SIERRA LEONE: Seismic data from offshore Sierra Leone is to be enhanced to offer clearer subsurface insights for oil and gas companies exploring the area.

SOUTH AFRICA: Greenpeace Africa has lodged an appeal against the decision granted by the Department of Mineral Resources to grant Environmental Authorisation (EA) for exploration activities to a joint venture consortium for the Block 3B/4B offshore area, approximately 120 km west of St Helena Bay and approximately 145 km south-west of Hondeklip Bay. 

SEYCHELLES: The Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) proudly celebrated their 20^th anniversary this month by hosting a Thanksgiving Ceremony to honour the pivotal role that the authority has played since 2004 in transforming the nation’s ports into a remarkable maritime and logistics hub. 

SOUTH AFRICA: Noting the recent reclassification of the African Penguin to critically endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Democratic Alliance (DA) is urging the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to accelerate the publishing and implementation of the African Penguin Biodiversity Management Plan which has been in a draft for some years now.

Four pilot projects, including two from Africa, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ports in Africa and the Caribbean are ready for implementation, following their selection under the IMO CARES Global Technology Challenge which was launched in November last year.

NIGERIA: Attending the 2024 World Maritime Day parallel event in Spain, Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, used the opportunity to articulate the country’s intention to seek election onto the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) council at the next elections.

Global commodity prices are set to tumble to a five-year low in 2025 amid an oil glut that is so large that it is likely to limit the price effects even of a wider conflict in the Middle East, according to the World Bank’s latest Commodity Markets Outlook. Even so, overall commodity prices will remain 30% higher than they were in the five years before the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOUTH AFRICA: The annual event aimed at showcasing South Africa’s boatbuilding prowess closed yesterday after a full programme of events that sought to attract local marine enthusiasts and promote increased interaction with ocean activities.