West Africa

Mali: Islamist militants release Moroccan truck drivers detained since January

Mali's state media reported late Monday that militants affiliated with the Islamic State have freed four Moroccan truckers kidnapped back in January. This shows the growing intelligence collaboration between Mali and Morocco. A diplomatic source at the time said that in January, three men and their trucks vanished while traveling without escorts from Dori, Burkina Faso, to Tera, Niger. This area is known for its jihadist threat. State media broadcast footage of them with Assimi Goita, the leader of Mali's junta. The report said that they were freed Sunday. Burkina Faso led by the Junta, Niger and Mali battling militants
West Africa

Thirteen dead, dozens missing in Nigeria boat accident
In the next few days, we should see a resolution to the US-Mexico Aviation dispute

The CEO of Mexican airline Volaris said that he believes a solution to the dispute between the U.S.A. and Mexico in aviation may be reached within the next few days. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued orders on Saturday requiring Mexican Airlines to submit their flight schedules. Threatening to reject requests If the Mexican government does not respond to U.S. concerns about flight changes in Mexico City. Mexico was governed by the previous government. Move cargo flights The main airport in the capital city is being moved to a more distant, newer site. cutting passenger flight slots Enrique Beltranena, CEO
Passenger Transportation Services

Mexico does not see any reason why the US should impose sanctions against airlines
US threatens Mexican airlines flights over airline competitive issues

The Trump administration announced Saturday that it will take a number of actions against Mexico in response to the Mexican government's decision to cancel some flight slots for U.S. airlines and to force U.S. freight carriers to relocate their operations to Mexico City. Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation secretary, said that if Mexico fails to respond to U.S. concerns about decisions made in 2022 or 2023, the department may disapprove Mexican flight requests. Department of Transportation also proposes to remove antitrust immunity for the joint venture between Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico in order to address issues with the competitive
Transport Infrastructure

Lawyer for Greek owner of cocaine-loaded ship seized in 2023 says that he denies the charges

His lawyer stated on Friday that the former Greek owner of a cargo vessel, which was seized by Spain 2023 after it was found to have carried more than four tonnes of cocaine and coffee beans from Latin America into Europe, denied any connection to drugs. The Spanish authorities found cocaine worth approximately $200 million aboard the Blume vessel, which was then Greek-operated and Togo-flagged, when they intercepted it in January 2023 off the Canary Islands. This was one of Spain's largest cocaine hauls for that year. The crew was arrested and Blume, the ship that had left Brazil to
Three Greeks arrested over ship loaded with cocaine seized by Spain 2023

Transport Infrastructure

Ivory Coast cocoa imports are below exporter expectations, says regulator

Yves Brahima Kone said that cocoa arrivals in ports of Ivory Coast, the top producer, reached 1,540 million metric tonnes at the end May. This compares to exporters' estimated 1.624 millions tons for the same time period. Exporters reported that last month the quality of cocoa was low and buyers refused to buy more beans, resulting in low volume. Six exporters said that although some trucks carrying poor-quality cocoa were returned by exporters, their beans were still recorded in the records. This explains the 5% discrepancy between the figures supplied by the regulator and those of exporters. This is a...

Transport Infrastructure

Panama removes more than 650 vessels from its registry amid sanctions and stricter rules

Panama's Maritime Authority said that it has removed more than 650 ships from its registry since 2019, as part of a campaign to comply with U.S. sanction and enforce stricter regulations for the vessels it flags. The authority said that since last year, 214 ships have been removed from Panama's register, which is among the largest in the world with over 8,500 vessels. Once removed from the registry, ships cannot sail under Panamanian flag. Panama has responded to criticism from non-governmental group United Against Nuclear Iran. UANI, which said last week that Panama had taken insufficient action against sanction violations...

Transport Infrastructure

Poor bean quality is a problem for weekly cocoa deliveries in Ivory Coast

Exporters estimate that cocoa arrivals in ports of Ivory Coast, the top producer, had reached 1,582 million metric tonnes by May 18 compared to 1.437 millions tons a year ago. The weekly arrivals in the two major ports of the country between May 12 and 18 were down sharply compared to the same period the previous season. This drop was attributed by buyers to the fact that they rejected more beans due poor quality. Between May 12 and 18, approximately 7,000 tons of bean were delivered to Abidjan and 15,000 to San Pedro, for a total 22,000 tons. This is...

Transport Infrastructure

Ivory Coast Port Operator to invest in inland logistic

Africa Global Logistics, the company that operates Ivory Coast’s main port plans to invest more than 60 million euros ($67million) in inland logistic over the next five year to enhance its position as a gateway and transport hub for landlocked West African countries. Regional Director Asta Rosa Cisse said that the company intends to develop dry warehouses with cooling facilities and establish operational hubs throughout Ivory Coast. Africa Global Logistics, which operates Abidjan, the main port of Ivory Coast - the world's largest cocoa and cashew producers - also handles shipments from and to landlocked neighbours Burkina Faso, and Mali....

