New Caledonia News

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (June 10) met with leaders of Pacific island nations on the sidelines of a United Nations ocean conference in the southern French city of Nice.Macron discussed the impacts of climate change to the Oceania nations, one of the regions most prone to rising sea levels, and said Paris "will use its diplomacy in close link with our common interests in the Pacific."France possesses overseas territories in the Pacific, which includes New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna.The meeting comes as delegates are meeting for the U.N.

Shom, the French national hydrographic and oceanographic office selected SBG Systems’ inertial navigation sytems to renew their whole fleet of INS. They chose Navsight Apogee INS for their speedboats and survey vessels for both shallow and deep-water real-time bathymetric surveys and Qinertia PPK software for post-processing tasks.Shom has 3 major objectives: national hydrography and cartography, defense support in hydro-oceanographic fields, and support in maritime geospatial products and services for public policies on the sea and the coast.

A P&O cruise ship has rescued three men from a life raft in the Pacific Ocean near the French protectorate of New Caledonia after it received a rescue request from marine authorities in the capital Noumea, the company said on Thursday.The three men had been sailing in a yacht that took on water and began listing, forcing them to abandon ship and take to their safety vessel, before they were eventually picked up by the Pacific Dawn cruise liner, P&O Cruises Australia said."Captain…

China Navigation Company (CNCo), part of the Swire Group, has expanded its presence in North America by establishing a branch office in Vancouver, Canada.The opening ceremony was graced by Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade & Technology, British Columbia, who unveiled a plaque in the CNCo office located at W Hastings Street.Minister Bruce Ralston said, “The Province recognises the significant contribution that The China Navigation Company makes to the shipping industry worldwide. We look forward to this new regional North American office in Vancouver contributing to increased trade between B.C. and the Asia Pacific. A strong shipping industry will create good jobs for people and increase opportunities for B.C.

The China Navigation Company (CNCo) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment (SPREP) have today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to address critical waste management issues in the Pacific islands. Known as the “Moana Taka Partnership”, this MOU allows for CNCo vessels to carry containers of recyclable waste from eligible Pacific island ports, pro bono, to be sustainably treated and recycled in suitable ports in Asia Pacific. “This historic partnership will be of great benefit to our Pacific islands, and one for which we are very appreciative to The China Navigation Company,” said Kosi Latu, Director General of SPREP. “Our Pacific islands face an immense waste management challenge.

As ferry operators search for efficiency to reduce pollutants and operating costs, the importance of design, quality construction, and efficient propulsion become ever more important. Such is clearly the case with the Netherlands-based ferry operator Rederij Doeksen, whose two BMT Nigel Gee designed ferries are currently under construction at Strategic Marine’s Vietnam yard for operations between Harlingen on the mainland and the islands of Terschelling and Vlieland. in the Netherlands’ Wadden Sea.

When the 2,194 TEU containership Kea Trader ran aground on the Durand Reef in the Pacific Ocean on July 12, Ardent was called in under a Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) to remove the stranded vessel. The ship was sailing from Papeete in French Polynesia to Noumea in New Caledonia, with 756 containers on board at the time of the incident. Ardent representative Bernard van Haeringen, said, “The Kea Trader’s remote location in the Pacific is a hurdle that we are working against. Ardent first removed 600 tons of heavy fuel in early August…

Three weeks after the grounding of Kea Trader on a reef off New Caledonia, the removal of heavy fuel oil from the 2017-built containership is now underway and could be completed next week. According to Radio New Zealand, helicopters are being used to remove fuel from a ship stuck on a reef off New Caledonia. Oil is being moved from the vessel in tanks onto the nearby Chasseloup barge, London-based Lomar Shipping, the ship’s owner, informed. "The swells reportedly prevented the salvage teams to dock a barge next to the stricken ship as they plan to pump out the 750000 litres of fuel in its tanks. Due to the adverse sea conditions have made it impossible to extract the fuel direct to barges, hence helicopters are being used to shift the fuel," said the report.

