It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Study: Cold-Ironing Could Significantly Reduce Port Emissions
File image courtesy Port of New York and New Jersey
U.S. ports could reduce health-related emissions by meaningful amounts by installing shore power connections, according to a new study from the International Council on Clean Transportation. The organization believes that its new paper is the first comprehensive emissions screening for at-berth vessels at all major American ports.
The study looked at AIS data to identify all vessels berthed within five miles of each port area over the span of a year. Using industry data on vessel equipment and capacity, ICCT calculated out how much each ship's auxiliary engines (not including main engines or boilers) emitted over the span of each port stay. Based on 2019 data, vessels at berth in American seaports released about 27,000 tonnes of NOx, SOx, and PM, plus 1.4 million tonnes of CO2. NOx, SOx and particulate matter have adverse effects on health in communities with high air pollution, and some ports - particularly in Southern California - have worked for years to reduce this impact.
Based on proximity to low-income communities, and regional levels of total air pollution, the ICCT identified seven priority port cities that would benefit most from cold-ironing: New York and Los Angeles (priority one); and New Orleans, Seattle, Galveston, Houston and Oakland (priority two). Many of these seaports already have some degree of shore power installed, like LA and Long Beach, which have equipped nearly 100 berths between them.
Taken together, ships at these seven top-priority ports emitted nearly 10,000 tonnes of health-related pollutants while at berth in 2019, according to ICCT - and that figure could be reduced with more cold-ironing.
"Any of the seven priority 1 and 2 ports could consider investing in port electrification, such as shore power, that specifically targets the highest emitting ship types," concluded ICCT. "Federal funding available through legislation like the BIL or the IRA can help ports make investments to meet their decarbonization goals and assist the transition to port electrification.
First LNG Carrier to be Fitted with Wind Propulsion by MOL and Chevron
Rendering of the installation of the rigid sails on the first LNG carrier (MOL)
Wind-assisted propulsion which has been emerging on bulkers and tankers will be extended to LNG gas carriers under a new agreement between Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Chevron Shipping Company. The companies report it will be added to an under-construction vessel and requires no significant changes to the standard LNG carrier.
MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding completed the development of a rigid sail made of a composite material of fiber-reinforced plastic. It was first introduced on a bulker in 2022 with MOL reporting plans to expand deployment to additional vessels. Currently, it is installed on two of the company’s bulkers, and in August 2024 MOL reported it had obtained design approval to incorporate the sail onto gas carriers.
Chevron has agreed to deploy the first gas carrier with the sail, which is being built by Hanwha Ocean for delivery in 2026. The vessel will be the standard size 174,000 cbm ship with a length of 938 feet (286 meters).
It will be fitted with two Wind Challenger sails. Each will have three sections that telescope to a maximum height of approximately 161 feet (49 meters). Each is about 49 feet (15 meters) wide.
According to MOL, the installation position of the Wind Challenger will minimize the impact on the existing design of the LNG carriers. It will enable the retention of the existing mooring arrangement. It will also have a limited impact on the vessel’s windage area.
After 18 months of operation on the first vessel, a 100,000-dwt bulker transporting coal, MOL reported it had reduced daily fuel consumption by up to 17 percent. On average the fuel saving has been between five and eight percent per voyage.
The company has reported plans to expand the first installations with seven new construction bulkers. In addition, in 2025, they are planning the first retrofit of the Wind Challenger to an in-service bulker. The group plans to launch 25 vessels equipped with the Wind Challenger by 2030, increasing to 80 by 2035.
MOL and US DOJ Reach Settlement for $8M Pier Damages Caused by Cruise Ship
Gash in the hull of Nippon Maru after the allision with the dock in Gaum (NTSB)
More than five years after Mitsui O.S.K. Line’s cruise ship Nippon Maru caused significant damage to a U.S. fueling berth in Apra Harbor, Gaum, a settlement has been reached. The U.S. had brought a lawsuit in 2023 seeking to arrest and sell the cruise ship to satisfy the claim for damages.
The case was complicated by the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard which reported the master of the cruise ship was “under the influence of alcohol.” The legal case reported a confirmatory positive breath alcohol test over the statutory limit.
