Joining Vanuatu, Ghana has become the latest country to ratify the 2012 Cape Town Agreement (CTA) by officially depositing its Instrument of Accession at the London Headquarters of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

GHANA: The President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama has intervened to ensure that outstanding wages are paid to facilitate the extension of the railway line from Tema Port to the Dawa Industrial Enclave in the Greater Accra Region.

SOUTH AFRICA: A sod-turning ceremony in the Port of East London this week announced the arrival of the country’s latest investment in new waterfront infrastructure aimed at boosting maritime tourism in the region and promoting economic growth for the port community.

Without exception, major international maritime and shipping organisations have expressed their disappointment at the outcome of the extraordinary session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) last week which chose to “adjourn” the adoption of draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, including the IMO Net-Zero Framework. But just how unexpected was this decision given the increasingly loud statements being made by those claiming climate change to be a hoax that is being perpetuated to the detriment of global economies?

Six African Member States have set their sights on claiming a position on the International Maritime Organisation’s Council in the elections scheduled for December this year, but it is unlikely that all will be successful. Editor, Colleen Jacka, looks at what is at stake.

SOUTH AFRICA: With plans to ultimately expand the newly opened container yard in Salt River to 63,000m², Grindrod Ltd officially cut the ribbon on the United Container Depot (UCD) which will function as a back-of-port facility to help improve Cape Town Port logistics for importers and exporters.

SOUTH AFRICA: Plans to salvage two vessels in Hout Bay over a period of three days have been prolonged by the discovery of an additional unidentified vessel beneath one of the wrecks.

It’s an important week for the maritime industry as the second Extra-ordinary session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee gets underway to discuss the adoption of global regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping.