South Africa Starts Process of Allowing Private Rail Network Use

Transnet releases network statement, setting rules for use

Poor rail maintenance has created burden on country’s roads

Antony Sguazzin, Bloomberg News

The process of getting private trains onto its tracks will start in the second half of the year.

, Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s state logistics company has begun the process of allowing private companies to use its vast rail network by publishing a document detailing how it envisages the process will work. 

The draft network statement will be gazetted in a few days time for public consultation before being finalized in Transnet SOC Ltd.’s next financial year, which begins April 1, the company said in a statement late Friday. 

The process of getting private trains onto its tracks will start in the second half of the year, the company said. 

While Transnet’s 21,232 kilometer (13,193 miles) network accounts for about 85% of Africa’s rail tracks, poor maintenance and mismanagement has seen the amount of goods and commodities such as coal and iron ore transported plunge to about 150 million tons from 226 million tons over the last five years. Thats driven companies to resort to using trucks, damaging the country’s roads.

It is “a critical milestone in the rail reform process,” Transnet said. “Rules, time limits, timelines, procedures, services, charging principles, and terms and conditions governing the use of the railway infrastructure by train operating companies” is laid out in the document, Transnet added. 

The document is part of a broad plan spearheaded by the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to fix the country’s struggling ports and rail system, largely by boosting private participation in what have been state monopolies up until now. 

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

Top Cuban Communist Party official with eternal allegiance to Fidel Castro to address NYC Bar Association

IGNORE THE RED BAITING

By Social Links forJon Levine

NEW YORK POST
Published March 16, 2024, 

A top official of Cuba’s communist party — who has pledged eternal allegiance to her “commander” Fidel Castro — will be a featured speaker at the New York City Bar Association later this month — galling those who fled the brutal dictatorship.

Yamila Gonzalez Ferrer — the vice president National Union of Cuban Jurists and member of the Cuban National Assembly will discuss “the newest developments in Cuba’s public health law, which provides the legal framework for fulfilling health care as a right, not a privilege,” the bar gushed in a LinkedIN notice last week.

“Cuba offers world-class health care to all Cubans, free-of-charge, emphasizing prevention, primary care and the active participation of the community. Cuba is also an innovator in the development of life-saving drugs,” added a description of the March 21 event at the association’s 44th street headquarters in midtown which also promised a Q&A with Ferrer.

Yamila Gonzalez Ferrer, a top official of the Cuban Communist Party will address the New York City Bar Association this week.X @degijoya
Ferrer posted, “Always with you my commander,” to X on Fidel Castro’s birthday last year.AFP via Getty Images

Ferrer, 54, is enjoined by Cuba’s “Code of Ethics of Jurists” to “be faithful to the ethical principles emanating from the history of the Cuban nation of the Communist Party of Cuba” and to be faithful to the teachings of Fidel and Raul Castro.

“Always with you my commander,” she wrote on X on Fidel Castro’s birthday last year.

In Fidel Castro “we have the privilege of finding indigenous and universal political and legal thought, which guides our commitment to the social project of the Cuban Revolution,” she added in another post.

In 2022 Ferrer became a member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel offered her a warm congratulations on X.

“This result is a recognition of the work of #Cuba in defending women’s rights,” he wrote.

Those who fled Cuba and other Communist nations were shocked by the Bar’s choice of speaker.

Yamila Gonzalez Ferrer posts frequently about her love for former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

X @degijoya

“It is incredibly ironic to invite a communist to speak on public health law when communists ushered in some of the worst public health outcomes for the Cuban people. Instead of focusing on protecting the American system and way of life, these lawyers are busy advancing an ideology that starved and killed millions,” said Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R- BROOKLYN), an attorney originally from the former Soviet Union.

Javier Ley-Soto, president of the Cuban American Bar Association ripped the event as “one-sided” adding that Ferrer was “unlikely to provide information of the egregiously concerning realities impacting the health and welfare of ordinary Cuban citizens.”

