Impala Platinum reports strike at Bafokeng operations

Reuters | July 2, 2024 |

Credit: Royal Bafokeng Platinum Ltd.

South Africa’s Impala Platinum on Tuesday reported a strike at part of its recently acquired Bafokeng operations in Rustenburg, which it said mostly involves contractors demanding permanent positions.


“Impala Platinum is closely monitoring an illegal work stoppage, which began on Thursday 27 June 2024, at the North Shaft of Impala Bafokeng’s BRPM operation in the North West province,” the miner said in a statement.

The company said it had obtained a court order against the job boycott. “The longer-term impact of this illegal strike poses a risk to sustainable employment, particularly given Impala Bafokeng’s recent underperformance,” Impala said.

Impala acquired the assets of smaller producer Royal Bafokeng Platinum last year following a protracted battle with Northam Platinum.

The group and its South African platinum group metal-producing peers Anglo American Platinum and Sibanye Stillwater, facing their worst crisis in decades, are cutting thousands of jobs to contain costs after metal prices plunged last year.

Prices of platinum – mostly used by automakers to curb toxic emissions – fell sharply amid concerns over weak global economic growth and destocking by manufacturers who built up inventories during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Impala has said it could cut 3,900 jobs as it restructures its South African operations, while Anglo American Platinum plans to lay off 3,700 workers.

On Tuesday, Sibanye Stillwater said it had reduced its workforce by 14% from 81,500 employees at the end of 2022 to just over 70,000 currently through a combination of layoffs, natural attrition, a hiring freeze and a review of contractor arrangements.

(By Nelson Banya; Editing by Jan Harvey)

Rio Tinto completes construction of its solar power plant at Diavik Diamond Mine

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02 July 2024

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YELLOWKNIFE, Canada--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine has completed installation of its 3.5 megawatt capacity solar power plant in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The project represents the largest off-grid solar power plant across Canada’s territories.

The 6,620-panel facility is expected to generate 4.2 million kilowatt-hours of solar energy annually, reducing diesel consumption at Diavik by one million litres per year and cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2,900 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. This is comparable to removing 630 cars from the road each year.

The solar power plant will provide up to 25% of Diavik’s electricity during closure work, with commercial production at the mine expected to end in 2026 and closure to run until 2029. The facility is equipped with bi-facial panels which not only generate energy from direct sunlight, but also from the light that reflects off the snow that covers Diavik for most of the year.

The solar project complements a wind power plant at Diavik, which has been operating since 2012 and is the largest wind power installation in Canada’s North, having generated over 195 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since activation.

Chief Operating Officer of Diavik Diamond Mine Matthew Breen said: “The largest off-grid solar power plant in Canada’s North is our latest commitment to the environment we live and work in, and will improve the energy efficiency of our operations at Diavik. We are proud to lead the way for large-scale renewable energy projects in Canada’s North.”

The project was supported by C$3.3 million in funding from the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Large Emitters GHG Reducing Investment Grant Program.

It is the first project in the Northwest Territories to benefit from funding from the Large Emitters Grant, which sets aside a portion of carbon tax paid by large operations such as Diavik for projects that commit to GHG reduction projects in the territory.

Northwest Territories’ Minister of Infrastructure Caroline Wawzonek said: “I commend Rio Tinto for the completion of the largest off-grid solar plant in Canada’s North at the Diavik mine. The project demonstrates Rio Tinto’s leadership when it comes to reducing emissions, and signals potential for leadership in the renewable energy sector in and by the North. The Government of the Northwest Territories is proud to have contributed to the project through the Large Emitters GHG Reducing Investment Grant program, which provides funding to industry to reduce emissions as part of our made-in-the-NWT approach to the federal carbon tax.”

Construction began in February 2024, contracted to Whitehorse-based Solvest Inc. and the Indigenous-owned Tłıchǫ Investment Corporation, with support from Diavik. Approximately 30% of the construction workforce came from the Tłıchǫ Investment Corporation.

