After Taiwan’s Coast Guard started moving forward with its effort to monitor and inspect potentially dangerous vessels following an incident in which an undersea cable was damaged, the first vessel to be boarded was the 'Bao Shun'. While the inspection did not find invalid documents, contraband cargo, or equipment for cutting cables, the vessel has been lingering for two months off Taiwan. The vessel was instructed to leave the Taiwanese waters.
News
GOLBON
The 'Golbon' and 'Jairan' (IMO: 9167291), both carrying an ingredient for missile propellant, will sail from China to Iran in the next few weeks according intelligence from security officials in two Western countries. The transactions could make the Chinese entities involved subject to U.S. sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's weapons programs, as the two Iranian vessels are already under U.S. sanctions. were expected to carry more than 1,000 tonnes of sodium perchlorate, which is used to make ammonium perchlorate, the main ingredient for solid propellant for missiles. Ammonium perchlorate is among chemicals controlled by the Missile Technology Export Control Regime, a voluntary international anti-proliferation body. Both vessels were initially expected to sail directly to Bandar Abbas without further port calls. Now that the Chinese authorities have been alerted as to what has been loaded in Shanghai, it is possible that the ships’ itinerary and cargo may be adjusted.
Genova
A 24-hour national labour strike is planned on Jul 24, in all Italian ports and all transportations. The planned strike is subject to confirmation in the coming days.
Visakhapatnam
With further development to its existing solid European products, Ocean Network Express (ONE) has announced the launch of a new direct service, the Indian Ocean Service 3 (IO3), which covers South East India, Mediterranean, and North Europe. The new product will offer new port coverage and boost reliability to a wider range of direct port call options to ONE’s valued customers. It will also further expand ONE’s already comprehensive service offerings and allow its clients to enjoy greater choice while bringing efficiency and additional values to the supply chain. The first sailing of the loop is now expected to start from 26th October 2019. IO3: Indian Ocean Service 3 Rotation: Visakhapatnam – Krishnapatnam – Chennai – Tuticorin – Colombo – Cochin – Damietta – Piraeus – Rotterdam – London Gateway – Hamburg – Antwerp – Le Havre – Damietta – Jeddah – Colombo – Visakhapatnam (Fixed day weekly service, 63-day rotation)
VLADIMIR LATYSHEV
The 'Vladimir Latyshev' has been stuck in the port of Saint-Malo since March 2022, when it docked to deliver a cargo of magnesia, and the situation is becoming critical due to a lack of fuel. Russian sailors take turns maintaining the ship. They also carry out the manoeuvres requested by the harbour master's office to maintain the port activity. The ship needs fuel for its small movements and to keep it moored, such as to keep the heating, refrigerators or fire extinguishing system running. However, since 2024, the harbour master no longer receives the necessary compensation. Russia has always paid, but the bookings have been blocked by the French authorities as part of the sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine. Without diesel, there is no electricity, an the crew could then be forced to abandon ship, for their own safety and the ship would then become a ghost ship. To prevent this dramatic situation, the local association Mor Glaz is putting pressure on France to keep the ship sailing. The crew of the ship is still being supplied with food and other necessities thanks to advances. The debt is already estimated at 150,000 Euros. Report with photo: https://www.ouest-france.fr/bretagne/saint-malo-35400/pourquoi-le-cargo-russe-est-devant-les-remparts-de-saint-malo-07d53b70-dc95-11ef-8f83-1be9a95f1bed
King Abdullah Port
In the largest commercial operation of its kind in the history of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah Port has received 28 state-of-the-art Liebherr cranes to start the expansion of the container terminals. The latter was decided through a MoU signed with National Container Terminal on the day the port was officially inaugurated in the presence of the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman last February. The new cranes include 20 gantry cranes and 8 ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, which are the largest of their kind, with an outreach of 70 m (25 rows) and a safe working load of 65 t. The cranes that were supplied in this deal will join their operational counterparts in the port. They are the largest cranes exported by Liebherr and can serve mega container ships easily and seamlessly.
Rio de Janeiro
ICTSI subsidiary ICTSI Americas BV has acquired 100% of the shares of Libra Terminal Rio S.A. (Libra Rio) to run the Terminal de Contêineres 1 (T1Rio) container terminal in the Port of Rio, Brazil. Libra Rio holds the concession rights to operate, manage and develop T1Rio and was acquired by ICTSI from Boreal Empreendimentos e Participações SA. The deal to take over the port container terminal concession was disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange, reported Manila Standard. ICTSI said: “The parties will work to sign a share purchase agreement in due course.” Concession until 2048
JAIRAN
The 'Golbon' (IMO: 9289033) and 'Jairan', both carrying an ingredient for missile propellant, will sail from China to Iran in the next few weeks according intelligence from security officials in two Western countries. The transactions could make the Chinese entities involved subject to U.S. sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's weapons programs, as the two Iranian vessels are already under U.S. sanctions. were expected to carry more than 1,000 tonnes of sodium perchlorate, which is used to make ammonium perchlorate, the main ingredient for solid propellant for missiles. Ammonium perchlorate is among chemicals controlled by the Missile Technology Export Control Regime, a voluntary international anti-proliferation body. Both vessels were initially expected to sail directly to Bandar Abbas without further port calls. Now that the Chinese authorities have been alerted as to what has been loaded in Shanghai, it is possible that the ships’ itinerary and cargo may be adjusted.
TAKUN
Beached at Alang 26.01.25 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10161107323410036&set=gm.10164233009888943&idorvanity=6884293942
Walvis Bay
NAMPORT’s new container terminal will be officially inaugurated on 2 August, and normal operations are expected to start on it on 24 August. The new terminal, constructed at a cost of N$4 billion, is expected to increase container handling capacity from the current 355 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to up to 1 005 000 TEUs. Firstly, there will be a shutdown on 17 August of container operations in the port to start relocations to the new terminal. The equipment to be relocated include rubber-tired gantries and mobile harbour cranes, while reach stackers, haulers and forklifts will move the containers.
Hanjin Subic Shipyard
The 300-hectare shipyard of Hanjin Philippines may be taken over by several shipping companies that would transform it into a major global port, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a chance interview recently. He said the shipyard could be a sprawling multipurpose mixed-use port facility that would be jointly operated by several players. This, he said, is one of the proposals received by Hanjin creditors for the development of the shipyard after Hanjin Philippines declared bankruptcy early this year. “It’s a good masterplan that has been proposed and it is targeted to be implemented this year,” Lopez said. He declined to name the companies but hinted that these include foreign players. Another source said creditors are in negotiations with an American and a Japanese company. Officially, Hanjin has fully shut down just this month, ending the last of its remaining maintenance operations, sources said. As of this writing, the creditors have not made any official announcement yet regarding the final plans for the shipyard.