It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Fincantieri and UAE’s EDGE Group Launch Shipbuilding JV with $434M Order
The new JV will focus on building advanced naval vessels (Fincantieri)
MAESTRAL was officially launched as a new shipbuilding joint venture based in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) to focus on the design and manufacture of advanced naval vessels. Plans for the new company were announced in February with the UAE’s EDGE Group holding 51 percent and Fincantieri the remaining 49 percent of the shares.
They announced the launch by immediately signing an agreement for a large order by UAE Coast Guard Forces for 10 technologically advanced 51-meter (167-foot) Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). The P51MR Class 51m OPVs they reported are based on the mission-proven Saettia Class, which Fincantieri has been building for 20 years first for the Italian Coast Guard and later for the Armed Forces of Malta and the Iraqi Navy. According to Fincantieri, the new vessels will be state-of-the-art characterized by their high modularity, stability in rough sea conditions, low radar signal signature, and high operational flexibility. The order is being valued at 400 million euro (US$434 million).
The companies estimated a potential commercial pipeline of orders valued at approximately 30 billion euros ($32.5 billion) currently for MAESTRAL. The company will target non-NATO orders as well as some strategic orders placed by selected NATO member countries.
“In just three months since first announcing the creation of this unique venture with Fincantieri, we are now announcing a significant national order for these sophisticated OPVs, to be built both here at our shipyards in Abu Dhabi, and in Italy,” said His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, Chairman of EDGE Group.
EDGE was launched in 2018 consolidating more than 25 entities in the UAE into five core clusters. The areas of business focus for the group include Platforms & Systems, Missiles & Weapons, Space & Cyber Technologies, Trading & Mission Support, and Homeland Security.
Fincantieri CEO and Managing Director Pierroberto Folgiero pointed to the new JV as an industrial platform of great value that will provide additional opportunities in a strategic market such as the UAE, and develop the company’s commercial capabilities. Fincantieri looks to expand its focus on commercial ships after the slowing of orders for cruise ships, which had made up more than half the group’s revenues.
Fincantieri already builds both in Italy and the United States a range of commercial ships. Its Marine Group in the United States builds for the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and government agencies. A month ago, Fincantieri Marinette Marine celebrated the keel laying of the future USS Constellation, a new class of frigate for the U.S. Navy. Fincantieri Marinette Marine received a contract in April 2020 for $795 million for the lead ship and nine additional vessels, with the Navy so far proceeding with five of the vessels and holding the options for five additional ships. If the U.S. Navy exercises all of the options, the contract is valued at more than $5.5 billion.
Philippines blames China for loss of giant clams in disputed shoal and urges environmental inquiry
JIM GOMEZ Updated Mon, May 20, 2024
In this April 22, 2019 handout photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese service boats scour the seabed as they search for giant clams in the Scarborough shoal, at the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard said. The Philippines blamed Chinese fishermen on Monday May 20, 2024 for the massive loss of giant clams in a disputed shoal fiercely guarded by Beijing's coast guard in the South China Sea and demanded an international inquiry to determine the extent of environmental damage in the far-flung fishing atoll. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESSMore
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines blamed Chinese fishermen on Monday for a massive loss of giant clams in a disputed shoal controlled by China's coast guard in the South China Sea and urged an international inquiry into the amount of environmental damage in the area.
The Philippine coast guard presented surveillance photographs of Chinese fishermen harvesting large numbers of giant clams for a number of years in a lagoon at Scarborough Shoal, but said signs of such activities stopped in March 2019.
Parts of the surrounding coral appeared to be badly scarred, in what the coast guard said was apparently a futile search by the Chinese for more clams. The lagoon is a prominent fishing area which Filipinos call Bajo de Masinloc and the Chinese calll Huangyan Dao off the northwestern Philippines.
"Those were the last remaining giant clams that we saw in Bajo de Masinloc,” Philippine coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said at a news conference.
