The Captain of the Port (COTP) established a second temporary alternate channel on the southwest side of the main channel near Hawkins Point in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge for commercially essential vessels on April 2. The action was part of a phased approach to opening the main channel. The second temporary channel has been marked with government lighted aids to navigation and will be limited to transit at the discretion of the COTP and during daylight hours only. It has a controlling depth of 14 feet, a 280-foot horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 124 feet. The current 2,000-yard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remained in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment. Members of the public may not enter the safety zone unless authorized by the COTP or designated representative. Those in the safety zone must comply with all lawful orders or directions given to them by the COTP or designated representative. The Unified Command’s operational priorities are ensuring the safety of the public and first responders, accountability of missing persons, safely restoring transportation infrastructure and commerce, protecting the environment, and supporting the investigation. Meanwhile divers have continued to survey underwater to create models of the scene for engineers to study to plan removal of the bridge. Multiple dive teams were operating 3D, multibeam, side-scan survey systems to get a better understanding of what they were dealing with. The divers have found the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sinking into the bottom of the Patapsco River. After a 200-ton section of the bridge was removed on March 31, the Key Bridge Response Unified Command — which includes the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland State Police, and officials representing the cargo ship’s owner and manager, had planned a similar operation for on April 1 that had to be postponed because of lightning. The National Weather Service forecasts a chance of severe thunderstorms around the Patapsco River and Baltimore Harbor on the night of April 2 and April 3. Reports with photos and video: https://www.keybridgeresponse2024.com/post/update-6-multimedia-release-unified-command-opens-second-temporary-alternate-channel-around-key-bri https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/04/02/key-bridge-wreckage-sinking-weather-delays/
News
DIAMOND XI
The Bridgeman Services Group has purchased the 'Ocean Diamond', which has been berthed in Gibraltar since March 18, 2024, after its arrival from Las Palmas, to serve as a floatel. The vessel is intended to provide accommodation for workers, the demand for which has been recently growing in sectors such as LNG, mining, and renewable energy. Following the acquisition, the ship was set to soon be renamed “Diamond XI." The ship is also to be refurbished and then will have be equipped with 350 beds in 150 cabins, catering, and entertainment. The ship will have a 200-seat auditorium, fitness facilities, offices, and around 45 workstations with the capacity to be customized for specific client assignments. The vessel will be open to charter anywhere in the world within the period of a few months. The company also has bought the ro-pax ferry “Isabelle' from the ferry operator Tallink in July 2023, which has now been renamed “Isabelle X” and is currently stationed in British Columbia, providing accommodation services for Woodfibre.
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.
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.
GEORGE ISLAND
On March 29, 2024, at 11.58 p.m. the 'Georg Island' was boarded wby three perpetrators, armed with knives, in pos. 1° 3.43' N 103° 29.33' E off Pulau Cula in the Strait of Singapore. No injuries were reported, and nothing was reported stolen.
SC MONTANA
The RCC of the Coast Guard of the Cayman Islands coordinated the response to the 'SC Montana', en route from Montego Bay, which was disabled in Cayman’s waters on April 2, 2024, due to an engine failure. The ship was drifting towards Little Cayman. Acting Governor Franz Manderson and Premier Hon Juliana O’Connor-Connolly met with members of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard and representatives of the Hazard Management Cayman Islands, the Department of Environment and other key stakeholders to discuss mitigation steps. The Coast Guard requested the assistance of vessels in the area to render assistance, and two bulk carriers, the 'Aruna Cihan' and 'Lefkes', have responded. Additionally, a local tug was in route from Grand Cayman. The crew on board still had generator power, and all mechanisms to slow the drift have been employed. The ship’s engines remained offline. The speed, however, has slowed from 1.2 knots on April 2 as of 8:15 p.m., to 1.1 knots as at 10:30 p.m.
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.
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.
KNOSSOS PALACE
In the evening of April 1, 2024, the Central Port Authority of Piraeus was informed by the Master of the 'Knossos Palace' about the injury of an 18 year old passenger due to a fall on board, while the ship was on a scheduled route to the ports of Milos and Heraklion, the victim required immediate medical attention. The ship returned to the port of Piraeus, where the injured woman was disembarked safely and picked up by an ambulance and taken to the Piraeus Zaneio General Hospital for further medical treatment. A preliminary investigation was carried out by the Port Authority.
NUEVO LUZ ALBA
The 'Nuevo Luz Alba' based in Santander, suffered an engine failure and went adrift with six crew members on board amid a strong storm about 15 nautical miles off the coast of Marin on March 28, 2024. The strong storm caused the diesel to overflow and stall the engine. The ship got assistance by the 'Salvamar Alioth' of Salvamento Marítimo at noon and was towed to Celeiro, where the crew started to repair the engine.
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.
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.