Hamad News

EDGE Group, a United Arab Emirates-based advanced technology and defense group, and Fincantieri, one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, have entered into a term sheet aimed at creating a joint venture (JV) that will focus on the manufacturing of a broad range of sophisticated naval vessels.EDGE will hold a 51% stake in the venture, which has a commercial pipeline valued at approximately $32.4 billion (€30 billion), with management direction provided by Fincantieri.The Abu Dhabi-based JV will be awarded prime rights to non-NATO orders…

A powerful blast in port warehouses near central Beirut storing highly explosive material killed 78 people, injured nearly 4,000 and sent seismic shockwaves that shattered windows, smashed masonry and shook the ground across the Lebanese capital.Officials said they expected the death toll to rise further after Tuesday's blast as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead. It was the most powerful explosion in years in Beirut, which is already reeling from an economic crisis and a surge in coronavirus infections.President Michel Aoun said that 2…

Qatari shipping and maritime company with the world's largest LNG shipping fleet, Nakilat’s strategy in promoting its global shipping and maritime operations to both local and international audiences gets further boost with its signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Al Jazeera Media Network.The MoU was signed by Rashid Hamad Al-Marri, Chief Administration Officer of Nakilat and Abdullah Al-Najjar, Executive Director of Global Brand and International Communication at Al Jazeera Media Network.“Nakilat is proud to collaborate with an internationally renowned media network such as Al Jazeera. This MoU is part of our ongoing efforts to promote our company as a global leader in energy and services.

Oman Liquefied Natural Gas LLC has announced that it has successfully repaid its US$2 billion loan facility obligation ahead of schedule, saving interest costs.According to Oman News Agency, the move is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to reduce financial costs and support Oman’s credit rating.The agency quoted Dr Mohammed bin Hamad al Rumhi, Minister of Oil and Gas and chairman of Oman LNG, as saying: “The early repayment of the loan by Oman LNG demonstrates the financial robustness of the company and confidence in the oil and gas industry and Omani economy at large. Oil and gas industry provides a great investment opportunity like other sectors of the Omani economy.”He added that Oman LNG has managed to repay its loan obligations in full…

Qatar-based maritime transport and logistics company Qatar Navigation (Milaha) reported  a 10% rise in its net profit  for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018.The Middle East maritime and logistics company delivered a net profit of QAR 516 million (USD 141.7 million) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, compared to QAR 470 million for the same period in 2017.“We are pleased with the year-on-year improvement in performance. There are still some challenges in the markets in which we operate, but we remain well-positioned to continue driving sustainable growth and delivering value for our clients and shareholders,” said Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani…

QTerminals, the recently-established operator of the first phase of Hamad Port in Qatar, has reached 2mn TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and 5mn tonnes of general cargo at the end of October this year, thus tripling the levels since the beginning of the unjust diplomatic and trade embargo in June 2017 by the Saudi-led quartet."This remarkable feat was achieved in record time with operations at Hamad Port only starting as recently as October 2016.," said a release from the terminal operator.QTerminals is a terminal operating company jointly established by Mwani Qatar (51% shareholding) and Qatar Navigation (Milaha – 49% shareholding) and is responsible for enabling Qatar’s imports and exports…

Qatar is planning to increase maritime shipping lines between with Iran, reported Iran's official media quoting Hadi Haqshenas, deputy head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) for Maritime Affairs.According to Fars News Agency, Hadi Haqshenas announced: "The Qataris who met the demand for their goods from Saudi Arabia and the UAE before (the siege and sanctions) have now requested increased maritime shipping between Iran and Qatar to bolster mutual trade."He added that his country is now witnessing an eye-catching growth in shipping lines between the Iranian and Qatari ports.Goods which are transited from Turkey and other adjacent countries to Qatar can also use the proper shipping lines at Bushehr port to carry goods to the Qatari ports…

Shipping conglomerate Qatar Navigation (Milaha) Q.P.S.C. announced its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2018, reporting operating revenues of QAR 1.25 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2018, up from QAR 1.15 billion for the same period in 2017.The company’s operating profit for the period also rose to QAR 258 million, up from QAR 170 million for last year’s same period. A net profit of QAR 297 million beat last year’s QAR 267 million, while earnings per share increased to QAR 2.62…

Abu Dhabi Ports announced  the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between its subsidiary, SAFEEN, a provider of world-class integrated marine and port services for Abu Dhabi Ports, and ADNOC Logistics & Services, in the area of oil spill containment, cleaning, and maintenance. Under the terms of the agreement, ADNOC Logistics & Services will support SAFEEN in handling tier two oil spill incidents through containment, cleaning and maintenance activities. Tier two oil spills cover a greater area of water and involve more quantities of oil than tier one oil spills, which SAFEEN already is equipped to deal with. Hamad Al Maghrabi…

Qatar-based maritime transport and logistics conglomerate Milaha has announced the launch of a direct container feeder service between Qatar and Iraq. The new service, which will be an expansion of the existing Qatar-Kuwait service that the company launched last year, will follow a Hamad Port-Umm Qasr (Iraq)-Shuwaikh (Kuwait)-Hamad Port rotation, and will be initially served by one vessel with a 1,015 TEU capacity and 110 reefer plugs. The service will have a transit time of 2 days, making it particularly ideal for dry and refrigerated food stuff, consumer electronics, and construction materials, among other cargo. The first vessel will depart from Hamad Port on 7 May 2018 and reach at Umm Qasr Port on 9 May 2018. Commenting on the launch of the new service, Milaha’s President and CEO Mr.

Qatar Navigation (Milaha) is planning to expand operations and capabilities in Qatar and overseas as part of its long term plan to improve efficiency and profitability. During the General Assembly meeting, Sheikh Ali bin Jassim bin Mohammad Al Thani, Chairman of Milaha’s Board of Directors presented an overview of the company’s activities and financial results for 2017 along with highlights of business plans for the year 2018. "The Chairman underlined the impact of industry-wide and geopolitical challenges on the company’s financial performance, adding that “signs of recovery are visible, and we are hopeful this will continue in 2018,” Al Thani added.

Qatar’s Hamad Port announced the addition of a new service from South Korean shipping line Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) to its growing network list, QNA reported. HMM’s 365.5-metre-long ‘Hyundai Drive’ made its first call to Hamad Port, marking the official start of a new Hyundai Merchant Marine’s KME (Korea Middle East Express) service. It is the largest container vessel to make its maiden call in Qatar since the opening of Hamad Port. The vessel from Kwangyang Port in South Korea arrived at Hamad Port in the container terminal CT1. At a length of 365.5 m, the vessel extends its Korea-Middle East service with a weekly call to Qatar. The ship's cargo is 13,154 TEUs, linking China, Korea and Qatar.

The Ocean Alliance has launched its new Day Two Product with an estimated 3.6 million TEU carrying capacity provided by approximately 340 containerships deployed on 41 services. The new offering will commence in April 2018. Alliance partners CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen and OOCL will offer 20 Transpacific services, six Asia-Europe services, four Asia-Mediterranean services, four Transatlantic services, five Asia-Middle East services and two Asia-Red Sea services. “Ocean Alliance has been a fantastic success from a customer perspective since its launch last spring and we are very enthusiastic to announce our Day Two Product,” said Olivier Nivoix, Senior Vice President Ocean Alliance Lines.

Washington-based ships assigned to Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 returned Dec. 10, just in time for the upcoming holidays following a six-month deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and the Arabian Gulf. The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), with embarked CSG-11, returned home to Naval Base Kitsap, and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup (DDG 86) and USS Kidd (DDG 100) returned to Naval Station Everett. The strike group consists of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9, and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Princeton (CG 59) and USS Lake Erie (CG 70). The air wing and DESRON command staff disembarked in San Diego Dec.

Port of Amsterdam, STC-Group Holding and Iskes Towage & Salvage signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Amsterdam with Port of Fujairah (PoF), one of the largest oil storage and bunkering hubs in the world. The agreement focuses on further strategic cooperation. Located on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, the port of Fujairah has seen tremendous growth in the past decades, turning from a regional multi-purpose Port into an important part of the global oil supply chain. PoF strives to consolidate and further expand on its achieved market position and to improve its port operations to live up to the standard of a world class port.