The 22,500 gross ton cruise ship registered in Japan was maneuvering away from the berth on December 20, 2018, with 524 passengers and 244 crew aboard. The lawsuit filed in March 2023 contended that the master of the cruise ship failed to “exercise such care and skill in navigation” resulting in the ship striking the dock. They said the master failed to conduct a formal master/pilot exchange, failed to keep radio contact with the assisting tugs, and to maintain situational awareness during his navigation.
The ship suffered a 5-foot-by 7-foot gash in the stern quarter above the waterline exposing the interior of the ship. It took till January 11, 2019, to complete repairs so that the ship could depart. The pier suffered extensive damage which the U.S. Navy said amounted to at least $8 million.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the incident was alcohol impairment of the master while he conned the vessel, resulting in an errant astern engine input. They also noted that all the communication between the master and his officers was in Japanese despite the fact the pilot from Guam spoke no Japanese. After the allision, the pilot said he had not been close enough to the master before the incident but afterward smelled alcohol. The master admitted that he had consumed alcohol but based on the blood testing the NTSB concluded, that it was “likely that the master consumed more alcoholic beverages than he reported.”
The U.S. had conducted several rounds of settlement talks before filing suit. The judge conducted a final attempt on September 5 before a planned trial. The U.S. Attorney’s office later filed a motion to delay the trial reporting a tentative settlement has been reached. No details or dollar amount was reported. They said it would take approximately 30 days to obtain final approval from Washington D.C. for the settlement.
Cargo Ship Lost in WWI Found During UK Wind Farm Survey
Vessel's distinctive "turret deck" helped historians to identify the wreck lost 107 years ago in the North Sea (courtesy of Marram Wind)
Teams working on the geological surveys for a planned floating offshore wind farm to be located off the northeast coast of Scotland are reporting an “added bonus” from their work. They believe they located the wreck of a WWI-era cargo ship in remarkably good condition 107 years after it was torpedoed in the “Great War.”
The first of several offshore surveys commenced in 2023 for a geotechnical investigation to gather soil and geotechnical data for developing an engineering ground model for the wind farm which will be located approximately 50 miles off the Scottish coast floating in the North Sea. Known as Marram Wind, the project is being developed in a partnership between ScottishPower and Shell. It has a proposed generating capacity of 3GW.
“We always expect to come across wrecks when carrying out works like this, but these tend to be smaller vessels and known to the authorities,” said Colin Anderson, Development Manager for MarramWind. “This really is an extraordinary find, given that our seabed surveys – which give us vital information about seabed conditions and what that means for the development of MarramWind – covered a distance of around 6,000 miles.”
Among the several discoveries during the survey work, they located a wreck which has been identified as the Tobol, a Russan-flagged merchant ship that was torpedoed by a German U-boat on September 11, 1917.
Built in 1901 by a shipyard in Sunderland near Newcastle upon Type, a famous shipbuilding district, she was first known as the Cheltenham. She was 3,700 tons and measured 100 meters (328 feet) in length. Helping the teams to identify the ship, she had a distinctive look with a “turret deck” design.
Historians report the vessel had an unusual career, as she was captured by the Russian Navy in 1904 and transferred into the Russian Imperial Navy which renamed her Tobol. In 1916, she was passed to the Russian Volunteer Fleet and records show she was sailing from Blyth, a port in the north of England, bound for Arkhangelsk, Russia.
“This discovery of a small – but important – piece of a collective national jigsaw puzzle of marine heritage, speaks not only to the global nature of international commerce and alliances in the early 20th century, but also to the interconnectedness and competitiveness of national interests at the time, something still relevant today,” said Toby Gane, Marine and Coastal Cultural Heritage and Archaeology Lead for WSP. “It’s incredible that – more than a century on – we finally have a sense of where the SS Tobol likely went down thanks to MarramWind.”
The company reports an exclusion zone was established around the wreck and relevant authorities including the UK Hydrographic Office and Historic Environment Scotland have been notified of the find. Discussions are ongoing to establish a long-term archaeological exclusion zone to ensure the wreck of the SS Tobol is protected and preserved.
Developing Marine Container Traffic Along the St. Lawrence Seaway
Early initiatives at developing marine container traffic along the St. Lawrence Seaway were unsuccessful and resulted in the withdrawal of services. Recent changes in international container transportation have re-introduced container shipping to American Great Lakes ports, and a unique approach to customs inspections promises to connect inland American container terminals with nearby Canadian destinations.
