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Austria News

19 Jan 2024

Leichtfried Named Head of Danfoss Drives in N. America

Hannes Leichtfried (Photo: Danfoss)

Danfoss Drives announced that Hannes Leichtfried has been appointed head of sales and marketing for the Drives business segment in North America.Leichtfried, an Austrian native, brings to the role nearly 30 years of experience at Danfoss in Austria and Germany. He began his career at Danfoss in 1994 as a technical support engineer, then moved into sales and marketing roles. He was most recently the head of sales and marketing for Danfoss Drives in the Central European region.

05 Dec 2023

Management Change at German Dry Bulk Shipper

(from left to right) Pascal Rodius, Monique Hezel-Reyntjens, Florian Bleikamp.
Copyright: HGK Shipping GmbH

Monique Hezel-Reyntjens will retire effective December 31, 2023, having worked in and led what is now known as BeKa HGK GmbH for almost 42 years. Her parents, Franz Josef and Corrie Becker founded the dry shipping company in 1982. Monique Hezel-Reyntjenshas played a significant role in the success story at BeKa HGK; she worked in the chartering section from the outset and in the course of time became a shareholder and has been its managing director up to now. She will be succeeded by Florian Bleikamp (34)…

06 Nov 2023

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

© 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 state…

15 Dec 2022

HGK Shipping Acquires BeKa HGK GmbH

HGK Shipping has been the sole shareholder of BeKa HGK GmbH since 14 December 2022. (from left) Christian Möhrmann, CFO HGK Shipping, Monique Hezel-Reyntjens, Managing Director BeKa HGK, Steffen Bauer, CEO HGK Shipping. Photo: HGK Shipping GmbH

Inland waterway shipping company HGK Shipping acquired the remaining 60% of BeKa HGK GmbH as of December 14, 2022, a strategic decision that the company says "significantly intensify its business activities on the Upper Rhine, Danube and Mosel rivers in its dry shipping division." The previous co-shareholder, Monique Hezel-Reyntjens, will continue to manage the business of BeKa HGK. With the takeover, BeKa HGK is assigned to the dry shipping corporate division within HGK Shipping.

03 Oct 2022

Sweden Sends Diving Vessel to Inspect Leaking Nord Stream Pipelines

Nord Stream Gas Leak in the Baltic Sea - Credit: Swedish Coast Guard

Sweden sent a diving vessel on Monday to the site of Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea that ruptured last week following blasts in the area, to probe an incident that has added new tension to Europe's energy crisis.Europe is investigating what caused three pipelines in the Nord Stream network to burst in an act of suspected sabotage near Swedish and Danish waters that Moscow quickly sought to pin on the West, suggesting the United States stood to gain."The coast guard is responsible for the mission…

17 Jun 2022

Costa Toscana: Costa Cruises Christens New LNG-powered Flagship in Barcelona

Costa Toscana in Barcelona - Credit: Bartolomej Tomić

Italian cruise line Costa Cruises on Thursday held a christening ceremony for its new flagship, the Costa Toscana, in the port of Barcelona, Spain.The LNG-powered, Italian-flagged ship sailed away from Civitavecchia, Italy on Monday, making a stop in Naples on Thursday, before arriving in Barcelona on Thursday for the christening ceremony. The 337-meter ship is one of the largest ocean liners and can accommodate 6,554 passengers. Chanel, a Cuban-Spanish singer, dancer, and actress…

13 May 2022

Romanian Port Races Against Clock to Move Ukrainian Grain to Global Markets

© Sergey Zhmurchak / Adobe Stock

Pressed into emergency service by the blockade of Ukraine's seaports by Russian invaders, neighboring Romania is racing against time to move Ukrainian grain to global markets before the next harvest triggers bottlenecks.Ukraine, the world's fourth largest grain exporter, has been forced by Russia's invasion to re-route shipments by train via its western border into neighboring Poland, Slovakia and Romania or on barges through its small Danube river ports.But Ukraine needs to move…

24 Feb 2022

U.S. Sanctions Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO

Matthias Warnig, Chief Executive Officer of Nord Stream 2 AG (Image Cropped) / Source © Nord Stream 2  Wolfram Scheible

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on the company in charge of building Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, expanding penalties on Moscow after it recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.The sanctions, which target the Nord Stream 2 AG company and its CEO, Matthias Warnig, add to pressure on the Baltic Sea project that was designed to double the gas flow capacity from Russia to Germany.Europe's most divisive energy project, Nord Stream 2 has not begun operations pending certification by Germany and the European Union.Germany on Tuesday halted the pipeline…

11 Feb 2022

Austria Resists Including Nord Stream 2 in EU Package of Russia Sanctions

Credit: Nord Stream 2

Austria is sticking with its opposition to including the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in a package of sanctions against Moscow that the European Union is preparing in the event Russia invades Ukraine, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Friday.Austrian oil company OMV is one of Russian gas giant Gazprom's partners in the pipeline project connecting Russia to Germany, which has been completed but is not yet operational as it is awaiting German and EU regulatory approval. Austria owns 31.5% of OMV and backs the project.U.S.

