The 'Sounion' has been successfully towed to safety without any oil spillage, the European Union’s naval mission in the Red Sea, Aspides, announced on Sep 16. The difficult towing operation was successfully completed by private actors. The Aspides mission will continue to monitor the situation. Fires were still visible from its deck while the ship was towed northwards. The convoy was escorted by three frigates, with helicopters overhead, while three tugs were engaged in the towage operation. The 'Sounion'’s destination is currently unknown with European naval forces merely stating a “safe location”. Salvors are now likely to assess how to proceed with a ship-to-ship transfer to empty the cargo of Iraqi heavy crude. Reports with photos: https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/defense/le-petrolier-sounion-attaque-en-mer-rouge-par-les-houthistes-est-en-lieu-sur-b5fb71f6-74cb-11ef-8ac3-f7eb9db10673 https://splash247.com/sounion-successfully-towed-away-from-yemeni-coastline/
News
VIVA
On Sep 10, 2024, the 'Viva' became lodged against the 17th Street Bridge in Fort Lauderdale. The Feadship yacht was navigating the waterways when it wedged itself precariously close to the bridge. The crew was scrambed to mitigate the impending impact and began frantically getting the fenders out. Finally the yacht allided with the bridge. It was then moving back and forth, with little to no movement in getting ot out of the situation. Despite the efforts, the 'Viva' remained lodged for some time before eventually freeing itself and continuing on its journey. The ship docked at the Port of Savannah shortly after. The incident did not result in major damage to either the yacht or the bridge. Report with photos: https://www.superyachtnews.com/fleet/viva-crashes-into-fort-lauderdale-bridge
Charleston
Due to Hurricane Dorian, the South Carolina Ports Authority’s marine terminals in Charleston and Georgetown will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. All terminals are open and operating normal hours Tuesday, South Carolina Ports reported early Tuesday. Charleston and Georgetown terminals will reopen Friday at 9 am EDT. The Wando Welch Terminal (WWT) and the North Charleston Terminal (NCT) will operate normally on September 7. WWT and NCT will also be open September 8. The South Carolina Ports Authority’s inland ports will be open and operating under normal hours throughout the week.
Freeport TX
Freeport LNG on Sept. 03 announced that it has shipped the first LNG commissioning cargo for Train 1 from its liquefaction facility located on Quintana Island in Freeport, Texas. Approximately 150,000 cubic meters of LNG were loaded aboard the LNG Jurojin, which departed from the Freeport LNG terminal on September 3. “This first cargo loading is another significant step that gets us one step closer towards our start of commercial operations which is anticipated later this month,” said Michael Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Freeport LNG. “We are very pleased that it took less than 45 days to load our first cargo since gas was first introduced to our liquefaction facilities.” Freeport’s Train 2 is advancing pre-commissioning to support an in service date of January 2020. Train 3 is nearing completion to support an in service date of May 2020. Source: Freeport LNG
CORMORANT
On the afternoon of Sep 3, 2024, the 'Cormorant' raised the Dutch flagged crane barge 'Jowi', 300 ts (ENI-No.: 02330037), which had sunk on the morning of Aug 31 in the western foreport of Terneuzen for reasons still unknown. Multraship was tasked to salvage the pontoon. A diving survey was started during the afternoon, after which a plan of action was drawn up. The 'Multrasalvor 4' and the 'Cormorant' of Multraship were deployed to carry out the task. Photos: https://www.tugspotters.com/app/content/2024/09/cormorant-heeft-jowi-boven/
MV RHAPSODY OTS
The company Royal Caribbean International had to cancel bookings for the upcoming cruise of the 'Rhapsody of the Seas' due to damage to one of the vessel’s tender boats, which also serve as lifeboats. The issue was lowering the ship’s lifesaving capacity, which has led to the cancellations. The 'Rhapsody of the Seas' was scheduled to depart from Puerto Rico for its next cruise on Sep 15, 2024. The affected guests would receive a full refund of the fare paid for the cancelled booking, as well as a credit for a new cruise. The Future Cruise Credit (FCC) will be equivalent to 100 percent of the amount paid for the original cruise and must be redeemed by Sep. 13, 2025. Royal Caribbean also promised to reimburse non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation fees incurred due to the cancellation, such as flight, train tickets, and/or rental car. Passengers were asked to present receipts to be able to receive up to $200 per guest for domestic changes or $400 per guest for international changes. The 'Rhapsody of the Seas' was set to offer a seven-night cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Barbados.
Zeebrugge
Affiliates of Qatar Petroleum and the Belgian independent natural gas transport company Fluxys Belgium signed a long-term agreement for LNG unloading services at the Zeebrugge LNG Terminal. Under the agreement, Qatar Terminal Limited (QTL) -a subsidiary of Qatar Petroleum- will subscribe to the full capacity at the terminal from the expiry of the existing long-term unloading contracts and up to 2044. The transaction follows a competitive evaluation process as well as the approval of the Belgian regulators. QTL is already a party to an existing agreement under which approximately 50% of the terminal’s capacity is utilized for delivery of Qatari LNG into Belgium under long-term LNG agreements.
