French CG Rescue 31 Migrants
French coastguards rescued 31 migrants trying to cross the English Channel overnight after the engine of one small boat cut out and the other dinghy began to take in water, local authorities in France said on Sunday.Border and coast guards in Britain and France have recently intercepted several attempted crossings, including on Dec. 26 when 49 suspected migrants were escorted to British shores after a rescue and search operation.In the early hours of Sunday, French coast guards picked up 11 migrants, including two young children, in one boat off the coast near the port city of Calais.Another 20, including a pregnant woman, were later rescued by the same patrol boat further along the French coast near Dunkirk, the local authorities said in a statement.
First LNG Cargo Exported from Ichthys
French oil and gas major Total said on Tuesday that the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from Australia's Ichthys LNG project has been exported following the production start-up at the end of July.Ichthys LNG, with reserves of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent offshore Western Australia, including around 500 million barrels of condensate, is operated by Japan's Inpex Corp with a 62.2 percent stake.Total is a major partner in the project with a 30 percent stake.(Reporting by Bate Felix, Editing by Sarah White)
Migrant Rescue Ship Arrives in Malta Following Standoff
The Mediterranean rescue ship Aquarius arrived at Valletta harbour in Malta on Wednesday to disembark 141 migrants, ending a five-day tug-of-war between European Union countries which had seen the vessel banned from docking in several ports.The ship, run by the Franco-German charity SOS Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders (MSF), was allowed in after France, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain agreed on Tuesday to take in the migrants.(Reporting by Chris Scicluna Editing by Sarah White and Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
France Sees Quick Accord on STX, Sees Naval Deal Taking Longer
France hopes for agreement over the future of the STX France shipyards at a Franco-Italian summit on Sept. 27, but a separate deal on warship co-operation would take longer to negotiate, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday. "I would like us to have an agreement between the French and Italian governments on STX for the summit on September 27," Le Maire told reporters after a meeting with suppliers in the aerospace sector. France clashed with Italy in July after ordering a "temporary" nationalisation of STX…
Strike Disrupts Spanish Ports and Trade Routes
Some of Spain's biggest port terminals came to a standstill on Monday as shipping companies redirected cargos to avoid a dockers' strike. After months of talks between unions, companies and the Spanish government over a reform of port hiring practices, dockers held the first of several planned strikes to protest against possible job losses. Some container shipping firms such as Maersk re-routed boats destined for the southern port of Algeciras to get around the strike, during which dockers will stop working every other hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week.
Spanish Police Bust Fishing Vessel Hauling Cocaine
Spanish police seized more than two tons of cocaine from a ship with a Venezuelan flag in the Atlantic Ocean and arrested the seven crew members, Spain's interior ministry said on Monday. The operation, carried out alongside the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the UK's National Crime Agency and Portuguese police, took place earlier this month, on May 4. The seven people on board were Venezuelan nationals, the ministry said, adding that a gun had also been seized alongside 2400 kg of cocaine. The vessel, a small, rusted fishing boat according to images distributed by police, has since been towed to Spain's Canary Islands. Separately…
Spanish Dockers Call Strike over Non-union Labor
Spanish dock workers have called nine days of strikes to protest government plans to allow ports to hire non-unionized labor, El Pais newspaper reported on Tuesday, threatening to disrupt trade for up to three weeks from March 6. Dockers last week called off a planned three-day strike after the government said it would put its reforms on hold and open talks, but the decision to push ahead with a bigger strike came after the government signaled it would not change parts of the plan, El Pais said, citing the CETM union. Reuters could not reach CETM for comment. The proposals would allow companies operating in ports to hire staff that do not belong to unions, a move unpopular with union members but which would help bring Spain in line with European Union regulations.
Russia Withdraws Request for Carrier Group to Refuel in Ceuta
Russia has withdrawn a request for a carrier battle group to refuel in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said, after NATO allies criticised Madrid for assisting warships they believe could be used to target civilians in Syria. "The Russian Embassy in Madrid has just informed us that it is withdrawing the request for permission for stopovers for these ships and these stopovers have therefore been cancelled," the ministry said. (Reporting by Sarah White)
