On May 15, 2024, the 'CMA CGMA Rivoli' rescued five Indonesian fishermen from Pangkalan Brandan, Langkat, who were stranded at sea after an unknown container ship collided with their fishing boat in the Malacca Strait at around 9 a.m. They were adrift at sea for more than 10 hours before being rescued. The fishing boat was anchored while fishing in the Malacca Strait. The fishermen immediately jumped into the water to save their lives. At 7 p.m. LT, the 'CMA CGM Rivoli', en route from Singapore to Dukirk, located four fishermen floating on a piece of wood from their destroyed fishing boat. The fifth fisherman was rescued at a different location by fishermen from Langkat. Bad weather with thick fog is believed to have caused the collision between the fishing boat and the vessel. The visibility was less than five meters, which made it difficult for the fishermen to spot the approaching vessel, which had failed to sound the horn. On the evening of May 17, the four fishermenaboard the 'CMA CGM Rivoli' were trnsferred onto the 'Pekar' of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency(APMM) Pekar boat. One of them had a broken arm with other injuries and was rushed to Malaysian Hospital. Subsequently, the Indonesian Consulate General Protection Team from Penang came to Perak to facilitate the fishermen. After recovery, on May 27, the four fishermen departed from Penang for their homeland, Pangkalan Brandan, Langkat, with the assistance of the Indonesian Consulate General Protection Team. Before flying from the Kuala Namu Airport to their home, the fishermen were invited to the Wisma Indonesia Penang, a foreign consulate in George Town, Malaysia.
News
Beirut
The Port of Beirut (PoB) resumed partial operations on Aug 10 with the first two container ships berthing in the container terminal after the explosion which killed at least 160 persons, injured thousands and made hundred thousands homeless. Out of 16 cranes at the container terminal, 12 were currently operational. The port was gradually resuming operations to ensure the supply of all kinds of goods to citizens. Bassem Al Kaissi, the new Director of the PoB, said that the container terminal will be fully operational by Aug 14. Al Kaissi said that 420 containers were unloaded on Aug 10. The container terminal storage area has been cleaned up and restored to its state before the blast. The container terminal represents 80 percent of the overall cargo movement at the PoB. It is located one kilometer away from the blast epicenter. Container vessels can dock at quay number 16. Shipping movement at the PoB had already plunged by 75 percent due to the economic crisis and has reached 15 percent following the blast. Customs have opened offices in the PoB’s warehouse number 14 which was partially damaged. The customs have become able to carry out the inspection of merchandise- Customs duties are being temporarily paid at the Rafic Hariri International Airport. Tthe PoB is now handling only full containers as groupage consignment requires warehouses which don’t exist now. Amer Al Kaissi said groupage, which represents 15 percent of shipments at the PoB, will be diverted to the Port of Tripoli until the rebuilding of warehouses at the PoB is completed. The first two containerships to berth at the PoB after the blast were the 'Electra' (Gezairi Transport) and the 'Nicolas Delmas' (CMA CGM). The 'Electra', which was carrying 400 containers, was diverted to Tripoli where there was a license to operate but the company insisted to unload it in Beirut when it was told that the PoB has resumed operation. The CMA CGM Group and CEVA Logistics said they are fully operational and ensuring business continuity to serve their customers. The Group has redeployed its employees in its two back-up sites in Beirut Digital District and reinforced its presence in Tripoli. Part of CMA CGM’s vessels has been temporarily directed to Tripoli. Few shipping companies are authorized to operate in other ports such as Tripoli or Saida. BCTC, the Customs and the PoB’s authorities did their best to handle the clearing formalities despite the difficult working conditions. The general cargo area was fully operational on Aug 12 both for imports and exports. This includes wheat and other grains as well as construction steel bars. The cost of rebuilding the port is estimated at around $1 billion.
SALVAMAR ADHARA
On the night of June 1, the Guardia Civil was notified of a cayuco sailing eight nautical miles from La Restinga. The MRCC of Salvamento Marítimo in Tenerife mobilized the 'Salvamar Adhara' to assist, which locates the canoe with 61 peeople on board. It was escorted to the portof La Restinga. Photo: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1797228022052909543
GLORIA G
On the night of June 1, 2024, the 'Gloaria G', loaded with 66,000 tons of corn, en route from Yuzhny to Port Said, suffered an engine malfunction in front of Akbaş during the transit of the Dardanelles, under the coordination of the Çanakkale Vessel Traffic Services Center, the ship was taken in tow by the tugs 'Kurtarma 13', 'Kurtarma 14' and 'Kurtarma 16' at Nara Cape and was safely moored at the Şevketiye Anchorage in pos. 40° 25.17' N 026° 49.74' E. Video: https://x.com/kiyiemniyet/status/1796709735439139140
URANUS J
Beached at Gadani 30.05.24 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1155487042257598&set=gm.10163049471593943&idorvanity=6884293942
Kiel
The PORT OF KIEL has redesigned the port apron in Ostuferhafen, which is the freight and logistics centre on the fjord. Where once stood a grain silo, there is now an expanded pre-stacking and stand-by area of three hectares for trucks, trailers and pas-senger cars.The State Premier of Schleswig- Holstein, Daniel Günther, visited the Ostufer-hafen on 12th August to hand over the grant notice coming from the State Programme Economy for 5.44 million Euros: The project to redesign the port apron included dismantling three hall areas of the former grain silo, excavation and road works as well as drainage, lighting and security measures and the connection of the area to the infrastructure. Through the new and generous port apron it has been possible to merge formerly separated pre-stacking areas, shorten distances and gain more space for trucks, busses, trailers and passenger cars. Furthermore, IT solutions have been developed to accelerate the handling processes at the gate, which also allow truck drivers to reduce personal contact.Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director at the PORT OF KIEL: “Even under the current circumstances the Ostuferhafen operates in a reliable and safe way. The port of Kiel has proven its systemic importance regarding the transshipment of cross-border freight transport.”In the first seven months of the year 2.1 million tons of cargo have been tran-shipped via the Ostuferhafen (+ 1 %). Additional volumes have been transported by the ferries of the DFDS shipping company to the Baltic States or they have been delivered by the SCA-RoRo-freighters from Scandinavia. Not only general cargo and forest products are unloaded resp. transhipped in Ostuferhafen but also project and heavy cargo, scrap metal and agricul-tural products. The integrated passenger terminal to handle cruise vessels emphasizes the universal character of this port part.