Port Victoria News

Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) recently completed technical acceptance of a new azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug from Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey. The latest addition to the SPA fleet is another of the Sanmar flagship RAmparts 2400SX, designed by Robert Allan Limited exclusively for Sanmar and designated the Bogacay XLI.Mobilization has already commenced under the direction of a Sanmar delivery crew. The tug’s name will be unveiled upon arrival to its new home at Port Victoria in Mahe.Measuring 24.4m in length with a molded beam of 11.25m and a maximum draft of 5.7m…

CMA CGM announced the service improvement connecting Middle East to East Africa, in the effort to maintain a high service reliability and punctuality with our lead product NOURA service.Effective from M/V CMA CGM MANET voyage Jebel Ali  today (January 3), direct product with a comprehensive coverage of East Africa and Indian Ocean markets, Noura service will benefit of a 6th sister ship of 2,200 TEU to address the recurrent port congestion.Mombasa is added in the port coverage to permit significant service improvement for Asia cargo bound to Somalia and transiting via Kenya hub, said a press note from CMA CGM.NOURA new rotation: Jebel Ali - Mombasa - Mogadishu - Longoni - Nacala (fortnightly) - Beira (fortnightly) - Port Victoria - Jebel Ali

In a continued effort to provide our customers with reliable and efficient service, CMA CGM Group will upgrade its service offering connection India and Middle East to East Africa., said press release from the company.Starting 17th August 2018, the group will offer a new product to East Africa whilst combining NOURA 1 and NOURA 2 former rotations.Strengths of this new offer is one direct service serving 6 ports of call in East Africa range.Revised port coverage as follows: Khor Fakkan, Jebel Ali, Mogadishu, Longoni, Beira (1/2), Port Victoria, Khor Fakkan; Khor Fakkan, Jebel Ali, Mogadishu, Longoni, Nacala (1/2), Port Victoria, Khor…

To better respond to our customers’ needs in the dynamic East Africa market, CMA CGM will upgrade and broaden its service offering connecting India and Middle East Gulf to East Africa. Swahili Express service remains unchanged. A wide range of intermodal solutions to Eastern Africa domestic and cross border destinations service offering is proposed by CMA CGM Group in addition to the maritime services.

The people of Cairns will have a rare opportunity to tour HMAS Parramatta comes alongside Trinity Wharf and opens its gangway to the public on Monday, 17 April, says a press release of Royal Australian Navy. One of the sailors who will be on board to show people around is former Cairns local, Able Seaman Boatswains Mate Thomas Ketchell. “I am extremely proud to be a member of ship’s company in HMAS Parramatta and I have been given some fantastic opportunities to see not only Australiabut the world,” he said. Able Seaman Ketchell’s role includes seamanship, gunnery, weapons handling, boats and navigation. Parramatta is one of the most potent warships in the world, capable of conducting air, surface and undersea warfare simultaneously.

In keeping with India’s national objective of ensuring a secure and stable regional environment to allow unhindered economic and social development, not just in India, but also in the Indian Ocean Region, Indian Naval Ship Shardul is on a two month long deployment in the South Indian Ocean with an aim to provide surveillance support in the region. The warship during the initial phase of deployment carried out joint EEZ surveillance of Mauritius from 08 – 26 March 2017 in close coordination with National Coast Guard, Mauritius. Post successful completion of joint EEZ Surveillance of Mauritius, the warship entered EEZ of Seychelles on 27 March 2017 for Phase I of EEZ surveillance. The warship under the command of Commander Rohit Mishra entered Port Victoria on 28 March 2017 for OTR.

Swahili Express service will be dedicated to Kenya and Tanzania markets with very fast transit times. Mombasa will be reached from Mundra in 12 days and Dar Es Salaam in 14 days. Noura Express service will have an improved transit time to Somalia by 4 days. Mogadishu port will be reached in 7 days from Jebel Ali and in 17 days from Mundra. SWAHILI service:  As from m/v CHIEF at Nhava Sheva on February 24th, 2017, Swahili service will be operated with 4 vessels. We will add Mombasa direct call in complement to the current Dar Es Salaam call. The port coverage at origin will be upgraded with 2 direct port calls in India. Longoni and Zanzibar calls are discontinued.

