Limited Infrastructure News

Indonesia deployed navy ships and hundreds of personnel on Wednesday, including intelligence assets, in an effort to thwart illegal shipments of refined palm oil olein, just hours away from an export ban aimed at taming surging cooking oil prices.The new rules were due to take effect at midnight local time (1700 GMT), and the navy and other agencies had been instructed to step up patrols of Indonesian waters to ensure compliance, said navy spokesperson Julius Widjojono.Palm oil futures on the Malaysia exchange surged by 9.8% on Wednesday…

Steel construction company REIDsteel has completed its phase of works on landmark passenger facilities as part of a £45 million ($59 million) ferry terminal revamp in Portsmouth, U.K. The 130-strong firm was contracted for the project at Gunwharf for ferry operator Wightlink through Southampton-based engineering, procurement and construction contractor Trant Engineering. REIDsteel, based in Dorset, U.K., designed, supplied and erected all steelwork, cladding, external windows and external doors for a two-storey car marshalling deck and a new customer experience building for passengers.

Samskip has expanded its shortsea service network in Norway with Kristiansund and Molde by adding Gjemnes as its 10th port of call. The multimodal solution provider describes the move as its latest strategic step to intensify Samskip’s presence in the Nordic region and enhance efficiency. It follows on from the introduction of the larger capacity 657 TEU container vessel MV ALK into Norwegian West Coast shortsea services in mid-2015. Centrally located in the county of More and Romsdal…

DNV GL has developed a new class notation for gas bunker vessels that targets safer fuel transfer operations from one ship to another. Until now, the development of standards guiding gas fuel transfer operations in ports has lagged behind, as the maritime industry focussed on developing standards for gas fuelled ships rather than bunkering arrangements. This notation addresses safety concerns in this field and covers gas bunker vessels design and additional requirements to support the development of gas fuelled shipping and bunker operations in ports. The rules are flexible and include a variety of gas fuels as well as the configuration of bunker transfer systems.

A Jensen Maritime-designed, liquefied natural gas (LNG)-bunkering articulated tug-barge (ATB) has been granted approval in principle (AIP) by classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). The designation establishes that Jensen’s vessel concept, which is classed as an A1 Liquefied Gas Tank Barge, is compliant in principle with ABS rules and guides. Suited for mobile bunkering, Jensen’s ATB is also oceans rated, meaning that it is not limited to the intracoastal waterways.

In an effort to spread out oil and gas production to other parts of the country and increase overall oil production, Brazil has finally intensified hydrocarbon exploration along its northeastern and northern coasts. These are some of the poorest regions in the country and infrastructure for oil and gas exploration is minimal, yet significant discoveries and seismic indicators of large reservoirs are tantalizing and have attracted major local and foreign investors. Potential for oil discoveries in the area is proven, yet players will be faced by many challenges offshore and on land in order to uncork reservoirs at the Northern Frontier.

On January 30, 2014, the White House released the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for the Arctic Region. The purpose of the Implementation Plan is to put flesh on the bones of the May 10, 2013 National Strategy for the Arctic Region. The National Strategy had identified three lines of effort to address challenges posed by the changing Arctic environment. The Implementation Plan sets forth the methodology, process, and approach for executing the Strategy. Most importantly…

The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Admiral Bob Papp, Jr. spoke of the Arctic as an emerging frontier during the 2013 State of the Coast Guard Address in February 2013. He said, “… one example of what our future holds can be seen in the emerging frontier of the Arctic, where there is a new ocean appearing. In September 2012, we observed the lowest sea ice extent in recorded history, and there are vast areas of open water where there used to be ice…As the receding ice increasingly gives way to commercial ventures…

The Coast Guard 17th District announced its Arctic Shield 2013 plans to protect the maritime community in the Arctic and to strengthen their partnerships with federal, state, local, tribal and community members Wednesday. “We are committed to having a sustained presence in the region,” said Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, commander, Coast Guard 17th District. After a successful Arctic Shield 2012 operation on the North Slope and Barrow, this year, the Coast Guard will focus on Western Alaska and the Bering Strait to increase maritime domain awareness.

The U.S. Arctic is no longer the place it once was. The environment north of the Yukon River and beyond the vast Brooks Range is warming rapidly. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists predict that by 2020-2030, the Arctic could be nearly free of sea ice during the summer. Open seas will expand opportunities for maritime transportation, tourism, and oil and gas exploration in the region. But as a warming Arctic opens up vast opportunities for commerce and development…

Per Sønderstrup, Head of Centre, Danish Maritime Authority is not only dealing with the shipping around Denmark, with some 40,000 ships passing Copenhagen every year, and another 20,000 ships passing the Stora Belt passage in and out from the Baltic Sea. His department also governs shipping activities in a much larger and environmentally more challenging area, Greenland. "We have there a coastline of about 40,000 kilometres and it is a quite different challenge we have out there," he says, referring to shipping safety issues. The number of ships operating in this huge area is small.

Incat Crowther announced the launch of a second 37m Catamaran Passenger Ferry for Coastal Fast Ferries in Tanzania. Built by Richardson Devine Marine in Tasmania, the vessel is a repeat order from the operator, validating both the design and build quality delivered in the sistership Kilimanjaro. Like its predecessor, Kilimanjaro II has been specifically designed and engineered for operation in Africa. The vessel utilizes previous design experience in designing vessels for operators in remote areas with limited infrastructure.