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The year 2025 has seen the quiet arrival of a new-generation bulk carrier into the global dry cargo trades: the Ultramax-class ASIAN PROGRESS (IMO 9991501), proudly sailing under the flag of Singapore. Built earlier this year, ASIAN PROGRESS embodies the modern efficiency and environmental compliance expected of 21st-century dry bulk shipping. Measuring 199 metres in overall length and 32 metres across the beam, the vessel has a summer deadweight capacity of 64,683 tonnes — positioning her neatly within the Ultramax bracket, a segment noted for its flexibility in global trading routes and port accessibility. 

Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA), the world’s leading ammonia distributor, has played a central role in a landmark development in maritime decarbonisation: the successful completion of the world’s first ship-to-ship (STS) ammonia transfer at anchorage, conducted off the coast of Western Australia. The pilot operation, led by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and supported by the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA), took place under real-world conditions at Port Dampier’s anchorage, demonstrating that offshore ammonia bunkering can be executed safely and effectively.   Read more…

Emergency operations are continuing off the Indian coastline following a serious incident involving the container vessel MV WAN HAI 503 (Voyage E219), which suffered an explosion and fire on 9 June 2025 while en route from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Nhava Sheva, India.  According to a statement issued by Hapag-Lloyd, the stricken vessel is currently being towed westward, away from the Indian coast, in an effort to mitigate environmental risks. A specialised salvage team boarded the vessel on 13 June and several firefighting tugs remain actively engaged in containing the situation.  Read more…

In a surprising turn, Algeria has scrapped its long-planned deep-water port deal in El Hamdania — 50 kilometres west of Algiers in the Cherchell district of Tipaza province — with China, signaling a diplomatic pivot toward France. The initial port agreement, launched in 2015 and backed by Chinese financing of between US $3.3–5.3 billion, was set to be constructed by a Sino-Algerian joint venture — China State Construction and China Harbour Engineering — with a 51 % Algerian/49 % Chinese equity split.   Read more…

Here we are in mid-June, and reporting on a vessel that arrived in late April. As has happened frequently in the past, the published story of the visit of a vessel to a South African port sometimes has to be delayed, in order to await either her departure, or to work out the reason, or reasons, or convolutions, as to why she is here, and the reason, reasons, or convolutions, as to what the delays are to her not sailing in good time. Sometimes this delay is not measured in days, or weeks, but months, and the reasons are still not always known.  Read more…

Mozambique’s expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) ambitions took a major step forward last week with the government’s formal approval of the Coral Norte floating LNG (FLNG) development plan. The announcement was made following a high-level meeting between Mozambican President Daniel Chapo and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi in Maputo. The Coral Norte project — to be developed in offshore Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin — will be a sister facility to Coral Sul, Africa’s first operational FLNG platform, which began production in 2022. Eni confirmed that all terms for Coral Norte have now been agreed, marking the initiative as officially underway.  Read more…

Transnet SOC Ltd has reached a three-year wage agreement with its recognised labour unions, the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU) and the United National Transport Union (UNTU). This brings an end to the latest round of wage negotiations and offers a measure of labour stability for the state-owned logistics company. The agreement, facilitated through conciliation by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA), provides for an annual above inflation 6% salary increase over three consecutive financial years — from 2025/26 to 2027/28.   Read more…

As the world marked the tenth annual Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day on Saturday, South African animal welfare groups and concerned citizens joined global calls for an end to the long-distance transport of live farm animals by sea. Events across the globe — from marches to port vigils and public film screenings — shone a spotlight on the often-harrowing conditions faced by millions of animals shipped across vast distances for slaughter or fattening. South African campaigners used the day to urge the national government to implement a complete ban on live animal exports by sea, and to tighten regulations on long-haul truck transport within the region.   Read more…

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has announced a significant leadership transition and reaffirmed its global advocacy role following its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Board Meeting in Athens. Hosted under the auspices of Greece’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Vassilis Kikilias, the meeting comes at a critical juncture for international shipping.  The ICS Board unanimously recommended John Denholm CBE to succeed outgoing Chairman Emanuele Grimaldi at the conclusion of Grimaldi’s term in June 2026. Denholm, currently ICS Vice Chair and UK Board Member, also chairs J. & J. Denholm Limited, a diversified maritime and logistics group.   Read more…

A strong international consensus is emerging against unilateral efforts to exploit the deep seabed, as participants at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) issued a unified call for a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining. With growing concerns over the environmental risks posed by extraction activities in one of Earth’s last untouched frontiers, policymakers, scientists, civil society leaders, and financial institutions signaled their firm opposition to any attempt to bypass the authority of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).  Read more…

The recent escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran is fuelling concerns over the safety and stability of international ocean supply chains, according to Peter Sand, Chief Analyst at Xeneta, a leading freight rate and market intelligence platform. Sand cautioned that the situation could escalate to the point of effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint for global maritime trade.   Read more…

Two newly built, high-capacity electric cutter suction dredgers are on their way by sea to Mozambique for deployment at Kenmare Resources’ Moma titanium minerals mine. The dredgers, named CSD Calen and CSD Sandra, were successfully loaded aboard the heavy-lift vessel Rolldock Storm (IMO IMO 9656503) at Royal IHC’s yard in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands, last week. The vessel departed Rotterdam on 4 June 2025. Measuring 62 metres in length and each weighing nearly 1,000 tonnes, the two dredgers were built by Royal IHC for Kenmare Resources plc under a contract signed in late 2023.   Read more…

As the worldwide market need for heavylift, and project freight, general cargo vessels expanded, so the design requirements for these specialised vessels changed. At first, heavylift derricks changed to hydraulic cranes, and then the cranes became offset, with all being offset to either the port side or to the starboard side of the vessel, which opened up the deck as a long unobstructed space for long, or outsized, cargo. These cranes were generally limited to a pair only, with both able to operate in tandem to double the lifting capacity. The next change came when the accommodation was split away from the traditional place at the stern, and placed forward just aft of the forecastle.    Read more…

In a significant shift beyond its traditional rail focus, Transnet Engineering (TE) has formally entered the maritime equipment sector, manufacturing, refurbishing and maintaining a growing range of port handling machinery for South African and African markets. The move marks a strategic diversification for the 115-year-old division of Transnet, better known for its expertise in rolling stock maintenance. TE is now actively designing and producing equipment such as port haulers, trailers, skips, and straddle carriers — servicing key ports including Cape Town, Saldanha, Durban, Richards Bay, Port Elizabeth, and Ngqura.  Read more…

At the second day of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, senior ministers from France, Ghana, the Maldives, Liberia, Panama and the European Commission pledged strong action to expose the true owners behind fishing vessels engaged in criminal activities. The event, hosted by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), spotlighted the urgent need for beneficial ownership transparency—revealing the individuals who ultimately profit from vessels involved in illegal fishing, forced labour, and trafficking.   Read more…

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Okonjo-Iweala highlighted that trade and the WTO can play a key role in harnessing the opportunities from the blue economy and in protecting the oceans’ resources. Underscoring the blue economy’s estimated annual value of over USD 2.6 trillion, she stressed: “The ocean is vital for our food, livelihoods and the health of our planet. More than 3 billion people either directly or indirectly rely on the oceans for their livelihoods.”  She also emphasised the importance of the oceans in helping many WTO members meet their development objectives, including coastal and small island developing states (SIDS).  Read more… 

The oil and gas industry never ceases to amaze with the huge variety of vessels built, seemingly at with no expense spared, and designed to concentrate on one major element of the requirements of that industry. These vessels are true niche players, and they come in every shape and size, most of which amazing to look at, although not exactly pretty. However, there are the odd ones that do have a certain, almost yacht like, look about them. In the main, these better-looking oil and gas vessels tend to represent that part of their industry that sends just about every South African wannabe environmentalist into an apoplectic tizzy….  Read more… 

The South African government has confirmed that plans are moving ahead for the development of a small harbour in KwaZulu-Natal’s Ray Nkonyeni District Municipality on the South Coast. Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, made the announcement during the recent Umdoni Municipality Investment Conference held in Scottburgh, where he outlined broader infrastructure and economic development goals. The proposed harbour, intended for small craft, will include a boat launching site, facilities to support fisheries, and related maritime infrastructure.   Read more…

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FIRST VIEW: Newbuild Spotlight: Ultramax Bulk Carrier ASIAN PROGRESS Joins Global Fleet

Built earlier this year, ASIAN PROGRESS embodies the modern efficiency and environmental compliance expected of 21st-century dry bulk shipping. Measuring 199 metres in overall length and 32 metres across the beam, the vessel has a summer deadweight capacity of 64,683 tonnes — positioning her neatly within the Ultramax bracket, a segment noted for its flexibility in global trading routes and port accessibility.

Though the precise shipyard has not been publicly disclosed, Asian Progress has been constructed with the hallmarks of an advanced Ultramax bulk carrier: multiple cargo holds (typically five or six), hydraulically operated hatch covers, and onboard cranes or grabs to enable operation at less-developed ports.

Her cargo arrangement supports a wide range of dry bulk commodities — from grain and coal to minerals and fertilisers.

The vessel is classed to Unattended Machinery Space (UMS) standards, indicating a high level of automation and remote monitoring capability in her engine room — now standard among the newest generation of bulkers.

Asian Progress is equipped with a single low-speed, two-stroke diesel engine, likely producing between 10,000 and 12,000 kilowatts of power, driving a single fixed-pitch propeller via a direct shaft. Auxiliary systems are supported by three to four diesel generators, each typically rated around 1,500 kVA. These provide electrical power to onboard systems, including navigation, cargo handling, accommodation, and safety systems.

While official engine make and model details remain undisclosed, her configuration aligns with industry standards for fuel efficiency, long-haul durability, and environmental performance. She is expected to be IMO 2020-compliant and likely fitted with a ballast water management system, in accordance with the IMO’s BWM Convention.

The vessel is owned and operated by U-Ming Marine Transport (Singapore) Pte Ltd, a well-regarded subsidiary of Taiwan’s U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation — one of Asia’s leading bulk carrier operators. With this pedigree, Asian Progress is assured high levels of technical management, chartering acumen, and market positioning.

The ship is insured through Steamship Mutual’s Eastern Syndicate, covering essential liabilities such as pollution, crew welfare under MLC 2006, and wreck removal. This confirms that she is fully cleared for global operations and represents a sound investment in the modern dry cargo sector.

With her size and draft tailored to fit a wide range of ports—both deepsea and coastal—ASIAN PROGRESS is likely to be engaged in trades connecting Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as transiting the Panama Canal when required. Her dimensions optimise cargo lift while maintaining versatility, making her a prime candidate for carrying coal from Indonesia, grain from Australia, iron ore from Brazil, or fertilisers out of the Arabian Gulf.

Her Singapore flag adds another layer of assurance, reflecting strong maritime oversight and a well-respected international register.

Asian Progress exemplifies the latest evolution in dry bulk shipping: a vessel that delivers reliability, adaptability, and environmental responsibility. As she begins her trading life in the world’s oceans, she does so as a symbol of what modern Ultramax design and operation can achieve — leaner, smarter, and greener.

Keep an eye out for Asian Progress at major bulk terminals — she represents the quiet workhorse of global trade, now in its most refined form.

Added 16 June 2025

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Ammonia bunkering breakthrough marks major decarbonisation milestone

Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA), the world’s leading ammonia distributor, has played a central role in a landmark development in maritime decarbonisation: the successful completion of the world’s first , conducted off the coast of Western Australia.

The pilot operation, led by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and supported by the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA), took place under real-world conditions at Port Dampier’s anchorage, demonstrating that offshore ammonia bunkering can be executed safely and effectively.

Yara Clean Ammonia, one of the three principal partners in the initiative, supplied the ammonia for the trial and chartered the Green Pioneer, one of the two gas carriers involved. The company also contributed vital technical input to the safety assessments, risk management, and emergency planning that underpinned the operation.

“This successful trial is a pivotal step towards building trust in ammonia as a zero-to-near-zero emission (ZNZ) maritime fuel,” said Murali Srinivasan, SVP Commercial at Yara Clean Ammonia.

The trial builds on GCMD’s earlier safety study conducted in Singapore, and the latest operation now provides real-world evidence that ammonia can be safely transferred at sea—a key consideration for its adoption as a future marine fuel.

Yara’s footprint in the Pilbara region further enhances its role in the transition to clean maritime fuels. The company operates a major ammonia production facility in Karratha, with an annual output of 850,000 metric tons — 70% of which is already exported via Port Dampier.

Yara is also progressing Project Yuri, a renewable ammonia initiative due to start production in 2026, and is evaluating additional low-emission ammonia projects at its Yara Pilbara Fertilisers site.

“We’re not just supplying ammonia — we’re helping shape the standards and infrastructure that will enable global maritime decarbonisation,” said Tessa Major, VP Infrastructure Development & Demand Aggregation at Yara Clean Ammonia.

As the shipping industry searches for scalable, low-emission alternatives to fossil fuels, ammonia is emerging as a promising option — provided that bunkering operations can meet strict safety standards. This trial is a significant stride toward making that a reality.

Yara Clean Ammonia has committed to sharing insights from the pilot to support regulatory frameworks and industry-wide learning, contributing to a global push for cleaner maritime fuel alternatives.

Added 17 June 2025

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Fire aboard MV WAN HAI 503: Salvage efforts continue, four crew still missing

See that report HERE.

According to a statement issued by Hapag-Lloyd, the stricken vessel is currently being towed westward, away from the Indian coast, in an effort to mitigate environmental risks.

A specialised salvage team boarded the vessel on 13 June and several firefighting tugs remain actively engaged in containing the situation. The condition onboard is reported to be stable.

Eighteen crew members were safely evacuated after the incident, but search and rescue operations are still underway for four missing seafarers. These efforts are being conducted in close coordination with local maritime and emergency authorities.

The full extent of the damage to the ship’s cargo remains under assessment. Preliminary reports suggest that some containers were either damaged or lost during the incident, although details have not yet been confirmed.

Hapag-Lloyd has indicated that it will contact affected customers directly to discuss the status of their shipments and any next steps.

The company also confirmed that an official investigation into the cause of the explosion and fire is now underway.

This incident highlights the ongoing risks faced in the maritime container trade, even as coordinated international response teams work swiftly to safeguard lives, cargo, and the marine environment.

Added 17 June 2025

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Algeria withdraws El Hamdania Port deal with China in shift toward France

The initial port agreement, launched in 2015 and backed by Chinese financing of between US $3.3–5.3 billion, was set to be constructed by a Sino-Algerian joint venture — China State Construction and China Harbour Engineering — with a 51 % Algerian/49 % Chinese equity split

However, the deal has now been abandoned with Algeria’s Ports CEO, Abdelkarim Rezzal, citing overly heavy technical and financial burdens as the main factors

The sudden shift follows a high-profile visit in early June by Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of CMA CGM — the global French shipping giant — to meet with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

The general opinion is that Saadé’s strong links to President Macron and influential position in French strategic circles helped pave the way for this realignment.

