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Graig Group News

24 Jan 2017

Idwal Marine launches Online Ship Inspection Platform

Idwal Marine has launched the shipping industry’s first cloud-based online platform to provide instant quotations and deliver reporting for complete vessel condition, pre-purchase and pre-charter inspection services. The online platform www.inspectmyship.com provides 24-hour access to a global network of ISO-certified ship inspectors worldwide and comprehensive vessel condition reports to help banks, shipowners, brokers, charterers and financial organisations assess the condition of shipping assets. The UK-based inspection services provider, Idwal Marine (part of the Graig Group), believes that the current low charter rate environment and downward pressure on asset values is driving shipowners…

24 Jul 2012

Graig Takes Delivery of First of Handysize Pair

Cardiff-based Graig Group has taken delivery of the 35,000 dwt handysize bulk carrier Graig Cardiff, the first of two Seahorse 35 class vessels building for Graig and partners at Jiangdong Shipyard, Wu Hu, China. The Graig Cardiff is entered into the Lauritzen Bulkers pool and is currently on her maiden voyage from Shanghai to Argentina. Her sister vessel, the Graig Rotterdam, is due for delivery later this year. Both vessels have been constructed under the supervision of Graig China Limited and will be managed by Graig's ship management divisions in Cardiff and Shanghai.

22 May 2012

Graig Wins Suezmax Supervision Contract

Graig secures ten-vessel supervision contract for Global Union suezmax newbuildings. Graig China Ltd (GCL), part of the Cardiff-based Graig Group, has been contracted by Hong Kong-based Global Union Shipping Limited to supervise the construction of ten 157,000 dwt suezmax crude oil tankers building at Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries Co Ltd in China. The last vessel in the ten-ship order is due for delivery in January 2014. GCL is supervising – or has already delivered - forty other newbuildings at the Rongsheng shipyard. The total number of ships in GCL’s newbuilding programme is now nearing 150. Global Union says that one of the…

14 Jul 2011

Wartsila to Design Graig Container Feeders

Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply the ship design for a series of new generation container feeders. The Cardiff-based Graig Group has ordered up to 26 MARLIN 2000 Blue design container feeders to be built at the major Jin Hai shipyard complex in China. The first two vessels are scheduled for delivery in August and September 2013, with subsequent vessels to be delivered in pairs every two-and-a-half months. Wärtsilä Ship Design has developed the MARLIN series in close cooperation with Graig and the DNV classification society. The design offers cutting-edge features for container vessels. The MARLIN series was designed to deliver approximately 30 percent improved fuel efficiency per TEU carried…

12 Jul 2011

Graig Order Launches Generation of "Super Feeders"

The Cardiff-based Graig Group has ordered a series of up to 26 fuel-efficient new generation MARLIN 2000 Blue design container feeders to be built at the major Jin Hai shipyard complex in China. The first two vessels are scheduled for delivery in August and September 2013 with subsequent vessels to be delivered in pairs every two and half months. Discussions on charters for the vessels are advanced with a number of global liner companies. Hugh Williams, CEO, Graig, says, “This series responds to the industry’s needs.

28 Mar 2011

Graig Wins Major Chinese Newbuilding Contract

Shanghai-based Graig China, part of the UK’s Graig group, has won a ten-ship order to supervise newbuildings for Chinese leasing company Minsheng Financial Leasing Co Ltd. The supervision contract brings to twenty-three the number of Chinese-owned vessels building in Chinese shipyards under the supervision of Graig. The new contract is to supervise the construction of ten 76,000 dwt bulk carriers to be built at Jiangsu Rong Sheng Heavy Industries Co Ltd, with delivery of the final vessel scheduled for the first quarter of 2012.

01 Sep 2009

Graig Group moves into Singapore

Photo courtesy Graig Services

Cardiff-based Graig Ship Management has established a new company in Singapore. Graig Services (Singapore) Pte Ltd will provide ship management, crewing and other services across Asia. Geoff Hutcheon has been appointed General Manager. "Singapore is one of the world's leading maritime hubs and the ideal place for the Graig Group to expand its Asian footprint," said Hutcheon. Geoff Hutcheon has extensive experience as an engineer at sea and as a project manager, surveyor and newbuilding supervisor ashore.

18 Dec 2007

Graig Ship Management Appoints CEO

Cardiff-based Graig Ship Management appointed Ian Morgan as CEO. Ian takes over from current CEO John Arkell, who is retiring shortly following almost five years as the driving force behind GSM's growth. position of technical superintendent. In July 2006 Ian was appointed fleet technical manager and in July this year rose to the position of general manager and director of GSM. "We are confident Ian will rise to the challenge of his new key role with the Group, and his strong technical background will be especially beneficial as we continue to innovate our range of newbuilding vessels," said Hugh Williams, CEO of the Graig Group. Graig has successfully supervised the building of over 100 ships of different types at yards in Asia.

