On April 25, 2024, at 3 p.m. UTC the 'Balsa 94' was the first large vessel to leave the port of Baltimore, en route to Saint John with an ETA as of April 29, after an involuntary 33-day stay due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Two hours after a new temporary channel was opened by the US Coast Guard, the ship sailed past the remains of the bridge. It had arrived in Baltimore on March 23, three days before the bridge collapsed, and had thus been in Baltimore for 33 days The ship was assisted out through the narrow temporary channel, which has a depth of 11.5 meters by two tugbs and at a speed of less than five knots. The ship was followed by i.a. the car transport ship 'Carmen' from Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which had been ready for departure before the collapse of the bridge. The shipping company has previously estimated that the involuntary stay would cost them 5-10 million. Dollar in lost operating earnings. The temporary channel is open for four days, during which the port will prioritize the approximately 12 larger ships that have been waiting to leave for a month. Three ships were lined up April 25 to be allowed to enter the port of Baltimore through the new temporary channel, while container barges continued to use another cleared passage with a depth of six meters. Reports with photos and video: https://www.maritimedanmark.dk/forste-storre-skibe-slap-ud-efter-33-dage-i-havnen https://apnews.com/article/key-bridge-collapse-channel-opened-ship-dali-e8694bd668589ad82e37b88b9ed84246 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/first-cargo-ship-passes-through-newly-opened-channel-in-baltimore-since-bridge-collapse/ar-AA1nEr3c
News
Swinoujscie
The first cargo of liquified natural gas under the long-term contract between PGNiG and US LNG provider Cheniere Energy arrived at the President Lech Kaczyński LNG Terminal in Świnoujście. The long-term contract, which was signed in November of 2018, will total approximately 39 bcm of natural gas over the 24 year period of the agreement. The official reception ceremony of the first delivery at the LNG terminal in Świnoujście included representatives of the government of the Republic of Poland, local authorities, as well as executives from PGNiG and Cheniere Energy.
Tanger-Med
The Tanger Med port has emerged as the biggest port in Africa in terms of container capacity, surpassing Africa’s bigger ports like Durban (South Africa) and Mombasa (Kenya). The Tanger Med port now connects Morocco to 77 countries and 186 ports around the world. The Tanger Med II has two new container terminals – TC3 and TC4 – with an additional 6 million container capacity. The TC3, which is operated by Morocco’s main port operator Marsa Maroc, has a capacity of 1 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units). The TC4, which is operated by the Netherlands-based APM Terminals, has a capacity of 5 million TEUs. According to the Tanger Med Port Authority, with its new terminals, Tanger Med port will have a capacity of processing 9 million containers, 7 million passengers, 1 million vehicles and 700,000 trucks. Thanks to its extensions, Tanger Med port has now become the largest port in the Mediterranean region, surpassing some of the region’s top ports like Algeciras (Spain), Valencia (Spain) and Gioia (Italy). The port is located 40 kilometers east of the Moroccan town of Tangier, which is a gateway to both Europe and Africa. “Our aim is to develop an effective port platform integrated with transshipment activities, imports and exports,” Tanger Med Port Authority said on its website. The Tanger Med port has become vital for Morocco’s economy as it handled 317 billion Moroccan dirhams (US$33.14 billion) worth of exports and imports in 2018. It processed an overall tonnage of 52.24 tonnes last year.
PACIFIC ACHIEVDL
The 'Pacific Achievement' ran aground at km 341.8 of the Paranà River on April 21, 2024. The Coastguard has re-instated navigation at the area on April 22 with a draft restriction of 10.39M FW. The ship was refloated and resumed its voyage from San Lorenzo to the Delta Zone with an ETA as of April 25.
Fos-sur-Mer
The French port of Marseille Fos plans to spend over US$22 million to reduce air emissions by extending its shoreside electrical connections to every ferry, cruise ship and repair quay in the eastern harbour. The port has also introduced speed restrictions to reduce industrial air pollution. Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the shore power network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the ship repair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025. The zero-emissions investment, which is supported by national and regional government, recognises the need to maintain the port’s economic value while improving the city’s waterside air quality.
Singapore
Phase one of the new Jurong Port Tank Terminals (JPTT) was officially opened on Monday (July 29), with Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat saying it will allow Singapore to strengthen its position as one of the world’s top bunkering ports for low-sulphur fuels. The $200 million, 16ha petrochemical terminal is a joint venture between port operator Jurong Port and German firm Oiltanking with 252,000 cubic m of clean petroleum storage capacity. From January next year, the International Maritime Organisation will prohibit ships from using fuels containing more than 0.5 per cent sulphur.
LA 06695
When on April 24, 2024, the 'LA-06695' was towing the barge 'LA-06883' of the Minh Linh Company Ltd., loaded with gravel, from Ky Ha (Quang Nam) to the Ly Son district (Quang Ngai), the barge suddenly sank four nautical miles from Ly Son district. The incident left at least four people dead and one person currently missing. When the authorities arrived at the scenem they initially found three bodies. By the afternoon, one more body was found. The five crew members included Pham Van Hiep (captain), Dang Minh Phuong (Long An); Vo Tan Khuong, Vo Van Nhieu and Bui Minh Tri (Quang Ngai). Currently, the four bodies found have not been identified. The Quang Ngai Maritime Port Authority has coordinated with Ly Son District People's Committee and the Ly Son District Border Guard Station to continue the SAR operation. The Quang Ngai Maritime Port Authority also issued a notice to the Region II Maritime SAR Coordination Center to support the search for the missing crew members. Report with photos: https://petrotimes.vn/quang-ngai-chim-sa-lan-khien-4-thuyen-vien-tu-vong-710033.html
Dubrovnik
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the City of Dubrovnik have partnered to introduce sustainable tourism management practices that will preserve the Croatian city’s cultural heritage. CLIA president and CEO Kelly Craighead and Dubrovnik’s Mayor Mato Franković signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which outlines plans to make Dubrovnik a model of sustainable tourism for the Adriatic region. All plans focus on investment, collaboration and best practices that will benefit both Dubrovnik’s residents and visitors. “Today’s agreement validates the work we have already done with Mayor Franković and formalises the cruise industry’s continued commitment to the City of Dubrovnik and its people,” said Craighead.
Sihanoukville
Congestion at Cambodia’s top port is creating supply chain disruptions. In a note to clients German containerline Hapag-Lloyd noted that terminal productivity at Sihanoukville port has deteriorated due to port and yard congestion. Feeder services and turnaround times are affected and feeder space is tight. In an effort for medium term improvement of this situation, the port is building an extended yard for additional storage space. “Before the new container yard is completed, port congestion may persist,” Hapag-Lloyd warned.