"We are alarmed and worried about the situation that’s happening there,” National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said. He said China should allow an independent inquiry by experts from the United Nations and environmental groups.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Beijing has repeatedly asserted its sovereignty over much of the busy South China Sea. The territorial disputes involve China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. The Indonesian navy has also been involved in skirmishes with the Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels in the Natuna waters in the margins of the South China Sea.
The Philippines has adopted a policy of publicizing China's increasingly assertive actions in the contested waters to gain international support, and the news conference was its latest effort to condemn China's stewardship of Scarborough Shoal.
China effectively seized the shoal in 2012 after a standoff that ended when Philippine government ships withdrew based on what Manila said was a deal brokered by American officials to ease the dangerous confrontation. China reneged on its promise to remove its ships and has since surrounded the shoal with coast guard and suspected militia ships, according to Philippine officials.
Since then, the Chinese coast guard has had a series of skirmishes with Philippine patrol ships and fishing boats, which have been prevented from entering the lagoon, ringed by mostly submerged coral outcrops. Three weeks ago, Chinese ships fired powerful water cannons that damaged Philippine coast guard and fisheries vessels.
“They're preventing us from getting into the lagoon,” Malaya said. “We can ask third-party environmental groups or even the United Nations to do a fact-finding mission to determine the environmental situation.”
The Philippines has brought its territorial disputes with China to international arbitration and largely won. The 2016 ruling invalidated China’s expansive claims to much of the South China Sea, a key global trade route, on historical grounds and cited Chinese government actions that resulted in environmental damage in the offshore region.
China refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected its ruling and continues to defy it.
The territorial hostilities have sparked fears of a larger conflict that could involve the U.S., which has warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its long-time treaty ally, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
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Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.
The Chinese government is taking a step up with its attempt to control the western Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Last week, Beijing announced that the China Coast Guard would be empowered to arrest and hold anyone who tries to enter Chinese-claimed waters for up to 60 days, without trial.
The declaration is a response to Philippine attempts to reassert sovereignty over the Philippine sector of the South China Sea. Though Manila won an arbitral award in 2016 recognizing the legitimacy of its geographically-based EEZ, rejecting China's historically-based claims, Beijing continues to exert control over large swathes of the area through coercive measures. The China Coast Guard and the Chinese maritime militia are a constant presence near disputed features in the area, and Chinese forces have used water-cannons, aggressive maneuvering and manmade barriers in an attempt to deter Philippine navigation.
In a new 92-pae proclamation that takes effect in mid-June, the China Coast Guard said that it has the power to detain any foreigners who are suspected of crossing China's "borders" and hold them in custody for 30-60 days, without trial. The new enforcement procedures are the first to lay out a process for interdicting and detaining vessels that cross within China's sweeping maritime claims and are deemed to be "violating exit and entry management." The CCG's previous attempts at coercion have relied solely on deterrence and aggression, not boardings or detentions.
The measure follows shortly after a civilian protest convoy to Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground off Luzon which China has occupied for more than a decade. The protest was partially successful in delivering supplies to a group of Philippine fishermen who were operating near the reef, but China Coast Guard patrol vessels drove off the fishermen and the primary group of vessels in the convoy departed without engaging in confrontation. Under the newly-announced rules, Chinese forces could have moved to intercept and arrest the protesters, even though Scarborough is within the Philippine EEZ.
“The domestic law they passed will not deter the PCG and [Armed Forces of the Philippines] in protecting the interests of Filipino people," Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela told the Inquirer. "I don't think China is really serious in doing this because this would spark a backlash against them, and most likely, more countries will criticize and stand up against this kind of illegal domsetic law."
A longtime critic of China's behavior in Philippine waters, former Philippine Supreme Court judge Antonio Carpio, suggested that any attempt at detaining Philippine nationals in Philippine waters could be grounds for another international arbitral suit.