In a demonstration of India’s commitment to its ties with Seychelles and maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, Indian Naval Ships Kolkata, Trikand and Aditya under the Command of the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh,NM have arrived at Port Victoria on a two day visit, says a government press release. INS Kolkata is commanded by Captain Rahul Vilas Gokhale, INS Trikand is commanded by Captain Arjun Dev Nair and INS Aditya is commanded by Captain Vidyanshu Srivastava. The ships are part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command and are on a two month long deployment in the Western Indian Ocean. During the visit, the IN ships would engage with the Seychelles People Defence Force on professional issues.

In a continued effort to provide increased reliability and quality services in a challenging environment, CMA CGM will reorganize its services connecting India Middle East Gulf to East Africa strategic markets. Starting mid July 2016, NOURA EXPRESS and SWAHILI services new configuration will provide significant improvements: Positive developments for reefer cargo from Port Victoria direct to India and to Europe with a weekly frequency instead of fortnightly. Improved service reliability to Mogadishu from Mundra with direct service in 18 days instead of in transhipment, very fast transit time from Jebel Ali to Port Victoria in 18 days. NOURA EXPRESS service operated with 4 vessels of 2,200 TEU will stop Salalah call and add in its port coverage Mundra and Port Victoria.

CMA CGM has announced the strengthening of its current MIDAS service by cooperating with PIL under a new Vessel Sharing Agreement. A fleet of 11 vessels of 3,500 TEU nominal capacity will be deployed, and CMA CGM will contribute to the majority with 9 vessels. It also announced the strengthening of its coverage of India on its SWAHILI EXPRESS service deployed on the India Middle East Gulf - Eastern Africa and Indian Ocean route. In India, MIDAS will extend its coverage with a weekly call at Nhava Sheva direct to West Africa, South Africa and Reunion Island in addition to the present Mundra call. Luanda is reached from India in 22 days, Pointe Noire in 25 days, Apapa in 30 days and Cotonou in 31 days.

Maritime forces from Eastern Africa, Western Indian Ocean island nations, Europe and the United States, as well as several international organizations began the fifth iteration of the multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express, Jan. 30. Cutlass Express 2016, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness (MDA) and information sharing practices to increase capabilities of participating nations to counter sea-based illicit activity. PORT VICTORIA, Seychelles (NNS) -- Maritime forces from Eastern Africa, Western Indian Ocean island nations, Europe and the United States, as well as several international organizations began the fifth iteration of the multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express, Jan. 30.

CMA CGM to improve its ASEA service between Asia and East Africa with the launching of ASEA Kenya and ASEA Tanzania. The CMA CGM Group’s Asia-East Africa (ASEA) service upgrade is scheduled to begin December 2014 with the launch of two new services. ASEA Kenya and ASEA Tanzania, will now accompany East African markets’ growth and replace the ASEA one single service, reducing transit times from Asia and improving reliability, the company said. CMA CGM intermodal and logistics solutions will connect African land-locked countries to Asia.

Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) participated in a community relations project in Port Victoria, Seychelles, Nov. 14. The project took place at Nature Seychelles, a local nature sanctuary, where Sailors widened and dug out a canal to help support the Red Mangrove ecosystem, cut down invasive plants and transported soil that would be mixed with compost to enrich soil. Command Chaplain, Lieutenant Ray Adkins.stated, "The Sailors of James E. Williams came ready to work today. They picked up the tools provided and went to work alongside local Seychellois to improve the nature sanctuary.”

Maritime forces from the United States, 10 East African and two European nations, along with several international organizations, have just commenced the multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express 2013 off the coast of East Africa. Exercise Cutlass Express 2013, held in several operational areas in waters off East Africa, is an at-sea maritime exercise designed to improve cooperation, tactical expertise and information sharing practices among participating nations in order to increase maritime safety and security in the region.

