Abidjan Port News

A hijacked Singapore-registered oil tanker has been recovered and escorted to Abidjan port in Ivory Coast on Saturday, five days after it was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, the Ivorian military said. On Tuesday, Singapore's port authority said the [Success 9] tanker had been boarded by "unidentified persons" about 300 nautical miles (555 km) off Ivory Coast with 20 crew of various nationalities aboard. A search operation by Ivory Coast's navy backed by a French navy aircraft located the vessel on Saturday, Ivorian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lassina Doumbia said in a statement. "As for the crew, they are safe and sound," he said.

Ivory Coast began construction on Tuesday of a four-year, 560 billion CFA franc ($962 million) project to build a second container terminal and widen the canal leading to its main port in the commercial capital Abidjan. Among the busiest in sub-Saharan Africa, the port serves Ivory Coast, French-speaking West Africa's largest economy and the world's top cocoa producer, and is also a gateway for landlocked nations to the north. China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd was awarded the construction contracts for both projects with the bulk of the cost covered by a loan from China's Eximbank. Construction of the new container terminal, which will be managed by consortium led by France's Bollore, will last 48 months and cost 409 billion CFA francs.

China Eximbank has loaned Ivory Coast $875 million (approx.) for the construction of a second container terminal at Abidjan port, noted the port's  General Director. Ivory Coast plans to increase capacity at the port in its economic capital Abidjan, one of the busiest in Africa. The port serves as a gateway for landlocked nations to the north and a transit point for beans from the world's top cocoa grower. "The total cost of the project is about $875 mil," Hien Yacouba Sie told a news conference. "The financing has been concluded with China Eximbank," Sie said, adding that construction would include the enlargement of the Vridi canal, the construction of the second container terminal and a roll on/roll off terminal.

Banque Atlantique, SocGen and Afreximbank have raised 200 million euros (US$272.81 million) to start a second container terminal at Abidjan port in Ivory Coast [West Africa], a banking spokesman said on Thursday. The new terminal contract, awarded to a group led by France's Bollore last year, should boost capacity at one of Africa's busiest ports - a gateway for landlocked nations to the north and a transit point for beans from the world's top cocoa grower. Port traffic is booming and total tonnage surpassed 21 million tonnes in 2013. Banque Atlantique has raised 100 million euros and Societe Generale and Afreximbank gave 50 million euros each, Souleymane Diarrassouba, director general of Banque Atlantique, told Reuters. His bank is a subsidiary of Banque Populaire du Maroc.

Banque Atlantique, SocGen and Afreximbank have raised 200 million euros ($272.81 million) to start a second container terminal at Abidjan port in Ivory Coast, a banking spokesman said on Thursday. The new terminal contract, awarded to a group led by France's Bollore last year, should boost capacity at one of Africa's busiest ports - a gateway for landlocked nations to the north and a transit point for beans from the world's top cocoa grower. Port traffic is booming and total tonnage surpassed 21 million metric tons in 2013. Banque Atlantique has raised 100 million euros and Societe Generale and Afreximbank gave 50 million euros each, Souleymane Diarrassouba, director general of Banque Atlantique, told Reuters. His bank is a subsidiary of Banque Populaire du Maroc.

The massive installation barge 'Hyundai 60' weighs in at 34,125t, is 187m long, equipped with a 1,800t crane, and was earlier engaged in pipe-laying & offshore installation works off the coast of Escravos. GAC Nigeria, with its local partner OMA Ivory Coast. says it provided a range of ship agency, husbandry & logistics services for her and her attendant fleet of support vessels in the Port of Abidjan. The barge was demobilised and moved to Abidjan for maintenance work while she's being held in stand-by until she is needed for the next phase starting in October 2014. Upon arrival, GAC worked with TRACE-certified local partner OMA Ivory Coast to provide the range of agency, supplies, crew and logistics support the 'Hyundai 60' needed for her stay in port.

Four piracy and armed robbery incidents are noted in the latest ICC-CCS report. None off the Somali coast. Three robbers armed with knives boarded an anchored bulk carrier via the anchor chain. They attacked the duty crew on the forecastle, who managed to escape and raise the alarm. All crew mustered and proceeded forward. Seeing the alert crew the robbers jumped overboard and escaped in their boat. On investigation it was discovered ship’s stores stolen from the forecastle store. Three robbers in a boat approached and boarded an anchored general cargo ship. Alert crew saw the robbers near the forecastle store and raised alarm. Seeing crew alertness the robbers escaped with stolen ship stores.

Ivory Coast's new government has replaced the head of the country's main port of Abidjan, who was appointed by the former military administration, state media reported. Marcel Gossio reportedly took over on Monday as managing director of the port of Abidjan, replacing Ahmed Kone Mamadou. "Today's change does not indicate that the management team failed," Kone Mamadou was quoted as saying in government newspaper Fraternite Matin. Kone Mamadou had earlier this month said that traffic through the port was down 10 percent over the first 10 months of the year compared with the same period in 1999, due to political unrest and economic slowdown. Kone Mamadou was appointed under army ruler General Robert Guei, who was ousted by popular street protests after he tried to rig a presidential election.