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Portuguese stevedoring unions are planning to stage a 24-hour strike on September 20, bringing the port operations in Leixoes and Lisbon to a halt. The strike period had started on September 10, and will last for a month, ending on October 8. However, the strike is only in force for the extra time periods except for the planned one-day stoppage planned for Thursday. Shipping companies are already feeling the impact and have announced measures. “This strike will unfortunately affect the normal activities in the ports of Leixoes and Lisbon, mainly vessel’s arrivals and departures.

Great South lock at Brunsbüttel out of service due to maintenance works fro 07.00 am until 15.45pm today on September 19, 2018. Great North lock and both small locks are operational

The PORT OF KIEL is completely restructuring the access area to the Ostuferhafen and has begun the partial demolition of a former grain storage facility. The demolition along with the integration of adjacent areas will free up 2.8 hectares in the port access area on which expanded hard standing space can be created for trucks, trailers and cars. So far separated pre stowage sectors can now be combined outside the ISPS-zone. Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the PORT OF KIEL (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG) said: “Cargo handling in the Ostuferhafen has increased in the last few years. The new access area will mean we can optimise logistics, accommodate the needs of forwarders for more space and handle more cruise shipping passengers.” A sum of €7.25 million overall is being invested in the project and funding from the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein has been applied for. The restructuring of the port access area involves the demolition of some 13,000 m² of warehousing as well as structural engineering, road works, drainage, lighting and the securing of the site. Access to the Ostuferhafen is guaranteed to remain unimpeded throughout the whole of the reconstruction period, which will last until the spring of next year.

The Port of Tacoma has announced: “With air quality returning to healthy levels, service at all terminals in Tacoma are expected to be up and running by 1 p.m.” Excerpts from a KING 5 article titled ‘Stay indoors: Air quality warning issued as Tacoma scrap fire burns’: An overnight fire at Simon Metals scrap yard in Tacoma weakened the surround air quality Monday morning, forcing the Port of Tacoma to put operations on hold. The fire began around 2 a.m. and by 10 a.m. air quality around downtown Tacoma fluctuated between moderate and unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Bunker operations at the port of Hong Kong was suspended Monday due to Typhoon Mangkhut, which made landfall on Sunday. While the Hong Kong Observatory has lowered the typhoon warning from strong winds signal T3 to standby signal T1 at 2:40 pm local time (0640 GMT), the wind was still strong, accompanied by high swells, market sources said. “We can deliver in-port location but terminal loadings are still suspended, and pilotage has not resumed,” a supplier said Monday. Terminal and barge congestion is expected when operations resume. “Loadings at the terminal will be jammed from Tuesday, barges are currently empty,” another supplier said, adding that operations were expected to resume on Tuesday. At 3 pm local time, Mangkhut was estimated to be about 720 km west-northwest of Hong Kong and was moving at about 20 kph, according to the observatory. It was expected to move across southern China and weaken gradually, it added. At the Asian close Friday, 380 CST bunker fuel for delivery at Hong Kong was assessed at $464/mt, down $3/mt from Thursday. Source: Platts

London, Sep 18 -- A press release, dated Sep 17, states: Investigations are ongoing to find the the cause of fire at the Lurssen Shipyard in Bremen, Germany. However, as of Sep 17, the cause of the incident as well as the extent of damage caused to the shipyard is still unknown.

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port of Hampton Roads has reopened the ports in Virginia, which saw limited impacts after Hurricane Florence made landfall as a category 1 storm on Friday morning. “Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads is coordinating very closely with our port partners to ensure a quick and safe recovery from Hurricane Florence,” said Capt. Kevin Carroll, the commander of Sector Hampton Roads. “Our number one priority is saving lives and preventing life-endangering activities on our waterways. After that, restoring the free-flow of vessel traffic is a top priority, and we realize that our port and personnel could be critical in assisting areas that were more heavily impacted by the storm.”

The Government of Greenland (Naalakkersuisut) has voiced its support for International Maritime Organization’s ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic region. Namely, the government has agreed to actively work for a ban on HFO in Arctic shipping, covering both navigation and transport of HFO in the region. The move follows an analysis undertaken by Greenland, which showed that an HFO ban on sailing will be associated with a socioeconomic cost of around DKK 8.1 million (USD 1.27 million) per year. The authority explained that HFO should be avoided due to dangers involving maritime casualties which can have major environmental and economic consequences.

New South lock at Kiel Canal out of order on Sept. 19 from 08.00 am until 13.00 hrs pm due to maintenance work, North lock remains operational

(Bloomberg) — The Port of Wilmington in North Carolina remains shut in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, freezing shipments of everything from fertilizer to textiles. Florence dropped as much as 40 inches (102 centimeters) of rain in some places as it passed over Wilmington on its way through North and South Carolina. Several major surrounding highways were flooded, limiting access to the coastal city and the port. The port said Tuesday that it plans to start receiving vessels at the end of the week and resume truck operations on Sept. 24.

The heaviest single piece of equipment ever to move on Washington highways came through the Port of Longview recently and will require a trailer as long as a football field to move it to its destination in Central Washington. Portland-area heavy equipment mover Omega Morgan is partnering with the Washington State Patrol and Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office to move a windmill transformer that weighs nearly 1 million pounds from the town of Roosevelt to a wind farm in Goldendale. The transformer, weighing in at nearly 1 million pounds, was originally shipped on the cargo vessel Heino from South Korea into the Port of Longview, where it was loaded on a train and shipped to the Columbia River Gorge. The transformer is extremely heavy but not that long. To spread the weight out so it does’t damage roads or bridges, it is suspended from a trailer measuring 360 feet long and 21 feet high.

