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Sierra Leone News

08 Sep 2023

Sierra Leone Hit by Power Cuts after Turkish Power Ship Switches Off Supply over Unpaid Debt

By Sumbebekos - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45413666

Sierra Leone's capital Freetown has been hit by power cuts after Turkey's Karpowership switched off the electricity supply due to an unpaid debt of around $40 million, the energy minister said on Friday.Minister Kanja Sesay told Reuters that the outstanding amount "was accrued over time because the government subsidizes more than half the cost the ship charges per kilowatt hour".He said the government had to spend more on the subsidy because it charges consumers in the weak local Leone currencyā€¦

06 Sep 2023

15 Nations Sign Beijing Convention

Source: CMI

The United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (also known as the Beijing Convention) was signed by 15 nations and regions at a signing ceremony in Beijing on September 5, 2023.Signatories were: China, Burkino Faso, Comoros, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Kiribati, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Switzerland and Syria. It will come into force when it is ratified by three state parties. The Conventionā€¦

07 Dec 2022

French Navy Intercepts Brazilian Vessel Carrying ā‚¬150 Million Worth of Cocaine

(Photo: French Navy)

A Brazilian vessel carrying more than 4.6 tonnes of cocaine worth over 150 million euros ($157.4 million) was intercepted last week by the French Navy off the coast of Sierra Leone, the Europol international police agency said on Wednesday.Europol said the vessel, which was en route to Europe, was intercepted on November 30, following joint intelligence work by France, Brazil, Britain and the United States."An investigation is underway to identify the criminal groups involved on either side of the Atlantic Ocean," Europol said in a statement.European Union agencies warned in May that Europe wa

10 Nov 2022

Can Ukraine's Grain Deal Ease the Global Food Crisis?

Ā©Elena/AdobeStock

A deal to free-up vital grain exports from Ukraine expires on Nov. 19, and intense negotiations over the next few days will determine whether it is extended and possibly even expanded to help ease concerns about global food security.The agreement, reached in July, created a protected sea transit corridor and was designed to alleviate global food shortages by allowing exports to resume from three ports in Ukraine, a major producer of grains and oil seeds.Here are some of the issues:WHAT HAS BEEN EXPORTED?The pact created a safe shipping channel for exports from three ports in Ukraine.So farā€¦

17 Aug 2022

Ship Carrying First Ukraine Grain Cargo Docks in Syria

Razoni docked in Syria on August 15, 2022. Photo courtesy Planet Labs PBC.

The first ship to depart Ukraine under a deal to resume grain exports from the country two weeks ago docked in the Syrian port city of Tartous on Tuesday, according to a shipping source and satellite data.The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni set sail from Ukraine's Odesa port on Aug. 1 under a hard-won grain deal but did not unload in Lebanon as planned. Its location had not been clear in recent days as it has kept its transponder off.Satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC showed it at the Tartous port on Tuesday morning.

02 Aug 2022

Shipping Arrangements Into Ukraine Still Not Ready

Ā© galitskaya / Adobe Stock

Key arrangements including procedures for ships still need to be worked out before empty vessels can come in and pick up cargoes from Ukraine using the new grains corridor, a senior London marine insurance market official said on Monday.Turkey and the United Nations brokered a grain-and-fertilizer export agreement between Russia and Ukraine last month - a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a conflict that is grinding on with no resolution in sight."The standard operating procedures for vessels still need to be worked out and there are issues about crewing that still need to be resolvedā€¦

02 Aug 2022

Ship Carrying First Ukrainian Grain on Track for Safe Arrival

The handysize bulk carrier Razoni sails from the port of Odesa following the authorization of the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), established under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. (Ā© OCHA / Saviano Abreu)

The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain to world markets since Russia's invasion blocked exports more than five months ago is on track to safely arrive in Istanbul on Tuesday night, Turkey said, amid Ukrainian fears it could still run into problems.The vessel's departure on Monday from the Ukrainian port of Odesa for Lebanon via Turkey under a safe passage deal has raised hopes of further such departures which could help ease a burgeoning global food crisis.Turkey expects roughly one grain ship to leave Ukrainian ports each day as long as the safe passage agreement holdsā€¦

01 Aug 2022

Obstacles to Overcome Before Ukraine Grain Deal Eases Global Food Crisis

Ā© Elena / Adobe Stock

The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea since Russia invaded Ukraine more than five months ago left Odesa on Monday under a safe passage agreement that has raised hopes hundreds of other vessels will follow.But there are many hurdles to overcome before millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain depart from its Black Sea ports, which handle most of the corn, wheat, barley, sunflower seed and rapeseed exports of one of the world's top grain suppliers.Here are someā€¦

01 Aug 2022

First Ukraine Grain Ship Leaves Odesa Following Export Deal

A ship carrying grain left the Ukrainian port of Odesa for Lebanon on Monday under a safe passage agreement, Ukrainian and Turkish officials said, the first departure since the Russian invasion blocked shipping through the Black Sea five months ago.Ukraine's foreign minister called it "a day of relief for the world", especially for countries threatened by food shortages and hunger because of the disrupted shipments.The sailing was made possible after Turkey and the United Nations brokered a grain-and-fertilizer export agreement between Russia and Ukraine last month - a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a conflict that is grinding on with no resolution in sight."The first grain ship since #RussianAggression has left port," Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.

19 May 2022

Industry Body Calls for More States to Ratify MLC

Deirdre Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of SRI (Photo: SRI)

In a statement submitted to the Special Tripartite Committee (STC) meeting held last week, SRI, the international pan-industry body researching maritime and seafarersā€™ law, called for more States to ratify the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) to ensure a level playing field in the shipping industry.At the meeting, Deirdre Fitzpatrick, executive director of SRI said, ā€œMore ratifications are needed to bring the Convention on a par with SOLAS, MARPOL and the STCW, the other threeā€¦

08 Apr 2022

Two Bodies Recovered after S.Korea Ship Goes Missing in Taiwan Strait

Taiwan has recovered two bodies after a ship carrying six South Koreans went missing in the Taiwan Strait, and search and rescue operations are underway, the Taiwanese and South Korean governments said on Friday.Taiwan authorities have said they received distress signals from the Kyoto 1 at around 9:50 a.m. (0050 GMT) on Thursday from a location about 18 miles (29 km) west of the island, the foreign ministry in Seoul said, adding that all six people aboard were South Korean nationals.The Sierra Leone-flagged, 322-ton ship was on its way to Indonesia's Batam port from the South Korean city of Busan while towing the Kyoto 2 tender vesselā€¦

26 May 2021

UK Royal Navy Appoints First Woman Admiral

Commodore Jude Terry (Photo: U.K. Royal Navy)

A woman officer will be appointed to the rank of admiral for the first time in the centuries-long history of the British Royal Navy.Commodore Jude Terry, who has served for nearly a quarter of a century, has been selected for promotion to rear admiral, making her the most senior woman in the Royal Navy, past or present. The 47-year-old will be promoted to rear admiral next year and take over as the Royal Navyā€™s Director of People and Training and Naval Secretary.Of making history she says ā€œsomeone has to be firstā€.

17 Mar 2021

As Defense Cuts Loom, Reimagining Maritime Security Could Help Reform Defense Spending

Ā© Wojciech Wrzesień / Adobe Stock

It is widely expected that cuts in defense and security budgets are coming as governments across the world grapple with the fiscal fallout from the COVID-19 crisis. To ensure that these cuts do not undermine global security, policymakers should approach their defense budgets with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.In navigating the tough choices that lay ahead, government decision-makers should pursue spending reforms that enable states to operate both leaner and smarter, without sacrificing their vital security interests.The maritime security domain offers an exemplary case study.

17 Sep 2020

Asian Gypsy Moth Eggs Found on Vehicle Carriers in Baltimore

(Photo: CBP)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists in Baltimore recently uncovered egg masses of the highly invasive Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) and a live Khapra beetle larvae, one of the worldā€™s most destructive insect pests, aboard ships in one the nationā€™s busiest ports for vehicle imports.The suspected AGM egg masses were found from August 21 to September 4 affixed to various parts of the four vehicle carriers Graceful Leader (four), Hoegh Africa (one), Hoegh Jacksonville (two) and Figaro (two), which had arrived in Baltimore after port calls in Japan, South Korea and China.

14 Jul 2020

Turkey's Karpowership in 5-year Power Deal with Sierra Leone

Illustration only - Credit: Karpowership

Karpowership, one of the world's largest operators of floating power plants, has agreed a 5-year deal to provide electricity to Sierra Leone's state power utility, the Turkish company said on Tuesday.Karpowership - part of the Karadeniz Energy Group - already supplies around 80% of the West African nation's electricity via two powerships anchored off the capital Freetown under a contract signed in 2018.The vessels are dual-fuel powered using either heavy fuel oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG).The new agreement will add 5 megawatts (MW) to current production.

