On May 30 the pleasure boat 'Perseo' was disabled and adrift due to an engine failure and requested assistance half a mile from Punta de Velilla. The CCS Almería of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Gienah', which took the boat in tow and safely pulled it to Motril. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1796243418328527234
News
MSC KATYA R.
On the afternoon of May 25, 2024, there was an oil spillage in the Panama Canal at the lock gate from the 'MSC Katya R' during its southbound transit, en route from Cristobal to Guayaquil. One of the lanes of the Miraflores locks remained closed for ship traffic following the incident. The facilities of the Miraflores Visitor Center remained closed on May 27 due to the work being carried out in the upper chamber of the locks. The container ship remained in the lock. The Captain and chief engineer were arrested. The ship remained in Balboa from May 26-May 29 at 3 p.m. UTC and moored at Panama Anchorage in pos. 08° 52.89' N 079° 29.91' W. Photos: https://x.com/AyusoValue/status/1795842319603917245/photo/1
Mumbai
Mumbai Port’s decision to raise the draft level to 10.3 metres and 11 metres to dock vessels at BPX and BPS respectively, subject to low tides being over 60 cm has been welcomed by maritime fraternity. This has avoided the waiting period for the vessels arriving with deep drafts till the tide is favorable for berthing. At times, such vessels had to arrange for discharging the import cargo for reducing the draft in stream and only subsequently berth at BPX/BPS.
Halifax
PSA International Pte Ltd (PSA) has completed the acquisition of Halterm Container Terminal (“Halterm”) in the Port of Halifax, Canada, from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners,a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, following formal approval by the relevant regulatory authorities. Halterm is the only container terminal in Eastern Canada that can serve mega container vessels.
BIRGER JARL
The 'Baltic Star' may remain at the quayside in Lunde in Kramfors for some more time. The Land and Environmental Court in Östersund has upheld the County Administrative Board's decision to freeze Kramfors municipality's relocation claim until the matter has been investigated. In November 2023, the Kramfors municipality decided on a fine of SEK 200,000 for each month that the ship was left in the privately owned port in Lunde. The municipality believed that the ship is serving as a residence, and therefore requires a building permit to be allowed to lie at the quay. The owner Leif-Ivan Karlsson, on the other hand, claims that the ship is a leisure boat, and that the municipality cannot therefore require a building permit. In addition, it is located in Lunde for repair and maintenance. The matter has not yet been decided, and therefore the County Administrative Board in Västernorrland decided to approve the owner's request for inhibition of the municipality's fine decision until further notice. This means that enforcement is postponed until the matter is settled and that no fines can be exacted if the ship is not moved. The municipality appealed, but now the Land and Environmental Court has upheld the County Administrative Board's decision. The 'Baltic Star' - which according to a previous decision was to be moved no later than June 1, will most likely remain in Lunde for the time being.
Salalah
The Port of Salalah, Oman’s major regional gateway port and transshipment hub on the Arabian Sea, set another record in productivity with a delivering 412.97 Port Moves per Hour (PMPH) on vessel Cap San Tainaro handling 3,820 moves in a port stay of 9.25 hours. This is the highest productivity delivered by any port in the region till date.
Rijeka
The Croatian government said it would help a troubled shipyard owned by Uljanik, the country’s largest shipbuilder, resume production. The government, which owns a 25% stake in Uljanik, said in March that it would not back a proposed restructuring plan for the group due to the financial burden it would place on the state. However, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that the government was willing to support 3.Maj, which is located in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka and is one of the group’s two shipyards, because it did not have as big a debt burden. “Unlike Uljanik, the 3.Maj is not an overly indebted company and there is an interest in the construction of new ships,” Plenkovic told a televised press conference after a government meeting. He said the government expected 3.Maj to draft a plan for its future operations.
SALVAMAR MINTAKA
The sailboat 'Pilona' suffered a breakdown on the afternoon of May 29, 2024, about three nautical miles from Masnou. The 'Salvamar Mintaka' was mobilized by the RCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Barcelona. It took the yacht in tow and safely pulled it to the port of Barcelona. Report with photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1796105619948122581
SHI ZI FENG
The 'Shi Zi Feng' got stuck in the harbour channel while returning from the deep sea ship to the Chattogram port's jetty in the Karnaphuli river near the boat club on May 28, 2024, at around 1:15 p.m. The propeller was damaged when it allided with the Gupta buoy opposite of the Patenga container terminal due to a steering failure. A salvage vessel tried to refloat the vessel, which was not hampering the movement of ships in the port. Due to the Cyclone Remal, 19 ships, including the 'Shi Zi Feng', had been sent into the deep sea from the port jetty on the morning of May 26 after the Bangladesh Meteorological Department issued a distress signal number 9 for the port. As the weather became normal, the ships started returning at the jetty. Report with photo: https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/chinese-flagged-vessel-gets-stuck-harbour-channel-while-returning-ctg-port-jetty-862566
Taranto
This is the 22nd marine port in Yilport Holding’s portfolio, and its first terminal in Italy. The company, ranked 12th among international container terminal operators by Drewry, targets to be ranked among the top 10 by 2025. Chairman Robert Yuksel Yildirim made the following remarks at the signing ceremony: “We have a strong presence in the Mediterranean. We are in Malta and operate seven ports between Spain and Portugal. Being able to enter Italy and work here in Taranto is like filling in the missing piece of a puzzle that we are building globally. The infrastructure was there but there was no one to take care of it. Our intention is to create another success story in Taranto. From today until the end of this year, we will be fixing cranes to ramp up business, visiting potential customers, and promote the container terminal. The project also aims to cooperate with local operators to improve cargo and ro-ro traffic.”
Venice
Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Barcelona are a few of the European ports that the President of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Pino Musolino, has sent a letter to in recent days, inviting his colleagues to meet in Venice to discuss the economic and environmental impact of the cruise industry and to draw up guidelines for a new sustainable approach to maritime tourism. The ports mentioned above have already accepted and other replies are expected in the coming days. A date will soon be set for a seminar on the issues, to be held in the Venice area.