Chemical Cargoes News

Cooperation strengthens chemical platform; underpins strategy to operate more sustainable, non-fossil fuel cargoes  Ardmore Shipping Corporation announced a new partnership with Carl Büttner, taking on the commercial management of four chemical tankers on behalf of the Bremen-based shipowner.The vessels Aurelia, Avalon, Apollo and Admiral are 24,000 deadweight tonne (DWT) chemical tankers, and will operate alongside Ardmore’s own chemical tanker fleet. This move signals a doubling of the number of similar sized chemical tankers under Ardmore’s management.Gernot Ruppelt…

On March 3, the Coast Guard published a notice that Martin Midstream Partners (MMP), a petrochemical transport and storage company, was seeking approval to modify terminal operations in Beaumont, Texas, along the Sabine-Neches Waterway. If approved, MMP would expand its liquefied hazardous gas (LHG) operations, both in volume and products. Instead of just handling ammonia the change would allow shipments of butane, propane, ethane, ethylene and propylene.Critically, MMP’s expansion would increase LHG vessel transit from 24 ships to as many as 350 per year.

Russia has ordered the mandatorydisinfection of ships arriving at the Black Sea ports of Novorossiisk and Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka from Iran, Italy and South Korea because of the coronavirus, a  document seen by Reuters showed.A branch of Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's consumer safety watchdog, has ordered port agents "to arrange the disinfectionof ships arriving from these countries before the border is opened" in the city of Novorossiisk, the document showed.Novorossiisk port is one of the biggest on the Black Sea.

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) has announced the expansion of its market presence in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region’s maritime industry.The stronger presence will help the company gain deeper insights into market trends as well as customer needs in chemicals and logistics sectors in Singapore and the wider APAC region, said a press release from the logistics and transportation company.The expansion will also enable Bahri Logistics and Bahri Chemicals, two of five business units of the company, to market their offerings, acquire new clients, serve existing clients, and channelize the communications. Bahri has plans to expand the services of its other business units to the APAC region in the future.

Marittima Emiliana, a company owned by the Amoretti family’s Armatori Group, has placed an order for the 4,500 dwt  tanker duo at Ningbo Xinle Shipbuilding, a Chinese shipyard specialising in small chemical construction.Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised Crédit Agricole Italia on two financings for Marittima Emiliana for the construction of the two chemical tankers.Construction will start in 1H 2019m, with delivery is scheduled for 2020. This transaction represents the Amoretti family’s first newbuild order in nearly ten years.The Armatori Group is a leading company in the international maritime transportation sector, most notably for liquid petroleum and chemical cargoes. They currently operate a fleet of 11 tankers with capacities ranging from 2,700 dwt to 30,000 dwt.

A second Articulated Tug Barge unit (ATB) Paul McLernan and the 155,000-barrel barge 155-02 for Houston-based tank barge operator Kirby Corporation has been delivered by Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS), a subsidiary of Fincantieri Marine Group. Following the delivery of the first ATB in the fall of 2016, the recent delivery completes a contract signed in July 2014. “Our contract with Kirby to build a pair of ATBs was significant for our FBS team,” said Todd Thayse, FBS vice president and general manager.

Crowley Maritime Corp. today christened the MT West Virginia, its fourth new, Jones Act product tanker for the U.S. coastwise trade, in Philadelphia at Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI), the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA. The West Virginia is LNG ready, meaning it can later be converted for propulsion by liquefied natural gas (LNG). West Virginia joins its sister ships, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas, which were received by Crowley in 2015 and 2016 as the first-ever tankers to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) LNG-Ready Level 1 approval. Anne Swearingen, wife of John Swearingen, senior vice president, Marathon Petroleum Corporation…

Crowley Maritime Corp. took delivery Friday of MT West Virginia, the fourth new Jones Act product tanker built for the company by Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI). Crowley will christen the West Virginia on Tuesday at a ceremony at Philly Shipyard. The LNG-ready West Virginia can be converted for propulsion by liquefied natural gas (LNG), joining sister ships Louisiana, Ohio and Texas, which were received by Crowley in 2015 and 2016 as the first-ever tankers to receive the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) LNG-Ready Level 1 approval.

