Marine Link
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Ghana News

18 Mar 2024

IMO to Open Regional Office in Fiji

Source: IMO

The IMO will open its seventh Regional Presence Office (RPO), in Suva, Fiji, after IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, and Fiji Minister for Transport, Ro Filipe Tuisawau, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 18.The Regional Presence Office will support the maritime needs and priorities of countries in the Pacific Islands region, aligning IMO actions with national and regional development policies, while providing advice on key maritime issues such as training, safety and security, legislation and marine environment.

03 Mar 2024

Esgian Week 9 Report: Dolphin, Diamond and Seadrill Updates

© AndSus / Adobe Stock

Esgian reports rig-related updates from Dolphin Drilling, Diamond Offshore, and Seadrill in its Week 9 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report Outline:ContractsDespite Tullow Oil’s recent announcement that it would take a break from drilling offshore Ghana, Noble Corp. has stated that there has been no contract termination announcement and that its 12,000-ft drillship Noble Venturer is currently still contracted to Tullow into March 2025.Masirah Oil Ltd has signed a rig contract with…

19 Dec 2023

New Tugs Delivered to Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority

(Photo: Damen Shipyards)

Two next-generation Damen ASD Tugs 2813 have been delivered to the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority (GPHA).Commissioned during a ceremony on December 14, the newbuilds Capt. Edward A. A. Awuviri and Nestor Percy Galley—named after two former Director Generals—were built at Damen Shipyards’ dedicated tug building facility Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam.The vessels each deliver 83 tonnes bollard pull ahead and up to 77 tonnes astern, making them capable of maneuvering the range of large vessels that use the Ghanaian ports of Takoradi and Tema…

04 Dec 2023

Pakistan Becomes Party to Hong Kong Convention

Source: IMO

Pakistan has become a Party to the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (Hong Kong Convention).Vice Admiral (Retd.) Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, Maritime Minister and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Maritime Affairs, Pakistan, deposited the instrument of accession with IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters in London on November 30.The deposit follows an IMO-run national seminar in Karachi to…

21 Sep 2023

Russia Cuts September Seaborne Diesel Exports to Meet Domestic Shortage

Credit:  borissos

Russia cut its seaborne diesel and gasoil exports by nearly 30% to about 1.7 million metric tons in the first 20 days of September from the same time in August, as local refineries went into seasonal maintenance and the domestic market faces a fuel shortage and rising prices, traders said and LSEG data showed.Idle primary oil refining capacity for September is estimated at 4.657 million tons, up 45% from August, according to Reuters calculations.Due to the domestic fuel shortage…

05 Sep 2023

Russia's Seaborne Diesel Exports on the Rise

© Arestov Andrew / Adobe Stock

Russia's seaborne diesel and gasoil exports in August rose by 2% from a month earlier to about 3.85 million metric tons on healthy fuel production, data from traders and LSEG showed.Idle primary oil refining capacity for August was estimated at 3.1 million metric tons versus 2.458 million metric tons in July, Refinitiv Eikon data and Reuters calculations showed.After the full EU embargo on Russian oil products took effect on Feb. 5, Turkey remains the main destination for Russian diesel and gasoil seaborne exports…

04 Jul 2023

Russia's Seaborne Diesel Exports Rise in June as Maintenance Eases

Russia's seaborne diesel and gasoil exports in June rose by 13% from a month earlier to about 3.6 million tonnes as seasonal refineries maintenance eased, data from traders and Refinitiv Eikon showed. Idle primary oil refining capacity for June was estimated at 4.029 million tonnes, down from May, and may fall to 1.683 million tonnes in July, Refinitiv data and Reuters calculations showed. In August, Russia will also cut its oil exports by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd), potentially yielding more supply for domestic refining and fuel production. Since the full EU embargo on Russian oil products took effect on Feb. 5, Turkey remains the main destination for Russian diesel and gasoil seaborne exports…

21 Jun 2023

The Evolving FPSO Landscape – Healthy Demand, Changing Procurement

 Credit: Igor Kardasov/AdobeStock

After a slowdown in activity during 2020/2021 due to soft commodity prices, demand for FPSOs is picking up.With exploration hotspots like Namibia’s Orange Basin and the East Mediterranean delivering new finds, the FPSO market outlook is healthy. But shipyard capacity constraints are beginning to weigh on delivery, leading to cost concerns. Furthermore, FPSO demand is competing for yard space with other construction projects.To mitigate delay risk and cost overruns, some E&Ps have reviewed their FPSO procurement strategies.

