IAEA's Grossi highlights continued Zaporizhzhia power supply concerns

24 May 2024

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has said concerns continue over the impact potential disruption to off-site power could have at Ukraine's nuclear power plants.

(Image: IAEA)

He was speaking after Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), which has been under the control of the Russian military since early March 2022, had to rely on its last remaining 330 kV back-up external power line for more than three hours on Thursday.

According to the IAEA the disconnection of the 750kV Dniprovska line happened at 13:31 local time, about six kilometres from plant's switchyard, in Russian-controlled territory. The plant told the IAEA that it was caused by a short-circuit and that it was reconnected at 16:49.

Before the conflict the plant had four 750 kV and six 330 kV lines, compared with one of each at the moment. It also has an expanded fleet of emergency diesel generators to provide power for essential safety functions in case all external power is lost.

Grossi said: "For Europe's largest nuclear power plant to depend on one or two power lines is a deep source of concern and clearly not sustainable. Our concerns also extend to the operating nuclear power plants across Ukraine, where a disruption to off-site power supplies could have very serious implications for nuclear safety."

He reported that the IAEA team stationed at Zaporizhzhia continued to hear explosions at various distances from the plant: "For the outside world, the situation ... may have appeared relatively calm in recent weeks, since the drone attacks on the site confirmed by our experts in mid-April. But this is not the way we see the situation on the ground. The stark reality is one of constant danger. The nuclear safety and security situation at the site remains extremely vulnerable."

The IAEA team has continued to carry out observations at the plant, and this week visited the main warehouse facility, outside the plant perimeter, where they saw spare parts and "the team noted that much of the electrical equipment originated from western suppliers and was delivered prior to the start of the armed conflict". The IAEA said it was told by the ZNPP that the transition to a new procurement system was almost complete for procurement from potential suppliers in the Russian Federation.

The IAEA has had staff stationed at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant since September 2022 as part of efforts to reduce the safety risks to a facility which is on the frontline of Russian and Ukrainian forces. It also has experts  present at the Khmelnitsky, Rivne and South Ukraine nuclear power plants and the Chernobyl site - they all report that "nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite the effects of the ongoing conflict, including air raid alarms on several days over the past week".

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

SCI-FI-TEK

Japanese-Canadian JV for fusion technology development

23 May 2024

Private Japanese fusion technology company Kyoto Fusioneering and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) have formed a joint venture - named Fusion Fuel Cycles Inc - aimed at developing and deploying deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion fuel cycle technologies.

(Image: Kyoto Fusioneering)

Fusion Fuel Cycles (FFC) - based in Chalk River, Ontario - will engineer and deliver large-scale fuel cycle systems for global fusion development programmes. The partners said: "By marrying the advanced technological and operational capabilities of its parent organisations, FFC is uniquely positioned to offer comprehensive solutions that surpass those previously achievable by either entity alone."

FFC's mission is to accelerate the deployment of fully integrated D-T fuel cycle systems that meet the highest safety and performance standards. The first project under this initiative is UNITY-2, a groundbreaking integrated and flexible fuel cycle test facility located at the Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario. This facility will pioneer the full D-T fuel cycle from fuel discharge to purification and supply, demonstrating efficient tritium processing technology in relevant conditions and at relevant rates to enable a risk-reduced path to a fusion powerplant on a decadal timeframe.

"As the first of several planned projects, UNITY-2 represents a significant step forward, setting the stage for subsequent facilities that will support experimental and power plant-scale fusion machines worldwide," Kyoto Fusioneering said.

UNITY-2, slated for commissioning by late-2025 and full operations by mid-2026, will serve as a versatile and open platform for fusion innovators worldwide to advance science and close technology gaps related to tritium-processing systems. Specifically, it will support the study and demonstration of tritium inventory minimisation and processing efficiency; tritium emission minimisation and material compatibility; process modeling, controls, and simulation; fuel supply; tritium accountancy and diagnostics; safe tritium operations; and waste minimisation.

The data and insights garnered from UNITY-2 operations will be invaluable for regulatory bodies to licensing D-T fusion devices.

"Establishing Fusion Fuel Cycles marks a significant milestone in fusion energy development, combining Kyoto Fusioneering's technological prowess and CNL's extensive experience with tritium handling to revolutionise the fusion industry," said CNL CEO Jack Craig.

