Local Contractors News

A pair of fully-electric road ferries are now on their way from Damen Shipyards Galati to Lake Ontario, Canada, to begin operations. Ordered by the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, Canada, the Amherst Islander II and Wolfe Islander IV, 68 and 98 meters in length respectively, departed the yard on August 26 to be loaded on the semi-submersible transport vessel Super Servant 4 and will arrive in Lake Ontario in mid-September.Both of the open-deck vessels are equipped to be fully-electric…

France and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to a A$50 billion ($34 billion) submarine deal on Friday, seeking to defuse tensions after French shipbuilder Naval Group raised concerns over the capability of Australian contractors.Australia signed a production contract with Naval Group in February 2019 for a fleet of 12 attack-class submarines, ending a two-year wrangle over one of the world's most lucrative defense deals.Australia had selected the French firm as its preferred bidder in 2016 ahead of other offers from Japan and Germany.

Danish manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems has developed a customized solution for a 50 MW intertidal project in Bạc Liêu Province, Vietnam for the local EPC construction company Bac Phuong JSC, using onshore wind technologies to harvest wind resources from the sea.The intertidal project site is covered in water at high tide and some of the turbines will be uncovered at low tide, said a press note from the sustainable energy solutions provider.Working closely with the customer to overcome the complex operation of planning and executing an intertidal project, Vestas will supervise the installation of the turbines in shallow waters close…

The international container terminal operating company  APM Terminals implemented global waste management standards across all of its operations one year ago.The first tangible results from the company’s head office are now available and provide a clear indication of the significant impact this is having on reducing the company’s environmental impact.APM Terminals issued new Waste Management Standards across its global operations in September 2018. The standards not only provide clear guidance on how waste can be treated or disposed of in a more environmentally sensitive manner, but more importantly, help identify opportunities to prevent or reduce waste…

Coast Guard pollution responders are responding to a report of a tug that sank at the Port Orchard Railway Marina in Port Townsend, Washington, Monday.Members from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound's Incident Management Division are on scene overseeing the removal and containment of fuel discharged from the 65-foot tug Meagan M. The vessel is currently registered as a towing vessel; however the master claims it has been used in a strictly recreational capacity for the past two years.

Shoreham Port UK, claimed to be UK's number 1 scallop port, welcome home registered fishing vessel ‘Flowing Stream’ following a significant refit that began in the spring of 2018.Originally built in the year 2000, the vessel was flagged in from Belgium where it was previously registered to be renovated and renewed to bring it up to new vessel standards. Flowing Stream will join a long line of fishing vessels registered at Shoreham Port that date back to the 13th Century.Flowing Stream is one of the many scalloping vessels that regularly land in the Port each year, with the Marine Management Organisation’s recently published report revealing that in 2018, 18% of scallops landed in the UK by UK fishing vessels were landed at Shoreham Port, making it the number one scallop Port in the UK.

A Taiwan-owned cargo ship docked safely in Sydney on Wednesday after losing 83 containers off the coast of Australia during a massive storm which saw the ship battered by five metre (15 feet) swells.The YM Efficiency limped into Sydney with a container hanging halfway off its side. It had arrived off Sydney four days earlier but was kept out at sea because the city's main port was closed due to bad weather.The challenge for port operators is to unload the remaining 26 damaged containers without the rest toppling into Port Botany.The Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp owned containership was travelling from Taiwan to Sydney when it sailed into a major storm about 30 kms (18 miles) off the country's east coast…

When the time came to select ballast water treatment systems for retrofit on board its vessels, freight ferry operator Seatruck opted for the Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) for its ships, citing ease of installation, reliability, cost efficiency and complete regulatory compliance as deciding factors. The roll-on roll-off (RoRo) cargo specialist went on to install five systems itself while its vessels were undertaking normal operations – no dry dock required. Seatruck operates a fleet of 10 ferries ranging in capacity from 65-150 trailers…

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) celebrated a twin milestone for its KwaZulu-Natal ports as part of its R1.4 billion ($106.3 million), nine-tug construction contract. On Thursday, 22 August the new USIBA tug was christened and named ahead of its delivery to the Port of Richards Bay, while the Port of Durban took delivery of its Umbilo tug which had been launched and named in May. The vessels are the sixth and seventh respectively to roll off the production line on time and within budget. All nine tugs are being built by Southern African Shipyards in Durban.

Australian Navy personnel and Defence civilians have deployed as one team to complete maintenance on deployment on an unprecedented scale. The beneficiary – HMAS Arunta, deployed for nine months on operations in the Middle East. This is the first time a combined team has been deployed to complete such a large number of maintenance tasks, which they hope will ensure Arunta can continue important duties with minimal disruption. Officer in charge of the team, Commander Rudi Overmeyer said the team was enthusiastic to undertake the maintenance aspect of the trial. “The first week has demonstrated a willingness by all parties to drive to a successful outcome,” he said. “All teams are taking a professional pragmatic approach to ensure the successful outcome to this external maintenance period.

Governor Terry R. McAuliffe announced that The Port of Virginia will finalize the $217 million contract with Konecranes for that company to build and deliver 86 specialized cranes that will be at the center of the port’s expansion projects at Virginia International Gateway (VIG) and Norfolk International Terminals (NIT). The contract is the largest one-time order for automated stacking cranes (ASCs) in industry history. “The work on making The Port of Virginia the US East Coast’s leading gateway for world trade is truly underway,” McAuliffe said. At today’s regularly-scheduled meeting, the Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners ratified the deal with Konecranes.

