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
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.
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.
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
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
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.