15 February 2018
| TEMPORARY PORT CLOSURE DUE TO STRONG WIND Dammam, Saudi Arabia |
| VESSEL STEERING FAILURE & GROUNDING Suez Canal, Egypt |
| HIGH WINDS & BAD WEATHER HALT PORT OPS Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia |
| TRAFFIC SUSPENDED DUE TO FOG Beaumont, United States |
| AGREEMENT FOR EAST GRAND BAHAMA REFINERY & OIL STORAGE FACILITY SET FOR SIGNATURE Bahamas |
| PORT MOVEMENTS RESUMED Dammam, Saudi Arabia |
| NEW COMBI TERMINAL OFFICIALLY OPENED Gothenburg, Sweden |
Temporary port closure due to strong wind
Wednesday, February 14, 2018, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Dammam Port Marine operations were suspended due to strong wind from 0700 hours local time today (14 February). For safety reasons, the Port Authority / Marine Navigation Department halted all ships’ movements for docking/undocking.
For information about operations at Dammam contact GAC Saudi Arabia at shipping.dammam@gac.com
Vessel steering failure & grounding
Wednesday, February 14, 2018, Suez Canal, Egypt
According to information from the Suez Canal Authority, a 105,542 DWT tanker with a draft on about 14.2 meters (even keel) suffered a steering failure at 41 KM of its transit of the Canal at about 1630 hours local time yesterday (13 February).
The vessel was number 19 in the Northbound Convoy, made up of 25 vessels. All Southbound vessels cleared the Canal, whilst 6 vessels were detained from the Northbound convoy.
Suez Canal tugs were engaged immediately to refloat the vessel. No further information has been released so far about its status.
There were no reports of damages information, but some delays may be expected for today’s Southbound and Northbound convoys.
UPDATE: Suez Canal tugs have floated the vessel and it is now being towed to the Canal Exit from the eastern branch (Port Said). All vessels detained have cleared the Canal. Both convoys (South- & North-bound) are expected to start at about 1230 hours local time today (14 February).
For information about operations in the Suez Canal, contact GAC Egypt at suezcanal@gac.com
High winds & bad weather halt port ops
Wednesday, February 14, 2018, Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia
All berthing and sailing operations at King Fahad Industrial Port (KFIP) & Jubail Commercial Port (JCP), have been suspended due to high wind speed and bad weather conditions since 1255 hours local time yesterday (13 February).
Due to an increase in wind speed (34 knots) today (14 February), all loading/unloading operations were suspended from 0755 hours.
The same conditions are expected to persist until late this evening.
For information about operations at Jubail contact GAC Saudi Arabia at jubail@gac.com
Traffic suspended due to fog
Wednesday, February 14, 2018, Beaumont, United States
Sabine Pilots advised that they suspended traffic at Beaumont due to dense fog at about 0130 hours local time this morning (14 February).
NOAA had a Dense Fog Advisory in effect until after 1000 hours which – judging from the forecast for next few days – could drag out.
Foggy conditions may persist until there is a north wind shift, which is indicated some time on Friday (16 February) evening or night.
For information about operations in the United States contact GAC North America at usa@gac.com
Agreement for East Grand Bahama refinery & oil storage facility set for signature
Thursday, February 15, 2018, Bahamas
The Bahamas Prime Minister has announced in the House of Assembly that the Heads of Agreement for the Oban Energy oil refinery and storage facility will be signed on Monday, 19 February.
This signals a significant development for East Grand Bahama with over $4 Billion to be invested. Training programs and the guarantee of Bahamian contracting and employment opportunities are key features of the Agreement.
(For information about operations in the Bahamas, and elsewhere in the Americas, contact the GAC Houston Hub Agency Centre at hub.us@gac.com)
Source: Elnet Maritime Logistics, Bahamas – GAC agent
Port movements resumed
Thursday, February 15, 2018, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
After the wind velocity subsided early this morning (15 February), port movements of vessels docking and undocking at Dammam resumed from 0750 hours local time.
For operations at Dammam contact GAC Saudi Arabia at shipping.dammam@gac.com
New combi terminal officially opened
Thursday, February 15, 2018, Gothenburg, Sweden
On Wednesday [14 February], the Arken Combi Terminal at the Port of Gothenburg was officially opened. Freight can now switch between road, rail and sea at the quayside, and can do so much more efficiently than before. The new terminal will result in higher freight capacity, improved transport efficiency, and cleaner air. And more than 100 trucks a day avoid having to negotiate their way through the centre of Gothenburg.
The newly opened Arken Combi Terminal is a 65,000-square metre terminal, located beside the container and ro-ro terminals in the outer port area. Containers and trailers can switch between road, rail and sea for onward movement to destinations throughout Sweden and the rest of the world.
The combi terminal has been in operation since the turn of the year and already handles more freight than the old terminal at Gullbergsvass, which has now been closed. There, five trains were handled per day. Already, seven trains per day are handled in the Arken Combi Terminal and the figure is expected to increase shortly. More than 100,000 trailers a year are expected to change from one mode of transport to another at the new terminal…
(For information about operations at Swedish ports contact GAC Sweden at sweden@gac.com)
Source: Extract from Port of Gothenburg (www.portofgothenburg.com) press release dated 15 February 2018
