Emilio News

The United States on Wednesday returned the Yemen-based Houthi rebels to a list of terrorist groups, while business chiefs warned that disruption to shipping in the Red Sea caused by their attacks could affect supply chains for months.Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on ships in the region since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers - an escalation of Israel's more than three-month-old war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza.The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and have threatened to expand attacks to include U.S.

Italian prosecutors have requested a former senior Eni employee, the now chief of a UK oil firm, and others be sent to trial for allegedly defrauding Eni over the attempted sale of an oil cargo to the company, a document from the Milan prosecutor's office shows.Sources previously told Reuters that the 2019 "White Moon" shipment of crude oil, purportedly from Iraq, created panic within Eni over fears it could be, at least partially, Iranian. Eni rejected the cargo, which it has said it bought from Nigerian firm Oando, who in turn bought the oil from the London branch of Italian fuel trading company Napag.Handling Iranian oil would have breached sanctions the United States reimposed in 2018 after quitting a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

GE Power Conversion was chosen by shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique to supply electric propulsion for the first two of the World Class vessels, MSC Cruises’ latest class of ships. The first ship, MSC World Europa, is now in operation at sea, and the second vessel is currently in build.The LNG dual-fuel vessels are propelled by the most powerful cruise ship electrical motors in operation - two 25 MW, 120-127.5 rpm induction motors - which are fed by four press-pack IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) PWM MV7000 converters.

The Italian government ordered police on Friday to impound a luxury yacht worth some $700 million that has been linked in the media to Russian President Vladimir Putin.The sleek, six-deck Scheherazade had been undergoing repairs in the Italian port of Marina di Carrara since September, but recent activity at the dockside suggested that the crew might be preparing to put to sea.A source with direct knowledge of a weeks-long investigation into the vessel said police believed the owner was Eduard Khudainatov, the former chief of Russian energy giant Rosneft who is not currently a target of EU sanctions.In a statement announcing the seizure order…

Offshore lifting hoists and chains solutions provider William Hackett has published an industry report aiming to help minimize the risk of Hydrogen Embrittlement (HE) and Stress Induced Corrosion Cracking (SICC). The report includes guidance on material choices used in topside and subsea lifts.Ben Burgess, Director of William Hackett Lifting Products, said, “There is a real concern across industry regarding the impact of HE and SICC on chains and links used in lift and hoist projects across offshore environments.”Peer-reviewed by a number of organizations and authorities…

Italian Shipbuilding Company Fincantieri has officially launched the "Emilio Bianchi" frigate, the tenth and last FREMM (Multi Mission European Frigates) vessel at the integrated shipyard of Riva Trigoso (Genoa).The ship has been launched with the combat system and platform equipment already installed onboard and fully integrated. She will now be moved to the Fincantieri‘s shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia) where, within next June, sea trials will start to test her performances.The ship will be delivered to the Italian Navy in March 2020, after the completion of the last outfitting activities.The 10 vessels have been commissioned to Fincantieri…

Costa Cruises and the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority have reopened the Calata delle Vele cruise ship quay and Palocrociere Terminal One in Italy’s port of Savona following an extensive renovation.The ceremony was attended by the city's mayor, Ilaria Caprioglio, the Liguria Region president, Giovanni Toti, the president of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, Paolo Emilio Signorini, and the president of Costa Cruises Neil Palomba. In keeping with tradition, the ceremony was also blessed by Mons. Angelo Monaco.The total investment made by the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority to renovate the quay, and by Costa Cruises on the terminal…

Notwithstanding the tragic incidents of the Morandi Bridge collapse and October’s violent sea storm, cargo throughput remains stable at the Ports of Genoa, Italy.Now a key priority is the implementation of the emergency measures mobilised by Parliament to return to growth, said the busiest port of Italy by cargo tonnage.The collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa on 14 August 2018 and the damage wreaked by the violent sea storm on 29 October in the Port of Savona have had severe repercussions on the entire port cluster and are set to continue to have an impact  in the medium term.Within this framework, after a long period of growth, the Port of Genoa has suffered a slowdown in certain commodity sectors.

