The 'Pacific Encounter' received adistress call and rescued three stranded sailors on May 4, 2024. The cruise ship departed from Brisbane on May 3 and was off the coast of New Caledonia when the distress call waa issued from a nearby broken yacht. The three sailors, which included two men and one woman, were sailing from Queensland en route to Noumea when their yacht encountered a broken mast and loss of power. The trio was drifting at sea for three days waiting for a passing ship to receive their distress call and provide assistance. The cruise ship answered the distress call and diverted to assist and rescue the three sailors. The sailors boarded the ship and were in good health after receiving onboard medical assistance. The vessel continued the voyage to Noumea.
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Mumbai
Mumbai Port’s decision to raise the draft level to 10.3 metres and 11 metres to dock vessels at BPX and BPS respectively, subject to low tides being over 60 cm has been welcomed by maritime fraternity. This has avoided the waiting period for the vessels arriving with deep drafts till the tide is favorable for berthing. At times, such vessels had to arrange for discharging the import cargo for reducing the draft in stream and only subsequently berth at BPX/BPS.
Halifax
PSA International Pte Ltd (PSA) has completed the acquisition of Halterm Container Terminal (“Halterm”) in the Port of Halifax, Canada, from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners,a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, following formal approval by the relevant regulatory authorities. Halterm is the only container terminal in Eastern Canada that can serve mega container vessels.
DARYA SHAAN
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority(AMSA) imposed a 180-day ban on the 'Darya Shaan' for serious safety and maintenance issues. The ship has been detained from entering Australia after the vessel failed to report serious defects in the main engine and the machinery. On April 26, 2024, the vessel docked at Port of MELBOURNE, where it was inspected by the AMSA, and several maintenance issues were identified. The inspection revealed serious defects in the main engine and monitoring system. The engine room alarm system was found faulty and has a defective starting arrangement for the two generators. The maintenance of the vessel was also poor, as evidence from the 19 deficiencies found after the survey. Moreover, the safety management system was also not effective enough in maintaining the vessel safety standards. The AMSA reported that the vessel operator took repeated risks with the vessel, and the safety of the crew and endangered the Australian Marine Environment. The AMSA stated that it would have not detained the vessel under the port state control procedure if only the operator of the vessel, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, had followed the protocol and reported the defects to the authorities.
Salalah
The Port of Salalah, Oman’s major regional gateway port and transshipment hub on the Arabian Sea, set another record in productivity with a delivering 412.97 Port Moves per Hour (PMPH) on vessel Cap San Tainaro handling 3,820 moves in a port stay of 9.25 hours. This is the highest productivity delivered by any port in the region till date.
Rijeka
The Croatian government said it would help a troubled shipyard owned by Uljanik, the country’s largest shipbuilder, resume production. The government, which owns a 25% stake in Uljanik, said in March that it would not back a proposed restructuring plan for the group due to the financial burden it would place on the state. However, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that the government was willing to support 3.Maj, which is located in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka and is one of the group’s two shipyards, because it did not have as big a debt burden. “Unlike Uljanik, the 3.Maj is not an overly indebted company and there is an interest in the construction of new ships,” Plenkovic told a televised press conference after a government meeting. He said the government expected 3.Maj to draft a plan for its future operations.
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Beached at Chittagong 09.05.24 https://www.facebook.com/100011151120942/videos/pcb.10162996443633943/1634650574041064
Taranto
This is the 22nd marine port in Yilport Holding’s portfolio, and its first terminal in Italy. The company, ranked 12th among international container terminal operators by Drewry, targets to be ranked among the top 10 by 2025. Chairman Robert Yuksel Yildirim made the following remarks at the signing ceremony: “We have a strong presence in the Mediterranean. We are in Malta and operate seven ports between Spain and Portugal. Being able to enter Italy and work here in Taranto is like filling in the missing piece of a puzzle that we are building globally. The infrastructure was there but there was no one to take care of it. Our intention is to create another success story in Taranto. From today until the end of this year, we will be fixing cranes to ramp up business, visiting potential customers, and promote the container terminal. The project also aims to cooperate with local operators to improve cargo and ro-ro traffic.”
Venice
Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Barcelona are a few of the European ports that the President of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Pino Musolino, has sent a letter to in recent days, inviting his colleagues to meet in Venice to discuss the economic and environmental impact of the cruise industry and to draw up guidelines for a new sustainable approach to maritime tourism. The ports mentioned above have already accepted and other replies are expected in the coming days. A date will soon be set for a seminar on the issues, to be held in the Venice area.