09 Feb 2004

Graig builds Diamond alliance in Vietnam

state shipbuilder Vietnam Ship Industry Corporation (Vinashin). Graig's long standing experience with building high quality ships in China. Graig. with procurement, with finance and with all important quality control. Vietnam can provide them with high quality tonnage. significantly enhancing safety and environmental protection. Delivery date for the first Vinashin vessels is January 2006. Namtrieu Shipbuilding Industry Company in Haiphong. largest and most sophisticated vessels yet built in Vietnam. another substantial shipbuilding centre," says Williams. with the full support of the Vietnamese government. discussion. discussions with charterers. company based in Shanghai. Bulk Carrier with full Nauticus package including a full 3-D model. is scheduled for delivery this year.

01 Mar 2004

Graig Extends Cooperation With Vinashin

Graig Group is to build on its recent fifteen-ship order in Vietnam by developing series production of a full range of modern-design bulk carriers at Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (Vinashin) yards. The series will range from handysize up to capesize. Speaking after announcement of the Strategic Alliance formed with Vinashin on Friday February 27, Graig CEO Hugh Williams said, "We see significant potential here in Vietnam, and we will be working together with our Vinashin partners to meet the growing demand for modern bulk carriers. The success of our Diamond 53 handymax project in China and in Vietnam proves that owners want well-thought-out and strong vessels at good prices. We will shortly be announcing new sizes of the Diamond range for Graig and its partners.

08 Mar 2004

Feature: Business Milestone for Vietnam

Vietnam's fledgling shipbuilding industry has raised its international profile by entering into a seminal agreement with the UK's Graig Group for the construction of a series of double-hulled bulk carriers. Cardiff-based Graig's bold move, potentially entailing 15 vessels of the Diamond 53 handymax type, draws on its experience in assigning a similarly extensive program, for 14 examples of the 53,000-dwt design, to Chinese yards. For the industrially-ambitious Vietnamese, who have already made substantial investments in modern shipbuilding equipment and practises, the Graig deal has particular appeal not only for its promise of serial production of one of the most well-considered, future-oriented bulker designs, but also for the broader package which the firm brings to the project.

05 Apr 2004

Graig expands into Germany

Cardiff and Shanghai-based Graig Group is expanding into Germany. Graig has established a ship management company in Hamburg, and has sold and chartered back seven ships in a $24m KG deal backed by Hamburg-based KG broker Ownership Emissionhaus Gmbh. Graig Shipmanagement (Germany) Gmbh will manage seven modern Confidence-class multi-purpose vessels, part of the nineteen-ship series which Graig built in China between 1997 and 2003. The first two vessels, CEC Confidence and CEC Cardigan, have already been offered to German investors, and the rest will follow during April. "This move into Germany gives us access to a powerful and flexible source of equity finance…

05 Dec 2001

Wind Power Comes of Age

Europe's fledgling offshore wind power industry has produced an order for an entirely new breed of vessel designed to transport and position wind turbines. U.K.-based engineering firm Mayflower Energy has contracted one such vessel from Shanhaiguan Shipyard in northern China on the strength of emerging demand for alternative, 'clean' energy sources. U.K. government plans call for 1,300 new 2-MW offshore turbines to be brought on stream over the next 10 years, and other littoral European countries have formulated large-scale projects for wind power generation systems. The perceived environmental acceptability of harnessing wind power for electricity generation is a strong motivator for the evident political approbation.

03 May 2007

Wärtsilä Orders Propulsion Systems

Wärtsilä Corporation is gaining an increasing volume of business from Vietnam for ship propulsion systems. The latest contract to be awarded in April by Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (Vinashin) is for propulsion systems to be installed in five chemical tankers to be built for Iason Hellenic Shipping Co Ltd, Greece, at the Pha Rung shipyard in Haiphong. The equipment will be delivered during 2008-2010. Each vessel will be equipped by Wärtsilä with a five-bladed fixed-pitch propeller of 4.30m diameter, shafting, stern-tube including seals and bearings and an intermediate shaft bearing. A greater scope of supply will be delivered by Wärtsilä to Vinashin for eight car carriers to be built for Ray Car Carriers Ltd, Israel.

23 Apr 2007

Cargo Ship Bound for U.K. Launched

A 53,000-tonne cargo ship built by Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (Vinashin), was launched in the northern port city of Haiphong, on April 20. The ship, 190m long and 32.26m wide, is one of a series of fifteen due to be handed over to the Graig Investment Group, a UK-based international ship owner and shipping services provider. It was the second boat of its kind built by Vinashin’s affiliate, Nam Trieu Shipbuilding Company and is also the largest being built in Vietnam under a contract worth nearly US $1 billion between Vinashin and the Graig Group. (source: VNA)

26 Jan 2007

Wärtsilä Wins FP Propeller Order for Bulk Carriers

Wärtsilä has won a Vinashin Shipbuilding Industry Corporation contract to supply fixed pitch (FP) propellers for a series of five bulk carriers under construction for UK-based shipowner Graig Group. The contract signed in November, marks Wärtsilä's first FP propeller contract from a Vietnamese shipyard. Due for delivery in August 2007, the first LIPS-type propeller will be for installation to a Diamond 34K bulker under construction at Vinashin's Pha Rung shipyard. The first vessel is due for delivery to Graig in November 2007. with a length of 590 ft., a molded breadth of 98.4 ft. 34,000 tons. Italian shipowner. Wärtsilä's LIPS-type fixed pitch propeller propellers are custom designed and made for each application.

