Cef News

Fratelli Cosulich Bunkers (S) Pte Ltd. christened and launched its second Small Scale LNG carrier - the Paolina Cosulich - at the CIMC SOE shipyard in China.The event  was attended by Diana Mok - Managing Director at Fratelli Cosulich Bunkers (S) Pte Ltd, acting as the godmother of the vessel. Paolina Cosulich will sail under the Italian flag with Captain Vincenzo Scotto at the helm. The 5,300 DWT vessel can carry 8,200 m3 of LNG and 500 m3 of MGO and will be fitted with Wartsila's Dual Fuel technology.Boil off management techniques will be used by the LNG subcooling plant…

Italian firm Fratelli Cosulich Group has ordered a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel. The ship, which will be built in China, at the CIMC SOE shipyard, with its approximately 5,300 tons of DWT will be able to transport over 8,000 m3 of LNG and 500 m3 of MGO for bunkering. The vessel will be equipped by Wartsila, a Finland-based company specializing in the manufacture of propulsion and power generation systems for marine use with Dual Fuel technology. According to Fratelli Cosulich…

French energy group Total said Monday it had realized the first ship-to-containership Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering operation in France. The world’s largest LNG bunker vessel in operation, Total’s Gas Agility, completed on Friday evening, April 30th, at the Port of Dunkirk the refueling of the world’s largest containership powered by LNG, the CMA CGM Jacques Saade, with around 16,400m3 of LNG.This inaugural operation also marks Dunkerque LNG terminal’s first loading of…

The European Commission will co-finance the construction of the first vessel to be fully dedicated to liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering at the Port of Algeciras, Spain.The grant agreement was signed with Enagás and the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay on Tuesday.Enagás said the project is "boosted" by the Enagás start-up that specializes in small-scale LNG supply infrastructure, Scale Gas, and the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay (APBA).The initiative, coordinated by Enagás…

The Natural Gas Public Company of Cyprus (DEFA) announced that a Chinese-led consortium has been chosen as the preferred bidder for the construction of a EUR 250 million liquified natural gas (LNG)  import terminal and related infrastructure.The authorities announced that the consortium of JV China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co Ltd, AKTOR S.A. and METRON S.A., with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Co. Ltd and Wilhelmsen Ship Management Limited has emerged as the preferred bidder in a tender for the construction of infrastructure required for the introduction of natural gas.According to government sources, the successful tenderer will…

Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation has been awarded a contract to install its rope-free automated mooring system, AutoMoor, at the Old City Harbor at the Port of Tallinn, which is the biggest harbor in Estonia and one of the busiest passenger harbors in the world.In first quarter of 2020, Trelleborg will install six units of its AutoMoor T40 Twin Arm at the Old City Harbor’s Berth 13 cruise ferry wharf to facilitate faster berthing processes and improve safety levels within the port environment.

The European Seaports Organisation (ESPO) said it strongly supports the European Parliament’s call for an increased transport budget of EUR33.5 bn ($38bln).The budget proposed by the European Commission is insufficient to complete the TEN-T network and to invest in a safe, modern and sustainable transport network. Moreover, ESPO believes the proposed EUR10 bn transfer from the Cohesion Fund to Council on the future Connecting Europe Facility (CEF II) should be safeguarded. ESPO also welcomes the Common Understanding between the European Parliament and CEF II.“The Parliament has given a strong signal in favour of an increased transport budget for the coming years. We embrace this decision and hope it will be confirmed in the further negotiations.

