Growth Continues News

The most important of all international maritime safety conventions is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The first version was adopted at a conference in London in 1914. The catalyst for this conference was the sinking of the Titanic on her first voyage in April 1912, which cost the lives of more than 1,500 passengers. This was the beginning of the journey that put in place a regulatory framework to protect those who work and travel by sea.Whilst the sinking of the Titanic was not fire-related…

With the launch of a completely new pump design for liquefied natural gas (LNG), Svanehøj claims to be the first supplier on the marine market to offer both deepwell pumps and submerged pumps for electric fuel systems.The demand for LNG is increasing, and LNG-powered ships are being ordered like never before. Svanehøj is now building on the growth of recent years within liquefied gas solutions with an investment in a new electric submerged pump design for LNG-powered ships. The…

BP Plc began turning off production at three platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico and evacuating workers because of the threat from Tropical Storm Cristobal, forecast to make landfall in Louisiana over the weekend, the company said.Norwegian state-oil company Equinor ASA began evacuating non-essential workers on Wednesday and plans to shut production on Friday at its Titan oil platform if the storm continues along its projected path, spokesman Hasting Stewart said.Occidental Petroleum Corp also began flying non-essential workers to shore from central Gulf of Mexico operations…

Finnish shipbuilding company Meyer Turku Oy (known as the Turku shipyard) announced that the supply orders of the shipyard got almost doubled in two years."The value of supply orders to the shipyard has grown very strongly. It has almost doubled in two years (+ 84 %). The value of the supply orders was approximately EUR 933 million in 2018 when the corresponding figure in 2016 was approximately EUR 508 million," said a press release from the shipbuilder located in Turku, Finland Proper.The value of domestic supply orders of Meyer Turku increased by 64 percent to approximately EUR 638 million at the time in question. Correspondingly, the value of foreign supply orders increased by 150 percent to approximately EUR 295 million."Our order books extend for the moment to the year 2025…

Switzerland-headquartered  geotechnical engineering and offshore drilling company Geoquip Marine has announced the appointment of industry veteran Jean-Luc Laloe to its Board of Directors.Jean-Luc, who has almost 40 years of experience in the offshore oil and gas industry, has joined as an independent non-Executive Director.Jean-Luc originally entered the Offshore Engineering and Construction industry in 1980 and in the course of his career he has worked with Technip, Stolt Offshore, and Acergy /Subsea 7. He has held a wide variety of positions with a broad portfolio of responsibilities, including CFO and CEO.Jean-Luc becomes the second major board appointment to Geoquip in a matter of weeks and he will work with Arvid Trolle…

Meyer Turku Group reported a turnover of €969.7 million for 2018, up from €808.2 million the year prior. The Finnish shipbuilder, which recorded €29 million in profits for 2018, said its financial figures indicate a good, steady company growth.“We are on a good path to meet the goals we have set,” said Meyer Turku CEO, Jan Meyer. “We need to, however, double our production in the next four years to meet the demands in our order book.”In 2018 Meyer Turku delivered one ship, New Mein Schiff 1, to German TUI Cruises, and New Mein Schiff 2 was handed over to the same owner in January 2019.

Cruise vacations are growing increasingly popular in Asian markets, according to the latest report from trade association Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).Asian-sourced ocean cruise passenger numbers hit another record high in 2017 with more than 4 million taking an ocean cruise (up 20.6 percent), CLIA’s 2018 Asia Cruise Trends report revealed.Asia accounted for about 15 percent of total global ocean passenger volume in 2017 as mainland China maintained its dominance as a key source market…

The Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA) and APM Terminals boards of directors in separate actions have approved a $49.5 million expansion of the container facility at the Port of Mobile. The Port Authority and APM Terminals jointly will deliver a Phase 3 expansion that includes a dock extension and an additional 20 acres of improved yard to maintain excess capacity to accommodate new business opportunities. When completed, the project will accommodate an annual throughput capacity of 650,000 TEU. “The Phase 3 expansion enables us to stay well ahead of the growth pattern we’ve seen in the Port of Mobile, as well as add dock space to support the growing vessel sizes that are coming to the terminal.

The Cruise Lines International Association, has released the findings from two new reports about the Asian Cruise market. The first, 2017 Asia Cruise Trends, is a comprehensive analysis of the cruise industry within Asia. The second, the 2016 North Asia Economic Impact Study, reveals the economic impact the cruise industry has had to the North Asian market. “While the Asian cruise market has grown tremendously within the past four years – it has the potential to capture a much larger percentage of the Asian population…

McDonough Marine Service has launched its latest barge design series at the Westport Orange Shipyard in Orange, Texas. The M 2820 (282’L x 54’W x 12’6”H, with 3,000 lbs/sq.ft. deck load rating) was delivered on-schedule, and is expected to bring greater possibilities to Project Cargo transportation on the inland waterways. “As growth continues to develop in the infrastructure, petrochemical and power generation markets, the engineered components and modules are increasing in both size and weight,” stated Pat Stant, President of McDonough Marine Service.

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans and the St. Louis Regional Freightway today entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to exchange market and operational information with the goal of growing trade and building upon existing and new business relationships between the two regions and critical ports. The agreement also calls for joint marketing efforts to meet those objectives. The MOU is the culmination of discussions begun during a September 2016 visit to St. Louis by top officials for the Port of New Orleans. At that time, it became evident that it would be mutually beneficial to foster even greater collaboration and leverage the intermodal connectivity between the Port of New Orleans and the St. Louis region.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie commenced Operation Taconite Monday in response to developing ice conditions in the commercial ports of western Lake Superior and the St Marys River. Operation Taconite is the Coast Guard’s largest domestic ice-breaking operation, encompassing Lake Superior, the St. Mary’s River, the Straits of Mackinac and Lake Michigan. As a result of the operation, certain waterways may close after due consideration is given to the protection of the marine environment…

The port of Antwerp handled 53,265,552 metric tons of freight in the first three months of this year, 3.9 percent more than in the same period last year. The container volume in TEU did particularly well with growth of 4.6 percent, while liquid bulk rose to new heights with growth of 10.6 percent. Overall, last month was the best month ever recorded in the port of Antwerp in terms of freight volume handled. The container tonnage rose by 3.2 percent during the first quarter, finishing at 29,143,365 metric tons. This corresponds to a volume of 2,459,847 TEU, up 4.6 percent on the same period last year. The ro/ro volume for its part remained almost static, up just 0.4 percent to 1,111,278 metric tons. On the other hand the number of cars handled rose by 5.7 percent, to 308,484 units.

Dry bulk shipping is facing a perfect storm and requires drastic supply side measures if the industry is to return on course to profitability in the medium term, according to the latest edition of the Dry Bulk Forecaster report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. Drewry estimates that if dry bulk ship-owners collectively removed half of all capesize ships over 12 years old, equating to around 20 million dwt of capacity, it would enable earnings to return to profitability by 2018. If they were to remove all old capsize vessels the recovery would occur even sooner (see chart below). This could be achieved through a combination of scrapping and temporary vessel idling.

The Georgia Ports Authority handled a total of 321,094 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEUs) containers in October 2015, an additional 9,335 units, or 3 percent increase over the same period last year. For the fiscal year to date (July-October), the GPA has moved 1.27 million TEUs, up 74,754 units, or 6.2 percent. “Month over month container volume growth continues to outperform expectations,” said Foltz in his report during GPA’s board meeting Monday. “Inflated volumes in 2014 due to West Coast cargo diversions are beginning to return to normal levels. We are optimistic consumer spending in the U.S. Also during the November meeting, the Authority approved $12.75 million in spending for a 63-acre expansion of the Port of Brunswick’s vehicle storage area.

essDOCS announced that Non-Executive Board Member, Andre Toet, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors, succeeding Barry Williams, who is standing down after chairing the board since 2013, having previously served a term as Chairman from 2006 to 2011. Andre Toet possesses over 30 years of maritime industry experience and has held numerous supervisory board positions, of which PortInfolink (subsequently Portbase), directly supported his previous role as Non-Executive Board Member for essDOCS. He has served as Managing Director of P&O Nedlloyd Europe, CEO of Maersk Central Europe, COO of the Port of Rotterdam and, since 2011, CEO for Sohar Industrial Port Company in Oman.