Two local contractors in Nigeria recently took delivery of 10-inch Wolverine Class Dredges, designed and manufactured by DSC Dredge at its facility in Greenbush, Mich. As the political capital of Delta State, Asaba is a rapidly expanding city along the banks of the Niger River Delta. There is a growing demand for infrastructure improvement projects, including roads and livable space along the Niger River. Yet, this fast-flowing river brings sand downstream from the interior of the nation.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently took delivery of a new, fully customized cutter suction dredge, which it christened the Dredge Manteo in a ceremony held April 28, 2016, at the at the NCDOT State Shipyard in Manns Harbor, N.C.. The 154-foot state-of-the-art pipeline dredge, designed and built by DSC Dredge, based in Reserve, La., will work to keep North Carolina’s state-maintained intercostal ferry channels clear, from the Cape Fear River near Wilmington to Currituck Sound near the North Carolina-Virginia state line.

The latest of Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA) nine new tugboats has set sail from the Durban premises of contractor, Southern African Shipyards, on Thursday, July 7, destined for its new home at the Port of Port Elizabeth. The tug was ceremonially launched as Qunu in May alongside a third tug, Cormorant. Qunu was named after the Eastern Cape home village of former President, the late Nelson Mandela and is due to arrive in Port Elizabeth on Friday, July 8. She is the second of two new tugs built for the port as part of this large-scale fleet replacement project.

The first of Transnet National Ports Authority’s nine new, powerful tugboats set sail from the Durban premises of contractor, Southern African Shipyards, on Saturday, April 2, destined for its new home at the Port of Port Elizabeth. The tug was ceremonially launched as MVEZO last October. It arrived in Port Elizabeth in the early hours of Monday, April 4. Port Elizabeth port manager, Rajesh Dana, said, “The arrival of MVEZO in the Eastern Cape is particularly significant given that the tug was named after the small village in our province where former President…

Transnet National Ports Authority announced a milestone in its $98 million tug building contract when the first of its nine new tugboats was launched at the Durban premises of contractor, Southern African Shipyards. “This is the largest single contract TNPA has ever awarded to a South African company for the building of harbor craft,” said TNPA chief executive, Richard Vallihu. The tug was named ‘MVEZO’ in reference to the small village in the Eastern Cape of South Africa where former President, the late Nelson Mandela, was born.

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) and Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a period of five years, appointing Bahri to transport all the equipment, tools, spare parts and products imported from outside by SEC. The MoU, signed by Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, CEO of (Bahri) and Engr. Ziad Al-Shiha, CEO of (SEC), aims to support strategic resettlement of projects for electrical industries and exchange of experiences between the two companies to provide appropriate work environment.

Construction work on nine tugboats for Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) at the Southern African Shipyards premises in Durban is well under way. "This is a milestone project that reinforces the capacity and skill of South Africa when it comes to competing in the global shipbuilding industry," said Eugene Rappetti, senior manager for Marine Operations at TNPA. "Despite the challenges of energy disruptions, the project team is forging ahead and has made impressive progress, with around 11% of the fabrication and construction on the project completed thus far," he said. The project kicked off in August 2014 and is set to provide a big boost to the local economy over its 42 month lifespan. It includes the manufacture of one of the world’s largest and most powerful harbour tugs.

Transnet National Port’s Authority’s R1.4 billion contract to produce nine powerful tugboats is progressing on time and within budget at the Southern African Shipyards premises in Durban. “This is a milestone project that reinforces the capacity and skill of South Africa and indeed Durban when it comes to competing in the global shipbuilding industry,” said TNPA program manager Eugene Rappetti, Senior Manager for Marine Operations. “Despite the challenges of energy disruptions…

Aker Solutions has signed a contract with Polarbase for the construction of a new subsea workshop on Polarbase. Polarbase is very excited that Aker Solutions has chosen to establish themselves at the base and pleased to see that the subsea activities are moving north. The establishment of the oil service company at the base will provide positive spin-offs for local and regional businesses in both construction and operational phase. “Construction of the subsea building will be carried out by local contractors, indicating that local businesses are competitive”, says Managing Director of Polar Base, Ketil Holmgren. The contract involves investment in a new subsea building of 1600 square meters, which is scheduled for completion in early 2016.

In many of the key deepwater markets, estimated to be worth $72bn by 2018, E&P and OFS companies alike are exposed to challenging local content requirements, remarks Douglas-Westwood in their 'DW Monday'. Local content agreements are typically are motivated by a desire to stimulate industrial development, and promote technology transfer. A typical local content agreement stipulates that E&P companies must procure a minimum percentage of equipment and services from local contractors. Recent examples can be seen in countries such as Brazil (Petrobras new-build FPSO units to use domestically-built hulls), Angola (BP partnering with Sonangol) and Nigeria (Total utilising a 90% local work force for the AKPO FPSO).

Acquired less than two years ago, Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque is a relatively new addition to the group’s worldwide network of ship repair and conversion yards. Originally called Arno Dunkerque, the shipyard was officially renamed Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque on September 1 this year and brings nearly 40 years of experience to Damen Shipyards Group. The change in name comes as the yard enters the final stages of its integration into Damen Shiprepair & Conversion, a division of the overall Damen Shipyards Group. From now on, customers will immediately recognize that they are in a Damen facility.

AVEVA announced that TOTAL E&P Nigeria Ltd. (TEPNG) has adopted AVEVA’s Engineering & Design solutions as part of an Integrated Engineering & Design approach. TEPNG is the operator of a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The Company has invested in acquired licenses for AVEVA PDMS, AVEVA Instrumentation, AVEVA Electrical, AVEVA Engineering, AVEVA Diagrams and AVEVA Review and has fully implemented the software across its local site modifications and repair projects. “This investment in AVEVA’s solutions demonstrates the value our products deliver to Owner Operators engaged in complex engineering projects,” said Fredy Ktourza, Senior Vice President, Western Europe and Africa, AVEVA.