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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

Week commencing 21 November 2022.  Click on headline to go direct to story : use the BACK key to return 

 FIRST VIEW:   Zaandam

• UPDATE: Transnet lifts Force majeure on North Corridor coal Line
• South Africa’s deciduous season kicks off strongly
• WHARF TALK: Anchor Handling Supply Tug GMTS TRACKER 01
• Blue Economy for Resilient Africa Program
• In Conversation: Small-scale fishers have been marginalised since apartheid – what needs to change
• Knysna in 60 Hours
• A Durban theatre company is drawing attention to the ocean through powerful storytelling
• Transnet concludes evaluation of bids for Corridor slots
• U.S. Navy destroyer makes large drug haul in Gulf of Aden
• WHARF TALK: Panamax container vessel COSCO IZMIR
• IMO’s Secretary-General Kitack Lim commissions new NIMASA headquarters
• Xeneta market forecast 2023: Xeneta forecasts falls in freight rates, volumes and demand as storm clouds gather for 2023
• SA – Maputo railway to fully reopen on Sunday 27 November 2022
• Female cadet and Maersk reached settlement over sexual assault on company ship
• WHARF TALK: MR2 tanker in Cape Town STAVANGER POSEIDON
• Aviation: Ampaire Flies First Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft
• Boskalis enjoys strong Q3 and tackles new project in Togo & Benin
• African Upstream Activity Trending Higher in 2023: What’s Driving the Increase?
• WHARF TALK: 30-year old CNFC reefer SHIP HAI FENG 728
• APM Terminals to expand Suez Canal Container Terminal
• COP27: Breakthrough on the Global South’s call: Climate-related loss and damage
• Final update on Richards Bay railway North Corridor repair
• AD Ports acquires logistic provider Noatum for EUR 660 million
• Cape St. Lucia Lighthouse – 1906
• Cape St Lucia Lighthouse trashing – 2022
• SA Port Statistics for the month of September 2022
• WHARF TALK: NeoPanamax container ship MSC DESIRÉE
• Gazania-1 well off Orange River Mouth shows up dry
• CRUISE NEWS: SA cruise season swings into action with arrival of ships
• IATA and the Dangerous Good Code
• Richards Bay coal line derailment – one BOTH lines reopened
• EARLIER NEWS CAN BE FOUND HERE AT NEWS CATEGORIES…….

• This week’s mastheads:

  Monday: Port of Durban T-Jetty
  Tuesday: Port of Durban Container Terminal
  Wednesday: Port of Durban Container Termnial by night
  Thursday: Port of Durban Multi-purpose City Terminal
  Friday: Port of Durban Island View Terminal
  Saturday: Port of Durban Maydon Wharf
  Sunday: Port of CapeTown Elliott Basin

  Stay Well, Stay Safe, Stay Patient, don’t become one

   

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  FIRST VIEW:  ZAANDAM

  

  

  Holland America Line’s cruise ship ZAANDAM seen arriving in Durban harbour on Sunday 20 November 2022. The 61,396-gt ship is able to carry up to 1432 passengers assisted by a crew and staff of 615. The ship has a length of 237 metres and a width of 32m.

  She is powered by a diesel-electric system producing 37,500 KW (50,300 HP)and driving two variable pitch propellers that can move the ship through the water at up to 23 knots. On her arrival on the Zululand coast north-east of Durban she was observed doing close to her maximum given speed.

  Zaandam has a total of ten decks and was launched in 1999 at the Fincantieri shipyard at Marghera in Italy, before being completed in 2000.  After passengers enjoyed a day ashore visiting various tourist attractions, Zaandam sailed later on Sunday night, heading south along the KZN South Coast.

  These pictures are by Keith Betts

   

  and now the news….

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  UPDATE: Transnet lifts Force majeure on Richards Bay North Corridor coal Line

  

• Transnet announced Friday morning it has lifted force majeure that was imposed on the export coal line to the port at Richards Bay.

  This follows the reopening of both lines after repairs had been completed to the derailment on the section between Bloubank and Nhlazatshe stations caused massive damage to infrastructure and rolling stock, necessitating closure of both lines.

  In total 97 fully loaded coal wagons were derailed after what may have been sabotage to the infrastructure, which is being investigated.

  Repairs teams were hampered in their endeavours to reach the site by a so-called ‘business forum’ consisting of a gang of individuals threatening violence unless their own ‘members’ were employed in the repair, rather than the specialist teams and equipment brought in from outside the area.

  Similar ‘business forums’ have disrupted construction and other work elsewhere on similar pretexts.

  Ultimately, after suitable security was arranged, a joint recovery operation between Transnet, the coal export industry, and other stakeholders, worked around the clock to ensure that the service line is restored to full operation efficiently and effectively, leading to the reopening of both railway lines by 19 November 2022.

  Transnet said however, it was not in a position to resume normal services at full capacity on the Coal Line because certain critical restoration works remain outstanding.

  “The recent assessment of the site indicates that the normal resumption of services on the Coal Line can be immediately phased in. Accordingly, the Force Majeure declared on 10 November 2022 was lifted today, 25 November 2022.

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  Added 25 November 2022, 10h30

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  South Africa’s deciduous season kicks off strongly

  

• South Africa’s deciduous fruit season has kicked off with the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) exceeding weekly volumes by 32% for two consecutive weeks Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) reports.

  The first few vessels have been carrying exports destined for Europe and the United Kingdom. The season’s fruit include table grapes, pomegranate, stone fruits and berries.

  In cases of deviations or when the terminal anticipates increased volumes, there are additional operational resources during the night shift for recovery. A total of 200 reefer plug points have also been added this season bringing the total plug points to 3200.

  The inclusion of an additional ship-to-shore crane has formed part of season readiness following its commissioning and hand-over to operations a months ago.

  “The initiatives in place and efforts made will enable maximum deployment of our equipment, which will boost productivity and enhance our service to our customers,” says Andiswa Dlanga, TPT managing executive for the Western Cape Terminals.

  Dlanga said TPT was working hard to optimising its logistics for the success of the deciduous fruit season.

  According to TPT there is continued engagement between industry and the terminal. Volumes are estimated to increase by 5% year on year.

  Last year, the Cape Town Container Terminal handled over 80,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of deciduous fruit.

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  Added 24 November 2022

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  WHARF TALK: Anchor Handling Supply Tug GMTS TRACKER 01

  

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’ as indicated
Story by Jay Gates

The rounding of the Cape by ocean going tugs, taking derelicts to the beaches of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, is still going on but in vastly reduced numbers than in years gone by. A ‘Romelia’ and ‘Antipolis’ incident happening today along the coast of South Africa is now thought highly unlikely, although not entirely to be ruled out.

Nowadays, the long oceanic tows are mostly to do with the oil and gas industry, and concerned with moving assets around the globe from one field to the next, and are mostly FPSOs, FSOs, FLNGs and drilling rigs, of both the semi-submersible, and the jack-up type. This specialised end of the towage industry is now served by ultra-modern, and ultra powerful, tugs that have been specially built just for this aspect of the offshore industry. The big towing units of the fleets of Alp, Boskalis and Posh are just three examples of such vessels.

There is not a person alive in the South African maritime industry, or a casual observer, who does not know of the ‘SA Amandla’ in this regard. However, her bollard pull is nowadays considered small when compared to the behemoth tugs that are regular callers for bunkers at South African ports, when en route with a newly delivered FPSO. It is rare to see an oil and gas industry tow with a vessel that seems out of place, as it is not part of the fleets of one of the majors in the towage industry, and whose owners are almost unknown in that industry.

Towards the end of October, and into the first week of November, the South African Navy Hydrographic Office (SANHO) had issued, and was promulgating, a coastal navigation warning, advising all mariners to keep well clear of a vessel going by the unusual name of ‘GMTS Tracker 01’, who was towing a FPSO by the name of ‘Petrojarl Varg’, and proceeding down the west coast of South Africa, en route to Dubai.

According to AIS, she was en route from the anchorage at Lomé in Togo, and the tow was moving closer and closer to Cape Town, and for a period of one week they simply held well off Cape Town port limits and, seemingly, were going round and round in a series of very slow circles, at a rate of 2 knots and under. It became apparent that they were holding off the port, possibly to await for the opportunity to handover the tow, in order for ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ to enter port.

On 7th November, at 14h00 in the afternoon, the Anchor Handling Supply Tug GMTS TRACKER 01 (IMO 9007142) arrived off Cape Town, and entered the harbour, proceeding into the Duncan Dock and going alongside the Eastern Mole. Such an arrival was a sure sign that bunkers and stores were required by the vessel. Shortly afterwards, she shifted to the Landing Wall, which was a further indication that shoreside engineering support was also required.

The question of what was happening to her charge, the FPSO ‘Petrojarl Varg’, was answered when ‘SA Amandla’ arrived at the same location, and clearly took over the tow, prior to ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ handing over, and she proceeded to head into Cape Town harbour. The tow pair remained in the same position for the whole period that the ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ was away undergoing the attention she required.

After just over two days in harbour, ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ was obviously ready to return to sea, as at 20h00 on 9th November, she sailed from Cape Town and proceeded back to the location of ‘SA Amandla’ , and retook charge of the tow, with ‘SA Amandla’ returning back to Cape Town.

Built in 1991 by Søviksnes Verft AS of Søevik in Norway, ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ is 74 metres in length and has a deadweight of 2,792 tons. She is one of two sisterships, classed as a type ME303 design, and originally built for Maersk Supply Services AS, of Copenhagen, as ‘Maersk Provider’, and was known as a ‘Small P’ class of Anchor Handling and Supply Tug (AHTS).

She is powered by two Wärtsilä 8R32E 8 cylinder 4 stroke main engines producing 4,469 bhp (3,283 kW) each. She has two Wärtsilä 6R32E generators providing 3,342 bhp (2,460 kW). All four engines can be used for towing operations, giving her a combined output of 15,622 bhp (11,470 kW), driving two propellers for a transit speed of 16.6 knots.

For added manoeuvrability she has an azimuth bow thruster providing 805 kW, a transverse bow thruster providing 745 kW, and a transverse stern thruster providing 895 kW. Together with her two propellers, this gives ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ a dynamic positioning classification of DP1, which is provided by a Kongsberg K-Pos DP21 system.

Her aft working deck area is 600 m2, and she is capable of carrying a deck load of 1,300 tons. She has a bollard pull of 188 tons, and her Brattvag towing winch is served by a drum providing 1,936 metres of 77mm cable. She also has a Brattvag work winch, served by a drum providing a further 1,815 metres of 77mm cable.

For her offshore supply duties, ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ has underdeck cargo tank provision for 647m3 of fuel, 557 m3 of potable water, 520 m3 of drilling mud, 478 m3 of brine, 284 m3 of base oil, and 284 m3 of dry bulk products, such as cement.

After she was sold by Maersk Offshore, she was used by the Turkish Karadeniz Powership company, to tow their floating power stations to where they were needed.

In March 2022 she was purchased by Propetrol Ltd., of Lagos in Nigeria, who are her current owners, operators and managers. Propetrol are better known as providers of bunkers in Nigeria, and owning a string of petrol stations. This is, undoubtedly, their first foray into the world of oceanic towage.

The vessel she is currently towing is the FPSO Petrojarl Varg, which was built in 1998 by Keppel FELS Shipyard in Singapore. She is 214 metres in length and has a deadweight of 60,000 tons. She was built to operate as a turret mounted FPSO on the Varg oil field, in 84 metres of water, located in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, close to the UK Median line.

The FPSO Petrojarl Varg was decommissioned in 2016, when production in the Varg field finally ceased. She utilised ten risers, and was capable of the daily processing 57,000 bpd of crude oil, processing 53 mmcfd of natural gas, and of storing 470,000 barrels of oil. Whilst infield, she was operated by a crew of 77 persons. She was laid up in Skipavika-Gulen, near the oil port of Mongstad, which is located north of Bergen in Norway.

In 2021, the oil company, Hardy Exploration and Production India (HEPI) decided to develop the PY-3 field, which is located in the Cauvery Basin, some 43 miles south of Pondicherry in India, and in a water depth of up to 450 metres. The requirement was for a FPSO to operate the field, capable of processing 20,000 bpd of oil, and 20 mmcfd of natural gas.

The owners of ‘Petrojarl Varg’, Altura Infrastructure sold her to Tuff Offshore, of Singapore, for US$22 million (ZAR373.54 million). She was to be taken from Norway to Dubai, to receive an overhaul and refit, to prepare her for placing on the PY-3 oilfield.

Her tow began with the Boskalis ocean tug ‘Boka Summit’ taking the ‘Petrojarl Varg’ on her 12,000 nautical mile tow from Skipavika-Gulen, to Dubai. Initially the tow routed via Las Palmas, where bunkers were taken. In July, ‘Boka Summit’ reported that she was resuming the tow, with her next bunkering destination being South Africa, and expecting to arrive in Dubai in October. However, it is clear that this never came to pass.