Introduction
Early efforts at developing container freight traffic along the St. Lawrence Seaway and extending into the Upper Great Lakes date back to the early days of the international movement of containers. The ongoing development of the container trade has resulted in the construction of larger container ships, and internationally, many ports were redeveloped to berth larger container ships that interconnect with railway and truck transport at container terminals. As a result, many railway lines across North America are operating at or near maximum design capacity.
The combination of increased market demand for railway container transportation with minimal increase in railway infrastructure capacity has increased transportation cost per container along several main railway corridors. That occurrence prompted the redevelopment of the Panama Canal to accommodate the larger vessels that sail from Asian ports to East Coast American ports, at competitive per-container transportation costs. It has also made direct maritime container shipping between European ports and the Port of Cleveland on Lake Erie feasible, using container ships that carry fewer than 700 TEU and operate at competitive transportation rates.
Competitive Mini-Ship
Container ships of 14,000 TEU regularly sail between European ports and Port Newark (part of the Port of New York and New Jersey), where railways connect to large cities located around the Great Lakes. While mega-size ships offer very competitive transatlantic container transportation rates, the railway transportation cost per container per unit of distance is very high. A mini-ship that carries less than five percent of the container capacity of the mega-size ship incurs competitive container transportation rates between European ports and ports located around the Upper Great Lakes.
The precedent at Cleveland prompted officials at the Port of Duluth to serve container ships. There is customer demand from overseas for agricultural dry-bulk produce to be shipped inside containers. Both the agricultural sector across the region and the Port of Duluth have responded to the market call. Plans have been underway to the south of Detroit at Monroe in Michigan, to develop a container terminal along with similar plans near Chicago. Development for increased future container transfer is underway at American Great Lakes ports as well as at the Canadian Port of Johnstown on the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Canadian Great Lakes Ports
The Port of Hamilton on Lake Ontario is the Canadian Great Lakes port with the greatest potential for future market success. While Cleveland’s railway container transfer terminal is located 500 miles from Port Newark, the railway distance from the Port of Montreal container terminal and Hamilton is 400 miles. Due to depth, width and height restrictions along the Lower St. Lawrence River, the largest size of container ship that arrives at Port of Montreal carries around 1/3rd the container capacity of container ships that sail into Port Newark, and at higher transatlantic transportation rates per container.
The absence of customs services at the Port of Hamilton effectively discourages the development of direct seasonal sailing of containers between European ports and Hamilton. However, several major bridges located within close proximity to ports cross over the St. Lawrence Seaway, the eastern end of Lake Erie and the Detroit River. Customs inspection services occur at these bridges. There is also investment in X-ray scanning technology to examine the contents of road trailers and also containers carried on trailers as trucks are slowly driven through designated customs truck and container inspection areas.
International Customs Cooperation
The container terminal at the Port of Monroe, MI is located within close proximity of two bridges and a tunnel along the Detroit River, which connect between Windsor, Canada and Detroit. An abundance of truck traffic crosses daily between Canada and the United States, resulting in the development of customs services capable of inspecting large numbers of trucks pulling trailers and carrying containers. There is scope to connect nearby ports to customs services at several bridges to increase the volume of container traffic from overseas that arrives at Seaway and Great Lakes ports.
Authorities would need to direct traffic when laden container ships arrive at Port of Monroe. As containers are transferred to trucks, drivers would be directed to the closest international bridge for Canadian-destined containers to proceed to Canadian customs. Drivers pulling American-destined containers would need to proceed to American customs at the bridge or tunnel. The same procedure would occur at the Port of Johnstown on the Canadian side of the Upper St. Lawrence River, which is located within very close proximity to the international bridge and includes provision for trucks from the port to arrive at Canadian customs offices.
Port of Buffalo
The Port of Buffalo is a bulk terminal located within close proximity to the Peace Bridge, which connects between Canada and the United States. American customs is located southwest of the end of the bridge. There may be scope to negotiate with the Port of Buffalo to offload containers for transfer to trucks at their dockside. Trucks would carry Canadian-bound containers across the Peace Bridge to Canadian customs, with destinations in the region west of Toronto. Such operations would resolve the problem of the absence of container customs inspections at both the Ports of Hamilton and Toronto.
