebuza, who are fighting for control of the party and the choice of the next president. Power over Frelimo gives economic and patronage power, and also protection against legal actions for misconduct.

Cabo Delgado is key to Nyusi’s campaign. He brought in the Rwandan troops, apparently without party approval, and he wants them to “win the war” quickly enough for Total to be seriously back at work before the Congress. That will be a huge boost for his prestige. Indeed, it could be the key victory that allows the party to change the constitution to allow him a third term. So a Rwandan victory and Total’s early return is essential for Nyusi keeping power.

The $2 bn secret debt is the other big battle zone. Guebuza was president and his people organised the loan, but Nyusi was his Defence Minister and some of the money for both party and military equipment probably passed through his hands. All of those on trial are part of Guebuza’s encourage, including his son Ndambi. But many of them have used the televised trial to ask why Nyusi is not on trial. The state TV station, TVM, has stopped its live broadcast of the trial – probably because of the challenges to Nyusi. But it is still live on STV.

The battle is also in print and social media, with Nyusi’s big retinue of praise singers on social pushing for a third term. But the other side this year set up the newspaper Evidencias to attack Nyusi. The struggle will get nastier in coming months, and a clear win on Cabo Delgado and gas would be the boost Nyusi needs.

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WHARF TALK: offshore vessel – NORMAND INSTALLER

 

Ship observers always have their own favourite type of vessel, the one that they enjoy seeing the most. For some it is container ships, to others it is Tankers. In those parts of the world where road traffic is moved in great numbers, it is Ro-Ro or Ro-Pax ferries, and in areas where the offshore oil and gas industry is prevalent, it is offshore support, towage and construction vessels.

From many years of working in the combination world of helicopters and the offshore oil and gas industry, my favourite type is any offshore vessel that comes with its own helideck.

On 28th September at 04h00 the offshore construction vessel NORMAND INSTALLER (IMO 9328819) arrived in the Table Bay anchorage from Maputo in Mozambique, where she had been operating for the previous two months. She remained at anchor for only a short period and at 11h00 she entered Cape Town harbour and proceeded directly to the Eastern Mole.

As with all similar arrivals of offshore vessels, she had called in, ostensibly, for bunkers, fresh supplies, stores and to effect a crew change, whilst transiting from one offshore contract to another. As soon as she was alongside, the bunker tanker Al Safa came alongside to transfer bunker fuel, the ship chandler’s vehicles arrived, and the ship agent’s fleet of crew transfer minibuses lined up alongside the vessel, to start the transfer of crew to the airport, and home. With all her requirements met, Normand Installer sailed from Cape Town on 29th September at 14h00, with her destination set as Georgetown, in the South American nation of Guyana.

Completed in 2006, with her hull being built at the Maritim Shipyard at Gdansk in Poland, and her outfitting and sea trials being completed at Ulstein Verft, in Norway, Normand Installer is 124 metres in length and has a deadweight of 9,512 tons. She is an extremely complex vessel, diesel-electric powered, with DP3 classification, and her power requirements are as complex.

She is powered by four main engines, namely two Wärtsilä 16V32 16 cylinder 4 stroke engines producing 10,300 bhp (7,680 kW) each, and two Wärtsilä 8L32 8 cylinder 4 stroke engines producing 5,150 bhp (3,840 kW) each. These are linked to two Wärtsilä SV105 gearboxes, which via electric motors, drive two Wärtsilä LIPS CPS115 controllable pitch propellers in fixed nozzles, with twin spade rudders, which are both fitted with flaps. This gives her a transit speed of 12 knots.

To provide her manoeuvrability via her Kongsberg DP3 system, she has two forward Wärtsilä CT250M-D tunnel thrusters providing 1,500 kW each, two aft Wärtsilä CT250M-D tunnel thrusters providing 1,500 kW each, and a forward centereline Wärtsilä LIPS FS225-240/MNR azimuth thruster, also providing 1,500 kW. For emergency power she has a Caterpillar CP generator providing 200 kW.

Designed by Wärtsila Ship Design to their VS2404 design, and costing NOK650 million to build (ZAR1.12 billion or US$74.43 million), Normand Installer is owned by Solstad Offshore ASA of Skudesneshamn in Norway, and is operated by Single Buoy Mooring (SBM) Offshore of Monaco. She is managed by Advanced Deep Sea Installation (ADSI), who are a joint venture between Solstad and SBM, with the Solstad logo adorning her funnel, and the logo of SMB adorning the accommodation block.

Capable of offshore construction, including both ‘J’ and ‘S’ lay methods of rigid and flexible pipelaying, she has a 250 ton heave compensated, crane, a 175 ton heave compensated crane, and a 350 ton ‘A’ Frame for overside and stern operations. Equipped with a large moonpool and two overside ROV stations, Normand Installer can conduct subsea construction operations up to a depth of 3,000 metres, providing either horizontal lay, or vertical lay, of pipelines. She can accommodate 100 persons on any offshore project.

Her aft working deck is set on two levels, with the upper working deck level providing 1,272 m2 of cargo deck space, capable of taking a cargo load of 4,300 tons. Her lower working deck level is equipped as an anchor handling area, and she is provided with towing winches capable of a bollard pull of 309 tons, which enables her to also act as both an anchor handler, and an emergency tug in any given situation.

She has an underdeck pipeline and cable carousel, capable of holding a load of 2,000 tons of either flexible pipes, umbilical cables or risers. The carousel was built by Marine Fabricators Ltd. of Newcastle-on-Tyne in the UK in 2009. The carousel was then shipped out to Durban in sections, and Dormac fitted the new carousel in Normand Installer at their Bayhead facility, completing the fitting in July 2009.

This is not her first call into a South African port this year, as she called for a bunker stop at Ngqura, back in May, when she was positioning from the North Sea to her new contract in Mozambique. Prior to this, she has also called into Port Louis, at Mauritius in November 2017, and had made a further call in Cape Town back in October 2015.

