The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was notified on April 16, 2024, of a fire aboard the 'Layar Tanggun 8' in Singapore territorial waters off Pedra Branca. All 12 crew members have been safely recovered by a Singapore Police Coast Guard craft and were transported to Singapore.. A firefighting vessel from the Singapore Civil Defence Force and MPA patrol craft, including tugs, were mobilized to combat the fire. No pollution was reported, and there was no immediate risk to navigational safety. The MPA was issuing regular navigational broadcasts for passing vessels to keep clear of the vicinity of the burning ship.
News
MSC ARIES
After Britain's Merchant Shipping Authority UKMTO announced that the 'MSC Aries' was seized near the Strait of Hormuz between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, about 50 nautical miles northeast of the port city of Fujairah, the British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has called on Iran to release the detained ship. He called the seizure unacceptable and a blatant violation of international law, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of the ship and crew. The Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari threatened consequences if Iran decided to escalate further. Expert Hasan Alhasan from the International Institute for Strategic Studies speculated that the seizure could be in retaliation for the attack on the consulate in Damascus in order to save face without causing a major escalation.
Timaru
A massive container ship will return to Timaru on Sunday after the world’s largest logistics company confirmed weekly visits to the port. This follows a trial late in May when the 286.5 metre long and 40m wide, Rio de Janeiro’s berthing acted as a test run for similar sized ships to dock in Timaru after a $2.5 million project to widen the port’s inner breakwater entrance from 90m to 140m. PrimePort chief executive Phil Melhopt confirmed the 6pm Sunday call of the giant vessel and said it was another demonstration of the forward steps the port was taking. “Maersk shipping line have been very consistent since the Timaru container terminal started their operations in 2014 and will be calling in at Timaru again,” he said. “They have recently announced their Southern Star Rio Class will form part of their service into Timaru. They’re going to call here going forward.
Tanger-Med
APM Terminals second terminal in Morocco, MedPort Tangier was inaugurated this week. Part of the Tanger Med Port complex, it has an annual capacity of 5 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalents). With this new capacity, Morocco is establishing itself as one of the most important transhipment locations in the world. Tanger Med Port is already ranked as the leading African port and is amongst the world’s top 50 container ports due to its prime location along key trade lanes and increasing cargo flows, to and from Africa. The construction of the state-of-the-art APM Terminals MedPort Tangier facility took two years and a total investment of USD 800m. This new transhipment terminal is designed, constructed and operated by APM Terminals, and will join existing hub facilities servicing Maersk and its partners. Built utilizing the latest technology, the terminal is set to be one of the most efficient and safest in the world.
MV KARAR
A police officer who has been detained in Vigo and removed for possible links to drug trafficking in connection with the seizure of the 'Karar', will finally testify in the trial. The defenses, after his arrest in March, requested that he not testify for his accusations and urged Internal Affairs to clarify whether it investigated the mysterious lack of 60 kilos of cocaine among the 3,824 kilos seized from the tug. The Pontevedra Court has resolved that he will testify as he is the main witness of the National Police. The trial begins on April 17, 2024, in Vigo. The chief inspector of the National Police who served as liaison for the Ministry of the Interior in Colombia until March, was arrested in Vigo last month.
KBV 003
Divers from the Swedish Coast Guard have, in connection with an exercise, dived on the seabed in the Pukavik Bay to find any oil which could have leaked from the the grounding of the roro ferry 'Marco Polo' in Oct 2023. So far no oil has been found. The descended from the 'KBV 003-Amfitrite' in the area on three occasions. The locations that have been relevant have been selected based on received information about suspected oil finds. Some places have been designated by the County Administrative Board in Blekinge County. Visibility below the surface has varied from good to non-existent. The oil that leaked from the 'Marco Polo' was of a type that under certain conditions sinks below the surface, can drift with currents or completely sink and settle to the bottom. When the temperature in the sea rises, there is the possibility that it will rise to the surface again or reach the shore. Any oil finds are reported to the municipality concerned and to the Norwegian Maritime and Water Authority. Report with photo: https://www.kustbevakningen.se/nyheter/resultatlosa-dykningar-efter-olja-i-pukaviksbukten/
Balboa
Balboa, Jul 4 -- Panama Canal Port Condition report for Jul 4. Projected backlog at 0001 hrs: Fifty-one vessels today, 47 tomorrow and 44 on Jul 6. There are 29 vessels arriving today, 30 tomorrow and 42 on Jul 6. There are 33 vessels scheduled for today and 33 for tomorrow. Estimated delays for vessels without reservation/non-booked: Northbound: All types of vessels, two days. Southbound: All types of vessels, one to two days
Point Samson
Nine vessels at anchor off Port Walcott, waiting to load iron ore
VLADIMIR LATYSHEV
A company is demanding €600,000 from the owner of the 'Vladimir Latyshev', which has been detained in Saint-Malo on March 1, 2022, after the start of the Russian war in Ukraine. The ship was to deliver steel coils to Algiers. On April 16, 2024, the Saint-Malo commercial court had to resolve the financial dispute between the buyer of the goods transported by the ship at the time of its immobilization and two Russian companies, the owner and the operator.
FRANCISCO Y CATA
The 'Francisco y Cata' suffered an engine failure and went adrift three nautical miles from the mouth of the Rota marina on April 16, 2024, and requested towing assistance. The CCS Cádiz of Salvamnto Marítimo mobilized the SAR vessel 'Salvamar Suhail', which safely pulled the boat to Rota. Report with photos: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1780308539812073907
Piraeus
A press report, dated Jul 3, states: The 24-hour strike by seamen on Jul 3, has left Greek ferries and other passenger boats tied up in port, stranding tourists and Greeks heading for vacation and leaving many islands cut off for the day. The PNO seamen?s union called Wednesday?s strike to demand salary increases as part of collective wage agreements. Dozens of inhabited Greek islands don?t have airports and are accessible only by sea. The passenger shipping business association SEEN, with which the seamen?s union had been negotiating, had expressed surprise when the strike was announced in late June, saying it offered a two percent wage increase for 2019 on top of a retroactive two percent increase for 2018. It said the offer, along with staff increases, was ?beyond our actual capabilities during a particularly difficult time? with 50% fuel cost increases.