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Friday, April 19, 2024
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Mining News

19 Apr 2024

When Efficiency Does Not Help Sustainability

Copyright Andriy Sharpilo/AdobeStock

My brother and I had a discussion about methanol where we concluded that methanol is a promising sustainable liquid fuel for transportation devices when batteries cannot do the job. While Methanol is initially not carbon zero, as long as we focus on developing zero carbon electrical energy, eventually we can produce zero carbon green methanol. Once there is plentiful green methanol, existing methanol vehicles will automatically become zero carbon transportation.The core argumentā€¦

19 Apr 2024

Imoto Lines and Marindows to Build Next-Gen Zero-Emission Containership

Concept for Imoto Lines' and Marindows' zero-emission contrainership (Credit:  Imoto Lines)

Imoto Lines and Marindows have outlined plans to build the next generation zero-emission domestic container ship capable of hybrid operation using Japan's first exchangeable container batteries, alongside onboard batteries and generators.The joint project between the companies aims to address three major challenges of the maritime industry - decarbonization, crew shortage, and safe navigation.The three-year project is supported by the Ministry of the Environment, Government ofā€¦

17 Apr 2024

Ras Al-Khair SEZ Seeking Maritime Infrastructure Investment

(Image: Ras Al-Khair Special Economic Zone)

Saudi Arabiaā€™s Ras Al-Khair Special Economic Zone (SEZ) said it is seeking local and foreign investors to help boost the Kingdomā€™s maritime infrastructure.With an initial area of 20 square kilometers, Ras Al-Khair SEZ, operated by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, is an expanding zone with two focus areas, The King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services, and the Offshore Cluster supply chain. The SEZ is located next to Ras Al-Khair Port, the Kingdomā€™s newest industrial port.Ahmed M.

17 Apr 2024

Maritime Risk Symposium 2024 ā€“ Great Power Competition and Gray Zone Engagement

Copyright Grispb/AdobeStock

For 15 years the Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), an annual three-day event, has brought together government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, international and domestic researchers and solution providers to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. World events highlight that maritime security is increasingly at risk during the current period of great-power competition and ongoing conflicts. The active competition between nations who are notā€¦

25 Mar 2024

US Dredging: Plenty of Issues, New WRDA on the Way

(Photo: Janet Meredith / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

2024 marks another year for development of a biennial WRDA billā€”Water Resources Development Act, critical legislation for the Nationā€™s waterways, ports and harbors. WRDA encompasses a range of issues, from environmental regs to energy use to agriculture and, of course, a focus on projects critical for economic growth.Because these are dynamic and timely issues, Congress and the maritime sector like to keep WRDA on a two-year reauthorization timeline. Indeed, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, December and January, held three WRDA information hearings.

22 Mar 2024

Fortescue Conducts World's First Ammonia Bunker Trial in Singapore

Source: MPA

Fortescue has conducted the world's first ammonia marine bunker operation in the port of Singapore, the city-state's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and the Australian mining company said on Friday.The Singapore-flagged Fortescue Green Pioneer was loaded with liquid ammonia from an existing facility at Jurong Island's Vopak Banyan Terminal for the trial, Fortescue and MPA said in a joint statement.The vessel is dual-fuelled and can adopt ammonia for bunkering in combination with diesel.

12 Mar 2024

SAAM Closes 2023 with Historic Earnings

Source: SAAM

SAAM reported net income of US$501 million in 2023, representing its best-ever results thanks to the sale of its port and logistics assets to Hapag-Lloyd, which generated a net gain of US$422 million.Sales for the year totaled US$540 million and EBITDA was US$160 million, surpassing the prior year by 17% and 9%, respectively."The sale of our port terminal and inland logistics operations leaves us in a solid position to move forward on the path we have set for ourselves: to lead the consolidation process in the towage industry and grow in air cargo logistics services.