Crowley Maritime Corp. has taken delivery of Louisiana, the third of four new, Jones Act product tankers being built for the company by Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI), the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA. The delivery marks another highpoint for Crowley’s petroleum services group as its tankers are at the forefront of the industry for their potential future conversion to LNG propulsion. Louisiana, which is 50,000 dead-weight-tons (dwt) and capable of carrying 330,000-barrels of product, is scheduled to be christened in New Orleans on May 5.

Optimarin has consolidated its position within the EX approved ballast water treatment (BWT) segment with a 10 vessel contract from Atlantis Tankers Group and its management arm Armona Denizcilik, the company announced. The Norwegian BWT specialist will now provide its solution to two newbuildings and the eight existing vessels in the Turkish controlled fleet. Optimarin is the first UV system supplier to pass the USCG’s marine water tests, with full USCG approval expected this spring.

Solvent-free product offers a single-coat solution for rapid cure and return to service, suitable for a wide range of oil products and chemical cargoes. PPG Protective and Marine Coatings has unveiled NOVAGUARD 810, a specialized tank storage coating which provides outstanding resistance to a wide range of chemical and oil products. The solvent-free coating minimizes application hazards and is equally suited to the lining of new tanks and the refurbishment of existing ones. Rapid curing properties mean fast return to service after painting and its smooth…

A fully updated edition of the definitive industry guidance on the safe operation of chemical tankers has just been published by the shipping industry’s global trade association, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). The new edition of the ICS Tanker Safety Guide (Chemicals) replaces the previous edition issued in 2002. ICS recommends that a copy is carried on board every tanker engaged in the carriage of chemical cargoes, and that copies are also held within shipping company technical departments.

Governor Bobby Jindal and CEO Jack Jensen of Jensen Companies announced the development of a new 500,000-square-foot logistics facility by TCI Plastics – a Jensen Companies division – at the Port of New Orleans. TCI will make a $36.5 million capital investment to build the facility at its France Road Wharf hub, and the project will create 160 new direct jobs with an average salary of more than $33,400, plus benefits. LED estimates the project will result in an additional 183 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 340 new jobs.

Transas Marine Denmark contracted by A/S to supply & install 28 Navi-Sailor 4000 Multifunction Display Dual ECDIS units. Transas is also to upgrade another six Eitzen Chemical vessels to the latest hardware and software ECDIS standards over the next two years. The package for each vessel includes 2 x 26" Hatteland monitors, RS6B computers, radar overlay and Firewall enabling a direct connection between the vessel's satellite communication equipment and the Transas ECDIS. After the installations, all vessels will run the unique "Pay As You Sail" chart concept from Transas.

Within the 365-page reference work are paragraphs dedicated to the liquid chemical cargoes, tank cleaning, tank coating, cargo lines and fittings, loaded passage recommendations, safety with reference to the IBC code and pollution prevention. Other sections deal with LNG and LPG as cargo. The carriage of animal and vegetable oils and fats is also examined. At the back of the book is a substantial section listing various conversion factors and other calculations, including vegetable and animal oils constants and the approximate specific gravity and density of oils at common handling temperatures. There is also a comprehensive list of commodities, mainly dry, their requirements and characteristics and at the back of the book can be found a 10-page index.

