Pepperell birdie blitz earns preliminary lead at Mauritius Open

Related News

• Norris leads Joburg Open by four shots

  Shaun Norris of South Africa carded a 67 on Saturday to take a 4-shot lead at 14-under-par after the third round of the DP World Tour’s Joburg Open. Norris, despite suffering from an ear infection on Friday, had a one shot lead going into the weekend. He extended his lead despite making a double bogey at the par four third hole, and another missed shot on the fifteenth. The second-place finishers are Adrien Saddier of France (70), Jacques Krusywijk of South Africa (68), and Nicolai Von Dellingshausen, a German. Both players have 10 strokes under par. Norris won the Alfred Dunhill Championship, Leopard Creek, in December. This was his second win on the DP World Tour, after the Steyn City Championship, in 2022. (Reporting and editing by Ken Ferris; reporting by Nick Said)

• Parry leads Kenya Open with 65 shots.

  John Parry of England carded a bogey free 65 on Friday, giving him a tournament score 14 under par and a one-shot lead after the second round at the DP World Tour Kenya Open held at the Muthaiga Golf Club. Parry is the only player to have not dropped a shot since the start of the tournament. His 63 on the Thursday was a superb score. Hebert from France, who had a 66 during his second round, leads the leaderboard halfway through the event. South African Jayden Schper (69), who is currently in third place, is five shots behind Parry and Hebert. They are both nine shots under par, and have put some distance between them and the rest of the pack. Hebert advised that "conservative play is the best way to enjoy this course." The greens have become firmer and the pins on the front nine are more difficult, especially for those who don't play from the fairway. It was harder (on Saturday) than yesterday. Parry has already won one tournament on the DP World Tour in this season, the Mauritius Open. (Reporting and editing by Christian Radnedge.)

• Marrakech Express Upgrade - French loan will help Morocco purchase 18 fast trains before World Cup

  The French Embassy in Rabat announced on Friday that France would lend Morocco 781 millions euros to finance the acquisition of 18 Alstom high-speed trains. The trains are part a plan that aims to extend the high speed rail network between Kenitra, on the west coast of Morocco, and Marrakech in time for the 2030 World Cup which Morocco will host with Spain and Portugal. Alstom has announced that it will provide the ONCF, the state-owned Moroccan rail operator, with Avelia double-decker Avelia trains capable of carrying 640 passengers at a maximum speed of 320km/h. ONCF also plans to expand its network by expanding the number of cities that it serves from 43 to 43 or 87% of Moroccans, by the year 2040. On February 1, ONCF announced that it would also purchase 150 trains from Spain and South Korea under concessional loan as it expands its urban, intercity, and high-speed railway networks. Hyundai Rotem, a South Korean company, will provide 110 urban trains valued at $1.5 billion. CAF in Spain will produce 40 intercity trains costing $813 million. Last month, ONCF announced that the deals included investments in the country’s fledgling rail industry. Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi, Editing by Angus MacSwan

• Data shows that Russia is shipping diesel to Syria via tanker in violation of U.S. sanctions

  LSEG data revealed that Russia sent a diesel cargo on a tanker to Syria under U.S. sanction, marking the first direct supply of this kind to the Middle Eastern nation in over a decade. It is not clear where the cargo will end up. The final destination of the cargo is unclear. The control of Russia over these bases is in danger after the abrupt fall of Bashar Al-Assad last December. Moscow said that it wanted to maintain its control over the bases. According to LSEG, on February 8, the Barbados flagged vessel Prosperity (formerly known as the Gabon flagged NS Pride), was loaded with approximately 37,000 metric tonnes of ultra-low sulphur fuel at the Russian Baltic Port of Primorsk. LSEG shipping information shows that the tanker is anchored in the Syrian port Banias. It is managed by Fornax Ship Management based in Dubai. Fornax is also subject to U.S. Sanctions. The company did not respond to a request for comment. Since the beginning of the 2022 invasion in Ukraine, U.S. sanctions have included measures that aim to limit revenues from Russia's vast oil and gas industries and weaken its ability for funding military efforts. On January 10, the United States added the Prosperity tanker to the list sanctioned vessels. The list includes 180 tankers involved in the exportation of Russian oil after its war in Ukraine. On February 24, the EU and UK followed suit. In some cases, civil penalties and in others, criminal penalties may be imposed for violations of the U.S. sanction programs. In one case, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (OFAC), Last year, the State Street Bank settled for $7.45million with "apparent violations" related to the Russia and Ukraine sanctions. The U.S. also announced a six-month suspension of its Syria sanctions. This waiver focused on the energy industry and the financial transfers made to the Syrian government. Text messages sent to the Syrian Oil Ministry seeking comment were not responded to immediately. The Russian energy ministry has declined to comment. According to LSEG, this is the first direct shipment of diesel from Russia to Syria for at least 2013 According to Kpler, shipping analytics firm, Syria also offered to import 20,000 tons LPG. It was also looking to import oil, as its main supplier Iran has not sent any crude since November. Syria had two oil refineries located in Homs (in Homs) and Banias (in Banias), which ceased to operate after Assad's downfall. (Reporting from in Moscow, with additional reporting by Timour Azhari in Beirut. Guy Faulconbridge, Louise Heavens and Guy Faulconbridge edited the article.