Ocean Ships on Great Lakes
The opening of container shipping at Port of Duluth has resulting in laden multi-purpose ocean going ships arriving with containers and departing empty to load agricultural dry-bulk at the Port of Thunder Bay. There is potential for ships from overseas to call at multiple inland ports on both inbound and outbound voyages. By the start of the 2025 inland shipping season, container ships arriving from overseas would be able to offload containers at Ports of Johnstown, Cleveland, Monroe and Duluth. Overseas bound container ships would call at the Ports of Windsor and Hamilton to load additional containers.
Conclusions
A multitude of factors enhance future prospects to increase the movement of container traffic across the North Atlantic, between European ports and ports located along the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes. Several future container ports are located close to an international crossing where customs inspection offices operate, with potential to connect the nearby ports and customs offices for inspection of containers arriving from overseas.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
Wasp-Class Casualties Continue With Mechanical Issue on USS Iwo Jima
USS Iwo Jima at Naval Station Norfolk (USN file image)
USS Iwo Jima has joined the growing list of U.S. Navy amphibs that have suffered a serious mechanical casualty over the past year, Military.com has confirmed.
Last Thursday, ship spotters noticed Iwo Jima limping back into port at Naval Station Norfolk with tug assist. She had been at sea conducting a pre-deployment training cruise when an unspecified mechanical component failed. The damage was not related to the propulsion system or the ship's rudder, a Navy spokesman told the outlet Friday. Iwo Jima appears to have been repaired quickly, as she was photographed departing Norfolk again on September 10.
Iwo Jima is a Wasp-class big deck amphib, capable of carrying the new F-35B stealth fighter. First-in-class USS Wasp appears to have suffered a mechanical casualty in March at about the same location, and also had to return to Norfolk for repairs. This earlier breakdown may or may not have been an issue with a propulsion shaft; the Navy would not confirm or deny the nature of the casualty. Wasp's deployment may have been delayed for repairs.
Wasp-class amphib USS Boxer has made headlines for repeated breakdowns and delays over the past year. She suffered serious mechanical mishaps in April 2024, May 2023 and November 2022, and was sidelined with various repair projects (including rework of failed repairs) for about two years. She finally deployed with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit in July 2024.
The Wasp-class amphibs are showing signs of age, and they are among the Navy's last steam-powered vessels. As time goes on and steam-qualified technicians retire, finding skilled personnel who can repair steam plants has become a significant problem for the amphib fleet. The big-deck Wasp-class and America-class vessels are at the core of each Marine Corps amphibious readiness group, and they provide critical air support capacity for expeditionary operations. Marine Corps leadership has been clear about the impact of Navy maintenance issues on the service's ability to deploy, and on the need to budget for a renewed amphib fleet - a source of fiscal tension between the USMC and the Department of the Navy.
Iranian Naval Forces Go Dark
Iranian Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri welcomes home Nedaja’s 86th Flotilla - Tasnim News Agency, May 21, 2023 (CC BY 4.0)
As befits a nation with pretensions to being a global power, Iran has two navies - whereas most other nations have just the one.
The regular Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (the Nedaja) relies on a fleet of surface ships and submarines mostly procured during the reign of the Shah. It also domestically produces copies of these vessels or of equally old Soviet-era designs. The Nedaja attempts to modernize its fleet by fitting upgraded missiles and electronic systems, but the platforms themselves are old and unreliable, and systems are poorly integrated. In consequence, the Nejada has a perhaps unrivaled record for losing ships: in recent years IRIS Sahand (F74) and IRIS Talayieh both keeled over while in dock, IRIS Deylaman (F78) hit a breakwater in the Caspian Sea and sank, IRIS Kharg (A431) caught fire off Jask and IRIS Konarak (A1403) was severely damaged by a missile fired from IRIS Jamaran (F76). The three Kilo Class submarines have suffered bad corrosion in the warm waters of the Gulf, with two currently out of the water under repair. But the Nedaja remains undaunted, being particularly proud of its eight-month circumnavigation of the globe completed by the 86th Flotilla (IRIS Dena (F75) and the tanker IRIS Makran (K441)) in May 2023. It also retains a potent fleet of small missile boats and submarines for use in coastal waters.
