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TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS

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

Week commencing 11 April 2023.  Click on headline to go direct to story : use the BACK key to return 

FIRST VIEW:   MSC ANZU

• Fishing vessel Olivia Marie on fire south of Cape Town, crew abandon ship
• Angola’s Sonangol takes delivery of new tanker Sonangol Kulumbimbi
• WHARF TALK: Panamax container ship – MSC CARLA III
• CMA CGM enhances its WAX service with call at Nigeria’s Lekki
• ONE launches its carbon calculating eco-calculator
• Seven candidates for the job of next IMO secretary-general
• WHARF TALK: MR2 products tanker – SILVER VALERIE
• Aero Africa launches Sea-Air freight service Asia to Africa via Dubai
• ONE updates its Africa Rainbow Shuttle from May
• Copernicus spies high sea surface temps: 
• IN CONVERSATION: Présence chinoise en Afrique et Amérique latine : une version moderne de la “malédiction des ressources”?
• IN CONVERSATION: Chinese presence in Africa and Latin America: a modern version of the “resource curse”?
• Eni despatches FPSO Firenze to the Ivory Coast and the start-up of the Baleine field
• WHARF TALK: expeditionary cruise ship – ISLAND SKY
• Second pirate attack in weeks in Gulf of Guinea as tanker is boarded
• Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction: A landmark treaty on the high seas
• NIMASA places four new ferries in service at Apapa
• MSC to mobilise $100 million to help end overfishing
• Ramaphosa meets country’s top exporters over rail & port logistics
• WHARF TALK: passenger cruise liner – INSIGNIA
• WHARF TALK: Chinese research & tracking ship – YUAN WANG 5
• Russian pipelay vessel Fortuna heading for Equatorial Guinea
• Ship-to-ship oil transfers: Tankers in the ‘dark fleet’ – The IMO Legal Committee
• Large drug cocaine haul in Guinea’s Kamsar port
• Gabon looks to exploit its gas potential
• Le Gabon cherche à exploiter son potentiel commercial en matière de gaz
• Dust and more Saharan dust – plumes observed by satellite

• EARLIER NEWS CAN BE FOUND UNDER NEWS CATEGORIES…….

Masthead:  PORT OF CAPE TOWN

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FIRST VIEW:  MSC ANZU

Our featured ship this week is the container vessel, MSC ANZU (IMO 9710426), built in 2015 and capable of loading 8,800 TEU. MSC Anzu has a deadweight of 109,619 tons and a length of 300 metres with a width of 48 metres. Her gross tonnage is 96,333 gt. She sails under the flag of Portugal.  

MSC Anzu arrived in Durban on 6 April at 10h00 and departed on 9 April after a 2 day, 21 hour stopover at the Durban Container Terminal. She is bound for Europe and will make her first call en route at Las Palmas on 24 April.

Container ships, particularly those in fleets such as Mediterranean Shipping Company, seldom remain for too long on particular routes, as was so in the early days of containerisation – think of the Safmarine Big Whites. In 2017 MSC Anzu was sailing in American waters when she had the distinction of becoming the 1000th NeoPanamax vessel through the Panama Canal.  

That was on a Sunday, 19 March 2017, with MSC Anzu heading northbound from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  She was then a part of MSC’s South America West Coast (SAWC)-USA-Northwest Continent (NWC) service between Europe, the USA and West Coast South America.  

Picture by Trevor Jones

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Fishing vessel Olivia Marie on fire south of Cape Town, crew abandon ship

A salvage operation at sea south of Cape Town began on Friday 14 April 2023 to recover a stricken fishing vessel, the OLIVIA MARIE (IMO 7622675), after it caught fire in the early hours of the day.

Due to the intensity of the fire the crew of 26 fishermen abandoned their vessel and were picked up by several other vessels that responded to the mayday call for help.

When the fire broke out Olivia Marie was south of Cape Town.

According to SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority) all 26 crew are safe and were landed landed ashore later that Friday.

SAMSA reports that MRCC Cape Town (Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre) based at the SAMSA Centre for Sea Watch & Response in Cape Town was informed by Telkom Maritime Radio at 01h00 of the fishing vessel requiring immediate assistance. This was due to a fire in the engine room.

With the ship ablaze the 26 crew had launched and boarded the ship’s liferaft, reported the MRCC.

“A MAYDAY Relay was issued through Telkom Maritime Radio wherein vessels were requested to render immediate assistance,” said the MRCC.

“NSRI Stations Hout Bay and Simon’s Town were activated. The MV AQUA EXPLORE, a bulk carrier, and FV UMFONDINI diverted to assist. The Aqua Explore, not being able to recover the survivors from the life raft, remained on-scene until the Umfondini arrived.

“All crew were safety transferred to the Umfondini with the prevailing winds reported to be south-westerly at 15 knots and a water swell of up to 2.6 metres. The Aqua Explore proceeded with normal voyage.

“FV Umfondini was intercepted by NSRI Stations Hout Bay and Simon’s Town after which the Olivia Marie crew were transferred to the NSRI Simon’s Town craft. The survivors were safely delivered to Simon’s Town and transported back to their home base at Hout Bay.

“Efforts from MV Aqua Explore, FV Umfondini, NSRI, and Telkom Maritime Radio supported MRCC Cape Town in the successful outcome of this maritime SAR incident.”

The MRCC added that a Navigation Warning was issued, requesting vessels to report sightings of the Olivia Marie and the life raft, not only to warn of the possible navigation hazards, but also to assist in the recovery of these craft.

SAMSA said that late on Friday the abandoned vessel was sighted by the F/V Langenberg, in an approximate position 34 11.8 S018 19.8 E off the coast south of Scarborough.

“The F/V Langenberg is about 3.5 nautical miles from the abandoned vessel and spotted some debris but not a lot, no smoke on the vessel. Visibility is clear. SW wind force 5 of the current is pushing Olivia Marie to the shallow waters,” reported SAMSA.

The Safety Authority added that efforts will continue to recover the abandoned vessel.

Olivia Marie is 35 metres in length and was built in 1874.  The vessel is registered in South Africa and is owned and managed by Pescaluna East Coast Pty Ltd of Hout Bay.

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Added 15 April 2023

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Angola’s Sonangol takes delivery of new tanker Sonangol Kulumbimbi

Sonangol, the Angolan state-owned oil and natural gas agency, on Monday this week took delivery of its new Suezmax crude oil tanker, the 157,222-dwt SONANGOL KULUMBIMBI (IMO 9938482).

Delivery was made at the Hyundai Sambo Heavy Industries shipyard in Mokpo, South Korea.

The new ship has a length of 274 metres and width of 48m. Cost of construction was US$ 68 million.

The tanker is named for the first Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church to be built south of the Sahara, which is located in the city of Mbanza Congo, Zaire province and is a world heritage site.

Sonangol Kulumbimbi is the first of two similar Suezmax tankers ordered from the Hyundai yard. The second is expected to be ready for delivery in September this year.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sonangol, Sebastião Gaspar Martins, said the new ship will have a crew consisting of at least 80% Angolans. The ship is flagged in the Bahamas.

Martins said the two ships were made possible through revenues earned by other ships in the Sonangol fleet which now consists of ten vessels.

Sonangol Kulumbimbi will enter service in the Stena Sonangol Suezmax Pool, which is a joint venture between Sonangol and Stena Bulk that was established 18 years ago. The operator of the new vessel is Wallem Shipmanagement.

The JV has a fleet of 20 ships with the equivalent of 3.1 million deadweight in total and with an average age of 9.1 years.

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Added 14 April 2023

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WHARF TALK: Panamax container ship – MSC CARLA III

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

German shipyards have, over the centuries, produced some of the most famous ships that sailed the seven seas, and continue to do so today. One of those shipyards is the Bremer Vulkan yard, located just outside Bremen. Sadly, she is no more, and the shipyard was closed down, as far back as 1997, due to a mix of financial misfortune, and mismanagement.

Her history includes the building in 1925 of the great liner ‘Berlin’, which lasted until 1986 as a Soviet war reparation. In 1938 the yard built the ‘Goldenfels’, better known to South Africans as the Nazi raider ‘Atlantis’, which laid mines and sank ships off Cape Agulhas. Bremer Vulkan built the beautiful Hapag-Lloyd passenger vessel ‘Europa’ in 1981, a regular visitor to South African shores. In 1989 the yard built warships too, including the Bremen Class Frigate ‘FGS Augsburg F213’ which visited Cape Town in November 1997.

All of these vessels are now long gone, and as the last vessel rolled down the slips at Bremer Vulkan over 26 years ago, it is highly unlikely that any Bremer Vulkan built vessel would still be around today, sailing the high seas, and likely to not just be a passing visitor, but a regular visitor, to any South Africa port. The last ships built at the yard in 1997 were a pair of container vessels, and one of these was scrapped on an Indian beach back in 2016. That leaves just one.

On 3rd April, at 21h00 in the evening, the Panamax container vessel MSC CARLA III (IMO 9124512) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage, from Ngqura, and as with all container vessels arriving off Cape Town, she was forced to endure over a four day wait out in the anchorage for a berth to become available. Finally, at 01h00 in the early morning of 8th April, she entered Cape Town harbour, and proceeded into the Duncan Dock, to go alongside the Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT) at F berth, and begin her turnaround.

Built in 1997 by the Bremer Vulkan AG shipyard at Vegasack in Germany, ‘MSC Carla III’ is 193 metres in length and has a deadweight of 35,010 tons. She is powered by a Vulkan Sulzer 6RTA84C 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 33,060 bhp (24,318 kW), to drive a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 22.6 knots. She has a range of 20,000 nautical miles.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three Wärtsilä 9L20 generators providing 1,330 kW each, and a single emergency generator providing 500 kW. For added manoeuvrability she has a bow transverse thruster providing 1,100 kW. Her container carrying capacity is 2,758 TEU, and she provides a total of 330 reefer plugs.

As one of the last two vessels to come out of the Bremer Vulkan yard, ‘MSC Carla III’ is a BV 2700-C design, which simply breaks down into BV (Bremer Vulkan), 2700 (TEU capacity), C (Compact). The compact design requirement was that German shipowners wanted a container vessel that had greatly increased container carrying capacity than the 3rd generation container vessels of the time, but maintained the maximum Panamax dimensions for the Panama Canal. Bear in mind that the current ‘NeoPanamax’ locks were still almost 20 years away in the future.

