An accident report by the traffic accident investigation committee found out that the 'Norwegian Prima' with 4,600 passengers on board was only about 10 meters away from running aground off the island of Viðey on May 26, 2023, after it had gone off course in a storm and the captain had apparently underestimated the situation. The crew of the tug 'Magni' did everything in their power to prevent a major accident. According to the report, the ship had left the Sundahöfn cruise port in Reykjavík on the evening with the assistance of the tug 'Magni'. A strong wind was blowing from the southwest. The pilot recommended that the captain delayed the departure. The captain decided to stick to the schedule, despite the weather and against the pilot's recommendation. The ship had to be turned around before it could head out to sea. Shortly after the turn, strong gusts of 50 knots came in from the west. At the same time, the captain increased the speed. The ship drifted with the wind eastwards toward the shallows while the tug pulled against it at full speed. At the outer edge of the shipping channel, the 'Norwegian Prima' drifted over a buoy, and it was very lucky that a chain hanging from the buoy did not get entangled in the ship's propeller. It was already clear that the ship was way off course and was in great danger of running aground. The captain, who was sailing into Reykjavík harbor for the first time, tried to countersteer with the ship's propellers, but that wasn't enough. The report stated that only ten meters separated the ship from shoals that would have left less than half a meter of space for the keel. The tug had to be repaired after the incident, but the cruise ship remained undamaged. The report contains recommendations on how such incidents can be prevented. Among other things, there is a recommendation for the shipping company to evaluate all information to supplement its own risk assessment. It is also recommended that the Port of Faxaflói update its workflows to ensure good communication between tugs and pilots. This communication must be in English and understandable to everyone. The government is being asked to extend the powers of pilots so that they can refuse ships to leave under certain circumstances. Finally, the report proposes a risk assessment for all ports where passenger ships anchor. Full report with photos: https://www.rnsa.is/media/5200/hs-norwegian-prima-msi-report.pdf
News
MSC VERACRUZ
On April 24, 2024, a ship stated an explosion in the water around 72 nautical miles southeast of Djibouti. A Houthi Spokesperson through the official channel took responsibility for the attack, claiming attacks on the 'Maersk Yorktown' and the 'MSC Veracruz'. They referred to the MSC vessel as an ‘Israeli ship’ and also alleged that a U.S warship was involved in the attack with the 'Maersk Yorktown' under contract with the U.S military. The U.S Central Command confirmed that they prevented one anti-ship ballistic missile, launched from an area controlled by Houthi in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden.The missile was likely aimed at the 'Maersk Yorktown', which whad 18 US- and four Greek crew members on board. The US central Command also confirmed the destruction of four airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. On April 13, one anti-ship ballistic missile was fired by the Houthis from the Gulf of Aden.
Walvis Bay
NAMPORT’s new container terminal will be officially inaugurated on 2 August, and normal operations are expected to start on it on 24 August. The new terminal, constructed at a cost of N$4 billion, is expected to increase container handling capacity from the current 355 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to up to 1 005 000 TEUs. Firstly, there will be a shutdown on 17 August of container operations in the port to start relocations to the new terminal. The equipment to be relocated include rubber-tired gantries and mobile harbour cranes, while reach stackers, haulers and forklifts will move the containers.
Hanjin Subic Shipyard
The 300-hectare shipyard of Hanjin Philippines may be taken over by several shipping companies that would transform it into a major global port, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a chance interview recently. He said the shipyard could be a sprawling multipurpose mixed-use port facility that would be jointly operated by several players. This, he said, is one of the proposals received by Hanjin creditors for the development of the shipyard after Hanjin Philippines declared bankruptcy early this year. “It’s a good masterplan that has been proposed and it is targeted to be implemented this year,” Lopez said. He declined to name the companies but hinted that these include foreign players. Another source said creditors are in negotiations with an American and a Japanese company. Officially, Hanjin has fully shut down just this month, ending the last of its remaining maintenance operations, sources said. As of this writing, the creditors have not made any official announcement yet regarding the final plans for the shipyard.
SALVAMAR SPICA
The pleasiure boat "Estelle", with one crew member, requested towing assistance in front of the Almería thermal power plant on April 24, after having suffered an engine breakdown. The CCS Almería of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Spica', which took the yeacht in tow and safely pulled it to the Club de Mar in Almería. Photos: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1783136991179121112
MAERSK YORKTOWN
On April 24, 2024, a ship stated an explosion in the water around 72 nautical miles southeast of Djibouti. A Houthi Spokesperson through the official channel took responsibility for the attack, claiming attacks on the 'Maersk Yorktown' and the 'MSC Veracruz'. They referred to the MSC vessel as an ‘Israeli ship’ and also alleged that a U.S warship was involved in the attack with the 'Maersk Yorktown' under contract with the U.S military. The U.S Central Command confirmed that they prevented one anti-ship ballistic missile, launched from an area controlled by Houthi in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden.The missile was likely aimed at the 'Maersk Yorktown', which whad 18 US- and four Greek crew members on board. The US central Command also confirmed the destruction of four airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) over Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. On April 13, one anti-ship ballistic missile was fired by the Houthis from the Gulf of Aden.
