Ecuador News

SAAM Towage said it signed a contract with Turkish shipbuilder UZMAR Shipyards to begin building two new tugs that will provide services for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project being developed by Energía del Pacífico (EDP) in El Salvador.The new RAstar 3200W azimuth tugs were designed by Canadian firm Robert Allan Ltd. and will be built in Turkey by UZMAR. They will measure 32 meters in beam, have a bollard pull of 75 tons and can reach a maximum speed of 12.5 knots. They will also have superior steering and breaking capacity for escort operations…

After nine months of dredging, Jan De Nul Group has reached an important first milestone by completing the deepening of the 95 km long access channel to the port in record time.The Municipality of Guayaquil (Ecuador) officially inaugurated its newly deepened maritime access channel last weekend, by welcoming the first Neo-Panamax vessel APL Esplanade in the port.Jan De Nul Group will now operate and maintain the channel under this 25-year concession contract. The total investment…

Yilport Puerto Bolivar, Ecuador’s first deep-sea terminal, will soon have a new fleet of ship-to-shore (STS) and electrified rubber tired gantry (E-RTG) that set sail from Oita, Japan, on December 30, 2019.Yilport said in a press release that the cranes will arrive on January 27, 2020, and will be part of a fleet comprising 6 STS and 18 ERTG cranes.The cranes forms the first shipment of overall 6 new STS cranes and 18 E-RTG cranes order of the Terminal. These 2 STS cranes will have 62 meters 22 rows out-reach capacity, designed to serve 14,000 TEU vessels.

Latest move to Enter El Salvador with Energía del Pacífico will Reinforce SAAM Towage's Presence in Central America.The Managing Director of SAAM Towage, Felipe Rioja, celebrated the company’s upcoming launch in the new market: El Salvador. “We will provide services for the Energía del Pacífico (EDP) project at the Port of Acajutla, which reinforces our presence in Central America and our commitment to the region,” he commented.The long-term agreement with EDP calls for allocating three tugs, two of which are new, to power plant operations.

Ecuador's environment minister, Raul Ledesma, said on Monday that a situation involving a sunken barge in the Galapagos Islands which was carrying 600 gallons of diesel is under control but added that authorities are "very concerned" about the vessel's recovery.The barge sank on Sunday after a crane at the La Predial dock of San Cristobal - the easternmost island of the Galapagos archipelago - fell while unloading cargo, Ecuador's navy said in a statement on Twitter.Located around 1…

A regional workshop organized by International Maritime Organization (IMO) has provided senior maritime administration officials in Latin America with the latest information on current and future developments at the Organization.The workshop for the regional maritime authorities networks, ROCRAM and ROCRAM-CA was held at IMO Headquarters in London (26 November) in the margin of the 31st IMO Assembly.The 28 participants received detailed information about the activities within…

The GloFouling Partnerships project, is a joint initiative between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) ,  has 12 Lead Partnering Countries.Indonesia and Mexico have recently joined Fiji, Tonga, Brazil, Madagascar, Mauritius and Philippines as those which have already established their national task forces. Jordan, Sri Lanka, Peru and Ecuador will join in the coming months.The project…

Marine biodiversity is under threat from invasive aquatic species, but International Maritime Organization (IMO) is leading a major global project to combat that threat and find solutions to this major problem.And that project has just passed two major milestones as two more countries, Indonesia and Mexico, have formed their national task force to take part in the initiative, said a press note from the UN body.The project, GloFouling Partnerships, is a joint initiative between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and IMO.

Auditing International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member States to assess how effectively they administer key IMO instruments is an important part of the Organization’s work to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is universally adopted and implemented.To support this process, new audit team leaders were trained under IMO’s Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) at a course held at IMO Headquarters, London (14-17 October).The course involved thirteen auditors…

The Cook Islands and Sao Tome and Principe have become the latest States to become Party to the Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety.These small nations deposited their instruments of accession during the Torremolinos Ministerial Conference on Fishing Vessel Safety and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing (21-23 October).At the same time, they joined 44 other countries (46 in total) signing the Torremolinos Declaration, a non-legally binding political instrument.By signing the Declaration…

The total freight volume handled by Port of Antwerp rose from January through September 2019 by 1.1% compared with the same period last year. The container volume (in TEU) was up by as much as 6.4%.However the slowdown in the world economy reduced the growth rate of more volatile trade flows such as conventional break-bulk, liquid bulk and vehicles. On the other hand the volume of dry bulk such as scrap metal, minerals and coal soared by 9.5%, further propelling the overall freight…