Her current positioning voyage to Guyana is to support the ExxonMobil Liza Field project in the Stabroek Block, situated almost 110 nautical miles offshore, and at a water depth of 1,600 metres. Back in 2020, Normand Installer began the subsea development of the Liza Field with the laying of the subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) required to tieback the field to the incoming FPSO.

The FPSO is called ‘Liza Unity’, and was completed at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore. She is owned by SBM Offshore, and she departed Singapore for Guyana on 28th August, and at the time of writing was about to round the Cape of Good Hope, under tow by ALP Defender, and with three other ALP vessels in attendance, with a bunkering call expected to be made in Walvis Bay.

The next field development by ExxonMobil offshore Guyana is the Payara Field, and Keppel Shipyard are currently completing the FPSO for that field development, to be called ‘Prosperity’ and again owned by SBM Offshore. Due to its SBM connection, it is thought that Normand Installer will also be involved with the laying of all SURF requirements, to tieback this FPSO to the subsea development in the Payara Field.

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IN CONVERSATION South Africa’s massive ‘sardine run’ leads fish into an ecological trap

 

Peter Teske, University of Johannesburg; Carl van der Lingen, University of Cape Town; Christopher David McQuaid, Rhodes University, and Luciano Beheregaray, Flinders University

One of the world’s most spectacular marine migrations is the KwaZulu-Natal sardine run. The so-called “greatest shoal on Earth” takes place during the southern hemisphere’s winter. It involves the movement of tens to hundreds of millions of sardines from the warm-temperate waters of South Africa’s south coast to the subtropical waters of the east coast, over a thousand kilometres away.

This annual mass migration, first reported in 1853, is triggered by cold water upwelling on South Africa’s south-east coast. In this process, cold, nutrient-rich water rises up from the deep, creating a highly productive food web. The migration attracts vast numbers of predators: the sardine schools are followed northwards by seabirds, sharks, seals, dolphins and even large baleen whales. These devour as many of the helpless sardines as they can, which is made easier by the fact that their prey is sandwiched between dry land and the hot, tropical waters of the southward-flowing Agulhas Current, which exceed the sardines’ physiological tolerances.

To make matters worse, those fish that survive the predation still don’t have it easy: the journey is so strenuous that the sardines which eventually arrive on the east coast are emaciated. This goes against what scientists understand about animal migrations – such large-scale population movements normally provide some “selective advantage” by allowing animals to make optimal use of environmental resources.

Surely the obvious negatives of participating in the sardine run must be hugely outweighed by some fitness benefits to make it all worthwhile? The answer, our new research suggests, is “no” – and the reasons for the sardines’ behaviour lies in their genes.

A distinct east coast population?

One popular explanation for why the sardine run occurs is that the migration might be a relic of spawning behaviour dating back to the last glacial period, about 10,000 years ago. What is now subtropical Indian Ocean habitat may have been an important nursery area with cooler waters.

When the ice age ended, the sardines would have physiologically adapted to tolerate the subtropical conditions in this region, and evolved into a distinct east coast population that continues to spawn there to this day. These sardines mix with south coast sardines during summer, then separate from them in winter as they migrate up the east coast. The presence of sardine eggs in the plankton confirms that spawning does occur in this region.

Surprisingly, we discovered that sardines participating in the migration are not part of a distinct east coast population. Instead, they primarily originate from the colder waters off South Africa’s Atlantic west coast. Why would these sardines migrate to the opposite end of the country, only to end up in habitat that is obviously too warm for them? We suggest that the fish are drawn into what amounts to an ecological trap – a rare example of a mass migration that has no obvious fitness benefits.

Genomic analyses

Our research started from the assumption that the sardine run represents the spawning migration of a distinct stock of sardines that is physiologically well adapted to tolerate subtropical conditions.

Physical characteristics and other data indicate that sardines on the east coast are indeed distinct. But this may result from different environmental pressures, including the stress of participating in the migration. We knew that understanding the sardines’ heritable genetic traits would provide stronger evidence for this hypothesis – or debunk it.

So we used thousands of genetic markers from across the genomes of hundreds of sardines captured throughout the species’ South African range. Although most of these markers showed little differentiation, a suite of genetic markers with a signal of adaptation to water temperature showed regional differences.

We found evidence for two regional populations – but it was not the east coast sardines that were distinct. Instead, we found genetic differences within the species’ temperate core range: one population was associated with South Africa’s cool-temperate west coast (Atlantic Ocean) and the other with the warm-temperate south coast (Indian Ocean).

The strong affiliation with water temperature suggests that thermal adaptation maintains these regional patterns; each population cluster is adapted to the temperature range that it experiences in its native region.

The sardines participating in the run showed a clear affiliation with the west coast population. Not only are these sardines not well adapted to subtropical conditions, but they actually prefer the colder, upwelled waters of the south-eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Major riddles solved

This study solves some of the major riddles concerning the sardine run, which make perfect sense in the light of the new evidence.

Our findings explain why only a small fraction of the sardines present on the south coast participates in the run. The bulk of those sardines are native to this region and are adapted to warm-temperate conditions. Because of this, they show little interest in the cold, upwelled water.

The results also provide an explanation why no sardine runs occur in years when there is no cold water upwelling. The upwelling on the south-east coast attracts west coast sardines that have dispersed to the south coast, but that are not well adapted to the warmer water temperatures in this region. They essentially consider the upwelling regions in the south-east to be west coast habitat. For a short time, it is as if they are back home in the Atlantic – but when the upwelling ends and water temperatures rise, their fateful error is revealed.

At this point, the predators have gotten wind of their presence, and as the sardines try to escape, they travel ever farther north into unbearably warm subtropical habitat. The fate of the fish that survive the sardine run is uncertain.

Our genomic explanation shows that much still remains to be discovered about how marine life interacts with its environment. A great deal of integrative, multidisciplinary research is still needed before humans can efficiently and sustainably benefit from the incredible diversity of life and the resources available in the sea.