Mombasa
The first berth of the Lamu Port is now 98 per cent complete and is set to be unveiled next month. The construction has been ongoing for three years. Stakeholders are optimistic that it will have a socio-economic transformation of the region through trade. It will open up the corridor counties to the rest of the country and neighbouring states. At least 33 shipping companies have shown interest and their representatives have either toured the site or will do so before the opening date. Lamu Port will be actively involved in the transhipment business as its depth can accommodate big ships from which cargo can be loaded to smaller ships bound for Mombasa, according to Abdullahi Samatar, Kenya Ports Authority general manager in charge of Infrastructure development.
FELICITY 8
The 'Felicity 8' ran aground approximately 200 meters from the shoreline off Barangay Tilik in Lubang, Occidental Mindoro on Sep 15, 2024, with 13 crew members on board. The ship arrived at Tilik Port from Cabangan, Zambales, to discharge its cargo of sand and gravel. Shortly after the departure at 05:40 a.m., the vessel encountered an unexpected situation when a fishing banca crossed its path. Despite the crew's efforts to avoid the collision, the vessel ran aground in shallow waters. The vessel temporarily anchored and in response, the crew initiated deballasting procedures on both port and starboard sides in an attempt to refloat the vessel. The Coast Guard Sub Station (CGSS) Lubang, while conducting a routine mobile patrol, observed the vessel anchored and confirmed its location. A subsequent boarding and inspection was conducted by the CGSS Lubang and revealed no signs of an oil spill, though it was noted that the vessel's bow was grounded. Immediate coordination efforts were made with the Captain of the m/v 'Banton Pearl' and the fishing banca 'Orene' to assist in towing the vessel to deeper waters. Despite these efforts, the towing operation was unsuccessful. On the morning of Sep 16, CGSS Lubang personnel assisted a hired diver in conducting a hull inspection of the 'Felicity 8', which showed no leakage but revealed a flattened area on the opposite side of the port beam. The Captain was therefore advised to renew expired documents, including the Cargo Ship Safety Certificate and seaworthiness certification from MARINA. Additionally, CGSS Lubang personnel, along with the Marine Environmental Protection Response Team, informed local fisherfolks to avoid fishing in the vessel’s passage to ensure safety at sea.
AKADEMIK N.STRAKHOV
The 'Akademik Nikolay Strakhov' encountered an emergency situation in the Kara Sea after the main engine failed on Sep 11, 2024. A tug was sent to the vessel to provide assistance. The incident occurred during a regular scientific expedition to study the upper sedimentary layer and the relief of the seabed, as well as natural geohazards in the Arctic seas waters. The sixth cylinder of the vessel had failed, so the main engine was stopped. The crew was unable to determine the cause of the breakdown. After repair attempts failed, it was decided to call for tug assistance. The vessel anchored at the mouth of the Ob River, in the Kara Sea. There was no threat to human life or health. A decision has been made to move the scientific staff onto the research vessel 'Akademik Mstislav Keldysh', which was operating in the same area. There were 12 expedition members on board, mostly employees of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A repair crew will soon be delivered to the 'Akademik Nikolai Strakhov' for its emergency transfer to the port of Murmansk.The towage was due to start on Sep 18.
Benghazi
The commercial port in Libya’s second city Benghazi is working round the clock three years after reopening, attempting to raise revenues for its restoration and expansion. The port was caught in the crossfire as rival factions battled for control of Benghazi from 2014 in a conflict that left parts of the eastern Libyan city in ruins. It suspended operations as the main gate and some buildings were destroyed and the roads strewn with shells. Forces led by Khalifa Haftar eventually declared victory in Benghazi in 2017. Repairs and reconstruction have been limited — two out of three damaged tug boats are still out of service. But the port is now doing brisk business and trucks loaded with cars and containers carrying foodstuffs, motor oils and other goods can be seen streaming out of the main gate near the city center. Port manager Yzaid Bozraida said monthly revenues stood at more than seven million Libyan dinars ($4.9 million) before the war, though the income had not been used to develop the port.
Sydney
NSW Ports and Patrick Terminals have commenced work on a A$190 million project to double on-dock rail infrastructure capacity at Port Botany’s Patrick Terminals - Sydney AutoStrad in Australia. The project includes investment of A$120 million from NSW Ports to deliver on-dock rail infrastructure and A$70 million from Patrick Terminals to deliver automated rail operating equipment at the container terminal. The project will deliver capacity to handle one million TEUs on rail and improve train turn-around times by 33 percent. It will be opened in stages to allow existing rail operations at the terminal to continue throughout the construction period. Once fully operational in 2023, the project will increase rail capacity of the Patrick Terminals – Sydney AutoStrad from 250,000 to one million TEU. It is anticipated to reduce the truck kilometers travelled in Sydney by at least 10 million per year, saving over two million liters of diesel per year – the equivalent of a net reduction of more than 5,400 in CO2 emissions tonnes per year.