Considerable Amount News

Fluechem launched what it is calling "a revolutionary new system" that allows shipping owners to create their own Urea solution onboard.Launched at the end of 2020, the Urea Generator by Fluechem was born out of a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the shipping industry and in particular the challenges related to abating SOx, CO2 & NOx exhaust gas emissions through scrubber, additive and SCR based technology.The Urea Generator is a fully automated onboard Urea blending system…

Nigeria's Lagos Deep Offshore Logistic Base, LADOL, serving the country's offshore oil and gas industry, now has a new crane in operation - Mammoet Terminal Crane (MTC 15).LADOL and Mammoet had in January signed a partnership agreement aimed at growing LADOL’s capacity for project cargo handling and logistics for industrial sectors in West Africa. Mammoet then supplied LADOL with its heavy-lift terminal crane - MTC 15 - which has transformed LADOL’s quayside into a heavy lift terminal.

The only orders to be placed since the beginning of the year are from OOCL and Great Horse China for a combination of 7 ULCV’s ranging in size. This is a drop of 86% compared to this time last year and can only be due to the Covid-19 outbreak.As the global lockdown intensified through March, rates and values across all sizes fell. We have seen the larger 8,500 TEU tonnage earnings fall by c.40% since the start of the year which has bought values down a considerable amount. Container traffic out of the East picked up from the end of March as the situation in Asia…

U.S. ports have worked toward increasing the depth and width of their channels to allow for larger ships with greater capacities. The equation is generally: bigger ships = more throughput = increased profitability. But what are the impacts around a channel after it’s widened? The ripple effects may go further than you think.Managing the Impact of Channel Improvement Projects on Structures and PipelinesWith more water to impact them, structures around an expanded channel may need improvements, and pipelines under the channel may need relocation to make way for dredging.

ARM Reformador project shows economic impact of local shipbuilding.Working in close cooperation, Damen Shipyards Group, the Mexican Navy, subcontractors and suppliers have completed successful sea trials of the Mexican Navy’s POLA-class ARM Reformador. The programme of sea trials was comprehensive, including testing of platform and combat systems in addition to training of Mexican Navy crews. The completion of these sea trials indicate how the project as a whole is progressing…

Avoiding the requirement to drain down pipelines for repair work or to carry out maintenance can save a considerable amount of time and potential loss of product.Qwik-Freezer Pipe Freezing System eliminates the need to drain pipework by creating a freeze plug. Available from the Pipestoppers Division of Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT Qwik-Freezer is a very cost effective and quick way to perform pipeline maintenance without draining the system, meaning very little or no system downtime.Luke Keane…

An interview with Ian Sage, director for marine operations, NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation, La Spezia, Italy.NATO’s 3,100-ton, 305-foot research vessel NRV Alliance has been a leading platform for underwater acoustics research to the benefit of NATO navies. The ship operated with a civilian crew under the German flag for many years for the NATO SACLANT Center, later renamed the NATO Undersea Research Center, and now known as the NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation. Now Alliance flies a new flag, and has a broader mission.

NewbuildingSince the beginning of the year, 100 newbuild orders have been placed across the tanker sector. This is a considerable amount lower than the same period last year, when 140 vessels were placed. It is no surprise to see the Greeks lead the way with the highest number and largest vessels ordered, but hot on their heels are the likes of Eastern Pacific and Ocean Tankers, the Singaporean owners ordering the clean trading vessels.Norwegian companies Hunter Group and Knutsen NYK Offshore buy few but spend a lot.

As the clock ticks toward January 1, 2020 and the implementation of strict new emission regulations from the International Maritime Organization, WinGD is reporting a solid order intake for the first quarter of 2020 for their low-pressure, dual-fuel two-stroke engines, powered by a newbuild order spree of LNG carriers specifying WinGD’s XDF engines. In addition, WinGD reports a broadening range of vessel types are selecting dual fuel solutions, including Chemical & Crude Oil Tankers, Asphalt Carriers and Container Feeders.

ESVAGT UK has appointed Ian Taylor as iUK Regional Director.Taylor brings many years of shipping experience and a considerable amount of ESVAGT knowledge to ESVAGT’s UK office at Dock Gate House in the heart of Aberdeen’s harbor area. As a Chartered Shipbroker, he has been handling contracts with ESVAGT for North Sea Charterers for the past decade.Having ‘sold’ ESVAGT to clients for years, getting onboard full time was an easy step. “It is a company I have known well for several years,” Taylor said. “ESVAGT has a significant presence in the U.K.

Dredging operations in the West Calcasieu Port’s west barge basin were completed today and that all tenant operations in the basin have returned to full operations, port officials announced today.Coastal Dredging of Hammond, La., was the contractor on the $1.3 million maintenance dredging project that removed more than 140,000 cubic yards of spoils over a 10-week period. The port’s barge basin depth was returned to a minus-10 feet, and the spoils were relocated into the ports…

The Odfjell tanker Bow Jubail struck a jetty at the Port of Rotterdam, rupturing her hull and releasing an estimated 220 tons of bunker fuel into the water. No injuries were reported, and she berthed without further incident. According to a Reuters report, a clean-up operation was underway after an oil freighter punctured its hull while mooring, releasing a “considerable” amount of heavy fuel oil. Odfjell, the owner of the freighter Bow Jubail, said in a statement the ship had lost 220 tons of heavy fuel oil in the incident, which took place Saturday afternoon. Odfjell press release said that it caused a release of about 217 tons of heavy fuel oil (HFO) from the fuel tank inside.

