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Eclipse News

19 Jun 2023

Inside the “Hot Demand” for Subsea Construction Vessels

© Arild / Adobe Stock

A rising tide lifts all boats, as the saying goes, and while the offshore industry is currently experiencing a wide-ranging surge, there are vessel types and specific market segments that are expected to benefit more than others.One such segment is the offshore construction vessel (OCV) types, which to an increasing degree have found themselves in hot demand from both oil and gas developments as well as offshore wind activities.While vessel definitions and abbreviations in this space can vary…

16 Feb 2023

Australian Coal Cargo Leaves China Amid Customs Uncertainty

At least one ship carrying Australian coal that was destined for China has been diverted due to uncertainty around Chinese customs policies following the easing of a ban on imports from Australia, according to traders and shiptracking data.The BBC Maryland, hauling about 12,000 tonnes of thermal coal from Australia's Newcastle terminal, was headed to Vung Tau in Vietnam on Thursday after waiting five days without unloading at the eastern Chinese port of Changshu, Refinitiv and Kpler data showed.Changshu customs officials and China's General Administration of Customs had no immediate comment.The ship's diversion is the first sign that…

09 Feb 2023

Australian Coal Arrives in China for First Time in More Than Two Years

At least two vessels carrying Australian coal have arrived in China for the first time since an unofficial ban on imports was introduced more than two years ago, and several more are on the way, shiptracking data showed. The cargoes are being closely monitored by coal traders as they are keen to see how smooth Chinese customs procedures will be.China last month, in a partial easing of the import ban, granted permission to just four central-government owned firms to bring in Australian coal. Tiger East, a dry bulk vessel loading some 73,300 tonnes of Australian thermal coal from Queensland, is discharging at the southern Chinese city of Taishan…

31 Jan 2023

First Australian Coal Heads to China After End of Ban

China is set to receive at least two cargoes of Australian coal in early February, according to traders and shiptracking data, the first since an unofficial ban on imports in place since 2020 was lifted earlier this month.Coal traders will be paying attention to how easily the shipments pass customs for signs that the informal ban is truly over and in the hopes of sending more Australian coal to China.Australian thermal coal for power generation and metallurgical coal for steelmaking are favoured by Chinese consumers for their high-quality. China's coal demand is forecast to rise in the upcoming months amid an expected economic rebound after Beijing rolled back its draconian zero-COVID strategy.

22 Jun 2022

US Grain Shipments Through Great Lakes-Seaway Up 39%

(Photo: Nick Corbin, courtesy Chamber of Marine Commerce)

U.S. grain shipments via the Great Lakes-Seaway system totaled 312,000 metric tons from March 22 to May 31, up 39% compared to the same period in 2021. Much of the increase is due to exports of corn and soybeans out of the Port of Toledo and some new trade starting at the port of Oswego this shipping season. The rise in shipments, which are predominantly heading to Europe and North Africa, are in part due to shifting global grain trading patterns as the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine — both major grain exporters — continues.“The Great Lakes-St.

21 Mar 2022

Yacht Linked to Russian Oligarch Docks in Turkey

A superyacht linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich docked in the Turkish tourist resort of Bodrum on Monday, after skirting the waters of European Union countries which have sanctioned the oligarch over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Abramovich was among several wealthy Russians added last week to an EU blacklist, and EU governments have acted in recent days to seize yachts and other luxury assets from them.World governments are seeking to isolate President Vladimir Putin and his allies over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation".Last week, Abramovich flew into Moscow after leaving Istanbul in his private jet.

08 Mar 2022

Yacht Linked to Russian Oligarch Leaves Barcelona

A superyacht linked to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich left Barcelona on Tuesday where it had been undergoing repairs in a local shipyard, ship-tracking data showed.The 140-meter (460-foot) My Solaris, which sails under a Bermuda flag according to monitoring site Marine Traffic, left Spanish company MB92's Barcelona shipyard just after 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, according to the same site. MB92 declined to comment.The superyacht, which was built in a German shipyard and first took to the sea early last year, is one of a string of yachts owned by Abramovich, according to reports in luxury goods publications SuperYachtFan, SuperYacht Times and Forbes.Abramovich…

07 Oct 2021

Castor Maritime Announces New Charter Agreements

Cyprus-based shipping company Castor Maritime announced on Thursday that it has fixed two of its bulk carriers on time charter agreements. The 2006-built Capesize dry bulk carrier Magic Orion has been fixed on a time charter contract at a gross daily charter rate of $73,000. The charter is expected to commence on or around October 8, 2021, and will have a duration of about 45 days.The Magic Eclipse, a 2011 built Panamax dry bulk carrier, has been fixed on a time charter contract at a gross daily charter rate of $28,500. The charter commenced on September 14, 2021, and has a minimum duration of eight months and a maximum duration of ten months (+/- 15 days) at the charterer’s option.