Australia’s HMAS Newcastle provided medical treatment and evacuated two badly burned Filipino merchant seamen from a stricken oil tanker in the Somali Basin. The seamen from the Liberian registered Merchant Tanker Perla, were severely burned during a machinery fire which left the tanker powerless, adrift and vulnerable to pirate attack on June 7, 2013. Heavy seas required Newcastle’s embarked Sea Hawk helicopter to affect the rescue which winched a three-person medical team to Perla to treat and recover the seriously injured men shortly after dawn on June 8.

The majority of the crew of a ship that have gone unpaid and lacking in basic human requirements finally flew home over the weekend. For the last few months nine Pakistani crew onboard a reefer, the MV Belita, have been stranded in Port Victoria in the Seychelles. The crew said they have had no drinking water, food or fuel, meaning that the crew had to sleep on deck due to the lack of light and fresh air, in the end the Port authority installed pilotage lights to protect vessel. The crew also had to collect rain water for drinking water, until the rain ceased. They told how they used their meager savings to buy rice and beans supplemented by fish they themselves caught.

On Monday 25 February Dutch EU Naval Force frigate HNLMS De Ruyter transferred nine suspected pirates to the Seychelles authorities for prosecution. The transfers happened after HNLMS De Ruyter, who was conducting counter piracy patrols, stopped two skiffs on 19 February 120 nautical miles off the Somali Coast and apprehended nine suspected pirates on board. During the operation, helicopters from both HNLMS De Ruyter and EU Naval Force flagship ESPS Mendez Nunez, together with the Spanish EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA), were able to locate the two skiffs and in a combined effort, stop them in the water approximately 200 nautical miles north east of Eyl.

EU Naval Force French Frigate 'Surcouf' and NATO Warship 'USS Halyburton' work together to apprehend twelve pirate suspects. A merchant vessel sailing 260 miles off the Somali Coast, made a distress call, reporting that she was coming under attack by six men in a fast moving boat, armed with rocket propelled grenades (RPG). Thankfully, having employed avoidance tactics, the merchant vessel was able to escape the attack. Upon hearing the distress call, NATO warship USS Halyburton…

The Seychelles Coast Guard confirms that a French purse seiner vessel reached the location of the Costa Allegra, and is towing the vessel towards Desroches island. The Seychelles authorities are making arrangements for the evacuation of passengers to Descroches, and their subsequent transfer to the island of Mahé. There are also two Seychelles Ports Authority tugs on their way to the vessel’s location, and they are expected to reach the Costa Allegra later. They will be…

According to Reuters on 28, February 2012, the Costa Cruises Costa Allegra was adrift in the Indian Ocean after an engine room fire had been extinguished. None of the 636 passengers and 413 crew was reported hurt. LATER: Costa Cruises released the following statement:  The company was notified that a fire had broken out aboard the Costa Allegra in the electric generators room. The shipboard fire-extinguishing system and procedures were promptly activated and the special fire-fighting squads intervened to extinguish fire. The fire did not spread to any other area of the ship.

CMA CGM Group is pleased to announce the upgrading of its ASEA service connecting Asia, Kenya and Tanzania, effective since October 12th, 2011. This new service shows the strong commitment of CMA CGM Group to consolidate its offer from Asia to East Africa key countries in order to support the strong and regular growth of this tradeThe service rotation will be as followed: Port Kelang, Singapore, Port Victoria or Male, Mombasa, Tanga, Dar Es Salam, Colombo and back to Port Kelang.

After four days of uncertainty regarding the exact status of the crew, MV Beluga Nomination is now believed to be pirated. On the afternoon of 22 January 2011, the MV Beluga Nomination was attacked by a skiff, with an unknown number of suspected pirates on board. Small arms were used against the vessel during the attack. The attack took place in the Indian Ocean, 390 nautical miles north of the Seychelles. The MV Beluga Nomination is an Antiguan and Barbudan flagged, German owned, general cargo vessel which was on passage to Port Victoria in the Seychelles at the time of the attack.

In the early hours of 26 November, the MV Medi Chennai was attacked approximately 880 nautical miles (1,600 kilometres) East of Port Victoria, Seychelles. This is the furthest east attack ever registered by EU NAVFOR since the beginning of its Operation in December 2008, the last eastern most attack being 60 nautical miles west from this one. The MV Medi Chennai reported it was under attack and being fired upon with small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG). The Captain of…