12 Mar 2024

MOL Teams Up with Rio Tinto for Decarbonization of Maritime Transportation

(Credit: MOL)

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and Rio Tinto have signed the partnership agreement to enhance collaboration on both safety and crew welfare initiative and decarbonization of maritime transportation.MOL and Rio Tinto have agreed to further collaborate on shipping decarbonization in addition to the existing commitment to the DOO program through a deal signed on January 24, 2024.The DOO program is a Rio Tinto initiative aimed at enhancing safety and improving crew welfare in theā€¦

03 Mar 2024

Recycling Market Still Deprived of Tonnage

Source: GMS

As freight markets push further on, global ship recycling markets remain deprived of tonnage, making it an increasingly suffocating environment for ship recyclers to operate in, reports cash buyer GMS.Bangladesh and Pakistan rely heavily on imported shipā€™s steel, not only for domestic / large-scale infrastructure projects, but also for its comparatively ā€˜healthierā€™ and ā€˜rust-freeā€™ condition than other forms of imported scrap metal / steel (HMS 1, HMS 2, shredded steel, etc.)Thereforeā€¦

21 Feb 2024

ARC Keeps the Cargo Rolling

Flags on M/V ARC Defender.
Image courtesy ARC

With a fleet of nine U.S.-flag RoRo ships, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC), is the U.S.ā€™ premier commercial RoRo carrier of U.S. government and military cargo. As the world becomes an increasingly contentious place, Eric P. Ebeling, President & CEO, ARC, discusses the vast capabilities of the ARC fleet and logistics network, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead for U.S.-flag ships in the international trade.By the numbersā€™ is a simplistic means to gauge the size and shape of any shipping companyā€¦

01 Feb 2024

Cradle-to-Grave LNG Carrier Study Spotlights Crucial Role of Alternative Fuels for GHG Reduction

Ā© moofushi / Adobe Stock

Alternative fuels, green steel and renewable energy are fundamental to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction during the life cycle of a vessel, an industry-first cradle-to-grave study on a newbuild LNG carrier has revealed.Carried out by Lloydā€™s Register, Knutsen, HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the analysis has highlighted the environmental output at each stage of a vesselā€™s life.Namely, the six-month study, which began in June 2023ā€¦

30 Jan 2024

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Bags $1.2B in New Deals

(Credit: Wallenius Wilhelmsen)

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has signed significant contracts whose combined worth amounts to $1.2 billion for the worldā€™s largest RoRo vessel operator.The contracts have been signed with a leading global construction and mining equipment manufacturer, and with one of the largest automotive distributors in the Americas.The first multi-year shipping contract with equipment manufacturer has a duration of three years, plus a two-year extension option.It is valued at approximately $1 billion in totalā€¦

09 Jan 2024

Norway Parliament Votes in favor of Seabed Mining

Ā© Vladimir Mucibabic / Adobe Stock

Norway's parliament on Tuesday voted in favor of allowing Arctic seabed mineral exploration, in line with a deal reached between the government and key opposition parties last month, overcoming objections from environmental campaigners.The decision comes as Norway hopes to become the first country to make deep-sea mining happen on a commercial scale and secure critical minerals and jobs despite concerns over the environmental impact and international calls for a moratorium.There is yet no set timeline for when exploration could begin, although the plan is to award companies exclusive rights to

02 Jan 2024

Germany Builds up LNG Import Terminals

Ā© JET-PIX / Adobe Stock

German utility RWE on Jan. 1 handed over floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure at Brunsbuettel on the North Sea to state-owned Deutsche Energy Terminal (DET) as agreed when first imports arrived 10 months ago, it said.DET is now the sole operational manager and markets the capacity of the Brunsbuettel Elbehafen LNG project.Germany's quest to increase LNG capacity for regasification on its shores has intensified as it seeks to end reliance on Russian pipeline gasā€¦

12 Dec 2023

US Issues Sweeping Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Ukraine War

Ā© Alexey Bakharev / Adobe Stock

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and entities, including in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as it targets Russia's sanctions evasion, future energy capabilities, banks and its metals and mining sector.The U.S. Treasury and State departments targeted more than 250 individuals and entities in Washington's latest action attempting to crack down on Russia and its evasion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over the war inā€¦

07 Dec 2023

Oldendorff Inks Deal with Teck for Rotor Sail Install

(Image: Teck Resources)

Canadian mining company Teck Resources announced it has signed a deal with German shipping company Oldendorff Carriers to use wind propulsion to further reduce CO2 emissions in Teckā€™s supply chain. The joint investment will see the vessel Dietrich Oldendorff, which carries shipments of Teck steelmaking coal from the Port of Vancouver, outfitted with a Norsepower Flettner Rotor system by mid-2024.The Flettner Rotors generate lift from the wind, which is translated into additional thrust, thereby reducing fuel consumption on voyages across the Pacific.

