Leer News

Dennis Tetzlaff has been appointed Stena Line’s new Chief Operating Officer Fleet.Tetzlaff enters his new role with a wealth of experience, having worked in various professions within the shipping and cruise industry over the past two decades. Most recently, he comes from TUI Cruises, where he served as the Vice President Fleet Operations & Newbuild.Tetzlaff has a degree in nautical science and maritime transport from the University of Applied Sciences in Emden/Leer, Germany, but his career at sea already started at age 20…

A climate neutral island supply vessel has been launched for the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) to service the Marshall Islands.GIZ is implementing the bilateral project financed by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) together with the government of the Marshall Islands. The ship, which was developed by the ship design office Kostec Co. and the shipyard Asia Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Busan/Geoje, South Korea, together with the Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences and the Hamburg design office SDC…

South Korea-based Asia Shipbuilding recently held the keel laying ceremony for hull number ASB – 1245 of the Pacific Island Supply Vessel, an innovative sailing cargo ship for the needs of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.The consortium of Asia Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and the naval design company Kostec Co., Ltd., last year signed a contract with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to deliver an innovative sailing cargo ship for the needs…

Boluda Towage has started towing services at the German port of Lubmin for the first installation of a floating LNG storage plant.The Deutsche ReGas LubminLNG import terminal will become the first operational FSRU-based facility in Germany. The floating storage and regasification unit is based inside the port of Lubmin, where an existing gas pipeline allows for a quick connection.In mid-December 2022, the 2009-built 145,000-cbm FSRU Neptune arrived in Germany’s port of Lubmin to serve the new LNG import terminal.

New work to overhaul engines on an offshore support vessel (OSV) operated by United Offshore Support (UOS), has been completed by Royston.Engineers undertook the 30,000 running hour service on the main propulsion engines onboard the GH Challenger, as part of an extensive refurbishment and maintenance program of critical power plants.The 2009-built, 80m length, 3000 tonne-vessel, which is part of a 11-strong fleet, currently operates in the Caribbean Sea, where it’s supporting…

The new cruise ship for British Saga Cruises, Spirit of Discovery, along with ship building team at Meyer Werft, Germany completed the conveyance from the Papenburg shipyard along the River Ems to the open sea. Spirit of Discovery, the only cruise ship being built for the British market this year, left Papenburg at 9pm, before passing through the River Ems sea lock late last night (Sunday 26th May), marking the official start of her journey towards her home port of Dover, England.Following her departure, Spirit of Discovery was towed along the River Ems, from Papenburg to Emden, passing Friesenbrücke (Weener) and the Jann Berghaus bridge (Leer)…

Dutch shipbuilder Ferus Smit successfully launched ‘Arklow Wind’ at the Ferus Smit yard in Leer."M.V. Arklow Wind is the second vessel in a series of 4 that will be delivered to our client from the city of Arklow, Ireland," said a press release.By design, Arklow Wind (which will sail under the Irish Flag) is an enlarged version of the 8500 DWT ships that we have delivered to Arklow Shipping in the past.In comparison with these vessels, Arklow Wind has almost twice the carrying capacity of 16500 DWT. She is equipped with a 3840kW main engine in order to achieve low fuel consumption.Meanwhile, Ferus Smit informed that it  will launch M.V. ‘Shetland’ at the Ferus Smit Westerbroek Yard on 11th of April.M.V.

Europe's largest port, the Port of Rotterdam ended 2018 with a total container throughput at 469.0 million tonnes (MT) which slightly higher than in 2017,  which was itself a record year (467.4 MT).Container transhipment was the engine of growth again, with a 4.5% increase in tonnage. Measured in TEUs, the standard unit for containers, the increase was 5.7% and the annual total was 14.5 million TEUs – also a record.This strengthens the position of Europe’s largest container port in this strategically important market segment. Significant underlying shifts were observable in the goods segments.Whereas container transhipment continued to grow at a healthy pace, that of crude oil, mineral oil products and agribulk fell.

