Gulf Cooperation Council News

Elcome International LLC signed an exclusive sales and service agreement with Miros AS, the Norway-headquartered wave, current and oil spill monitoring specialist.The partnership expands the distribution of Miros’ comprehensive range of sea state sensor and measurement solutions to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, namely UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.Miros’ portfolio of sea state measurement solutions provides accurate, real-time data for weather-sensitive operations at sea, as well as offering input to asset integrity systems and coastal monitoring.

Abu Dhabi Ports’ maritime arm SAFEEN has signed an agreement with offshore vessel owner Allianz Marine & Logistics Services (AMLS), to launch a new international provider of integrated maritime logistic services."Operating under the title of Offshore Support and Logistics Services Company (OFCO – Offshore International), headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the new joint venture will be one of the largest, most capable, and cost-efficient providers of onshore and offshore integrated logistics solutions and subsea services in the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Counci] Gulf Cooperation Council region and beyond," Abu Dhabi Ports said in a statement.According to the statement released Thursday…

Oil producer Saudi Aramco has selected Chelsea Technologies Group (CTG), designer and manufacturer of sensors for the maritime sector, to provide benchmark testing for compliance with ballast water standards. This follows Saudi Aramco’s announcement that all ships calling at its ports and terminals will be required to provide ballast water samples, in order to demonstrate compliance with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management Convention (BWM Convention).

Qatar and container lines have launched new shipping services via Oman in an effort to sidestep a port ban in neighbouring countries and secure a food lifeline after other Gulf states severed ties with Doha last week. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and some other Arab countries cut diplomatic, travel and trade ties with Qatar last week, accusing it of supporting Iran and funding Islamist groups, accusations Doha denies. The severing of air, sea and land transport links has closed crucial import routes for Qatar and its population of around 2.7 million people who are dependent on imports for most of their food needs. China's COSCO Shipping Lines Co Ltd, Taiwan's Evergreen and Hong Kong Kong's OOCL have suspended container services to and from Qatar.

Crest Offshore Marine (COM), the wholly owned subsidiary of Pacific Radiance, has entered into a Joint Venture (JV) Agreement  with Allianz Offshore Middle East (AOME). According to JV agreement, both companies are jointly incorporating a company in Singapore known as Allianz Radiance (ARPL). ARPL has been incorporated on the same date. AOME is a company incorporated in Saint Vincent and The Grenadines. Under the terms of the JV Agreement, COM and AOME respectively will hold 51% and 49% equity interest in ARPL, making ARPL as indirect subsidiary of the Company. ARPL shall be principally engaged in owning, managing, chartering and leasing offshore support vessels particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council and Egypt offshore oil and gas segment.

HE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Chairman of Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar) and Sheikh Ali bin Jassim bin Mohammad Al-Thani, Chairman of Qatar Navigation (Milaha), today witnessed the signing of an agreement between Mwani Qatar and Milaha to establish a new company, QTerminals, to manage Hamad Port. As per the agreement, the new company will be co-owned by Mwani Qatar; 51%, and Milaha; 49%, and will manage operations at Hamad Port as an independent company with its own board of directors, executives and staff. The deal was signed by Mwani Qatar CEO Captain Abdulla Al Khanji and Milaha President & CEO Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the United States have agreed to carry out joint patrols to stop any Iranian arms shipments reaching Yemen, the bloc's secretary general, Abdullatif al-Zayani, said on Wednesday.   Zayani was speaking at a news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter after a meeting between Carter and his counterparts from the GCC, which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.   Iran denies accusations by Gulf states that it is smuggling weapons to Yemen, where GCC countries are involved in a military campaign against the Tehran-allied Houthi movement.     (Reporting by Sami Aboudi and Yeganeh Torbati, Writing by Angus McDowall, Editing by William Maclean)

Kelvin Hughes is to supply its SharpEye S-band radar together with its new 12kW radar for 17 patrol boats currently being built at ARES Shipyard, Turkey for Qatar’s Coast and Borders Security Department. All the electronic equipment for the vessels - which include 24m, 34.5m and 48m versions of the ARES Shipyard Hercules series - will be supplied by Elektro Deniz of Turkey which has contracted Kelvin Hughes to provide the radar systems. The SharpEye S-band will be used for surface search and the 12kW radar for navigation.

