Used Vessels

Stolt-Nielsen to Buy 3 Used Tanker Ships

The AP has reported that Stolt-Nielsen SA is buying three used tanker ships for about $40 million. The company said its wholly owned subsidiary, Stolt-Nielsen Transportation Group, has exercised an option to purchase the tankers, currently on charter, from Montana Ship Holding AS. According to Stolt-Nielsen, it chartered the ships in December 2001 with an option to buy at any time. The company said the three ships are to be converted at a cost of $7.5 million to meet new safety regulations that will take effect Jan. 1 next year. Stolt-Nielsen said it anticipates the ships will allow it take advantage of growth prospects for the parcel tanker market. It also said the used vessels will help it save money since the cost of shipbuilding is at historic highs. American depositary shares of Stolt-Nielsen fell 55 cents to $31.20 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.

Planned Tanker Age Curbs Seen As Insufficient

Age limits being imposed on tanker chartering by oil companies do not address the use of ships like the Erika, which broke up off France in December, shipping industry sources said. Companies are opting not to use large vessels, above either 80,000 or 100,000 dwt, more than 20 years old unless they have extra safety certificates. However, the age limit is higher for smaller tankers - at 25 years - partly because there are not enough newer ships

McDermott Awarded Two Saudi Aramco Contracts

McDermott International, Inc subsidiary awarded two projects for Saudi Aramco in the Arabian Gulf in the Karan, Safaniya and Zuluf fields The first project, Karan-45, comprises fabrication of a new wellhead platform, auxiliary platform, jacket and link bridge, with subsea installation of a 20-inch flowline and a 15kV composite power and fiber optic cable. Project management, engineering and procurement will be undertaken at McDermott’s engineering office in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia

SCA: Tanker Rates Justify Higher Construction Prices

The vessel retirement schedule in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 will force retirement over the next five years of at least 12 U.S.-flag product tankers totaling almost 500,000 dwt of capacity (approximately 25 percent of the total U.S.-flag product tanker fleet) and over 50 U.S.-flag tank barges greater than 5,000 gross tons totaling over 1,000,000 dwt of capacity (approximately 45 percent of the total U.S.-flag ocean-going tank barge fleet greater than 5,000 gross tons). The struggling

Obituary: David Parrot, Founder and Former Chief, TITAN Salvage

David Gray Parrot, 65, founder and former chief of TITAN Salvage, passed away in Maine in the comfort of family and friends. Parrot is survived by his wife Penny, sons Hunter and Gage, and a network of friends and family.  A private family service is scheduled for this weekend in Maine. "On behalf of the entire Crowley organization, I extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to David's family, friends and colleagues," said Tom Crowley, Jr

Effectively Assessing Your Risks

One of the greatest challenges facing a lender in the maritime industry is appropriate assessment of risk. In this exciting, varied and vibrant industry, a lender's effective risk assessment requires a thorough understanding of the vagaries that characterize the industry. Many of the companies have been in business for 100 years or more. They have a long family history associated with the sea that has charted their economic destiny for decades.

"We Need to Talk About the Jones Act ..."

This is an open letter to the offshore oil and gas industry operating on the outer continental shelf. Dear Customer: We need to talk about the Jones Act and the other cabotage laws that require you to use U.S.-flag vessels to transport cargo and people from one part of to another.  You already know that, as the association that represents the owners and operators of flag workboats, we are willing to fight to protect the Jones Act

Wind Power Seen Surging as Custom Barges Cut Cost

Offshore wind-power producers from Dong Energy A/S to RWE AG are building custom ships at record rates to reduce the cost of the technology which is  three times as pricey as electricity from coal plants. As many as 20 vessels, some with movable legs which reach the seafloor, will come onto the market in the next few years, reducing chartering costs of as much as 200,000 euros ($261,000) a day, said Marc Seidel, an offshore engineer at Suzlon Energy Ltd

Military Uses for High-Speed Vessels

By Lara B. Mathews and Karim K. Shehadeh High-speed aluminum vessels are well-recognized and established as providing excellent service in a number of capacities by both private and public operators. These uses include leisure travel and tours and mass transportation of passengers and vehicles. In recent years, the U.S. military has joined the ranks of high-speed vessel users by introducing U.S.-built aluminum twin-hull high-speed vessels for use as Theater Support Vessels (TSVs) and for

EU Mulls Use of Ferries for Troop Transport

European Union governments urged the European Defense Agency (EDA) on January 24 to examine whether high-speed ferries could be used to more rapidly move troops into conflict zones. The idea is based on a system used by the Australian Navy from 1999 to transport troops and equipment to East Timor from the northern city of Darwin using a large commercial catamaran. The 86-meter (282-foot) Jervis Bay catamaran was chartered to the Australian Navy for two years and made 107 trips between Darwin