The USS 'Laboon' destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Houthi militants in Yemen on April 8, 2024, which was targeting the 'Maersk Yorktown' in the Gulf of Aden, which was being escorted by the U.S. Navy destroyer. It was determined the ABSM presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region. There were no injuries or damage reported. Yemen’s Houthi militants confirmed that a missile shot down was targeting the AP Moller-Maersk ship. The group also claimed to have launched two more operations against MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company vessels nearby.
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BAHIJAH
The arrival of the 'Bahijah' in Haifa on April 6, 2024, has put an end to one of the most shameful episodes in Australian live export history. The animals on board, who have been subjected to a gruelling 34-day journey, were due to soon be offloaded at the port. The animals were subjected to before being offloaded back in Australia on Feb 15, to stand in feedlots for several weeks before departing again on March 3. In total, at 90+ days, this stood as one of the longest live sheep export journeys in Australian history. The Australian sheep and cattle were sent into the escalating conflict in the Red Sea region, turned around, sat for days in the sweltering heat off the coast of Western Australia, offloaded, sat in a feedlot for over two weeks, loaded on board again, and then sent on an extraordinarily long and treacherous journey around the Cape of Good Hope, known for its rough seas. The RSPCA was urgently seeking further information about the welfare of the animals on board and what actually happened to the animals involved across the entire duration of this saga due to the lack of transparency, the inability of regulations to protect animals, and the profit-at-all-costs approach, that are endemic to live animal export.
Tanger-Med
Tangier will today celebrate the opening of the largest container port in capacity terms in the whole of the Mediterranean, something that will bring enormous competition to the likes of Algericas just 25 nautical miles away across the Strait of Gibraltar. The $1.6bn expansion of Tanger Med port, located to the east of the Moroccan city of Tangier, due to be unveiled today will create Africa’s largest port with an annual capacity of 9.5m teu. The port is operated by APM Terminals, Eurogate and a local firm.
Ho Chi Minh
Samsung C&T Corp., a construction unit under Samsung Group, said Tuesday it has won a US$179.5 million project to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Vietnam. Under the deal with Petrovietnam Gas Corp., Samsung C&T and Vietnamese firm PTSC will build the Southeast Asian country’s first LNG terminal, in the coastal area 70 kilometers southeast of Ho Chi Minh City for 40 months. The project also calls for the construction of LNG tanks and other related facilities, according to Samsung C&T. Samsung C&T has a 61 percent stake in the project. Source: Yonhap
RTN 442
More than a year after the sinking of the HTMS 'Sukhothai', a Rattanakosin-class corvette, in the Gulf of Thailand off the Prachuap Khiri Khan Province on the night of Dec 18, 2022, the Thai Navy has reported a sudden, unexpected and extreme change in weather conditions. and sea conditions were blamed for the ship's sinking and the deaths of 24 people, five of whom are still missing. The 'Sukhothai' was only designed for a maximum wave height of four meters. The 6-meter waves made it impossible for the commander to steer the ship, which ultimately led to its sinking. Six other ships, including a 2,123-ton freighter, also sank in the Gulf that night and early the next morning. Admiral Adoong explained that the 'Sukhothai's crew were unable to carry out their duties as usual in these conditions and that the darkness and poor visibility made rescue operations difficult. He added that the heavy seas scattered the crew over a wide area, making it difficult for them to survive in these extreme weather conditions. Rear Admiral Apirom Ngernbumroong, head of the Naval Science Department, said that following the sinking of the 'Sukhothai', the Thai Navy conducted four diving operations to examine the wreckage, the last of which was in collaboration with the US Navy. During the fourth diving operation, no trace of the five missing crew members was found, but it was discovered that water had entered the ship through the hull, causingit to list. A steel plate that was supposed to protect the ship from waves was badly damaged.
STRIDE
Danaos will scrap the 'Stride' following a fatal fire that killed two crew members on Jann 8, 2024, in Houston, making it the third Greek vessel sold for demolition this year, after it was declared a total loss. The deal to offload the boxship to a local buyer was borne out of necessity after the fire. Danaos did not operate the vessel, which was in service with the Cosco Shipping Lines at the time of the accident. Brokers attributed the vessel's below-average price of 120 US dollars per ldt, approximately 1.07 million US dollars to its unique circumstances and location. Danaos, however, has not incurred a loss from the transaction, as it has obtained an insurance pay-out related to the fire.
Charleston
South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA), Southeast's deepwater port, said that five rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes arrived at Wando Welch Terminal to further modernize operations. The Port has received 14 of the 24 new cranes ordered for the Wando terminal; the terminal currently has 52 RTGs overall. Meanwhile, SCPA reported its strongest May on record, with 204,457 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) handled last month.
Brownsville
The Port of Brownsville is closer to deepening the Brownsville Ship Channel after receiving a key permit June 6 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to advance the Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project (BIH) to its construction phase.
JOVEN PURA
The 'Joven Pura', with three people on board, got its fihsing gear entangled in the propeller, causing an engine failure two nautical miles west of Roquetas on April 8, 2024. The crew requested assistance, and the SAR boat 'Salvamar Spica' (MMSI: 225987262) was deployed by the CCS Almería of Salvamento Marítimo to tow the disabled ship to Almería.
NIKITIS
In the morningof April 7, 2024, the Port Authority of Prinos was informed by the Master of the 'Nikitis' that the ship was not able to start its scheduled route from the port of Prinos to the port of Kavala, due to the inability to start the starboard side main engine. The Port Authority banned the ferry from sailing until the repair of the damage and the presentation of a certificate of class maintenance by the monitoring classification society. The 12 passengers were forwarded to their destination from the port of Thassos.
Rotterdam
Container throughput continues to grow in Rotterdam. Following a record year in 2018 and a record quarter in 2019, April of this year was the best month ever for the Port of Rotterdam. 13.6 million tonnes of container freight was handled in April 2019. The previous record month was August 2018 (13.2 million tonnes). Measured in TEU, the standard unit for containers, April 2019 was the second-best month ever, with 1.3 million TEU, just a fraction lower than the record month of August 2018.
San Diego
Matson, Inc., a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, and General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard christened the largest combination container/roll-on, roll-off (“con-ro”) ship ever built in the United States in a ceremony at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, CA on Saturday, June 15. The new vessel is named ‘Lurline,’ an iconic name in Matson’s long history, dating to the construction of Captain William Matson’s first ship of that name in 1887. Four more ships were given the name in subsequent years; this vessel will be the sixth. The new Lurline is the first of two new ships being built for Honolulu-based Matson by NASSCO at a total cost of approximately $500 million for the pair, and the third of four new vessels that Matson will put into service during 2018, 2019 and 2020. Named in honor of the ocean deity revered in the native Hawaiian culture, Matson’s two “Kanaloa Class” vessels under construction at the NASSCO shipyard are being built on a 3,500 TEU* vessel platform.