24 Dec 2021

Europe Missing Out on Gas with Nord Stream 2 Delay, Russia says

Credit: Nord Stream 2

Europe, struggling with soaring gas prices, is missing out on additional Russian supplies amid delays to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a top Russian official signaled on Friday.Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said European companies that invested in the project, which is awaiting German and EU regulatory approval, would be able to ask for additional gas on top of their long-term contracts via the route."To my mind, European consumers are very interested in the project to start working, while the companies, which participate in it, they could have submitted additional requests as part of lo

08 Dec 2021

Opinion: A Call for the USNS Walter Munk to Honor America’s Greatest Oceanographer

Walter Munk (center) with the author (left) and his wife Mary (right) at Scripps in 2018. Photo courtesy the Author

In the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress established a commission to rename several military bases and ships that commemorate members of the Confederacy. One of these is the Naval oceanographic ship USNS Maury (T-AGS 66), named after oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury, who resigned his commission in the U.S. Navy to join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the American Civil War. The USNS Maury is an asset of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC), which I led from 2014-2017.

27 Oct 2021

Nord Stream 2 is Not a Threat to Gas Supply to EU - German ministry

On September 10, 2021, the sections of the second Nord Stream 2 pipeline laid from the German shore and Danish waters was connected in a so-called above water tie-in. The opposing pipe strings were lifted from the seabed by the lay barge Fortuna and the pipe ends were cut and fitted together. The welding to connect the two lines took place on a platform located above the water on the side of the vessel. Then the connected pipeline was lowered to the seabed as one continuous string.©NordStream2

Allowing Nord Stream 2 to pump Russian gas to Germany will not threaten supplies to the European Union, the German Economy Ministry said on Tuesday, clearing a major hurdle for the disputed pipeline.While the pipeline is ready to start operations, it still needs to be certified by Germany's Federal Network Agency and the ministry's supply analysis is a key requirement for the regulator to continue that process."In its analysis, the Federal Economy Ministry concludes that granting certification is not threatening security of gas supply to the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union…

10 Sep 2021

Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Completed, Gazprom Says

Credit; Nord Stream 2

Gazprom said on Friday it had finished construction of the Nord Stream 2 subsea pipeline to Germany, completing Moscow's project to increase its gas export capability and bypass Ukraine, but flows have yet to be cleared by regulators.The much-politicized pipeline will double Russia's gas exporting capacity to Europe via the Baltic Sea and will allow Moscow to circumvent its political foe Ukraine as a major route for its lucrative gas exports to Europe."The head of the management board…

10 Jun 2021

Feature Product: Fire-retardant Sylomer Marine Helps to Minimize Vibration

The NK certified material Sylomer Marine FR is easy to install, maintenance free, resilient and durable. Source: Getzner Werkstoffe

Austria's Getzner Werkstoffe received ClassNK type approval certification for "Primary Deck Covering" for its fire-retardant Sylomer Marine product line.The material is used in floating floors, decoupling passenger and crew cabins, wheelhouses and engine rooms to maximize the comfort level for the ship crew and passengers.Floating FloorsThe elastic polyurethane Sylomer Marine FR can be used on ships in floating floor applications. Different material types for various payloads are available.

24 May 2021

Sea Change: Global Freight Sails Out of the Digital Dark Ages

© hit1912 / Adobe Stock

If suppliers in China fail to pick up freight containers to fill an order for MediaShop, Marcel Schneider gets an alert via a digital freight system, allowing the retailer to reach out and fix the problem swiftly.Before July 2020, Austria-based MediaShop’s deputy supply chain director says he would discover problems in his supply chain only when containers failed to arrive in Hamburg as scheduled.“It was like being in a tunnel where you had only a limited view of what was going on…

07 Feb 2021

Pipe Laying for Nord Stream 2 Restarts in Danish Waters

File photo: © Nord Stream 2 / Axel Schmidt

The consortium behind the Russia-led Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline has resumed laying pipes in the waters of Denmark, it said on Saturday, despite mounting pressure on the project from Washington.Construction of the link, which would double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream pipeline to 110 billion cubic meters of gas per year, was suspended in December 2019 due to the threat of sanctions from Washington.However the German government has stood by the project and late in December a vessel called the Fortuna…

