Crystal News

Ocean freight container carriers are treading a fine line between risk and reward during new contract negotiations as the market remains gripped by uncertainty in the Red Sea, according to new data on the Xeneta Shipping Index (XSI®).The latest data released by Xeneta on May 2 shows the Global XSI (the average rate of all valid long term contracts in the market) remained fairly flat in April at 154.3 points, up by just 1.7% from March.However, looking at sub-indices within this global figure reveals a dynamic market…

Stena Bulk completed the sale of two of its LNG carriers – Stena Crystal Sky and Stena Clear Sky – to BW LNG.As part of the sale, BW LNG will assume the existing charters for both vessels.Both vessels were originally delivered in 2011 from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea. Stena Crystal Sky and Stena Clear Sky each have an LNG carrying capacity of 174,000 cbm.“As part of our strategy to continuously look for new opportunities, Stena Bulk took the decision some time ago to sell Stena Crystal Sky and Stena Clear Sky," said Erik Hånell, President & CEO of Stena Bulk.

HaiSea Marine, majority owned by Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, is celebrating the official naming and blessing of its new floating operations facility – which will be the home base for its fleet of three full-electric and two liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled tugboats.The new facility, named Zewén, is a floating operations and maintenance building purpose-built and designed to withstand the extreme tidal range in the Kitimat region. It features a large workshop…

As 2023 is drawing to a close we would once again invite the readers of Offshore Engineer Magazine to gaze into our crystal ball to see what 2024 might have in store for the offshore support vessel industry. Before diving straight into our forward-looking sentiments however, it is important to address some of the main trends in the year that past as these lay the foundation for the year to come.Continuing the market development from the year before, 2023 very much advanced the ongoing recovery for offshore support vessels further.

Erik Thun Group selected Berg Propulsion’s Dynamic Drive technology to optimize efficiency on board all 10 of its latest newbuildings. The Swedish owner confirmed its decision after pilot installations exceeded energy efficiency gain expectations, with the integrated drive solution helping to save 10% of fuel, rising to 20% in some operational conditions.As part of Erik Thun’s rolling fleet renewal strategy, the owner recently expanded its newbuild program with Dutch yard Shipsveerf Ferus Smit B.V to include four 5…

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri announced it has completed the parallel modernization of two cruise ships for Crystal Cruises. The first vessel, Crystal Serenity, rejoined the owner’s fleet on July 20, and the second, Crystal Symphony, was delivered in recent days.The contract was finalized in December 2022, and, after an initial phase committed to engineering development, works lasted for about five months significantly raising the level of amenities and accommodations on board.

A group of Spanish archaeologists have made detailed diagrams of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck to help work out how best to recover it from the sea before a storm destroys it forever.The eight-metre-long Mazarron II, named after the municipality in the southeastern Spanish region of Murcia where it was found off the coast, is a unique piece of ancient maritime engineering.Nine technicians from the University of Valencia underwent 560 hours of scuba diving over more than two weeks in June to record all the cracks and fissures in the ship…

Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group has signed a 25 years agreement with Singapore-based Crystal Offshore a logistics solution provider to the marine & offshore Industry to build an offshore rig and vessel repair base in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port.Under the agreement, a 20,000 square meter plot of land and an associated quay wall in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port will be allocated for Crystal Offshore to construct a base, featuring office facilities and fabrication workshops to provide advanced repairs and refits to jack-up rigs as well as marine and offshore vessels.Saif Al Mazrouei…

HaiSea Marine, majority owned by Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, celebrated the naming and blessing of its tug boat fleet – which includes the world’s first fully electric harbor tug boat, along with dual fuel (LNG and Diesel) escort tug boats. Once delivered, the green fleet will provide ship-assist and escort towing services to LNG carriers calling at LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat in the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation.Members of the Haisla Nation joined representatives from Seaspan…

Australian offshore support vessel owner MMA Offshore said Friday it had secured three contracts supporting offshore wind farm developments in Taiwan during 2023.The three contracts, with firm periods totaling 370 days, will increase the company’s contracted revenue by a total of approximately A$30 million (currently USD 20,2 million) and could provide additional revenue of approximately $15 million from 180 days in additional option periods.In March 2023, MMA Pinnacle vessel will mobilize from Singapore to Taiwan to support Seaway 7 on a wind farm development project.

Lindblad Expeditions has shared images of its newest fleet addition ahead of the vessel's inaugural voyage in the Galápagos Islands.The National Geographic Islander ll is an expedition cruise ship acquired to replace Lindblad Expeditions' vessel National Geographic Islander for year-round operations in the Galápagos. Accommodating just 48 guests in 26 suites, the ship will sail for Lindblad Expeditions with a 1:1 guest-to-crew ratioThe 3,370 GT, 280-foot-long ship was built by…

Singapore-based shipbuilder Keppel has terminated three construction contracts signed years ago, citing clients' failure to pay up. The terminated contracts are related to orders made by TS Offshore, Sapura Energy, and Crystal Heights. TS Offshore, in March 2014, ordered a 500 feet water depth N Plus jack-up rig, worth about US$500 million (“TS Jasper Vessel”). In January 2014, Keppel also secured an order for the Sapura Raiqa Semi-Submersible Self-Erecting TAD Rig, and in July 2015, Crystal Heights ordered a high-specification liftboat worth around $85 million.

