Ports & Ships Maritime News

17 March 2015
Author: Terry Hutson

Bringing you shipping, freight, trade and transport related news of interest for Africa since 2002

TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS

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• First View – AURORA and SEA PRINCESS
• SA Port statistics for the calendar year 2014 are available here
• New Suez Canal will handle ‘most types’ of ships
• Messina Line takes delivery of world’s biggest ro-ro container ship
• Bringing new meaning to the word ‘evocative’!
• Promar targets Gulf of Guinea with new-build PSV
• Expected Ship Arrivals and Ships in Port
• Pics of the Day – DONG-A ARTEMIS

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FIRST VIEW – AURORA and SEA PRINCESS

During last week two cruise ships were in Akaroa, Banks Peninsular, just south-east of Christchurch in New Zealand. The P&O cruise ship AURORA (76,152-gt, built 2000) was on an around the world cruise while SEA PRINCESS (77,499-gt, built 1998) was on one of her regular Australia-New Zealand cruises. Picture: Alan Calvert

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SA PORT STATISTICS FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 2014 ARE AVAILABLE HERE

Port of Cape Town. Picture: TNPA

Statistics for the calendar year 2014, which are now available courtesy TNPA, reveal that the eight ports under the control of the TNPA handled a total of just over 282 million tonnes of cargo for the year.

The Port of Richards Bay led the way in tonnes handled, with a figure of 94.783 million tonnes. Durban with its mix of bulk, breakbulk and container cargo handled 81.198mt and Saldanha, the iron ore port in the Western Cape handled 64.729mt.

If the twin Eastern Cape ports of Port Elizabeth and Ngqura are combined, the cargo they handled came to 21.805mt, while Cape Town handled 15.587mt. These tonnages include the calculation made for container weights, based on an average of 13.5 tonnes per TEU. This is necessary because TNPA does not measure containers by calculated weight, but by TEU.

Details of volumes by individual port are set out below.

Figures for the respective ports during the calendar years 2014, 2013 and 2012:

CARGO HANDLED BY TONNES during 2014

PORT	2014 mt	2013 mt	2012 mt
Richards Bay	94.783	94.902	90.295
Durban	81.188	80.369	77.900
Saldanha Bay	64.729	58.956	61.274
Cape Town	15.587	16.106	15.627
Port Elizabeth	12.217	12.335	11.212
Ngqura	9.588	10.538	7.572
Mossel Bay	2.029	2.322	2.294
East London	2.211	2.255	2.478
Total all ports	282.342mt	277.783mt	268.653mt

CONTAINERS (measured by TEUs) during 2014
(TEUs include Deepsea, Coastal, Transship and empty containers all subject to being invoiced by TNPA

PORT	2014 TEUs	2013 TEUs	2012 TEUs
Durban	2,664,330	2,632,513	2,586,886
Cape Town	892,557	920,636	853,399
Port Elizabeth	259,917	289,963	251,855
Ngqura	705,377	774,839	560,696
East London	41,957	46,591	52,073
Richards Bay	24,189	29,423	4,031
Total all ports	4,588,419 TEUs	4,694,101 TEUs	4,309,069 TEUs

SHIP CALLS for 2014
 

PORT	2014 vessels	gross tons
Durban	3963	135,911,165
Cape Town	2723	57,621,663
Richards Bay	1935	72,933,176
Port Elizabeth	1065	30,272,778
Saldanha Bay	588	37,104,216
Ngqura	551	31,610,667
East London	291	8,339,031
Mossel Bay	1202	3,937,329
Total ship calls	12,318	377,730,025

- source TNPA, but with adjustments made by Ports & Ships to include container tonnages

NEW SUEZ CANAL WILL HANDLE ‘MOST TYPES’ OF SHIPS

According to the Suez Canal Authority chairman, Mohab Mamish, the new Suez Canal being dug alongside the existing canal will allow “most types of ships” to make use of the waterway.

Speaking on Saturday, he said that revenues from the canal will multiply once the new section is opened, bringing in additional billions of dollars. The Egyptian economy relies heavily on revenue from the Suez Canal.

In addition to building a parallel canal, the project involves landside infrastructure and industrial development along the banks of the canal as well as port development and building a “comprehensive new commercial city.”

It is expected to lead to the creation of more than 1 million jobs, said Mamish.

The purpose of the project aims at increasing the capacity of the canal for the passage of ships, cancelling stoppage time and reducing the cost of travel while turning the canal zone into a global trade hub.

Dredging of the canal is proceeding to plan, led by DEME, an international consortium of companies specialising in the fields of capital and maintenance dredging, land reclamation, and port infrastructure development. DEME has announced that their part in the dredging contract is on schedule and that half of the contract has already been completed.

DEME expects to complete the capital development programme in August.

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MESSINA LINE TAKES DELIVERY OF WORLD’S BIGGEST RO-RO CONTAINER SHIP

Picture: Shipspotting

Italian ro-ro specialist shipping line Ignazio Messina has taken delivery of the world biggest ro-ro container ship, named JOLLY COBALTO (45,000-dwt).

The ship was built at the STX Shipbuilding yards in South Korea and is on her delivery voyage to Italy. The ship is expected to be deployed on Messina Line’s Mediterranean and Red Sea and Middle East service.

She is a sister ship to JOLLY TITANIO and is the 6th of eight new ships under construction for the line. The other two ships in this series will be named JOLLY VANADIO and JOLLY PALLADIO – they follow a previous four slightly smaller ships that have already entered service and are mostly deployed on the Mediterranean, East and South African trades.

The eight new ships in the fleet represent a US$500 million investment in new-buildings for the Genoa-based shipping company.

Jolly Cobalto is 240 metres in length and has a beam of 37.5m. The ship boasts 6,350 metres of ro-ro capacity together with 2,920 TEUs. She is equipped with a high-tech anti-pollution system including a gas-cleaning system which is in operation both at sea and in port.

The ship’s draught is 11.5 metres and she has a speed of 21.5 knots.

Her stern ramp is constructed for heavy lift cargo.

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BRINGING NEW MEANING TO THE WORD ‘EVOCATIVE’!

PHWOAR!!! This would have to be one of the most dramatic maritime photographs ever of a Captain and his ship...

Photographer James Morgan decided to create something a bit special to mark the QUEEN MARY 2’s 10th anniversary. When he first suggested placing Captain Kevin Oprey on the liner's bulbous bow for the photo shoot, people apparently looked at him like he was 'a bit mad'. Commenting on the striking images, Morgan said: “It is this towering behemoth and this little man…it’s an amazing juxtaposition. He’s an incredible man…seen with this beautiful huge liner he controls every day. It is one of the most epic shoots I have ever done,” wrote Morgan. The shoot took place at a port off the coast of Bali, with two safety boats positioned nearby just in case. Of course, the algae on the bulbous bow had to be scraped away so Captain Oprey’s smart uniform didn’t get…wet!

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PROMAR TARGETS GULF OF GUINEA WITH NEW-BUILD PSV

Paul Ridgway
London

Swiss ship manager Promar is looking to increase growth across West Africa’s offshore oil and gas sector after officially launching its latest vessel, MAMOLA RELIANCE.

This state of the art, 80 metre long Platform Supply Vessel (PSV), built by Damen Shipyards, in Galati, Romania, is the first of its kind in Promar’s fleet. The Geneva-headquartered company delivers ship management services to the global offshore market.

Promar Chief Operating Officer Christophe Mansuy said the high-specification PSV is among the best equipped in the world. He said it has been developed in line with North Sea standards and benefits from a package of special design features making it particularly attractive for deep water operations.

Promar Chief Operating Officer Christophe Mansuy, Damen Shipyards North, West and South Europe sales manager Captain Andrea Trevisan and Promar Chief Financial Officer Olivier Utz. PSV Mamola Reliance (pictured) was commissioned as Damen prepares to deliver her sister ship, Mamola Defender in August 2015.
Mansuy commented: ‘We are thrilled to officially christen the Mamola Reliance which is the result of months of hard-work, design creativity and endeavour from both Promar and Damen teams. The Port of Barcelona provided a terrific setting with its impressive infrastructure. From here the vessel will sail to the Gulf of Guinea.

“We believe the Mamola Reliance possesses world-class qualities which make it highly attractive to the global offshore market. It is the first PSV under Promar’s management and joins our broader fleet of Multi-Purpose Supply Vessels (MPSVs) and Fast Crew Boats (FCBs). It fits the familiar Promar mould having been designed and built to the highest standards expected by oil majors and subcontractors across the world.

“In fact, we believe the Mamola Reliance’s design features and diversity will exceed market expectations and provide us with a sharp competitive edge. It is prepared for Remote Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV) use and further benefits from an oil-spill detection radar, and a tank-heating system.

“The vessel is also equipped with FiFi 1 capacity and it is further compliant with Special Purpose Ships (SPS) – meaning it can safely carry additional personnel from port to offshore locations. The incorporation of Class 2 Dynamic Positioning (DP2) also enables the vessel to operate in ultra-deep waters. All these technical characteristics unleash potential to market the vessel in wider geographical areas, for example Asia and Latin America.

He said the Reliance has been built for ultimate crew comfort and to ensure first-class sea-keeping ability. “We understand the importance of staff welfare, the challenges posed by being onboard for long periods, and crew demands for safe and comfortable working environments. We have given special attention to ensure the bridge area, machinery spaces, living quarters, galley and mess rooms are built to provide a pleasurable working experience.”

Damen Shipyards North, West and South Europe sales manager Captain Andrea Trevisan added: “The delivery of the Damen PSV 3300 Mamola Reliance is a moment that has been keenly anticipated by both Damen and Promar since we embarked upon this project. The vessel represents the onset of a new generation of pioneering high quality PSVs.”

Mansuy said safety and customer satisfaction are of paramount importance to the Promar brand.

Promar was set up in 2002 with head office in Geneva, bases in Congo, Angola, Gabon, as well as finance and chartering offices in UAE and permanent representatives in Romania and Madagascar.

PSV Mamola Reliance has a length of 80 metres, width of 16.20 metres and draft of six metres. The ship can carry 32 crew and passengers and has a service speed of 13.5 knots.

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EXPECTED SHIP ARRIVALS and SHIPS IN PORT

Gateway port

Ports & Ships publishes regularly updated SHIP MOVEMENT reports including ETAs for ports extending from West Africa to South Africa to East Africa and including Port Louis in Mauritius.

In the case of South Africa’s container ports of Durban, Ngqura, Ports Elizabeth and Cape Town links to container Stack Dates are also available.

You can access this information, including the list of ports covered, by going HERE - remember to use your BACKSPACE to return to this page.

PICS OF THE DAY – DONG-A ARTEMIS

An interesting study of the Capesize bulk carrier DONG-A ARTEMIS (179,213-dwt, built 2012) out in Table Bay earlier this month. Although flying the flag of Panama the ship is owned and managed by South Korean interests. Picture: Ian Shiffman

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