Your daily news service from ports around the world.
In this HOT PORT NEWS, read about:
* Worldwide – Somali clampdown caused drop in global piracy: IMB
* United States, Corpus Christi, Texas – Channel closure
* United States, Port Arthur, Texas – Channel limitations in Sabine-Neches
Canal
* Australia, Darwin – Cyclone Watch for Darwin & Dampier – Update
* Bunker Update – MARKET PRICE UPDATE 15/01/2014
DATE: January 15, 2014
COUNTRY: Worldwide
Somali clampdown caused drop in global piracy: IMB
Piracy at sea has reached its lowest levels in six years, with 264 attacks
recorded worldwide in 2013, a 40% drop since Somali piracy peaked in 2011,
the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau
(IMB) revealed today.
15 incidents were reported off Somalia in 2013, down from 75 in 2012, and
237 in 2011.
IMB’s annual global piracy report shows more than 300 people were taken
hostage at sea last year and 21 were injured, nearly all with guns or
knives. A total of 12 vessels were hijacked, 202 were boarded, 22 were
fired upon and a further 28 reported attempted attacks. Nigerian pirates
were particularly violent, killing one crewmember, and kidnapping 36 people
to hold onshore for ransom.
“The single biggest reason for the drop in worldwide piracy is the decrease
in Somali piracy off the coast of East Africa, ” said Pottengal Mukundan,
Director of IMB, whose Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) has monitored world
piracy since 1991. IMB says Somali pirates have been deterred by a
combination of factors, including the key role of international navies, the
hardening of vessels, the use of private armed security teams, and the
stabilizing influence of Somalia’s central government.
“It is imperative to continue combined international efforts to tackle
Somali piracy. Any complacency at this stage could re-kindle pirate
activity, ” warned Captain Mukundan.
The 15 incidents attributed to Somali pirates in 2013 include two hijacked
vessels, both of which were released within a day as a result of naval
actions. A further eight vessels were fired upon. These figures are the
lowest since 2006, when 10 Somali attacks were recorded.
Meanwhile, West African piracy made up 19% of attacks worldwide last year.
Nigerian pirates and armed robbers accounted for 31 of the region’s 51
attacks, taking 49 people hostage and kidnapping 36, more than in any year
since 2008. Nigerian pirates ventured far into waters off Gabon, Ivory
Coast and Togo, where they were linked with at least five of the region’s
seven reported vessel hijackings. Off the coast of Nigeria itself, two
ships were hijacked, 13 were boarded and 13 fired upon.
Malaysian waters saw the hijacking of two product tankers with 27 crew
taken hostage, resulting in the theft of ships’ property and cargo.
In Indonesian anchorages and waters, IMB reports a high number of
“low-level opportunistic thefts, not to be compared with the more serious
incidents off Africa”. However, these accounted for more than 50% of all
vessels boarded in 2013, and armed robbery increased for a fourth
consecutive year. Over a third of Indonesia’s incidents were reported in
the last quarter of 2013. The IMB PRC has been working closely with the
Indonesian Marine Police who have increased maritime patrols and designated
safe anchorage areas for vessels to use in certain higher risk ports.
Attacks in India and Bangladesh are also described as “low-level and
opportunistic”. The incidents off India have increased year on year since
2010, reaching 14 in 2013, while IMB says active patrolling by the
Bangladesh Coast Guard has kept the number of incidents off Chittagong in
Bangladesh at around 12 for the last few years…..
(For information about operations worldwide, contact the respective GAC
office. Details may be found in the “GAC Worldwide” section of gac.com
For information about GAC Maritime Security Services go to
http://gac.com/gacen/service.aspx?id=57430)
Source: International Maritime Bureau (www.icc-ccs.org) Briefing dated 15
January 2014
DATE: January 15, 2014
COUNTRY: United States
PORT: Corpus Christi, Texas
Channel closure
The Harbor Master’s office at the port of Corpus Christi stopped ship
traffic at approximately 0830 today (15 January) due to a spill at the Bulk
Material Dock No.2.
The dock is located east of Valero Tule Lake.
(For information about operations in the USA contact GAC USA at
usa@gac.com)
DATE: January 15, 2014
COUNTRY: United States
PORT: Port Arthur, Texas
Channel limitations in Sabine-Neches Canal
At approximately 3:30 p.m. on Monday, January 13, 2014, construction
scaffolding used to make repairs to a bridge protection cell at the Highway
82 and Martin Luther King (Gulfgate) bridges in Port Arthur, TX collapsed
into the waters of the Sabine-Neches Canal. The scaffolding debris
constitutes a potential hazard to transiting vessels….
….Until the debris can be removed, the Coast Guard is implementing Vessel
Traffic Service (VTS) Measures, including:
1) limiting vessel drafts to a maximum of 30 feet;
2) prohibiting vessels from meeting or overtaking within 1000 feet of the
bridge;
and
3) requiring passing vessels to favor the red (east) side of the canal.
Vessel traffic restrictions will be rescinded as soon as practicable, and
information regarding changing traffic restrictions will be disseminated as
quickly as possible.
