Ministry Of Public Works News

International Maritime Organization (IMO) training on the international treaty covering waste dumping at sea, the London Protocol, is underway for Algerian government officials and participants from shipping companies and port authorities.The workshop, held in Alger (9-10 April), is enabling cooperation between different sectors – allowing effective implementation of measures aimed at protecting the marine environment from dumping of harmful wastes at sea.As set out in the London Protocol and the Dumping Protocol of the Barcelona Convention – the regional convention for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea established under UN Environment’s Regional Seas Programme.Participants examined ways of effectively assessing the environmental impact of dumping of certain substances…

The ‘LNGHIVE2: Infrastructure and Logistics Solutions’ project, coordinated by Enagás, has been selected by the European Commission ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF) for funding.The initiative aims to boost the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel for maritime and rail transport. The total investment in the project will be around EUR14 million, of which close to EUR3 million will be financed by European funds.The initiative, coordinated by Enagás and promoted by Puertos Del Eastado, features the participation of six other partners: the Port Authority of Huelva, RENFE Mercancías, ADIF, Saggas, Marflet Marine, and the Valenciaport…

(i) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of India and  the Islamic Republic of Iran over partnership of India in development plan of Chabahar Port, signed on 06 May, 2015. (ii) Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Shipping of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in the fields of Maritime Transport and Logistics, signed on 18 May, 2015. Scope of cooperation under the MoU, inter-alia, includes utilization, development and management of domestic and overseas ports. (iii) Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on Maritime Transport, singed on 11 October, 2015.

Spain's development ministry has said that a fire broke out on a ferry as it journeyed from Palma on the island of Majorca to Valencia in Spain. Spanish media reported that around 156 people had to abandon ship around 17 miles from Palma de Mallorca and were helped by emergency services. The Spanish Ministry of Works said the captain did not initially want to evacuate the ferry but passengers and crew eventually left the burning boat in lifeboats. The Sorrento was travelling to the coastal city of Valencia when the blaze began and quickly got out of control. "The ferry operated by Trasmediterranea was travelling from Palma de Mallorca…

Spanish emergency services safely evacuated around 150 people from a burning ferry crossing the Mediterranean from the island of Mallorca to the Spanish port of Valencia, government and port authorities said on Tuesday. The Sorrento ferry, belonging to the Italian company Atlantica di Navigazione although operated by Trasmediterranea-Acciona, sent out distress signals, the Ministry of Public Works said in a statement. Spanish newspaper websites showed pictures of the ferry belching out great clouds of black smoke. Although the captain did not initially want to evacuate the ferry, passengers and crew eventually left the burning vessel in lifeboats, the ministry said. The port authority said 170 passengers were rescued. Sea rescue services could not confirm the number.

A Greenpeace ship was detained by Spanish authorities today in the port of Arrecife, Lanzarote, following last Saturday's protest against Repsol’s potential oil drilling in the Canary Islands. Spain’s Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (Ministerio de Fomento) has detained Arctic Sunrise, a ship operated by Greenpeace International, while an investigation is performed into the protest on November 15 which resulted in the injuries of two Greenpeace activists when the Spanish Navy allegedly rammed Arctic Sunrise, Greenpeace said.

The Spanish Ministry of Public Works and the Economy has invited tenders for participation in three cabotage trades, involving Ceuta/Melilla, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands. Interested bidders have to guarantee to transport passengers, vehicles and goods on the routes over a five-year period. The ministry has calculated individual budgets for the three routes, ranging from 8.5m euros to 37m euros. Aspirants, who will have to provide a bank guarantee to cover failure, have until November 30 to apply. The successful bids will be announced on December 10. Source: Maritime Advocate Online

According to reports, projects implemented by the Turkish Ministry of Transport in the last four years to increase shipyard capacity and efficiency have started to bear fruit. The ministry took the shipyards’ demands for growth as their priority and development plans were approved by the Ministry of Public Works. The Tuzla Shipyard and Tourism Co. has reached a capacity to build 45000 deadweight (DWT) ships. Employment rose from 13,000 in 2003 to 28,500. Shipbuilding capacity rose from 654,000 DWT to 1.4 million DWT. The amount of sheet steel processed in shipyards has doubled. Turkey’s worldwide market share in shipbuilding has risen from 0.9 percent to 1.4 percent; making Turkey fifth place in shipbuilding, right behind Germany who occupies fourth place with a share of 3.6 percent.

Projects implemented by the Turkish Ministry of Transport in the last four years to increase shipyard capacity and efficiency have started to bear fruit, according to a report on www.zaman.com. The ministry took the shipyards’ demands for growth as their priority and development plans were approved by the Ministry of Public Works. The Tuzla Shipyard and Tourism Co. has reached a capacity to build 45000 deadweight (DWT) ships. Employment rose from 13,000 in 2003 to 28,500. Shipbuilding capacity rose from 654,000 DWT to 1.4 million DWT. The amount of sheet steel processed in shipyards has doubled. Turkey’s worldwide market share in shipbuilding has risen from 0.9 percent to 1.4 percent…