Two new maritime lines are launched from Hamad Port which will enhance Qatar’s trade connections with various ports in China, India, Malaysia, Turkey and Greece, among other countries. Qatar News Agency (QNA)  said that both lines will run on a weekly basis. The first line starts in the Mediterranean and will be serviced by with four ships, with a total capacity of 6,000 containers including 400 reefer containers. The China Gulf Express Service will connect Shanghai in China with Hamad Port, with designated stops at Ningbo (China), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Xiamen (China), Shekou (China) and Port Klang (Malaysia) en route to Qatar. A single ship will ply this route and have a capacity of 6,000 containers, including 400 reefer containers, according to the MoTC.

Qatar inaugurated a new $7.4 billion port along its Gulf coast on Tuesday that officials said would become a regional transport hub and help shield its economy against sanctions enforced by neighbouring Arab states. The Hamad port, 40km south of Doha, is one of the largest such facilities in the Middle East. Since Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) severed ties with Qatar in June, the port has been receiving large quantities of food and building materials for construction projects including stadiums for the 2022 soccer World Cup. The isolation of Qatar over Doha's alleged support for militants has raised concerns that projects could be delayed if supplies from the Far East and South Asia are choked.

Major Qatari shipping conglomerate Qatar Navigation (Milaha) is launching a direct service between Qatar and Karachi in Pakistan, the company said on Sunday, as it seeks to counter economic sanctions against Doha by other Arab States. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and transport links with Doha on June 5, ending the use of Dubai's Jebel Ali port as a trans-shipment centre for goods flowing to and from Qatar. As a result, imports into Qatar plunged by more than a third from year-earlier levels in June and July…

Qatar Navigation (Milaha) , a top Doha-based shipping and logistics group, said on Wednesday it had launched a new container service to Kuwait amid a diplomatic crisis that has seen it lose access to regional trans-shipment hub, Dubai. Milaha will operate the weekly, direct service between Kuwait and Qatar using a vessel capable of handling the equivalent of 515 20-foot containers, the company said in a statement. Milaha said the service between Qatar's Hamad Port and Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait would have a transit time of one day and be ideal for transporting perishable products and food.

Qatar and container lines have launched new shipping services via Oman in an effort to sidestep a port ban in neighbouring countries and secure a food lifeline after other Gulf states severed ties with Doha last week. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and some other Arab countries cut diplomatic, travel and trade ties with Qatar last week, accusing it of supporting Iran and funding Islamist groups, accusations Doha denies. The severing of air, sea and land transport links has closed crucial import routes for Qatar and its population of around 2.7 million people who are dependent on imports for most of their food needs. China's COSCO Shipping Lines Co Ltd, Taiwan's Evergreen and Hong Kong Kong's OOCL have suspended container services to and from Qatar.

China's COSCO Shipping Lines Co Ltd has suspended shipping services to Qatar, citing "uncertainties" after Arab countries severed diplomatic ties with the Gulf state and imposed port restrictions. The world's fourth-largest shipping line joins Taiwan's Evergreen and Hong Kong's OOCL in suspending services after Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab nations cut ties with Qatar over its alleged support for terrorism, an accusation the country denies. COSCO told customers about the suspension of services to and from Qatar's Hamad Port in a notice issued on June 7, a spokeswoman for COSCO's parent company said on Monday. "In view of the uncertainties as the situation develops…

ABS, a provider of classification and technical services to the marine and offshore industries, has successfully implemented the ABS NS Fleet Management Software suite for Hadi Hammad Al Hammam Group, a leading service provider to the oil and gas industry in the Middle East. “The NS software suite is a comprehensive fleet management solution designed to improve data accuracy to inform better decisions in the office,” says ABS Nautical Systems COO Stephen Schwarz. Phase one of the project focused on compliance – integrating the NS Maintenance…

Qatargas, the world's largest LNG producer, announced the commercial start-up of Laffan Refinery 2, marking a major milestone in the expansion of refining capacity in the State of Qatar. The project will refine 146,000 barrels per day of condensate from the North Field, the largest non-associated natural gas reserve in the world. Laffan Refinery 2 produces low Sulfur Euro-V specifications products such as Naphtha, Jet-A1, Ultra low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD), Propane and Butane for local and international markets. Alongside Laffan Refinery 1, this new facility is strategically important due to its role in diversifying Qatar’s energy mix, which will double the existing production capacity. Mr.