Cuba’s Communist dictatorship has been responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, and “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of political dissidents,” according to the 2022 assessment from the United States Department of State.

The event is sponsored by the Coalition of Concerned Legal Professionals, a “voluntary unincorporated private membership association,” according to their website.

Reps for the association said the event was intended to be a “private meeting between our members and a government official” and that it had been “inadvertently posted as a public program.”

“Our members meet with government officials from various countries around the world all the time. These meetings are designed to be interactive and allow for Q&A and frank discussion and exchange of views,” said spokesman Eric Friedman.

POST-COLONIAL AFRICA

Why colonial-era statues with racist, oppressive legacies still stand tall in African countries

The history of these statues in post-colonial African countries exposes the challenges of truly moving beyond the colonial world and order.

Sophia Labadi, The Conversation

A student beats the statue of Cecil John Rhodes with a stick as it is removed from the University of Cape Town in April 2015. 

| Reuters


In 2020, the murder of George Floyd in the US served as a catalyst for the global Black Lives Matter movement. It sparked widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism. It also ignited debates about historical symbols of oppression, such as statues of figures associated with racial injustices.

These debates presented colonial statues in Africa as having been contested and toppled for many years, ever since African states gained independence. Indeed, colonial statues were at the heart of the colonial world, symbolising its violence, white supremacy and the erasure of precolonial history. But colonial monuments in African public spaces have much more complex and often overlooked histories.

As a scholar of African heritage, I recently published a study examining colonial statues and how they have been regarded in postcolonial Africa. My historical investigation highlights three major phases.

First, in the era of independence of African states, from the 1950s to 1980, some statues were removed from public spaces, but many remained.

Second, the 1990s and 2000s were marked by the “return of empires”: statues that had been removed were put back in public spaces and new neo-colonial monuments were constructed.

Third, the renewed challenges to colonial statues from the 2010s faced some strong resistance. Understanding this history is crucial, as it exposes the challenges of truly moving beyond the colonial world and order.
Colonial statues at independence

As African countries gained independence from the 1950s to the 1980s, colonial statues faced three main fates: recycling; defacement or toppling; and on-site preservation.

Recycling involved relocating statues from former colonies to former colonial metropolises. Most went from Algeria to France and from Kenya to England.

The statues of Lord Kitchener and General Gordon, for example, were sent from Khartoum in Sudan to England in 1958. The reasons for these repatriations were multiple and included the desire to keep alive memory of colonial times and to feed colonial nostalgia.

Defacing or toppling was the second phenomenon, which occurred across the continent, from Algeria to Mozambique. One instance was the defacement and toppling of the statue of Joan of Arc in Algiers in 1962. These acts of violence were necessary responses to the violence of the colonial order and represented a break from the past.

They also symbolised the cleansing of public spaces, to destroy symbolically the power imbalances, racism, inequalities and urban exclusions that defined the colonial world. Some of these toppled statues were then sent back and recycled in the former metropolis.

However, across Africa, many colonial monuments remained untouched, for various reasons. Some African leaders at independence were pro-Europe, having been educated there or having worked there during colonial times.

At independence, privileged links were forged between the former colonies and the metropolises. This was the case with some former French colonies. As a result, the leaders of former French colonies did not want to change the key symbols of the colonial world.

Empires strike back

From the 1990s, many colonial statues dismantled and hidden during the independence era were reinstalled. Aid from former imperial powers to former colonial countries is one explanation.

An example is the controversial re-erection of the statue of former Belgian king and Congo “owner” Leopold II in front of the main train station in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2005. It’s easy to see why: the millions of US dollars in aid that Belgium gives the Democratic Republic of Congo every year

The turn of the millennium also saw (neo)colonial statues deliberately erected to celebrate 19th century explorers and missionaries. In countries that were once part of the British Empire, such statues were built to attract tourists.