A new 36-meter monohull passenger ferry Mary D Seven has been delivered for Mary D Cruises in New Caledonia. Designed by Incat Crowther and built by Strategic Marine, the vessel will operate with yacht-like style on the route between Noumea and Amedee Island during the day, and as a dinner cruise vessel in the evenings, returning greater utilization of the asset. The main deck is arranged to support the transit operation by day and dinner cruises in the evening. The deck features 108 passenger seats primarily in booth seating with tables…

A new high-end tour vessel is scheduled to be delivered to for Mary D Cruises of New Caledonia in late 2016. Designed by Incat Crowther with styling reminiscent of a yacht, the new vessel is being built by Strategic Marine to replace an existing vessel in Mary D Cruises’ fleet. The main deck is arranged to support the transit operation by day and dinner cruises in the evening to tourist destination Amedee Island. The deck features 108 passenger seats primarily in booth seating with tables, an outdoor servery with chilled food storage and food display area.

Press release- A month after celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Marseille-based Port Community System operator MGI has been welcomed as the newest member of the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA). MGI (Marseille Gyptis International) becomes IPCSA's 28th member and the association's second member based in France. “Nearly 30 ports in France and overseas have implemented the Cargo Community System AP+, MGI‟s and SOGET‟s flagship product since 2005 – including Mauritius, Benin, Togo and New Caledonia. Coinciding with its 30th anniversary in December 2015, MGI launched Ci5 (Cargo intelligence 5), its new flagship software solution designed to succeed and build on AP+.

Connecting more than 12 ports, monthly multipurpose service with lifting capacity of up to 120 metric tons. Swire Shipping and Rickmers-Linie has announced the launch of a connecting carrier partnership. Under this partnership, Swire Shipping will be able to connect its breakbulk and project cargoes in India and the Middle East, through Rickmers-Linie’s Middle East and India Service, to its network in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, via Singapore. The first voyage is scheduled to depart Mumbai already on 9 June 2015, the first voyage from Jebel Ali being on 28 June 2015. The load ports are Jebel Ali, Mumbai, Chennai, Dammam, Kolkata (other ports on inducement).

Two Royal Australian Navy landing craft have delivered vital supplies to remote communities in Solomon Islands as part of Australia’s commitment to provide support to the region. HMA Ships Labuan and Tarakan transported education, medical and flood relief supplies from the capital Honiara to coastal communities in need. Labuan headed north and east to Tulaghi and Auki, with her sister ship Tarakan heading south to Guadalcanal’s very remote Weather Coast. Commanding Officer of Tarakan, Lieutenant James Carroll, said the landing craft were ideally suited to the task.

Two Royal Australian Navy landing craft have delivered vital supplies to remote communities in Solomon Islands as part of Australia’s commitment to provide support to the region. HMA Ships Labuan and Tarakan transported education, medical and flood relief supplies from the capital Honiara to coastal communities in need. Labuan headed north and east to Tulaghi and Auki, with her sister ship Tarakan heading south to Guadalcanal’s very remote Weather Coast. Commanding Officer of Tarakan, Lieutenant James Carroll, said the landing craft were ideally suited to the task. “Some communities are incredibly remote and mountainous with no roads or established port facilities, so the only way to get supplies in is either by small boat or helicopter.

Almost 200 members of the Australian Navy, Army and Air Force are joining forces with personnel from across the region in a major humanitarian relief exercise in the South Pacific, says the Australia Defence Force (ADF). ExerciseCroix du Sud, which is French for “Southern Cross’, is being hosted by France in New Caledonia. The scenario is based on the devastating aftermath of a category four cyclone. The challenge for the allied forces will be to assist the local community with humanitarian relief and security as well as coordinating the evacuation of Australian citizens and foreign nationals. The Commander of the Australian Contingent…

Brazilian miner Vale SA posted a sharp decline in profit from the previous quarter as lower iron ore prices undermined record production of the steel-making ingredient. Vale, the world's largest producer of iron ore, reported second-quarter net income of $1.43 billion, down 43 percent on the previous quarter and below the average analyst estimate of $1.89 billion in a Reuters survey. "It was a very challenging environment where the price of our most important product has dropped by 15 percent," Chief Financial Officer Luciano Siani said in a video accompanying results. Net income was more than three times higher than the year-ago quarter, when a one-time foreign exchange charge slashed profit to $424 million.