Capital Liberty Invest, a joint venture between Greece’s Capital Ship Management, belonging to Evangelos Marinakis, and Germany’s Liberty One, has acquired its first two high specification feeder container vessels.The vessels which will come under the technical management of Liberty Blue in Leer, Germany, said a press release from Capital Ship Management Corp.The first of the two sister ships, ‘Ibrahim Dede’ (1,878 TEU), which was renamed ‘Asterix’, has been successfully taken over on January 21 in the port of Piraeus, Greece and subsequently delivered into charter to one of the world’s leading container operators.The takeover of the second vessel, ‘Cafer Dede’, is expected at the end of the first quarter of 2018.

As part of their mission to improve services for shippers moving cargo between the US Gulf Coast, Jamaica, and ports in Ecuador, Peru and Chile, Seaboard Marine and BBC Chartering are pleased to announce a new strategic cooperation which will be marketed as “Andino Service.”A press release from the international shipping company based in Leer, Germany said that beginning as early as November 2018, BBC and the ocean transportation service provider in North America Seaboard Marine  will will operate a string of at least five vessels dedicated to serving these trade lanes.This cooperative space sharing arrangement improves the value proposition of both parties as it offers shippers higher frequency…

German offshore industry service provider United Offshore Support (UOS) announced that it has completed its acquisition of the commercial and technical-nautical management businesses of both UOS United Offshore Support and Hartmann Offshore.Since the acquisition was announced in July 2018, the management and staff of both companies have been working to bring the two organisations under the UOS brand, which is based in Leer, Germany.UOS is led by Chief Executive Howard Woodcock, who joined the company in August 2018. Howard has over 35 years’ experience in the shipping, marine, and offshore oil & gas sectors, and prior to joining UOS spent 13 years as Chief Executive of Bibby Offshore…

Globecomm has supplied its global Ku-band VSAT service to specialist shipowner and manager Briese Schiffahrts in support of its fleet growth plans.Long-time Globecomm customer Briese is undertaking a program of fleet renewal, constructing a series of eight ‘Open Top Eco 5000’ multi-purpose vessels, designed to consume 30 percent less fuel but with increased crane and cargo capacity.The first of four ships was christened in mid-April 2018 at Zhejiang Zengzhou Shipbuilding Co with three more of the 90-meter long…

The situation for the shipping companies based in Germany has been, much like the rest of the world in 2017, mostly tight. Currently, the German shipping companies are undergoing changes against this background. They are concentrating more and more on their core competences. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News' man in Germany, Peter Pospiech, recently talked to Alfred Hartmann, President of the VDR (Association of German Shipowners), for his exclusive insights on the size, shape and direction of German shipowners.Mr.

Capital Ship Management Corp. and Liberty One have announced the establishment of a joint venture under the name Capital Liberty Invest, taking aim at the German shipping market. The new entity will combine the forces, excellent track record and reputation of Capital and Liberty with the aim to provide commercial and technical ship operating platforms across different shipping segments and sizes in the German shipping market. The Joint Venture will seek growth opportunities in the container segment, ranging from feeder to Post-Panamax vessels, as well as in the crude and product tanker, dry bulk and multi-purpose vessels (MPP) segments. The Joint Venture commenced operations in January 2018 and is based out of the Liberty offices in Leer and headed by Liberty CEO, Dietrich Schulz.

On Friday, August 25, shipbuilder Ferus Smit launched newbuild 421, Symphony Spirit, in Leer. The 122.5-meter, 10,500 dwt Symphony Spirit is the fifth vessel in a series of six that will be delivered to Symphony Shipping. The vessel is an ‘Ecobox’ design, which Ferus Smit says is characterized by flexibility of loading combined with very economical and ecological performance. 10,500 DWT, 429.000 cft hold volume. Iceclass 1A with 3,000 kW main engine. A large single hold of completely box shaped form. Large loading floor area for project cargoes, including complete movable tweendeck. 2 X 85 tons cargo cranes. Deckhouse placed on foreship for better protection of deck cargo and enabling to load oversized items over the stern.

Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Cruise Line’s first custom-designed ship for the Chinese cruise market, began her journey to her home port of Shanghai, China this week, as she departed the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany on Sunday, March 26 for her approximately 14-hour long conveyance along the Ems River. Measuring 1,094 feet long and 136 feet wide, the ship is the second in the line’s Breakaway-Plus class and the first that was purpose-built for China. “We are thrilled Norwegian Joy has officially begun her journey to China…

In the Babycape segment, Oldendorff's London office usually operates around 30 vessels in its global network of trades. The company informed that it likes to have some owned vessels in every segment in which it operates to ensure more reliable and flexible service. The Babycape vessels were purchased from companies managed by Hartmann Reederei (Leer) and Thomas Schulte (Hamburg), and join three other Babycapes in the Oldendorff fleet which were  bought in summer 2016. The 119,000 tonners were built at Sinopacific, China and feature an attractive cargo intake at 14.5 m draft, Mewis fuel saving ducts, ballast water treatment systems, as well as Korean built B&W main engines and auxiliary engines. The Emma Schulte was delivered from Jiangnan, China in 2012.

The International Windship Association (IWSA) will host its annual Wind Propulsion Innovation Forum at SMM2016 in Hamburg, including an extensive agenda with expert speakers and panelists that aim to provoke discussion and debate about wind propulsion as key to the future of sustainable shipping. The IWSA Innovation Forum spans all four days of the conference, September 6-9. A broad spectrum of wind propulsion technology providers and ship development projects will be showcasing the latest developments in Rotor technology, Suction Wing, Dynarig and various Hard Sail technologies.

BBC Chartering announces the opening of a new representative office in London, United Kingdom, starting immediately. “We continue to strengthen our position at important shipping hubs for breakbulk, heavy lift and project cargo”, said Svend Andersen, CEO of BBC Chartering. The London branch is the second location of BBC Chartering in the UK and closely cooperates with the existing representative office in Liverpool. Ms. Valeria Salzano, who transferred from BBC Chartering Genoa Srl., was appointed as regional Sales & Chartering Manager for the London office. Both UK offices are managed from BBC Chartering’s European hub and global HQ in Leer, Germany.

International trade relies on transportation by sea, as about 85 percent of the freight volumes are shipped globally by vessels. But while maritime is widely regarded as the most environmentally benign of any transport system, maritime transport can cause a diverse environmental burden: It includes, beside the potential for damages and leaks, the inflow of waste water and, in particular, the emissions of air pollutants. Furthermore the improper cleaning of oil sludge, as well as the transfer of organisms into foreign ecosystems within ballast water.

On Friday the 29th of April, Nb. 420 was launched in Leer. She was christened ‘Symphony Sun’ and is the fourth vessel in a series of 6 that will be delivered to Symphony Shipping. Symphony Sun is a vessel of our ‘Ecobox’ design, which is characterized by its flexibility of loading combined with very economical and ecological performance. – Main dimensions (Loa X B X T) 122.5 X 17.0 X 7.8 mtr. – 10500 DWT, 429.000 cft hold volume. – Iceclass 1A with 3000 kW main engine. – A large single hold of completely box shaped form. – Large loading floor area for project cargoes, including complete movable tweendeck. – 2 X 85 tons cargo cranes. – Deckhouse placed on foreship for better protection of deck cargo and enabling to load oversized items over the stern.

The International Windship Association (IWSA) has announced the shortlist, selected by shipping industry experts, for the inaugural Wind Propulsion Innovation Awards 2016 and voting is now open to everyone to select the winners in three categories – Innovation, Technology User and Research. The Lifetime Achievement Award is a closed vote for IWSA members. The Awards will be presented at a ceremony at the SMM2016 on 8th September 2016 in Hamburg. The Wind Propulsion Innovation Awards were launched by IWSA to recognise pioneering projects and technological innovation in the development of wind propulsion for technically and commercially viable solutions for different vessels across the maritime industry.

BBC Chartering announces the re-launch of its presence in Denmark with a new representative office in Esbjerg opening August 15, 2016. “Global wind power saw an unprecedented growth recently, for the first time crossing 60 GW in new capacity installments in 2015. Consequently shipping volumes for the sector have increased significantly over the last two years“, observed Svend Andersen, CEO of BBC Chartering. As the carrier’s 33rd location, BBC Chartering in Esbjerg will directly cooperate with BBC Chartering in Bremen, Germany which is also focusing on wind power customers. Both entities are steered from the company’s European operating hub and global headquarter in Leer, Germany.