South Africa News

CMA CGM to Impose Emergency Surcharge at Cape Town Port

CMA CGM, the world's fourth-largest container shipping line, will impose emergency congestion surcharges at Cape Town port in July due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus, it has told customers.From July 1 until further notice, it will impose a surcharge of $550 for 20-foot containers and reefers and a $1,100 surcharge for 40-foot containers and reefers, CMA said in the letter dated June 17 that was seen by Reuters.Western Cape province, which includes Cape Town, is the epicenter of South Africa's coronavirus outbreak…

Oceaneering Launches Maritime Data and Tracking Service

Oceaneering International launched a new business aiming to eliminate waste and increase transparency within the bulk commodity cargo logistics industry, the Houston-based company announced Wednesday.OceanSMART Cargo Logistics and Maritime Technology will be led by Managing Director Bryan Phillips, who comes to the team with over 25 years’ experience in the marine shipping and cargo logistics industry, most recently as chief innovation officer at Inchcape Shipping Services. He is joined by another maritime industry stalwart with over 30 years’ experience…

Shipping Industry Goes Digital in Lockdown

The coronavirus lockdown has accelerated a digitalization drive in a global shipping and logistics sector that still routinely delivers many documents by bike messenger in some countries, according to industry leaders.Ports operator DP World said on Thursday it would join shipping company Maersk and other peers in a blockchain platform aimed at limiting the sector's costly paper trail."The situation around the coronavirus is a very good catalyst for making sure everyone in the supply chain can communicate with each other digitally," Mike Bhaskaran, DP World's chief operating officer for logist

Retreating Chinese Steel Stockpiles a Positive for Iron Ore Demand -EastGate

Chinese steel stockpiles reached record highs amid the coronavirus outbreak, but are now steadily easing. This paints the picture of an increased construction activity and a growing seaborne demand for the key dry bulk commodity of iron ore, says EastGate Shipping Inc. Demand returning to normal levelsSteel inventories in China have been showing a steady downward trend following the all-time highs recorded in mid-March. The virus crisis triggered a nationwide lockdown halting most manufacturing and industrial activities. Subsequently, demand for steel products was negatively affected.

Port Elizabeth Adds Lifting Muscle to Prep for Citrus Season

Port Elizabeth Container Terminals (PECT) prepares for the upcoming citrus fruit harvest with new Liebherr mobile harbor crane technology. The two LHM 600 were transported from Rostock, Germany to South Africa. After a 20-day journey, they were unloaded from the transport vessel “Happy Dragon”.Transnet Port Terminal’s Acting Chief Executive, Michelle Phillips said, “Having lost an entire crane due to gale force winds really set us back. The arrival of these two modern cranes will ensure that our promise to the industry is realized”.

South African Ports Remain Open Despite Lockdown

South Africa's ports remain open to all types of cargo despite a nationwide 21-day lockdown though essential goods should be prioritized, the Department of Transport said in a notice."(The) government has now decided that in the interest of ensuring a functional supply chain across all ports, that all cargoes will be accepted for loading and off-loading," said the notice, which was dated March 31.That reversed instructions sent by port authorities to bulk terminals last week saying…

Transnet to Cut Transport of Non-Essential Cargo During Lockdown

South Africa's logistics firm Transnet said it would reduce transport services and non-essential cargo operations during a nationwide lockdown that began at midnight on Thursday to contain the coronavirus.The state-owned company said shipments of metals and minerals would depend on demand and government approval. It was unclear if these exports would be affected.The transport of coal to state-run utility Eskom's power stations would continue, Transnet said.Transnet operates nearly three quarters of the African rail network…

More Bad News for Bulkers, as South African Ports Close for Mineral Exports

South Africa's main export terminals will be closed to mineral exports from midnight on Thursday when a nationwide 21-day lockdown over coronavirus begins, disrupting copper supply chains linking major producer Zambia to Asian consumers.Miners in the Zambian copper belt typically transport copper overland to South Africa's ports, where it is exported mainly to China, the world's biggest consumer of the metal."All bulk terminals (mineral mining commodities) will be closed," a note from Transnet Port Terminals read, according to a shipping agent.

