Ministry Of Transportation News

At least 10 people were injured on Monday when an explosion rocked grain silos near the port of Derince in western Turkey, prompting an investigation into its cause, Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz said.An explosion occurred around 2:40 p.m.

South Korea-based Asia Shipbuilding recently held the keel laying ceremony for hull number ASB – 1245 of the Pacific Island Supply Vessel, an innovative sailing cargo ship for the needs of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.The consortium of Asia Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and the naval design company Kostec Co., Ltd., last year signed a contract with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to deliver an innovative sailing cargo ship for the needs…

Abu Dhabi's AD Ports Group and the Red Sea Ports Authority have signed a Term Sheet and a Head of Terms agreement for what they say are major port projects along Egypt’s coastline, including multi-purpose terminals, and cruise ship berths.The first agreement will see AD Ports Group develop, operate, and manage a multi-purpose terminal in Safaga Port in a consortium with the Red Sea Ports Authority and the Egyptian Group for Multipurpose Terminals Company, the commercial arm of…

A pair of fully-electric road ferries are now on their way from Damen Shipyards Galati to Lake Ontario, Canada, to begin operations. Ordered by the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, Canada, the Amherst Islander II and Wolfe Islander IV, 68 and 98 meters in length respectively, departed the yard on August 26 to be loaded on the semi-submersible transport vessel Super Servant 4 and will arrive in Lake Ontario in mid-September.Both of the open-deck vessels are equipped to be fully-electric…

Several Chinese ports are facing congestion as vessels due to call at Ningbo are being diverted and cargo processing is slowed partly due to stricter disinfection measures under China's "zero-tolerance" coronavirus policy.On Tuesday, more than 50 container vessels were queuing at Ningbo port, China's second largest marine center, Refinitiv data showed, up from 28 on Aug. 10 when a COVID-19 case was reported at one of its terminals.Leading international shipping groups have warned their clients of delays and route adjustments.

Wärtsilä’s will deliver its hybrid solution for a new RoRo ferry being built for the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure at the Western Pacific Marine shipyard. When delivered the ferry will serve the Balfour – Kootenay Bay route across Kootenay Lake. “Wärtsilä was selected based on their experience, reputation, and know-how in developing, delivering, and supporting complex hybrid propulsion systems. These capabilities are extremely important to us, and we very much appreciate and welcome Wärtsilä’s support throughout this project…

Norwegian cruise ship operator Hurtigruten has decided to cancel the remaining of the Antarctica 20/21 season cruises - from January and throughout the first quarter of 2021, citing the impact of the pandemic. It will also reduce the capacity on the Norwegian coast.The decision follows Hurtigruten's announcement in September when it said it would suspend remaining cruises in 2020, with plans to resume operation in January 2021."The Covid-19 pandemic is still affecting large parts of the world and travel restrictions and quarantine requirements are wide spread and changing rapidly. Given these challenging circumstances and that the developments are unpredictable…

Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) has allocated 36 trillion rials (about $857.2 million) allocated 36 trillion rials ($857.2 million) to develop the country's maritime industry, including the construction of 83 vessels.Mohammad Rastad, head of PMO said that PMO has taken significant measures regarding the improvement of the country’s maritime industry.The maritime industry transformation plan was prepared by the Ministry of Transportation and Urban Development in collaboration with the Defense Ministry back in 2019.According to Rastad, the plan which has already begun is mainly focused on improving the country’s ports and maritime fleet.The program includes a project for the construction of 40 vessels…

The Amherst Islander II, a Damen Road Ferry 6819 E3, was launched on November 14 at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania.Amherst Islander II is part of a two vessel order that Damen will deliver to the Ministry of Transportation Ontario. The E3 ferries will be among the first passenger/car ferries in North America with the ability to operate fully electric and promise to reduce the amount of emissions by the equivalent of 7 million kg of carbon dioxide each year.With an overall length of close to 72 meters and a loading capacity of up to 42 cars, the Amherst Islander II is the smaller of the two.

Indonesia will not enforce new global rules mandating low-sulphur marine fuels on its domestic shipping fleet because of the high cost of cleaner fuel, an official from the country's Ministry of Transportation said this week.Under International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules that come into effect in 2020, ships will have to use fuel with a maximum 0.5% sulphur content, down from 3.5% now, unless they are equipped with so-called scrubbers to remove the sulphur from the vessel's emissions.But because of the high cost of complying with new rules…

The maritime classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) has been awarded recognized organization status by the Italian flag administration and is now authorized to issue statutory certification on its behalf to all seagoing ships sailing with the Italian flag.In line with its new RO status, LR will establish an Italy branch of LR Group Ltd so the classification society can fully support Italy and the country’s shipowners.As LR will be authorised to work on behalf of the Italian flag Administration, owners of Italian-flagged ships will have the opportunity to work with LR for classification and consultancy services and benefit from LR’s extensive technical expertise.By having RO status…

Finnish-Swedish passenger ferry operator Kvarken Link has signed a construction agreement with Finnish shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions for a car and passenger ferry, set to operate between the Finnish city of Vaasa and the Swedish city of Umeå.Following the agreement, the planning of the vessel can begin with immediate effect. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Finland, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, and the Ministry of Finance have jointly enabled the quick execution of the agreement.“We reached an agreement in a little over a week after signing the letter of intent. Now begins the real work.