"The Philippines can bring the validity of the arrest and detention, of both fishermen and fishing vessel, before an UNCLOS tribunal, which can order their release," Carpio said, speaking to This Week in Asia
South China Sea Drama Unfolds
A Political Play?
by CGTN / May 18th, 2024
A Filipino civilian convoy called “Atin Ito” claims to have breached China’s blockade around the Huangyan Dao, also known as Scarborough Shoal, in the South China Sea. The convoy reportedly aimed to resupply Filipino fishermen but stopped 50 nautical miles from the shoal. The Philippine Coast Guard and Navy monitored the mission. What are the real goals behind it? Are the fishermen being exploited, and are there other forces at play? Join us as we uncover the real story behind this high-stakes maritime drama.
Collision with Danube River Cruise Ship Kills Two and Leaves Five Missing
Heidelberg cruising near Budapest in 2012 (Kereszturi Lászlóné photo - CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
Hungarian police are continuing to scour the Danube near Budapest after a river cruise ship and a small pleasure boat apparently collided overnight. They recovered two bodies from the river and are looking for five people who are reported missing while also interviewing the sole survivor.
The response began shortly before midnight on May 18 when an ambulance was called to a location approximately 30 miles north of Budapest after a man was found with injuries and bleeding on the side of the road. The emergency services determined he had been in a boating accident on the river and began a search for other victims and also the vessels involved in the incident.
Sunday morning they are reporting that the river cruise ship Heidelberg is being detained further along the river at the town of Komarom, nearly 50 miles from Budapest. The cruise ship did not stop after the collision and police are trying to determine if it was aware it had collided with the smaller pleasure boat. Police believe the Heidelberg was involved in the collision after finding scrapes and marks on the bow of the vessel.
Overnight search along the Danube
The body of a male victim was found in the same area as the survivor. Later police found the body of a woman further downriver near a bridge on the outskirts of Budapest.
The Budapest police reported today they are holding one unidentified person. They have initiated a criminal investigation to explore the suspicion of endangering water transportation and negligence in the death of the individuals.
Damage to the bow of the Heidelberg (Pest Emergency Services)
Built in 2004, the Heidelberg has been operating on the river for 20 years. She is 357 feet (109 meters) in length with a capacity for 110 passengers and 35 crew. Reports are indicating the ship is Swiss-owned but it is unclear who is currently operating the river cruises. The ship was originally owned by Deilmann Cruises but had been acquired in 2009 by another German firm Nicko Cruises but that company reports it has not operated the ship since the 2023 season.
Emergency services report a dozen boats are searching the river along with drones and teams working along the river banks. Overnight debris was located in the river and the damaged pleasure boat was found and pulled to shore as part of the investigation.
This section of the Danube is a popular tourist destination with many river cruises as well as commercial shipping and pleasure boats. Five years ago, also in May, Hungary’s worst river disaster also took place on the river when a Viking river cruise ship was attempting to overtake a smaller tourist boat during a heavy rainstorm. Twenty-five Korean tourists were killed in the collision and the captain of the Viking river boat was later found guilty of negligence and sentenced to five years in jail.
Hungarian officials on Monday confirmed that they have interviewed passengers and crew from the river cruise ship. They said the captain is being detained and could be charged with leaving the scene of the accident or possibly worse charges related to improper navigation.
In a rare instance of piracy outside the hot zones such as off Somalia, the Singapore Strait, or the Gulf of Guinea, security reports are indicating the crew of a product tanker was robbed in the middle of the Atlantic last week. The crew was uninjured, and the pirates fled after taking money and some of the ship’s property.
The ICC International Maritime Bureau reports an unnamed product tanker was boarded by 10 armed pirates carrying AK-47 rifles while the ship was underway approximately 363 nautical miles south-southwest of the Caper Verde islands. Security experts are noting that this is beyond the normal operating range of Gulf of Guinea pirates with the officials in the Cape Verde islands saying they were investigating.
According to the details provided to the IMB, the pirates took control of the bridge and ordered all crewmembers to muster on the bridge. Their hands and feet were tied. The engineers were told to stop the engines and permit the vessel to drift in the Atlantic.