CEO of Solvest Inc. Ben Power said: “Building off the success of their wind farm constructed in 2012, Diavik has taken another significant step forward in demonstrating the viability of renewable energy for Northern and off-grid mines. Solvest is proud to have had the opportunity to work with our partners at Tłıchǫ Investment Corporation to construct the largest off-grid solar power plant in Canada’s North. We believe this project provides a blueprint to facilitate the integration of solar into mines across Canada and in Northern regions.”

Diavik is working with the Government of the Northwest Territories and community partners to determine how its renewable energy infrastructure can best benefit the region following closure.

Rio Tinto is progressing decarbonisation initiatives across its global operations, with the aim of reducing its Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 and to achieve net zero across its operations by 2050.

Rio Tinto to build two solar farms on Australia’s Gove Peninsula

Staff Writer | July 3, 2024 |\

Rio Tinto Gove is located 650km east of Darwin in North East Arnhem Land. Credit: Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) is looking to build two new 5.25-megawatt (MW) solar farms on Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory, as the Australian miner works to secure a more sustainable power supply for the region beyond mining.


Rio Tinto’s Gove site in Australia’s Northern Territory has been supplying the global aluminum industry with bauxite for more than 40 years. The bauxite is shipped internationally as well as being used to supply the Queensland Alumina Limited and Yarwun refineries in Gladstone, Queensland. These refineries produce alumina as feedstock for Rio Tinto’s Australian aluminum smelting operations and for sale on the international market.

Bauxite mining operations in the Gove Peninsula are expected to end later this decade and work is already underway to support the closure of the operation and rehabilitation of the refinery, mine site and tailings facilities.

The two solar farms will be built on Gumatj and Rirratjingu country, the largest Traditional Owners groups who are signatories to the RTA Gove Traditional Owners Agreement. The solar farms will be built on Rio Tinto leases following agreements with the Traditional Owner groups on the location of the facilities.

The solar farms will help underpin a low-carbon future for the Gove community after mining operations cease, towards the end of the decade, Rio said.

Scotland-based mobile modular power provider Aggreko has been engaged to construct, own and operate the solar farms for Rio Tinto for up to 10 years, beginning construction in July 2024 and with completion scheduled for early 2025. The two sites will have a combined capacity of 10.5MW.

“The Gove solar project is part of our shared vision with traditional owners to leave a positive legacy for the Gove Peninsula communities after bauxite mining ceases,” Rio Tinto Gove operations’ acting general manager Shannon Price said in a news release.

“We’re excited to work with the Gumatj and Rirratjingu clans to provide an opportunity to secure alternative electricity generation assets on their country and to discuss opportunities to commercialize energy infrastructure in the future,” Price said.

“We are working in partnership with the Northern Territory government and traditional owners to ensure a smooth transition of leased land and town assets and infrastructure as Rio Tinto prepares to stop mining at Gove later this decade.”

According to Rio, the group is committed to helping to plan for the region’s future, which includes providing options for reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable infrastructure.

“The solar farms are also part of our ongoing commitment to decarbonize our business. Once operational, they are expected to reduce annual CO2e emissions at our Gove operations by up to 17%,” Price said.

“We intend for these farms to underpin sustainable power for the region beyond mining.”

When complete, the solar farms are expected to reduce the region’s annual diesel consumption by about 20%, or 4.5 million litres a year, and lower annual carbon emissions by over 12,000 tonnes, which is the equivalent of taking 2,800 internal combustion engine cars off the road, Rio estimates.

Gem Diamonds unearths 123-carat stone in Lesotho

Staff Writer | July 3, 2024 |

Letšeng is the world’s highest dollar per carat diamond mine. (Image from: Gem Diamonds’ presentation.)

Gem Diamonds (LSE: GEMD) has announced the recovery of a 123.2-carat type II white diamond at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho. This is the eighth greater than 100 diamond found at the operation in 2024, the company said.