The ANZAC Class Frigate has left Noumea after spending three days strengthening relationships with the French Armed Forces New Caledonia (FANC) and promoting multilateral security cooperation. Commanding Officer of Parramatta, Commander Simon Cannell, said the visit provided professional insight to enhance operations and exercises within the region. “France is a valuable partner with Australia in the Pacific. We regularly participate in combined force training exercises for emergency and disaster relief and operations against illegal fishing,” Commander Cannell said. Following the visit, Parramatta will commence an Operation SOLANIA patrol, continuing the Australian Defence Force’s enduring role in the South-West Pacific.

Cty TNHH Vuot Song, the subsidiary shipyard of Roy’s Maritime in Vietnam has just finished the construction of a 16-m long tugboat for New Caledonia, that will be delivered to the ship owner early 2014. The tugboat ‘Taabya.on’ is 16 meters long and 6.20 meters in breadth with a 16-tonee bollard pull, and will be used for the transportation of nickel in New Caledonia. Build of the new vessel was supervised by classification society Bureau Veritas, and New Caledonian Maritime in accordance with the divison 222.

Terminal management and planning software solutions provider Tideworks Technology says that Koniambo Nickel SAS (KNS) in Koné, New Caledonia, has selected Tideworks to implement its terminal operating system (TOS) solutions for its new container operations. Established near the New Caledonia North Province county town of Koné, KNS is developing a world-class industrial complex that will help New Caledonia become one of the world's largest nickel producers. It is working to exploit a nickel deposit that is ranked one of the most important and of the best quality worldwide. The KNS project, which will go live in Q4 2013, includes deployment of Tideworks’ Spinnaker Planning Management System® and its Traffic Control™ equipment dispatch system.

The search for an Australian couple who went overboard Wednesday from the Carnival Spirit cruise ship has been called off, the Associated Press reported. The passengers, identified as Paul Rossington, 30, and Kristen Schroder, 26, went overboard in the waters off New South Wales, Australia. The couple was reported missing when the ship docked in Sydney on Thursday and have now been missing for more than two days. It was reported that railing over which the couple fell was two inches higher than industry safety regulations mandate…

Queensland Nickel Group (QN) subsidiary Asia Pacific Shipping Enterprises (APSE) orders four 64,000 dwt ultramax bulk carriers. The contract has been signed with the Foreign Economic and Technical Cooperation Company of China, Chanjiang National Shipping Group and the China Changjiang National Shipping Group Corporation Jinling Shipyard. “The four vessels, for the use of QN, will be built at the China Changjiang National Shipping Group Corporation Jinling Shipyard, and we anticipate receiving delivery between February and June 2014,” said QN Managing Director Phil Collins.

GIE Nouméa Port & Vale NC go live with Tideworks’ TOS at two South-west Pacific ports. Tideworks Technology®, Inc., a provider of full-service terminal management and planning software solutions, announce that both Vale New Caledonia, at Prony Port in New Caledonia, and GIE Nouméa Port, also in New Caledonia, have gone live with Tideworks terminal operating system (TOS) solutions. Tideworks Technology implemented its TOS solutions at both facilities to more efficiently manage operations. GIE Nouméa Port, established in 2006, handles containers and break bulk in the Port of Nouméa, the main port of French Overseas Territory New Caledonia, in the South Pacific.

A 41 metre high speed aluminium passenger catamaran, “Vale Grand Sud” has recently entered into operation for mining company Vale Nouvelle-Calédonie, marking the fourth Austal-built vessel to operate in New Caledonia. “Vale Grand Sud” was designed to provide new levels of speed and comfort to members of the company’s 1,000 strong workforce, as they commute between Noumea and the Goro mine site’s Prony Port. The vessel will offer Vale’s Goro workforce a safe, reliable and comfortable commute of approximately one hour…