Kyoto Fusioneering CEO Satoshi Konishi added: "Through FFC, we are not just accelerating the development of crucial fuel cycle technologies but also providing comprehensive solutions that will shape the future of fusion energy. This facility - UNITY-2 - is just the beginning, as we aim to design and implement similar systems globally."

"This new venture is an anchor point for Canada in the growing global fusion industry," said Atomic Energy of Canada Limited CEO Fred Dermarkar. "Canada boasts world-renowned capability in tritium and tritium-handling, as a result of our strong CANDU reactor ecosystem. At AECL, we are pleased to be able to leverage this capability to address a critical operation that will be needed for demonstration and deployment of fusion for commercial applications."

Kyoto Fusioneering was spun out of Kyoto University in 2019 as Japan's first fusion start-up, to develop advanced technologies for commercial fusion reactors building on decades of university research. One of the advanced technologies the company is developing for commercial fusion reactors is tritium fuel cycle technologies and breeding blankets for tritium production and power generation.

In March 2023, CNL signed a memorandum of understanding with Kyoto Fusioneering to partner on the delivery of technical services to support the growing international fusion reactor market, with a key focus on testing related to tritium. This was followed by a strategic alliance agreement between the partners in September last year, outlining how they would work together to jointly explore opportunities to accelerate the development and commercialisation of fusion fuel cycle technology.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Rio Tinto faces lawsuit over Panguna copper mine in Bougainville

Bloomberg News | May 23, 2024 | 

The idled Panguna copper-gold mine was once a major producer and one of the largest open pit mines in the world. (Image: Bougainville Copper Limited.)

Thousands of people in Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea, have filed a class action lawsuit against Rio Tinto Plc and its former unit Bougainville Copper Ltd. over what they say is historical mismanagement of the massive Panguna copper mine.


Panguna, which was operated by Bougainville Copper, shut in 1989 after local protests over the disbursement of revenue from the mine degenerated into a civil war that killed as many as 20,000 people. The villagers are seeking compensation for loss and damage that could be expected to be in the billions of dollars, said Matthew Mennilli, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs with the Sydney-based firm Morris Mennilli. Lawyers at Port Moresby-based Goodwin Bidar Nutley are also representing the Bouganvilleans.

Rio Tinto said in an emailed statement that a class action proceeding has been filed against it and Bougainville Copper in the National Court of Justice of Papua New Guinea. “We are reviewing the details of the claim. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable to comment further at this time,” the company said.

The legal action is being financed by Panguna Mine Action LLC, a company established for the purpose of funding the investigation and prosecution, according to its website. There is a litigation funding agreement between PMA and each class member and the funder will be reimbursed for costs and receive a share of compensation.

“The mine has torn our communities apart,” the plaintiffs wrote in a letter to Rio chief executive officer Jakob Stausholm posted on the PMA’s website. “The broader impacts of the mine have undermined our people’s access to reliable sources of food and fresh water and to the natural habitat. Traditional livelihoods in agriculture and fishing are disrupted and, in some cases, entirely destroyed, leaving us without sustainable means.”

Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama, who visited the US last November, has said he wants to reopen the mine, which still holds billions of dollars worth of copper, gold and silver to finance the region’s independence from Papua New Guinea. Bougainvilleans voted overwhelmingly for independence in a 2019 referendum that was part of a United Nations-brokered peace agreement in 2001 that helped end the war. However, independence must still be ratified by the government of Papua New Guinea, and could take years.

Bougainville Copper estimated in 2020 that it would take seven to eight years and $5 billion to $6 billion to rebuild and resume full operations at Panguna. Copper, a metal crucial for the energy transition because of its ability to conduct electricity, rose to an all-time high above $11,000 a ton on the London Metal Exchange this week.

(By Aaron Clark)

Glencore’s Australia carbon storage project blocked because of groundwater risk

Reuters | May 24, 2024 |

Carbon capture and storage project. Credit: Glencore

A Glencore carbon capture and storage project in eastern Australia cannot go ahead because it could irreversibly harm groundwater used by farmers, a state government said on Friday, adding that it would also block similar projects.


Global commodities giant Glencore said the decision by Queensland was the result of misinformation and political opportunism and had effectively outlawed carbon capture and storage projects in the state.

The company’s pilot project aimed to pump 330,000 metric tons of liquefied carbon dioxide from a coal-fired power plant in southern Queensland into an aquifer 2.3 km (1.4 miles) underground.

The project “is not suitable to proceed due to potential impacts on groundwater resources,” the state’s environment department said in a statement.

Farm groups had protested that it risked poisoning part of the Great Artesian Basin, a network of groundwater deposits spanning much of eastern Australia, supporting agriculture and communities.

The proposed site was not a contained aquifer and the carbon dioxide “could migrate, likely causing irreversible or long-term change to groundwater quality and environmental values,” the environment department said.

Such changes could include greater concentrations of contaminants such as chloride, sulphate, lead and arsenic, it said, adding that its decision made clear that other carbon storage projects in the Great Artesian Basin would not be viable.
Disappointing

Governments including Australia’s say carbon capture and storage (CCS) is needed to achieve the world’s net-zero goals and contain global warming. Its rollout has been slow but is speeding up.

Glencore said its proposal was scientifically robust, targeted an area with unused, low-quality groundwater and the carbon dioxide was extremely unlikely to spread significantly.

“The decision is disappointing and comes after a damaging misinformation campaign and political opportunism,” the company said in a statement.

“The Queensland government has now effectively banned carbon capture and storage projects in Queensland,” it said. “It’s now up to the Queensland government to explain how it’s going to meet its ambitious emissions reductions targets.”

Asked if it would appeal the decision, a company spokesman said that Glencore will review the decision and consider its options.

The project would have captured 2% of the emissions of the Millmerran plant power plant but could eventually have stored 90%, the company said.

Queensland farm group AgForce praised the decision but said more protection was needed for the basin and it would push for more federal scrutiny for projects like Glencore’s.

Australia has one active CCS project, Chevron’s Gorgon, on an island off the northwest coast. Two more are under construction and 14 are in development, according to the Global CCS Institute. Most target offshore storage.

Glencore’s project is managed by a subsidiary called Carbon Transport and Storage Corporation (CTSCo). Japan’s Marubeni Corp and J-POWER each committed A$10 million to it in 2022.

(By Peter Hobson; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Shri Navaratnam)

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for CCS 

Five killed after informal gold mine collapses in northern Kenya

Reuters | May 25, 2024 | 

Cave in Kenya. (Reference image by or Ishaku Mshelia, Wikimedia Commons.)

At least five people were killed and several others were missing after an informal gold mine collapsed in northern Kenya, officials and local media said.


The bodies of five miners have been recovered from the Hillo artisanal mine, and another three people were unaccounted for, regional commissioner Paul Rotich told Reuters by telephone late on Friday.

“Reports from rescuers, police and our chiefs suggest at (least) eight casual miners were inside the mining ground when the walls collapsed and buried them alive,” Rotich said

Two injured miners were taken to hospital, Kenyan broadcaster NTV reported on Saturday morning.

“The place caved in because of the rains,” Marsabit County Commissioner David Saruni told NTV.

Hundreds of people have been killed in floods and landslides across the country following weeks of torrential rains.

Mining had continued despite authorities closing the mine near the Ethiopian border in March after several people were killed in clashes between local communities over access to the area, Citizen TV reported.

(Reporting by Noor Ali; writing by Hereward Holland).

Utah ranked top jurisdiction for mining investment by  Fraser Institute

CATO INSTITUTE NORTH

Staff Writer | May 24, 2024 | 

Bingham Canyon mine, Utah. Credit: Utah Geological Survey

Utah took over the No.1 spot in the Fraser Institute’s 2023 ranking of jurisdictions for mining investment, topping its neighboring state Nevada, the winner from 2022.


The ranking encompasses 86 jurisdictions around the world, based on their geologic attractiveness (minerals and metals) and government policies that encourage or deter exploration and investment, including permit times.

To arrive at the ranking, the Fraser Institute surveyed approximately 2,045 mining-related firms globally between August 16, 2023, and January 9, 2024, tallying their opinions on both mineral endowment and policy factors.

These companies had reported exploration expenditures of $4.2 billion in 2022 and $4.1 billion in 2023, according to Canadian think tank.

