Photo: Robert Allan Ltd

Turkey’s Uzmar Shipyard has completed construction on three purpose-designed tugs to be operated in Mozambique by Dutch towage company Smit Lamnalco.

The Bureau Veritas-classed sisters SL Ibo, SL Matemo, and SL Macaloe were specifically designed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd for operation in the offshore area near the northeast coast of Pemba, Mozambique. 

The three tugs will be working together with one multi-purpose vessel as a fleet in support of FLNG operation, providing berthing and unberthing assistance to LNG carriers and condensate tankers, and as holdback tugs during cargo transfer operations.

The Marshall Islands-flagged tugs each have an LOA of 42 metres, a moulded beam of 16 metres, and a maximum draught of seven metres.

 The two Anglo Belgian Corporation 12V DZC-166-1000 2,900kW diesel engines on each tug drive Kongsberg controllable-pitch propellers to deliver a bollard pull of 93 tonnes and a free running speed of 14 knots. In addition to the main propulsion, there is also a Kongsberg electric motor-driven, drop down azimuthing bow thruster.

The tugs were designed to have good seakeeping and are capable of performing the berthing and unberthing services in open water. 

A U-tube anti-roll tank is incorporated and arranged to significantly reduce roll motions and improve seakeeping performance in offshore operations.

The tugs have been outfitted for safe and efficient performance of ship handling.

 The deck machinery comprises a Brattvaag escort winch and two hydraulic vertical anchor windlasses at the bow. 

The escort winch is spooled with a high-performance synthetic towline on each drum.

A towing hook, tow pin, and two tugger winches are provided on the aft deck. An aft towing winch is also provided for SL Macaloe.

 In addition, a deck crane is also provided for deck cargo handling. The aft deck is designed to load up to 100 tonnes of assorted cargo.

The tugs have extensive ship-handling fendering, consisting of a cylindrical bow fender of one metre in diameter at the forecastle deck level and W-block fenders at the stern, with D-fender installed along the sheer lines at the forecastle deck and main deck.

The vessels have been designed to have a full-height forecastle deck with one tier of deckhouse above the forecastle deck and below the wheelhouse. They also have each been outfitted for an operating crew of up to 12. The crew cabins, galley, and mess are spaciously arranged in the deckhouse and forecastle deck.

The cabins are isolated from the machinery space to provide quiet and comfortable living spaces for the crew. A gym and an accommodation area for rescued survivors are arranged on the lower deck.

Power for all onboard systems on each tug is supplied by three Caterpillar C18 generators. A Caterpillar C4.4 emergency generator is also fitted.

The new tugs are also equipped for firefighting, oil spill recovery, and standby rescue duties with capacity for up to 20 rescued survivors on each.

Source: Baird Maritime

Mozambique: Construction of petrol stations is prohibited in all provincial capitals and on the Maputo Ring Road

The National Directorate of Hydrocarbons (DNH) issued a note banning the construction of fuel pumps in all provincial capitals and on the Maputo Ring Road..

The decision to ban the implementation of projects of this nature aims to, according to the DNH,  guarantee the safety of goods and people, as well as the protection of the environment in all activities related to petroleum products.

“The National Directorate of Hydrocarbons, in accordance with paragraph 2 of article 5 of Decree 89/2019 of 18 October, communicates to the Provincial Infrastructure Service and to all those involved in the issuance of gas station licensing of Fuel Supply which, due to the proliferation of Fuel Service Stations in spaces located in zone A, specifically in the areas of capital cities, and the Maputo Ring Road, [there is] a ban on the implementation of projects of this nature with a view to guaranteeing the safety of goods and people and the protection of the environment in all activities related to petroleum products”, reads the statement from the DNH.

The order comes after, last week, the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, denounced the existence of gas station owners who use the business to launder money and finance terrorism in Cabo Delgado.

Source: Diário Económico

Mozambique: Report of delays to Coral South LNG project – AIM

 information company Energy Intelligence has reported that the Coral South Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal has run into technical issues that could delay shipment of the first cargo of LNG from Mozambique.

The LNG will be produced by a consortium led by the Italian energy company, ENI. The LNG facility, built in a Korean shipyard, arrived in Mozambican waters in January and should by now be anchored in Area Four of the Rovuma Basin, some 40 kilometres off the coast of Cabo Delgado province.

