On the early morning of May 20, 2024, the 'Histria Atlas' suffered an engine malfunction in the Dardanelles while enroute from Burgas to Alexandria, Egypt. Under the coordination of the Çanakkale VTS Center, the vessel was safely moored at the Bozcaada Anchorage, assisted by a pilot and under the tow of the tug 'Kurtarma 14'. The ship remained stationary in pos. 39° 54.22' N 026° 01.77' E. Report with photos: https://x.com/kiyiemniyet/status/1792408222449471757
News
ANDREW J BARBERI
The 'Andrew J. Barberi', which retired in 2023, was put up for public surplus auction this week by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Bidding on the ferry opened at $155,000. As of May 16, 2024, no one had made an offer. The vessel has been stripped of its propulsion and navigation systems. Its eventual new owner will need to tow the ship from its berth in St. George. https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/auction/view?auc=3514658
Mumbai
Mumbai Port’s decision to raise the draft level to 10.3 metres and 11 metres to dock vessels at BPX and BPS respectively, subject to low tides being over 60 cm has been welcomed by maritime fraternity. This has avoided the waiting period for the vessels arriving with deep drafts till the tide is favorable for berthing. At times, such vessels had to arrange for discharging the import cargo for reducing the draft in stream and only subsequently berth at BPX/BPS.
Halifax
PSA International Pte Ltd (PSA) has completed the acquisition of Halterm Container Terminal (“Halterm”) in the Port of Halifax, Canada, from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners,a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, following formal approval by the relevant regulatory authorities. Halterm is the only container terminal in Eastern Canada that can serve mega container vessels.
DALI
On May 21 efforts were started to remove the 'Dali' at around 05:00 a.m. when the tide was at its peak.Between eight and 12 million tons of steel has been removed from the ship before. Divers will be making last-minute inspections below the waterline and then tugs will attempt to ease the vessel from its position, before taking the 'Dali' to the Seagirt Marine Terminal, which is approximately 2.5 miles upriver.
DALI
Unified Command officials continued to evaluate the 'Dali' on May 16 in preparation for refloating the vessel and clearing the federal channel. They have evaluated sonar and lidar imagery but are awaiting results from a dive survey before proceeding with the plans to move the 'Dali' to the Seagirt Marine Terminal in the Port of Baltimore. This diver inspection was a necessary and vital step in the complicated process of reopening the Fort McHenry Federal Channel in a manner that mitigates risk to the vessel once it’s carefully refloated and moved from its current position. To permit safe diver access to the Patapsco riverbed next to the vessel, Unified Command cranes must first remove submerged and unstable wreckage from the controlled demolition. Safety also dictated the securing or removal of severely damaged containers and overhanging wreckage from the initial bridge collapse onto the deck of the 'Dali'. This process was already underway and should be complete in the days ahead. During the complex operation of refloating the 'Dali', the Unified Command will continue removing wreckage in the central part of the Fort McHenry Federal Channel. More than 365 vessels have transited the four Port of Baltimore temporary alternate channels. These transits for commercial and recreational vessels will continue during the ongoing process to refloat the M/V Dali and salvage operation to clear the federal channel. Nearly 50% of the 700-foot-wide Fort McHenry Federal Channel had already been cleared to an operational depth of 48 feet before the controlled demolition. The federal channel is expected to be fully capable of supporting all commercial vessels in and out of the Port of Baltimore to a minimum operational depth of 50 feet in the weeks ahead. The current 2,000-yard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment. No vessel or person will be permitted to enter the safety zone without obtaining permission from the COTP or a designated representative.
Salalah
The Port of Salalah, Oman’s major regional gateway port and transshipment hub on the Arabian Sea, set another record in productivity with a delivering 412.97 Port Moves per Hour (PMPH) on vessel Cap San Tainaro handling 3,820 moves in a port stay of 9.25 hours. This is the highest productivity delivered by any port in the region till date.
Rijeka
The Croatian government said it would help a troubled shipyard owned by Uljanik, the country’s largest shipbuilder, resume production. The government, which owns a 25% stake in Uljanik, said in March that it would not back a proposed restructuring plan for the group due to the financial burden it would place on the state. However, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that the government was willing to support 3.Maj, which is located in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka and is one of the group’s two shipyards, because it did not have as big a debt burden. “Unlike Uljanik, the 3.Maj is not an overly indebted company and there is an interest in the construction of new ships,” Plenkovic told a televised press conference after a government meeting. He said the government expected 3.Maj to draft a plan for its future operations.
X-PRESS LHOTSE
The 'X Press Lhotse' with RMG export products on board, destined for Europe and the USA via Sri Lanka has been stuck at Chattogram port for two days due to non-payment of fines. The ship was scheduled to leave for Colombo port on May 15, 2024, at 3:30 p.m. with 1,450 TEU containers on board. Around 90% of the goods on board were ready-made garments. However, the vessel has been barred from leaving the port as it failed to pay Tk72.25 lakh in fines imposed by the Mercantile Marine Office, Chattogram, for not complying with rules at various times. The vessel had earlier transported goods from Chattogram port without obtaining a waiver certificate in violation of the Bangladesh Flag Vessels, (Protection of Interests) Act. Its shipping agent, Sea Consortium, was also fined several times in this regard. The ship, which was scheduled to reach Sri Lanka's Colombo port on May 19, was detained at the outer anchorage of Chattogram port. It was released on May 19.
BORKUM
The 'Borkum' was anchored at Cabo Tiñoso in the waters of the Region of Murcia as of May 16. She had planned to moor in Cartagena at 7 a.m., but finally gave up making a stopover and announced that it was heading to Koper with an ETA as of May 22. From there the cargo will be taken to Prague. In its containers it transports mortar shells and projectiles for use in battle tanks. This was stated by the Ministry of Transport and confirmed by the Czech Government in a document, in which it also ensures that the cargo will be for its own use. The Sumar insisted that it must be ensured that the ship's cargo does not reach Israel and they have filed a complaint with the Prosecutor's Office to block it. The transport minister reproached them for confusing the ship with the 'Marianne Danica'. Report with photo: https://www.heraldo.es/noticias/internacional/2024/05/16/exteriores-deniega-escala-buque-armas-israel-no-dara-autorizacion-ningun-barco-situacion-1734310.html
Taranto
This is the 22nd marine port in Yilport Holding’s portfolio, and its first terminal in Italy. The company, ranked 12th among international container terminal operators by Drewry, targets to be ranked among the top 10 by 2025. Chairman Robert Yuksel Yildirim made the following remarks at the signing ceremony: “We have a strong presence in the Mediterranean. We are in Malta and operate seven ports between Spain and Portugal. Being able to enter Italy and work here in Taranto is like filling in the missing piece of a puzzle that we are building globally. The infrastructure was there but there was no one to take care of it. Our intention is to create another success story in Taranto. From today until the end of this year, we will be fixing cranes to ramp up business, visiting potential customers, and promote the container terminal. The project also aims to cooperate with local operators to improve cargo and ro-ro traffic.”
Venice
Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Barcelona are a few of the European ports that the President of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Pino Musolino, has sent a letter to in recent days, inviting his colleagues to meet in Venice to discuss the economic and environmental impact of the cruise industry and to draw up guidelines for a new sustainable approach to maritime tourism. The ports mentioned above have already accepted and other replies are expected in the coming days. A date will soon be set for a seminar on the issues, to be held in the Venice area.