DP World, a Dubai-based global port operator, announced that it has expanded its business in Peru into a fully-integrated maritime and logistics operation.It has completed the development of the first phase of the deepwater port of Posorja in Ecuador for around $538 million. The whole project is estimated to cost around $1.2 billion.The development of the port by DP World will make Ecuador a trade and logistics hub for South America’s west coast. It will also see large container ships with capabilities exceeding 10…

The $538 million first phase of the new Deepwater Port of Posorja in Ecuador by global trade enabler, DP World, is now completed and successfully operational.The overall $1.2 billion project will replicate Dubai's Jebel Ali Port and freezone, making Ecuador a trade and logistics hub for South America's west coast, and opening a gateway for large container ships with capacities exceeding 10,000 TEUs.Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World, visited the facility to assess progress of the project, which is one of the largest international investments in Ecuador.

What are the barriers to implementing the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations to cut emissions from ships and how can these be overcome?These were key questions explored during an IMO regional workshop on effective ratification and implementation of MARPOL Annex VI and the  initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships, held in Viña del Mar, Chile (30 September-2 October).Participants identified existing barriers preventing ratification of MARPOL Annex VI…

International Maritime Organization (IMO), with support from Malaysia, has given fresh impetus to an important regional network helping to promote women in the maritime community in Latin America.At a meeting in Colombia, (18-20 September 2019), the network of Women of the Maritime Authorities of Latin America (MAMLa) was put on a firm foundation. Maritime Authorities include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador…

International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) Ecuador has launched the first transport insurance program for banana trade.Contecon Guayaquil SA, the Ecuadorian subsidiary of ICTSI, will be providing banana-exporters with a comprehensive insurance program, increasing coverage for the transport. ICTSI claims that Contecon Guayaquil SA (CGSA) is the world’s biggest banana export port.Designed according to the needs of Ecuador’s export market – SIE, Ecuador’s first integral insurance…

Dutch shipbuilding giant Damen Shipyards Group said that it has  sold two Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) Tugs to Ecuador-based DLEN S.A.According to the operator of 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, the vessels will give tug assistance during bunkering operations to Corpetrolsa’s fleet of tankers, a subsidiary of DLEN, as well as other vessels entering the ports of Esmeraldas and La Libertad.The new two-vessel order follows hot on the heels of last year’s delivery of three Damen Stan Tugs to the DLEN.

Biodiversity can be threatened by organisms which can build up on ships' hulls and other marine structures, a process known as biofouling.A press note from International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that during a workshop in Arraial do Cabo, Brazil (5 August), experts on biofouling and invasive species and others took the first steps towards setting up a national task force to tackle the issue.According to the UN body, Brazil is one of 12 lead partnering countries in the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships project…

Swiss-based shipping line MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is improving trade links between Costa Rica and northern Europe by adding a new direct call from the Port of Moin.The container shipping that operates in all major ports of the world said in a press release that MSC Katya R. has become the largest vessel to call Moin Terminal in Costa Rica, launching a new era in cargo shipping for the port and for exporters using its facilities.MSC’s service will bring larger container…

Brazil Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ernesto Henrique Fraga Araujo met with the global port operator DP World Group's Chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia this week.They discussed social reform, a stable and efficient regulatory framework to attract investors alongside public private partnerships to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI). The meeting preceded Mr. Bin Sulayem’s discussions with President Jair Bolsonaro during the visit.DP World Santos…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) treaties need to be implemented into national law so that they can be applied on ships flying the flag of a particular country and so that those countries can implement effective port State control and comply with other obligations under the specified IMO instruments.According to the UN body, an IMO course provides lawyers and legislative drafters with the tools they need to understand IMO treaties, how they are developed and adopted…

The initial phase of the Glofouling Partnerships project is now well and truly underway with a series of technical workshops in the Pacific, stated  International Maritime Organization (IMO).The UN body said that the key message delivered to participants was that once introduced, marine invasive species can be hard to eradicate - and invasive species represent a potential major threat to the Pacific Ocean's biodiversity and the ecological integrity of Small Island Developing States.The…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Chile, to extend Chile's technical assistance to countries in the Caribbean region, in addition to Latin America.According to the UN body, the MoU on Technical Cooperation, signed by the Directorate General of Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine (DIRECTEMAR) of the Republic of Chile, replaces earlier MoUs (signed in 2002 and 2005) and strengthens the collaboration…