Local Manufacturers News

Norwegian energy company Equinor has proposed the Port of Albany, in upstate New York, as the first offshore wind tower manufacturing facility in the  U.S."Developed jointly with leading wind industry manufacturers Marmen and Welcon, Equinor stands ready to transform the port for manufacturing offshore wind towers and transition pieces (TPs), creating up to 350 direct jobs in the region," Equinor said.The Port of Albany extension initiative is part of the bid Equinor submitted…

Global certification group DNV GL has launched its first LiDAR verification site in Asia to cater for the growing windpower market.The world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body said in a press release that the site, based in the near-shore facility, in Youngkwang, South Korea, provides optimal wind conditions for the verification of wind systems.LiDAR measurement verifications are vital to subsequently conduct measurement campaigns for power performance testing of wind turbines as well as site assessments with LiDAR measurement systems.The facility has “optimal conditions” for wind power benchmarking…

Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA) Port of Ngqura has hosted the testing and launch of the first ever locally manufactured aluminium vessels by PE-based boat builder, Legacy Marine. As the company’s ship yard is based in Perseverance, the low bridges blocked the route to the Port of PE in the past, restricting the building of larger vessels. When the new Port of Ngqura stepped up as an alternative port, it contributed to the expansion of boat building in the Eastern Cape.“Now that the port is available for new vessel launches…

Earlier this summer Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ventured to Ålesund/Sunnmøre area of western Norway visiting local manufacturers and suppliers serving the global maritime industry and featuring a series of business and technology presentations by leading sector companies including Inmarsat, VARD Group, Ulstein Group, Brunvoll, Ulmatec, Jets, ABB Marine & Ports, Fostech AS and Rolls-Royce Marine. Tom Mulligan reports on new business developments and technology innovations…

GE’s Marine Solutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with RJE Global, Morphettville, South Australia, whereby RJE will assemble GE LM2500 gas turbine modules and manufacture a number of components for this engine in support of the Royal Australian Navy’s new SEA 5000 frigate program. The MOU was signed by both companies recently at RJE’s facility in Adelaide. The nine-ship SEA 5000 Future Frigate Program will replace the aging Anzac class frigates. GE’s LM2500 gas turbines are operational on two of the short-listed qualified ship designs -- Fincantieri’s FREMM and Navantia’s F100.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson paid a visit to Coldharbour Marine recently as the ballast water treatment system manufacturer’s facility in Nottinghamshire gears up for significant export-oriented production. Coldharbour Marine has spent more than 10 years researching and developing the system based on unique patented in-tank inert gas technology, which the manufacturer said is now undergoing rapid commercialization. Boris Johnson’s timing was no coincidence. The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Convention finally enters force on September 8 this year…

Australia's conservative government unveiled a radical plan on Thursday to restrict exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at times when domestic shortages push up local prices, aiming to ease soaring energy costs for local manufacturers. The plan would allow Australia's resources minister to impose controls on LNG exports on advice from the market operator and regulator, as the government seeks to cap domestic gas prices, which have become a political hot potato. "It's not a threat. This will be export controls.

“November was a good month for the export of agricultural products and shipments of aluminum ingots on the Great Lakes Seaway System,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “Under the binational trade development program known as ‘Highway H2O’, the U.S. Sutton added, “The U.S. Great Lakes ports of Toledo, Ohio; Duluth, Minn.; Burns Harbor, Ind.; and Milwaukee, Wis. handled corn, soybeans and wheat exports bound for Europe, South America, and Central America.

“Agricultural commodities along with dry bulk, general cargo and containerized goods continued to enhance cargo tonnage on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System during the month of November,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. The general cargo dock operated by Midwest Terminals had a good month of November at the Port of Toledo. “The ability to handle a diverse array of cargo at this large facility with new material handling equipment is really helping move the economy of Northwest Ohio forward…

With two months left in the shipping season, U.S. ports were busy moving grain and project cargo in October. “We anticipated an increase in vessel activity and cargo tonnage into the Great Lakes Seaway System for the month of October, and we saw it,” said Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. October traditionally signals the initial push to get cargo into and out of the Great Lakes Seaway System before the end of the navigation season. Increases were seen in the number of international ships arriving in the System loaded with project cargo for local manufacturers in Cleveland, Toledo, and Duluth. Those same ships left the Seaway System with shipments of grain and project cargo from Milwaukee, Duluth and Sturgeon Bay, WI.

With Indonesian President Joko Widodo declaring his intention to develop the long-neglected maritime sector, the shipping industry expect greater opportunities. Indonesia’s shipyards may see a silver lining to what has been a cloudy past as the government’s focus on the maritime sector is reinforced by steps to improve the national logistics system, states a report in Jakarta Globe. President Joko Widodo has declared his intention to develop the long-neglected maritime sector. Many parties in the shipping industry and related businesses are confident that the time has finally come for Indonesia to redefine its logistics systems to provide greater opportunities for shipping companies while at the same time lowering the cost of shipping goods.

