News

On Oct 21, 2019, at 12.25 a.m. the 'Gundem Serra' suffered an engine blackout while approaching the New Southern Lock of the Kiel Canal in Brunsbüttel enroute from Police to A Coruña. The ship drifted towards the Kübi-bunker station and could be stopped with an emergency turning manoever only two meters from the pier. The ship then backed off without propulsion. By chance the tug 'Luchs' which had assisted the container feeder 'Empire' unmoored and came to assist the disabled cargo m/v. At 2 a.m. the 'Gundem Serra' had regained power and could continue the voyage with an ETA as of Oct 24.

The 'Golden Ray' has caught fire again on Oct 20. Smoke was emerging ng from the ship, and the rescue crew had stopped their work. They did not know the cause of the smoke development or where in the ship it was burning. It was considered too dangerous to enter the ship. After a few hours, the smoke development stopped by itself. The costs for the loss of the ship, its cargo of nearly 4,000 cars, as well as the disposal - was expected to run up to at least $ 200 million.

The Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran is going to sign a contract with the private sector on Tuesday for the construction of Iran’s biggest mechanized mineral terminal at Shahid Rajaee Port, the deputy head of PMO announced on Monday. Ali Hassanzadeh added that the contract is worth 50 trillion rials (over $430 million). The terminal’s capacity will reach 50 million tons per year upon the completion of the project, which will be carried out in three phases, covering 180 hectares of land, each spread over 60 hectares. It will be the biggest mineral terminal in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, and mark a major development in Iran’s mining industry, considering its considerable mineral capacity, Mehr News Agency reported.

Three South Korean brokerage firms, including Samsung Securities Co. Ltd., underwrote around 250 billion won ($208 million) of a subordinated debt on Abbot Point coal terminal in Australia in the second investment by South Korean institutions in the export terminal. Samsung and Hanwha Investment & Securities Co. Ltd. acquired 150 billion won of the five-year debt in aggregate for an expected yield of about 8%. They are selling them down to domestic institutional investors.

The 'Bore Song', en route from Zeebrugge to Tees with a crew of 20 on board, suffered a broken fuel pump shaft while anchored in position 54 12 48 N, 000 03 57 W, 6.5 miles north of Flamborough Head, on Oct 20, 2019, at 08.30 a.m. The estimated time for completion of repairs was about eight hours. At 4.30 p.m. the crew finished the repairs and resumed the voyage. On Oct 21 at 8.40 a.m. the ship berthed in Teesport.

A Coast Guard aircrew medically evacuated a 28-year-old man in the morning of Oct 18, 2019, off the ‘Alaska Ocean,’ which was operating 15-miles west of Coos Bay after he experienced chest pains and seasickness. Watchstanders at the 13th Coast Guard District Command Center were notified at 3:15 a.m. A constant communication schedule was established between the sector and the fishing vessel. At 6 a.m., after conferring with the duty flight surgeon, the sector dispatched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew. The rescue crew arrived on scene at 9 a.m. and began hoist operations to transport the man. The aircrew brought him to the sector’s air base and taken to hospital for further care.

Port of Antwerp has ordered construction of a tug powered by hydrogen, the first in the world. This unique “Hydrotug” is driven by combustion engines that burn hydrogen in combination with diesel. The motors also comply with the very strictest standard, the EU Stage V, making them the lowest-rated for emissions on the market. This ultra-low-emission tug is being built by Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB), a pioneer in the field of hydrogen power for shipping. With this world first Antwerp is making an important step in the transition to a sustainable, CO2-neutral port. By lending support to this promising technology Port of Antwerp hopes that the shipping industry will follow. The port is systematically pursuing a policy of making its entire fleet eco-friendly by incorporating the most environment-friendly technologies available on the market.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has signed a contract to supply Infraestructura Portuaria Mexicana (IPM) with two ship-to-shore (STS) and three rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes for the IPM Altamira terminal. The order, which also includes Kalmar SmartPort process automation solutions for the RTGs, was booked in Cargotec’s 2019 Q3 order intake with handover scheduled to be completed during Q1 of 2021. The IPM Altamira terminal is located on the Gulf of Mexico, in the state of Tamaulipas. The terminal’s current equipment fleet already includes one Kalmar STS crane, eight Kalmar RTGs and a variety of Kalmar mobile equipment such as terminal tractors and forklifts. The Kalmar STS cranes will be Super Post-Panamax size with an outreach of 21 container rows and have twin-lift capability with a capacity of 65 tonnes under the spreader.

After the 'Louis' was taken into a dry dock in Nikolayev on Oct 18, 2019, and offloading project cargo with the dock’s gantry crane, a 300-meter wall in the dry dock which separated it in two, gave way and collapsed. Water rushed into the dock like a waterfall from 15 meters height and flooded the second section, which was dry. The ship bow-dived with the waterfall, and river water, which rushed into the free space, heaved it and mitigated the impact. The 'Louis' struck the wall with the bow and suffered damage to ballast tanks. On Oct 19, the ship was still in dry dock.

The US Coast Guard medevaced a man off the 'Adventure of the Sea' 118 miles southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the night of Oct 17. District Five watchstanders received notification via satellite phone at approximately 6:20 p.m. that a man aboard the cruise ship had experienced symptoms of a stroke and was in need of medical assistance. Watchstanders consulted the duty flight surgeon who recommended a medevac. A Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew was launched and medevaced the man while a Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City HC-130J Hercules aircrew provided support. The man was transported to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Air Station Atlantic City.

Calgary based Melius Energy has successfully transported bitumen from Edmonton, Alberta to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, continuing to global markets in custom 20-foot shipping containers utilizing intermodal rail and vessel infrastructure. The shipment is the company’s first BitCrude™ transportation process demonstration, proving the ability to move bitumen safely and efficiently, in adherence to Canada’s regulatory framework.

Container lines Hapag Lloyd, ONE, YML, COSCO and OOCL will jointly run a new direct service from Visakha Container Terminal (VCT), the privately-run facility at State-owned Visakhapatnam Port Trust, to the Mediterranean and Europe, which will also bring connectivity with Africa and the America. The announcement strengthens Visakha Container Terminal’s rising stature as a regional container transshipment hub on the east coast, said shipping industry sources. “The commercial benefits offered by Visakhapatanam Port Trust makes the terminal even more attractive in the long run by being the gateway to the East for both northern and southern regions extending right up to Bangladesh and even Myanmar,” the terminal operator said. The terminal, majority owned by International Cargo Terminals & Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, is located centrally and strategically on the East Coast of India between Kolkata and Chennai. The facility handled over 0.45 million TEUs during FY19 and is on the verge of crossing the 0.5-million TEUs in FY20, aided by a 16 pre cent growth in traffic, complemented rail movement and also transshipment.