Bulk Carrier Operators News

Swire Projects, the projects and heavy lift shipping arm of Swire Shipping, has officially launched a dedicated semi liner service connecting East Asia with the West Coast of North America.Previously offered on an ad hoc basis, the service will provide enhanced cargo connectivity and support the growing demand for reliable breakbulk and project cargo transportation into the West Coast and a gateway to the interior of the Continent avoiding the need to route cargo via the Panama Canal.Swire Projects' semi liner service connects the base ports of Qingdao and Taicang in China and ports en route…

U.K.-based ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) manufacturer Coldharbour Marine has launched a new treatment process designed specifically for large dry bulk vessels and ore carriers. The system uses the company’s existing inert gas based GLDTM treatment plant to meet the needs of large bulk carriers, which often ship large volumes of ballast water in upper wing tanks and discharge it directly into the sea. The IMO International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships'…

Collisions at sea have always been a major risk for seafarers and while the exact numbers of incidents that take place across the globe each year are hard to quantify, the number is significant. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) reports on average six collisions between merchant vessels in British waters every year and for every collision reported to the appropriate authorities there will be many more near-misses that go unreported. Paul Morter, Business Line Manager…

BMT ARGOSS and BMT Surveys, subsidiaries of BMT Group Ltd, the international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, announced an innovative new service as part of its marine casualty investigation portfolio. Utilizing REMBRANDT, the simulation tool developed by BMT ARGOSS, the newly formed Collision Reconstruction and Simulation Team will be able to accurately reconstruct specific incidents involving collisions to identify the root cause and any lessons that can be learned.

Yara International ASA said it has strengthened its position in emissions control for ships, industrial plants and heavy-duty vehicles with its acquisition of H+H Umwelt-und-Industrietechnik GmbH, which produces Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems for secondary NOx (nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide) reduction in marine and stationary land engines. Increasingly stringent environmental regulations, including in the U.S. and Europe are imposing tougher NOx reduction standards on cruise ship…

Leading coatings manufacturer Hempel announced today the launch of Hempadur Impact 47800, a new dedicated coating for bulk carrier cargo holds. Hempadur Impact offers high-end abrasion, impact and corrosion resistance, and completes Hempel’s range of cargo hold coatings. Hempadur Impact is a new dedicated cargo hold coating for shipowners who want a high-performance cargo hold coating with a very attractive price/performance ratio. The coating protects ship cargo holds from both mechanical damage and the severe abrasion caused when loading hard angular cargoes. With a 7½ year major repair interval, it enables shipowners to extend drydocking periods between major cargo hold coating repairs and so reduce maintenance costs.

THE offshore support vessel (OSV) segment - touted as the bright spot where other traditional shipping markets are suffering - may entice tanker and bulk-carrier operators to jump ship, according to a recent Singapore Business Times article. However, OSV operators and owners are wary of such a crossover, and warn that if the sector gets more crowded, it may derail a recovery in charter rates that is expected to come about in two to three years' time. There are about 3,000 OSVs that support oil and gas offshore exploration - a sliver of the 70,000 merchant ships - but it is a sector that gained attention at a time when oil companies are expected to spend about US$600 billion in exploration and production activities.

John Riding, director of Marico Marine, speaking at Ship Repair & Conversion in London, presents a rosy picture for the future of ship repair by pointing out that freight rates have not been so high for years and some owners, such as bulk carrier operators are enjoying a rare opportunity to seriously invest in maintenance. The busy state of building yards means that "keeping an older vessel in service longer has great commercial attraction," said Riding. He believes that some repair yards have the potential to make a return for the first time in a long time. However, there is a fly in the ointment in the form of the ISPS Code. The code as has implementation date of July 2004 and applies to all passenger ships…

The possibility of a future regulatory regime in which newbuild bulk carriers over a certain size would need to be double-hulled has moved a step closer towards becoming a reality. In March this year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s sub-committee on ship design and equipment (DE46) started work drafting potential revisions to the SOLAS Convention. The DE initiative followed the agreement at the 76th session of IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC76) that a regulation for double side skin construction should be considered for new bulkers of 492 ft. (150 m)-plus. The task of drawing up the SOLAS revisions necessary for instituting double hulls, if this is indeed to become a mandatory requirement, is not scheduled to be concluded until the DE47 sub-committee meeting in 2004.