Astra News

Three migrants rescued in Spain's Canary Islands, after apparently enduring an 11-day journey from Nigeria crouched on the rudder of a fuel tanker, should now be returned home under stowaway laws, a police spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday. In a photograph distributed on Twitter by the Spanish coast guard on Monday, the three stowaways are shown crouching on the rudder under the hull, just above the waterline of the Alithini II.The 183-metre ship, sailing under a Maltese flag, arrived in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria after setting out from Lagos in Nigeria on Nov.

Indonesia deployed navy ships and hundreds of personnel on Wednesday, including intelligence assets, in an effort to thwart illegal shipments of refined palm oil olein, just hours away from an export ban aimed at taming surging cooking oil prices.The new rules were due to take effect at midnight local time (1700 GMT), and the navy and other agencies had been instructed to step up patrols of Indonesian waters to ensure compliance, said navy spokesperson Julius Widjojono.Palm oil futures on the Malaysia exchange surged by 9.8% on Wednesday…

Shell Tankers (Singapore) Private Limited will contribute 10 medium-range product tankers (MRs) to the Signal Maritime MR pool.In line with the shipping industry’s decarbonization efforts, Shell and Signal have also agreed to collaborate on carbon emissions reduction initiatives.Shell’s partnership in the MR pool comes after Shell became an early adopter of the Signal Ocean platform in product tankers. The two partners expect digital technology to help improve commercial results…

Satcom Global announces VSAT coverage upgrade benefitting customers operating in European and Indian Ocean waters.Satcom Global announced another extension to its Aura VSAT maritime communications network, with the addition of two new satellite beams; Astra 4a Nordic and SES-12 IOR.The Astra 4a Nordic Ku-band beam was introduced to the Satcom Global Aura network in December 2020 to support customers operating in European waters. With carriers optimized for the performance of smaller Ku-band terminals…

Satellite data company Spire Global Inc said on Monday it has agreed to go public through a merger with blank-check acquisition firm NavSight Holdings Inc at a $1.6 billion valuation.It is the latest example of a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merging with a company in the space industry, following deals for the likes of space tourism company Virgin Galactic and rocket startup Astra.Spire said it expects the deal will provide it with up to $475 million in proceeds.

U.S. midstream oil firm Buckeye Partners and commodities trader Trafigura said on Thursday that modifications to their terminal in Texas to accommodate large tankers were completed and the first shipment of crude on a Suezmax tanker took place. The Buckeye Texas Hub terminal located in Corpus Christi shipping channel is 80 percent owned and operated by Buckeye while Trafigura holds a 20 percent stake. "North American supplies have launched the U.S. on to the world stage as a new crude provider. Upgrading the terminal's deep-water docks at Corpus Christi will help us to meet the growing demand for this product from European refineries and Far East refineries and petrochemical plants," said Corey Prologo, Trafigura's head of oil trading in North America.

The latest product to join Intellian’s i-Series antenna range, the i5P, will be unveiled at the METSTRADE exhibition November 17-19 in Amsterdam. Intellian, a producer of maritime satellite communication antenna technology, will display the newest addition to its TVRO portfolio during this year’s METSTRADE show. The all-new i5P creates a new size category of marine satellite TV systems. The system allows inland and coastal craft across Europe as well as vessels in the Mediterranean cruise sector to travel further and experience higher performance with a smaller antenna, according to the manufacturer. The Intellian i5P includes an automatic skew function and is optimized for the Astra Satellite combining simultaneous reception for both the ASTRA I and II.

Rederij Groen’s entire SRSV fleet built by Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam. Dutch offshore services company Rederij Groen has taken delivery of the 7-Waves, the second of a total three identical Seismic Research Support Vessels. Once the third of these so-called offshore chasers will join the fleet in January 2015, all of Groen’s five custom built chasers will have been built by Damen yard Maaskant. Prior to ordering the three 35mSeismic Research Support Vessels of this current ‘7’-class in November 2013…

The delivery of the 7-Oceans to offshore services company RederijGroen (Scheveningen, the Netherlands) marks a new milestone in Offshore Support Vessel construction. The vessels have been designed in close cooperation with both RederijGroen and their customer. The Seismic Research Support Vessel (SRSV) is constructed by Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam, part of Damen Shipyards Group, and the first of a series of three identical vessels. Charterer Dolphin Geophysical opted for a 35m design from Vestvaerftet in Denmark.

I-Tech says it has entered into a non-exclusive supply agreement with Chugoku Marine Paints Ltd (CMP) for use of I-Tech’s proprietary product, Selektope, in commercial antifouling paints. Selektope is to be used as the principle biocide in new products to be brought to the market by CMP. The suppliers say that CMPs decision marks not only an important milestone for I-Tech but also sets the starting point for antifoulings containing a new selective biocide with a repellant mode of action and with minimal environmental footprint. Paints containing Selektope [prevent barnacles attaching to the hull] will be of particular value to customers in the marine industry.

State-run company Petroecuador has awarded a tender to buy 18 cargoes of ultra low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) from U.S.-based oil firm Citizens Energy, a trader close to the deal told Reuters on Tuesday. The cargoes, of 240,000 barrels each, will be received in Ecuador starting in June. Ecuador, Latin America's sixth-largest crude producer and the smallest OPEC member, has ramped up tenders to import finished fuels in anticipation of a major overhaul at the 110,000 barrel per day (bpd) Esmeraldas refinery in October. This is the second tender that Petroecuador has awarded to Citizen Energy in recent months, after buying from it four 210,000 barrel cargoes of cutter stock to produce fuel oil that started to be delivered in April.

Brazil's Senate opened an inquiry on Wednesday into alleged corruption and mismanagement at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, a probe that could complicate President Dilma Rousseff's bid for reelection in October. A panel of senators will look into the costly purchase of a refinery in Pasadena, Texas, for which critics say Petrobras paid 20 times the market value. The senators will also probe allegations that Petrobras officials took bribes in exchange for steering contracts to SBM Offshore NV…

During a contract signing ceremony at Europort 2013, Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam, part of Damen Shipyards Group signed the contract to build an additional Seismic Research Support Vessel for Rederij Groen. This latest contract follows last month’s order of two new Seismic Research Support Vessels (SRSVs) that are due for delivery in the third quarter of 2014. This third vessel, initially only an option, completes the latest phase of RederijGroen’s expansion and will be delivered in 2015.

Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam (NL), part of Damen Shipyards Group, has been contracted again by Rederij Groen (NL) after delivering two chasers, the Aquarius-G and the Astra-G, earlier this year. The new Seismic Research Support Vessels’ deliveries are planned in the third quarter of 2014, while shipowner Groen has taken an option on a third, identical vessel to be delivered in 2015. The new SRSV’s will be 35 x 8.70 m and will be propelled by two Azimuth thrusters, each powered by a 500 kW electric motor. Three Caterpillar gensets will provide electrical power.

The delivery of the Aquarius-G and her sister ship Astra-G to offshore services company RederijGroen (Scheveningen, the Netherlands) marked a milestone in Offshore Support Vessel construction. According to Damen, never before have such Chasers have purpose-built. The vessels were designed by Saltwater Engineering in close cooperation with both RederijGroen and Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam. Both Seismic Research Support Vessels were constructed by Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam, part of Damen Shipyards Group. “Indeed, all our other SRS Chaser vessels so far involve converted fishing trawlers”, HenkGroen, director and proprietor of offshore company RederijGroen proudly noted about his new twins.

Aker Solutions has been awarded contracts from Exxon Neftegas Limited, as operator on behalf of the Sakhalin-1 Consortium, for designing, constructing and delivering the Arkutun-Dagi gravity base structure (GBS) for the Sakhalin-1 project. The GBS construction will primarily utilize Russian workers, subcontractors, and materials. Once completed, the GBS will be located offshore Sakhalin Island on the east coast of Russia and will be a part of the drilling and production facilities for the Arkutun-Dagi development, a future phase of Sakhalin-1. The other participants in the Sakhalin-1 Consortium are SODECO, ONGC Videsh Ltd, and affiliates of Rosneft, Sakhalinmorneftegas-Shelf and RN-Astra.

