A Russian battleship has entered Port Sudan days after it was announced that the Russian naval base project was suspended, Sudanese media reported Saturday.
It was reported that Sudan had suspended plans for Russia to open a naval logistics base in a key Red Sea port. The news was denied by Moscow.The Russian warship Admiral Grigorovich frigate entered the Sudanese port where Moscow plans to build a naval base on the country’s Red Sea coast, Russia's Interfax news agency reported on Sunday.
It was the first Russian warship to enter Port Sudan, Interfax said citing a statement by the Russian fleet.
Russia announced in November a deal that outlined a "logistical support center" to be set up in Sudan where "repairs and resupply operations and rest for crew members" can take place.
The naval facility’s capacity will be capped at 300 military and civilian personnel and four ships, including nuclear-powered vessels, according to the details published on the Russian government's website.
The base will stand on the northern outskirts of Port Sudan.
Russia will also gain the right to transport via Sudan's ports and airports "weapons, ammunition, and equipment" needed for the base to function.
The deal is slated to stand for 25 years -- as long as neither party objects to its renewal.
Moscow has in recent years turned its eyes to Africa as it renews its geopolitical clout.
It has wooed Sudan with military and civilian nuclear cooperation, signing a deal between the countries' armed forces in May 2019 set to last seven years.
The Japanese owner of a huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week, halting billions of dollars in maritime trade, asks owners of the cargo it carries to share the cost of damages claimed by the Egyptian authorities.
Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. said on Friday she had asked freight owners to share the damage under an agreement known as a general average declaration. The damage sharing system is often used in marine accidents covered by insurance.The company said it had informed a number of owners of the ship’s roughly 18,000 containers to assume part of the damages claim, estimated at around $ 916 million.
The shipowner said earlier this month he had negotiated with Egyptian authorities over the compensation claim.
The vessel, called Ever Given, is being held at Great Bitter Lake, a large body of water midway between the north and south ends of the canal, for inspection and will not be allowed to depart until settlement is reached, Shoei Kisen mentioned.
The company declined to divulge more details of the negotiations, including how much is covered by insurance and how much it is asking freight owners to share.
The Ever Given was en route to the Dutch port of Rotterdam on March 23 when it crashed into the shore of a single track section of the canal about 6 km north of the southern entrance near the town of Suez .
The 25 Indian crew members of the ship who are still on board are all in good health, the company said.
The ship has enough food, including fresh fruit and vegetables and potable water, the ship’s technical management company, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said.
