On Sep 3, 2024, the 'Red Orchid' has been authorized to set sail after paying unpaid debts for pilotage services in the Port of Rosario and in the Río de La Plata, after having been prohibited from leaving Quequén by the Court, applying in this case the provisions in force within the Navigation Law. The ship was only able to leave after it was established that the debt of more than 150,000 dollars was settled by the contribution of the surety insurance policy as a result of a civil file duly prepared called “judicial injunction prohibiting departure to sea” and the ship could not leave the port until the commitment acquired for the services provided at another maritime station was paid. The ship was anchored in the outer harbour after having been unable to set sail for almost a week in the port due to a legal dispute. Against the presentation of a surety insurance policy as a guarantee to cover the sum in dollars owed, the Court ordered the lifting of the embargo. The ship had loaded 16000 tons of corn bound for Peru, but in its cargo hold it already had another 40.000 tons shipped from the Santa Fe terminal of Cosco, in the area of San Lorenzo.
News
LEVANTE JET
The 'Levante Jet' bound for Algecira, turned around to Ceuta due to a passenger's anxiety attack on Sept 4 at around 3:30 p.m., The captain of the ferry made the decision as the passenger could not be controlled by the crew. Once in port, an ambulance was waiting for them, as well as members of the Civil Guard and the Port Police, all ready to take control the situation. The ship was later able to resume its journey, with the consequent delay in its rotations due to the incident.
MULAN
Also the 'Mulan' has been sanctioned by the US State Department on Sep 5, 2024, besides the LNG tanker 'New Energy', which has been charged with using deceptive practices and turning off its AIS transponder while engaging in ship-to-ship transfer of LNG from the already sanctioned LNG tanker 'Pioneer'. Gotik Energy Shipping Co. (Gotik) and Plio Energy Cargo Shipping OPC PVT LTD (Plio Energy), which are the shipowner and the commercial manager, respectively, of the vessel'New Energy', have also being sanctioned by the US government. The 'Mulan', managed by the Pilo Energy, has been identified as Pilo Energy’s property of interest and, hence, has also been sanctioned. The ship-to-ship transfer of LNG took place on Aug 25. The LNG was sourced from the Russian Arctic LNG 2 project and transferred onto the 'New Energy' from the 'Pioneer', which had already been sanctioned on Aug 23. The stern stance of the US against the Russian LNG 2 project is to prevent Russia from gaining revenue from energy exports, which the US authorities believe to be used in funding the Russian military.
NORTH WAY
A week after the Republic of Palau temporarily suspended the flag of three LNG carriers, Russia’s shadow fleet has ground to a halt, for now. Palau’s International Ship Registry pulled the registration of the 'Pioneer', 'Asya Energy', and 'Everest Energy' pending an investigation into their practice of deactivating or spoofing AIS signals while sailing to the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project. All shadow fleet vessels have remained idle in Russian or international waters for much of the past week. The 'Pioneer' had loaded cargo in the Russian Arctic on Aug 3 with potential losses approaching 7.5% of cargo a month later. The vessel transferred its cargo during a ship-to-ship to the 'New Energy' north of the Suez Canal. Both vessels have remained idle off the coast of Port Said since the STS. Following its flag being suspended, the 'Asya Energy' turned around in Norwegian waters and sailed for Kola Bay near Murmansk where she has remained since Au 27. Its Moss-type storage system limits losses to 0.15% a day, but they may still be approaching 3-4% more than three weeks after calling at Arctic LNG 2. The 'Everest Energy' headed for the thus far unused world’s largest floating storage barge 'Saam FSU' in the Ura Guba Bay. Transferring its cargo to the modern storage unit could help reduce boil-off rates. The 'North Sky' began offloading its cargo at the Yangkou LNG terminal over the weekend. The vessel loaded cargo from thus-far unsanctioned 'Yamal LNG' nearly four weeks ago but had remained idle off the coast of Yangkou, China for several days. The 'North Sky', together with three other newbuilds from the same order, the 'North Mountain', 'North Air' and 'North Way', was included in sanctions announced last week. While the vessels have not carried product from sanctioned Arctic LNG 2, they were originally intended for use with the project. Potential buyers receiving cargo from the 'North Sky' will likely face the risk of secondary sanctions.
GLEN SANNOX
The 'Glen Sannox' will be taken out of service almost straight away from the start of operations in December for a mandatory overhaul. The two-week refit is required to permit the ferry to operate for a year, and delaying it into 2025 was seen as being more disruptive. The work includes inspection of the underwater section of the hull, which is required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The announcement came after it was revealed that sea trials for the vessel had been delayed by two weeks - though the Ferguson Marine shipyard insisted the planned completion date at the end of this month remained unchanged. Due to the deterioration of the harbour of Ardrossan, the 'Glen Sannox' is expected to sail from Troon to Brodick when it finally begins service. The Scottish Government-owned Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), which owns CalMac’s ferries, has postponed its own sea trials to test the 'Glen Sannox' to Sep 16-20, involving a 12-hour endurance trial which would run it exceptionally hard. The date had been changed for logistical and operational reasons, and the ferry was still due to be completed on Sep 30.