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Barbara Lewis News

24 Apr 2024

Naval Group Submarine Win Contested by Thyssenkrupp

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Thyssenkrupp appealed against a decision by the Netherlands last month to award a contract worth billions of euros to build submarines to France's Naval Group, the German company said.Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), the German conglomerate's defence division, filed the objection with the District Court in The Hague in late March, the company said in an e-mailed statement."This measure is a professional business procedure in such publicly tendered major projects and part of the competition - especially in light of the questions that remain unanswered regarding specific evaluation criteria…

01 Apr 2024

Gazprom Uses Replacement Vessel to Maintain Gas Loadings

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Russia's Gazprom is using a replacement vessel for ship-to-ship loadings (STS) of liquefied natural gas from its Portovaya LNG plant on the Baltic Sea while another ship is repaired, LSEG data showed on Monday.The floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Marshal Vasilevskiy is designed to supply Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, between Lithuania and Poland, and ensure its gas security in case of disruption to pipeline supplies from neighboring countries.According to LSEG data, the FSRU Marshal Vasilevskiy was on Monday loading LNG ship-to-ship near Kaliningrad onto the Cool Rover vessel, m

15 Mar 2024

Migrant Boat Sinks Off Türkiye, Children Among 22 Dead

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At least 22 people drowned, including seven children, when a rubber boat carrying migrants sank off Turkey's northwest province of Canakkale, the local governor's office said on Friday, adding that search and rescue efforts continued.In a statement, the Canakkale governor's office said that two people had been rescued by the coast guard and two others had survived "by their own means" after the boat capsized.It said a plane, two helicopters, and a total of 18 vessels from the coast guard and other rescue authorities were involved in the search and rescue efforts…

06 Mar 2024

Three Killed in Houthi Attack On Greek-owned Ship

(Photo: U.S. Central Command)

A Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said, the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began strikes against shipping in one of the world's busiest trade lanes.The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen's port of Aden.In an earlier message on X responding to the Houthi claim, Britain's embassy wrote: "At least 2 innocent sailors have died.

06 Mar 2024

Two Dead in First Fatal Houthi Attack on Red Sea Shipping

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Two seafarers were killed in a Houthi missile attack on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, British and U.S. officials said, the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began strikes against shipping in one of the world's busiest sea lanes.The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen's port of Aden.In a statement on X directly responding to the Houthi claim, Britain's embassy wrote: "At least 2 innocent sailors have died.

20 Feb 2024

Parana River Reopens to Vessel Traffic with Draft Restrictions

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Argentina's Parana River, a global grains thoroughfare, reopened to shipping traffic on Tuesday after a grounded ship was freed, though vessels were told to load less grain while the damage to the channel was assessed.Shipping traffic had been snarled after the ship Clara Insignia, loaded with wheat, ran aground near the waterway's main channel and was stuck for several days, blocking the channel down river from the Rosario grains port hub.The bulk carrier was freed late on Monday…

14 Feb 2024

Star Bulk to Avoid Red Sea After Attacks on Its Ships

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Greece-headquartered Star Bulk will halt sailings through the Red Sea after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis attacked two of its ships in recent days, the group's CEO said.The Houthis have targeted commercial vessels with drones and missiles in the Red Sea since mid-November in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war."Going forward, we will not be passing the Suez Canal any more because we are obviously a target of the Houthis - being a public company registered in the U.S.," Star Bulk CEO Petros Pappas told a Feb.

29 Jan 2024

Russia Eases Harsh Weather Restrictions to Boost Oil Exports

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Russian ports are operating during more severe storms and easing restrictions for non ice-class vessels during winter, traders said and regulations showed, in an attempt to boost exports following disruptions from Western sanctions and harsh weather.Following the European Union oil embargo, Russia has to rely mostly on seaborne loadings, rather than westbound pipeline supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.Traders and analysts said the easing of restrictions carried technical and ecological risks, but could help Russia's revenues that are heavily reliant on oil.Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft,

