Signs New News

ASRY (Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard) signed a representation agreement with AMS to exclusively market ASRY’s products, services and facilities to the Singapore and Hong Kong shipping market, part of ASRY’s new management’s strategic re-alignment of its international agent’s network following the takeover of the National Oil and Gas Authority in the Kingdom of Bahrain (NOGA) of Bahrain’s shares in the company last year.AMS has a network of four offices in Asia.

German LNG Terminal GmbH, the joint venture driving forward Germany’s first LNG terminal in Brunsbuettel, has reached another long-term commercial capacity agreement with an unnamed global LNG player.The gas infrastructure company consisting of N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie (Gasunie), Oiltanking GmbH and Vopak LNG Holding B.V said in a press release that the parties agreed on the commitment of a substantial part of the terminal capacity.Negotiations with other interested parties are ongoing. As a result of strong market demand, German LNG Terminal will apply for permits with a total terminal capacity of 8 bcma.Rolf Brouwer, Managing Director of German LNG Terminal GmbH…

UK-based oil and gas exploration and production company Energean Oil & Gas  has signed a Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) with I.P.M. Beer Tuvia Ltd. (IPM) to supply an estimated 5.5 BCM of gas from its Karish and Tanin FPSO over a period of 19 years.According to a release, the contract is subject to necessary approvals and is contingent on results of the 2019 drilling programme, which includes the drilling of four wells in Israel and commences with the spud of Karish North in March 2019, targeting 36.8 BCM (1.3 Tcf) of gas with a volume weighted geological chance of success of 69%.The agreement adds between 0.265 and 0.38 BCM/yr of gas sales, commencing in approximately 2024.

Sempra Energy, the US group that aims to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility near Ensenada, Mexico, to serve customers in Asia moved closer to becoming reality as the natural gas utilities holding company  announced agreements with three international firms.The San Diego-based company announced in a press release that  that its subsidiaries Infraestructura Energetica Nova  (IEnova) and Sempra LNG & Midstream have signed three Heads of Agreements (HOAs) with affiliates of Total, Mitsui & Co. and Tokyo Gas Co. for the full export capacity of Phase 1 of the Energia Costa Azul liquefied natural gas (ECA LNG) project located in Baja California…

Greece-based ship-owning company TOP Ships announced that it has agreed a new time charter employment contract for 2 years with BP Shipping Ltd for its product/chemical tanker M/T Eco Revolution.The international owner and operator of modern, fuel efficient “ECO” tanker vessels currently focusing on the transportation of crude oil and petroleum products, said in a press release that the new time charter will commence in January 2019 immediately after the expiry of the present time charter employment contract.The revenue backlog expected to be generated by this fixture is about $10 million.The release quoted Evangelos Pistiolis, the President…

GasLog Partners announced that it has entered into a new multi-year time charter for the GasLog Sydney with a wholly owned subsidiary of Cheniere Energy scheduled to commence in 2018. The charterer has options to extend the charter for up to two consecutive periods at escalating rates. GasLog Sydney is a 155,000 cbm tri-fuel diesel electric liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier built in 2013 and currently on a multi-year time charter with a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc through September 2018. The vessel is currently undergoing a scheduled dry-docking during which the Partnership is enhancing its future marketability through the installation of a reliquefaction module.

Ocean Rig UDW, an international contractor of offshore deepwater drilling services, today announced that it has signed a new drilling contract with Tullow Namibia, for a one-well drilling program plus options for drilling offshore West Africa. The contract is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2018 and to be performed by the Ocean Rig Poseidon. Pankaj Khanna, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, said: "We are pleased to announce additional work for the Ocean Rig Poseidon. Ocean Rig is an international offshore drilling contractor providing oilfield services for offshore oil and gas exploration, development and production drilling, and specializing in the ultra-deepwater and harsh-environment segment of the offshore drilling industry.

Gulf of Mexico vessel builders – and their customers – adapt to a lean offshore market. After oil prices plunged in late 2014 – pressured by shale output – demand for offshore vessels in the Gulf of Mexico shrank, day rates for boats fell and non-working units were idled. This year, several GoM boat builders filed for Chapter 11, or voluntary bankruptcy, while others consolidated. The most diversified companies kept their heads above water. Today, the outlook's a bit brighter. Crude oil prices hit bottom early last year. Tidewater Inc.