The West Calcasieu Port Board of Commissioners voted this week to award the contract for the dredging of the Louisiana port's west barge basin to Coastal Dredging Company, Inc. of Hammond, La.. The successful base bid of $1,334,020 was the lowest among six bids received by the port during its competitive public bid process. “The West Cal Port Board of Commissioners was encouraged to have received such a large number of bid packets for the project,” said Dick Kennison, board president for the West Calcasieu Port.

I recently read a story in The New Yorker – but that sounds more intellectual than what really happened, let me start over. I recently clicked a link on Facebook, which sought to explain why the term “Fake News” has become so popular. The article claimed that facts no longer matter to the average voter. As evidence (yes, the article explaining why facts don’t matter included evidence), it detailed a study whereby the subjects had been given false information, then were asked to make a choice between two options.

When it was introduced in 2008, Alfa Laval’s AQUA freshwater generation technology cut seawater needs and pump-related power consumption in half. With today’s AQUA Blue S-type, the need for electrical power is further reduced – to just one-third that of conventional freshwater generators. The new AQUA Blue S-type uses the same three-in-one AQUA plate technology as the original C-type configuration. But it maximizes energy efficiency and capacity-to-footprint ratio by making use of the vessel’s existing seawater cooling system pumps.

Though water covers more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, businesses engaged in marine shipping operations and logistics, and other businesses that manufacture and ship product still have a lot of ground to cover getting their various goods to their final destinations. The ocean marine insurance market, the oldest insurance market in the world, was initially developed to protect these goods while crossing the ocean’s open waters, later to morph into a product to protect all international transportation regardless of mode.

Having compiled a summary of its worldwide shipbuilding activities regarding Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), Damen Shipyards Group, with five vessels delivered in the last year and 15 currently under construction, claims unrivalled experience in serving the naval industry with its OPV portfolio. In addition to its own builds, the company says it is just as capable of completing complex naval projects in cooperation with local shipyards as it is in constructing vessels at its own yards. “OPVs are playing an increasingly significant role in modern naval operations.

Cosco Shipping International said its net profit rose 42% in the first half of 2017, thanks to higher net exchange gains and net finance income. In the first half of 2017, the global economy saw an upward trend in growth with improving market confidence. The solid economic and trade growth brought about long-awaited signs of recovery for the shipping industry. The rational competition and cooperation in the shipping industry further facilitated the positive growth momentum in the shipping market. However, the shipping industry will remain subdued by excess shipping capacity for a prolonged period of time. During the period, Cosco Shipping  International actively coped with market changes…

Dredge projects are tendered around the globe on a daily basis. Consequently, dredging contractors have to make new calculations, involving various production parameters, when preparing project quotations. Damen has introduced an online dredge job calculator to unburden contractors of this time-consuming, and therefore costly, tasks. For every dredging job, whether it is a maintenance dredging, sand dredging or capital dredging project, the local government concerned will present a public tender.

Low energy prices, depressed day rates and slow growth of bunkering infrastructure has dampened progress for the marine industry’s ‘white knight’ of environmentally friendly fuels. LNG, nevertheless, is here to stay. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is a clean fuel in abundant supply. The green advantages of LNG are well known: Class Society DNV-GL, a pioneer in the commercialization of LNG fueling for maritime applications, offers that use of LNG fuel provides “the complete removal of SOX and particle PM emissions and a reduction of NOX emission of up to 85 percent ...

Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd and Radio Holland Singapore have concluded a Service Rate Agreement (SRA) covering the NavCom service and maintenance needs of its entire fleet of more than 200 vessels. Headquartered in Singapore, Thome Ship Management has worked together with Radio Holland for many years. The two companies have now taken a next step to a new format of cooperation with the SRA, which includes everything from annual radio surveys to servicing bridge equipment, to the delivery of spare parts and on-the-spot troubleshooting. Irene Yoong, Radio Holland Sales Manager Services, comments: “Thome Ship Management was looking for cost efficiencies in terms of managing the maintenance and repair of its global fleet.

Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc. of Bayou La Batre, Ala. said it has reached milestone in its contract with McAllister Towing. The Capt. Brian A. McAllister, the first of up to four hulls, has been flipped and set on the shipbuilding ways. A considerable amount of work was performed while the hull was upside down including installation of all major pipe runs and manifolds, fabrication and installation of the cable trays and bulkhead penetrations and fender installation, the builder said. With the hull set, Horizon will be able to set the prefabricated and outfitted superstructure.

Minelayer vessel Pansio has been fully refitted and handed over to the Finnish Navy, following a midlife upgrade carried out by ATLAS ELEKTRONIK Finland Oy (AEFI ) together with Uki Workboat Oy (Uudenkaupungin Työvene Oy) as a subcontractor. Pansio is the first of three Pansio-class minelayers, including Porkkala and Pyhäranta, to undergo refit which aims to extend the use of the ships well into the 2030s. The machinery, satellite communications and light weapons systems required for the minelayers were purchased from abroad since there is no Finnish manufacturer.