Leung News

Hong Kong is to release armoured vehicles belonging to Singapore impounded in the Chinese-ruled city on their way home from military exercises in Taiwan, Singapore said on Tuesday. Hong Kong customs seized the troop carriers in November. Beijing, which regained sovereignty over the former British colony of Hong Kong in 1997, then warned countries against maintaining military ties with Taiwan. Singapore's foreign affairs ministry said Hong Kong authorities would release the Singapore Armed Forces' troop carriers and other equipment to the Singapore government but the ministry did not give details. Hong Kong's commissioner of Customs and Excise, Roy Tang, said in a statement the vehicles were seized because of "a suspected breach of the Hong Kong law".

Singapore welcomes Hong Kong pledge on handling of dispute. Singapore's defence minister on Monday said the nine armoured vehicles seized in Hong Kong could not be detained or confiscated, but that he welcomed Hong Kong's pledge for the dispute to be handled in line with its laws. Hong Kong customs seized the troop carriers in November as they were being shipped to Singapore from Taiwan after military exercises on the island that Beijing regards as a breakaway province, sparking tension between Singapore and China. Beijing, which regained sovereignty over the former British colony of Hong Kong in 1997, then warned countries against maintaining military ties with Taiwan. The vehicles were Singapore property, said Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, answering questions in parliament.

A little-known investment company said it intends to order up to 20 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, probably from South Korean shipbuilders. The contracts would be worth as much as $3.8 billion, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. CBI Energy and Chemical, which is controlled by Australian and Canadian investors and has offices in Hong Kong, also said in a statement to Reuters that it would be seeking to buy floating LNG production and import facilities as part of an ambitious plan for Africa and Asia. The orders would be a major shot in the arm for South Korea's ailing shipbuilding industry, which has been hit by a collapse in new orders as global trade growth slows and after the slump in commodities prices in recent years.

INTTRA, the world's ocean shipping electronic marketplace, and NYK Line, informed that NYK has joined the rapidly growing INTTRA eVGM network for facilitating compliance with new container weight requirements adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which went into effect on July 1, 2016. NYK is offering the INTTRA eVGM Service to customers as one solution via which they can exchange and process the container weight information required to meet the IMO's Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Verified Gross Mass (VGM) requirement. Under SOLAS VGM, every container must have a VGM - or certified weight - to be loaded onto a ship.

The Hong Kong Shipping Register has  crossed of 100 million gross tonnage, informed the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung. To Hong Kong, it’s more than a vote of confidence, Anthony said. Hong Kong’s maritime tradition is almost two centuries old. Hong Kong served as a port of registry under the UK Ship Register since the 1840s until the establishment of the autonomous Hong Kong Shipping Register in 1990 under the administration of the Marine Department. For those who are interested, our first shipping register is now on display at the other side of the hall. Upon its inception in 1990, the Hong Kong Shipping Register had a mere 765 ships with a total gross tonnage of six million.

Hong Kong is to establish a new government body - Hong Kong Port and Maritime Board - this year that oversees the local maritime sector, in a bid to enhance the city’s shipping sector. Hong Kong's chief executive Leung Chun-ying in his annual policy address for this year announced that the government will merge the existing Maritime Industry Council (MIC) and the Port Development Council (PDC) to form a new Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board. The board, to be chaired by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, will promote manpower development, marketing and research on all fronts to develop a high value-added maritime services sector, he said.

Global chart distributor Nautisk said it is strengthening its presence across one of its core global locations with the appointment of two new managers in Asia. Alan Leung will take up the role of Regional Sales Manager in Hong Kong to help with Nautisk’s business expansion in the region, with particular focus on Hong Kong, the company said. Over the next 12-18 months, Leung will be tasked with growing Nautisk’s business in Asia and driving sales activities, while managing key accounts and dealing directly with customers.

Hutchison Port Holdings' (HPH) Hong Kong assets marked a significant milestone with cumulative throughput of 200 million teu. Excerpts from his speech: "For decades, Hong Kong has been a major hub port in the region. For the past 10 years (2005-2014), the average annual throughput at the Hong Kong Port was some 23 million TEUs. This is indeed a highly impressive performance having regard to the physical size of the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals. The efforts made by different parties operating the Hong Kong Port must be recognised. Hutchison International Terminals is a major operator of Hong Kong's container terminals. Today, HPH Trust is celebrating its milestone achievement of handling the 200 millionth TEU.

Members of the International Union of Marine Insurance, in its 140th year, will gather in Hong Kong from 21-24 September at the Intercontinental Hotel, Kowloon for its annual conference themed Building Expertise for a Changing World. Over 500 attendees will hear from leading experts on how the marine environment is evolving as governments and businesses attempt to chart a secure, sustainable economic recovery. From cargo inventory, legal disputes, loss ratios and offshore drilling, the conference - with an emphasis on Asia - has the best and latest information to help the marine insurance community navigate its way through a changing world.