• Golf-Whitnell sinks 2 hole-in-1s in the second round of S.African Open

  After making two holes-in one at the DP World Tour South African Open held at the Durban Country Club, Englishman Dale Whitnell will likely toast his success in the clubhouse. Whitnell, who had never achieved a hole in one in tournament play before, aced both the second and the 12th holes in his second round. Both par threes. His rollercoaster round of 63 leaves him with nine under par for the tournament. He is five shots behind the clubhouse leader Shaun Norris (64), from South Africa. The play was suspended on Friday evening due to poor lighting. Several players were still playing their second round. Dylan Naidoo of South Africa carded an impressive 61, which included 10 birdies, including one eagle. He is now in second place and just one shot behind Norris. According to the National Hole-in-One Registry in the United States, the odds of getting two holes-in-one on the same course are 67,000,000 to 1. Whitnell is the 545th ranked player in the world and the second person in DP world Tour's history to achieve this feat, after Australian Andrew Dodt, who achieved it at the Nordea Masters, in 2013. John Hudson, another Englishman, also bagged incredible aces on consecutive holes in the Martini international at Royal Norwich in 1970. Whitnell: "I birdied my first hole and then hit an iron flush on the second. I didn't realize that it was in until the bottom of the green (down the bottom), they cheered. So that was wonderful." "I had never been five under par through three holes before. Then I managed to get a hole in one on the 12th. It was strange. "I had it all today. "I can't complain. I had an air shot, two double bogeys and a double bogey. I also came out nine under par." After heavy rains on Wednesday, the course was flooded. This delayed the start of Thursday's first round. It is expected to rain more on Sunday, which will have a knock-on impact for the 156 players. (Reporting and editing by Toby Davis, Ken Ferris, and Nick Said)

• Whitnell makes two hole-in ones in the second round of SA Open

  After making two holes-in one at the DP World Tour South African Open, held at the Durban Country Club in Durban on Friday, Englishman Dale Whitnell could toast his good luck with a few expensive round at the clubhouse. Whitnell, who had never achieved a hole in one in tournament play before, aced both the second and 12th holes in his second round. Both par threes. His rollercoaster 63 puts him at nine under par for the tournament. He is five shots behind South African Shaun Norris (64), the leader in the clubhouse. Whitnell became the second player on tour to ever make multiple hole-in-ones in the same round, after Andrew Dodt in 2013 at the Nordea Masters. Whitnell: "I birdied my first hole and then hit an iron flush on the second. I didn't realize that it was in until the bottom of the green (down the bottom), they cheered. So that was wonderful." "I had never been five under par through three holes before, and I then managed to get a hole-in-one at the 12th. It was strange. "I had it all today. "I can't complain. I had an air shot, two double bogeys and a double bogey. I also came out nine under par." Dylan Naidoo of South Africa carded an impressive 61, which included 10 birdies, including one eagle. He is now in second place and just one shot behind Norris.

• First round of SA Open weather-affected by a trio

  After bad lighting cut short Thursday's opening day of the DP World Tour South African Open, Fredrik From, Sam Bairstow, and Darren Fichardt shared the lead with seven under par. Fichardt had yet to complete his round. The course was covered in huge puddles on Wednesday, and the start of first round was three hours delayed. This left a number of golfers with a lot of time to finish their rounds. From had two eagles on his 65. Both were par fives. Bairstow, on the other hand, managed eight birdies. His round was only marred by a missed shot on his par four seventh. Fichardt, who is seven under par with four more holes to go, is a shot behind the leaders. Five other golfers are also a shot behind. "I putted very nicely. I hit some wedges and then holed several putts. Bairstow described the day as "just a good one". "I thought yesterday that there was no way to play on Thursday, but I'm grateful for the work done by the green staff in making it playable." On Friday, approximately half of the field of 156 players must complete their first rounds. The South African Open was first played in 1903. It is one of the oldest golf national championships.