GE’s Marine Solutions has once again been selected by MSC Cruises and Fincantieri to provide the marine electric propulsion technology for two new Seaside EVO ships, further driving the evolution of the Seaside Class next-generation mega cruise ships.This follows the delivery of the first and second ship – MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview – in the Seaside Class by the Fincantieri shipyard of Monfalcone.With a gross tonnage of 169,400 GT and a total guest capacity of 5,632, Seaside EVO ships will be the largest cruise ships ever built by the Fincantieri shipyard. The two ships will adopt a range of innovative design features and maritime technologies…

In September 2018,  a 17 x 5 meter catamaran completed its final tests in the Tigre Delta of theTigre on the Parana River near Buenos Aires, Argentina prior to its delivery to her Chilean owners.The cat was designed by Eng. Emilio Noel and built by Astilleros Unidelta SA. which has a well-established reputation in a wide range of steel and aluminum workboats. The yard has a plant located in Buenos Aires with 10,000 cubic meters of open and 4,000 cu.m. of covered work space. The…

The launching ceremony of the bow section of the LSS logistic support unit Vulcano, took place at the shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples) in the presence of the Italian Minister of Defense, Roberta Pinotti. The unit was ordered to Fincantieri within the renewal plan of the Italian Navy’s fleet. Godmother of the ceremony was Maria Teresa Piras, widow of the vessel tenant Emilio Attramini, young Italian Navy Officer, who died in 1977 in the air disaster of the Monte Serra.

Already the busiest port of entry in America for international air freight, Miami International Airport will soon be able to receive perishable freight imports by sea as well – a first for any Florida airport – through a permit approved in September by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The first ocean-to-air trans-shipment is expected at MIA before the end of the year. “Congratulations to MIA and Port Miami, our County’s two largest economic engines, on collaborating to generate new revenue and better serve our local cargo industry,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. Customized Brokers, a subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corp.…

In May of 2016 the Argentinian-designed and built 28.77 by 10.2-meter ASD tug Brutus went to work in the harbor at Buenos Aries. This marked a milestone in Argentinian maritime affairs, as it is, at 5,400 HP, the most powerful ship-handling tug in the country. The tug was designed by Ing. Emilio Noël and built by Unidelta Shipyards S.A., which has a well-established reputation in a wide range of steel and aluminum workboats. The yard has a plant located in Buenos Aires with 10,000 cubic meters of open and 4,000 cu.m. of covered work space.

The global company ESI Group, a virtual prototyping and testing software developer, has joined efforts with SENER, a company in marine engineering and the development of CAD/CAM system for the shipbuilding industry, with the aim of marketing and integrating their respective solutions, IC.IDO and FORAN. Nowadays shipbuilding is dominated by vessels with highly complex and sophisticated designs. There is also a growing trend of distributing the engineering tasks between multiple remote agents, and a need to produce integrated designs for effective ships with no margin of error.

When it comes to taking thousands of passengers on the luxury cruise of a lifetime, it’s reassuring to have a name like GE ensuring you a smooth and pleasant journey. While MSC with its next generation ships may be setting off to conquer more distant waters, it won’t be making the voyage alone:  GE Marine will continue to propel the way. Since confirming in 2014 the order for two new cruise liners to be delivered by Fincantieri in 2017 and 2018, GE has now been selected to lead the Italian consortium that will power MSC Crociere’s planned ‘Seaside’ platform. The two new cruise ships will join the existing fleet of 12 vessels, all of which use electrical propulsion from GE.

