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)
Thursday, July 04, 2024
Anglo coking-coal mine blaze to have months-long impact
Bloomberg News | July 1, 2024 Tunnel boring machine at Grosvenor mine. Image: Anglo American
A fire at Anglo American Plc’s biggest metallurgical coal project in Australia halted production, with the miner saying it may take months for it to be extinguished. Anglo, which is seeking to sell the mine as part of a turnaround plan, fell as much as 4%.
A methane explosion on Saturday caused the fire at the Grosvenor underground mine, which accounts for about 30% of the company’s annual production of coking coal in Queensland state, Anglo said in an emailed statement Monday. No one was injured.
The blaze may complicate the London-based company’s plan to sell its assets that mine the steelmaking fuel, after it rebuffed a $49 billion takeover by BHP Group. After the world’s biggest miner walked away in May, Anglo chief executive officer Duncan Wanblad announced a radical overhaul and restructure of the business, with analysts anticipating a swift sale of the coal portfolio due to its relatively high value.
Anglo’s shares fell as much a 4% in London and traded 3.1% lower at 2,423.50 pence by 8:30 a.m.
“The mine team is working with specialist teams from the Queensland Mines Rescue Service and the regulatory authorities to extinguish the underground fire, prior to being able to assess the steps toward a safe re-entry into the mine,” Anglo said in the statement. “These procedures are expected to take several months as a result of the likely damage underground.”
The fire could mean the sale of Grosvenor and the nearby Moranbah North coal project — among Anglo’s five mines of the fuel in Queensland — will take longer than expected and the bidding price will be lower, Jefferies analyst Christopher LaFemina said in a note on Monday. The researcher had expected those two mines to fetch about $3 billion.
The expected cut to production due to the fire would weigh on Anglo’s share price and the asset sale, RBC Capital Markets analyst Marina Calero said in a note.
Grosvenor reached first output in 2016 but was closed in mid-2020 after an explosion which seriously injured five workers. It only returned to production in February 2022.
The coal beds Anglo mines contain a relatively high level of methane. Anglo drains approximately 60% of the methane gas from the seams and then supplies it to the Queensland electricity grid.
(By Paul-Alain Hunt and Victoria Cavaliere)
Ivory Coast says Endeavour leak sickened people, killed fish
Bloomberg News | July 3, 2024 | 11:03 am NewsAfricaGold Ity has the longest operating history of any gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire.
The London-based miner had said a valve ruptured on June 23, releasing 3,000 liters of mud containing cyanide into a canal within the perimeter of its Ity mine. The leak reached the Cavally River, the Ivorian Ministry of Environment said in a statement Wednesday.
“The source of the pollution has been brought under control by the mining company, which pledged to provide nearby communities with drinking water until the cleanup is complete,” it said. No human deaths have been reported so far, it said.
An Endeavour spokesperson declined to comment on the government’s update.
Endeavour, whose shares are traded in Toronto and London, where it’s the biggest listed miner, has all its assets in West Africa, with operations in Senegal, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
(By Baudelaire Mieu)
Endeavour studying spill from Ivory Coast operation
Endeavour Mining Plc says it’s studying the damage from the leak of poisonous liquid at its second-biggest mine located in southern Ivory Coast.
Early reports show that a broken valve leaked 3,000 liters of mud containing cyanide into a canal within the perimeter of the mine, Endeavour’s country manager Laetitia Gadegbeku-Ouattara told journalists in Abidjan Monday.
The contaminated liquid “didn’t leak into the Cavally River,” she said. The company, which took “immediate steps” to prevent the leak from polluting the river, is doing additional analyses to ascertain the scope of the damage, said Gadegbeku-Ouattara.
Cyanide is a poisonous chemical used to extract gold from ore. The Cavally River takes its source from Mount Nimba in Guinea before flowing through Ivory Coast and into the Gulf of Guinea.
Local authorities have warned residents in the area to abstain from eating fish or drinking from the river until further notice. No human deaths have been reported, said Abdallah Toikeusse Mabri, the president of the Tonkpi region.
