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(Seychelles News Agency) – Officials involved in search and rescue operations, disaster management and maritime assistance services in the Western Indian Ocean are meeting in Seychelles to produce better coordinated efforts in tackling maritime disasters.

At a four-day workshop at the Story Hotel on the main island of Mahe, participants from the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG), Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCCA) and Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD) are meeting the colleagues from the Comoros, France, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius and Mozambique to build a collaborative Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) maritime safety and security framework.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is providing its expertise in the “table-top exercise” which the Australian government is funding.

The table-top exercise will mainly involve practical aspects of training, “even though there will be theory, it will be mainly visits and exercises,” explained the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority (SMSA) head, Captain Joachim Valmont.

The Indian Ocean is a major transit area for international trade as half of the world’s container ships, one third of the world’s bulk cargo and two thirds of the world’s oil shipment passes through these waters annually.

Speaking to the press at the official opening of the workshop, Seychelles Coast Guards (SCG) chief, Jean Attala said the size of the Seychelles’ EEZ is one that “poses a challenge to the country”. The island state has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.3 million kilometres.

“There are different types of local and foreign vessels passing through our seas, and there are times that accidents happen,” he explained.

“Gathering concrete information as to where an accident has taken place as well as the coordination of a search and rescue mission is one that is relatively hard,” he said.

Valmont further added that due to the vast EEZ, “if we are to hold a major search and rescue operation, we will need the support of countries in the region”. Furthermore, the country has very limited aircraft capacity for such operations, effectively just one plane.

The meeting in Seychelles is the first in two IORA is holding – the second will be for the Eastern Indian Ocean countries of Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives and Singapore.

Through both workshops held for the different regions of the Indian Ocean, those taking part will be able to identify ongoing mechanisms that they may later adopt to address the gaps and areas for improvement
in regional maritime safety and security arrangement.

Source: http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/17311/IORA+meeting+in+Seychelles+tackles+framework+for+effective+search+and+rescue+coordination

Maersk unit APM Terminals has agreed to divest its 30.75% shareholding in Russia’s Global Ports Investments PLC to long-time partner Delo Group
The deal has been reached on an arm’s length basis and includes the possibility for APMT to re-enter the partnership with Delo in the future, Maersk says
With the divestment from Global Ports, APMT will no longer be involved in any entities operating in Russia or own any assets in that country

Maersk is quitting Russia via a divestment of its holdings in Global Ports Investments PLC (GPI), a port operator in that country, the Danish global shipping and logistics giant announced in Copenhagen on August 30.

A.P. Moller-Maersk’s port business, APM Terminals (APMT), has agreed to divest its 30.75% shareholding in GPI to long-standing partner Delo Group, Maersk said.

The divestment comes nearly six months after Maersk announced its commitment to end activities in Russia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 this year.

The APMT transaction is a binding agreement that is subject to regulatory approval. With the transaction, joint venture partner Delo Group, which also owns 30.75% of GPI’s capital stock, will now become the controlling shareholder with a 61.5% shareholding.

Maersk said the transaction has been undertaken on an arm’s-length basis and includes the possibility for APMT to re-enter the partnership with Delo in the future.

“We are pleased that we have now concluded this transaction according to the plan and with our long-standing partner Delo, enabling us (an) orderly exit from GPI in line with our decision to discontinue activities in Russia,” said Keith Svendsen, chief executive of APM Terminals.

With its shares in GPI divested, APMT will no longer be involved in any business in Russia or own any assets it that country. The transfer of share ownership will take place after regulatory approvals have been obtained.

Delo said the parties entered into the transaction on agreed market terms.

The price of the deal was not disclosed. But on the Copenhagen bourse on Monday, AP Moller-Maersk closed 1.12% down to Danish krone 18,170 (USD$1,112.47) per share.

On the London Stock Exchange, Global Ports Holdings, GPI’s parent, ended flat at £89.50 on Monday, August 29, before the APMT divestment.

The impact of the transaction has not yet reflected on Maersk’s and Global Ports’ stocks as the European stock markets are still closed.

With the divestment of its shares in GPI, APMT will no longer be involved in any entities operating in Russia or own any assets in the country.

Maersk is an integrated container logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains. As the global leader in shipping services, Maersk operates in 130 countries, employing around 95,000 people.

APM Terminals, part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, operates one of the world’s most comprehensive port networks 75 terminals exclusively or together with a joint venture partner. This equates to handling around 250 vessel calls per day and 12.8 million moves per year.

Global Ports Investments, a subsidiary of London-based GP Holdings, is the largest container terminal operator in Russia. It owns and operates 7 marine container and multipurpose terminals in two key marine container gateways.

Source: https://www.portcalls.com/maersk-quits-russia-via-gpi-stake-sale-to-delo/

A dry bulk ship loaded with steel rebars was beached 200 m off Catalan Bay in Gibraltar early this morning morning having collided with an LNG carrier.

