The 'Pelican' interdicted a lancha and seized 350 pounds of illegally caught fish in federal waters off southern Texas on April 25, 2024, in coordination with Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi watch standers, and Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi aircrews. The patrol boat located and stopped four Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing north of the Maritime Boundary Line. After interdicting the lanchas, Coast Guard personnel seized 350 pounds of red snapper, along with fishing gear and highflyers on board the vessels. They detained the men, brought them ashore and transferred the detainees to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for further processing. The seized fish will be split and donated to the Harte Institute to support Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing research and Sea Turtle Inc. to help feed and rehabilitate turtles. Report with photos: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3694110/coast-guard-interdicts-lancha-crew-seizes-350-pounds-of-illegally-caught-fish-o/
News
SALVAMAR ENIF
On April 25, the CNCS received a rediobeacon alert from the Spanish flagged fishing vessel 'Monterero' with two crew members on board 23 nautical miles southwest of Trafalgar, which had suffered an engine failure and requested assistance. The CCS Tarifa of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Enif' from Barbate, which took the ship in tow and safely pulled it to the port of Conil.
Swinoujscie
The first cargo of liquified natural gas under the long-term contract between PGNiG and US LNG provider Cheniere Energy arrived at the President Lech Kaczyński LNG Terminal in Świnoujście. The long-term contract, which was signed in November of 2018, will total approximately 39 bcm of natural gas over the 24 year period of the agreement. The official reception ceremony of the first delivery at the LNG terminal in Świnoujście included representatives of the government of the Republic of Poland, local authorities, as well as executives from PGNiG and Cheniere Energy.
Tanger-Med
The Tanger Med port has emerged as the biggest port in Africa in terms of container capacity, surpassing Africa’s bigger ports like Durban (South Africa) and Mombasa (Kenya). The Tanger Med port now connects Morocco to 77 countries and 186 ports around the world. The Tanger Med II has two new container terminals – TC3 and TC4 – with an additional 6 million container capacity. The TC3, which is operated by Morocco’s main port operator Marsa Maroc, has a capacity of 1 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units). The TC4, which is operated by the Netherlands-based APM Terminals, has a capacity of 5 million TEUs. According to the Tanger Med Port Authority, with its new terminals, Tanger Med port will have a capacity of processing 9 million containers, 7 million passengers, 1 million vehicles and 700,000 trucks. Thanks to its extensions, Tanger Med port has now become the largest port in the Mediterranean region, surpassing some of the region’s top ports like Algeciras (Spain), Valencia (Spain) and Gioia (Italy). The port is located 40 kilometers east of the Moroccan town of Tangier, which is a gateway to both Europe and Africa. “Our aim is to develop an effective port platform integrated with transshipment activities, imports and exports,” Tanger Med Port Authority said on its website. The Tanger Med port has become vital for Morocco’s economy as it handled 317 billion Moroccan dirhams (US$33.14 billion) worth of exports and imports in 2018. It processed an overall tonnage of 52.24 tonnes last year.
CG SEA OTTER
The 'Sea Otter' was among the units responding to a fire that started on the Oceanside Pier in San Diego on the afternoon of April 25, 2024. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center received notification from the Oceanside Fire Department of a fire on the pier, that was reported to have originated from a vacant restaurant. The 'Sea Otter' was in the area, and the crew began responding to the fire with the use of pumps and hoses. Members of the California Fire Department and San Diego Sheriff’s Department also arrived to assist with response efforts. There have been no reported injuries. Report with photo: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3756773/coast-guard-partner-agencies-respond-to-pier-fire-near-oceanside/
AK DISCOVERY
On April 25, 2024, a fire broke out in the engine room of the 'AK Discovery' in front of Akbaş during the transit of the Dardanelles wen route from Abu Qir to Varna. The General Directorate of Coastal Safety of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure coordinated the response, and the fire was extinguished. Cooling work on the ship was continued. After the cooling works have been completed, the ship was taken in tow by the 'Kurtarma 13' (IMO:9913573). Coordinated by the Çanakkale Ship Traffic Services Center, the ship was taken to Karanlık Liman, accompanied by the tug 'Türkeli' and assisted by a pilot, and moored in pos. 40° 01.08' N 026° 16.40' E. Reports with photos: https://twitter.com/kiyiemniyet/status/1783544764446462197 https://twitter.com/kiyiemniyet/status/1783560469648679096
Fos-sur-Mer
The French port of Marseille Fos plans to spend over US$22 million to reduce air emissions by extending its shoreside electrical connections to every ferry, cruise ship and repair quay in the eastern harbour. The port has also introduced speed restrictions to reduce industrial air pollution. Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the shore power network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the ship repair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025. The zero-emissions investment, which is supported by national and regional government, recognises the need to maintain the port’s economic value while improving the city’s waterside air quality.
Singapore
Phase one of the new Jurong Port Tank Terminals (JPTT) was officially opened on Monday (July 29), with Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat saying it will allow Singapore to strengthen its position as one of the world’s top bunkering ports for low-sulphur fuels. The $200 million, 16ha petrochemical terminal is a joint venture between port operator Jurong Port and German firm Oiltanking with 252,000 cubic m of clean petroleum storage capacity. From January next year, the International Maritime Organisation will prohibit ships from using fuels containing more than 0.5 per cent sulphur.
SALVAMAR ALGENIB
The motor boat 'Las Palomas' (MMSI: 224271690) with two crew members on board suffered an engine failure on April 25 and asked for assistance about 14 nautical miles from Garrucha. The CCS Almería of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the 'Salvamar Algenib', which took the pleasure boat in tow and safely pulled it to Garrucha. Report with photos: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1783492593738821689
T-MARE
As the Ukraine attempts to restore operations in the Black Sea, the container ship 'Pros Hope' (IMO: 9319557) was welcomed in Chornomorsk on April 21, 2ß24, after a two-year gap since the Russian war started on Feb 24, 2022. The ship sailed again on April 25 en route to Constanta. This call followed the arrival of a feeder vessel at the beginning of April, which marked a significant success in the restoration efforts in the Black Sea. At the beginning of the month, a Turkish freight forwarder initiated a container service connecting the port through a feeder operation using the 'T Mare', which called at Chornomorsk on April 4 en route to Constanta. Another ship, the 'T Moon', was added to the feeder operations between Romania and Turkey, another success in the restoration efforts being made towards Black Sea maritime operations.
Dubrovnik
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the City of Dubrovnik have partnered to introduce sustainable tourism management practices that will preserve the Croatian city’s cultural heritage. CLIA president and CEO Kelly Craighead and Dubrovnik’s Mayor Mato Franković signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which outlines plans to make Dubrovnik a model of sustainable tourism for the Adriatic region. All plans focus on investment, collaboration and best practices that will benefit both Dubrovnik’s residents and visitors. “Today’s agreement validates the work we have already done with Mayor Franković and formalises the cruise industry’s continued commitment to the City of Dubrovnik and its people,” said Craighead.
Sihanoukville
Congestion at Cambodia’s top port is creating supply chain disruptions. In a note to clients German containerline Hapag-Lloyd noted that terminal productivity at Sihanoukville port has deteriorated due to port and yard congestion. Feeder services and turnaround times are affected and feeder space is tight. In an effort for medium term improvement of this situation, the port is building an extended yard for additional storage space. “Before the new container yard is completed, port congestion may persist,” Hapag-Lloyd warned.