Africa News

Four people, including a baby, died early on Tuesday morning when a dinghy carrying migrants sank off the northwestern coast of Ayvacik in Turkey, the Turkish coast guard said.A search and rescue operation ended after the coast guard retrieved the 11 other migrants who were onboard, the coast guard said. Reuters video footage showed the surviving migrants, including at least one child, were later rushed wearing blankets aboard ambulances.The boat was carrying Iranian and Afghan migrants, Hurriyet newspaper reported, citing security sources.Turkey became one of the main launch points for migrants taking the sea route to European Union territory in 2015, many fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.

The European Union is considering a six-month extension to its Mediterranean mission, which is aimed at cracking down on smugglers and migration from Africa, but only for air patrols and training Libya's coast guard, according to a draft statement.The current mandate of the so-called Sophia mission expires this week and Italy wants to change it so that its ships are no longer patrolling and picking up people in the sea. Other states such as Germany want to prolong Sophia.A potential compromise discussed by national diplomats in Brussels on Tuesday…

Ghana and Denmark signed a Memoranda of Agreement to enhance e-navigation in the maritime sector and support implementation of international maritime regulations.The Minister of Transport, Ghana  Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, along with the newly appointed Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Thomas Kofi Alonsi and the Director General Andreas Nordseth from the Danish Maritime Authority, signed the contract for three-year collaboration.The contract was also signed by the Danish…

Netherlands-based maritime service company EMAR Offshore Services welcomed a new vessel to its fleet. The Damen ASD Tug 2811, named E-TWO, was ordered in November 2018 with a special request for the installation of an additional FiFi1 system, aft winch and hydraulic crane.This ASD Tug 2811, one of Damen Shipyards Group’s ‘next-generation’ harbor tugs, will be deployed for assisting in the berthing and unberthing of industrial vessels in major ports.Johan van Beek, Managing Director of EMAR Offshore Services…

European logistics provider Rhenus Group has acquired South African freight forwarding and logistics specialist World Net Logistics (WNL).The takeover of the Johannesburg-headquartered firm WNL is still subject to approval by the relevant cartel authorities.In addition to having a dense network of business sites in South Africa, WNL also has several branches and partners in Asia and Germany.The acquisition by Germany’s Rhenus Group is the latest in a string of purchases around the world in the last few months alone…

A training tackling maritime crime is undergoing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (10 - 28 March 2019), informed the International Maritime Organization (IMO).Members of three key regional maritime security agreements -The Djibouti Code of Conduct; the West and Central Africa Code of conduct; and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP)-, which IMO has helped to establish, are participating in the program.Thirty participants from 24 countries are learning theoretical and practical skills to deal with piracy/robbery against ships…

Increased maritime traffic as well as offshore oil and gas industries in west and central Africa means more risks of oil spill in the region, pointed out International Maritime Organization (IMO).To strengthen the capability for preparedness and response of a potential oil spill, a workshop underwent in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (18-21 March).The event aimed to help participants with to ratify and effectively implement IMO conventions relating to oil pollution and liability and compensation, said the UN Body.Participants were trained on how to best transpose IMO treaties into domestic laws.

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Tuesday he would not let an Italian-flagged charity ship disembark 49 Africans rescued in the Mediterranean, setting up a fresh confrontation with humanitarian groups over migration.The Mare Jonio picked up the migrants, including 12 minors, on Monday after their rubber boat started to sink in the central Mediterranean, some 42 miles (68 km) off the coast of Libya.The vessel headed straight for the nearby Italian island of Lampedusa but was not granted permission to dock and is currently sailing close to land, awaiting further instructions.Salvini, who heads the anti-immigrant League party, has told non-governmental organisations that Italy's ports are closed to them…

Danish shipping giant Norden is opening an office in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as part of the Company’s continued global expansion.The office will generate new business and focus on contributing positively to the development of the region, the dry bulk and tanker owner said in a press release.“Norden opens offices and employs people with a long-term horizon and that is also the case for our move into West Africa. We wish to come even closer to our business partners and increase our business presence and at the same time be part of and help the region develop by investing manpower…

Africa Energy Corp., an oil and gas company with exploration assets offshore South Africa and Namibia, has announced the start of a new 3D marine seismic acquisition programme over the Paddavissie Fairway on Block 11B/12B offshore South Africa.The Brulpadda discovery is located on Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin 175 kilometers off the southern coast of South Africa. The block covers an area of 19,000 square kilometers with water depths ranging from 200 to 1,800 meters.Jan Maier…

On Saturday,February 23, 2019, Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) hosted a keel laying ceremony, marking the start of construction on the first of three Multi-mission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPVs) for the South African Navy. These vessels will aid in protecting the country from threats such as trafficking, illegal fishing and piracy, as well as support job creation and enterprise development.The keel laying ceremony is a maritime tradition that dates back to the times of wooden…

Profiled in the March 2019 "cruise" edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News is Sven Lindblad, intrepid explorer and wildlife photographer Sven Lindblad blazed the trail for environmentally sensitive travelers to Antarctica on Lindblad Expedition’s fleet of cruise ships with National Geographic.You can tell a lot about a man by whom his heroes are, whether famous athletes, virtuoso musicians, brave warriors or movie stars. As we age, we choose our heroes by their moral compass…

Shipping services provider Boluda Corporación Marítima has signed a letter of intent to acquire all the shares, worth 300 million euros, of Kotug Smit Towage.The Netherlands-based towage services provider Kotug Smit Towage is operating in North Sea countries (United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany).Boluda Corporación Marítima is now in talks to acquire 100% of the towage company Kotug Smit Towage created in 2016. The shares are owned equally by the two companies Kotug International BV and Royal Boskalis Westminster NV…

Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA) Port of Ngqura has hosted the testing and launch of the first ever locally manufactured aluminium vessels by PE-based boat builder, Legacy Marine. As the company’s ship yard is based in Perseverance, the low bridges blocked the route to the Port of PE in the past, restricting the building of larger vessels. When the new Port of Ngqura stepped up as an alternative port, it contributed to the expansion of boat building in the Eastern Cape.“Now that the port is available for new vessel launches…

Together with the introduction of new expedition cruise catalogues for the 2020-2021 season. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has also announced that low-pollutant marine gas oil (MGO) will be used exclusively on all routes sailed by its expedition ships in the fleet - the HANSEATIC nature, the HANSEATIC inspiration and the BREMEN from July 2020. Joining the fleet in 2021, the HANSEATIC spirit will also use this fuel.The use of low-sulphur fuels in the Antarctic has been mandatory for several years and already Hapag-Lloyd Cruises uses marine gas oil voluntarily in other sensitive regions, such as the Arctic or Kamchatka. This low-pollutant fuel has a sulphur content of just 0.1 per cent.

The Round Table of international shipping associations plus the OCIMF representing the global shipping and oil industry have announced the geographic boundaries of the ‘High Risk Area’ for piracy in the Indian Ocean have been reduced, with new advice issued to merchant ship operators.The High Risk Area reflects the area where the threat from piracy exists, whilst recognizing the ongoing containment of pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean. The industry group of shipping and oil industry organisations BIMCO…

On March 4th at Damen Shipyards Singapore, Seaways International took delivery of two Damen Fast Crew Suppliers (FCS) 2206. The Dubai-headquartered company has previously operated a Damen FCS 3307. Seaways International specializes in offshore marine services and will use the new vessels to transport crew to offshore energy locations in West Africa.Damen signed the contract with Seaways International on May 9, 2018. The swiftness of the delivery is due to Damen’s philosophy of standardized shipbuilding.

The World Bank Group announced a new program to advance the adoption of offshore wind energy in developing countries and emerging markets.The World Bank and  International Finance Corporation (IFC) will help these markets evaluate their offshore wind potential and provide technical assistance to develop a growing pipeline of projects that are ready for investment by renewable energy developers, said a release from the  international financial institution.The offshore wind industry has grown nearly five-fold since 2011…

Sharing information among the various different agencies involved is vital for maintaining maritime security, especially where there is a strong multi-national element.That’s why International Maritime Organization (IMO)  is running a workshop in Djibouti on maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean area.The participants (from Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, United…

South Africa’s smallest commercial port, the Port of Mossel Bay is well equipped to provide value following global energy giant Total’s significant gas condensate discovery on the Brulpadda prospects, located on Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin, 175 kilometres off the southern coast of South Africa, announced Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA).The authority has dispelled criticism that it may not be ready to answer the call for capacity necessitated by the recent discovery…

Maritime and heavy lift ropes company, Lankhorst Ropes, has appointed Mark Pieter Frölich as commercial director for Lankhorst Ropes USA. Based in Philadelphia, Frölich will head the development of Lankhorst Ropes’ sales in the maritime and offshore markets in the United States and Canada.Lankhorst Ropes is part of Kansas based WireCo WorldGroup, a steel wire and synthetic ropes maker. Previously regional manager for Lankhorst Ropes in the Middle East, Frölich has spent the past seven years successfully founding and growing the WireCo WorldGroup branch office in Dubai.

All 7 ship-to-shore and 20 RTG ultra-modern gantry cranes have arrived for installation in the Port of Tema, Ghana, said APM Terminals, international container terminal operating company headquartered in The Hague.These are one of the final pieces of a $1.0bn investment by APM Terminals and its partners in Meridian Port Services (MPS), Bolloré Africa Logistics and Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority.With crane commissioning and operator training now taking place, the Port is on schedule to open on June 28 this year.The breakwater and access channel…

The global floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) market was valued at around US$ 25 Bn in 2017 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of around 12% from 2018 to 2026, said a new report.Based on type, the global FPSO market can be divided into converted, new-build, and redeployed, said a new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) on FPSO market.In terms of value, the converted segment dominated the global FPSO market in 2017. Low capital requirement and faster…