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The 'Losna' suffered a technical problem and was withdrawn frmo the route Rysjedalsvika - Rutledal - Krakhella in the morning of Feb 26, 2020. The ship was sidelined at the quay at Rysjedalsvika for repairs. Technicians were called to rectify the issue. As this lasted longer than expectd, operator Fjord1 inserted a spare ferry which operated the route from Rutledal to Krakhella until further notice since the afternoon.

An unknown number of perpetrators boarded the 'Al Barrah' at the Kakinada anchorage in position 17 03 42N, 82 24 48E, on Feb 20, 2020, at 05.30 a.m. The perpetrators stole two mooring ropes and eight paint drums, then fled the vessel and escaped. The Master reported the incident to the Kakinada pilot station and other relevant authorities. The Indian Coast Guard reported the incident to the coastal security police for investigation.

The Port of Kiel commissioned Siemens to build Germany’s largest shore power system to date. With a power of 16 megavolt amperes (MVA), the Siharbor solution will supply two ships simultaneously with certified eco-power, for the first time. This will reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 8,000 tons. The system is expected to go into test operation within the 2020 cruise ship season. Maritime shipping plays a special role in Kiel. The port is the point of departure for cruises and has ferry connections to the Baltic states and Scandinavia. 32 different cruise ships stopped in 174 times at the port facilities in 2018. The Siemens installation consists of one substation with four Geafol cast resin transformers, four airinsulated medium-voltage Nxair switchgears as well as one 16-MVA frequency converter. The cast resin transformers with a rated power of six and 16 MVA are especially suited for challenging environmental conditions, such as the salty air present at the port. The switchgear is robust and has a compact design, making it suitable for this application. For an uninterrupted and efficient power supply of the mooring ships the Siemens converter system “Siplink” is used. It features a frequency converter and a software for central controlling of the two berths. With the system, two medium-voltage networks with different frequencies can be connected. In this case the local distribution grid with 50 Hz and the ship’s onboard electrical system with 60 Hz. Siplink synchronizes both networks and takes over the power supply automatically within a few minutes. In addition, it coordinates the energy supply of the ships’ two networks so that power can be supplied to both simultaneously. “With this set up, we are able for the first time to supply two ships simultaneously with the necessary 60-Hz onboard frequency by means of one shore power system,” said Axel Mohr, head of sales for Distribution Systems, Region North, at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. “We’re excited to support the Port of Kiel with this sustainable solution, thereby taking on a leading role in Europe together. Such systems will become increasingly important in the future, also outside of Germany, as climate protection goals are implemented. With its “Master Plan for 100% Climate Protection”, the City of Kiel has an ambitious roadmap to be CO2-neutral by 2050. The new shore power system at the Port of Kiel aims to support this goal with the reduction in CO2 emissions it will bring. The shoreside power supply installed by Siemens in the spring of 2019 at the Norwegenkai has already started operations. To date, it has helped slash CO2 emissions by about 1,000 tons.

The Port of Kiel has reported that it achieved good results in 2019. The cargo sector achieved an increase of 1.9 % to 6.8 million t handled on the terminals operated by the port. Taking into account the bulk cargo business at independent facilities, all in all the 7 million t mark could be affirmed despite the decommissioning of the local coal power station. Highlights: Handling result rose by 1.9 % in port areas operated by the Port of Kiel. The port again reached the 7 million t mark in overall cargo handling. Investment in shore power supply plants at Norwegenkai, Ostseekai and Schwedenkai. Passenger traffic rose by 8.4 % to nearly 2.4 million passengers. Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director at the port, said: “The Port of Kiel was able to pursue its growth course in its core business areas – the ferry traffic and the cruise business sector. At the same time, the focus of our investments lies on the implementation of the Blue Port strategy – on the shore power plants and the intermodal traffic, so that the Port of Kiel will be climate-neutral by 2030.” Approximately €15 million are currently being invested in the construction of shore power plants so that they will be ready for operation at all three ferry and cruise terminals in the city port in the course of 2020. The Color Line ferry has been supplied with shore power at the Norwegenkai Terminal on a daily basis since early summer 2019. Ferry traffic contributing more to overall transhipment rate The core business of the port is the general cargo handled in the ferry traffic sector and with nearly 6 million t it accounts for 85% of overall transhipment activities. The biggest volume handled was on the Kiel – Klaipeda (Lithuania) service of the DFDS shipping company. For the first time, 2.5 million t of cargo were transhipped and the frequency was also augmented with an eighth weekly departure in autumn. Since April 2019, more trucks destined for Russia have been transported on this route after the weekly ferry service to St. Petersburg was suspended. Longer trains and new connections in intermodal transport In the ferry traffic sector to Norway resp. West Sweden the service of an additional freight ferry has had a positive impact on the Kiel – Oslo route, whereas fewer unaccompanied trailers were transported between Kiel and Gothenburg in 2019. Trains with an overall length of 750 m (550 m before) can now enter the Rbf Kiel-Meimersdorf and a third shunting track is about to be completed at the Schwedenkai Terminal. At this terminal, no less than 25% of the hinterland transport units are transhipped by rail already. After nearly 24 000 load units were transhipped by rail in 2019, this number is expected to increase to well over 32 000 in 2020. Investments in terminal facilities and environmental protection The port is currently investing nearly €30 million in terminal facilities and environmental protection. After the apron in Ostuferhafen (Germany) was completely redesigned in 2019 in order to optimise logistical processes and to create more space for trucks, trailers and passenger cars, the construction projects now focus on the city port. The interior construction of the new terminal measuring 3700 m2 is in full swing while the works on the exterior façade are nearly finished. The €10 million building will be inaugurated in spring with the beginning of the season. The largest single investment of the port is the shore power supply plant for the Ostseekai and Schwedenkai terminals amounting to €13 million. Construction works at the shore power supply plant started last autumn and the structural as well as the civil engineering is currently in progress. The technical equipment will follow so that the power plant can start test operations during the season.