Setting sail again, a newly built replica of the Jeanie Johnston, the Irish emigrant ship that rescued thousands from the Great Famine, will voyage from Ireland to North America and visit cities this summer and fall throughout the U.S. The eight-month tour, with stopovers in 23 U.S. and Canadian cities, is expected to arrive mid-June in Washington, D.C. and will be greeted by President Bill Clinton. The ship will then join more than 200 tall ships, 500 U.S. and foreign naval vessels and 50 to 70 thousand spectator crafts from all over the world in New York Harbor's OpSail 2000 Parade of Sail, the largest maritime event in world history.

Panamax freight rates have eased this week, in line with dwindling grain orders, brokers said on Tuesday. Rates dropped under the standard $12,000 a day and shipbrokers said they expected activity in the next week to remain subdued as major grain traders had announced there were no fresh bookings for the first half of April in sight. Nevertheless, the panamax sector is deemed stable, brokers said, as fixture reports for Egypt are on the rise and likely to counter-balance a slowdown of business from South America. Brokers cited as prime example the charter of the 1999-built 72,891 dwt Ad Astra, for delivery in the U.S Gulf by end-March, followed by a trip via Egypt and redelivery set for passing Passero. The daily rate was fixed at $11,300 plus a $235,000 ballast bonus. - (Reuters)

Panamax freight rates in the Atlantic have eased with little business to report and a similar situation in the Pacific has led to losses on the Baltic Panamax Indec, brokers said on Monday. The Index fell 21 points on Monday to 1,504 and brokers said they expected further panamax freight rate reductions to be reflected in the Index on Tuesday. But they said the Atlantic market was volatile and may reverse its fortunes. "It would react to anything. If one or two fresh orders emerge, then panamax freight rates could rally," one broker said. "Potential freight rate movement in the Atlantic panamax market is difficult to forecast. Brokers said the 1999-built 72…

The Pacific panamax sector was set to weaken further after the Baltic Panamax Index fell under 1,000 due to a lack of orders, brokers said on Thursday. "There are no orders. The Baltic Panamax Index is now under 1,000 and the Pacific panamax market looks ugly," one said. The Baltic Panamax Index was at 987, down 33 points on Thursday, and both the trans-Pacific round voyage and backhaul timecharters saw $400 cuts from the index. Brokers said Pacific round voyage charters were being reported around $5,000, with the Atlantic equivalent seen just under $7,000 daily. In the Atlantic, brokers said fresh orders from South America, among others, were giving some support to the market.

The Finnish contracting company RR Offshore Ltd. and Deltamarin Ltd. have established a joint enterprise to respond to the increasing needs for professional management services in offshore and shipbuilding industry. Both RR Offshore and Deltamarin are well experienced in conducting complicated engineering and delivery projects and provide today an extensive range of know-how intensive services to their customers in the marine industry. The new company, 50-50-owned by the parties, has been named Delta-Astra Ltd. Delta-Astra will focus on providing well-qualified personnel to complement the project organizations of its clients. The company offers project management services to both shipbuilding and offshore fabrication projects.

Exxon Mobil subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas Limited, has commenced production from the multiphase Sakhalin-1 Project offshore Eastern Russia. The initial phase of the project will produce 50,000 barrels (6,300 metric tons) a day by year-end 2005 and 250,000 barrels (33,000 metric tons) a day of oil by year-end 2006 from the Chayvo field. Associated domestic gas sales will start at about 60 million cubic feet (1.7 million cubic meters) per day, and ultimately are expected to increase to about 250 million cubic feet (7.1 million cubic meters) per day by the end of the decade. The project start-up was on schedule and within about 10% of unit development cost expectations.