The twice yearly meeting of BIMCO’s Documentary Committee took place in Hamburg on 19 November. In his first meeting as Chairperson of the Committee, Belgium’s Francis Sarre presided over the adoption of several new contracts and clauses and an update of BIMCO’s extensive suite of bills of lading and waybills. Two new owner representatives joined the Committee from Canada and Brazil, reflecting the importance of the Americas in BIMCO’s global coverage of documentary matters. In addition to the adopted contracts and clauses, the Committee also heard and commented on progress reports on a number of ongoing projects and agreed to start work on several new items. The first of the newly adopted contracts was the LNGVOY Voyage Charter Party for the transportation of liquefied natural gas.

ASRY (Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard), a shipyard in the Arabian Gulf, has signed a representation agreement with Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders Ltd (SRS) to exclusively market ASRY’s products, services and facilities to the U.K. shipping market. The move comes as part of ASRY’s strategic realignment of its agent network that has seen several new agents sign with ASRY recently. Nils Kristian Berge, ASRY Chief Executive said of the new signing, “We are streamlining our agent network to remind our key markets, historically and going forward, of ASRY’s leading position in the Arabian Gulf shipyard scene. Like ASRY, SRS has a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1968 as the first independent U.K.

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) informs that it has entered into a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) establishing the policies and procedures regarding the survey and classification of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF). The agreement expands the working relationship that has existed between ABS and MARAD since the agency's inception in 1950, updating the last MOA signed in 1999. The new agreement, signed by Maritime Administrator Paul N. Jaenichen and ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki, lays out several significant changes that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the ABS-MARAD relationship.

Euroseas signs new building agreements for the acquisition of two fuel efficient kamsarmax drybulk carriers and announces new acquisition for its joint venture Euromar. Euroseas Ltd., a Greek owner and operator of drybulk carriers and container vessels and provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk and containerized cargoes, announced today that it has signed a contract for the acquisition of two Eco design kamsarmax fuel efficient drybulk carriers. The vessels will have a carrying capacity of 82,000 dwt each and will be built at Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Co. The two newbuildings are scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2015 and in the fourth quarter of 2016. The total consideration for these two newbuilding contracts is a bit below $60 million.

Essex-based CTruk said it topped off a busy first day at Seawork International by signing an agreement with a new client, Paul Knight, for their now proven composite 20T multi-purpose catamaran design. Isle of Mull-based Paul started his own shellfish export business at the age of 18 and has always had a head for opportunities. Later adding a commercial fishing arm to PDK Marine, Paul bought his first vessel seven years ago and has owned several since. It was in 2010 that his attention turned to the progress of offshore wind farm construction around the U.K.…

NorSea AS signs new contract for the supply of base services related to the development of the Martin Linge oilfield and Total’s oil exploration. Under the contract, valued at approximately NOK 400-million over a contractual period of 8 years + 8 annual options, NorSea will be supplying base services related to project development and operation of the Martin Linge oilfield, and general oil exploration operated by Total. The Martin Linge contract includes supply base services such as loading and unloading, material handling, storage facilities, outdoor storage area, personnel and forklift trucks, plus installation and operation of RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology involved in tracking critical drilling and operating equipment.

Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. has announced that a new service agreement has been signed with Maersk Oil Qatar AS ("MOQ") for FSO Africa, a floating storage and offloading service vessel (FSO) jointly owned by OSG and Euronav N.V. (Euronext Brussels: EURN). The new agreement, which supersedes the previous FSO Africa contract, has a firm term of five years commencing October 1, 2012 and provides MOQ with an extension option for an additional term of either one or two years. In addition to the extension of the minimum contract term by over four years, the new agreement provides for an increase in the daily hire rate earned in each firm contract year to the same daily hire rate schedule as for the existing MOQ service contract for FSO Asia, its sister vessel.