19 May 2023

South Africa Grants Turkey's Karpowership Deal to Ease Power Crisis

©IzzetNoyan/AdobeStock

South Africa has granted Turkey's Karpowership access to the three ports of Ngqura, Durban and Saldanha Bay for a period of 20 years, the transport ministry said on Thursday, as it tries to find solutions to the country's power crisis.Karpowership aims to generate power on its floating gas ships and distribute it through South Africa's electricity grid. The plan received a boost from President Cyril Ramaphosa last week after he told lawmakers the ships would help ease the prolonged…

11 May 2023

African Leaders Positive About Participation in Decarbonization

Source: IMO

Africa's abundance of solar, wind and thermal energy across the continent can place Africa at the core of the global decarbonization of maritime transport, the IMO conference on Low-Carbon Shipping in Africa heard on May 5.Speaking at the Conference, held in In Mombasa, Kenya, and co-organized with the Kenya Maritime Authority, The Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Minister of Transport, Ghana, said Africa is the key to speeding up global climate action on the Decarbonization Agenda.

03 Apr 2023

Russia Boosts Seaborne Diesel Exports

© Vladimir / Adobe Stock

Russia increased its sea-borne diesel exports by 12% month-on-month in March to 4.5 million tonnes, boosting shipments to other destinations after its products were banned from the EU market, Refinitiv data and Reuters calculations showed.A full EU embargo on Russian oil products went into effect on Feb. 5.Turkey remains the top destination for Russian diesel and gasoil supplies, with its shipments almost doubling last month to about 1.6 million tonnes, according to Refinitiv…

19 Dec 2022

Africa’s Ports Race Creates Pathways for Plunder

The Lamu Port project is a flagship development project in Kenya. (Photo: Elisa Gambino)

Ports have long been integral to Africa’s connectivity with the rest of the world. Yet over the last 15 years, a new stage in maritime infrastructure planning and development has begun. Between 2004 and 2019, over US$50 billion was spent on this infrastructure – roughly 13 times more than was spent between 1990 and 2004.Ports reflect more than simple economic imperatives. They are crucial in creating and reinforcing social, political, and cultural systems. Infrastructure can be…

28 Nov 2022

Denmark Finds Nigerian Man Guilty in Pirate Case, Delivers No Sentence

© jivimages / Adobe Stock

A Danish court on Monday found a Nigerian man guilty of endangering the lives of Danish military personnel in a shooting incident last November involving Denmark's navy and a crew of suspected Nigerian pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.However, the court declined to sentence the Nigerian, Lucky Frances, 40, despite a call from the prosecutor for a prison sentence of 12 to 15 months.As part of international anti-piracy efforts, Denmark deployed a frigate to the Gulf of Guinea in October last year.

02 Nov 2022

World Maritime University Celebrates 2022 Graduation

WMU Graduating Class of 2022. Fotograf Leo/WMU

On October 31, 2022, global maritime leaders of tomorrow graduated from the World Maritime University (WMU). The Class of 2022 has received the education required to contribute to maritime and ocean matters in their home countries and more broadly to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Overall, the graduating class includes 276 graduates from 70 countries, and sets a record of 94 women graduates.WMU President Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia…

01 Nov 2022

Ghana's Historic Slave Forts are Being Swallowed by Rising Seas

Cape Coast Castle - Ghana / ©demerzel21/AdobeStock

For 21 years, Fort Prinzenstein's caretaker James Ocloo Akorli has watched the Gulf of Guinea's tempestuous waters eat away at both his livelihood and his heritage.The 18th century Danish citadel, set along Ghana's palm-fringed coastline, was once the last stop for captured Africans before they were forced onto slave ships bound for the Americas.Today, three-quarters of the UNESCO World Heritage site has been swallowed by the sea."There have been mornings after a storm when I have come to find large parts of the fort have just disappeared…

02 Jun 2022

UN Security Council Calls for Crackdown on Gulf of Guinea Piracy

© Lucia / Adobe Stock

The UN Security Council last week called for greater action to prevent piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, a region posing significant danger for commercial shipping as a hotbed for maritime kidnappings and armed robbery at sea.The council unanimously adopted Resolution 2634 (2022), which calls upon member states in the region to criminalize piracy and armed robbery at sea under their domestic laws, and to investigate, prosecute or extradite, in accordance with applicable international law…

