Angolan Government News

Damen Shipyards Galati has made provisional delivery of the 74-meter fishery research vessel Baía Farta to the Angolan Ministry of Fisheries. The vessel will remain in Galati until November, when she will set sail for Angola where the final delivery will take place.With a 1,600 km Atlantic coastline, the development of the domestic fishing industry is a priority of the Angolan government and it currently employs over 100,000 people in both commercial and artisanal fishing.The Baía Farta…

SBM Offshore NV has settled a bribery case with Dutch prosecutors for $240 million, including a $40,000 fine, sending shares in the Dutch oil platform leasing firm up more than 20 percent on Wednesday. The settlement, which was in line with provisions already taken, ends a two-and-a-half year inquiry into improper payments to government officials in Angola, Brazil and Equatorial Guinea by sales agents between 2007 and 2011. The settlement means that SBM Offshore will not be prosecuted in the Netherlands, but the individuals involved could face charges in other countries.

Reuters - An oil tanker hijacked for a week off Angola in January has been returned to the country's authorities, a board member at state oil firm Sonangol said on Tuesday, adding that the hijackers had stolen diesel worth $8 million from the ship. The Liberian-flagged MT Kerala was under a time charter contract for Sonangol when it vanished off the coast of the capital Luanda on Jan. 18 before being intercepted by the Nigerian navy a week later. The incident raised concerns that piracy is spreading south from the Gulf of Guinea…

As international cooperation brings increasing pressure on more the traditional pirate trade in east Africa, there is mounting evidence that Western Africa, from Guinea-Bissau south to the Congo has become a new hotspot for the pirate trade. While the movie “Captain Phillips”, a story about Somali pirates hijacking the Captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama, played in theaters around the world, the International Chamber of Commerce, International Maritime Bureau, was quietly…

Fishery Inspection Surveillance Vessel for Angola launched at Damen Shipyards Galati. Damen Shipyards Galati is building the Ngola Kiluange, a Fishery Inspection Surveillance Vessel (FISV) 6210, for the Angolan Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries. With another two ships under construction, the Angolan government is set to strengthen its knowledge of and control over its rich fishing grounds. The spectators at Damen’s Romania based Galati Shipyard were treated to a moment of suspense when the 62 m Nngola Kiluange sharply heeled over at her launch.

The flat deck open stern semi-submersible heavy transport vessel Mighty Servant 3 is due to rejoin Dockwise's operational fleet at the end of 2008 after being fully reinstated at the Grand Bahama Shipyard Ltd. Dockwise Ltd. and Grand Bahama Shipyard Ltd. entered into an agreement for the complete renovation of the Mighty Servant 3. Dockwise and Grand Bahama Shipyard Ltd. expect to complete this operation by the end of 2008. The causes of the accident are being investigated by both the Dutch Shipping Council and the Angolan Inquiry Commission. The final conclusions have not yet been published. The Dockwise internal investigation suggests neither technical equipment nor a structural integrity failure. All possible liabilities have been settled with the Angolan government. Dockwise Ltd.

The Angola LNG (liquid natural gas) project is expected to produce 5 million tons of gas per year, as of 2012, the country’s oil minister, Desidério Costa, said in Luanda recently. He added that Angola would gain from environmental conservation as well as from the sale of gas. Cited by Angolan news agency Angop, Costa said that Angolan government had prioritized the progressive reduction of the amount of gas burned off in oil activities, with the aim of using it entirely for domestic and industrial use by 2010. [Source: http://www.macauhub.com.]