According to Gibson Shipbrokers, Libya is planning to build a new port suitable for VLCCs to berth. The port will aspire to leverage its strategic location for vessels travelling between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal and to and from the US. VLCCs have not fully loaded in port for more than 5 years because of a build-up in silt at the Es Sider terminal.
Libya’s East and West authorities have formally united for the construction of North Africa’s automated and largest deep-sea ports near the city of Susah in Libya. Specifically, the Port of Susah, a major international trans-shipment hub container port, will be a crossroad in North Africa for mainline cargo vessels traveling to and from Asia and Europe via the Suez Canal, as well as to and from the United States.
The Shipowners Club urged operators to exercise caution when trading to Libya, due to an increased risk of vessel seizure and crew arrests as a result from an increase in the last years of illicit crude oil trade. To eradicate oil smuggling, the Libyan government has implemented strict measures.
Libyan security authorities forcibly removed 79 refugees and migrants Tuesday from the Panama-flagged cargo ship ‘Nivin’ in the Libyan port of Misrata, after they refused to leave the ship for 10 days. The incident has risen reactions from humanitarian bodies, as there are reports of injuries and use of rubber bullets and tear gas.
Italy ordered the seizure of the migrant rescue vessel ‘Aquarius’, after accusing the Doctors without Borders of illegally dumping toxic waste in south Italy. Responding on the accusations, MSF said that this is an attempt by Italy to undermine migrant rescue efforts. Currently, Italy has closed its ports to humanitarian ships that rescue migrants off Libya.
The RoRo Nivin, with Panamanian flag, rescued, last week, 81 maritime migrants but 79 of them refuse to disembark from the ship off the coast of Misrata in Libya. The migrants refuse to disembark in Misrata as a result of the fear of being sent back to Libyan detention camps.
The UN Security Council decided to renew for one year, its authorization allowing Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya, as long as there are reasonable grounds for suspicion that they are being used for smuggling migrants or human trafficking.
France, Portugal, Spain and Germany agreed to take in migrants from the Mediterranean rescue ship Aquarius sailing off the coast of Malta, France said, after Italy refused to let the vessel dock. According to Malta, a patrol boat will transfer the migrants in international waters and then to the island, from where they will be sent to the four other European Union states.
Panama Maritime Authority revoked the registration of the ‘Aquarius 2’, the one remaining charity rescue vessel still operating in the Central Mediterranean, which means that there will be no charity rescue ships off the Libyan coast in the near future, unless the vessel can find a new flag to sail under.
OPEC received about $567 billion in net oil export revenues in 2017, an increase of 29% from revenues in 2016. Increases in both crude oil prices and in net OPEC oil exports increased revenues in 2017, and EIA expects that revenues will continue to increase in 2018, according to EIA’s August Short-Term Energy Outlook.
