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13 Mar 2024

Ships Above 12,000 TEU Drive 100% Increase in Average Ship Size

Source: BIMCO

Since 2006, the average container ship has doubled in size to 4,580 TEU and ships with a capacity of more than 12,000 TEU has accounted for 51% of the fleet’s capacity expansion. Today, just 626 ships provide 36% of the fleet’s capacity, and the trend is set to continue as the large ships dominate the order book, says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.When the Emma Maersk was delivered in August 2006, the ship was by far the largest container ship in the world. It is 400 metres long, 56 metres wide and has a capacity of about 17,800 (14,000 TEU when delivered).

28 Nov 2023

Wabtec, Marinsa Win 20-Engine Deal for New Panama Canal Tugboats

Wabtec Corporation and Latin American Channel Partner, Marinsa International, signed a contract to supply the primary power for 10 new hybrid tractor tugboats for the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). Wabtec will deliver two 8L250MDA marine engines for each tugboat. Image courtesy Wabtec

Wabtec Corporation and Latin American Channel Partner, Marinsa International, signed a contract to supply the primary power for 10 new hybrid tractor tugboats for the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). Wabtec will deliver two 8L250MDA marine engines for each tugboat.“Wabtec is delighted to power the new hybrid Panama Canal tugs with the 8L250MDA marine engines,” said Tammy Gromacki, Wabtec’s Vice President of Marine, Stationary and Drill. “We are honored, through our partnership with Marinsa


06 Apr 2021

Oldendorff Orders Two Ultramax Bulk Carriers

(Photo: Oldendorff Carriers)

German shipowner Oldendorff Carriers revealed on Tuesday that earlier this year it ordered two 61,300 dwt Ultramax newbuilds from Dalian Cosco Kawasaki Ship Engineering Co Ltd (DACKS) for delivery July 2022.The 61,300 Ultramaxes are of the Kawasaki eco design, of which Oldendorff had previously built nine units at DACKS and sister yard NACKS until 2019. The vessels feature Masada / Mitsubishi cranes, bollards for the new Panama Canal, Erma First ballast water treatment systems (BWTS)


20 Feb 2020

Shipping Industry Faces $370 mln Hit From New Panama Canal Charge

© searagen / Adobe Stock

A new "freshwater" charge that came in this month to help the Panama Canal cope with climate change will cost the shipping industry up to $370 million a year, marking another blow for maritime companies already hit by fallout from the coronavirus.The Panama Canal, one of world's busiest shipping routes, which handled nearly 14,000 transits last year, said last month it would introduce a charge from Feb. 15 of $10,000 for any vessel more than 125 feet long.The canal, which relies on water from nearby Gatun Lake, has been hit by drought which affects water levels in the chokepoint.

22 Feb 2019

MHI: LNG Carrier "Marvel Crane" Christened

Marvel Crane (Photo: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd)

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding held a christening ceremony on February 21 for the next-generation LNG (liquefied natural gas) carrier currently under construction for Mitsui & Co., Ltd.The new ship, named Marvel Crane, is a design that significantly improves both LNG carrying capacity and fuel performance due to the adoption of efficient hull structure and hybrid propulsion system. Completion is scheduled for March 2019, after which the Marvel Crane will be put into service, transporting LNG for the Cameron LNG Project in the U.S., in which Mitsui & Co.

03 Jan 2019

Imabari Confirms Newbuilding Order for 12 Container Carriers from Evergreen

Japanese ship building marine engineering and service company Imabari Shipbuilding, with the cooperation of Marubeni Corporation,has secured a newbuilding order of twelve units of 11,000TEU Container Carriers for Evergreen Line, Taiwan.Having dimensions of about 334m in length with about 48.4m breadth service speed in about 23 knots, loading capacity is over 11,000TEU, said a press release."Like our other Ultra large-size containers with track record, this Vessel is adopted with eco-friendly hull form design and Twin-Islander enhancing more loading capacity to compare with our former design," it said.Also, she is able to go on many service routes such as between Asia - North/South America - Europe flexibly to restrict her breadth below 49m for passing through the new Panama Canal


02 Nov 2017

Robert Allan Ltd. Designs for the American Market

(Photo: Robert Allan Ltd.)

Being based just across the open border between Canada and America since 1930, Robert Allan Ltd. has developed a deep understanding of the American market and just how our ship designs can be tailored to suit our neighbors’ requirements. America is unique in many ways. The current designs of American towing vessels are largely the result of domestically focused requirements not encountered elsewhere. As a result, Robert Allan Ltd. has had to learn to treat America as unique and not to assume means and methods used elsewhere will suit the U.S. market. A simple example is the use of the U.S.

24 Aug 2017

CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt Breaks Panama Canal Capacity

The Panama Canal welcomed the largest capacity vessel to ever transit the Expanded Locks, the CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt. CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt  became the largest container ship ever to cross the new canal. Leaving the Port of Yangshan on July 28th, the CMA CGM giant crossed the new Panama Canal on August 22th. "Today's transit not only represents the growing success and adoption of the expanded canal, but also its impact on reshaping world trade," Jorge Quijano, the Panama Canal's adminstrator, said in a statement following the Theodore Roosevelt's passage. A notable event as, after 9 years of construction, the new canal was inaugurated a year ago. It is the first time a vessel of 14,000 TEUs is going through the revamped canal.

07 Jun 2017

DNV GL Grants AiP for Kawasaki's New MOSS Tank

KHI's new non-spherical (MOSS) tank is a IMO Independent Type B LNG tank that has been developed for use in 180KM3 LNG carriers. (Photo:  KHI)

DNV GL has awarded Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd (KHI) an Approval in Principle (AiP) for its newly developed non-spherical (MOSS) tank. The new tank is a IMO Independent Type B LNG tank that has been developed for use in 180,000 m3 LNG carriers designed to pass through the new Panama Canal. KHI said that the new tank has the same reliability as a spherical (MOSS) tank, but has an increased cargo capacity of 15 per cent. It can also be used with the “Kawasaki Panel System”, an advanced heat insulation system developed by KHI.

01 May 2017

Disney Wonder First Passenger Vessel To Transit New Panama Canal

The Disney Wonder transited the Panama Canal on Saturday as the first passenger vessel to go through the canal's new set of locks, marking a milestone for the cruise industry. The Disney Cruise Line 2,713-passenger ship was transformed in late 2016, expanding the length of the Disney Wonder to 984 feet. Headlining the ship's enhancements are new imaginative spaces for children – including areas themed to the Marvel Universe and Disney's "Frozen" – a jazzy restaurant inspired by Disney's "Princess and the Frog," and an authentic neighborhood English pub with subtle nods to classic Disney films. The Disney Wonder Panama Canal crossing is part of a 14-night voyage from Port Canaveral


05 Apr 2017

DSME, DNV GL Partner for Efficient LNG Carrier Design

Johan Petter Tutturen, DNV GL – Maritime Business Director Gas Carriers.  (Photo: DNV GL)

At the Gastech 2017 conference in Tokyo, Japan, DSME and DNV GL presented the results of a joint development project (JDP) for the design of an innovative, efficient LNG carrier based on today’s technology. The project focused on delivering a design which an owner can take straight to the yard and is ready for upcoming market trends and incoming regulations, with an optimal size, hull form, and machinery and electrical systems. “When we look at today’s LNG market we predict that


15 Mar 2017

Meyer's Group Orders Tugs for New Panama Canal Locks

Image: Damen

The Meyer's Group has ordered two Damen ASD 2913 Tugs to operate in the newly expanded Panama Canal. At an official signing ceremony at the Panama Maritime XIII World Conference, Michel Mittelmeyer, Chief Executive Officer said the Meyer’s Group was awarded a contract last year to offer towage support in the new Panama Canal locks. These new tugs fulfill the requirements of the Panama Canal Authority as more powerful vessels, of at least 80 metric tons bollard pull, are needed given the ever-increasing size of vessels, added Mittelmeyer.

21 Dec 2016

Grand Bahama Shipyard Reports Busy 2016

RCCL Liberty of the Seas (Photo: Grand Bahama Shipyard)

Caribbean ship repair yard Grand Bahama Shipyard Limited (GBSL) reported a busy 2016 for retrofit, refurbishments and repairs to vessels from the leading cruise lines. GBSL said it performed work on 20 cruise vessels during 2016, with scope of works included significant propulsion and technical systems overhauls, hull treatment, accommodations and public spaces upgrades and the addition of onboard attraction facilities. The trend continues: for 2017, GBSL has confirmed 23 cruise vessels scheduled for refit, refurbishment or revitalization from its customer base.

23 Aug 2016

Big Tankers' Need for Retrofit Slows Use of New Panama Canal

Photo: Panama Canal Authority

The promise that some oil traders and brokers saw for an expanded Panama Canal to become a new route for large tankers will take longer to realize than expected because many ships must first undergo inconvenient retrofits to transit through the new locks, shipping industry experts said. The modifications to these bigger oil carriers - which mostly involve fittings such as chocks and bollards that secure the ship's dock and tow lines - are needed because the new locks that opened in June use tug boats rather than locomotives to pull vessels.

03 Aug 2016

Maersk Reroutes Asia - US Service Via Panama

Maersk Line will transform its TP12 service in to a standalone, around-the-world service that provides significantly faster transit times between Far East Asia and the US East Coast. From the Far East to the US East Coast the TP12 service will transit the new Panama Canal locks and call the ports of Newark, Norfolk and Baltimore on the US East Coast. On the return leg to Asia, the TP12 will go through the Suez Canal and call the ports of Salalah (Oman), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Singapore. This change will significantly improve Maersk Line’s product offering to shippers on the Far East Asia and the US East Coast trade. “We are changing our TP12 service to provide a better product to shippers in Korea, Northern and Eastern China.