Algeria is now exploring alternatives: modernising existing national ports, including deepening them to depths of 17–20 metres, and expanding quay capacity to handle large vessels.

CMA CGM is understood to be a frontrunner for these upgrades, with plans underway to invest hundreds of millions of euros in upgrading container terminals — particularly in Oran, with aspirations for annual throughput of over 1 million TEU

Observers suggest that this move reflects Algeria’s intent to ease mounting diplomatic tension with France — tensions that escalated over the past year — while maintaining flexibility on ongoing Chinese partnerships.

Some even theorise it may also be linked to Morocco-Western Sahara geopolitics, though direct motives remain speculative.

Although the deep-water port concept remains alive, it will not proceed under the previous Sino-Algerian framework. Algeria now appears focused on deepening and upgrading its existing port network through domestic and French-led development.

That said, China may still feature in other infrastructure projects — as Algeria evaluates various bids and partnerships

The reorientation comes alongside CMA CGM’s broader Mediterranean ambitions. The firm is deepening its roots in Algeria, aiming to manage terminals in Oran and others, launch roll-on/roll-off connections with Marseille, and further integrate Algeria into its logistics network.

Algeria is sending signals to Europe — particularly France — while recalibrating its China relationship.

The El Hamdania project’s ballooning costs and financing demands made it unfeasible under previous terms.

With enhanced ports in Africa’s Mediterranean flank, Algeria strengthens its bid as a logistics hub linking Europe, West Africa, and the Sahel.

The shift may soothe French-Algerian diplomatic strains, but leaves Chinese engagement on the broader table.

as Algeria sidesteps a major Chinese megaproject, it opens the door to European — and particularly French — investment in its port infrastructure, reflecting evolving priorities in North–South Mediterranean trade and diplomacy.

Added 16 June 2025

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WHARF TALK: specialised container vessel – FOREST 6

Way back on 23rd April, at 06:00 in the morning, the specialised container vessel arrived off Cape Town, from Pointe Noire in the Republic of Congo. She entered Cape Town harbour, proceeding into the Duncan Dock, and went alongside the Eastern Mole. As always, such a vessel, being assigned such a berth, indicated that her visit was purely for logistic purposes, and that her visit would be measured in hours. How wrong an assumption!

Built in 2022 by Xiangyu Shipbuilding at Nantong in China, ‘Forest 6’ is 134 metres in length and has a gross registered tonnage of 8,425 tons. She is powered by a single dual fuel Shanghai Marine Diesel Research Institute (SMDERI) Qingdao five cylinder, two stroke, main engine producing 4,828 bhp (3,600 kW) to drive a fixed pitch propeller for a service speed of 14 knots.

Interestingly, SMDERI have a strong business and industrial relationship with Finnish marine engine builder Wärtsilä. The auxiliary machinery of ‘Forest 6’ includes three generators providing 400 kW each, and a single emergency generator providing 120 kW. For added manoeuvrability she has a single bow transverse thruster.

One of two sisterships, ‘Forest 6’ was originally built as a traditional feeder container vessel with a container carrying capacity of 640 TEU. She is owned by HK Brighten Shipping Co. Ltd., of Hong Kong, and both operated and managed by Seacon Ships Management Co., also of Hong Kong. For the casual maritime observer who sees the acronym TEU in maritime circles, but is unaware of its meaning, it simply describes a standard twenty foot long container, or Twenty foot Equivalent Unit.

There is a reason why she is categorised as a specialised container vessel. The decision was taken to convert both sisterships, from carrying normal TEU as cargo, to carrying a maximum of 180 FEU, which is the acronym for the larger forty foot long container, or Forty foot Equivalent Unit. Her container carrying capacity was also reduced to just 300 TEU. The difference for ‘Forest 6’ was that both the TEU limit, and the FEU limit, was based on the fact that it would be made up almost entirely made up ISO LNG containers. On arrival in Cape Town she was carrying a full load of ISO LNG FEU containers, all of the Chinese Wing Wah and CNPESD gas companies.

As the demand for international trade grows, so does the need for quality and reliable fuel transport, which includes Liquid Natural Gas (LNG). In order to transport LNG on a global scale, LNG ISO containers have to meet certain minimum design conditions. In many countries, LNG ISO tank containers are used to improve the energy supply chain, in order to transport LNG to inland cities, and to remote rural areas. The LNG ISO tank containers also offer an effective solution to the problem of LNG supply in those countries with poor fuel transport infrastructure.

Generally, LNG ISO tank containers are manufactured according to ISO standards (International Organisation for Standardisation), and are used for the transport of various liquids and gases. More specifically, LNG ISO containers are designed for the efficient transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by container vessel, rather than by dedicated LNG Tankers, which is exactly what ‘Forest 6’ is designed to do.

All ISO tanks are made of stainless steel. In addition, internally they have multi-layer vacuum-insulated pressure tanks, supported by double-walled transport tanks. Thus allowing them to hold their LNG cargo at the extremely low temperatures of -162°C, and having a maximum pressure level of 0.690 MPa. In effect, an LNG ISO tank container is made up of two containers, one being an inner tank containing the LNG cargo, and an outer tank with insulating material.

Fully sealed tanks are the most common and their size varies depending on their purpose, i.e. TEU or FEU. Transporting LNG in ISO tanks is an innovative and effective alternative to traditional natural gas distribution. Most important, for those container vessels designed with dual fuel engines, it means having a fuel source which can be carried on deck, and simply ‘plugged’ in to feed the engines.

In 2022, Bureau Veritas (BV), the French Classification Society, approved in principle the 40 foot (FEU) ISO LNG Fuel Tank Container System, for use on dual fuel engined newbuilds, and retrofits of existing container vessels, such as ‘Forest 6’. The FEU is a Type C LNG fuel tank, with a capacity of 31 tons, and a volume of 33 m3 of LNG. With the stainless-steel double-walled tank being vacuum insulated, the LNG FEU has up to 80 days of holding time.

The onboard concept consists of container stowage on a free deck, with the LNG piping and venting system, as well as firefighting systems, being integrated into the container cell guides structure. The gas handling room is normally adjacent to the LNG container storage area, and separated from the containers by a cofferdam, and fire protection means, allowing a controlled pressure feed to any 4 stroke, or 2 stroke, dual fuel engine.

Since the LNG containers are portable, the total number of containers required to be loaded in the container guides, and for engine fuel requirements, can be easily optimised according to the owner, or charterer, requirements. As with any container operation when a container vessel is alongside, the empty LNG containers can be offloaded, and replaced by newly filled ones. The containers have a fail-safe dry quick coupling connection and are approved for loading in high stacks of up to seven layers.

On arrival, ‘Forest 6’ was fully loaded, and Cape Town has been used in the recent past for importing LNG ISO containers, which were then transported on to customers. A demonstration plant, on the Eastern Mole, utilising imported LNG from Rotterdam was successfully commissioned in Cape Town in 2020, by FFS Refiners, and operated for just over one year. Was ‘Forest 6’ alongside for this reason? After just under two days alongside in Cape Town, ‘Forest 6’ was ready to sail, and at 04:00 in the early morning of 25th April, she sailed from Cape Town, but with her destination being only out to the Table Bay anchorage.