This notice will be posted on the Coast Guard’s HOMEPORT website at
http://homeport.uscg.mil and the VTS website at
www.uscg.mil/d8/vtsportarthur. If you have any questions or concerns
regarding this notice, please call VTS Port Arthur at (409) 719-5086.
(For information about operations in the USA contact GAC USA at
usa@gac.com)
Source: U.S. Coast Guard, Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur Texas, Marine
Safety Information Bulletin 01-14 dated 14 January 2014
DATE: January 15, 2014
COUNTRY: Australia
PORT: Darwin
Cyclone Watch for Darwin & Dampier – Update
The port of Darwin is no longer on Cyclone Watch as the threat has now
passed. At Dampier, the tropical low currently east of Darwin is being
monitored.
The following advice has been received from the Darwin Harbour Master:
QUOTE….
The Darwin area is no longer under a Cyclone Watch. As such the Port is
standing down from the Cyclone Watch.
Please be aware that a Severe Weather Warning is extant for the Darwin
Area, a Coastal Water Wind Warning is currently extant from Cape Wessel to
the WA/NT Boarder and a Flood Threat advice is extant for the Darwin-Daly,
Arnhem, Roper- McArthur and Victoria River Districts. For more information
please refer to the Bureau of Meteorology website.
…UNQUOTE.
Meanwhile, Dampier Port Authority is at Stage 1 (monitor) with regards to
the tropical low, currently situated to the East of Darwin. There is a
small possibility the system may move off the Pilbara coast on Saturday or
Sunday, and re-intensify.
For information about operations in Australia contact GAC Australia at
shipping.australia@gac.com
DATE: January 15, 2014
Bunker Update:
MARKET PRICE UPDATE 15/01/2014
GAC Bunker Fuels Ltd Pricing Alert
MARKET PRICE UPDATE 15/01/2014
180 CST 380 CST MGO MDO Aberdeen 0 0 565.00 0 Aden 730.00 0 1, 115.00 0 Alexandria 760.00 0 1, 200.00 0 Amsterdam 589.00 567.00 889.00 0 Antwerp 594.00 567.00 881.00 0 Aqaba 0 705.00 1, 055.00 0 Bahrain 0 0 1, 030.00 0 Barrow 0 0 1, 010.00 0 Bergen 653.00 625.00 934.00 0 Busan 680.00 650.00 955.00 945.00 Cape Town 643.00 0 954.00 0 Colombo 655.00 660.00 1, 030.00 0 Dubai 643.50 620.00 890.00 0 Durban 614.00 0 1, 050.00 0 Falmouth 672.00 625.00 989.00 0 Fawley 0 0 984.00 0 Felixstowe 0 0 1, 058.00 0 Fujairah 638.00 631.50 994.50 0 Gibraltar 670.50 628.50 945.50 0 Grangemouth 0 0 584.00 0 Harwich 0 0 1, 045.00 0 Hong Kong 637.50 627.00 942.00 0 Houston 645.00 575.00 950.00 0 Immingham 0 0 985.00 0 Invergordon 0 0 1, 010.00 0 Istanbul 639.00 605.50 970.50 0 Jeddah 680.00 660.00 1, 065.00 0 Kaohsiung 662.00 652.00 1, 035.00 1, 020.00 Kuwait 643.00 631.00 994.00 0 Leith 0 0 587.00 0 Lerwick 0 0 580.00 0 Malta 714.50 678.50 929.50 0 Mersey 0 0 572.00 0 Milford Haven 0 0 1, 027.00 0 Mumbai 638.50 626.50 1, 174.50 0 New York & New Jersey 635.00 580.00 960.00 0 Panama 655.00 595.00 1, 015.00 0 Piraeus 680.50 656.00 945.50 0 Plymouth 0 0 1, 035.00 0 Port Louis 718.00 0 1, 065.00 0 Port Said 760.00 665.00 1, 070.00 0 Qatar 0 0 960.00 0 Richards Bay 624.00 0 1, 060.00 0 Rio de Janeiro 619.00 595.00 1, 020.00 0 Rotterdam 590.00 568.00 892.00 0 Salalah 710.00 657.00 1, 085.00 0 Shanghai 669.00 651.50 1, 046.50 0 Sharjah 643.50 620.00 890.00 0 Singapore 620.00 608.00 917.00 0 St Petersburg 442.50 422.50 0 0 Stavanger 0 0 949.00 0 Suez 680.00 665.00 1, 065.00 0 Walvis Bay 685.00 0 1, 030.00 0 West Africa OFFSHORE 0 665.00 995.00 0
Present in seven locations worldwide, GAC Bunker Fuels, part of the GAC
group, is a global broker and trader of marine fuels and lubricants.
The prices listed are for indication purposes only, and local offices should be
approached directly for firm prices.
Middle East & Africa: bunker.ae@gac.com
Europe: bunker.gb@gac.com
Egypt & Mediterranean: bunker.eg@gac.com
Americas: bunker.us@gac.com
Asia Pacific: bunker.sg@gac.com
Indian Subcontinent: bunker.sl@gac.com
Contact Martyn McMahon on +971 566032534 or Martyn.mcmahon@gac.com quoting HPN for more information or
with your bunker enquiry.
GAC is the world’s leading provider of services and solutions for the
global Shipping, Logistics and Marine industries.
“Jo”