26 Jul 2019

INSIGHTS: Noose Tightens Around Iranian Shipping

Somewhere on its journey from the waters off Iran, around Africa's southern tip and into the Mediterranean, the Grace 1 oil tanker lost the flag under which it sailed and ceased to be registered to Panama. Iran later claimed it as its own.The ship carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian crude was seized by British Royal Marines off Gibraltar, raising tensions in the Gulf where Iran detained a UK-flagged ship in retaliation.Grace 1 remains impounded, not because of its flag but because it was suspected of taking oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions, an allegation that Iran denies.Yet Panama's move on May 29 to strike it from its registerā€¦

21 Jun 2019

SL Mining Ships First Iron Ore Cargo

SL Mining, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gerald Group, has announced that its first shipment of iron ore concentrate has set sail from Freetown Port (Queen Elizabeth II) in Sierra Leone, West Africa.The 55,000t of high-grade iron ore concentrate was shipped on MV Cooper vessel under the brand Marampa Blue.The loading of over 55,000 tonnes of high grade >65 percent iron ore concentrate was completed on June 16, 2019, sailing the same day. This maiden shipment will be delivered to customers in China. The next shipment is expected to occur in the next few days.Sierra Leoneā€™s Minister of Mines and Minerals, Rado Yokie said that iron ore exports had been dormant for four years: ā€œToday is a historic day,ā€ said Mr. Yokie.

09 May 2019

U.S. seizes 'sanction buster' North Korean Ship

The United States has for the first time seized a North Korean cargo ship it accused of illicit coal shipments in violation of U.S. and United Nations sanctions, the U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday.The ship, known as the "Wise Honest," was first detained by Indonesia in April 2018. Under an unusual U.S. civil forfeiture action, the vessel is now in the possession of the United States and is currently approaching U.S. territorial waters heading toward American Samoa, U.S. Justice Department officials said.The announcement comes after North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Thursday, its second such test in less than a week and an apparent protest by leader Kim Jong Un after U.S.

06 Jul 2018

IMOā€™s Maritime Security Work Presented at Nigeria Law Conference

International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s mandate on piracy and armed robbery against ships broader maritime security measures has been presented at the International Maritime Seminar for Judges held in Abuja, Nigeria (3-5 July). Gisela Vieira from IMOā€™s maritime security team provided input as part of a discussion on ā€˜Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea: Legal Interpretation and Judicial Applicationā€™. Over 300 participants from across Nigeriaā€™s maritime industry and stakeholders attended the conference, which was designed to update their knowledge on contemporary issues and developments in International Maritime Law. Guests from Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Gambia also attended the event, which was opened by the Hon. Justice Walter N. Onnoghen, GCON, FNJI, Chief Justice of Nigeria.

19 Nov 2018

Gulf of Guinea Boosts Maritime Security

Maritime security depends on the capacity of national authorities to develop effective port security plans and procedures and the ability to self-audit, says International Maritime Organization (IMO).A regional workshop for participants from a number of countries in the Gulf of Guinea, held in Tema, Ghana (13-16 November) has helped to build national capacity to enhance port security. Benin, Cameroon, Cote dā€™Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo participated in the workshop.The training focused on how to establish multi-agency port and port facility security and facilitation committees with specific terms of referenceā€¦

12 Jul 2018

Cargo Ships De-listed After Crimea Grain Trades

Ā© Paolo Pizzimenti / Adobe Stock

At least two countries have struck cargo vessels off their registries in recent weeks after the ships were involved in transporting grains from Crimea to Syria, maritime officials told Reuters.Crimea has been under Western sanctions since it was annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014 and has been frozen out of many export markets. That leaves Syria, which has also been targeted by sanctions, as an ideal trading partner for Crimea, given that the latter is open to receiving goodsā€¦

27 Nov 2018

IMO Provides Fellowships for Women in Ports

International Maritime Organization (IMO)  has provided fellowships to ten female officials attending a Port Senior Management Programme held at the Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) in Nahalal, Israel, (14 -27 November). "A successful and well-run port contributes to the sustainable economic development of its region. But what is also an economic no-brainer is female empowerment. We provide fellowship to address both these points," said a statement from IMO.The two-week course provides participants with key information and updates on innovations in the port industry. Subjects covered include global trends and advancesā€¦

30 Oct 2018

EU-UNODC Cooperation on Maritime Security and Surveillance

The European Union and the Global Maritime Crime Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC GMCP) have a long and effective relation in building capacities to tackle maritime crimes.The EU and the Global Maritime Crime Programme of UNODC started partnering in 2010 to support Eastern African states (Kenya, Seychelles, Mauritius and Tanzania) prosecuting piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.Currently, the EU and UNODC GMCP are jointly working on  capacity building support in Somalia, including training and mentoring of the Mogadishu Maritime Police Unit.The Global Maritime Crime Programme is currently preparingā€¦