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(Reuters) – British engineering and defence firm Babcock International said on Thursday it was closing its Appledore shipyard in Devon, a “difficult” decision after orders ran out. Babcock said it hoped to offer all 199 employees at Appledore positions at other Babcock facilities, such as nearby Devonport, which is a British Navy dockyard. The southwest England Appledore yard completed an Irish Navy order for an offshore patrol vessel in the last few weeks but was not engaged in any orders from Babcock’s main client, Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

Estonia’s Port of Tallinn (Tallinna Sadam) and AS Alexela Invest have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly working on the possibility of the development of an LNG terminal to serve LNG tankers and bunkering, and establishing port facilities for loading and unloading LNG on the Pakri peninsula by the Lahepere bay in Paldiski.

A container exploded in the evening of October 30, 2018, at the Evergreens terminal, located under the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles,. The terminal was evacuated. No person was injured by the explosion. All other terminals remained open. The explosion was thought to be an industrial accident. The container was filled with scrap intended for export from the country. Based on available information from the Coast Guard, the authorities were investigating another 10 containers, which are assumed to have a corresponding content. The US Coast Guard is working with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Fire Department and Customs and Border Protection to investigate the case and prevent more explosions.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Allard Castelein and the Governor of the Brazilian state of Ceará, Camilo Santana, have signed an investment agreement on the participation of the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s in the development of the port of Pecém. The Port of Rotterdam Authority will invest $85.5m in Pecém’s port-industrial complex, constituting a 30% share in this enterprise. In addition, the Port of Rotterdam Authority will gain a joint say in strategic and investment decisions as well as representation in the Brazilian port’s Executive Board, Supervisory Board and management. The partners expect to conclude the definite participation agreement before the end of 2018.

If the vessel charted been changed pls should inform with details such as e-mail,phone& address

The construction of the first onshore power supply plant for commercial vessels in the port of Kiel has begun. Taking part in the official first-cut-of-the-spade-ceremony marking the start of the construction works at the Norwegenkai Terminal were the Economics Minister of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, Dr Bernd Buchholz, Kiel’s Lord Mayor Dr Ulf Kämpfer, Port Director Dr Dirk Claus und Color Line GmbH Managing Director Dirk Hundertmark along with Lars Nürnberger, head of Kiel’s Siemens AG branch office. As of spring 2019, it will be possible to supply big cruise ferries with all the electrical power they need during the time they are berthed in Kiel.

Hundreds of affected dock workers of Port Qasim continued their sit-in on 33rd consecutive day of their protest. The sit-in camp was established by the Workers Union of Port Qasim CBA to protest against a Chinese loading company and non-payment of salaries. Responding to their protest, Chinese company Huaneng Fuyun Port & Shipping (Pvt) Ltd paid the workers six months’ worth of salaries but the company still owes four months’ worth of compensation. Labourers protested and chanted slogans against Chinese company and port officials during the protest on Saturday. An elderly labourer Shah Jahan fainted in camp but his colleagues refused to take him hospital until their demands were met.

Finland-based construction and engineering companies Deltamarin and Elomatic to provide engineering, design and site services for Dream Cruises’ second Global Class ship. Both companies were contracted by MV Werften, the Germany-based shipyard owned by Dream Cruises’ parent company, Genting Hong Kong. The contract was signed following their successful collaboration on the first Global Class ship, which is currently under construction at MV Werften. “We are very happy that MV Werften continues to trust in our expertise and ability to design world-class cruise ships and we look forward to designing the second vessel in this remarkable Global class series,” said Patrik Rautaheimo, Elomatic CEO. Set to be 342 metres long and more than 46 metres wide, the 204,000gt newbuild has been designed specifically for the Asian market.

At Port Elizabeth one of the container terminal’s ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes was blown off its rails and has ended up partially in the sea at the harbour entrance on Oct 30, 2018. Port Elizabeth experienced winds in excess of 50 knots per hour in the morning. This resulted in the damage of a Transnet Port Terminals ship–to–shore crane on the quayside. No employees were injured. An engineering team was assessing the extent of the damage however, the crane has been secured. A business continuity plan has been implemented in an effort to limit any further impact on operations. The port was shut both on account of the strong winds and also because of the crane wreckage lying across part of the entrance channel. In thee evening of Nov 1 the crane boom (jib) has been successfully floated, brought alongside and secured to the quay wall of the berth opposite the breakwater in the port entrance channel. The debris on the seabed remained to be removed and a final dive inspection conducted ahead of the Harbour Master declaring the port safe for shipping. Subject to good weather conditions and no uncontrollable salvage variables, shipping movements have started and continued on Nov 1. Notice has been given to vessels to prepare themselves for shipping. Three pilots, a berthing crew and our two tugs will be deployed to expedite the recovery of the shipping backlog. The collapse of the IMPSA crane on berth 103 at the PE Container Terminal had left a part overhanging into the port entrance channel. As a result of this and in the interest of navigational safety, all commercial shipping movements in the Port of Port Elizabeth were suspended until the port entrance channel had been cleared. Report with photo: https://africaports.co.za/#35 Meanwhile Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) proceeded with terminal operations. The cargo of four vessels were successfully handled leaving them ready to sail while another five vessels were expected to dock once the entrance was reopened.