Peter Teske, Professor of Marine Genomics, University of Johannesburg; Carl van der Lingen, Honorary Research Associate, University of Cape Town; Christopher David McQuaid, Distinguished Professor, Rhodes University, and Luciano Beheregaray, Professor of Biodiversity Genomics, Flinders University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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TRADE NEWS: Jan De Nul contracts Castor Marine to connect entire fleet

80 vessels migrate to VSAT, Iridium and VoIP software and hardware

Jan De Nul Group, a leading expert in marine construction, civil engineering and environmental projects, has moved its entire fleet of 82 vessels and jack-up barges to Castor Marine’s global VSAT and Iridium connectivity network on a long-term contract to guarantee solid vessel connectivity.

Castor Marine has been selected by Jan De Nul Group to provide global VSAT internet and Iridium L-Band services to the entire fleet of almost 80 dredgers, offshore construction vessels, crane vessels and (environmental) support vessels.

3-Month Global Migration

Since all vessels are operational around the globe, Castor Marine was challenged to….

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

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Kenya commissions new naval base in Manda Bay

President Uhuru Kenyatta has officially opened Kenya’s second naval base, the upgraded Manda Bay Forward Operations Base (FOB) in the north-east of the country strategically situated for the protection of the new port of Lamu and the marine aspects of the Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (Lapsset) project.

The FOB performed an important role in the capture of the Somali port town of Kismayo by the Kenya Defence Forces in September 2012.

On that occasion and under the codename Operation Sledge Hammer, members of the Kenya Army, Air Force and Naval Forces, together with elements of Somali militia, seized the port and town of Kismayo from Islamist Al Shabaab forces.

The Forward Base is now an official and fully fledged naval base, close to the Somalia border with Kenya and the new Lamu port and container terminal which opened in recent months.

President Kenyatta said that by upgrading Manda Bay to a full naval base was further evidence of Kenya’s determination of protecting Kenya’s territory. He said the base will play a key role in achieving that the region near the border remained secure and safe.

In January 2020 Manda Bay FOB came under attack by Al Shabaab militants*, during which three US military personnel and an undisclosed number of Kenyans were killed.

* READ ALSO HERE

Meanwhile, Kenya’s National Land Commission says it will be acquiring an additional 5,000 hectares of land for the expansion of the Manda Bay base.

Manda Bay has a jetty from which vessels can be loaded and unloaded with military equipment plus there is an all-weather airstrip with a 1.3 kilometre length runway.

Aircraft such as C-130 transport and other fixed wing aircraft including helicopters are able to land and use the runway and base facilities.

The base is equipped with a sickbay and trauma centre to provide medical support to KDF and other personnel.

It also has a Multi-Agency Command Centre (MACC) responsible for collecting intelligence plus a facility to host a US Forward Operating Location that falls under operational control of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa in Djibouti.

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President Ramaphosa gives ‘green light’ for cruises

MSC Cruises said yesterday (Monday 3 October 2021) it warmly welcomes the announcement made by President Ramaphosa to move the country to lockdown level 1 and his endeavour to reopen the economy.

“We are delighted that the new measures will allow cruise ships to operate in-line with national health protocols and we are now waiting for the government’s guidelines for the resumption of cruises for South African holidaymakers.”

The statement said MSC Cruises will soon reconfirm the schedule of cruises planned for the season 21/22.

“We will continue to work in tandem with all of the relevant authorities to prepare for our return to South African waters and share with them, of course, the great amount of data we have accumulated and knowledge we have learned since we resumed safe sailing in August 2020 for cruises in the Mediterranean Sea.

“That experience has been subsequently bolstered and paved the way for us to resume sailings around the UK, Europe, North America and the Middle East which has enabled tens of thousands of people to enjoy a relaxing, enjoyable and above all else, safe time with us at sea.

“We now look forward to welcoming our South African guests on board in the near future for a wonderful holiday with a health and safety protocol that has led the way in the global cruise industry.”

The good news also means that the new cruise terminal nearing completion at Durban will be launched with a cruise ship on the berth opposite. Watch this space.

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WHARF TALK: Dolphin S57 type bulker – STAR CEPHEUS

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

The use of retrofitted scrubber units on vessels is increasing, and is to be seen in South African ports, mostly adorning the largest of the container ships, as well as many of the MR2 and LR1 product tankers that call. It is not often that the ship observer manages to spot a retrofitted scrubber unit that is clamped on to the back of a standard, geared, bulk carrier.

On 19th September at 16h00 the Supramax, geared, bulk carrier STAR CEPHEUS (IMO 9594597) arrived in the Table Bay anchorage from Klaipeda, in Lithuania. After a five hour wait, she entered Cape Town harbour at 21h00 that evening and proceeded to B berth in the Duncan Dock, where she began her discharge of a parcel of fertiliser.

Built in 2012 by the Jiangsu Hantong Shipyard at Tongzhou in China, Star Cepheus is a bulk carrier of the Dolphin S57 design, and she is 190 metres in length and has a deadweight of 56,539 tons. She is powered by a single Doosan MAN-B&W 6S50MC-C 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine, producing 12,880 bhp (9,840 kW) to drive a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 14.2 knots. Her stand out feature is a retrofitted scrubber unit attached to the funnel, and one with no aesthetic design function whatsoever.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three Daihatsu 6DK-20 generators providing 900 kW each, and a Cummins 6CT-8.2D(M) emergency generator providing 194 kW. She has a Kangrim Composite PCZZZZZ004 exhaust gas boiler. She has five holds, served by four 35 ton cranes, and she has a bulk cargo carrying grain capacity of 71,632 m3.

She is owned by Star Bulk Carriers of Athens, operated by Technomar Shipping, also of Athens, and managed by Star Management of Athens. When purchased by her current owners in June 2019, Star Cepheus was one of eleven Dolphin S57 sisterships, purchased as a block transaction for US$139 million (ZAR2.08 billion).

