Macquarie News

A pair of new response vessels has been commissioned in Sydney Harbour.The state-of-the-art vessels, Burra and Girawaa, were designed by Incat Crowther and custom-built by Birdon in Port Macquarie to assist in major on-water incidents, including pollution response, police operations and firefighting both on and from the water.The vessels have the ability to travel at speeds of 27 knots, making them the fastest response vessels ever commissioned by the Port Authority of New South Wales (NSW).

A wind energy developer owned by France's TotalEnergies and a unit of Macquarie said on Monday it is bidding to build a wind farm off New Jersey's coast, expressing confidence in the sector after a series of U.S. setbacks.Spinning power from coastal wind turbines is central to President Joe Biden's plan to decarbonise the U.S. economy by 2050, but his installation targets are slipping out of reach due to soaring costs, high interest rates and supply chain delays.Bucking that trend…

Construction of Young Endeavour II has officially commenced at the Birdon shipyard in Port Macquarie, Australia.The Australian Commonwealth Government has ordered the vessel to replace the brigantine Sail Training Ship (STS) Young Endeavour. This vessel is now 35 years old and has been delivering sail training voyages in Australia since 1988.The new sail training ship, to be built over the next three years, will be a barquentine rig, with square sails rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft sails rigged on the fore…

Singapore's Keppel Corp KPLM.SI on Thursday reported a more than seven-fold jump in its first-half profit boosted by a one-off gain from the sale of its offshore and marine (O&M) unit and strong performance from the infrastructure business.Keppel sold its offshore and marine business in February for S$4.50 billion ($3.40 billion) to Sembcorp Marine, recognising a gain of S$3.3 billion, as it aims to transform into an asset manager overseeing $150 billion by 2030 and focus on green energy.It managed S$53.2 billion in funds as of June 30.In May…

Off the coast of Spain and Portugal, killer whales have been biting boats. And the famous beluga whale nicknamed “Hvaldimir” has popped up again – this time in Sweden. When first spotted in Norway in 2019, wearing a suspicious harness, some suggested he could be a Russian spy.These unusual human-wildlife interactions raise questions about managing risk. Both situations present a maritime safety concern. And the whales are at risk of being injured or killed by the boat.What’s more…

Australian financial conglomerate Macquarie Group said on Thursday it would divest its U.S.-based port terminal operator Ceres Terminals, with a source familiar with the matter placing the deal value north of $900 million.Macquarie did not disclose any further details on the deal, and declined to comment on Reuters' request seeking confirmation of the sale value.The Wall Street Journal in May reported that Macquarie was looking for about $1 billion from the sale, citing sources familiar with the matter.The deal value could be at the lower end of what the Wall Street Journal reported…

Unions hope a $30 million grant to electrify tractors in a Long Beach, California, port terminal's final push to become the world's first zero-emissions facility will serve as a bulwark against lost jobs in an era of energy transition and increasing automation. The money from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration for Long Beach Container Terminal's purchase of 60 electric yard tractors that haul shipping containers from stacks to waiting trains comes with strings attached…

Australia's Macquarie Group Ltd is looking to sell its North American port facilities business, Ceres Terminals, for about $1 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday citing sources familiar with the matter.The financial conglomerate acquired full control of the general cargo stevedoring operations in 2019 from Tokyo-based shipping and logistics firm Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line).Ceres moves about 4.3 million containers annually at several major ports in the United States, according to its company website.The shipping industry globally has been under pressure as supply-chain bottl

Australia’s icebreaker RSV Nuyina has been conducting sea trials in Hobart’s River Derwent as part of familiarization exercises with TasPorts pilots after returning from Singapore for repairs.The 160-meter vessel was built by Damen Shipyards in Romania and delivered in October 2021. In Singapore, issues identified with couplings that connect the propulsion shafts with the clutches were rectified under warranty.Nuyina will now depart Hobart for Macquarie Island research station in early May for cargo delivery and science support.

After a bumper year for floating offshore wind farm tenders, the nascent industry is poised for explosive growth in the coming decade as countries strive to cut their carbon emissions. But it's unlikely to be all plain sailing. Rising costs and supply chain bottlenecks have hit some projects and without investment in infrastructure to launch the vast turbines and tow them to sea, hopes of harnessing the full power of the ocean's winds to hit climate targets could be dashed, industry experts say.

Australia's Macquarie group is investing in Brazilian ports by taking a stake in port operator CLI and funding a deal to buy sugar and grain terminals in Latin America's largest port, Santos, for $260 million, the companies said on Friday.Railway operator Rumo said in a securities filing late it has sold 80% of its subsidiary EPSA, which manages terminals 16 and 19 in Santos, to CLI for 1.4 billion reais ($260 million). Rumo will remain a minority shareholder.CLI, formally Corredor Logistica e Infraestrutura, belonged to the Brazilian private equity fund IG4.