06 Aug 2021

Container Shipping: China-US Box Rates Eclipse $20,000 Mark, a Record

© Pawin/AdobeStock

Container shipping rates from China to the United States have scaled fresh highs above $20,000 per 40-foot box as rising retailer orders ahead of the peak U.S. shopping season add strain to global supply chains.The acceleration in Delta-variant COVID-19 outbreaks in several counties has slowed global container turnaround rates.Typhoons off China's busy southern coast in late July and this week have also contributed to the crisis gripping the world's most important method for moving…

10 Jun 2021

Castor Maritime Takes Delivery of 2011-built Dry Bulk Vessel

Illustration only - Credit: STOCKSTUDIO/AdobeStock

Shipping company Castor Maritime has taken delivery of the M/V Magic Eclipse, the 2011 Japanese-built Panamax dry bulk vessel.The company, which owns a fleet of tankers and dry bulk carriers, announced the deal to acquire the vessel back on April 9, 2021. It at the time said it would pay $18.48 million for the vessel"The M/V Magic Eclipse acquisition was financed in its entirety with cash on hand," Castor Maritime said Wednesday."The M/V Magic Eclipse commenced employment today under a time charter contract at a daily gross charter rate of $26…

20 May 2021

National Maritime Day

© Lefteris Papaulakis/AdobeStock

“I hold no branch in higher esteem, than the Merchant Marine…”That is a quote from General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander of the Pacific in WWII. That one sentence sums up National Maritime Day. Inasmuch if it were not for our glorious Merchant Marine and maritime industry, we may not even have been a nation at all.National Maritime Day is the day we honor our American Merchant Mariners for protecting our freedom and for their dedication to promoting American commerce together with the accomplishments of the U.S. maritime industry.

29 Dec 2020

Historic Dredging Unlocks the Might of the Mississippi

(Photo provided by the Big River Coalition as captured by P.J. Hahn of Pelican Coast Consulting)

Humanity will forever remember 2020 as the “Year of COVID-19” fraught with the pains of a pandemic and its impacts on our physical and mental health. Yet, as a navigation representative along the Mississippi River Ship Channel (MRSC), I will always be able to see the bright side. In this case, that is life outside of COVID. The Mississippi River Ship Channel Deepening began in 2020, oddly enough on another date tied forever to a tragic time in our history. As a major focus for the Big River Coalition…

11 Mar 2020

Seattle Cancels Two Cruise Calls Amid Coronavirs Outbreak

© JW_PNW / Adobe Stock

The Port of Seattle announced Wednesday that it has canceled two cruise ship calls to help curb the spread of the novel coronoavirus.“This region is in a public health emergency and we will cancel the first two sailings of our cruise season,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Peter Steinbrueck. “The health, safety, and wellbeing of our residents is our top priority.”The canceled one-day stops by Grand Princess and Celebrity Eclipse on April 1 and 5 respectively were to…

21 Nov 2019

SAFETY: Dollars & Sense

Credit: AdobeStock / Seafarer81

Make a Profit with a Safety Management System (SMS).Organizations in the maritime industry act no differently than any other successful global business unit. Major decisions are made with a certain underlying commitment – a commitment to customers, stakeholders and employees. That commitment can be oversimplified by stating the obvious, to generate revenue, but more specifically generate profits. Without profits, the company will not only fail to thrive, but will fail to survive.

26 Aug 2019

U.S. To “Drown The World” In Oil

A staggering 61% of the world’s new oil and gas production over the next decade is set to come from one country alone: the United States.According to a report by Global Witness, the sheer scale of this new production dwarfs that of every other country in the world and would spell disaster for the world’s ambitions to curb climate change – the effects of which we’re already witnessing through massive heat waves, flooding, and extreme weather.Earlier this year, we crunched the numbers from the latest climate science and industry forecasts and found that we can’t afford to drill up any oil and gas from new fields anywhere in the world if we’re to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.In our analysis…

18 Apr 2019

Seattle Port Celebrates 20th Year of Cruising

The Port of Seattle, celebrating 20 years as a homeport, welcomes the 2019 cruise season with the arrival of the first ship—Celebrity Eclipse, at the Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66.“Over twenty years ago this community turned a novel idea into a nearly $900 million industry and helped the Port become the most environmentally progressive home port in North America,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Stephanie Bowman.“Today that economic opportunity reaches all the way from Eastern Washington farms and ranches that provide food for cruise customers, to King County attractions that depend upon summer season travelers to support year-round activities.