Endeavour, whose shares are traded in Toronto and London, where it’s the biggest listed miner, has all its assets in West Africa, with operations in Senegal, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Its Ivorian mine is expected to produce 260,000-290,000 ounces (8.1 to 9.1 tons) of gold this year.
The company’s Ivorian output is expected to increase in the second half of the year with the ramp-up of its Lafigue project in the country’s east.
Endeavour’s shares rose 0.1% Monday in Toronto and 2.1% in London.
(By Baudelaire Mieu)
Crowley Given Contract to Continue Defense Freight Transportation Services
Extending its trusted relationship with the U.S. Government, Crowley today announced the award by U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) of a $2.3 billion, seven-year contract to continue serving the military’s transportation and logistics needs under the Defense Freight Transportation Services program.
Crowley was awarded the original Defense Freight Transportation Services (DFTS I) contract in 2017. One of the largest logistics contracts under the federal government, DFTS encompasses all forms of surface transportation throughout the continental U.S., Alaska and Canada, including less than truckload (LTL), full truckload (FTL), expedited, time definite and rail services as well as cross-docking and warehousing.
“There is no greater honor than to serve the logistics needs of our nation’s military service members with the trust of the U.S. Department of Defense. The lasting partnership built with USTRANSCOM is a privilege that the people at Crowley never take lightly as we ensure an efficient and effective supply chain for the military and other agencies’ needs,” said Ray Fitzgerald, Chief Operating Officer, Crowley. “We are humbled and immensely proud to continue delivering this critical transportation service for America’s defense safely and reliably.”
During its ongoing DFTS services, Crowley has received multiple high-performance ratings from USTRANSCOM and praise from the Defense Logistics Agency, and the company put in place technology solutions to maximize freight transportation efficiency and value.
As it enters the new contract (DFTS II), Crowley will also continue to utilize small businesses and diverse suppliers that help drive investment and resiliency in communities coast to coast, exceeding $600 million in diverse small business contracting. Crowley grew its network of carriers and suppliers by over 500%, tripling the minimum capacity needed to effectively service 300,000 movements annually of critical equipment and supplies.
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive
HamiltonJet Breaks Ground on New State-of-the-Art Production Facility
Works began today on a new state-of-the-art production facility for capacity expansion for HamiltonJet, the New Zealand manufacturer of innovative marine propulsion technology. This morning’s groundbreaking ceremony was held on site in Lunns Road, Christchurch and marks an exciting new chapter for the organisation.
HamiltonJet has over 70 years of experience designing and manufacturing waterjet propulsion systems. It was founded in the 1950s by Sir William Hamilton - who pioneered the first commercial waterjet - and the company remains a market leader of waterjets and vessel controls, producing some of the most advanced and innovative high performance propulsion technology in the world.
The new plant, which will be situated on the same site as the organisation’s existing facility, will have a footprint of 7,320 square metres. It is being built in response to the firm’s continued growth both here in New Zealand and in the global market - HamiltonJet now exports to the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
With an estimated 12-15 month build time, and a six-month window for the equipment install, the production facility aims to be fully operational by April 2026. It will house new technologically-advanced facilities including CNC (computer numerical control) machining equipment, temperature controlled and a safer, more efficient paint process. The facility will be built with ready capacity for future rooftop solar panels.
By investing in these significant upgrades to its manufacturing and production HamiltonJet aims to deliver significant efficiencies for the business and uplift production capacity by up to 40%, allowing for much shorter lead times for customers.
HamiltonJet’s Managing Director, Ben Reed, says: “We are delighted to see the ground works beginning for the new factory. As it is with projects of this size and scale, it has been years of planning, designing and consenting to get to this stage. HamiltonJet has been going from strength to strength, with increasing demand from the global market, so this is the next exciting chapter in our 85-year history as we look ahead to the future growth of the business.”
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
Stella Maris Launches Tanzania Operation Due to Red Sea Attacks
Left to right as follows: Mr. Kirima (Chair of the Fish Sellers association, Dar es Salaam), Mr. Alfonse Mocoma (chair of the national fishers Association), (volunteer, unknown), Jon Heard (Stella Maris UK), Archbishop Jude Ruwa-Ichi (Archbishop of Dar es
The world’s largest ship visiting charity Stella Maris is extending operations in East Africa with the opening of a new operation in the port city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to support seafarers and fishing communities.
Stella Maris Tanzania was officially inaugurated on Friday June 28 at a ceremony attended by the Archbishop of Dar es Salaam and representatives from local seafaring and fishing communities as well as those from the Kenyan Port Authority in Mombasa.
The new team is being spearheaded by chaplain Father Patrick Musumbu, a Kenyan national who has lived and worked in Tanzania for 7 years and is leaving the parish he has built there to lead Stella Maris in Dar es Salaam. He will work with a team of volunteers as part of a network including neighbouring centres along the East and South African coast. Their work will also take them into local fishing communities and to the island of Zanzibar.
Stella Maris’s Jonathan Heard, who is helping establish the team in Tanzania, said more seafarer support is vital on Africa’s East Coast with seafarers under increasing strain in the region.
“Our new mission opens at a time when seafarers need additional support with the rising numbers of vessels diverting here to avoid the Red Sea,” he said, “Not only does this mean more crews passing through the region; it also means that seafarers face being at sea significantly longer – sometimes months longer – than they anticipated. When seafarers spend very long periods of time at sea without adequate stops to rest and recuperate and without seeing anyone from outside their immediate crew, they are more likely to experience mental and physical health problems, and feelings of isolation and loneliness. We want to ensure that every seafarer visiting the African continent can get the help they need. That might be as simple as offering friendship and the opportunity to talk without judgement; providing free Wifi connectivity and the chance to make contact with family at home; arranging medical help for sick or injured seafarers; giving spiritual support regardless of faith or religion, or pastoral care for crews facing bereavement after a death on board.”
Fr Pat and his team will also work with local fishing communities along the Tanzania coast where a relatively high mortality rate of 1% is linked to unsafe practices as well as drug and alcohol misuse more common in poorer, rural areas. Their role will be to support these communities to fish more safely through education and practical support.
Stella Maris’s East and Southern Africa network is one of eight regional networks** set up and operated by the global charity to support seafarers and fishers around the world.
Jonathan Heard explains: “Our regional networks are coming together to share information and expertise and to advocate for seafarers and fishers in this part of Africa. Being part of a regional network means that we’re not waiting for a problem to arise in port. Instead, we’re communicating with our colleagues in neighbouring countries to understand the needs of a ship’s crew or an individual seafarer and preparing to offer the right type of support, in-person, when they arrive in our port.”
Speaking on the day the new mission was inaugurated, Stella Maris CEO Tim Hill said: “We are delighted to welcome Father Pat and his team to our international network. Stella Maris Tanzania enhances our existing programme in the region and our ability to provide continuous welfare assistance, collective advocacy and direct action for seafarers, fishers and their families around the world.”
Stella Maris is the largest ship-visiting network in the world, and the official maritime charity of the Catholic Church. Its global network of more than 200 chaplains and 800 volunteers, and support staff are available in 353 ports across 57 countries and visit hundreds of thousands of seafarers and fishers every year. They provide practical and pastoral care through ship visits, welfare facilities, and a range of community-building activities.
*Other regions are North America and Caribbean, South America, North and West Africa, Indian subcontinent, South East Asia, Australasia, and Europe.
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
As More Ships Head for Cape Route, Stella Maris Sets Up for Crews' Needs
To meet the needs of the growing number of vessels on the Cape route, The maritime charity Stella Maris has launched a new office in the East African port of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Due to the anti-shipping campaign launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, about half of the traffic that once passed through the Suez Canal has diverted to the Cape of Good Hope. While far longer, this is much safer for ships and seafarers than risking a Houthi missile or bomb-boat attack off Yemen, and it is bringing more business for ports along the route to the Cape. Ships need repairs, supplies and bunkers, and that means more traffic; Mombasa and Dar es Salaam are near the new trade lane between the Persian Gulf and the Cape, and positioned to receive more vessels. But the longer trip around Africa comes with its own stresses for crewmembers, according to Stella Maris.
