Maritimo News

Orcas behavior of battering sailboats off Spain and Portugal baffles expertsThere are many mysteries in the maritime environment. For Sailors along Spain and Portugal’s Atlantic coastline, there has been a recent series of puzzling incidents involving apparently aggressive orcas.While orcas are not known to attack humans, they can cause damage to boats. In a series of incidents along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts between Gibraltar and Galicia, groups of orcas have been recorded swimming near sailboats and other vessels…

Italian oilfield services provider Saipem has taken delivery of the DLB Norce Endeavour lay pipe barge from Solstad Offshore.As previously reported, following a charter period, Saipem in March elected to buy the vessel from Solstad.The vessel was delivered to Saipem Portugal Commercio Maritimo Limitada, the Portuguese subsidiary of the Italian oilfield services provider Saipem, has signed a deal with Solstad Offshore to hire DLB Norce Endeavour lay pipe barge, with an option to buy.DLB Norce Endeavour is a 146 meters long lay barge vessel…

Marine power transmission and propulsion technology company Twin Disc is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a wide range of local, national and international events that kicked off in May and run throughout the year.Twin Disc began in Racine, Wisc., in 1918 with P.H. Batten's introduction of the twin disc farm tractor clutch. In the 1930s, the company entered the marine market, manufacturing countershaft reduction gears with 100 percent reverse power. During WWII, it converted all its operations to the production of essential war materials…

The Sturrock Dry Dock in the Port of Cape Town has been a hive of activity recently with a number of interesting vessels berthing at the facility for repairs and maintenance. The mining vessel, mv Debmar Atlantic, owned by De Beers Marine Namibia (Pty) Ltd, recently underwent routine work at the dry dock, carried out by contracting firms. Built in 1978, mv Debmar Atlantic features its own diamond processing plant on board the vessel. During the mining process gravel, bearing diamonds, is airlifted from the seabed to the vessel.

Last night, Nele Maersk container ship, bound for Genoa with 21 crew on board, informed Spanish Maritime Safety Agency (Salvamento Maritimo) that there had been an accidental spillage of fuel during a routine operation of fuel transfer between tanks. The spill area is 140 km from the Catalan coast and 100 km from the Balearic Islands. Salvamento Maritimo mobilized various means to perform aerial survey and minimize the effects of the spill. Activated means are Helimer 206 helicopter, the vessel Punta Mayor, Aldebaran Salvamar Sasemar boat and plane 101. The maritime authorities have reported the incident to the port of Genoa and the State of the flag (Denmark), in order to the measures provided for in Community legislation for these incidents are in place.

State-controlled Exportadora de Sal SA de CV of Mexico ("ESSA"), one of the world’s largest salt exporters with a 10-million-ton annual production, has strengthened its commitment to the continued protection of its operating environment with the signing of a recent contract in China for a new ship-type. This move forms part of ESSA’s on-going programme to upgrade and modernise its fleet, in step with recent advances in environmental technology and in line with economic imperatives. ESSA’s export facility is situated in one of Mexico's most ecologically-sensitive national reserves. The Guerrero Negro region is located within The Great Biosphere Reserve of El Vizcaino…

Transas Europe GmbH has successfully commissioned a Navi-Trainer 4000 Fishing Simulation System combined with TGS 4100 GMDSS Simulation System and ERS 4000 Simulation System at Tenerife, Spain. This procurement provides the largest simulator on the island of Tenerife. The new simulator, installed at Instituto de Formacion Maritimo Pesquero de Tenerife, includes one GMDSS instructor station and eight trainee stations, as well as one navigational instructor station with one main bridge. The main bridge comprises three-channel visualization, plus numerous dedicated hardware and software modules for items such as Navaids, Complete Fishing Station, Conning Display, ECDIS and a GMDSS Station.

In the foreground is the P-52 FPU departing the yard on 11 September 2007. The consortium of Keppel FELS Brasil S/A and Technip Brasil Engenharia, Instalacoes e Apoio Maritimo S/A (Technip), FSTP Pte Ltd, has secured a $1.2 billion contract to build a semisubmersible Floating Production Unit (FPU) for Petrobras Netherlands BV (PNBV). FSTP is a 75/25 consortium company between Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) and Technip. The rig, to be named P-56, is expected to be delivered ex-yard in the last quarter of 2010. P-56 will be a repeat of the P-51 FPU which is currently being built at Keppel FELS Brasil’s BrasFELS yard. With this contract, the total orders secured to-date in 2007 by Keppel O&M is S$6.25 billion.