Time is fast running out on the Kolkata port, which has been grappling with disruptions ever since a bridge connecting the southwest of the city collapsed on 4 September. Because of restrictions imposed on movement of goods vehicles, cargo despatches have declined, and unless the police start to ease the flow of traffic, the port is staring at a container pile up, say key officials. In the immediate aftermath of the bridge collapse, container movement from the port fell sharply to around 900 a day compared with an average of around 1,700-2,000. Restrictions were imposed and goods vehicles were allowed to ply for only seven hours a day compared with 16 before the accident took place. Also, they were initially allowed to ply only at night, between 11pm and 6am. Restrictions have since been eased and goods vehicles are being allowed to ply for up to 10 hours at night and three hours during daytime, said a key official at the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), who asked not to be named. As a result, despatches are now down by only around 15%, or about 300 containers a day, but “this arrangement cannot be dragged out”, he said. The port and other related authorities, such as customs, are not geared to work 10 hours every night, he added. Source: Livemint

Tug services will be required in Timor Leste once a major new port is built in the nation in the next three years. Bolloré Ports has started construction of a greenfield deepwater port for dry cargo and containers in Timor Leste as part of a total investment of US$490M. This will open a new shipping gateway to the country and change trade dynamics in the region. It will take three years to build the Tibar port, during which time there will be requirements for marine services, towage and vessel assistance. Bolloré Ports expects the port to be opened in 2021, when it will require tug services for handling container ships of up to 7,500 TEU. Investment in the new port will involve construction of a 630 m wharf with a 15 m draught, dredging of access channels and creation of 27 hectares of yard space. Equipment will be installed at the port for cargo handling including two ship-to-shore cranes and five rubber-tired gantry cranes.

On Sep 14, 2018, at 2.37 a.m. a fire broke out aboard the 146-m-yacht "Sassi" in the building dock of the Lürssen-Yard in Bremen-Vegesack and spread over three decks of the ship and the building dock the roof of which was alight on a length of 130 meters. As the dock was complicated to access, the fire brigades had problems with the work to get the blaze under control. The more than 100 men and 35 units worked with ladders and a fire boat. The danger arose that the roof could get instable and collapse. The authoroties advised residents of the Fähr-Lobbendorf to keep their doors and windows closed due to the dense smoke. At 9 a.m. the volunteer forces from Bookholzberg, Lemwerder and Berne were transferred to the yard aboard a ferry to assist in fire fighting which was expected to last the weekend. The yacht had been due for delivery in 2020. German reports with photos and video: https://www.kreiszeitung.de/lokales/bremen/bremen-werft-baudock-brennt-luerssen-10239832.html https://www.kreiszeitung.de/lokales/bremen/fotos-feuer-luerssen-werft-bremen-10239889.html https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/oldenburg_ostfriesland/Bremen-Baudock-auf-Luerssen-Werft-in-Flammen,luerssen110.html https://www.butenunbinnen.de/nachrichten/gesellschaft/feuer-luerssen-werft-bremen-vegesack-100.html https://www.hna.de/welt/grossbrand-in-bremer-luerssen-werft-mehr-als-100-feuerwehrleute-kaempfen-gegen-flammen-zr-10239878.html

UAE-based port operator Gulftainer has signed a 50-year concession deal with the state of Delaware to operate and develop the Port of Wilmington. Under the agreement, which was signed by Gulftainer’s subsidiary GT USA, the company would invest will see an expected investment of up to USD 600 million in the port to upgrade and expand the terminal and to turn it into one of the largest facilities of its kind on the Eastern Seaboard. The investment includes USD 400 million on a new 1.2 million TEU container facility at DuPont’s former Edgemoor site, which was acquired by the Diamond State Port Corporation in 2016. Plans for the port also include development of all cargo terminal capabilities at the facility and enhancement of its overall productivity.

Bunker operations at the port of Hong Kong resumed Tuesday after being suspended over the weekend and Monday due to Typhoon Mangkhut, which made landfall on Sunday. The Hong Kong Observatory had removed all warnings related to the typhoon as of 12.05 am local time Tuesday (0405 GMT Monday).

Great South lock at Brunsbüttel out of service due to maintenance works fro 07.00 am until 15.45pm today on September 18, 2018

Kinder Morgan Inc reopened fuel terminals in South Carolina on Sunday after Tropical Storm Florence passed through the area, a spokeswoman said in a statement. “Kinder Morgan’s recovery and start up efforts have begun,” said spokeswoman Katherine Hill. The company is working with authorities to re-enter its facilities in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Monday. Additionally, construction activities at the Elba Island liquefied natural gas terminal are expected to resume on Monday, she said. Source: Reuters

Ferry KM FUNGKA PERMATA V on Sep 14 caught fire, burned out and sank in position 02 00S 123 22E south of Banggai island, east of Central Sulawesi, Banda sea, while en route from Baubau, southeast Sulawesi, to North Maluku island. 126 people including 11 crew were rescued, at least 10 died, 8 still missing. There’s a confusion as to total number of people on board – it is said, that there were 146 passengers and 12 crew, but only 91 passengers are listed in manifest.

UK – Teesport has become the first port facility to actively address the problem of plastics polluting the country's waterways, with operator PD Ports signing up to the Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS) initiative. The project, which has already seen freight group XPO Logistics come on board, is run in the UK by the British Plastics Federation (BPF), and aims to ensure that the plastic pellets, flakes and powders that pass through manufacturing facilities in the UK are handled with the care they deserve and do not end up in rivers or the ocean.