Democratic Republic Of Congo News

Six people were killed and 64 others were missing after a boat capsized in Democratic Republic of Congo's Lake Kivu early on Monday, local authorities said.Mustapha Mamboleo, a local official at Idjwi island in the lake, said 150 passengers were aboard the motorized boat traveling from Mugote village on Idjwi island to the eastern city of Goma and 80 of them survived.Mathieu Alimasi Malumbi, the transport minister for South Kivu province, confirmed the incident."I can confirm that there was a capsizing of a motorboat with more than 100 passengers on board, many of whom were not on the manifest

As companies race to expand renewable energy and the batteries to store it, finding sufficient amounts of rare earth metals to build the technology is no easy feat. That’s leading mining companies to take a closer look at a largely unexplored frontier – the deep ocean seabed.A wealth of these metals can be found in manganese nodules that look like cobblestones scattered across wide areas of deep ocean seabed. But the fragile ecosystems deep in the oceans are little understood…

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday launched the construction of the country's first deep-water port, a $1.2 billion project that has drawn criticism for being built on the edge of a protected wetlands.Banana Port, to be built by Dubai's port giant DP World, will border Congo's Mangrove Marine Park, a nature reserve that contains a variety of vulnerable or endangered plant and animal species.The port at Banana, a sandy spit of land at the mouth of Congo River, will process 322,000 containers per year, Congolese Minister of Industry Julien Paluku said on Twitter, p

A cyber attack has disrupted container operations at the South African port of Cape Town, an email seen by Reuters on Thursday said.Durban, the busiest shipping terminal in sub-Saharan Africa, was also affected, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.Cape Town Harbour Carriers Association said in an email to members, seen by Reuters: "Please note that the port operating systems have been cyber-attacked and there will be no movement of cargo until the system is restored."Transnet's official website was down on Thursday showing an error message.Transnet…

Chevron Marine Lubricants announced a plan to boost its presence in African ports, extending its joint venture with Akwa Group. Chevron is now an equal partner in Afriquia Lubrifiants, with plans to extend the blending, distribution, and marketing business beyond Morocco to markets in sub-Saharan Africa.The agreement enables theJV to manufacture Chevron’s premium products locally for the first time, including Chevron Marine Lubricants’ product portfolio. The new roadmap includes the export of lubricant products to 14 countries in North and West Africa: Algeria…

South Africa's ports remain open to all types of cargo despite a nationwide 21-day lockdown though essential goods should be prioritized, the Department of Transport said in a notice."(The) government has now decided that in the interest of ensuring a functional supply chain across all ports, that all cargoes will be accepted for loading and off-loading," said the notice, which was dated March 31.That reversed instructions sent by port authorities to bulk terminals last week saying…

Philippines-based port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) will more than double the capacity of its container terminal in Congo as part of a $100 million expansion, the company said on Thursday.Located on the Congo River, the port city of Matadi, where ICTSI operates the Matadi Gateway Terminal (MGT) under a joint venture with Congolese property management company SIMOBILE, is the Democratic Republic of Congo's primary shipping hub.The planned expansion will bring MGT's throughput capacity up to 400…

Dubai based logistics giant DP World has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a free economic zone for industry and logistics in Namibia.The port operator said the agreement with Namibia’s Nara Namib Free Economic Industrial Zone will support the growth of Namibia as a regional hub for southern Africa.The development will help Namibia grow as a center for industrial operations and logistics, creating opportunities and jobs across multiple sectors including agriculture, fishing, automotive and mining.The facility at Walvis Bay will provide businesses with development-ready land for industrial and logistics operations…

Global ports operator DP World has struggled to borrow from banks to finance new investments since a port it partially owns in Djibouti was seized by the government there in 2018, its chairman said on Monday."We are investing but it is costing us more. That’s the damage," DP World Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem told Reuters in Rwanda's capital Kigali, where the company opened a $35 million logistics platform on Monday."Fewer banks will lend us money today," he said, without giving further details.

Media reports about Mozambique’s failure to launch a fishing and security fleet and its subsequent $2 billion debt default seem destined to torpedo, or at least set back similar efforts to build needed coastal security and national fishing fleets across Africa. That must not happen.The systems and equipment Mozambique bought a few years ago from shipbuilder Privinvest could serve as a template for coastal African nations seeking to rightfully benefit from their natural resources…

Philippines-based international container terminal operator ICTSI has reported a massive increase in profit and a substantial increase in revenues for the first half of 2019.First half throughput rose 7% to 5.04 million teu and came on good revenues, leading to a 42% jump in net profit to $128.5 million, said a press release from the global port management company.ICTSI attributed its profit growth during the six-month period to  volume growth, tariff adjustments for certain services at multiple terminals, new contracts with shipping lines and services, as well as the continuing ramp-up of operations at new terminals.Enrique K. Razon, Jr., President and Chairman of ICTSI said: “ICTSI’s performance in the first half of 2019 has been very positive.

