Africa News

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Farstad has been awarded contact  for two of its vessels by French oil major Total Total E&P South Africa."Total has awarded Solstad a contract for one Large Anchor Handling Vessel (AHTS) Normand Ranger (2010, VS 491 Design) and one Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) Far Starling (2014, PSV 08 CD Design)," said a press release from the company.The contracts are to support Total E&P South Africa’s drilling campaign in Block 11B/12B for 1 well firm + 1 well option, which is expected to commence Q4 2018. The duration of the contracts are likely to be approx.

DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, today announced that it has joined forces with Swedish atmospheric science experts, WeatherTech.The combined expertise of both companies will enable the development of the most advanced icing model for wind turbines available on the market, allowing customers to better predict the performance of turbines in cold climates.In cold climates, the performance of wind turbines is significantly reduced by ice accretion, the gradual build-up of ice on the turbine blades.

Five migrants drowned and 193 were rescued in the western Mediterranean sea off the Spanish coast, the Spanish coastguard said on Thursday, after six rafts sank.Spain has become the main entry point for migrants fleeing Africa to seek a better life in Europe, overtaking Italy and Greece, as Italy's new populist government refuses to admit rescue boats.Dozens of migrants dressed in hooded white forensic suits disembarked from a rescue vessel on Thursday in the port of Motril in the southern region of Andalusia, video footage showed.Survivors from one of the rafts rescued said four other people had been lost at sea earlier in the journey…

Hapag-Lloyd's 15,000 TEU ship "Al Jmeliyah" was officially christened in Rotterdam. Naming patron is Inge Sijbesma, the wife of Feike Sijbesma, CEO of the corporation DSM – one of Hapag-Lloyd’s biggest customers in the Netherlands.The name “Al Jmeliyah” is Arabic for “the beautiful one.” With its ten sister vessels, the “Al Jmeliyah” numbers among the so-called “Ultra Large Container Vessels” in Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet.However, this was not the first time that Hapag-Lloyd has christened a ship in Rotterdam. The most recent one was the christening of the “Rotterdam Express” in 2000.

A tanker with 19 crew members on board has docked at a port in Togo after going missing for over a week in a suspected hijacking off the West African coast, the crew's agency said on Friday.The Ialkani agency and the ship's managers lost communication with the Panama-registered Pantelena on August 14, when it was about 17 miles (27 km) from the port of Libreville, in Gabon.Two Russian nationals and 17 Georgians were aboard the vessel, a dual purpose oil or chemicals tanker managed by Athens-based Lotus Shipping.

Odfjell Drilling has awarded Kongsberg Maritime the contract to deliver a real-time monitoring and advisory solution to provide operational safety and non-productive time (NPT) improvements for the 6th generation semi-submersible, Deepsea Stavanger. The contract is in specific relation to an upcoming offshore South Africa campaign awarded to Odfjell Drilling.Kongsberg Maritime’s integrated services and systems delivery for Deepsea Stavanger is designed to provide high operational safety and availability in deepwater harsh environments, strong currents and high waves.

Eolfi , a French developer specialised in floating wind projects, has appointed Vincent Fromont as Chief Executive Officer. Vincent Fromont, 47, is a senior onshore/offshore oil and gas executive with more than 20 years of experience in the industry.Vincent has various business and operational senior leadership roles, working for market’s leaders such as JGC, Subsea 7 and TechnipFMC, both in France and abroad. Vincent holds a Master’s degree of Technologies and Management from Ecole Centrale de Paris…

Harvey Gulf International Marine has confirmed that it is going global with the reflagging of both Offshore Supply and Fast Supply Vessels to facilitate work in Mexico.Harvey will open additional offices in Mexico through its affiliate, Harvey Gulf International Marine de Mexico S.A.P.I. de C.V. Harvey will also establish itself in Trinidad and Guyana by opening offices and redeploying shore base personnel and vessels to those areas.Harvey will certify vessels for operation under Mexican flags to ensure its customers can receive Harvey service levels for their expanding Mexico operations.

While the ship owners and ship managers historically have eschewed the push to increase connectivity at sea, the path to efficiency in the digital age is paved with a robust, high speed and affordable connection. KVH and Intelsat are cooperating to provide all that and more.According to the Crew Connectivity 2018 Survey Report, based on a survey of 6,000 serving seafarers and sponsored by KVH Industries and Intelsat, approximately 75% of seafarers can no use the internet at sea, a 32% jump in three years.

China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) began the main phase of the construction of a new terminal basin in Sokhna Port south of the Suez Canal northeast of Egypt, said he state media Xinhua.According to the report, the project was assigned to CHEC by the Sokhna branch of the Emirati corporation DP World, the main investor and container operator in the port located at the Gulf of Suez.CHEC sources said it will deliver the "Basin 2" project in fewer than 12 months ahead of the deadline.The report quoted Chen Shuang…

The global liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering market is expected to witness a CAGR of 62.5% over the forecast period 2017-2023, and is projected to reach USD 24,684.7 million by 2023.The key factors driving the growth of LNG bunkering market are increase in LNG demand in order to reduce the carbon footprint in the shipping industry stringent international emission policy, the best cost- effective alternative fuel and significant rise in government initiatives supporting LNG adoption.According to a research report from Energias Market Research…

Hong Kong-based container shipping and logistics service company Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) said that it has been taking concrete, meaningful and progressive steps in our long-term commitment to protecting the environment and reducing emissions in the communities where it operates by meeting our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) verification targets spanning from Scopes 1 to 3.A press release from OOCL stated: "We are pleased to announce that our GHG Scope 3 reporting and verification…

The blue economy can be the engine of economic growth, the basis of socio-economic development and industrialization for many African countries, if well utilized.The maritime industry, for example, is estimated at over $1 trillion, and there are other related and emerging sectors of tourism, offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, seabed extractive industries, marine biotechnology and bio prospecting.Said Adejumobi, Southern Africa Director, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) said that  the Economic Commission for Africa is fully committed to supporting the African Union…

High-level officials and decision-makers from maritime and port authorities around the world are undergoing intense training in port management and operational efficiency at the annual Advanced Course on Port Operations and Management based in Le Havre, France (10 September to 12 October).The opening of the course coincided with Le Havre's celebration of World Maritime Day and its theme: International Maritime Organization (IMO) 70 Our heritage – better shipping for a better future.IMO's Chris Trelawny delivered the opening address and lectured on the role of IMO…

Kenyan islanders have built a boat made entirely of recycled plastic collected during clean-ups of the ocean to highlight the growing menace of plastic waste that ends up in the sea.Last year, the Kenyan government imposed the world’s toughest law against plastic bags, with offenders - including producers, retailers, and ordinary Kenyans - risking imprisonment for up to four years or fines of $40,000, in a bid to reduce plastic pollution.Many bags drift into the ocean, strangling turtles, suffocating seabirds and filling the stomachs of dolphins and whales.The construction of the boat has been

Naval Dome has called on marine insurers to revoke the controversial Clause CL 380 and implement policies that insure against the risk of cyber-attacks on ship systems.Speaking in Cape Town, South Africa, today during the International Union of Marine Insurance’s (IUMI) annual conference, Naval Dome CEO Itai Sela said that with the maritime industry increasingly moving towards connected, cloud-based technologies and autonomous operation, a 15-year-old Clause that excludes damage to computer systems…

Although global premiums for the offshore energy insurance sector dipped by 5% in 2017, signs of recovery are on the horizon."We need to apply some caution as the margins between supply and demand are thin but these small margins can create volatility in the market," pointed out International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI)'s Offshore Energy Committee Chairman, James McDonald.Oil prices have steadily risen by 40% since last year’s IUMI conference and this is starting to drive activity in the oil and gas sector.

Vessels provider to the oil & gas industry Gulf Marine Services (GMS) said that it was awarded three long-term contracts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.The provider of advanced self-propelled self-elevating support vessels said in a press release that the new charters, which are subject to the completion of legal documentation and finalisation of the vessel delivery schedule, are for one Small Class and two Mid-Size Class SESVs and are currently expected to commence in Q4 2018/Q1 2019.

A tanker vessel with 19 crew members on board, most of them Georgians, has gone missing in pirate-plagued waters off Gabon in West Africa and no word has been heard from it for a week, the ship's managers and the crew agency said on Wednesday.Communication was lost with the Panama-registered Pantelena at about 2 a.m. local time on Aug. 14, at which time it was about 17 miles from the port of Libreville, in Gabon, Athens-based Lotus Shipping said in a statement.The head of the Georgian crew agency Ialkani, Anzhela Oganesyan, said two Russian nationals and 17 Georgians were aboard the tanker.

Harris Pye, a Joulon company, has completed fast turnaround modification to the mooring systems for two liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers while at anchor off the coast of Africa. Both modifications involved a tight schedule and were undertaken in order for the tankers to be able to call at key Indian LNG terminals.In each instance the scope of work was to supply a complete turnkey for the installation of additional spring line on the aft port side of each vessel.The modifications consisted of installation of two new pedestal roller fairleads in way of the cross-deck passageway…

While DNV GL’s model predicts global oil demand to peak in 2023, demand for gas will continue to rise until 2034. New resources will be required long after these dates to continue replacing depleting reserves. DNV GL’s 2018  Energy Transition Outlook, an independent forecast of the world energy mix in the lead-up to 2050, predicts global upstream gas capital expenditure to grow from USD960 billion (bn) in 2015, to a peak of USD1.13 trillion in 2025. Upstream gas operating expenditure is set to rise from USD448 bn in 2015 to USD582 bn in 2035…

Vitol said that the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) integrated oil and gas project offshore Ghana has commenced delivery of gas from the Sankofa field to Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).Both Vitol and GNPC are partners in the OCTP project alongside operator Eni. The offshore project is expected to provide stable supplies of cost effective and environmentally friendly, domestic fuel for the Ghanaian power sector, said Vitol.The estimated net cost of gas to Ghana will be less than $4.5/MMBtu…

The ability of the Port of Umm Qasr in Iraq to receive direct calls from larger container vessels is being progressively boosted by the new terminal development program at Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT).A significant milestone was reached at the end of August with the servicing of Evergreen’s 5652-TEU capacity Ever Useful with a LOA of 285 meters, beam of 40 meters, and a GRT of 69,246 tons. The vessel is by far the largest to call Berth 27 at BGT.In attendance during the arrival of the boxship and marking the significance of the occasion were Chief Atheal…