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USNS ALAN SHEPARD
The USNS 'Alan Shephard', which ran aground in Bahrain on July 15, 2023, ran aground while the master briefly stepped away for dinner, a summary of a service investigation revealed. The Military Sealift Command vessel was on its way for repairs ahead of sea trials when it got stuck near Khalifa Bin Salman Port, according to the report, which a spokesperson from Naval Forces Central Command shared with Military Times on May 8, 2024. The investigation, which wrapped up in August 2023, found that within roughly 20 minutes of the ship’s master leaving to eat, a loss of situational awareness and poor procedural compliance led to the grounding. With a crew composed of civilian mariners licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard, the vessel continued its transit from a repair yard to the Bahraini port after the ship’s master left the bridge for a meal, leaving another officer at the helm. But just minutes later, in order to avoid hitting a fishing vessel, that junior officer turned the ship into a shoal, grounding it on the soft bottom. The officer “was not cognizant of the ship’s position in relation to the shoals and shallow water while he was maneuvering the vessel to avoid the contact,” the report noted. The master’s failure to be present on the bridge, as required, whenever the ship is operating in restricted waters also played a role in the incident. The ship was refloated on the morning of July 16 with assistance of Bahraini tugs and the rising tide. No injuries were reported, and there was no operational impact. A diver inspection and American Bureau of Shipping evaluation revealed only minor scratches to the paint on the hull of the ship, and no other damage.
Tallinn
Active construction is currently underway in the D-terminal of the Port of Tallinn being built by Nordecon, in order to open the first phase of construction of the renovated D-terminal to passengers within two months, the port says in a press release. A digital twin of the new D-Terminal building and the remodeled part which aims to make the building's life cycle more efficient was created in the BIM implementation model. The completion of the extension and reconstruction work of the port is scheduled for summer 2020.
Rostock
Marine battery supplier Corvus Energy is to install its lithium-ion battery storage systems onboard AIDA Cruises’ ships to reduce fossil fuel use and emissions. In a project that will also involve ABB and Siemens, Corvus will install and commission the battery storage systems on the first AIDA ship in 2020. The companies then plan to then use their findings from the pilot project to successfully fit battery systems onboard other vessels in the AIDA fleet. “Our goal is the emissions-neutral ship operation,” said Michael Thamm, group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia.
GEO BARENTS
On the morning of May 13, the 'Geo Barents' has rescued 43 migrants, who were adrift in a wooden boat in the waters of the central Mediterranean while fleeing from Libya. The Italian authorities, within their policy of assigning ports distant from humanitarian vessels, forced the ship to disembark the castaways in the port of Civitavecchia, about a thousand kilometers from the place where the rescue took place, with an ETA as of May 16. The 'Geo Barents' was blocked a month ago in the port of Marina de Carrara for 20 days despite a Civil Court in Calabria lifting an administrative blockade suffered by the ship.
Rotterdam
The Port of Rotterdam Authority has reached an agreement with Sif Holding n.v. regarding the lease of 20 ha of port site and a 200-m stretch of deep-sea quay at Maasvlakte. Sif’s new lot lies adjacent to its existing port site, where the company already works on the assembly of foundations for offshore wind turbines, the company said in its release. Sif will be using the newly allocated site on behalf of clients active in the offshore wind power sector. The first project to be undertaken at the new site will be the logistics handling of all 94 monopiles (wind turbine foundations) destined for the offshore wind farm Borssele 1 + 2, commissioned by Deme Offshore.
Tangier
Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has concluded an agreement with long-term customer EUROGATE Tanger (EGT) in Morocco to upgrade four ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, as part of the terminal’s expansion plans. With a quay length of 821 meters, a terminal area of 400,000 m2 and a water depth of up to 18 meters, the facility is well-equipped to handle the new generation of containerships. The terminal’s equipment fleet already includes several Kalmar machines, including rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs). Furthermore, Kalar will be responsible for the planning, engineering and execution of the entire project, which involves heightening the four STS cranes by 11 meters and extending the booms by six meters. The project with Kalmar will help the terminal serve mega-sized container vessels.
GALAXY LEADER
The crew of the 'Galaxy Leader' expressed their hope for an early return to their families, when a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited the vessel on May 12 near the port city of Hodeidah. It was the first time that the organization did so, after the vessel was hijacked by the Houthi group. The delegation has met all 25 detainees to check on their condition and listen to their concerns. The crew consists of different nationalities, including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Mexican and Filipino nationals. The Houthi group, also known as Ansar Allah, claimed that the crew have regular communication with their families. The Houthi group warned they will not be released until Israel's war on Gaza stops and permanent ceasefire is reached with Hamas.
Wismar
Genting Hong Kong (GHK) has officially secured funding for the construction and post-delivery financing of Dream Cruises’ two new Global Class ships. KfW IPEX-Bank will supply US$2.9 billion, with backing from the Federal Republic of Germany, Finnish export credit agency Finnvera, and the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. At an overall cost of €3.1 billion (US$3.4 billion), the two new vessels are currently being built at GHK-owned shipyard MV Werften in Germany for the fast-growing Asian cruise market. “We are very appreciative of KfW IPEX-Bank, the bank consortium, the Federal Republic of Germany, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Finnvera for supporting GHK in the financing of the Global Class ships,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chief executive of Genting Hong Kong.
Mogadishu
Qatar has established an investment partnership with Somalia to build a new port in the latter's country. The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Qatar said that the partnership between Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani) and Somalia will see the construction of the Hobyo Port in the Mudug region of central Somalia. Hobyo Port is expected to bring multiple economic benefits for Somalia. The port could create new business opportunities for the country by bolstering the commercial relationship with new markets in Africa and providing access to global markets, in addition to providing maritime services to vast areas in Somalia. The Hobyo Port is in proximity to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most important sea crossing points. Hobyo is also important due to its location in the Mudug region, which links the south and north of the country.