Port Zone News

Cosmos Van Oord, a joint venture (JV) of Cosmos Shipping and Van Oord, has been awarded a dredging project at Port of Burgas, the biggest port in Bulgaria.The project is part of the construction of a new deep-water berth at terminal Burgas-West in the Port of Burgas. This will establish a dedicated port zone for container handling and storage, and introduce eco-friendly methods for efficiently transferring cargo between ships and railways in both directions.Van Oord’s scope of work contains the dredging of the port area to the required depth of 15.5 meters.

Engine manufacturer Scania on Thursday announced it has been selected by Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) to power its new fleet of five 47-foot Skimmer oil response vessels, built by Rozema Boat Works. Powered by twin DI13 087M 700hp engines provided by Cascade Engine Center, the new vessels will be delivered in 2023.Formed in conjunction with the Marine Preservation Association in 1990 by oil and gas companies, MSRC is a not-for-profit organization with U.S. Coast Guard OSRO classification in every U.S. captain of the port zone except Alaska.

Latin America's largest port in Santos in Brazil will maintain regular operations, port operators said after meeting with dock workers and authorities on Wednesday to discuss measures to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.In a statement sent to Reuters, Regis Prunzel, president of operators group Sopesp, said a crisis committee was created with representatives from all stakeholders at the port, where most of Brazil's coffee, sugar, soybeans, corn and cotton are exported to the world.One of the measures agreed on Wednesday will reduce large group gatherings on port premises…

Subchapter M, the United States regulatory code dealing with towing vessels and requirements for towing vessel safety, has officially been in place since July 20, 2016, when the U.S. Coast Guard finalized Sub M rulemaking.Since the rules were finalized there have been a couple of important hammer dates. In spring and summer 2018 the first certificates of inspection (COI) were issued. COIs are central within the Sub M program. A vessel needs a COI to legally operate. (All vessels were required to comply with Sub M by July 20, 2018.

Alfa Laval PureBallast 3, the third generation of manufacturer Alfa Laval’s ballast water treatment technology, has received an updated type approval from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).Alfa Laval PureBallast 3 was awarded an updated certificate from the USCG on April 4, granting the system type approval with zero-day holding time in all water salinities. PureBallast 3 owners in U.S. waters now have the option of discharging ballast water just 2.5 hours after taking it on. The holding time of 2.5 hours…

The Port of Manila decongested its yard space by removing some overstaying containers said a port representative.The collaborative synergy between Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI), port authorities and international shipping lines has yielded positive gains in significantly freeing up yard space and further easing cargo flows at the international gateway port Manila South Harbor.As of March 4, yard utilization at Manila South Harbor has reached optimal levels at 65 percent from high 90s in preceding weeks, owing largely to concrete steps taken by its stakeholders, the cooperation of importers and the support of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).In mid-February…

Chinese investment by the Shanghai Lingang Overseas Development  in the port of Zeebrugge was officially signed in Brussels by Liu Jiaping, Chairman of Lingang, and Coens Joachim, CEO of Port of Zeebrugge.The agreement was signed in the presence of the prime minister of the People’s Republic of China, Ki Keqiang, and the prime minister of Belgium, Charles Michel.Port of Zeebrugge already announced the investment by the Chinese group Lingang in the Maritime Logistic Zone to establish a service and distribution park. Under the name ‘One park, two centers China/Europe’ Lingang signed an agreement of 85.3 million euros to establish a 30 ha logistic park.The objective is to settle down Chinese…

Extensions, type approvals and next steps were all prominent on the agenda.September’s Ballast Water Management and Technology North America conference saw USCG staff from the Office of Operating and Environmental Standards and the Marine Safety Center giving conference attendees an update on various aspects of the Coast Guard’s ballast water program. Following is a recap of those presentations for our readers who were unable to attend:Ms. Regina Bergner and Mr. Matthew Reudelhuber with the Office of Operating and Environmental Standards, and Lt.

A Final Rule eliminating the requirement for certain vessels that operate on voyages exclusively within a single Captain of the Port Zone to submit an Annual Ballast Water Summary Report for calendar year 2018 has been published.The Coast Guard views this current reporting requirement as unnecessary in order to analyze and understand ballast water management practices. This final rule will reduce the administrative burden on this regulated population of U.S. non-recreational vessels equipped with ballast tanks. The final rule is effective Oct. 1, 2018.

The Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) has presented its proposals for the master plan for the development of Greece's largest port of Piraeus under “Master Plan of the Port of Piraeus". The compilation of the Master Plan for the development and operation of the Piraeus Port was made according to:  (i) all the Laws and regulations of general implementation, together with all the existing applicable regulatory rules, (ii) the methodology and specifications quoted in the “Specifications of Master Plan” document, (iii) regulations and guidelines for the establishment of Program Design as listed in ANNEX 6.2 of the Concession Agreement 2016. The…

The President and CEO of the MPA, Sylvie Vachon, together with the Minister for Maritime Affairs, Jean D’Amour, the Mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre, and the Mayor of the Borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Réal Ménard, today announced the signing of an agreement for the establishment of an industrial port zone (IP Zone) in Montreal. The members of the local committee mandated to establish the Montreal Zone IP are: the City of Montreal, the City of Montreal East, the Montreal Metropolitan Community, CargoM and the relevant departments and agencies. Under this agreement, the government will fund up to 70% of costs associated with implementing the related development plan, to a maximum of $125,000.

Two Panama-flagged bulk carriers were detained in the U.S. on February 23, 2017, after substandard safety issues discovered during routine exams aboard the vessels along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. The Atlantic Ruby, a 590-foot bulk carrier was boarded in Portland on February 23, after Port State Control Officers detected the SOLAS deficiencies. U.S. Coast Guard inspectors found the fixed fire extinguishing system was improperly serviced, with the time delays left disconnected. The time delay ensures personnel inside a room are able to escape before the fixed fire extinguishing agent is released. A separate Port State Control exam conducted in Kalama onboard the Amber L, a 609-foot bulk carrier, identified several safety discrepancies.

The U.S. Coast Guard is urging mariners and members of the maritime community across North Carolina to prepare for Hurricane Matthew as Condition Whiskey is set for North Carolina Waterways. The Captain of the Port (COTP) has set Condition Whiskey for all waterways in the North Carolina COTP Zone in preparation for the anticipated weather impact of Hurricane Matthew. Gale force winds of 39 mph and above are predicted along the coast of North Carolina within 72 hours. During this…

On April 11, 2016 the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) released the revised 2016 National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines. The new guidelines will become effective on June 10, 2016. Established under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the PREP guidelines were developed to provide a mechanism for compliance with the vessel response plan (VRP) drill and exercise requirements. Use of the PREP Guidelines is voluntary, however, compliance with the PREP guidelines will satisfy these requirements.

GAC Russia said it is expanding eastwards with the opening of new branches at Nakhodka and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to meet demand for shipping services as opportunities open up in Far East. According to GAC Russia, this means it is the only ship agent with a presence throughout the interconnected Arctic region and Far East: at Murmansk, Kandalaksha, Sabetta, and now Nakhodka and the capital of the Sakhalin region, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Arkady Podkopaev, GAC Russia’s General Manager, said, “GAC has been active in Russia since 2001 and has built a strong network of offices in the European part of the country. As the Russian Federation focuses on developing political and economic relations with the Asia-Pacific region, the country’s Far East has moved to the top of the agenda.

Since 16 June 2016, HAROPA - Port of Le Havre, # 1 French port complex, displays itself in three dimensions through the development of its software package S-WiNG©. The occasion for the professionals and the general public to virtually plunge into the environment of the Normandy port, to go into the heart of its daily activities and draw a wealth of information from them. time from a computer, a tablet or a smartphone. Every vessel present in the harbour waters is represented according to its category (container ships, oil tankers, bulk carriers, roll-on/roll-of ships, dredgers, tugs, barges, liners, ferries, etc.) with its draught, according to the real water level, the swell and the weather.

Port of Le Havre displays itself in three dimensions through the development of its software package S-WiNG. The occasion for the professionals and the general public to virtually plunge into the environment of the Normandy port, to go into the heart of its daily activities and draw a wealth of information from them. On the port of Le Havre, vessel movements are now freely accessible and can be visualized by everyone, in 3D and in real time from a computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

Containership Lowlands Kamsar has been detained by U.S. Coast Guard personnel in Seattle, Monday, after a Port State Control exam detected several safety violations. The Lowlands Kamsar a 751-foot, Panamanian-flagged ship will remain in Sector Puget Sound's Captain of the Port zone until the violations are corrected, the Coast Guard said. During the exam Coast Guard Port State Control officers discovered that the automatic fire extinguishing system that protects the vessel’s engine room had been disabled by the crew, additionally, the vessel’s owner, Misuga S.A., failed to ensure that appropriate corrective action was taken. The crew of the ship was conducting cargo operations in Seattle at the time of the exam. Lt.

The Coast Guard set Port Condition Whiskey Wednesday for all navigable waters in the North Carolina Captain of the Port Zone in preparation for the anticipated weather impact of Hurricane Joaquin. Gale-force winds of 39 mph are predicted to reach Frying Pan Shoals Lighted Buoy 16 (LLNR 8355) within 72 hours, and pleasure craft are advised to seek safe harbor. To enter, transit or remain within this Captain of the Port Zone, vessels must comply with the following requirements. All self-propelled, oceangoing vessels more than 500 tons, all oceangoing barges and their supporting tugs, and all tank barges more than 200 tons desiring to remain in port must arrange safe mooring and shall complete and submit in writing…

The Captain of the Port, Delaware Bay, is setting Hurricane Seasonal Alert. Seasonal Alert is automatically set annually on June 1st and remains in effect through November 30th, unless otherwise dis-established. All vessels, facilities and marinas are asked to take adequate precautions and review the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Port Hurricane Contingency Plan and their individual Heavy Weather Plans. For a copy of the latest Port Hurricane Contingency Plan, contact Sector Delaware Bay planning at 215-271-4908 or log onto the USCG's Homeport website at: homeport.uscg.mil. Facility managers and ship agents are requested to ensure…

Port State Control officers from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound detained the container ship MOL Precision in Seattle, Thursday after discovering several significant violations during a port state control exam of the Panamanian-flagged ship, which will remain in Sector Puget Sound's Captain of the Port zone until the violations are corrected. The coast guard said violations included defective oil bilge line filtering equipment, missing security training records and not sending required ballast tank information to the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse prior to entering a U.S. port. The 962-foot containership MOL Precision’s oil bilge line filtering equipment had a nonfunctional alarm and intermittently operating meter…

U.S. Coast Guard personnel on Monday detained the oil tanker Overseas Jademar in Port Angeles after several safety violations were discovered during a port state control exam. Marshall Island-flagged tanker Overseas Jademar was en route from Malaysia to Anacortes, Washington to offload cargo when Port State Control officers from Sector Puget Sound found several significant safety violations during a port state control exam. The ship will remain detained in Sector Puget Sound's Captain of the Port zone until the safety violations are corrected. The deficiencies found onboard included nonfunctioning distress signaling equipment and fire safety systems.

Coast Guard personnel detained the tanker Overseas Jademar in Port Angeles, Monday. Port State Control officers, from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, discovered several significant safety violations during a port state control exam of the Marshall Island-flagged tanker, which will remain detained in Sector Puget Sound's Captain of the Port zone until the safety violations are corrected. The deficiencies found onboard included non-functioning distress signaling equipment and fire safety systems. The electronic position indicating radio beacon, an essential piece of distress equipment that notifies authorities of the crew's location in the event of an emergency, was found non-functional.