13 Feb 2019

Scenic Eclipse Launch Delayed, Again

The launch of Scenic Eclipse, which is touted as world's most luxurious cruise ship and  the world’s first “discovery yacht”,  has been pushed back to 15 August 2019.Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours announced last July a five-month delay until January 2019, although that date was later amended to 13 April.The 228-guest Scenic Eclipse will now be a year late as the company announced it would take delivery of the new luxury vessel in August 2019.It is reported the shipyard has faced financial troubles, resulting in workers not having been paid in full since last August, triggering strikes and labour shortages.Scenic said the net result was “months” of lost production.

05 Dec 2018

Interview: Shuichi Iwanami, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard

Shuichi Iwanami, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard. Photo: JCG

As the Japan Coast Guard celebrates its 70th anniversary, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News offers insights on the current status and future direction of the JCG courtesy of an interview with Shuichi Iwanami, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard.*Note: At the time this interview was conducted, Shuichi Iwanami was still Vice Commandant for Operations.Could you please tell us the history and future development of the Japan Coast Guard (JCG)?The JCG, in 2018 celebrates the 70th anniversary of its foundation. When it was founded, the Japanese waters were in an eclipse period.

06 May 2018

Royal Princess Crowns Record Cruise Season

The 330m Royal Princess cruise ship arrived in Dublin this afternoon carrying more than 3,000 passengers and crew. Her arrival kickstarts a record cruise season for Dublin Port with 151 cruise calls confirmed for 2018, bringing just over 270,000 visitors to the city. The Royal Princess will hold a commanding presence in the city’s port with her size more than two-and-a-half times the length of Dublin’s Spire (which stands at 121 meters) and her 66-meter height making her taller than Liberty Hall. The ship also holds the prestige of being christened by The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton. Among the 151 cruise calls confirmed for 2018, there are nine maiden calls. This year 23 cruise calls will feature ships longer than 300m including the 330m Regal Princess on September 13th.

24 Apr 2018

Oliver Design to Showcase Projects at Navalia

Recreation of the “Scenic Eclipse” on a polar cruise. ©Oliver Design

Oliver Design will be showcasing some of its latest projects on its stand at the Navalia trade fair, which runs from May 22 to 24 , in Vigo, Spain.Recent projects from the Spanish firm, which specializes in naval design and architecture, include new state-of the-art vessels ranging from working vessels to luxury cruise ships. It has also carried out renovation on several existing vessels.The biannual Navalia is one of the top international fairs for the shipbuilding industry.

31 Oct 2018

Marine Coatings: Polyflake Protects against Corrosion

Photo: Polyflake

Corrosion starts from the inside out. The alkali that neutralizes acid water - and the acid water produced in a gas scrubbing system - are corrosive. Containment surfaces resistant to both alkali, acid water and their combination provide a safer ship with less expensive maintenance. While selecting metal alloys as more resistant to either acid or to alkali, facing all conditions simultaneously is problematic, as temperature plays an important role in pitting corrosion.Ultimately…

04 Nov 2018

Emerson Upgrades Reservoir Engineering Suite

Technology and engineering company Emerson has announced the release of Roxar Tempest 8.3, its integrated reservoir engineering suite that offers tools for advanced reservoir management and flow simulation.The latest release takes automation a step further and focuses on increasing user productivity, for a superior understanding of the reservoir and its potential for return on investment.The new product suite strengthens Emerson’s end-to-end Exploration & Production (E&P) software portfolio, comprising Paradigm and Roxar software solutions, aimed at helping operators efficiently exploit both new and established reservoirs.Tempest 8.3 provides increased compatibility with industry-standard reservoir simulators…

27 Feb 2018

Carnival Corp. Aim: Best Wi-Fi at Sea

Carnival Corporation & plc will establish a new industry apex in connectivity capabilities today at sea when it attempts to make an unprecedented level of bandwidth available to guests on board Regal Princess from its Princess Cruises brand. Using its newly developed connectivity service, MedallionNet, and working with SES Networks, the world-leading provider of satellite-enabled connectivity solutions, Carnival Corporation and Princess Cruises will attempt to achieve bandwidth of 1.5 gigabits per second, the most ever delivered to a mobile platform. The record attempt will demonstrate that connectivity is no longer a limitation to cruise vacations. Guests using MedallionNet have access to the internet at speeds that eclipse typical land-based hotel connectivity performance levels.