Port Of Split News

The new rubber-tyred gantry crane (RTG) for the intermodal terminal at the Ostuferhafen has arrived in Kiel. Where the rail/ship handling was done by Reach Stackers, the gantry crane will take over and load the rail wagons in future. The crane, manufactured in Poland, arrived in Kiel with the heavy duty vessel “Meri” on April 15, 2013. The crane was unloaded through self-driving via the RO RO ramp at Berth Number Seven of Ostuferhafen. Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director at Port of Kiel, said, “We are investing into the hinterland rail connection.

VIKING continues its march forward in Europe and Asia with four new, well-equipped servicing stations opening in November. Marine and fire safety equipment manufacturer VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has announced it is opening four servicing stations at Brest (France), Split (Croatia), Kaohsiung (Taiwan) and Port Klang (Malaysia). The new ports further expand the company’s already dense network of stations in Europe and Asia. The new facility at Split, on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, is the first VIKING-owned station in Croatia.

Last week Croatian maritime authorities restricted navigation off the Adriatic coast to allow two stray whales to find their way out to deep water, Reuters reported. An operation was mounted near the port of Split to rescue the finback whales, a 30-m (100 ft) long female and her calf, which are rarely found in shallow coastal waters. The whales were first spotted near the resort of Makarska, south of Split, some 10 days ago and appeared unable to make their way out because of intense maritime traffic, including tourists trying to approach them in speedboats. The Ministry of Environment warned holidaymakers to keep at least 400 m (0.25 miles) away. Rescue coordinator Melita Peharda of the Institute of Oceanography said the whales' natural sonar could be disturbed by ships' radars.

Maine Maritime Academy’s (MMA) training ship, State of Maine, arrived earlier today in Palermo, Sicily, a port-of-call not originally on the itinerary of the college’s annual two-month training cruise. The rescheduled port visit was necessitated by the ship’s 3-day diversion to Siracusa, Sicily, due to an onboard medical emergency experienced by the ship’s master, Captain Laurence Wade. Wade was hospitalized for additional medical care at a local facility. According to Captain Jeff Loustaunau, MMA’s commandant of midshipmen, the remainder of the itinerary of the training cruise remains unaffected by the substitution of the port of Palermo for a previously scheduled visit in Odessa, Ukraine.