 This will be the first deep-water platform in the world to operate at a water depth of about two thousand meters.

Last week, AIM reported that the tanker “British Mentor” was on its way to Coral Sul to pick up LNG for the British company BP. However, according to the ship-tracking website Marine Traffic, “British Mentor”, after hanging around in the Mozambique Channel for a couple of days, has changed its destination to Oman and is heading north to the port in Arabia.

According to Energy Intelligence, a source informed them that “serious issues [were] reported at Coral FLNG with one critical distillation column (demethaniser) suspected of having internal damage.

 Shutdown is required for inspection and repair, which will delay the start-up schedule by several days, if not weeks”.

Once fully operational, the terminal will produce 3.4 million tonnes of LNG per year. All of its output over the next 20 years has been bought by BP. However, a spokesperson for BP, contacted by AIM, was not able to comment on the movements of “British Mentor”.

The Coral Sul project will be the first of three projects to produce LNG in Mozambique. 

The main participant in Area Four is Mozambique Rovuma Ventures, a partnership between ENI, the US oil and gas giant ExxonMobil and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which together control 70 per cent of the undertaking.

 The remaining 30 per cent is divided equally between the Mozambican state hydrocarbon enterprise ENH, Galp Energia of Portugal, and Kogas of South Korea.

The other LNG venture currently underway is the Mozambique LNG Project using gas from Rovuma Basin Offshore Area One. 

The French oil and gas company, TotalEnergies, is the operator with its partners coming from Japan, India, Thailand, and Mozambique. When operational, the project will produce 12.88 million tonnes of LNG per year for domestic consumption and export.

Progress with this project has been held up following the decision of TotalEnergies in April 2021 to declare force majeure following an attack by islamist terrorists near the Afungi Peninsula where the onshore LNG facility will be constructed.

However, according to one of the project’s partners, BPCL of India, which holds a ten per cent stake in Area One, the project should resume in the first half of 2023. 

The Chair and Managing Director of the company, Arun Kumar Singh, told shareholders at its Annual General Meeting that “now, with the efforts of the Government of Mozambique’s forces, supported by a regional coalition, progress is being made in improving the security situation in the region, and the project will resume once the security situation is stabilised in a sustainable manner”.

A third development, the Rovuma LNG Project, will use gas from offshore Area Four to produce 15 million tonnes of LNG a year. However, the operator, ExxonMobil, has not yet taken its final investment decision.

By John Hughes, AIM London

Source: AIM

COVID: 48 Cases in A Week

Mozambique: Only 48 new Covid-19 cases in a week

File photo: MISAU

The Mozambican health authorities reported on Tuesday a further seven new cases of the Covid-19 respiratory disease.

This brings the number of new cases diagnosed in the past week in the entire country to just 48.

According to a Tuesday press release from the Ministry of Health, that day’s new cases were four men and three women, all Mozambican citizens. They ranged in age from five to 61. There were two cases from Maputo city, two from Gaza, two from Sofala and one from Zambezia.

Since the start of the pandemic, 1,382,966 people have been tested in Mozambique for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, 597 of them in the previous 24 hours. 590 of these tests yielded negative results, and the seven who tested positive raised the total number of positive cases diagnosed in Mozambique to 230,076.

Two Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospital on Tuesday, one in Maputo city and one in Niassa and four new cases were admitted, three in Niassa and one in Maputo. 

The number of patients undergoing medical care in the Covid-19 wards rose from eight on Monday to ten on Tuesday. Only one of these patients is still in intensive care, receiving supplementary oxygen.

The Ministry reported no deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday, and so the death toll in Mozambique from the disease remains 2,220.

No recoveries from the disease were reported either, and thus the total number of recoveries remains 227,709, which is 98.97 per cent of all Covid-19 cases ever diagnosed in Mozambique.

The number of active cases of Covid-19 rose from 136 on Monday to 143 on Tuesday. The geographical breakdown of the active cases was as follows: Niassa, 32; Maputo city, 28; Zambezia, 20; Tete, 19; Sofala, 18; Gaza, seven; Nampula, six; Cabo Delgado, five; Manica, four; Maputo province, three; and Inhambane, one.