Global oil majors say they are demanding cheaper but better services from engineering and service companies, or simply taking work back in-house, after losing hundreds of billions on cost overruns in the last five years. Cost overruns and delays were the main reason why oil majors generated less cash than shareholders expected when oil was over $100 per barrel. With oil now half that price, the urgency of addressing costs and delays rises by the day for the producers. While keen to avoid accusations of ganging up to force terms on suppliers, they are exploring measures that are likely to put further pressure on services companies such as Schlumberger and Halliburton, which have already cut thousands of jobs as business shrinks.

MSC Cruises has started a fleet-wide optimization installed by Marlink to improve shipboard VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) connectivity. MSC Cruises said it is the first cruise line in the world to benefit from the iDX 3.2 software and X7 modem from iDirect. Their cruise lines will receive enhanced service delivery and performance, resulting in higher allowance and richer end-user functionality for ship management, passengers and crew. After successful testing of the iDirect X7 modem in August 2014, Marlink began the rollout across the 12 ships of the MSC Cruises fleet in October 2014.

Leading classification society ClassNK has announced the expansion of its Veracruz Office in order to better support the growing offshore oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico. The expansion will increase the survey capabilities and management of the Veracruz office in response to growing demand from the offshore sector in the region. The liberalization of Mexico’s offshore industry is driving increased interest in Mexico’s growing offshore sector. Over the past year, a number of major vessel operators have increased the size of their fleets in the region to take advantage of new exploration and production opportunities. ClassNK is expanding its operations in the region to support these efforts.

Pemex signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the British Council to promote the training of their workers. The agreement was signed by the director general of Pemex, Emilio Lozoya Austin; Britain's ambassador in Mexico, Duncan Taylor, and the director of the British Council, Lena Milosevic. Thus, they jointly promote seminars, workshops and conferences, as well as the development of academic graduate programs in scientific and technological fields, public, legal and political aspects of economic and political sector activities energy. Also, the relationship with Pemex energy companies, institutions and British universities will be encouraged. The agreement also includes training programs to improve the skills of their staff at the English proficient energy specialist terminology.

Pemex, Mexico's state oil company, will launch new companies next year as it restructures following landmark energy reform, Pemex Chief Executive Officer Emilio Lozoya told local radio on Monday. "The business plan that we're considering for the next year will involve an internal restructuring," Lozoya said. Among the new companies will be a transport and logistics business, Lozoya said. That business will be designed to support foreign companies' access to Pemex's existing pipeline infrastructure, he said.

Mexican regulators on Wednesday granted Pemex the bulk of its acreage request as the nation's oil industry opens to private participation, consolidating the state-led company's status as a major force despite losing its monopoly status. Meanwhile, the country's initial Round One acreage offering will include a range of opportunities including shale, deep-water, shallow-water, heavy oil and the nation's Chicontepec area. Those contracts, to be awarded between May and September of next year, will cover probable reserves for development of 3.78 billion cubic feet equivalent and prospective reserves for exploration of 14.6 trillion cfe. Round One will include ample feedback from industry and see some initial terms released at the end of November.

Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) has strengthened its foothold in the offshore and marine industry in Mexico with the signing of an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with PEMEX Exploracion y Produccion (PEP) and P.M.I. Norteamérica, S.A. de C.V. (PMI), both subsidiaries of Mexico's national oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX). The MOU is to jointly develop, own and operate a yard facility in Mexico, the first phase of which is to support the construction of six KFELS B class jackup drilling rigs for PEP. The MOU was signed today by the General Director of PMI, Dr. Jose Manuel Carrera Panizzo, and the Chief Operating Officer and CEO-Designate of Keppel O&M…

President Aquino has promoted Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena to the rank of Vice Admiral (VADM). PCG spokesman Commander Armando Balilo said Aquino approved and signed Isorena’s promotion last January 3. The appointment order was officially transmitted to the Office of the DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya yesterday. Isorena is the 25th Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard and succeeded Vice Admiral Edmund Tan, who retired from the service last December 15, 2012. Vice Admiral Rodolfo D. Isorena hails from the Province of Virac, Catanduanes. He is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), belonging to the SANDIGAN Class of 1982.