OCEAN TRANSPORT

SeacorHoldings OrderTwo LPG Carriers

Seacor Holdings Inc. (SEACOR) announced  that it has executed an agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI), through a subsidiary of SEACOR Ocean Transport Inc., for the construction of two Liquefied Petroleum Gas tankers (Very Large Gas Carriers, otherwise known as VLGCs) with expected deliveries in 2014 with an option to purchase up to three additional VLGCs with delivery in 2015.  These vessels will be equipped to meet current and expected environmental and regulatory requirements and feature substantially improved performance and consumption due to a new hull design and the latest generation MAN B&W G-type engines. Seacor anticipates that the new vessels will be managed by Dorian (Hellas) S.A. in a pool together with three VLGCs owned by affiliates of Dorian. Dorian also has an option to acquire or co-invest in up to 50% of the vessels under contract and option with HHI.

Ho Named to LASCO Board

Lasco Shipping Co.’s Chief Executive Officer Kenneth M. Novack announced that Steven T. Ho has joined the Lasco Board of Directors. Ho, President of Fairmont Shipping (Canada) Limited, headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, joins George Wood and Anthony Gurnee as outside directors of Lasco. “We’re extremely pleased that Steven Ho has joined our Board,” commented Novack, calling attention to Ho’s over twenty-five years of global shipping experience

Demand Rising to Keep Stuff Cool on Ocean Voyages

Søren Skou, CEO of container shipping giant Maersk Line is keynote speaker at the 4th Cool Logistics Global conference, 24-26 September in Antwerp, Belgium. Mr. Skou will outline Maersk’s position on the critical actions now needed to sustain the future of global refrigerated transport. Over the past decade and more, expansion of refrigerated container ocean services has underpinned growing world trade in an ever-widening range of perishable commodities

Qatar Navigation (Milaha) Increases Net Profit in H1 2012

Qatar Navigation (Milaha) Q.S.C. announce its financial results for the first half of 2012, ending June 30th. Summary financial results are as follows:     •    Operating revenues of QR 1.164 billion vs. QR 1.159 billion for the same period in 2011, an increase of 0.4% year over year.     •    Operating Profit of QR 320 million vs. QR 300 million for the same period in 2011, an increase of 6.6% year over year.

Two 171 MW Floating Power Plants for Venezuela

Waller Marine, Inc of Houston, Texas will soon launch and christen what will become the world’s largest floating power generation facility when installed at a designated site in Venezuela. The two power barges, which Waller has under construction at the Signal International Shipyard in Orange, Texas, will be transferred from their land based construction locations to the water during the next few days and christened by Venezuelan dignitaries at a ceremony at the shipyard on August 21

Dockwise to Finance New Type 0 Vessel

Dockwise Ltd. Board of Directors approved of the commissioning of a newbuild vessel to serve the emerging demand for ocean transports with capacity of above 100,000 metric tons, and the notice of the same date for a special general meeting (SGM) to authorize the proposed rights issue to part-finance the investment.   The SGM of the company was held on Nov. 23 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and all items were resolved in accordance with the Board of Directors' proposals as set out in

Horizon Announces General Rate Increase for Hawaii Cargo

Horizon Lines, LLC announced that it will file a General Rate Increase with the Surface Transportation Board to raise its ocean freight rates for the company's Hawaii service effective January 2, 2006. The amount of increase to be filed varies depending on a number of factors, including rate basis of the ocean freight and the direction and mode of transport.

APL Launches 53-foot Containers into the Market

The first 53-foot ocean-capable containers from shipping leader APL have rolled off the assembly line and were loaded onto the vessel APL Philippines for their initial voyage across the Pacific. Major retailers have snapped up the containers to take advantage of “big-box economics” on the Transpacific Trade from Asia to the U.S. “We took the first order of 53-foot containers from our manufacturer in China and immediately put them to work,” said Bob Sappio

Colle Shipyard Contract, New ASD Tug

John H. Colle, Jr., President of Colle Towing Company, Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., announced that Signet Maritime Corporation has awarded a new-build contract to Colle Shipyard for construction of Signet Weatherly, a Robert Allan designed RAmparts 3200 105-ft x 38-ft by 17.7-ft ASD tug.  The vessel will be built and classed to ABS Maltese Cross, AMS, Ocean Towing Service standards. She will be employed in Signet’s expanding US Gulf and overseas harbor

IMO/EC Report on Meeting

The IMO and the European Commission (EC) issued a Joint Communiqué reporting on the recent meeting between IMO Secretary-General Mitropoulos and EC Commissioner for Transport Barrot. During the meeting, the parties discussed the EC’s Third Maritime Safety Package; EU competencies and IMO treaties; the Green Paper on Ocean and Seas; and EC membership of IMO and relations between the two institutions. Source: HK