The 'Sarah M' was lingering off Spain awaiting orders after the vessel was denied entry into Greenore on April 30, 2024, for a scheduled export voyage. An animal activist group used the sanctions against Russia and the fact that the ship had recently switched to the Russian classification society to get the ship barred from the trade she has been involved in for a few years. The 'Sarah M' didn’t dock at Greenore, it turned around and scuttled away empty shortly after Farming Ireland sent off a bunch of emails to various authorities. sHe eft Irish waters, turned east into international waters, and then dropped anchor. Ethical Farming Ireland spotted in the records that the vessel, despite operating since 2019 as the 'Sarah M', in March 2024 switched flags from Panama to Antigua and Barbuda. It also moved from the Polish class society to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. That provided the opening for the activists who quickly highlighted to the Irish authorities that the April 2023 EU sanctions imposed on Russia included a provision to block any vessel in the Russian class from EU ports. The ship was due to reach Greenore to export 2,000 young bulls. The vessel has had past problems with the authorities. Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the past revoked the operation license of the 'Sarah M' for breaches of regulations before being re-granted. In late 2019, the vessel made a trip for its prior owner, Beirut Shipping Company, but then suddenly changed ownership to DMS Lines, also in Lebanon. Media reports were that the prior owner had its license revoked because of a low-performance rating. The Agricultural authority opted to remain silent on the latest incident. The 'Sarah M' arrived on May 7 off Cartagena with the AIS signal showing it was waiting for orders.
News
PLAYA DE CESANTES
On May 8, 2024, the 'Playa de Cesantes' suffered an engine failure with 10 crew members on board. The fishing vessel 'Xurel Uno' started pulling the ship, but requested assistance due to problems with the tow. The CCS Santanader of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR vessel 'Salvamar Deneb', which took over the tow and pulled the ships safely to the port of Laredo. Report with photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1788170641302077884
Houston
Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) announced a series of projects, totaling over $170 million of capital investment, that will increase efficiency, add product liquidity, and enhance blending capabilities at its Pasadena and Galena Park terminals, part of its best-in-class refined products storage hub on the Houston Ship Channel. In response to growing customer demand, KMI’s liquids terminal platform now boasts 10 ship docks, 38 barge spots, 20 inbound pipelines providing connectivity to 10 regional refineries and chemical plants, 15 outbound pipelines, 14 cross-channel lines, and approximately 43 million barrels of storage on the Houston Ship Channel, North America’s leading port for energy exports.
Takoradi
Expansion works on the Takoradi Port have started with the construction of a multipurpose on-dock Atlantic Container Terminal. The project will see the port basin being dredged to create a 16-metre depth and land reclamation for the building of five new berths to hold bigger capacity vessels. A visit to the Takoradi Port in the Western Region revealed that the contractors were casting the foundation stones for the quay wall to herald the expansion project at the port. The project, being developed by Ibistek Ghana Limited at a cost of $475 million, marks the first time a wholly owned Ghanaian firm has been engaged in port development in the country. The Atlantic terminal, which will be the major development in the history of the Takoradi port when completed, will have a cargo holding space of one million twenty-footer equivalent units (TEUs), an upscale from the average container traffic of about 55,000 TEUs a year.
MITRA BAHARI IX
On May 5, 2024, the crew of the KM 'Mitra Bahari IX' was successfully evacuated after the ship sank due to a leak in the hull. The 16 crew members were picked up by the passing 'Bratan' five nautical miles from Balikpapan. The distance between the MBS 'Bratan' and the KM 'Mitra Bahari IX' was around 23 miles. The castaways were transferred onto ships of the Balikpapan Harbour Master and Port Authority (KSOP) ships. The ship was loaded with approximately 1,900 tons of fertilizer and sank en route from Gresik, East Java, to Central Kalimantan, in the waters of Tanjung Puting, West Kotawaring. Before, the captain of the KM 'Mitra Bahari' had tried to ground the ship in Tanjung Puting waters. This attempt failed because the ship suddenly suffered a blackout. Report with photo: https://www.prokal.co/kalimantan-timur/1774633537/kapal-bawa-pupuk-tenggelam-16-abk-berhasil-dievakuasi
SALVAMAR ALPHERATZ
On May 8, 2024, a cayuco issued a distress call by mobil telephone south of Tenerife. It was located by a whale watching boat. The CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Menkalinan' and the 'Salvamar Alpheratz', which rescued the 52 people on board and transferred them to Los Cristianos. The canoe ended up sinking. Report with photos: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1788214298923135323
Hamburg
Germany’s largest universal port remains on a growth course, achieving a distinct 4.1 percent advance to 69.4 million tons in seaborne cargo handling in the first half of 2019. Especially good growth trend in the general cargo segment, up 6.1 percent at 48.4 million tons, was the main contributor to the excellent figures for total and container handling. The total for bulk cargo handling was just 0.3 percent lower than for last year’s first half at 21.0 million tons. Germany’s largest universal port remains on a growth course, achieving a distinct 4.1 percent advance to 69.4 million tons in seaborne cargo handling in the first half of 2019. Especially good growth trend in the general cargo segment, up 6.1 percent at 48.4 million tons, was the main contributor to the excellent figures for total and container handling. The total for bulk cargo handling was just 0.3 percent lower than for last year’s first half at 21.0 million tons.
Sabetta
Icebreaker assistance and ice restrictions for ships entering the basin of Section No.1 at the Port of Sabetta, Yamal and access channel are canceled as of 00:00 Moscow time, August 6. The corresponding order was signed by the Port Harbourmaster Nikolay Nesterov. The order says that there is a possibility of separately floating ice floes, therefore masters of ships sailing in this water area of the Port of Sabetta and on approaches to the port are advised to exercise caution. Arctic Port of Sabetta is built on the western shore of the Gulf of Ob (Kara Sea) for transshipment of hydrocarbons from the South-Tambey gas condensate field on the Yamal peninsula to the Western Europe, South America and APR countries under Yamal LNG project. The project envisages the construction of an LNG plant capable of producing 16.5 million metric tonnes of LNG and 1.35 million tonnes of gas condensate annually
BREMEN
On the early morning of May 8, 2024, the 'Bremen', en route from Klaipeda, ran aground at Silloth at around 12:10 a.m. Efforts were underway to address the situation and minimize potential risks resulting from the grounding. The circumstances surrounding the grounding were under investigation, with authorities diligently ensuring the safety of both the vessel and the surrounding environment.
SALVAMAR MENKALINAN
On May 8, 2024, a cayuco issued a distress call by mobil telephone south of Tenerife. It was located by a whale watching boat. The CCS Tenerife of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Menkalinan' and the 'Salvamar Alpheratz', which rescued the 52 people on board and transferred them to Los Cristianos. The canoe ended up sinking. Report with photos: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1788214298923135323
Monfalcone
ENCHANTED PRINCESS, the fifth in a line of six Royal Class ships built for Princess Cruises, was floated out on 6 August at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone.
Immingham
On August 1, ABP announced new customers for the Port of Immingham this week: The port welcomed the first vessel in a new contract with customers Top Blue and The Fuel Trading Company. The new deal is expected to bring an extra 30,000 tonnes per year through the Port of Immingham – the largest Port by tonnage in the UK. The cargo being delivered is Prilled Urea which is a key part of the mixture for the AdBlue market.