The BV 2700-C design called for deeper holds, on a higher hull, and a narrower accommodation block. It also meant that the bulbous bow was much reduced in length, which is very obvious when looking at ‘MSC Carla III’. Only 8 of this design were built, and 7 of them have since been scrapped. They were also the only vessels to be fitted with the Sulzer 6RTA84C engine.

One of two sisterships built originally for the same German company, Hansa Shipping GmbH of Hamburg, ‘MSC Carla III’ joined the MSC fleet in 2015. She is now nominally owned by Carla 3 Oceanic Incorporated. She is operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) SA, of Geneva, and she is managed by MSC Shipmanagement Ltd., of Limassol in Cyprus.

She only arrived on South African shores last month, in March, from the Far East, where she had been running on an MSC service linking China with Australia. On arrival in Durban, via Sri Lanka, and East Africa, ‘MSC Carla III’ was allocated to the MSC Angola Service, and this is her first rotation on the service.

The Angola Service is currently operated with seven vessels, all with a container capacity of between 2,450 TEU and 2,760 TEU. They are ‘MSC Capri (2,456 TEU)’, ‘MSC Positano (2,456 TEU), ‘MSC Radiant III (2,456 TEU), ‘MSC Corcovado III (2,478 TEU), ‘MSC Samu (2,672 TEU), ‘MSC Meltemi III (2,758 TEU), and ‘MSC Carla III (2,758 TEU).

The current port rotation schedule of the Angola Service is Cape Town- Lobito- Luanda (both Angola)- Lome (Togo)- Pointe Noire (Congo)- Luanda- Namibe (both Angola)- Walvis Bay (Namibia)- Ngqura- Durban- Cape Town.

The development of the Angola Service by MSC is quite striking, when one recalls that it was started way back in June 2005, utilising just one vessel purchased specifically for the new service. That vessel was ‘MSC Sheila’ which had a modest container carrying capacity of just 600 TEU. The new single ship service had a 14 day port rotation schedule, which was Cape Town- Walvis Bay- Luanda- Lobito- Cape Town.

After 63 hours alongside the Multi-Purpose Terminal, first discharging, and then loading for the northbound voyage, ‘MSC Carla III’ was ready to sail on 10th April. At 16h00 in the afternoon she departed from Cape Town, bound for Lobito in Angola.

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Added 14 April 2023

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CMA CGM enhances its WAX service with call at Nigeria’s Lekki

In complement to its current intermodal set-up for the servicing or Nigerian inland locations, CMA CGM has introduced a new product Land Transport through the port of Lekki, Nigeria, a newly inaugurated call on WAX service operated by CMA CGM.

With effect May 2023 at Lekki, the opening of this new corridor will provide cargo owners with the following opportunities:

Land Transportation Solutions for cargo from/to Asia, Bangladesh, East Coast of India to/from more inland destinations via Lekki, particularly in Greater Lagos.

Reaching the major cities within a 100 km radius around Lekki in 1 day, Kaduna in 12 days and Kano door delivery in 14 days.

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Added 14 April 2023

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ONE launches its carbon calculating eco-calculator

In a project aimed at achieving net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, shipping group Ocean Network Express has launched its ONE Eco Calculator.

The eco calculator is a significant milestone toward ON”E’s journey to net zero emissions, the line says.

With the ONE Eco Calculator, units are expressed as either Tank-to-Wake (TTW), a measure of
emissions from burning fuel, which has been stored in a tank, or Well-to-Wake (WTW), a measure of emissions from fuel production, delivery, and use aboard ships.

“As we strive towards decarbonisation, ONE is on a continuous journey to encourage stakeholders to participate,” said Koshiro Wake, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Sustainability Department, Ocean Network Express (ONE).

Wake said the Eco Calculator was developed not only for Ocean Network Express, but also for like-minded players and customers seeking sustainable transport solutions and the means of managing their own cargo emissions.

He said the commitment to achieving net zero is at the top of ONE’s management agenda, along with the company’s Green Strategy which was unveiled in March 2022.

The ONE eco calculator provides total distance and total CO2 emissions from Place of Receipt to Place of Delivery, including door locations.

By offering this service, customers can choose a more environmentally friendly service.

The ONE Eco Calculator can be accessed HERE

and the Mobile App HERE

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Added 14 April 2023

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Seven candidates for the job of next IMO secretary-general

Seven candidates are standing for election in July as the next International Maritime Organization’s secretary-general.

Of those seven, one, a woman, is from Africa.

She is Nancy Karigithu from Kenya, who includes the endorsement of the African Union.

The seven candidates in alphabetical order by surname are Moin Uddin Ahmed (Bangladesh); Suat Hayri Aka (Turkey): Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco (Panama); Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry (Dominica); Nancy Karigithu (Kenya); Minna Kivimaki (Finland) and Zhang Xiaojie (China).

The election will take place at IMO headquarters in London on 18 July 2023.

The procedure then is for the decision of the Council to be submitted to the 33rd session of the Assembly of IMO which will be held late in 2023, when the Assembly will be invited to approve the appointment.

Whoever is elected in July will take over from the current secretary-general, Kitack Lim, who steps down on 31 December 2023.

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WHARF TALK: MR2 products tanker – SILVER VALERIE

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

The continuous arrival of fuel product tankers into South African ports has brought them in from all corners of the globe, and in many cases from oil terminal ports that most people would not only associate with the oil and gas industry, but had probably not even been aware of the existence of such ports.

Similarly, in recent months, and since the bestial and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s ragtag Red Army, there is some increasing discomfort that South Africa is getting around the sanctions placed on the shipping of Russian crude oil, by increasing the amount of imports from India, which is suspected of ‘laundry washing’ Russian crude oil, into Indian fuel products. The amount of product tankers shuttling between India and South Africa tells its own tale.

Back on 29th March, at 16h00 in the afternoon, the MR2 products tanker SILVER VALERIE (IMO 9682320) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage, from Brofjorden in Sweden, a port that very few casual maritime observers would have heard of. She remained at anchor for just over one day, and at 22h00 on the 30th March ‘Silver Valerie’ entered Cape Town harbour, proceeding into the Duncan Dock and going alongside at the tanker berth on the Eastern Mole.

Built in 2014 by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard at Ulsan in South Korea, ‘Silver Valerie’ is 183 metres in length and has a deadweight of 49,715 tons. She is powered by a single HHI MAN-B&W 6G50ME-B9.3 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 10,462 bhp (7,700 kW), driving a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 14 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three HHI Himsen 6H21/32 generators providing 960 kW each, and a single emergency generator providing 150 kW. She has a single Kangrim CHR exhaust gas boiler, and a single Kangrim CHO oil fired boiler. She has 12 cargo tanks, and a cargo carrying capacity of 52,633 m3, with her discharge capability being met with 12 cargo pumps, all capable of a discharge rate of 600 m3/hour.

She is one of a class of no less than 50 sisterships, all built for the Shell Oil company, under their Project Silver, and with all of the class going onto a long term charter to Shell Trading and Shipping Company (STASCo), of London. She was the second of the order to be delivered.

She is nominally owned by Ocean Tianma Shipping Ltd., of Seoul in South Korea, and is part of the Sinokor Merchant Marine fleet, who received the lion’s share of the Shell Project Silver order, with 34 of the sisterships being allocated to them. She is operated by Sinokor Petrochemical Co. Ltd., also of Seoul, and she is managed by Columbia Shipmanagement GmbH, of Hamburg in Germany.

The stay of ‘Silver Valerie’ in Cape Town was for just about one day, and at 21h00 in the late evening on 31st March, she sailed from Cape Town, bound for further discharge in Durban, where she arrived at the Durban anchorage at 17h00 in the afternoon of the 4th April.

Her stay in the anchorage was for a short 4 hours and, at 21h00 the same evening, she entered Durban harbour, proceeding to her berth at Island View 6. Her discharge was complete within 48 hours, and at 2h200 on 6th April ‘Silver Valerie’ sailed from Durban, bound for Vadinar in India. For those who aren’t aware, Vadinar is playing a big role in the supply of domestic, and industrial, fuel products to South Africa at the moment. The Ukraine War is central to that role.

It is no great secret that India has taken huge advantage of Russia’s woes in trying to sell off its crude oil, due to international sanctions over the Ukraine invasion. China has also climbed in, with both getting massive purchase discounts. However, without being able to get import figures from that secretive cabal in Beijing, it is impossible to get any meaningful data from China. Thankfully, India is still a functioning democracy, and these figures are easier to dig out.

Only a fool would fail to see that India is profiting greatly from a cheap supply of Russian crude oil. In war, and when you have little conscience, being a member of BRICS can have its advantages. These are daily import figures, on a monthly basis, that show you how India is profiting from the Ukraine war, by importing using cheap Russian oil. Before the invasion, India only imported 0.2% of its daily oil needs from Russia.

In December 2021 India imports of Russian Crude oil was just 36,255 barrels per day, or 0.2% of total imports. In March 2022, one month into the conflict, Russian Crude oil imports were up to 68,600 barrels per day. In April 2022, this had jumped to Russian crude oil imports of 266,617 barrels per day. In June 2022, this had further increased to Russian crude oil imports of 942,694 barrels per day. In November 2022, the first increase of over one million barrels occurred, with 1,060,000 barrels per day arriving at Indian refineries. In December 2022, this had increased to 1,250,000 barrels per day. In February 2023, the last figures available, this had grown to an astonishing 1,600,000 barrels per day.

This equates to a 788% increase in the purchase of Russian crude oil over a 10 year period, and was growth of 33 times more in just one year. In January 2022, India imported 60% of its requirements from Middle East suppliers, mostly from Saudi Arabia and Iraq. By February 2023, Russian crude oil imports had grown higher than both Saudi Arabia and Iraq combined, and had grown from 0.2% of total daily imports, to 35% of total daily imports. India is getting over the sanctions issue of paying for the Russian Crude oil in US Dollars, by buying Russian oil in UAE Dirhams, via Dubai.

In the Indian Gulf of Kutch, in Gujarat State, on the east coast of India, there are two major oil refineries. They are the Reliance refinery at Sikka, and the Nayara refinery at Vadinar. The partner of Nayara Energy in this refinery is none other than the Rosneft Oil Company, which owns 49.13% of the refinery company. Rosneft is the Russian state owned oil logistics company, being the second largest state-controlled company, and the third largest of all Russian companies.

The refinery at Vadinar is India’s second largest single-location refinery, with a daily refining capacity of 405,000 barrels per day. It would surprise nobody as to where, in India, that a great deal of Russian crude oil imports are currently being offloaded. Both Vadinar, and Sikka, are currently very busy with Russian VLCC arrivals.