That her cargo of fertiliser originated in the Baltic state of Lithuania is of no surprise, as the port of Klaipeda is the largest fertiliser export port in the whole of the Baltic Sea region. Klaipeda has three bulk fertiliser terminals, and two liquid fertiliser terminals.

In 2020, the Lithuanian fertiliser export trade amounted to 8.57 million tons, of which 6.9 million tons was bulk fertiliser, 1.27 million tons is liquid fertiliser, and 410,000 tons is packed fertiliser. The export of fertiliser from Klaipeda had a value of US$833.7 million (ZAR12.47 billion) to the Lithuanian economy.

Up until June 2021, neighbouring Belarus exported the majority of its Potash fertiliser through the port of Klaipeda. However, as a result of events within Belarus, and the policies of the Belarus regime, the European Union (EU) applied sanctions in June that have severely restricted the export of Belarus fertiliser through any EU port.

It is likely that these sanctions are to be extended this month, which means that no Belarus fertiliser will be allowed through Lithuania. The only option available for the Belarus authorities to export fertiliser, in pursuit of much needed foreign currency, will be to direct it via Russian ports.

For the cosmologists amongst you, for those who enjoy mythology, and those who are interested in the etymology of ships’ names, Cepheus is a star constellation in the Northern Sky, and named after a King of Aethiopia from Greek Mythology. Cepheus was married to Cassiopeia (another constellation), and father to Andromeda (yet another constellation), who married Perseus (yes, you guessed it, a constellation).

On completion of her discharge of the fertiliser parcel in Cape Town, Star Cepheus sailed on 25th September at 17h00, bound for Port Elizabeth. On departure the Transnet Harbour Pilot was taken off by the Harbour Workboat Kestrel, and not by a Pilot launch.

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DP World Maputo reaches new heights in container handling and transShipment at Port of Maputo

DP World Maputo, which has the concession to manage, develop, and operate the Maputo container terminal in Mozambique, has once again welcomed Hamburg Süd’s  SANTA CATARINA, the largest container vessel to visit the port.

The vessel completed a volume interchange of 9,314 TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units), nearly tripling the terminal’s previous highest container volume from a single vessel, highlighting its capability as a world-class gateway to Southern Africa and beyond.

DP World Maputo also handled more than 20,000 TEUs during the past month, compared to the previous record of just over 18,300 TEUs achieved in September 2019.

DP World’s investment of $90 million supported the transformation of the port’s processes and capabilities, including new equipment and digital solutions. This, paired with ongoing development of staff, has enabled the terminal to handle some of the largest Southern Africa bound vessels.

Due to its larger capacity, the port has significantly cut down on vessel waiting times, meaning maximum reliability for importers and exporters.

“Thanks to the transformative upgrades at the port, DP World Maputo is continuing our growth strategy to offer the efficient gateway for Southern Africa customers,” said Christian Roeder, Chief Executive Officer at DP World Maputo.

“Our newly improved infrastructure and dedicated team mean that we can handle a new scale of operations, effectively, and with minimal waiting times. DP World Maputo is well placed to be a facilitator for global trade in the region, ensuring a long-lasting positive impact on the economy and society,” he said.

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TransNamib leases additional locomotives from South Africa to increase capacity

TransNamib, the state-owned rail operator in Namibia, has leased four diesel-electric locomotives from South Africa in order to increase capacity.

This was confirmed to a Namibian newspaper, New Era, that the lease is on the basis of a short to medium term strategy.

The first locomotive has already arrived in Namibia to enter into service, with the remaining three set to follow during October. The lease is for a period of eight months.

The cost of the lease was not disclosed. It is not clear whether the leasing of these locos is with Transnet Freight Rail or one of the independent operators of locomotives in South Africa.

Prior to Namibian independence and the establishment of TransNamib, the railway in Namibia was operated by Transnet. The newly independent country inherited a fleet of diesel-electric locomotives from South Africa, some of which have since been retired. Others remain out of service.

TransNamib’s spokesperson Abigail Raubenheimer said TransNamib has been transparent in terms of the challenges with outdated rolling stock.

“Some of our locomotives are over 50 years old, while the lifespan of a locomotive is 25 years. We have done as much as we can and pushed as much as possible with the current rolling stock but in order to reach our plan of becoming a profitable company, we need rolling stock that is reliable and safe; hence, the acquisition of the leased locomotives is a strategic decision for TransNamib to be able to increase its capacity immediately,” Raubenheimer told New Era.

According to Raubenheimer, TransNamib is engaged in improving its capacity in the long-term via the refurbishing of 33 locomotives.

This project is being held up waiting for confirmation of funding, she said.

TransNamib currently has about 25 locomotives that are actively operational on the mainline and for shunting. To operate the business efficiently, the company requires 75 locos, Raubenheimer said. This would consist of 50 mainline locos and 25 for shunting duties.

The eight leased locos would in the meantime provide immediate relief to TransNamib’s business, while waiting for approval to be given for the refurbishment of the other locomotives. “We still need to operate and increase our capacities and efficiencies,” she said.

During a media discussion recently TransNamib CEO Johny Smith said the company had more than 150 meetings with potential funders and only one is still hanging in there. Smith said that everybody else ran away after they saw the company financials.

“As part of getting TransNamib sustainable, there are activities that needs to be implemented. We need to get more locomotive capacity. There is also a need for certain upgrades for facilities and railway lines – and all this forms part of the business plan,” he said. source: New Era

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Sri Lanka Ports Authority in BOT agreement for new container terminal

The Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) has entered into a Build, Own and Transfer Agreement (BOT) for the development and lease for 35 years of the Colombo West International Terminal Limited. The deepwater terminal with a depth of 20 metres, a quay length of 1,400 metres and an annual container capacity of 3.2 million TEU, will cost a total of US$650 million.

Signing the agreement with SLPA was Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ), together with foreign investor John Keells Holdings PLC (JHK).