01 Aug 2016

Op/Ed: Fix the HMTF Now 
 or in 2027

Shane Skelton

The Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) has been misused and underutilized for years, leaving U.S. ports and harbors in subpar conditions and disadvantaging the very shippers that pay to modernize and maintain them – to the tune of nearly $2 billion per year. In May, the U.S. House of Representatives’ (House) Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Committee) took a major step in the right direction by passing the Water Resources Development Act of 2016, which among other things


31 Jul 2016

Maiden Call of the Hyundai Saturn to New York

As the leader of customer-focused terminal operations in North America, GCT USA has welcomed the Hyundai Saturn to GCT Bayonne. The Saturn is the first of five Hyundai ships in the G6's New York Express (NYX) service calling the port of New York and New Jersey through the expanded Panama Canal. The Saturn and its sisters are the first Hyundai neo-Panamax class vessels deployed on the Transpacific-US East Coast trade lane, all boasting a cellular capacity of 10,077 TEUs. Serving New York as the first North American port-of-call, the enhanced NYX service connects the largest East Coast market to the carrier's wider network in Latin America and Central/Northeast Asia.

26 Jul 2016

First LNG Vessel Transits Expanded Panama Canal

Today, the Panama Canal marked another milestone with the transit of the first-ever liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier through its expanded locks. Shell-chartered Maran Gas Apollonia—measuring 289 meters in length and 45 meters in beam—arrived Monday from the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast, signaling the arrival of the highly-anticipated segment to the waterway. “The transit of the first LNG vessel through the new Panama Canal locks is a milestone in the waterway’s history,” said Panama Canal Administrator and CEO Jorge L. Quijano. “LNG trade will greatly benefit from the Expansion, and we look forward to welcoming even more LNG vessels through our great waterway.

19 Jul 2016

A Painful Shipping Record – Vessel Scrapping

More containership capacity is being demolished than ever before, including old-design ships made redundant by the new Panama Canal. Drewry checks if this end the current capacity surplus? Now is not a good time to own an old containership. Drewry’s Container Forecaster (June 2016) found that, for the first time, 450,000teu of containership capacity is expected to be scrapped in just one year, as the containership sector recognises that there are far too many ships chasing too little cargo. Based on an average size of 3,000teu for ships which are being scrapped, this means that about 150 mainly old and medium-sized containerships will be pulled out of the market or out of temporary idle positions and sent to the scrapyard in 2016. In 2015, demolitions were less than half this level.

05 Jul 2016

WSS Assists Avance Gas Vessels Transit Panama Canal

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) is moving to ensure that its customers’ vessels pass through the new Panama and Suez Canals with the optimum efficiency, speed and safety thanks to a fresh Ships Agency ‘canal transit’ solution. The service, which will be run by dedicated local teams, has already picked up its first contract, securing an agreement with leading very large gas carrier (VLGC) owner and operator Avance Gas for the Panama Canal transit of its neo-panamax ships Passat and Breeze. WSS, the leading global provider of products and services to the shipping industry, has created 24/7 Transit Desks in both Panama and Egypt. These combine local knowledge with global support and service standards


28 Jun 2016

Panama Canal Expansion: Impacts on the Bunker Industry

Photo: Monjasa

The total volume of the Panama bunker market has increased in recent years as price levels are becoming increasingly competitive to U.S. bunker hubs like Houston, New Orleans and New York. In 2015, reports indicate that approximately 5 percent of the global trade passes through the Panama Canal. And, in the light of this weekend’s historic opening of the new Panama locks, this percentage is expected to grow in the coming years, as an increased number of Post-Panamax containerships


15 Jun 2016

UKHO to Release Digital Charts for Expanded Panama Canal

Photo: UKHO

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is to release five new Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) for the expanded Panama Canal. The new ENCS are produced by the Panama Canal Authority (PCA) and provide end-to-end coverage of the Canal at a scale of 1:10 000. They contain new survey data and up-to-date information for the expanded Canal, which will receive its first official transit on June 26. Jason Scholey, Senior Product Manager at the UKHO, commented: “The Panama Canal serves a vital purpose for international shipping and world trade.

08 Apr 2016

Valparaíso Express Class: Tailor-made for the New Canal

This is how the newbuildings will look like (Image: Hapag-Lloyd)

The new, expanded Panama Canal is set to open soon. Hapag-Lloyd is preparing for the event by optimizing its fleet. Here, we show you what these new ships will look like. The new Panama Canal will usher in a new era in shipping between South America and Europe. Starting soon, huge vessels of the post-Panamax class – capable of carrying up to 14,000 20-foot standard containers (TEU) – will be able to navigate this important trade route. Until now, the upper limit has been just a bit below 5,000 TEU.

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