The top rankings for 2023. Credit: The Fraser Institute

Rounding out the top five were the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Quebec, followed by Western Australia, which topped the list in 2021. Overall, Canada has the most jurisdictions within the top 10.

On the other end of the scale, the least-attractive jurisdiction was Niger, followed by China, Solomon Islands, and Argentina: La Rioja. In fact, of the 10 least-attractive jurisdictions in the world, four are in Africa.

“A sound regulatory regime coupled with competitive taxes make a jurisdiction attractive to investors,” said Elmira Aliakbari, director of the Fraser Institute’s Center for Natural Resource Studies and co-author of the report.

“Policymakers across the globe should understand that mineral deposits alone are not enough to attract investment,” she added.

Utah, now the most attractive jurisdiction, has a rich history in mining dating back to the 1860s. The total historical value of its minerals is valued at over $215 billion, according to government estimates. The state was ranked 17th in investment attractiveness in 2022.

Click here to read the full report.

Newmont reopens Argentina’s Cerro negro gold mine

Staff Writer | May 24, 2024 

Cerro Negro sits 600 meters above sea level on the low Patagonian plains in southern Argentina. (Image courtesy of Newmont.)

Newmont (NYSE: NEM) (TSX: NGT), the world’s largest gold producer, has resumed operations at its Cerro Negro mine in Argentina, after a six-week suspension following the death of two workers.


“The return-to-operations plan has been reviewed by governmental authorities,” Marcelo Campos, general mine manager, said in a statement. The executive said the approval reflects Newmont’s commitment to security and operational excellence.

Provincial suppliers and services chamber Capromisa had voiced their concerns about the effects a prolonged suspension would have on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and service providers.

Capromisa asked the authorities to expedite the investigation into the deaths and accelerate the administrative processes to allow the resumption of operations.

The gold mine, located in the southern Argentinian province of Santa Cruz, is one of Newmont’s key operations in South America, generating over $500 million in exports per year.

Cerro Negro is undergoing a $540-million expansion project that would extend its life until 2034, with total production expected to reach over 350,000 ounces from 2024 onwards. The mine is slated to churn out 290,000 ounces of gold this year.

The extensive Cerro Negro complex has three high-grade underground operating mines, Eureka, Mariana Central and Mariana Norte, and two underground deposits being developed, Emilia and San Marcos.

The asset also contains five other deposits in late-stage evaluation for development to expand the existing operations in the Marianas Complex and establish operations in the Eastern District.

COMMODITY FETISH

Trafigura faces off with aluminum bulls over huge metal stash

Bloomberg News | May 25, 2024 | 

Aluminum ingots. (Image by Saltaluminyum, Wikimedia Commons.)

The aluminum market is caught in a clash between some of the biggest traders and banks, with more than $1 billion of metal changing hands while lengthy queues form at London Metal Exchange warehouses.


The big bear in the market is Trafigura Group: the commodities trading giant has delivered massive volumes of aluminum onto the LME in recent weeks while touting its downbeat view.

On the other side stand banks and hedge funds including Squarepoint Capital LLP, Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., which have responded by buying up Trafigura’s metal and ordering it back out of the warehouse system, according to people familiar with the matter.

The result has been a major change in who owns the world’s aluminum inventory, at a time when some are predicting shortages ahead. It’s also heralded a return of the stockpile battles and warehouse queues that have been regular hallmarks of the LME aluminum market, causing controversy among buyers and headaches for the exchange itself. The ballooning backlogs at facilities in Port Klang, Malaysia, mean that traders could now have to wait many months to take delivery of stock.

The events of the past few weeks have been the climax of a trade that began many months ago. Trafigura has been accumulating a stockpile of aluminum in Port Klang over the past year, much of it from India where the trading house has large contracts with suppliers including Vedanta Ltd.

Trafigura’s trade wasn’t a secret: the growing stocks of aluminum in Port Klang — a key global hub for aluminum storage — were visible in the LME’s monthly reports on metal stored outside its network of warehouses.

But nobody in the wider aluminum market knew exactly what Trafigura would do with the metal. Often, traders accumulating large stashes see opportunities to profit from increases in the physical premium that buyers pay over and above the LME price. If demand outstrips supply, the location-specific premiums tend to rise as real-world consumers of aluminum draw down metal that’s held in stockpiles.