Future operator of the terminal will be Adani who signed the agreement with the other parties last week Thursday, 30 September 2021, according to JHK.

The new terminal is to be in the Port of Colombo and will operate in competition with the Colombo International Container Terminal and the southern Port of Hambantota which are both operated by China Merchants Port Holdings.

The Chinese took control of the Port of Hambantota some years back after Sri Lanka was unable to meet its financial obligations to the Chinese. This led to fears that Hambantota would be used by the Chinese PLA Navy as a naval base in the Eastern Indian Ocean and led to guarantees in respect of minimal naval use of the port.

Nevertheless the growing Chinese influence in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions has been of increasing concern to neighbouring India and other nations with similar interests.

It is understood that APSEZ will own a controlling 51% of the terminal, with John Keells Holdings PLC owning 34% stake and the balance of 15% held by the SLPA.

After the 35 year concession is over the terminal will become the sole property of the SLPA.

Construction is set to commence in 2022.

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Transnet infrastructure investment pays off: SA citrus exports up 12 per cent

This year Transnet Port Terminals has handled 12% more export citrus after some significant infrastructure investment.

In 2020 Transnet SOC Ltd made a capital investment of R2 billion (113,582 million euros) into equipment at its terminals and it has more recently announced its intentions to approach the market seeking an investment partner in its ports and terminals.

Recent discussions between Transnet and industry stakeholders are based on the desire to build a relationship of mutual trust with our key stakeholders, the company has said.

“Where there are challenges, we acknowledge these, and are putting forward options and interventions to improve the situation. We value the relationship with our customers, and will continue to ensure that we improve our service to them,” Transnet said in a statement.

At recent briefings with stakeholders, appreciation for the greater openness among the Transnet senior team was in fact expressed as well as an acknowledgment of Transnet staff’s commitment despite elements out of the company’s control such as the global shortage in reefer containers, the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown, the July unrest and the cyber attack that followed on its heels.

Fruit industry stakeholders have remarked that there has been a significant improvement in communication from Transnet’s side and a greater willingness to share plans to deal with the challenges since the appointment of new Group CEO Portia Derby in February last year. Ms Derby was formerly director-general of the Department of Public Enterprises.

New equipment procured for various ports

This citrus season Transnet Port Terminals has handled 12% more export citrus fruit.

“Durban has had particularly heightened export demand, demonstrated by reefer occupancy exceeding 75% for the past four weeks. To date, TPT has handled over 99,744 forty foot equivalent units (containers) of citrus fruit, compared to 94,185 last year. Volumes in Gqeberha and Ngqura Container Terminals are also recovering following the European Union’s delayed commencement of its service and lack of shipping opportunities that have affected volumes headed for the Middle and Far East markets.”

The R2 billion capital investment procured 22 new straddle carriers for Durban. In the Eastern Cape, an upgraded automated gate system with 6 in-gates and 4 out-gates in Ngqura and the deployment of a mixed crane operation using the new ship-to-shore cranes simultaneous with a mobile harbour crane in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).

“To ensure the success of the citrus season,” the company continues, “Transnet also had additional seasonal reefer workers, the acquisition of about 1,300 additional plug points as well as identifying potential bottlenecks and initiating mitigations to address – in a proactive manner.”

The company said it reiterates its commitment to assisting the South Africa’s citrus industry’s continued growth.

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WHARF TALK: a tug named – OUBANGUI

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

Less than a month since a brand new, Damen built, ASD 2813 tug transited through Cape Town, en-route from the Damen shipyard in Vietnam, to her new home in Cotonou in West Africa, than yet one more newbuild makes her way from yet another Damen yard to West Africa.

On 30th September at 04h00, the brand new harbour tug OUBANGUI (IMO 9770878) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage, from Port Victoria in the Seychelles, and she held off the port for a short five hours, when at 09h00 she entered Cape Town harbour and proceeded directly to the Repair Quay.

Built in 2021, and commissioned only in July, by the Albwardy Damen Shipyard at Sharjah in the UAE, Oubangui is 28 metres in length and has a deadweight of 153 tons. She is a popular Damen ASD 2810 tug, where ASD stands for Azimuth Stern Drive and her length and beam are the following numbers. The ASD 2810 is the best selling design of all Damen harbour tugs, with over 150 of them sold, all around the world, since they were first introduced way back in 2002.

She is powered by two Caterpillar 3516C TA HD/C 16 cylinder main engines, each producing 2,500 bhp (1,865 kW), and driving two Rolls-Royce US255 azimuth thrusters, with fixed pitch propellers, to give her a sea speed of 12.9 knots. She can accommodate 8 crewmembers.

She is named after the Oubangi River, or Ubangi River, which is the largest river that flows into the northern side of the mighty Congo River, and through the Republic of Congo.

Her auxiliary machinery includes two Caterpillar C4.4 TA generators providing 107 kVA, and a Caterpillar C32 ACERT generator, which gives her FiFi1 firefighting capability, via two fire monitors, the ability to pump 1,200 m3 per hour. Her bollard pull is 58 tons.

Damen are well known for building vessels for stock purposes, which enables them to respond very quickly to orders, which require quick delivery times. The order for Oubangui was only made in October 2020. She was completed for her new owners, the Port Authority of Pointe Noire, in the Republic of Congo, known as Port Autonome de Pointe-Noire (PAPN).

PAPN already have two other ASD 2810 tugs operating in the port of Pointe Noire, with LOUFOULAKARI being completed by the Damen Galati shipyard, at Galati in Rumania, and delivered in 2011, and MASSABI which was completed by the Damen Song Cam shipyard, at Haiphong in Vietnam, and delivered in 2019.

The acquisition, and introduction, of modern tugs at Pointe-Noire is a result of a large investment programme for all elements of the port, where EUR128 million (ZAR2.21 billion) of public funding, and EUR200 million (ZAR3.45 billion) of private funding, was provided to bring the port up to date, with modern facilities in all areas, and for all trades, and enable Pointe Noire to compete with any other port in the region.