Here is a short shipping list from Vadinar, just from a period of a week from today, 11th April, of known VLCC tankers arriving, or departing, for Russian oil ports, plus two early arrivals for May. The list is almost certainly incomplete.

11th April Prometheus ex UST-LUGA
11th April Maistros ex TUAPSE
13th April Leopard 1 ex NOVOROSSIYSK
14th April Pagos ex PRIMORSK
16th April Evagoras ex MURMANSK
1st May Anafi Warrior ex UST-LUGA
8th May Jaguar ex UST-LUGA

Of greater interest is the list of known arrivals of product tankers due in from South Africa.
2nd April Palermo ex DURBAN

13th April Jag Pranav ex PORT ELIZABETH
19th April Petronia Pacific ex DURBAN
21st April Silver Valerie ex DURBAN
22nd April Alfios ex DURBAN

The nearby Sikka oil terminal, on the other hand, is showing exceptional amounts of Russian arrivals over the period of just over one month. Again, the list is not expected to be complete.

1st April NS Lotus ex UST-LUGA
1st April Petalidi ex NOVOROSSIYSK
2nd April Ionia ex KOZMINO
6th April NS Laguna ex KOZMINO
10th April Odessa ex NOVOROSSIYSK
11th April Oneiroi ex UST-LUGA
13th April Leni P ex NOVOROSSIYSK
15th April Daphne V ex UST-LUGA
18th April Afrapearl ex KOZMINO
18th April Gold Season ex UST-LUGA
19th April HS Glory ex UST-LUGA
21st April T Semahat ex NOVOROSSIYSK
23rd April Kimolos ex UST-LUGA
23rd April Mount Fuji ex UST-LUGA
25th April Ocean Autumn ex TAMAN
27th April Aion ex PRIMORSK
28th April HS Star ex MURMANSK
30th April Minerva Eleonora ex PRIMORSK
1st May Seadance ex UST-LUGA
3rd May Minerva Alice ex UST-LUGA
5th May Guanyin ex PRIMORSK
7th May Scorpio ex PRIMORSK
8th May Botafago ex PRIMORSK

Of interest in the VLCC lists from both ports are those vessels that appear to have names associated with Greece. With Greece being a member of the European Union (EU), and the EU having a strict sanctions programme in regard to Russian crude oil exports, it is surprising, or maybe not surprising in light of recent Venezuelan crude oil sanctions shipments, that Greek shipowners may be involved in the movement of Russian crude oil.

Recently, one of the product tankers from Sikka, which arrived at Durban for discharge, was managed by a Singapore based subsidiary of Glencore, who were previously joint venture partners with Sovcomflot, before the start of the Ukraine invasion. That joint venture partnership was dissolved due to sanctions.

It is accepted in the West that discounted Russian crude oil, is being shipped to India, refined locally, and transformed for export as Indian fuel products, thus bypassing the international sanctions system, and it is arriving in South Africa in an ever increasing volume. It is also well known, and accepted by all financial reporters, that Indian fuel product exporters are making a tidy profit, with the onward sale of refined fuel products at a full market price.

Back to ‘Silver Valerie’, and her original arrival in Cape Town, from Brofjorden in Sweden. The oil terminal port is the largest such port in Sweden, and is the second busiest port in Sweden. It is located at 58°21’ North 011°25’ East, lying on the Skagerrak, opposite Denmark, and at the entrance to the Baltic Sea. It has six berths, one for crude oil offloading, and the other five all set aside for fuel products loading. The port regularly accommodates VLCC tankers with a deadweight of up to 230,000 tons, and can accommodate ULCC vessels with a deadweight of up to 500,000 tons. The port handling record was for a ULCC of 450,000 dwt.

The Brofjorden refinery was built at a cost of US$76.56 million (ZAR1.41 billion), and was inaugurated in 1975. In an unusual arrangement, the refinery itself, and the refined product storage tank farm, is all located above ground. Whilst the crude oil storage tanks, which are actually four large cisterns, blasted out of solid granite rock, and are located underground. The cisterns are capable of holding up to 800,000 m3 of crude oil.

Back in April 2014, ‘Silver Valerie’ sent out a distress call when the Chief Engineer was reported missing from the vessel, whilst she was in the South China Sea, and en route to the port of Tianjin in China. The nearest Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), located at Shanghai, initiated a search for the missing crewman, but he was never found, and the search was suspended four days later.

* To see related story from the IMO Legal Committee in this week’s collection CLICK HERE

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Added 13 April 2023

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Aero Africa launches Sea-Air freight service Asia to Africa via Dubai

Aero Africa group has expanded its operations in China and the U.A.E by launching a new sea-air combined transport product from Asia to 70 African destinations via Dubai.

The new SAS product (Sea Air Solution) provides specific benefits to regional economies, airlines, airports, seaports, shipping companies, forwarders, importers, and exporters, while its Dubai hub is highly strategic in terms of time, transport, infrastructure facilities and storage costs.

“SAS is responsive to the client’s needs for a solution to service their logistical dilemma between Asia & Africa,” said chairman Prof. Issa Baluch.

“Sea/Air multimodal Transport is quite demanding in terms of the links in the chain, and it is refreshing to see Aero Africa dedicating their team in Asia, ME and africa all focused to deliver an integrated multimodal solution to the satisfaction of their clients.”

Prof. Issa Baluch is a pioneer in Sea-Air multimodal transport and an Advisory Board Member.

SAS is faster than sea freight and more economical than airfreight and it reduces C02 emissions up to 50%”, explained Jay Cameron, Corporate Product Director.

“The documentation is overseen by a CTD, a single non-negotiable cohesive document which combines AWB and Bill of Lading and is governed by Standard Conditions (7997) of the FIATA multimodal Transport Waybill.”

The Sea-Air solution means that freight forwarders and their clients can now avoid congested shipping lanes with long transit time, particularly to land-locked African countries and West Africa.

It means that they can manage efficiently complex supply chain lead times and utilize strong pre-booked cargo capacity and BSAs ex Dubai to Africa.

“SAS estimated transit times from Asia to Africa range from 17-25 days depending on the origin and destination, while we only offer direct ocean carrier FCL services to Jebel Ali with weekly departures. We maintain full control of cargo and capacity with our own service centers in China, UAE, and Africa,” said Joey Xu, Director Airfreight China.

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Added 13 April 2023

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ONE updates its Africa Rainbow Shuttle from May

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has revealed its intended changes for the line’s Africa Rainbow Shuttle service (ARS).

The service update will take effect from May 2023 and is designed to improve schedule reliability, according to ONE.

The changes involve the integration of ONE’s Africa Rainbow Express (ARE) into its Africa Rainbow Shuttle (ARS) service.

This will result in guaranteed connections to and from the North-West Continent ports and the Mediterranean ports, which will be provided by ONE’s extensive global network and will connect with the Africa Rainbow Shuttle service at Tangier.

The new rotation will take effect as from the vessel Dachan Bay Express on voyage 2318S, with an ETA in Tangier on 7 May 2023.

The port rotation time an transit detail is available as follows (see below and on map):

Port Rotation: Tangier – Dakar – Tema – Abidjan – Tangier

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Copernicus spies high sea surface temps: East Atlantic and Med Waters

Reported by Paul Ridgway
London

This image above illustrates the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomaly in the Mediterranean and off the Atlantic coasts of the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, using data from the Copernicus Marine Service. The visualisation highlights that the SST anomalies reached around +3°C above the reference value on 10 April.

These findings echo preliminary data from the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which revealed that the global average Sea Surface Temperature has hit an all-time high (since satellite records began). In particular, the ocean’s surface reached a temperature of 21.1°C at the beginning of April, beating the previous high of 21°C set in 2016.

This image marks a milestone: it is the 1,000th Image of the Day published by Copernicus. The publishers, the EU Copernicus programme, wants to express its gratitude to readers for their continued interest in, and support of Copernicus.

Copernicus at 25

Twenty-five years ago, Copernicus set out on a mission to take the pulse of our planet and transform the way we see the world.

There will be an event in Stockholm on 8 June 2023, as the programme celebrates a quarter-century of European success in space bringing together advanced technology and environmental insights for a better and safer planet for all. This is expected to be a day of inspiration, innovation, and a look towards a sustainable future honouring Copernicus’ incredible journey, so says the Copernicus media service.

For more SEE HERE

The event will highlight the user stories and successes of the different components of Copernicus from civil protection to climate, land and marine observation, with speakers live from Stockholm and live connections to several locations across the EU. A live stream will make online attendance possible, it is reported.

Based on material kindly provided by the EU Copernicus programme – PR

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IN CONVERSATION: Présence chinoise en Afrique et Amérique latine : une version moderne de la “malédiction des ressources”?

German Zarate, La Rochelle Université

La Chine entretient des relations commerciales avec l’Afrique depuis des siècles, plus précisément depuis la dynastie Tang (618-906 après JC). Des porcelaines chinoises du IXe siècle et des pièces de monnaie du XIIe siècle ont été trouvées dans toute l’Afrique de l’Est. Mais la période d’intérêt a commencé il y a près de 50 ans lorsque la Chine a soutenu la construction du chemin de fer Tanzanie-Zambie (Tazara) qui a donné à l’économie enclavée de la Zambie un chemin vers la mer en la reliant au port tanzanien de Dar es Salam.

Ce projet est devenu l’un des plus grands projets d’aide étrangère jamais réalisés en Afrique. Aujourd’hui, la Chine se prépare à engager à nouveau des ressources financières importantes, cette fois pour reconstruire et revitaliser le projet de Tazara.

De son côté, l’Amérique latine entretient des relations commerciales avec la Chine depuis le XVIe siècle, lorsque la route commerciale des galions de Manille permettait l’échange de porcelaine et de soie entre la Chine et le Mexique. Au cours des siècles suivants, des milliers de migrants chinois ont été envoyés travailler au Pérou en tant que serviteurs sous contrat dans des plantations de canne à sucre, mais les grands projets d’infrastructure ne datent que d’environ 2005.

Diplomatie de la dette

Sur les deux continents, des critiques ont été formulées par les gouvernements nationaux ainsi que par les organisations multilatérales occidentales et par les États-Unis dont la rhétorique stridente contre la Chine s’est accrue depuis l’administration Trump. Les critiques les plus saillantes de la présence de la Chine sur les deux continents tournent autour du prétendu « piège de la dette » et de la question de savoir si une nouvelle « malédiction des ressources » est en train d’émerger.