She remained out at anchor for just over a fortnight, and at 18:00 in the early evening of 9th May, she left the Table Bay anchorage, and made her way once more back into Cape Town harbour, and again was placed alongside the Eastern Mole. Presumably her period at anchor was to await something that required her to return to Cape Town harbour.

However, after less than one day later, ‘Forest 6’ moved again, when on 10th May she made a simple sideways, and backwards, shift to the Landing Wall, where she spent the next three days. Whatever the reason for this berth shift seemed to be resolved less than three days later, as at 06:00 on 13th May she sailed once more from Cape Town, and once more her AIS showed that she was to make another short hop out to the Table Bay Anchorage, and this time her stay out at anchor lasted for almost four weeks.

Finally, at 06:00 in the morning of 9th June, ‘Forest 6’ picked up her anchor and sailed out of Table Bay, this time not for Cape Town harbour, but even more strangely her AIS indicated that she was now bound just up the coast to Saldanha Bay, where she arrived one day later, at 07:00 in the morning of 10th June. On arrival at Saldanha Bay she was berthed on the inner berth at the Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT).

The casual maritime observer might still have wondered what purpose was served by a container vessel, fitted with no self-handling gear, being alongside a berth with no handling gear. Saldanha Bay is the location of a large LPG facility, but not a LNG facility, and for which dual fuel engines are not always sable to switch between LPG and LNG as a fuel. However, LPG is a required fuel for domestic uses, and it may have been that LPG ISO containers were loaded in Saldanha Bay.

Whatever the reason for her call into Saldanha Bay, her stay alongside was for just under two and a half days, and at 17:00 in the afternoon of 12th June ‘Forest 6’ sailed from Saldanha Bay, and finally after 51 days in the ports and anchorages of the Western Cape, she departed from South African waters, with her new destination on her AIS set now as Walvis Bay in Namibia, with an ETA there at 10:00 in the morning of 15th June.

Almost three years ago, on 27th June 2022, ‘Forest 6’ was involved in a fatal accident whilst alongside the Jordanian port of Aqaba, located in the northern Red Sea at 29° 21’ North 034° 57’ East. It occurred when a harbour crane was loading a LNG ISO FEU container containing liquid Chlorine Gas, and one of the crane cables snapped, which caused the FEU to collapse onto the ‘Forest 6’ container deck guides, and which ruptured the tank on impact.

The immediate tank rupture caused the liquid Chlorine Gas to escape in an explosive manner, releasing a large plume of toxic yellow gas. This yellow cloud of Chlorine killed thirteen people, of which four were deck crew of ‘Forest 6’, and nine others who were Aqaba port authority dockers. In addition, another 265 people were hospitalized for various complaints arising from the inhalation of the rapidly expanding gas cloud throughout the port environment.

The ruptured ISO container held nearly 30 tonnes of liquid Chlorine, which turned out to be more than three times the lifting load of the cable that broke. In addition, the investigation found that the required safety measures for dealing with such hazardous material during loading operations were not in place at the time. There was also no safety officer on deck who was allocated to check that loading procedures were being adhered to.

The investigation found that the wire rope sling, used for loading, was only rated at 8.5 tons. It has already completed the loading of four 25 ton ISO containers of liquid Chlorine Gas from the quayside, onto ‘Forest 6’ prior to it breaking. The fifth ISO container, which caused the crane cable to break, weighed 28.9 tons. There were still another 20 more ISO containers of liquid Chlorine Gas to be loaded.

With the accident report blaming the incident on both a deficiency, and associated negligence, in safety protocols for dealing with hazardous materials in the Aqaba port, it resulted in senior Aqaba port officials, including the Director General of state-owned Aqaba Company for Ports Operation and Management, and other senior port officials, to be summarily dismissed from company service.

The full story of why ‘Forest 6’ waited for so long at anchorage in Table Bay, and what she was in both ports for, is still a bit of a mystery. However, long port stays for her are not new for her though. Her outward voyage to Pointe Noire in November 2024 had her calling into Cape Town northbound, for a logistics call of bunkers, stores and fresh provisions, which only lasted for a short 9 hours before sailing. On arrival in Pointe Noire she remained alongside for a full 27 days.

Added 16 June 2025

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Mozambique approves Coral Norte FLNG Project as Eni deepens LNG and biofuel commitments

The announcement was made following a high-level meeting between Mozambican President Daniel Chapo and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi in Maputo.

The Coral Norte project — to be developed in offshore Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin — will be a sister facility to Coral Sul, Africa’s first operational FLNG platform, which began production in 2022.

Eni confirmed that all terms for Coral Norte have now been agreed, marking the initiative as officially underway.

“Coral Norte is now a reality,” said Descalzi, describing the government’s green light as a decisive step forward in Mozambique’s gas production strategy.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the contributed as much as 50% of Mozambique’s GDP growth in 2023 and could account for up to 70% of growth in 2025 as LNG exports ramp up.

Mozambique currently has three major LNG projects approved for the Rovuma Basin, among the largest undeveloped gas reserves in the world.

Of these, Eni’s Coral Sul remains the only one in production.

The TotalEnergies-led Mozambique LNG project remains on hold due to security concerns, while ExxonMobil’s onshore development is still pending a final investment decision.

In addition to gas sector developments, Eni’s CEO highlighted the company’s growing interest in agribusiness, particularly biofuel production, which he described as a key pillar of Eni’s energy transition and employment strategy in Africa.

Descalzi said Eni plans to develop large-scale agricultural projects in Mozambique aimed at cultivating sustainable feedstocks for biofuels.

“With 150,000 hectares, we produce around 130,000 tons annually and can generate up to 120,000 jobs,” he noted. Expanding to 300,000 hectares, he suggested, could create up to 300,000 jobs — a transformational opportunity for rural employment.

While LNG development is capital-intensive and generates relatively few direct jobs, Descalzi emphasised that agriculture offers a high-employment alternative with long-term sustainability benefits.

Eni already operates similar biofuel-linked agricultural ventures in over six African countries and aims to replicate the model in Mozambique in close partnership with local authorities.

The discussions between President Chapo and Descalzi also touched on Eni’s broader contributions to Mozambique’s energy transition, including carbon offset programmes such as “Clean Kitchen” and REDD+ initiatives aimed at reducing emissions through reforestation and improved energy use.

As Mozambique looks to maximise returns from its vast offshore gas reserves while promoting inclusive development, Eni’s twin-track strategy — growing LNG exports alongside biofuel-linked agribusiness — signals a diversified approach to the country’s energy and economic future.

Added 16 June 2025

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Transnet secures labour stability with three-year wage deal

This brings an end to the latest round of wage negotiations and offers a measure of labour stability for the state-owned logistics company.

The agreement, facilitated through conciliation by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA), provides for an annual above inflation 6% salary increase over three consecutive financial years — from 2025/26 to 2027/28.

The increases apply not only to basic salaries but extends to associated employee benefits, including 13th cheques, pension contributions, medical aid subsidies, and housing allowances.

Transnet described the outcome as a significant step toward stabilising the workforce and enabling the company to focus on improving both its operational efficiency and financial health.

Management emphasised that the agreement lays the groundwork for a more stable industrial environment, critical as the company works to restore performance across its freight rail, port, and pipeline divisions.