Instead, in the past two weeks, about 650,000 tons of aluminum sitting in Port Klang was suddenly transferred onto LME warrant. Trafigura was the key player behind the deliveries, which led to an increase in live warrants of more than 500,000 tons on May 10 — the largest single-day delivery onto the LME in at least 27 years.

A few days after the deliveries began, Trafigura laid out its bearish outlook at a conference in London. Analyst Henry Van predicted that aluminum prices would fall, saying it was seeing “a very grim demand picture right now,” and noting recent smelter restarts.

But other traders are taking the opposite view. Of the metal delivered to LME warrant in the past two weeks, about 400,000 tons — worth about $1 billion at current prices — was quickly requested for delivery out again. The buyers include hedge fund Squarepoint, and banks like Citi and JPMorgan, the people said.

In the short term, the buyers of the aluminum in Port Klang are likely to use it for so-called financing deals — holding physical aluminum and selling higher-priced futures. But in the longer term, the biggest payoff for the trade would come if the physical market tightens to a level that allows it to be shipped to real-world buyers for a profit.

The bullish view of aluminum has a growing following: investors on the LME, who were collectively short aluminum as recently as mid-March, have lifted their bets to the most bullish level in two years.

Inventories remain relatively low, while production in China is nearing a 45 million-ton-per-year cap imposed by Beijing. Add in forecasts for demand growth of 3.1% this year — led by demand from China and India — and the market is set to tighten in the second half of this year, according to CRU Group.

“We’ve come to the end, largely, of destocking cycles in various sectors,” said Ross Strachan, principal analyst for aluminum at CRU. “As demand picks up, the industry will need to encourage the restart of new capacity.”

The metals world has a long history of traders battling over giant stocks of aluminum, which can generate hundreds of millions of dollars a year in storage and handling fees. Just last month, Trafigura and rival Glencore Plc grabbed the market’s attention with a trade made possible by new sanctions imposed on Russian metal, involving ordering out and re-delivering large volumes of aluminum. (The LME responded by rushing out new rules to undermine the traders’ antics.)

But the decision to offload the mountain of stock onto the LME has puzzled many of Trafigura’s competitors in the aluminum market, and the scramble to get hold of it has underscored its value to rival traders. Facing soft trading conditions in the physical market, Trafigura may have taken the view that the quickest and most lucrative way to turn a profit on the metal would be to sell it on the LME and collect a share of the rent from future owners.

Traders delivering large volumes to the LME generally enter “rent share” deals with the warehouse company they’re delivering to, meaning they earn a share of the revenues for as long as the metal stays in the warehouse. At a rent of 56 cents a day, the total rent on 650,000 tons of aluminum could be worth as much as $133 million a year — more than $200 a ton — as long as it stays where it is.

If it’s all requested for delivery, the total earnings would be a fraction of that amount. Still, it is guaranteed to earn a certain amount of money — about $40 a ton in rent — because the metal is only delivered out at a rate of a few thousand tons a day.

The big orders for the withdrawal of aluminum have already led to a long queue to take delivery from warehouses in Port Klang operated by Istim Metals. The LME has rules to limit rents as soon as warehouse queues exceed a certain threshold, which it introduced after spiralling backlogs for aluminum drew consumer ire and regulatory scrutiny a decade ago.

Representatives for Trafigura, Squarepoint, Citi, JPMorgan and Istim all declined to comment. The LME has said its rules are designed to “disincentivize the build-up of queues.”

So far, the bulls have held the upper hand. Aluminum prices on the LME have risen about 4% since Trafigura’s deliveries began, hitting a 23-month high on Tuesday after Rio Tinto Group declared force majeure on some alumina supplies from Australia.

And physical premiums have been rising since the start of the year, particularly in Europe, where output was slashed when energy prices spiked in 2022 and where Russian tons that previously supplied the continent have been redirected to Asia.

Still, the long queue in Port Klang already appears to have deterred some would-be buyers: of the 400,000 tons requested for delivery in the past two weeks, about 60,000 tons of those requests were subsequently retracted.

(Reporting by Jack Farchy, Mark Burton and Archie Hunter).

Boluda Advances Consolidation Buying UK’s Largest Independent Tug Company

MONOPOLY CAPITALI$M

SMS adds 20 tugs and new service areas to Boluda's global network (SMS)

PUBLISHED MAY 24, 2024 6:39 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Continuing its efforts to consolidate the towing business and broaden its global network, Spain’s Boluda Towage has signed an agreement to acquire the British company SMS Towage Ltd. The 32-year-old company reports it is the UK’s largest independent towage company, providing comprehensive harbor towage, offshore towage renewable energy support, and other specialist shipping project work.

Boluda already reported that it was the leader in towage after last year’s acquisition of Smit Lamnalco from joint venture partners Boskalis Group and Rezayat Group. Smit Lamnalco added 111 vessels to the company, which reported it would have a fleet of 600 tugboats and an intervention capacity in 50 countries and 148 ports around the world.

The addition of SMS will strengthen the position of Boluda Towage, already operating in the ports of Invergordon (Cromarty Firth), London, Liverpool, and Southampton. SMS, which has been in towing since 2002, today operates 20 tugs in the UK ports/regions of, Tyne, Tees, Humber, Portsmouth, South Wales, and Belfast. The company added its newest tug in November 2023 with the Tradesman, a 52-bollard-ton pull vessel built in Turkey in 2023.

“The decision for us to accept the opportunity to sell SMS Towage to Boluda Towage came at just the right time, as we embark on a new chapter of business growth and development,” said SMS Towage owner and Founder Paul Escreet.

After the official closing of the transaction, SMS will be part of Boluda Towage’s organization in the United Kingdom, and will be branded Boluda Towage SMS. The local management team of Boluda Towage SMS will report to Philip Dulson, General Manager of Boluda Towage in the UK. 

It is the third acquisition by Boluda in less than two years. In addition to Smit Lamnalco, they also acquired Resolve Salvage and Fire (Gibraltar) in February this year. Previously they also acquired Caledonian Towage (Scotland) and Iskes Towage & Salvage in 2021, Kotug Smit Towage in 2019, and German towage companies Unterweder Reederei and Lutgens & Reimers in 2017.

Boluda started its port tug activities in Valencia, Spain in 1920. It reports that the acquisitions are continuing to strengthen its position and global network.

 

Damen and Saverys to Build Four Large Hydrogen Dual-Fuel Tugs

Damen and CMB.TECH will build for large hydrogen fueled tugs (CMB.TECH)

PUBLISHED MAY 24, 2024 3:42 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Shipbuilder Damen and CMB.TECH are partnering to build some of the first hydrogen-powered tugboats. The project expands Damen’s repertoire after the company added an electric tug also in the ASD class and in keeping with the Saverys' declared strategy to lead the industry to decarbonization alternatives.

The collaboration calls for four tugs built by Damen and using CMB.TECH’s dual-fuel hydrogen technology. It is also the latest step in the companies’ collaboration as CMB.TECH is also working with Damen for the construction of Commissioning Service Operations Vessels that employ the dual-fuel hydrogen generator sets and will be operated for the Saverys’ offshore company Windcat. The company previously introduced the first hydrogen-fueled crew transfer vessel.

“This contract marks another very important step in the development of our hydrogen-powered vessel portfolio,” said Alexander Saverys, CEO of CMB.TECH. “ASD tugs are ideal assets to start the decarbonization of port operations. With our hydrogen tugs, every port in the world will now be able to lower its carbon emissions and create demand for green hydrogen production.”

Alexander Saverys has outlined a vision for the decarbonization of shipping. The family looks for hydrogen to be used on near-shore operations such as tugs, offshore vessels, and transfer crafts. They are developing ammonia-based systems for their ocean-going ships.

Concurrent with the signing of the order with Damen, the companies reported that Lloyds’ Register also awarded an approval in principle (AiP) for the hydrogen solution that will be installed on the tugs. According to LR, the system represents a cost-effective decarbonization solution for tugs.

The dual-fuel hydrogen ASD Tugs 2812 FF-H2 will have 80-tonnes bollard pull, and feature four highspeed dual-fuel hydrogen engines, designed to minimize NOx and CO2 emissions. They will be able to run on traditional fuel if required. They will have modular storage systems for compressed hydrogen, with each tug carrying up to 16 hydrogen bottles, storing a total of 736kg of pressurized hydrogen at 350 bar.