L-3 MPRI has launched the first liquid cargo handling simulator (LCHS) model for handysize products tankers capable of carrying mixed loads of crude oil, products and Class 2 chemicals. The simulator provides lifelike training in all aspects of operating such tankers. MPRI also introduced the WISE Assessment Tool that intelligently gauges students’ ability to perform multiple critical tasks at once. The new tool works across all of MPRI’s LCHS models. Determining the proper compatibility of handysize products tankers’ oil and chemical cargoes is vital to avoiding major safety risks including spills, explosions and fires. In addition to cargo selection and composition…

Lazard Frères & Co. LLC recently upgraded shares of Stolt-Nielsen S.A. to Outperform from Hold on expectations of positive earnings beginning in 2001. Additionally, says a recent Lazard report, Stolt-Neilsen's March 14 announcement of an alliance with Aspen Technology is another positive indication of the company's commitment to strengthening its global infrastructure and establishing technical expertise in the chemical transportation market. Aspen specializes in software used to optimize factory production capacity. The alliance, says, Lazard, will be integrated into Stolt's ChemLink.com logistics management system, which tracks chemical cargoes and transportation capacity in order to optimize constraints.

In a move that will change Senesco Marine’s focus and provide continuous work for the next three years, officials at the shipyard announced they have signed a contract with New Jersey based U.S. Shipping, LLC (USSHIPLLC), the largest American Flagged petroleum/chemical carrier in the United States, to build a 140,0000-barrel double-hulled chemical AT/B with tug that can double as a 150,000-barrel double-hulled petroleum AT/B. U.S. Shipping has options for three more 150,000-barrel double-hulled petroleum AT/B’s with Senesco Marine.

In a move that will change Senesco Marine’s focus and provide continuous work for the next three years, officials at the shipyard announced they have signed a contract with New Jersey based U.S. Shipping, LLC (USSHIPLLC), the largest American Flagged petroleum/chemical carrier in the United States, to build a 140,0000-barrel double-hulled chemical AT/B with tug that can double as a 150,000-barrel double-hulled petroleum AT/B. U.S. Shipping has options for three more 150,000-barrel double-hulled petroleum AT/B’s with Senesco Marine.

The reinvention of the Spanish shipbuilding industry under the moniker IZAR as of earlier this year is apparently an immediate success, as news emanating from the organization show the group is winning a number of lucrative, and diverse, shipbuilding projects. IZAR has won a contract to construct a 22,700 cu. m. oil product chemical tanker for a Chilean shipowner. The tanker will be built at Gijon shipyard, northern Spain, where it will be equipped with 28 duplex stainless steel tanks able to carry over 800 IMO I and IMO II chemical cargoes as well as refined oil products. The vessel has been designed with double hull and double bottom in the way of the cargo tanks.

The Salvage Association (SA) said last week that it has pinpointed phosphoric acid as another chemical cargo causing some anxiety to marine underwriters, following the controversy surrounding the carriage of calcium hypochlorite chemical cargoes in containers. The SA said in a statement its Singapore office has been involved in two cases where stainless steel tanks in chemical tankers have been attacked by the acid, leaving large black stains on the surface and in the worst case, pitting and grain boundary attack. The structural strength of the tanks is not affected but it is detrimental to other sensitive cargoes, and its unsightly appearance means the vessel could be rejected by cargo surveyors.

The USCG is seeking feedback on its revision of 46 CFR part 151, the regulations for barges carrying bulk liquid hazardous materials. A starting point is a package of recommendations made by the Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) in 1993. CTAC recommended modifying the regulations to address construction changes, venting and gauging arrangements, cargo classification (especially toxic cargo classifcation) and grandfathering provisions. The USCG is also seeking feedback on the need for revised cargo identification signs on barges carrying hazardous liquid cargoes, as recommended by the Louisiana Governor's Maritime Task Force.

The USCG is seeking feedback on its revision of 46 CFR part 151, the regulations for barges carrying bulk liquid hazardous materials. A starting point is a package of recommendations made by the Chemical Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) in 1993. CTAC recommended modifying the regulations to address construction changes, venting and gauging arrangements, cargo classification (especially toxic cargo classifcation) and grandfathering provisions. The USCG is also seeking feedback on the need for revised cargo identification signs on barges carrying hazardous liquid cargoes, as recommended by the Louisiana Governor's Maritime Task Force.