In a statement, Transnet thanked the unions and all stakeholders involved in the process and said the agreement reinforces its commitment to fostering job security and contributing to economic growth through improved logistics delivery.

In its announcement to its members, the largest union involved in the negotiations, UNTU (United National Transport Union) said the agreement placed a strong emphasis on job security by including a non-retrenchment clause, one of UNTU’s key demands throughout the process.

UNTU said the agreement is fully aligned with the overwhelming mandate received from its constituencies.

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Call to end South Africa’s role in Live Animal Exports grows louder on Global Awareness Day

Events across the globe — from marches to port vigils and public film screenings — shone a spotlight on the often-harrowing conditions faced by millions of animals shipped across vast distances for slaughter or fattening.

South African campaigners used the day to urge the national government to implement a complete ban on live animal exports by sea, and to tighten regulations on long-haul truck transport within the region.

Globally, the trade involves animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats being shipped in crowded and stressful conditions over journeys that can last several weeks. These animals often endure dehydration, exhaustion, heat stress, and injury, frequently with minimal welfare oversight.

Maritime disasters such as fires, ship groundings, and disease outbreaks have further highlighted the risks — as in the recent case of a livestock vessel that ran aground near Yemen, resulting in the deaths of 160 sheep.

South Africa’s role in this trade is coming under increasing scrutiny. According to the latest FAO data, the country exported up to 24,000 cattle, sheep, and goats in 2023, primarily to destinations such as Mauritius and Kuwait.

But its involvement is not limited to its own exports: South Africa’s location also makes it a key transit point for vessels from other countries. In February 2024, the controversial livestock carrier Al Kuwait, transporting 19,000 cattle from Brazil to Iraq, docked in Cape Town.

The resulting odour sparked public outcry, with the NSPCA condemning the vessel’s conditions as “abhorrent” due to the build-up of waste and the distress caused to animals onboard.

While the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has reportedly drafted new regulations on live animal transport, these have not yet been released for public comment. NGOs, including Compassion in World Farming, are calling on the public to engage in the process once the draft is published.

“South Africa must act to end this cruelty,” said Alexis Olds, Head of Southern Africa at Compassion in World Farming.

“Countries like Great Britain and Australia have already taken legislative steps to ban or phase out the trade. We urge the South African government to follow suit and consign the live export trade to the history books.”

Countries that have introduced bans or restrictions in recent years include Great Britain (ban on live exports for fattening and slaughter in 2024), Luxembourg (ban on exports outside the EU in 2022), and Germany (halted live export certificates for non-EU trade in 2023). Australia has committed to phasing out live sheep exports by sea by 2028.

Campaigners hope the South African public will add their voice when the draft regulations are released, to help bring the country in line with emerging global standards aimed at protecting animal welfare during transport.

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ICS unveils new leadership and global maritime priorities at Athens AGM

Hosted under the auspices of Greece’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Vassilis Kikilias, the meeting comes at a critical juncture for international shipping.

The ICS Board unanimously recommended John Denholm CBE to succeed outgoing Chairman Emanuele Grimaldi at the conclusion of Grimaldi’s term in June 2026. Denholm, currently ICS Vice Chair and UK Board Member, also chairs J. & J. Denholm Limited, a diversified maritime and logistics group.

Supporting the transition, ICS appointed three new Vice Chairs:

The meeting also marked the formal appointment of Thomas Kazakos as Secretary General, succeeding Guy Platten. Formerly head of the Cyprus Chamber of Shipping, Kazakos joined ICS in April to support a smooth leadership handover. The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, was present to welcome Kazakos and commend Platten’s seven years of service.

Chairman Grimaldi praised both leaders, stating “John brings steady leadership and deep industry experience to the role, and Thomas will undoubtedly be a force for good as our new Secretary General. I’m also deeply grateful to Guy Platten, whose tenure elevated ICS during some of the industry’s most turbulent years.”

The Malta International Shipowners Association has been elevated from Associate to Full Member status. The move underscores Malta’s expanding maritime influence as the industry navigates global trade transformations.

ICS Board discussions focused on a range of critical issues, including:

The Board warned of increasing economic fragmentation and decoupling, likely to reshape international trade routes and maritime flows.

The ICS extended thanks to outgoing Vice Chairs Themis Papadopoulos (Cyprus) and Caroline Yang (Singapore) for four years of dedicated service.

With strong leadership now in place, ICS reaffirmed its commitment to a resilient, inclusive, and forward-looking global shipping industry. As decarbonisation, digitalisation, and geopolitical volatility reshape the landscape, ICS continues to position itself as a trusted voice and solution-driven advocate for shipowners worldwide.

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Global resistance to unilateral deep-sea mining gathers momentum at UN Ocean Conference

With growing concerns over the environmental risks posed by extraction activities in one of Earth’s last untouched frontiers, policymakers, scientists, civil society leaders, and financial institutions signaled their firm opposition to any attempt to bypass the authority of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

The latest session of the conference brought together a broad coalition of voices — governments, UN representatives, scientists, and corporate leaders — who warned that deep-sea mining threatens ecosystems that remain largely unexplored and poorly understood.

Despite pressure from some quarters to begin commercial exploitation, the prevailing message was clear: no mining should proceed without robust scientific research and binding multilateral governance.

Support for a moratorium or pause on deep-sea mining has grown significantly. What began as an initiative backed by just four countries at the previous UNOC in Lisbon has now expanded to 37 nations, including strong backing from the European Union.

The President of the European Council reaffirmed the bloc’s call for a halt, while France and Germany reiterated that any future activity on the seabed must be scientifically grounded and multilaterally sanctioned under the ISA’s mandate.

Legal and ethical imperatives were also highlighted, with emphasis on the precautionary principle enshrined in international law.

Advocates stressed that potential irreversible harm to deep-sea ecosystems — designated as the common heritage of humankind — necessitates restraint and rigorous oversight.

Any deviation from this principle, they warned, could breach established norms under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Beyond government voices, financial institutions and corporations are beginning to align with environmental and ethical concerns.

Major players, including Crédit Agricole and Caisse des Dépôts Group, publicly declared they would not finance deep-sea mining, urging other investors and industries to follow suit.

Automotive giant Renault Group also affirmed its decision to avoid sourcing materials from seabed mining, citing environmental risks and a commitment to recycling-based solutions.

Marine scientists underscored that the current scientific understanding of deep-sea environments remains alarmingly limited — marked not by gaps, but by “knowledge chasms.”

Without far more research and ecological data, they argued, responsible decision-making is impossible.

As momentum for a precautionary approach grows, campaigners hope the collective stance seen in Nice will set a decisive tone for the global governance of ocean resources.

With the stakes high and the consequences long-term, the message from UNOC was unambiguous: the deep sea must not be sacrificed in the name of unproven technology and short-term gain.

A full list of the 37 countries now in favour of a pause, moratorium or ban on deep-sea mining can be found HERE

No African countries are among them.

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Rising tensions in Middle East threaten global shipping stability, warns Xeneta analyst

Sand cautioned that the situation could escalate to the point of effectively , a strategic chokepoint for global maritime trade.

The Strait is a vital gateway for vessels serving ports in the Arabian Gulf, including the major transshipment hub of Jebel Ali.

“Geo-politics is once again threatening the safety and stability of global supply chains, so we must hope for de-escalation in the conflict,” said Sand.

Should access to the Strait be disrupted, shipping services would likely be rerouted, with increased reliance on India’s west coast ports to connect the Far East to the Indian Subcontinent.

Sand warned this could lead to port congestion, schedule disruption, and higher fuel prices, all of which would drive up container freight rates.

“Carriers are likely to introduce a ‘security surcharge’ on these routes in the coming days,” he added.

The current conflict is also casting a longer shadow over the Red Sea corridor. Eighteen months after Iran-backed Houthi forces began attacking merchant vessels off Yemen, there appears to be little prospect of container ships returning to the area in large numbers anytime soon.

Xeneta data shows that average spot rates from the Far East to North Europe have risen 62% since 1 December 2023, just prior to the Red Sea escalation.

Meanwhile, rates on the Far East to US East Coast route — another trade that would typically transit the Suez Canal — have surged by 165%.

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Two new electric dredgers en route to Kenmare’s Moma Mine in Mozambique

The dredgers, named and , were successfully loaded aboard the heavy-lift vessel Rolldock Storm (IMO IMO 9656503) at Royal IHC’s yard in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands, last week.

The vessel departed Rotterdam on 4 June 2025.

Measuring 62 metres in length and each weighing nearly 1,000 tonnes, the two dredgers were built by Royal IHC for Kenmare Resources plc under a contract signed in late 2023.

The vessels are fully electric and will draw on renewable hydro-electric power, aligning with Kenmare’s strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of its mining operations.

With a total installed power of 6,800 kVA and a cutter power of 1,350 kW each, the new dredgers are set to significantly boost Kenmare’s mining capacity.

They will be deployed at Nataka, a newly extended section of the Moma mine that is expected to operate for several decades. The dredgers are a key component of Kenmare’s project to upgrade and relocate Wet Concentrator Plant A (WCP A) to this new area.

This marks another milestone in the long-standing relationship between Kenmare and Royal IHC. The Dutch dredging specialist has previously delivered three dredgers to the Moma mine, the most recent being Julia in 2019.

Hans Greve, Managing Director of IHC Mining, remarked: “We are very proud of our long-standing relationship with Kenmare. The award of this contract underlines how we continuously strive to develop and deliver sustainable and responsible solutions that meet our clients’ needs.”

Kenmare’s Chief Operating Officer, Ben Baxter, added: “The two dredgers are an important element of our project of upgrading WCP A and transitioning to Nataka. IHC Mining understands our challenges and we value the high service levels they have always delivered, as well as their local presence.”

Once offloaded in Mozambique, the CSD Calen and CSD Sandra will begin operations in support of Kenmare’s long-term mineral extraction strategy at one of the world’s largest titanium-bearing mineral sands deposits.

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WHARF TALK: heavylift outside cargo vessel – FWN ANTARCTIC

The next change came when the accommodation was split away from the traditional place at the stern, and placed forward just aft of the forecastle. The stern retained the engine room exhaust funnel, and lifeboat launching davit, which was also moved to one side of the stern to allow oversized cargo to overhang the stern if necessary. In recent examples of these outsized cargo vessels, more carrying space has been made available by moving the accommodation block even further forward, placing it as far forward as it can possibly go, atop the forecastle.

On 9th June, at 11:00 in the late morning, the specialist heavylift and outside cargo vessel arrived off Cape Town, from Tuticorin in India. She entered Cape Town harbour, proceeding into the Duncan Dock, and was placed alongside the Landing Wall. Her berth indicated another arrival requiring only bunkers, stores, and fresh provisions, and possibly some light maintenance.

Her keel was laid down in March 2024 at the Ferus Smit GmbH shipyard at Leer in Germany, and she was launched in November 2024, with her delivery taking place in January 2025. With a length of 144 metres, and a gross registered tonnage of 8,364 tons, ‘FWN Antarctic’ is powered by a single Wärtsilä 6L32E six cylinder, four stroke, main engine producing 4,484 bhp (3,300 kW), driving a nozzled controllable pitch propeller for a service speed of 13.5 knots.

Her auxiliary machinery includes two generators producing 378 kW each, and a single emergency generator producing 106 kW. For added manoeuvrability she has a bow transverse thruster providing 720 kW. She is able to operate worldwide as she has an ice classification of ICE 1A, which allows her to operate in both first year Baltic Sea ice with a thickness of up to 0.8 metres, and in first year Polar ice with a thickness between 0.3 metres and 0.7 metres.

She has a single hold with dimensions of 112.2 metres long, 13.5 metres wide, and 10.7 metres deep. With a cargo carrying capacity of 15,234 m3, ‘FWN Antarctic’ has a container carrying capacity of 550 TEU. The hold is box shaped, and she is approved for open hatch voyages, with a deck strength of 20 tons/m2. There are two moveable hold bulkheads, and she can utilise 19 panels for temporary tweendecks. Her main deck has a free cargo carrying area of 1,737 m2, and her hatch covers are made up entirely of pontoon type hatch covers.

Her hatch covers are opened, and closed, with a travelling pontoon gantry, and she is equipped with two hydraulic cranes with a lifting capacity of 85 tons each, and which are able to increase her loading capability to 170 tons when used in tandem.

She is the third built of a class of six sisterships, designed by Ferus Smit and known as the Ecobox XL design. Her design includes a bulbless canoe bow, which is designed to reduce costs by reducing fuel use, giving better sustained speeds, and excellent seakeeping qualities in both harsh weather, and sea state conditions. The far forward location of her accommodation must give a potentially uncomfortable ride in heavy head seas, with vertical accelerations during pitching, akin to being on a rollercoaster ride.

She is nominally owned by BV Firmanten FWN Antarctic, of Groningen in Holland, and both operated and managed by Forest Wave Navigation, also of Groningen, and whose company name is proudly displayed along her hull, and across the front of her accommodation block. For the nomenclature aficionado, the name suffix of FWN is the acronym of her operating company, with Antarctic referring to the ocean, and not the continent.

Her deck cargo was another reminder of showing South Africa how the world is driving forward with renewable energy, and leaving her behind, and consisted of her entire upper deck being made up entirely of 80 metre long wind turbine blades, all loaded in Tuticorin. An idea of how India in general, and Tuticorin in particular, is a major manufacturing hub for the international wind farm industry is shown in her latest statistics which cover this particular product.

In 2024, Tuticorin exported a total of 1,869 wind turbine blades, which is an average of over 5 blades exported via the port every single day of the year, and with 294 of this total being exported in December 2024 alone. In the greater Tuticorin area, and the provincial regions beyond, all of the major international wind turbine blade, hub, and mast producers have manufacturing factories and facilities in India, and which includes Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, Nordex, Senvion, Enercon (Wind World India), and General Electric Vernova (GE).

Her time in Cape Town was short, and after just 15 hours alongside, she had completed all of her logistic needs of a bunker uplift, onload of stores and fresh provisions, and she was ready to sail. She sailed from Cape Town at 02:00 in the early morning of 10th June, with her AIS set with her next destination being the port of Mejillones in Chile.

Mejillones is in Northern Chile, and located in the Antofagasta Province at 23°06’ South 070°27’ West. The name translates from Spanish, and means Mussels, which is an abundant source of local seafood. It is the port closest to where Chile’s largest wind farm in under development, and likely the destination of the cargo of ‘FWN Antarctic’.

The inland area to the southeast of Mejillones, is the location of numerous wind farm developments, all situated in the Atacama Desert. Chile, unlike South Africa, has embraced the production of renewable energy, via wind farms, and currently 14% of the total electrical power generation in Chile comes from wind power. The Chilean government is further developing wind energy production and expects to double the current national wind energy production within Chile to 28% by 2035. South Africa currently sits at 5%.