Euronav has announce that TI Africa Limited, the owner of FSO Africa, has signed a new agreement with Maersk Oil Qatar AS (MOQ) for the provision of FSO services on the Al Shaheen field offshore Qatar. The contract has a fixed duration of five years beginning 1 October 2012 with an option granted to MOQ to extend the contract period for either one or two years. The new agreement extends to MOQ use of the full capacity and functionality against an increase of the daily hire earned in each contract year equal to the daily hire rate schedule of the existing service contract for FSO Asia, its sister vessel. FSO Asia has been operating on the Al Shaheen field for two and a half years and FSO Africa for over two years.

Pacific Drilling Services, Inc. has signed a contract with ABS Nautical Systems to implement the NS5 Enterprise Hull Inspection module on four of its drill ships through the ABS Offshore Newbuild Program. The Houston based company will also receive Survey Planning Documents for each drill ship. The primary intent of this document is to identify areas of the hull structure that are to be surveyed, which can then be used as a means for maintaining compliance with classification. Pacific Drilling Services will utilize these tools on their newest drill ships, laying the foundation for sound hull integrity for the entire service life of their vessels.

Shell signed two offshore oil and gas Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) with CNOOC, and a PSC amendment with CNPC for a new development phase for the Changbei gas field in China. Shell has also entered an agreement with CNOOC for its participation in two Shell exploration blocks offshore Gabon, West Africa. The two offshore oil and gas PSCs with CNOOC are for blocks 62/02 and 62/17 in the Yinggehai Basin. Shell, as operator, will apply advanced seismic acquisition and processing technologies to conduct 3D seismic data surveys in the Yinggehai blocks. Shell will cover the costs for the acquisition of seismic data and will use advanced drilling technologies to drill exploration wells during the exploration phase.

Global Ship Lease, Inc. signs new time charters with CMA CGM for two 4,113 TEU containerships. $9,962 per vessel per day, commencing upon expiration of the current time charters on September 20 and 21, 2012, respectively. The time charters for the Ville d'Aquarius and the Ville d'Orion were executed under an agreement entered into with CMA CGM, providing Global Ship Lease with the option to obligate CMA CGM to charter the vessels at an index-linked rate, with a floor of $8,500 per day. Ian Webber, Chief Executive Officer of Global Ship Lease, said, "We are pleased to have signed new time charters for these two ships with CMA CGM. These…

Saujana Marine Sdn Bhd has signed an agreement for the use of ABS Nautical Systems’ NS5 Enterprise software on two of their 300 pax accommodation barges.   Based in Malaysia, Saujana Marine SDN BHD is an integrated marine support service company for the Oil & Gas industry.  The company will implement the Maintenance Manager and Drawings Management modules through the ABS Newbuild Program, which offers free software to ABS-classed vessels built after 1 January 2009. The Maintenance Manager software provides Saujana Marine SDN BHD the ability to track vessel maintenance trends including repair history, work orders, service requisitions, while Drawings Management allows access to an electronic library of vessel-specific drawings, images and documents.

Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd. (NYSE: EXM), an owner and operator of dry bulk carriers and an international provider of worldwide seaborne transportation services for dry bulk cargoes, entered into new period charter agreements for yet another two of its vessels. • Panamax M/V Grain Harvester (76,417 dwt; built in 2004) has been fixed for a period of 10-13 months at a gross daily rate of $11,250. As a result of these additional charters, the company has 100% coverage of its Capesize vessels; 60% coverage of the entire fleet.

Grandweld Shipyards announced a contract award to design, build and deliver two 21.3M service/crew boats for Kuwait Oil Tanker Company. Contract signing was held today November 29, 2011 at Grandweld Shipyards facilities in Al Jadaf, Dubai, and the contract was signed between Mr. Jamal Abki, Grandweld General Manager, and Mr. Faisal Ali, KOTC Deputy Managing Director. The 21.3M vessels will be powered via twin waterjet installation to ensure high speed and maneuvering capabilities…

Karoon Shipyard, as one of the Iranian private companies in shipbuilding and repair, has won its first new project in New Year. According to a report, Vice President Mahmood Rastkar declared on that, "this supply boat with length 118 ft and 40 ton bullard pull will be equipped with bow thruster and delivery time will be at the end of 2011. Total cost estimation is $2.2m. This vessel is designed according to National Iranian Oil Company (NITC) requirement. www.karoon-shipyard.com