Logistics Systems News

Uptime International has secured two contracts with Cochin Shipyard in India, for the supply of logistics systems to be included on their newbuild offshore wind service vessels being built for Pelagic Wind Services. Uptime's scope includes complete personnel and cargo logistics systems, each consisting of an all-electric, 30 m autonomous gangway with integrated 3D crane capability, mounted on an elevator tower to ensure stepless access between CSOVs and turbines. A standalone, high-capacity 3D crane will also be supplied as part of the system delivery.

After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico with devastating force on September 20, 2017, a number of news reports claimed that the Jones Act had severely damaged the Puerto Rican economy, both over time and in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Now a new report examining the role of the Jones Act shipping industry before, in the immediate aftermath of and in the months that followed the hurricane asserts that the Jones Act fleet delivers a dedicated and reliable flow of goods…

The digital naming of the MR tanker Stena Immortal took place January 18 at Stena's new office in Hellerup in the north of Copenhagen. The 50,000 dwt Stena Immortal was built at the Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI) shipyard in southeast China and is jointly owned on a 50-50 basis by Stena Bulk and Indonesian Golden Agri Resources (GAR). Following her delivery in September 2016, the 183-meter-long tanker has sailed in one of Stena Bulk's global logistics systems, which currently employ some 60 vessels, with a focus on refined petroleum products, vegetable oils and chemicals. When the Stena Immortal was named, it was not physically present in Copenhagen but in Houston where it is already in service.

Digitalisation and new business models will be in focus of the research and innovation project Blue INNOship II, which was included in the recommendations of the Maritime Strategy Team. A steering group counting participants from Danish Maritime, Danish Shipping, the Danish Metalworkers’ Union, the Danish Maritime Authority, DTU, CBS and Force Technology have – through the Danish Maritime Fund – created the basis for initiating the work through the hiring of a project manager. Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority Andreas Nordseth states:  “Blue INNOship II addresses central issues of importance to the competitiveness of Blue Denmark.

Germany’s marine and offshore equipment suppliers will have to continue efforts this year to respond to the continuing weak demand from other countries and growing competition in global shipping markets, says German Engineering Federation (VDMA) who reported a decline in orders in the maritime sector in 2017 as sales slid slightly to €11.1 billion ($12.7 billion). However, according to VDMA, the general situation in mechanical engineering industry and digitalization show encouraging signs as companies stand to benefit from developing new markets…

In a recent statement at a U.S. Congressional hearing, American Salvage Association (ASA) President, Todd Schauer, defended the response capabilities of the industry, and, by extension, the implementation of regulations themselves by the U.S. Coast Guard. “It has come to the attention of the American Salvage Association leadership that the resource and response capabilities of the four national salvage and marine firefighting (SMFF) resource providers have been questioned recently,” he said.

South Korea's Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd  will sell part of its container ship business to Korea Line Corp for 37 billion Korean won ($31.38 million), reports Reuters.   Korea Line will buy Hanjin's Pacific routes shipping business, relevant client management information, units in seven countries including the United States, China and Vietnam, as well as assets and manpower related to logistics systems, Hanjin said in a regulatory filing.   Hanjin said the sale, which will be completed on Jan. 5, 2017, is to secure funds to pay off creditors.    Hanjin applied for court receivership in late August after banks denied further financial support for the troubled shipper.

The Minister of Shipping and Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari has said that the efficiency of Indian ports has improved greatly over the last two years and the performance of government ports in the country has been better than private ports this year. He said, the Ministry has taken various steps to improve the efficiency of ports. Old rules have been weeded out, port mechanization and modernization is being done on war footing and projects for improving connectivity of ports are being implemented in right earnest. He further stressed upon the importance of e governance for ensuring good governance The Minister released a report titled “Next Generation Port Infrastructure - Technology Transformation for Integrated Port Operations” in New Delhi.

Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd is in talks to sell its stake in the Long Beach Terminal in California to Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.(MSC), reports Reuters. The court overseeing Hanjin's receivership says the company is negotiating with MSC, it's partner in the terminal and which has first right of refusal. Hanjin Shipping owns a 54 percent stake in Total Terminals International LLC, which operates Long Beach Terminal in the U.S. MSC owns the remaining 46 percent. It has appointed an advisor, an overseas firm specializing in shipping industry talks, to help with the negotiations. Hanjin, the first major shipping line to be dragged down by global industry overcapacity and low freight rates…

Hyundai Merchant Marine is considering bidding for its bigger local rival Hanjin Shipping Co.'s Asia-U.S. route, reports Yonhap. Hyundai Merchant, currently under a creditor-led debt restructuring scheme, is planning to submit a preliminary bid for Hanjin Shipping's route, seen as the most lucrative, and ships that are up for sale. Hanjin, the first major shipping line to be dragged down by global industry overcapacity and low freight rates, put up manpower and logistics systems, five container ships and 10 overseas businesses, for sale last week. According to a Reuters report, the extent of other bidding interest in the assets was unclear but shipping sources were doubtful that there would be a rush of buyers. Hanjin Shipping's Asia-U.S.

Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings is a global provider of protective and marine coatings, offering a complete line of time-tested, high-performance coatings technologies to combat corrosion, protect assets, enhance personnel safety, and improve aesthetics. From more than 4,000 company-owned distribution points worldwide, Sherwin-Williams experts use market-specific knowledge to evaluate, recommend, and deliver the highest-performance coatings and linings to protect customers’ assets.

U.S. Coast Guard Captain Matthew Lake assumed command of the U.S. Coast Guard Yard on July 1, 2016. He is the 42nd Commanding Officer in the 117-year history of the yard, the only shipbuilding and major ship repair facility of the U.S. Coast Guard. Captain Lake took charge from Captain George Lesher who served as Yard Commanding Officer from June 2013 to July 2016. Captain Lesher departed the yard to assume duties as the Ship Design Manager at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The weeks-long traffic jam of cargo ships at the Myanmar’sbiggest port threatens to scare potential investors away and choke off nascent economic growth, says a report in Reuters. The bottleneck at the dilapidated port was caused by a spike in demand for goods as the opening up of the economy accelerates following a historic election win by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in November. “Because of the general growth of the economy we are packed. The ships have nowhere to go,” said Ma Cherry Trivedi, managing director of Ayuroma International, an advisor to Myanmar Industrial Port (MIP), where congestion has been worst.

Concordia Maritime’s first chemical and product tanker based on the IMOIIMAX concept, the Stena Image, was delivered from the Chinese shipyard GSI (Guangzhou Shipbuilding International) in Guangzhou. The vessel, a 50,000 dwt MR tanker, is equipped with 18 tanks of the same size, each with a capacity of 3,000 m3, able to load vegetable oils and chemicals as well as petroleum products. The technical design has enabled fuel consumption, when sailing at service speed, to be reduced by 10-20% compared with other vessels of the same size.

With Indonesian President Joko Widodo declaring his intention to develop the long-neglected maritime sector, the shipping industry expect greater opportunities. Indonesia’s shipyards may see a silver lining to what has been a cloudy past as the government’s focus on the maritime sector is reinforced by steps to improve the national logistics system, states a report in Jakarta Globe. President Joko Widodo has declared his intention to develop the long-neglected maritime sector. Many parties in the shipping industry and related businesses are confident that the time has finally come for Indonesia to redefine its logistics systems to provide greater opportunities for shipping companies while at the same time lowering the cost of shipping goods.

CACI International Inc says it has been selected as a prime contractor to provide logistics support to the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) on the Worldwide Logistics Services (WLS) contract. The five-year (one base plus four option years) multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract has a ceiling value of $37 million and represents continuing work in CACI’s Logistics and Material Readiness market area. Military Sealift Command is the leading provider of ocean transportation for the Navy and the rest of the Department of Defense (DoD), operating approximately 110 ships daily around the globe. The Command ensures DoD readiness by transporting military materials, such as fuel and equipment, and conducting specialized missions worldwide.

A private passenger ferry service operating under respective permits with the Port of Redwood City and the Port of San Francisco started service on Monday, January 7, between the two ports on a five-week trial basis, arriving at Wharf 5 at the Port of Redwood City. There is no public service. Port of Redwood City Executive Director Michael J. Giari said that the privately chartered ferry service is being operated by Multi-National Logistics Systems (MLS) and is carrying passengers to and from work from San Francisco to Redwood City for a private employer in Silicon Valley. Buses meet the ferries on Wharf 5 at the Port of Redwood City to transport passengers to and from their place of work.

NorSea Group, a supplier of base services and integrated logistics systems to the oil and gas industry in Norway, appointed Kim Christensen as its first U.K. General Manager to lead the group’s future developments in Scotland. Mr. Christensen will head up NorSea Group (U.K.) Ltd, a new company within the Group, which has been established to reinforce the Group’s commitment to enhance its business activity in the U.K. To support this, NorSea Group will open its first U.K. office in Aberdeen.

NorSea Group, a supplier of base services and integrated logistics systems to the Norwegian oil and gas industry, has followed last month’s announcement that it is to develop a supply base at Scrabster Harbor, by signing its first strategic working partnership with local logistics firm Hugh Simpson (Contractors) Ltd. Established in 1964, the company provides a total range of logistics services to the marine and offshore industries. It has two sister companies which provide fuel and oil supply and shipping agency services in the region.

NorSea Group, a supplier of base services and integrated logistics systems to the Norwegian oil and gas industry, and the Scrabster Harbour Trust in Caithness signed an agreement which will result in major investment and new job prospects for the local economy. Under the agreement NorSea Group will work with the Trust to bring in new business and develop Scotland’s most northerly mainland port as a one-stop supply base servicing the oil and gas industry. NorSea Group already operates…

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission certified the final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) intermodal railyard and approved a landmark rail infrastructure project that would increase the efficiency and competitiveness of moving containerized cargo through the nation’s busiest harbor complex to U.S. and global markets. “Modernizing our transportation infrastructure is crucial to creating jobs, strengthening our economy and improving our quality of life in Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) – part of the World Bank Group that provides development loans to poor nations - is poised to support the ferry industry for the first time after asking trade association Interferry to help identify deserving countries and operators. The initiative will be explained at Interferry’s 37th annual conference in Dubai from October 21-24, which will also feature dramatic insights from power solutions giant Wärtsilä on how a fast-changing world could impact on shipping by the year 2030. IFC interest in the ferry sector was prompted by the ongoing IMO/Interferry joint programme to improve ferry safety in developing nations.

Wilh. NSG is the leading supplier of base services and integrated logistics systems to the Norwegian oil and gas industry. Through its fully and partly owned entities NSG operates ten strategically located supply bases along the coast of Norway, including NorSea (Stavanger), Stordbase (Stord), Coast Center Base (Bergen), Vestbase (Kristiansund), Helgelandsbase (Sandnessjøen) and Polarbase (Hammerfest). “The investment follows our previously announced strategy aiming at exploring new opportunities within the  energy-, offshore- and maritime industry, supplementing the activities of Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA and Wilhelmsen Maritimes Services AS (WMS),” says Thomas Wilhelmsen, group CEO.