For example, a new statue of David Livingstone was erected in 2005 for the 150th anniversary of his arrival at Mosi-oa-Tunya (Victoria Falls) in Zambia. It was paid for by airlines, travel agencies, luxury lodges, TotalEnergies and local authorities.

However, this statue of Livingstone can also be seen as an international event, linked to colonial monuments built with France’s cooperation. This is notably the case of the 2006 Savorgnan de Brazza memorial erected in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo. This project of Algeria, Congo, France and Gabon reburied the remains of the Italian-French explorer De Brazza, his wife and their children in the memorial.

The project mixed geopolitics and bilateral aid, cultural diplomacy and colonial violence. Echoing imperial rivalries, the memorial and its statue also served as distinct markers of France’s spheres of influence and its attempt to counteract its decline in the region.

Renewed contestations

(Neo)colonial monuments were increasingly contested in the 2010s. Such protests have accelerated in recent years and have become more visible, thanks to social networks.

The most famous case is the Rhodes Must Fall movement. This led to the removal of the statue of the British colonialist Cecil John Rhodes on the campus of the University of Cape Town in South Africa in April 2015. This movement opposed neoliberal economic systems which had failed to respond to fundamental change, especially in areas such as education.

The movement quickly spread to other countries, inspiring other protests such as “#GandhiMustFall” in Ghana, Malawi and England. Statues of the Indian leader Gandhi, considered a racist, were contested. Another movement is “Faidherbe must fall”, aiming to remove the statue of the French colonial administrator Faidherbe in Saint-Louis/Ndar in Senegal and in Lille in France.

Some of these movements have drawn attention to the link between colonial or racist statues and aid. For example, the #GandhiMustFall movement prevented the construction of a Gandhi statue in Malawi in 2018. This project was linked to a US$10 million aid deal from India.

Complex issue

While acknowledging successes in removing colonial statues, it is important not to overlook the substantial support for (neo)colonial monuments all over Africa.

Such support can be explained by pressure from former colonial powers and the links of elites with these countries. Financial constraints, international aid and the potential of tourism are also factors. Then there’s the conviction that all vestiges of the past, even the most painful, must be preserved.

The statue of the French military commander Philippe Leclerc in Douala in Cameroon, for example, still stands, despite being attacked several times by Cameroonian activist André Blaise Essama.

As a result, (neo)colonial statues still have a bright future ahead of them.

Sophia Labadi is Professor of Heritage, University of Kent.

This article was first published on The Conversation.

 

Some U$ states are discharging more chemical waste into waterways than others: Report

Tánaiste announces Irish Government Funding for Corleck Centre Development in Toronto

From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on 16 March 2024


Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin TD, announced today in Toronto an additional Irish Government grant of $2 million for the Corleck Centre, a major new venue for arts, cultural and heritage programming developed by the Canada Ireland Foundation and located on Eireann Quay on the Toronto waterfront.

This new grant of $2 million, to be provided by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin will bring total Irish Government support for the project to date to approximately $3M, alongside substantial funding from the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto and a number of private donors.

Eireann Quay is also home to the Ireland Park memorial to Irish immigrants who arrived in Toronto during the Famine.

The funding is being provided as part of a suite of strategic investments in international cultural capital projects within the framework of the Global Ireland 2025 strategy, which a aims to double the scope and impact of Ireland’s global footprint, including in the cultural domain. This is one of a series of Global Ireland strategic actions in the fields of cultural promotion and cultural diplomacy, including the establishment of a global programme of specialist Cultural Attachés and special initiatives in priority territories.

Speaking in Toronto, the Tánaiste said: “I am delighted to announce this additional grant from the Irish Government. Our investment in the Corleck Building underscores the Irish Government’s commitment to sharing our culture around the world. It is a central part of delivering on the Global Ireland Strategy 2025. I thank my colleague, Minister Catherine Martin for providing the funding for this investment.

“The Corleck building will create a wonderful arts, culture and heritage centre in Toronto. It will be a space for the Irish to come together to share their heritage, connect to future generations and create new stories into the future, alongside the many cultures in the great city of Toronto. The Irish Government is proud to stand with the other funders - the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, as well as private donors - in making this exciting project a reality.”

Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, commented: “I am delighted to provide this major Irish Government grant to the Corleck Centre. This decision builds on the major capital investments we have made in recent years in the Irish Arts Centre in New York, the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris and the London Irish Centre Camden, as a key deliverable of the Global Ireland 2025 strategy. Each of these centres offer strategic platforms in priority locations worldwide for the promotion of Irish arts, artists and cultural exchange.

“Exciting opportunities lie ahead to deepen artistic and cultural engagement and collaboration with partners in Toronto and across Canada and I believe the Corleck Centre will be key to maximising this potential.”

James Maloney, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Member of Parliament for Etobicoke—Lakeshore, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities said: “The past, present and future truly come together at the Corleck, thanks to this investment through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. The building will be a new home for the Canada Ireland Foundation, as well as for local culture, arts, and the community. This project will help to reclaim Toronto’s waterfront by providing a beautiful space for events, activities and people of all backgrounds to gather. Historic, sustainable and accessible, the Corleck fulfills a vision of infrastructure that honours and preserves the past, makes space for the present, and supports a bright and prosperous future.”

Robert G. Kearns, Chair and Founder of the Canada Ireland Foundation said: “When we opened Ireland Park on Toronto’s waterfront in 2007, our vision was to remember the past, celebrate the present and support a future of Irish-Canadian contributions. With the Corleck, we are finally realizing that dream and creating a venue that will present artistic and cultural programming and enable collaboration and engagement between the people of Ireland and Canada.

“The Canada Ireland Foundation is profoundly honoured that the Governments of Ireland and Canada share our vision and have graciously and generously provided the financial support to make the Corleck a reality. It will be a shining jewel, facing Toronto’s central harbourfront.”

William Peat, Executive Director, Canada Ireland Foundation said: “We are so grateful to the Federal Government of Canada and the Government of Ireland for their generous support of the Canada Ireland Foundation, particularly the Corleck. The Corleck will be an inclusive space to celebrate our shared heritage and critical cultural connections into the future.

“The arts in Ireland are flourishing right now, and our island is producing some of the most exciting art in the world. We are deeply honoured and excited to be able to present these artists in Canada’s largest City.”

RIP

Everest filmmaker and mountaineer David Breashears dies aged 68

David Breashears co-directed and co-produced a 1998 IMAX documentary chronicling the struggles of a group of mountaineers climbing Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.

Saturday 16 March 2024

David Breashears while filming the IMAX documentary Everest. 

Pic: Arcturus Motion Pictures, Inc/AP

Mountaineer and adventure filmmaker David Breashears, best known for an IMAX documentary about climbing Mount Everest, has died aged 68.

Breashears was found unresponsive at his home in Massachusetts on Thursday and died of natural causes, said his business manager Ellen Golbranson.


She added that "the exact cause of death remains unknown at this time".

Breashears was an experienced mountaineered who climbed the world's most challenging peaks. As a cinematographer he worked on documentaries and feature films.

According to his website, in 1983, he transmitted the first live television pictures from the summit of Everest, and in 1985 he became the first American to reach the summit twice.

Breashears reached the summit of Mount Everest five times in total, his family said.

"He combined his passion for climbing and photography to become one of the world's most admired adventure filmmakers," they said in a statement.

Mount Everest. Pic: iStock

THE REALITY

He is best known for a 1998 IMAX documentary called Everest, which he co-directed and co-produced, about the challenges and struggles of a group of mountaineers trying to reach the peak of the mountain, which at 8,850m (29,035ft) is the world's tallest.

Breashears and his team were filming the documentary in May 1996 when a blizzard struck the mountain, killing eight climbers.

He and his team stopped filming to help the climbers.

In 2007, Breashears founded GlacierWorks, which on Facebook described itself as a non-profit organisation highlighting changes to Himalayan glaciers "through art, science, and adventure".