Bandar Abbas Naval Base (Google Earth, Jan 11, 2024), with IRIS Makran (K441) docked on the outer harbor jetty
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Navy (the Nedsa), has a reputation for deploying small and fast attack craft, using swarm tactics. It has also developed unconventional naval designs (of unproven utility), including twin-hull missile corvettes such as the Shahid Soleimani (FS313-01) and the Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (PC313-01). It deploys intelligence-gathering ships (the MVs Saviz and Behshad), and two converted Panamax container ships, each capable of launching missiles and drones and able to provide logistic support to Iran’s Resistance of Axis allies abroad. While the Nedsa formerly kept itself to the waters of the Gulf, it is now cruising further afield, with the Shahid Mahdavi (110-3) having recently transited through the Straits of Malacca and the Chagos Archipelago on a 39-day deployment. Another such long-range deployment is believed to be imminent.
The Iranians gave some publicity to the Shahid Mahdavi Diego Garcia cruise, but this was the last such press release from official sources covering a naval deployment. The Nedaja used to announce the despatch of flotillas to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and greeted the return of each flotilla via a port call in Salalah after what was normally a 90-day rotation. Since the 97th Flotilla sailed from Bandar Abbas for the Gulf of Aden in February, no further deployments have been advertised. Social media posts covering naval matters have also dried up. Perhaps in response to the presence of two US carrier strike groups in the region, naval movements have now gone dark - suggesting the Iranians no longer want to help out their adversaries by announcing what ships are where. Analysis of satellite imagery of the naval harbor in Bandar Abbas continues however to give interested observers a good idea of what vessels are in the harbor - and which may be out at sea.
Echoing the defensive - perhaps worried - the posture of Iran’s naval forces, both Brigadier Alireza Sabahi Fard, the Iranian Air Defence commander, and Air Force commander Brigadier Hamid Vahedi have recently made atypical statements saying their forces are "ready to repel encroachments."
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
Loose Cable Found During NTSB Dali Investigation Could Cause Blackouts
Details from the NTSB inspections showed a loose cable which in a simulation caused a brief blackout (USSG)
Without comment, the NTSB posted a 41-page document summarizing the findings of the Engineering Group formed to inspect the systems aboard the containership Dali which blacked out in March and destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge. The report lists a few minor issues while also showing a loose cable found in the breaker system when tested in a simulation caused a brief blackout.
The NTSB notes that initial troubleshooting led to the Engineering Group narrowing its focus on the vessel’s electrical switchgear. The tests detailed in the report took place during April in four separate examination sessions.
The check of the wiring on the transformer and a relay found a “cable was loosely connected,” a condition which representatives from Hyundai informed could create an open circuit and interrupt the 110VDC power on the HV side of the board. According to the report, the engineers said it would trigger an under voltage release trip which would result in a 440V blackout.
After explaining the situation to the NTSB and the other participants, Hyundai conducted a simulation. When the engineers disconnected the cable, all the equipment powered by the Low Voltage (440V) Switchboard blacked out. These included lights throughout the vessel. The report says the system recovered making an automatic transfer and regained power after approximately 10 seconds.
Diagram on the position of the cable from NTSB report
The other items listed in the report (download link) were judged to be non-consequential. Most of the systems are listed to be operating correctly.
The inspection and testing were conducted by a team of experts including representatives from the vessel’s owners Grace Ocean and operators Synergy Marine. HD Hyundai which built the vessel in 2015 participated in the four examinations in April along with ClassNK as the vessel’s class society and the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore as the flag state.
No further analysis was provided on the results of the tests and the NTSB declined comment. Its teams are continuing their analysis. They are not expected to release a report until up to a year after the incident.
The posting of this data came as the Department of Justice had informed the court involved in the claims that it was also conducting investigations aboard the vessel. No further updates have been provided to the court on the status of the inspections, but they were expected to be completed this week.
Tentatively, the Dali was expected to depart Norfolk, Virginia on or about September 17 bound for China. The offloading of containers was completed last month, and the vessel is expected to proceed to a shipyard for repairs.
Damaged and Out of Food, Philippine Cutter Returns From Sabina Shoal
Chinese cutter rams BRP Teresa Magbanua, August 31 (PCG)
The Philippine Coast Guard has withdrawn the patrol vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua from the lagoon at Sabina Shoal after five months on station, citing the impact of a Chinese blockade and the deteriorating health of several crewmembers on board.