"Our new mission opens at a time when seafarers need additional support with the rising numbers of vessels diverting here to avoid the Red Sea," said Stella Maris' Jonathan Heard. "Not only does this mean more crews passing through the region; it also means that seafarers face being at sea significantly longer – sometimes months longer – than they anticipated."
That extra uninterrupted time at sea can translate into loneliness and mental health challenges - which Stella Maris is set up to address with a range of services. The charity provides seafarers with free WiFi while in port; spiritual support and pastoral care; help in accessing medical care; and the simple benefits of a friendly conversation. "We want to ensure that every seafarer visiting the African continent can get the help they need," Heard says.
Stella Maris' team of chaplains and volunteers also communicate with each other to hand-off cases and ships from port to port, giving each location's staff a running start to help the vessel when it arrives. Now, Port of Dar-es-Salaam will be part of the network, and will be prepared to help seafarers passing through on a newly-popular route.
Fiji Recovers Patrol Boat Three Weeks After Grounding on First Patrol
The new patrol boat was aground for three weeks while the salvage operation progressed (Fiji Navy)
Three weeks after its new patrol boat RFNS Puamaugrounded during its first patrol, the Fiji Navy is reporting the vessel was safely recovered and is being towed to port for an inspection. The vessel, valued at approximately US$10.6 million, grounded on June 10 in the remote Lau group of islands, with ABC News Australia calling it a “treacherous area” with difficult sea passages.
A challenging salvage operation was launched as the vessel sat atop a reef. The stern compartment of the 130-foot (39.5-meter) steel monohull patrol boat was reported flooded but they were able to contain and manage the water ingress. The crew was evacuated from the ship and brought home by another of the country’s patrol boats.
Specialized salvage teams and equipment were flown in from Australia with the assistance of the Australian government, which had gifted the vessel to Fiji as part of a regional security effort. The Fiji Navy’s engineers and divers were working on the efforts which included debunkering the patrol boat. The salvage effort took about two weeks.
The salvage tug Ratu Rabici and another patrol boat, RFNS Savenaca were at the salvage site. Fiji reports the vessel is now afloat and being towed to neighboring Ogea Island where a through damage assessment will be conducted.
RFNS Puamau afloat and being towed to port for a damage assessment (Fiji Navy)
Built by Austal in Australia, the vessel was delivered in March and after training was mid-way through its first patrol. According to the shipbuilder, this class of patrol boats are faster than the previous Pacific-class patrol boats, with improved seakeeping, better amenities, and an enhanced mission capability. They have an integrated RHIB stern launch and recovery system and were designed to carry out border patrols, regional policing, search and rescue, and other operations domestically and internationally.
A Board of Inquiry has also been convened to review the grounding incident. Fiji decided to launch the independent investigation based on the unique nature of the situation and the value of the vessel. The board has been charged to ascertain the facts surrounding the incident. It will also make recommendations based on its findings.
The Australian Government launched its Pacific Maritime Security Program in 2016 and began ordering the vessel, Guardian class patrol boats, from Austal in 2018. They have been delivered to 12 Pacific Island nations. The RFNS Puamau was the nineteenth vessel to be delivered as part of a program of 22 vessels. The government in late June reported the order of two more vessels for the program. The latest vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2026. Austal values the total 24 ship project at approximately US$267 million.
Dredge Linked to WWII Wreck Desecration Has Been Arrested Again
The Chinese grab dredge that allegedly desecrated the wrecks of two famous WWII warships off Malaysia has run into trouble with the law once more. The notorious Chuan Hong 68 has been detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) again, this time over paperwork violations.
Last year, Malaysian authorities detained Chuan Hong 68 off Johor for allegedly crushing and removing the wreckage of the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse, which were sunk by Japanese forces during the invasion of the Malay Peninsula in December 1941. Both are protected war graves. In May 2023, local residents obtained video of the vessel unloading what appeared to be a large cannon, dripping with mud, at a Malaysian scrapyard (below).