The pirates took cash and other valuables and the IMB speculates that they were attempting to steal the cargo or bunkers from the vessel.
The crew was moved into the steering gear room where they were told they would have to remain for two hours. The pirates told them the door was rigged with explosives. However, when they emerged, the pirates were gone and no cargo or bunkers had been stolen.
“The pirates had damaged communication, internet, navigation equipment, and the air control pipes for the main engine and cylinder oil flow valves before escaping,” IMB writes in its report.
The incident took place on May 17, with IMB saying the crew was able to navigate the vessel to its next port.
The identity of the pirates remains unclear. The Cape Verde Islands are approximately 350 miles west of Africa. Security experts in the past have warned of threats along the coast near countries such as Mauretania but typically that is along the coastline.
11 Missing After Trawler Sinks Off Cape Town
NSRI rescue crew searches for the missing crew of the Lepanto (NSRI)
South Africa's marime authorities have called off a search for half the crew of a lost fishing vessel. The trawler went down in the Atlantic about 34 nautical miles west of the Cape of Good Hope last week, sparking a large-scale search and rescue effort, which was partially successful.
On Friday afternoon, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA)'s response center in Cape Town received a distress call from the F/V Lepanto, a South African fishing trawler with a twenty-member crew. The response center issued a broadcast request for aid to other vessels in the area, and nearly a dozen joined the search effort, along with volunteer search organization NSRI and two aircraft. Nearby fishing vessels quickly found two life rafts, one containing nine survivors. The other raft was empty, and 11 crewmembers remained missing.
“The MRCC Cape Town assigned search and rescue (SAR) patterns to the available craft, attempting to utilize the remaining daylight as best as possible. Unfortunately, no sighting of any of the 11 missing persons or even a life jacket was reported," SAMSA said in a statement.
The search continued until after sunset. At this point, with a lack of sightings in favorable weather, the search center called off the SAR effort. The agency thanked the fishing vessels for their help, as well as the companies that contributed the largest number. Half of the vessels in the search were from Sea Harvest, the operator of the lost F/V Lepanto.
On Sunday, the body of one victim of the sinking was recovered from the water, along with the remains of two missing dogs.
"We are devastated by this tragedy and are working closely with the relevant authorities, primarily the South African Maritime Safety Authority, to establish the cause of the accident as soon as possible," said Sea Harvest CEO Konrad Geldenhuys, speaking to local media on Sunday.
The premier of the Western Cape region and the minister of fisheries both expressed their condolences for the families of the missing.
Royal Navy Officer Blames Fatigue for Near Miss of Minesweeper and Tanker
HMS Penzance came with 1,200 feet of a product tanker in 2023 (Royal Navy file photo)
A lieutenant in the Royal Navy was severely reprimanded, lost seniority, and fined, by a court martial hearing looking into the circumstances in which his minesweeper came within 380 yards of a product tanker off the coast of Scotland. According to the media reports, the defense admitted the failures but blamed them on stress, overwork, and fatigue, saying the officer failed to prioritize his duties.
During the sentencing in the Bulford Military Court, the presiding judge said, “Your actions on that day brought that ship within a hair’s breadth of disaster and your career with hair’s breadth of ending. It brought you within a hair’s breadth of prison.”
HMS Penzance, a minesweeper commissioned in 1997, was conducting a training exercise on April 17, 2023. The defense contended that Lieutenant Euan Playford-Johnson, age 30, had been on watch for eight hours and was tired and greatly stressed. He was the officer of the watch with a second officer who was training for nighttime navigation and two others on the bridge.
Playford-Johnson stepped to the side of the bridge “so that he could concentrate on other work,” for the next day leaving the junior officer to navigate. They told the court he intended to “keep an eye” on the navigation.
The minesweeper, which is 600 tons displacement and 172 feet (52.5 meters) in length, operates at speeds of up to 13 knots. It was navigating in the busy Firth of Clyde in the west of Scotland. It was around 2120 when the incident took place.
The junior officer became concerned about a tugboat and turned the minesweeper but failed to see an oncoming product tanker, Sten Baltic (16,600 dwt). Playford-Johnson and two others on the bridge also failed to see the tanker of which the minesweeper had turned directly into its path.
The captain and pilot of the Stena Baltic however realized the dangerous situation and slowed the tanker while hailing the Penzance asking the ship to speed up and change course. According to the report, the court was told the minesweeper and tanker came within 360 meters (less than 1,200 feet) of each other.
The court martial hearing was told the lieutenant compounded his error by not reporting the incident to the captain. Further, once he became aware of the consequences, he “failed to remedy it.” The court was told he accepted that he was not performing his duty and was “deeply remorseful,” while saying it had been a long and tiring day. The Penzance had gone to sea for the first time in two months as a training exercise for the junior officers.
For negligently handling the vessel and two counts of breaching standing orders, Playford-Johnson was given a severe reprimand. He lost his seniority and was fined £3,600 (US$4,600), but avoided jail time or a discharge.
HMS Penzance had been stationed in Scotland. The minesweeper was decommissioned in January 2024.
Video: Containership Dali Successfully Moved to Baltimore Berth
Dali being towed back to the Baltimore terminal 55 days after the allision with the Baltimore bridge (USACE)
The refloating operation and removal of the Dali from the wreck site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was completed this morning, May 20, with an approximately three-hour tow of the vessel. The containership with sections of the roadway and other debris still on its bow was seen coming alongside at the Seagirt Terminal at around 0900 this morning.
The Unified Command and US Army Corps of Engineers both reported that the ship regained buoyancy at around 0640. That was roughly one hour and twenty minutes as the projected high tide in Patapsco River. Reporters from the Associated Press watching the effort said the vessel appeared to start moving around 0600 with several stops and starts.
The towing operation which had tugs attached at bow and stern began around 0700. Five tugs were positioned with one on the bow and another on the stern as well as several alongside and used to push the vessel into the berth. The operation was expected to travel the approximately 2.5 miles to the Seagirt Marine Terminal at a speed of roughly .8 knots (1 mph).
(Timelapse from Unified Command showing the two-hour move of the Dali)
To prepare for the refloating operation, they reversed the earlier loading of ballast onto the ship which had been used to ensure it did not shift while the debris was being removed, and the controlled demolition a week ago of sections of the bridge that were leaning against the bow and over the deck of the ship. Up to 1.25 million gallons of ballast water were taken onto the ship to ensure it did not shift during those earlier operations which were expected to be pumped off starting midday Sunday in a total operation that was expected to last up to 21 hours.
The ship is expected to remain at Seagirt for up to four to six weeks for additional inspections. Efforts will continue to remove sections of the roadway and bridge debris from the bow of the vessel and some of the laden containers will likely be removed.
With the removal of the 158-foot-wide Dali, they are working to restore the 400-foot wide channel as they work toward the reopening of the full 700-foot, 50-foot deep channel by the end of the month. Salvage crews, using crane and barges, immediately returned to the site, and will work to remove any remaining bridge wreckage. Port officials noted that they are working up to 10 to 15 below the soft bottom into the mud to make sure all debris is removed. They expect that the channel will continue to be limited to one-way traffic at this time but are working with operators to increase the flow of shipping traffic in the port. The Maryland Transportation Authority will continue to oversee the removal of the remaining steel and concrete outside the federal channel, while the U.S. Coast Guard will make the final determinations along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the federal channel.
Video: Wreckage Removal as Dali Refloating Awaits Dive Survey
The removal of the containership Dali from Baltimore’s Fort McHenry Federal Channel remains in flux according to a report in the Baltimore Sun. The Unified Command reports they are awaiting the results of a dive survey but in the meantime, wreckage clearance is continuing and a large part of the port is reopened to traffic.
