Liquid Chemicals News

Ammonia power solutions company Amogy announced it is partnering with Southern Devall to trial its ammonia-to-power technology for the first time in the maritime market as the industry strives to reduce its vessel emissions.Amogy’s proprietary ammonia-to-power system converts ammonia into hydrogen for use in fuel cells or as a more energy dense method of long-distance hydrogen transportation. The system, already demonstrated in a farming tractor and aerial drone, is now being scaled for use in larger applications…

CMB Financial Leasing (CMBFL) sign a $415.6 million sale and lease back transaction of 20 chemical tankers with Stolt Tankers, a UK-based provider of transportation and storage for liquids, notably specialty and bulk liquid chemicals, the proceeds of which were used to refinance certain debt secured on the vessels.Watson Farley & Williams (WFW), the international law firm based in London, has advised on this transaction. The leases were of a hybrid nature combining elements of both financial and operating leases.Founded in 2008, Shanghai-based CMBFL provides financial leasing solutions to large, medium and small businesses across China.

Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation (NMAC), a Greece owner and operator of tanker vessels, announced the agreement to acquire five product tankers in liquidation of Navios Europe I Inc.On November 22, 2019, an agreement was reached to liquidate Navios Europe I. As of September 30, 2019, Navios Acquisition had a receivable of $32.3 million from Navios Europe I. This receivable along with debt financing will be used to finance the Acquisition. The agreement is subject to definitive documentation which is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.The five product tankers owned by Navios Europe I that are included in the Acquisition are Perseus N…

Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation, the provider of transportation of petroleum products (clean and dirty) and bulk liquid chemicals, announced that its fleet consisted of a total of 41 vessels as of November 7, 2019.The owner and operator of tanker vessels said that out of 41 vessels, 13 are very large crude carriers (VLCCs) (including three bareboat chartered-in VLCCs expected to be delivered in the third and fourth quarters of 2020 and the third quarter of 2021), 26 are product tankers, two are chemical tankers.Navios Acquisition sold the Nave Electron, a 2002-built VLCC vessel of 305,178 dwt to an unaffiliated third party for a sale price of $25.3 million on October 8…

The chemical tanker earnings for the third quarter of 2019 was impacted by the usual seasonal slowdown in volumes while rates remained stable, said Odfjell Group.According to the company specializing in worldwide seaborne transportation and storage of chemicals and other specialty bulk liquids,spot rates were stable to slightly stronger on the front haul routes but strong competition and seasonally lower volumes on the back-haul routes had a negative impact on the overall market.A high share of plant turnarounds and the attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia disrupted feedstock for chemical plants and refineries in September, and led to a slower recovery after the summer slowdown than normal.The global chemical tanker orderbook stands at 8.3% of the current fleet.

The recovery of the chemical tanker market continued into the second quarter as main drivers were strong US exports and healthy volume development throughout the quarter on main trades, said Odfjell SE.The Clean Petroleum Products (CPP) market weakened which led to a net increase of 20 coated MR's trading chemical/veg-oils during the quarter, hereby increasing supply pressure for chemical tankers towards the end of the quarter, said the company specializing in worldwide seaborne transportation and storage of chemicals and other specialty bulk liquids.The global chemical tanker order book stands at 6.6% of the current fleet. The global deep-sea fleet based on vessels larger than 18,000 dwt grew by net 6 vessels in 2Q19 as 8 vessels were delivered, and 2 vessels were scrapped.

Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation, an international shipping company, said that it  has sold the oldest vessel of its fleet, the C. Dream.According to a press release from the US-listed, Greece-based company, the 299,000-dwt very large crude carrier (VLCC) C. Dream (built 2000) is sold for $21.75m.The 323,967 cbm vessel, with a length of 332 meters and a width of 60 meters, was built in Hitachi shipyard in Japan.Navios Acquisition is an owner and operator of tanker vessels focusing on the transportation of petroleum products (clean and dirty) and bulk liquid chemicals. Its fleet includes approximately 38 double-hulled tanker vessels, aggregating approximately four million deadweight tons (dwt).

