Juan Carlos News

ABB said it has secured a contract with the Spanish state-owned Navantia shipbuilding company to retrofit the Spanish Navy flagship Juan Carlos I with an electrical propulsion system based on dual ABB Azipod units. Due completion in 2025, the project is the first of its kind on a naval ship.The contract follows a study undertaken by ABB in 2020 to determine the feasibility of installing new propulsors on the ship. The study identified ABB Azipod as a solution to meet the vessel’s requirements for reliability…

Turkey launched its first amphibious assault ship on Monday, aiming to extend its drone capabilities from land-based to naval operations amid increased regional tensions as war rages in Ukraine on the other side of the Black Sea.The TCG Anadolu can handle only light aircraft, chiefly helicopters and jets that can take off from shorter runways. It is 232 meters long and 32 meters wide, and can carry some 1,400 personnel - one battalion of soldiers - combat vehicles and support…

The Hawaii Regional Maintenance Center (HRMC) team at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is the Navy’s first responders when it comes to an emergent repair availability (ERAV) on surface ships in the Indo-Pacific Region.Pearl Harbor sits in a strategic location and is a hub for many emergent repairs for ships transiting through the Pacific Ocean. One successful ERAV took place last fall when the USS Makin Island (LHD 8) departed San Diego on its…

Chilean authorities said on Wednesday they were investigating a violent heist in Chile's main seaport where thieves stole several shipping containers filled with copper belonging to state-owned giant Codelco.Juan Carlos Catalan, the local prosecutor, said in a statement that ten armed men entered the San Antonio port early on Tuesday morning, attacked workers and stole 13 containers, 12 of which had copper."There was one guard and four workers that (the assailants)tied up and beat and left locked up…

Argentina's grains inspectors began a 24-hour strike on Monday demanding bonus payments, but port activity and shipments of farm products were not affected in the South American country, the top global exporter of processed soybeans.Juan Carlos Peralta, press secretary of the URGARA union, said there was strong compliance with the strike action and that on Monday afternoon the union would hold another assembly to decide whether to extend the strike."We will continue with the measure if we do not have an answer…

Grains ships and vessels transporting other products on the Paraguay River are loading at around half capacity due to a historic drought that has hit river levels in the South American region, hurting trade of key agricultural commodities.Industry insiders said that many cargo holds on ships were being left empty, travel times were being delayed and farmers in the world's fourth-largest exporter of soybeans were having to hold on longer to grains that they couldn't ship."The situation is critical and delicate…

The union representing Argentine port-side grain inspectors said on Thursday it had ended a month-long wage strike after reaching a contract deal with export companies that will allow international soy, corn and wheat shipments to return to normal.The deal was struck after a marathon negotiation session with Argentina's private ports chamber on Wednesday. The work stoppage by the union, known by its Spanish acronym Urgara, started on Dec. 9 and had hit operations in key ports throughout Argentina…

More than 100 cargo ships were kept from loading agricultural goods in Argentina on Monday, as a wage strike by grains inspectors and oilseed workers stretched into its second week, paralyzing exports from one of the world's breadbaskets.Argentina is the No. 1 international exporter of soymeal livestock feed used to fatten hogs and poultry from Europe to Southeast Asia. Contract talks between workers and export companies have broken down over compensation packages, with both sides…

The loading of five cargo ships in different grains ports in Argentina has been stalled for days due to strikes by port workers, the labor union representing the employees and an industry source said on Wednesday.ADM and the local ACA cooperative have each had a ship waiting since Saturday to complete cargo loading at the companies' terminals in Puerto General San Martín and San Lorenzo, the shipping hub north of Rosario, according to the URGARA union.Another ADM ship and one for Louis Dreyfus are also waiting to be loaded in the port of Bahía Blanca.

Argentine grain port workers launched surprise strikes to protest stalled wage talks, their labor union said on Monday, delaying shipments from one of the world's top exporters."We are going to make surprise halts as much as we consider it necessary," said Juan Carlos Peralta, a spokesman for the URGARA union, which represents inspectors who check the quality of grains before they are loaded onto ships."It is a strike in one of the richest sectors in Argentina. We have exhausted…

Around midnight on February 23, Eulalio Bravo, a marine electrician, was dozing in his rack aboard the San Ramon, an oil tanker anchored off the coast of Venezuela.Suddenly, he heard footsteps pounding along the passageway outside. His captain, Jaime Herrera, cried for help."Be still!" an unfamiliar voice ordered.A gun fired.By the time Bravo and eight other shipmates emerged to see what had happened, the captain lay dead, a gunshot in the back of his head. Herrera's stateroom had been pillaged, drawers flung open, his bunk overturned. The killers were gone, as were thousands of dollars the captain kept under lock and key, according to crew members interviewed by Reuters.The murder…

SENER Group announced it has appointed a new president and new CEO to usher in a new leadership phase at the Spanish-based engineering company. Andrés Sendagorta has been named President of the SENER Group, and Jorge Sendagorta Cudós its new CEO.Sendagorta, hitherto Vice President of SENER, takes over from Jorge Sendagorta, who will continue to be linked to the SENER Group as its Honorary President.Andrés Sendagorta holds a diploma in General Management from the Institute for Higher Business Studies IESE (Universidad de Navarra, Spain).

A sailor aboard an oil tanker anchored off Venezuela's coast died on Saturday, three people with knowledge of the incident said, marking the second death in less than a week involving personnel aboard ships serving the crisis-stricken OPEC nation.Juan Carlos Navarrete, a 58-year-old Cuban national serving as a helmsman aboard the Petion Panamax tanker, died after falling overboard while the tanker was anchored in Amuay Bay in western Venezuela, one of the sources, union leader Ivan Freites, said on Sunday.Neither Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, nor its oil or information ministries, immediately responded to requests for comment.Both the Petion and its operator…

The Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico (SEMAR) has held a ceremony marking delivery of the Long Range Ocean Patrol (POLA) Class vessel ARM Reformador. The delivery ceremony was attended by Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, Secretary of the Navy and High Command of the Mexican Navy, in the company of Mr. Juan Carlos Atecas Altamirano, Municipal President of Salina Cruz Oaxaca. Damen Shipyards Group was represented by Executive Board member René Berkvens, President of Damen Shipyards Mexico Horacio Delgado, and POLA Project Director Frank Verhelst.

The German company Hapag-Lloyd announced the adoption of a new real-time remote monitoring system for its reefer containers -  Hapag-Lloyd LIVE.The tool increases the transparency of the cold chain by offering customers a number of data sets about the condition and location of their reefer containers.The product will initially be launched to a selected group of customers and will gradually be made available as the reefer fleet of some 100,000 containers is being outfitted with the monitoring devices.“At the core of our Strategy 2023 is an enhanced differentiation by offering unrivaled levels of reliability and service quality. To be number one for quality is the ultimate promise to our customers and a strong differentiator from our competitors”…

South American country Peru has acceded to an important  International Maritime Organization (IMO) treaty helping to protect the marine environment – the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships (AFS) Convention.The UN body said that the treaty prohibits the use of harmful organotins in anti-fouling paints and establishes a mechanism to prevent the potential future use of other harmful substances in anti-fouling systems.Juan Carlos Gamarra Skeels, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Peru to IMO, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters, London, to deposit the instrument of accession (2 July).The treaty now has 87 contracting States…

German-based cargo container shipping line, Hapag-Lloyd AG is introducing its new real-time container monitoring program “Hapag-Lloyd LIVE”, that will monitor its reefer containers and provide information such as real-time location, temperature and power-off alerts.In an initial step, the company is equipping its entire reefer fleet of some 100,000 containers to offer real-time GPS location, temperature information and power-off alerts.As the program is designed to fit customers’ needs, Hapag-Lloyd intends to develop commercial products in close cooperation with its customers in order to adapt the solution even further.The product features of “Hapag-Lloyd LIVE” will be gradually released for use as the entire reefer fleet is being outfitted.

APM Terminals Algeciras hits a new Port Moves Per Hour (PMPH) record for a vessel berthed at Juan Carlos I berth. On Monday, 25th of March, 187,82  PMPH were registered on MSC Kalina.The Operations Department of the largest terminal in the Mediterranean confirmed that this is the best result since MSC Ditte called in September 2017. Back then it registered 183,64 PMPH.MSC Kalina is 366 meters long and 51 meters wide, and has capacity to carry 13,798 containers measured in 20 feet units (TEUs).Nine cranes worked on the vessel, which is not only a milestone in the terminal’s history, but also the result of a great planning and execution teamwork.This vessel runs on the AE6 service, arriving from Suez on its way to Antwerp.

The government of Panama gave a US$1.4 billion contract to build a bridge over the Panama Canal to Panama Cuarto Puente, a Chinese consortium.Panama Cuarto Puente consortium or so-called Panama Fourth Bridge Consortium,  composed of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and its unit China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), will design and build a bridge over the Panama Canal.According to a report in Reuters, the 6.5-km (4-mile) bridge will have six car lanes and a two-way metro line. The Chinese companies initially won the contract in June but the award was postponed after rival bidders appealed the decision.Now that the consortium outbid companies from Spain…

Trade infrastructure development to diversify Panama’s economy and DP World’s international experience in over 40 countries were at the centre of discussions held in Dubai yesterday between the global trade enabler’s Group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela. As part of his visit, Mr. Varela was taken on a tour of DP World’s flagship Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone, including Terminal 3, which is among the world’s most productive and technologically advanced, employing surveillance drones and remote-controlled quay cranes that are operated from the safety and comfort of a control room. A presentation was also delivered on the role that DP World plays in enabling customers to manage the complexities and cut costs in the global supply chain…

The connections between ships, ports and people were once again the focus for an international audience, as Panama hosted the 2017 World Maritime Day Parallel Event. The event was formally opened by His Excellency Mr Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez, President of the Republic of Panama. During the keynote address, which focused on the World Maritime Day theme "Connecting ships, ports and people", IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim emphasized IMO's strong commitment to helping achieve the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations. "Shipping and ports can play a significant role in helping to create conditions for increased prosperity and stability through promoting maritime trade.

The National Air and Naval Service of Panama (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval - SENAN) has taken delivery of four Interceptor 1102 vessels from Damen Shipyards Group. The President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, performed the christening ceremonies of all four vessels on February 6, 2017. Coinciding with the vessel handover, SENAN also signed a second contract with Damen for an additional batch of four Interceptors. Both contracts include a comprehensive after-sales package that consists of training, spare parts and maintenance.

Natural gas workers in Peru plan to hold an indefinite strike starting Dec. 29 that would disrupt production of the widely-used fuel as well as Royal Dutch Shell Plc's liquefied natural gas exports, the union SUTRAPPEC said Thursday. Some 200 unionized workers needed to operate Peru's Camisea gas fields will down tools to press Argentine energy company Pluspetrol to offer better wages and benefits in a new labor agreement, said SUTRAPPEC spokesman Juan Carlos Vargas. Pluspetrol owns a controlling stake - 27.2 percent - in the Camisea consortium that produces the vast majority of Peru's natural gas from a remote jungle region. Pluspetrol and Netherlands-based Shell, which exports liquefied natural gas derived from Camisea gas production, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.