19 Jan 2024

CMA CGM Reroutes More Ships to Avoid Red Sea Attacks

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One of the world's largest container shipping groups CMA CGM on Friday said it would reroute a weekly service between Europe and Australia to avoid attacks in the Red Sea, and that the company expected months of disruption.Attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia on commercial vessels, in response to Israel's war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza, have slowed trade between Asia and Europe, and U.S. strikes against the Houthis have not resolved the crisis.French-based CMA CGM said its weekly NEMO service connecting Europe…

15 Jan 2024

Houthis Say They Will Target US Ships

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Yemen's Houthi movement will expand its targets in the Red Sea region to include U.S. ships, an official from the Iran-allied group said on Monday, as it vowed to keep up attacks after U.S. and British strikes on its sites in Yemen.Attacks by the Houthis on ships in area since November have impacted companies and alarmed major powers in an escalation of Israel's more than three-month war with Hamas militants in Gaza. The group says it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians.British…

02 Jan 2024

Shipping Firms Continue to Pause Red Sea Shipments

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Global Denmark's Maersk and German rival Hapag-Lloyd said on Tuesday their container ships would continue to avoid the Red Sea route that gives access to the Suez Canal following a weekend attack on one of Maersk's vessels.Both shipping giants have been re-routing some sailings via Africa's southern Cape of Good Hope as Yemen-based Houthi militants attack cargo vessels in the Red Sea. The disruption threatens to drive up delivery costs for goods, raising fears it could trigger…

29 Dec 2023

Container Lines Continue to Divert from Suez Canal

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Hapag-Lloyd will continue to divert its vessels around the Suez Canal for security reasons, a spokesperson for the German container shipper said on Friday, adding a further assessment would be made on January 2.Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Nippon Yusen, Japan's largest shipping companies, also said their vessels with links to Israel were avoiding the Red Sea area. Both companies said they were monitoring the situation.Shipping companies including Hapag-Lloyd and Denmark's Maersk earlier…

30 Nov 2023

New York Launches Offshore Wind Solicitation

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New York released a new offshore wind solicitation on Thursday to keep the state on track to meet its renewable energy goals and support a nascent industry that has faced financial trouble in recent months.Offshore wind is expected to play a major role in New York's plan to reduce carbon emissions by getting 70% of the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2030. It is also a pillar of President Joe Biden's plan to decarbonize the U.S. power grid and combat climate change.The state said it is supporting the development of 9…

27 Nov 2023

Shell's Prelude LNG Facility Expected to Resume Exports Next Month

(Photo: Shelll)

Shell has almost finished extensive maintenance at its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility off Australia and is set to resume exports next month, according to industry sources and shipping data.The timing of the giant floating facility's return to operations is likely to coincide with peak consumption in major markets, including China and Europe, as winter in the northern hemisphere drives demand, although high inventories have limited buying so far this year.In a sign that the work…

26 Oct 2023

World's Ghost Fleet in Focus Over US Russian Price Cap Crackdown

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U.S. penalties on shippers transporting Russian oil in breach of the G7's price cap could push more Russian cargoes onto vessels referred to as the ghost fleet and away from mainstream tankers, shipping sources and analysts told Reuters.The cap bans Western companies from providing maritime services for Russian seaborne oil exports sold above $60 a barrel.It was designed to keep oil flowing to markets while reducing Russia's energy earnings that it can use to finance its war on Ukraine…

26 Sep 2023

Mideast-Asia Oil Shipping Rates Rebound, Capped by OPEC+ Supply Cuts

Credit: Carabay/AdobeStock

The cost of chartering a supertanker to load Middle Eastern crude oil for Asia has rebounded from a 19-month low in September, but industry sources expect output supply cuts, led by Saudi Arabia, to cap freight rates for the rest of the year.The world's benchmark very large crude carrier (VLCC) export route from the Middle East Gulf (MEG) to Japan, known as TD3, rose to W50.46 on Monday in the Worldscale measure of freight rates, LSEG data showed. It fell to W35.60 in September…

21 Aug 2023

Shipowners, Port Operators Ramp Up Methanol-fueling Projects

(Photo: A.P. Moller-Maersk)

