The 'Ocean Viking' has rescued 55 people off the coast of Libya on April 7, including four minors, who were on board a "wooden boat in distress. The 55 people were recovered safe and sound, but one of them collapsed from exhaustion while boarding the 'Ocean Viking'. The boat they were on board was sailing in international waters, and a Libyan patrol boat arrived on the scene just after the rescue, but did not intervene. The Italian maritime authorities have designated the port of Livorno to disembark the rescued people, which is located 1,160 kilometers from the rescue site.
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CAPTAIN LEONIDAS
The 'Captain Leonidas', the largest ship to call at Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, has left the port of Yuzhny. This was announced by the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure on April 6, 2024. The bulk carrier has started exporting 195,700 products of Ukrainian metallurgical companies. Since August 2023, the Ukrainian maritime corridor has exported more than 36 million tons of cargo. At the same time, 1,286 ships have already passed through the corridor, exporting 25 million tons of agricultural products to countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. Now 135 more ships are waiting to approach the ports of the Odessa region, which are expected to export 4 million tons of various cargoes. The performance of the Ukrainian maritime corridor has already exceeded the results of the grain agreement, which was terminated after Russia started its war against Ukraine.
Rio de Janeiro
ICTSI subsidiary ICTSI Americas BV has acquired 100% of the shares of Libra Terminal Rio S.A. (Libra Rio) to run the Terminal de Contêineres 1 (T1Rio) container terminal in the Port of Rio, Brazil. Libra Rio holds the concession rights to operate, manage and develop T1Rio and was acquired by ICTSI from Boreal Empreendimentos e Participações SA. The deal to take over the port container terminal concession was disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange, reported Manila Standard. ICTSI said: “The parties will work to sign a share purchase agreement in due course.” Concession until 2048
Limassol
Two and a half years after taking over the operations of the Multi-Purpose and the New Cruise Terminals at the Limassol port, DP World Limassol on Wednesday presented the upgrades and investments in infrastructure and equipment. The company said that it had acquired brand-new equipment in January 2019 as part of an ongoing upgrade of the Limassol port infrastructure. The new machinery was put into operation in March 2019, following intensive training of staff and has contributed to speeding up operations at the Multi-purpose port terminal. More specifically, the new equipment includes: A new, high-tech LHM 420 mobile harbour crane, with maximum lifting capacity of 144 tons and radius of 54 metres enhancing the efficient handling and transportation of bulk cargo, general cargo, containers, oil and gas.
MARE JONIO
The Italian authorities arrested the “Mare Jonio” on April 5 in Pozzallo. The Italian NGO Mediterranea has to pay a fine of 10,000 euros,. Two days ago, the socalled Libyan Coastguard fired on the “Mare Jonio” as the crew rescued 58 people in Libyan waters. The migrants were disembarked in the port of Pozzallo. I
FGS HESSEN
The “Hessen” has repelled another attack while deployed to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea on April 6 on the afternoon. The incoming missile could be destroyed. The “Hessen” has been in operation in the Red Sea since the end of February to protect merchant ships against attacks by the Houthi militia operating from Yemen. The operation is part of the EU military mission “Aspides”. On its 4th day of operations, the frigate had already shot down two Houthi drones. In mid-March it repelled an attack with a surface drone against a civilian ship.
Hanjin Subic Shipyard
The 300-hectare shipyard of Hanjin Philippines may be taken over by several shipping companies that would transform it into a major global port, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a chance interview recently. He said the shipyard could be a sprawling multipurpose mixed-use port facility that would be jointly operated by several players. This, he said, is one of the proposals received by Hanjin creditors for the development of the shipyard after Hanjin Philippines declared bankruptcy early this year. “It’s a good masterplan that has been proposed and it is targeted to be implemented this year,” Lopez said. He declined to name the companies but hinted that these include foreign players. Another source said creditors are in negotiations with an American and a Japanese company. Officially, Hanjin has fully shut down just this month, ending the last of its remaining maintenance operations, sources said. As of this writing, the creditors have not made any official announcement yet regarding the final plans for the shipyard.
Lisbon
The Alcantara container terminal in Lisbon announced this week plans to invest 122 million euros (137.4 million U.S. dollars) by 2038 to modernize and streamline the operational activity of its port infrastructure.
MSC EURIBIA
In the night of April 6, 2024, a passenger on the 'MSC Euribia' had to be medevaced between Southampton and Hamburg by helicopter. After the medical assessment showed that the patient required further treatment in a hospital on land, the disembarkation was carried out shortly before 3 a.m. On April 7, the 'MSC Euribia' arrived at the Cruise Center Steinwerder in Hamburg for a partial passenger change.
DALI
The Unified Command continued salvage operations at the Key Bridge site on April 6. Progress included the removal of a 156-ton piece of Span 19 outside of the navigational channel, which was hoisted and loaded onto a barge for future disposal. Traffic through the alternate channels, while still limited, was gradually increasing, with 10 vessels transiting since April 5. The Unified Command emphasized that safety remains their top priority throughout the operation. All measures were being taken to ensure the safety of the divers and personnel involved in the assessment process. The current 2,000-yard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remained in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment. Members of the public may not enter the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) or designated representative. Those in the safety zone must comply with all lawful orders or directions given to them by the COTP or designated representative. The COTP issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM) via VHF-FM marine channel 16. Mariners were requested to monitor channel 16 for the latest information.
Callao
APM Terminals has become the first Peruvian port to introduce a customer platform that logs, streamlines and coordinate General Cargo operations in the port of Callao. During the pilot phase, the platform, which was developed together with maritime and customs agents, enabled users to complete transactions 67% faster and operations were completed 12% faster. APM Terminals Callao invested nearly USD 1 million in the implementation of MOST, a new state-of-the-art platform that can be used by maritime agents, customs agencies and carriers, among others. MOST can be used to register cargo and view real-time information, make online payments and generate authorizations for the loading and unloading of all types of General Cargo, from anywhere, anytime. The platform is a clear milestone in the efficient management of port logistics using world-class technology.
Sydney
Australia’s biggest port operator DP World is telling dock workers that 200 jobs will be made redundant in Sydney and Melbourne as the company grapples with stalled union negotiations and growing commercial pressures. DP World Australia’s chief operating officer Andrew Adam told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald that the company had no choice but to shed 200 staff – 100 in Melbourne (on top of 50 stevedores who will leave the business this week) and 100 in Sydney. About 1800 stevedores work at the company. “It’s a decision not taken lightly, but we’ve lost volume and market share since last year,” Mr Adam said.