Passengers On Coronavirus-hit Cruise Ship Can Disembark in Marseille

Passengers who have tickets to travel back to their home countries will be allowed to disembark from the coronavirus-hit Costa Luminosa cruise ship in Marseille, the port authority and the cruise operator said on Thursday.A port official told Reuters that 639 passengers, including 187 French nationals, would be allowed to leave the ship in small groups, depending on the timing of their transport home.There were more than 1,420 passengers on the liner, including 230 Americans, 168 Italians and 100 Canadians…

COVID-19: South Africa Bans Cruise Ships

South Africa banned all passenger vessels from its ports on Wednesday due to the coronavirus outbreak, leaving tourists on a cruise ship docked in Cape Town in limbo following tests for possible COVID-19 cases on board.The MV AidAmira's more than 1,700 passengers and crew have been unable to leave the ship since Monday, after a crew member on a cargo ship who shared a plane with six passengers on the liner showed symptoms of the coronavirus.Port authorities quarantined the Italian-flagged AidAmira while the six passengers were tested for coronavirus.All those tests came back negative, South Af

Shipping Goods into Nigeria Costs More Than for African Peers

It costs as much as five times more to ship goods into Nigeria than it does to deliver items via other African ports, consultancy SBM Intelligence said in a note on Wednesday.SBM tracked shipments from the European Union into Appapa, a key import hub in Nigeria's commercial capital of Lagos, Durban in South Africa and Tema in Ghana over three months.The results showed that total costs to get items into Lagos are five times higher than in Durban and three times higher than in Tema.Local transport added the biggest amount, costing 10 times as much in Lagos compared with the other portsThe figure

Evergreen Line Launches New Digital Platform

Taiwanese container transportation and shipping company Evergreen Line has launched a new digital platform designed to provide customers with seamless booking capabilities and greater access to integrated trade services.Evergreen Line said in a press note that GreenX platform provides a digital portal for Evergreen customers to get instant quotes and book secured space with prioritized equipment supplied by the carrier.From the time of its soft launch last month, GreenX has received nearly 2…

Unique Group Acquires APAC Marine Unit

Integrated marine and subsea solutions provider Unique Group has announced the acquisition of the Australian-company Western Advance’s Marine Division.The provider of services and solutions for the offshore, subsea and life support industries also announced the appointment of Chris Forde as its new regional vice-president.Western Advance’s integration with Unique Group ties in with the Group’s strategy to enhance its portfolio of autonomous solutions for marine, offshore and subsea industry operations in the region.Harry Gandhi…

Nestlehutt tapped to lead SCI

The Seamen’s Church Institute of New York & New Jersey (SCI) selected Rev. Mark S. Nestlehutt as its new President & Executive Director, succeeding the Rev. David Rider, effective February 18, 2020.With more than two decades of church experience in Massachusetts, Illinois, Maryland, Australia and South Africa, Mark joins SCI from Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania where he serves as Rector. His previous employment and interests include service as an officer in the U.S.

Amoil Appoints Margaritis MD

Amoil has appointed Alexandros Margaritis as Managing Director as of January 1, 2020.Margaritis brings 14 years of industry experience and has held previous positions in Singapore and Dubai respectively.Amoil was established in 1984 as the first independent bunker trading and supply service in South Africa.

China to invest billions in Brazilian Port

China will make a billion-dollar investment in the Brazilian port of Sao Luis via China Communications Construction Company, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the announcement will be made at the summit of leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the so-called BRICS group of emerging nations, who are meeting in the Brazilian capital for a two-day summit.The deal will be part of the largest foreign direct investment into Brazil this year…

DP World, Namibia's Nara Namib Sign MoU

Dubai based logistics giant DP World has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a free economic zone for industry and logistics in Namibia.The port operator said the agreement with Namibia’s Nara Namib Free Economic Industrial Zone will support the growth of Namibia as a regional hub for southern Africa.The development will help Namibia grow as a center for industrial operations and logistics, creating opportunities and jobs across multiple sectors including agriculture…

