Cape Verde News

When MS Otto Sverdrup departed Hamburg, Germany, on itsmaiden voyage on August 24, Hurtigruten marked off three milestones: Introduction of Hurtigruten Expeditions’ third battery-hybrid powered cruise ship; Introduction of the first year-round expedition cruises from Germany; and a return of expedition cruises after more than a year of pandemic pause.Since the very first expedition cruise in 1896, Hurtigruten Expeditions has helped to define the expedition cruise category, with today a growing fleet of smaller…

The United States on Tuesday sanctioned a network of oil trading firms, individuals and vessels that have helped Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA sell crude mainly to Asia despite Washington's sanctions on the South American nation.The measure targets a network that the U.S. Treasury Department says helped the administration of President Nicolas Maduro, whose 2018 re-election Washington called a sham, broker the sale of hundreds of millions of dollars in Venezuelan oil."Those facilitating the illegitimate Maduro regime's attempts to circumvent United States sanctions contribute to the corruption that consumes Venezuela," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a news release.The Treasury said its Office of Foreign Assets Control…

Gambian authorities seized nearly three tonnes of cocaine from a shipment of industrial salt originating in Ecuador, a spokesman said on Friday, in one of the largest ever busts in West Africa.The 118 bags of cocaine were discovered on Thursday during a search of a container shipped from the port of Guayaquil in Ecuador and through Algeciras in Spain, said Ousman Saidybah, a spokesman for Gambia’s drug enforcement agency.It was not clear where the cocaine was ultimately headed.

The Russian captain and crew of a cargo ship captured last year in Cape Verde with the biggest cocaine haul ever seized in the country were found guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced to jail on Friday.The 9.5 tonnes of cocaine were seized in February 2019 after the ship, which was traveling to Morocco from South America, docked at the port of Praia for legal reasons following the death of a crew member.An Atlantic archipelago of 500,000 people off Africa’s west coast, Cape Verde has long tried to tackle gangs trafficking Latin American cocaine to Europe via West Africa.Captain Sergei Kotlovskii said during the trial that he had been…

An tanker picked up seven crew embers from a sinking fishing vessel in the Gulf of Finland.While en-route from the Port of Ust-Luga to Copenhagen on February 6, the tanker SСF Angara received a distress signal from the Russian fishing trawler Pongoma, which was sinking on the traverse of Tallinn, 26 nautical miles offshore, SCF Group said on Monday.The tanker and her crew, under the leadership of master Alexey Maksimovsky, responded to the request for help, and following the instructions received from the rescue center in Tallinn, diverted to assist the ship in distress.During a rescue operation, all seven members of Pongoma’s crew were brought aboard the tanker. Two fishermen in need of urgent medical care were then evacuated by helicopter to Helsinki.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises presented the Hanseatic nature for the first time in Hamburg on Saturday (May 04, 2019).The provider of adventure and classic cruising with luxury voyages to Polar Regions, Caribbean, Central America, Europe & more said that Hanseatic nature is the first of three, structurally- identical ships in the cruise line’s new expedition class. The ship left Hamburg on May 5, 2019 for its inaugural cruise, which will take it to the Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands, finishing in Bergen. This summer, the ship will visit the Arctic.The Hanseatic nature is a small, manoeuvrable and expedition ship, to be positioned in the 5-star segment. Its construction, design and routes revolve around providing a true expedition experience and getting as close as possible to nature.

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, drug trafficking, marine terrorism, weapons smuggling…

The French-flag cruise line Ponant is testing the Solid Sail concept on its vessel Le Ponant. Tests are being conducted with maritime construction company Chantiers de l’Atlantique as part of the sailing cruise-vessel project Silenseas, launched two years ago.Two patents have been filed—in 2009 and 2017—for the new type of sail, made of fibreglass, carbon and epoxy-resin panels in a carbon-slat frame. This new technology will significantly reduce energy consumption tied to propulsion, and thus considerably reduce the environmental impact."When Chantiers de l’Atlantique offered to collaborate with us on solid-sail technology, we were immediately interested.

In a ceremony held at Damen Shipyards Singapore on April 19, His Excellency, Dr. Augusto da Silva Tomás, Minister of Transport for the Republic of Angola officially launched the new Damen Fast RoPax Ferry 4812 ordered by the Ministerio dos Transportes through IMPA (Instituto Marítimo e Portuário de Angola).The vessel will be operated by TMA Express (Transporte Marítimo de Angola) and operate on Angola’s Atlantic coastline between the capital Luanda and Cabinda, around 400 kilometers to the north, via Soyo.The Fast RoPax Ferry 4812 is the latest addition to Damen’s Fast RoPax Ferry range.

In a bid to harmonize port state control inspection procedures that will lead to the elimination of substandard shipping in the West and Central Africa sub-region, the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will host its 3rd Ministerial Conference and 9th Port state Control Committee Meeting with the aim of developing a unified system of Port State Control inspection procedure for the region. The Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African Region generally referred to as Abuja MoU is one of the 9 Regional MoUs and national MoU established pursuant to IMO Resolution A.682 (17) of 1991. The Organization operates under a Cooperative Agreement with the IMO.

Transinsular announced the 'Lince Class', the fastest maritime connection with Cape Verde from Portugal (Leixões / Lisbon) and the Canary Islands (Las Palmas). And therefore, the most competitive solution for exporting products from Portugal, Spain, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. At the same time, and as a complement to the 'Lince Class', the ETE Group will offer inter-island ‘ATOBÁ’ cabotage services, on the way from Praia, Mindelo, Sal and Boavista, connecting these ports to the African proximity markets such as Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania.