11 Apr 2006

First Diamond 53 Launched in Vietnam

The first of a series of 16 Diamond 53 double hull bulk carriers has been launched at Vietnam's Ha Long shipyard. The largest ship ever built in Vietnam, the 53,000dwt Florence is the 10th Diamond 53 to be successfully launched, and 9 of the well-proven modern design are already giving excellent results in service. During the launching it is understood a block tripped and punctured the shell plating over a length of about 1.2m, leading to some water ingress. Water has now been removed and the vessel has been moored safely at the fitting out berth where construction work is continuing. There was no structural damage to the vessel and at no time was the vessel at risk.

25 Sep 2002

Four-Ship Boost for Diamond 53 Double Hull

A Consortium led by the U.K.-based Graig Group and its China-based subsidiary have given a major boost to the Diamond 53, a new, future-proof double-hull ultra-handymax bulk carrier design, by signing a letter of intent to build four vessels, with four options, at CSIC yards in China. Delivery of the first of a series of Diamond 53 type vessels is scheduled for 2004. "Double hull bulk carriers are the way forward," says Hugh Williams, ceo of Graig. owners and charterers major operational cost savings, while significantly enhancing safety and environmental protection. conducting. The Diamond 53 ultra-handymax double-hull bulk carrier design has been developed jointly by Graig and Denmarks' Carl Bro, with whom Graig has a joint venture design company based in Shanghai.

03 Oct 2002

Four-ship Boost for Diamond 53

ultra-handymax bulk carrier design, by signing a letter of intent to build four vessels, with four options, at CSIC yards in China. first of a series of Diamond 53 type vessels is scheduled for 2004. "Double hull bulk carriers are the way forward," says Hugh Williams, CEO of Graig. owners and charterers major operational cost savings, while significantly enhancing safety and environmental protection. conducting. The Diamond 53 ultra-handymax double-hull bulk carrier design has been developed jointly by Graig and Denmarks' Carl Bro, with whom Graig has a joint venture design company based in Shanghai. operational experience both from owners and class. including a full 3-D model. The first series of ships are intended to be built at Bohai and other nominated CSIC Shipyards in northern China.

20 Feb 2003

Graig Group Secures Orders For Bulk Carriers

double-hull ultra handymax Diamond 53 bulk carrier. confirmed, through Graig, three orders at Shanghai's Chengxi yard. deliveries will begin in January 2005. granted by the two shipyards. says Hugh Williams, ceo of Graig. for bulkers, we expect many more to follow their lead. discussions with charterers. company based in Shanghai. Bulk Carrier with full Nauticus package including a full 3-D model. Seascope has been appointed as exclusive broker for the Diamond series. concerns raised by IMO/IACS around bulk carrier safety. and four 36 tonne electro-hydraulic luffing cranes. Diamond 53 design can be found on the www.graigcarlbro.com website. panamax vessel, the Diamond 75. capesize Diamond.

14 Mar 2003

Cooney Joins Graig Group Board

The Graig Group has appointed Peter Cooney as a non-executive director. managing director and ceo of Graig. on our board. experience in the shipping industry. a very forward thinking company. independent oversight to Graig," says Cooney.

01 Apr 2003

Vessel Trends:New Era of the Double-Hull Bulker

As an endorsement of a commercially circumspect approach to double-hull bulk carrier design and construction, UK-based Graig Group has generated a tranche of orders for its cost-competitive Diamond ultra-handymax type. Although a letter of intent signed with China Shipbuilding Industry Corp. (CSIC) during the SMM Exhibition in Hamburg last September had put four newbuilds and four options in the frame, recently confirmed transactions open the way to a 16-ship program. New Century Shipbuilding has been entrusted with four examples of the robust 53,000-dwt Diamond class, and Chengxi Shipyard has been awarded three vessels, and a total of nine options have been taken out at the two yards.

16 Sep 2005

Unique Bulk Carrier Launched

design with an eight-ship order in Vietnam. Vinahsin's Pha Rung shipyard. Delivery dates begin in mid 2007. hull handymax design. of these vessels ordered to date. available to handysize operators. 34 based on the same concepts. indicate that power requirements for service speeds are lower than expected. discharging time, and major savings of time in cargo hold cleaning. protection, with all bunker tanks coffered from the ships sides. surfaces in the holds. openings and no lower hopper side tanks in holds 2, 3 and 4. hold to be flooded, and all ballast can be sequentially exchanged at sea. The vessel is fitted with four cranes up to 36 tonne capacity each. hull structure, even when the vessel is loaded. fore decks - improves the safe operation of the vessel.