Currently the Parque Eolico (Wind Farm) Horizonte, south of Mejillones, is in development to become the largest wind farm in Chile. It currently produces 816 MW of power, from 140 Enercon E160 wind turbines, each producing 6 MW of power, sufficient to provide electricity to 715,000 homes in Antofagasta Province.

The continuing development of this wind farm is underway for completion in the third quarter of 2025, with a further 24 wind turbines being added, each producing 7.6 MW, and sufficient to provide electricity to a further 130,000 homes. It will bring the Parque Eolico Horizonte power output to a total of 996 MW. In comparison, South Africa’s largest wind development is the Roggeveld wind farm, located 35 kilometres north of the dorp of Matjiesfontein, in the northern Western Cape, and which produces a total of 147 MW of power.

For the casual maritime observer, the arrival of ‘FWN Antarctic’ simply reinforced what it becoming downright obvious. That is that the visual evidence that the renewable wind power industry around the world is showing no signs of slowing down, and that for reasons known only to themselves, the South African government, who control the power generation and distribution networks, appear to be dragging their feet down the road to renewable power.

Despite the seemingly quiet security situation in the Southern Red Sea, most shipowners, insurers, and charterers, are still not relaxed enough to ignore the potential Houthi menace and send their vessels via Suez, and the bonus of that situation is the casual maritime observer still gets to see those specialised vessels that are being built for the construction element of the wind energy industry, and the specialist carriers who are carrying the turbine elements to the construction sites.

Although ‘FWN Antarctic’ was not on a voyage that would have used the Suez Canal, her call into Cape Town was certainly a welcome one, especially with her deck cargo for all to see. As a former mariner, one has to hope that on her current voyage that she doesn’t meet too many steep head seas on her way to Chile.

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Transnet Engineering expands into port equipment manufacturing

The move marks a strategic diversification for the 115-year-old division of Transnet, better known for its expertise in rolling stock maintenance.

TE is now actively designing and producing equipment such as port haulers, trailers, skips, and straddle carriers — servicing key ports including Cape Town, Saldanha, Durban, Richards Bay, Port Elizabeth, and Ngqura.

According to Tshwanelo Tswai, General Manager for Manufacturing & Ports at TE, the shift has already delivered tangible results.

“In just three years, we’ve moved from relying on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to manufacturing port equipment from scratch at our facilities,” he said.

“This not only supports skills development and job creation, but also ensures optimal use of TE’s assets to meet industry needs sustainably.”

Siyabonga Maqabangqa, Executive Manager for Port Business, added that TE’s sights are set even further. During a stakeholder tour of the Salt River plant this week, he highlighted efforts underway in research and development that could lead to full-scale production of complex components such as bogeys, which are currently only partly manufactured in-house.

“We’re already refurbishing critical components like the staircases on rubber-tyred gantries, which take a lot of wear in container terminals,” Maqabangqa said.

“We also have the design and production capability to manufacture these units entirely.”

The expansion is also yielding practical benefits for Transnet’s other divisions. Zodwa Mashishi, Executive for Corporate Affairs, noted that the integration allows Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) and Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) to source critical equipment locally.

“By reducing lead times, we’re helping improve service levels in an industry where timing is everything,” she said.

TE’s evolution into a maritime engineering partner reflects a broader push by Transnet to revitalise infrastructure, improve customer service, and expand into new markets across Africa and beyond.

With this new focus, Transnet Engineering is positioning itself as a key player in the port equipment manufacturing and maintenance space, aiming to grow its footprint and regain the confidence of stakeholders in both the public and private sectors.

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UN Ocean Conference: Global ministers demand end to hidden ownership of criminal fishing vessels

The event, hosted by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), spotlighted the urgent need for —revealing the individuals who ultimately profit from vessels involved in illegal fishing, forced labour, and trafficking.

Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries, Emelia Arthur, said the ocean has become a space where criminal activity thrives unchecked, calling transparency “essential” to holding perpetrators accountable.

Maldives’ Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam stressed that reliable, publicly accessible data must underpin national and global enforcement. The EU’s Charlina Vitcheva echoed this, highlighting traceability as key to eliminating loopholes.

France’s Éric Banel called for a global framework for sharing beneficial ownership data within the Port State Measures Agreement. Liberia and Panama reaffirmed their support through domestic laws and commitments to the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency.

EJF CEO Steve Trent emphasised that transparency safeguards both ocean sustainability and human rights: “It empowers coastal states, protects honest fishers, and ensures consumers aren’t complicit in crime.”

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UN Ocean Conference: Day 2 – WTO Speaks

Edited by Paul Ridgway 
Africa Ports & Ships
London

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Okonjo-Iweala highlighted that trade and the WTO can play a key role in harnessing the opportunities from the blue economy and in protecting the oceans’ resources.

Underscoring the blue economy’s estimated annual value of over USD 2.6 trillion, she stressed: “The ocean is vital for our food, livelihoods and the health of our planet. More than 3 billion people either directly or indirectly rely on the oceans for their livelihoods.”

She also emphasised the importance of the oceans in helping many WTO members meet their development objectives, including coastal and small island developing states (SIDS).

Noting that marine and coastal ecosystems are threatened by climate change, biodiversity loss and marine pollution, including plastics pollution, she said that conserving and sustainably managing ocean resources is absolutely critical.

“Business as usual is not an option” she said, stressing that a coherent approach that connects trade, finance and investment can help unlock inclusive, sustainable growth from the ocean economy.

D-G Okonjo-Iweala said the WTO can support decarbonisation efforts by reducing trade barriers and facilitating the cross-border diffusion of environmentally friendly goods, services and technology for maritime shipping and for harnessing renewable energy from the oceans.

The WTO also provides a forum for members to share experiences on the trade impact of environmental measures, she noted.

Highlighting the important role the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) plays in reinforcing international co-operation for the good of the world’s oceans and those who depend on its resources, D-G Okonjo-Iweala stressed the importance of eliminating harmful fisheries subsidies to preserve ocean resources.

WTO members have taken a first important step by adopting the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies in June 2022, she said, noting that only ten more ratifications are needed for its entry into force – so far 101 members have already ratified.

D-G Okonjo-Iweala was speaking at the opening high-level panel dedicated to conserving, sustainably managing and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems, including deep-sea ecosystems.

Her address can be viewed HERE

Her full remarks are HERE

D-G Okonjo-Iweala also joined a high-level occasion hosted by France’s President Emmanuel Macron for heads of state and other dignitaries to celebrate World Ocean Day on 8 June.

On 13 June, the WTO Secretariat will organise a side-event titled Sustainable fisheries: The role of trade from oceans to plate, co-organised with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and UNOC co-hosts France and Costa Rica.

This event will be opened by WTO Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard, Costa Rica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Arnold André Tinoco, and France’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agnès Pannier-Runacher. The discussion will feature experts from international organizations, the private sector, civil society and academia.

DD-G Angela Ellard will deliver a keynote address on 13 June at a session entitled: The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and its Benefits: Perspectives from Science, Economics and Small-Scale Fishers hosted by the Stop Funding Overfishing Coalition.

The WTO Secretariat will also participate at panels and side-events during the UN Ocean Conference, and at special events such as the Blue Economy and Finance Forum.

The WTO Fish Fund opened a Call for Proposals on 6 June, inviting developing and least-developed country (LDC) members that have ratified the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies to submit requests for project grants aimed at helping them implement the Agreement.

