Saharan Africa News

In 2023, the container market grew 0.2% year-on-year, ending at 173.8 million TEU. Compared to 2019, before the COVID pandemic hit, the market grew 1.5%.“Container market growth has lagged behind overall economic development significantly, as the world economy has grown 10% since 2019,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Highlighting the challenge for liner operators, the container fleet capacity in 2023 grew 21% vs 2019 and 8% vs 2022. The order book of new ships will add nearly 25% to the capacity during the next four and a half years.

At least four migrants died and 51 were missing after a migrant ship sank off Tunisia's Kerkennah island, a judicial official told Reuters on Sunday, adding that all the migrants onboard were from sub-Saharan Africa.The Tunisian coast guard recovered 901 bodies of drowned migrants off its coast from Jan. 1 to July 20 this year, the country's interior minister said in July, marking an unprecedented number of victims off the country's coasts. The North Africa country is facing a…

A Spanish reconnaissance plane has found what could be a fishing vessel from Senegal with about 200 migrants on board that has been missing for nearly two weeks, the maritime rescue service said on Monday."The plane has found a large boat with some 200 people on board, 71 miles to the south of Gran Canaria," a spokesperson for the service told Reuters, adding it was "possible" that it was the missing vessel.A rescue ship was on its way and would take about two-and-a-half hours to reach the location, the spokesperson added.

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.

Tunisia's coastguard has recovered 15 more bodies of migrants, bringing the death toll from a shipwreck off Tunisia to 25, a security official told Reuters on Thursday.A wooden boat packed with about 110 migrants sank on Wednesday off the coast of the city of Sfax. Seventy-six people were rescued while the rest are still missing.Drowning accidents off Tunisia have dramatically increased in recent weeks, leaving dozens dead and missing, amid a sharp rise in migrant boats heading towards Italy from the Tunisian coast.The coastguard recovered the bodies of 14 migrants…

At least 29 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa died when their two boats sank off the coast of Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, the Tunisian coast guard said on Sunday. Separately, in the last four days, five migrant boats have sunk off the coast of the southern city of Sfax, leaving 67 missing and nine dead, after a significant increase in boats heading towards Italy.Tunisia has taken over from Libya as a main departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in the hope of a better life in Europe.Houssem Jebabli…

A cyber attack has disrupted container operations at the South African port of Cape Town, an email seen by Reuters on Thursday said.Durban, the busiest shipping terminal in sub-Saharan Africa, was also affected, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.Cape Town Harbour Carriers Association said in an email to members, seen by Reuters: "Please note that the port operating systems have been cyber-attacked and there will be no movement of cargo until the system is restored."Transnet's official website was down on Thursday showing an error message.Transnet…

ABB’s Azipod propulsion will help Global Mercy enter less accessible harbors off the African coast, while reducing vibrations and noise – crucial to the comfort of up to 200 patients and medical personnel on board.With about 5 billion people lacking access to surgical care globally, international charity Mercy Ships uses hospital vessels to provide surgeries and medical assistance for free to people who have little access to healthcare. The newest Mercy Ships vessel, the world’s largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship Global Mercy…

Chevron Marine Lubricants announced a plan to boost its presence in African ports, extending its joint venture with Akwa Group. Chevron is now an equal partner in Afriquia Lubrifiants, with plans to extend the blending, distribution, and marketing business beyond Morocco to markets in sub-Saharan Africa.The agreement enables theJV to manufacture Chevron’s premium products locally for the first time, including Chevron Marine Lubricants’ product portfolio. The new roadmap includes the export of lubricant products to 14 countries in North and West Africa: Algeria…

Mercy Ships announced that its newly built hospital ship Global Mercy has completed sea trials leading up to delivery, equipping, maiden voyage and launch into service to sub-Saharan Africa in 2022.The first-of-its-kind 174-meter vessel, designed by Finnish naval architect Deltamarin and built at the Tianjin Xingang Shipyard in China, is the world’s largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship. It has a beam of 28.6 meters, with a design draft of 6.15 meters and gross tonnage of 37…

Bureau Veritas (BV), a testing, inspection, and certification body, has completed the classification of the Torman LNG floating regasification unit (FRU) at Tema port, Ghana in sheltered waters.The unit is combined with a floating storage unit (FSU) for the delivery of gas to onshore consumers."This exciting development of Gasfin’s facility – involving the Torman LNG FRU and a Moss-type LNG floating storage unit (FSU), both classed by Bureau Veritas – paves the way for the first…

At least 39 migrants died when two boats sank off Tunisia on Tuesday as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to the Italian island of Lampedusa, the Tunisian defense ministry said.The coast guard rescued 165 others, and searches for more survivors are still ongoing off the coast of Sfax, ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri said. All the dead migrants were from sub-Saharan Africa, he added.The coastline near the Tunisian port city of Sfax has become a major departure point for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East and seeking a better life in Europe.In 2019…

Is neo-colonialism in the Gulf of Guinea the answer to West Africa’s maritime crime crisis?In October 2020, China’s transport ministry established an ad hoc workgroup to lay down precautionary measures for ships and seafarers passing through high piracy risk West African waters.The move came as China told its vessels to up vigilance and implement a series of precautionary measures to ensure the security of ocea-going vessels and seafarers amid rising attacks and a surge in kidnaps in the Gulf of Guinea.Plans outlined by Wu Chungeng…