Steel cut for first short-sea LNG bunker vessel for Eesti Gaas at Damen Yichang Shipyard, China.On March 18, 2019, a ceremony was held at Damen Yichang Shipyard, China, to mark the start of cutting steel for the first of a planned series of short-sea LNG Bunker vessels to be built for Eesti Gaas of Estonia. The 6,000m³ capacity vessel and its future sister-ships are intended to accelerate the wider adoption of LNG as a cleaner alternative fuel in the north-eastern region of the Baltic Sea by providing a mobile and efficient ship-to-ship distribution service for the first time.Virgo Vinkel…

Dutch banking group ING and the European Investment Bank said they will provide a EUR 110 million ($123 million) loan to Dutch ship management firm Spliethoff’s Bevrachtingskantoor B.V. for retrofitting vessels with exhaust gas cleaning systems.According to a European Commission press release, Spliethoff will use the loan to retrofit 42 of its vessels with exhaust gas cleaning systems and ballast water management systems.The loan is part of the ING and EIB EUR300mln Green Shipping partnership signed in 2018, to support sponsors of green and sustainable projects in the maritime transport sector with advantageous financial terms.The loan will allow Spliethoff to have 17 vessels retrofitted with both exhaust gas cleaning systems and ballast water management systems…

The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism and the Industry Committee jointly adopted the Marinescu- Telička- Virrkkunen report on the Connecting Europe Facility proposal (CEF) 2021-2027.The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) welcomes the demand for an increased budget for transport. Members of the committees voted to raise the general envelope of the CEF transport budget by €7bn to €33.51bn (USD 7.94 bln to USD 38 bln) in constant prices.The significant role of transport for the development of the Union had been equally recognised by the Parliament’s request for a higher CEF transport budget during the vote on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).ESPO particularly appreciates the recognition of the cross-border potential of port projects.

The ‘LNGHIVE2: Infrastructure and Logistics Solutions’ project, coordinated by Enagás, has been selected by the European Commission ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF) for funding.The initiative aims to boost the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel for maritime and rail transport. The total investment in the project will be around EUR14 million, of which close to EUR3 million will be financed by European funds.The initiative, coordinated by Enagás and promoted by Puertos Del Eastado, features the participation of six other partners: the Port Authority of Huelva, RENFE Mercancías, ADIF, Saggas, Marflet Marine, and the Valenciaport…

Baleària has begun retrofitting its Nápoles ferry to be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG)The ferry arrived at the  Gibdock shipyards for modification of the engines, and to install an LNG tank with the work expected to be completed by February 15.Thus, the two engines currently on the ship (MAN9L48/60) will become 9L51/60DF versions which are dual-fuel liquefied natural gas and diesel engines produced by the company MAN Energy Solutions. With this change in fuel, the ferry Nápoles is expected to reduce its CO2 emissions by 9…

The Port of Rotterdam said that it aims to become an international frontrunner in the decarbonization of maritime transport and has the ambition to improve the efficiency of port services and stimulate sustainable maritime shipping through facilitating the most promising digital innovations."Therefore, we are committed to making transport flows more sustainable and efficient, alongside the removal of bottlenecks in infrastructure. The Port of Rotterdam welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for the Connecting Europe Facility II (CEF II) for the period 2021-2027," the port authories stated."The Port of Rotterdam also welcomes the proposed budget of €42.3 billion.

The investment needs of European ports over the next ten years amount to 48 billion EUR. Many port investments score high in creating societal value but the return on investment for the investor, the port managing body, is often low and slow.For these investments, external funding is needed. Ports have only been able to obtain 4% of the CEF transport budget over the last three years. These are the main results from the Study European Seaports Organisation (ESPO) launched in spring 2018 in preparation of the Connecting Europe facility II proposal which came out on 6 June 2018.ESPO welcomes the CEF II proposal and appreciates the efforts…

Turi Fiorito has been appointed as new Director of the European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP). He will take up his function on 20 August, 2018. Turi Fiorito comes with a solid background in EU policy making and transport, having worked as Transport Policy Advisor for a Dutch Member of the European Parliament, Wim van de Camp. In that capacity, Turi has been working on different port (Port Services Regulation), rail (4th railway package) and inland waterway issues for a number of years. Before joining the European Parliament, Turi worked as a European Affairs Assistant at the Dutch Airline company KLM and started his career as a Consultant for a global public affairs consultancy, based in Brussels.

The CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority Allard Castelein called on the European Union to step up its investments in the infrastructure of ports and hinterland connections during the 15th ESPO conference. This will further strengthen Europe’s economy and competitive position. ‘A port is only as strong as its hinterland connections,’ according to Castelein. ‘Solid infrastructure connections to and from ports and port-industrial complexes are of crucial importance for European prosperity and employment.’ That is why he calls on the European Union to free up more financial resources for infrastructure investments in its upcoming long-term budget.

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) is positive towards the proposal for the EU budget 2021 – 2027 published earlier this week. Specifically the large increase of the EU budget for Research, Innovation and Digital and for Climate and Environment could provide resources to support the European shipping industry in its transition to decarbonisation. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted in mid-April an initial strategy to reduce the total annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels. “The very ambitious reduction goal, on the pathway to full decarbonisation, will require breakthrough R&D for technologies, equipment and fuels not yet existing.

The European Commission (EC) proposal for the Multi Annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 adopted on Wednesday 2 May reserves a similar budget for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the financial instrument for Transport, in the current financial period. The proposal foresees 12,8 billion EUR under the general envelope, 11,3 billion EUR for transport projects in Cohesion countries and a new envelope of 6,5 billion EUR for investments in transport infrastructure for dual civilian-military use. For European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), the allocation within the MFF proposal clearly shows the support of CEF as a financial instrument and proves that the Commission…

The Transport Committee (TRAN) of the European Parliament voted its opinion on the Multi-Annual financial Framework after 2020 (Marinescu report). The Transport MEPs voted in favour of an updated and more effective Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). They have asked for an increased financing to cover all transport modes. They have further stressed that the investment in Transport infrastructure is an investment in long-term growth and jobs. When it comes to ports, the European Parliament’s transport committee recalls that ports function as gateways to trade, energy nodes and industry clusters and therefore underline the position of ports in the European transport network.

To complete the Trans European (TEN-T) Network, 750 billion euros is still needed. 30 European transport associations, representing infrastructure managers, operators, local authorities, users and equipment suppliers in the maritime, inland waterways, railways, road, cycling, aviation and intermodal sectors, call for strong financial support for the completion of the network. European citizens and customers require safer, ever more secure, reliable, efficient, green, multimodal and smart mobility but also better connectivity between nodes and modes of transport. This can be made possible by modernising the transport sector and completing the TEN-T network, the construction and upgrade of transport infrastructure across the European Union.

With the slogan “More EU budget for transport, the best investment plan for Europe” a coalition of thirty European transport organisations are launching today their campaign for a strong connecting Europe Facility for the next financial period 2021-2028. “We are very pleased  to see that 30 transport organisations, covering all modes and nodes, service providers, users and cargo owners are supporting this plea for a strong financial support for the completion of the TEN-T network," says ESPO’s Secretary General Isabelle Ryckbost. "750 billion euro is needed to complete the TEN-T core network. We all know that transport projects with a high societal return do not always generate the necessary return on investment.

The scrubber from Langh Tech received the Baltic Sea Clean Maritime Award at the Baltic Sea Forum in Berlin. The third-place award was handed to Langh Group’s Chairman of the Board, Maritime Counsellor Hans Langh by Professor Kurt Bodewig, European Coordinator Baltic-Adriatic. The Forum was organized in connection with the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) Annual Forum. The Baltic Sea Clean Maritime Award is awarded to innovative and environmentally friendly solutions and ideas, which promote the well-being of the Baltic Sea.

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) issued a statement to contribute to the Commission’s Maritime Year and to follow up on the Valletta Declaration, the ministerial declaration on maritime transport, adopted on March 28 focusing on competitiveness, digitalization and decarbonization. “We welcome the Valletta Declaration as a first milestone of the Maritime Year,” said ESPO’s Secretary General, Isabelle Ryckbost. Isabelle added, “We hope that the Maritime Year will reinforce the support for modern, sustainable and well-connected European ports, will pave the way for maritime trade facilitation and simplification and, last but not least, will embrace the sustainable agenda of European ports”.