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Gac News

20 Jul 2023

LNG Barge Clean Canaveral Bunkers First Cargo Ship in Canaveral

LNG bunker barge transferring LNG to Damia Desgagnés at Port Canaveral (Photo: JAX LNG)

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge Clean Canaveral completed its first barge-to-ship bunkering of a cargo vessel at Port Canaveral’s South Cargo Berth 4. JAX LNG, along with Polaris New Energy, handled the LNG refueling of the Damia Desgagnés on the ship’s inaugural call to Port Canaveral. The asphalt/bitumen tanker Damia Desgagnés completed her discharge of cargo and then JAX LNG proceeded with Desgagnés’s first barge-to-ship bunkering of LNG. The seafarers safely transferred approximately 400 cubic meters of LNG from North America’s largest LNG bunker barge…

28 Nov 2022

GAC Group Names New Group President

GAC Group’s Bengt Ekstrand (L) with Pontus Fredriksson (R) ©GAC

Shipping, logistics, and marine services provider GAC Group has appointed Pontus Fredriksson as its new group president, effective January 2023.Bengt Ekstrand, who has held the position for the past 10 years, will take on the role of Executive Co-Chairman alongside GAC’s long-standing Executive Chairman Björn Engblom."Ekstrand’s tenure began at a time of economic turmoil in the Eurozone and  expanding armed conflicts in the Middle East. Sluggish oil prices would soon plunge to less than USD45.00 a barrel.During that uncertain period…

15 Nov 2022

GAC Opens Another Office in Taiwan

(Photo: GAC)

Global shipping and logistics provider GAC Group is expanding its presence in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region by establishing a new office in Taiwan’s second-largest port, Taichung.The port has constructed several tailor-made wharves to serve the offshore wind energy industry as the country looks to become the leading provider of offshore wind power in the Asia-Pacific region. “By opening an office at Taichung Port, we can now be closer to our project sites and respond more quickly to the growing needs of our customers…

28 Mar 2022

Clean Canaveral Completes Inaugural LNG Bunkering

The Clean Canaveral providing cool-down services and bunkering LNG to the Eagle Brasilia (Photo: Polaris New Energy)

The Clean Canaveral, a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge operating along the coast of the southeastern United States, recently completed its inaugural bunkering in Jacksonville, Fla. The Clean Canaveral has a capacity of 5,500 cubic meters, making it the largest Jones Act LNG bunker barge. The vessel operates as an articulated tug barge unit (ATB) and is owned by Polaris New Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Seaside LNG Holdings.The operation marks the first barge-to-ship cool down performed in the United States.

14 Mar 2022

GAC Bunker Fuels Opens New US Office

(Photo: GAC Group)

GAC Bunker Fuels has opened a new office in Westport, Conn. to help global customers decarbonize in American ports and beyond.The office will be manned by liquefied natural gas (LNG), biofuel, low sulfur fuel oil (LSFO) and marine gasoil (MGO) experts Maurice Lara and John Lindquist, and will be carbon neutral.Beyond aligning with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, GAC Bunker Fuels has pledged zero oil-based bunker sales by January 1, 2030. On 1 September 2020…

04 May 2021

New LNG Bunker Barge Planned for Port of Tacoma

Puget Sound Energy’s LNG Terminal in the Port of Tacoma (Photo: GAC)

Puget LNG and GAC Bunker Fuels have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine fuel from Puget LNG’s terminal to GAC’s customers in the Pacific Northwest.When the Tacoma LNG Terminal becomes operational in the second quarter of 2021, it will be the first such terminal on North America’s west coast providing direct shoreside loading access for a bunker barge.GAC Bunker Fuels, a division of the Dubai-based GAC Group, will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Jones Act-compliant LNG bunker barge to be constructed…

25 Mar 2021

Suez Canal Traffic Suspended as Efforts Continue to Dislodge Grounded Ship

Credit: Suez Canal Port Authority

The Suez Canal temporarily suspended traffic on Thursday as efforts to dislodge a 400 m (430 yard) long container vessel that has blocked the waterway continued for a third day, with eight tugs working to straighten the ship.The Ever Given vessel, almost as long as the Empire State Building is high, ran aground diagonally across the single-lane stretch of the southern canal on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm.It is now blocking transit in both directions through one of the world's busiest shipping channels for goods…

24 Mar 2021

Oil Gains More Than $3/bbl After Suez Canal Ship Grounding

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

Oil prices jumped about 6% on Wednesday after a ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, and worries that the incident could tie up crude shipments gave prices a boost after a slide over the last week.The crude benchmarks, U.S. crude and London-based Brent, added to gains after U.S. inventory figures showed a further rebound in refining activity, suggesting U.S. refiners are mostly recovered from the cold snap that slammed Texas in February.Brent crude settled at $64.41 a barrel, gaining $3.62, or 6%, after tumbling 5.9% the previous day.

24 Mar 2021

Stranded Suez Ship's Owner, Insurers Face Millions in Claims

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

The owner and insurers of one of the world's largest container ships stuck in the Suez Canal face claims totaling millions of dollars even if the ship is refloated quickly, industry sources said on Wednesday.The 400-metre, 224,000-tonne Ever Given ran aground on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement, threatening to disrupt global shipments for days.GAC, a Dubai-based marine services company…

24 Mar 2021

Tugs Working to Free Grounded Containership in the Suez Canal

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

The shortest shipping route from Europe to Asia remained blocked on Wednesday as 10 tug boats struggled to free one of the world's largest container ships after it ran aground in the Suez Canal.The 400-metre, 224,000-tonne Ever Given ran aground on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement.About 30% of global container shipping volumes pass through the canal each day, carrying everything from fuel to consumer goods.

24 Mar 2021

Container Ship Runs Aground Blocking Suez Canal Traffic

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

A container ship heading to Rotterdam ran aground in the Suez Canal on Tuesday, blocking other vessels from transiting one of the world's most important waterways, according to shipping company GAC and shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon.The 200,000-tonne vessel en route from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean ran aground at about 7:40 a.m. (05:40 GMT) on Tuesday after the ship suffered a blackout, GAC said on its website.It added that 15 other ships in the northbound convoy behind the vessel were detained at anchorages waiting for the Canal to be cleared.

15 Jun 2020

A New Role for Service Providers Amidst Energy Upheaval

© Mike Mareen/AdobeStock

In today’s energy industry, things are moving fast. The upheaval brought about by COVID-19 and exacerbated by the Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war has been so profound that the International Energy Agency (IEA) has described the situation as “a once in a century event for energy demand”. This is supported by current IEA predictions which suggest a 6% drop in global energy demand in 2020 – seven times worse than the plunge in demand that followed the 2008 recession.Amid what the IEA has dubbed a “dismal” year for fossil fuels…

10 Jun 2020

Wilhelmsen to Use Drones to Deliver 3D Printed Spare Parts

(Photo: Wilhelmsen)

Wilhelmsen’s Marine Products division signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Singapore-based drone delivery startup F-drones, for last mile delivery of its 3D printed spare parts.As the only drone delivery provider currently authorized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to execute drone deliveries beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) to vessels at anchorage, the agreement with F-drones enables Wilhelmsen to broaden the scope of its exclusive on-demand additive manufacturing service…

19 May 2020

ShipMoney Digital Payment Solutions for Cash-to-Master Virtual Payments for Seafarers

© zapp2photo

As the health and welfare of seafarers continues to be a point of focus around the world, Maritime Payment Solutions, LLC (d/b/a ShipMoney), a provider of payment solutions for maritime companies, introduced ShipMoney Virtual Cards and the Transfer Marketplace, a pair of services designed to expedite payments to crew members and their families while providing a broad range of remittance options.ShipMoney’s Virtual Card solution uses Visa’s virtual card technology, which enables crew members to immediately access their wages from anywhere in the world while onboard or at home…

30 Jan 2020

NYK Examines Ammonia as Marine Fuel

(Photo: NYK)

At the first symposium of the Green Ammonia Consortium (GAC) on January 22, Japanese shipping company NYK presented its approach of using ammonia as marine fuel for zero-emission ships.Ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide (CO2) when it is heated and would thus be expected to contribute to the effort to address global warming. NYK is participating in the consortium to consider not only the maritime transport of ammonia as a power generation fuel used by electric power companies but also the use of ammonia as marine fuel…

02 Jan 2020

Containership Grounds in the Bosphorus Strait

A foreign cargo ship ran aground in Istanbul's Bosphorus strait on Friday, requiring a rescue operation and prompting authorities to temporarily close the picturesque and crowded waterway running through Turkey's largest city.There were no injuries or casualties, the governor's office said, adding that the ship had reported engine failure shortly before its grounding near the shore.There was no damage to the concrete walkway running along the shore, Reuters witnesses said.The Bosphorus, among the world's busiest shipping routes, was temporarily closed to international traffic as boats towed the vessel south towards the Sea of Marmara.The Liberian-flagged Songa Iridum had come from Ukraine's Odessa and was headed for Istanbul's port of Ambarli, according to Refinitiv Eikon shipping data.

17 Dec 2019

HullWiper Hull Cleaning Comes to Qatar

Underwater hull cleaning specialist HullWiper Ltd is joining forces with GAC Qatar in preparation to launch its hull cleaning solution at the Qatari port of Ras Laffan in early 2020 to meet growing demand for eco-friendly hull cleaning solutions.GAC Qatar is the only company to have been granted a license by the country’s Environment Ministry to operate hull cleaning equipment in its waters.HullWiper’s Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) complies with Qatar’s regulations, which include collection of 100% of biofouling removed during cleaning for safe disposal at the Qatar Petroleum (QP) facility after a QP test, and the maintain proper cleaning records for monthly submissions to QP Environment office…

24 Sep 2019

GAC Opens in Ireland

Photo: GAC

As part of its European growth strategy, the GAC Group has opened its first office in the Republic of Ireland, providing a wide range of shipping services to vessels at the country’s ports as well as in Northern Ireland.GAC Ireland provides ship agency services at all major Irish ports to a range of customers operating in sectors from tankers and dry cargo to offshore and navy vessels. Through its base in Cobh, near Cork, and the Group’s extensive regional and global network, GAC also offers customers joint agency solutions between Ireland and the UK…

24 Jan 2019

GAC Pushes Further into Arctic

GAC Norway opens new Arctic Circle branch at Tromsø in response to growing demand, said the company.Sitting 300km north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø is the largest urban area in Northern Norway and serves as a portal to the Arctic. It is a popular port of call for cruise vessels, including those specialising in winter tours to treat their passengers to spectacular views of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).Tromsø is also growing in popularity as a base port for the oil & gas and offshore industries.In the past two years, GAC has seen a significant increase in activity at the port, following the signing of two new cruise contracts.

10 Jul 2019

GAC Denmark Opens in Kalundborg

The shipping services company GAC Denmark has opened a new branch in Kalundborg to better serve the needs of GAC’s global principals in the liquid bulk and other sectors.Kalundborg, located 100 km west of Copenhagen,  is a key location for liquid and dry bulk cargo with a perfect setup for larger projects for industry players such as Equinor, Yamal LNG and Chevron.The new Kalundborg office, following the opening of a branch office in Aarhus last year and another in Esbjerg in 2015, brings GAC Denmark’s total number of offices to four, enabling the company to meet client needs throughout the country.Sebastian Jonsson, General Manager of GAC Denmark…

11 Jun 2019

GAC Mulls Expansion

The shipping & logistics company GAC is tapping into the growing contract logistics business potential of the Asia Pacific, Indian Subcontinent and Middle East, with plans to further develop and expand in its operations in the regions.That was the message Lars Bergström, GAC’s Group Vice President for Asia Pacific & Indian Subcontinent, had for the Group’s Contract Logistics Solutions experts who gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to chart GAC’s strategy to increase its share of the business in their regions. They discussed growing demand as a result of the rise of e-commerce, last mile deliveries and technological advancements, as well as the challenges the contract logistics sector faces.According to Transport Intelligence’s Global Contract Logistics 2018 report…

14 Mar 2019

GAC Bags Petronas Job

GAC Marine’s branch in Turkmenistan has been awarded two contracts by Petronas Carigali, a subsidiary of Petronas, to provide marine services for its development of the Garagol Deniz West (GDW) oil field.The service provider of full marine transportation to the offshore industry said in a press release that it will supply three anchor-handling vessels manned by experienced crew and kitted out with specialist onboard equipment to provide critical 24-hour support for the drilling operations.This includes transporting personnel and equipment from the onshore supply base to offshore facilities and between offshore rigs and platforms, oil spill response…

11 Mar 2019

GAC Handles First Tanker at New LNG Terminal

Marshall Islands-flagged LNG carrier ‘LNG/C Golar Snow’  (Photo: GAC Group)

GAC has handled the first tanker to berth at the newly constructed Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal inside Kamarajar Port, Ennore in Chennai, India. The Marshall Islands-flagged LNG carrier ‘LNG/C Golar Snow’ was carrying the first consignment of 78,037m³ of LNG from Ras Laffan in Qatar for the commissioning of the terminal.Agency operations were overseen by Captain Srinivasan Sethumadhavan, General Manager of Shipping Services at GAC’s Chennai Office, who is optimistic about…