Bringing you shipping, freight, trade and transport related news of interest for Africa since 2002

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

We greet our Muslim readers with the wishes ‘Eid Mubarak’

FIRST VIEW:   SILVER CLOUD

• WHARF TALK: The Kama Saga – an update and a backdate
• Food for thought: railway vandalism, looting and burning
• CTF 150 Seizes $23 Million in Illegal Drugs in Indian Ocean
• In Conversation: Antarctica’s heart of ice has skipped a beat. Time to take our medicine
• Geopolitical tensions and ‘friendshoring’ may redefine global trade patterns, warns Xeneta
• WHARF TALK: SA Port Statistics for February 2023
• WHARF TALK: New Nigerian Ports Authority tugs – MAI KOKO and DA-OPUKURO
• ONE increases frequency for Africa, India, Middle East (AIM) service
• CMA CGM in exclusive talks aimed at buying Bolloré SE’s logistics arm for Euro 5 billion
• Great Antwerp, Grimaldi’s first new G5 class ro-ro multipurpose ship enters service
• In Conversation: South Africa’s power outages could reach critical levels this winter – likely scenarios
• Innovate and expand your market, Minister tells Maputo Port company
• WHARF TALK: handyize bulk carrier – LILA PIRAEUS
• IMO and Spanish e-learning – Oil pollution preparedness
• La OMI y el aprendizaje electrónico en español: preparación para la contaminación por hidrocarburos
• Angola to enforce rules of maritime and inland waterway navigation
• Angola fará cumprir regras de navegação marítima e fluvial
• Record increase in passenger ship calls at Walvis Bay
• WHARF TALK: former Unicorn Handysize tanker BONITO
• Transnet to rebuild its own audit capabilities
• Dredging of Suez Canal nearing completion
• SMART Ocean-SMART Industries (SO-SI): Ocean and climate data collection
• Pirated tanker Success 9 located – crew all safe – UPDATE
• BIMCO says record high container order book signals significant change
• WHARF TALK: small passenger ship SILVER SHADOW
• No new news of missing tanker Success 9 pirated in Gulf of Guinea
• TNPA extends deadline for Richards Bay LNG Terminal proposals
• 50,000 Filipino jobs saved: EU on seafarer training certificates
• ONE resumes its Eastern Cape Express reefer service from Port Elizabeth
• India wants to work with Mozambique on rail, roads and bridges
• Fishing vessel Olivia Marie on fire south of Cape Town, crew abandon ship

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

Masthead:  PORT OF CAPE TOWN

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FIRST VIEW:  SILVER CLOUD

A familiar caller in Durban and other South African ports over many years is the lovely little Silvesea Cruises vessel, SILVER CLOUD (IMO 8903923). Operated by Silversea Cruises of Fort Lauderdale in the USA, whose logo she carries on her funnel and managed by V Ships Leisure SAM, of Monaco, either Silver Cloud or her sister ship Silver Wind are frequently among the last cruise ships of the local summer season.

Silver Cloud was built in 1994, making her the oldest ship in the Silversea fleet – with near identical sister Silver Wind following a year later. Both are luxuriously fitted out to welcome on board a mere 296 passengers each, attended to by crews of as many as 222. Each ship is 157 metres in length and 22m wide and have tonnages of 16,800 gross tons.

Pictures by Keith Betts

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WHARF TALK: The Kama Saga – an update and a backdate

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

News has a tendency to change on a daily basis, and as each new story comes in, so an old one fades out, and the memories of most folk are generally both selective, and generally short. It was not that long ago, that South Africans were waking up to the fact that the ANC government was quietly cosying up to Vladimir Putin, and offering quiet, but potentially, lethal support to the Russian mobsters and their illegal invasion of Ukraine.

It was only back on 7th December, some four months ago that a secretive, sanctions listed, Russian vessel called ‘Lady R’ called into Simonstown, working cargo under cover of darkness, and which sent the ANC government communications people into overdrive with a litany of mealy mouthed lies and deceit about the reason why she was here in the first place.

The final hidden destination of ‘Lady R’, which was almost certainly known to the authorities the whole time, was the Russian port of Novorossiysk, located in the Black Sea, where her cargo of ammunition and armaments, some probably South African in origin, were offloaded for onward transport to Soviet troops, for use against the civilian population in nearby Ukraine.

In a grand timing of irony, she arrived in Russia on the day that a Russian Naval flotilla arrived in Cape Town, and Durban, on 17th February. This flotilla included the frigate ‘Admiral Gorshkov’, offering on her funnel a vulgar display of the symbols of the Russian invading army of Ukraine, despite the South Africa government supposedly being a neutral state in that regard, and the majority of South African people being against the bestial, and bully boy, tactics of Putin and his forces.

Accompanying the frigate was, what can only best be described as, a rust bucket auxiliary tanker, the ‘Kama’. Her hull, masts, and upperworks were witness to a long period of nil maintenance, despite a poor attempt to spruce her up, which only left her looking worse. One can only wonder at how a navy, and her planners, can send out a vessel in such a state in what is essentially an important flag waving voyage around Africa. The picture it painted to the onlooking world of what the Russian Navy represents was a mirror of what most consider the current Russian military to be.

It also turned out that this was not the first time that ‘Kama’ had visited Cape Town, and that she had a colourful past in regard to the time that she had spent in the Mother City a number of years before. But more of that episode later. The existence of a Russian Naval flotilla in South Africa, on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was that the ANC wished to conduct naval exercises with both Russia and China, using the justification that a similar and previous exercise had taken place a few years past.

Naturally, it raised a lot of ire, and irked a lot of consciences, that the ANC government was either cloth eared to the warnings about holding such an exercise, as a neutral nation, or was tin eared as to the dangers to their reputation as an honest broker to the watching world. That said, more mealy mouthed platitudes were forthcoming from the government, and the South African Navy Admirals puffed out their chests and proudly carried on partying with two belligerent states that are both sabre rattling, and destabilising their spheres of influence.

From their departure in Richards Bay, they became yesterday’s news. Yet there are some who wonder where they went next, and what they were trying to achieve. The bottom line was that they were both earmarked by the Russian Naval Command to replace two similar vessels, stationed in their Mediterranean Naval Base, located at Tartus in Syria. So a voyage around the Cape to get there, and not to go via the Straits of Gibraltar, was a head scratcher to some.

As expected, both ‘Admiral Gorshkov’ and ‘Kama’ switched of their AIS systems the moment they left harbour in South Africa, so they went dark with nobody knowing where they were heading. On 16th March, both were announced as being the Russian element of a further naval exercise, held with more units of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy of China, and with units of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. The exercise would be held in the Gulf of Oman, over the period of 16th to 18th March, and all vessels would be based at the Iranian Naval base at Chabahar. A line up of belligerent Pariah states that would make the ANC proud.

Not long afterwards, a flotilla of Iranian Naval vessels also called at Cape Town, again at the invitation of the ANC Government. Once more, it irked many that such a pariah navy would be the guest of the government. What some people forget is that the ANC relationship with Iran, from a military perspective, is a lot closer than they think.

Not a lot of people are aware that there are a good number of Iranian Pilots being taught advanced flying in South Africa, as well as Chinese Pilots. The training is not simply civilian orientated either, as the British Government had to issue an edict that tried to ban any ex RAF instructor pilots from teaching effective NATO tactics, and skills, to these pilots in South Africa.

So there is a strong, and credible, military link between South Africa, Russia, China and Iran, which is getting stronger. In January 2002, US President George Bush coined the phrase ‘The Axis of Evil’ to describe Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Later that year, in May 2002, US Secretary of State John Bolton coined a new phrase, ‘Beyond the Axis of Evil’, where he added Cuba, Libya and Syria to that axis.

Fast forward to February 2022, and Danielle Pletka, a US Commentator for the National Review, wrote that the ‘New Axis of Evil’ was China, Russia, Iran and North Korea’. It is an unwarranted stain on law abiding South Africans that the ANC bedfellows openly includes four of the six members of the so-called Axis of Evil, namely China, Russia, Iran and Cuba. Neutral, my foot!

There was an interesting statement made after the conclusion of the exercise with the Iranian, Russians and Chinese navies, which incidentally carried the outrageously ironic title of ‘Exercise Security Belt 2023’. The three nations, most likely to endanger regional peace and stability in their own backyards, were exercising under the guise that they would be bringing security and safety to the world.

Part of the conclusion statement stated ‘The exercise was successfully completed with various formations, sea target shooting, hostage rescue, sea rescue, and man-overboard drills.’ Wind back to the contentious ‘Exercise Mosi II’ held off Richards Bay with the South African Navy, back in late February, and that exercise concluded with the statement, ‘The exercise was successfully completed with various formations, sea target shooting, hostage rescue, sea rescue, and man-overboard drills.’!

After the exercises in the Gulf of Oman, the ‘Kama’ and ‘Admiral Gorshkov’ headed for the Red Sea, and were next welcomed into Djibouti, which a state that is leaning heavily towards China, and in danger of entering China’s aid debt trap, as Sri Lanka did. The vessels stopped over from 26th to 28th March, before heading deep into the Red Sea, with the expectation that Port Sudan would be their next stop. Except that it wasn’t.

On 5th April, unexpectedly, the AIS of ‘Kama’ was switched on again, and for the first time in over ten years, Russian warships were welcomed into the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah. The call was ostensibly one for bunkers, water, and stores, and both ‘Kama’ and ‘Admiral Gorshkov’ sailed the very next day. One wonders if Crown Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia is merely sticking two fingers up at President Biden, over the fallout from American criticism of him, surrounding the extra-judicial murder of Adnan Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Istanbul.

As expected, both vessels arrived at the southern entrance of the Suez Canal on 11th April, and with the ‘Kama’ AIS working once more, both warships joined a northbound convoy and entered the Suez Canal, arriving at Port Said that same evening. By the 12th April, both were heading north to their intended destination of Tartus.

The two vessels that the ‘Admiral Gorshkov’ and the ‘Kama’ were said to be replacing at Tartus were the frigate ‘Admiral Kasatonov’, which is the second vessel of the class, and sistership of the ‘Admiral Gorshkov, and the fleet oiler ‘Akademik Pashin’. Both vessels have already sailed from Syria, and were noted departing from the Mediterranean Sea, and passing through the Straits of Gibraltar on 8th March, en route back to Russia.

A video released by the Russian Navy, of the two vessels conducting a Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise together in the Red Sea, showed ‘Kama’ to be in exactly the same poor condition that she was in when she arrived at Cape Town. Her accommodation was still only half painted, a charming mixture of white and rust, confirming that they had run out of white paint on their way to the Mother City, and were unable to procure any more whilst en route to Suez.