Type IIa diamonds are the most valued and collectable precious gemstones, as they contain either very little or no nitrogen atoms in their crystal structure. Boart diamonds are stones of low quality that are used in powder form as an abrasive.

The 123.2-carat type II white diamond was recovered on June 29, the eighth stone over 100 carats found in 2024.

The prolific Letšeng mine is one of the world’s ten largest diamond operations by revenue. At 3,100 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level, it is also one of the world’s most elevated diamond mines.

The Letšeng mine is famous for the production of large, exceptional white quality diamonds, making it the highest dollar per carat kimberlite mine in the world, Gem Diamonds said.

Congo sells its own copper from joint ventures for first time

Bloomberg News | July 2, 2024 | 

Trucks at the Tenke Fungurume mine. Credit: CMOC

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s state miner has started selling its share of copper from joint-venture projects for the first time as the country seeks greater control over a metal key to the energy transition.


Gecamines holds minority stakes in large mines run by firms such as China’s CMOC Group and Glencore Plc. Until now, the joint ventures themselves have sold all the production. But the state company is taking a more active role in marketing its portion — totaling hundreds of thousands of tons a year – according to people familiar with the matter.

Gecamines is offering copper from CMOC’s giant Tenke Fungurume mine, in which it holds a 20% interest, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private negotiations. The state miner is assessing bids — including from Glencore, Trafigura Group and Mercuria Energy Group — for 90,000 tons from the project, two of the people said.

The three trading houses declined to comment, while the Tenke JV and Gecamines didn’t respond.

Gecamines’ move creates opportunities for traders to bid on sizable new contracts at a time of heated competition for copper deals. Congo has recently become the world’s No. 2 producer and has seen exports almost triple since 2016. Yet many expect global demand — led by growth in electric vehicles, grid infrastructure and data centers — to outstrip investment in new supplies.

Gecamines also held a smaller tender earlier this year, with CMOC metals trader IXM buying copper from the Kambove mine, according to the people. Kambove is a joint venture between the Congolese state and China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group.

IXM didn’t respond to questions about the Kambove tender.

Gecamines plans to run similar processes for its share of copper from Glencore’s Kamoto operation and the Chinese-owned Sicomines project, one of the people said. Together, those two assets produced more than 400,000 tons of the metal last year.


By organizing the tenders, Gecamines hopes to gain more insight into whether its partners — some of which are both miners and traders — are selling their larger portions at the best possible price, two of the people said.

Benchmark copper prices surged to a record above $11,000 a ton in May, before retreating on a softening market in top consumer China.

The state company hasn’t yet sold any cobalt, a copper byproduct that’s used in EV batteries, according to the people. Congo accounted for about three-quarters of global output last year, but prices have tumbled amid a glut of supply.

(By William Clowes, Michael J. Kavanagh and Winnie Zhu)

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 News Africa Gold

Ity has the longest operating history of any gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire. 

Credit: Endeavour Mining Plc

Ivory Coast said a leak of a toxic substance from Endeavour Mining Plc’s operations in the southern part of the West African country sickened people and killed fish.


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

Bloomberg News | July 1, 2024 | 2:05 pm News Africa Gold

Ity has the longest operating history of any gold mine in the Ivory Coast. (Image courtesy of Endeavour Mining.)

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

PUBLISHED JUL 3, 2024 1:28 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

[By: Crowley]

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

HamiltonJet groundbreaking event

PUBLISHED JUL 3, 2024 1:13 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

[By: HamiltonJet]

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

PUBLISHED JUL 3, 2024 1:46 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

[By: Stella Maris]

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

Port of Dar-es-Salaam (World Bank file image)

PUBLISHED JUL 3, 2024 11:45 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

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)

PUBLISHED JUL 2, 2024 3:34 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Three weeks after its new patrol boat RFNS Puamau grounded 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.