Visakhapatnam
With further development to its existing solid European products, Ocean Network Express (ONE) has announced the launch of a new direct service, the Indian Ocean Service 3 (IO3), which covers South East India, Mediterranean, and North Europe. The new product will offer new port coverage and boost reliability to a wider range of direct port call options to ONE’s valued customers. It will also further expand ONE’s already comprehensive service offerings and allow its clients to enjoy greater choice while bringing efficiency and additional values to the supply chain. The first sailing of the loop is now expected to start from 26th October 2019. IO3: Indian Ocean Service 3 Rotation: Visakhapatnam – Krishnapatnam – Chennai – Tuticorin – Colombo – Cochin – Damietta – Piraeus – Rotterdam – London Gateway – Hamburg – Antwerp – Le Havre – Damietta – Jeddah – Colombo – Visakhapatnam (Fixed day weekly service, 63-day rotation)
Callao
APM Terminals has become the first Peruvian port to introduce a customer platform that logs, streamlines and coordinate General Cargo operations in the port of Callao. During the pilot phase, the platform, which was developed together with maritime and customs agents, enabled users to complete transactions 67% faster and operations were completed 12% faster. APM Terminals Callao invested nearly USD 1 million in the implementation of MOST, a new state-of-the-art platform that can be used by maritime agents, customs agencies and carriers, among others. MOST can be used to register cargo and view real-time information, make online payments and generate authorizations for the loading and unloading of all types of General Cargo, from anywhere, anytime. The platform is a clear milestone in the efficient management of port logistics using world-class technology.
YM PIONEER
The 'YM Pioneer' ran aground on the night of April 23, 2024, at the height of buoy 8, in the outer area of the access channel to the Port of Bahía Blanca, en route to Port Klang with a cargo of corn. The vessel was obstructing the navigation channel, prompting the Coastguard to restrict the traffic between buoy 11 and buoy 1. Initial efforts during the morning high tide to refloat the ship by the tugs 'Tocanado', 'Ona Paz' and 'Svitzer Endeavour' failed. Another attempt was to be made during the next high tide which was expected in the afternoon. After the ship moved on April 24, as of April 25, the ship was stationary in pos. 39° 05.40' N 061° 47.64' W. The grounding was caused by a navigational error.
HOEJESTENE
The 'Højestene' slipped off a dock on April 21, 2024, at the J. Ring-Andersen Shipyard in Svendborg. After the accident, the ferry docked at Petersen & Sørensen, where it could be ascertained that in addition to visible damage to the bow flap, there was also damage to the hull and one rudder. As a result of the further inspection on the morningof April 23, as well as reasonable demands from the Danish Maritime Authority for inspection, the inspection and repair time had to be extended. The return was postponed to the 5.30 p.m. departure from Svendborg on April 29. Until then, the route was covered by the ferry 'Helge', which cannot carry cars.
Rio de Janeiro
ICTSI subsidiary ICTSI Americas BV has acquired 100% of the shares of Libra Terminal Rio S.A. (Libra Rio) to run the Terminal de Contêineres 1 (T1Rio) container terminal in the Port of Rio, Brazil. Libra Rio holds the concession rights to operate, manage and develop T1Rio and was acquired by ICTSI from Boreal Empreendimentos e Participações SA. The deal to take over the port container terminal concession was disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange, reported Manila Standard. ICTSI said: “The parties will work to sign a share purchase agreement in due course.” Concession until 2048
Limassol
Two and a half years after taking over the operations of the Multi-Purpose and the New Cruise Terminals at the Limassol port, DP World Limassol on Wednesday presented the upgrades and investments in infrastructure and equipment. The company said that it had acquired brand-new equipment in January 2019 as part of an ongoing upgrade of the Limassol port infrastructure. The new machinery was put into operation in March 2019, following intensive training of staff and has contributed to speeding up operations at the Multi-purpose port terminal. More specifically, the new equipment includes: A new, high-tech LHM 420 mobile harbour crane, with maximum lifting capacity of 144 tons and radius of 54 metres enhancing the efficient handling and transportation of bulk cargo, general cargo, containers, oil and gas.