Team Tankers International, the owner and operator of chemical tankers for the seaborne transportation of liquid chemicals worldwide, announced that Kevin Kilcullen has resigned his post as chief financial officer (CFO)."Kevin Kilcullen today tendered his resignation as Chief Financial Officer of Team Tankers International to pursue another professional opportunity," said a press release from the shippig company.The resignation will take effect on April 17, 2019 and he will continue with the Company until that date to ensure an orderly transition.Jens Gisle Schnelle, currently Head of Financial Planning and Analysis, will be promoted to acting Chief Financial Officer of the Company as of April 18, 2019, succeeding  Kevin Kilcullen.Mrs.

Singapore-based MOL Chemical Tankers (MOLCT) and Dutch Den Hartogh Logistics have established a strategic alliance to jointly develop and streamline liquid chemical logistics services utilizing tank containers, parcel chemical tankers and tank terminals.MOL Chemical Tankers is one of the global leaders in ocean transport, specializing in chemical parcel tankers for bulk liquid chemicals and vegetable oil and animal fats.As strategic partners MOLCT and Den Hartogh Logistics offer their customers in the petrochemical industry truly global supply chain solutions, which combine the tanker fleet and depots of MOLCT with the tank container fleet of Den Hartogh Logistics.These end-to-end supply chain solutions offer customers the best of both worlds…

Greece-based Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation announced that it completed the acquisition of Navios Maritime Midstream Partners. "Following the close of the market on December 13, Navios Midstream common units no longer are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange," said a press release from the owner and operator of tanker vessels focusing on the transportation of petroleum products (clean and dirty) and bulk liquid chemicals.Angeliki Frangou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated “We are pleased to close this important transaction, which provides Navios Acquisition with a number of benefits, including a simplified corporate structure, larger asset base and enhanced credit profile.

The Japanese group MOL Chemical Tankers is coming to the port of Antwerp. Together with the port group SEA-Invest it is to invest some 300 to 400 million euros in construction of a tank storage terminal for liquid chemicals. This is yet more confirmation of the port's power of attraction for big investors.Mol Chemical Tankers, a member of the Japanese group Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, will team up with SEA-Invest to build a tank storage terminal in the port of Antwerp. The Sea-Mol joint venture has been set up for this purpose, for which it will invest some 300 to 400 million euros. The new investment is expected to create 100 direct jobs.The tank terminal will be located on a 45 hectare site in the Delwaide dock.

Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation, an owner and operator of tanker vessels, announced that it has agreed to sell the Nave Galactic, a 2009-built VLCC of 297,168 dwt to Navios Maritime Midstream Partners for $44.5 million. Navios Acquisition also agreed to extend the charter rate backstop of the Shinyo Kannika to the Nave Galactic. Navios Acquisition intends to use the proceeds from the sale of the vessel for repayment of indebtedness, reinvestment in vessels and general working capital purposes. As a result of this transaction, the Nave Galactic will be substituted by the Nave Equinox and the Nave Pyxis MR2 product tankers as collateral under the 8 1/8% Secured Bond due 2021.

In contrast to an international downturn, French port Marseille Fos has reported exceptional results for July with 7.8 million metric tons of cargo and 387,000 passengers – up by 18.6 percent and 13 percent respectively on the same month last year. General cargo totaled 1.64 million metric tons (up 8 percent) after growth in all three sectors – containers, ro-ro and conventional. Box throughput rose 11 percent to more than 1 million metric tons, representing a 12 percent unit increase to 112,768 teu. Traffic through the Fos deep sea container terminals is now 4 percent ahead on the first seven months of last year, while the Terminal de Mediterranee in Marseille set a July record for its container activity. Liquid bulks were 26 percent better at 5.11 million metric tons.

Terminals in the Port of Ventspils handled a total of 9 million tons of cargo in January-May 2016 or by 23.98% less than in the same period in 2015. The transit of oil products and coal had declined steeply year-on-year, affecting the total cargo turnover at Ventspils. The cargo turnover of Ventspils Nafta Terminals contracted by 1.5 million tons or 27% to less than half of the terminal's capacity, and the cargo turnover of Baltic Coal Terminal was down 609,000 tons or 45% compared to January-May 2015, also to less than half of the terminal's capacity. Although the Ventspils port has to reckon with a significant reduction of its income due to performance of certain terminals…

French port Marseille Fos handled 20.17 million metric tons of cargo from January to March in a near identical repeat of last year’s first-quarter result. General cargo rose 1 percent to 4.49MT led by container growth at Fos, which gained 3 percent for 263,038 teu. However, total box volumes slipped 3 percent to 304,664 teu – and by 1 percent to 2.93MT in tonnage terms - after a difficult start to the year at Marseille, where container traffic fell 27 percent to 41,626 teu. Added to conventional trades dropping 8 percent on 0.56MT…