His family said "he used his climbing and photography experience to create unique records revealing the dramatic effects of climate change on the historic mountain range".

SPACE

Finally, engineers have a clue that could help them save Voyager 1

A new signal from humanity's most distant spacecraft could be the key to restoring it.

STEPHEN CLARK - 3/15/2024, 

Enlarge / Artist's illustration of the Voyager 1 spacecraft.
Caltech/NASA-JPL89

It's been four months since NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft sent an intelligible signal back to Earth, and the problem has puzzled engineers tasked with supervising the probe exploring interstellar space.

But there's a renewed optimism among the Voyager ground team based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. On March 1, engineers sent a command up to Voyager 1—more than 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away from Earth—to "gently prompt" one of the spacecraft's computers to try different sequences in its software package. This was the latest step in NASA's long-distance troubleshooting to try to isolate the cause of the problem preventing Voyager 1 from transmitting coherent telemetry data.
Cracking the case

Officials suspect a piece of corrupted memory inside the Flight Data Subsystem (FDS), one of three main computers on the spacecraft, is the most likely culprit for the interruption in normal communication. Because Voyager 1 is so far away, it takes about 45 hours for engineers on the ground to know how the spacecraft reacted to their commands—the one-way light travel time is about 22.5 hours.

The FDS collects science and engineering data from the spacecraft's sensors, then combines the information into a single data package, which goes through a separate component called the Telemetry Modulation Unit to beam it back to Earth through Voyager's high-gain antenna.

Engineers are almost entirely certain the problem is in the FDS computer. The communications systems onboard Voyager 1 appear to be functioning normally, and the spacecraft is sending a steady radio tone back to Earth, but there's no usable data contained in the signal. This means engineers know Voyager 1 is alive, but they have no insight into what part of the FDS memory is causing the problem.

But Voyager 1 responded to the March 1 troubleshooting command with something different from what engineers have seen since this issue first appeared on November 14.Advertisement


"The new signal was still not in the format used by Voyager 1 when the FDS is working properly, so the team wasn’t initially sure what to make of it," NASA said in an update Wednesday. "But an engineer with the agency’s Deep Space Network, which operates the radio antennas that communicate with both Voyagers and other spacecraft traveling to the Moon and beyond, was able to decode the new signal and found that it contains a readout of the entire FDS memory."

Now, engineers are meticulously comparing each bit of code from the FDS memory readout to the memory readout Voyager 1 sent back to Earth before the issue arose in November. This, they hope, will allow them to find the root of the problem. But it will probably take weeks or months for the Voyager team to take the next step. They don't want to cause more harm.

"Using that information to devise a potential solution and attempt to put it into action will take time," NASA said.

This is perhaps the most serious ailment the spacecraft has encountered since its launch in 1977. Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter and Saturn before getting a kick from Saturn's gravity to speed into the outer solar system. In 2012, Voyager 1 entered interstellar space when it crossed the heliopause, where the solar wind, the stream of particles emanating from the Sun, push against a so-called galactic wind, the particles that populate the void between the stars.

Engineers have kept Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, alive for more than 46 years, overcoming technical problems that have doomed other space missions. Both probes face waning power from their nuclear batteries, and there are concerns about their thrusters aging and fuel lines becoming clogged, among other things. But each time there is a problem, ground teams have come up with a trick to keep the Voyagers going, often referencing binders of fraying blueprints and engineering documents from the spacecraft's design and construction nearly 50 years ago.

Suzanne Dodd, NASA's project manager for Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, recently told Ars that engineers would need to pull off their "biggest miracle" to restore Voyager 1 to normal operations. Now, Voyager's 1 voice from the sky has provided engineers with a clue that could help them realize this miracle.

What happens when you send cancer into space? | BBC News

Sunken 18th-century British warship identified off Florida Keys in Dry Tortugas National Park

The ship was built in 1647 before running aground in 1742.