As mentioned before, the arrival of ‘Kama’ in Cape Town on 17th February was not her first visit. That first visit was concluded in a manner that was not expected when she first arrived in the port, under the name ‘Argun’. She ended up under arrest, and languished in Cape Town for over four years, until sold at auction. She was sold to a Panamanian ‘front’ company, owned by the Russian Sovfracht organisation, who promptly transferred the vessel over to the Russian state, who assigned her to the Russian Navy, who then renamed her ‘Kama’.

It all started back on 25th May 1999, when ‘Argun’ arrived in Table Bay, and where she was immediately placed under Admiralty arrest. This first warrant was at the behest of a Singapore based marine engineering company, for monies owed. There followed a further seven Admiralty arrest warrants, and the long litigation process then began. By 14th October 1999, the crew were repatriated back to Russia, but had been unpaid since coming under arrest. The crew were one of the parties that had then requested an arrest warrant be placed against ‘Argun’.

On 25th November 1999, her ownership came under the spotlight, when her listed owning company was challenged by the Russian Government, who laid claim to the vessel themselves. In 2001, Russian financial backers, thought to be the Russian state, had US$400,000 (ZAR7.28 million) spent on her, on maintenance and refit requirements, to bring her back to a fully seaworthy condition. It was at this time that ‘Argun’ received the one, and the only, Port State Inspection that she has ever undergone. No findings were recorded by the Cape Town inspection team, despite her lying idle for three years, irrespective of money spent on her.

In December 2003, as a result of spiraling debts being incurred due to the costs that were being run up by the Cape Town Sheriff’s Office, ‘Argun’ was finally put up for sale by auction. She fetched US$1.6 million (ZAR29.13 million), and was purchased by a company called Avantgarde, whose representative turned out to be from the Russian government backed Sovfracht company. The same company is today on a worldwide Sanctions List due to its role in transferring jet fuel to Syria, in defiance of UN resolutions.

Being the Master of ‘Argun’, during these difficult few years in Cape Town, obviously took its toll on whoever was in the role. One Master was found lying severely injured on deck, after supposedly falling out of an open port hole. Another Captain was found lying dead in his cabin, of a suspected heart attack. No fewer than two other Masters of ‘Argun’ has instigated legal proceedings against her owners for unpaid wages.

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Added 21 April 2023

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Food for thought: railway vandalism, looting and burning

The ongoing problems with our South African railway network have been well documented, with reports of vandalism, theft of copper cables and damage to infrastructure.

We thought the following from an official source within the state-owned railway would be of interest.

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‘In March it was a time of danger and anxiety, and during the short period when lawless elements held temporary ascendancy, extensive damage was inflicted on railway property.

Few lines, depots, or stations in the Witwatersrand area escaped damage or interference. From the beginning of February, acts of sabotage on the railway were almost of daily occurrence. They increased in number and intensity from 7 March onwards, when a campaign of violence and intimidation was resorted to by armed groups.

”The permanent way, signals and subways were dynamited; telegraph, telephone and signalling wires were severed; trains-working instruments were stolen or destroyed; members of the staff were threatened, molested and pulled off trains; signal cabins and station premises were invaded, and in some instances looted; and organised attempts were made all along the Reef to bring about a complete breakdown of the railway services and organisations.’

Despite the negative aspects in this report, there were some words of encouragement. The report quotes numerous instances of devotion to duty in isolated areas under what it refers to as most difficult and dangerous conditions, which it says reflects the greatest credit upon the staff, especially when in the face of intimidation.

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You may be interested to know this is an excerpt from the Report of the General Manager of Railways and Harbours for the year ended March 1922, and refers to the miners strikes that started that year, a militant strike that spread and affected large sections of what is now Gauteng before ending with the army being called out to quell the disturbances. Food for thought?

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Added 21 April 2023

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CTF 150 Seizes $23 Million in Illegal Drugs in Indian Ocean

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), the multi-nation task force patrolling the north-western Induan Ocean, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman regions, reports that a partner-nation warship operating in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, has seized illegal drugs worth a total estimated U.S street value of $23 million.

This was discovered on a fishing vessel transiting international waters in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, 19 April 2023.

Details of the naval ship involved were not immediately available.

The ship seized 507 kilograms of heroin from the smuggling vessel while patrolling regional waters. CTF 150 is one of four task forces under Combined Maritime Forces, the largest multinational naval partnership in the world.

“I’m delighted that we have once again been able to disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics,” said United Kingdom Royal Navy Capt. James Byron, the CTF 150 commander.

The task force previously interdicted illicit narcotics in February when a U.S. Coast Guard cutter discovered 1,350 kilograms of hashish, 276 kilograms of methamphetamine and 23 kilograms of amphetamine pills aboard a different fishing vessel transiting the Arabian Sea. The seized drugs had a combined total value of $20 million.

Since 2021, Combined Maritime Forces has seized more than $1 billion in illegal drugs while patrolling waters across the Middle East.

CMF naval forces ave frequently discovered vessels, usually stateless craft, smuggling illegal arms in the direction of Yemen or Africa.

The naval partnership exists to uphold international rules-based order by promoting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

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Added 21 April 2023

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In Conversation: Antarctica’s heart of ice has skipped a beat. Time to take our medicine

Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, Author provided

Edward Doddridge, University of Tasmania

The rhythmic expansion and contraction of Antarctic sea ice is like a heartbeat.

But lately, there’s been a skip in the beat. During each of the last two summers, the ice around Antarctica has retreated farther than ever before.

And just as a change in our heartbeat affects our whole body, a change to sea ice around Antarctica affects the whole world.

Today, researchers at the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP) and the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) have joined forces to release a science briefing for policy makers, On Thin Ice.

Together we call for rapid cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, to slow the rate of global heating. We also need to step up research in the field, to get a grip on sea-ice science before it’s too late.

The shrinking white cap on our blue planet

One of the largest seasonal cycles on Earth happens in the ocean around Antarctica. During autumn and winter the surface of the ocean freezes as sea ice advances northwards, and then in the spring the ice melts as the sunlight returns.

We’ve been able to measure sea ice from satellites since the late 1970s. In that time we’ve seen a regular cycle of freezing and melting. At the winter maximum, sea ice covers an area more than twice the size of Australia (roughly 20 million square kilometres), and during summer it retreats to cover less than a fifth of that area (about 3 million square km).

In 2022 the summer minimum was less than 2 million square km for the first time since satellite records began. This summer, the minimum was even lower – just 1.7 million square km.

The annual freeze pumps cold salty water down into the deep ocean abyss. The water then flows northwards. About 40% of the global ocean can be traced back to the Antarctic coastline.

By exchanging water between the surface ocean and the abyss, sea ice formation helps to sequester heat and carbon dioxide in the deep ocean. It also helps to bring long-lost nutrients back up to the surface, supporting ocean life around the world.

Not only does sea ice play a crucial role in pumping seawater across the planet, it insulates the ocean underneath. During the long days of the Antarctic summer, sunlight usually hits the bright white surface of the sea ice and is reflected back into space.

This year, there is less sea ice than normal and so the ocean, which is dark by comparison, is absorbing much more solar energy than normal. This will accelerate ocean warming and will likely impede the wintertime growth of sea ice.

Headed for stormy seas

The Southern Ocean is a stormy place; the epithets “Roaring Forties” and “Furious Fifties” are well deserved. When there is less ice, the coastline is more exposed to storms. Waves pound on coastlines and ice shelves that are normally sheltered behind a broad expanse of sea ice. This battering can lead to the collapse of ice shelves and an increase in the rate of sea level rise as ice sheets slide off the land into the ocean more rapidly.

Sea ice supports many levels of the food web. When sea ice melts it releases iron, which promotes phytoplankton growth. In the spring we see phytoplankton blooms that follow the retreating sea ice edge. If less ice forms, there will be less iron released in the spring, and less phytoplankton growth.

Krill, the small crustaceans that provide food to whales, seals, and penguins, need sea ice. Many larger species such as penguins and seals rely on sea ice to breed. The impact of changes to the sea ice on these larger animals varies dramatically between species, but they are all intimately tied to the rhythm of ice formation and melt. Changes to the sea-ice heartbeat will disrupt the finely balanced ecosystems of the Southern Ocean.

A diagnosis for policy makers

Long term measurements show the subsurface Southern Ocean is getting warmer. This warming is caused by our greenhouse gas emissions. We don’t yet know if this ocean warming directly caused the record lows seen in recent summers, but it is a likely culprit.

As scientists in Australia and around the world work to understand these recent events, new evidence will come to light for a clearer understanding of what is causing the sea ice around Antarctica to melt.

If you noticed a change in your heartbeat, you’d likely see a doctor. Just as doctors run tests and gather information, climate scientists undertake fieldwork, gather observations, and run simulations to better understand the health of our planet.

This crucial work requires specialised icebreakers with sophisticated observational equipment, powerful computers, and high-tech satellites. International cooperation, data sharing, and government support are the only ways to provide the resources required.

After noticing the first signs of heart trouble, a doctor might recommend more exercise or switching to a low-fat diet. Maintaining the health of our planet requires the same sort of intervention – we must rapidly cut our consumption of fossil fuels and improve our scientific capabilities.

Edward Doddridge, Research Associate in Physical Oceanography, University of Tasmania

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

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Added 21 April 2023

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Geopolitical tensions and ‘friendshoring’ may redefine global trade patterns, warns Xeneta

Mounting geopolitical tensions, shifting alliances and changes in the flow of foreign investment threaten to gradually remould global trade patterns, says Oslo-based Xeneta.

The ocean and air freight rate benchmarking and intelligence platform points to evidence in the rise of ‘friendshoring’ and evolving freight volumes between key markets to map what may be a “new world order”. China, the US, Vietnam and Russia appear to be some of the key players in a slowly unfolding plot.

The struggle for security

“In the aftermath of the US-China trade war, the global pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine, amongst other on-going factors, there’s been renewed focus on supply chain security,” comments Emily Stausbøll, Market Analyst at Xeneta. “There’s a new appreciation of how easily everyday operations can be disrupted, and the growing geopolitical uncertainty is only exacerbating that.

“As a result, we’re seeing more signs of friendshoring, whereby investments, manufacturing links and facilities are moved to countries that are deemed to be ‘friendly’ – essentially sharing the same values or geopolitical outlooks. This is a gradual process, but we can already see some significant changes in the flow of containerized ocean freight and a real sea change in streams of foreign investment. The impact of this should not be underestimated.”

Challenging leadership

Xeneta’s analysis reveals some stark developments. Focusing on the US, the last five years have seen a rise of 26% in containerized imports from the Far East.

However, of the 12 major economies in the region, China tied with Singapore in recording the lowest growth in these exports, ‘just’ a 7% increase (Hong Kong was the only one of the economies not to grow volume here). That sits in marked contrast to “the more friendly” Vietnam, which saw a growth rate of 156% of containerized trade into the US between 2017 and 2022.

A similar trend emerges in terms of the share of imported volumes. In 2022, 56% of all containerized imports into the US from the Far East came from China. The apparent strength of this figure clouds the reality that this share has actually fallen by 10 percentage points from 2017. Vietnam, on the other hand, has almost doubled its share, from 6% in 2017 to 11% in 2022.

War footing

Export data from the first months of 2023, notes Stausbøll, backs up the impression of a trade world in flux.

She explains: “March saw a clear drop in exports from China to the US, with USD 3.6 billion less trade than the year before. However, despite this significant fall, China’s total exports managed an impressive year-on-year growth rate of 15% in March. How? Russia is the obvious answer.

“With their trade possibilities hamstrung by a wave of international sanction restrictions, Russia boosted its exports from China by USD 5.2 billion year-on-year, more than making up for the US shortfall. Exports to South Asian countries also posted strong year-on-year growth for the month.”

Xeneta believes such shifts are far from the end of the story.

Foreign influence

“If we look at the IMF’s analysis of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows the movement is crystal clear – in short, we see friendshoring in action,” Stausbøll states.

The International Monetary Fund found that investments by foreign companies into China fell to their lowest level in close to two decades in the second half of 2022. They collapsed by 73% year-on-year, down to USD 42.5 billion. Putting this into context, between the second half of 2020 and first half of 2022, foreign investments averaged USD 160 billion in each half year.

By way of contrast, Vietnam has seen FDIs grow by 61.2% year-on-year across the first three months of 2023, including a 62.1% increase in the number of new foreign-invested projects. The processing and manufacturing sectors attracted the most investment here, accounting for around 75% of the total.

Forecasting the future

Stausbøll comments: “It takes time to build new production bases and make port infrastructure investments, as we’re seeing in, for example, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore, so the impact of investments today won’t be fully appreciated until tomorrow. This implies that the changing trade patterns we’re seeing now could just be the beginning of a far greater realignment.”

She concludes: “Moving forwards, the evidence suggests we’ll see more trade and investment decisions based on geopolitics rather than, say, availability or price. How this progresses, and the speed of change, will be dependent on a range of uncertain factors – not least the escalating tension around Taiwan. So far, Europe has maintained its share of imports from China, with key leaders taking a more conciliatory approach than the US, but another major geopolitical ‘event’ could transform that.

“The only sure thing is change, and friendshoring is bound to influence how that unfolds.”

To learn more, please visit www.xeneta.com

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Added 21 April 2023

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Wharf Talk: SA Port Statistics for February 2023

Port statistics for the month of March 2023, covering the eight commercial ports under the administration of Transnet National Ports Authority, are now available.

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

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

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

For comparison with February 2023 GO HERE

Port Statistics continue below…..

Figures for the respective ports during March 2023 are:

Total cargo handled by tonnes during March 2023, including containers by weight

PORT	March 2023 million tonnes
Richards Bay	5.778
Durban	7.231
Saldanha Bay	3.678
Cape Town	1.557
Port Elizabeth	1.379
Ngqura	1.135
Mossel Bay	0.136
East London	0.210
Total all ports	21.104 million tonnes

CONTAINERS (measured by TEUs) during March 2023
(TEUs include Deepsea, Coastal, Transship and empty containers all subject to being invoiced by NPA

PORT	March 2023 TEUs
Durban	237,971
Cape Town	81,909
Port Elizabeth	10,297
Ngqura	37,872
East London	5,433
Richards Bay	–
Total all ports	373,482 TEU

MOTOR VEHICLES RO-RO TRAFFIC (measured by Units- CEUs) during March 2023

PORT	March 2023 CEUs
Durban	60,978
Cape Town	2
Port Elizabeth	10,574
East London	5,464
Richards Bay	–
Total all ports	77,016

SHIP CALLS for March 2023

PORT	March 2023 vessels	gross tons
Durban	276	10,032,120
Cape Town	154	3,700,741
Richards Bay	134	5,288,469
Port Elizabeth	81	2,225,743
Saldanha Bay	60	4,065,438
Ngqura	65	3,029,737
East London	28	1,067,954
Mossel Bay	35	206,199
Total ship calls	833	29,616,401

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

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Added 20 April 2023

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WHARF TALK: New Nigerian Ports Authority tugs – MAI KOKO and DA-OPUKURO

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

The Damen shipbuilding group has an international reputation that is second to none, and is famed for the production of harbour and escort tugs across the globe. To fulfill the orders that they receive, they have a novel way of spreading their expertise to a number of their shipyards, located at strategic points around the world. They built both to order, and for stock purposes, to achieve quick deliveries to wherever the vessels are needed.

Whilst Cape Town is one such location of a Damen shipyard, they are currently busy constructing the South African Navy inshore patrol vessels, rather than harbour tugs. The Damen shipyard in Vietnam is a regular provider of stock harbour tugs, and is the reason why Cape Town sees so many brand new tugs, passing through on their delivery voyages to new owners, in both towage companies, and in port authorities across West Africa, and as far away as Trinidad and Tobago, in the Caribbean.

On 15th April, at 10h00 in the morning, not one, but two harbour tugs, and both travelling together, arrived off Cape Town, from Port Louis in Mauritius. The two tugs were MAI KOKO (IMO 9949390) and DA-OPUKURO (IMO 9949405), and both entered Cape Town harbour, or at least moved within the outer breakwater, as both were placed alongside the outer 700 berths, on the outside dock wall of the Ben Schoeman Dock.

Both vessels are a standard Damen Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) harbour tug design, notably the Damen ASD 2813. They are 28 metres in length, with a beam of 13 metres, which is almost a 2:1 ratio of length to breadth, giving them a quite squat, but powerful, look. Both have a gross registered tonnage of 381 tons.

Both tugs were built at the Damen Song Cam shipyard at Haiphong in Vietnam, with ‘Mai Koko’ having been commissioned in late 2022, and ‘Da-Opukuro’ being commissioned in January 2023. The Damen ASD 2813 is multi-functional, designed to be capable of mooring, towing, escort, and firefighting operations, both in harbour environments, and coastal locations.

They are powered by two Caterpillar 3516C TA HD main engines, producing 3,386 bhp (2,525 kW) each, and giving an overall power output of 6,865 bhp (5,119 kW), driving two Kongsberg US255 P30/P35 stern azimuth thrusters, fitted with fixed pitch propellers of 3,000 mm (3m).

Both tugs are fitted with auxiliary equipment that includes two Caterpillar C4.4 TA generators providing 86 kW each. Both are classified as FiFi1 firefighting vessels, and have two foam monitors, each with their own fire pump, and capable of a water pumping capacity of 1,400 m3/hour. They have accommodation for up to 10 crew, and contractors.

As new vessels, on pre-commissioning trials, ‘Mai Koko’ achieved a bollard pull of 81 tons ahead, and 75 tons astern. Whilst ‘Da-Opukuro’ achieved a bollard pull of 82 tons ahead, and 76 tons astern. Whilst undergoing sea trials, both vessels achieved a maximum speed of 13 knots ahead, and 12 knots astern.

They are both owned by Depasa Marine International, of Küsnacht, located on Lake Zurich in Switzerland, and managed by Depasa Marine International (Nigeria) Ltd., of Lagos in Nigeria. For the knowledgeable maritime observer, the green hull, and cream upperworks of both tugs, identify that both tugs are to be operated on behalf of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), whose unique colours they are displaying.

The confirmation of their future use is that the coat of arms, resplendent on the two tug respective funnels, is that of the NPA. For the Latin Scholar, the motto of the NPA is ‘Mari Terraque Servimus’, which translates as ‘We serve the Sea and the Land’.

As harbour tugs, they both have a robust hull fender fit, with various fender arrangements around the hull. The bow has cylindrical fenders on the upper bow section, and W Block fenders on the lower bow section. The hull sides have D shaped fenders along the entire length, and the stern is fitted with cylindrical fenders across the transom.

For their new owner, they are the first harbour tugs in the company’s fleet. Depasa Marine International (Nigeria) Ltd. provides dredging, surveys, port services and wreck removals throughout Nigeria. The company has agreements with the Nigerian Port Authority, Niger Dock, and Puma Industry. They are also the technical partner of Lagos Channel Management, and are responsible for dredging, aids to navigation, water pollution monitoring, and marine operations within the Lagos pilotage area.

Depasa Marine International has strategic collaborations with the Damen shipyard group, Transport and Offshore Services, and Celleton. The company operates six dredgers, ten work and support boats, and now two harbour tugs.

The positioning voyage of both vessels began in Haiphong at the beginning of March, and included two bunkering stops en route to Cape Town. They had a 12 hour bunkering and stores call at Singapore on 13th March, and a second 22 hour bunkering and stores call at Port Louis, in Mauritius, on 1st April.

The current call at Cape Town, of both tugs, is not only for bunkering and stores purposes, but allows the local workforce of Damen engineers and technicians to iron out, or repair, any snags that have arisen on their long trans-oceanic voyage from Vietnam. The departure of both ‘Mai Koko’ and ‘Da-Opukuro’, from Cape Town, and on their final leg to Lagos, is as yet unknown.

It is common practice for Damen to register their vessels, engaged on a positioning voyage, under the flag of St.Vincent and the Grenadines, hence both ‘Mai Koko’ and ‘Da-Opukuro’ having Kingstown as their port of registry. This will be changed to the port of Lagos, on arrival in Nigeria, and they will change flag to that of Nigeria.

The Damen Song Cam shipyard is a joint venture (JV) between the Damen Shipyards Group, of Gorinchem in Holland, who own 70% of the JV, and Song Cam, who are a subsidiary of the state owned Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (SBIC) of Vietnam, who own the remaining 30%.

The shipyard is located on a 43 hectare site, adjacent to the Cam river, which lies just down from the city centre of Haiphong. The Damen Song Cam shipyard was officially opened on 20th March 2014, and is one of the more recent additions to the worldwide portfolio of shipyards that Damen operates.

Within the Damen group, the Song Cam shipyard is the preferred production location for both standard harbour tugs, and harbour workboats, and vessels up to 60 metres in length. Since opening in 2014, and up to August 2022, the shipyard has delivered no less than 161 vessels, of which 21 were the Damen ASD 2813 harbour tug. They construct 30 vessels per year, and expect to increase that total to 50 vessels, as well as outfitting up to 80 vessels per year.