05 Dec 2023

Norwegian Parliament Strikes Deal to Advance Seabed Mining

Copyright journey2008/AdobeStock

Norway's minority government and two opposition parties have agreed to allow seabed mineral exploration in the Arctic region, they said on Tuesday, in a key step towards full-scale ocean mining.The deal comes as Norway hopes to become the first country to make deep-sea mining happen on a commercial scale and secure critical minerals and jobs despite concerns over the environmental impact and international calls for a moratorium.The amended version of the government's proposal, which parliament will formally debate on Jan.

09 Nov 2023

World's First: Japanese Firms to Looking to Build Sustainable Bulk Carriers for Copper Transport from Chile

Signing ceremony
First from left, Masashi Suda, President, NBP
Second from left, Koichi Kawamura, Director, OSHIMA
Third from left, Norihiko Nonaka, Managing Executive Officer, SUMITOMO
Fourth from left, MƔximo Pacheco, Chairman of the Board, CODELCO - Credit: NYK Lines

Japan's NYK Line said Thursday its NYK Bulk & Project Carriers Ltd. (NBP), Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (OSHIMA), and Sumitomo Corporation (SUMITOMO) had signed a memorandum of understanding to study, design, and construct the worldā€™s first Handymax bulk carrier (ammonia dual fuel type) dedicated to the transport of copper products, that will reduce CO2 emissions to zero.The MoU signing comes just a year after Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (CODELCO), a Chilean state-owned company and one of the world's leading copper producers, and NYK Bulk & Project Carriers Ltd.

09 Nov 2023

Shell Sues Greenpeace for Boarding Penguins FPSO While in Transit

Ā©Greenpece

Shell is suing Greenpeace for $2.1 million in damages after the environmental group's activists boarded the company's oil production vessel in transit at sea this year, according to Greenpeace and a document seen by Reuters.The British oil and gas major filed the claim in London's High Court. Greenpeace activists boarded the vessel in January near the Canary Islands off the Atlantic coast of northern Africa to protest oil drilling and traveled on it as far as Norway.In an email to Reutersā€¦

08 Nov 2023

Wind-assisted Propulsion for World's Largest Ore Carrier

Vale is to install five Rotor Sails from Anemoi onboard the VLOC Sohar Max to bring significant fuel and emission savings. The Rotor Sails will be installed with Anemoi's bespoke folding deployment system to mitigate the impact on air draught and cargo handling operations. Credit: Anemoi Marine Technologies

Brazilian mining firm Vale will install five Rotor Sails from Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd (ā€œAnemoiā€), a supplier of wind-assisted propulsion technology for commercial vessels, onboard a 400,000 dwt Valemax, the worldā€™s largest ore carrier. The vessel is owned by Omani shipowner, Asyad.Five 35-meter-tall, 5-meter-diameter cylindrical sails will be installed on the Sohar Max VLOC. The Rotor Sails will be installed on Anemoiā€™s folding deployment system, whereby the sails can be folded from vertical to mitigate impact on air draft and cargo handling operations.

06 Nov 2023

In Brazil's Amazon, Cargill Grains Ports Meet Local Resistance

Ā© JR Slompo / Adobe Stock

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 stateā€¦

19 Oct 2023

Deutsche Bank Sets Emissions Targets for Shipping Clients

Ā© jeayesy / Adobe Stock

Deutsche Bank has set emissions reduction targets for loans to clients in the coal mining, cement and shipping sectors and now has a net-zero plan for 55% of its financed emissions, its chief sustainability officer told Reuters.A key funder to polluting sectors, Germany's biggest lender, like many of its peers, is under increasing pressure from policymakers and investors to push clients to curb climate-damaging emissions.Its corporate loan book stood at 107 billion euros ($112.72 billion) at the end of 2022."Once we have pathwaysā€¦

18 Oct 2023

RCP Finance Secures Funding for Fuel Distributer in Maldives

Source: RCP Finance

Independent finance and capital structuring partner RCP Finance has successfully secured a $15 million credit facility from a leading Asian lender for The Hawks Pvt Ltd., a distributor of high-quality fuel in the Maldives.The Hawks caters to a range of local businesses including resort hotels, super yachts and navy vessels, with a total portfolio of more than 452 clients.Part of the credit facility has been used to facilitate the acquisition of the Bro Developer, a 2007 oil and chemical tanker with a carrying capacity of 15,000dwt.