By Chris Oberholtz, FOX Weather
Published March 16, 2024


Archaeologists have uncovered new research that provides definitive evidence that the remains of an 18th-century British warship are resting in the waters of South Florida.

Although the discovery of the naval vessel HMS Tyger dates back to 1993 in Dry Tortugas National Park, it has now been positively identified, which provides additional protection under the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004. According to international agreements, the British Government holds sovereign ownership of the remains of HMS Tyger and related artifacts.

“This discovery highlights the importance of preservation in place as future generations of archeologists, armed with more advanced technologies and research tools, are able to reexamine sites and make new discoveries,” said Josh Marano, the maritime archeologist who led the team that made the discovery.

According to the National Park Service, HMS Tyger, which was built in 1647, ran aground on the reefs of the Dry Tortugas in 1742 while on patrol in the War of Jenkins Ear between Britain and Spain.

In 2021, archeologists from Dry Tortugas National Park, the Submerged Resources Center and the Southeast Archeological Center surveyed the site using leads from historical research. They discovered five cannons approximately 500 yards from the main wreck site.

NPS Photo/Brett Seymour

Buried in the margins of the old logbooks was a reference that described how the crew “lightened her forward” after initially running aground, briefly refloating the vessel and then sinking in shallow water, the NPS said.

After analyzing their size, features, and location, it was determined that the guns found were British six and nine-pound cannons thrown overboard when HMS Tyger initially ran aground, researchers noted.

The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology recently published the findings which ultimately led archaeologists to argue convincingly that the wreck discovered in 1993 was the remains of HMS Tyger.

Cannons were discovered near the shipwreck, which helped identify the vessel.

NPS Photo/Brett Seymour

“Archeological finds are exciting, but connecting those finds to the historical record helps us tell the stories of the people that came before us and the events they experienced,” Park Manager James Crutchfield said. “This particular story is one of perseverance and survival. National parks help to protect these untold stories as they come to light.”

A similar warship, HMS Fowey, was lost in what is now Biscayne National Park in 1748, the NPS said. Currently, it is being managed between the U.S. and the British Royal Navy.
History of HMS Tyger and Dry Tortugas National Park

Sunken vessels that can be properly identified are eligible for more protections under the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004.NPS

About 300 crew members were stranded on Garden Key for 66 days after the wreck of HMS Tyger, the NPS said. They are responsible for building the first fortifications on the island more than 100 years before Fort Jefferson, which is the park’s main cultural resource.

According to the NPS, the crew battled extreme heat, mosquitoes and thirst while constructing vessels from the wreckage of HMS Tyger and made several attempts to seek help. After an unsuccessful attack on a Spanish ship, the surviving crew burned the remaining parts of HMS Tyger to prevent its weapons from falling into enemy hands. They then used their makeshift vessels to travel 700 miles to Port Royal, Jamaica.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Fort Jefferson National Monument under the Antiquities Act to preserve the Dry Tortugas Islands and Fort Jefferson, the NPS notes.

Congress expanded the monument in 1983 and re-designated it Dry Tortugas National Park in 1992, “In order to preserve and protect for the education, inspiration, and enjoyment of present and future generations nationally significant natural, historic, scenic, marine, and scientific values in South Florida.”

 UPDATE

Indian Navy Corners Pirates and Rescues Bulker After Months of Captivity

Indian Navy released the Ruen and its crew after three months of captivity (indian Navy)

PUBLISHED MAR 16, 2024 5:33 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

The Indian Navy has continued its aggressive support of shipping in the Red Sea reporting two interactions with Somali pirates and today successfully rescued 17 crewmembers that have been in captivity for three months. The action also likely prevented further piracy incidents as the bulker Ruen had been taken into the Indian Ocean to apparently serve as a mothership for the privates. 

Security forces warned on Thursday that the Navibulgar vessel Ruen (41,600 dwt, registered in Malta) which was captured on December 14 had departed Somalia heading east into the Indian Ocean. Yesterday, March 15, the Indian Navy’s Long Range Maritime Patrol reported it was able to intercept the Ruen underway some 1,400 nautical miles west of India in the Indian Ocean.