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ONE increases frequency for Africa, Indiam Middle East (AIM) service

Ocean Network Express (ONE) announced on Wednesday (19 April) that the Africa, India and Middle East (AIM) service will increase its sailing frequency from fortnightly to weekly starting from May 2023.

The increased frequency will begin from the Westbound sailing arriving at Jebel Ali on 6 May 2023 and the Eastbound sailing from Tema on 9 June 2023.

The AIM service rotation remains unchanged as follows:

Jebel Ali – Mundra – Nhava Sheva – Colombo – Durban – Tema – Tincan – Apapa – Durban – Jebel Ali (Weekly frequency)

ONE says this upgrade to a weekly sailing frequency will provide greater flexibility and convenience to cater to the dynamic needs of its customers.

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CMA CGM in exclusive talks aimed at buying Bolloré SE’s logistics arm for Euro 5 billion

French shipping, transport and logistics group CMA CGM has entered into exclusive talks with the Bolloré group to acquire Bollore SE’s logistics division for an amount of 5 billion Euros (US$ 5.5 billion).

Flush with cash from the container bonanza of the recent Covid years, this is CMA CGM’s latest move on the acquisition trail, having delved already into a freight airline and a number of container terminals in the United States. CMA CGM, with the world’s third largest container shipping fleet, has also continued expanding the number of ships in its fleet.

Earlier this year CMA CGM expressed an interest in buying Bolloré logistics. Bolloré has now received an unsolicited, indicative offer from CMA CGM.

It is reported that CMA CGM will firm up this with a definitive offer on or around 8 May 2023 following a confirmatory audit.

Readers will recall that in 2022 Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) acquired another Bolloré division, Bolloré Africa Logistics, which has since been renamed as Africa Global Logistics (AGL) – you can see that report if you CLICK HERE

The MSC deal saw the Bolloré dispose of more than 250 logistics and maritime agencies, 22 port and rail concessions, 66 dry ports and 2 river terminals, most of which are in in Africa.

AGL is now a part of the Cargo Division of MSC Group. MSC is the world’s largest container line and has extensive interests in terminal operations.

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Great Antwerp, Grimaldi’s first new G5 class ro-ro multipurpose ship enters service

GREAT ANTWERP (IMO 9935014), the first of a series of six G5 class multipurpose ro-ro ships built for the Grimaldi Group, was delivered at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, South Korea on Tuesday this week (18 April 2023).

The G5 class is an advancement on the G3 and G4 class ships in service with Grimaldi and are much larger with an appropriate increase in cargo capacity.

Great Antwerp of 250 metres in length with a beam of 38 metres and a deadweight of 45,684 yonnes. The G5’s will be able to transport 4,700 liner metres of rolling freight, 2,500 CEU (car equivalents) and 2,000 TEU.

In comparison with the earlier G4 ships introduced in 2014/15, the G5s are an advance with a similar rolling freight capacity but double the amount of containers.

Guido Grimaldi, Deep Sea Commercial & Operations Director of the Grimaldi Group, described the delivery of the ship as marking the beginning of a new era for Grimaldi Group.

“After the success of our five G3-class, six G4-class, as well as 10 Eurocargo-class ships, all built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd, we now inaugurate a new class of ro-ro multipurpose vessels called ‘G5’, he said.

“This new series of ships responds even more efficiently to the demand for quality transport services on deep sea routes, and to the needs related to the protection of the environment. We are thus taking a further important step within a path undertaken for several years now, aiming to operate on our main routes with a young, modern and eco-sustainable fleet.”

The latest ship boasts a number of cutting-edge, technological solutions aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.

Both the main engine and the auxiliary diesel generators will meet the NOx levels imposed by the Tier III regulation, while the integrated propulsion system between rudder and propeller will minimise vortex losses and, consequently, optimise propulsive efficiency and reduce fuel consumption.

The vessel is designed for cold ironing with shoreside supply of electricity (where available) as a green alternative to the consumption of fossil fuels during port stays.

In addition, the electrical consumption of on-board machinery (pumps, fans, etc.) is reduced thanks to the installation of variable frequency drive devices, while the application of innovative, low friction paints reduces hull resistance, thus increasing efficiency.

In tyerms of exhaust emissions, Great Antwerp is equipped with hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems for the abatement of sulphur and particulate emissions.

It is reported that as proof of her high energy and environmental efficiency, the Great Antwerp enables a reduction of CO2 emissions per tonne transported of up to 43% compared to other Grimaldi ro-ro multipurpose ships.

Great Antwerp will enter service for Grimaldi betyween Northern Europe and West Africa.

The remaining G5 vessels on order are due for delivery bteween 2023 and 2024 and will all be deployed on this Northern Europe- West Africa service.

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In Conversation: South Africa’s power outages could reach critical levels this winter – likely scenarios

Hartmut Winkler, University of Johannesburg

Over the past 15 years South Africa has been experiencing a gradually worsening number of electricity cuts. This state of affairs has prompted frustration among citizens, negative international economic sentiment and financial hardship for many businesses.

Public pressure has grown more intense, leading to the extraordinary presidential decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to proclaim a state of disaster as well as to appoint a Minister of Electricity.

The year 2022 was marked by the worst power outages in the country’s history. Electricity generation deficits reached up to 6 GW on occasion, necessitating up to 10 hours of rolling electricity blackouts.

High outages have persisted through the warmer early months of 2023, and since early January the country has experienced power cuts every day.

It’s widely expected to get worse as electricity consumption peaks in the southern winter months of June and July. And there’s a growing fear that the national electricity grid could, at some point, collapse entirely. This would lead to blackouts lasting many days or even weeks.

Based on an analysis of trends and recent events in the power sector, I here identify the factors that I expect will lead to power outages reaching critical proportions this winter. I also assess the likelihood of record electricity shortages and catastrophic scenarios such as a complete grid collapse.

The power generation mix, and what’s failing

Coal-fired power stations. The national electricity utility Eskom currently has an installed maximum generating capacity of 55 GW. Of this a massive 74% (40 GW) is generated from coal power stations.

These are mostly older plants approaching – or already exceeding – their projected 40-year life spans. In recent years, and partly as a result of persistent power shortages, the power stations have been used excessively. They have also been insufficiently serviced.

The result is that the plants break down far too frequently, accounting for the bulk of Eskom’s lost capacity.

There are two much newer coal plants – Medupi and Kusile – that together should provide 9.6 GW. These builds were initiated in 2007 to mitigate against power shortages that were predicted a decade down the line.

But the two plants ended up costing more than double the sum initially projected. They were also hamstrung by huge construction delays and technical design flaws.

One of Medupi’s units (0.8 GW) suffered a massive explosion, and repairs are only expected to be completed in 2024.

In October last year Kusile experienced a catastrophic chimney collapse. Full repairs would require two years.

To allow the units to operate sooner Eskom applied for and received a special permission to exceed normal pollution limits. Even so, the affected units will only be ready to produce power again at the end of this year at the earliest.

Nuclear. This accounts for 3% of the national generation capacity. Two units at the Koeberg power station in the Western Cape have a total capacity of 1.8 GW. To continue operating beyond the end of its currently approved 40-year lifespan in 2024, Eskom is making major upgrades that had been projected to need six months per unit.

But the exercise is already well behind schedule. This means that one unit that would normally generate 0.9 GW will be unavailable during this year’s winter months.

Gas, hydro, wind and solar. The remaining 13 GW (23%) of the South African power generating capacity is roughly equally shared by gas, hydro, wind and solar. These typically only produce 25%-50% of their nominal maximum power.

The constraints include:

• the intermittent nature of sunshine and wind and the irregularity of water flow due to water management requirements.
• Gas is a very expensive electricity producing technology that is only intended to be used in emergencies. Overuse last winter resulted in Eskom being unable to make fuller use of this resource later, leading to power shortage over the last summer as well.
• Renewable power plants currently only have a small footprint in the South African energy mix. This has meant that they can’t for now play a major role in mitigating power shortages. The significant upswing in domestic solar installations in the past year as well as the projected completion of many new solar and wind farms in late 2024 is not yet sufficient to overcome the power deficit.

The winter spike

No major relief to the power shortfall in the form of large new power generating units is due to happen before next year. South Africans therefore have to brace for the winter power shortages.

South Africa’s electricity daily peak consumption rises from a summer average of 32 GW to 36 GW in winter. This is caused by the increased use of electrical heating devices, as well as the longer use of lights and increased geyser consumption.

Eskom has tried to maximise the operation of its power plants in the colder months by scheduling plant maintenance during the warmer seasons. This strategy is being adopted again in 2023 and will provide some relief. But there are too many plants that are going to be out of operation for the entire winter season.

My estimations suggest that the mid-winter power shortfall will be of the order of 2 GW greater than it was in 2022. Deficits of 8 GW (referred to locally as “Stage 8 loadshedding” – the highest level of power outages) can therefore be expected on some days.

The danger of a grid collapse

A national blackout triggered by the current oscillating frequency of the grid drifting too far from the prescribed 50 Hertz would raise the danger of the power grid collapsing. This would happen if points along the grid – including power plants – tripped one after the other, resulting in zero electricity everywhere.

Re-energising the grid would be a slow process achieved one station at a time. Many days of economic activity would be lost before full electricity supply is recovered. The consequences would be far reaching, and would include possible looting and vandalism. It could also lead to fuel shortages, which in turn would affect transport and industry and a host of facilities that use backup generators such as hospitals, laboratories and morgues.

Rolling power cuts are the best practical way to prevent a grid collapse and total blackout. Eskom is therefore at pains to always keep the generated power higher than the power used. It does this by cutting access to electricity to some users.

A prompt reduction in power usage through the speedy implementation of tougher electricity cuts would always prevent a grid collapse. Nonetheless, a grid collapse cannot be ruled out if, for example, a set of poorly performing coal plants all break down in quick succession.

As South Africa’s new Electricity Minister has warned, the winter of 2023 is going to be challenging.

Hartmut Winkler, Professor of Physics, University of Johannesburg

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

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Innovate and expand your market, Minister tells Maputo Port company

The Port of Maputo should develop new markets through technological innovation and creativity.

That was the message from Mozambique’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Mateus Magala, who said this was the way forward if the port is to increase the number of hinterland countries in using the port of Maputo for imports and exports.

The minister challenged the port managers to expand their territories and geographic markets, using technological innovation and creativity in the provision of services.

“We expect to see the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) serving other hinterland countries seeking opportunities to diversify their cargoes, and extending their economic growth potential to neighbouring countries such as Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Zambia,” Magala said.

“We believe that new means of digital integration will provide paths for the growth of the logistics sector.”