A regional conference of countries in west, central and southern Africa has committed to continue to work at both national and regional levels to boost preparedness to deal with oil spill incidents which could be devastating both for the marine environment and financially. The conference (6-9 November) in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, was hosted by CIAPOL, the Ivoirian pollution control centre. It brought together industry and government focal points from 20 out of 22 west, central and southern African countries covered by the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI-WACAF). This project is run by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)…

The Greenpeace ship My Esperanza has docked at the port of Praia in Cape Verde. For eleven weeks the Esperanza will sail the waters of six West Africa States - Cape Verde, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Senegal to raise awareness on the state of fisheries through political events, public engagement and consultations with the West-African science community. The ship tour named “The West Africa tour of hope” will provide an opportunity to make these countries’ voice on protecting their own sea and marine resources heard internationally. The West African waters are among the richest in the world. Millions of people and local communities depend on them to survive.

The business portfolio internationalization and the development of river operations are two of ETE Group’s strategic focus, as referred last Friday on the 80th birthday ceremonies at Naval Rocha shipyard (in Lisbon) with the presence of the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the Minister for the Sea Affairs, Ana Paula Vitorino and the Minister for Environment, Matos Fernandes. According to Luis Nagy, the CEO, “at ETE Group we are  starting the ninth decade with a strong focus on the internationalization of our operations, which have been growing and, we hope, will represent, in 5 years’ time, 30 to 40% of our turnover, against the present 10%.

A recent visit to Cabo Verde November 30 to December 6 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) provided an opportunity to meet various government agencies involved with maritime security and discuss the country’s future role in regional maritime security activities. Cabo Verde announced its intention to host the MultiNational Centre of Coordination (for Cabo Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Senegal) under the proposed operational framework to support the wider region’s maritime security Code of Conduct, which was signed by governments, including Cabo Verde, in 2013, to enhance cooperation to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea and other illicit maritime activity.

Further to Hapag-Lloyd's information to their Customer circular issued in 4th March 2016 on the preventive actions of Zika virus for all cargoes entering China, the company has now provided an updated list of origin countries. All shipments from the following countries (indicated below) shall be subject to anti-mosquito treatment. Inbound shipments without proof of anti-mosquito treatment will be fumigated at the port of discharge in China by the authorities without prior notice. It is the Consignee’s responsibility to inform Shipper (at origin) to provide a certificate proof of treatment before loading. Please note that the Carrier is not involved in this procedure and all relevant costs as a result of required measures by the authorities shall be borne by the customer.

The Mexican Navy (Secretaria de Marina - SEMAR) and Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Group have signed contracts for three, 42-meter patrol vessels in addition to navy’s existing fleet. The new ships will be of the Damen Stan Patrol 4207 design. Known in Mexico as the Ténochtitlan class, the three new SPa 4207 vessels will be built by the Mexican Navy Yard ASTIMAR 1 in Tampico. Damen will provide the engineering, material package, technical assistance and crew training. The vessels will be named after Mexican historical sites and are expected to be launched in 2016.

The Royal Australian Navy operated Sail Training Ship (STS) Young Endeavour sailed into Fremantle today, completing a year-long circumnavigation of the world. Assistant Minister for Defence Darren Chester was in Western Australia to welcome the seafarers back to Australian soil and personally congratulate members of the Royal Australian Navy crew and the 24 young Australians who sailed the ship on the last leg across the Indian Ocean from Cape Town, in South Africa. “A circumnavigation of the world is a remarkable achievement for all involved, from Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Gavin Dawe, to each member of the Young Endeavour 2015 World Voyage crew,” Mr Chester said.

Turner Designs, along with scientists from around the world participated in a research cruise aboard the RV Meteor, a vessel owned by the Federal Republic of Germany through the Ministry of Research and Technology (BMFT) and funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The goal of this cruise was focused on ballast water sampling techniques and protocols. Various instruments were used to test collected ballast water enabling researchers to determine efficiency for the various sampling techniques employed.

Hurricane Fred strengthened early Monday in the eastern Atlantic as it approached the Cape Verde Islands, while the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika brought flooding to parts of South Carolina, according to U.S. forecasters. The center of Fred is expected to pass near or over the northwestern Cape Verde Islands, an archipelago off the west coast of Africa with a population of 525,000. Fred had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (137 kph), but was expected to gradually dissipate after passing the Cape Verde Islands, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

With the birthday of the cruise ship AIDAcara on June 7, 2015, AIDA Cruises is heralding the 20th year of its company history. On Sunday evening, more than 20,000 guests will toast together aboard the 10 AIDA ships, opening the anniversary celebrations. “AIDA – an inspiring smile. The original turns 20” is the slogan of the anniversary campaign, which will provide inspiration until the end of 2016 with exciting insights into the history of the modern cruise along with a variety of promotions and events. “With the commissioning of AIDAcara, we triggered a revolution in the cruise market, and for the first time we also generated a great deal of enthusiasm for this type of vacation among young and lifestyle-oriented people.

The Royal Australian Navy operated Sail Training Ship Young Endeavour set sail from Sydney today for a 12-month voyage, circumnavigating the globe. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Darren Chester, attended the departure from Fleet Base East, and spoke with members of the Royal Australian Navy crew and the 24 young Australians who will sail the ship on the first leg, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "The navy crew and young Australians who set sail from Sydney today represent every Australian state and territory.

The International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) has issued the following general advice related to the outbreak of Ebola. Vessels that have recently called in an affected country should contact their local agents prior to arrival at the next ports of call for the latest country specific advice regarding measures taken to avoid the spread of Ebola. ARGENTINA: Pilot companies rendering pilotage services in the River Plate have decided that their pilots will not board any vessel coming from the infected areas (Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone) until thirty days since the vessel sailed from last port of the infected areas. BENIN (Port of Cotonou): Vessels must notify the harbour master of the 10 previous ports of call 3 days before ETA.