Monjasa Expands to Angola

Danish bunker company Monjasa announced the opening of its first office in Luanda, Angola, to support the West Africa oil and shipping activities.Monjasa started supplying bunkers across West Africa in 2009 and since then, it has delivered a total of 10.6 million tonnes of fuel products across the region from the Gulf of Guinea to Namibia."Monjasa is currently enabling the IMO 2020 transition by making new low-sulfur marine fuel available across the region. Today, Monjasa is the leading supplier in West Africa measured on volume and a fleet of 10 tankers deployed in the region…

MOL Adds Southern Treasure to its Fleet

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that the new scrubber-equipped wood chip carrier Southern Treasure has been delivered.The delivery ceremony for the 60,300 dwt vessel with with a cargo capacity of 4.3 million-cubic feet was held at Oshima Shipbuilding, Nagasaki Prefecture.MOL will operate the vessel, which transport wood chips for Hokuetsu Corporation, said a press release."The vessel is equipped with a SOx scrubber and Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) to comply with today's stricter environmental regulations…

VMS Group Expands into West Africa

The Danish maritime service company VMS Group A/S expands into West Africa opening a workshop in Walvis Bay, Namibia. A favorable location combined with a rapidly growing offshore market and fishing fleet creates huge potential for a strong, maritime cluster in this region.Being the only port with service facilities between Cape Town, South Africa, and the Canary Islands, Walvis Bay on the Namibian west coast is a key area for marine traffic in the Eastern Atlantic. This is the reason why VMS Group…

WISTA Re-elects Theodosiou as President

Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) announced that Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou (WISTA Cyprus), CEO of Tototheo Maritime, was re-elected to a second term as President.WISTA International elected Alexandra Anagnostis-Irons, President of Total Marine Solutions (WISTA USA) as Secretary, and Fabiana Simões Martins (WISTA Brazil), as Board Member, to the WISTA International Executive Committee at the 39th WISTA International Annual General Meeting on Grand Cayman on 30 October 2019.Naa Densua Aryeetey (WISTA Ghana)…

Mombasa Port to Upgrade Four Berths

Kenya's port of Mombasa will spend 20 billion shillings ($193 million) to modernize four berths to handle both container cargo and goods not packed in containers, the head of the state port operator said.The port, built in 1895, is the main trade gateway for the Eastern Africa region, serving Kenya and seven neighbors, including Uganda, Somalia, Rwanda and South Sudan.The investment is driven by growing demand for imported cargo in the region, where most economies are growing by at least 5% per year…

Siemens Gamesa Wins 250MW Gig in Egypt

Siemens Gamesa has pledged its further commitment to the growth of clean energy in Egypt through the construction of the 250 MW West Bakr Wind project which is owned by the renewable power generation company Lekela.Siemens Gamesa will install 96 SG 2.6-114 turbines through a turnkey EPC contract and will provide long term maintenance through a 15-year service agreement.Alfonso Faubel, SGRE Onshore CEO, said: “We are proud to have been selected to contribute to the ambitious goals in renewable energy the Government has set for the coming years.

PORT PROFILE: Big Baltimore

The Port of Baltimore is poised to muscle its way into the nation’s elite top 10 ports. How that happened really isn’t hard to understand. That’s because what comes next will be the dividend of many years of focused planning.The Port of Baltimore consists of state owned marine terminals managed by the MPA and privately owned marine terminals. Approximately 90 percent of all general cargo tons move through the MPA’s public terminals, while the private terminals handled most of the Port’s bulk commodities.In 2018, the Port of Baltimore (POB) experienced a record year in foreign cargo tons.

Grindrod Sells NWK Stake

South African freight and logistics company Grindrod signed an agreement to sell its 20.3% stake in grain services provider NWK to NWK Holdings for R204-million (USD 14 million).According to the press release, the sale is subject to the fulfillment of conditions precedent which is expected to be concluded by the end of the last quarter of 2019.During August 2019, Grindrod announced as part of its strategic review process, its intention to dispose of certain non-core businesses which included its agricultural investments in NWK and Senwes.Said Andrew Waller…

Aids to Navigation Training held in Cape Town

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) successfully hosted another IALA Level 1.1 Aids to Navigation Manager training course for six participants from Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and The Gambia. The course was held in Cape Town from 22 July to 16 August 2019.The Level 1.1 Aids to Navigation (AtoN) Manager training was developed by IALA, the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities. IALA is the only international body concerned with the provision of AtoNs at sea and on inland waterways…