(Elizabeth Vostox / May 2023)
During the May 2023 boarding of the Chuan Hong 68, inspectors found rusting artillery shells and other scrap. The penalty for the crewmembers could be as much as two years in prison if convicted of desecrating wrecks, according to the New Straits Times. "MMEA] does not rule out the possibility that this vessel is involved in the theft of old British warship wrecks," the agency said at the time.
As recently as January 2024, Johor Police's unexploded ordnance team was called out to deal with aged, rusted artillery shells found at the scrapyard where Chuan Hong 68 offloaded her cargo. This included two 130mm shells - roughly equivalent to a 5.25-inch gun, of which HMS Prince of Wales had eight - and 55 aging 40mm shells, the standard size for the "pom-pom" antiaircraft guns used by the Royal Navy in WWII.
The MMEA has not released an update on the case over the course of the intervening 12 months, and Chuan Hong 68 has repeatedly returned to the same operating area northeast of the Singapore Strait, often disappearing from AIS for weeks at a time. This is the same region where she was operating when she was detained in 2023, and is approximately the same area as the HMS Prince of Wales' last known position.
On the afternoon of July 1, the MMEA and the Royal Malaysian Navy boarded Chuan Hong 68 at a position just off Tanjung Hantu, Perak state - on the opposite side of the Strait of Malacca from the dredge's previous area of operation, and about 300 nautical miles northwest of Singapore.
Courtesy MMEA
This time, the inspectors did not find illegal scrap, but they did spot 60 unregistered LPG tanks on deck. They also found paperwork irregularities in the vessel's documents and port clearance certificates. The ship and the entire crew have been detained pending an investigation.
"Malaysian Maritime insists on the maritime community to always obey the laws set in order to avoid action being taken," MMEA said in a statement.
First Hydrofoiling Electric High-Speed Ferry to Launch in the UK in 2025
Red Funnel plans to launch the electric hydrfoiling ferry in late 2025 (Red Funnel)
UK ferry operator Red Funnel confirmed that it plans to introduce a high-performance, emission-free high-speed vessel on its service crossing the Solent in late 2025. The unique vessel is an all-electric e-foiling passenger ferry developed by Artemis Technologies.
The design was introduced in 2022 reporting that the fast catamaran will ride above the water on three foils, and its all-electric drive will push it to speeds as high as 36 knots. Artemis has said that it expects to get a range of 70 nautical miles out of the vessel at a 25-knot cruise speed, with zero emissions and higher efficiency. Once in service, they are projecting the electric ferry will initially save 3,700 tonnes of CO2 per year and that it can be increased to approximately 4,150 tonnes when electricity from renewable energy sources is available.
Passenger capacity will be up to 150, and while hydrofoiling, the ride will be more comfortable, with less vessel motion. Wake effects will also be minimized, says Artemis.
Artemis said without naming the other companies that Red Funnel will be one of three ferry operators adopting the technology. The company reported in May 2024 that it had its first vessels under construction.
The company's first vessel to demonstrate the hydrofoiling technology is a 12-meter workboat. It was put in service operation along the Belfast waterfront to demonstrate the concept. The company has also received financial grants from the UK as part of the efforts to promote new green technologies.
Red Funnel is one of the oldest operating ferry companies tracing its origins to 1861. Today, the company reports it carries 3.4 million passengers and 860,000 vehicles across the Solent between Southampton, England and West Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
The company has been running a fleet of high-speed passenger ferries for more than two decades on the route. This spring they announced the sale of the Red Jet 4, which was built by North West Bay Ships in Tasmania in 2003. Powered by two MTU diesel engines, each driving an MJP waterjet to give a service speed of 35 knots the vessel carried up to 271 seated passengers and four crew. It is going to an operator in South Korea, but Red Funnel continues to operate two other high-speed vessels, Red Jet 6 built in 2016 and Red Jet 7 built in 2018. The passenger jet ferries make the transit in approximately 28 minutes while the traditional vehicle ferries take approximately an hour for the 12-mile trip.
Artemis recently reported that it entered into an agreement with DNV to collaborate to ensure that the testing and certification processes ensure that the safety requirements under the relevant international regulations and DNV rules are met or exceeded.