More information can be found at www.wtofishfund.org/

Information on UNOC is available at (choose for language selection) UNOC

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WHARF TALK: seismic survey vessel – PXGEO 2

Pictures by ‘Dockrat’
Story by Jay Gates
Africa Ports & Ships

The oil and gas industry never ceases to amaze with the huge variety of vessels built, seemingly at with no expense spared, and designed to concentrate on one major element of the requirements of that industry. These vessels are true niche players, and they come in every shape and size, most of which amazing to look at, although not exactly pretty. However, there are the odd ones that do have a certain, almost yacht like, look about them.

In the main, these better-looking oil and gas vessels tend to represent that part of their industry that sends just about every South African wannabe environmentalist into an apoplectic tizzy, and always manages to get their proverbial knickers in a twist, whenever one is scheduled to turn up off the coast, and do the job for which they are designed. It has been a while since this has happened, but they do still pass through enroute from one contract to another. I am, of course, referring to a seismic survey vessel.

On 4th June, at 11:00 in the late morning, the seismic survey vessel ‘PXGEO 2’ (IMO 9620114) arrived off Cape Town, from Comodoro Rivadavia in Argentina. She entered Cape Town harbour, proceeding into the Duncan Dock, and went alongside the Landing Wall, which indicated a little bit more than the usual logistics requirements was required.

With her keel laid in November 2012, she was launched in January 2013, and delivered to her owners in February 2014. She was built by the state owned Shanghai shipyard, at Shanghai in China, and is 100 metres in length, with a gross registered tonnage of 10,882 tons. She is powered by two Rolls-Royce Bergen B32:40L8 eight cylinder, four stroke, main engines producing 5,365 bhp (4,000 kW) each. This gives her a bollard pull of 143 tons for her seismic survey array towing requirements.

Her engine output drives two Rolls-Royce, nozzled, controllable pitch propellers for a transit seaspeed of 15 knots. Her auxiliary machinery includes two Rolls-Royce Bergen C25:33L9 generators producing 2,880 kW each, and a single Caterpillar C9 ACERT emergency generator providing 280 kW. For added manoeuvrability she is fitted with a Kongsberg TCNS 73/50-180 retractable bow azimuth thruster providing 1,000 kW, and a single Kongsberg TT2200 bow transverse thruster providing 1,800 kW.

For her seismic survey requirements ‘PXGEO 2’ is capable of towing up to twelve streamers, each 8 kilometres in length, and capable of conducting both 3D and 4D surveys. The streamers come from Sercel, and she has three LMF 62S/138 acoustic airgun compressors, and a single LMF V117/5518 airgun compressor. She has eight hydrophones spaced 12.5 metres apart, mounted on each 150 metre section of streamer, and her streamer array is steered using an ION integrated system.

Designed by Rolls-Royce to their UT830 CD design, ‘PXGEO 2’ has an ice classification of ICE 1C which allows her to navigate independently in first year Baltic Sea ice thickness of up to 0.4 metres. For offshore crew change and logistics requirements she is fitted with a flush bow helideck, with a diameter of 22.8 metres, and a weight restriction of 15.6 tons, allowing her to accept the largest helicopter currently utilised by the oil and gas industry, namely the Sikorsky S-92A helicopter.

Owned by Sinopec Offshore Oilfield Services Co., of Beijing in China, ‘PXGEO 2’ is both operated and managed by PXGEO Seismic Services DMCC, of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. She was originally launched as ‘Fa Xian 6’, and as a seismic survey vessel was the first of her type to be built in China. She was originally delivered for operation by the Shanghai Offshore Petroleum Bureau, which is a part of the Chinese state owned conglomerate, Sinopec.

Her operational contracts with PXGEO have taken her around the world. In 2022 she conducted an eight month 3D seismic survey undertaken in the northern Red Sea, off the coast of Egypt, after which she proceeded to the North Sea for a further seismic survey. From there ‘PXGEO 2’ proceeded to Australia where she conducted a 3D seismic survey in the Carnarvon Basin, off the northwest coast of Western Australia.

In 2023 she returned to the North Sea where she conducted a 3D seismic survey for Shell, before heading across the North Atlantic ocean, where she continued to be under contract for Shell, and carried out surveys of the Manakin-Cocuina field over a seven month period, and a survey of the shallow water Block Modified U(c) field, which took her into 2024.

Heading back into the southern hemisphere in 2024, ‘PXGEO 2’ arrived off the coast of Tierra del Fuego, in the far south of Argentina, and based out of Ushuaia, she conducted 3D survey 26 nautical miles south of Tierra del Fuego on behalf of Shell. In March 2024, she moved to the northern coast of Argentina, off Comodoro Rivadavia, and conducted a 3D seismic survey on behalf of the Argentinian oil company YPF, in the ultradeep Block CAN 102, which is located 146 nautical miles offshore in the Argentine North Basin.

As expected, her time in Cape Town was not long, and after just 26 hours alongside, ‘PXGEO 2’ sailed from Cape Town, now with her AIS showing she was headed to the Far East, and her next destination port was Singapore, likely a further bunker stop, or a possible maintenance call. At least her call in Cape Town did not result in a clarion call for the vociferous local anti-oil industry brigade to grab their plastic banners, get into their motor cars, and head down town to protest her presence in the Mother City.

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Plans revealed for new small harbour on KZN South Coast

Africa Ports & Ships
Durban

The South African government has confirmed that plans are moving ahead for the development of a small harbour in KwaZulu-Natal’s Ray Nkonyeni District Municipality on the South Coast.

Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, made the announcement during the recent Umdoni Municipality Investment Conference held in Scottburgh, where he outlined broader infrastructure and economic development goals.

The proposed harbour, intended for small craft, will include a boat launching site, facilities to support fisheries, and related maritime infrastructure. The project is expected to generate significant local employment, with hundreds if not thousands of job opportunities projected during its development phase.

Zikalala said the initiative forms part of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure’s Small Harbour Development Programme, which aims to catalyse coastal economies in provinces historically overlooked for such infrastructure — including KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape.

“The government is committed to expanding infrastructure that supports small businesses and local industry, especially in previously disadvantaged communities,” Zikalala stated.

He added that the department is also exploring a second small harbour site along the KZN coastline to further harness the province’s maritime potential.

The Deputy Minister highlighted the importance of maintaining public infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and fibre networks, not only to improve service delivery but also to bolster investment and reduce the risk of infrastructure failures.

He further encouraged private sector participation through the DPWI’s asset optimisation strategy, which aims to unlock state-owned properties for development in partnership with business. These facilities would later revert to government ownership.

This new small harbour forms part of a broader vision to boost coastal development, promote inclusive economic growth, and integrate smaller communities into the national maritime economy.

Although the report makes no mention of the location of the proposed small harbour, two locations within the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality, Hibberdene and Scottburgh, are listed among the 10 designated Tier 2 designated sites for small harbour development on the KZN coast.

Other potential sites for Tier 2 small harbour developments on the KZN coast are Port Edward, Uvongo, Shelley Beach, Margate (all South Coast), and Tinley Manor, Sodwana Bay, St Lucia Bay and Kosi Bay (North Coast).

Port Shepstone on the South Coast is designated as a potential site for a larger Tier 1 harbour. Historically, Port Shepstone has lived up to its name and served as a commercial harbour to small ocean-going ships during the late 19th Century.

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