ASR 25th Edition

Celebrating Maritime Journalism Since 2000

July/Sept. 2020

the 25th EDITION

TUNISIA MOROCCO ALGERIA

WESTERN SAHARA

LIBYA EGYPT

MAURITANIA MALI

DJIBOUTI

NIGERIA CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

ETHIOPIA

SOUTH SUDAN

CAMEROON

African States Accept Seafarers Crew Change

ANGOLA ZAMBIA

NAMIBIA

Kenya Establishes a Transport & Logistics Network Djibouti’s New Kid on the Block World’s Biggest Container Ship is Here

ZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA

SOUTH AFRICA

TANZANIA

MOZAMBIQUE SCA R

CONGO

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

UGANDA KENYA RWANDA BURUNDI

MA DA GA

GABON

SOMALIA

MALAWI

LIBERIA

C’OTE D’IVORE

TOGO

GUINEA

SIERRA LEONE

ERITREA

BURKINA FASO

BENIN

GUINEA BISSAU

SUDAN

CHAD

SENEGAL

GHANA

GAMBIA

NIGER

MAURITIUS REUNION

Celebrating Maritime Journalism Since 2000

Some of Our Past Issues

Celebrating Maritime Journalism Excellence Since the year 2000

the 25th EDITION

July/Sept. 2020

TUNISIA MOROCCO ALGERIA

WESTERN SAHARA

LIBYA EGYPT

MAURITANIA MALI

NIGER

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

ETHIOPIA

SOUTH SUDAN

CAMEROON

SOMALIA

CONGO

Five African States Accept Seafarers Crew Change

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

ANGOLA ZAMBIA

NAMIBIA

TANZANIA

MALAWI

GABON

UGANDA KENYA RWANDA BURUNDI

ZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA

MOZAMBIQUE SCAR

BISSAU

DA GA

C’OTE D’IVORE

NIGERIA

MA

LIBERIA

TOGO

GUINEA

SIERRA LEONE

ERITREA

BURKINA FASO

BENIN

GUINEA

SUDAN

CHAD

SENEGAL

GHANA

GAMBIA

MAURITIUS REUNION

SOUTH AFRICA

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EDITORIAL

The Ultimate Maritime Magazine is Back

A

frica's ultimate shipping magazine is back with a bang, after a few years of furlough, to bring you up to date news on regional ports, shipping trade, logistics and related sectors.

We are fully aware of the unprecedented challenges affecting the industry at the moment and we are here to lend a hand, in our small way, to get a lasting solution and the much needed panacea to put the industry back on track.

As we go to press, thousands of seafarers are still stranded at sea, on board their respective ships long after the completion of their contractual engagement. Many more are left duck footed on land as they cannot embark the same vessels to take up their jobs a board, all courtesy the COVID-19 pandemic.

We, at the African Shipping Review, continue to laud the governments of

MANAGING EDITOR George Sunguh CONTRIBUTORS Onyango Omollo Esther Nyanja

the African states that have accepted the seafarers' crew change, joining like-minded nations across the world after the clamour by the international community for the same. Majority of the maritime nations continue to keep their ports and national borders under lock and key to travellers.

As if the COVID – 19 pandemic is not enough, the African continent got yet another devastating maritime blow in August after a Japanese bulk carrier Mv Wakishio ran aground off the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius breaking its hull and spilling insurmountable amount of crude oil into the pristine waters killing thousands of sea life.

Even though the ship's owners have since stated that they are willing to compensate any damages, the fact is that the serenity of Mauritian beaches, a country whose economy depends largely on tourism, will never be the

Omar Makanja Elizabeth Eise-Banza Georgette Awuor PHOTOGRAPHY Titus Musau

All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction without permission is forbidden. Every care is taken in compiling the contents of this magazine but we assume no responsibility in the effect arising therefrom.The views expressed in this publication are not the necessarily those of the publisher

same again for many years.

At the same time, media reports say over 200 million barrels of oil are currently “floating” in world's seas, stored in about 125 supertankers waiting in line outside ports.

Low oil prices have led to a supply glut. The amount of crude oil to be shipped is so huge that barrels can't be offloaded even in the largest ports.

We hope this will translate into lower shipping freight rates.

George Sunguh MANAGING EDITOR

MARKETING/SALES Peter Penda DESIGN/LAYOUT Ouma Gabriel

Published By:

AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

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CONTENTS

6. TRANSPORT Kenya Establishes a Transport and Logistics Network 8. ADVERTORIAL Weekly Online Regional Platform Providing Solution to Cross Border Challenges 10. COVER STORY African States Accept Seafarers Crew Change 16. PORTS The Port of Cape Town Remains Operational 18. Djibouti’s New Kid On the Block 20. LIFE STORY Paul Nyainda: A Seaman with a Passion 24.TRADE World’s Biggest Container Ship is Here 25. SECURITY EU NAVFOR Averts Possible Piracy Act 26. CONTAINER HOMES How Containers Make Temporary & Permanent Solutions 28. CREW CHANGE Kenyan Seafarers Repatriated 32. ENVIRONMENT M.V. Wakashio Oil Disaster in Mauritius 34. SEAFARERS WELL-BEING The Panacea for Seafarers Health-Crisis 36. TRAINING Another Kenyan Tops International Liner Trade Exam

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

TRANSPORT

Kenya Establishes a Transport and Logistics Network Executive Order establishing the Kenya Transport and Logistics Network (KTLN

T

he newly established Kenya Transport and Logistics Network (KTLN) announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta recently is expected to bring an integrated logistics under one management umbrella to revamp the economy and to effectively expand Kenyan market share in Eastern Africa.

The network brings together Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) and Kenya Pipeline Company Limited (KPC) under the coordination of the Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC).

KTLN is expected to leverage on the efficiencies and synergies of the four

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

State agencies so as to achieve Kenya's strategic agenda of becoming a regional logistics hub.

The KTLN is can thus be compared to South Africa's Transnet SCO Limited – a large rail, port and pipeline company formed in April 1990. The South African organization was formed by restructuring into business units the operations of South Africa Railways and Habours and other operations and products.

Like its South African counterpart, KTLN is expected to lead to the lowering of the cost of doing business in the country through the provision of port, rail and pipeline infrastructure in

TRANSPORT

a cost effective and efficient manner, and within acceptable shared benchmark standards.

The new framework also allows for the centralization and coordination of operations without amending the existing laws or causing undue disruption to the legal structuring of the State entities. This helps to secure comfort with the concept, and utilize the experience to guide the development of a more permanent legally structured organization.

Consequently, the four State agencies have been transferred to the National Treasury in line with the recommendations of the Presidential Taskforce on Parastatal Reforms.

In the new arrangement, the ICDC will act as a holding company to the three agencies, and be responsible for the management of the State's investments in Ports, Rail and Pipeline services.

Going forward, the State agencies are required to enter into a joint operations agreement within 30 days

Going forward, the State agencies are required to enter into a joint operations agreement within 30 days that will reorganize individual entity structures, resources, operations and services. that will reorganize individual entity structures, resources, operations and services. The reorganization will help to establish a seamless and coordinated national transport and logistics network.

In order to secure his vision for the Sector, His Excellency the President has reorganized the Boards of Directors of the four State entities.

The ICDC Board will be responsible for securing the achievement of the commercial vision and objectives of KTLN, through the Board of Directors of each entity so as to operate as a single coherent unit. For this reason, the Board of ICDC is exempted from

the requirements of Mwongozo on multiple directorships.