A move by the European Union to impose duties on carbon-intensive imports would scupper the chances of striking a global agreement to tackle climate change next year, the bloc's top climate official said on Thursday. European leaders have agreed to decide by October whether to set a 2030 goal to cut carbon emissions as the EU contribution to a global pact to tackle climate change, due to be signed in Paris in late 2015 and take effect from 2020. Last month France suggested measures could be taken against imported goods to ease concerns that the 2030 goals could threaten heavy industries competing with foreign rivals that might be subject to laxer environmental goals.

Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA and Japanese trading house Mitsui Corp will study building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the country's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, to supply more fuel for local manufacturers and power generators. Petrobras, as the company is known, announced the plan in a statement late on Tuesday after signing a memorandum of understanding on the project with Mitsui and the government of Rio Grande do Sul. Petrobras, Mitsui and the government have 12 months to conclude their work.

Seoul shares fell in early domestic trade Wednesday, touching a near-three week low as persisting worries about China's economic growth outlook cut appetites for riskier assets. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was down 1.2 percent at 1,939.86 points as of 0215 GMT. The index earlier traded as low as 1,938.60, its weakest level since Feb. 20. A sharper-than-expected slowdown in China would likely hurt earnings of major local manufacturers, as the world's second-largest economy is South Korea's biggest exports market. "Investors have yet to shake their concerns about corporate debt default and shadow banking" in China, said E-Trade Investment analyst Choi Kwang-hyeok.

The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22 to October 31 were 28 million metric tons, down 7% over the same period in 2012. With only two months left in the shipping season, U.S. ports are hustling to move as much cargo as possible. "The Seaway's principal commodities - iron ore, coal and grain - helped move the scales in the right direction for cargo tonnage handled on the Great Lakes-Seaway System," said Rebecca Spruill, Director of Trade Development at the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

The Cleveland-Europe Express Ocean Freight Service will be the only scheduled international container service on the Great Lakes when it kicks off in April 2014. “Currently, local manufacturers use East Coast ports to ship goods to Europe, incurring additional rail and truck costs along the way,” said Will Friedman, president & CEO of the Port of Cleveland. The service will be the fastest and greenest route between Europe and North America’s heartland, allowing regional companies to ship their goods up to four days faster than using water, rail, and truck routes via the U.S. East Coast ports.

The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22-September 30 were 23 million metric tons. While this number is down 11% over the same period in 2012, U.S. ports continue to beat the odds with increased tonnage in several cargo categories. "At least a dozen ships from Europe unloaded steel products at the ports of Cleveland, Milwaukee, Burns Harbor and Detroit over the past month; a clear sign that the end of the navigation season…

As Brazil continues to emerge as a global offshore and shipbuilding powerhouse, are its local content laws hindering progress? Brazil’s Oil & Gas industry is in the midst of an unprecedented growth curve, with  major new reservoirs being found in deepwater, the so-called pre-salt. This growth in the O&G industry has had a major influence in the growth of the nation’s shipbuilding industry, which until only a few short years ago was stagnant. The main reason for this massive increase in shipbuilding and also in the construction of new shipyards is that the O&G industry demands various kinds of ships and support vessels in order to properly operate and maintain growth.

The rise and fall of the Brazilian shipbuilding market is well-known, having plummeted from the top of the world list in the early 1980s to the bottom by 1999. Today, Brazil is storming back, an amazing revival of the nearly defunct shipbuilding industry driven by the sudden influx of orders from major offshore oil & gas players, namely Petrobras. Today the shipbuilding market in Brazil has in excess of 100 firm orders for ships in a variety of shapes and sizes, in addition to a large number of drill rigs and production unit orders. In addition, companies from around the globe are flocking to Brazil to set-up shop and engage in the industry’s renaissance.

The Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce has recently confirmed that Austal topped the list of local manufacturers for having the most employees. Austal’s U.S. facility now has 1,257 full-time employees, up from just under 900 in the beginning of the year. Austal’s recruiting staff was challenged in the beginning of the year with hiring 100 qualified applicants a month and are predicted to continue to do so through May and June. Since January, Austal has added 370 new employees to our staff. The majority of the new-hires are from the Mobile/Baldwin County communities, ranging in age from 18 to 64 years, including 35 veterans. They do this through various venues…

Pakistan’s navy inducted its first locally built submarine in an effort to bolster its marine force, according to an AP report. Pakistan has already built two Agosta submarines with help from France, this is reported to be the first submarine from local manufacturers. Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf was reportedly the chief guest at the launching ceremony of the Hamza submarine near the port city of Karachi on the shore of the Arabian sea. Pakistan’s navy has taken several steps in recent years to augment its marine force by adding submarines and other equipment. (Source: AP)