Full details were not provided on the plans, but other ASD tugs are approximately 380 tons and 90 feet (28 meters) in length. They can carry up to 10 crew and operate on traditional fuel at speeds up to 12 knots. The electric version of the class is slightly smaller with a 10-knot speed.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges pioneered the world’s first hydrogen dual-fuel tug introduced at the end of 2023. Known as Hydrotug 1, it was built in Spain also using technology from CMB.TECH.

Hydrotug 1 has a smaller hydrogen storage capacity but was reported to have capabilities for 24 hours of operation. The new design increases the hydrogen storage capacity by 75 percent as CMB.TECH looks to move hydrogen into the mainstream of operations.

 

Houthi Claim Long-Range Attacks Including LPG Carrier in the Mediterranean

Houthis claim attacks including an LPG carrier in the Mediterranean (file photo)

PUBLISHED MAY 24, 2024 4:55 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

The Houthi claimed specific long-range attacks on Friday during their weekly rallies after weeks of threatening to expand their range during the so-called fourth wave of their efforts. Military sources and security analysts are warning of the capabilities while most of the attacks continue to be in closer proximity to the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

In the latest statement of Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree, he took credit for three recent attacks without providing details. Two of these he said took place in the Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean, although monitors such as the UK Maritime Trade Organizations, EUNAVFOR Aspides, and the U.S. Central Command have not recorded these attacks.

One cited was on a vessel called Essex that they said was Israeli and had entered the ports under the Houthi blockade. Multiple sources are matching the vessel up with the LPG carrier Essex (26,447 dwt) with a capacity of 35,000 cbm of gas. The ship’s AIS signal shows it in the anchorage at Alexandria, Egypt after shifting from Port Said. 

The vessel registered in Liberia is managed by Zodiac Maritime of the UK, which has been a target of the Houthi due to the investment by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. Reuters is quoting a spokesperson from Zodiac as saying nothing unusual has happened to the vessel recently while Ambrey says the vessel has not left Egypt recently.

The direct threat on a specific ship in the Mediterranean comes after Bloomberg cited an unnamed “senior defense official” saying this week that the Houthi could reach the Mediterranean. The report said the U.S. was concerned based on the advanced weaponry the Houthis were using.

While it appears they might have the range, security experts are still questioning the accuracy of their attacks, especially given the frequent misses of moving ships at a much closer range. Also, they cite the ability of Israel, the U.S., and other forces to detect long-range missiles.

 

Clustering of incidents between February and May (Aspides)

 

In its most recent assessment, EUNAVFOR Aspides writes, “UAV and missile attacks occur along the primary navigation route off the coast of Yemen, with the highest risk area spanning approximately 200 nm northbound and eastbound of Bab al-Mandab Strait, towards the South Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.” They published a map showing the clustering of attacks.

The second threat came against the MSC Alexandra (190,734 dwt) one of MSC’s larger vessels sailing currently from Spain and due to reach Abu Dhabi tomorrow, May 25. The Houthi claimed to have fired on the vessel while it was in the Arabian Sea. They have frequently targeted MSC for its association with Israel, although this vessel is owned by the Geneva-based company.

It is unclear when the attacks allegedly took place because the third one they took credit for happened yesterday. The vessel, a Greek-managed bulker named Yannis (50,779 dwt) and registered in Malta reported an explosion in the waters nearby on Thursday. A single missile hit the water while the vessel was 68 miles off the Yemeni port of Al-Hudayda. The ship’s AIS track shows it transited the Suez and reports it is heading to Mombasa, Kenya.

The Houthi singled the ship out and its manager Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, saying that three of the group’s ships had called in Israeli ports on May 4 and 5. Eastern Mediterranean Maritime reports it currently manages 75 vessels. The company manages another bulker, another bulk carrier, Cyclades, which was attacked also in the Red Sea last month and sustained minor damage.

U.S. CENTCOM also reported that two Houthi-launched anti-ship ballistic missiles fell into the Red Sea on May 23. They said there were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.

“The occasional drop of confirmed attacks in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden shall however not dismiss the fact that Houthis still hold the capacity to launch such attacks,” Aspides warned this week.