Ghana has taken delivery of sub-Saharan Africa's first offshore receiving terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG), allowing it to start delivering LNG to customers in the first quarter of this year, the terminal's operator said.Tema LNG, which is backed by UK-based Helios Investment Partners, said in a statement that a floating regasification unit (FRU) built by a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation arrived in Ghana on Thursday.Shell will supply the LNG under a long-term contract…

Construction of what has been described as the world's largest civilian/NGO hospital ship - the Global Mercy - is making progress and is nearing completion in China.Mercy Ships, an NGO which ordered the ship to deliver free healthcare services to those with little access in the developing world, and Stena RoRo, which leads the construction of the Global Mercy, on Tuesday shared a timelapse video of the construction along with the photos of the vessel in the shipyard in China."The Global Mercy will be a true modern marvel—a fully custom-built hospital ship with customized instruments…

With a second Final Investment Decision (FID) in just 2 years, Mozambique has officially positioned itself as a key player in the global gas and LNG market for years to come.The latest FID on the US$20 billion Mozambique LNG project, makes it the largest sanction ever in sub-Saharan Africa oil and gas.Described by His Excellency President Nyusi as “one of the most important and transformational projects in the country’s history”, Mozambique LNG is set to be a game-changer for this East African nation of 31 million people.According to Wood Mac, from the early 2030s state revenue from Mozambique LNG alone will reach US$3 billion per annum, single-handedly doubling today’s revenue as calculated by the IMF and World Bank.And this is not the only mega-LNG project on the drawing board.

About 115 people are missing and feared to have drowned and another 134 were rescued by Libyan coast guards and local fishermen after a wooden boat carrying migrants capsized off Libya, a Libyan navy official said on Thursday.Earlier, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said that up to 150 people were feared dead."The worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year has just occurred," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi said in a tweet.There were about 250 people on board, mainly from Eritrea and other sub-Saharan Africa and Arab countries, when the boat capsized off the coast near Komas, east of the capital Tripoli, Libyan navy spokesman Ayoub Qassem said.Libya is a hub for migrants and refugees…

Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) announced the inauguration of its multimodal facility (MMF) for oil and gas in Luanda, Angola.The facility, with its additional capabilities across multiple product lines, will deliver a suite of products and services across the oil and gas value chain. It will serve as a hub to support customers and projects in Angola and Southern Africa region, and will also serve customers on a global scale.The strategic location for this multipurpose facility puts BHGE in close proximity to serve important projects in the region. This will enable BHGE to provide faster response and mobilization to customer sites, and reduced product and service delivery costs based on economies of scale of a one-stop shop.

Global energy investment totalled more than USD 1.8 trillion in 2018, a level similar to 2017, said the International Energy Agency (IEA).The investment stabilised in 2018, ending three consecutive years of decline, as capital spending on oil, gas and coal supply bounced back while investment stalled for energy efficiency and renewables.IEA's latest annual review said that for the third year in a row, the power sector attracted more investment than the oil and gas industry.The biggest jump in overall energy investment was in the United States, where it was boosted by higher spending in upstream supply, particularly shale, but also electricity networks.

Global seaborne liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) volume is expected to grow by over 6% in 2019 and surpass 100 million tonnes for the first time.Singapore based provider of pressurised LPG vessels, Epic Gas said that it is well positioned to benefit from the improving fundamentals of the LPG shipping market.For the fourth quarter of 2018, freight levels for most sizes in the pressurised sector were similar to the stronger levels seen in the third quarter. Rates for the 3,500cbm, 5,000cbm, 7,500cbm and 11,000cbm averaged $8,671, $9,870, $10,565 and $13,315 per day, respectively, up 12% for the 3,500cbm, 6% for the 5,000cbm and 7,500cbm vessels…

While DNV GL’s model predicts global oil demand to peak in 2023, demand for gas will continue to rise until 2034. New resources will be required long after these dates to continue replacing depleting reserves. DNV GL’s 2018  Energy Transition Outlook, an independent forecast of the world energy mix in the lead-up to 2050, predicts global upstream gas capital expenditure to grow from USD960 billion (bn) in 2015, to a peak of USD1.13 trillion in 2025. Upstream gas operating expenditure is set to rise from USD448 bn in 2015 to USD582 bn in 2035, when operational spending will be at its highest.“The energy transition will be made up of many sub-transitions. Our Outlook affirms that the switch in demand from oil to gas has already begun.

Vitol said that the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) integrated oil and gas project offshore Ghana has commenced delivery of gas from the Sankofa field to Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).Both Vitol and GNPC are partners in the OCTP project alongside operator Eni. The offshore project is expected to provide stable supplies of cost effective and environmentally friendly, domestic fuel for the Ghanaian power sector, said Vitol.The estimated net cost of gas to Ghana will be less than $4.5/MMBtu, greatly reducing Ghana’s fuel costs compared to liquid fuels or imported gas.The project will provide approximately 180 MMscf/d for at least 15 years, sufficient to supply half of Ghana’s power generation requirements.

Africa needs to take advantage of the economic potential of its ports and shipping sector if it is to realise its growth ambitions. Globally, ports are gateways for 80% of merchandise trade by volume and 70% by value. Investment in ports and their related transport infrastructure to advance trade and promote overall economic development and growth is therefore vital – particularly in emerging economies that are currently under-served by modern transportation facilities. However, port investment must be channelled appropriately to ensure financial sustainability and economic growth. Investment is not always about building new ports or…