The bulk carrier, OS 35, was ordered to come close to shore to minimise the risk of it sinking with tugs and booms quickly deployed.

As of 7am today, the Gibraltar government said the situation remains stable with the bow of the vessel resting on the seabed in 17 m of water, listing by three degrees to starboard.

A notice to mariners has been issued by the Gibraltar Port Authority with a 200 m exclusion zone already in place around the OS 35.

The vessel was carrying 183 tonnes of heavy fuel oil for its own consumption, alongside 250 tonnes of diesel and 27 tonnes of lube oil.

The bulk carrier was leaving Gibraltar to head to Vlissengen in the Netherlands at the time of the collision with the LNG carrier Adam LNG, which was heading into the Bay of Gibraltar. The LNG carrier was not damaged in the collision

The OS 35 is owned by Greece’s Oldstone Management while the LNG carrier is controlled by Oman Ship Management.

Source: https://splash247.com/bulker-and-lng-carrier-collide-off-gibraltar/

HAV Hydrogen, part of Norway’s HAV Group, is set to launch a deck-based containerised hydrogen energy system for ships. The solution is described as a stand-alone, scalable power supply where all support and safety systems as well as electrical power management are included.

Based on 200kW hydrogen fuel cell modules, the system can be set up with a 1,000 kW output from standard-size 20-foot containers, HAV said, noting that by using larger containers or combining several containers, larger capacity energy systems will also be available. Installed effects can be used for the main propulsion systems or for additional power supplies on board the vessel.

“The containerised, deck-based system is our response to shipowners who want a retrofit option that represents significantly lower cost and risk for vessels that have not already been prepared for a conventional retrofit installation below deck. Whereas for newbuild vessels, it can be a solution that reduces risk and complexity for a technology that is new to most shipyards,” said Kristian Osnes, managing director at HAV Hydrogen.

The Fosnavåg-based HAV Group was formed last year, when HAV Design, HAV Hydrogen, Norwegian Electric Systems and Norwegian Greentech joined forces to collaborate on forward-looking energy-efficient solutions.

The containerised H2 solution is based on HAV’s hydrogen-based energy system with a liquid hydrogen tank below deck, developed as part of the FreeCO2ast project in collaboration with Sintef Ocean and Prototech. Earlier this year, the Norwegian Maritime Authority and DNV granted preliminary approval for this system.

Source: https://splash247.com/norwegians-to-roll-out-containerised-hydrogen-system-for-ships/

Following very solid crowd funding and the backing of some big French corporate names, TransOceanic Wind Transport (TOWT) is proceeding with the construction of two sailing cargo vessels, adding to France’s leading position when it comes to the building and operation of these ships that hark back to a bygone era.

The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in late 2023, in Concarneau in northwest France, while the second will be delivered in spring 2024.

The ships are 80 m long, capable of carrying more than 1,100 tonnes of cargo equivalent to nearly 50 semi-trailers or over 100 containers, with 12 passengers onboard, two masts, and nearly 3,000 sq m of sails.

The two vessels will ship cargo on behalf of over 50 committed clients at speeds of about 10 knots.

“With TOWT, we have shipped by sail in a very practical and decarbonized way thousands of tons of goods since 2011. Sail cargo has a huge potential of drastic decarbonisation of maritime shipping,” commented TOWT CEO, Guillaume Le Grand, who said plans were already being drawn up for “dozens” more vessels based on client demand.

France has been providing global shipping with many leading wind-assisted projects in recent years with a host of shippers such as tyre manufacturer Michelin, automaker Renault and cognac maker Hennessy committing to move a portion of their products on new sail cargo ships under construction.

Source: https://splash247.com/more-french-sailing-cargo-vessels-under-construction/

Swedish and Finnish rescue services began evacuating families and elderly passengers from a fire-stricken Swedish ferry in the Baltic sea late on Monday, but said the situation was calm and that no one had been injured.

About 70 out of around 300 people onboard were scheduled to be evacuated by helicopter as the powerless vessel was drifting toward the island of Gotland and risked running aground later on Monday, at roughly 2100 GMT.

“We are evacuating families with children and the elderly. We have strong winds that make evacuation by boat difficult,” a Swedish Maritime Administration spokesperson said. “But the situation is calm and under control,” the person added.

The fire began in a container on the car deck on board the Stena Scandica on route from Latvia to Sweden.

A technical investigation will be launched to determine what started the fire.

Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/authorities-begin-evacuation-firestricken-499084

With the brand new ship of the Italian Navy Thaon di Revel, “a concentrate of avant-garde Italian technology”.

A special VTC meeting was held in these days between the Information Fusion Center of the Singapore Navy and the Force Headquarter of Agenor – the maritime operation born from the European initiative called EMASoH (European-led Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz ), in connection with the latest ship delivered to the Italian Navy, the Thaon di Revel, of the brand new Ppa class (multipurpose offshore patrol vessel).