Further, the National Treasury has been tasked to strengthen its internal capacity by securing the necessary technical skills and competencies needed to effectively oversee investment portfolio management, and the setting up, monitoring and reporting of the financial performance of commercial State corporations.

In view of the above reforms, the proposed merger of the ICDC into the Kenya Development Bank has been postponed. However, ongoing transactions involving KPC, KRC and KPA will proceed uninterrupted.

To Our Customers & Partners...

With gratitude for your kind patronage and loyalty.

Thank You! AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

7

ADVETORIAL

Weekly Online Regional Platform Providing Solution to Cross Border Challenges

T

he trade and logistics sectors in the Northern Corridor Member States has much been overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Northern Corridor region is bracing for tougher times due to the adverse effects that are expected to reverberate through the various economic sectors as well as the supply chains in the predictable future.

Directly serving six Member States, namely; Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda, the Northern Corridor is a vast geographical area with a road network covering approximately 12,707km; while the

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

railway line extends to about 8,206km within the region.

The corridor routes transverses major cities and urban areas, some of which have been marked as COVID-19 hotspots; making the logistics sector inevitably vulnerable to the pandemic and possibly a vector for the transmission of Coronavirus in the region.

Inevitably, the most vulnerable groups to the COVID-19 infections include Long Distance Truck Drivers and their assistants due the nature of their work.

In general terms, drivers have been experiencing extended stays at the

testing centres and border points as they waited for clearance and making follow ups on the COVID-19 movement requirements. This has resulted into long queues as manifested by those that were reported at some border points.

Given the prevailing situation, staff working at Customs, Immigration, Police, Port Health, Standards Agencies, Clearing and Forwarding Agencies, Weighbridges, designated Rest Stops and the Port also require some special attention; given the extra hours work amid the constraining conditions occasioned by the existing containment measures.

ADVETORIAL

The East African Community and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Aden Mohammed, Principal Secretary, Dr. Margaret W. Mwakima and NCTTCA Executive Secretary, Omae Nyarandi, during the launch of the Northern Corridor Sensitization Campaign against the Spread of COVID-19 at Miritini Testing Centre, 3rd July 2020.

In recognition of the risks posed by the pandemic, Member States of the Northern Corridor implemented measures to contain the spread of the virus as guided by the World Health Organisation. Some of the measures include: · Limiting or banning non-essential travel by imposing curfews, lockdowns and · cessation of movement into and out of selected areas; · Reducing non-essential work and promoting teleworking; · Cancelling mass gatherings and promoting social distancing, sanitisation, washing hands, wearing of face masks and other protective clothings.

Apart from the high-level advocacy in the Member States for keeping crossborder trade open, the Northern Corridor Secretariat is involved in regular monitoring of the impact of COVID-19 on Trade and Transport Logistics along the corridor.

The Northern Corridor Secretariat has also put in place a regional platform for online meetings held through “Zoom” every Tuesday. The meeting that connects the Northern Corridor stakeholders mainly focuses on what is

happening in real-time in each Member State in general and at each transit or transport node along the corridor (Port, Weighbridges, Border Posts, ICDs, and Container Freight Stations) in particular.

On a daily basis, the Northern Corridor stakeholders and representatives of Regional Economic Communities such as EAC share, follow up and intervene on the challenges happening at the crossborder points through WhatsApp Group dubbed “Northern Corridor Stakeholders Forum” which has been dedicated to rapid information sharing and collaboration aimed at mitigating the challenges and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

To support the cross-border truck drivers, the Northern Corridor Secretariat donated 10, 000 reusable face masks to protect themselves and protect others. The Secretariat also pledged to support truck drivers in solving the challenges they encounter during their journey, at cross-border points and mandatory stops in the Northern Corridor Member States.

All the above initiatives and interventions undertaken by the Northern Corridor Secretariat are bearing results. The results included the

regular exchange of information and updates on measures to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic; timely solving of operational challenges at the transit nodes; removal of unnecessary roadblocks, and addressing issues such as bribery, stigmatisation of truck drivers and the long queues at the border points.

Tracking the corridor performance; increased stakeholders engagement and collaboration; as well as the promotion of regional roadmap to make the corridor more resilient to future disruptive hazards is also part of the efforts.

The online platform initiated by the Northern Corridor Secretariat also enabled stakeholders to identify new Cross-border transit routes that needed upgrading such as BungomaLwakhakha border stationTororo/Mbale road; alternative transit route between Kenya and Uganda, and Nadapal-Juba between Kenya and South Sudan.

The alternative transit route between Kenya and Uganda will provide an opportunity to truckers to South Sudan, Northern part of Eastern DRC and Northern Uganda to avoid the heavy traffic at Malaba and shorten the distance as well.

AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

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COVER STORY

African States Accept Seafarers Crew Change TUNISIA MOROCCO ALGERIA WESTERN SAHARA

LIBYA EGYPT

MAURITANIA MALI

LIBERIA

DJIBOUTI

NIGERIA CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

ETHIOPIA

SOUTH SUDAN

CAMEROON

GABON CONGO

SOMALIA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

ANGOLA

TANZANIA

MOZAMBIQUE

ZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA

KEY Crew Change accepted Crew Change is prohibited and/or borders are closed Landlocked Countries

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

SOUTH AFRICA

MA DA GA

NAMIBIA

SCA

R

ZAMBIA

UGANDA KENYA RWANDA BURUNDI

MALAWI

C’OTE D’IVORE

TOGO

GUINEA

SIERRA LEONE

ERITREA

BURKINA FASO

BENIN

GUINEA BISSAU

SUDAN

CHAD

SENEGAL

GHANA

GAMBIA

NIGER

MAURITIUS REUNION

COVER STORY

A

frican states have joined maritime nations around the world in opening their ports for seafarers after they imposed restrictions as a result of COVID-19 pandemic which considerably affected crew mobility leaving thousands quarantined onboard ships.

The maritime states are Kenya, Sudan, Reunion, Nigeria, Egypt, Angola, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Senegal, Tanzania and Togo.

The eleven African maritime states have since appended their signatures to the charter allowing seafarers crew change through their sea and air ports after the COVID 19 pandemic forced maritime states to closes their borders, leaving thousands of sailors stranded aboard ships in the high-seas for months.

The African nations join the global countries that agreed to the new

international measures to open up borders for seafarers and to increase the number of commercial flights to expedite seafarers repatriation efforts.

This move was spurred by an international crew change summit held in London 9th July, 2020.

The London crew change summit saw 13 nations immediately pledge to come to the aid of thousands of seafaring crew around the world.

These included Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America, all of whom now recognize seafarers as key workers.

Djibouti was the first country in Africa to carry out crew change of merchant sailors in its territory on July 3rd, 2020.

The comprehensive list was shared by

the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the largest of the international shipping associations representing ship-owners.

BIMCO's membership controls around 65 per cent of the world's tonnage and has members in over 120 countries.

Djibouti, on the other hand, is a critical transit hub. More than 2,500 ships transit and call at its ports annually.

Continued complications with changing over ship crews due to coronavirus restrictions in some jurisdictions is still affecting supply chains despite an easing of lockdown in many parts of the world.

Some 400,000 seafarers are affected on land or on ships – with many at sea for longer than an 11-month limit laid out in a maritime labor convention.