La prétendue préoccupation du « piège de la dette » énoncée par Bellamy qui a employé l’expression « diplomatie de la dette» a été reprise par les responsables américains sous l’administration Trump. Cette étiquette suggère que la Chine se livre à des pratiques de prêts prédateurs en piégeant les pays pour qu’ils acquièrent une dette inutile qui finira par conduire à une augmentation du fardeau de la dette non transparente.

En Afrique, l’Angola, l’Éthiopie, le Kenya, le Nigéria et la Zambie et en Amérique latine, le Venezuela et l’Équateur semblent faire l’affaire. Pourtant, d’autres chiffres peuvent fournir une perspective différente. Ainsi si, la part de la dette extérieure due par ces pays à la Chine varie de 10 à 20 %, la majeure partie est due à des créanciers occidentaux. De plus, la Chine a déjà engagé des pourparlers de rééchelonnement de la dette avec certains pays et a débloqué des fonds supplémentaires pour les aider à traverser leur crise de liquidité.

Par exemple, L’Équateur restructure 4,4 milliards de dollars d’encours de dette avec la Chine en 2022. Toujours en 2022, Beijing a annoncé qu’elle annulait 23 prêts pour 17 pays africains.

Une préoccupation plus pertinente concernant les deux continents est de savoir si le type de commerce avec la Chine est une version moderne de la « malédiction des ressources ». Des pays comme le Nigeria, l’Angola et la République démocratique du Congo sont des exemples en Afrique, tout comme le Venezuela en Amérique latine.

“Marchandise contre infrastructure” 

Entre 2007 et 2020, les deux principales banques chinoises à l’étranger – la Banque de développement de Chine (CDB) et la Banque d’import-export (EXIM) – ont investi 23 milliards de dollars dans des projets d’infrastructures en Afrique. En Amérique latine, ces banques ont débloqué 26 milliards de dollars. Ces projets peuvent augmenter le commerce des produits de base mais ils peuvent aussi être des investissements complémentaires à l’infrastructure du pays.

Par exemple, la Chine construit un port en eau profonde à Chancay, au Pérou, pour déplacer les ressources métalliques de ses investissements miniers des hautes terres du pays vers la côte et les marchés d’exportation. Mais cela permettra également d’améliorer le commerce d’autres ressources nationales. Cette approche « marchandise contre infrastructure » peut très bien enrayer le développement d’une « malédiction des ressources ».

Contrairement aux avantages pour la plupart unilatéraux de l’époque coloniale, la Chine peut en fait aider à combler le déficit d’infrastructures en Amérique latine et en Afrique et pourrait même contribuer au développement de leurs secteurs industriels.

Compte tenu de la nature des mégaprojets d’infrastructure (ceux qui coûtent 1 milliard de dollars ou plus), les pays des deux continents sont confrontés à des défis similaires. Les projets ferroviaires, par exemple, dépassent le budget de 44,7 % en moyenne et leur demande est surestimée de 51,4 %. Mais les avantages peuvent provenir de la négociation de la part de la main-d’œuvre chinoise impliquée, de l’amélioration des effets multiplicateurs des dépenses d’infrastructure et de la mise en œuvre de réformes institutionnelles pour éviter la corruption.

Il est incontestable que les revenus du boom des produits de base de la Chine au début de ce siècle ont donné aux pays de l’ALC des recettes budgétaires pour augmenter les dépenses dans les programmes de lutte contre la pauvreté et même réduire les inégalités de revenus. Mais les avantages varient considérablement d’un pays à l’autre et les nuances des différents types d’engagement avec la Chine devraient étre examinées.

Au moment où les institutions financières occidentales imposent une conditionnalité politique et ont même retiré leur financement comme cela s’est produit lors de la Grande crise financière de 2007-2008, les investissements de la Chine semblent moins onéreux et plus faciles à sécuriser.

Le défi de la diversification

Le commerce sino-africain et le commerce sino-ALC continuent de croître même si les investissements et les prêts chinois dans ces régions ont ralenti. La diversification commerciale et la diversification des pays demuerent l’un des principaux défis à relever.

Pour relever ce défi, les deux régions doivent entreprendre des réformes institutionnelles qui pourraient stimuler leurs secteurs manufacturiers et accroître leur participation aux chaînes d’approvisionnement mondiales. Ceci, associé à la prudence lors de l’acquisition d’une dette, déterminera la manière dont les gains de l’engagement avec la Chine seront répartis entre les concernés des deux régions.

German Zarate, Professeur d’économie, State of New York University Cortland, professeur invité à La Rochelle University, La Rochelle Université

Cet article est republié de The Conversation sous une licence Creative Commons

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IN CONVERSATION: Chinese presence in Africa and Latin America: a modern version of the “resource curse”?

Author: German Zarate: La Rochelle University

China’s growing presence in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) invites comparisons with China’s presence in Africa since the latter predates the Latin American experience. More importantly, any lessons learned from Africa’s experience could enable policymakers in LAC countries to avoid the pitfalls or maximize the benefits of their engagement with China.

China has had trade relations with Africa for centuries, specifically since the Tang Dynasty (618-906 AD). Ninth-century Chinese porcelains and twelfth-century coins have been found throughout East Africa. But the period of interest began nearly 50 years ago when China backed the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia (Tazara) Railway which gave Zambia’s landlocked economy a path to the sea in the connecting to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam.

This project became one of the largest foreign aid projects ever carried out in Africa. Today, China is preparing to commit significant financial resources again, this time to rebuild and revitalize the Tazara project.

For its part, Latin America has had commercial relations with China since the 16th century, when the trade route of the Manila galleons allowed the exchange of porcelain and silk between China and Mexico. Over the following centuries, thousands of Chinese migrants were sent to work in Peru as indentured servants on sugar cane plantations, but major infrastructure projects only date from around 2005.

Debt diplomacy

On both continents, criticism has come from national governments as well as Western multilateral organizations and the United States whose strident rhetoric against China has increased since the Trump administration . The most salient criticisms of China’s presence on both continents revolve around the so-called “debt trap” and whether a new “resource curse” is emerging.

The so-called “debt trap” concern articulated by Bellamy who used the phrase “debt diplomacy” was echoed by US officials under the Trump administration. This label suggests that China engages in predatory lending practices by tricking countries into acquiring unnecessary debt that will eventually lead to an increase in non-transparent debt burdens.

In Africa, Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia and in Latin America, Venezuela and Ecuador seem to do the trick. Yet other numbers may provide a different perspective. Thus, if the share of the external debt owed by these countries to China varies from 10 to 20%, the major part is due to Western creditors. Moreover, China has already engaged in debt rescheduling talks with some countries and has released additional funds to help them through their liquidity crisis.

For example, Ecuador is restructuring $4.4 billion of outstanding debt with China in 2022. Also in 2022, Beijing announced it was canceling 23 loans for 17 African countries.

A more relevant concern regarding the two continents is whether the type of trade with China is a modern version of the “resource curse”. Countries like Nigeria, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo are examples in Africa, as is Venezuela in Latin America.

“Goods against infrastructure”

Between 2007 and 2020, the two main Chinese banks abroad – the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) – invested $23 billion in infrastructure projects in Africa . In Latin America, these banks released $26 billion. These projects can increase commodity trade but they can also be complementary investments in the country’s infrastructure.

For example, China is building a deep-sea port in Chancay, Peru, to move metal resources from its mining investments from the country’s highlands to the coast and export markets. But it will also improve trade in other national resources. This ‘commodity versus infrastructure’ approach may very well stem the development of a ‘resource curse’.

Unlike the mostly unilateral benefits of the colonial era, China can actually help fill the infrastructure gap in Latin America and Africa and could even contribute to the development of their industrial sectors.

Given the nature of mega infrastructure projects (those costing $1 billion or more), countries on both continents face similar challenges. Railway projects, for example, are over budget by 44.7% on average and their demand is overestimated by 51.4%. But the benefits can come from bargaining on the part of the Chinese workforce involved, improving the multiplier effects of infrastructure spending, and implementing institutional reforms to avoid corruption.

It is indisputable that the revenues from China’s commodity boom earlier this century gave LAC countries fiscal revenue to increase spending on poverty programs and even reduce income inequality. . But the benefits vary widely from country to country, and the nuances of different types of engagement with China should be considered.

At a time when Western financial institutions are imposing political conditionality and have even withdrawn their funding as happened during the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 , investments from China seem cheaper and easier to secure.

The challenge of diversification

Sino-African trade and Sino-LAC trade continue to grow even though Chinese investment and lending in these regions has slowed. Trade diversification and country diversification remained one of the main challenges.

To meet this challenge, both regions need to undertake institutional reforms that could boost their manufacturing sectors and increase their participation in global supply chains. This, coupled with caution when acquiring debt, will determine how the gains from engagement with China are distributed among stakeholders in both regions.

German Zarate: Professor of Economics, State of New York University Cortland, Visiting Professor at La Rochelle University, La Rochelle University

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

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Eni despatches FPSO Firenze to the Ivory Coast and the start-up of the Baleine field

Italian-headquartered multinational energy company Eni has despatched the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel named FIRENZE (IMO 8613798) to Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa where its arrival and installation will allow production start-up of the Baleine field.

Eni is in partnership with PetroCi on the Baleine field, the largest hydrocarbon discovery in Ivory Coast to date, with an estimated oil in place of 2.5 billion barrels and 3.3 trillion cubic feet of associated gas.

The development of Baleine will also be Africa’s first net-zero emission project.

After arrival in Cote d’Ivoire, FPSO Firenze will be renamed BALEINE.

The vessel has been refurbished and upgraded in order to allow it to treat up to 15,000 bbl/d of oil and around 25 Mcfd/d of associated gas.

The entire gas production will be delivered onshore via a newly built export pipeline. The installation of the subsea production system and well completion campaign are underway and will ensure an accelerated start-up of production by June 2023.

Eni says its phased development model and fast track have proven to be effective, as the project is set to start production less than two years from the Baleine 1X discovery well and one and a half years after the FID.

Eni is already progressing swiftly on the second phase of the project forecasting a start-up of production by December 2024 after having taken the FID in December 2022.

Eni is committed to sustainable development, and the Baleine field’s net-zero emission project is a significant step towards achieving this goal. The company says it looks forward to contributing to the development of Côte d’Ivoire’s hydrocarbon industry with the Baleine field and its other projects in the Ivorian deep water.

The Baleine field extends over blocks CI-101 and CI-802. Eni also owns interests in four other blocks in the Ivorian deep water: CI-205, CI-501, CI-401, and CI-801, all with the same partner, PetroCi Holding.