As with the larger Damen ASD 2813 tug, delivered to Cotonou earlier in September, Oubangui is currently registered in St.Vincent, solely for her delivery voyage, although her home port of Pointe-Noire is very visible on her hull.

Her delivery voyage from Sharjah included a short bunkers, and stores, stop at Port Victoria in the Seychelles, and her arrival in Cape Town allowed both the local Damen and Caterpillar technicians to go aboard her and ensure all of their systems were working perfectly. She was due to depart from Cape Town, bound for her new home, yesterday (3rd October.

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IN CONVERSATION: Global shortage of shipping containers highlights their importance in getting goods to Amazon warehouses, store shelves and your door in time for Christmas

 

Anna Nagurney, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Take a look around you.

Perhaps you’re snacking on a banana, sipping some coffee or sitting in front of your computer and taking a break from work to read this article. Most likely, those goods – as well as your smartphone, refrigerator and virtually every other object in your home – once were loaded onto a large container in another country and traveled thousands of miles via ships crossing the ocean before ultimately arriving at your doorstep.

Today, an estimated 90% of the world’s goods are transported by sea, with 60% of that – including virtually all your imported fruits, gadgets and appliances – packed in large steel containers. The rest is mainly commodities like oil or grains that are poured directly into the hull. In total, about US$14 trillion of the world’s goods spend some time inside a big metal box.

In short, without the standardized container, the global supply chain that society depends upon – and that I study – would not exist.

A recent shortage of these containers is raising costs and snarling supply chains of thousands of products across the world. The situation highlights the importance of the simple yet essential cargo containers that, from a distance, resemble Lego blocks floating on the sea.

Ceramic containers called amphorae were often used by the Greeks and others to transfer liquids like wine as well as grains.  

Trade before the container

Since the dawn of commerce, people have been using boxes, sacks, barrels and containers of varying sizes to transport goods over long distances. Phoenicians in 1600 B.C. Egypt ferried wood, fabrics and glass to Arabia in sacks via camel-driven caravans. And hundreds of years later, the Greeks used ancient storage containers known as amphorae to transport wine, olive oil and grain on triremes that plied the Mediterranean and neighboring seas to other ports in the region.

Even as trade grew more advanced, the process of loading and unloading as goods were transferred from one method of transportation to another remained very labor-intensive, time-consuming and costly, in part because containers came in all shapes and sizes. Containers from a ship being transferred onto a smaller rail car, for example, often had to be opened up and repacked into a boxcar.

Different-sized packages also meant space on a ship could not be effectively utilized, and also created weight and balance challenges for a vessel. And goods were more likely to experience damage from handling or theft due to exposure.

A trade revolution

The U.S. military began exploring the use of standardized small containers to more efficiently transport guns, bombs and other materiel to the front lines during World War II.

But it was not until the 1950s that American entrepreneur Malcolm McLean realized that by standardizing the size of the containers being used in global trade, loading and unloading of ships and trains could be at least partially mechanized, thereby making the transfer from one mode of transportation to another seamless. This way products could remain in their containers from the point of manufacture to delivery, resulting in reduced costs in terms of labor and potential damage.

In 1956 McLean created the standard cargo container, which is basically still the standard today. He originally built it at a length of 33 feet – soon increased to 35 – and 8 feet wide and tall.

This system dramatically reduced the cost of loading and unloading a ship. In 1956, manually loading a ship cost $5.86 per ton; the standardized container cut that cost to just 16 cents a ton. Containers also made it much easier to protect cargo from the elements or pirates, since they are made of durable steel and remain locked during transport.

The U.S. made great use of this innovation during the Vietnam War to ship supplies to soldiers, who sometimes even used the containers as shelters.

Today, the standard container size is 20 feet long, eight feet wide and nine feet tall – a size that’s become known as a “20-foot-equivalent container unit,” or TEU. There are actually a few different standard sizes, such as 40 feet long or a little taller, though they all have the same width. One of the key advantages is that whatever size a ship uses, they all, like Lego blocks, fit neatly together with virtually no empty spaces.

This innovation made the modern globalized world possible. The quantity of goods carried by containers soared from 102 million metric tons in 1980 to about 1.83 billion metric tons as of 2017. Most of the container traffic flows across the Pacific Ocean or between Europe and Asia.

Ships get huge

The standardization of container sizes has also led to a surge in ship size. The more containers packed on a ship, the more a shipping company can earn on each journey.

In fact, the average size of a container ship has doubled in the past 20 years alone. The largest ships sailing today are capable of hauling 24,000 containers – that’s a carrying capacity equivalent to how much a freight train 44 miles long could hold. Put another way, a ship named the Globe with a capacity of 19,100 20-foot containers could haul 156 million pairs of shoes, 300 million tablet computers or 900 million cans of baked beans – in case you’re feeling hungry.

The Ever Given, the ship that blocked traffic through the Suez Canal for almost a week in March 2021, has a similar capacity, 20,000 containers.

In terms of cost, imagine this: The typical pre-pandemic price of transporting a 20-foot container carrying over 20 tons of cargo from Asia to Europe was about the same as an economy ticket to fly the same journey.

Cost of success

But the growing size of ships has a cost, as the Ever Given incident showed.

Maritime shipping has grown increasingly important to global supply chains and trade, yet it was rather invisible until the logjam and blockage of the Suez Canal. As the Ever Given was traversing the narrow 120-mile canal, fierce wind gusts blew it to the bank, and its 200,000 tons of weight got it stuck in the muck.

About 12% of the world’s global shipping traffic passes through this canal. At one point during the blockage, at least 369 ships were stuck waiting to pass through the canal from either side, costing an estimated $9.6 billion a day. That translates to $400 million an hour, or $6.7 million a minute.