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

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COVER STORY

Mr. Kitack Lim, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary General commended African states that accepted crew change. In a letter to the Kenya government dated 14th July, 2020 expressed his appreciation for Kenya's effort to facilitate crew changes and in particular, designating Mombasa as the hub port for the same and for issuing protocols in line with the IMO circular letter No.4204 of 5th May, 2020. “ I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the positive between Kenya and IMO and wish to thank you for supporting IMO's call to protect seafarers' wellbeing,” Mr. Lim stated in the letter addressed to Mrs Nancy Karigithu, the Principal Secretary, State Department for Shipping and Maritime in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, and Urban Development.

The letter further stated that: “For the past six months, IMO has worked tirelessly to support all countries to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in a harmonized manner. The critical question that we shall face in the coming months is how to adapt to the 'new normal.”

The SG called upon all nations to act together to avoid unnecessary disruption to the shipping sector and to support the economic recovery of the industry, which he said has been significantly affected by the pandemic.

Sources at the Kenya Maritime Authority said that Kenya had a total of 570 seafarers on board various seagoing ships as at March this year when countries around the world closed their ports for crew change due to the Corona virus.

It is therefore expected that part of these crew will get an opportunity to return home courtesy the new changes.

In Kenya seafarers signing -on will need to provide the authorities with their temperature record for the last 7 days; Crew declaration on self-quarantine before departure for Kenya; Ships Agent declaration on crew fitness to travel; and application for approval of crew sign on shall be on Company letterhead, besides COVID-19 negative

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

Ms Betty Makena, the ITF Inspector in Mombasa (in a reflector jacket) posing for a picture with the first seafarers to benefit from Crew Change program in Kenya.

test certificate must be provided.

Seafarers signing- off must provide application for sign off made on a Company letterhead; a confirmed outbound air ticket to be provided; crew temperature record for the last 7 days to be provided; Master/Agent Declaration on crew fitness to travel to be provided; Evidence of reason for sign off (e.g. Seafarer Employment Agreement,);as enumerated in 3.0; copies of crew passport; Declaration that crew did not go ashore in the last 14 days; plus Ship's Declaration of Maritime Health.

In Nigeria however, the Federal Government through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), on 27 May 2020, took a laudable step and designated seafarers and dockworkers as essential workers and exempted them from travel restrictions in line with the protocols by the IMO. Crew change in Egypt according to a circular by the government, is possible under new procedures and approval from the country's Quarantine Authorities.

COVER STORY

The circular stated that seafarers arriving in Egypt from countries where COVID 19 is not spreading and cases are within 'normal standards' will be checked by Quarantine Authorities at arrival airports and should be allowed to enter Egypt and proceed to the seaport destination.

Upon arrival at the port, the seafarer will be checked again before being cleared to board the ship.

Those from heavily infected countries will be required present a PCR test done by the crew no more than 48 hours prior to arrival at the Egyptian borders.

Off signing seafarers will be allowed to disembark at the port of arrival only at Port Said after vessel has been cleared

by Quarantine Authorities and after the crew is also physically checked and cleared.

The crew must however hold confirmed tickets to fly out of the country.

The UK's transport secretary Grant Shapps said yesterday: “It is unacceptable that there remain thousands of people stranded at ports around the world and we owe it to them and their families to change things. Today marks a new chapter for seafarers and alongside our international partners we are taking, a stand to end the bureaucracy preventing men and women around the world from returning home.”

Globally there are now over 200,000 seafarers who are stranded at sea and have overrun their contracts with another 200,000 waiting to start employment and get paid by working at sea.

Secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping Guy Platten said: “This summit is a welcome show of political leadership at a time when seafarers across the world need it most. Governments must now use this summit as a catalyst to implement with the solutions the shipping industry has provided, applying the political will needed to put them into practice. This issue doesn't require money and did not need complicated negotiations. This summit is a catalyst for action.”

The International Maritime

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the positive between Kenya and IMO and wish to thank you for supporting IMO's call to protect seafarers' wellbeing.

Mr. Kitack Lim - (IMO) Secretary General

Organization has created a 12-step process for states to adopt to make crew changes safe and efficient.

Reacting to the news from the keenly anticipated summit, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) called on the world's governments to act swiftly to give seafarers visa, border and quarantine exemptions in order to make crew changes possible and resolve the present crisis.

“Governments today adopted a statement pledging to urgently take forward a range of actions to avert the global crisis that is unfolding at sea for the more than 200,000 seafarers who are trapped working on ships beyond their contracts, and desperately wanting to return home,” said ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton.

“We thank those countries who came together today for their commitment, and now call on those ministers and officials who signed the dotted line need to head back to their countries and follow through on these critical

pledges by bringing in practical exemptions and waivers that allow seafarers to move freely to enable safe crew changes and repatriation to their home countries.”

Cotton went on to call for action across the board.

“After months of this crew change crisis getting worse, governments must do their bit. That means that port states where ships dock; flag states where ships are registered; transit hubs with airports; and the home countries of seafarers, all need to make visa, quarantine and border exceptions for seafarers now, not tomorrow, not next week,” Cotton said.

A.P. Moller-Maersk CEO Soren Skou commented as the summit closed: “We strongly urge the relevant national governments to address the situation of these men and women and help us establish safe corridors between key countries to keep the situation from deteriorating further.”

PORTS

The Port of Cape Town in South Africa Remains Operational

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

PORTS

We will continue engagements with industry, while upholding stringent measures to ensure the safety of port users and employees.The terminal operator also continues to monitor shift performance and COVID-19 compliance on a daily basis and provides updates to customers - Ms. Mpumi Dweba-Kwetana

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

17

PORTS

Djibouti’s New Kid On the Block

By Onyango Omollo

D

jibouti's newly-launched Tadjourah Port and the inauguration of the Third Road Corridor linking the port to the border town of Balho and Mekelle in Ethiopia are set bolster trade in the region and further position Djibouti as a leading commerce and logistics hub in East Africa.

The inauguration of the Port at an event graced by Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh and Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) chairman, Aboubaker Omar Hadi, is the latest among major infrastructure developments the country launched in 2017.

The new port will serve as the main

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

gateway for potash exports from neighbouring Ethiopia, and is the second of four new ports the tiny Horn of Africa nation with a population of 876, 000, has inaugurated this year.

The port in the small fishing town of Tadjourah in the north of the country is the closest outlet for Ethiopia's Afar and Tigray regions, where a number of foreign companies are developing potash mines.

Built at a cost of $90 million, the port has capacity of 4 million tonnes of potash a year. Land-locked Ethiopia exports large quantities of the compound internationally for use as fertiliser in industrial agriculture.

The port is set to transform the economic landscape of northern Djibouti, further integrating the region with Ethiopian trade flows.

Djibouti handles about 95 percent of the inbound trade for neighbouring Ethiopia, which has a population 99 million.

The port facilities span an area of 40 hectares, with 435-metre long linear platforms, and a 190-metre Ro-Ro platform. It is also equipped with stateof-the-art facilities, including a potash handling system with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes per hour.

PORTS

“Eventually, the port will be able to handle 35 per cent of all the goods destined for Ethiopia. This makes Tadjourah not only significant for Djibouti but the wider region.

It represents the latest stage in the close collaboration between our two countries,” Hadi said during the port's inauguration.

Its inauguration came a month after the country's Doraleh multi-purpose port was upgraded as part of a Chinese-backed plan to establish Africa's largest free-trade zone, with the ability to handle goods worth $7 billion a year.

