In the port of Torre Annunziata, the 'AK Brigth' was inspected by the Carabinieri of the operational and radiomobile section of Castellammare di Stabia, who found 7,000 packs of contraband cigarettes. The ship was had a cargo of wheat and corn from Yuzhny on board and had docked in the port on April 18, 2024. The cigarettes wre of Serbian origin but probably destined for the Neapolitan black market. The captain of the ship, a 39-year-old Syrian from Tartus and three men aged 68, 57 and 58, were handcuffed. The latter had just taken 500 cartons of the load, 5000 packages, and stuffed them into a car. They were arrested for smuggling foreign tobacco. Reports with photos and video: https://www.fanpage.it/napoli/le-sigarette-dallucraina-a-napoli-nella-nave-cargo-insieme-al-grano-4-arresti-a-torre-annunziata/ https://www.ilmattino.it/napoli/area_metropolitana/torre_annunziata_nave_cargo_sigarette_arresto-8066959.html
News
GUARDAMAR URANIA
On April 20, 2024, a cayuco requested assitance and gave two positions, which were 15 miles apart. The RCC Tenerife of Salvemento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 206 and the 'Guardamar Urania' to assist. The SAR vessel rescued 45 people and disembarked 44 of them in La Restinga. The Helimer 206 medevaced one person who was in bad condition off El Hierro, who was transferred to hosptial. Photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1781657788822778289
Fos-sur-Mer
The French port of Marseille Fos plans to spend over US$22 million to reduce air emissions by extending its shoreside electrical connections to every ferry, cruise ship and repair quay in the eastern harbour. The port has also introduced speed restrictions to reduce industrial air pollution. Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the shore power network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the ship repair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025. The zero-emissions investment, which is supported by national and regional government, recognises the need to maintain the port’s economic value while improving the city’s waterside air quality.
Singapore
Phase one of the new Jurong Port Tank Terminals (JPTT) was officially opened on Monday (July 29), with Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat saying it will allow Singapore to strengthen its position as one of the world’s top bunkering ports for low-sulphur fuels. The $200 million, 16ha petrochemical terminal is a joint venture between port operator Jurong Port and German firm Oiltanking with 252,000 cubic m of clean petroleum storage capacity. From January next year, the International Maritime Organisation will prohibit ships from using fuels containing more than 0.5 per cent sulphur.
MT SAISNIL II
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was investigating 11 suspected oil thieves along with the Saisnil II', which was arrested by the Nigerian Navy, on April 202, 2024. The suspects and vessel were handed over to the Commission by the Nigerian Navy, NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Lagos. The vessel and the crew were intercepted and arrested on Feb 7 by naval officers. The suspects were allegedly involved in illegal oil bunkering and AIS infractions at the Abo Oilfield, Ogogoro Community, Ondo State. The suspects were to be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded by Commission’s operatives in its Lagos Command.
SALVAMAR AL NAIR
A canoe was located on April 19 near Lanzarote. The 'Salvamar Al Nair' was mobilized to assist and has rescued 47 people of North African origin, including nine women and several minors. They were transferred to Arrecife and disembarked in Puerto de Naos.
Dubrovnik
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the City of Dubrovnik have partnered to introduce sustainable tourism management practices that will preserve the Croatian city’s cultural heritage. CLIA president and CEO Kelly Craighead and Dubrovnik’s Mayor Mato Franković signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which outlines plans to make Dubrovnik a model of sustainable tourism for the Adriatic region. All plans focus on investment, collaboration and best practices that will benefit both Dubrovnik’s residents and visitors. “Today’s agreement validates the work we have already done with Mayor Franković and formalises the cruise industry’s continued commitment to the City of Dubrovnik and its people,” said Craighead.
Sihanoukville
Congestion at Cambodia’s top port is creating supply chain disruptions. In a note to clients German containerline Hapag-Lloyd noted that terminal productivity at Sihanoukville port has deteriorated due to port and yard congestion. Feeder services and turnaround times are affected and feeder space is tight. In an effort for medium term improvement of this situation, the port is building an extended yard for additional storage space. “Before the new container yard is completed, port congestion may persist,” Hapag-Lloyd warned.
DALI
On April 19, the Captain of the Port established the Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel, which is on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and will provide limited access for commercially essential vessels. The Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel has a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 135 feet, and will facilitate additional commercially essential vessel traffic through the port of Baltimore. This action is part of a phased approach to opening the main channel. The third temporary channel is marked with government-lighted aids to navigation and will be limited to transit at the discretion of the COTP. It has a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 135 feet. The additional channel increases the types of vessels able to transit inbound and outbound the port of Baltimore and was estimated to facilitate approximately 15 % of pre-collapse commercial activity.
SUN PRINCESS
On April 19 the medical evacuation of a crew member of the 'Sun Princess', en route from Gibraltar to Cartagena, was carried out due to trauma off Vera. The CCS Cartagena of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 215, which hoisted the victim and took him to the Cartagena cruise ship dock, where an ambulance was waiting for further transfer to the Santa Lucía Hospital.
Tanger-Med
The Tanger Med port has emerged as the biggest port in Africa in terms of container capacity, surpassing Africa’s bigger ports like Durban (South Africa) and Mombasa (Kenya). The Tanger Med port now connects Morocco to 77 countries and 186 ports around the world. The Tanger Med II has two new container terminals – TC3 and TC4 – with an additional 6 million container capacity. The TC3, which is operated by Morocco’s main port operator Marsa Maroc, has a capacity of 1 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units). The TC4, which is operated by the Netherlands-based APM Terminals, has a capacity of 5 million TEUs. According to the Tanger Med Port Authority, with its new terminals, Tanger Med port will have a capacity of processing 9 million containers, 7 million passengers, 1 million vehicles and 700,000 trucks. Thanks to its extensions, Tanger Med port has now become the largest port in the Mediterranean region, surpassing some of the region’s top ports like Algeciras (Spain), Valencia (Spain) and Gioia (Italy). The port is located 40 kilometers east of the Moroccan town of Tangier, which is a gateway to both Europe and Africa. “Our aim is to develop an effective port platform integrated with transshipment activities, imports and exports,” Tanger Med Port Authority said on its website. The Tanger Med port has become vital for Morocco’s economy as it handled 317 billion Moroccan dirhams (US$33.14 billion) worth of exports and imports in 2018. It processed an overall tonnage of 52.24 tonnes last year.
Dhamra
French oil and gas giant Total SA has taken a 50 per cent stake in Dhamra LNG Terminal Pvt Ltd (DLTPL), a unit of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), which is constructing a 12 million tonne per annum (mtpa) LNG regasification terminal at its port located at Dhamra in Odisha’s Bhadrak district.