10 Jan 2022

BIMCO Urges Gulf of Guinea States to Crack Down on Piracy

© Lucia / Adobe Stock

Shipping organization BIMCO is urging states in the Gulf of Guinea region to take responsibility and step-up prosecution efforts when pirates are apprehended by international navies, following the release of three suspected pirates held in custody on board Danish frigate Esbern Snare.“The presence of international navies is a very important step in the right direction to keep seafarers safe but establishing a sustainable security situation in the Gulf of Guinea cannot happen without full support of the region.

07 Jan 2022

Danish Frigate Releases Suspected Gulf of Guinea Pirates

(Photo: Danish Defense)

The Danish navy has released three suspected Nigerian pirates who were picked up by a frigate in the Gulf of Guinea in November after it failed to find a country in the region to take them, the Danish Armed Forces said on Friday.The three, who had been detained aboard the frigate Esbern Snare, were put to sea on Thursday in a small dinghy with enough food and fuel for them to reach shore safely to shore."They have no relation to Denmark, and the crime they have been charged with was committed far from Denmark.

15 Dec 2021

Brazil: Helix Energy Solutions Wins One-year Charter Extension for 'Siem Helix 2'

U.S.-based Helix Energy Solutions Group has secured an extension of its well intervention charter and services contracts with Brazil's Petrobras for the Siem Helix 2 well intervention vessel."The initial four-year contract for the Siem Helix 2 has been extended by one year at a reduced rate reflective of the current market. The Siem Helix 2 is now set to remain under contract with Petrobras until mid-December 2022 performing riser-based well intervention activities," Helix Energy Solutions said. The company did not provide details on the value of the contract.The Siem Helix 2 is a 2016-built well intervention vessel capable of performing a wide range of subsea services including production enhancement…

25 Nov 2021

Danish Frigate Kills Four Pirates in Gulf of Guinea

(Photo: Danish Defence)

A Danish frigate has killed four pirates in waters south of Nigeria in an operation to protect shipping in the Gulf of Guinea, the Danish military said on Thursday.The Esbern Snare, deployed last month to the Gulf of Guinea amid heightened security risks from pirates, on Wednesday spotted a fast-moving vessel carrying eight suspected pirates near a number of commercial ships, the Danish military said.The incident took place in international waters,25 to 30 nautical miles south of Nigeria's territorial boundary, a spokesman said.The motorboat, spotted by a helicopter deployed by the frigate, wa

06 Oct 2021

IMO to Establish Regional Office for the Pacific Islands

© Sergii Figurnyi / Adobe Stock

IMO's Technical Cooperation Committee at its 71st session (TC 71) (20-24 September) has approved the establishment of an IMO Regional Presence Office (RPO) for the Pacific Islands region. If approved at the thirty-fourth extraordinary session of the Council (08 - 12 November 2021), this will see the Pacific Region become the sixth to feature an IMO RPO.The existing RPOs are: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire for west and central Africa (Francophone); Accra, Ghana for west and central Africa (Anglophone)…

01 Sep 2021

Waterjet Propelled Workboat Delivered for work Offshore in the Gulf of Guinea

Photo courtesy Strategic Marine

A 12m workboat built by Strategic Marine has completed sea trials and was delivered to Tullow Ghana Limited.The vessel will be deployed to offshore deepwater projects in the Gulf of Guinea.To this end the vessel has been fitted with an advanced marine propulsion system, with waterjets designed to provide superior manoeuvrability.The workboat is designed to be launched and retrieved from a larger mothership with a single point lifting hook and will primarily perform line handling and crew transfer duties.

07 Jul 2021

Maritime Security Conference Kicks Off in Ghana

(Photo courtesy Paramount Group)

Africa's largest annual maritime security conference kicked off in Ghana this week amid a sharp rise in piracy and armed robberies in the Gulf of Guinea over the last 12+ months.Hosted by the Ghanaian Navy and Air Force in Accra from July 6-8, the International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (IMDEC 2021) has brought together several West African Chiefs of Naval Staff and government leaders such as the Vice President of Ghana, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, alongside experts…

Subscribe for
Maritime Reporter E-News

Maritime Reporter E-News is the maritime industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email five times per week