China’s robust export growth likely moderated in July amid an acceleration in COVID-19 cases globally and continuing severe pressure on global supply chains, a Reuters poll showed on Friday.Although there are signs China’s strong industrial recovery in the first half of the year may be losing some momentum, overseas demand has remained strong in recent months even as factories in many countries return from lockdowns.Headline trade numbers are also being helped by the statistical…

Dutch offshore survey specialist Fugro has secured a contract with RWE to carry out geophysical exploratory works at Five Estuaries offshore wind farm, the extension project of the existing 353MW Galloper wind farm.Works are expected to take place in the Southern North Sea from August to November 2021.Three dedicated vessels will map the characteristics of the seabed and bedrock to assess the conditions around the wind farm site and the potential cable locations. The seafloor…

Offshore installation firm Jan De Nul has installed four export cables for the 376MW Formosa 2 offshore wind farm in Taiwan. Jan De Nul used its cable-laying vessel Willem de Vlamingh to install with cables of total length of 34 kilometers."Thanks to her shallow draft design, the Willem de Vlamingh was able to position itself close to the beach thereby limiting the shore pull distance to around 1,250 meters. At the beach landing, the cables have been pulled through four HDD ducts into the transition joint bays…

Tanker operator Penfield Marine and Macquarie Group’s Commodities and Global Markets division announced the execution of Penfield’s first carbon-neutral voyage in a collaboration that will enable Penfield Marine to offer environmentally differentiated freight products to its customers.The structure achieves carbon-neutral freight by retiring carbon offsets sufficient to cover the carbon footprint of an entire voyage, including emissions associated with the vessel’s ballast leg, positioning the vessel to perform the voyage, the laden passage and all in port load and discharge operations.

Australia's Port of Newcastle has signed a A$515 million ($398 million) loan with National Australia Bank (NAB) that links interest payments to non-mandatory social and environmental targets, the companies said.The world's largest coal port will pay less if certain targets are met, including reducing its direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions and screening all customers for modern slavery risks, they said in a joint statement.The loan also contains metrics focused on mental health first aid…

Singapore port operator Jurong Port has completed its acquisition of a stake in a major oil storage terminal in the city-state from the family behind collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd, a port spokesman said on Saturday.The spokesman said government-owned Jurong Port had completed the purchase of a 41% stake in Universal Terminal from the Lim family. He declined to give details on the transaction.A lawyer for the family did not immediately respond to a Reuters email…

Australia's newly built Antarctic icebreaking research and supply vessel (RSV) is nearly ready to be delivered, but its sea trials have been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) said.Construction of the ship commenced at Damen’s Galați shipyard in Romania in May 2017, and the vessel was floated out in September 2018 prior to its scheduled arrival at its home port Hobart in 2020. But delays brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak have derailed…

It's an end of an era for Australia’s Antarctic icebreaker RSV Aurora Australis, which departed Hobart earlier this week for its final voyage after 31 years of service to the Australian Antarctic Program.The ship’s final trip south will be a two-week voyage to resupply sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island and transport expeditioners.“The Aurora Australis has been the backbone of the Australian Antarctic Program for more than three decades, so the vessel has a special place in our history,” said Australian Antarctic Division’s General Manager of Operations, Charlton Clark.“Over its lifetime the icebr

French ferry operator Brittany Ferries said that the takeover of of Condor Ferries  has been completed. The deal, announced last year, had been subject to scrutiny by competition authorities, but work on the transition has been completed."Brittany Ferries is today the proud part-owner of Condor Ferries," it said in a press note.“This is excellent news for Brittany Ferries, our new partners and for Condor Ferries,” said Christophe Mathieu, CEO Brittany Ferries. “We are committed to working closely in the months and years to come to ensure the best level of service to customers and support to our friends and colleagues in the Channel Islands. This will be business as usual for Condor, but within a new ownership structure.”Brittany Ferries is the minority shareholder in the company.

Dubai-based port operator DP World announced it has completed the acquisition of Fraser Surrey Docks in Canada from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (MIP) alongside its partner Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).The enabler of global trade said in a press release that said the acquisition complements its footprint in Canada, which also includes terminal operations in Vancouver, Nanaimo, Prince Rupert and St John’s, without disclosing the value of the purchase.The integrated coast-to-coast platform provides customers with bulk, breakbulk and general cargo services.DP World's global strategy is to become a trade enabler and solutions provider as the company looks to participate across a wider part of the supply chain.

Condor Ferries, an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between UK and France, has been sold to a consortium including the French shipping company Brittany Ferries.Brittany Ferries, in consortium with the Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (ESIF), has reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Condor Ferries from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA).Contracts have been signed and the deal is expected to be executed following scrutiny by relevant regulatory authorities. Brittany Ferries will hold a minority stake.Condor Ferries is an operator of lifeline freight and passenger ferry services.

Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) has agreed to lift its shareholding in the 576-MW Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm in the UK by purchasing an additional 10% stake for an undisclosed sum.MIRA has managed a 10 per cent stake in Gwynt y Môr since 2017 following Macquarie Group’s acquisition of the Green Investment Bank.Gwynt y Môr is a 576 MW offshore wind farm positioned 13 kilometers off the coast of North Wales. Operational since 2015, Gwynt y Môr is comprised of 160 3.6 MW wind turbines spread across 80 square kilometers. Each year, the wind farm provides enough clean electricity to power approximately 430,000 UK homes.Leigh Harrison, Head of MIRA EMEA, said: “We are delighted to announce an additional investment in Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm.