Africa News

Gregory Darling and Applied Satellite Technology (AST) works with shipowners to help them use their bandwidth more efficiently for ship business and crew needs.When Gregory Darling, Group MD, AST, worked in the marine industry in the 1980s with a marine survey company, he needed to get word to one of his ships off of West Africa to recalibrate its course and head off to a new job. But the ship had left port, and radio calls to the ship went unanswered, resulting in two days of lost time and revenue.“That was frustrating and costly…

Lawhill provides secondary-school students in Grades 10 to 12 with a specialized education and knowledge that prepares them for entry into maritime and related industries. For more than two decades, the industry-funded program has greatly improved the post-school employment prospects of thousands of young South Africans, especially those from financially-disadvantaged backgrounds.A special event was held at Lawhill to commemorate the 25 year milestone and the retirement of long-standing maritime educators, Brian Ingpen and Captain Godfrey Schlemmer.

Kidnappings rose by 40% in the Gulf of Guinea in the first nine months of this year, and the region off West Africa's coast now accounts for 95% of global maritime kidnappings, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Wednesday.Eighty seafarers were taken in the Gulf of Guinea, a 2.3 million sq km (888,000 sq m) area bordering more than a dozen countries, sharply up from the same period in 2019, and the pirates are attacking further out to sea than before, the IMB said.Pirates…

Yanmar Europe BV said it has signed an agreement with the Danish independent service provider VMS Group A/S as a new service agent for commercial marine engines and spare parts. As of today, VMS Group is a registered agent to service Yanmar medium and high commercial marine engines.Kim Rasmussen, CCO of VMS Group, sees great opportunities and good potential in the wide range of marine engines that Yanmar offers. “Due to our many years of experience in the marine business we know Yanmar as a manufacturer of efficient, strong and reliable engines. This is also what ship owners tell us as feedback on Yanmar engines. Furthermore, we find that the innovative technology behind the Yanmar engines plays an important role in the future…

Mercy Ships' new hospital ship Global Mercy, nearing completion at the Tianjin Xingang shipyard in China, will be powered by four Wärtsilä 32 engines.When completed, the philanthropic organization's Global Mercy will be the world’s largest vessel of its kind, providing essential healthcare to patients in developing countries. Mercy Ships expects to take delivery in 2021, and the ship’s maiden voyage is planned later in the year to Africa where crew will provide vital surgical care at no cost.Wärtsilä…

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has extended suspension of sailings until November 30, excluding those originating from Hong Kong, the U.S.

Construction of what has been described as the world's largest civilian/NGO hospital ship - the Global Mercy - is making progress and is nearing completion in China.Mercy Ships, an NGO which ordered the ship to deliver free healthcare services to those with little access in the developing world, and Stena RoRo, which leads the construction of the Global Mercy, on Tuesday shared a timelapse video of the construction along with the photos of the vessel in the shipyard in China."The Global Mercy will be a true modern marvel—a fully custom-built hospital ship with customized instruments…

Golar LNG has informed that force majeure events have been lifted on the GIMI FLNG the company is building for Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project in Senegal/Mauritania offshore area, and that the project would be delayed for 11 months compared to the original schedule.Golar and BP in February 2019 signed a 20-year deal for the charter of a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit, Gimi, for the project in Senegal/Mauritania, with the expected start-up in 2022. Golar then tasked Keppel with the conversion of the LNG carrier Gimi into an FLNG unit.

Ship management and marine support services giant V.Group said on Wednesday it has appointed René Kofod-Olsen as the company’s chief executive officer, taking over from Graham Westgarth who will become chairman. Kofod-Olsen will join V. Group on November 1.Kofod-Olsen brings to the role almost three decades of global shipping industry experience. In 2012 he was appointed CEO of Topaz Energy & Marine, a position he held until the company’s successful divestment in 2019. Earlier in his career he worked for the A.P.

Mackay Marine announced Wednesday it has opened its newest marine electronics sales and service center in Cape Town, South Africa, following the acquisition of Dynamic Marine Systems (DMS) (Pty) Ltd.Specializing in nav/comm electronics, dynamic positioning systems (DP), and automation equipment, DMS serves high-seas, oil and gas, coastal, commercial fishing and naval customers. DMS’ staff have more than 100 years collective maritime and naval experience.“Expanding our global network to include South Africa has been a long-term goal for Mackay Marine” said Jeff Schlacks, President of Mackay.

The world's biggest shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Co Ltd is discussing concessions with EU antitrust regulators to allay concerns over its $1.8 billion bid for rival Daewoo, people familiar with the matter said.The deal, in part a response to overcapacity in the sector, would reinforce the South Korean company’s top position with a 21% market share, and comes as rivals in China and Singapore make inroads.The European Commission, which opened a full-scale investigation into the deal last December on concerns it could inflate prices and reduce competition in cargo shipbuilding…

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, navies adjusted how they operate at home and while deployed, to keep their forces ready for any missions as they keep their Sailors, families, communities, as well as allies and partners safe from the coronavirus.Navies have taken a number of prudent preventative measures to limit outbreaks, mitigate cases of infection and reduce the community spread of the virus.Speaking during his May 29 “On The Horizon: Navigating the European and African Theaters” podcast, Admiral James G. Foggo III, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, said The U.S.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists in Baltimore recently uncovered egg masses of the highly invasive Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) and a live Khapra beetle larvae, one of the world’s most destructive insect pests, aboard ships in one the nation’s busiest ports for vehicle imports.The suspected AGM egg masses were found from August 21 to September 4 affixed to various parts of the four vehicle carriers Graceful Leader (four), Hoegh Africa (one), Hoegh Jacksonville (two) and Figaro (two), which had arrived in Baltimore after port calls in Japan, South Korea and China.

Canadian grain shipments through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway trade corridor are up 20% in response to continuing world demand for wheat and canola, the latest figures show.Year-to-date shipments of grain (from April 1 to August 31) totaled 5.2 million tonnes, as ships transported Prairie wheat and canola and Ontario wheat and soybeans for both domestic use and for export to markets around the world.The rush of grain, which is carry over from last year’s crops, has helped to offset continuing pandemic-related declines in other key cargoes such as iron ore (down 23%)…

As the focus on carbon emissions comes to the fore across all industries, Keppel O&M, which supports the circular economy concept and is a ship conversion leader, is able to help companies reduce their indirect emissions. Proof of this was delivery of the world’s first FLNG conversion solution that dramatically reduced the carbon footprint of the project as compared to new construction. There’s a second conversion project currently underway, and by the way: it’s faster to market…

A new unmanned surface vessel (USV) launched by U.K.-based marine and offshore services firm Star International has been designed for use by shipping operators to identify piracy threats and inform evasive actions.The Narwhal Star USV is an oceangoing rigid inflatable boat (RIB) surveillance platform that can be piloted via a remote ground control system (GCS), or used as a conventional, manually piloted vessel. The USV has been designed for rapid deployment from a parent vessel and can be launched using a standard davit or cargo crane.Jeff Antley…

P&O Maritime Logistics (P&OML), the marine services arm of global port operator DP World, has taken delivery of a Sanmar Shipyards-built tug for the DP World managed Berbera Port on behalf of Somaliland Port Authority (SPA). The M JEEX (ex. Dogancay XXV) arrived Berbera Port under P&OML management and crew on September 10, 2020. The delivery follows a previous purchase from Sanmar, the EGAL (ex. Dogancay XXVI), delivered in the summer of 2018.Powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3212B diesel engines (two 1…

Two Iranian-flagged tankers transporting fuel are sailing round Africa’s Cape of Good Hope en route to the Atlantic Ocean, according to Refinitiv Eikon’s vessel tracking data.The medium-size vessels Forest and Fortune, carrying about 300,000 barrels of fuel each loaded at Iran’s Bandar Abbas terminal last month, are bound for Venezuela, according to sources with knowledge of the shipment.Gasoline scarcity in Venezuela has worsened in recent days due to insufficient domestic production…

Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards said it will soon deliver the fifth and final vessel in a series of new tug builds for operator Svitzer at Oman's Port of Sohar.The newest tug Svitzer Saham is the third 80t bollard pull RAstar 2900SX variant, Sanmar’s Bigacay class, joining sister vessels Svitzer Sohar and Svitzer Shinas, alongside two other earlier deliveries in 2020 of the 50t bollard pull variant of the RAmparts 2200 (named Svitzer Liwa and Svitzer Barka), Sanmar’s Sirapinar…

On August 28, Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) held a keel-laying for the second of three Multi-Mission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPV) that it is building for the South African Navy’s Project BIRO.The South African Navy’s Project BIRO aims to develop maritime security, ensuring the country’s capabilities to respond effectively, rapidly, and cost-efficiently to maritime threats such as piracy and illegal fishing.The MMIPVs draw on proven technology from Damen’s standardized range of patrol boats…

Maritime security intelligence agencies have reported that the Water Phoenix reefer vessel was boarded Tuesday morning off Nigeria by an unknown number of persons and that two Russian nationals have been kidnapped.Per Praesidium International, a risk consultancy and maritime security company, the incident happened at 5:50 a.m. UTC Tuesday, approximately 34 nautical miles south of Lagos."According to the initial reports, the perpetrators managed to board the vessel and kidnap the master and another crew member…

Maersk will cut jobs in a major shake-up that will affect a third of the shipping giant's staff as it seeks to integrate its seaborne container and in-land logistics businesses, it said on Tuesday.Maersk, which handles about one in five containers shipped worldwide, has been under pressure from investors to speed its transformation from an unwieldy conglomerate but has proved resilient in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.Cost cuts and its reinstatement of more upbeat guidance last month have helped to double its share price since March and the shares were trading 0.9% up at 9,652 crowns by 08

Offshore vessel owner Hermitage Offshore Services has appealed against the New York Stock Exchange's move to delist its shares.Hermitage Offshore Services (previously known as Nordic American Offshore) on August 12 filed for a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, It cited a prolonged slump in global oil prices, driven in part by the global coronavirus pandemic, and its effect on the company’s business, as well as the inability to reach a financial restructuring deal with lenders out of court…