The 'Pereye 1' (899 gt, built 1969) and its crew of 11 were arrested by officers of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Bonny, on suspicion of the vessel carrying an unspecified quantity of stolen crude oil, on Jan 10, 2020, at 6.15 p.m. Following lengthy investigations, the vessel was then handed over to the Nigeria Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Feb 18, for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The 'Tiberborg' suffered a blackout due to a failure of its generator 5,8 nautical miles southeast of Pointe-des-Monts, Quebec, on Feb 23, 2020. Repairs were carried out by the crew, and the ship resumed its voyage to New Orleans with an ETA as of March 6.

At the Yatomi Pier in the port of Nagoya an accident occurred aboard the Japanese cargo m/v 'Tensho Maru No. 1', 1600 dwt (IMO: 9105437), on Feb 3, 2020, at 8.30 a.m. while unloading 72 concrete slabs, in piles of 8 units each. Two workers were buried underneath one when the plate with a weight of 7 to 8 tons fell down after the ropes were untied. Firefighters were called, and cranes were used to rescue them. One of the workers, Keigo Niwa, 24, from Minato-ku, in Nagoya, was recovered dead after having been pressed in the abdominal region. The other, in his 30s, had suffered fractures in both legs. With the fall of the plate, the cargo ship was tilted about 30 degrees to starboard side. The Coast Guard was investigating the cause of the accident. Report with photo: https://www.portalmie.com/atualidade/noticias-do-japao/acidentes/2020/02/acidente-no-navio-cargueiro-em-aichi-mata-um-trabalhador/

On its way from Cebu to Tagbilaran City, Bohol, the 'Oceanjet 88', 240 gt (IMO: 9712929), was forced to return to port in the morning of Jan 10, 2020, after its starboard-side generator set experienced a voltage fluctuation due to bogged down air-conditioning compressor. The chief engineer found out that the port and starboard’s air-conditioning compressor broke down and experienced high voltage, affecting the starboard-side generator. The malfunction occurred while sailing along the vicinity of the Naga Point just between the waters of Bohol and Cebu. At the Pier 1, all of the 191 passengers of the 'Oceanjet 88' were transferred to the 'Oceanjet 15' which departed at 10:10 a.m.

The 'Al Marzoqah' was approached by nine perpetrators in a fishing vessel, whilst it was under tow by the tug 'Allianz Titanium' in position 20 36 24.0N, 070 03 57.6E, off the Gujarat coast on Feb 19, 2020, at 07.20 a.m. Two perpetrators boarded the tanker while the remaining seven perpetrators waited in the fishing vessel. The Master reported the incident to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the local marine police on VHF Ch 16. An ICG ship immediately rushed to the location and apprehended the seven perpetrators in the fishing vessel. Thereafter, the ICG boarded the tanker and apprehended the remaining two perpetrators who were hiding. The ICG handed the nine perpetrators over to the Marine Police Station at Pipavav.

On Feb 20, 2020, at 5.30 a.m. the 'Island Aurora' with 29 people on board, whilst carrying out sea trials, suffered a failure of its bow propulsion unit and allided with a docked recreation craft in Victoria, Ca., in position 48 25 36 N, 123 22 1 8W. Subsequently, the 'Island Aurora' completed its sea trials with an escort tug standing by.

In the second ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation to take place in Germany and the first ever in the Port of Rostock, on Jan 22, 2020 the world’s largest LNG bunker vessel 'Kairos' supplied fuel to the newly-built offshore installation vessel 'Orion' which was berthed at the Liebherr construction yard in the Port of Rostock, where she is being outfitted with a 5,000-tonne crane. DEME is a leading adopter of LNG as a marine fuel, and the 'Orion' is its fifth dual-fuel vessel. This operation strengthens the LNG cluster in Rostock significantly and is an essential extension of the services offered by the port. The continuous development from the LNG bunkering operations by truck during the last years towards the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation shows the strong operational performance of the port team. Report with photo: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/port-of-rostock-hosts-its-first-ship-to-ship-lng-bunkering

On Jan 7, 2020, at 6:23 a.m. a fire broke out in the silo of the "Raps und Ölsaatenververarbeitung GmbH" in the North Port of Kiel. Heavy smoke and fire were already visible on the 12th floor of the silo. Several troops of the fire brigade entered the building under respiratory protection to extinguish the fire in the ventilation system. The operational measures were extended because the fire had to be extinguished not only in the building but also on the outer facade. This turned out to be difficult because it was not possible to erase the turntable ladder to this height. After two hours the fire was out. A total of 75 emergency services of the professional fire brigade and vthe olunteer fire brigades Suchsdorf, Russee, Gaarden and the emergency services were on site. German report with photo: https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/82765/4485121