As ongoing commodity price pressures continued to impact overall tonnage volumes through the St. Lawrence Seaway in September, the shipping industry was buoyed by a number of investments in recent weeks by ship operators and ports, according to the Chamber of Marine Commerce, an association representing Canadian and American marine industry stakeholders. “Despite slower iron ore and coal, growth continues on the Seaway in shipments for domestic sectors like construction, salt mining, agriculture and manufacturing,” said Stephen Brooks, President of the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

We are proud to announce that Turkey-based Ulusoy Denizyollari Isletmeciligi A.S. has selected the Trojan Marinex Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) system to retrofit 12 vessels, including bulk carriers. The project was secured in conjunction with Trojan Marinex Turkish channel partner Esko Marine. “Being the first in the world to have submitted for United States Coast Guard Type Approval, we are committed to providing vessel owners the certifications they need to not interrupt their business of trade,” says Christian Williamson, Senior Vice President, Trojan Technologies. “Ulusoy required not only regulatory compliance confidence but also a solution that was both compact and seamless to operate, minimizing disruption to the vessel and crew.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance, a marine cargo operating partnership of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, saw container volumes grow for the sixth straight month in August, improving nearly 15 percent compared to August 2014. According to the Alliance, the increase is significant, as peak shipping season hit early last year as shippers sought to avoid possible West Coast labor disruptions during contract negotiations. Last month’s volumes hint at the beginning of 2015’s peak season. Full containerized imports and empty containerized exports continued to fuel the growth.

Global marine terminal operator DP World today announced strong financial results from its global portfolio of marine terminals for the six months to 30 June 2015, delivering profit attributable to owners of the Company before separately disclosed items of $405 million, up 21.9% compared to the first half of 2014. Profit for the period attributable to owners of the Company before separately disclosed items of $405 million; (1H2014 attributable income of $332 million)  Acquisitions of EZW helps boosts profit attributable to owners of the Company before separately disclosed items by 21.9%. EPS rises correspondingly as there has been no equity issued in connection to our investment activity.

The Georgia Ports Authority reported that its terminals in Brunswick and Savannah moved a combined 2.79 million tons of freight in October, a record for the authority. "Strong growth across all key sectors of our business is an indication that our ports are reaching a larger and more diverse customer base," said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. For the fiscal year to date, the GPA has moved 10.28 million tons, up 7.2 percent or 694,045 tons. Savannah's Garden City Terminal handled a record 311…

Cargo and passenger handling rise by 3%. Handling in the Port of Kiel continued to grow in the first half of the year. A total of 3.24 million tons of cargo were handled in the first six months of 2014 which is an increase of 3% over the same period of last year. In the passenger sector, about 900,000 ferry and cruise ship passengers – a rise of 3.1% - embarked or disembarked. The main pillar of growth was once again ferry traffic, which accounted for 80% of all handling. Routes…

Over the past decade Blessey Marine has coasted on a growth curve taking delivery of a large number of Cummins-powered pushboats for their inland fleet. The vessels are sized to share a common versatility with the draft and horsepower to work both the shallower waters of the Intracoastal Waterway and power for the big flows of the Mississippi River. A look at the company equipment list (http://www.blessey.com/Equipment/Vessels/EquipmentList.pdf ) shows a number of vessels with either 1700 or 2000 horsepower. The lower HP boats are 76 feet long while the higher HP boats are 80 to 88 feet long. Both sets of vessels are fitted with a pair of the popular K38M main engines. The 76-footers each have the engines with an 850-HP rating while the larger hulls have the 1000-HP rating.