[Over 110,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

Ship-building companies continue to work on building ever larger container vessels, and there’s little evidence this trend will stop anytime soon. Some experts forecast that ships capable of carrying loads 50% larger than the Ever Given’s will be plying the open seas by 2030.

In other words, the shipping container remains more popular – and in demand – than ever.

This is an updated version of an article originally published on April 5, 2021.

Anna Nagurney, Eugene M. Isenberg Chair in Integrative Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Nigeria’s ultra modern Records Centre in commission

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), in order to achieve operational efficiency, recently commissioned a state-of-the-art ultra modern e-Documents Management and Records centre at its Corporate Headquarters in Marina Lagos.

The unveiling of the Records Management and Solution Centre was performed by the Acting Managing Director of the Authority, Mohammed Bello Koko who described it as aimed at comprehensively improving the Agency’s position at developing seamless customer-based services and operations.

He said the intent of the NPA is to sustain competitiveness in the sub-region by giving priority to documents safety through automation and digitalisation

Bello Koko, who even more recently said the NPA is poised to leverage Nigeria’s status as Africa’s biggest economy into becoming the country’s maritime hub status in the region, said that in adherence to the Authority’s plan to deploy a 360 degree Document Management solution, management intends migrating from physical archiving to digitalisation up to work flow via an Electronic Documents Management Solution (EDMS), with strategies to localise the same at Port locations as functional retention centres.

At the moment the NPA has two other functional retention centres in Apapa and Port Harcourt to serve the Lagos and Eastern ports respectively. This is in addition to another record centre undergoing automation which is located along the Apapa port area.

He added that the speed and seamless nature of the EDMS in records storage and processing has a bearing on the organization’s intention of achieving customer satisfaction and excellence whilst promoting the ease of doing business.

“In fact this event is very much in synchronization with our drive towards attaining compliance status of the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO).”

“This,” he said, “includes meeting legal obligations for accurate storage and retrievals.”

He added that the documents Management Solutions would institute a clear regime of improved accountability and transparency in addition to strengthening the NPA’sour auditing system and training process to a world class standard.

It is envisaged that before the end of 2021, the pilot project of the end-to-end documents management solution would have been achieved.

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WHARF TALK: bulker from Ehoala – BRANT

Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’

Being on the crossroads of all of the major sea-lanes linking East with West, and North with South, means that bunkering is a major source of revenue for the providers in Cape Town. It also means that the shipping observer gets to see some of the more exotic vessels that ply our seas, and are not the normal fayre. Occasionally, the bunker visitor has not got a story to tell, or is even considered exotic, but it still excites the casual observer when it calls in.

On 22nd September at 22h00 the fully laden, handysize bulk carrier, BRANT (IMO 9393151) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage, from Ehoala in Madagascar. After a short three hour wait at anchor, she entered Cape Town harbour at 01h00 on 23rd September, and berthed at the Eastern Mole.

As is mostly the case, the Eastern Mole callers are almost exclusively bunker and stores only callers, and after a short eleven hour stop, Brant sailed at 13h00 the same day, 23rd September, for Sorel, in Quebec, which is located up the St. Lawrence River in Canada.

Built in 2008 by Shanhaiguan Shipbuilding at Qinhuangdao in China, Brant is 185 metres in length and has a deadweight of 30,777 tons. She is powered by a single Yichang MAN-B&W 6S46MC-C7 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine, producing 9,655 bhp (7,200 kW) to drive a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 14 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three Daihatsu 6DK-20 generators providing 680 kW each, and a Sisu 634DSBG emergency generator providing 125 kW. She has a composite SAACKE Qingdao Marine Boiler Works CMB-VF boiler.

One of 12 sisterships, Brant has six holds, providing a cargo carrying capacity of 37,910 m3. Her holds are served by three MacGregor Electro-Hydraulic 30 ton cranes.

Owned by Navarone SA, of Athens, Brant is operated by Canadian Forest Navigation, of Montreal in Canada, and whose funnel colours she carries, and she is managed by Navarone Marine Enterprise of Athens.

All of her sisterships are named after species of Duck and Geese, from around the world, with Brant being a derivation of the more commonly named Brent Goose. One of her sisters is named Maccoa, which South African ornithologists will know is a resident South African species of Duck.

Prior to her arrival at Ehoala in Madagascar, Brant had discharged her previous cargo in Djibouti. Her fully laden arrival in Cape Town gave a clue as to what cargo she was carrying for the end user in Canada. Ehoala is a new port, located 10km southwest of the town of Tôlanaro (Fort Dauphin), in the far southeast of Madagascar.

The port was constructed, and only brought into full operation, in 2009. Ehoala was built by the giant mining company, Rio Tinto, and was built solely to serve their local mineral sands mine, which produces Ilmenite, which is a Titanium Dioxide ore, and is exported through Ehoala. On occasion cruise ships have called at Ehoala, the original port at Fort Dauphin being far too small for modern ships.

Almost certainly, Brant is carrying a full cargo of Ilmenite, bound for Canada.

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SGM donates to Home Run for Education

Sturrock Grindrod Maritime (SGM) recently celebrated the success of two runners, Solly Malatsi and Makashule Gana, who completed a 523 km run from Soweto to Tzaneen in 16 days. This mammoth fundraising initiative called Home Run for Education raised R500,000. SGM donated R35,000 towards this worthy cause.

The funds will be donated to primary and secondary schools in Lefara, Moduane, and surrounding villages to assist poor households with school uniforms, stationery, and sanitary pads for school-going children. Many residents in this impoverished area rely on social grants to make ends meet, and employment opportunities are scarce. This makes it difficult to invest in children’s education, leading to further risk of future unemployment.

After most social running events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual runs were introduced across the country. Malatsi found they weren’t as fulfilling and decided he wanted to pair the physical challenge of running with a worthy cause that could have a long-term impact on society. With both runners originating from rural areas, they had experienced and seen first-hand the struggles their community went through by not having access to school uniforms, school shoes, and learning material. Malatsi then proposed the idea for Home Run for Education to his friend Gana who enthusiastically accepted.