The event was opened by a speech by the Ambassador of Italy in Singapore, Mario Vattani. “This program – explained Vattani – has not only a strategic significance, it is also a concrete signal of the will of Italy, together with the other European partners, to be more present from now on in this region, in line with the Strategy European for the Indo-Pacific in which Italy has played an important role, thanks to the work done in recent years by the Farnesina ”.

The topic – very topical in light of the growing threats to maritime navigation – is the opportunity to improve collaboration at a trans-regional level, and establish standard operating procedures for sharing information on civil shipping, in order to extend maritime knowledge to the entire region. Indo-Pacific, and therefore the safety of the seas.

“It is a pleasure to note – underlined Ambassador Vattani – that the European multinational staff of Operation Agenor will embark for the next 4 months, aboard our ultra-modern multipurpose offshore vessel, a concentrate of cutting-edge technology, which shows the very high capabilities of our defense industries (in particular Fincantieri, Leonardo and Electronics), well known in South East Asia and throughout the world ”.

The Commander of Task Force 474, Rear Admiral Stefano Costantino (Commander of the Tactical Force of Operation AGENOR, assigned for the first time to Italy) has in turn promoted cooperation at the multilateral level in sectors of common interest with Singapore thanks to the involvement of ‘Defense Attaché of the Embassy in Singapore, Commander Armando Simi.

“The Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca are apparently distant bottlenecks, but they are united by crucial factors that strongly unite them – said Admiral Costantino – and highlight the importance and vulnerability of maritime communication lines, on which 90% of world goods travel today, vital for the European and national processing industries so hungry for raw materials and energy ”. Hence the importance of collaborating with other stakeholders, such as the IFC of Singapore to help ensure freedom of navigation and safe passage.

Source: https://www.italianpost.news/italy-singapore-connection-on-maritime-safety/

Jeffersonville, Ind.-headquartered marine transportation company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) is expected to operate Hydrogen One, a first-of-its-kind towboat that will run on emissions-reducing methanol-to-hydrogen generator technology—without diesel propulsion.

The groundbreaking vessel is being developed by Louisiana-based Maritime Partners, the U.S.’ largest lessor of marine equipment, and will be built by Intracoastal Iron Works in Bourg, La. for launch in 2023 as the maritime industry continues to plot its course toward cleaner vessel operations.

“Our industry must be diligent and innovative to keep our standing as the most efficient mode of cargo transportation for our customer base,” ACBL’s CEO, Mike Ellis told Marine News. “We are excited to be a key player in developing a more sustainable reduced carbon footprint supply chain for our customers and all of our stakeholders through our partnership with Maritime Partners on this project.”

Hydrogen One’s propulsion system, which relies on e1 Marine’s reformer technology to essentially convert bunkered methanol into pure hydrogen on demand, will emit no nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur oxide (SOx) or particulate matter (PM) pollution. The hydrogen will run through fuel cells, creating electricity for the vessel’s motors, which drive dual L-drive azimuth thrusters

While pure hydrogen can be difficult to carry in quantity and get distance, methanol—which is readily available and routinely carried on U.S. inland waterways—is very similar to fueling conventional diesel, said Mike Complita, principal in charge and VP of strategic expansion at Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), the Seattle-based firm that designed the vessel.

“Methanol, in my opinion, is probably the safest alternative fuel to transfer to the vessel beyond diesel and biodiesel,” Complita said. “You bunker it from a truck or a terminal through a hose. It does not take any special permitting, unlike hydrogen and ammonia and some other alternative fuels.”

RIX Industries has been tapped to manufacture Hyrdogen One’s M18 reformers and PowerCell Sweden AB will supply the PowerCellution Marine System 200 fuel cells. The vessel will also be equipped with batteries that provide additional power when needed, both while underway and for hotel power.

Equipped with ABB’s electrical power distribution and automation technology, Hydrogen One will be able to perform at standard operational speeds for up to 550 miles before it needs to refuel. It will meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2030 goals, which target 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to 2008. The vessel will also meet all requirements of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Subchapter M regulations.

Once Hydrogen One is completed, ACBL will likely use the towboat to move petroleum products in and around Louisiana and Texas. Increasingly, barging customers are seeking ways to remove emissions from their supply chains.

“This project aligns with our strategy and ESG goals and initiatives,” Ellis said. “We have to find more sustainable solutions to meet our customer demands.”

Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/acbl-operate-maritime-partners-innovative-499081

Ports of Stockholm is investing in the environment by building onshore power connection facilities for cruise ships at two city centre quays. This environmental initiative will result in significantly lower air pollution emissions in Stockholm and the Baltic Sea.

The groundbreaking ceremony to begin building onshore power connections for cruise ships took place during the World Water Week 2022. Building the facilities at Stadsgården quay berths 167 and 160 makes Ports of Stockholm the first port in Sweden to offer cruise ships onshore power connection.

“We are now taking a huge next step towards being an international class sustainable cruise destination. Onshore power connection for cruise ships in the city centre is an important joint environmental initiative that Ports of Stockholm is part of, together with other Baltic Sea ports,” explains Joakim Larsson, City Commissioner responsible for Ports of Stockholm.

The environmental initiative is a collaboration with other Baltic Sea ports. It will result in significantly lower emissions of carbon dioxide and air pollutant particles from the cruise ships in Stockholm and the Baltic Sea area. Ports of Stockholm is working with the ports in Copenhagen, Aarhus and Helsinki to enable cruise ships and shipping companies to connect to onshore power of a common international standard in all of the different ports. This will encourage more shipping companies to make the major investments in equipment that the ships need to connect to onshore power.

“It feels really good that we will also be able to connect cruise ships to onshore power next season. This will be the first facility of its kind in Sweden, and one of only a few in Europe. The cruise passengers are very important to Stockholm financially, and generate over 1,000 jobs in the region,” says Thomas Andersson, CEO Ports of Stockholm.

The work to equip the two city centre quays with onshore power connections will be completed, respectively, in 2023 and 2024. These cruise quay-berths are two of Ports of Stockholm’s most visited. It is estimated that at least 45 percent of the cruise ship calls will be able to connect to onshore power when the facilities are in place.

The total reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be at least 6,000 tonnes each year as a result of connecting to onshore power. This environmental investment for cruise ships in Stockholm is a top priority and has been awarded grant funding from both the EU and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leap program.

Facts international cruises Stockholm
In 2019 just over 656,000 cruise passengers and an additional 240,000 crew members visited Stockholm. Collectively they spent more than EUR 57 million on hotel rooms, food, sightseeing excursions, shopping etc. In addition, the cruise shipping companies spent a total of EUR 25 million on harbour dues, pilotage dues and fairway dues in Stockholm. The cruise industry therefore contributes hugely to the Stockholm region, generating a total economic effect of almost EUR 176 million and creating around 1,100 jobs. Stockholm is a popular cruise destination and the majority of cruise passengers state that they are very satisfied with their visit.

Source: https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/port-of-stockholm-to-build-swedens-first-cruise-ship-onshore-power-connection-facilities/

Global defense and technologies partner HII announced on Monday that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Navy to begin the combat systems availability for the Zumwalt-class destroyer, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002). During this availability, Ingalls will complete the installation, activation and testing of the combat systems to ensure a fully functional system is ready to operate in the Navy fleet, as part of the Navy’s phased delivery approach.

“HII is excited to support our Navy colleagues in bringing this new capability to the fleet,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “As a dedicated partner in the construction and system activation of Navy destroyers, Ingalls is eager to leverage our shipbuilders’ expertise and modernized facilities in supporting the Navy’s future generation systems and platforms.”

The $41.6 million cost-incentive-fee contract allows Ingalls to begin program management, labor, materials, and facilities to accomplish industrial efforts and fleet industrial efforts to support the ship’s combat system.

The DDG 1002 features a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system, wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design and is equipped with the most advanced warfighting technology and weaponry. This ship will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing Navy to evolve with new systems and missions.

Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/ingalls-awarded-ddg-combat-systems-499085

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IORA meeting in Seychelles tackles framework for effective search and rescue coordination

Maersk quits Russia via GPI stake sale to Delo

Maersk unit APM Terminals has agreed to divest its 30.75% shareholding in Russia’s Global Ports Investments PLC to long-time partner Delo Group

The deal has been reached on an arm’s length basis and includes the possibility for APMT to re-enter the partnership with Delo in the future, Maersk says

With the divestment from Global Ports, APMT will no longer be involved in any entities operating in Russia or own any assets in that country

Maersk is quitting Russia via a divestment of its holdings in Global Ports Investments PLC (GPI), a port operator in that country, the Danish global shipping and logistics giant announced in Copenhagen on August 30.

A.P. Moller-Maersk’s port business, APM Terminals (APMT), has agreed to divest its 30.75% shareholding in GPI to long-standing partner Delo Group, Maersk said.

Bulker and LNG carrier collide off Gibraltar

Norwegians to roll out containerised hydrogen system for ships

More French sailing cargo vessels under construction

Authorities Begin Evacuation of Fire-stricken Ferry in Baltic Sea

Italy-Singapore connection on maritime safety

ACBL to Operate Maritime Partners’ Innovative Hydrogen One Towboat

Port Of Stockholm To Build Sweden’s First Cruise Ship Onshore Power Connection Facilities

Ingalls Awarded DDG 1002 Combat Systems Availability Contract

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