Lindblad Expeditions has take delivery of the secondhand expedition cruise ship National Geographic Islander II.The vessel, which was previously named Crystal Esprit and operated by Crystal Cruises, will sail year-round in the Galápagos Islands, replacing Lindblad Expeditions' vessel National Geographic Islander.The 3,370 GT, 280-foot-long ship was built by Flender Werft in Germany from 1989-1991 and was operated by Windsor Lines and Star Cruises before its sale to Crystal Cruises in 2015.Accommodating just 48 guests…

When he served as the commander of NWSC Carderock, Mark Vandroff woke every morning knowing that his counterpart in China had just gone to bed and had spent that day trying to make China’s Navy superior. His job, he figured, was to “get cracking and work to make our Navy even better.” Now the CEO at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Vandroff brings that passion for navy shipbuilding – and delivering on the new USN Constellation-class frigates contract – to work every day.Introducing a new class of warship usually comes with a heaping helping of pain, from cost overruns to technical glitches.

A luxury cruise ship has skipped its call to Miami and diverted to the Bahamas after a U.S. judge ordered its seizure as part of a lawsuit over unpaid fuel bills.The Crystal Symphony, operated by Genting Hong Kong's Crystal Cruises, was scheduled to conclude a Caribbean voyage in Miami on Saturday, but the ship sailed to the Bahamian island of Bimini instead after a federal judge in Miami granted an order to arrest the 781-foot, Bahamas-flagged vessel over unpaid fuel bills.Bunker supplier Peninsula Petroleum Far East sued the ship and Crystal Cruises…

Australian offshore support vessel operator MMA Offshore has completed a subsea conversion program on the MMA Crystal vessel to support the Taiwanese offshore wind market.The new additions to the vessel feature subsea equipment including a work-class ROV, a 50Te A-frame, and a survey and positioning system.Following the conversion, the 70.5 meters long MMA Crystal is set to begin its journey to Taiwan where she will be engaged in supporting the offshore wind market.The offshore…

Northern Xplorer AS (NX) announced itszero-emission, luxury cruise concept, designed to feature 'clean' technologies including fully electric propulsion, battery energy storage, hydrogen fuel cells and auxiliary renewable energy supply (wind and solar power). Northern Xplorer will provide opportunities to travel ‘off the beaten track’, connecting passengers with unique locations in the Nordic countries in a personal way,” said Rolf André Sandvik, the company's founder and CEO. Sandvik is a master mariner with extensive experience with cruise lines NCL and Crystal Cruises.

The organizers of Nor-Shipping said the maritime trade show will be held in January as scheduled despite new coronavirus restrictions enacted in Norway.New, temporary national restrictions have reintroduced one meter distancing guidelines and face masks, where necessary, and limited numbers for social gatherings. Exhibitions are still permitted to be held with appropriate public health measures in place, and Nor-Shipping's organizers say the demand for a full-scale, international…

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. held a naming ceremony at Sakaide Shipyard for the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-fueled LPG carrier Crystal Asteria, which is being built for Kumiai Navigation (Pte) Ltd.The 229.9-meter newbuild is Japan's first dual-fuel LPG carrier, capable of running on both LPG and low-sulphur fuel oil. It is scheduled for delivery during 2021.At the ceremony, the vessel was named by Mr. Yagi, Representative Director and Executive Vice President of Astomos Energy Corporation and his wife…

ALMACO said it has delivered the crew areas for the newbuild expedition cruise vessel Crystal Endeavor built in Stralsund in MV Werften shipyard.The company’s scope of delivery consisted of all crew areas and state-of-the-art public areas, where the guests prepare themselves for the expeditions that the vessel offers.ALMACO completed the areas onboard Crystal Endeavor on time prior to the vessel delivery. The steel-to-steel installation included interior and background outfitting. The installation of all 109 crew cabins and crew public areas were done by ALMACO’s team on site.

A bulk carrier briefly became stuck in the northern section of the Suez Canal on Thursday but was refloated and there was no impact on traffic, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement.The Panama-flagged Coral Crystal, with a cargo of 43,000 tonnes, suffered from a temporary problem on its way southwards through the canal, the SCA said, but ships behind it were diverted through a parallel channel.Traffic in the canal was blocked in both directions for six days in March when the giant container ship Ever Given became grounded in a southern section of the canal, which has only a single

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted its ABS SUSTAIN 1 Notation for two Harvey Gulf International Marine offshore support vessels, recognizing how their design and operation are aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).To earn the notation, the Harvey Blue-Sea and Harvey Sub-Sea vessels were among 12 of the Harvey Gulf fleet evaluated by ABS for their performance against six of the UNSDG’s criteria. The remaining 10 vessels are also being considered for Sustain notations.The ABS Sustain notations demonstrate adherence to certain UNSDGs related to vessel design…

Naval architects and marine engineers sit on the front lines of the maritime industry’s battle toward decarbonization. Morgan Fanberg, President, Glosten, discusses the challenges and opportunities ahead.Put in context the challenge ahead for ship owners and ship designers to meet emission targets of 2050?I started my career in 1998 and as a young marine engineer, the challenges that I faced were taking old boats and meeting SOLAS requirements, developing ship yard packages for modifications such as oily water separator upgrades (for example).