KOTUG Takes Full Ownership of Its Bahamas Towage JV with SEACOR
KOTUG International, a marine services and towage provider based in the Netherlands, announced on Thursday it has concluded its acquisition of Kotug Seabulk Maritime (KSM), taking full ownership of the Caribbean marine towage business.KOTUG said it has acquired the interest of its joint venture partner, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based SEACOR Holdings via its Seabulk subsidiary KS Maritime Holdings, owner of the 50% share in KSM.Founded in 2017, KSM acts as the exclusive provider of maritime terminal support services for Buckeye Partnersâ Bahamas HubâŠ
Seacor Sells Its Caribbean Liner Business
SEACOR Holdings Inc. announced it has concluded the sale of its Caribbean liner and logistics business SEACOR Container Lines LLC (âSEACOR Island Linesâ) to King Ocean Services Ltd. The transaction includes all operations and assets.King Ocean specializes in marine transportation and logistics solutions to close to 50 destinations across the Caribbean and South and Central America out of their Port Everglades facilities in Ft Lauderdale, Fla.âFor 40 years, King Ocean, a multi-generationalâŠ
New Handymax for Nova Marine Carriers
Nova Marine Carriers, the Lugano-based group, controlled by the Romeo and Gozzi/Bolfo families, has taken delivery of a new 38,593 dwt handymax vessel, built in 2019, in Shanghai, acquiring it from a Japanese group.This is the Iris Harmony, renamed Sider Harmony, a latest generation bulk carrier (180 meters long by 30 meters wide) which will be technically managed by the Greek company Pegasus Ocean Services Inc (of the Halkidon/Pegasus group).
DeepOcean Adds Converted Offshore Support Vessel to Its Fleet
Ocean services provider DeepOcean has agreed to charter a converted, battery-powered vessel to further enhance its subsea offering to the offshore renewables and oil and gas industries.DeepOcean has entered into a long-time charter agreement for the Island Condor â to be renamed Island Ocean multi-purpose support vessel (MPSV) â following conversion and upgrade.The vessel has been chartered from Norwegian shipowner Island Offshore., with the contract starting in the third quarter of 2024.
Zero-C Offshore: A New UK Firm Aiming to Address âChronicâ FIV Shortage
The global offshore wind industry is staring down a potential shortage of foundation installation vessel capacity. A new UK company led by former offshore drilling executive Jon Oliver Bryce intends to help tackle this challenge as the industryâs first pure-play foundation installation vessel (FIV) firm.The number of planned offshore wind projects globally is growing, spurred by green targets and a shift away from Russian oil and gas. This growth, alongside a shift toward the next generation of larger offshore wind turbinesâŠ
Levesque Named President of CMA CGM America
French shipping group CMA CGM on Thursday announced it has appointed Peter Levesque to take over as president of CMA CGM America and American President Lines (APL) upon Ed Aldridge's retirement on December 6.Levesque is an international global supply chain executive with more than 30 years of industry leadership experience, who until 2021 was president of Ports America Group. Prior to Ports America, he spent 25 years based in Hong Kong and held leadership positions in international transportationâŠ
Richard W. Spinrad Confirmed to Lead NOAA
Richard âRickâ W. Spinrad, Ph.D., an internationally renowned scientist with four decades of ocean, atmosphere, and climate science and policy expertise, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and the 11th NOAA administrator.âAs an accomplished and respected scientist, educator, communicator and executive, Rick has dedicated his career to the science that is at the core of NOAAâs mission,â said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo.
New LNG ATB Bunker Vessel is a US First
Bunkering ports around the world have long used a variety of small tankers or tug and barge combinations to deliver fuel to visiting ships. Mostly this was heavy oil, but recently a new breed of bunkering vessels is emerging to deliver clean burning liquefied natural gas (LNG) to modern ships with dual-fuel capabilities.The fall of 2020 will see a new addition to this fleet servicing ships in Florida and the Caribbean. As an articulated tug barge (ATB) combination, the vessel will have a cargo capacity of 4,000 cubic meters of LNG.