The Ministry press release also reported that a further 2,265 people were vaccinated against Covid-19 on Tuesday. The total number fully vaccinated against the disease now stands at 14,681, 342, which is 96.5 per cent of all citizens aged 18 and above.

Source: AIM

Mozambique Food Security Outlook Update, August 2022

Mozambique Food Security Outlook Update, August 2022

FEWS NET: Mozambique Food Security Outlook Update August 2022: Food assistance needs remain high and are likely to increase during the upcoming lean season, 2022

Food assistance needs remain high and are likely to increase during the upcoming lean season

Key messages 

Most households across Mozambique are facing Minimal (IPC Phase 1) outcomes supported by adequate access to income and food.

 However, in drought affected areas in southern Mozambique, flood- and tropical storm-impacted areas in Nampula, and conflict-affected areas of Cabo Delgado, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes persist as poor households have limited access to income for food purchases and are engaging in consumption and livelihood-based coping strategies to minimize food consumption gaps. 

In Cabo Delgado, Stressed! (IPC Phase 2!) outcomes are present in areas where humanitarian partners have access to IDPs and host communities, and where food distribution is consistent.

 From October 2022 to January 2023, an increasing number of households will likely face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes as the typical lean season sets in.

In June and July 2022, Food Security Cluster partners provided humanitarian food assistance to over 600,600 people in northern Mozambique. 

However, WFP plans to assist 944,480 people with humanitarian food assistance in northern Mozambique in the August/September cycle. 

To ensure the most vulnerable people in northern Mozambique are reached despite limited resources, WFP is conducting a vulnerability-based targeting exercise to prioritize assistance according to vulnerability status instead of displacement. 

To build livelihoods in Cabo Delgado, WFP is planning to provide 160,000 people with livelihood interventions (agricultural kits) for the 2022/2023 main planting season in five districts.

The annual inflation rate increased from 10.8 percent in June 2022 to 11.8 percent In July, the highest inflation rate since August 2017. 

The continual rise in inflation is coming from the increased costs of transportation and food and non-alcoholic beverages, which are around 19 and 17 percent higher than last year, respectively. 

More  specifically, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) highlights price increases in petrol, diesel, bottled butane gas, tomatoes, and wheat as contributing the most to the increase in the monthly inflation rate. The rise in prices is reducing household purchasing power, particularly very poor and poor households.

 

From June to July 2022, maize grain prices increased by 10-22 percent in some monitored markets and doubled in Mutarara market. 

The sharp increase is likely related to low local supply and increased demand by regional traders. Elsewhere, maize grain prices were relatively stable, except for a 17 percent decline in Manica market likely due to local supply dynamics. Compared to last year and the five-year average, there is a lot of price volatility for maize grain prices in July 2022 compared to prices in July 2021, likely driven by local supply and demand dynamics.

 These price variations among the different markets impact households’ access to foods and level of purchasing power, particularly in areas of greater price volatility.

Source: FEWS NET

Mozambique: Displacement Tracking Matrix – Emergency Tracking Tool (ETT) Report: No. 170 / (10 – 16 August 2022)

Infographic Download here

During the reporting period (10 to 16 August 2022), a total of 76 movements were recorded – 49 arrivals (12,234 individuals), 15 departures (272 individuals), 11 returns (1,094 individuals), and 1 transit (54 individuals). 

The largest arrival movements were recorded in Metuge (11,304 individuals), Macomia (271 individuals), and Meluco (202 individuals). 

The largest departure movements were recorded in Nangade (170 individuals). 

The largest return movement was observed in Palma (672 individuals) and Quissanga (378 individuals). The only transit movement was observed in Mueda (54 individuals). Of the total population, 3 per cent of mobile groups were displaced for the first time, and 86 per cent for a second time.

Mozambique: Human rights federation condemns threats against NGO activist.

Mozambique: Human rights federation condemns threats against NGO activist.

File photo: DW

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) on Tuesday condemned alleged threats to Mozambican activist Adriano Nuvunga, demanding a “rapid investigation into the case”, the organisation said in a statement.

On the 15th, Adriano Nuvunga, director of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) found two AK-47 bullets, one of which bearing his name, in the backyard of his residence, he told Lusa.