Unexpectedly, and for reasons unknown, ‘Boka Summit’ appeared to get no further than West Africa, where again for reasons unknown, she relinquished the tow to ‘GMTS Tracker 01’, presumably in Lomé anchorage, which is where the current tow arrived from. Why it took so long to get from Las Palmas to Cape Town, i.e. four months, is yet another unknown.

However, on sailing from Cape Town on the 9th November, ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ did not continue with her voyage to Dubai, but simply continued doing what she did before she entered Cape Town harbour, by going round and round in small circles, staying well off Cape Town port limits at a speed of 2 knots and less.

This continued for the best part of the next fortnight until late on the 22nd November, when she appeared to be finally getting underway as she passed Cape Point, heading in a southeasterly direction, at a speed of 3.1 knots towards Cape Agulhas. Confirmation came when the South African Navy Hydrographic Office (SANHO) promulgated a new Coastal Navigation Warning (CNW) on 23rd November 2022.

New CNW 586 of 2022, again warned all mariners that a tow, of 0.8nm in length, was underway with ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ towing the FPSO Petrojarl Varg, and for all vessels to keep well clear. The destination of the tow was now narrowed down to Port Rashid in Dubai. South African Navy nautical charts affected are SAN 150, 119, 79(INT 2670), and 80(INT 2680). The CNW will remain valid until further notice.

It will be a while before ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ and FPSO Petrojarl Varg arrive in Port Rashid in the UAE, as she is showing an ETA on her AIS of 20th January 2023, a full two months hence, which is three months after the original ETA set when ‘Boka Summit’ began the tow back in June.

Port Rashid is a logical stop in the Dubai Emirate for Petrojarl Varg, as it has a large offshore support base, and two large offshore dockyards, which would be perfect for the forthcoming refit of the FPSO, prior to it arriving in India to begin its new life in the PY-3 oilfield.

When Propetrol Ltd., took ownership of the ‘GMTS Tracker 01’ in March 2022, they made a stop in Tema, in Ghana, when en route back to Lagos. Whilst in that port she received a Port State Inspection by Ghanaian Maritime Authorities, under the auspices of the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Three deficiencies were noted during the inspection, all relatively minor, and all concerning certification and documentation issues.

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Blue Economy for Resilient Africa Program

In recent days the Word Bank has issued a briefing on the Blue Economy for Resilient Africa Program.

There is an introductory video available above:

It has been learnt that the African Union estimates that the Blue Economy currently generates nearly US$300 billion for the continent, creating 49 million jobs in the process.

These and other crucial benefits—most notably food security, livelihoods, and biodiversity—are entirely dependent on the ocean’s health.

By safeguarding and enhancing marine and coastal health, countries will be in a better position to take full advantage of future Blue Economy opportunities, which range from sustainable blue energy to aquaculture to blue carbon.

The World Bank is pioneering Blue Economy for Resilient Africa Program, announced at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s annual Conference of the Parties otherwise known as the recently convened COP27.

It is understood that the Program will work with Africa’s coastal countries to leverage the opportunities—and manage the risks—inherent in growing their budding Blue Economies.

Summary of the Blue Solutions for Africa

The Blue Economy is at the core of the economic development and competitiveness of Africa’s coastal countries. However, unsustainable infrastructure development, inadequate management of natural habitats and resources, and pollution are threatening their productivity.

Climate change-related events such as sea-level rise, land subsidence, storm surge, and coastal flooding are exacerbating this vulnerability. The challenge today is: How can coastal countries manage their coastal and marine landscapes to spur economic growth and reduce poverty while adapting to the effects of climate change?

Readers wishing to learn more about Africa’s Blue Economy are invited to see a thirteen-page introduction by way of the DOCUMENT HERE

Edited by Paul Ridgway
London

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Added 25 November 2022

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In Conversation: Small-scale fishers have been marginalised since apartheid – what needs to change

Kathleen Auld, World Maritime University and Loretta Feris, University of Pretoria

South Africa is home to tens of thousands of small-scale fishers and fishing households. Some fish purely for consumption and subsistence, while others make up a small commercial sector.

Small-scale fishers have long suffered discrimination in South Africa. Under the apartheid government’s segregation policies, many were forcibly removed from their homes and traditional fishing grounds. They were also unable to sell their catch.

Despite high hopes for reform under the post-apartheid government, policies did not favour the majority of small-scale fisheries. Instead they emphasised privatisation and economic growth.

As a result, small-scale fishers in the Western Cape province joined forces with prominent NGOs and academics. They fought for rights for the sector and a recognition of their way of life. This led to the creation of a regulatory framework that acknowledges their constitutional rights to equity, food security, livelihood and culture.

This Small-Scale Framework consists of a Small-Scale Policy (2012), amended Marine Living Resources Act (MLRA) (2014), and Small-Scale Regulations (2016). It provides fishing access rights to small-scale fishing communities, and specifically recognises vulnerable groups within the fishing sector (such as women, youth, the elderly and the disabled).

However, in a recent research paper, we argue that while the framework is progressive in some ways, it doesn’t go far enough. It doesn’t take sufficient account of the vulnerability and marginalisation of small-scale fishers and fishing communities. Poor implementation of the framework has added to these concerns. So has the COVID pandemic.

The framework’s contribution to poverty reduction and development is thus undermined.

Vulnerabilities in the small-scale sector

The world over, small-scale fishers are subject to factors that make them vulnerable. These include resource depletion, geographical isolation, unsafe working conditions, market fluctuations, climate change, lack of access to healthcare and education, and social exclusion.

In South Africa, for example, stocks harvested by small-scale fishers – particularly high-value stocks such as abalone and West Coast rock lobster – are severely over-exploited. The harvestable amount of West Coast rock lobster is estimated to be around 2% of pre-exploitation levels.

Within small-scale communities, further inequalities may arise. Women, youth and those of different cultures and religions are often discriminated against. For instance, in South Africa, traditional practices mean that even though women are active in the sector, they are generally excluded from “fishing community” meetings with government actors.

Elite capture is a common problem when it comes to allocation of fishing benefits. Bad actors (including criminals) co-opt processes to gain access to high-value resources. For example, a study in Cape Town exposed former government employees who demanded fees to help community members obtain fishing rights. This excluded many fishers who didn’t have the means to navigate the complicated processes to obtain these rights.

These issues can undermine the efficacy of social interventions designed to reduce poverty in small-scale fisheries. Such interventions may include fishing rights allocation or alternative livelihood programmes to reduce dependence on marine and aquatic resources.

Somewhere between prevention and progress

The Small-Scale Framework falls short. It attempts to alleviate poverty by allocating fishing rights to the small-scale sector – but it imposes stringent conditions on allocation. Young people, foreign residents, fishers engaging in alternative livelihoods and any fisher who is not part of a designated community cannot obtain rights.

The framework also lacks ways of ensuring that rights are fairly distributed. It doesn’t have provisions that could help to reduce elite capture. Better community consultation, and provision of information in understandable formats, would be of assistance in this regard.

The academic community has called for an update to the Small-Scale Policy. The South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has also indicated an intention to amend the Marine Living Resources Act.

Amendments to the framework should focus on reducing vulnerability and marginalisation in the sector in the following ways:

• • • Livelihood diversification: Currently, to obtain fishing rights, a person must derive the majority of their livelihood from fishing. However, many small-scale fishers in South Africa diversify their livelihoods. The criterion for allocation of fishing rights should be whether a person relies on these resources for food and livelihood – not whether they obtain the majority of their livelihood from fishing.
    • Fishers who do not belong to a fishing community should be able to apply for individual permits. In particular, the subsistence fishers of KwaZulu-Natal have a tradition of fishing as individuals. Currently, many use recreational licences. These only provide for limited catch and do not allow the fish to be sold or bartered.
    • Stronger procedures should be put in place to uplift marginalised groups within the sector. They need training in value chain development and sustainable harvesting practices. Collaborative activities, such as fish processor cooperatives, should be promoted. People must be appropriately included and consulted on the issues that affect them.
    • Elite capture should be addressed. This is a form of corruption where resources are “captured” by a few powerful individuals to the detriment of the wider community. Engaging the entire community in decision-making processes would help to prevent this corruption. And information must be presented in understandable formats – in the local language, and orally through radio and television. There should also be simplified and inexpensive procedures to access government institutions, such as mobile apps. Apps are more accessible to small-scale fishers than, for example, procedures requiring access to a computer or printer.
    • Finally, eligibility criteria for obtaining fishing rights should be expanded to include a larger subset of the sector. Currently, the commercial sector is prioritised and the recreational sector remains largely unregulated. This is part of a larger equity problem in South African fisheries. Rights for the commercial and recreational sectors may need to be reduced to allow for equitable and sustainable development in the fisheries sector.

There are plenty of opportunities and challenges for small-scale fishing in South Africa, and around the world. However, equitable distribution of resources and recognition of the lived realities of these fishers is vital to realise the potential of the sector. This will help to contribute to poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods and development.

Kathleen Auld, Research Associate, World Maritime University and Loretta Feris, Professor of Environmental Law and Vice-Principal, University of Pretoria

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

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Knysna in 60 Hours

As we are approaching the holiday season it seems as good a time as any to include the video below sent to us for you to enjoy over the next 20 minutes.

After all, Knysna was once a thriving port, on the official South Africa Railways & Harbours register of revenue-earning harbours, and even in these more recent times the SA Navy made an annual entry into the Knysna Lagoon as a symbolic measure. We’re not sure whether that still happens in these days of fiscal embarrassment.

The video on Youtube is worth watching if only to remind oneself of the remarkable beauty and attraction of this jewel of the Southern Cape.

Knysna in 60 Hours video [19:45]

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A Durban theatre company is drawing attention to the ocean through powerful storytelling

by Anna Southwell, Daily Maverick

Theatre productions are “profound storytelling tools” that can improve how we make decisions around the critical aspects of our world, such as the climate crisis. Empatheatre, a Durban-based theatre company, planned to accomplish exactly that at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt this week, according to co-founder Dylan McGarry.

Empatheatre’s recent play, Lalela Ulwandle (“Listen to the Sea” in isiZulu), has been invited to COP27 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to perform in Sharm el-Sheikh on 14 November, at the Capacity-building Hub of the Blue Zone as part of the One Ocean Hub.

“This means that real stories are finally entering the United Nations, unedited and fully embodied,” said Neil Coppen, the director of Lalela Ulwandle. 

According to Coppen, the One Ocean Hub event hoped to respond to the mandate from COP27 to integrate and strengthen ocean-based action in their capacity-building efforts. “There is a need for knowledge systems that include scientific, traditional, local and indigenous perspectives,” added Coppen. “Finally, we are bringing Empatheatre to the conference halls.”

Lalela Ulwandle is a play that takes the form of a public conversation about ocean governance in South Africa and beyond, exploring themes of intergenerational environmental injustices, tangible and intangible ocean heritage, marine science and the myriad threats to ocean health, according to a press release shared with Maverick Life. 

However, it’s much more than a traditional play, McGarry said. Based on a four-year collaborative research project, the performance has resurfaced many different values and reasons why South Africans are concerned about the ocean since it began touring across the country in 2019.

“It’s been an instrument and social technology for building new ways we can look at contemporary research and the many dimensions that contribute to ocean decision-making,” McGarry said.

Empatheatre previously performed for the Parliament of South Africa in 2017. Now, the goal is to further expand Empatheatre’s reach into international policy transformation, McGarry explained.

“We’ve got one show and one moment to make our impact,” said McGarry. “It (all came) down to a very carefully orchestrated and choreographed moment in Egypt.”

Bringing a grassroots, on-the-ground South African perspective

Lalela Ulwandle opens up public dialogue spaces and amplifies the voices of people who are often not included in the climate decision-making process, McGarry said. Rural communities and lower-income communities are “vilified” or “relegated to the outskirts” of discussions when in reality, they are the real climate and ocean defenders, he added.

Indeed, from small-scale fishermen to traditional healers, Lalela Ulwandle aims to bring recognition to the critical role these people have been playing in the climate struggle. Oftentimes, McGarry said, entire diverse populations across Africa will be lumped together under the word “communities” in discussions about oil and gas companies.

This “lumping together,” he noted, can be dangerous because it simplifies humanity’s relationship with the sea and simplifies what climate adaptations should look like across many different values, spectrums and livelihoods.

One of the biggest problems with international policy is that it can dilute specific questions or experiences on the ground, “overlooking” them and “rarifying” them into abstract policies.

Lalela Ulwandle keeps the audience grounded in the specific realities of South Africans, he said. “There are so many reasons why people are concerned about the ocean, yet often, only one or two reasons get used to justify ocean decision-making”.

Additionally, most climate negotiation and planning is “hyper future-oriented” and he believes that more time should be spent analysing how things have played out in the past in order to learn from them. “What this play does quite carefully is that it brings together, unpacks and narrates the various histories that different South Africans have experienced in how decisions were made that impacted their lives,” he said.

From the Group Areas Act of 1950 to the Witchcraft Suppression Act 3 of 1957, South Africa has transformed how many people have related to the sea, how they could access the ocean and how they could live out their lives, he explained. “I hope the negotiators witness these visceral, nuanced stories of South Africa and I hope they will become better equipped to look at our history in new and living ways,” said McGarry. “They need to listen to all of these different voices very carefully.”

Turning the theatre ‘upside down’

Unlike the traditional theatre experience, with the audience peering up onto the stage, Lalela Ulwandle is performed theatre-in-the-round. The actors sit in a circle with the audience cascading around them.

Empatheatre’s main methodology as a theatre company is creating “amphitheatres of empathy,” McGarry said. The intention is to go back to early traditions of storytelling of sitting around a fire. “Getting to the heart of original storytelling seems to wake up both the subconscious and the conscious minds of the audience to feel as much as they think… And when you are thinking with your feelings, you are able to gain a much richer understanding of this very complex problem.” 

In decision-making conference halls, people can abandon their emotional or spiritual capacities to think — this play encapsulates this necessary way of thinking, he described.

Empatheatre also takes a non-traditional approach in the sense that the curtain does not call and the actors do not bow and walk away after the final applause. Rather, he said, the cast stays on afterwards and opens up the space for public discussion, tribunal and back-and-forth debate about the stories and narratives that have emerged from the play. “Empatheatre is a quiet, nonviolent, carefree and deeply empathetic approach to what we call ‘political acupuncture’”.

McGarry reiterated that activism is not allowed this year at COP27, yet, Empatheatre intended to “place a very delicate acupuncture point in COP27 that brings people back to core questions and experiences about what it means to be human during this time of crises.” 

The ultimate goal is to shift the thinking within the negotiating teams surrounding the role of oceans and coastal justice in the climate struggle, McGarry said. “The decisions that will be made at COP27 have dire ramifications, and this play is intended to help improve those decisions for the sake of our future.” 

This article first appeared on Daily Maverick and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Added 25 November 2022

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Transnet concludes evaluation of bids for Corridor slots

The following announcement was received on Wednesday evening:

Transnet has concluded the evaluation of applications received for sale of [rail] slots on the Container and Cape Corridor that was advertised on the 1st April 2022 and closed on the 31st August 2022.

In finalising the slot sales process, and as communicated to all interested and qualifying parties, there are governance activities underway including the recommendation and final approval of the evaluation outcome for both the Container Corridor (Gauteng to Durban) and the Cape Corridor (Gauteng to East London). Once the final approval of the outcome has been granted, it will be communicated accordingly.

This follows Transnet’s open market process where interested and qualifying parties were invited to apply for an initial 16 slots.

The system will operate by means of temporary occupation of sections of the network to enable end to end passage of a train, with Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) retaining ownership of the network.

The sale of these slots to third-party operators expands the access that Transnet already grants to PRASA, approved Branch Line Operators, the luxury hospitality services provided by Rovos Rail and the Blue Train and Steam Train Operators to the rail network.

In terms of this phase of the project, third party slot access will be valid for a two-year period with a contracting period of 24 months in terms of which the parties will enter into a Third-Party Access Agreement for the period.

This first phase will also provide key insights as inputs to the development of a robust policy implementation framework.

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Added 24 November 2022

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U.S. Navy destroyer makes large drug haul in Gulf of Aden

Operating in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday 22 November, the USS Nitze (DDG 94), an Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer of the U.S. Navy, intercepted a motorised dhow type fishing vessel found to be smuggling illicit narcotics – 2,200 kilograms of hashish and 330 kilograms of methamphetamine.

USS Nitze was on a routine patrol in the Gulf of Aden is support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 153, established by the Combined Maritime Forces in April to boost multinational collaboration in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden.

The estimated value of the drugs is US$20 million. The fishing vessel was in international waters at the time of the interception.

Over the past two years, forces from the Combined Maritime Forces have seized approximately $900 million worth of illicit narcotics while patrolling international waters across the Middle East.

“I am proud of the Nitze’s outstanding effort in support of our mission,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Robert Francis, commodore of CTF 153. “Our multinational task force was established to enhance maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden, and this major drug seizure shows our commitment to doing just that.”

CTF 153 is one of four task forces organised under the Combined Maritime Forces, the world’s largest international naval partnership consisting of 34 member-nations. The multinational task forces operate across the Middle East to promote rules-based international order at sea.

Mozambique: Macuse a key drug smuggling ‘port’

According to reports from Mozambique, the ‘port’ of Macuse in Zambézia province is being used by international and local drug smuggling syndicates within that country for drug trafficking purposes.

Recently the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) in Zambézia arrested two alleged gang members involved with collecting the drugs from ships out at sea. They operate with small boats and rendezvous with the ships involved in international smuggling.

Among the detainees is a former commander of the naval base at Macuse who is the owner of three fast craft. Another is reported to be a teacher at a secondary school in Macuse.

Once brought ashore the drugs are distributed locally and possibly across the border into South Africa.

It is believed that drug trafficking has been relocated to the Macuse and other areas of central coastal Mozambique from Cabo Delgado, where much of the province remains under the threat of Islamist insurgents, despite a large military presence.

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WHARF TALK:  Panamax container vessel COSCO IZMIR

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

There was a time when, for those at sea, having a tour on a general cargo vessel was what most seafarers wanted. The reason, was that they spent a good deal of time in port, which allowed for relaxing shore breaks and an opportunity to explore the local port city. The new fangled container vessels were to be avoided, if possible, because they were in and out of port within a day, and shore leave was at a premium.

Not so nowadays, or at least not in South African ports, as container vessels are now subject to the kind of time in port that general cargo vessels were accustomed to. Of course, you have to endure a period out at the anchorage first, which is becoming very much the norm for most arriving container vessels. And you can’t blame Covid anymore!

A few weeks past the end of the crippling dockworker strike at Transnet’s Container Terminals, and the sign of the delays being ironed out is yet to bear fruit, and most container vessels are still being sent to anchor on arrival at both Durban and Cape Town, some for as long as a week. One container vessel, ‘Niledutch Lion’ had to endure a 10 day wait in the Table Bay anchorage before she was given a berth. She arrived off Cape Town on the 12th November, and got her berth only on 22nd November.

Of course, this is not the expected arrival outcome of all container vessels, but even those that have a berth on arrival are then met by ongoing terminal inefficiencies in quayside container movements, which does nothing to speed up the turnaround of the vessel, which is further delaying both the vessel itself, and those vessels that are having to wait offshore for a berth.

On 16th November at 14h00, the Panamax container vessel COSCO IZMIR (IMO 9484508) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage, from Durban, and went to anchor for a short two day period, before entering Cape Town harbour on 18th November, at 11h00 in the morning, and proceeding into the Ben Schoeman Dock and going alongside berth 603 at the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) to begin her turnaround back to the Far East.

Previously, she had arrived in the Durban anchorage, from Singapore, on 3rd November at 06h00, and remained out at anchor for a full five day period, finally entering Durban on 8th November at 06h00, where she went alongside berth 105, at the Pier 1 Container Terminal. She then took a full week, i.e. more than seven days, to complete her discharge and onload, before sailing for Cape Town at 11h00 on 15th November.

Built in 2013 by Jiangsu New Yangzijiang Shipbuilding at Jingjiang in China, ‘Cosco Izmir’ is 261 metres in length and has a deadweight of 49,952 tons. She is powered by a Doosan MAN-B&W 8K90ME-C6 8 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 42,251 bhp (31,076 kW), to drive a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 24.5 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes four Yanmar 6EY26LW generators providing 1,700 kW each, and a MAN D2866 LXE20 emergency generator providing 218 kW. She has a Kangrim Mission OC exhaust gas boiler, and a Kangrim PC0601P36 oil fired boiler. For added manoeuvrability she has a Kawasaki KT-157B3 transverse bow thruster providing 1,600 kW.

She is gearless, with seven container holds, and has a container carrying capacity of 4,256 TEU, with the provision of 698 reefer deck plugs. She is currently operating on the ONE Far East – South Africa Service (SAS), which is also known by OOCL as the South Africa Service 2 (SAF2).

The port rotation for the ONE SAS service is Kaohsiung (Taiwan)- Xiamen (China)- Hong Kong- Nansha (China)- Shekou (China)- Singapore- Durban- Cape Town- Singapore- Qinzhou (China)- Kaohsiung. The service rotation takes 63 days, and has ten vessels serving it, which are provided by a mix of ONE (MOL, NYK and K Line), COSCO, Hamburg Süd, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd and PIL.

She is owned nominally owned by COSCO Izmir Shipping Co. Ltd., of Shanghai in China, operated by COSCO Shipping Lines Co. Ltd., also of Shanghai, and managed by Shanghai Ocean Shipping Co. Ltd., of Shanghai, all three of whom are listed at the same address.

One of a class of 20 sisterships, ‘Cosco Izmir’ was the 17th of the class to enter service with COSCO, with all of the vessels named after a port, and with the usual prefix of ‘Cosco’. The whole order was placed by COSCO in 2008, but deliveries were all deferred to 2012 due to the Global economic crash of 2008.

This particular design of container vessel also proved popular with German shipowners, as a further 25 identical vessels were ordered by the Bernhard Schulte Group, Erck Rickmers Group, Schepers Group, Norddeutsche Schulde Group, and Seaspan.

The first of the class to enter service with COSCO in 2012 was ‘Cosco Aden’, and over the next 18 months was followed in delivery order by Auckland, Houston, Colombo, Durban, Kos, Genoa, Haifa, Istanbul, Jeddah, Piraeus, Santos, Sao Paulo, Valencia, Venice, Wellington, Izmir, Ashdod, Surabaya, and finally, Aqaba. Note that the 5th of the series received recognition of Africa’s second busiest container port at that time, and is the only COSCO container vessel to be named after a South African port.

After four days alongside in Cape Town, ‘Cosco Izmir’ had completed her onload for her return to Singapore to continue with her ONE SAS port rotation, and she sailed from Cape Town at 1900 on 22nd November, a full 19 days after she first arrived off her first South African port.

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Added 24 November 2022

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IMO’s Secretary-General Kitack Lim commissions new NIMASA headquarters

The International Maritime Organization ( secretary-general, Mr Kitack Lim, on Tuesday officially commissioned the impressive new headquarters of the IMO) Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) at Victoria Island in Lagos.

The multi-storey building dominates the local skyline and is a reflection of the more dynamic approach of NIMASA and Nigeria’s role in the Gulf of Guinea and international shipping.

Kitack Lim expressed his confidence in the leadership of Transportation Minister, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, and NIMASA Director General, Dr Bashir Jamoh and the other officials involved.

“An important element is human competency and capability, with leadership being the most paramount to consider, which I have seen exhibited by the Minister; he is an extraordinary and rare leader. I am very confident to look forward to more prosperous opportunities and development of maritime activities of Nigeria,” Lim said.

The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo thanked the IMO Secretary-General for making time to visit Nigeria and for providing his impression of the developmental strides in Nigeria’s maritime sector.

Nigeria will strive to ensure its maritime activities are in line with best practices, while also embracing new technologies in the frontier of global maritime discourse, he said.

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Added 24 November 2022

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Xeneta market forecast 2023: Xeneta forecasts falls in freight rates, volumes and demand as storm clouds gather for 2023

 

“This cocktail of weak demand, dropping volumes and an increase in capacity will, inevitably, impact negatively on rates”

After over two years of rising rates and overstretched capacity, the rapidly cooling ocean freight market looks set for an “extremely challenging” 2023, according to Oslo-based Xeneta.

An in-depth analysis of the latest real-time ocean and air freight rates, combined with expert trend forecasts, suggests that ocean cargo volumes could fall by up to 2.5%, rates will drop “significantly” and weak demand will force increased idling of vessels. The air freight market, analysts predict, will also face a turbulent twelve months.

Out of balance

From climbing to historical highs during the global pandemic, ocean freight rates have fallen away – and in the case of spot rates, dramatically so – since the summer. Xeneta’s market report, built on the foundation of the team’s crowd-sourced data from leading global shippers, suggests there’ll be no change in course for 2023, with challenging macroeconomic and geopolitical outlooks undermining confidence.

Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund (left) says difficult times await stakeholders right across the ocean and air freight value chain.

“The cost-of-living crisis is eating into consumer spending power, leaving little appetite for imported, containerised goods,” he notes. “With no sign of a global panacea to remedy that, we’d expect ocean freight volumes to drop, possibly by around 2.5%. That said, if the economic situation deteriorates further, it could be even more.