US Shipyards Forge Ahead Through COVID-19
As the novel coronavirus and its impacts continue to spread across America, U.S. shipbuilders, by and large, continue to build. While most yards have been deemed essential to marine transportation and/or national security and have been able to maintain operations, the situation at and around every shipyard is different, and there are several builders across the country that have had to temporarily suspend activity. In either scenario, itâs far from business as usual for AmericaâsâŠ
Harvey Gulf Hires Dunn as Subsea VP
Harvey Gulf International Marine announced it has hired John Dunn as Vice President of Subsea Vessel Operations, as the US-based services firm looks to grow its subsea business.Dunn, formerly of Oceaneering, has been hired as a member of Harvey Gulf's executive management team to assemble and manage Harvey Gulfâs subsea vessels, team and operations.Prior to Oceaneering, Dunn was the director of operations at Meridian Ocean Services, a subsea service provider acquired by Oceaneering in 2016.
Hamburg, India Sea Trade Up by 17%
In the 2019 first half, 106,000 TEU - 20-ft standard containers - were handled in Hamburg on direct services with Indian ports, a gain of 17 percent. This brought India up into tenth place in Hamburgâs ranking of its trading partners for container transport.With Hapag Lloyd and its partner shipowners ONE, YML and COSCO offering an additional weekly sailing from Hamburg on the IEX - South-East IndiaâEurope Express service from November onwards, the prospects for further growth are good.Ten liner services link the Port of Hamburg with India. Of these, four are container liner services, three are Ro-Ro services transporting vehicles, and three are general cargo servicesâŠ
US-flagged LNG Bunker Barge Launched
Americaâs first offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) barge has been launched for owner Q-LNG Transport, Mississippi shipbuilder VT Halter Marine announced on Wednesday.The Q-LNG 4000 barge, designed to carry 4,000 cubic meters of LNG, with dimensions of 324â x 64â x 32â.6â, will be operated as part of an articulated tug and barge (ATB) unit designed to meet the requirements of American Bureau of Shipbuilding (ABS) and the International Gas Carrier code as an LNG bunkering barge.Its tug, the Q-Ocean Services, is scheduled to launch late October.
VT Halter, Q-LNG Name First LNG ATB
VT Halter Marine, Inc., a ST Engineering North America company, held a vessel naming ceremony for Americaâs first offshore Liquefied Natural Gas Articulated Tug and Barge (LNG ATB) unit.The Q-LNG 4000 (barge) and the Q-Ocean Services (tug) were officially named in a ceremony that included U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, along with Shane Guidry, CEO of Q-LNG, and Tom Vecchiolla, President and CEO of ST Engineering North America.Over the last four yearsâŠ
ABP Bags Maersk Trade Deal
As agreement between Associated British Ports (ABP) container terminal located in Hull and Maersk, the worldâs largest container shipping line, to open a trading link between the north of England and the Far East.The service begins in the New Year into the 21-acre container terminal in Hull which has seen significant recent investment by ABP. The weekly feeder vessels will see ABP handle around 240 boxes per week, equivalent to 12,000 containers per year.âUnlocking this new trade gateway to the rest of the world is not only significant for the local economy, but also for the national and international economy,â said Simon Bird, ABP Humber Director.âWeâre proud to welcome the worldâs largest container shipping lineâŠ
Maersk Moves North-East England Coverage to Hull
A.P. Moller - Maersk, an integrated container logistics company, announced that it is moving its North-East England coverage from Immingham to Hull.The existing connection between Immingham and continental Europe, will change to Hull, enabling better accessibility for local shippers and offering convenient connection with mainline services."Starting January 12th, 2019, the short sea service, operated by BG Freight and currently calling Immingham, will be moved to Hull Container Terminal in East Yorkshire, also operated by Associated British Ports," said a press release from the Danish shipper.âWe are very pleased with the feedback received from our customersâŠ
MSC Annouces Container Train between Trieste and Giengen
Global container shipping lines MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced the launch of a new dedicated train set-up between Giengen (a.d. Brenz) and Trieste, starting mid of November 2018.This stand-alone solution finally offers an A-B connection between metropolitan area of Ulm and the Adriatic, as the fastest gateway to/from Asia and the Mediterranean.The terminal in Giengen is operated by the leading European home appliance manufacturer BSH Hausgeräte GmbH. BSH has identified the huge potential and benefits to their supply chain and has become shareholder and largest single customer on this product.In times of heavily congested inland terminals and scarcity of truck capacitiesâŠ
Twill Replaces Damco with Maersk
Twill, a digital freight forwarder designed to make shipping simple, has announced a change in its brand affiliation from Damco to Maersk.Launched in April 2017, Twill was created as a âDamco innovationâ and operated as a partner with the freight forwarder and supply chain management company, which is part of A.P. Moller - Maersk.The realigning of the brand will make it possible to offer Twill to all Maersk customers, in line with the A.P. Moller - Maersk strategy to become a global integrator of container logistics offering end-to-end solutions.The easy-to-use online Twill platform provides greater control of shipments by offering instant price quotes and bookingâŠ
Op/Ed: USCG Forges the Future of Navigation
Maintaining the system of buoys and beacons that guide mariners through our nationâs waterways is the United States Coast Guardâs oldest mission. Tracing its roots to the ninth law passed by Congress in 1790 that moved lighthouses under Federal control, the U.S. Lighthouse Service and its vast portfolio of buoys, beacons, buoy tenders and lightships were a founding part of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939. Along with the mission, many of the beacons the Coast Guard maintains today date back centuries.
Cox Takes over as Matson Board Chairman
Matson, Inc. president and chief executive officer Matthew J. Cox will succeed retiring chairman of the board Walter A. Dods, the company announced today. The appointment becomes effective at the end of the company's annual shareholdersâ meeting today, as Dods retires in accordance with the company's corporate governance guidelines limiting board membersâ age. âIn my nearly 30 years associated with Matson, I've never felt stronger about its leadership and long-term prospects,â Dods said.
Last Port of Call for the US Merchant Marine?
The privately owned U.S.-flag foreign trading fleet, which is an essential component of U.S. sealift capability, stands on the edge of a precipice. The fleet â roughly stable in terms of cargo carrying capacity from 2000 to 2012 â has declined from 106 vessels in 2012 to 78 vessels at October 30, 2016 primarily because of a substantial decline in available U.S. Government-reserved cargo. The size of the fleet has reached a point where the viability of the U.S.-flag industry involved in foreign trade â including its trained marinersâŠ
Boom at Port Everglades Continues
Broward County's Port Everglades exceeded one-million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, the industry's standard container measurement), for the third consecutive year, reporting a total of almost 1.04 million TEUs and maintaining its status as Florida's number one container port, according to preliminary data for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016. Compared to the prior fiscal year 2015, total TEUs were down by 2 percent from 1.06 million, which Port officials attribute to market fluctuations. However, Port Everglades posted its best September ever with 90,641 TEUs compared to 80,550 TEUs in 2015. Looking at growth over the past five years, TEU throughput is up almost 18 percent from FY2011 to FY2016.
FMC Collects $338,000 In Penalty Payments
Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero announced that the Commission has completed compromise agreements recovering a total of $338,000 in civil penalties. The agreements were reached with one vessel-operating common carrier and six ocean transportation intermediaries (both non-vessel-operating common carriers and ocean freight forwarders). The agreed-to penalties resulted from investigations conducted by the Commissionâs Area Representatives in Houston, Seattle, South Florida, and New York, and by Washington D.C. headquarters staff.
FleetWeather Renamed Accuritas Global Solutions
FleetWeather Ocean Services, experts in business intelligence and analytics for the commercial shipping industry, today opened its doors under a new name and new brand: Accuritas Global SolutionsâŠA business intelligence and analytics company. Executive Vice President Jess Hurwitz announced the name change reflecting continued focus and growth in providing industry-unique business intelligence, analytics and consulting services, and expansion from working within the commercial shipping industry to other modes of global transportation. The new name is effective immediately. âFor the past several years, we have expanded the services we provide to the marine industry to meet the needs of our clients,â stated Jess Hurwitz, Accuritasâ Executive Vice President and CTO.