HR Director for SGM, Nicola Truter, who oversees SGM’s corporate social investment initiatives, said, “SGM invests a lot in education-driven programmes and in the past year we have provided learnerships for disabled people, bursaries for maritime/engineering students and supported South African charities that stimulate young minds. Home Run for Education spoke to supporting a cause whereby two remarkable runners were willing to put in the hard yards for a bigger purpose. This really appealed to us as an organisation and we applaud them for their tenacity and resolve during their ambitious run. What they have achieved is no mean feat.”

Initially earmarked to start in July, the date was delayed due to lockdown level adjustments, but the pair officially started on the 7th and finished on 22nd August 2021. On average, they ran a distance of 35km per day, with the furthest distance covered in a day being 39km. They ran for six consecutive days and then had one resting day in between. They were quite diligent in tracking the racing distance and the finish point on one day became the starting point for the next to make sure the correct distance was covered.

SGM was approached for sponsorship by Home Run for Education and was one of the first companies to pledge a commitment to the run. “We are so grateful to SGM for supporting us and certainly don’t take it for granted,” said Malatsi. “I was surprised that a Cape Town-based company would take an interest in an initiative for rural Limpopo, but this shows the caring nature of the company. We were well supported by Andrew Sturrock, CEO of SGM and the SGM staff.

“Every ache and pain along this journey was worth it,” he said. “This cause was so much bigger than us and we wanted to make a positive impact in the communities in which we grew up. This experience was extremely challenging and humbling and what surprised us most was the solidarity of the running community as well as the overwhelming generosity of strangers who crossed our path.”

The pair would often find last-minute accommodation for the night and once the owners heard their story, they would waive their accommodation costs. This enabled them to not dip into the Home Run funds and could ensure they save as much money as possible.

Malatsi and Gana received overwhelming support from the running clubs and the communities, with many running alongside them in solidarity. They also had one crew member following them with a support vehicle in case they required any assistance along the route. They intend to do a return leg from Tzaneen to Soweto in two years. This should allow them enough planning time to apply lessons learnt from this run and give their sponsors time to budget for the event.

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The Walvis Bay Kids Haven continues to benefit from Namport’s generosity

Ms Maureen Baard, Founder of the Walvis Bay Kids Haven receiving the donation from Chairperson of the Namport Social Investment Fund Working Committee, Ms Tana Pesat

The Namibian Ports Authority, through its Social Investment Fund (NSIF) has, on Friday 1 October 2021, made a donation of N$300,000 (R300,000) to the Walvis Bay Kids Haven.

A commitment by the NSIF eight years ago has seen a total of more than N$1.5 million invested, including Friday’s donation which was motivated by Namibia celebrating the Day of the Namibian Child during the week.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Ms Maureen Baard, Founder of the Walvis Bay Kids Haven, said that Namport has been a true friend indeed and has always extended a helping hand over the years. “I encourage other companies to follow this great example set by Namport and to support initiatives such as ours,” she said.

The Walvis Bay Kids Haven children’s home was established in May 2009 and aims at assisting abused, vulnerable and neglected children by providing a safe ​home for them until they reach adulthood. The Children’s home also provides a Baby line for mothers who do not want their babies and offers such mothers assistance in an attempt to prevent baby dumping.

This is the only Baby line facility in the entire Erongo region and is currently home to 30 (thirty) children.

Chairperson of the Working Committee of the Namport Social Investment Fund, Ms Tana Pesat, reiterated the company’s commitment to joining hands with community based programmes that aim to improve the lives of the Namibian Child.

The NSIF was founded in 2006 and has invested more than N$35 million to improve the lives of Namibians across all 14 regions.

The Fund supports the four societal pillars of health, entrepreneurship, education and environmental sustainability with the overall objective to be a good corporate citizen that endeavours to significantly impact the livelihoods of all men and woman across Namibia.

During the Fund’s previous financial year, 1 April 2020 – 31 March 2021 pledges were made to the value of N$2.86 million.

Added 3 October 2021 Africa Ports & Ships

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Second big drug haul for French frigate in a week

And still the drug flow continues

The French Marine Nationale frigate FS LANGUEDOC D653, operating currently in support of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), seized more than 3.6 tonnes of illegal drugs during a maritime counter-narcotics operation in the north-western Indian Ocean on 27 September.

This was Languedoc’s second intercept and search of a vessel suspected of smuggling within a week. The most recent seizure resulted in the confiscation of hash valued at $1.8 million. Ironically we reported that interception on the very day of Languedoc’s second intercept See that report – SEE HERE

In the latest report, Languedoc was conducting patrols in support of CMF’s Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 when it seized the illegal drugs. Royal New Zealand Navy Capt. Brendon Clark, the current commander of CTF 150, said that for the second time in a week, Languedoc has demonstrated expertise and professionalism in seizing a large volume of narcotics.

These, he said, would have otherwise been destined for market, with the funds from the sale being used to finance terrorism and criminal activity.

The first capture took place on 20 September when Languedoc seized more than 1,525 kilograms of hash and 166 kilograms of methamphetamine with a combined value of over $5.2 million.

CTF 150’s mission is to disrupt criminal and terrorist organisations and their related illicit activities, including the movement of personnel, weapons, narcotics and charcoal. CTF 150 conducts maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden region to ensure legitimate commercial shipping transits the region freely from non-state threats.

CMF consists of a multinational maritime partnership of 34 nations that includes three task forces. It exists to uphold international rules-based order by countering illicit non-state actors on the high seas and promoting security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Added 3 Ocrtober 2021 Africa Ports & Ships

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GENERAL NEWS REPORTS – UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY

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

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

And if we occasionally rise to heights of enthusiasm and energy, how quickly we feel the inflow of the courageous, daring, energetic, positive thoughts being sent out by the live men and women of the world. – William Walker Atkinson, Thought Vibration

 

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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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