“Allied to dropping volumes we have a growing world fleet, with a nominal inflow of 1.65m TEU of capacity. Some demolitions will dent that growth, but we still expect an increase in capacity of 5.9%. Even if demolitions double from our current level of expectations, the industry would still be looking at an almost 5% expansion.”

Long-term woes

The upshot of that, Berglund explains, is overcapacity, necessitating an increased idling of assets. From a current position of “next to nothing” Xeneta forecasts idling of up to 1 million TEU – “maybe even more” says the CEO.

This cocktail of weak demand, dropping volumes and an increase in capacity will, inevitably, impact negatively on rates, says Berglund.

Significant reductions

“We expect to see significant reductions. Carriers have proved adept at protecting and elevating rates during COVID, but with too much capacity, and easing port congestion, on most major trade lanes they’ll be fighting losing battles in 2023. We could see spot rates on some key corridors drop below pre-pandemic levels during the first half of 2023, while long-term rates will fall rapidly as older, expensive contracts expire and new, far lower contracts are signed. However, long-term rates will not drop below spot rates during the first half of 2023.

“As far as upcoming contract negotiations go, it’s imperative to keep an eye on the very latest market data to obtain optimal value. However, those talks will be difficult for all parties. The carriers will be desperate for volumes, but, at the same time, the shippers won’t have the high volumes that unlock the best prices. What we might see is that Freight Forwarders are the big winners, as they can find a sweet spot, serving the SMEs while playing the short market against carriers. Regardless, there’s both opportunity and challenges ahead, in the short- and long-term.”

Fasten your seat belts

One area where the ocean freight market may benefit is from a potential reduction in air freight. Xeneta says this segment faces a “bumpy ride”, as lower ocean costs and better scheduled reliability (from easing port congestion and available capacity) may tempt some shippers to make a modal shift. In a climate of increasing environmental awareness, shippers focused on sustainability may also be tempted to switch ‘general’ cargoes from the skies to the waves.

“To be fair, a shift in general volumes wouldn’t be too significant for the ocean freight carriers, but it would strongly impact on the air segment, where cargoes are obviously far smaller.”

Berglund adds that increasing ‘belly’ capacity, with easing travel restrictions, will be supplemented by the arrival of conversion and freighter orders placed during the air cargo peak. This will lead the air segment to join its ocean freight sibling in the overcapacity corner, with, he notes, “a negative impact on load factors and rates.”

Certain uncertainty

In conclusion, the Xeneta CEO underlines the complexity of challenges facing the industry, with economic uncertainty, geopolitical concern (“and not just relating to Ukraine”), on-going industrial action on logistics chains, China’s continued zero-COVID policy and the combination of weak demand, easing congestion and increased freight capacity.

“I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year in advance, but there’s not that much for the industry to look forward to at present,” he states. “However, as we’ve seen over the past couple of years, predictions are almost impossible to make in a world that moves ever-faster, so there may be unknown factors waiting in the wings to influence markets.”

He continues: “For example, what happens if the Ukraine-Russia war comes to an end sooner rather than later? This could drive down certain costs again, giving consumers a positive boost. However, on the flip side, it’s important to always stay on ‘on your toes’, as we could experience a second economic downturn at the drop of a hat. These ‘what ifs’ can, yet again, throw a curveball for the industry, just as we saw when COVID hit. If we’ve learned anything in the past couple of years, it’s that planning for the unthinkable ‘what ifs’ must be top of mind.”

For information about Xeneta, please visit www.xeneta.com

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SA – Maputo railway to fully reopen on Sunday 27 November 2022

According to reports out of Mozambique, the damaged railway line at Ressano Garcia on the border with South Africa should be ready for reopening on Sunday 27 November 2022.

The line was damaged when two trains collided head-on near the border crossing. One train was a Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) ore train crewed by Mozambique CFM operators and carrying magnetite for export through the port of Maputo, while the other train was engaged in shunting out of the goods yard at Ressano Garcia.

For that account please CLICK HERE

Details of the extent of the damage to both trains and the railway infrastructure have not been disclosed but may be judged by the amount of time taken to effect repairs on a busy export line.

Maputo – Zimbabwe (Limpopo) line

According to local reports in Mozambique, the Maputo – Zimbabwe railway upgrade has been completed and normal traffic is able to operate.

Having full access to this direct line between the port of Maputo and Zimbabwe, a line usually referred to as the ‘Limpopo Line’, is important if only for the reason of alleviating pressure on railed cargo to or from the Mozambique port via South Africa.

The railway network within Zimbabwe handles more than just domestic imports and exports but also a considerable volume of traffic from other neighbouring African countries – notably Zambia and the DRC and also from Botswana.

The National Railways of Zimbabwe plans to electrify larger sections of its network and tenders for electric locomotives and other equipment have been completed.

Zimbabwe is also able to import and export through a railway line to the central Mozambique port of Beira, which provides the most direct route to the Zimbabwean capital of Harare.

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Added 23 November 2022

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Female cadet and Maersk reached settlement over sexual assault on company ship

In a joint statement issued by former marine cadet Hope Hicks, also known as ‘Midshipman-X’ and Maersk Line, Limited, it has been announced that both parties have resolved Ms Hick’s litigation against the company, which was filed in the New York Supreme Court in June for sexual assault and harassment during the midshipman’s cadet Sea Year in 2019.

Maersk Line, Limited is an American wholly-owned subsidiary of A.P. Moller – Maersk, the global integrated logistics company.

Ms Hicks, who was 19 at the time, was serving on board a Maersk Line, Limited container vessel at the time of the reported assault.

Attorneys for Ms Hicks and Maersk Line, Limited mutually agreed that neither side will disclose details of their agreement.

“It is important to me that my case has brought greater awareness of the issue of sexual assault and harassment at sea,” said Ms Hicks.

“The leadership of Maersk Line, Limited has expressed the need for change. The changes that Maersk Line, Limited has proposed are an important first step, but there is still a lot of work to be done in the maritime industry,” she added.

William Woodhour, CEO of Maersk Line, Limited said the following: “We want to be absolutely clear that the events Ms Hicks describes are unacceptable. No matter who and where you are, those who work with us must feel safe and protected in our work environment.”

The shipping company added that it has initiated a full program of training, reporting, and accountability internally and is working externally with all industry stakeholders, to include its industry partners, labour unions, the Maritime Administration, the maritime academies, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Maersk CEO Søren Skou said after the settlement was reached that it was the best outcome for both parties. “Maersk will learn from the case,” he said.

When the incident involving Hope Hicks was first reported, she was referred to as ‘Midshipman-X’. She went public about her experience after failing to obtain a reasonable response from either the shipping company or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).

A press release issued by the US law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp disclosed that the female cadet, then known only as ‘Midshipman-X’ but now identified as Ms Hope Hicks, alleged “she was the only woman aboard her assigned Maersk vehicle” when she was “raped by one of the ship’s top-ranking officers, a man more than 40 years her senior.”

According to Ms Hicks, when she confronted the officer “she was told no one would believe her if she made a report.”

A second female cadet also from the USMMA, referred to as ‘Midshipman-Y’, also laid charges of sexual assault and harassment that occurred while she was serving her Sea Year on board the same Maersk ship that Ms Hicks was on two years earlier. She alleged that she suffered “extreme sexual harassment, unwanted touching and discrimination”.

Her complaint included that she was “severely sexually harassed by a crew member who was known to other Maersk officers and crew members as being violent.” She stated that crew members and officers were allegedly aware of Midshipman-Y’s plight but no one intervened or reported the misconduct.

It’s understood that Maersk has similarly reached a settlement with ‘Midshipman-Y’

In 2021 Miss Hicks opened a website blog https://www.midshipman-x.org/ in which she went public about her ordeal. She wrote at the time that she knew of “at least 10 young women currently enrolled” at the academy “who were raped during their Sea Year.” She accused the vessel’s first assistant engineer of raping her but did not name him.

“I shared my story because I didn’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else, but I never imagined how big my story would become. The attention my story received and the scrutiny I came under as a result was pretty intense,” she wrote.

It was reported in the US media that Maersk has since fired the first and second assistant engineers for being uncooperative in its investigation of Ms Hicks’ claims.

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WHARF TALK: MR2 tanker in Cape Town STAVANGER POSEIDON

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

With the worldwide push to go greener, and especially for shipowners to move towards vessels with lower emissions, and less noxious emissions, the emergence of the retrofitted scrubber unit onboard vessels is becoming seen, more and more often, in ports around Southern Africa.

Notwithstanding the awful ‘plonking down’ of some of these retrofitted units on deck, with no thought given over for pleasing lines and aesthetics, those vessels that have been fitted in a measured, and streamlined, manner now have a look that, whilst before was considered shocking and unbalanced, are now taking on an attraction not thought of before. The oversized funnel structure has taken on the look of a British Bulldog, i.e. ugly enough to be beautiful.

On 14th November, at 18h00 in the early evening, the MR2 tanker STAVANGER POSEIDON (IMO 9839105) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage, from Walvis Bay in Namibia, and remained out at anchor overnight, before entering Cape Town harbour at 08h00 the next morning, 15th November, and proceeded into the Duncan Dock, to go alongside in the Tanker Basin to start her discharge. Although her arrival was from Walvis Bay, her voyage actually began at Sarroch, in Italy, where she had loaded for Southern Africa.

On arrival In Walvis Bay, she remained out in the anchorage there for a full nine days, and never appeared to go alongside. Walvis Bay has a small number of bunker tankers on permanent standby out in the anchorage, whose mission is to replenish both the diamond mining vessels of Debmarine, operating off the Orange River mouth, as well as many of the offshore oil and gas industry vessels that usually operate in Angolan waters to the north.

It is quite likely that she had transferred parcels of bunker fuels to these bunker tankers in Walvis Bay, as it was clear from her arrival draft in Cape Town, where she looked, to all intents and purposes, to be in ballast condition, that she was nowhere near carrying a full load of fuel products for the Mother City.

Built in 2020 by Hyundai Vinashin Shipyard at Ninh Hoa in Vietnam, ‘Stavanger Poseidon’ is 183 metres in length, and has a deadweight of 49,999 tons. She is powered by a HHI MAN-B&W 6G50ME-C 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 12,893 bhp (9,615 kW), driving a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 14.5 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three Yanmar 6EY22ALW generators providing 1,100 kW each, and a single Cummins 6CT8.3-D(M) emergency generator providing 140 kW. She has a single Alfa Laval Aalborg Mission OC exhaust gas boiler, and a single Alfa Laval Aalborg Mission OL oil fired boiler.

She has been fitted with an exhaust scrubber unit, as witnessed by the glaringly obvious, huge funnel extension she has, fitted behind her normal engine and generator exhaust pipes. She has 12 cargo tanks, and a cargo carrying capacity of 53,244 m3. All of her cargo tanks have an Epicon T-800 coating.

One of four sisterships, ‘Stavanger Poseidon’ is owned by Det Stavangerske Dampskipsselskap AS (DSD Shipping AS), of Stavanger in Norway, as per the large ‘DSD’ letters on her hull. She is operated by Maersk Tankers, of Copenhagen in Denmark, as one of their MR Pool, and she is managed by Wallem Shipmanagement GmbH, of Hamburg in Germany.

Her loading port of Sarroch, in Italy, is located on the Southwest coast of the island of Sardinia, some 20 kilometres south of the city of Cagliari. The port is associated solely with the Sarroch oil refinery, which was opened in 1965. It is the largest, single site, refinery in the whole Mediterranean region, and has the highest production capacity of any refinery in the Mediterranean Sea.

Operated by Saras SpA, the refinery at Sarroch produces 20% of the total of all refineries in Italy, with the equivalent of 300,000 barrels of oil per day refining capacity. Nothing is wasted from the refining process, and all heavy residue remaining is converted into electricity for both the refinery, and the local grid network, by being used as the fuel for a power generating station that is on site.

The port of Sarroch itself has 13 berths available for tankers, and has a large tank storage terminal capable of storing 4.3 million m3 of crude oil, and fuel products. The majority of the fuel products stored at the terminal, are petroleum, diesel, and LPG, which form around 80% of the refinery output.

It was clear from her arrival draft that ‘Stavanger Poseidon’ was not expected to be in Cape Town for long, and had just a small parcel to discharge at the port. After just over 30 hours alongside, she sailed from Cape Town at 1600 on 16th November. Her AIS destination was set as Soyo, in Angola.

Despite Soyo being associated with the offshore oil and gas industry of Angola, there is not tank storage terminal there, nor is there an operational refinery present. There is a busy, offshore oil and gas support vessel, port at Soyo, and an LNG terminal. It may be that ‘Stavanger Poseidon’ is delivering her final parcel of fuel products to the base, although there is a lot of construction beginning at the port, with the start of a new state owned oil refinery at Soyo.

The new refinery was first announced as far back as 2015, but development work on the site was only started in April this year. It is hoped that the refinery will become operational in 2025, being able to process 100,000 barrels per day.

The refinery project is being built at a cost of US$3.5 billion (ZAR60.67 billion), by the American Quanten consortium. The site will also have its own critical infrastructure, such as an electricity power generation plant, a potable water production plant, a wastewater treatment plant, and new access roads built.

The refinery will also have a tank storage terminal, capable of storing both crude oil feedstock for the refinery, and holding refined oil products for export. The major products to be produced at the refinery are expected to be Petroleum, Diesel, Jet Fuel and Asphalt. The tank storage terminal will be directly linked to its own associated marine terminal infrastructure, and tanker berths, which will be built to support the refinery operation.

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Aviation: Ampaire Flies First Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft

The Future is Here

U.S. aviation company Ampaire’s Eco Caravan, a nine-seat regional aircraft, made its first flight last week on a fully-integrated hybrid-electric propulsion system. Ampaire says it expects it to be the first electrified regional aircraft to enter commercial service (certification in 2024) and the first in a series of larger Ampaire hybrid-electric aircraft that will lead a transition to sustainable aviation.

“Aviation is the hardest industry to decarbonise,” said Ampaire CEO Kevin Noertker. “Fully-electric aircraft are range limited because of the weight and energy capacity of current-generation batteries. Hybrid-electric aircraft, however, can preserve the range and utility of today’s aircraft. That is why we are focused on hybrid-electric propulsion for a series of increasingly capable regional aircraft. It’s a way for the airline industry to decarbonise more quickly and also to benefit from lower operating costs.”

Last week’s landmark achievement adds momentum to a programme that has attracted key customers and programme participants in recent months. In October, the company announced a relationship with Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) for a range of worldwide maintenance service and support activities. Also last month, Ampaire received an order from MONTE, a financier of sustainable regional aviation technologies, for up to 50 Eco Caravans.

“These types of relationships ensure that Ampaire’s customers worldwide have compelling financing and leasing support alongside world class maintenance/repair/overhaul support,” said Noertker.

A “smooth and quiet” first flight

The Eco Caravan upgrades the standard Cessna Grand Caravan with Ampaire’s integrated propulsion system of a compression ignition engine and an electric engine. A battery pack in a body fairing preserves passenger and cargo capacity for the aircraft.

The first flight was 33 minutes in duration to make initial checks of the propulsion system. With test pilot Elliot Seguin at the controls, the Eco Caravan took off from Camarillo Airport north of Los Angeles at 7:49AM PST. It climbed to 3,500 feet at full power, combining power from the combustion engine and electric engine. Seguin then throttled back to a cruise setting, reducing load on both power sources. He spent roughly 20 minutes testing various power settings while studying temperatures and other readings before making a descent and final approach to Camarillo at a low power setting.

“The Eco Caravan propulsion system performed just as expected,” said Seguin. “It was smooth and quiet. All temperature and power output readings were normal.”

Net Zero Emissions with SAF

The Eco Caravan reduces fuel consumption and emissions by up to 70 per cent. Emissions are near zero when using sustainable aviation fuel. Cost of operation is reduced by 25 to 40 per cent depending on airline route structure. Cost per available seat mile is near that of driving.

The hybrid-electric aircraft preserves the range/payload capability of the Grand Caravan, and in fact can fly farther than the Grand Caravan with eight passengers. Maximum range is beyond 1,000 miles. The Eco Caravan’s range and load hauling capability is in marked contrast to proposed all-electric, hydrogen-electric and even other hybrid-electric designs.

The Eco Caravan can recharge its batteries in flight or at a charging stations on the ground. Because charging infrastructure will be limited for some years, the ability to operate independent of ground charging is critical for preserving the full utility of the Eco Caravan.

The first in a new generation of sustainable electrified aircraft

The Eco Caravan’s propulsion technology is scalable to larger regional aircraft and ultimately to single-aisle airliners. Ampaire plans to rapidly roll out more powerful propulsion systems for larger aircraft, following a building blocks approach that will dramatically improve the sustainability of airline operations.

“As proud as we are of the Eco Caravan, we see it as a first step to larger hybrid-electric propulsion systems and ultimately zero-emission systems as energy storage technology advances,” said Noertker.

First to market

Ampaire is already working with the FAA to certify the Eco Caravan in 2024 under a supplemental type certificate, an STC. The Ampaire approach differs from others in that it does not require a full aircraft certification program, which can be time consuming and very expensive. The Grand Caravan is already FAA certified. Ampaire will certify it to fly with a new propulsion system.

“Launching hybrid-electric aviation is no simple task, but we have made it easier by upgrading an already certified aircraft,” said Noertker. “We will come to market more quickly and allow airlines around the world to begin to gain operational experience with this new type of propulsion. And we will work with them on follow-on models to meet their network requirements.”

About Ampaire

Los Angeles-based Ampaire was formed in 2016 with a mission to become the world’s most-trusted developer of practical, compelling electric aircraft. The company is upgrading existing passenger aircraft to hybrid electric power–the quickest, most capital efficient approach to making commercial electric air travel a reality with available technology. Ampaire has scored a series of industry firsts since the 2019 maiden flight of its Electric EEL technology testbed aircraft, including the longest flight for a hybrid-electric aircraft–1,135 statute miles en-route from Los Angeles to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For more information about Ampaire, SEE HERE

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Added 23 November 2022

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Boskalis enjoys strong Q3 and tackles new project in Togo & Benin

Boskalis, which earlier this month reported a “busy and strong third quarter both from a financial and operational viewpoint,” is currently engaged with a contract awarded in early 2022 to protect a part of the eroded coastlines of Togo and Benin.

The coastal protection project is part of the West African Coastal Areas Management (WACA) programme.

Work has commenced on this project involving the protection and replenishment of more than 40 kilometres of coastline from the eastern coastline of Togo to the western coastline of Benin.

The protection is necessary because of the significant shifting of the coastline of both countries from between one and ten metres every year as a result of coastal erosion.

The project involves erecting 15 new groins and the refurbishment of another six existing groins. More than one million cubic metres of sand will be placed.

In Benin a 6.4 million cubic metre sand engine will be constructed. The sand engine concept has been successfully used in The Netherlands for around 10 years.

The project was awarded by the two respective governments with financing made available via the World Bank.   – source: Boskalis & Dredging Today

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Added 23 November 2022

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African Upstream Activity Trending Higher in 2023: What’s Driving the Increase?

By NJ Ayuk
Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber

The report says investment in African upstream activities will wrap up 2022 at about $33 billion, then grow as much as $15 billion more over the period 2023-2025 compared to year-end 2021 estimates

When TotalEnergies and Shell separately announced ‘significant’ discoveries of what appears to be commercial quantities of oil and gas offshore Namibia — possibly more than 4 billion barrels of oil in total — it signalled something new for the nation: a chance to monetise its natural resources to combat energy poverty and accelerate economic growth. The offshore deposits — the nation’s largest find since independence — are at peak likely to provide Windhoek an estimated $5.6 billion annually in royalties and taxes and should help the nation double its $11 billion economy by 2040.

The find also demonstrated how well African oil and gas development activity is faring despite repeated efforts to tamp it down. With activist investors trying to stem the flow of international funds into African fossil fuel projects, and major oil companies under pressure to rebalance their portfolios by adding lower emission assets, the Namibia experience is impressive on several counts. The pragmatism of Namibian officials has been encouraging to investors and we hope that pragmatism stays.

It’s also likely a harbinger of things to come for Africa’s upstream energy sector, according to the African Energy Chamber’s (AEC’s) report, The State of African Energy: 2023 Outlook, now AVAILABLE HERE

The report says investment in African upstream activities (defined as exploration, production, and development) will wrap up 2022 at about $33 billion, then grow as much as $15 billion more over the period 2023-2025 compared to year-end 2021 estimates. In addition to Namibia, greenfield spending — that is, foreign direct investment in new projects — is being driven by Mauritania, Senegal, Uganda, Congo, Mozambique, Ghana, Angola, and Cote d’Ivoire. In 2022, exploration alone was up 130% over 2021.

Deep Pockets

The twin discoveries by TotalEnergies and Shell came three weeks apart, but there are no overnight successes in oil and gas. Exploration by one company or another has been taking place in Namibia for more than 30 years, and first production from the giant find isn’t expected until 2028. Still, while this is the largest discovery to date, it’s just the latest in a series of new opportunities that include a high-impact onshore exploration program by Canadian oil company ReconAfrica (the basin is the size of Texas, and some are saying it could shape up to be the last great onshore oil discovery in the world) and developments by Atlantic Oil & Gas and Global Petroleum — projects the 2023 Outlook describes in some detail.

Could there be better proof that the world isn’t ready to abandon fossil fuels, especially given the push and pull of market conditions and the fact that renewables, while desirable, aren’t ready to replace hydrocarbons quite yet? And could there be more evidence that the ‘last frontier’ fields onshore and offshore Africa are considered a fruitful alternative to the world’s legacy basins whose productivity is waning?

True, COP26 and its international fossil fuel finance bans took the wind out of certain sails. Lack of investment has delayed some projects and suspended others during the last year. But even climate agreements haven’t kept the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), one of the primary funders of all types of overseas energy projects, from plowing far more support into African oil and gas development than into renewables.

The Guardian recently reported that DFC and Exim — the Export-Import Bank of the United States — have invested more than $9 billion in hydrocarbons compared to just $682 million in wind and solar, Together, they have bankrolled oil facilities in Senegal and Equatorial Guinea and invested in an Egyptian gas pipeline. And in 2019, Exim agreed to provide a $4.7 billion loan to finance a project in northern Mozambique overseen by TotalEnergies.

The truth, plain and simple, is that the world needs more energy. And Africa needs it even more than most.

Powering Progress

Africa is ripe for increased energy development, hydrocarbons, and renewables alike, especially as the continent undergoes dramatic demographic shifts, chiefly staggering population growth, sustained urbanisation, and greater industrialisation. Consider this: In 1950, less than 10% of the world’s population lived in Africa, but by 2050, that figure will be closer to 25%. Between now and then — less than 30 years — the populations of more than half of Africa’s nations are expected to double. In real numbers.

This means Africa will be home to 2.5 billion people by 2050, and its urban areas alone will have added 950 million people. In fact, Africa’s cities are the fastest growing on the planet. Generally speaking, that’s good news. City life is associated with better economic outcomes for individuals as well as higher standards of living: greater access to education, jobs, services, infrastructure, and electricity. Progress in cities far outpaces rural areas by just about every metric.

Of course, it takes a lot of energy (and money) to power progress. Experts say energy demand in Africa is expected to be 30% higher over the next two decades (by contrast, global demand will only grow 10%), meaning it will easily outstrip supply. And although Africa has about 60% of the world’s best solar resources, its 1% installed solar capacity isn’t likely to keep many lights on or factories running. No wonder we’re seeing the kind of uptick we are in upstream activity.

Sub-Saharan Opportunity

While oil is still in play, much of the focus has pivoted to natural gas, which is considered a cleaner, even ‘green’ fuel, even by the most ardent hydrocarbon proponents. Today, analysts believe that countries with significant gas production could expect their gas reserves to be more resilient under various energy transition scenarios than their oil reserves.

What does that mean for Africa? As discussed during African Energy Week in Cape Town, the 2023 Outlook notes that the continent holds more gas potential in the medium term than oil; more than 700 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas resources have been discovered in Africa but are yet to be approved for development. Many of these discoveries are planned to be developed as liquified natural gas (LNG) projects.

In fact, most of the gas projects sanctioned in Africa are related to supplying LNG either within Africa or to markets like China and Europe, which is diversifying away from Russian gas. With the exception of developments in Libya, the LNG projects are largely in sub-Saharan Africa. As such, this is where CAPEX spending is centered. The AEC report estimates that 80% of the 2022 – 2025 cumulative greenfield spending from Africa is expected to come from sub-Saharan projects.

While some decry those investments because they generate energy for export outside the continent, government officials say their economies — and, therefore, their citizens — depend on resource wealth. And intraregional trade within Africa is destined to grow, especially as investment increases in gas infrastructure required to support domestic industrialisation — pipelines, processing facilities, and LNG regasification plants, and the like.

A Template for the Future?

Regardless of whether they’re onshore or offshore, the Namibian discoveries aren’t just important — they’re transformational. ReconAfrica’s huge, conventional oil play is already providing well-paying jobs to 200 people from the Kavango region, where 40% of the people live in generational poverty, and local hiring is expected to continue as the project advances. The company has also made it a priority to provide clean water to the region; they’ve drilled four water wells and have permits for 16 more.

And, as we’ve seen time and time again, in the energy business, success breeds success. In this case, Namibia shares the same geological sedimentary basin with South Africa — and Shell, TotalEnergies, PetroSA, Sezigyn, and Impact Africa all hold exploration acreage in the South African sector.

South Africa needs to move with a petroleum legislation immediately and ensure stability so more investment can come into the country. The hydrocarbon potential of the region is tremendous, suggesting the economic potential is as well — as long as development is allowed to continue.