The new port infrastructures will supplement the country's main port in Djibouti City, which handles roughly 95 percent of the inbound trade for landlocked Ethiopia, Africa's second most-populous nation. Djibouti Port mainly handles goods from Asia, representing nearly 60 percent of traffic that increased by 20 percent to 5.7 million tonnes in 2015.

The Port of Tadjourah received the first bulk vessel, MV Spar Capella, a Norwegian ship, on July 17, carrying 50,000 tonnes of coal destined for Ethiopia. The arrival of the large cargo shipment marked the first major use of the Tadjourah-Balho-Mekelle road corridor.

At the same time, Djibouti Shipping Company welcomed its first ship, MV African Sun, which arrived at the Port on July 19, 2020, and the vessel is set to drastically reduce transit time for merchandise mainly from Turkey to the region. With the ship's arrival, the transit times from Turkey to Djibouti is expected to be reduced from 30 days to nine (9) days; and transit times from Turkey to Mogadishu reduced from 40 to 20 days.

The arrival of MV Spar Capella marked the beginning of the operations of the third road corridor with more than 1,250 trucks loaded with the 50,000 tonnes of coal for transportation from the Port to Balho, through the corridor road.

The new port will serve as the main gateway for potash exports from neighbouring Ethiopia, and is the second of four new ports the tiny Horn of Africa nation with a population of 876, 000, has inaugurated this year.

The 120 km long third corridor road also known as RN11 was inaugurated by the President Guelleh in November 2019, at a ceremony attended by Ethiopian Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges Bekele and other dignitaries.

The US $156m road project is financed by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KDEF).

The road named 'Sheikh Sabah' after the Emir of Kuwait links Tadjourah, the country's second city, with Balho on the Ethiopian border, before heading up to Mekelle in the north of Ethiopia.

Designed to take 60-ton lorries and relieve pressure on the Route nationale 1, which runs from the capital to the Ethiopian border, the new road link is to support Djibouti's new ambitions, namely to position itself as the linchpin for trade in the Horn of Africa, and to expand its capacity to 100 million tonnes of goods per year.

The customs departments of two

countries (Djibouti and Ethiopia) and other institutions in-charge of the corridor have settled on the Port of Tadjourah for customs formalities to facilitate accelerated delivery procedure of cargo.

Other key projects Djibouti has launched include the ultra-modern Doraleh Multi-purpose Port, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, as well as highways and new airports.

It is estimated that infrastructure works done to connect Djibouti and Ethiopia have cost 15 billion US dollars, according Ethiopian Government sources.

The infrastructure investment has helped to closely integrate the two countries.

The most notable is the Chinese built and financed 4 billion US dollars 756 kilometres Addis Ababa-Djibouti electrified rail line. The railway project provides both passenger and freight services between Addis Ababa and Djibouti.

AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

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LIFE STORY

Paul Nyainda: A Seaman With a Passion Our Managing Editor George Sunguh talked to Paul Nyainda, one of the Kenyan youths working on board MSC Cruises and shares his story.

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

A

man can desire a thing so deeply that he stakes his entire future on a single turn of the wheel in order to get it,” Napoleon Hills, an American Self-Help author wrote in his book: Think and Grow Rich,” Perhaps this is the tenacity that Paul Nyainda, a Kenyan Marine Engineer has clung on to nurse his childhood dream of becoming a sailor to come true.

Paul, 28, today works as one of the Engine Cadet Officers onboard MSC Splendida, a luxurious passenger liner operated by Italy’s MSC Cruises. He is one of the Kenyan youths to benefit from the agreement signed between the Kenya government and the Geneva based Mediterranean Shipping

Company in August, 2018 to send at least 2000 young Kenyan seafarers to sea annually for the next five years.

The fire in Paul to become a sailor was ignited at the tender age of seven while in class two at Nairobi's Lavington Primary School. He read a book titled: 'The Adventure of Tintin,' written by a Belgian cartoonist -Georges Remi which was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th Century.

Paul was instantly inspired by the exploits of Captain Archibald Haddock, one of the fictional characters in the book, so much that he instantly wanted to be like this star.

LIFE STORY The young Paul, at every opportunity saw himself as Captain Haddock and secretly swore to also one day sail to the glamorous far flung cities of the world which are filled with opulence.

Paul Nyainda receiving his Contract and Air Ticket from President Uhuru Kenyatta during the flagging off of the 61 Seafarers going to work on board MSC Cruise Ships and Commissioning of the Bandari Maritime Academy in Mombasa.

Above is MSC Splendida on which Paul Nyainda works

In years to come, Paul would re-read this book countless times and even bolstered it by watching its film series.

His playmates listened with owe as he kept them entertained with gripping narratives of his star captain and other characters in the book.

The young Paul, at every opportunity saw himself as Captain Haddock and secretly swore to also one day sail to the glamorous far flung cities of the world ‘filled with opulence.’

During his days at Njoro Boys High School, within Kenya's Nakuru County, Paul laid his hands on yet another trans-formative book. This time he read a novel by Tom Clancy titled: “The Hunt for Red October” an American submarine spy thriller which once again

stoked the fire burning in the young man's belly of becoming a sailor.

“These two books gave me the drive to become a seafarer.”

In the year 2000 the young Paul had the opportunity to set his eyes on the first ship during a family visit to Lake Victoria port of Kisumu.

He saw the MV Uhuru - the pride of East African Community - anchored at the Kisumu pier. He was instantly fascinated by the ship's size and splendour.

At its prime, the ship formed one of East Africa's economic key nerves as it linked the lake ports of Kisumu in Kenya, Mwanza in Tanzania and Uganda's Port Bell with ease.

Paul was so mesmerized by the beauty of the ship after this visit. He began building models of the ship using plywood to the delight of his friends.

Napoleon Hill in his book says 'thoughts are powerful when mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence and a burning desire,' can indeed make dreams come true.

As the young Paul continued to ‘sleep walk’ in his dream of becoming a Marine Captain, his dream one day hit headwinds.

His mother Mrs Lucy Ngure who was his only confidant at this stage would hear none of this and adamantly opposed the idea when he shared his

childhood dream with her for the first time.

Widowed while Paul was only eight years old, Mrs Ngure dreaded the inherent feeling of loneliness while her only child globetrotted the far flung cities dotting shores of the world.

After persistently gagging his mother with the seafaring ambition, she one day looked the boy in the eyes and gave him a stern warning: “Sita kubali ukuwe makanga wa Meli,” (loosely translated to mean, I will never allow you to be a tout in a ship.)

The poor boy was left speechless, helpless and devastated.

The humanly ultimate authority in his life had said ‘NO’ to his childhood dream. What next, he cracked his head.

After a deep thought and careful consideration of the best next move, Paul decided to seek the help of his favourite aunt, Dr. Perpetual Ndung'u, a lecturer at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) whom he knew was one of his mother's best friends.

It was Dr. Ndung'u who persuaded Paul's mother to let the young man pursue his dream of working on board the ships.

The mother finally, though reluctantly, gave that all important parental nod.

This instantly replenished Paul with more vigour to continue pursuing his fantasy.

After high school Paul enrolled for a five year degree course in Marine Engineering at the JKUAT in 2010.

After the successful completion of his degree course he enrolled for a Cadets Course at the National Youths Service College and a series of other courses in readiness for his dream job.

In 2015 he took the mandatory Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) course, which is the minimum standard of competence required for seagoing seafarers, at the then Bandari College in Mombasa now Bandari Maritime Academy.

This was followed by a six months of sea time onboard a training ship T/S 'Hanbada' at Korea Maritime and Ocean University in Busan, Korea.

Paul bolstered his preparations for the sea with another of short course in Manila, Philippines.

AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

21

LIFE STORY “Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared,” the saying goes.

So in August 2018, when the Kenya government signed an agreement with the Geneva based Mediterranean Shipping Company to have Kenyan youth work onboard its fleet of cruise ships, Paul was one of the pioneer beneficiaries.

Paul's journey to Yokohama to take his inaugural job on a cruise ship started with boarding a Turkish Airlines flight from Moi International Airport in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa. A six hour flight to Istanbul in Turkey where he had a 15 hour stopover before taking another 12 hour flight to Tokyo in Japan. To reach the port city of Yokohama where he had to join his ship, he took a bus.

In Yokohama, he put up in a hotel for one week awaiting the arrival of MSC Splendida. All expense paid.

On 14th September, 2019, Paul, boarded the MSC Splendida in Yokohama Japan effectively continuing his career as a seaman – his life-long dream.

“Being onboard a cruise ship for the first time was a whole new experience.

Much different from the cargo ships I had worked on before,” said Paul.

He found many crew on board the ship.

“Everything is fast paced here. It was a total eye opener and a very good learning curve.”

“For starters,” he says “the machinery on cruise ships are much more compared to those on cargo ships and the work is a lot more involving. There was so much to learn.”

With Paul on board the cruise ship were 10 other Kenyans. He met an array of other nationalities within the ship's diverse workforce.

There were Italians, Filipinos, Indonesians, Chinese, Croatians, Britons, Ukrainians, Brazilians, Moroccans, South Africans, Malagasies, Mauritians and many more.

His work contract, as an Engine Cadet Officer on board the vessel lasted six months.

On board the ship his work schedule initially varied depending on how the Staff Engineer planned his roaster. The first two months saw him scheduled on a 0400h to 0800h/16h00 to 20h00 watch. After this, he was changed to a day shift which began at 07h00 to 17h30.

His sleep time was varied as well.

Initially for a month the ship was on the Japan Cruise – voyaging between the Japanese ports of Yokohama, Nagasaki, Kitakyushu, Sasebo, Kagoshima and Busan in South Korea as the deep pocketed tourists sought serenity from the vibrant cities while enjoying the spectacular scenery and

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

Paul Nyainda (Right) and a fellow Kenyan, Mohammed Balala, who is also a 3rd Engineer onMSC Cruises are all smiles as they pose for a photo at their work station on board the ship.

the contrasting islands.

The ship changed course sailing to Chinese ports of Tianjin, Xiamen, Shekou and Shangai touring historic and cultural sites and to explore the China.

The itinerary also included Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Naha in Japan and the Filipino port of Manila.

All was going well as Paul and his colleagues busied themselves at work and fantasied on the opulence of the world at the same-time. Then there was a big jolt that brought the whole world to its knees.

On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, China. 'Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2' (SARS-CoV-2) was confirmed as the causative agent of what we now know as 'Coronavirus Disease 2019' (COVID-19).

The Corona virus outbreak forced MSC Splendida to abruptly halt its Chinese Cruises.

The ship then changed course sailing to Singapore, Langkawi, Penang and Port Klang in Malaysia, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, Laem Chabang and Phuka in Thailand.

The ship's voyage continued to Khasab Port along the China-Nepal border and then to Muscat in the Kingdom of Oman before proceeding to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where Paul disembarked on 12th March, 2020 marking the end of the first phase of that glamorous experience at sea.

Paul has accolades for a few people who helped him on the way as he

realized his dream.

Key among them is his mother who had initially opposed the idea but later became his biggest supporter as he climbed the career ladder.

Mrs Nancy Karigithu Kenya's Principal Secretary State Department of Shipping and Maritime, the main pillar behind the Kenya-MSC Cruises deal, Engineer Luke Samba, Ag Director Maritime Safety, Kenya Maritime Authority, Ms Betty Makena, Inspector International Transport Federation (ITF); Eng. Munyoki Mwendwa - a Marine Surveyor and Chief Executive Officer Sunfire and Safety Supplies; Eng David Kariuki formerly of JKUAT and now Bandari Maritime Academy; Professor Bernard Ikua, Dr. Kiplimo and Dr. Benson Gathitu all of JKUAT. He also had kind words for Pastor Wilson Nyale of Ambassadors Chapel and a fomer employee of Kenya Ports Authority, whom he says opened his eyes to the world of Marine Engineering and Nautical Science.

For the young Kenyans clamoring to go work onboard the cruise ships, Paul has these words: “Be disciplined and have self-drive. Be confident of yourself and your abilities, be adaptable, assertive and ready to pursue the 'impossible' and above all fear God.” He sees Kenya rivaling major maritime human resources providing nations such as the Philippines in years to come, but only with a 100% government support and goodwill.

He believes the future of Kenya (economy) lies in the Blue Economy.

TRADE

Over the years, its industry that was previously a strong source of the country's economic growth slowly began to lose its foothold due to competition from China. Even though it is one of the world's biggest, the Chinese rose through the ranks due to cheaper competition and global oversupply.

The collapse of Hanjin Shipping, a top container line when its filed for bankruptcy, plummeted the business down even further.

HMM St.Petersburg is 400 metres long, 61 metres wide and 33.2 metered high.

It has not been described as longer than the Eiffel Tower, but also as a vessel that can carry up to 7 billion Korean choco-pies (Choco pie is a popular snack in Korea), meaning one for each in the worlds' population.

The collapse of Hanjin Shipping, a top container line when its filed for bankruptcy, plummeted the business down even further.

World's Biggest Container Ship is Here

HMM St.Petersburg is 400 metres long, 61 metres wide and 33.2 metered high.

It has not been described as longer than the Eiffel Tower, but also as a vessel that can carry up to 7 billion Korean choco-pies (Choco pie is a popular snack in Korea), meaning one for each in the worlds' population.

As per the Korean Herald, the engine room consists of 5 decks. There are 5 huge generators inside that will power the vessel and the refrigerated containers. The upper deck are residential accommodations with a bed, bathroom, desk and closet for each.

The captain is to reside on the F floor, which is the highest of all.

he Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea is at present working on what will soon be the biggest container ship in the world with a capacity of carrying 24,000 containers at once.

T

The container ship is scheduled to be delivered in mid-September following which it will begin its voyage to Chinese ports, sailing through the Suez Canal to Rotterdam, Antwerp and London.

The N or navigation floor holds a wheelhouse. However, the automatic features of the container ship will primarily run in autopilot and hence will not require manual control constantly.

The HMM St. Petersburg built by the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering is the last of the 12 in the new 24,000 TEU class of vessels that contributes to South Korea's 5-year plan to revive its shipping industry. Each vessel costs anywhere between $140151 million each.

Once it begins, HMM is likely to rise the charts to be the 8th biggest shipping firm worldwide. In an announcement, HMM declared that the pandemic and its consequences on the shipping industry hadn't affected its business as it recorded its first surplus in 21 quarters.

The 12-week sail undertaken by the ship will host just 10 engineers in the engine room as most of the processes are performed automatically. The other half of the crew, about 12 seafarers will be involved in handling the wheelhouse and containers.

