Bolivia News

Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay have urged Argentina to stop applying tolls for ships and barges carrying grains and other exports, saying it restricts navigation on a key river channel.The four countries issued a joint statement late on Sunday blasting as "unilateral and arbitrary" Argentina's decision to seize a barge from Mercurio Group, a Paraguayan shipping company, to collect a toll, adding its actions could affect supply and prices.The barge was released on Monday after paying the toll, a company spokesperson told local radio.Argentine authorities say tolls on the Paraguay-Parana

The US Coast Guard’s Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance has released its U.S. Port State Control Annual Report for 2022, with Latvia noted as having the highest detention ratio, ahead of Bolivia.The report lists highest risk flag administrations based on their 2020-2022 detention ratio as: Latvia (57.14%), Bolivia (31.25%), Togo (7.69%), Curacao (4.88%), Italy (3.39%), Turkey (2.90%) and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2.30%).Medium risk flag administrations were Cyprus…

Hundreds of dredging rafts operated by illegal miners have gathered in a gold rush on the Madeira River, a major tributary of the Amazon, floating hundreds of miles as state and federal authorities dispute who is responsible for stopping them.The flotilla of rafts equipped with pumps are moored together in lines that nearly stretch across the vast Madeira, and a Reuters witness spotted plumes of exhaust indicating they are vacuuming the riverbed for gold."We counted no less than 300 rafts.

Uruguayan company Corporación Navios replaced a Liebherr long duty cycle crane with a permanently installed harbor crane type FCC 300. The recently erected harbor crane will be used for dry bulk handling of barges in hoppers at the terminal in Nueva Palmira, Uruguay. The now total of three harbor cranes is expected to increase the terminal's handling rates and generate operating synergies, as the crane operators will work with the same type of crane on all operations.Corporación Navios has been working with Liebherr cranes for 30 years.

Grains ships and vessels transporting other products on the Paraguay River are loading at around half capacity due to a historic drought that has hit river levels in the South American region, hurting trade of key agricultural commodities.Industry insiders said that many cargo holds on ships were being left empty, travel times were being delayed and farmers in the world's fourth-largest exporter of soybeans were having to hold on longer to grains that they couldn't ship."The situation is critical and delicate…

Inmarsat has equipped four Paraná River push boats operated by Impala Paraguay with Fleet Xpress connectivity, in what the mobile satellite communications company is calling a breakthrough for maritime broadband inland along one of South America’s longest waterways.The prime mover vessels are used by Impala Paraguay to steer its fleet of 30 double-hulled barges along the waterway system to move gas oil, jet fuel, gasoline and naphtha products from Argentina onward to Paraguay and Bolivia, exporting soya bean oil in the other direction.

A regional workshop organized by International Maritime Organization (IMO) has provided senior maritime administration officials in Latin America with the latest information on current and future developments at the Organization.The workshop for the regional maritime authorities networks, ROCRAM and ROCRAM-CA was held at IMO Headquarters in London (26 November) in the margin of the 31st IMO Assembly.The 28 participants received detailed information about the activities within the IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Program (ITCP) aimed at building capacity in the region to comply with international rules and standards related to maritime safety and the prevention of maritime pollution.Participants also heard from technical officers on issues such as the IMO Audits Scheme.

What are the barriers to implementing the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations to cut emissions from ships and how can these be overcome?These were key questions explored during an IMO regional workshop on effective ratification and implementation of MARPOL Annex VI and the  initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships, held in Viña del Mar, Chile (30 September-2 October).Participants identified existing barriers preventing ratification of MARPOL Annex VI, such as concerns about associated costs for the refinery industry and ship owners, and identified ways to overcome these barriers, building on the…

International Maritime Organization (IMO), with support from Malaysia, has given fresh impetus to an important regional network helping to promote women in the maritime community in Latin America.At a meeting in Colombia, (18-20 September 2019), the network of Women of the Maritime Authorities of Latin America (MAMLa) was put on a firm foundation. Maritime Authorities include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Panama and Peru.Some forty participants from 17 Maritime Authorities from the region established a governance and membership structure…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) treaties need to be implemented into national law so that they can be applied on ships flying the flag of a particular country and so that those countries can implement effective port State control and comply with other obligations under the specified IMO instruments.According to the UN body, an IMO course provides lawyers and legislative drafters with the tools they need to understand IMO treaties, how they are developed and adopted - and the implementation of those treaties into national legislation.Twenty-one participants from Latin America attended a regional workshop on the general principles of drafting maritime legislation to implement IMO Conventions…

Navies operate on a spectrum between deterrence and defense, to include offensive operation, support of foreign policy, and power projection to civil affair and humanitarian assistance and disaster response. Many have constabulary responsibilities, and it could be argued that, with the exception of the largest navies, most are more like a coast guard than a military force in their normal responsibilities.Every Navy is different. Yes, they all share similar challenges of acquisition…

Emerson and Repsol announced they have established a strategic alliance to deliver advanced subsurface geophysical technologies to reduce the time to prospect and produce first oil.Emerson, a global engineering and technology company,  will work collaboratively with Spanish energy company Repsol to implement and deploy advanced subsurface imaging technologies, with core technologies developed by Repsol as part of Kaleidoscope, its 10-year innovation project."These advances will be used by a broad range of the geoscience community within Repsol and in all oil and gas companies that choose to license the technologies. The solution combines the latest in high-end visualization…