Interest in methanol as an alternative fuel has grown in the shipping industry, which seeks to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.Below is a list of upcoming methanol bunkering-related projects by companies and ports:COMPANIES:A.P. Moller-MaerskMaersk received the world's first methanol-enabled container ship in July. It has 24 more such vessels on order to help it to achieve its goal of using low-emission fuels to transport a quarter of its volumes by 2030.HD Hyundai Heavy Industries expects to build a dozen more such vessels…

22 Aug 2023

Shippers Bet on Green Methanol to Cut Emissions, Supply Lags

CMA CGM is among the shiping companies investing in methanol powered ships (© Kara / Adobe Stock)

Container shippers are ordering vessels powered by methanol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it will take years for renewable methanol output to meet demand and for costs to fall, industry executives said.The first green methanol-fuelled container ship, owned by A.P. Moller-Maersk, sailed from South Korea in July. The number of such vessels is expected to exceed 200 by 2028, up from 30 this year, consultancy DNV forecasts.Container giants such as A.P. Moller-Maersk, CMA CGM and XpressFeeders dominate the order books.

08 Aug 2023

Black Sea Exporters Struggle to Clear Danube Shipping Backlog

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Dozens of ships are backed up around critical Danube arteries close to Ukraine's river gateways days after Russian drone attacks on the country's ports, shipping data showed on Tuesday.The river and its mouth are Ukraine's last remaining waterborne grain export route.Russia has attacked the agricultural and port infrastructure of Ukraine, one of the world's top grain exporters, in recent weeks after refusing to extend a year-old safe passage grain corridor brokered by the United…

20 Sep 2023

Swedish Prosecutor Hopes to Conclude Nord Stream Enquiry by Year-end

Credit:©The gas leak at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm in late September 2022. Photo: Danish Defence

The Swedish investigation into the sabotage last year of the Nord Stream pipelines is at a sensitive stage and the prosecutor hopes to decide whether to bring any charges before the end of this year, he told Reuters on Wednesday.In September 2022, several unexplained underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and newly-built Nord Stream 2 pipelines that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea.The blasts occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark, and both countries say the explosions were deliberate…

21 Jul 2023

Romanian Port Can Ship More Ukraine Grain After Collapse of Black Sea Deal

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Romania's Constanta port, Ukraine's main alternative route for grain since Russia's withdrawal led to the collapse of the Black Sea shipment deal, has capacity to handle extra cargoes until mid-August, the head of the port's business association said.He added operators were also seeking to increase capacity.Even before Russia on Monday quit a safe passage grain corridor through Ukraine's own ports, Constanta had emerged as the biggest alternative shipping route. It has handled roughly a third of Ukraine's grain exports since the start of the war.Transit pressure will mount on Constanta…

10 Aug 2023

Hapag-Lloyd Net Profit Dives 67% in H1

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German container shipper Hapag-Lloyd HLAG.DE on Thursday posted net profit of 2.9 billion euros ($3.18 billion) for the first half of 2023, down by 67% from a year earlier, but maintained its full year earnings forecast.The net profit compared with 8.7 billion euros in 2022 when shipping, a proxy for global trade, enjoyed a boom as economic growth rebounded following the end of pandemic lockdowns and as logistics disruptions raised freight rates for customers. Rates have since fallen as logjams have eased and the economy is slowing.

29 Aug 2023

Maersk's Methanol Ship Makes Maiden Refueling in Rotterdam

(Photo: OCI Global)

The port of Rotterdam has for the first time refueled a methanol-powered container ship as the shipping industry turns to the technology to cut its emissions, methanol producer OCI Global said on Tuesday.The Maersk-owned ship began its 21,500 km (13,359 mile) journey to Copenhagen from South Korea's Hyundai Mipo Dockyard on July 10.It also refuelled in Singapore, another major shipping hub before its stop-over on Tuesday in Rotterdam, Europe's largest port and ship-refueling hub, as the entire voyage is powered by green methanol.A low carbon fuel, green methanol is produced from renewable feed