“Surveillance cameras show that the bullets were thrown into my residence by two men, who then ran away. This was around 05:00 [minus one in Lisbon] on Monday morning,” he said.

In the statement, FIDH demands that the clarification of the episode be “swift, open and transparent” and that the perpetrators be “brought to justice”.

Noting that the activist reported the incident to the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) in due time, the international organisation noted that “regrettably Mozambique has an unfortunate history of impunity for attacks against human rights defenders”.

“ This macabre act takes place within the context of increasing closure of civic space and attempts to block the activities of civil society organizations in the country,” reads the statement.

The incident, it continues, also demonstrates a growing pattern of alleged politically motivated violence against Professor Nuvunga.

The organisation recalls that in 2020 the activist received threats through anonymous phone calls from three unidentified persons, who said that a bomb had been been planted at his home.

“We therefore urge the security forces in Mozambique to promptly and impartially investigate this matter, as all these incidents cannot be looked at in isolation.,” says FIDH.

The human rights activists note that the threat to Adriano Nuvunga’s life comes at a time where he has been critical of the manner in which the government is responding to the ongoing social unrest in the country, as a result of the worsening economic situation in Mozambique.

As well as being director of the CDD, Nuvunga is one of the most vocal and critical voices in Mozambican civil society, has also directed the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP) and is a professor of political science at the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), the oldest higher education institution in Mozambique.

Source: Lusa

Mozambique: Police fire tear gas to disperse fish market vendors in Maputo – Miramar

The vendors of Mercado do Peixe, in the city of Maputo, managed to carry out, this morning, a march to the old fish market, in protest against the lack of compensation for the transfer to the new fish market.

The march that even started in an orderly manner and with the right to a police escort ended in tear gas, Miramar reports.

Wielding signs and posters, vendors who recently heard Maputo mayor Eneas Comiche say that there is no room for compensation, when they arrived at the old market, came across construction works on an imposing building and demanded a meeting with the person in charge for the works.

“Only in ten days”, replied one of the staff members at the works. The answer infuriated the sellers who then prevented the entry of trucks that intended to unload material at the site. This left room for turmoil.

The police immediately launched tear gas to disperse the vendors, a situation that caused a widespread flight of vendors.

As far as the Miramar reporting team found, apparently no one was injured.

When the police stopped the release of the gas, the vendors returned and insisted on the idea of talking to the owner of the property that is being built.

Source: Miramar

Mozambique: Consultants doubt any change in governance

Mozambique: Consultants doubt any change in governance

File photo: FM

The Oxford Economics Africa consultancy said on Wednesday that Fitch’s improved ‘rating’ demonstrates more confidence in Mozambique but doubts real changes in the country’s governance.

“The improvement in Mozambique’s sovereign credit ratings and the resumption of general budget support from the Bretton Woods institutions are signs that confidence in the government is being restored, which is catalysing more foreign borrowing and investment,” said an analysis paper.

“However, we agree with local commentators” that “little has changed in terms of governance and that there are indications that authoritarianism is indeed on the rise,” it added.

The influx of concessional funding and donations “is very welcome and essential to Mozambique’s efforts to rebuild the war-torn province of Cabo Delgado and finance its budget deficit,” the consultancy noted.

Oxford Economics Africa highlighted the government’s announced plan to apply over €300 million to restore infrastructure in Cabo Delgado over the next three years.

“Mozambique’s government is now expected to use its improved access to external financing to implement reforms to avoid another hidden debt crisis and help stabilise the security situation in the gas-rich northern region,” whose reserves “are critical to the country’s long-term economy, development and sustainability,” it concluded.

Financial ratings agency Fitch on Friday raised its rating on Mozambique from CCC to CCC+, easing the risk outlook on lending to the country.

“Mozambique’s financing constraints have been substantially eased with the US$456 million (€457 million) credit agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” it said.

Fitch expects the agreement to give the ‘green light’ to other forms of “concessional financing from multilateral partners, including the World Bank, after years of restricted access to external sources of funding following the 2016 hidden debts scandal.

The agency forecasts gross domestic product (GDP) growth to “accelerate to 7.7% in 2024 and remain high until 2026”.

Source: Lusa