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

SECURITY

EU NAVFOR Averts Possible Piracy Act

By George Sunguh

E

uropean Union's Navy Forces (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Opera on Atlanta recently conducted incident response procedures in response to a possible act of piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

reported.

Quo ng, a regional governor in Somalia Mr. Musse Salah, the governor of Gardafu in the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland, the report said the ship was travelling from the UAE to Mogadishu when pirates a acked it in the first successful hijacking since 2017.

This was done with the support of a Japanese aircra of the Combined Mari me Forces (CMF) and in close coordina on with local authori es in Somalia.

In a press release shared with African Shipping Review, by EU NAVFOR Somalia stated on

The opera on dispelled fears that there could have been a re-emergence of piracy as highlighted by press reports that six armed men had hijacked the Panama-flagged Aegean II on Wednesday a er engine problems were

August 18th, EU NAVFOR OHQ Joint Opera ons Centre detected suspicious movements when Panama flagged MT “AEGIAN II”, a chemical/oil tanker with armed security guards on board in transit from Shajah (UAE) and bound

for Mogadishu (Somalia) altered her course without any apparent reason.

Expedi ous inves ga ons conducted by a EU NAVFOR mari me patrol aircra including radio contact, concluded that the vessel was having technical problems and the crew was safe.

On August 20th, open sources reported that a vessel could have been hijacked in the same area. EU NAVFOR Somalia connected this informa on to the situa on of the MT “AEGEN II”, previously monitored, and ESPS Santa Maria was detached to inves gate and execute incident response procedures with the support of a CMF aircra .

Con nued to Pa30...

AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

25

CONTAINER HOUSES

How Containers Make Temporary & Permanent Housing Solutions That way, the owner retains their asset, and the government does not have to build them another home. Containers are the only portable low cost housing solution as far as we know.

Greater Project Flexibility A well-intended low-cost housing project can find itself on hold when a seller unexpectedly pulls out of a deal.

Expenditure on brick and mortar can become fruitless when assumptions fail.

Any work done on RDP houses becomes wasted when this happens. That's where shipping container homes truly prove their worth. If the land is not successfully acquired the housing authority can uplift them, and move them to another location.

Perhaps the greatest single advantage of shipping container homes is they are designed to be picked up, movedaround and stacked as complete units. Compare this with the task of shipping in bricks, trusses, roof sheets, dry walls etc. to a rural location.

Pilferage has always been a problem on building sites where sticky fingers are hoping to steal a door or a window. Finding a roof truss missing at a critical moment can be a nightmare for a builder working on a green field project. However, having the floor, walls and roof in one piece holds more promises than that.

RapidTransport, Relocation & Removal From Site A brick and mortar house stands forever on its foundations, unless we demolish it or it burns down. If it turns out wrongly positioned on a stand, it may have to come down or be abandoned.

Moreover, if looming climate change turns a field bedside a stream into a flood zone the bricks and foundations are left to rot. In all of the above instances a container truck could have picked a container building up and relocated it to another site.

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

Stack-ability For Greater Productivity Of Land Dispossessed people are less than interested in being set down in fields far from cities, jobs and education.They yearn to live in urban areas like the rest of us, as is increasingly evident from land grabs.

Suitable land is scarce. You need engineering solutions before creating multi-storey RDP dwellings. However shipping container homes are designed with stack-ability in mind, and they don't have to be in tower blocks either.

Borrow a couple of wooden blocks from your kids, and experiment with stacking them with partial overlaps. A semistacked container village can create shelters to sit out beneath, or cultivate a small garden.

When we achieve greater land productivity this way, it brings us closer to the homeless person's dream of living close to amenities and improved job prospects. Other containers nearby could house clinics, primary school classrooms and convenience spaza shops.

We have a dream of a low cost housing solution that's workable, affordable and treats people with dignity. Our vision of low-cost housing using shipping containers provides some of the building blocks we need most.

10 EASY STEPS TO NAVIGATE THE SHIPPLINC APP

CREW CHANGE

Kenyan Seafarers Repatriated

T

he Kenya government in collaboration with various ship owners managed to successfully repatriate over 500 of its seafarers stranded on board several seagoing vessels across the world following the outbreak of the Corona Virus pandemic.

Mrs Nancy Karigithu, Principal Secretary State Department of Shipping and Maritime Affairs told African Shipping Review in a recent interview that the crew included the 250 Kenyan youth who had been recruited by MSC Cruises following the 2018 agreement between the Italian company and the Kenya government. She admitted the

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

exercise was indeed challenging: “Flights were being cancelled, travel restrictions were being imposed, visa requirements were becoming more stringent and last minute changes to itineraries were being imposed on ships' movements,” she said adding that.

“There was a general uncertainty all over. We had to work very closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kenyan Embassies in the respective countries to ensure administrative processes were attained in time for the seafarers' travel.”

By the time COVID 19 hit home, 400 youth had been recruited to work on-

board MSC cruise ships in the program aimed at sending at least 2,000 to sea yearly for the next five years, under Kenya's ambitious Blue Economy program.

Only 250 had however boarded their respective vessels while a further 150 were yet to embark on their contractual engagement by the time maritime nations closed their borders due to the pandemic.

Mrs Karigithu said the seafarers were flown from different cities across the globe after terminating their cruises in Miami – the largest passenger port in the world; Port of Genoa which is a major cruise port in Italy and the Port of Marseille in France.

CREW CHANGE

Others disembarked at the United Arab Emirates' Port Rashid in Dubai before being flown to Nairobi.

All the repatriation costs such as Air tickets, quarantine costs, medical tests and local transport for the seafarers were all borne by the ships owners under International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 which partly states: “A seafarer has the right to be repatriated at no cost to him when the seafarer is no longer able to carry out his duties under his employment agreement.”

At the same time a group of 191 Kenyan seafarers who had been recruited by the Carnival Cruise – an international cruise line headquartered in Florida, USA chartered Air Europa on 9th July, 2020 to fly the Kenyan crew from the Barbados in the Caribbean to Nairobi.

Another group of had been recruited by the Norwegian Cruise Lines were flown back home on a special Kenya Airways flight landing in Nairobi on 27th June 2020.

The Holland America Cruises which specializes on cruises to Alaska, Panama Canal and Mexico, is another line that had Kenyan crew working on its ships. The company recently sailed one of its cruise vessels, the Mv Westerdam to drop seven crew members in Mombasa.

But how did the PS get to know about the teams which had not been part of the Kenyan government – MSC program?

“The crew approached me through the Social Media as they were desperate to come home,” she explained.

“We got in touch with the employer and were able to plan their repatriation working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When they contacted us the ship was in US but

Ms. Nancy Karigithu

On the “Return to Work” plan for the seafarers once the situation calms down the PS stated that the government was in constant conversation with the employers and have been advised once air travel is allowed in Kenya the crew members will start flying back to board their respective ships. due to COVID 19 restrictions they could not disembark so the ship sailed to Barbados from where the company charted a flight to Nairobi for them.”

of seafarers from different nations still remained stranded in their respective ships long after the completion of their contractual engagement?

The PS said it was a very fulfilling moment to see so many of the seafarers arrive home safely in one go.

“We heeded to the call by International Maritime Organisation (IMO), ILO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and International Transport Workers’ Federation to recognise seafarers as key workers and also learnt from the initial 13 countries that had already opened their ports for crew change,” she said.

The later team got engaged on board the prestigious cruise lines through the internet.

