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‘You learn with Africa Ports & Ships’
TODAY’S BULLETIN OF MARITIME NEWS
These news reports are updated on an ongoing basis. Check back regularly for the latest news as it develops – where necessary refresh your page at www.africaports.co.za
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FIRST VIEW: DUNCAN ISLAND
EARLIER NEWS CAN BE FOUND HERE AT NEWS CATEGORIES…….
The Monday masthead shows the Port of Ngqura Container Terminal
The Tuesday masthead shows the Port of Mombasa
The Wednesday masthead shows the Port of Apapa, Lagos in Nigeria
The Thursday masthead shows the Port of East London
The Friday masthead shows the Port of Durban Sugar Terminal
The Saturday masthead shows the Port of Durban T-Jetty
The Sunday masthead shows the Port of Durban Container Terminal North Quay
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FIRST VIEW: DUNCAN ISLAND
The Danish-built reefer DUNCAN ISLAND (IMO 9059638) which called at Durban during July and early August this year to load citrus fruit. Built in 1993 she is one of the Ecuadorian Line managed reefers, with the Belgian Trireme Vessel Management NV company shown as her ISM manager. Since 2003 Inagua Shipping Ltd has been listed as the owner of Duncan Island which remains managed by Ecuadorian Line Inc, of Blue Lagoon Drive, Miami, Florida.
As reefers go, Duncan Island is quite a large ship, with an overall length of 178.5 metres and beam of 25.24m. The four-hold reefer capacity is 17,637 and a container capacity of 436 TEU, including 148 reefer plugs.
She is powered by a single B&W diesel two stroke main engine, model 8S60MC, producing 16,320 kW or 22,189 HP with the propulsion being a single fixed pitch propeller and producing a speed of 21.5 knots.
After a stay in Durban port of almost 6 days she sailed on 4 August for Port Elizabeth to continue loading fruit. Three days six hours after arrival she departed PE for Cape Town to continue filling her holds, arriving on 11 August, departing the following day after one day and 17 hours in port. Duncan Island is now in the South Atlantic bearing northwards along the West African coast with Rotterdam shown as her destination on 27 August.
Picture is by Trevor Jones
Added 15 August 2021
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Photographs of shipping and other maritime scenes involving any of the ports of South Africa or from the rest of the African continent, together with a short description, name of ship/s, ports etc are welome.
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VIEWPOINT: The ongoing challenge of Covid in the ports
South Africa remains in a semi-lockdown state of Covid Stage 3 (Stage 5 being the highest or most severe of lockdowns), and is experiencing an unacceptably high number of daily new infections that on average exceeds 10,000. It is commonly accepted that the delta variant, which is now the dominant form in the country, entered through our ports, either through the port of PE or that of Durban, which had ships arrive in late April or early May with positive cases of the virus on board each vessel.
At the same time South Africa’s ports are struggling with congestion compounded by a recent cyber-attack that all but crippled port terminal operations, adding to the congestion arising from the unrest in KZN and parts of Gauteng that saw the ports of Durban and Richards Bay forced into a different form of lockdown.
As the local ports, and Durban in particular, move hesitantly towards some form of recovery and normality, we are reminded that the whole world is learning to deal with its own variation of ‘new normal’ in which many ports and logistics networks remain affected or even crippled by congestion brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic directly or indirectly.
And yet, as the world’s major economies stage surprising comebacks, container shipping companies are reporting, in a totally unembarrassed manner, of profits exceeding all previous records. We learn of mid-sized container ships being chartered at unheard of rates of up to $150,000 and more per day, and we see shipping companies placing orders for ever larger fleets consisting of ever larger ships – the latest record being set in July with Evergreen’s EVER ACE, the world’s current largest container ship capable of carrying 23,992 TEU. And there’s talk of going even bigger.
As Covid-19 continues with new variants posing new challenges, in Russia we observe that deaths from the virus are spiking, as they are in certain other parts of the world, while in China, where it all began less than two years ago, one of its largest and busiest of port terminals, Meishan at the port of Ningbo, has been shut down on account of a single worker contracting the coronavirus!
Ningbo is located in Hangzhou Bay on the East China Sea, opposite the city of Shanghai.
The infected worker was discovered to have the Covid-19 virus on Tuesday 10 August. He lives in one of the terminal’s dormitories and had tested negative two days earlier.