• Italy's prosecutors launch terrorism investigation into the oil tanker explosions

  The chief prosecutor for the city of Genoa announced on Thursday that Italian authorities have opened a terrorism probe into the explosions which damaged an oil tanker last weekend off the coast of northern Italy. This was the fourth such incident in the Mediterranean Sea and Baltic Sea in the past 30 days. Two explosions caused a hole to appear below the surface of the crude oil tanker Seajewel operated by Greece, which was discharging its oil while anchored off the port Savona Vado on Saturday. The alleged attack against the Seajewel was not immediately known. Like the other explosion-hit tankers, the Seajewel had also recently visited a Russian port. "We took over a black box. The ship was not seized," Genoa Chief Prosecutor Nicola Piacente said in reference to the explosion that occurred on Saturday aboard the Seajewel. He said that the anti-terrorism division of Genoa's Public Prosecutor's Office investigates suspected "shipwrecks aggravated with terrorist intent". Thenamaris said that routine cargo operations had been suspended on February 15, according to the tanker's Athens based operator. Thenamaris stated that "all crew members on board the ship and third-party individuals who were involved in the cargo operations have been safe and no harm has occurred to the environment" as a result. It added that they were cooperating with the local authorities during the investigation. The vessel is ready to resume cargo operations. The 5-Star Movement, Italy's main opposition party, described the incident as a "terrorist act" and demanded that a report be presented to the parliament after the investigation is complete. In the past month, three oil tankers were damaged in separate incidents in different locations around the Mediterranean. The causes of these explosions are unknown. According to data and sources on ship tracking, all three vessels recently visited Russian ports. The Seacharm, also operated under Thenamaris's ownership, was one of the vessels that sustained damage in these incidents. Thenamaris stated on Thursday that the Greek authorities are investigating what happened to a vessel during an incident that occurred in January. Thenamaris stated that the vessel (Seacharm), is currently operating in a normal manner. The Koala tanker was stuck and damaged in the Russian Baltic Sea Port of Ust-Luga. Officials in the shipping industry have expressed growing concern about these incidents. Officials from maritime security and sources in shipping who are monitoring the situation reported on Thursday that the main cause for the explosions was likely seaborne limpets mines. However, this still needs to be confirmed. According to one source, it is likely that Seajewel and Seacharm have been affected by external forces. The source stated that "it was an external attack, something external... caused the damages." The Russian Foreign Ministry announced last month that the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major, which was carrying two crew members, sank off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea in late December following an explosion in its engine room. Two of the crew members were still missing. Reporting by Emilio Parodi and Jonathan Saul, Editing by Giles Elgood, Keith Weir and Renee Maltezou

• Sources say that three tankers were damaged in the Mediterranean last month by explosions of unknown causes.

  Shipping and security sources confirmed on Wednesday that three oil tankers were damaged in separate incidents in the Mediterranean in the past month, but the cause of the explosions was unknown. These are the first incidents in which non-military ships have been damaged by blasts around the central Mediterranean for decades. One of the shipping sources reported that an explosion caused a 1-metre-deep crack below the waterline in the hull on the Greek-operated crude-oil tanker Seajewel in a port located in northern Italy, on Saturday. The same vessel was hit by a second explosion 20 minutes later without further damage. Savona prosecutor said that Italian prosecutors had opened an investigation into what happened to Seajewel while it was anchored in front of Savona Vado port. The operator of the vessel, Thenamaris based in Athens, didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. Two sources confirmed that a crude oil tanker operated by Thenamaris - the Seacharm - was also damaged in a blast near the Turkish Mediterranean Port of Ceyhan at the end of January. Three sources confirmed that in February the chemical and product tanker Grace Ferrum, flying the Liberian flag, was damaged near Libya. One source added that the vessel will require a salvage effort. LSEG's ship tracking data revealed that the vessel did not appear to be under command when it was tracked Wednesday near the coast of Libya. Cymare, the operator based in Cyprus, was not available to comment immediately. According to data and sources on ship tracking, all three vessels recently visited Russian ports. On Wednesday, shipping industry officials expressed growing concern about the incidents. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced last month that the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major, which was carrying two crew members and a cargo of Russian goods, sank off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea in late December. An explosion had destroyed the engine room. Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Jan Harvey.

• Suez Canal chief: Red Sea Crisis did not create a sustainable route to replace the canal

  Osama Rabi, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, said that the Red Sea Crisis did not provide a viable route to replace this canal. He added that there are positive indicators that indicate a return to stability in the area. Since November 2023, Houthi militants backed by Iran have attacked vessels near the Red Sea. This has disrupted global shipping routes, forcing ships to bypass the Suez Canal, and redirect trade around Africa. The costs for insurance companies are also higher. Abdel-Fattah al Sisi, the Egyptian president, said that the Suez Canal disruption would cost Egypt $7 billion of revenue in 2024. Sisi stated that the revenue from the canal had dropped by more than 60% compared to a year earlier. (Reporting and writing by Momen Saeed atallah, Nayera Abdallah and Tala Ramadan; editing by Bernadettebaum)

• After collision with container vessel off UK coast, tanker carrying jet fuel cargo is on fire

  After a collision on Monday with a cargo ship, a tanker carrying jet-fuel was on fire and leaking jet fuel in the North Sea near northeast England. More than 30 crew members were sent to hospital. The coastguard agency reported that a helicopter, fixed wing aircraft, lifeboats, and nearby vessels equipped with firefighting capabilities had all been dispatched to assist. The chief executive of Port of Grimsby East confirmed via email that 32 casualties had been brought ashore. Ambulances were waiting to transport them to the hospital in Grimsby. The severity of their condition is not known. The Stena Immaculate tanker, flying the U.S. flag and the Portuguese flagged Solong container ship are involved. The tanker is part of a U.S. Government programme to provide fuel for the armed services when needed. BBC images showed a vessel on fire with black smoke clouds billowing up into the grey sky. LSEG shipping data revealed that the Stena Immaculate was alongside the Solong off the coast according to the latest AIS tracking position update made at 1034 GMT. Stena stated that its tanker is operated by Crowley, a U.S.-based logistics company. Crowley reported on X, that the tanker carrying Jet-A1 Fuel was hit by the Solong as it anchored near Hull, off the North Sea Coast. Crowley stated that "the Stena Immaculate suffered a ruptured cargo trough". The company reported that a fire broke out as a result. Fuel was also released. Crowley stated that the crew of Stena Immaculate evacuated the vessel after multiple explosions occurred onboard. All mariners are safe and well, Crowley added. The Stena vessel was a product tanker. One insurance specialist stated that the pollution risk was lower than if this vessel were a crude carrier. The amount of cargo, the number of tanks breached, and the severity of the fire are all factors. A spokesperson for the environmental group Greenpeace stated that it was too soon to estimate the extent of environmental damage. The Greenpeace spokesperson explained that the impact of the incident would depend on several factors. These include the type and amount of oil transported by the tanker and the fuel carried by each ship. The sea and weather conditions are also important factors in determining the behavior of any spill." Shipping industry sources reported that the incident took place on a busy waterway which runs from ports along Britain's north-east coast to the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a service that provides emergency response lifeboats, reported "there were reports of a number people abandoning the vessels after a collision" and that there were also fires on both boats. Marine Traffic, a maritime analytics website, reported that the 140 metre long Solong was on its way to Rotterdam when it struck the 183 metre Stena Immaculate, which was off Immingham in northeast England. Skuld, a Norwegian ship insurer, confirmed that the Solong is covered by it under protection & indemnity. This segment of insurance covers environmental damage as well as injuries and fatalities to crew members. The manager of Solong, Hamburg's Ernst Russ did not respond immediately to a comment request. Stena Immaculate’s P&I insurance, listed as Steamship in the company's documents, did not respond immediately to a comment request. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the shipping agency of the United Nations, confirmed that it was aware. Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, Jonathan Saul and Stine Jacobsen; Editing by William James and Hugh Lawson

• CMA CGM CEO Les Echos: CMA CGM is in talks with US Shipyards

  Rodolphe Saade, CEO of CMA CGM's French shipping group, told Les Echos that the French shipping company is in discussions with shipyards to build medium-sized containers vessels in the United States. "We are in discussions with several shipyards in order to determine how long and at what price it will take," he stated in an interview published Friday, just a day after he announced with U.S. president Donald Trump a $20 billion investment plan in the United States. We'll decide if we want to go forward or not. It's interesting to have the option." CMA CGM has been looking into the possibility of vessels that can hold 6,000 containers. This is larger than the ships built in U.S. shipyards, but smaller than the 24,000 container vessels currently on the market. CMA CGM, the third largest container line in the world. Saade said at the White House that he would support the building of container vessels in the country, and make an announcement "in a few weeks." CMA CGM stated that any announcements of U.S. ship order would be an addition to the 20 billion dollars investment over four years announced on Thursday. CMA CGM has announced a package of investments, compared to the $12 billion that it invested in America in the last five years. This comes at a time when the industry is preparing for the possibility of U.S. Port Fees on. China-linked vessels Saade told Les Echos that he did not discuss the port levies issue with Trump. His firm, like many others, has a significant portion of Chinese vessels in its fleet. It is also part of a vessel sharing alliance with China’s COSCO.