Para News

How the Maximum Contingency of 2,200 MW Was Recast to a 1,200 MW CeilingAs policy makers and energy developers look to develop and interconnect large offshore wind projects in the most economically efficient and least environmentally impactful way, an issue has developed. A relatively recent limit, set in place by the grid operator in New England in a planning process document, states that no single system loss of energy, or “contingency”, can be larger than 1,200 megawatts (MW). This 2016 addition to ISO New England’s (ISO-NE) Planning Procedure No.

For centuries, riverside communities, including the "quilombola" descendants of enslaved Africans who escaped from plantations and ranches, have shared Xingu Island in Brazil's Amazon Basin.Its inhabitants live in brightly painted wooden houses overlooking rivers where small boats crisscross between islands and Abaetetuba city on the mainland to trade fish, seeds and fruits gathered from the Amazon forest in their backyard.In 2016, however, strangers docked on Xingu Island, in Para state…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has informed that on August 30, naming and launching ceremonies were held for the second of Japan's first two LNG-fueled ferries. The ferries were ordered from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd..The ceremonies were held at the Enoura Plant of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Japan.MOL Chairman Junichiro Ikeda named the vessel the "Sunflower Murasaki."On hand for the rope-cutting honors was para-athlete Maya Nakanishi, who has ties to both Osaka and Oita Prefecture, homes to the ports the new ferry will serve.

A ship financier’s primary security is the mortgaged ship. If the ship becomes a total loss, the mortgage will provide no valuable security, leaving the financier to rely on its rights as assignee and loss payee (and occasionally as co-assured) under the shipowner’s marine insurance policies. However, the owner’s insurers may decline a claim, for example on grounds of breach of warranty or material non-disclosure, or because the loss is not covered by the policy, such as where the owner scuttles the mortgaged ship.

Thirteen people are confirmed dead and another 28 are thought to be missing after a river boat sank in the northern Brazilian state of Amapa, the state government said on Monday.Another 46 people were rescued after the sinking of the vessel late on Saturday roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the municipality of Laranjal do Jari in the Amazon rainforest, the government said in a statement on its website.Local news website G1 reported the vessel was making a roughly 36-hour journey between the cities of Santana in Amapa state and Santarem in neighboring Para.

Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) announced that its U.S. company Vision Technologies Systems (VT Systems) has set up a subsidiary ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore, based in Pascagoula, Miss., with share capital of US$10 (approximately S$13.62).  This new entity is responsible for the upgrade and repair of drilling rigs, military, para-military and commercial ships; and marine and industrial engineering work in the U.S. (formerly undertaken by VT Marine).

Brazil auctioned off six port terminals for liquid fuels in the northern state of Para to private operators on Friday, with subsidiaries of state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA winning two of the areas.The government raised nearly 450 million reais ($117 million) in the auction of the terminals — five in the Miramar port in the city of Belem and one in the Vila do Conde port in the city of Barcarena.The rights to operate the terminals are the latest in a slew of assets Brazil is selling as part of its drive to shore up public finances and reduce a gaping budget deficit.In an auction broadcast online, Petrobras Distribuidora SA - also known as BR Distribuidora - won a 20-year lease on a terminal in the port of Miramar with a bid of 50 million reais ($12.94 million).Petrobras Transpo

The Brasil Basin Drydock Company (BBDC), a joint venture of McQuilling Services and Promon Engenharia, is setting up an industrial facility that will drydock and repair seagoing merchant vessels up to the largest merchant ships in the world.McQuilling announced the signing of a Protocol of Intention with the government of the state of Paraíba, Brazil, along with Chinese ship repair yard IMC YY.David Saginaw, Commercial Director for McQuilling Services, signed the Protocol on behalf shareholders of the Brasil Basin Drydock Company (BBDC). Governor João Azevedo signed on behalf of the government and Chen Yong, President of IMC YY ship repair yard in Zhoushan, China, signed on behalf of the yard.

Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that, in partnership with MOL Coastal Shipping, and MOL Information Systems, it will start a demonstration test of a mooring rope with a built-in sensor, along with a rope status monitoring system.The project focuses on the mooring ropes that connect vessels to piers and other port facilities, said a press release from the  international shipping company based in Tokyo, Japan.In general, the tension on mooring ropes is hardly determined in accurate, except at certain ports equipped with tension monitors. So ropes may break because crewmembers do not take effective measures against external forces that are stronger than anticipated due to weather and sea conditions.In addition…

Traffic on Brazil's key grain shipping highway BR-163, linking the agriculture belt to northern ports, was totally re-established by late on Thursday after being deemed "unnavigable" earlier in the week, transport authority Dnit said.The poor state of the road, parts of which are unpaved, had led authorities to block traffic as emergency repairs were made. Dnit had previously said roads would be closed until at least Friday.Brazil is the world's largest exporter of soy but the holdup on BR-163 illustrates the country's lacking logistical infrastructure…

Commercial shipping is waking up to the growing threat that drones pose to the safety & security of vessels. Terrorist use of drones deploying explosives is already well documented and the potential for a drone to deliver an explosive charge through the deck of an oil/gas tanker or on a passenger ship with potentially catastrophic results is a stark reality. Vessels in port, at anchor or on coastal transits are potential ‘sitting ducks’ and currently powerless to know if/when they’re going to be attacked, let alone be in a position to defend against the threat. The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) code Part A para 1.3.3 mandates requirements…

Aerial drones have made major advances in endurance, range and payload capacity over recent years while prices have continually plummeted, leading to a proliferation of drones expected to reach 12 million by 2020.This trend, some believe, means aerial drones will pose an even greater threat to the safety and security of commercial shipping vessels.To help combat this emerging threat, U.K. based Martek Marine has developed a maritime drone detection and defeat system called D-FENCE.As terrorist use of drones deploying explosives is well documented…

Logistics firm Hidrovias do Brasil plans to start exporting grains from a new terminal with up to 6.5 million tonnes annual capacity in the Brazilian Amazon in July, serving international grain merchants, CEO Bruno Serapião said.   Noble Agri and Holland's Nidera, both controlled by Chinese food giant COFCO, as well as Multigrain, a Brazilian subsidiary of Japan's Mitsui, signed long-term contracts to use the terminal on the Tapajos river in Para state, he said in an interview.     (Reporting by Gustavo Bonato; Writing by Caroline Stauffer)

Continuing support from key markets across Asia helped Contship Italia Group, the leading container terminal and intermodal transport operator in Italy, to report a steady set of results for 2015. Contship Italia Group terminals handled a total of 6.3 million TEUs last year on the back of increased volumes at La Spezia Container Terminal (LSCT), its main gateway for Asian cargo. LSCT, with four weekly calls from China, the Far East, and South East Asia, continues the positive trend that has seen Asia trade via La Spezia increase by 3.5% on the previous year (up 19% over the past five years). In 2015, 197 of 938 total calls at LSCT were associated with Asia services offered by the 2M, O3 and CKYHE alliances handling vessels in the 10,000-14,000 TEU capacity range.

Port of Ystad saw record breaking traffic numbers in 2015, retaining the port’s position as Sweden’s third largest ferry passenger port. The largest increase was in bus traffic, which increased by 30,7 % compared to 2014. “The numbers from 2015 show that the traffic in Port of Ystad continues to grow, with the exception of railway waggons where we saw a minor decrease. The conventional goods as well as goods on trucks and trailers increased, making the total number higher than last years” says Björn Boström, CEO of Port of Ystad. The number of passengers increased by 1,5%. In total, 1 987 982 passengers chose to travel via the Port of Ystad. If this trend continues the port is looking to exceed two million passengers in 2016. Car traffic increased by 4 % compared to 2014.

With the SOLAS Convention now requiring container weight verification from 1st July 2016 onwards following the amendment approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) last November, the Company of Master Mariners of India (CMMI) jointly with the Indian Maritime Administration conducted a Conference on “Safe Containers Steering Changes” on 10th December at The Lalit, Mumbai. The objective of the conference being to bring together various stakeholders in the container supply chain and provide an opportunity for an in-depth understanding of the different issues and their implications. Deepak Shetty, the Director General of Shipping and Additional Secretary, Government of India, stated that the Indian Maritime Administration was totally prepared to implement the new requirement.

