Nicholas C News

BIMCO has published two standard Quiet Enjoyment Letters (QELs), the first standard form QELs available to the industry, to offer a tool that can ensure the charterers’ uninterrupted use of a ship if the owner defaults under the financing facility. The QELs will be provided by the lender to the charterer to ensure that the charterer, who does not have a contractual relationship with the lender but only with the owner, can continue to “quietly enjoy” the ship in case of the owner’s default.

The animal cruelty charges that were brought against livestock export company Emanuel Exports have been dropped by prosecutors in Perth, Australia.Around 2,400 sheep died on the Awassi Express (subsequently renamed the Anna Marra) on a voyage from Fremantle to the Middle East in August 2017.The situation was brought to public attention when Animals Australia obtained whistleblower footage which was broadcast on a 60 Minutes program in April 2018. Footage from five separate voyages showed sheep suffering heat stress, some bogged in feces.

BIMCO has developed a new Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) Clause for Voyage Charter Parties. The clause was adopted by BIMCO’s Documentary Committee on October 11 and is the latest addition to BIMCO’s portfolio of carbon clauses.“As the shipping industry works towards decarbonization, the need for new contracts and clauses increases. We are working constantly to ensure that BIMCO’s contracts and clauses are fit for purpose as the regulatory landscape changes,” says Nicholas Fell…

The United States’ vast network of navigable inland rivers is vital to the nation’s economy, serving as an aquatic superhighway for the efficient shipment of critical commodities like agricultural goods, energy products, building materials and industrial chemicals to destinations within the U.S. and to deepwater ports for export. The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), which advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained inland waterways, often describes the network as “the…

Lomar Shipping, the maritime subsidiary of Libra Group, has announced two key promotions - Peter Cotopoulis as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Mark Kethisouaran as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), both effective from September 1. Based in the company’s London office, Mark succeeds Dennis Psachos, who held the role since joining in December 2021 and has decided to return to his native Greece.Lomar CEO Nicholas Georgiou said, “Over the last 12 months, Peter and Mark have both stepped up in their roles…

Companies working on a $300 million logistics facility in Guyana that will support offshore oil operations said on Wednesday the shore base will help reduce shipping costs for supplies by as much as 12% by allowing larger supply vessels to dock.A consortium consisting of U.S. companies Exxon Mobil Corp and Hess Corp and China's CNOOC began production in Guyana in 2019 and has ramped up output since, aiming at 1.2 million barrels per day of crude and gas capacity by 2027.But onshore…

Richard Branson’s cruise line Virgin Voyages announced it has partnered with independent sustainability experts, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), along with three waste-based sustainable fuel providers to deliver low carbon fuels to the marine industry. Argent Energy, GoodFuels and Twelve are collaborating with the cruise line to further advance Virgin Voyages’ commitment of reaching net zero by 2050.Recognizing there is currently no one-size-fits-all, low-carbon fuel solution…

US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) deployed as part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) from Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Aug. 6.According to the U.S. Navy, this is a routine deployment for Farragut and the first after a dry-dock maintenance period in 2021.Farragut returned to operational capability in the summer of 2021 and has completed a rigorous training cycle, including a visit from the Congressional Board of Inspection and Survey…

A new barge is being built to help capture and treat stack exhaust from vessels in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.Produced and operated by Clean Air Engineering - Maritime, Inc. (CAE-M), based in San Pedro, Calif., the self-propelled barge will carry a vessel stack exhaust capture and treatment system called the Marine Exhaust Treatment System (METS-3), designed by Fassmer Technical Projects toremove diesel emissions from the auxiliary engines and boilers of ocean-going vessels while at berth or anchor.Nicholas Tonsich…

Greenpeace activists have taken to the sea to protest against tankers carrying Russian fossil fuels to Europe.Traveling in rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB), kayaks and as swimmers, protesters from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Netherlands and Germany on Sunday went in front of supertankers Waikiki and SFC Baltica in the Baltic Sea, displaying banners with “Oil Fuels War” as Greenpeace calls on Europe to reject and ban Russian fossil fuel imports to weaken the attack on Ukraine.Mads Flarup Christensen…

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New York District seeks a contractor for maintenance dredging of portions of the Newark Bay, New Jersey, Federal Navigation Project.Plans and specifications are expected to be available in April, bid opening in May and a contract award in July. The proposed work is anticipated to take place between August 2022 and March 2023. Estimated cost is between $25 million and $100 million.Check SAM.gov for details. Use Notice ID W912DS22B0010 to search. Response date is March 16.The dredge is to remove approximately 600…

The U.S. Navy said on Tuesday it was making arrangements to recover an F-35C warplane that fell into the South China Sea after a landing mishap this week.Seven U.S. military personnel were hurt in Monday's accident on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and the pilot ejected, the Navy said."I can confirm the aircraft impacted the flight deck during landing and subsequently fell to the water," said Lieutenant Nicholas Lingo, spokesperson for the U.S. 7th Fleet."The U.S.

Partners Group, a global private markets firm, has agreed, on behalf of its clients, to buy North Star, a UK-based operator of emergency response and rescue vessels, which has recently also dived into the offshore wind sector with several orders made for essential offshore wind maintenance services vessels, from Basalt Infrastructure Partners for an undisclosed price.Aberdeen-based North Star has a fleet of 48 Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRVs) and Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and around 1,400 employees.

Shipbroker Simpson Spence Young (SSY) on Tuesday announced it has opened a new office in Athens, Greece.The new office, which is based in Glyfada, is being managed by SSY Dry Cargo broker Nicholas Vamvakaris and currently includes teams from the dry cargo division who focus on Cape, Panamax and the Handy Supra markets.SSY said it plans to expand the remit of this office in the near future to include other departments.Mark Richardson, chairman of SSY, said, “We are very pleased to open SSY Hellas, and to have our brokers present in Athens.

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the largest U.S. privately owned deepwater crude terminal, said on Friday it made no deliveries of sour crude from storage last month, following two storms that hit the U.S. Gulf Coast.The facility closed on August 28 ahead of Hurricane Ida, which damaged production and processing facilities in the U.S. side of the Gulf of Mexico, forcing the suspension of millions of barrels of crude and gas output. A second storm, Nicholas, also caused brief interruptions for vessel navigation.The weather events particularly hit output of the Gulf's Mars sour crude…

U.S. Gulf Coast crude oil exports are flowing again after recent hurricanes took out 26 million barrels of offshore production, according to sources and Refinitiv Eikon data, with local prices easing as more shipments moved out of the region.Hurricanes Ida and Nicholas damaged platforms, pipelines and processing hubs, shutting in most offshore production for weeks. Restarts continued on Thursday with about 28% of U.S. Gulf of Mexico crude output offline. Some vessels remained at sea waiting to load U.S. crude.But of more than 50 tankers set to load U.S.

Oil held above $75 a barrel on Thursday, within sight of a multi-week high hit a day earlier, supported by a big drop in U.S. crude inventories and surging European natural gas prices.U.S. crude inventories fell by 6.4 million barrels last week, more than the 3.5 million-barrel drop analysts expected, with offshore oil facilities still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Ida last month.Brent crude was down 15 cents, or 0.2%, at $75.31 a barrel by 1128 GMT. On Wednesday, Brent touched $76.13, its highest since July 30. U.S.

The ports of Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City in Texas on Wednesday lifted the "yankee" status they had set ahead of Hurricane Nicholas, which made landfall on Monday, allowing the resumption of inbound vessel traffic, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Nicholas passed through the Texas coast on Tuesday on its way to Louisiana, causing minor floods and leaving over 400,000 customers without power.

Hurricane Nicholas on Tuesday took another swipe at U.S. Gulf Coast energy facilities, cutting offshore oil and gas output gradually recovering from the last storm and disrupting power to onshore pipeline, gas and chemical plants.Royal Dutch Shell halted production its Perdido offshore oil platform due to heavy winds, and U.S. liquefied natural gas producer Freeport LNG said processing at its Texas coast facility was halted, likely due to a power outage.Power losses briefly cut Colonial Pipeline's main gasoline and diesel lines out of Houston…

The Port of Houston on Tuesday said all terminals would remain closed due to the effects of Hurricane Nicholas and widespread power outages, and the Freeport Harbor Channel in Texas also suspended vessel movements due to unsafe conditions and power outages, according to notices from both ports.The Port of Houston anticipates resuming vessel movements on Tuesday evening and normal operations on Wednesday, then notice said.(Reporting by Liz Hampton in Denver)

Energy companies worked to restore pipeline service and electricity after Tropical Storm Nicholas passed through on Tuesday, allowing them to return to repairing the significant damage caused by Hurricane Ida two weeks ago.Nicholas, downgraded to a tropical depression late Tuesday, caused rain, flooding, and power outages in Texas and Louisiana, where some refineries remained offline in the wake of Hurricane Ida. The earlier storm shuttered most U.S. Gulf offshore oil and gas production.Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S.

The Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Monday increased its Hurricane Readiness Status to a high readiness Level 2 ahead of the landfall of Tropical Storm Nicholas.The Port of Corpus Christi remains at Port Condition Level X-Ray from Rockport to the U.S. Mexico border, it said in a release. "Under this condition, owners, operators or agents of all self-propelled oceangoing vessels over 500 gross tons, all barges and their support tugs should review USCG plans to depart or remain in port."(Reporting by Swati Verma in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Royal Dutch Shell on Monday began evacuating staff from a U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil platform, and other energy companies began preparing for hurricane-force winds from a second Gulf Coast storm in as many weeks.Tropical Storm Nicholas was about 105 miles (115 km) south of Port O'Connor, Texas, and moving north with winds of 60 miles per hour (97 kph). It could become a hurricane just ahead of landfall on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.Waves stirred up by Nicholas neared 12 feet (3.7 m) in height were reported outside of Port Aransas…