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Added 22 November 2022

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WHARF TALK: 30-year old CNFC reefer ship HAI FENG 728

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

By now, most casual observers will have realised that Antarctic fisheries is big business, irrespective of it being the toothfish industry, or the krill industry. Not only that, but it is served by big vessels, and that Cape Town is very much central to that success, with the provision of winter base requirements for maintenance, engineering, bunkers, stores, crew changes and everything that a vessel operating away from home for months at a time might require.

Of course, a vessel operating in Antarctica, which is the most hostile and remote location anyone could choose to fish in, will need the occasional support vessel. It is doubtful that any of the fishing vessels has sufficient freezer hold capacity to store their complete catch over a period of three to six months and, in any case, that catch needs to get to market any time of year. Such a predicament leaves only one solution, and that is the need for a regular reefer vessel turning up to enable transshipment at sea of the precious cargo.

Back on 3rd November, at 07h00 in the morning, the reefer vessel HAI FENG 728 (IMO 9019121) arrived off Cape Town, from Busan in South Korea, and after a wait of a few hours outside port limits, she entered Cape Town harbour at 11h00, proceeding into the Duncan Dock and going alongside at J berth. Busan is one of the approved discharge ports for tuna and other valuable fish cargoes, that have been transshipped at sea from other fishing vessels, which gives a clue as to which frozen cargo the ‘Hai Feng 728’ was gainfully employed carrying.

Built in 1993 by Stocznia Gdanska SA at Gdansk in Poland, ‘Hai Feng 728’ is 150 metres in length and has a deadweight of 10,629 tons. She is powered by a single Cegielski Sulzer 6RTA62 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 15,499 bhp (11,557 kW), driving a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 21 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three Sulzer 6ATL25H generators providing 1,150 kW each, and a MAN DO226MLE emergency generator providing 100 kW. She has a single Gdansk LA833F-51 exhaust gas boiler, and a single Gdansk VX825-65 oil fired boiler.

She has four cargo holds, served by two 32 ton electro-hydraulic cranes, supplemented by two smaller 8 ton electro-hydraulic cranes. Her hold capacity is 14,626 m3, with a deck area of 514,095 ft2, capable of storing the equivalent of 4,450 pallets. She has a container carrying capacity of 178 TEU, with a deck provision for 47 reefers.

China is intent on developing their fishing fleet, in the same way that the old Soviet Union did, by spreading their fleets into every conceivable fishery, in every single ocean, and the ‘Hai Feng 728’ is registered with many of the world’s fishery commissions, which gives an idea of where she is regularly sent to pick up fish cargoes from, presumably, Chinese fishing vessels.

She is registered with the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC), the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO), and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), where her registration remains valid until May 2023. She is also registered with the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), where she is licensed to conduct transshipment at sea operations until March 2023, with permission to load Tuna and Tuna like species, including the Jack Mackerel (Trachurus Murphyi).

You get an idea of how big the fishing fleets are within the Pacific Ocean, when you realise that in the 2022-2023 licensing season, that in only the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) area, that there are 505 longline fishing vessels licensed to fish, and 16 transshipment reefers licensed to transfer fish, most of them being Chinese.

One of four sisterships, nominally owned by Mexon Shipping Ltd., of Hong Kong, ‘Hai Feng 728’ is operated by China National Fisheries Corporation (CNFC), of Beijing in China, whose houseflag she displays on her funnel colours, and she is managed by Zhongyu Global Seafood Corporation, also of Beijing, which is also a subsidiary company of CNFC.

State owned CNFC are China’s largest fisheries enterprise, operating a fleet of over 220 vessels, which include trawlers, bunker tankers and reefer fish carriers. The company is also very active in African fisheries, and has built fish processing factories in Dakar, in Senegal, and in Nouadhibou, in Mauretania. CNFC also maintain liaison offices around the western African continent in Morocco, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Nigeria, Guinea, and in Gabon.

Last year another of the CNFC reefers, ‘Hai Feng 698’, arrived in Cape Town, en route back from Antarctica, and was reported in the 18th May 2021 edition of Africa Ports & Ships. She is also registered with the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Resources (CCAMLR).

Similarly, ‘Long Teng’ and Long Fa’, both Krill trawlers who utilise Cape Town as a midwinter base, with ‘Long Fa’ currently in Cape Town, are also CNFC fleet mates. Both these trawlers have also been reported on in Africa Ports & Ships, namely ‘Long Teng’ on 21st December 2021, and ‘Long Fa’ on 25th July 2022. Both fishing vessels hold licenses from CCAMLR.

After a twelve day period alongside, ‘Hai Feng 728’ was ready to sail, and her next cargo collection point became apparent when her AIS showed her destination to be ‘South Pole’. Naturally, there is no such destination, as Antarctica is a continent, and not a frozen ocean like the Arctic, so ‘Hai Feng 728’ could never reach her intended destination.

With a very freshly painted hull, but a rust streaked accommodation which showed she has been busy at sea, ‘Hai Feng 728’ sailed from Cape Town on 15th November at 10h00, with her destination somewhere around the Antarctic continent.

However, currently there are two fishing vessels operating around the South Orkney Islands, in FAO Subarea 48.2, northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula, and it may be that they are ready to transship a cargo to ‘Hai Feng 728’. However, ‘Hai Feng 728’ does not appear to have a license from CCAMLR to conduct transshipment operations in any FAO Subarea of the Antarctic, and such operations cannot be undertaken in Antarctic waters without CCAMLR permissions.

The fishing seasons around Antarctica vary widely, based on conservation needs, i.e. krill fishing is banned in the South Shetland Islands (FAO Subarea 48.1) between November and March each year, as this is bird breeding season, and they have to be protected from accidental bycatch. Similarly, South Georgia (FAO Subarea 48.3) bans toothfish fishing from October to April, for the same reason. Yet, the Ross Sea (FAO Subarea 88) opens their toothfish season on 1st December, as this area has no bird breeding concentrations that require protection.

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Added 22 November 2022

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APM Terminals to expand Suez Canal Container Terminal

The Suez Canal Container Terminal, managed and operated by APM Terminals, has signed an expansion agreement with Suez Canal Economic Zone Authority.

As part of a USD 500 million investment deal, the Suez Canal Container Terminal will add an extra 955-metre berth and an additional 510,000 m2 container yard to the already existing 2,400 metre long berth and 1.2 million m2 yard.

On 15 November 2022, Waleid Gamal El-Dein, Chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) and Steven Yoogalingam, CEO and Managing Director of Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT), signed a concession agreement. The agreement covered the financing, design, construction, management, and operation of a second terminal at Port Said East Port, to be located between SCZONE and existing SCCT area.

The project aims to expand the existing SCCT facility (a joint venture container terminal with APM Terminals as majority shareholder) at Port Said East Port, by adding a new 955m berth and a new 510,000 m2 container handling yard. The terminal is currently operating with a berth length of 2,400m and a handling yard of 1.2 million sq. m and is the main operator in Port Said East Port, with annual throughput of 4 million TEUs.

“This project reinforces SCZONE’s consistent support of Egypt’s economic strategy, which aims to develop Egyptian ports to maximise their role in the global maritime trade and to exploit various investments to create job opportunities,” said Waleid Gamal El-Dein.

“This is exactly what the project offers, as it aims to expand the existing container terminal in Port Said East Port, with cumulative investments estimated at $500 million, providing 1,000 direct and indirect job opportunities, especially for the residents of Port Said and North Sinai cities.”

Yoogalingam said the targeted additional volume after the expansion will reach 2 million TEUs. “This important project was possible thanks to the long-lasting partnership with our Egyptian partners, dating back to 2004 and is a result of A.P. Moller – Maersk’s great confidence and belief in the Egyptian economy,” he added.

The new, technologically advanced terminal will operate on clean and renewable energy, based on electric equipment. This is fully in line with A.P. Moller – Maersk’s and APM Terminals’ ambition to become fully carbon neutral by 2040.

The project will also employ latest generation port equipment, including 12 ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, 30 rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) and 90 trucks, as well as supporting equipment and advanced IT systems.

Once operational in 2025, the terminal will create over 1000 new direct jobs in Port Said, in addition to indirect jobs and business opportunities created within the whole port ecosystem.

With the expansion project, the terminal’s operating capacity will increase by over 40% to serve the future network requirements of its customers.

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Added 22 November 2022

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COP27: Breakthrough on the Global South’s call: Climate-related loss and damage

The global climate summit, COP27, concluded on 20 November with a breakthrough on the Global South’s decades-long call for a fund to pay for climate-related loss and damage.

Delivering the closing statement for trade unions at COP 27, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) welcomed this step, as well as the recognition of social protection and social dialogue. However, it called out the wider backtracking of commitments to workers within the climate policy process.

A new fund on loss and damage

COP27 agreed a breakthrough on loss and damage, finally recognising a long-term demand of Global South countries.

Importantly, a dedicated fund will now be established which must involve new financing commitments, and not the reallocation of existing pledges.

According to ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton: “Funding for loss and damage is a fundamental issue for global social justice, and it is a workers’ issue. This is an important first step.

“The developing world is paying a horrific price for a climate crisis driven by wealthy countries. And transport workers are on the front line, losing their lives, their livelihoods and their working conditions.”

Pakistan’s lead

Over the two weeks up to the closure of COP 27 Pakistan led the push during the negotiations to move beyond talk and agree on a funding facility.

The devastating floods that Pakistan suffered this year have been a stark reminder of the urgent need for action on loss and damage. Over 1,700 people were killed and nine million people could be driven into poverty. The catastrophic floods inflicted more than $30 billion in damages and economic losses to the country, including damage to 40% of its rail network.

The agreement does not contain any detail on how much will be contributed, or how funds will be allocated. The next twelve months will be critical to deliver on the initial promise.

A mixed result for transport workers

On workers, COP27 delivered mixed results. Importantly, social dialogue and social protection are recognised for the first time. However, this progress was undermined by the dilution of commitments to workers and the increasing exclusion of workers.

Time and time again, final decisions omitted references to labour standards and workers’ rights, including crucial decisions in the areas of mitigation, adaptation, climate finance, loss and damage, and carbon markets.

Cotton added: “Negotiations over the climate finance target – the New Collective Quantified Goal – demonstrated the side-lining of labour rights.

“Due to come into force in 2025, the new goal will establish the level and form of future climate financing, shaping the future of climate action. It is critical that a just transition of the workforce, in line with the Paris Agreement, is embedded within this process so that the needs of workers, and the needs of the Global South more broadly are fully addressed.”

John Mark Mwanika, ITF Urban Transport Chair and ITF Sustainable Transport Working Group Co-Chair, reflected: “It is a huge concern that just transition was removed from the final text on the new finance goal. Lessons must be learned from past failures. Identifying actual finance needs and effective mechanisms will only happen with a structural role for workers and trade unions.”

Edited by Paul Ridgway
London

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Added 22 November 2022

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Final update on Richards Bay railway North Corridor repair

Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) said on Monday it was excited to announce that both lines on the Richards Bay North Corridor railway have been repaired, ahead of schedule.

This, TFR said, is as a result of the conclusion of most of the repair work on the route between Bloubank and Nhlazatshe station, where a train derailment occurred on 8 November causing massive damage to the rail infrastructure and rolling stock.

The first line was brought back into operation on Friday 18 November at 07:43. The second line was back by Saturday morning at 09:30, a day sooner than had been anticipated.

“Our recovery teams have been working around the clock to ensure that this service line is restored to full operation efficiently and effectively,” said TFR. “The focus will now be on clearing the staged trains and the backlog on the line, following which normal operations can commence.”

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Added 21 November 2022

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AD Ports acquires logistic provider Noatum for EUR 660 million

AD Ports Group, which is active in the Middle East and in North Africa, is acquiring 100% ownership of Noatum, a global integrated logistics provider with a presence in 26 countries. The purchase prices is EUR 660 million.

Noatum had a last 12 months revenue of EUR 1.8 billion and an EBITDA of EUR 145 million.

This acquisition, which significantly broadens AD Ports Group’s global footprint and positions it among the leading logistics and freight forwarding companies in the world, will be fully funded through a new acquisition loan.

In recognition of Noatum’s high growth potential and capacity to scale, AD Ports Group says it intends to create a market-leading international logistics brand, merging its existing logistics business with Noatum to create a significant presence in the region and enhancing services across the company’s global footprint.

“Moving forward, Noatum will lead AD Ports Group’s Logistics Cluster, consolidating the company’s existing logistics offering into its operations.”

Third major acquisition

This will be AD Ports Group’s third major international acquisition in 2022, following the acquisition of a 70% equity stake in Transmar and TCI in September, and the announcement in November of its acquisition of an 80% equity stake in Dubai-based Global Feeder Shipping (GFS).