On the “Return to Work” plan for the seafarers once the situation calms down the PS stated that the government was in constant conversation with the employers and have been advised once air travel is allowed in Kenya the crew members will start flying back to board their respective ships.

Of the repatriated seafarers only four tested positive for COVID 19, and were let to recuperate through isolation as none required hospitalization.

But how did the Kenya government manage this feat, at a time thousands

“The plight of our seafarers, said the PS “at this moment is a great concern to us and we will do our best to ensure they are assisted at this difficult time.”

Mrs Karigithu noted that Mombasa was of strategic importance in the region hence they worked under the leadership of the Ministry of Health to develop the protocols on crew change which mitigate the spread of COVID 19 during crew change.

SECURITY ...con nued from Page25

ESPS Santa Maria approached the Panama-flagged MT “AEGEAN II” and confirmed the ini al assessment that the reported suspicious movements were due to damages in the hull caused by rough sea. Contacted by EU NAVFOR OP ATALANTA Force Commander, RDAM Villanueva, Bossaso port authority reported that MT “AEGEAN II” had not been hijacked and that Garadfoo police had been sent on board to inspect the vessel when she was dri ing off Bereeda wai ng for technical assistance.

While ESPS Santa Maria was collec ng informa on, the Master revealed that there had been certain incidents on board the vessel. At this point, the event cannot be classified as a mari me security event, but a more detailed inves ga on is in progress.

MT “AEGEAN II” weighed anchor and is currently underway proceeding to an

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

This incident underlines, once again, the importance of EU NAVFOR Somalia's presence at the Horn of Africa in the fulfilment of Opera on ATALANTA's mandate and that coopera on with local authori es, as well as other stakeholders in the region is essen al to ensure freedom of naviga on in the region.

intermediate des na on being closely monitored by ESPS Santa Maria.

This incident underlines, once again, the importance of EU NAVFOR Somalia's presence at the Horn of Africa in the fulfilment of Opera on ATALANTA's mandate and that coopera on with local authori es, as well as other stakeholders in the region is essen al to ensure freedom of naviga on in the region.

In the light of this event, it is important

to emphasize, once more, the importance of registering to MSCHOA's Voluntary Registra on Scheme. This will allow EU NAVFOR Somalia to monitor vessels in the area and use its assets in a more efficient way.

EU NAVFOR Somalia con nues to urge the Mari me Industry to remain vigilant when transi ng the high-risk area and to comply with the recommended Best Management Prac ses (BMP 5).

AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

31

ENVIRONMENT

MV. Wakashio Oil Disaster in Mauritius

By George Sunguh

T

he Japanese freighter 'MV Wakashio' ran aground on Mauritius' coral reefs recently spilling an estimated 1,000 tons of oil into the pristine Indian Ocean, in what the experts describe as perhaps the worst maritime disaster in Africa.

The vessel carrying 4,000 tons of heavy bunker fuel hit the coral reef shielding the Mauritian island on Sunday 25th July, 2020 and developed a large crack on its hull before the oily gash started threatening the lives of flora and fauna in the surrounding waters.

This has dealt Mauritius, a country reeling from the impact of COVID 19 shut down losing millions of US dollars in revenue from the tourism industry, a double tragedy.

Maritime experts have described the incident as the worst oil spill in the island's history and could wipe out thousands of marine life in the area.

Fear had been expressed that the oil could be swept to the shores of mainland Africa by the fierce Easterly winds currently blowing across the Indian Ocean.

Shipping sources divulged that the

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

incident occurred on a busy maritime lane.

Media reports has it that during the month of July alone, over 2000 vessels passed close by the Mauritian coast in one of the most concentrated shipping lanes in the world connecting Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America which is also the historic trade route prior to the opening of the Suez Canal.

“Comparing these mainstream shipping lane traffic with the trajectory of the 'MV Wakashio' would have revealed the 'MV Wakashio' had been on a collision course with Mauritius for several days and was much further North than other vessels using this shipping lane,” Forbes an American business magazine reported in its current edition.

News from London indicated that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has joined international efforts to assist the Government of Mauritius, to control the oil leak from the bulk carrier.

IMO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Joint Environment Unit have jointly deployed an oil spill response expert.

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and border closures in Mauritius, the expert is (11 August) awaiting onward travel via specially chartered UN flight from Nairobi, following COVID tests.

Approximately 3,894 tonnes of lowsulphur fuel oil, 207 tonnes of diesel and 90 tonnes of lubricant oil were on board the MV Wakashio.

The oil leaked following severe weather conditions. The affected area is located in a very sensitive zone that includes the Blue Bay Marine Park, Iles aux Aigrettes, and the Ramsar sites. Satellite mapping support is being sought from UNOSAT, to provide an indication of the extent of the spill and to inform the response effort.

Alongside IMO and OCHA, the United Nations development Program (UNDP) Mauritius and the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) are also mobilising environmental and oil spill experts. A number of countries, including France and Japan, are also assisting Mauritius, which has activated its national oil spill contingency plan.

IMO is supporting the Government of Mauritius by providing technical advice on oil spill response issues and in the coordination of assistance.

ENVIRONMENT

In Mauritius, the government personel, volunteers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have made barriers with straw and other particles to reduce the spread of the spill.

BBC reported that on 7 August, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of emergency.

He appealed to France for help as the country does not have the skills to refloat the stranded ship.

France President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “When biodiversity is in danger, there is an urgent need to act.

France is there alongside the Mauritian people.You can count on our dear support @PKJugnauth. We are now deploying teams and equipment from Reunion Island.”

The ship is owned and managed by Nagashiki Shipping and time chartered to Mitsui OSK Lines. It operates under a flag of convenience of Panama.

In a statement, MOL stated: “Oil

Nagashiki Shipping takes its environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and will take every effort with partner agencies and contractors to protect the marine environment and prevent further pollution - MOL

prevention measures are in place and an oil boom has been deployed around the vessel. International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) is advising the owner, salvage team and the government on the pollution and possible effects.

“The owner and its P+I Club have contracted a specialist oil response and salvage team who are coordinating with the Mauritian authorities to mitigate the effects of any pollution.

“Nagashiki Shipping takes its environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and will take every effort with partner agencies and contractors to protect the marine environment and prevent further pollution.”

Nagashiki Company is a 150 year old Japanese company with a fleet size of 11 modern vessels. The 'MV Wakashio' is the oldest ship in its fleet, being just 13 years old and built in 2007, and flagged in Panama .

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

33

SEAFARERS WELL-BEING

The Panacea for Seafarers Health-Crisis

Ms. Elizabeth Eises-Banza

A

s the world is going through this unprecedented health crisis with the COVID 19 pandemic, I have found that the Seafarers and their families are more at risk and thus suffer increased psychotically ill health.

Since March 2020, I have been seeing a significant increase in the numbers of Seafarers with psychological wellbeing related issues. While I am happy to provide online support to my clients, I will use this column to also amplify our message about psychological wellness of our most important frontline workers at sea, the Seafarers and their Families.

This article aims to explain positive mental health and psychological wellbeing as well as help you to recognize the risks in order to maximize on your psychological wellbeing.

Positive Mental Health We all like to be happy! But did you know that psychological wellbeing is beneficial for your overall health and can even mean that you live longer?

Many researches have confirmed.

