Russian Transport Lines group of companies (RTL) today inaugurated a marine terminal Novaya Gavan (New Harbor) in the port of Ust-Luga. The Group has invested RUB 1.5 million in the facility construction and is set to inject another 3 billion rubles in the project development in the period until 2014. Public investment for the same period is valued at RUB 2.5 billion. To date, the state has spent RUB 330 million mainly for dredging and reclamation works. The terminal first phase capacity will be about 250,000 imported vehicles a year. Besides, RTL mulls handling at the terminal other types of Ro-Ro cargoes. In 2012, part of the vehicles currently transshipped at the port of St. Petersburg, will be shifted the new Ust-Luga-based terminal, which will focus on handling new imported cars. www.dredgingtoday...

The new quay side container crane arrived at the Freeport Container Port arrived on Friday and has been given the designated name Crane 11. The 34 storey mega crane, took two months to arrive in The Bahamas from China, where it was manufactured. Before going into the details of the new crane Gary Gilbert, CEO of Freeport Container Port, took time out to honor the memories of the men who lost their lives in one of the cranes at the Port during a tornado which struck Grand Bahama on March 29, 2010. The new crane replaces the one that was lost during that horrific incident. The new crane weights 12,000 tons and has an outreach of 404 feet across a ship. Gilbert noted that the Container Port just recently completed dredging another one thousand metres of berth, which will allow the Port to hold even larger vessels. Read more at www.dredgingtoday...

Marine authorities in Aqaba on Thursday accused each other of "negligence" and lack of coordination while the whereabouts of the vessel "Sour", which left the port illegally on Tuesday, remained unknown. The ship's escape is the second similar incident in a year, acting director of the Aqaba Ports Corporation (APC) Mohammed Mubaydeen said. In 2010, the vessel "Lintn" escaped from the port's custody following a court verdict issued to preserve the rights of a local insurance company, he said. The ship disappeared although a court order to hold it in the port was issued one day after its arrival. These events reflect the "chaotic" management of sea traffic in Aqaba Port, a senior marine official told The Jordan Times yesterday, blaming both the Jordan Maritime Authority (JMA) and the Aqaba Port Marine Services Company (APMSCo) for Tuesday's incident. More at www.zawya.com/sto...

Somali pirates may be dropping their ransom demands by up to 50% following the Kenyan invasion, as Kenyan troops disrupt pirate bases and supply lines and patrol the Somali coast, Defence Web reports. According to the Kenyan Business Daily, pirates’ ransom demands could fall further once Kenya’s Operation Defend the Country is completed. Kenya says it will only exit Somalia once the al Shabaab threat has been eliminated. Andrew Mwangura, the Seafarers’ Assistant Programmes (SAP) coordinator told Business Daily that, “Initially, the pirates holding captive the Algerian flagged MV BLIDA were demanding US$6 million to release the vessel and her multi-national crew. But a package of US$3.5 million was delivered on the vessel and they freed it.” www.defenceweb.co...

African Minerals Limited (AML), the London-based mining house which has been exploiting the iron ore reserves at Tonkolili in Sierra Leone, says the first shipment of 40,000 tonnes is destined for the Shandong Iron and Steel Group in Eastern China, Ports & Ships (SA) reports. “The shipment represents the first iron ore to be mined and exported from Sierra Leone for almost 30 years and will undoubtedly have a significant positive impact on the people of Sierra Leone and the country's economy,” said AML executive chairman Frank Timis who said he was delighted with Phase 1 of the project. The ore is being loaded at the port of Pepel, near the mouth of the Sierra Leone River. Pepel was first developed for the export of iron ore in 1933 to handle ore mined at Marampa, some 65km to the east-northeast of Pepel. Iron ore mining was later suspended (in 1975) and the port facility fell into disuse. More at ports.co.za/news/...

In the first week of November, an estimated 7,500 teu bound for the port of Itajaí, Brazil, was forced to divert to other terminals, because of a strike of dockworkers at the APM Terminals facility, PortStrategy reports. As a result, Itajaí lost revenue of $2.41m, with vessels calling instead at Navegantes, Santos and Paranaguá. The dispute involves APM Terminals’ wish to directly employ 24 dockers, rather than having to use more expensive pool labour. Source: www.portstrategy....

Legal problems that resulted in rail operator Ferromex being banned three times from calling at the Mexican port of Manzanillo have resulted in severe congestion at the container terminal, PoertStrategy reports. Productivity is at an all-time low as the terminal operator struggles to move boxes in and out the stacking area. www.portstrategy....

China's largest deepwater port, Dongjiakou Harbour, which is under construction in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao, will cooperate with Shandong Provincial Maritime Affairs Bureau to establish a vessel traffic service (VTS), reports Xinhua. VTS is a marine traffic monitoring system using advanced sensors such as radar, closed-circuit television, and radiotelephony to keep track of vessel movement in a limited geographical area to improve the safety and efficiency of navigation. Despite three radar stations and a VTS centre that have operated in Qingdao Port since 2006, the current service has failed to cover some water areas in and around Dongjiakou Harbour, according to the local authorities. Qingdao Port consists of four areas including Qingdao old port area, Huangdao oil port, Qianwan new port area and the Dongjiakou harbour area. Dongjiakou Harbour covers an area of about 70 square kilometres and is designed for 112 berths with a frontage of 35.7 kilometres. Construction at Dongjiakou Harbour area started in May 2009. The annual capacity of the port is expected to reach more than 310 million tonnes by 2020. Source: www.shippingazett...

The Yangtze River Administration Authority expects container throughput of ports on the river is expected to top 10 million TEU by the end of this year while overall volume will hit 1.6 billion tonnes, Xinhua reports. From January to September, ports on the river lifted 8.14 million TEU, up 22.8 per cent year on year. Throughput at these ports grew 16.1 per cent to 1.17 billion tonnes. Foreign trade cargo increased 13.6 per cent to 144 million tonnes. According to the authority's analysis, as the fourth quarter matures, and the construction sector's peak season begins, demand for transport of raw material will increase rapidly. Aggregate throughput tonnage of Yangtze River ports will reach 432 million tonnes.

AN Australian Navy sailor has died while on shore leave at a Cambodian beach resort destination. The Defence Department said the member of HMAS Warramunga's Ships Company passed away during a port visit to Sihanoukville on the south west coast of the country. Chief of Defence Force General David Hurley told Macquarie Radio the ship had just finished a major exercise in the South East Asian area with Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand and the UK. The the exact cause of death is unknown at this stage and the ADF Investigative Service will arrive in Cambodia later today to begin an investigation. Read more: www.news.com.au/n...