Noatum, whose origins date back to 1963, operates in three business areas – Logistics, Maritime, and Port Terminals – with market-leading positions in Spain and Turkey and a significant presence in the US, UK, China, and Southeast Asia.

Noatum’s global Logistics business specialises in comprehensive freight management, project logistics, contract logistics, international supply chain management, customs, and e-solutions, with offices and a wide network of agents around the world.

Heavylift logistics

In particular, Noatum has advanced capacities in heavy lift logistics, which AD Ports Group says it aims to bring to the region.

The company’s Terminals operations include 15 Ro-Ro, dry bulk, general cargo and container terminals in Spain, supported by highly professional management, while its Maritime division provides shipping agency services, including outsourcing and ancillary services, and cargo services, such as liquid bulk, breakbulk cargo, reefer and dry cargo.

Noatum employs more than 2,600 personnel and provides tailored multi-modal transport solutions. The company has specialised automotive, project cargo, and port logistics divisions and offers supply chain solutions in the oil & gas, renewable energies, food, industrial manufacturing, pharma and healthcare, and retail industries with customised solutions for clients.

Subject to regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close in H1 2023. As part of the transaction, Noatum’s management is locked in for a period of three years to ensure smooth integration.

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Added 21 November 2022

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Cape St. Lucia Lighthouse – 1906

Story by Jay Gates

Sometimes a lighthouse receives a name that some think is misplaced, because it does not seem to lie in the place after which it is named. In KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, St. Lucia is a famous river mouth, lake and wetland, famed for its abundant wildlife. Most non maritime folk would not identify it with a lighthouse that sits a full 20 km south of the river, and yet has the same name. That is because it sits on the Cape of the same name, and is not named after the river, or the lake for that matter.

It would seem that in the current society that is becoming normal in KZN, that anything that has even the smallest of intrinsic value, irrespective of who owns it, is considered fair game to certain of the local residents who have become used to simply taking, which reads as stealing, anything they want. It matters not if what they are destroying with the wanton theft, is something that is designed to save lives, or is considered to be internationally important on a global maritime scale. The feral nature of some communities cares very little about the impact of their criminal activity.

One of the many maritime services that is provided in South Africa, and one that sets it aside from almost every other sub-Saharan nation, is that it has a full, and functioning, lighthouse service that covers its entire coastline from the Namibian border at the Orange River mouth, on the Atlantic Ocean side, and around the coast to the Mozambican border at Pont d’Ouro, on the Indian Ocean side. The lighthouse service is, rightly, admired the world over for the continued provision of its navigation service, with a total of 47 functioning lighthouses.

In 1904, the decision was taken to erect a lighthouse in northern Natal colony, to be located on Cape St. Lucia at 28° 31’ South 032° 24’ East. It was completed, and commissioned, on 15th December 1906 at a cost of £2,806. As with the majority of lighthouses in South Africa, the great British lighthouse construction, and engineering, company of Chance Brothers Ltd., of Birmingham, provided the Fresnel lens and lighting apparatus.

Interestingly, the black and white striped lighthouse tower of the current lighthouse is an 8 metre high, cast iron, Chance Brothers tower, that had originally been in use at a lighthouse at Mahlongwa Head, near Umkomaas, marking the northern extremity of the Aliwal Shoal, south of Durban. The tower sits at a height of 113 metres above mean sea level (AMSL).

For 80 years, Cape St. Lucia lighthouse was the most northerly lighthouse in Natal. However, the isolation of the lighthouse made it an unpopular posting for Lighthouse Keepers.

Modern upgrades, and more effective methods of monitoring the lighthouse meant that in 1964 it became an automatic lighthouse, although the lighthouse keeper was retained on station for security purposes.

However, in more recent years, local conflict between local tribal groups, the military and the authorities has resulted in the withdrawal of the Lighthouse keeper, and the station became unattended. It was only a matter of time before such a situation, with the local unrest growing, that the lighthouse, its buildings and its fixtures and fittings would become a target for locals who would see it as nothing more than an easy source of pickings.

To provide a little bit of balance, there have been a number of lighthouses around the world in 2022 that have been the target of local vandals. In April, the Whitehaven lighthouse in England has one of her lantern windows smashed. In May, the Grand Haven lighthouse in Michigan, in the USA, was covered in graffiti, and in the same month the Neds Point Lighthouse, in Massachusetts, had equipment smashed. In August the Superior Entry lighthouse, in Wisconsin, had windows smashed and the light itself was broken.

The difference to these acts of wanton vandalism, compared to Cape St. Lucia, was that the criminal acts, in the UK and the USA, were caused by petty vandals, and not as a result of wholesale theft and violence. The sight of Cape St. Lucia lighthouse, and the surrounding buildings is pitiful, with almost anything that could be removed, has been taken, vandalized, broken, ripped out and trashed. Even the electrics of the lighthouse tower itself have been stripped out. At the time of writing it is not known if the beautiful Fresnel Lens in the tower has survived the onslaught.

The aid to navigation, with the international ALN list of lights code D6484, with its characteristic group of two flashes every 10 seconds, with the power of 600,000 candela, shining out to a distance of 24 nautical miles offshore, may have been extinguished. This act of criminality has put some mariners in potential grave danger, by not being able to provide the identifying light signal that their chart says they can expect to see.

In 2002, the Italian Ro-Ro freighter ‘Jolly Rubino’ came to rest below the light, and its sad remains sits there rusting away to this day. She is not there as a result of anything that the Cape St. Lucia lighthouse was responsible for, but that may not be the case for any unfortunate future vessel that may close the coast and stand into danger, because they were not warned off by a friendly light. Hopefully, this situation will not arise and the authorities will do the right thing and secure the lighthouse estate, and everything that lies within it.

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Added 21 November 2022

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Cape St Lucia Lighthouse trashing – 2022

The situation regarding the Cape St Lucia Lighthouse (see report above) has been raised with Transnet. It is understood the severe vandalism of the lighthouse and buildings is the action of the so-called ‘business forum’ similar to that which is suspected of causing the derailment of the coal train along the Richards Bay North Corridor coal line, which was reported in Africa Ports & Ships throughout last week with an update in today’s edition.

There is no doubt this or a similar group of criminals, acting on the basis of being a legitimate activist group seeking to secure employment for local unemployed people, is responsible for the trashing of the lighthouse and adjacent buildings. It is understood they chased away the resident lighthouse keeper who fled in fear of his life (he was advised that if he did not go he would be killed), following which the SA Police Services are reported to have refused to attend to securing the property and buildings.

Africa Ports & Ships has requested confirmation and details of this and has asked certain relevant questions including a confirming of what is reported here. We are awaiting that response.

In the photographs appearing here readers will notice what appears to be Chinese writing painted on the walls of one of the buildings. It’s significance is unknown but Mandarin or other Asian languages are not generally in use in rural Zululand.

From this and the derailment of the loaded coal train, that blocked the export line for almost a week, it would appear that certain parts of South Africa, and KwaZulu-Natal specifically, are under siege from acts of what is akin to terrorism, not quite on the scale of what is transpiring in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique, but not too far removed from such acts either.

Various acts by the so-called ‘business forums’ are now becoming all too common and urgent strong action is surely required before the country, or sections of it, slide into the wanton destruction and no-go districts that we witness in our neighbour.

As has resulted in that country, where members of the SANDF and other armed forces from SADC, as well as those from Rwanda, have had to go to the aid of Mozambique and are vainly attempting to control the situation, with only partial success, so we too may soon find the only way to try and counteract these acts of destruction and terror, will be to employ military forces, with all that that means constitutionally.

A situation the democratic South Africa surely wants to avoid.

 – Editor

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Added 21 November 2022

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SA Port Statistics for the month of September 2022

Port statistics for the month of October 2022, covering the eight commercial ports under the administration of Transnet National Ports Authority, are now available.

These figures reflect clearly the effect of the port and railway strike during October, which has severey impacted port throughput volumes. This is particularly obvious with container volumes.

The statistics below reflect port cargo throughputs, ships berthed and auto and container volumes handled together with bulk and dry bulk volumes.

Motor vehicles are measured in vehicle units are included in tonnage on the basis of 1 tonne per unit.

Containers are counted in TEUs, with each TEU representing 13.5 tonnes.

For comparison with the equivalent month of the previous year, October 2021 CLICK HERE

Port Statistics continue below

Figures for the respective ports during October 2022 are:

Total cargo handled by tonnes during October 2022, including containers by weight

PORT	October 2022 million tonnes
Richards Bay	7.440
Durban	4.681
Saldanha Bay	2.820
Cape Town	0.929
Port Elizabeth	0.583
Ngqura	1.144
Mossel Bay	0.090
East London	0.097
Total all ports	17.782 million tonnes

CONTAINERS (measured by TEUs) during October 2022
(TEUs include Deepsea, Coastal, Transship and empty containers all subject to being invoiced by NPA

PORT	October 2022 TEUs
Durban	106,872
Cape Town	27,877
Port Elizabeth	4,879
Ngqura	46,995
East London	759
Richards Bay	358
Total all ports	187,740 TEU

MOTOR VEHICLES RO-RO TRAFFIC (measured by Units- CEUs) during October 2022

PORT	October 2022 CEUs
Durban	30,070
Cape Town	3
Port Elizabeth	11,946
East London	8,988
Richards Bay	0
Total all ports	51,007

SHIP CALLS for October 2022

PORT	October 2022 vessels	gross tons
Durban	202	7,225,174
Cape Town	134	2,553,303
Richards Bay	119	4,700,980
Port Elizabeth	63	1,701,383
Saldanha Bay	37	2,224,527
Ngqura	41	1,764,167
East London	18	687,547
Mossel Bay	19	199,697
Total ship calls	633	21,056,778

— source TNPA, with adjustments regarding container weights by Africa Ports & Ships

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Added 21 November 2022

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WHARF TALK: NeoPanamax container ship MSC DESIRÉE

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

In 1911, one of the world’s greatest reefer shipping companies was formed in Liverpool by the Vestey Brothers to carry refrigerated meat from South America to the UK. That company was known as the Blue Star Line, and their exceptionally good looking vessels were often seen in South African ports. All of their vessels were named with the suffix of ‘Star’, e.g. Avelona Star, or Caledonia Star.

The last vessel to both have a traditional Blue Star name, and display the famous black, white and red funnel, with the five pointed blue star on a white disc, disappeared in 2003, when ‘America Star’ was scrapped. Despite the end of an era, the Blue Star name did not completely fade away.

As with most all British shipping companies at the end of the 20th century, the Blue Star Line was purchased by P&O Nedlloyd in 1998, and was subsequently swallowed up in a round of buyouts, mergers and selloffs. P&O Nedlloyd formed Reederei Blue Star GmbH in 2002 as a ship management company, which was then subsumed when P&O Nedlloyd became a part of the Maersk Line in 2005.

In 2009, the Hamburg shipowner, Komrowski GmbH, purchased Reederei Blue Star GmbH from the Maersk Group, which in 2012 was then merged when Komrowski Group and Erck Rickmers (ER) Group joined forces, creating a new Shipmanagement company called Blue Star Holding. In 2012 Blue Star once more became a shipowner, when they entered into a bareboat charter agreement with the Mediterranean Shipping Company.

On 8th November, at midday, the NeoPanamax container vessel MSC DESIRÉE (IMO 9745665) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage, from Ngqura, and spent the next three days at anchor, until 16h00 on 11th November, when she entered Cape Town harbour and proceeded into the Ben Schoeman dock and went alongside berth 604 at the Cape Town Container Terminal.

Built in 2017 by Jinhae Heavy Industry in Zhoushan in China, ‘MSC Desirée’ is 300 metres in length with a deadweight of 109,802 tons. She is powered by a single MAN-B&W 9S90ME-C10 9 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 64,717 bhp (47,600 kW), driving a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 22 knots. For added manoeuvrability she has a transverse bow thruster providing 3,050 kW.

She has an extensive set of auxiliary machinery, including three MAN-B&W 9L32/40 generators providing 4,500 kW each, two MAN-B&W 6L32/40 generators providing 2,800 kW each, and a single MAN D2842 LE201 emergency generator providing 368 kW. She has one Kangrim EA4513 exhaust gas boiler, two Kangrim ECO EB3516 oil fired boilers, and a single Kangrim PA0601R20 oil fired boiler.

One of four sisterships, ‘MSC Desirée’ has a container carrying capacity of 9,408 TEU, and provides deck plugs for 700 reefers. She currently operates on the MSC North West Continent to South Africa (NWC-SA) service, although this is her first northbound voyage on this service. She arrived in Durban in early November, from Singapore, to start her port rotation to Europe.

The MSC NWC-SA port rotation is London- Rotterdam- Hamburg- Antwerp- Le Havre- Sines- Cape Town- Ngqura- Durban- Ngqura- Cape Town- Las Palmas- London. Prior to entering this service, ‘MSC Desirée’ was operating on the trans Pacific MSC Chinook service.