The goal had been to refloat and move the containership early in the week after the controlled demolition of the wreckage sitting against the bow was completed. First, the demolition was delayed for 48 hours till Monday due to weather concerns. Now they are waiting for a survey of the wreckage and the underwater areas around the vessel after the demolition to plan the refloating. Dredging Contractors of America CEO Bill Doyle also previously said they had dredges standing by to assist as needed in the refloating process.
The Unified Command in its update on Thursday said it had evaluated sonar and lidar imagery from around the vessel. They were awaiting the dive survey before proceeding with the refloating plan. The diving was proceeding slowly due to the dangers and conditions in the Patapsco River.
“To permit safe diver access to the Patapsco riverbed next to the vessel, Unified Command cranes must first remove submerged and unstable wreckage from the controlled demolition,” they reported. “Safety also dictates the securing or removal of severely damaged containers and overhanging wreckage from the initial bridge collapse onto the deck of the M/V Dali.”
The target for the refloating is currently about a week behind the previous schedule. Officials said during the hearings this week in Washington D.C. that they expected to refloat the ship early next week. It will then be moved to the Seagirt Terminal in Baltimore. It will undergo further inspections, including a visit by the NTSB, and additional debris will be removed. The U.S. Coast Guard said they expect the vessel to remain at the terminal for four to six weeks and then likely shift to a shipyard for repairs.
Videos released by the command show new images aboard the vessel and the extent of the damage. It also shows the ongoing efforts to remove wreckage from the ship and the surrounding area. The Unified Command also highlights that clearance is ongoing in the central part of the Fort McHenry Channel.
Currently, nearly half the 700-foot-wide channel has been cleared to an operational depth of 48 feet. While access remains restricted, this means the port has been able to expand operations. To date, officials report more than 365 vessels have transited the four Port of Baltimore temporary alternate channels.
The two large bulkers that had remained trapped have both departed the port while inbound traffic is resuming. Yesterday, Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s first car carrier, Tannhauser (24,155 dwt) returned to the port for an overnight operation to offload. She departed today, May 17.
Port officials also highlighted the first RoRo cargo ship back into Baltimore. ACL’s Atlantic Sun (55,547 dwt) made her port call. She departed on May 15 for Halifax. Earlier in the week, the port also received another containership, MSC Shanghai V (66,685 dwt / 4,800 TEU). She departed on May 15 for Savannah. Maersk also announced that it is resuming bookings for Baltimore.
Next up is the return of the cruise ships. Today, Carnival Cruise Line confirmed its ship Carnival Pride (88,500 gross tons) will make her final departure from Norfolk this weekend and she will return to Baltimore for the first time on May 26. The ship’s next sailing, a 14-day cruise to Greenland, is scheduled to sail on May 26 and is expected to operate round-trip from Baltimore. Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas (78,491 GT) is scheduled to make a five-night round trip from Baltimore on May 26 to Bermuda.
The full restoration of the 50-foot channel remains dependent on the removal of the Dali. Officials remain confident that they will have the channel fully operational by the end of the month.
Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou Honored with First IMO Gender Equality Award
Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, Co-CEO, Tototheo Maritime and Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization.
Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou voiced gratitude at being selected as recipient of the first ever IMO Gender Equality award, presented by Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez ahead of the International Maritime Organization Women in Maritime 2024 event. The award recognised Co-Chief Executive Officer of Tototheo Maritime, Ms. Panayiotou Theodosiou's leading and pivotal role in advancing gender equality and empowering women through her tenure as President of WISTA International.
Ms. Panayiotou Theodosiou said it was a tremendous honour to have been chosen for the award. “Over the last 10 years raising awareness of the incredible work women are undertaking within the maritime industry and the importance of gender diversity, equity and inclusion have been a key focus for me on both a personal and professional level,” she said.
The IMO said Ms. Panayiotou Theodosiou had brought significant attention to WISTA's mission, shed light on the challenges faced by women in shipping, and raised awareness among industry stakeholders and international policy and decision makers. Her actions had also amplified the voices of women, highlighting their important contributions to the maritime industries.