The pirates aboard the bulker “opened fire on the warship,” the Indian Navy reports, but the Navy was able to corner the bulker with the pirates aboard. The Indian vessels Kolkata and Subhadra, along with remotely piloted aircraft and a team of elite marine commandos air-dropped by C-17 aircraft, were able to successfully confront the bulker with the pirates aboard.

“The pirates onboard the vessel have been called upon to surrender and release the vessel and any civilians they may be holding against their will,” the Navy spokesperson reported.

Only saying “thought concerted actions,” and that they “coerced” the pirates to surrender, the Navy reports it retook control of the Ruen. A total of 35 pirates surrendered to the Navy and the 17 crewmembers aboard the vessel were released. The Navy reports the Ruen “has been sanitized for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition, and contraband.”

 

 

Prior to this engagement, the Indian Navy was also able to locate another seized bulker, the Bangladeshi vessel Abdullah (58,000 dwt) on March 12. They reported that the pirates did not respond to attempts at communication. On March 14, they were able to photograph the Abdullah and reported shadowing the vessel until it entered Somali waters. Unconfirmed reports from the media in Bangladesh said shots had been fired and the warship withdrew fearing for the safety of the crew aboard the bulker.

The rescue of the Ruen marks the second successful rescue by the Indian Navy against Somali pirates. On January 5, an elite team of commandos from the Indian Navy stormed the Lila Norfolk, a 170,000 dwt bulker registered in Liberia that had also been commandeered by pirates. The team sanitized the vessel and confirmed that the pirates had abandoned the ship after the Indian warship arrived. In a similar incident in late November 2023, American forces were also able to scare away and apprehend pirates that boarded the product tanker Central Park in the Red Sea.

 

Image released by the Indian Navy highlighting pirates aboard the Abdullah before it arrived off Somalia (Indian Navy)

 

A moderate danger of further piracy incidents however remains according to a warning from the EUNAVFOR operation Atalanta and the Maritime Security Center for the Horn of Africa. They highlighted a recent surge in reported events that could potentially escalate into piracy off the Somali coast.

They highlighted that in addition to the Ruen and the Abdullah, 18 dhows have been hijacked in recent weeks. Up to seven they believed may still be in the hands of captors. Further, they estimate that four pirate action groups are operating and note that several possible pirate camps have been identified near Garacad, Somalia.

Significant attacks on merchant vessels have occurred they warned within 12 days after reports of dhow hijackings. The warning says that multiple skiffs each carrying armed individuals set off from Somalia on March 13. They were also concerned that the Ruen would be used as a mothership, but the successful Indian action has removed that one threat, while the warning remains for ships to use caution in the region due to the increased risks.

 

Video: YM Containership Takes Out Cranes While Docking in Turkey

Cranes toppled and containers floating in the harbor after the docking incident in Turkey (General Directorate of Maritime Affairs)

PUBLISHED MAR 16, 2024 6:29 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

[Brief]  A Hong Kong-registered containership arriving at the private container port in Kocaeli, Turkey was unable to stop while maneuvering and knocked over the large container cranes. Initial reports said no one was injured in the dramatic accident, but later reports from the Turkish media said that the operator of one of the cranes was seriously injured in the incident.

The YM Witness, a 145,000 dwt containership built in 2015 and operated by Yang Ming, was arriving at the port on Saturday afternoon, March 16. The ship is 1,207 feet (368 meters) in length with a capacity of 14,000 TEU.

 

 

The vessel had a pilot aboard but for unknown reasons appeared to be coming toward the dock at a steep angle and was unable to stop its forward motion. The vessel in succession knocks over the large cranes used to load and unload the containers. The port authority is reporting that several containers were also knocked from the vessel into the harbor.

Dockworkers can be seen running in some of the videos as the cranes are pushed and then come crashing down. Local police and fire responded to the incident which is currently under investigation.