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WHARF TALK: expeditionary cruise ship – ISLAND SKY

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

The arrival in just one week of four passenger liners in Cape Town is not a unique occurrence, but it is a very rare occurrence. Whilst one was a South African seasonal based vessel, the other three were all calling whilst passing through on world cruises, or positioning through on voyages from one summer season in the Southern Hemisphere, to another summer season, but in the Northern Hemisphere.

The unique aspect of the three passing arrivals was that each provided an example of a large true ocean liner, an upmarket intermediate cruise liner, and a small luxury expeditionary liner. Those three examples of a size Large, Medium, and Small liner were ‘Queen Mary 2’, ‘Insignia’, and ‘Island Sky’. Each vessel type has a role to play in the modern world of the selective cruising passenger, and the varieties of cruises that are on offer to the travelling cognoscenti.

On 2nd April, at 16h00 in the afternoon, the small expeditionary cruise liner ISLAND SKY (IMO 8802893) arrived off Cape Town from Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic Ocean, and entered Cape Town harbour, entering the Duncan Dock, but unlike normal arriving passenger vessels, she did not proceed to the Passenger Cruise Terminal, located at E berth, but headed straight to the Repair Quay. Such an arrival point for a passenger vessel, prior to disembarkation of any arriving passengers is highly unusual.

Her voyage to Cape Town had begun on 18th March in Ushuaia, in the far south Argentinean island province of Tierra del Fuego, at the tip of South America. She had completed a cruise programme in the Antarctic Peninsula, and her voyage took her to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, and to Cape Town. As well as her arrival berth, what was also slightly unusual for an arriving passenger vessel was the complete lack of obvious passengers standing out on deck, or on their cabin balconies, as she entered Cape Town harbour, and who were enjoying the vista of the city and mountain.

Built in 1992 by Nuovi Cantieri Apuania SpA shipyard at Marina di Carrera in Italy, ‘Island Sky’ is 91 metres in length and had a displacement tonnage of 3,291 tons. She is powered by two MAN-B&W 8L28/32A-FHO 8 cylinder 4 stroke main engines producing 2,360 bhp (1,760 kW) each, driving two B&W Alpha controllable pitch propellers, with twin rudders, for a service speed of 15.5 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes two MAN-B&W 5L28/32 generators producing 1,000 kW each, and a single emergency generator providing 240 kW. She has a single Alfa Laval Aalborg AQ-12 oil fired boiler. For added manoeuvrability she has a Brunvoll FU-45LTC-137 bow transverse thruster providing 447 kW. For additional passenger comfort at sea, she is fitted with two SKF Blohm & Voss SK-10-3M22 retractable fin stabilisers. She has an ice classification of Ice 1D, the lowest class, which means she is able to operate in first year ice thickness of 15cm.

She was built as a class of four sisterships, with the building costs of all of the class being heavily subsidised by the Italian Government. The subsidies were part of a government effort to maintain employment and skill levels in the shipyard. Because of the subsidies received, ‘Island Sky’, and every other one of the four vessels was completed for US$20 million (ZAR370.12 million) each, which was only roughly half of the actual costs of completing the vessels.

The beautiful yacht like lines of ‘Island Sky’ give a glimpse to her origins, as she was built for the now defunct Renaissance Cruise Lines. Her naming was typical of Renaissance Cruise Lines. The recent Cape Town caller ‘Insignia’, which started life as a class of eight vessels, also built for Renaissance Cruise Lines, had names that all started with the letter ‘R’ followed by a written number.

For ‘Island Sky’, she started life as the last of the class, all of whom received names starting with the word ‘Renaissance’, followed by a Roman Numeral, and she was named ‘Renaissance VIII’, where ‘VIII’ is the Roman numeral for 8. Her other three sisters followed the same naming pattern, and were named as Renaissance V (5), Renaissance VI (6) and Renaissance VII (7).

As an expeditionary cruise vessel, ‘Island Sky’ only carries a maximum of 118 passengers, and operates with a crew of just 66 persons. She has seven decks, of which five are for passenger use, and she has a total of 59 cabins, of which just 14 of them have balconies. Her passenger facilities mirror her small cruising numbers, and she has just one restaurant, one bar, one lounge, a library, and a beauty salon. She does not have a swimming pool.

Nominally owned by Island Sky Shipping Incorporated, of Nassau in the Bahamas, ‘Island Sky’ is operated by Noble Caledonia Ltd., of London, who specialise in high end, luxury expeditionary cruises to places that few other passenger vessels venture. She is managed by Salén Ship Management AB, of Gothenburg in Sweden, whose houseflag she proudly flies on her funnel.

The eagle eyed maritime observer will remember the days gone by, when some of the world’s most beautiful, and classic, reefer vessels flew the famous Salén houseflag, and whose vessels were regular callers in South African ports during both the deciduous fruit season, and the citrus fruit season.

On 6th April “Island Sky’ had completed the work which required her to be on the Repair Quay, and she was moved across the Duncan Dock, but not to the Passenger Cruise Terminal, but to B berth. It became clear why this move was made as first ‘Insignia’ on 6th April, followed by ‘Queen Mary 2’ on 7th April arrived to take up the traditional passenger liner E berth. She wasn’t placed at the adjacent D berth, as is often the case when two passenger vessels are in port together at Cape Town, as ‘MSC Orchestra’ also arrived on 7th April, and she took D berth.

With the ‘Queen Mary 2’ sailing at 01h30 in the morning on 9th April, ‘Island Sky’ was shifted down the dock a few hours later, and finally went alongside the Passenger Cruise Terminal on E berth. By 18h00 that evening ‘Island Sky’ was ready to sail for her next cruise, and at 18h00 on 9th April she sailed from Cape Town, bound for Mossel Bay.

This cruise is a positioning cruise towards her eventual arrival in Northern Europe, via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, for the European cruising season. She is scheduled to make one day calls at all South African ports along the way, and so it will be a good opportunity for the maritime observer to get a glimpse of this beautiful vessel. Her itinerary is Cape Town- Mossel Bay- Port Elizabeth- East London- Durban- Richards Bay- Toliara- Tolagnaro (both Madagascar)- St. Denis (Reunion)- Port Louis (Mauritius), which is where this cruise terminates.

In her long career, and because she is a passenger vessel, ‘Island Sky’ has received no less than 77 Port State inspections. Of these, two resulted in port detentions. The first occurred back in May 2007, at Bordeaux in France. The inspection flagged up no fewer than 26 deficiencies, of which 2 merited detention. These were due to problems with her high pressure fire main, and an issue with one of her generators. The port detention lasted for one day.

Her second port detention took place in May 2012 at Portsmouth in the UK. The inspection logged 14 deficiencies, of which 3 were serious enough to result in a 2 day port detention. The issues were related to her Safety Management System, her bilge pumps, and again with one of her generators.

Back on 19th July 2021, ‘Island Sky’ became the first passenger vessel allowed to call into a port in Scotland, after the Scottish Government lifted all restrictions for cruise vessels at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. The ban had been in place since March 2020, and the Scottish Government were the last of the devolved governments of the UK to lift the ban, as the rest of the UK had already lifted the ban a month earlier, in mid-May.

There was still a caveat in place on cruise vessels calling at Scottish ports, and that was that the vessel had to be sailing on a UK ports only itinerary. On the 19th April, the day the ban was lifted, ‘Island Sky’ sailed into Lerwick Harbour, in the Shetland Islands, with her 66 passengers, which was just over half of her total passenger capacity. The day before she had sailed from a port in England, bound for Lerwick. Even so, all passengers had to be double vaccinated against Covid-19, and they could only go ashore in Lerwick in bubbles of 15 passengers per group.

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Second pirate attack in Gulf of Guinea as tanker is boarded

Another tanker has been attacked and boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea. This comes just weeks after the Monjasa Reformer was seized with six seafarers later being abducted when the pirates left the ship.

According to the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG*), the latest attack by pirates took place on Monday, 10 April 2023, as the Singapore-flagged chemical and oil products tanker SUCCESS 9 (IMO 9258131) of 6,100 dwt was sailing about 300 nautical miles south-south-west of Abidjan, in position 00.07.14 N, 004.34.14 W.

The pirates boarded the tanker at 14h00 UTC and it is speculated that the pirate skiff may have come from a mother ship nearby.

Alternately it is thought possible that a second tanker might be close to the scene, waiting to transfer the Success 9’s cargo and that the pirates would have come from that vessel.

This latter modus operandi has been carried out previously.

Whichever is the case, it demonstrates again the pirate’s ability of attacking ships at a considerable from the shore.

These two latest pirate attacks have destroyed any concept that the Gulf of Guinea has become a safe place to be sailing. Thoughts had been turning that way after a quiet and relatively peaceful 2022, pirate-wise.

No further details are yet available on the status of this latest pirate attack and whether the Success 9 remains in pirate hands, or with regards the safety of the crew.

Success 9 is 107 metres in length and 16m wide and was built in 2003. The vessel is nominally owned by HS Ocean Pte Ltd, care of Fortune Ship Management Pte Ltd of Singapore, who are the commercial and ship managers.

* Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) is a collaboration between the Royal Navy (UKMTO) and French Navy (MICA-Center) involving the sharing of information and co-ordination of responses to maritime incidents.

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Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction: A landmark treaty on the high seas

Edited by Paul Ridgway
London

UNCTAD set to support countries

After fifteen years of negotiations, UN member states agreed on a landmark new treaty on 4 March to protect marine biodiversity on the high seas. It is understood that the treaty will shortly be formally adopted. In a statement from UNCTAD* on 3 April it was learnt that agreement is a milestone towards making all ocean economic activities more sustainable, less harmful and beneficial to all.

When it enters into force, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement will address biodiversity loss and ecosystems degradation due to climate change impacts, pollution and unsustainable use. It must be ratified by 60 member states to enter into force, it is reported.

This treaty will particularly benefit developing countries, which had initiated the negotiations to regulate, among other things, the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from activities with respect to marine genetic resources. These have a significant potential for research and development in the biotechnological, pharmaceutical, foods and cosmetic fields.

To achieve the treaty’s objectives, parties are to be guided by principles and approaches such as the ‘common heritage of humankind’, ‘polluter pays’, ‘precautionary and ecosystem approach’, and ‘fair and equitable benefit sharing’.

Support for countries

UNCTAD reports that it will support countries on the implementation of the new agreement by providing expertise and data on ocean-based goods and services trade, Blue BioTrade and maritime trade. Established shipping lanes may also be affected by marine protected areas to be established under the agreement.