Red Funnel says it will be working with Artemis over the coming months for testing and sea trials of the vessel. Its high-speed crews will also be undergoing training to be prepared for the arrival of the new ferry.
Defector Aboard Russian Navy Corvette Set Fire to His Own Ship
An incendiary device goes off aboard Serpukhov, April 2024
A defector aboard the Russian Navy corvette Serpukhov helped Ukrainian forces stage an attack on his own vessel earlier this year, according to Ukraine's military intelligence service (GUR, or HUR).
On April 7, the GUR claimed that a fire broke out aboard the corvette Serpukhov at Kaliningrad, the Russian port wedged between Poland and Lithuania. The Serpukhov is a Buyan-M class missile corvette, a small but heavily-armed vessel carrying up to eight antiship missiles and eight surface-to-air missiles.
The Ukrainian spy agency released what appeared to be a schematic of the vessel's internal spaces and a brief video of an incendiary device going off. The GUR said that the Serpukhov sustained substantial damage from the fire, including the destruction of its communications and automation systems. (These claims have not been independently verified.) Serpukhov was put out of action for at least six months, the spy agency claims.
At a recent press conference, GUR officer Andriy Yusov told Ukrainian media that this operation was carried out by a sympathetic Russian servicemember on board the ship. "This operation came as a shock to the enemy, and the FSB was furious," he said.
The Russian sailor in question had revealed his moral doubts about the Russian invasion to his commanding officer, and had attempted to resign - only to be referred to a psychiatrist. "He thought that I was not normal if I went against the Russian authorities," the Russian defector - code name "Goga" - said at the press conference. After this, his CO sent his request to a prosecutor to decide if criminal charges were warranted.
"The prosecutor read the report on my dismissal, said that I could not do that, and that this was the first and last warning. And he let me go. No sanctions were applied to me. I continued to serve on my ship," he told Ukrinform.
After his repeated attempts to leave the Russian Navy were turned down, he secretly joined a Ukrainian resistance movement, the "Freedom of Russia Legion." When the timing was right, he stole documents from aboard the Serpukhov, set fire to his own ship, and fled to Ukraine - where he remains.
Another Boxship Loses Power in Baltimore's Harbor
Bellavia appears to drift to port off Dundalk, July 1 (Pole Star)
On Monday morning, another boxship briefly lost power after leaving the pier at the Port of Baltimore, reinforcing concerns about navigational safety raised by the container ship Dali's disastrous allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.
At approximately 0005 hours local time on Monday morning, after a brief port call, the container ship Bellavia departed the pier at the Dundalk Marine Terminal at Point Breeze, Baltimore. AIS data shows that she was moving at about 1.5 knots as she got under way. By 0016, she slowed to 0.4 knots and appeared to be drifting east, towards the adjacent ro/ro pier. She regained power and returned to the quayside at Dundalk, never moving more than a few hundred yards from her berth.
Bellavia completed repairs and was cleared for departure by the Coast Guard later that day; she departed without further incident on Tuesday evening.
The Bellavia's power loss differed from the incident aboard Dali in at least one important way: it occurred within yards of the pier. This means that under the longstanding navigation rules and norms for Baltimore's inner harbor, the vessel had tugs hired in to assist. Two harbor tugs were already nearby and took up positions alongside Bellavia, AIS data shows, and they escorted the vessel back to the pier. Bellavia never posed a threat to Baltimore's remaining vulnerable bridge crossing, the Bay Bridge, which is located further seaward - where vessels do not have a tug escort.
Bellavia was the latest of three foreign-flag, deep-draft ships that reported a loss or reduction in power in the Baltimore region since the Dali incident in March, the Coast Guard told the Baltimore Sun. The paper has tallied more than 40 ships that lost propulsion, power or steering in Maryland's waterways over the last three years, illustrating the relative frequency of "dark-ship" incidents in an area with thousands of vessel transits per year.
Bellavia is a 19-year-old Panamax boxship owned and operated in Germany. Her Equasis record shows that she accumulated 25 deficiencies in three port state control inspections last year, including citations related to propulsion equipment, auxiliary engines, oil filtering and fire safety equipment.