A family of six elephants were loaded aboard the freighter El Nino in the port of Walvis Bay and is destined for an upmarket tourism Game Park in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)."This is the first time a consignment of such magnitude involving adult elephants is leaving the country and will definitely not be the last as this was a trial run to guarantee that future exportations are conducted smoothly, said a press release from Namport, operating as the National Port Authority in Namibia, manages both the Port of Walvis Bay and the Port of Lüderitz in Namibia.On the safety of the animals during the transhipment, Dr Ulf Tubbesing…

Thirteen people are dead and 142 are missing after a passenger boat sank this week on Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, President Felix Tshisekedi said on Thursday.Speaking to reporters near the site of the accident in South Kivu province, Tshisekedi said 37 passengers had been rescued.Reporting By Stanis Bujakera

About 150 people are missing after a boat sunk on a lake in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, President Felix Tshisekedi said on Tuesday."I am very saddened by the shipwreck of a pirogue on (Monday) April 15 on Lake Kivu.

Piracy increased on the world’s seas in 2018, with a marked rise in attacks against ships and crews around West Africa, the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latest annual piracy report reveals.Worldwide, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) recorded 201 incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery in 2018, up from 180 in 2017.The Gulf of Guinea remains increasingly dangerous for seafarers. Reports of attacks in waters between the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo more than doubled in 2018, accounting for all six hijackings worldwide, 13 of the 18 ships fired upon, 130 of the 141 hostages taken globally, and 78 of 83 seafarers kidnapped for ransom.The region saw a significant new spike in violence in the last quarter of 2018.

In the 1870 Jules Verne classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", underwater explorer Captain Nemo predicted the mining of the ocean floor's mineral bounty - zinc, iron, silver and gold.India is catching up with that only now, as it prepares to unearth treasures down below, aiming to boost its economy.The floor of the world's seas is scattered with vast beds of black potato-shaped polymetallic nodules comprising copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron and rare earth elements.These natural goodies are key to making modern gadgets…

German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd is continuing to focus on the growing market in East Africa, where annual growth rates of approximately six percent lead the African continent.In April 2018 Hapag-Lloyd launched the East Africa Service (EAS), its first dedicated service to East Africa. The weekly service sails from Jeddah to Mombasa, and from there to Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania, and directly back to Jeddah. The service will be expanded in September with a weekly connection to and from Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Khor Fakkan, Jebel Ali, Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.

DP World, the Dubai-based ports operator, announced it has won a 30-year concession for the management and development of a port project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The deal gives DP World an option to extend its management and development for a further 20 years, and is for a greenfield multi-purpose port at Banana. "The Port of Banana will be the first deep-sea port in the country along its small coastline of 37 kilometres, which currently only has the riverine port of Matadi," said a statement. DP World will set up a joint venture with 70% control, and the government of DRC holding a 30% share, to manage and invest in the Port of Banana.

Kenya's main port, Mombasa, handled 10.6 percent more cargo in the first nine months of this year, helped by an expansion of its handling capacity and a new railway system, the port’s management said on Monday. Activity in east Africa's biggest port is considered a measure of economic activity for the region. Mombasa handles imports such as fuel for Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The increased traffic comes despite prolonged tensions over an election in August which was nullified and then rerun in October. Mombasa handled 22.8 million tonnes of cargo between January and September compared with 20.6 million in the same period last year, Catherine Mturi, the port managing director, said.

Manila-based global container terminal operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) reported unaudited consolidated financial results for the first half of 2017 posting revenue from port operations of US$603.7 million, an increase of 10 percent over the US$550.8 million reported for the first six months of 2016. The net income attributable to equity holders of US$103.6 million, up 19 percent from the US$87.3 million earned in the same period last year due to the continuing ramp-up at the new terminal in Matadi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), strong operating income contribution from the terminals in Iraq, Mexico and Brazil, and the one-time gain on the termination of the sub-concession agreement in Nigeria.

CMA CGM announced a significant improvement of its product from Montreal, Canada to Africa West Coast strategic markets.   Starting May 6th, 2017 with the opening of the new service Med Canada, CMA CGM will connect Montreal cargo to West Africa with our 6 EURAF services via the hub of Tangiers. Transit times will be shortened up to 12 days. Apapa will be reached in 25 days   Angola, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo on EURAF 5 and Gabon, Equatorial Guinea on EURAF 4 will continue to be connected on St Laurent service.

CMA CGM has announced the strengthening of its position on Europe > West Africa route by becoming vessel operator on its current service EURAF 5. Effective April 5th, 2017, CMA CGM operates 2 vessels on EURAF 5 between North Europe and West Africa South Range. With a weekly frequency, EURAF 5 connects Europe to Angola, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cameroon is served on a fortnightly basis. Reefer cargo from Abidjan relies on a direct service to Europe with very fast transit times. Antwerp is reached in 15 days, Le Havre in 18 days, Lisbon in 21 days.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is supporting countries in western Africa to enhance their national search and rescue (SAR) services with a regional training course and meeting taking place in Lagos, Nigeria this week. The activities are assisting Member States under the “Nigeria SAR Region” (Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe) to develop their regional SAR Plan and to increase regional cooperation. The training course (21-23 November) covered the duties of search and rescue “On-Scene Coordinators”, which was followed by the third meeting of the regional SAR Coordinating Committee.