Brazil canceled an auction to lease a port terminal area in the northern state of Para due to lack of interest but will auction three other areas in its largest port of Santos on Wednesday, a spokesman for the port secretariat said on Tuesday. The government, facing its worst recession in 25 years, is counting on private investment to upgrade its strained port infrastructure as exports of soybeans, sugar, coffee and beef soar due to Brazil's weakening currency. Fewer terminals on auction mean fewer potential funds for President Dilma Rousseff's cash-strapped government. The three areas in Santos, in the Southeast, will be offered at an auction in Sao Paulo starting at 9 a.m. (11 GMT) on Wednesday.

EMGS has received permits from Mexico's Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) authorizing the acquisition of up to approximately 88,000 square km 3D EM multi-client data in the Salina de Itsmo Basin. EMGS will prioritize acquiring EM data for the future bid rounds in Mexico as outlined in the ''Plan Quinquenal de Licitaciones para la Exploración y Extracción de Hidrocarburos 2015-2019'' announced by theSecretaría de Energía (SENER) in early July. "We are pleased and encouraged by the recently announced 5 year plan for future licensing rounds offshore Mexico. It pairs well with our plans in Mexico and the received CNH permits and enables us to now actively seek funding of our projects", says Juan M. Santana, President EMGS North and South America.

President Dilma Rousseff unveiled a concession program on Tuesday to draw 198.4 billion reais ($64 billion) in private investment over five years to upgrade and operate Brazilian roads, railways, airports and harbor terminals. The logistics plan includes 4,371 kilometers of new highways, the extension of existing railway concessions and the private operation of airports in the cities of Porto Alegre, Fortaleza, Salvador and Florianopolis, according to a government presentation. The new concessions will have access to less state bank financing in the midst of Brazil's current drive to cut spending and reduce a bulging fiscal deficit. Bidders will be expected to partially fund projects with private financing.

‘Fideicomiso de Formación y Capacitación para el Personal de la Marina Mercante Nacional’ (FIDENA), on behalf of Mexico’s Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT) has selected Kongsberg Maritime offshore simulators for the Marine Education Center in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche. Appointed by SCT, FIDENA is the educational institution in charge of managing, organizing and developing the formal education of all seafarers in Mexico. As Mexico’s only institution offering higher level programs in maritime education…

A plan to attract private investment to Brazil's strained port infrastructure is even more important in the face of federal budget cuts that will curb public investment, Brazilian Ports Minister Edinho Araújo said in an interview. Brazil, which has seen exports of iron ore, soybeans, sugar, coffee and beef soar, is planning to lease 29 public terminals, including at the country's largest port in Santos and in the northern state of Para, to private companies under a 2012 law. The move, currently blocked by a federal audit court, could attract 4.9 billion reais ($1.6 billion) of private investment and increase port capacity by 47 million tonnes, Araujo told Reuters on Monday.

Following an extensive evaluation protocol, the Kuwaiti Ministry of the interior has placed an order with Tampa Yacht Manufacturing LLC based in Florida – U.S.A, parent company of Tampa Defence UK and Tampa Defense USA, for 29 Fast Coastal Interceptor craft for the Kuwaiti Coast Guard. The 14.42M craft are powered by Man R6-800 diesels rated at 1600hp. The Tampa Yacht 44 FCI has a top speed of 55+ knots at full load and a range of over 300 nautical miles at 38 knots. With a crew capacity of up to six Coast Guard personnel the craft is equipped with NIJ111A ballistic armour, Areneson Surface Drives, crew served weapon mounts and a comprehensive electronic suite. The first craft will be delivered in September 2015.

New Zealand maritime manufacturer Coppins Para Sea Anchors has secured a multimillion-dollar contract to supply anchors to a Norwegian salvage company. The family business firm based in Motueka on the South Island has sent the first of two one-tonne sea anchors to the Norwegian Coast Guard. Coppins Outdoor Centre owner and designer Bill Coppins has been devising ways of stopping and steering vessels using the underwater fabric parachute-style anchors, which work by displacing water, since the mid-1970s. Coppins' competitors failed when their sea anchors blew out in testing. Bill claimed that what it took the other companies seven years to do; his firm had to do in seven months.