The MSC Chinook service has a port rotation of Yantian (China)- Shanghai (China)- Qingdao (China)- Busan (South Korea)- Seattle (USA)- Portland (USA)- Vancouver (Canada)- Yantian. On completion of her final Chinook service, ‘MSC Desirée’ transitioned to the NWC-SA service with intermediate loading calls at Ningbo (China), Chiwan (China) and Singapore.

Owned by Blue Star Group GmbH, of Hamburg, she is operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) SA, of Geneva, and she is managed by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) SRL, of Naples. As built, ‘MSC Desirée’ was originally owned by Sinoceanic Shipping of Norway, and in February 2019 she was sold for US$90 million (ZAR1.55 billion) to the Blue Star Group.

The Blue Star Group immediately entered ‘MSC Desirée’ into a 15 year bareboat charter with MSC. History was repeating itself as, once more, she became the first vessel for a number of years to be a part of the Blue Star fleet, albeit a vestige of the original Vestey company.

MSC placed her straight onto the MSC South America West Coast (NWC-SAWC) service between Europe, the USA and South America, via the Panama Canal. Almost immediately, in March 2019, ‘MSC Desirée’ was involved in a drug smuggling incident on arrival in the US port of Philadelphia, whilst en route from Buenaventura in Colombia, to Rotterdam on her first ever NWC-SAWC port rotation.

Onboard ‘MSC Desirée’ a total of 13 duffel bags were discovered in a US destined container, containing 537 kg of cocaine, with a street value of US$38 million (ZAR655.89 million). It was the largest drug seizure in the port of Philadelphia for over 20 years. Within months, this incident was followed by three further MSC vessels being involved in illicit drug smuggling into Philadelphia, and other East coast ports in the USA, from South America.

One of the incidents included the biggest drugs haul ever, when an eye-watering 19,760 kg of cocaine was discovered in containers onboard the ‘MSC Gayanè’, again in Philadelphia, with a street value of over US$1 billion (ZAR17.26 billion). The US Customs and Border authorities impounded the vessel, and the Philadelphia Police arrested 8 members of the 22 strong crew, including the Chief Officer, who had been implicated in the smuggling operation. All 8 of them received prison sentences in the USA, ranging from five years to seven years.

Understandably, MSC were horrified, and distressed, with these events which brought both an unwanted, and an undeserved stain on their professional record. They brought in a more robust onboard security programme to monitor activities, some of which was monitored remotely from shore.

More recently, in Brazil, MSC had stopped some stuffing, and pre-stacking, of containers within various elements of their intermodal export operations, in order to prevent smuggling of drugs within containers aboard their vessels, mainly on their US and European routes, but also on routes to South Africa.

On completion of her first northbound onload for Europe, ‘MSC Desirée’ sailed from Cape Town at 06h00 on 14th November, bound for her first NWC-SA port rotation destination of Las Palmas.

Whilst she was not proudly displaying the famous funnel colours of the Blue Star Line, the maritime historian might take comfort that a Blue Star vessel has, once again, sailed from a South African port, in a continuation of over a century of traditional calls by this famous company.

It is interesting to note that on the MSC NWC-SA port rotation schedule, that every single European port is assigned a turnaround of between 12 and 36 hours, and yet all three South African ports are assigned no less than three days for an offload/onload turnaround.

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Added 21 November 2022

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Gazania-1 well off Orange River Mouth shows up dry

Eco Atlantic, the oil and gas exploration company focused on the offshore Atlantic Margins, has advised the disappointing news that the Gazania-1 well on Block 2B, offshore South Africa’s Orange River Basin, which spudded on 10 October 2022, reached target depth of 2,360m but did not show evidence of commercial hydrocarbons. The well will now be plugged and abandoned as planned.

The report says the well logging is currently on-going and the JV Partners will undertake a detailed analysis of the results, which will inform their future plans.

“The JV Partners submitted a Production Right Application to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) on 15 November 2022, for Block 2B, based on the existing oil discovery of AJ-1 and potential future operations. Therefore, the JV Partners have time to conduct further analysis and integration of the Gazania-1 well data to allow them to determine the next steps on the Block.”

The Company, alongside its respective JV Partners, will now move on to executing plans for more exploration wells, including a two-well campaign on Block 3B/4B offshore South Africa planned to begin in 2023, and at least one well into Cretaceous targets on the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana.

“As announced by the Operator of Block 3B/4B, a collaborative farm-out process, up to 55% gross WI, has been ongoing and we look forward to updating the market on this in due course.”

Colin Kinley, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Eco Atlantic, said they very much appreciate the stakeholder and shareholder support on the Gazania-1 well that was safely drilled with no environmental issues.

“Early challenges with weather and service logistics on this well cost us a bit of time to get started, however we are happy with the overall technical operation of the well.

“Gases normally associated with light oil were encountered throughout the drilling of the Gazania-1 well. This, in our view, confirms the active hydrocarbon system, proven by the A-J1 discovery well in 1988, extends to the part of the basin where the Gazania-1 well is located. Further seismic interpretation will likely lead to the definition of viable areas for trapping downdip of Gazania-1 closer to the 1988 oil discovery A-J1.

“While the well results are obviously disappointing at this location, we remain optimistic for this basin and look forward to continuing our exploration efforts.”

Gil Holzman, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eco Atlantic, said that while it is naturally disappointing not having made a commercial discovery, the Gazania-1 well was only the first of four wells they have planned for the next 18-24 months across their wider portfolio.

“We now move on to executing our plans for more exploration wells; a two well campaign on Block 3B/4B offshore South Africa planned to begin in 2023, and at least one well into Cretaceous targets on the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana. A collaborative farm-out process on 3B/4B has been ongoing with the Operator and JV partners and we look forward to updating the market on this in due course.”

The JV partnership in respect of Block 2B comprises Eco Atlantic (50% WI and Operator), Africa Energy Corp (27.5% WI), Panoro 2B Limited, a subsidiary of Panoro Energy ASA (12.5% WI), and Crown Energy AB (10% WI).

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Added 21 November 2022

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CRUISE NEWS: SA cruise season swings into action with arrival of ships

The South African cruise season for 2022/2023 is now in full swing with several additional ships having followed the arrival last month of Europa 2 and Hanseatic Spirit.

On Saturday 19 November MSC Orchestra arrived in Durban from Italy and the Indian Ocean, at the start of over four months of cruising out of Durban mainly to Mozambique destinations. Later that evening the ship sailed on a short weekend cruise to nowhere specific and is due back this morning (Monday) after which she will sail on her first cruise to Mozambique.

Also arriving on Saturday was AIDAaura. She is cruising to a different type of schedule to that of Orchestra and will return to Durban for eight Durban visits over the next four months, in addition to other South African and Namibian ports. AIDAaura arrived from West Africa and having first called at Walvis Bay and the port of Lüderitz at the start of her first southern African cruise.

During this period AIDAaura will be calling at the ports of Richards Bay, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Lüderitz and Walvis Bay.

Incidentally, another AIDA ship will arrive in January – this is AIDAsol.

A third ship to have arrived in Durban this weekend was Holland America’s Zaandam, via Maputo in Mozambique.

What ships to expect in December?

Ships that will sail along the southern African coast during December, with calls at the various ports include MSC Orchestra, Hanseatic Spirit, Seven Seas Explorer, Norwegian Jade, Azamara Journey, and AIDAaura.

This list is not definitive and is based of ships known to be calling at Durban. If readers are aware of any others please let us know.

In anticipation of the increasing popularity of cruising and an expected arrival of more ships in local waters, several ports embarked n recent years on the development of improved cruise terminal type facilities. At Walvis Bay a dedicated berth for cruise ships was incorporated into the new container terminal and has since been made use of with a number of cruise ship visits, until the pandemic close the doors of cruising for a period.

In Cape Town the old E Shed underwent extensive redecoration to be converted, rather in the way that Durban’s N-Shed had been some years back, into a new cruise terminal, managed and operated by the V&A Waterfront organisation. In Durban a totally new cruise terminal has also been built on B berth at the Point, close to the Point Waterfront and the harbour entrance. The terminal has yet to be officially opened but we understand the name will be the Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal. A company headed by MSC Cruises manages and operates this attractive avant garde type facility.

Cunard delays building the new Queen Anne

News from Cunard is that construction of the new 3,000-passenger cruise ship, which will be named Queen Anne, has been delayed due to numerous ‘challenges in shipbuilding’ arising from supply chain problems and energy shortages.

The ship is under construction at Fincantieri and in a statement Cunard said: ‘As a result, our new ship QUEEN ANNE will be arriving slightly later than expected. We have automatically transferred guests booked or waitlisted on the maiden voyage to the new seven-night maiden voyage, which will depart from Southampton on 3 May 2024.’

Queen Anne’s maiden season will include sailings from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the Canary Islands, and the Norwegian Fjords. The new ship will join Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth, bring the Cunard fleet to four ships in 2024.

It just takes one! (so you thought Covid was now a memory)

This was well covered in the general media but here it is for the record. Majestic Princess returned to Sydney earlier this month with 800 of the 3,300 passenger on board having been infected with the Covid-19 virus (which we’d all have liked to believe had gone away).

Majestic Princess was carrying 3,300 passengers and 1,300 crew.

“We understand this current wave of COVID-19 is concerning to many in the community and we take our responsibility in keeping everyone safe very seriously,” said Stuart Allison, SVP Asia Pacific, UK & Europe for Princess Cruises.

Two die in Quark’s Antarctic cruise accident

Two passengers have died when a zodiac boat overturned in a freak accident near Elephant Island in the Antarctic, Quark Expeditions has confirmed.

The accident happened during a zodiac trip with six passengers and two crew on board, when the rubber boat was overturned by an unexpected wave in calm seas. The other four passengers and two crew were rescued safely and went under the care of the onboard doctor on the Quark chartered expedition ship, World Explorer.

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Added 21 November 2022

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IATA and the Dangerous Good Code

IATA works closely with its member airlines and representatives from key entities in the air cargo supply chain, including freight forwarders and ground service providers, to develop and implement common standards that support the safe, secure and efficient transport of air cargo globally.

The IATA DGB

The IATA Dangerous Goods Board (DGB), which comprises representatives from twelve IATA member airlines elected by the IATA Cargo Services Conference is responsible for developing and maintaining the content of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR).

In developing revisions to the DGR, the DGB works closely with regulatory authorities and the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel to ensure that regulatory changes address emerging safety issues and that the changes adopted are effective at addressing the safety risks and can be implemented effectively and efficiently.

Top air transport dangerous goods trends for 2023

Every year more than 1.25 million dangerous goods shipments are transported by air.

With the volume of air cargo forecast continued to grow, the number of dangerous goods shipments will also increase, particularly those containing lithium batteries.

Consumer demand for electronic devices such as tablets and small personal mobility devices such as e-bikes is a key factor in driving this increase. As a result, there are new entrants in the market, which creates a need for training, process improvement and adoption of new technologies.

IATA’s key trends report

News was received from IATA the previous week that the Association had recently published a report on the key trends relating to dangerous goods shipments, including:

* Continued increase in transport of lithium batteries.

* The world continues to shift online.

* Transformation of dangerous goods training requirements.

* Digitalisation of dangerous goods processes.

To learn more on these topics readers are invited take a look at the full report entitled 2023 Trends – Transport of dangerous goods by air

In order to keep up with these trends and to comply with the latest regulations IATA strongly suggests that the air freight and related industries familiarize themselves with the IATA dangerous goods related manuals LISTED HERE

At Africa Ports & Ships I am most grateful to Roman Orlik, Assistant Director DGR Solutions at IATA who kindly provided this valuable reminder.

Edited by Paul Ridgway
London

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Added 21 November 2022

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 Richards Bay coal line derailment – one both lines reopened

The derailment on the Richards Bay coal line (North Corridor) has been partially reopened, Transnet has reported.

This followed the line being closed following the derailment of a train carrying export coal outside Nhlazatshe, near Ulundi on 8 November.

And in an update on Sunday, TFR announced that both lines are now open and trains are again operating on the double tracks. Although as reported below the second line was expected to be reopened later in the weekend, the work teams managed to get the job done and completed clearing the second line on Saturday morning, at least a day earlier than anticipated.

At 07:43 this morning (Friday 18 November) , Transnet Freight Rail reopened one of the two lines on the North Corridor and operations have commenced with TFR Teams now working on clearing the staged trains and the backlog.

TFR is continuing to work towards completing the construction and reopening of the second line, which is projected to resume operations on Sunday.

In its statement TFR said it would like to thank all stakeholders that have assisted in ensuring that repair operations are done efficiently and effectively. “Getting our line back and running in record time would not have been possible without their collective efforts.”

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Added 18 November 2022

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GENERAL NEWS REPORTS – UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY

in partnership with – APO

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

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

“You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

― C.S. Lewis

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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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