People who score higher on wellbeing measures live longer and have a 50% lower chance of a heart attack or stroke. They make better decisions and have higher work performance, take fewer risks and have a lower risk of accidents or injuries at work. Paying attention to your wellbeing can really make a difference and mean that you can learn to manage or limit the risks that come with working at sea and keep yourself fit, healthy and happy.

The World Health Organization defines mental health as a “state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” Psychological wellbeing is about being well psychologically, which means that we can function well, we feel generally good about ourselves and about life, we feel a sense of life satisfaction, a sense of purpose and a sense that our lives are on the right track.

Psychological wellbeing is not only about the times when things are going well but also about how we cope when things are more difficult, like now during Covid 19 crisis.

It is about both feeling good and functioning well. If you feel good then you function more effectively, and if you function more effectively then you feel better about yourself.

But it is difficult to function well if you aren't feeling good. How you feel on a day to day basis can change and is affected by all kinds of things in our lives and environment.

Our sense of psychological wellbeing is not fixed, it includes how happy we feel but is more than just our sense of happiness or the mood that we are in right now. Some people have defined it as, the point of balance between the day to day challenges we face and the resources and skills we have to meet those challenges.

Wellbeing at Sea It is fully acceptable - and often expected - that we should look after our physical health. Many ships have gyms or exercise equipment and many companies encourage healthy eating and lifestyle choices to keep seafarers healthy.

One of the first things we do if we are in physical pain is to tell someone close to us about it. We might even contact a doctor. However, this is often not the case when it's our mood that's low and our discomfort is psychological rather than physical.

As a seafarer, being away from family and friends may mean that you're less

likely to talk about a low mood or feelings of unhappiness than someone ashore who sees their loved ones every day.

Just as means of communication with loved ones at home can be limited, seafarers may face other restrictions to their wellbeing such as limited shore leave, monotonous routines, long working hours, shift working, and few opportunities for exercise or socializing. It however, is vital we pay attention to our mental health because it affects how we think, feel and act, more so, our productivity at work.

Elizabeth Eises-Banza, (pictured) is the Founder of Amazing Trans4mation.

She is a Certified Life Coach specializing in wellness coaching services for Seafarers and their Families. Elizabeth worked in the maritime sector as the Manager Corporate Communication at the Namibia Ports for four years and represented the Port Management Association for Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) Region at the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) level in the Women's and the Communications Committees.

She moved to Australia in 2015, to further her studies and completed MBA in Maritime Logistics Management and has since ventured into coaching services to the Seafarers and their families.

Elizabeth can be reached at: elizabeth@amazingtrans4mation.com

or info.amazingtrans4mation@gmail.com

for an introductory email followed by a comprehensive and transformative coaching to help you thrive in life.

...to be continued in the Next Issue

TRAINING

Another Kenyan Tops International Liner Trade Exam The UK Minister for Mari me Affairs Ms. Nusrat Ghani (le ) giving a Prize for the Best Candidate Ms. Nisreen Tajbhai in London in OCTOBER 2019. Ms. Nisreen emerged the Best Candiate Worldwide in ICS UK Shipping Examina on Liner Trade.

N

isreen Tajbhai, a student at the Mari me and Management Ins tute of East Africa, scored the highest marks in Liner Trades in 2019 Ins tute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) eleva ng the Mombasa based college into Interna onal limelight once again.

professionals, taking their me to meet their guests. This gesture of professionalism reminded me of how tough and complex it has been to set, examine and mark the bulk of exam papers of different disciplines from over five thousand candidates globally,” said Mr. Soita.

Nisreen, was among the students invited from around the globe for the awards ceremony at the Trinity House in London on 17th October, 2019.

He expressed sincere thanks to the ICS President Lord Mountevans, and the Chairman, Theo Coliandris FICS, Director Julie Lithgow and the professional teams at the Ins tute's London Headquarters, for invi ng me to represent Mari me and Management Ins tute of East Africa and to par cipate in the auspicious prize winners' ceremony of this year.

She was accompanied to the annual event by her teacher who is also the Ins tute's Founder Principal Mr. Mar n Soita.

“I was encouraged by the warm and cordial welcome by the leadership of ICS and the Ins tute's teams of teaching and management

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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

“It was exci ng to meet Ms B.F. Fletcher, the former ICS Director who

helped propel ICS training in East Africa in 1996. I recalled how she encouraged me and my shipping training colleagues to con nue working hard in preparing students for the ICS professional examina ons.”

Ms Fletcher, he said, laid the founda on for the Ins tute of Chartered Shipbrokers external interest into the Ins tute's professional training program, having supported the ini al idea of establishing an ICS branch in Kenya and now East Africa.

The event was also a ended by Capt.

Norman Lopez FICS, Extra Master and Solicitor; Capt. Richard Brook-Hart FICS, with whom Mr. Soita discussed mari me affairs in 'impeccable Kiswahili language.'

TRAINING

A photo opportunity for guests a ending 2019 ICS UK Prize giving ceremony presided over by the UK Minister for Trade Affairs Ms. Nusrat Ghani in London. Standing back le is Mr. Mar n Soita of the Mari me & Management Ins tute of East Africa.

The others were Ms. Chris na Gkioni from Hellenic Management Centre, Ms. Eileen Salmon from UK Chamber of Shipping, Mr. Panagio s Dimakopoulos from Intercommunity Management Corpora on, Ms Nusrat Ghani Minister for Mari me Affairs (UK?) who was the guest of honor, Shipping Network Editor, Ms Carly Fields, Chief Engineer Marine, Class 1, Suraj Kumar Padhy.

“It is worth sta ng that my academic visit to London to a end the ICS prize winners' ceremony gave me an opportunity to witness the Ins tute's logical transforma on and enthusiasm from different con nents taking up ICS professional training programs.

As a pioneer of ICS teaching programs introduc on in Eastern and Southern Africa, am proud to confirm that Mari me and Management Ins tute of East Africa has produced world records of prize winners' sixteen (16) mes to date.

I am proud to state that my colleagues in Mari me and Management Ins tute of East Africa join me to celebrate the achievements which ICS has obtained in Kenya, East Africa and globally, promising to con nue working with the Ins tute's leadership in London to spearhead the dynamics of the Ins tute of Chartered Shipbrokers in future.

Mari me and Management Ins tute of East Africa has prided in producing award winning students since its incep on.

Many of its alumni today are industry captains in East Africa.

AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

37

CALENDAR OF EVENTS EVENT

DATE

VENUE

Smart Ports Summit Virtual Summit

29th - 30th Sept. 2020

Online

6th Port Automation Summit 2020

28th Sept. – 1st Oct. 2020.

Singapore

UK Ports Conference

24th – 25th Nov. 2020

Marriott Hotel Regents Park, London

Coastlink 2020 - Port of Antwerp

25th - 26th Nov. 2020

Auditorium at the Port

TOC Middle East 2020

7th – 9th Dec 2020

Dubai

24th Intermodal Africa Exhibition & Conference

9th - 11th March 2021

Dakar, Senegal

Mediterranean ports and shipping

27th - 29th April 2021

The Westin Valencia, Spain

IAPH World Ports conference

23th - 25th June 2021

Antwerp, Belgium

Day of Seafarer

June 25th 021

Globally

Mauritius Maritime Week

5th - 9th July 2021

Port Louis

Greenport Cruise & Congress 2021

20th - 22th Oct. 2021

Piraeus, Greece

World Maritime

30th Sept. 2021

Globally

Antwerp

Singapore

DUBAI

38

SENEGAL

AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020

Port Louis