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On Oct 16, 2018, at 06:25 a.m. the "Toermalijn", 3065 ts (EU-No.: 02324023), ran aground on the Rhine near Mechtersheim enroute from Rotterdam to Birsfelden with a cargo of 715 tons gas oil. The ship got stuck at river km 388,900 at the left river shore and was hampering the passing traffic. The water police and river authority guarded the grounding site. Seven ships had to wait for transit. A first salvage attempt was started at 12.30 p.m. but had to be aborted at 1.10 p.m. Then a stronger container barge was requested to join the salvage. Both ships managed to pull the barge off in the 4th attempt at 3.30 p.m. It was allowed to resume the voyage after an inspection, ETA Oct 17, 2 p.m. The low water level on the river and the swell of another ship were made responsible for the grounding. German report with photo and video: https://www.rheinpfalz.de/lokal/artikel/mechtersheim-tankschiff-auf-sandbank-im-rhein-festgefahren-video-bildergalerie/

The "Grumant", being fully loaded enroute from Murmansk to Sabetta, was disabled and adrift in the Barents Sea in the evening of Oct 16, 2018. after an engine failure. The vessel was NUC since Oct 13. No assistance was requested, while the crew trying to fix the problem and restart the engine.

APM Terminals has reached a sales agreement with current partner SOCAR to divest its container terminal in Izmir, Turkey. The Aliağa facility, to be named Petlim Container Terminal, is the largest container terminal in Turkey’s Aegean region, and the third largest in Turkey with a capacity of 1.3 million TEU per year. As part of the deal, APM Terminals will continue managing the terminal, ensuring that both its shipping line and landside customers are looked after. The new structure of the terminal means that operating company Petlim will be fully owned by SOCAR Turkey and managed by APM Terminals.

Liebherr Container Cranes will deliver 10 electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes (ERTGs) to Montréal Gateway Terminals Partnership’s (MGT) Cast Terminal and Racine Terminal next year. In a release, Liebherr said that the electrically-operated, environmentally-friendly machines — of which five are destined for Cast Terminal and five are destined for Racine Terminal — offer lots of benefits regarding less noise and emissions and allow MGT to keep offering its customers an exceptionally-efficient and productive service. The cranes have a safe working load of 40.6 tonnes and can handle six containers, plus a truck lane’s width, while stacking 1-over-5 high.

picture from Aliaga https://www.instagram.com/p/BpBcd4rhZI8/?taken-by=captainselim

The "Lessow Swan" with a crew of 14 on board suffered a small leak in a pipe in the main engine, in position 49 46 56 N, long 04 00 0 3W, on Oct 16, 2018, at 07.30 a.m. enroute from Antwerp to Algeciras, in the North Atlantic. The vessel was underway to its destination again after completing the necessary repairs with an ETA as of Oct 25.

The Freeport of Riga has announced that it is testing the suitability of its Spilve Meadows territory for construction and development projects. During the geodetic investigation, 3D visual modelling was performed to demonstrate the future development of the port, promoting the competitiveness of Riga for investors. Possible projects that could take place in the Spilve Meadows territory, as part of a proposed development programme, include a road network connection with the Daugavgrīva road and the construction of a new railway line. In addition to this, eight warehouses or manufacturing buildings, each with an area of 10,000 square metres, could also be built.

Lifting equipment firm Konecranes has netted a 54-crane deal for construction of the Khalifa Port Container Terminal (KPCT), plus an order for the Mediterranean’s largest-ever mobile harbour crane. In a release, the Finnish company said that it had been chosen by KPCT operator Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT) in the UAE to supply an automated stacking crane system for the second stage of the building of the Khalifa Port facility. The 54 automated rail mounted gantry (ARMG) cranes will have a lifting capacity of 40 tonnes, stacking 1-over-6 containers high, with 30 of the cranes set to be nine-wide and 24 set to be eleven-wide. They will come with automation controls and Konecranes’ Active Load Control system.

Beached at Alang 16.10.18

On Oct 2, 2018, at 10.20 a.m. the "Bulk Peru" suffered a loss of propulsion two nautical miles north of Gentilly, Quebec, in position 46 26.41 N, 072 16 81 W. The problem was pinpointed as a crack in a cylinder head. No pollution was reported. The ship arrived at Pointe aux Trembles on Oct 7 at 02.45 a.m.

Jordan’s Aqaba New Port will see all ship and goods movements, warehouse management and logistics fully digitised in a project with a contract volume worth millions of euros. German company INPLAN Software Solutions (INPLAN), which provides software solutions for ports, terminals and maritime logistics firms, has won a tender for the venture, which will be realised in several phases and is anticipated to last two years. “INPLAN has been able to fully demonstrate its strong performance and succeeds in an 18-month bidding process against some 50 international competitors,” INPLAN chief executive Mohamad Itani said.

South Korea’s oceans ministry said it will look into the feasibility of developing a port in Russia’s Far East to help local companies take advantage of its strategic location. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it will carry out the feasibility study until September 2019 on the Port of Slavyanka, which borders North Korea and China. The ministry said the project is aimed at providing essential investment information to Korean companies, which have shown interest in development of the region.