The following day, Wednesday 11 August, the city government issued a statement that said that because of a ‘system disruption’ all inbound and outbound container services at Meishan terminal had been halted with immediate effect and until further notice. Why can’t port authorities ever speak in plain English…. or Chinese as the case may be?
The ‘system disruption’ also meant that nearly 2,000 workers at the Ningbo-Zhoushan port have been placed under ‘closed management’ meaning they are unable to leave the port.
The Meishan terminal is the world’s third largest and busiest container terminal.
The drastic action taken by Chinese authorities raises fears that other ports around the world may face similar outbreaks leading to similar restrictions that in turn will slow the distribution of commodities ranging from perishable foods to automobiles, manufactured goods, electronics, all of which can cause further harm to economies across the globe already reeling from previous waves of the virus.
Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, which ranks as the biggest in the world in terms of cargo tonnage, issued a statement on Thursday (12 August 2021) informing that all other port terminals were operating normally and that it was negotiating with affected shipping companies and directing them to the other terminals.
It said it was adjusting the operating time of other terminals to enable customers to clear their shipments.
Nevertheless, according to AIS observations no less than 40 container ships were at anchor outside the port on Thursday 12 August, up from 30 on the previous day when the port authority began turning ships away.
The port authorities stated that the operating systems will remain down until Ningbo Municipal Health Commission can determine the extent of the outbreak, which as far as we are led to believe, consists of a single person.
In May this year the Yantian port in Shenzhen was closed for about a month after an outbreak of the virus. Most Chinese ports have introduced compulsory testing for the entire crew of ships that must first go to anchor until all seafarers on board have proven negative.
There are strict quarantine rules for ships arriving from India and for those vessels that have undergone any crew exchanges within the previous 14 days.
The outbreak (of one) is reported to have forced the cancellation of all flights to and from Ningbo and Beijing.
Back in South Africa, three ships, one in Durban and two at Port Elizabeth, were able to enter port at around the end of April and beginning of May, each with positive cases of Covid-19 reported among the seafarers. On the Durban ship, the Eaubonne, the ship’s engineer died at about the time of the vessel’s arrival, and only in the coming days 14 of the Filipino crew of 21 were tested and found to be positive with the coronavirus.
The ship’s officer was said to have died from a heart attack.
Why the ship, which was arriving from India, a country where the delta variant was rife at the time, was able to enter port and begin cargo working at Maydon Wharf, was a mystery that has not, to our knowledge, been satisfactorily answered.
At Port Elizabeth, one of the two ships, the Consolidator, arriving from Mombasa, had 13 of its crew of 22 test positive for Covid-19.
Once again it was only because four of its crew were due to disembark and fly home that they were subjected to testing and found to be positive. This caused the remainder of the crew to be tested which revealed another nine to be positive.
All of this serves to remind us how our ports remain vulnerable to infectious diseases and that strict protocols, long established to ensure that infectious diseases do not enter the country through the harbours, need to be strictly enforced. It can only be through strict adherence to the protocols that there can be any confidence in their effectiveness.
– trh
Added 15 August 2021
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WHARF TALK: First South African call for LR1 tanker DIYYINAH 1
Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
The pandemic is running its course and slowly, but surely, the international air carriers are beginning to fly back into Cape Town International Airport once more. Added to that, there has been a recent run of extreme cold weather, the sort that always gets the heating turned up. The result is that winter fuel stocks must be running low in the Cape, as four tankers have arrived off Cape Town in the last week and, two by two, they have been brought into port to discharge their much needed, and precious cargo.
One of these four was the LR1 tanker DIYYINAH 1 (IMO 9487251), which arrived at the Table Bay anchorage on 9th August at 20h00, and remained there overnight before entering the port on 10th August at 09h00, berthing at the long tanker berth in the Duncan Dock. Her cargo had been loaded at the Refinery Marine Terminal at Al Ruwais in the UAE. On completion of her cargo she sailed on 13th August at 11h00 bound for Fujairah in the UAE.
Built in 2011 by STX Shipbuilding at Jinhae in South Korea, Diyyinah 1 is 228 metres in length and has a deadweight of 74,954 tons. She is powered by a single STX MAN-B&W 7S50MC-C 7 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 15,037 bhp (11,060 kW), and driving a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 15 knots. She has 14 cargo tanks and a cargo carrying capacity of 82,925 m3.
Owned by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Diyyinah 1 is operated by the Abu Dhabi National Tanker Company (ADNATCO) and managed by ADNOC Logistics and Services, all naturally based in the same offices in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Everything about the voyage was kept within the ADNOC orbit as the refinery at Al Ruwais, where Diyyinah 1 loaded her cargo for Cape Town, is also operated by ADNOC.
One of six LR tankers in the ADNATCO fleet, Diyyinah 1 is operated on the spot market, and this voyage would appear to be her first ever visit to South African waters, as the bulk of her ten year career, thus far, has had her trading mainly between the UAE and the Far East and Australia. She is the third ADNATCO LR1 tanker to call in at Cape Town in the last three months.
Added 15 August 2021
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Citrus Exports: Less trucks arrive permitting Durban and Eastern Cape ports to decongest
Following a call by the Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) for the country’s northern citrus growers to suspend packing for a week, the number of trucks arriving in Durban decreased sufficiently for congestion at the port of Durban to ease.
An agreement had been reached in a virtual meeting involving the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) and the national Department of Agriculture that called on citrus growers to suspend packing for a week from Friday 6 August.
In the advisory sent to growers in the affected areas, it was stated, “Unfortunately, no viable alternative plans were identified and consensus was reached that any additional fruit being sent to Durban would simply aggravate an already unmanageable port environment.”
The advisory became necessary as a result of the unrest in large parts of KZN, which impacted on port operations and also on the destruction of a number of cold store warehouses in the Durban area, which was followed by the cyber-attack that severely impacted Transnet operations for the best part of a week.
It appeared that some citrus packhouses had already stopped production a day earlier on Thursday 5 August, which was confirmed when most confirmed they would accede to the request.
In his latest message on Friday 13 August to citrus growers, the CGA’s chief executive, Owen Chadwick, thanked them for having responded to the plea to stop packing.
“The havoc wrought by the insurrection, followed closely by the Transnet cyber-attack, meant that South African ports
were extremely congested,” he wrote. “Cold stores were blocked out and the movement of containers and cargo in and out of the port was constrained. Reefer plug-in points capacity was also constrained. As a result, a call was made to growers in the north to consider a temporary hold on harvesting, packing and transporting fruit to Durban from Friday 6/8 to Thursday 12/8.
“One does not just turn the ‘sausage machine’ off – there was still considerable fruit to be moved, and hence the trucks carried on arriving into this week.”
Chadwick said that from figures obtained of trucks on route to Durban, and those already in Durban, growers clearly heeded the call. “This allowed the cold stores to load out, and the port environment to normalise. Industry and Transnet are holding regular virtual meetings with all stakeholders (over 170 participants attended) to monitor the situation and keep all appraised of the latest situation,” he wrote.
“A similar call was made to Eastern Cape growers as the ports in that region also faced congestion issues. This voluntary action from growers illustrates how united the industry is in facing joint challenges – and industry taking the responsibility without needing regulation or enforcement.”
The following graph indicates the situation as it was in Durban this past week ending Friday 13 August 2021. Acknowledgements to the CGA.
A week earlier Chadwick indicated that the 2021 citrus export prediction for southern Africa was now 155 million cartons, 5% off the original estimate. “The big variable in play now is the port’s ability to ship the remaining 53 million cartons,” he then wrote.
South Africa exports citrus mainly to Europe and China but also exports to Russia, the Middle East, as well as some Southeast Asian countries.
– trh
Added 15 August 2021
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Richards Bay unplanned power outage impacts rail operations
The offloading of coal trains at the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) in the port of Richards Bay was affected by a 10-hour unplanned power outage late last week, Transnet said on Friday (13 August).
According to Transnet the power outage occurred in the City of uMhlathuze (Richards Bay/Empangeni) between the afternoon of Thursday 12 August 2021 and the early hours of Friday morning.
This, said Transnet, impacted its service in that area.
Particularly affected was the Richards Bay Coal Terminal and Transnet Freight Rail, as it meant that RBCT was unable to to offload trains for approximately 10 hours.
This resulted in a 50% wagon capacity for Friday’s production plan.
On Thursday, Exxaro Resources, South Africa’s biggest coal miner, was reported as saying its exports would remain subdued in 2021 due to rail logistics problems, including derailments and cable theft.
Transnet said it has introduced a catch-up will be executed over several days, and that a revised plan has been communicated to impacted customers.
Up to 70 million tons of coal is exported annually through the Richards Bay port, with almost all of this arriving at the port by rail.
The heavy-haul railway from Mpumalanga province and further afield has been affected by a number of derailments so far this year, in some cases cutting off rail deliveries to RBCT and other terminals in the Richards Bay port for up to and exceeding a week at a time.
– trh
Added 15 August 2021
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WHARF TALK: Maiden visit to Durban and Cape Town – SCHWYZ
Story by Jay Gates
Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
How many vessel’s names can you think of that do not have any vowels in them? Not that many I would wager? How many vessels make a maiden call at a South African port within 60 days of completion and being handed over to their owners by the shipyard? Again, not that many I would wager? The answer to both could be just one, and it might be this one!
On 10th August at 12h00 the small MR1 tanker SCHWYZ (IMO 9905605) arrived at Cape Town, from Durban, and proceeded directly to the tanker berth in the Duncan Dock. Her voyage to South Africa had begun in Malaysia, where she had loaded products at the oil storage terminals at both Tanjung Langsat and Port Klang.
A brand new vessel, built this year by the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, at Ulsan in South Korea, Schwyz was only handed over to her new owners on 3 June. Her arrival at Durban was only her second voyage since entering service. She is 184 metres in length and has a deadweight of 37,764 tons.
She is powered by a single HHI MAN-B&W 6G50ME-C9 6 cylinder 2 stroke main engine producing 10,205 bhp (7,610 kW) and driving a fixed pitch propeller to give a service speed of 14.5 knots. She has twelve cargo tanks and has a cargo carrying capacity of 42,250 m3.
Owned by a combination of Houyoshi Ocean Corporation (80%) and Komenaka Kaiun Company (20%), strangely via an Athens address, Schwyz is operated by Proman Shipping of Wollerau of Switzerland and managed by Executive Ship Management of Singapore. On completion she was immediately chartered to Stena Bulk, and is the only ‘handy’ MR1 tanker on the Stena fleet list.
Whilst the obvious thought is that Schwyz is named after one of the many derivations of the name for Switzerland, she is actually named after the canton of Schwyz, which is one of the founding cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy that formed in the 14th century.
Added 15 August 2021
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Australia’s carbon capture and utilisation opportunity
We hear and read so much on any industry’s reduction of greenhouse gases, the use of fuels other than hydrocarbons and disposal of the components of the combustion process.
Over recent months we have seen reports of vessels burning ammonia, LPG and even hydrogen as well as those with solar-powered or hybrid power sources.
Many of the new methods have concerned ships, trucks and railway locomotives in trial or in routine service and man’s ingenuity never ceases to amaze. Even the lofty ship exhaust scrubber, although looking like an ad hoc grain silo, is being more and more seen in vessels using Africa’s ports.
Australia and carbon capture
On 13 August it was reported by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) that it could turn carbon dioxide waste into a valuable revenue stream.
Australia’s carbon capture and utilisation opportunities are now highlighted in a new report with the title The CO₂ Utilisation Roadmap. This publication explores the opportunities presented by emerging carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies for Australia to support new industries and reduce carbon emissions.
CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said CCU technologies can help transition Australia towards a lower emissions future while creating economic growth.
He commented: “No single technology will take us to net zero – the scale of our challenge in adapting to climate change and decarbonising our industries requires us to draw on every available tool.
“The development and demonstration of high abatement technologies like CCU has the potential to have a significant impact, as part of our broader efforts to both reduce emissions and lift the competitiveness of our industries.”
Currently, industries such as cement, steel, plastics as well as heavy transport still rely on fossil fuels or have inherent emissions in their processes and are traditionally ‘hard to abate.’
These industries are unable to rely on renewable technologies alone and account for about a sixth of Australia’s emissions and around a third of global emissions.
CCU technologies capture CO₂ from the waste streams of industrial processes, or directly from the atmosphere, and convert it into useful new products, ranging from synthetic fuels to food and beverages, chemicals, and building materials.
We at Africa PORTS & SHIPS look forward to reporting progress on these exciting advances.
By acting as a potential major user of hydrogen and helping to reduce CO₂ emissions, CCU complements CSIRO’s investment in Australia’s hydrogen and emissions reduction research through the Hydrogen Industry and Towards Net Zero Emissions Missions.
Readers may download the CO₂ Utilisation Roadmap
Reported by Paul Ridgway
London
Added 15 August 2021
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Naval Exercise Cutlass Express concludes off East African coast
This year’s Exercise Cutlass Express 2021 has taken place in the East African coastal regions of the Western Indian Ocean from 26 June to 6 August 2021 in the vicinity of Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. Cutlass Express is sponsored by the U.S. Africa Command and led by U.S. Naval Forces Africa.
The exercise is designed to improve regional cooperation in support of the Djibouti Code of Conduct, maritime domain awareness, information sharing between maritime operation centres, maritime interdiction, adherence to the rule of law, and counter-proliferation interdiction capabilities in order to disrupt illicit maritime activity and strengthen safety and security in East Africa.
Cutlass Express commenced with an in-port training period followed by at-sea scenarios and concluded with a senior leadership symposium.
The at-sea portion of the exercise tested the ships’ abilities to conduct maritime interdiction operations by boarding teams against simulated suspect vessels, detecting illicit activity, and follow-on evidence collection procedures.
The 18 nations that took part were Canada, Comoros, Djibouti, France, Georgia, India, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, United Kingdom, and the United States.
“Cutlass Express represents a shared commitment by East Africa and West Indian Ocean nations which has grown in significance and importance for maritime cooperation in the Western Indian Ocean and East Africa,” said Rear Adm. Jeffrey Spivey, Vice Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet (C6F) and Director, Maritime Partnership Program, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa.
“Our key purpose is to enhance the information exchange and regional information-sharing with our maritime partners and to improve our collective effectiveness at sea and address our primary challenges,” Admiral Spivey said.
– trh
Added 15 August 2021
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IMO supports Djibouti to prevent pollution from ships
Djibouti is the latest country to benefit from a national training workshop* (held from 2-5 August, 2021) on implementation and enforcement of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
The workshop particularly emphasised the importance of MARPOL Annexe V, which focuses on prevention of pollution by garbage from ships and prohibits disposal of plastics and restricts disposal of other ship-generated solid wastes at sea.
Held in Djibouti City and delivered in French the workshop also underscored the importance of ratification of Annex VI regulations to prevent air pollution from ships. Full and effective ratification and implementation of the convention could help improve the air quality in and around the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
An IMO representative from the Marine Environment Division gave a presentation on implementation of MARPOL Annex VI and recent developments within the IMO.
A representative from The Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden (PERSGA) updated participants on continuing efforts to designate the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as a Special Area under MARPOL Annex I and Annex V.
Officials responsible for the prevention and control of pollution from ships were trained on the management and operations of ship-generated waste reception facilities at Djiboutian ports. Delegates were provided with information about port reception facilities around the world under the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS).
In addition to encouraging Port State Control to implement and enforce MARPOL more consistently, the workshop laboured to improve the overall knowledge of participants about the MARPOL Convention and its current requirements as well as recent developments.
Participants took part in active discussion regarding factors affecting full implementation of MARPOL, including incomplete transposition of the convention and its amendments into national legislation.
Recommendations to address the existing barriers and the need for activating the Special Areas status of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden were also on the agenda.
* The workshop was organised by PERSGA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Djibouti, through IMO’s Integrated Technical Cooperation programme (ITCP). The States represented at PERSGA are: Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somaliland, Sudan and Yemen.
Reported by Paul Ridgway
London
Added 15 August 2021
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Fire on livestock carrier Elbeik off coast of Spain
There has been a fire on board another livestock carrier, the previously reported Togo-registered ELBEIK (IMO 6718427).
The livestock carrier, which was waiting to load a cargo of cattle for the Middle East, was lying off the port of Tarragona in Spain when a fire was reported on the ship.
All 18 of the crew were safely evacuated from the ship without injury or death. The fire was later extinguished.
Port of Tarragona authorities arranged for a barge to be taken alongside after the fire had been extinguished to pump out the water that had been sprayed onto the ship to help put out the fire.
The Lebanese owned and managed vessel has recently carried out a number of livestock loadings in Tarragona, which were taken for slaughter in various Mediterranean ports in Algeria, Lebanon and Turkey.
In March this year the Elbeik was in the news for having been under suspicion of carrying a load of cattle that were suspected of carrying the bovine disease ‘bluetongue’. The ship was initially refused entry to any Spanish port, causing it to remain at sea for almost three months with the animals on board.