The minister made these comments on last Friday at a gala event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC), Companhia de Desenvolvimento do Porto de Maputo, the public-private company responsible for managing the port.

During the 20 years the volume of cargo handled by the port has increased from about 3 million tonnes to 26.7 million tonnes of cargo in 2022, with a 20% increase on the previous year 2021 when 22.2 million tonnes was handled.

However, the majority of the cargo handled at the port is for or comes from South Africa and the minister’s references were towards attracting greater volumes from other neighbouring countries. source: Rádio Moçambique and Africa Ports & Ships

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WHARF TALK: handyize bulk carrier – LILA PIRAEUS

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

Bulk carriers, of all shapes and sizes are daily callers at almost every port of South Africa. The largest of which are the gearless Cape size bulk carriers, who have a deadweight in excess of 100,000 tons, and which are seen frequently in the ports of Saldanha Bay and Richards Bay.

The most frequently sighted bulk carriers are the intermediate geared Ultramax and Supramax size bulk carriers, who all have a deadweight in excess of 50,000 tons. These medium sized bulk carriers are to be seen in all South African ports, with the exception of Mossel Bay.

The least seen class of bulk carrier is the small geared Handy size vessel, which has a deadweight of between 24,000 and 35,000 tons. Surprisingly, despite their rarity on the South African coast, they are the most common size of bulk carrier worldwide, that are in excess of a deadweight of 10,000 tons, i.e. they are the largest type of ocean going, deep-sea, bulk carrier.

Back on 31st March, just after Midday, the Handy size bulk carrier LILA PIRAEUS (IMO 9530319) arrived off Cape Town harbour, from Tocopilla in Chile, and entered Cape Town harbour, proceeding to B berth in the Duncan Dock to begin her discharge of natural fertiliser.

Built in 2010 by Yangzhou Ryuwa shipbuilding at Jiangsu in China, ‘Lila Piraeus’ is 180 metres in length, and has a deadweight of 33,324 tons. She is powered by a single Sulzer 6RTA48T-B 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 11,869 bhp (8,730 kW), and driving a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 13 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three Hyundai Himsen 5H17/28 generators providing 500 kW, and a MAN D2866 LXE20 emergency generator providing 250 kW. She has a Kangrim Economiser Composite boiler.

She has five holds, served by four cranes capable of lifting 30 tons, and her cargo carrying capacity is 42,318 m3. Despite being a bulk carrier, ‘Lila Piraeus’ has been certified to have a container deck carrying capacity of 118 TEU.

One of five sisterships built, all for European owners, which explains her enclosed bridge wings, suitable for operating in northern waters, ‘Lila Piraeus’ is nominally owned by Mar Holding Ltd. She is part of the Lila Global group, of Dubai, and is operated by Lila Shipping, also of Dubai, and managed by Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (India) Pvt Ltd., of Mumbai.

Her loading port, Tocopilla in Chile, has been developed solely for the export of Potassium Nitrate fertiliser, and consists of just a single ‘half’ berth in an open roadstead. There are no tides in this exposed port, which removes any risk of loading in an open roadstead, and the single berth has a large bulk autoloader. Tocopilla is located at 22°05’ South 070°12’ West.

It is the closest port to the vast Salt Flats of the Atacama Desert, which is where the Potassium Nitrate fertiliser is extracted. Unlike other fertilisers, which are manufactured through a chemical process, normally derived from processing natural gas, Potassium Nitrate is a naturally occurring fertiliser, and it is extracted, and mined, from the Caliche Ore and Salar Brine found in the desert. Chile is the world’s number one producer of Potassium Nitrate fertiliser.

Back in July 2017, ‘Lila Piraeus’’ arrived at the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda, for urgently needed repairs. At the time the vessel was owned by the Russian Murmansk Shipping Company. Shortly afterwards, all repair work on the vessel was stopped due to the non-payment by the owners for work carried out. The vessel was subsequently arrested.

It then became apparent that the Russian owners had also not paid the crew, and the International Federation of transport Workers (ITF) became involved, to try and arrange payment of any salary arrears, and arrange their repatriation back to Russia. The vessel was effectively abandoned by the Murmansk Shipping Company for the next two years.

In July 2019, she was reported to be in a poor condition, and the decision was taken to auction her off to the highest bidder. In August 2019 she was sold, to her current owners, for a price of US$6.02 million (ZAR110.26 million).

In her career, ‘Lila Piraeus’ has received a total of 37 Port State Inspections, of which two resulted in detentions. Her last inspection that resulted in a port detention, was quite a serious affair. It took place in Ghent, in Belgium, in September 2020. The inspection took place under the auspices of the Paris MoU.

The inspection raised no fewer than 27 deficiencies, of which 13 were serious enough to warrant a detention. All of the serious deficiencies were linked to the overall condition of the vessel, and engine room issues, with a single deficiency being listed a crew being unfamiliar with the vessel emergency systems. The detention lasted for a total of 29 days.

In Cape Town, her cargo of fertiliser was offloaded within five days, and on 4th April at 17h00 in the afternoon, ‘Lila Piraeus’ sailed from Cape Town, but not far, as she proceeded directly to the Table Bay anchorage, to await orders.

After a ten day wait at anchor off Cape Town, she received her next orders, and she departed from the anchorage at 23h00 at night, on the 14th April, with her destination being Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal. Her arrival at the KZN bulk port is scheduled to be 20h00 in the evening of the 18th April.

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IMO and Spanish e-learning – Oil pollution preparedness

Edited by Paul Ridgway
London

Spanish speakers interested in maritime issues can now access the first free to access course in Spanish available on the IMO e-learning platform. The ‘Introduction to Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation’ course is aimed at stakeholders from the maritime industry and individuals new to the oil spill response community.

Participants will gain a comprehensive overview of the various aspects of oil pollution preparedness and response in the marine and coastal environment.

The English version of the course was launched in April 2022, and it was the first free to access course available in the IMO e-learning platform. SEE HERE

Launch of the Spanish version of the e-learning course contributes to the Organization’s efforts to support multilingualism. Versions of the same course in other UN languages will be available in the future, it is understood.

The course is part of a series of e-Learning courses developed in collaboration with the World Maritime University (WMU*). Distance learning is key to meeting the changing educational needs in the maritime industry. IMO is offering students and maritime professionals around the world the possibility to boost their understanding of key maritime issues.

* https://www.wmu.se/

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La OMI y el aprendizaje electrónico en español – Petróleo preparación para la contaminación

Editado por Paul Ridgway
Londres

Los hispanohablantes interesados en temas marítimos ahora pueden acceder al primer curso de acceso gratuito en español disponible en la plataforma de aprendizaje electrónico de la OMI. El curso “Introducción a la preparación, respuesta y cooperación ante la contaminación por hidrocarburos” está dirigido a las partes interesadas de la industria marítima y a personas nuevas en la comunidad de respuesta a derrames de hidrocarburos.

Los participantes obtendrán una visión general completa de los diversos aspectos de la preparación y respuesta a la contaminación por hidrocarburos en el entorno marino y costero.

La versión en inglés del curso se lanzó en abril de 2022 y fue el primer curso de acceso gratuito disponible en la plataforma de aprendizaje electrónico de la OMI. VER AQUÍ

El lanzamiento de la versión en español del curso de aprendizaje electrónico contribuye a los esfuerzos de la Organización para apoyar el multilingüismo. Las versiones del mismo curso en otros idiomas de la ONU estarán disponibles en el futuro, se entiende.

El curso es parte de una serie de cursos de e-Learning desarrollados en colaboración con la Universidad Marítima Mundial (WMU*). El aprendizaje a distancia es clave para satisfacer las cambiantes necesidades educativas en la industria marítima. La OMI ofrece a los estudiantes y profesionales marítimos de todo el mundo la posibilidad de mejorar su comprensión de cuestiones marítimas clave.

* https://www.wmu.se/

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Angola to enforce rules of maritime and inland waterway navigation

The Angolan port of Soyo has recorded no less than 10 ‘shipwrecks’ in the province of Zaire (Angola), between January and end March this year.

That’s according to Angop, the Angolan news agency, which reported the port security official, Alexandre Borges Machado, as saying bad weather, negligence and the technical state of the coastal and river craft formed the basis of the accidents.

In the whole of 2022 Machado’s maritime security department recorded a total of 30 ‘shipwrecks’ occurring along the sea and river coast of the Zaire (Congo) River.

Soyo is at the southern mouth of the Congo River, referred to also as the Zaire River, facing the DRC on the opposite bank of Africa’s second mightiest river system.

Machado told Angop the situation with the accidents off the coast and on the river was worrying. He said the non-compliance with maritime navigation rules by some shipowners and navigators has put the lives of many passengers at risk.

“We have shipowners who do not comply with the maintenance period of their vessels, developing their activities in deplorable technical conditions,” he said.

As a result increased measures will be taken to enforce shipowners to comply with the rules of maritime and inland waterway navigation.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a seminar dealing with the common regulations for the construction of naval equipment and the maintenance of vessels.

The seminar was promoted by the International Commission of the Congo-Oubangui-Sangha Basin (CICOS), with the support of the European Union. source: ANGOP

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Angola fará cumprir as regras marítimas e fluviais navegação aquaviária

O porto angolano do Soyo registou nada menos que 10 ‘naufrágios’ na província do Zaire (Angola), entre Janeiro e finais de Março deste ano.

A informação é da agência noticiosa angolana Angop, que deu conta do responsável pela segurança portuária, Alexandre Borges Machado, segundo o qual o mau tempo, a negligência e o estado técnico das embarcações costeiras e fluviais estiveram na origem dos acidentes.

Em todo o ano de 2022, o departamento de segurança marítima de Machado registou um total de 30 ‘naufrágios’ ocorridos ao longo da costa marítima e fluvial do rio Zaire (Congo).

O Soyo fica na foz sul do rio Congo, também conhecido como rio Zaire, de frente para a RDC, na margem oposta do segundo sistema fluvial mais poderoso da África.

Machado disse à Angop que a situação com os acidentes ao largo da costa e no rio é preocupante. Disse que o incumprimento das regras de navegação marítima por parte de alguns armadores e navegadores tem colocado em risco a vida de muitos passageiros.

“Temos armadores que não cumprem o período de manutenção de suas embarcações, desenvolvendo suas atividades em condições técnicas deploráveis”, afirmou.

Como resultado, medidas crescentes serão tomadas para obrigar os armadores a cumprir as regras da navegação marítima e fluvial.

Ele falava à margem de um seminário sobre o regulamento comum para a construção de equipamentos navais e manutenção de embarcações.