Afghan Ministry of Transportation will soon launch a commercial shipping line with the assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran to conduct business activities between Chabahar Free Trade Zone and India.IRNA reported quoted the Afghan Ministry of Transportation as saying that the shipping sector would soon be formed and the ships could operate commercial activities with the flag of Afghanistan in free waters.The other local media hailed the move saying that Afghan will soon establish a department of shipping and ships will plough the ocean flying the Afghan flag. They said the ships would run between Iran’s free port of Chabahar and…

SCHOTTEL has signed a contract with Damen Shipyards to equip the first fully-electric vessels to operate in Canada.The new Amherst Island and Wolfe Island ferries will be propelled by four SCHOTTEL Twin Propellers STP 260 FP, each with an input power of up to 550 kW. The main propulsion is provided by batteries with a diesel engine as backup to ensure mobility. The propulsion concept implies a power intake increase up to 650 kW due to an enhanced draught provided by the batteries. In accordance with their field of operation in the Lake Ontario/St.

Canadian National Railway (CN) has signed a deal to acquire the Winnipeg-based TransX Group of Companies as part of its strategy to expands its North American intermodal supply chain services.TransX, one of Canada’s largest and oldest transportation companies, provides various transportation and logistics services, including intermodal, truckload, less than truckload and specialized services. The 55-year-old company will continue to be based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and operate independently, CN officials said in a press release.“This strategic acquisition allows CN to deepen its supply chain focus, strengthening our exceptional franchise…

The Norwegian ship owning company Havila Kystruten AS, has ordered four new build Ro-Pax vessels of Havyard 923 design. Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine will provide power and propulsion for all four ships.From January 2021, Havila Kystruten will operate four ships on the coastal route between the cities of Bergen in south western, and Kirkenes in northern, Norway. The company has contracted Spain’s Astillero Hijos de J. Barreras shipyard to build two of the cruise ferries and Turkey’s…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s mandate on piracy and armed robbery against ships broader maritime security measures has been presented at the International Maritime Seminar for Judges held in Abuja, Nigeria (3-5 July). Gisela Vieira from IMO’s maritime security team provided input as part of a discussion on ‘Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea: Legal Interpretation and Judicial Application’. Over 300 participants from across Nigeria’s maritime industry and stakeholders attended the conference, which was designed to update their knowledge on contemporary issues and developments in International Maritime Law. Guests from Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Gambia also attended the event, which was opened by the Hon. Justice Walter N. Onnoghen, GCON, FNJI, Chief Justice of Nigeria.

Seven ASEAN countries have formally launched an ambitious initiative aimed at improving the environmental health of the seas in the region, through the implementation of key International Maritime Organization (IMO) marine environment protection treaties. Senior decisions makers of maritime administrations of the beneficiary ASEAN countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) met for their first high-level regional meeting in Bali, Indonesia (25-27 June), to kick-start the “Marine Environment Protection for Southeast Asia Seas (MEPSEAS) Project”. IMO is implementing the project, with funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority received federal funding for projects that will improve the flow of goods to and from the Port of Vancouver. Through the collaborative efforts of the port authority, Transport Canada, B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, TransLink and the Greater Vancouver Gateway Council, an infrastructure program called the Greater Vancouver Gateway 2030 strategy was created to ensure the roads and railways that lead to the Port of Vancouver are ready to manage Canada’s growing trade. After extensive study, nearly 40 priority infrastructure projects were identified for the Lower Mainland region.

The Federal Government of Nigeria is set to automate all shipping related administrative processes in order to reduce subjectivity and corruption, thereby promoting transparency in the Nigerian maritime industry. This comes as a result of Nigeria's quest to ensure the growth and development of the maritime sector and in line with the Presidential order on the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria. According to the eighteen point communiqué, Stakeholders agreed that in order to realize the desired accelerated growth of the Nigerian maritime sector, the Ministry and its Agencies should explore alternate financing windows such as the establishment of Maritime Bank to address the financing gap created by the unsuitability of lending rates of Nigerian banks for the shipping business…

Rescue boats resumed their search in choppy waters of the East China Sea on Thursday for any survivors from the stricken Iranian oil tanker that collided with a freight ship and burst into flames at the weekend, the Chinese government said. The ship remains at risk of exploding and sinking due to spilled oil as the fire raged for a fifth day, the Ministry of Transportation said in a statement on Thursday. Rescue crews were forced to retreat on Wednesday after a blast on the tanker. "Spilled oil covering the ship body and its surrounding water is still burning, which leaves Sanchi at risk of exploding and sinking," said the MOT in the statement. The ministry has sent 12 rescue ships to search for the 31 remaining tanker crew members and to extinguish the fire.

A German-flagged container ship Hansa Meersburg ran into a crane while berthing at Keelung Port, Taiwan resulting in the damage of containers and port infrastructure, CNA reported. The 2007-built freighter, operated by German-based Leonhardt and Blumberg hit and damaged a berth crane valued at NT$200 million (US$6.78 million) as it was sailing into the harbor. In addition to the damage sustained by the crane, a pier was also damaged, suffering a hole three meters wide and two meters deep. The Focus Taiwan news channel reported that a 62-year-old worker, Chen Lin-tsang, who was handling cargo, suffered minor injury when the ship hit the crane. The incident is being investigated by the Marine Port Bureau (MPB) under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Taiwan.

A tanker carrying Iranian oil and run by the country's top oil shipping firm was ablaze and spewing cargo into the East China Sea on Sunday after colliding with a Chinese freight ship, leaving the tanker's 32 crew members missing, the Chinese government said.Thick clouds of dark smoke could be seen billowing out of the Sanchi tanker  engulfing the vessel as rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather and fire on and around the ship, Mohammad Rastad, head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, told Iranian television.The Sanchi, run by the country's top oil shipping operator, collided with the CF Crystal about 160 nautical miles off the coast near Shanghai and the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta on Saturday evening…