Five Years

Weak but Steady Growth in Oil & Gas Tanker Fleet

The world fleet of oil, chemical and gas tankers is predicted to continue to grow over the next five years, although at a much more sluggish rate than the previous five years, according to a Shipbuilding Market Report issued this month by Lloyd’s Register - Fairplay (LR Fairplay). The oil tanker fleet, which currently stands at 7,516 ships, is expected to grow by 1.9 percent per year over the next five years in terms of the number of ships. Deadweight ton (dwt) capacity will rise by 5.7 percent annually over the same period, reflecting a movement toward larger ships. New shipbuilding orders for oil tankers will amount to 76 million dwt through the end of 2013, a 60 percent decrease from the shipbuilding binge of the last five years. “The volume of seaborne oil is set to grow next year, although not at the same pace as fleet capacity,” said Niklas Bengtsson, project manager and senior consultant for LR Fairplay. “The record number of shipbuilding orders in 2006 means that a large number of ships are being delivered to owners this year. The gap between supply and demand will therefore continue to grow, which is likely to generate an increasing fleet of idle vessels.” The chronic overcapacity in tanker tonnage will accelerate the scrapping of older ships. Removals of oil tankers through year-end 2013 will amount to 50 million dwt, which is up by 10 percent compared to the previous five years

Seadrill Secures Two New Tender Rig Contracts

Seadrill has been awarded a contract by Chevron for extension of the production drilling assignment for the self-erecting tender rig T4. The contract extension has a duration of five years. The estimated contract value is approximately $156m. The commencement of the new contract is scheduled for second quarter 2008 following a five-year survey after completion of the current contract. T4 is currently operating offshore Thailand.

Stratos Wins Protest of Five-Year Contract

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. has granted the Stratos protest of a five-year U.S. Navy SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare) Inmarsat lease contract award to Comsat. The court ruled the contract awarded this past June was legally invalid, and required the U.S. Navy to retender its request for proposal for the five-year $111.9 million contract. The Court directed the Navy to conclude the recompetition by January 28, 2000.

US Ocean & Coastal Shipping Market Report

A decline in demand for freight transportation leads IBISWorld to update its market report on US Ocean & Coastal Transportation. The transportation sector provides deep-sea, coastal, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway water transportation. The deep-sea shipping activity includes US flagged vessels and non-US flagged vessels. Marine transportation establishments using the facilities of the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority Commission are considered to use the Great Lakes water

Ultra-Deepwater Cajun Express Contract

Transocean Ltd. (NYSE:RIG) announced that the Board of Directors of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) has approved the award of a three-year contract for the ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig Cajun Express for operations in Brazil. Petrobras has the right within one year of contract execution to convert the three-year contract to a five-year contract. Estimated contracted revenues related to the three-year contract term and five-year contract term, if elected, are approximately $558

BOEM Announces Meetings for New GOM Oil & Gas Lease Sales

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold a series of public scoping meetings to gather information for an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed oil and gas lease sales in Gulf of Mexico’s Eastern Planning Area offshore Florida and Alabama. This EIS is for proposed Lease Sales 225 and 226, which are included in the Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017. 

Navios Announces New Time Charters

Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. has secured new time charters for four vessels.Navios TBN Capesize -- Ten-Year Charter Navios TBN Capesize, a 172,000 dwt new building vessel scheduled to deliver in the fourth quarter of 2009, has been chartered-out for ten years commencing upon delivery. The ten-year, net daily charter-out rate will be $41,325 per day. Navios TBN Capesize -- Five-Year Charter Navios TBN Capesize, another 172

MMS Begins Planning Process to Conduct Eastern Gulf Lease Sale 181

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) is beginning a three-year planning process for conducting a Federal natural gas and oil lease sale in Federal waters in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area. The first step in this process is the Call for Interest and Information (Call) and the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed Lease Sale 181, 15 miles offshore Alabama and 100 or more miles offshore Florida.

Danaos to Acquire Three Containerships

Danaos Corporation announced that it has signed contracts to acquire three 4,814 TEU vessels from A.P. Moller-Maersk Group. These vessels, the MC Kinney Maersk, the Mayview Maersk and the Madison Maersk, were delivered to A.P. Moller-Maersk Group from the Odense Staalskibsverft shipyards in 1991. Upon delivery to Danaos these vessels will be renamed to Maersk Marathon, Maersk Messologi and Maersk Mytilini respectively.

Marseilles Confirms Development Link

A development partnership including the Port of Marseilles Authority (PMA) has outlined plans for further expansion of inland waterways traffic following 60% growth in five years. The latest objectives, focusing on container and dry bulk trades for the period 2008-2012, maintain a co-operation agreement signed in 2002 by the port, waterways authority Voies Navigables de France and the Compagnie Nationale du Rhone (CNR) covering 550km of waterways in the Rhone-Saone corridor.