The U.S. military will work with Gulf and European partners to ensure the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the tip of the Red Sea remains open to commerce despite fighting and instability in Yemen, the head of U.S. forces in the region said on Thursday.   "We would work in conjunction with our GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) partners to ensure that those straits remain open," U.S. Army General Lloyd Austin told a Senate hearing.   "It is one of our core interests to ensure that we have free flow of commerce through both straits," he added, referring to Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz.     (Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Susan Heavey)

The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state members have agreed to set up a joint maritime security force and enhance cooperation in naval operations in response to increasing regional maritime conflict, according to reports in local media. A joint naval exercise would begin in the UAE on Monday and run until Thursday as a first step towards a unified command system to be used in emergencies, a GCC statement said. The exercise would help raise the level of GCC’s preparedness, combat efficiency and cooperation. Saudi Arabia is participating in the GCC exercise with a number of naval units, boats, special naval security units and Super Puma aircraft.

Abu Dhabi Ship Building Company will deliver three Baynunah warships to the United Arab Emirates Navy by 2016 and is in discussions with other buyers to sell more, its chief executive said on Monday. "There are discussions with some of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries as well as other international ones. Hopefully there will be something in the future," Khaled al-Mazrouei said on the sidelines of the Naval Defence Conference. The fall in oil prices has put pressure on government spending across the Gulf region.

Gulf of Oman port bids to become transhipment centre for region; to more than double container capacity by 2017. Part of Oman's drive is to industrialise, diversify beyond oil. An advertisement by the highway outside Dubai's massive Jebel Ali Port tells firms they don't need to ship goods through the Strait of Hormuz, the traditional gateway to the Gulf. Instead they can have goods delivered to a port in Oman, outside the Gulf, and bring them into the region by road. "Why go through the Strait when you can go straight to the Gulf," the billboard reads, in a challenge to Jebel Ali, which has become one of the biggest ports in the world by handling many of the region's imports via Hormuz.

The drop in global oil prices should not affect the spending plans of oil-producing countries in the Middle East in the near-term given their large financial reserves, the head of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department said on Friday. The official, Masood Ahmed, told reporters that every oil producer in the region outside of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Bahrain were running fiscal deficits, and that the drop in prices would push those budget gaps even wider. However, he said their sizable financial reserves would allow those countries to continue with their spending plans in the short-term, although the price drop has raised a longer-term issue. (Reporting by Anna Yukhananov; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Paul Simao)

DNV GL is launching a new Recommended Practice (RP) on LNG Bunkering in the Middle East & South Asia. The launch in Doha is in conjunction with Qatar’s announcement that it is going to establish a strategy of supplying LNG as a marine fuel in Qatar and the other countries forming the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “Qatar’s entry as a provider of LNG for the marine industry will be a game-changer given that it is the largest single exporter of LNG globally. Concurrently launching the RP will  ensure bunkering operations are predictable…

DNV GL says it is launching a new Recommended Practice (RP) on LNG Bunkering in the Middle East & South Asia. The launch in Doha is in conjunction with Qatar’s announcement that it is going to establish a strategy of supplying LNG as a marine fuel in Qatar and the other countries forming the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “Qatar’s entry as a provider of LNG for the marine industry will be a game-changer given that it is the largest single exporter of LNG globally. Concurrently launching the RP will ensure bunkering operations are predictable, safe and compatible in Qatar, across the Middle East and the rest of the world,” says Shahrin Osman, DNV GL Regional Manager Maritime Advisory Middle East & India.