"While committed to her mission at [Sabina] Shoal, BRP Teresa Magbanua was compelled to return to port due to unfavorable weather conditions, depleted supplies of daily necessities, and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care," said PCG spokesman Jay Tarriela. "This has been further complicated by the structural damage to the vessel resulting from the deliberate ramming by the China Coast Guard on August 31, 2024."
The PCG attempted to resupply the Magbanua in August, but the effort was thwarted by a blockade carried out by more than three dozen Chinese vessels. Without regular supply runs, the stores aboard the cutter began to run low. According to GMA News, the crew had only had rice porridge to eat since late August and had run out of food altogether by September 13. They were also out of fresh water and the crew was beginning to experience dehydration.
Four crewmembers needed to be hospitalized upon return to port, including two who were removed from the ship on stretchers. They were in stable condition but were placed under medical observation for acute gastroenteritis, gout, electrolyte imbalance and heat exhaustion, according to the PCG.
The PCG deployed the Magbanua to Sabina Shoal in May after detecting possible signs of small-scale land reclamation on the reef. China has created multiple artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, using dredging to turn giant coral reefs into sprawling military airfields, harbors and naval stations, and Chinese activity at Sabina Shoal raised concerns in Manila.
Sabina Shoal is within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, but China claims the area as part of its own sovereign territory, even though the reef is 650 nautical miles from the nearest Chinese shores. The Chinese government protested the presence of BRP Teresa Magbanua within the Philippine EEZ as a violation of Chinese sovereignty, and the China Coast Guard deployed the world's largest cutter to anchor and stand guard within visual range of the Magbanua's crew.
The PCG pledged that they will deploy other vessels to take the Magbanua's place in protecting Sabina Shoal.
"Rest assured that your Coast Guard will remain calm. We will be professional in pursuing the very clear directive of the president that we should keep what is ours – peacefully," PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan said.
EU and Turkish Shipping Company in Standoff Over Weapons Inspections
Arkus has repeated rejected EUNAVFOR IRINI requests for inspections of its containerships (Arkas)
The EUNAVFOR went public with its concerns regarding a Turkish shipping company as it remains at odds with Arkas Line over requests for vessel inspections. One of the line’s Turkish-registered containerships refused a request from EUNAVFOR IRINI for an inspection on September 8 continuing a standoff between the company and the EU.
Turkey is not a member of the European Union and has repeatedly accused the EUNAVFOR operation of meddling and being intrusive and unnecessary. IRINI was launched in 2020 by the EU to enforce UN Security Council resolutions to stop the shipment of arms into Libya. IRNI reports in the past four years it has contacted more than 1,000 ships and received permission more than 500 times to inspect ships. Ships that are found to be in violation of the resolutions are sent to EU ports. The operation also monitors flights into Libya.
Arkas’ vessel Matilde A (17,000 dwt) departed Gemlik, Turkey bound for Misurata, Libya on September 7. The ship which is 510 feet (155.6 meters) in length has a capacity for approximately 1,200 TEU. According to EUNAVFOR IRINI, they contacted the vessel on September 8 asking for permission to board and conduct an inspection. Turkey they said rejected the request despite the Security Council resolutions.
The Turkish shipping company, which on its website reports it has operated since 1996 and as Arkas since 2010, has a long history of rejecting these requests. Arkas lists an operating fleet of 24 vessels with a combined capacity of 126,500 TEUs providing regular service between ports in the Mediterranean, West Africa, and the Black Sea. Reports from IRINI indicate Arkas denied six requests in 2021, three in 2022, two in 2023, and now one in 2024.
The lack of cooperation with the EU and UN Security Council resolutions comes as Arkas posts a message on its website saying it is “excited” to announce as of 2023 it joined the UN Global Compact. They point out it is “a voluntary platform for the development, implementation, and disclosure of responsible business practices.”
Turkey has been at odds with the EU and UN over Libya where it maintains a military presence which it argues is “legitimate” and should not be viewed as a foreign force. The reports say they are there to support stability in Libya.
Recently, Turkey signed a new alliance with the Libyan government to provide additional training, weapons, and attack drones, which would violate the Security Council resolutions. Turkey reports it has also provided a more modern air defense system and other capabilities to Libya.
The Matilde A continued its voyage. The vessel arrived in Libya on September 11.