Paraguay’s Tsuneishi Shipyard, a subsidiary of the Japanese firm of the same name, recently delivered the powerful towboat Tebicuary 3 to her owners Navegación del Sur S.A. (Navesur) in June of 2018. The new vessel is a near sister-ship to the 2015-delivered Ceasar Primo for a different owner. The newer vessel will also work on the Paraguay-Paraná River system that provides marine access to large parts of central South America.“The Paraguay-Paraná Waterway is a regional agreement between Argentina…

Eurotainer US, Inc. has selected APM Terminals Inland Services Argentina as the exclusive agent for the sales and marketing of its tank container leasing services in Argentina.APM Terminals serves the Argentinian market through five strategically located Inland Service Depots located in key markets along the full length of the country. The company offers equipment lifecycle management, transportation services and cargo support.The company's Puerto Deseaso Depot has an established container sales and leasing business and its depot in Ushuaia is one of the main container repair centers in South America. Continuous training ensures that its personnel are familiar with international repair criteria and the latest technologies.

The Plurinational State of Bolivia has become the 104th country to join the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), the inter-governmental body that oversees the provision of certain satellite-based maritime distress communication services. The IMSO Convention was adopted by International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1976 to establish and oversee satellite communications for shipping. Ms. Giovanna Lenny Vidal, Charge d'Affaires, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and IMSO Director General Capt. Moin Ahmed to deposit the instrument of accession to the Convention. The Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organization was adopted by IMO in 1976 to establish and oversee satellite communications for shipping.

Brazil has shelved a planned railway to ship commodities destined for China through Peru as it was too costly and faced "absurd" engineering challenges, a Brazilian official said. The 5,000-km (3,300-mile) railway over the Andes to the Pacific coast, announced during a visit by President Xi Jinping in 2014, was meant to speed up soybean and iron ore exports to China at a lower cost by bypassing the Panama Canal. But at an estimated cost of $80 billion, the railway would not be commercially viable if it transported just commodities and not more valuable goods, Jorge Arbache, vice planning minister for international affairs, told Reuters in an interview late on Thursday. Peru also opposed the planned route that cut through one of the country's most important nature reserves, he said.

Saipem has signed a contract with Eni Angola S.p.A. in relation to the West Hub Development project in Angola, which incorporates the work orders previously assigned and communicated in 2016 and 2017 and adds the scope of work for the development of the Vandumbu field in Block 15/06. The additional activities will be carried out by the Offshore E&C division and encompass the engineering, procurement, construction and installation required for the development of the Vandumbu subseea field at deepwater depths ranging from 1300 to 1500 metres. Overall the project includes the realisation of two production pipelines made of special material, and the laying of umbilicals and service lines of various diameters (Subsea, Umbilicals, Risers & Flowlines - SURF).

Central and Latin America celebrated the launch of a new women in the maritime network in Valparaíso, Chile (13-15 December), which joins the International Maritime Organization (IMO)  family of regional Women in Maritime Associations (WIMAs), giving visibility and recognition to the role women play as key resources for the maritime sector. Sixty two women from 18 countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela) came together to set up a framework for the newly formed network as well as share ideas and knowledge about the industry.

What happens when a solution to one or many obstacles ends up becoming an even larger problem? For seamen, one such problem is asbestos. Asbestos is a natural fiber that was mined for use in construction and household products. It became rapidly popular after others realized it has fire-resistant properties and durability. However, in the 1960s, researchers began to link exposure to this material with cancer, specifically mesothelioma, which can form in the lungs, abdomen or heart.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) training arm, the MPA Academy (MPAA) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), jointly organised the 6th MPLP from 3 to 7 October 2016, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) under the Singapore Cooperation Programme. Since its launch in 2011, the programme has now trained more than 110 senior maritime officials from more than 50 countries. Specially designed for high-level senior executives from maritime administrations around the world, who are at least Director-level and equivalent, the programme this year welcomes 26 new participants from various regions including Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, Middle East and Oceania.

An Australian port and a stake in the Empire State Building's operator were among assets acquired by sovereign investors such as wealth funds and state pension funds in the third quarter of 2016, with deals totalling $21.2 billion. The combined value of deals was up 38 percent from the previous quarter, helped by a handful of jumbo-sized transactions in the infrastructure, energy and real estate segments, although the number of direct investments fell to 35 from 43 in the second quarter, according to data from Thomson Reuters.

Bolivian President Evo Morales told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday that Chile had restricted access to ports on its coast in violation of free passage treaties, in the latest flare-up of tensions between the traditional rivals. "Hundreds of testimonies of affected Bolivian men and women - poorly treated and victims of recurring violations of their human rights - tell a story of racist and discriminatory practices," Morales said in a speech to the council in Geneva. Chilean authorities denied they had impeded transit by Bolivians to the ports. Chile and Bolivia have long had thorny relations, starting with a war in the 19th century that left Bolivia landlocked.

Braemar Adjusting has agreed a strategic partnership with Beckett Liquidadores de Seguros S.A of Chile, to act as its local resource partner in a number of countries in South America. Braemar Adjusting provides Loss Adjusting, Risk Assessment, Legal/Expert Witness and Dispute Resolution services to the Energy, Marine, Mining and Construction insurance industries, through its strategically-located global network of offices. As a result of the arrangement, Beckett Liquidadores de Seguros S.A. will become an integral part of this network by representing Braemar Adjusting in Chile, Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. This Strategic Alliance will…