Russia's sole aircraft carrier, the "Admiral Kuznetsov", was damaged during repairs on Oct 30, 2018, when the drydock holding her sank. One shipyard worker went missing and four were injured in the accident. A70-tonne crane toppled from the drydock's wing wall onto Kuznetsov's deck, leaving a hole measuring four to five meters across. A response team succesfully floated and removed the "Admiral Kuznetsov" from the drydock during the sinking. No vitally important parts of the carrier were damaged, according to United Shipbuilding Corporation . Reparis were estimated to take a week and a half for the welders. The damage would not disrupt the schedule for her repairs. Kuznetsov is scheduled to be out of service for a deep overhaul until 2021. The extensive scope of work included the replacement of her notoriously failure-prone boilers: The Cold War-era vessel has a long history of breakdowns, and she has historically traveled with a fleet tug when she sails abroad. The failed drydock "PD-50" is a key facility at the 82nd Repair Shipyard in Murmansk. The Soviet-era dock measures 330 meters by 88 meters, has a capacity of 80,000 tonnes and was equipped with two tower cranes. Among other noteworthy projects, the PD-50 received the wreckage of the ill-fated nuclear submarine Kursk after its sinking in 2000. The drydock will likely be refloated and repaired, though the timeline for its salvage is uncertain. Russian oil and gas company Rosneft is the majority shareholder of the 82nd Repair Shipyard, and state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation is considering a lawsuit against Rosneft for expenses related to the casualty. An electrical failure could have led to the abnormal immersion of the dock's port side. While the sinking is unlikely to delay repairs to the Kuznetsov, it will impact the schedule for work on the other military vessels that were awaiting their turn in drydock.

Italy’s La Spezia Container Terminal (LSCT) in southern Europe will be ready to handle 20,000 teu ultra-large containerships (ULCs) by 2022, stepping up from its present capacity of accommodating 16,600-teu boxships. LSCT, operated by asset-based intermodal firm Contship Italia Group, is considered by the group to be the southern gateway port called at by major lines and alliances, with four Asia-Mediterranean services every week, backed by robust trade between Asia and Italy as both import and export volumes remain strong. “LSCT was able to handle 14,000-teu containership back in 2011 before it was expanded to handle 16,600-teu containership today,” said Daniele Testi, marketing and corporate communication director of Contship Italia.

The Bering Wind, a powerful Dolphin Class tugboat, is being transferred from the Foss fleet in Long Beach, California to Cook Inlet Tug & Barge in Anchorage. The tug, formerly known as the Campbell Foss, is scheduled to begin service in Anchorage this month. The vessel was renamed in October of this year and is scheduled to enter service in Alaska in approximately November 15, 2018.

The Kenya Ports Authority has welcomed one of the world’s largest cargo ships which docked in Mombasa on Thursday. KPA received the 300-meter long Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) MAXINE loaded with over 4,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUS). The ship, in its maiden voyage, beat the previous record of container carrier Livorno of 1,265 moves registered late June. “The Port of Mombasa has registered a new performance record of 1,450 moves within an eight-hour shift in the container operations,” KPA said in a statement. MSC Maxine, with a container capacity of 9,411 TEUs, the largest container carrier to dock at the Port, also recorded an average of 181 gross moves per hour to break Liberian registered Livorno’s record of 140 gross moves per hour.

India and Bangladesh on Thursday signed an agreement to use the Chattogram and Mongla ports in Bangladesh for movement of goods to and from India. The countries also decided to initiate Kolkata-Dhaka-Guwahati-Jorhat river cruise services. The agreements were signed during the 19th edition of the standing committee meeting under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade in New Delhi. The two-day secretary-level talks between India and Bangladesh concluded on Thursday, Oct. 18.

Incat Crowther has designed the world’s first fast ro-pax ferry with dual-fuel LNG engines for Mediterranean shipping company Baleària. The Incat Crowther 125 ferry will be the first to use four dual-fuel reciprocating engines that each provide 8,800 kilowatts of power from Wärtsilä. By using LNG fuel, Baleària will be able to reduce its carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, and eliminate sulphur oxide and particulate matter emissions.

Keel laying ceremony for the second Edge class ship for Celebrity Cruises took place on 31st October 2018 on Chantiers de l'Atlantique right after delivery of CELEBRITY EDGE. http://cruisedeck.de/celebrity-edge-abgeliefert-celebrity-apex-auf-kiel-gelegt/

Florida based Virgin Voyages ordered their 4th cruise ship with Fincantieri, which is expected to be delivered in 2023 http://cruisedeck.de/virgin-voyages-bestellen-viertes-kreuzfahrtschiff/

APM Terminals’ Moín Container Terminal (MCT) in Costa Rica has been granted permission by the National Council of Concessions (CNC) to start commercial operations at its first deep-sea berth. This is a key step for the terminal, which is on schedule to be fully operational in February 2019. The permit, which is subject to meeting all safety and service requirements, will enable the transfer of all commercial container ships currently serviced at Puerto Limón and Puerto Moín to the MCT. This will take place once APM Terminals delivers the dock´s first phase, which includes two berths and 40 hectares of the artificial island due in February 2019.

The Bering Wind, a powerful Dolphin Class tugboat, is being transferred from the Foss fleet in Long Beach, California to Cook Inlet Tug & Barge in Anchorage. The tug, formerly known as the Campbell Foss, is scheduled to begin service in Anchorage this month. The vessel was renamed in October of this year and is scheduled to enter service in Alaska in approximately November 15, 2018.

A bulk cargo handling terminal at Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) run by an Indo-French joint venture has been allowed to handle 10 more cargo items than the four it was originally built to serve, triggering demands for similar treatment from others. The Tariff Authority for Major Ports or TAMP has notified the rates for handling the 10 extra cargo items at the West Quay Multiport Private Limited run by Mumbai-listed Starlog Enterprises Ltd and French shipping firm Louis Dreyfus Armateurs S.A. at the WQ-6 berth of VPT. The terminal operator’s request to set rates for handling the extra cargo was cleared by TAMP on an application filed by VPT.