O seminário foi promovido pela Comissão Internacional da Bacia do Congo-Oubangui-Sangha (CICOS), com o apoio da União Europeia. fonte: Angop

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Adicionado em 19 de abril de 2023

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Record increase in passenger ship calls at Walvis Bay

The Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) has recorded an impressive eighty-seven percent (87%) increase in passenger vessel calls for 2022/2023 in comparison to the 2021/2022 financial year.

According to Namport, the increase in passenger vessels is attributed to the maritime industry’s positive strides towards recovery from the recent pandemic that had negatively impacted holidaymakers’ travelling due to the restrictions imposed worldwide from 2019 until 2022.

To add to the number of vessel calls, the Ports Authority on Sunday, 16 April 2023, welcomed the Silversea cruise ship Silver Shadow which was making its maiden voyage at the Port of Walvis Bay.

The recently renovated vessel entered service in the year 2000 and has a carrying capacity of 382 passengers and 295 crew members.

For the full story of this ship here in Africa Ports & Ships, READ HERE

A traditional plaque exchange ceremony was held onboard the vessel between Namport’s Port Captain, Lukas Kufuna and the ship’s Captain Michele Macarone Palmieri to commemorate the maiden call.

Speaking during the ceremony, Captain Palmieri who has been on a prior visit to the Port of Walvis Bay sailing another vessel said, “The construction of the Passenger Berth at the Port of Walvis Bay is a welcomed addition to the already exceptional existing infrastructure of the Ports Authority.

“Walvis Bay remains a preferred tourist destination due to its beautiful landscapes.

Over three hundred passengers disembarked the passenger vessel to participate in day tours that included shopping, quad biking activities in the dunes, drives to Sandwich Harbour, and local excursions, to mention only a few.

Silver Shadow’s next port of call following after Walvis Bay was Luanda in Angola as the ship head north up the Atlantic west coast of Africa.

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Added 18 April 2023

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WHARF TALK: former Unicorn Handysize tanker BONITO

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
or as indicated
Story by Jay Gates

Just over two years ago, back in March 2021, one of the stalwarts of the South African shipping industry, Unicorn Lines, announced the sale of the last of their fleet, and not long afterwards the last three of their handy sized product tankers, one of which was ‘Breede’, was sold off, and she sailed from South African shores in April 2021, heading for new owners in Indonesia. The thought was that it would be the last that Unicorn vessels would be seen, even under strange new owners colours, in what were their normal home ports around the Southern African coast.

That turned out not to be the case, although it was one of the ex Singapore based fleet that visited South African shores later that year, in July 2021, and that called into Cape Town. As she had been a Far East based vessel, operated within a Unicorn joint venture tanker company, she was not familiar to local maritime observers. On the other hand, if any of the ex eight sisterships, that included the ‘Breede’, ever called, she would be easily identified, or so you would think, as their design, and size, was unmistakable.

When that class of eight handy sized tankers was ordered, by Unicorn Lines back in 2009, they were given the traditional Unicorn names of South African rivers. They went by the names of Berg, Breede, Gamtoos, Gouritz, Kei, Kowie, Umgeni, and ‘Fortune’! The name ‘Fortune’ was an atypical name for a Unicorn vessel, and within six months of delivery, she was sold on, and thus not a well-known vessel to local spotters. However, her new owners operated her in such a way that she has actually been a regular caller into South African ports for the last seven years.

On 13th April, at 15h00 in the afternoon, the Handy sized tanker BONITO (IMO 9475399) arrived at the Table Bay anchorage, from Ngqura, and spent the better part of the next 24 hours out at anchor. The next day, 14th April, at 11h00 in the morning, she made her way into Cape Town harbour, and entered the Duncan Dock, but not for the Tanker Basin, but she went alongside the Eastern Mole bunker berth. Was her call for bunkers, or stores, or for something else?

With her deck sporting no less than four large Yokohama fenders, and a further Yokohama fender deployed against her hull, beneath her accommodation block, it became obvious that her role was that of a bunker tanker. No sooner was ‘Bonito’ safely alongside the berth, that the latest Cape Town port bunker tanker ‘Vemaharmony’ made her way alongside ‘Bonito’ to receive an uplift of bunkers for her own supply tanks. It would seem that ‘Vemaharmony’ has replaced the BP contracted bunker tanker ‘Al Safa’, and is now a semi-permanent resident of Cape Town harbour.

Built in 2012 by Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineers at Taizhou Jiangsu in China, ‘Bonito’ is 144 metres in length and has a deadweight of 16,823 tons. She is powered by a single STX MAN-B&W 6S35MC-Mk7 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 6,040 bhp (4,440 kW), to drive a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 13 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes three Wuxi Fenxi Daihatsu 5DK20 generators providing 580 kW each, and a single Cummins 6CT-8.3-D(M) emergency generator providing 94 kW. She has a single Zhang Jiang Green LYF1.2/160-0.7 exhaust gas boiler, and a single Zhang Jiang Green LSK10-0.7 oil fired boiler. For added manoeuvrability ‘Bonito’ has an HRP 4001 bow transverse thruster providing 500 kW.

She has 12 cargo tanks, and has a cargo carrying capacity is 18,879 m3. She can carry four grades of product at any one time, and for loading and discharge operations she has four cargo pumps, each capable of pumping at a rate of 500 m3/hour. All of her tanks are epoxy coated.

She is nominally owned by Ocean Blue Maritime Incorporated, but her ownership lies within the Lavinia Group of Athens. She is operated by Laskaridis Shipping Co. Ltd., of Athens, whose houseflag she flies on her funnel, and she is managed by Alison Management Corporation, also of Athens.

The Lavinia Group, which is owned by the Laskaridis family, has Suzanna Laskaridis at its helm, and Panos Laskaridis, the group founder, as Chairman of Laskaridis Shipping. He was also both a representative of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS), and President of the European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA).

Whilst the family are one of the major driving forces of Greek Shipping, Panos Laskaridis had to resign from the UGS in 2021, after provoking anger with a major speech, where he stated that Greek shipowners have no need of either the Greek Government, nor Greek Shipping Regulators, as Greek shipping depends neither on Greek lawmakers, nor on the Greek economy. He also criticized the European Union (EU) scheme to expand its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which he stated will not improve either ship emissions, nor the environment.

It is this Laskaridis fleet connection, to the international deepsea fishing industry, that is also one of the major operational areas that ‘Bonito’ is also engaged in, especially in West African waters, hence her carriage of Yokohama fenders as deck accoutrements. Her name is a pointer to her area of operations, as the Bonito is a member of the Tuna family, and better known to South Africans as the Skipjack Tuna. She is a regular caller into the West African ports and anchorages of Luanda (Angola), Pointe Noire (Congo), Lome (Togo), Cotonou (Benin), and Abidjan (Ivory Coast).

She was purchased directly from Unicorn Lines back in September 2012, and other than her first few years of service with Laskaridis where she remained mostly in South American waters, she has been operating almost continuously in West African and South African waters since 2016. In that time period, she has been a frequent visitor to Cape Town, Durban and Ngqura, and the Algoa Bay bunker fleet.

In her career she has received 19 Port State Inspections, none of which have resulted in port detentions. Unusually, of those 19 inspections, one actually did take place in South Africa, back in August 2020. The inspection was under the dual auspices of both the Abuja MoU, and the Indian Ocean MoU. There were no findings recorded for that inspection.

Once you know that ‘Bonito’ is a fully fledged sistership of the other five well known former Unicorn Lines tankers, you can clearly see the similarities between her and her siblings. If you compare any photograph of ‘Bonito’ with any of her seven former fleetmates, that is Berg, Breede, Gamtoos, Gouritz, Kei, Kowie, and Umgeni, it becomes obvious that she is an ex Unicorn vessel.

Her time in Cape Town was very short, and less than 24 hours later, at 08h00 on 15th April, ‘Bonito’ sailed from Cape Town, to undertake her next series of STS bunker operations, and her destination was set on her AIS for Pointe Noire, in the Republic of Congo.

So, the next time ‘Bonito’ returns to South African waters, take the time to have a good look at her, and think of her sisterships in their gloriously unique blue and red hulls, and remember the now lost days when South Africa had a fleet that was truly her own, and not one owned, or directed, by foreign influences. Those days are highly unlikely to return.

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Added 18 April 2023

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Transnet to rebuild its own audit capabilities

Transnet SOC Ltd says it is repositioning and strengthening its internal audit function to ensure improved governance and internal controls.

A key part of this, Transnet said in a statement, includes implementation of a strategy to move away from a fully outsourced internal audit service – as was the case in the past – to a co-sourcing of the function, on a 40/60 basis, with 60% of the service outsourced.

“Furthermore, in order to build audit capacity for Transnet and the economy broadly, the company is reviving its role as one of the leading trainers for auditors, and will be scaling up its training programme, with the aim of training a minimum of 100 trainees over the next few years through the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) accredited program. This will provide trainees with an excellent workplace opportunity to gain the practical experience required to support their field of study.”

To support implementation of its co-sourcing strategy, Transnet has appointed a new set of professional services firms for the provision of internal audit services following a competitive, open market procurement process. The appointment is with effect from May 2023, for a period of five years, following the contracts of the outgoing professional services firms coming to an end in April 2023.

Deloitte & Touche together with their transformation partners Thamani Advisory (Pty) Ltd, Africa Rise and Shine Inc., and Isibani Chartered Accountants & Auditors (Pty) Ltd; and Ernst & Young Services (Pty) Ltd with their transformation partner, Motlanalo Chartered Accountants & Auditors Inc., will work with Transnet’s internal audit department to improve risk management, governance and internal controls, for greater operational effectiveness of the business.

The services are split into two: Part 1 – Assurance and related services (awarded to Deloitte and Ernst & Young and their respective empowerment partners) and Part 2 – Proactive assurance on High-Value (awarded to Deloitte and its empowerment partners).

Transnet will also work with its new internal audit partners to help rebuild its capacity in training of audit professionals.

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Added 18 April 2023

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Dredging of Suez Canal nearing completion

The dredging of the southern sector of the Suez Canal is nearing completion, according to the chairman of the Suez Canal Authority.

Osman Rabie said that up to 88% of the dredging work has now been completed, widening and deepening the canal.

The dredging is being carried out from the 132-kilometre mark south of the Bitter Lakes to the canal’s 162-kilometre mark at the southern mouth of the world’s busiest canal.

The widening of the canal will mean that this sector will be able to handle two-way traffic between the 122 and 132-kilometre marks.

The project means that the area where the giant 400-metre long container ship Ever Given became stuck will no longer pose any such hazard. This incident in 2021 helped spur forward the latest project.