BMT Asia Pacific (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, says it has completed a major strategic study - “Enhancing Hong Kong’s Position as an International Maritime Centre (IMC)”, undertaken on behalf of the Hong Kong Transport and Housing Bureau. The study aims to plot a development roadmap and strategy that will enable Hong Kong to remain a successful IMC in an increasingly competitive region. BMT explains that it conducted the IMC study utilising extensive industry engagement to examine the context and economic significance of Hong Kong’s maritime cluster, as well as the key challenges facing Hong Kong as an IMC. The findings, which were recently made available to the public…

In his annual policy address to the Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council, Chief Executive C Y Leung pledged that the Government would continue to improve port facilities and enhance the efficiency of port operations, thereby seizing the opportunities brought by the growth of trade in the Mainland and Asia. "The logistics industry has flourished in recent years. Ten hectares of land have been set aside in Tuen Mun West for logistics use. Land will also be earmarked in new development areas for the construction of modern logistics facilities.

Dubai's QE 2 Holdings Ltd. chairman, His Excellency Khamis Juma Buamim, sets out his company's vision of a new life for the veteran cruise liner –  as a hotel ship – in his speech to dignitories. Outlining the work that has been completed, the chairman provided details of the transfer of ownership of the vessel to a new entity called QE2 Shipping LLC, based out of & owned by Dubai & that all necessary registry documentation with the flag state on the ownership of the vessel had been completed.

USS Ford Conducts Operational Transit on Alternative Fuel Blend. USS Ford (FFG 54) successfully transited from the ship's homeport in Everett, Wash., to San Diego, March 2, using 25,000 gallons of a 50/50 algae-derived, hydro-processed algal oil and petroleum F-76 blend in the ships LM 2500 gas turbines. USS Ford's transit on the algal blend marks the first demonstration of the alternative fuel blend in an operational fleet ship. "We've done basically every range of research vessel we could test: the experimental riverine command boat; the Naval Academy's yard patrol; a landing craft utility, a landing craft air cushion amphibious, and self defense test ship," said Richard Leung, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Navy Fuels engineering manager.

The U.S. Navy successfully concluded its final alternative fuel demonstration for the year today with the Dec. 7-9 operational tests of the 50/50 algae-derived, hydro-processed algal oil and petroleum F-76 blend in a Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) amphibious transport vehicle at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City. The tests also marked the fastest speed achieved to date by a U.S. Navy surface craft using alternative fuel blends, as LCAC 91 reached speeds the crafts maximum speed of 50 knots, Dec.

The Naval Academy's Waterfront Readiness Department refueled yard patrol (YP) craft 692 with a biofuel blend Sept. 15 at Naval Support Activity Annapolis, demonstrating the academy's commitment to the Navy's energy goals. The fuel is a 50/50 blend of petroleum and a renewable algae-based biofuel, HRD-76. Last month, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the Navy's latest initiative to partner with federal and private organizations in creating a sustainable U.S.-based alternative energy source, citing energy independence as necessary to national security. Richard Leung, an engineer with Naval Sea Systems Command who accompanied the shipment of 4,000 gallons of biofuel to Annapolis, also emphasized the need for alternative energy.

Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) was host to the 2009 Patent Awards Ceremony on May 7, 2009. From October 2007 to December 2008, the Carderock Division had 24 U.S. Patents issued and 31 applications filed. Forty-seven Carderock inventors were presented awards in seven core equity categories: Ship Integration and Design; Hull Forms and Propulsors; Machinery Research and Engineering; Structures and Materials; Environment Quality Systems; Vulnerability and Survivability Systems; and Signatures, Silencing Systems, and Susceptibility. The following are the 2009 patent award recipients that were named in the U.S. Patents and Statutory Invention Registrations (SIR) from Oct. 1, 2007 to Dec. •    Frank A. Leban and Joseph P.

First-half profits for Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. will be a festival of one-off gains and charges on its sinking telecoms holdings, but core profits will fall sharply as wireless spending offsets growth in energy and infrastructure operations. Hutchison is expected to post a net profit of HK$2.3 billion to HK$19.2 billion (US$295 million-$2.46 billion), depending on the size of provisions it takes on the falling value of Vodafone Plc and Deutsche Telekom, according to brokerage analysts. Hutchison, which has businesses spanning telecoms, container ports, retailing property and energy, will report its results on Thursday. However…

Bhd, an electronics company, has diversified into the shipbuilding business by partnering Pong Leung Swee to set up and operate a shipyard on Carey Island, Selangor, Malaysia Setron said the alliance entails designing and building ships and similar vessels to primarily serve the oil and gas industry. "The company is confident that the demand for new crew boats and other support vessels for oil and gas industry in the region is promising. A new joint venture company will be formed and Setron would hold 51 percent while Pong would have the rest. Source: Business Times

Evergreen Marine Corp has been awarded Best Shipping Line - Intra Asia for the third year in a row at the 21st Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards (AFSCA). Wong Kwok-Leung, senior vice president, Evergreen Marine Corp collected the award from Stephen White, Director of Asia Pacific Region and Global Leasing, Thermo King at a ceremony held at the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf Convention and Exhibition Centre on 25 April. The AFSCA accolade is particularly significant because it is voted for not by a panel of judges, but by the readership of leading regional freight newspaper Cargonews Asia, which represents shippers from across Asia.