Shipping containers are defined as containers that facilitate the transport and carriage of goods without the need to unload and/or reload the cargo at intermediate points. These containers are large rectangular boxes made of a special corrosion resistant grade of steel and are characterized by high strength and durability. Containers are generally made up of aluminum and steel. The size and type built of each container comply with specifications and regulations formulated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Shipping containers are classified into three main categories, namely dry containers, reefer containers, and tank containers.

In what it is calling its best quarterly performance since third quarter 2008, the Odfjell Group for the second quarter of 2015 reported net results of $7 million. The group, which transports and stores bulk liquid chemicals, acids, edible oils and other special products, said it saw steady general improvement in the chemical tanker market with improved earnings in the deep-sea segment as well as in the remaining regional operations. The Odfjell chemical freight index rose 5 percent compared with the previous quarter.

A record month for containers and a revival in crude oil imports boosted first quarter throughput at leading French port Marseille Fos to 20.1 million metric tons – up by 1.3 million metric tons or 6.9 percent on January-March last year. Box traffic rose 8 percent to 312,820 TEU after growth of 9 percent at the deepsea Fos terminals and 5 percent at the largely intra-Mediterranean Marseille facility. The performance was marked by a 15 percent increase in March, when the port handled an all-time high of almost 116,000 TEU.

Stolt-Nielsen Limited is contemplating the issuance of new senior unsecured bonds in the Norwegian bond market with a minimum amount of NOK 700 million ($89 million). Proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. The offering will be made to (i) Norwegian professional investors and eligible counterparties as defined in the Norwegian Securities Trading Regulations Sections 10-2 to 10-4, (ii) to non-"United States persons" in "offshore transactions" within the meaning of Rule 902 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and (iii) "Qualified Institutional Buyers" pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act. The bonds may not be purchased by, or for the benefit of, persons resident in Canada.

The Port of Rotterdam and the independent storage company LBC Tank Terminals have reached a long term agreement for the construction of a new jetty at the LBC terminal in Botlek, Rotterdam. ‘This new jetty is the first and a very important step in the expansion of our terminal in Rotterdam. The growing import of liquid chemicals into Europe results in an increasing demand for liquid storage tanks in hubs such as Rotterdam. This investment will enable us to offer additional capacity and to respond even better to the storage requests of existing and new customers’, explains Luc Jorissen, Business President at LBC. The new jetty will have four berths, two for seagoing vessels and two for barges. This will quadruple the jetty capacity of the LBC terminal.

Jacob Stolt-Nielsen, 83, passed away today in the company of his family at his home in Oslo. An entrepreneur and visionary of boundless enthusiasm and energy, Jacob Stolt-Nielsen founded Parcel Tankers, Inc. in 1959 and pioneered the global trade for liquid chemicals, ultimately building what is today the world's largest chemical tanker company, Stolt Tankers. worldwide. In 1972, he founded Stolt Sea Farm, a pioneer in salmon farming, which is recognised today as a leader in high-tech aquaculture, focusing on sole, turbot and sturgeon for caviar. A year later, in 1973, he established Stolt-Nielsen Seaway A/S to provide diving and subsea services to the offshore oil and gas industry in the North Sea…

Stolt-Nielsen Limited has announced that Jacob Stolt-Nielsen, the visionary entrepreneur who founded the company in 1959, will retire from the SNL Board of Directors effective December 15, 2014, thus formally concluding his career at the company, 55 years to the date of its founding. He will continue as Honorary Chairman. Mr. Stolt-Nielsen, who is 83, conceived the innovative designs that led to the creation of the first parcel tanker. After founding Parcel Tankers, Inc. in 1959…

Container throughput at French port Marseilles Fos reached 876,711 teu for the period January to September, an increase of 6% on the first nine months last year. The performance - driven by a 9% rise at the Fos 2XL deep sea terminals - was two points better than the trend at other French ports, the port authority said. Container tonnage contributed 8.5 million metric tons to the general cargo total of 13.3MT, with the balance coming from 2.8MT of ro-ro traffic – down 7% - and just over 2MT in conventional trades (+2%).