According to Rabie 16 million cubic metres of sand was removed as part of the expansion project while 27 million cubic metres was dredged at the site of the double channel project in the Lesser Bitter Lakes region, from Km 122 to km 132.

Rabie said the development of the southern sector held promising opportunities for the canal, not only by providing navigational advantages and enhancing the safety factor, but by increasing the capacity of the Suez Canal.

He said the project will enable an additional six ships capacity.

The Suez Canal linking the Mediterranean with the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean carries ten per cent of all international trade, and provides a major source of income for Egypt. In 2022 the canal’s revenues reached a record US$ 8 billion, an increase on the $ 6.3 billion of the previous year. Acknowledgements: Ahram online

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Added 18 April 2023

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SMART Ocean-SMART Industries (SO-SI): Ocean and climate data collection

World Ocean Council expands activities

Edited by Paul Ridgway
London

On 10 April the World Ocean Council (WOC) reported the expansion of its SMART Ocean-SMART Industries (SO-SI) Programme through the appointment of a Programme Manager, with support provided by Singapore-based Swire Shipping Pte. Ltd.

It is understood that William Staby will lead the SO-SI Programme to organize industry/science partnerships and promote data collection by ships, platforms and other offshore infrastructure, which can be used to host or deploy instruments. Companies can also participate by sharing data they have previously collected.

Companies with vessels and offshore facilities are invited to contact WOC to participate in the SO-SI Programme, which enables companies to deliver on the UN SDG 14 and the UN Decade of Ocean Science.

For more information

Readers are invited to see WOC’s Smart Ocean-Smart Industries Programme by way of CLICKING HERE

Or you may contact William Staby as here: Bill.Staby@oceancouncil.org

Inaugural sponsors

Swire Shipping Pte. Ltd. Chairman Sam Swire commented: “We at Swire Shipping are proud to be one of the inaugural sponsors of the World Ocean Council’s SO-SI Programme and look forward to it bringing real benefits to stakeholders at the earliest opportunity.

“Understanding the relationship between the atmosphere and our oceans is crucial to mitigating the effects of global warming. We must step up our efforts for data collection, especially as this can be achieved using ‘ships, rigs and undersea cables of opportunity’ often at minimal additional expense.

“The first ‘International Maritime Conference for Devising a Uniform System of Met-Ocean Observations at Sea’ was successfully convened in Brussels 170 years ago. Since then, those of us who have been able to report data from the 71% of our planet that is water have done so both for the good of the environment and our industry.”

WOC CEO Paul Holthus emphasized that: “The most cost-effective way to significantly increase our understanding of the ocean (and the climate above the ocean) is to harness the use of the 60,000 merchant vessels, 3-4 million fishing boats, thousands of offshore aquaculture and energy installations and 1.2 million kilometers of submarine cables.”

Unlocking potential

Unlocking this potential is the goal of the WOC SO-SI Programme, which works to match companies with scientific institutions and ocean, weather and climate observation programmes and to facilitate the installation or deployment of instruments and the transfer of data to the appropriate public agencies.

As the WOC is the only ocean business and investment organization with a global programme working to engage industries in data collection, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), Seabed 2030 and other key ocean and climate institutions have developed partnerships with the WOC.

Advancing ocean industry data collection also creates needs for innovation in developing instruments, data transfer, analytics and so forth as well as important investment opportunities.

About World Ocean Council (WOC): The Global Blue Economy Business Organization

WOC is the international, cross-sectoral alliance for private sector leadership and collaboration on ocean sustainability, stewardship, and science. Companies from a range of industries worldwide are distinguishing themselves as leaders in Corporate Ocean Responsibility, including shipping, oil and gas, tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, renewable energy, ocean technology, and investment.

WOC Members are a part of the WOC Network of more than 35,000 ocean industry stakeholders around the world. The WOC is a registered not-for-profit organization in the US and France. HQ is in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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Added 18 April 2023

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Pirated tanker Success 9 located – crew all safe – UPDATE

Update on our story below of the pirated products tanker SUCCESS 9. The vessel has been found and the crew are safe.

Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) reported that a further distress call from the missing tanker was detected by another
tanker operating in the same area south of Abidjan, the Monjasa Sprinter.

The message was relayed to the MPA and other maritime authorities in the Gulf of Guinea region with the result that an Ivory Coast patrol vessel was despatched to the area and rendezvoused with the Success 9 about 65 n.miles south-east of Abidjan.

The patrol ship was able to confirm that the crew of Success 9 are safe before assisting the tanker to proceed to the port of Abidjan.

It appears the pirates abandoned the tanker after stealing cargo and the crews’ personal effects. None of the crew were harmed, according to the report and all crew accounted for.

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Added 17 April 2023 11h00

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BIMCO says record high container order book signals significant change

BIMCO reports that shipowners still have an appetite for new container ship orders with an appetite that has continued to grow.

One of the largest international shipping associations, representing about 60% of the world’s merchant shipping tonnage, whose members include managers, brokers and agents, BIMCO says that despite the collapse in freight rates, the order book for new ships has continued to grow.

The report by BIMCO’s Niels Rasmussen says the record high order book of 7.54 million TEU will result in significant changes to the container fleet in the coming years.

“During the last ten quarters, 8.61 million TEU has been contracted, matching the level contracted during the preceding 30 quarters. The order book has now increased for ten straight quarters, reaching a new record high in each of the last four quarters, and at 7.54 million TEU it now equals 28.9% of the existing fleet,” Rasmussen writes.

“The large order book will result in significant fleet growth. Scheduled deliveries for 2024 and the remainder of 2023 are currently at 5.03 million TEU. We estimate that recycling will hit nearly 1 million TEU during that period and the fleet could therefore soon exceed 30 million TEU for the first time; up 16% compared to today.”

The BIMCO article points out that delivery of the ships will also increase the fuel types used. 57% of TEU capacity in the order book involves ships with some level of alternative fuels preparation compared to only 10% in the current fleet.

“The first ships using methanol will be delivered and the first ammonia-ready ships will also be launched Soon, five different fuels could be in use: low- and high-sulphur fuel oil, LNG, methanol, and ammonia.

“As the use of alternative fuels increases it will become increasingly difficult to establish a single relevant rate benchmark for the time charter and asset markets.

“At the same time, the operators’ ownership share of the fleet will continue to grow. Ten years ago, the operators’ ownership share of the fleet capacity bottomed out at 50% but has since climbed to 61%.”

According to Rasmussen, this share will increase further in the coming years as 65% of the order book capacity is controlled by operators.

“Many of the non-operating owners’ largest ships are fixed on long-term charter contracts and it is increasingly only smaller ships that operate in the short-term charter market. Combined with the increasing ownership share, operators’ ability to use the time charter market to quickly adjust fleet capacity is therefore decreasing.

“Most importantly, the new ships will be more fuel efficient than most of the existing ships and the introduction of alternative fuels will help reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.”

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Added 17 April 2023

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WHARF TALK: small passenger ship SILVER SHADOW

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates

The South African cruising season for 2022-2023 is rapidly drawing to a close. Of the two MSC seasonal passenger vessels on the South African coast, one has already arrived back in the Mediterranean Sea, and has embarked on her first European summer cruise. The other MSC vessel is on her last South African coastal cruise, and will shortly be departing from Durban, and heading back to Rome to start her European summer cruising season.

Of the itinerant ‘mini season’ coastal cruisers, they are all long gone, and of the major world cruise liners, there are only three left to come, with the last one making her appearance as late as early May, so here’s hoping for what they call an Indian Summer on the South African coast. The trio of late callers are all intermediate, luxury, passenger vessels, and as always, they are on lengthy world cruises, with Cape Town being offered as a Fly-Cruise port for passengers to either fly in and join the vessel, or disembark on arrival and fly home.

On 12th April, at 06h00 in the morning, the passenger vessel SILVER SHADOW (IMO 9192167) arrived off Cape Town, and being a passenger vessel, had no delay and entered Cape Town harbour to proceed directly to the Passenger Cruise Terminal, at E berth in the Duncan Dock. This was a Fly-Cruise port on her current cruise, and so was not going to be a single day call.

Built in 2000, with her hull and accommodation built by Cantieri Navali Visentini, at Porto Viro, near Trieste in Italy, ‘Silver Shadow’ was then brought round to be outfitted, and finished, at the T. Mariotti SpA shipyard, at Genoa, also in Italy. She is one of two sisterships.

With diesel-electric propulsion, ‘Silver Shadow’ has two Wärtsilä 8L46B 8 cylinder 4 stroke main engines providing 10,527 bhp (7,850 kW) each, driving two ABB azipod propulsion units for a maximum service speed of 21 knots, with a cruising speed of 18 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery to provide domestic services includes three Wärtsilä 6R32 generators providing 2,340 kW each. For added manoeuvrability she has two bow transverse thrusters, and for passenger comfort she is fitted with Fincantieri fin stabilisers.

Owned by the Royal Caribbean Group, of Miami in the USA, ‘Silver Shadow’ is operated by Silversea Cruises, of Fort Lauderdale in the USA, whose logo she carries on her funnel. She is managed by V Ships Leisure SAM, of Monaco.

She has an extremely high passenger to crew ratio, with a passenger capacity of 392, and a crew of 302. The ship has a total of 10 decks, of which 7 are put aside for passenger use. Her passenger facilities include four restaurants, three bars, three lounges, a theatre, library, card room, casino, spa, salon, gymnasium, conference room and a boutique area.

She has a total of 194 cabins, ranging from luxurious Grand suites covering a floor area of an apartment sized 133 m2, complete with balcony of an additional 17 m2, all the way down to Standard suites covering a floor area of just 27 m2, and without a balcony.

Her current cruise, which terminated in her Fly-Cruise destination of Cape Town began at Port Victoria, in the Seychelles, on 21st March, with the following itinerary, Victoria- Zanzibar (Tanzania)- Nosy Be- Antsiranana- Toamasina (all Madagascar)- Port Louis (Mauritius)- St.Denis (Reunion)- Tolagnaro (Madagascar)- Richards Bay- Durban-Cape Town.

Her cruise will take her to her ultimate destination, which is Fort Lauderdale in the USA. The next leg of her cruise concludes on her next Fly-Cruise port, which is Dakar in Senegal, with the itinerary being Cape Town- Walvis Bay (Namibia)- Luanda (Angola)- Tema- Takoradi (both Ghana)- Abidjan (Ivory Coast)- Banjul (Gambia)- Dakar. She then departs the Africa continent for South America.

Her cruise will then cross the Atlantic Ocean, and terminate in an unusual port. The next Fly-Cruise termination port being Manaus, some 780 nautical miles up the Amazon river complex, in Brazil. The itinerary for this cruise is Dakar- Praia- Mindelo (both Cape Verde)- Amazon River- Santarém- Boca da Valeria- Manaus.