Areas covered by the treaty

The treaty covers, among other things, access and use of marine genetic resources and related digital sequencing information, as well as fair and equitable benefit sharing.

Marine biotechnological applications are booming. According to UNCTAD the market for marine biotechnology reached $5.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to double by 2032, according to one study. Fisheries’ activities are not covered by the new access and benefit sharing rules.

It also envisages the use of area-based management tools to sustainably manage activities in specific parts of the high seas, including marine protected areas to be established for long-term biodiversity conservation goals.

The treaty indicates environmental impact assessment obligations for planned activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction. This will allow identification and evaluation of potential impacts and inform decision-making, management and mitigation of risks. Decision-making on whether to proceed with an activity is left to individual states.

Furthermore the treaty covers capacity-building to develop scientific knowledge and the transfer and sharing of marine technology and related cooperation.

For developing countries, capacity-building will be crucial to establish ecological baselines, generate benefits from marine genetic resources, enable area-based management, environmental impact assessments and facilitate the transfer of marine technologies.

Boost to global efforts

With the treaty there is filled a significant regulatory gap and it complements the existing ocean legal framework, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Significant impetus is given to global efforts under the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 on conserving and sustainably using the ocean, seas and marine resources.

It will also support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which envisages, among other things, conservation and effective management of 30% of oceans and coastal areas by 2030, restoration of 30% of degraded ecosystems and measures to control invasive alien species.

To become effective, however, the treaty needs to be ratified by many states as soon as possible, it is understood.

* UNCTAD –  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

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NIMASA places four new ferries in service at Apapa

NIMASA (Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency) have introduced four passenger-carrying ferries at the port of Apapa in Lagos harbour to assist with the movement of staff around the port area.

The port of Apapa faces ongoing traffic congestion in Nigeria’s largest and busiest port complex. Apapa shares the water area of Lagos with the Port of Tin Can Island and both sections have traffic headaches.

The news of the ferries’ arrival was made available by NIMASA’s Director-General, Dr Bashor Jamoh, as he delivered the University of Lagos Institute of Maritime Studies’ maiden Annual Lecture.

Tweeting later on Twitter, Jamoh said the new boats had already arrived in Lagos. He said their arrival was in response to the suffering that NIMASA staff experienced while navigating the Apapa traffic gridlock on a daily basis.

There was no detail provided as to where they had been acquired.

NIMASA’s presence and brand will become ever-dominant in Lagos waters, he said. “Players, operators and stakeholders will be able to engage with us more directly and with real-time experience and value.”

He said the new mass-transit boats and operations vessels will enable NIMASA to fulfil its mandate of promoting the Blue Economy and regulating the maritime domain.

NIMASA is the regulating body of Nigeria, which has a coastline of 530 miles (853 kilometres), over 8500 km of inland waterways, six port complexes, ten jetties and 21 oil terminals. In addition Nigeria enjoys an exclusive zone extending 200 nautical miles from its coast.

During his lecture, Dr Jamoh mentioned that Nigeria has introduced six maritime training institutions across six Nigerian geo-political zones, including the maritime university of Okerenkoko, and had empowered the Niger Delta University in maritime studies.

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MSC to mobilise $100 million to help end overfishing

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announced on Tuesday (11 April) an ambitious goal to mobilise US$100 million to help safeguard the ocean and sustainable seafood supplies over the next decade.

The announcement marks a significant expansion of the MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund (OSF) which aims to end overfishing.

Philanthropic organisations, businesses and governments are to be encouraged to contribute to the fund, which has already delivered more than 100 grants, including almost 40 in emerging economies. These funds assist a wide range of fisheries and invest in research and innovation to improve fishing practices on the water.

Beneficiaries have included South African fisheries reducing bird bycatch, Indonesian fishers adapting to the impacts of climate change on blue swimming crabs, and artisanal fishers in the Mediterranean trialling new technology to protect stingrays.

A new project to assess the risks of climate change for wildcapture fisheries and help them to adapt in the future has also received funding.

The challenge facing the ocean is enormous. Consumption of seafood is rising rapidly whilst over a third of global fish stocks are being exploited at unsustainable levels.

The pressures of feeding a burgeoning global population, combined with the detrimental effects of climate change demands stronger, urgent action, hence the scale-up of the Ocean Stewardship Fund.

The MSC is a world-leader in knowledge and expertise of sustainable fishing. It has 25 years of experience of promoting and delivering progress globally, with over 600 fisheries engaged in its certification programme.

Since 2018 the not for profit has committed to allocate 5% of the income it generates from licensing the use of the MSC ecolabel on sales of sustainable seafood to the Ocean Stewardship Fund. The fund opened to third-party donations in 2022.

“In the five years since its creation, the Ocean Stewardship Fund has supported an impressive range of projects, including many innovative collaborations between fisheries and scientists,” said Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC.

“We are extremely grateful to our funders, partners and supporters who share our vision of a healthy thriving ocean. If we want to enjoy seafood today and into the future, we need to respond to the scale of the challenges facing the ocean.

“By mobilising US$100 million over ten years, we can support many more communities and businesses around the world which are reliant on the ocean for food, security and livelihoods,” he said.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organisation which sets globally recognised standards for sustainable fishing and the seafood supply chain. The MSC ecolabel on a seafood product means it comes from a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC’s science-based standard for sustainable fishing.

More than 600 fisheries representing more than 19% of the world’s wild marine catch are engaged in its certification programme and more than 20,000 different MSC labelled products are available on shelves across the globe.

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Ramaphosa meets country’s top exporters  over rail & port logistics

Shortly after President Cyril Ramaphosa having summonsed the Board and chief executives of Transnet for a heart-to-heart discussion on the logistics problems facing South Africa, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan was despatched to China in an effort of unlocking cancelled orders for railway locomotives and spare parts. Following this, the president last week hosted a virtual meeting with chief executives from key exporting economic sectors.

These included sectors such as mining and minerals, the agricultural and forestry sectors, as well as the automotive and freight forwarding industry representatives.

The mining sector in particular has been increasingly and publicly critical of Transnet’s inability to deliver large volumes of ores and minerals to the ports for export.

It’s clear that President Cyril Ramaphosa now fully realises that that the country needs to speedily deal with the logistics backlog that continues to undermine economic growth.

The sectors represent South Africa’s largest exporters who are reliant on the country’s road, rail and port infrastructure.

Welcoming the proposals presented during last week’s meeting, the president said the government needed to take urgent measures to resolve the logistics backlog that continues to undermine economic growth.

“I deeply appreciate the constructive manner in which all the impacted sectors have approached the resolution of this crisis, he said. “Government will consider some of the proposals presented and act on them quickly in order to unlock much-needed investments into the economy.”

Of special concern is the declining performance of the freight rail network.

At the 28 March meeting with members of the Transnet board and executive management at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the challenges facing the country’s logistics system were by all accounts laid bare.

President Ramaphosa directed Transnet to implement reforms wholly and swiftly to reverse the crisis in South Africa’s logistics system.

Over the coming weeks, government says it will consider and announce a set of measures that will add impetus to the steps being put in place to improve rail and port efficiencies.

According to the President’s Office, this will be in line with the government policy direction for the freight transport sector in the White Paper on National Rail Policy and in legislation such as the National Ports Act and the Economic Regulation of Transport Bill that is currently before Parliament.

The next step will see President Ramaphosa meeting with organised labour representatives to arrange a collaborative effort that will be coordinated by the Presidency.

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WHARF TALK: passenger cruise liner – INSIGNIA

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

Southern African ports and harbours have entered into the seasonal end of the period that covers two distinct cruising seasons. The first is the annual end of the Austral summer season of expeditionary cruise ships leaving Antarctica, to reposition to warmer climes in the Northern hemisphere. There were no less than four of these expeditionary cruise vessels scheduled to stop off in their traditional entry port of Cape Town. Two of them were heading up the west coast of Africa, and two were scheduled to head up the east coast of Africa.

The second is the arrival of the large, and always luxurious, cruise liners who are embarked upon lengthy world cruises. These vessels have been calling at South African ports on an irregular basis throughout the summer season, and now the end of season callers are making their stops at Southern African ports. It is these larger passenger liners that get the heads turning, and they are the last of group of passenger liners now cruising along the South African coast before the onset of winter weather.

On 4th April, at 05h00 in the early morning, the passenger cruise liner INSIGNIA (IMO 9156462) arrived off Cape Town, from Lüderitz in Namibia. She entered Cape Town harbour, going alongside the Passenger Cruise Terminal, located on E berth in the Duncan Dock.

She was a little more than a third of the way through an extensive world cruise, and Cape Town was one of her fly-cruise stops, where a number of passengers would be disembarking to fly home, and new passengers would be joining the vessel for the continuation of her world cruise.

Built in 1998 by Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard at St. Nazaire in France, ‘Insignia’ is 181 metres in length and has a gross registered tonnage of 30,277 tons. She has diesel electric propulsion, and has four Wärtsilä 12V32LN 12 cylinder 4 stroke main generators producing 4,650 kW each. These provide power to two GEC-Alsthom electric motors providing 18,342 bhp (13,500 kW), which drive two fixed pitch propellers for a service speed of 18 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes a Cummins 12V92T emergency generator providing 400 kW. She has no less than four Alfa Laval Aalborg UNEX G-226 exhaust gas boilers, and two Alfa Laval Aalborg UNEX CHB-8000 oil fired boilers. For added manoeuvrability she has two Brunvoll FU-63-LTC-1750 bow transverse thrusters providing 750 kW each.

Built at a cost of US$186.32 million (ZAR3.37 billion), ‘Insignia’ was the first one of eight sisterships, all built for the now defunct Renaissance Cruise Lines. All were given rather bland names, of the letter ‘R’ followed by a written number. In this case, ‘Insignia’ was originally named ‘R One’. Her sistership ‘Nautica’, which visited Southern African ports back in January this year, was originally named ‘R Five’. The eagle eyed maritime observer will have noticed the similarity of the ‘Azamara Journey’, which ran a series of coastal cruises from Cape Town over the summer. She was originally named ‘R Six’.

Owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings Ltd., of Miami in the USA, ‘Insignia’ is operated by Oceania Cruises Incorporated, also of Miami, and whose houseflag she proudly carries on her funnel. She is managed by V Ships Leisure SAM, of Monaco.

She is currently on a mammoth 197 day world, near circumnavigations, cruise which started in Miami on 28th December 2022, and is scheduled to end in San Francisco, in the USA, on 13th July this year. The cruise has no less than 110 ports of call along the itinerary, with Cape Town being the 56th call of the cruise.