22 Jan 2021

Russian Pipelaying Vessels En Route to Nord Stream 2 Work Site

Russian pipe-laying and other vessels are heading to Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction sites in the Baltic Sea, ship tracking data showed on Friday, amid U.S. pressure to scrap the project that aims to pump more Russian gas to Europe.Work on Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will land in Germany, was suspended in December 2019 when Swiss-Dutch company Allseas halted pipe laying because of U.S. threats to impose sanctions.Work resumed for a brief period last month on a 2.6-km (1.6-mile) stretch in German waters. A Danish regulator said construction would restart in Danish waters from mid-January, with Russian pipe-laying vessel Fortuna, which had worked in the German zone.Refinitiv Eikon data showed Fortuna was in the region of the German-Danish maritime border.

14 Jan 2021

Report: Nord Stream 2 Set to Resume Pipelaying Works in Danish Waters

The Russia-led Nord Stream 2 consortium said on Thursday that work to lay its subsea gas pipeline to Germany would resume in Danish waters on Jan. 15, the TASS news agency reported, despite pressure from the United States for construction to stop.Russia said on Wednesday it was confident of completing the project, although two sources said the U.S. State Department had this month told European companies suspected of helping to build the pipeline that they faced possible sanctions.Nord Stream 2 has not responded to a [Reuters] request for comment.A Danish maritime regulator said last month construction work would resume in Danish waters in mid-January…

29 Dec 2020

Nord Stream 2 Completes Pipe Laying Works in German Waters

The Russia-led Nord Stream 2 consortium said on Monday it has completed laying pipes for the project in German waters, finishing work on a 2.6 kilometer-long portion of the pipeline, which had been stalled by the threat of U.S. sanctions."We have completed this work," the consortium said in an emailed statement, referring to the pipe-laying in the German economic zone.Earlier on Monday, Refinitiv Eikon data showed the Russian pipe-laying vessel Fortuna has left the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline construction site in Germany's section of the Baltic Sea.The Fortuna earlier this month resumed work on the pipeline, which will pump gas directly from Russia to western Europe, bypassing Ukraine.

28 Dec 2020

Fortuna Pipelayer Leaves Nord Stream 2 German Site, Indicating Project Progress

The Russian pipe-laying vessel Fortuna has left the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline construction site in the Baltic Sea, Refinitiv Eikon data showed on Monday, indicating that the 2.6-km stretch of the project in German waters may have been completed.Fortuna was now heading for the north German port of Wismar, the data showed.The Fortuna earlier this month resumed work on the pipeline, which will pump gas directly from Russia to western Europe, bypassing Ukraine. Work had been suspended for a year due to the risks of sanctions from the United States.Nord Stream-2 did not respond to a request for comment on Monday on the latest developments.The pipeline…

23 Dec 2020

Nord Stream 2 to Start Laying Gas Pipes in Danish Waters

The Russia-led Nord Stream 2 consortium is expected to start laying gas pipes in Danish waters after construction was suspended for a year owing to the threat of sanctions from the United States, according to a Danish maritime regulator.Nord Stream 2, designed to double capacity of the existing undersea Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, has become a bone of contention between Moscow and Washington, with the United States seeking to cut Europe's reliance on Russian energy.The United States also plans to increase sales of its own sea-borne liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe.The Danish Maritime Authority has issued notification of pipe-laying works for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline on the Baltic Sea bed from Jan.

14 Dec 2020

Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Construction Works Resume Despite U.S. sanctions

Russia has resumed construction of the politically-charged Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, laying pipes after a one-year hiatus prompted by U.S. sanctions, the pipeline operator said on Friday.The pipeline, which Washington says compromises European energy security, has become a flashpoint in relations between Russia and the West that have sunk to post-Cold War lows. The Kremlin has called the sanctions "unfair competition".Swiss-Dutch company Allseas suspended the laying of pipes in December 2019 following the threat of sanctions from Washington, leaving Russia to utilize its own resources to construct the 1,230 kilometers (km) pipeline…

11 Dec 2020

Second Russian Pipe-layer Moves to Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline Site

A Russian pipe-laying vessel, Fortuna, has arrived at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, Refinitiv Eikon data showed on Friday, with work on the project set to resume.There are also several procurement vessels near the site, according to the data.The Akademik Cherskiy, another, more modern pipe-laying vessel which had arrived at the site north of the German and Polish coasts last week, has since moved away and is now drifting near the Russian port of Kaliningrad.Nord Stream 2 has repeatedly declined to comment on which vessel will lay the pipes and when exactly works to construct the pipeline, which will run from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea…