Meeting at a symposium in Cape Town this month, African navies have established a technical working group to investigate the conceptualisation of the Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone of Africa (CEMZA) as envisioned in the African Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050 (AIMS 2050).

SOUTH AFRICA: Turnaround strategies at the Port of Cape Town are not moving fast enough for the agricultural sector in the Western Cape as the apple and pear industry records an estimated R999 million loss annually due to inefficiencies in the port.

SOUTH AFRICA: The South African boatbuilding industry has recorded a remarkable 22.3% increase per annum over the past five years and contributed R4.9 billion to the country’s export figures in 2023.

A 10-day sailing trip on the 60m Tall Ship, Eendracht around Cape Verdean islands is planned for 2025 to celebrate the country’s 50 years of independence as well as 75 years of relations between Rotterdam and Cape Verde.

SOUTH AFRICA: Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has signed a long-term contract with South32 Hillside Aluminium ((Pty) Ltd, securing the continued operational presence of South Africa’s only primary aluminium producer at the Port of Richards Bay.

LIBERIA: The Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA) in collaboration with the National Port Authority (NPA) hosted a five-day workshop to boost Liberia’s oil-spill response preparedness this month to strengthen Liberia’s collaboration with international partners to mitigate environmental risks and enhance national capacity for spill prevention and response.

SOUTH AFRICA: The South African fishing industry has never experienced the incident-free year that it was aiming for since the establishment of the Fishing Vessel Safety Unit and the hosting of the Fishing Safety Indaba by the South African Maritime Safety Authority, but 2024 will stand out as the year that emphasises the need for a more concerted approach to safety within the sector.

OPINION PIECE: Every ship that leaves a shipyard with a substandard water treatment system will pollute the oceans for the next 25 years writes Peter Lanzén, co-founder of Marinfloc as he identifies this hidden crisis that has a devastating impact on our marine ecosystems.