Transport Infrastructure

Access to the back sea for landlocked Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger through Morocco

Morocco's official news agency reported that the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso and Niger, three Sahel-dominated states ruled by military forces, said they endorsed an initiative on Monday offering them access through Morocco's Atlantic port to global trade. It said that the foreign ministers of their respective countries expressed their positions during a meeting in Rabat with Morocco's King Mohammed VI. Last year, the West African nations run by juntas who have been in power through coups for the past few years withdrew themselves from ECOWAS and formed a new alliance called the Confederation of Sahel States. Morocco, a major...

Natural Gas Pipeline

Morocco expresses interest in LNG terminal

Morocco, in an effort to diversify the energy sector that is heavily dependent on coal, made the first steps toward the location of a terminal for liquefied gas near the Mediterranean City of Nador. The Moroccan energy industry has expressed interest in the LNG terminal. Morocco is also pushing forward with a plan to increase renewable energy from 45% of installed capacity now to 52% by 2030. In a press release, the ministry announced that the terminal would be connected to an existing pipeline linking Morocco with Spain, as well as to industrial zones in Mohammedia, and Kenitra in the...

Transport Infrastructure

Bollore Group targeted by anti-corruption groups over old Africa assets and demanded restitution

Twelve anti-corruption campaigners filed a complaint with the French Financial Prosecutor against logistics group Bollore, and its former CEO. They accused them of using their connections and influence peddling to secure lucrative African Port concessions. The first step to a possible criminal prosecution in France is filing a complaint. The complaint of the campaigners, who demand restitution, claims that Vincent Bollore and the Bollore Group used their connections with leaders in West Africa for several decades to secure contracts and create a vast business network. According to the review of the complaint, "corruption and favouritism" were used to secure port...

Transport Infrastructure

Bollore Group targeted by anti-corruption groups over old Africa assets and demanded restitution

Sources say that Ivory Coast Customs seizes 2,000 tons falsely declared cocoa bean.

Two customs sources, and one judicial resource, said that Ivory Coast customs seized around 2,050 metric tons (2,000 metric tonnes) of falsely-declared cocoa beans valued at around $19,000,000 in its main port Abidjan on Tuesday. Cocoa, which is the main ingredient of chocolate, is smuggled across the western border between Ivory Coast and Guinea, where the traffickers pay more than the local farm gate price. Last week, Ivorian Customs found that an exporter of cocoa had falsely declared to pay a lower tax at the port. Customs officers familiar with the case said that 110 containers were seized, which according...

After a tanker sinks, Russia's Ust-Luga Port continues to export fuel

According to industry sources, and LSEG ship-tracking information, Russia's Baltic Sea Port of Ust-Luga resumed fuel exports Tuesday following a tanker that ran aground after a weekend explosion in its engine-room. After the explosion, a Suezmax tanker named Koala that was carrying 130,000 metric tonnes of fuel oil ran into trouble near a berth in the Ust-Luga terminal. According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, no one from the crew was injured. On Tuesday, the ministry said that divers were inspecting the vessel and had not detected any fuel leaks. It added that the incident had been investigated. According to...

Arrivals of cocoa from Ivory Coast are on the rise, but the quality is disappointing

The arrival of cocoa at Ivory Coast ports increased during the week ending February 2 in comparison to the previous season. However, exporters claimed on Monday that the beans were not in good condition due to inadequate storage. West African nation has increased its efforts to prevent bean smuggling into neighbouring Guinea, and Liberia, where traffickers are paying higher prices than the local farm gate price for cocoa. Exporter in Abidjan, the capital of the West African nation, said that the tightening border security makes it harder for cocoa to escape. He added that this provides an incentive to ship...

Ivory Coast cocoa imports increase week on week due to anti-smuggling measures

The cocoa arrivals in ports of Ivory Coast, the top cocoa producer in the world, increased sharply from the previous week in the week ending Jan. 26, as efforts to combat beans smuggling pay off. An official with the Cocoa Sector Regulator CCC announced this on Monday. Between Jan. 20-26, approximately 27,000 metric tonnes of beans were shipped to Abidjan and 25,000 to San Pedro for a combined total of 52,000 metric tons. 34,000 tonnes in Exporters' data showed that the week prior was a busy one. In the same week last season, around 53,000 tonnes of beans were delivered....

Yemen Red Sea port capacity down greatly after hostilities, UN says

Operations at a Red Sea port in Yemen utilized for aid imports have actually fallen to about a quarter of its capability, a UN official stated on Tuesday, including it was not particular that a Gaza ceasefire would end attacks in between the Iranbacked Houthis and Israel. Houthis have actually launched attacks on worldwide shipping near Yemen because November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. This has triggered Israel to strike port and energy facilities, consisting of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah. ( The) effect of airstrikes on Hodeidah...

Passenger Transportation Services

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....