On April 25, 2024, at 3 p.m. UTC the 'Balsa 94' was the first large vessel to leave the port of Baltimore, en route to Saint John with an ETA as of April 29, after an involuntary 33-day stay due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Two hours after a new temporary channel was opened by the US Coast Guard, the ship sailed past the remains of the bridge. It had arrived in Baltimore on March 23, three days before the bridge collapsed, and had thus been in Baltimore for 33 days The ship was assisted out through the narrow temporary channel, which has a depth of 11.5 meters by two tugbs and at a speed of less than five knots. The ship was followed by i.a. the car transport ship 'Carmen' from Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which had been ready for departure before the collapse of the bridge. The shipping company has previously estimated that the involuntary stay would cost them 5-10 million. Dollar in lost operating earnings. The temporary channel is open for four days, during which the port will prioritize the approximately 12 larger ships that have been waiting to leave for a month. Three ships were lined up April 25 to be allowed to enter the port of Baltimore through the new temporary channel, while container barges continued to use another cleared passage with a depth of six meters. Reports with photos and video: https://www.maritimedanmark.dk/forste-storre-skibe-slap-ud-efter-33-dage-i-havnen https://apnews.com/article/key-bridge-collapse-channel-opened-ship-dali-e8694bd668589ad82e37b88b9ed84246 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/first-cargo-ship-passes-through-newly-opened-channel-in-baltimore-since-bridge-collapse/ar-AA1nEr3c
News
Dhamra
French oil and gas giant Total SA has taken a 50 per cent stake in Dhamra LNG Terminal Pvt Ltd (DLTPL), a unit of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), which is constructing a 12 million tonne per annum (mtpa) LNG regasification terminal at its port located at Dhamra in Odisha’s Bhadrak district.
San Juan
Two more cruise ships bypassed scheduled stops in san Juan as demonstrators have been calling for the resignation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. The loss of tourism is impacting the island's economy. Tourism officials said the two ships would have generated a $1.3 million economic impact. Officials estimated the island missed out on a combined $760,000 from the Seaside and Equinox on Monday
PACIFIC ACHIEVDL
The 'Pacific Achievement' ran aground at km 341.8 of the Paranà River on April 21, 2024. The Coastguard has re-instated navigation at the area on April 22 with a draft restriction of 10.39M FW. The ship was refloated and resumed its voyage from San Lorenzo to the Delta Zone with an ETA as of April 25.
Richards Bay
Moves are afoot for a new multi-billion-rand liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and regasification terminal to be established at the port of Richards Bay by 2024, but state-owned Transnet wants the private sector to be the main investor and operator of the facility. The plan was revealed on Tuesday as Transnet announced the signing of a cost-sharing agreement with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) to jointly fund a feasibility study into the terminal project. The IFC has committed $2 million (around R28 million) as part of the cost-sharing agreement. The move comes as Transnet looks to bolster South Africa’s LNG infrastructure, both at the country’s ports and within its pipelines business.
Napier
Ships could continue to be turned away from Napier Port for the next few days as an "unprecendented" swell hammers Hawke's Bay. Clifton Beach was closed by Hastings District Council on Wednesday and Napier City Council closed the Marine Parade viewing platform after tourists were drenched by a heaving sea on Wednesday morning. MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said a slow building pressure system out to the east of Hawke's Bay had ramped up the seas, causing swells of close to 4m. McInnes said the 4m swells had the potential to "cause a bit of havoc on the coast" as it could possibly continue until Saturday morning. "The main thing that is causing the big waves is the easterly winds that are occur. "With a large space and a slow build-up it leaves time for some quite nice swells to develop," McInnes said. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12252333
LA 06695
When on April 24, 2024, the 'LA-06695' was towing the barge 'LA-06883' of the Minh Linh Company Ltd., loaded with gravel, from Ky Ha (Quang Nam) to the Ly Son district (Quang Ngai), the barge suddenly sank four nautical miles from Ly Son district. The incident left at least four people dead and one person currently missing. When the authorities arrived at the scenem they initially found three bodies. By the afternoon, one more body was found. The five crew members included Pham Van Hiep (captain), Dang Minh Phuong (Long An); Vo Tan Khuong, Vo Van Nhieu and Bui Minh Tri (Quang Ngai). Currently, the four bodies found have not been identified. The Quang Ngai Maritime Port Authority has coordinated with Ly Son District People's Committee and the Ly Son District Border Guard Station to continue the SAR operation. The Quang Ngai Maritime Port Authority also issued a notice to the Region II Maritime SAR Coordination Center to support the search for the missing crew members. Report with photos: https://petrotimes.vn/quang-ngai-chim-sa-lan-khien-4-thuyen-vien-tu-vong-710033.html
Keelung
Hong Kong-based Dream Cruises’ World Dream cruise ship made its first port call to Keelung on July 8 and tourism operators have said that the port could receive a visit by Royal Caribbean International’s new Spectrum of the Seas in 2021. With gross tonnage (GT) of 151,300, the World Dream is the largest ship ever to visit Keelung Port, the Keelung Harbor Bureau said on Sunday, July 21. Tourism operators have said that the 169,379GT Spectrum of the Seas could set a new record if it makes an anticipated port call in 2021.
Chittagong Shipbreakers
Bangladesh has become the top dumping ground for discarded ships in the world with the country dismantling the highest number of vessels in the first half (January-June) of the current year, according to a report of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a leading NGO coalition campaigning for clean and safe ship recycling.