The final leg of the world cruise takes ‘Silver Shadow’ back down the 790 nautical miles of the Amazon River with her cruise itinerary being Manaus- Parintins- Santarém- Amazon River- Ile Royale (French Guiana)- Mayreau (St.Vincent)- St.Johns (Antigua)- Gustavia (St.Barthelemy)- San Juan (Puerto Rico)- Fort Lauderdale.

For a luxury cruise vessel, ‘Silver shadow’ blotted her copybook back in March 2013 at Skagway in Alaska. A surprise inspection was carried out by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), based on a tip off from her crew. Inspectors had been alerted to the fact that crew members had been instructed to hide food in their cabins whilst the inspection took place in the galleys, and in the food preparation areas.

All food found in cabins, and outside refrigerators, was condemned, and contaminated food was ordered to be discarded. The CDC Lead Inspector poured bleach over all of the contaminated, and condemned foodstuffs, to ensure that it would not be salvaged for further use aboard ‘Silver Shadow’ after the inspectors had left the vessel.

In March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to unfold worldwide, ‘Silver Shadow’ was detained at Recife in Brazil. The detention was the result of a passenger aboard the vessel testing positive for the Covid virus. He was landed, with his wife, and taken to a local hospital. The ship was quarantined for ten days, and over a three day period the 343 passengers aboard, were allowed to land in five separate groups, in order for them to be repatriated home by air.

Two days after all passengers had left the vessel, the Brazilian National Sanitary Surveillance Agency allowed the vessel to sail for the Cape Verde islands, with just 266 crewmembers aboard. The initial passenger, who was landed with the Covid virus sadly died the same day.

After two days alongside at E berth, and with her turnaround in Cape Town complete, ‘Silver Shadow’ was ready to continue with her cruise. She sailed from Cape Town at 16h00 in the afternoon of 14th April, bound for Walvis Bay, where she was scheduled to arrive on 16th April, for a day long stopover.

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Added 17 April 2023

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No new news of missing tanker Success 9 pirated in Gulf of Guinea- UPDATE, see above

There is no news on the whereabouts of the missing pirated tanker SUCCESS 9 further to our report of last Tuesday/Wednesday 11-12 April advising that the Singapore-registered vessel had been boarded by pirates some 300 nautical miles south of Abidjan – to see that report in Africa Ports & Ships dated 12 April 2023 CLICK HERE.

Success 9 (IMO 9258131) was boarded by pirates at 14h00 on Monday 10 April, while the Singapore-registered tanker was in position 00.07.14 N, 004.34.14 W, approximately 300 n.miles south-south-west of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast.

Shortly after this message went out the vessel ceased transmitting its AIS signal, since when no sign of Success 9 has been reported.

The 6,100-dwt tanker is crewed by 20 seafarers drawn from several nationalities. It has to be assumed that the products tanker has been taken for use as a ‘mother’ ship to aid the pirates in deep sea attacks on other vessels. The original crew would then be required to operate the ship on behalf of the pirates.

Success 9 is described as a small products tanker of 6,100-dwt with a red coloured hull and blue funnel with red and white logo on the side. Other ships in the area are warned to keep a vigilant lookout for possible pirate attack if sighting this vessel.

All that can be added to last week’s story is that the Singapore MPA has since confirmed that it had received a report of the missing tanker.

Meanwhile, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim said in a statement that he is deeply concerned over the kidnapping of six crew from the Monjasa Reformer earlier and now the 20 crew together with their vessel Success 9.

Kitack Lim appealed for “continued sustainable support to the important work of the regional navies and entities within the Yaoundé Architecture to protect seafarers and to the operational piracy response from the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum (SHADE) and the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea, in keeping with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2634 on piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.”

While appreciating regional and international efforts to respond to this latest incident, Lim said: “I wish to reiterate that the ongoing threat must be addressed cohesively, involving all relevant actors and including regional entities.”

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TNPA extends deadline for Richards Bay LNG Terminal proposals

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has extended its Request for Proposals (RFP) deadline for the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal Project to 14 July 2023.

Making the announcement late on Friday, TNPA said this follows a request from a number of potential bidders to the RFP for an extension, based on justifiable reasons provided.

Some of the reasons cited include allowing time to conclude negotiation agreements, setting up a consortium and its financial structures, as well as necessary feasibility studies appreciating the quality of bids that they would want to submit.

RFP

In December 2022, TNPA issued an RFP seeking to appoint a Terminal Operator to design, construct, maintain and operate a Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal at the Port of Richards Bay.

This project is in line with the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 which is expected to deliver up to 3,000 MW of gas-to-power by 2027.

This is also a response to ensure that the country will have consistent new generation capacity coming on stream to mitigate against load shedding, as well as provide diverse energy resources, said the TNPA.

“We’re aware that the new timelines will have an impact on the overall project schedule in respect to the delivery targets, however considering concerns raised by potential bidders, we consented to an extension of the bid process, and are confident that this will also ensure that TNPA receives quality bids for this critical project,” said Linda Myeza, TNPA’s Oil & Gas Sector Specialist.

“It is imperative that TNPA ensures a fair, transparent, and efficient process in attaining a preferred bidder, hence it was important to listen to the various requests from the potential bidders,” Myeza said.

TNPA encouraged

According to TNPA, it is encouraged by the participation of diverse entities in this process, and says it is looking forward to the quality bids that it will receive from the bidders.

Following the closure of the RFP process, TNPA aims to appoint a Terminal Operator by end-October 2023. TNPA appeals to all bidders to work towards their submissions for this RFP by the new deadline of 14 July 2023.

RFP documents can be accessed from the National Treasury’s e-tender publication portal

or from the Transnet website:.

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50,000 Filipino jobs saved: EU on seafarer training certificates

Edited by Paul Ridgway
London

Unions are welcoming a decision from the EU maritime watchdog which avoids up to 50,000 Philippines-certified crew being barred from working aboard European-owned ships. This was reported by the ITF on 14 April.

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) announced in week commencing 2 April that it will continue to recognise STCW certificates (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping) issued by Philippines-based training providers after the country’s president made moves to address decades-long problems with his country’s seafarer training systems.

The EU had for many years been concerned about both the quality and consistency of training, with some graduates equipped to handle modern ships and others requiring supplemental training from employers. As far back as 2006, EMSA identified deficiencies and continued to find problems in the thirteen inspections it conducted since. The agency’s most recent audit, held last year, led to the country’s final warning.

ITF welcomes EMSA decision, optimistic on reforms

‘I am sure that is very welcome by the European shipowners just as it is by Filipino crew, their families and their unions.’

Cotton said if EMSA had stopped recognising Filipino certificates, a ban would have sent economic shockwaves through the country’s economy. US$6.54 billion in wages were sent home by Filipino crew working on international ships in 2019, alone.*

He added: ‘There’s no doubt that Filipino seafarers are prized in the industry for their skill, expertise, and professionalism: there is good reason that they remain the world’s number one source of seafarers.

‘Sadly, the quality and certification systems Filipino crew need to be able to rely on, have been lacking for some time now.’

The ITF and its Philippines-based affiliates had been advocating for years for Manila to iron out the country’s inconsistent training outcomes, along with dumping underperforming providers who consistently untrained crew.

ITF advising Marcos government on training upgrade

It is understood that decision-makers in Brussels were convinced by recent announcements by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s administration to finally address the country’s years-long issues in training.

Alongside more immediate measures, Marcos ordered in December the establishment of a high-powered advisory council made up maritime industry experts.

Representatives from the ITF, ship owners’ association ICS, and other industry bodies will form the new ‘International Advisory Committee on Global Maritime Affairs’ (IACGMA). While its first task is to advise on the training and certification reforms needed, the committee’s ability to work across a multitude of government ministries and agencies on thorny and complex maritime sector issues is a model unions and shipowner groups hope will unlock progress on climate and other pressing issues facing the country’s maritime sector.

Cotton said the Advisory Committee was just one example of the way the sector had shown the Philippines was now on the right path to delivering the improvements industry, crew and regulators had been asking for.

He reflected: ‘I have every faith that we can get to a place where a Philippines certificate is synonymous with being first-rate and world-class. In many ways, Filipino crew already are.’

* According to the central bank of the Republic of the Philippines Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Filipino seafarers remitted over US$6.53 billion in 2019 alone.

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Added 17 April 2023

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ONE resumes its Eastern Cape Express reefer service from Port Elizabeth

Ocean Network Express (ONE) is set to resume its Eastern Cape Express Reefer service to cover the region’s important citrus exports for the current season.

The service will commence on 1 June 2023 with the mv CELCIUS BOSTON departing PE Contain4er Terminal on that date.

The service will take the SAECS Port Elizabeth export berthing window to ensure a fixed weekly service that will also connect safely with the SAECS mainline service at Port Tangier. This is to ensure the Eastern Cape is provided with a reliable service to both the Mediterranean and North Europe by using this service.

In so doing it also avoids any possibility of delays occurring at the Cape Town Container Terminal.

The Port Tangier calls for both SAECS and WAF1 have fixed berthing windows to ensure connections, and this has been made possible by SAECS having a 9th vessel in the schedule to add reliability to the product due to longer working time on the SA coast.

ONE said in a statement that this arrangement will highlight ONE’s commitment to reliable services to Europe in this coming peak season.

The detailed forward schedule for the season is as below:

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Added 17 aPRIL 2023

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India wants to work with Mozambique on rail, roads and bridges

India, which has vested interests in several Mozambican sectors, notably coal mining, has expressed interest in extending its cooperation with Mozambique on rail, road and bridges interests.

This has become clear following a visit to the African country by Indian Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who on Thursday last week held a meeting at CFM headquarters in Maputo with Mozambican Transport Minister, Mateus Magala.

Jaishankar said India is interested in several lines of development with Mozambique.

“The railways are a component, but there is also the component of water resources, and the building of roads and bridges. As a country, we are prepared for cooperation, but our philosophy rests on the priorities of the partner,” Jaishankar said.

The minister said he would take up these topics with his Mozambican counterpart, Veronica Macamo, and with President Filipe Nyusi. During these meetings he hoped to learn about other opportunities that might be of interest.

“The government of India is open to other forms of cooperation with Mozambique,” Jaishankar added.

Mozambique Minister Magala indicated that a railway linking the country from north to south was of interest.

This has been discussed with the Indian minister, Magala said, who had expressed his willingness to step up railway cooperation and to assist in Mozambique’s transition to electric trains.

It was revealed that India has offered Mozambique 10 locomotives and 90 passenger coaches. source: AIM

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Added 17 April 2023

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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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