She has a total of 12 decks, of which 9 are for passenger use. She has 349 cabins, and she can comfortably accommodate 698 passengers, with an operating crew of 372. Her passenger facilities includes four restaurants, five bars, two lounges, a café, theatre, library, card room, casino, fitness centre, spa with pool, a main swimming pool, and two whirlpools.

Her current cruise took her through the Panama Canal, and down the west coast of the Americas, before entering the South Atlantic Ocean, and making her way up to the north of Brazil. From there she crossed the mid-Atlantic to reach Africa, calling at Mindelo (Cape Verde)- Dakar (Senegal)- Banjul (Gambia)- Abidjan (Ivory Coast)- Takoradi (Ghana)- Lome (Togo)- Cotonou (Benin)- Príncipe Island (São Tomé)- Walvis Bay- Lüderitz- Cape Town.

This is not her first call in Cape Town, as ‘Insignia’ last called back in May 2022, where she first called at Richards Bay, and Mossel Bay, but unusually none of the larger East coast ports. She sailed from Cape Town, via Lüderitz and Walvis Bay, to Europe for her European cruising season. She is scheduled to be back in Cape Town, on another world cruise, in February 2025.

Back in December 2014, ‘Insignia’ suffered a serious, and fatal, engine room fire whilst she was alongside at Castries, on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. The fire killed three people, one an ‘Insignia’ Engine Room crewman, and two Wärtsilä Field Service Engineers. Her cruise was cancelled, and all passengers were flown home. The ship itself was towed to San Juan, in Puerto Rico, where a full repair was carried out.

Last year, in July 2022, ‘Insignia’ had sailed from the island of Bermuda, when she came across a 37 foot yacht, drifting some 50 nautical miles northwest of the island. The yacht appeared damaged, and the sails were not set correctly. She was identified as the German yacht ‘Uplace’, and it was determined that she had been abandoned back in April, 350 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico.

The crew of ‘Uplace’ were a husband and wife team, both in their 60s, and who had both suffered serious injuries, one a broken leg, as a result of severe weather. They had sent out a distress signal, and were both picked up by a passing LNG tanker, and taken to Puerto Rico, where they had been airlifted off by a US Coast Guard SH-60 Jayhawk SAR helicopter, and flown directly to hospital.

The yacht had drifted a total of 675 nautical miles, in the following three months, to its position north of Bermuda. It was subsequently reported, in a Notice to Mariners, as a floating hazard.

Her turnaround in Cape Town was complete by 6th April, and at 16h00 that afternoon ‘Insignia’ sailed from Cape Town, bound for Mossel Bay, where she arrived the next day for a one day stopover out in the bay. In the late afternoon of the 7th April, she sailed for Durban, where she was due to arrive at 07h00 on 9th April, again for a one day stay. She is then due to sail for Richards Bay, where she will arrive at 06h00 on the 10th April. This will be her final stop in South African waters, and the last opportunity for the casual maritime observer to see her. She will sail at 16h00 on 10th April.

Her itinerary up the East African coast takes her next to Maputo (Mozambique)- Mayotte (Comores)- Nosy Be (Madagascar)- Victoria- La Digue (both Seychelles), before she leaves Africa for Oman, and the Persian Gulf region. From there her epic world cruise will continue via India, the Far East, Alaska, Canada, and the US West Coast, before it concludes in San Francisco.

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WHARF TALK: research & tracking ship – YUAN WANG 5

by Terry Hutson

The impressive looking Chinese tracking ship, YUAN WANG 5 (IMO 9413054), paid Durban a visit earlier in April and may be returning next month. Unlike previous visits by Chinese sister ships, there has been no announcement of its purpose and intention during the current voyage, save that of Transnet National Ports Authority who stated simply that the vessel was in Durban to refuel and take on supplies.

Prior visits by sister tracking ships going back more than 15 years raised little interest other than having an unusual ship calling in port – either Durban or Cape Town. This time however questions were asked, likely a result of the recent controversial naval exercises involving Chinese and Russian naval ships, held at Richards Bay and off the KZN coast.

Also resurrected were the stories of the same ship’s visit to the port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka in August last year, during which India made strenuous complaints to the Sri Lankan government. According to the Indians, the Yuan Wang 5 was there to spy on both India and its host country, although why that would be necessary is not clear as the Chinese have for some years ‘owned’ and operated the Sri Lankan port.

In 2017 the China Merchants Port Holdings, a Chinese state-owned company, took a majority share with a 99-year lease in Hambantota port after Colombo was unable to service the debt incurred to build it.

That also raised strong Indian concerns, who tend to consider the Indian Ocean as an Indian, well… ocean and not an area where China should be poking its nose, let alone setting up naval bases. Sri Lanka had to hurriedly obtain assurances from China that its naval ships wouldn’t use the port nor would they open a naval base.

Interestingly, Yuan Wang 5, like its sisters, operates as a vessel of the country’s Strategic Support Force (SSF) – a sort of Royal Fleet Auxiliary equivalent. The SSF is a part of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), there to augment PLAN’s capabilities and requirements. The tracking fleet however are primarily active in space and satellite tracking involving intercontinental ballistic missile and space launches. As such when calling in South Africa previously, they have deployed off the Atlantic coast to provide signalling and tracking assistance with each special launch.

One of the conditions that applied when the ship called at Hambantota in 2022 was that certain instruments were not to be deployed – though who monitored this is not recorded.

As for the latest South African visit, we have no ‘big brother’ looking closely over our shoulder and South Africa is supposedly a neutral non-aligned nation. As a result no-one was saying the ship shouldn’t be allowed to call, no-one save the chief opposition party that is, and a couple of news media who perhaps sensed a good story. But does anyone listen to either of them anyway!

On 4 April Yuan Wang 5 sailed from Durban, which is when the above photographs were taken. As of Friday 7 April she was located off the Northern Cape coast roughly opposite Port Nolloth, in keeping with previous calls by these ships. No doubt a space rocket is about to be launched from China.

AIS reports show Yuan Wang 5 returning to Durban on 1 May 2023. That provides another clue, or does it? The time taken for a launch towards the Chinese space station, and then the return?

For those interested in ship details, Yuan Wang 5 has a length of 222 metres and a width of 25m and displaces (see the military connection) 21,000 tonnes. Her gross tonnage is 22,686 tons. She flies, naturally, the flag of China. The ship was built in 2007 in Shanghai at the Jiangnan Shipyard.

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Russian pipelay vessel Fortuna heading for Equatorial Guinea

Three Russian subsea vessels are en route to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea to engage in subsea construction work on the long-stalled Fortuna Field.

The three vessels, the pipelay barge FORTUNA (IMO 8674156), which was engaged in helping complete the now notorious Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic, the Russian anchor handling tug UMKA (IMO 9171620), which has the tow of the barge, and the salvage and rescue tug BAKHTEMIR (IMO 9797577).

The three vessels departed Russia via the Norwegian Sea and the Irish Atlantic coast. While off the latter they raised some interest by circling off the Irish coast at one point, though not surreptitiously such as by turning off their AIS.

It was reported that this was in the area of over a dozen submarine cables connecting Ireland and the UK with the rest of the world, including a recently installed communication cable.

The reports say the Irish Navy was unable to respond due to a lack of crew for manning a patrol ship but the air corp did send an aircraft to patrol the area and photograph the strange activities of the trio until the Russian vessels left the area.

The pipelay crane vessel Fortuna was built in 2010 and i registered in Russia. She has a deadweight of 32,219 tons and an overall length of 170 metres and width of 46 metres.

The AHT Umka has a gross weight of 3,153 tons, length of 80 metres and width of 18 metres. The tug was built in 1998. The second accompanying tug Bakhtemir (3,030-gt) was built in 2019 and has an overall length also of 80 metres and width of 17m.

The Fortuna FLSO is proposed to have an overall length of 357m, a breadth of 60m and an LNG storage capacity of 230,000m³ and will be provided with a turret mooring system.

The FLSO will liquefy natural gas into LNG onboard and convey it to LNG carriers for supply. It is expected to produce approximately three million tonnes of LNG a year at the rate of 440MMscfd for approximately 20 years, according to Offshore-Technology

If this is the destination of the Russian subsea barge and assisting vessels, they will take up station on Block R (now Block EG-27) and the tie back of seven wells to the FLSO vessel.

The Fortuna field is estimated to hold 1.3 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas from the overall estimated recoverable reserves of about 3.4TCF at Block R, according to Ophir Energy, which originally planned to develop the project, only to have the contracts cancelled in 2018, reportedly due to non-performance.

In November the following year Lukoil was awarded Block EG-27 (formerly Block R), the same licence previously held by Ophir Energy to develop the FLNG project.

In March 2022 Upstream was reporting that New Fortress Energy and Golar LNG were involved with developing Block EG-27, leaving it unclear whether Lukoil is still involved.

The field covers an area of approximately 2,450km², approximately 140km off the coast of Bioko Island, and in water depths ranging from 600m to 1,950m.

A Wood MacKenzie report states that the Fortuna FLNG project in Equatorial Guinea is a 4-train LNG development operated by Golar LNG.

YouTube video of a pipelay crane vessel [03:51]

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Ship-to-ship oil transfers: Tankers in the ‘dark fleet’ – The IMO Legal Committee

Edited by Paul Ridgway
London

The dangerous practice of ship-to-ship transfers in the open ocean, as well as the methods used to obscure ship identities and turning off AIS transponders, were discussed by the IMO Legal Committee which met for its 110th session (LEG 110) at IMO HQ in London from 21 to 26 March.

The Committee considered a document submitted to the session which raised awareness of the consequences and concerns for the global liability and compensation regime of the increase in ship-to-ship transfers in the open ocean. Furthermore, the Committee noted that these undermined the spirit of the regulation of ship-to-ship operations of tankers as prescribed by IMO’s International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).

Furthermore, the Committee was informed that a fleet of between 300 and 600 tankers primarily comprised of older ships, including some not inspected recently, having substandard maintenance, unclear ownership and a severe lack of insurance, was currently operated as a ‘dark fleet’ or ‘shadow fleet’ to circumvent sanctions and high insurance costs.

This increased the risk of oil spill or collision. In addition it could also result in a participating shipowner evading its liability under the relevant liability and compensation treaties.

These are, for example, the “> International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) and the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (Bunkers Convention) in the case of other ships, placing also an increased risk on Coastal States and the International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage.