Fendercare Marine Middle East celebrate the official opening of their new regional Head Office in Sharjah with an official event to celebrate at The Address, Dubai Mall before the invited guests – including customers, local dignitaries and staff from the Fendercare Marine global locations - were transported to the new base. After the official opening ceremony, conducted by Fendercare Marine Managing Director Eric Plane, the attendees were given a tour of the premises including the extensive new warehouse facilities.

Fendercare Marine Middle East announces opening of new regional head office in Sharjah to strategically support its ever growing clientele. Fendercare Marine Middle East announced the opening of their brand new, purpose built premises at Emirates Industrial City Sajaa, Plot No 146/16, PO Box 25896, Sharjah, UAE. Their new permanent premises will enable the company to offer an even wider range of products and services to both their existing and new clients. Since 2000, Fendercare…

Building patrol boats is big business, especially for foreign defense needs. U.S. yards compete on a global stage in the all-important maritime security workboat arena. Patrol boats have continued to enhance bottom lines at many U.S. vessel builders this year through sales that are usually government directed or assisted. Budget cuts are a concern, but the sector’s federal funding remains high. Patrol boats are sold to other nations under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales or FMS program, authorized by the Arms Export Control Act to provide defense items.

Braemar Adjusting has underlined its commitment to the Middle Eastern onshore and offshore Energy Insurance Market by opening a dedicated loss adjusting operation, based in Dubai. With effect from 1 April 2013, Chris Eades, Regional Director for the Middle East, and Senior Adjuster Sam Foster, will start working from the Dubai World Trade Center Building offices of sister company Braemar Salvage Association, before moving into their own Braemar Adjusting offices later in the year. Welcoming the development, Grant Smith, Group Managing Director of Braemar Adjusting, said: “Within Braemar we place a huge emphasis on client service and the expertise of our personnel.

More than 30 oil and gas organisztions in the Middle East will gather to discuss the opportunities and challenges of collaborating on technology development in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). The event, organised by ITF, the technology facilitator for the global oil and gas industry and  sponsored by Kuwait Oil Company, will take place in Abu Dhabi on Monday February 27. ITF, a membership organization of international oil and gas operator and service companies, is  encouraging companies in the GCC to focus on the need for collaborative oil and gas technology funding and agree commitment to drive forward with a strategy for the region. Neil Poxon, managing director of ITF will outline the benefits of driving new groundbreaking technologies through joint industry projects.

Abu Dhabi Ship Building launched its first Naval export order, a landing craft for the Royal Navy of Oman. It is the first time that a vessel for a Gulf Cooperation Council country has been built by another member of the regional grouping. The launching ceremony, at ADSB’s Musaffah (Abu Dhabi) shipyard, was attended by senior officers from the Oman and UAE navies. The 64 m landing craft, named Al Munassir, has been designed locally with special features to meet the Oman Navy’s operational requirements. The Navy placed the order with ADSB in February 2005. Fitting out will now take place and Al Munassir will be handed over after sea trials later this year.

The leading-edge project is based on a unique concept that aims to provide the ultimate leisure experience and opens new horizons in tourism and housing in coastal areas, adding commercial value, while aiming to preserve the marine ecosystem. Drydocks World, signed an MoU with BIG InvestConsult AG, a Swiss company, operating in the area of innovative technologies transfer, as well as investment projects, brokerage and finance. The MoU was signed during the Annual Investment Meeting held at the Dubai International Convention Center under the aegis of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade. BIG InvestConsult AG is acting as a representative…

WESMAR, a U.S. manufacturer of sonar equipment has announced that they are completing multiple site installations of WESMAR WEB850 searchlight sonar systems at undisclosed sites in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to protect private and publicly held assets. The systems are for surveillance and waterside security and while they join other WESMAR systems in the region, they are the first of many to be installed jointly with WESMAR’s GCC partnership companies. The WESMAR system is used to protect vessels…