The Anchorage News

Towards the end of the working week, the Bangladeshi Taka crashed by about 6.4% against the U.S. dollar in a couple of days. This depreciation in the Taka will translate into higher L/C costs that should escalate by about 6% - 7% (at least), reports cash buyer GMS.This will further reduce already suffocated margins that have resulted from flatlining steel plate prices, ensuring that upcoming vessel acquisitions will be more expensive for local recyclers, who will lose out to a firming India…

Esgian reports another busy week filled with a variety of updates, including new offshore acreage offered in the UK, Norway and Nigeria, in its Week 19 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsADES Holding Company has received a direct award of a contract from Suez Oil Company (SUCO) in Egypt. The SUCO award in Egypt’s Gulf of Suez is for a firm 21-month term expected to start in the coming weeks.Noble 492-ft jackup Noble Innovator has been awarded a one-well extension with bp in UK waters at a dayrate of $145…

Fortescue, with the support from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and partners, has completed propulsion and maneuverability trials of its Singapore-registered Fortescue Green Pioneer dual fuel ammonia-powered vessel in the Port of Singapore.The trials were conducted using 6.4 m3 (4.4 tonnes) of liquid ammonia, in combination with diesel and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a second-generation biofuel, as marine fuel over 10 days from April 23, 2024 to May 2…

Activity across the Indian sub-continent ship recycling markets has been climbing on the back of recently witnessed agitations in the trading lanes, reports cash buyer GMS.“A growing number of Ship Owners are biting the recycling bullet and selling their overaged but still trading vessels. Containers have been the first segment to be squeezed out by this recent dip in freight rates as several units were (and continue to be) introduced for a recycling sale,” says GMS.Much of the miniscule supply of tonnage over recent quarters has been focused on the dry and container sectors…

Logistical constraints at the Port of Vancouver mean waterborne oil exports from the highly anticipated Trans Mountain pipeline expansion due to start up on Wednesday may only be around half what the Canadian government-owned corporation has forecast, traders and shipping sources said.The C$34 billion ($24.82 billion) project to nearly triple the flow of crude from Alberta to Canada's Pacific Coast to 890,000 barrels per day is scheduled to start operating on May 1 after years of regulatory delays and construction setbacks.The extra 590…

A ship under the management of Wallem Group rescued a man who had been adrift in the Java Sea for two days last week after he had jumped from a fishing vessel, reportedly in preference to continuing to work without pay.The man was picked up by Angleviken as the LR2 tanker approached anchorage at Balongan, Indonesia on 20th April, after Capt. Bhanu Kundi sighted a floating object approx. 20 degrees port, at approx. 2.5 nm ahead of the vessel and distance from nearest land approx. 12 nm from the ship at 12.30 local time.

Esgian reports that new drilling contracts have been announced in the North Sea and West Africa in its Week 17 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsShelf Drilling (North Sea) has secured a letter of award with an unnamed operator, believed to be TotalEnergies, for the 400-ft jackup Shelf Drilling Fortress for a campaign in the North Sea.Noble 12,000-ft 7th generation drillship Noble Venturer has secured new contracts in West Africa with Trident Energy and Rhino Resources…

“Wind Turbines: The Bigger, the Better” -USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, August 24, 2023Last December the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a proposed sale notice regarding new development areas for utility scale wind projects in the central Atlantic Ocean. The notice includes an upfront issue: the need to mitigate conflicts with U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) activities. BOEM explains that in certain areas the Air Force has set an airspace floor of 1,000 feet above sea level and the Air Force asked BOEM to keep structures below that height.

The CEO of U.S. shipping and logistics company TOTE Group emphasized the importance of the Jones Act in supporting the American maritime industry and economy.Speaking on the American Maritime Podcast, TOTE's CEO, Tim Nolan, said the Jones Act provides the organization with confidence and stability to invest in its fleet and the markets it serves.TOTE's maritime business in 2015 launched the world's first containerships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), for service between Jacksonville, Fla. and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

A containership lost propulsion in a busy New York City waterway just as it was about to pass under the Bayonne Bridge on Friday night—less than two weeks after a presumed power failure caused similarly sized vessel to allide with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report that the Malta-registered APL Qingdao lost propulsion about 8:30 p.m. as it traversed the Kill Van Kull, a shipping late between New York's Staten Island and Bayonne…

The St. Marys River has reopened to vessel traffic after a U.S.-flagged Great Lakes freighter struck a channel light in the waterway.At approximately 1 a.m. on Thursday, the 730-foot bulk carrier American Mariner suffered a marine casualty and went bow-first into the Munuscong Junction Light, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The incident occurred in Munuscong Lake, which is a section of the St. Marys River in Michigan state.The American Steamship Company-owned vessel is operated by Grand River Navigation under a bareboat charter.

Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) has acquired Coastwise Corporation. The Anchorage, Alaska-based firm—an expert in shallow draft, high-speed aluminum and cold weather engineering—has been rebranded as Coastwise Engineering and will operate as a division of EBDG.As part of the agreement, EBDG acquires Coastwise's assets and adds a staff of more than 50 employees. Coastiwse owner and principal, Patrick Eberhardt, joins EBDG as a full-time employee…

The Port of Skagen and Maersk’s offshore vessel-charging venture Stillstrom have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly explore the integration of offshore power and charging solutions into the anchorage zone of the Danish port known as Skagen Anchorage.The strategic collaboration aims to address the pressing need for decarbonization in the maritime industry by leveraging innovative technology and sustainable practices.As one of the busiest anchorage zones in Northern Europe…

With more ships heading around the Cape of Good Hope due to attacks in the Red Sea region and a shutdown in their main South African bunkering operations, Mercuria and Trafigura have started refuelling services in Mauritius, four sources said.The two trading houses have opened operations in Port Louis to compensate for the shutdown at South Africa's Algoa Bay which stems from a tax dispute with authorities, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.Algoa Bay is South Africa's…

Esgian reports that offshore drilling contractors secured additional backlog in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Egypt, Nigeria, and Brazil and operators confirmed new discoveries in Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire, and China in its Week 10 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.ContractsDiamond Offshore has executed a two-year contract extension with a subsidiary of bp in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for the 12,000-ft drillship Ocean BlackHornet.Shelf Drilling’s 250-ft jackup Rig 141 has secured a two-year…

Emergency responders on Wednesday battled a blaze that engulfed multiple vessels in the Anchorage Marina, on the Patapsco River in Baltimore.A good Samaritan alerted U.S. Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region watchstanders to the fire at approximately 9 a.m. and reported that he heard a popping noise and saw two 55-foot boats engulfed in flames.Baltimore City Fire Department said its units arrived on location to find heavy fire and smoke conditions coming from multiple vessels docked at the marina.

Ship traffic in Turkey's Bosphorus Strait is set to resume for northbound vessels as of 1700 GMT on Sunday, after a suspension due to an anchor failure on one ship, the Tribeca shipping agency said.According to a report shared by the agency, the Liberia-flagged tanker Peria's anchor self-released due to bad weather around the Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge area during its passage through the strait and tugs were dispatched for assistance.The ship will proceed to the Kucukcekmece anchorage area under escort tugs, the report also said.(Reuters - Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

The US Coast Guard is continuing to assess a fire reported on the 410-foot general cargo vessel Genius Star XI off Dutch Harbor, Alaska.The vessel is carrying lithium-ion batteries, and the fire started on Christmas Day in cargo hold No. 1. The crew released carbon dioxide into the hold and sealed it over concerns of an explosion.The Coast Guard then diverted the vessel to Dutch Harbor while an HC-130 airplane from Air Station Kodiak and Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley (WMEC-39) were dispatched to assist.The Coast Guard confirmed there are no injuries to the 19 crewmembers.

A Singapore-flagged tanker, Pearl Kenzo, collided with a Chinese-flagged fishing vessel, Suiyupu on December 26 at about 12:08 am (Singapore Time) near Chengshan Jiao, China. Eight fishing vessel crew are missing.The tanker was on its way to Zhoushan from Penglai, China, when the incident happened, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).The China Maritime Safety Administration informed MPA that the fishing vessel had sunk and that the Chinese authorities…

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recommending new notification alarms and procedures for potential incursions on pipelines and a change to an anchorage off the California coast following a crude oil release in 2021 caused by ship anchors damaging an underwater pipeline.NTSB investigators determined that the oil leak, which began on October 1, 2021, in San Pedro Bay, resulted from an anchor strike on the pipeline that occurred eight months earlier, when anchors…

A Portuguese-registered bulk carrier ran aground outside Belle Isle Anchorage in the Detroit River, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The 623-foot freighter Barbro G reportedly went soft aground at 7:37 a.m. on Monday. The vessel is said to be carrying 21,000 tons of wheat to Italy.No pollution, damage, injuries or impact to commercial traffic have been reported. The cause of the incident is under investigation.The U.S. Coast Guard is on scene along with a pair of commercial tugs as the ship's representatives works with U.S.

A fire that broke out Thursday aboard the cargo ship Ken off the Philippines has been extinguished, the Philippine Coast Guard said.The vessel, owned by Pherwin Shipping Corp., reportedly caught fire near Castilla Anchorage Area in Sorsogon at around 11 a.m. local time.The Coast Guard said it coordinated with the Philippine Navy and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for joint search and rescue and firefighting operations.According to the eight crewmembers on board, the fire started in the vessel's mess hall. No injuries were reported.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded nearly $12 million in grants to eight marine highway projects across the nation under the United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP). The funding will improve the movement of goods along our navigable waterways and expand existing waterborne freight services in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, which will strengthen supply chains and ultimately cut costs for consumers.“Our country has always relied on American waterways to get vital goods where they need to go,” said U.S.