Following the discussion, the Committee considered that ship-to-ship transfers in the high seas were high risk activities that undermined the international regime with respect to maritime safety, environmental protection and liability and compensation needed to be urgently addressed.

To read a full summary of LEG 110 readers are invited to SEE HERE

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Large drug cocaine haul in Guinea’s Kamsar port

A report from Conakry in the West African country of Guinea tells of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine that was discovered hidden on a ship in the port of Kamsar.

The drugs were packaged in 25kgs bags on board the ship and discovered after the vessel had docked at Kamsar. The ship’s name was not released but the vessel is registered in a neighbouring West African country that provides an often dubious flag of convenience, Sierra Leone.

Radio Television Guineenne reported that drug smugglers frequently use West African countries as a transit point to ship cocaine from South America to Europe.

It should be noted that the same applies to Brazilian smugglers using the South African ports of Durban and Ngqura in particular for a similar purpose.

It is thought the smugglers believe that by using transit ports the authorities in Europe will be less likely to inspect cargo for drugs.

The discovery on a ship in Kamsar port is not the first for Guinean authorities. In August 2019 roughly three tonnes of cocaine was discovered hidden on a ship anchored offshore but in Guinean waters.

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Gabon looks to exploit its gas potential

A long-standing oil giant of sub-Saharan Africa, Gabon is looking to embrace its potential as a natural gas producer by emerging with revitalized plans for sustainable, energy-led growth.

To date, reliance on large, easily accessible, low-sulfur oil reserves has dampened enthusiasm for the development of other sources of energy in the country. But with oil production and government revenues on the wane, attention is turning to the untapped potential of natural gas – of which Gabon is thought to hold anywhere from three to five trillion cubic feet – and its ability to advance regional cooperation, relieve energy insecurity and lower carbon emissions.

The road to diversifying Gabon’s economy has spanned more than a decade. Supported by the United Nations Development Program and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the Emerging Gabon Strategic Plan was launched in 2009. It aimed to bolster sustainable economic growth while preserving the environment, in part through the adoption of clean fuels such as natural gas.

World Bank

Notably, the World Bank has praised Gabon as one of the few countries in the region to have demonstrably committed to preserving biodiversity and taking action on climate change. The Plan identified natural gas and its associated value-added industries as strategic sectors for sustainable economic growth and stated the aim to raise production to 220,000 cubic feet per day by 2020.

Although this initial target was missed, the breadth of its ambition signifies the country’s drive to transform its energy industry, with implications extending far beyond its borders.

Gabon currently holds 1.2 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, the majority of which is situated off the country’s Atlantic coast. Domestic gas output stalled at around 70 billion cubic feet in 2021, largely due to wastage, insufficient infrastructure and a lack of technical expertise in working in Gabon’s challenging deep-water environment, where the majority of the country’s oil and associated gas fields lie.

The country’s Gas Master Plan has aimed to address these deficiencies by reducing gas flaring, attracting new investment and improving the reliability and reach of domestic gas infrastructure.

Accordingly, a new legal framework for the sector was adopted in 2019 in a bid to attract gas-focused investments, and a regulatory authority for the hydrocarbon sector was established to provide single-window operations to investors. The resulting liberalization of sectoral regulations was complemented by licensing rounds to grant offshore exploration rights for the first time since 2014.

Concurrently, investments are being channeled towards the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and improved distribution through the construction of new pipelines and processing facilities. Increasing domestic liquefaction capacity remains a top priority for Gabon, as well as increasing the use of liquefied petroleum gas locally. A Presidential Gas Task Force was set up in 2021 to supervise the sector’s development and conduct investor outreach.

While placing an emphasis on the utilisation of natural gas for domestic consumption, the Gas Master Plan also aims to leverage gas monetisation as a means of regional energy trade. To this end, Gabonese authorities are liaising with their counterparts in Equatorial Guinea in the development of the regional Gas Mega Hub.

However, such aspirations are not without their challenges. Developing natural gas infrastructure requires considerable international support, in the form of both investment and technical execution.

Sustainable development plans must consider domestic capacity, with the policy framework striking a delicate balance between ambition and practical limitations. If it flourishes, the natural gas industry could deliver bountiful economic prospects for Gabon, as well as represent a significant milestone towards achieving international climate goals.

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Le Gabon cherche à exploiter son potentiel commercial en matière de gaz

Géant pétrolier de longue date de l’Afrique subsaharienne, le Gabon est en train d’exploiter son potentiel en tant que producteur de gaz naturel et d’émerger avec des plans revitalisés pour une croissance durable et axée sur l’énergie.

Jusqu’à présent, la dépendance à l’égard d’importantes réserves de pétrole à faible teneur en soufre, facilement accessibles, a freiné l’enthousiasme pour le développement d’autres sources d’énergie dans le pays. Mais la production de pétrole et les recettes publiques étant en baisse, l’attention se tourne vers le potentiel inexploité du gaz naturel – dont le Gabon détiendrait entre trois et cinq trillions de pieds cubes – et sa capacité à faire progresser la coopération régionale, à soulager l’insécurité énergétique et à réduire les émissions de carbone.

Les autorités gabonaises sont en liaison avec leurs homologues de Guinée équatoriale pour le développement du Méga Hub régional du gaz

La diversification de l’économie gabonaise a pris plus d’une décennie. Soutenu par le Programme des Nations unies pour le développement et la Commission économique des Nations unies pour l’Afrique, le Plan stratégique Gabon émergent a été lancé en 2009. Il visait à soutenir une croissance économique durable tout en préservant l’environnement, en partie grâce à l’adoption de combustibles propres tels que le gaz naturel.

La Banque mondiale

La Banque mondiale a notamment salué le Gabon comme l’un des rares pays de la région à s’être manifestement engagé à préserver la biodiversité et à prendre des mesures pour lutter contre le changement climatique.

Le plan identifiait le gaz naturel et les industries à valeur ajoutée qui lui sont associées comme des secteurs stratégiques pour une croissance économique durable, et visait à porter la production à 220,000 pieds cubes par jour d’ici 2020. Bien que cet objectif initial n’ait pas été atteint, l’ampleur de son ambition témoigne de la volonté du pays de transformer son industrie énergétique, avec des implications qui s’étendent bien au-delà de ses frontières.

Le Gabon détient actuellement 1,2 trillion de pieds cubes de réserves prouvées de gaz naturel, dont la majorité est située au large de la côte atlantique du pays. La production nationale de gaz s’est arrêtée à environ 70 milliards de pieds cubes en 2021, en grande partie à cause du gaspillage, de l’insuffisance des infrastructures et du manque d’expertise technique pour travailler dans l’environnement difficile des eaux profondes du Gabon, où se trouve la majorité des gisements de pétrole et de gaz associés du pays. Le plan directeur gazier du pays vise à remédier à ces insuffisances en réduisant le torchage du gaz, en attirant de nouveaux investissements et en améliorant la fiabilité et la portée de l’infrastructure gazière nationale.

En conséquence, un nouveau cadre juridique pour le secteur a été adopté en 2019 dans le but d’attirer les investissements axés sur le gaz, et une autorité de régulation du secteur des hydrocarbures a été créée pour offrir un guichet unique aux investisseurs.

La libéralisation des réglementations sectorielles qui en a résulté a été complétée par des cycles d’octroi de licences visant à octroyer des droits d’exploration en mer pour la première fois depuis 2014. Parallèlement, des investissements sont consacrés au développement de l’infrastructure du gaz naturel liquéfié (GNL) et à l’amélioration de la distribution grâce à la construction de nouveaux gazoducs et d’installations de traitement.

L’augmentation de la capacité de liquéfaction domestique reste une priorité absolue pour le Gabon, ainsi que l’augmentation de l’utilisation du gaz de pétrole liquéfié au niveau local. Une Task Force présidentielle dédiée au gaz a été mise en place en 2021 afin de superviser le développement du secteur et de sensibiliser les investisseurs.

Tout en mettant l’accent sur l’utilisation du gaz naturel pour la consommation domestique, le plan directeur pour le gaz vise également à tirer parti de la monétisation du gaz comme moyen de commerce régional de l’énergie. À cette fin, les autorités gabonaises sont en liaison avec leurs homologues de Guinée équatoriale pour le développement du Méga Hub régional du gaz. Cependant, de telles aspirations ne sont pas sans poser de problèmes.

Le développement de l’infrastructure du gaz naturel nécessite un soutien international considérable, sous forme d’investissements et d’exécution technique.

Les plans de développement durable doivent tenir compte des capacités nationales, le cadre politique devant trouver un équilibre délicat entre l’ambition et les limites pratiques. Si elle prospère, l’industrie du gaz naturel pourrait offrir des perspectives économiques généreuses au Gabon et représenter une étape importante dans la réalisation des objectifs internationaux en matière de climat.

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Ajouté le 11 avril 2023

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Dust and more Saharan dust – plumes observed by satellite

Edited by Paul Ridgway
London

In recent days many plumes of Saharan dust were observed originating from Africa.

Mediterranean

On 4 April, the EU Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite captured an image of a large plume stretching hundreds of kilometres from the coast of Libya to Türkiye.

These dust plumes can have severe impact on the environment, air quality, and human health. Therefore, monitoring them is crucial for protecting human life and the environment.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service provides essential information on the movement and behaviour of these Saharan dust plumes, enabling authorities to take preventive measures to minimise their impact.

Canary Islands

At the end of March the Canary Islands were hit by extreme weather. The region saw record-breaking temperatures, with some areas reaching scorching highs of 38°C.

Here the islands were also affected by a Saharan dust storm, which caused poor air quality and a hazy, otherworldly atmosphere. The Copernicus Sentinel-3 image, acquired on 30 March, shows the extent of the dust.

About Copernicus

Copernicus is the Earth Observation component of the European Union’s space programme, looking at the planet and its environment for the benefit of Europe’s citizens.

Copernicus Ocean State Report

The sixth issue of the Copernicus Ocean State Report and its summary is now available online, coordinated by Mercator Ocean International, the implementing entity of the Copernicus Marine Service.

This annual publication provides a comprehensive and state-of-the-art overview of the current state, variations, and changes occurring in the European regional seas and global ocean over the past decades and for recent years, particularly for 2020.

It also highlights the importance of ocean data, how the collection of data on different aspects of the ocean can help us better understand and adapt to the challenges of ocean change.

For an introduction SEE HERE

AND HERE

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Added 11 April 2023

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

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Port Louis – Indian Ocean gateway port

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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.

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QM2 in Cape Town. Picture by Ian Shiffman

We publish news about the cruise industry here in the general news section.

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