There were reports of almost 180 bulls having died on board before the Elbeik was ordered into the port at Cartagena to discharge the animals. See that report in Africa PORTS & SHIPS by CLICKNG HERE
– trh
Added 15 August 2021
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Sri Lanka Ports Authority at 42
From 1918, the Port of Colombo had been administered by the Colombo Port Commission responsible for the supply and maintenance of cargo-handling equipment and other infrastructure, pilotage services, docking and slipping. The government had funded all its activities. Stevedoring and shore handling were in the hands of several private wharfage companies. In 1948 Ceylon as a British Crown Colony achieved independence after 133 years of imperial rule. The change of name to Sri Lanka came in 1972.
In 1958, the Port Cargo Corporation was set up to take over these activities performed by a multiplicity of operators. The Port Tally and Protective Services Corporation was formed in 1967 in order to perform on-board tallying and watchmen services on behalf of Agents.
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority was constituted under the provisions of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Act 1979 effecting the merger of the Colombo Port Commission Department and the two existing statutory Corporations. This resulted in a unified organisation with a streamlined structure. The Ports Authority does not receive financial allocations from the government but operates on its own revenue and resources.
42nd anniversary celebration
On 2 August this year the Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Minister of Ports and Shipping and Captain Nihal Keppetipola, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) were key speakers on the anniversary occasion attended with due religious ceremony.
Addressing the event Minister Abeygunawardena stated that on the occasion of the 42nd Anniversary, all plans should be made with a good understanding of the past, future and present activities of the institution. It was stated that from this day onwards all public servants were required to report for work with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic. In accordance with these guidelines SLPA stated that it is in the national interest to continue its operations as it did on the Covid-19 outbreak.
Container terminal development
The Minister also said that it is required to implement projects such as the East Container Terminal (ECT) and the West Container Terminal (WCT) of the Port of Colombo as well as the future plans of the SLPA.
Speaking on the occasion Captain Keppetipola said that although the current pandemic situation was a challenge to everyone, on the 42nd anniversary he was confident that SLPA would always be able to overcome all challenges with the able potential of the human resources in all sectors of the institution.
He would take all necessary steps to improve welfare and infrastructure facilities of the SLPA and commented: “Since port operation is a global activity, we need to be competitive and work closely with the international maritime activities, paving way to making Sri Lanka the Maritime Hub of South Asia.”
Relations with India
A greater synergy between India and Sri Lanka, pivotal to handling future container volume growth, was outlined by Chairman Keppetipola He recently paid a courtesy visit to the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka HE Gopal Baglay. Speaking at that meeting, the Indian High Commissioner said that the development of bilateral trade between India and Sri Lanka would enhance socio-economic stability between the two friendly nations and India would always like to cordially work with Sri Lanka and the SLPA to improve the container trade and shipping connectivity.
Captain Keppetipola said that considering the forecast growth of population, industrial production and an increase in the world’s ultra large container ship fleet it is important for the Indian Government to take action with regard to Indian Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi’s huge Sagaramala Project* parallel to Sri Lanka’s port development projects. Captain Keppitopola said: “We would then create a synergy between the countries to handle this huge container volume growth in the Indian Sub-Continent (ISC).”
Further discussions took place on the commencement of a regional cruise liner operation in the ISC region. In conclusion the Indian High Commissioner proposed to commence a joint discussion with BIMSTEC countries (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation) in this regard.
A useful film of 05.33 duration made to celebrate the SLPA’s 40th anniversary is available on the Authority’s website home page.
* As part of Sagarmala Programme of port led prosperity, more than 574 projects have been identified for implementation, during 2015-2035, across the areas of port modernisation & new port development, port connectivity enhancement, port-linked industrialisation and coastal community development. For more SEE HERE.
Reported by Paul Ridgway
London
Added 15 August 2021
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GENERAL NEWS REPORTS – UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY
in partnership with – APO
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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life. – Muhammad Ali
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EXPECTED SHIP ARRIVALS and SHIPS IN PORT
Port Louis – Indian Ocean 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 CLICKING HERE remember to use your BACKSPACE to return to this page.
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CRUISE NEWS AND NAVAL ACTIVITIES
QM2 in Cape Town. Picture by Ian Shiffman
We publish news about the cruise industry here in the general news section.
Naval News
Similarly you can read our regular Naval News reports and stories here in the general news section.
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