Ms. Panayiotou Theodosiou was instrumental in gaining consultative status for WISTA International at IMO, and the two organisations have since launched joint initiatives, such as the Women in Maritime Survey 2021 and the Maritime Speakers Bureau. The survey, which will be repeated this year, examined representation and distribution of women working in the maritime sector. The Speakers Bureau is a platform for female experts across a variety of maritime fields which seeks to ensure that conferences and events feature inclusive panels with a range of perspectives.
“During my time as President of WISTA International it was a privilege to be part of the driving force behind many of the initiatives related to advancing gender equality within the industry. When I look at what has been achieved I feel an immense sense of pride for being able to play a part in bringing about change,” Ms. Panayiotou Theodosiou said.
“With that said, we still have a long way to go, and I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to continue to break down the barriers, acknowledge the need for change and work together to create a more inclusive and diverse maritime industry,” she added.
She extended her gratitude to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides and Shipping Deputy Minister, Ms. Marina Hadjimanolis for supporting her nomination.
The IMO Gender Equality Award has been established to recognize individuals, irrespective of their gender, who, either in a personal capacity or as representatives of their institutions, have made significant contributions to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in the maritime sector.
Tototheo Maritime specializes in maritime technology solutions focusing on optimizing vessel and fleet performance in the fields of satellite communication, navigation systems, digitalization and end-to-end cyber security services.
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
Software Issue Causes South Carolina to Close Charleston and Inland Ports
Charleston and South Carolina's inland ports were closed due to an unspecified software problem (SC Ports)
An unspecified “software issue” was being blamed for the unusual move of suspending all cargo operations at the Port of Charleston as well as South Carolina inland ports on Monday, May 20. The South Carolina State Ports Authority said that it is working with an outside vendor to restore operations as quickly as possible. While calling it a "fluid situation" the authority said it expected to reopen the ports at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21, but has continued to delay saying there remain issues bringing the gate system back up. The next update is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
Media reports said the port authority identified the issue on Saturday. Initially, the port said on Sunday evening that it would be delaying the start of operations on Monday morning warning that no cargo would be picked up or dropped off until it was able to restore operations.
“Initial findings show that a software issue impacted a server,” the port said in an alert sent out Sunday evening. “This does not appear to be a cybersecurity issue.”
Port cybersecurity has become a hotly debated issue in the United States with the Biden administration reporting this spring that it directed the U.S. Coast Guard to increase its efforts and take steps with the ports on planning and increased security. It came in response to a contention that surfaced a year ago that highlighted China’s dominance in cargo cranes and related logistic software. There has been a move in the U.S. Congress to ban China’s logistics software and investigate the cargo cranes for potentially tracking cargo operations at the ports. As part of the administration’s initiative, ports were required to undertake a survey and report to the Coast Guard.
South Carolina ports initially said it expected to resume operations by 10:00 a.m. this morning but issued an update at 8:00 a.m. delaying the opening of the gates and cargo operations till noon. Two hours later they again delayed the opening pushing it back to 2:00 p.m.
“We do not anticipate systems being fully functional for the remainder of the day at all SC Ports marine terminals and inland ports,” the authority said in a later update. “We are reintroducing systems as they become available.”
The Port and Courier newspaper in Charleston reports that three containerships were already docked at the main terminal in Charleston and that the port authority told it they could continue working those ships. The reports said however that no cargo was being loaded to trucks and that the gates were closed.
Other containerships were holding off at anchor or not scheduled to arrive at the port until tomorrow. Similarly, the terminal for RoRos was not expecting its next arrival until late tomorrow. The port’s one cruise ship, Carnival Sunshine, was able to depart as scheduled on its cruise on Sunday evening.
The Port of Charleston reports at 52 feet, it is the deepest harbor on the U.S. East Coast. It handles approximately 215,000 TEU per month and last month saw a 40 percent increase in monthly vehicle volume to over 18,000 cars and trucks.
It is the eighth-largest container port in the United States. In addition to the two marine cargo terminals and one vehicle terminal, the state has two rail-served inland ports.
