A migrant boat was in need of assistance 2.5 nautical miles from La Restinga on May 24. The CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Adhara', which located a canoe with 63 sub-Saharan people, among them 58 men, four women and one minor, on board. THe boat was escorted to the port of La Restinga, where the castaways were treated by health and security personnel. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1794013217477292494
News
Beirut
The Port of Beirut (PoB) resumed partial operations on Aug 10 with the first two container ships berthing in the container terminal after the explosion which killed at least 160 persons, injured thousands and made hundred thousands homeless. Out of 16 cranes at the container terminal, 12 were currently operational. The port was gradually resuming operations to ensure the supply of all kinds of goods to citizens. Bassem Al Kaissi, the new Director of the PoB, said that the container terminal will be fully operational by Aug 14. Al Kaissi said that 420 containers were unloaded on Aug 10. The container terminal storage area has been cleaned up and restored to its state before the blast. The container terminal represents 80 percent of the overall cargo movement at the PoB. It is located one kilometer away from the blast epicenter. Container vessels can dock at quay number 16. Shipping movement at the PoB had already plunged by 75 percent due to the economic crisis and has reached 15 percent following the blast. Customs have opened offices in the PoB’s warehouse number 14 which was partially damaged. The customs have become able to carry out the inspection of merchandise- Customs duties are being temporarily paid at the Rafic Hariri International Airport. Tthe PoB is now handling only full containers as groupage consignment requires warehouses which don’t exist now. Amer Al Kaissi said groupage, which represents 15 percent of shipments at the PoB, will be diverted to the Port of Tripoli until the rebuilding of warehouses at the PoB is completed. The first two containerships to berth at the PoB after the blast were the 'Electra' (Gezairi Transport) and the 'Nicolas Delmas' (CMA CGM). The 'Electra', which was carrying 400 containers, was diverted to Tripoli where there was a license to operate but the company insisted to unload it in Beirut when it was told that the PoB has resumed operation. The CMA CGM Group and CEVA Logistics said they are fully operational and ensuring business continuity to serve their customers. The Group has redeployed its employees in its two back-up sites in Beirut Digital District and reinforced its presence in Tripoli. Part of CMA CGM’s vessels has been temporarily directed to Tripoli. Few shipping companies are authorized to operate in other ports such as Tripoli or Saida. BCTC, the Customs and the PoB’s authorities did their best to handle the clearing formalities despite the difficult working conditions. The general cargo area was fully operational on Aug 12 both for imports and exports. This includes wheat and other grains as well as construction steel bars. The cost of rebuilding the port is estimated at around $1 billion.
OSAKA
On May 25, 2024, the 'Osaka' loaded with 40696 tons of petroleum products, was dragged ashore off the coast of Haydarpaşa due to a rudder failure en route from Norovosyisk to Mersin. The tanker was secured by the tugs 'Kurtarma 7', 'Kurtarma 10' and 'Kurtarma 11' under the coordination of the Istanbul Ship Traffic Services Center, assisted by a pilot. The ship was safely moored at the Küçükçekmece anchorage. As of May 26, it remained stationary in pos. 40° 56.70' N 028° 48.09' E. Video: https://x.com/i/status/1794249538171240576
ESSEX
The U.S. Central Command said on May 25, 2024, the Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea, but no injuries or damage were reported. The 'Essex' was anchored off the coast of Alexandria port. The vessel is managed by Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli magnate Eyal Ofer. There has been no sign of anything unusual. In an apparent reference to the 'Essex', the British maritime security company Ambrey said in a note that the vessel had traded between Alexandria and Port Said, and had not called at any Israeli port in recent weeks. The tanker was not further offshore Egypt than 15N nautical miles over the prior week. The Houthi language indicated they did not hit the vessel.
JULIET
On the afternoon of May 23, 2024, the Greek Coast Guard was informed about a migrant boat in difficulties 70 nautical miles south of Crete with 37 people (34 men and thhree minors) on board. The castaways were picked up by the 'Juliet' 83.5 nautical miles. south of Crete. According to the captain's report and testimonies of survivors, one person fell into the sea and drowned. The 37 rescued were transferred to a Greek kifeboat and landed safely at the port of Kale Limeni. Afterwards, they were transferred to Heraklion, accompanied by officials of the Central Port Authority where they stated that they had started from Tobruk on the morning of May 21, paying 150,000 Egyptian pounds for their transportatio. Two men, aged 28 and 36, were arrested by the Central Port Authority of Heraklion, which was conducting the preliminary investigation, for violation of art. 83 of Law 3386/05 "Illegal entry into the country", art. 25 of Law 5083/23 "Facilitation" and art. 306 of the Civil Code "Exhibition".
Kiel
The PORT OF KIEL has redesigned the port apron in Ostuferhafen, which is the freight and logistics centre on the fjord. Where once stood a grain silo, there is now an expanded pre-stacking and stand-by area of three hectares for trucks, trailers and pas-senger cars.The State Premier of Schleswig- Holstein, Daniel Günther, visited the Ostufer-hafen on 12th August to hand over the grant notice coming from the State Programme Economy for 5.44 million Euros: The project to redesign the port apron included dismantling three hall areas of the former grain silo, excavation and road works as well as drainage, lighting and security measures and the connection of the area to the infrastructure. Through the new and generous port apron it has been possible to merge formerly separated pre-stacking areas, shorten distances and gain more space for trucks, busses, trailers and passenger cars. Furthermore, IT solutions have been developed to accelerate the handling processes at the gate, which also allow truck drivers to reduce personal contact.Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director at the PORT OF KIEL: “Even under the current circumstances the Ostuferhafen operates in a reliable and safe way. The port of Kiel has proven its systemic importance regarding the transshipment of cross-border freight transport.”In the first seven months of the year 2.1 million tons of cargo have been tran-shipped via the Ostuferhafen (+ 1 %). Additional volumes have been transported by the ferries of the DFDS shipping company to the Baltic States or they have been delivered by the SCA-RoRo-freighters from Scandinavia. Not only general cargo and forest products are unloaded resp. transhipped in Ostuferhafen but also project and heavy cargo, scrap metal and agricul-tural products. The integrated passenger terminal to handle cruise vessels emphasizes the universal character of this port part.