On May 4, 2024, the 'Sea Marine 1' suffered an engine malfunction in front of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge en route from the Laconian Gulf STS Offshore to Russia and needded assistance. Under the coordination of the Çanakkale VTS Center, the ship was taken in tow by the tug 'Kurtarma 3' and taken to the Şevketiye anchorage, where it was moored in pos. 40° 56.49' N 028° 46.47' E and remained stationary as of May5 with the tanker 'Bilal Bey' (MMSI: 271010693) alongside.
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SERGEY KUCHKIN
The "Sergey Kuchkin" ran aground near Tolyatti on May 1, 2024, en route from Samara to Nizhny Novgorod, at about 3:25 p.m. Moscow time at the exit from lock No. 22 on the Volga. There were 216 passengers and 96 crew members on board. The Volga Transport Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation. The ship did not suffer any damage and there were no casualties. It has been refloated and sent to the pier of the Togliatti river station.
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.
MSC ORION
When the 'MSC Orion' was attacked by drones on April 26 in the Arabian Sea , she was aboout 375 miles off the Yemeni coast, sailing between East Africa and the port of Salalah, having apparently rounded the Cape to avoid having to travel through the Red Sea. The 'MSC Orion' had departed from the port of Sines on April 6 and was last reported by AIS passing the Comoros on April 24. After the attack, wreckage from the drone was apparently discovered on the vessel. No serious damage was reported. There were no injuries to the crew. It was, however, the furthest from Houthi-controlled sections of Yemen that a missile or drone attack has been carried out, meaning that no ship sailing in the Gulf of Aden or the Arabian Sea off the Yemen coast can be considered safe from attack. The 'MSC OrionÄ, on charter to the Swiss/Italian company, ise connected with London-based Zodiac Maritime, which in turn forms part of Israeli millionaire shipowner Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Her nominal ownership is listed as Bafalo Shipping Inc., care of MSC in Switzerland, with the ship management also in the hands of MSC via its Cyprus office since the ship entered service in January 2020.
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.
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.