Near East News

The United States and its allies may need to to start escorting commercial vessels to prevent further attacks in Gulf oil shipping lanes, Gulf sources and experts said.Even then, the conventional naval and air capabilities of Western and Gulf powers tasked with policing vital commercial waters may be of limited use against the asymmetric warfare tactics suspected in recent operations, including naval mines.Six tankers have been hit in the past month in two attacks near the Strait of Hormuz…

The Coast Guard, a good Samaritan and Turks and Caicos Police Maritime Division rescued an overdue fisherman Tuesday approximately 100 yards off the eastern shore of East Caicos Island. Rescued was Timothy Hamilton, 65, of Cockburn Harbor, South Caicos Island. Hamilton was reported overdue to the Turks and Caicos Police Maritime Division Monday, who requested the Coast Guard’s assistance at approximately midnight. Hamilton departed Cockburn Harbor at 7 a.m. Monday and was expected back later in the evening. A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, deployed to Great Inagua, Bahamas, launched Tuesday morning to search for Hamilton and located him 100 yard from shore near East Caicos Island at anchor waving his arms at 8:46 a.m.

Northern Offshore announces it has sold its semisubmersible Energy Driller to an unnamed party for conversion to alternative use. The unit had previously been cold stacked at a shipyard in Bahrain following completion of a term drilling contract in India. Northern Offshore previously sold the drillship Energy Searcher in late 2016. Chairman and (Interim) CEO Dr. Northern Offshore is a global offshore drilling company historically operating in the North Sea, West Africa, South Asia, Near East and Southeast Asia. The company's fleet consists of one floating production facility, one new high specification jackup rig and five high specification jackup rigs under construction.

The M/V Mesabi Miner has sailed from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., becoming Interlake Steamship Company’s fourth self-unloading bulk carrier to be outfitted with exhaust gas scrubbers. Interlake became the first U.S.-flag fleet to test freshwater scrubbers on the Great Lakes in April 2015 after pioneering the emission-reduction technology on its M/V Hon. James L. Oberstar. In 2016, the company outfitted its first thousand foot vessel, the M/V James R. Barker, and its 826-foot M/V Lee A. Tregurtha in its second phase of exhaust gas scrubber implementation.

The port of Antwerp will close 2016 with an expected record volume of more than 214 million tonnes of freight handled. The shipping container volume for its part has risen above 10 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units, i.e. standard containers) for the first time in the history of the port. Liquid bulk is also showing year-on-year expansion and with an estimated volume of just under 70 million tonnes it’s the second main foundation on which freight growth in Antwerp is based. There are positive figures also in the conventional breakbulk and dry bulk sectors, although overall the totals for both segments are negative. The continuing trend towards containerisation has depressed the volumes of among other things fruit and paper.

U.S. strikes target three coastal radar sites; Radar enabled launch of missiles against U.S. destroyer. The U.S. military launched cruise missile strikes on Thursday to knock out three coastal radar sites in areas of Yemen controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi forces, retaliating after failed missile attacks this week on a U.S. Navy destroyer, U.S. officials said. The strikes, authorized by President Barack Obama, represent Washington's first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict. Still, the Pentagon appeared to stress the limited nature of the strikes, aimed at radar that enabled the launch of at least three missiles against the U.S. Navy ship USS Mason on Sunday and Wednesday.

The Interlake Steamship Company’s M/V Lee A. Tregurtha sailed today from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Company in Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., becoming the shipper’s third self-unloading bulk carrier to be outfitted with exhaust gas scrubbers. Interlake became the first U.S.-flag fleet to test scrubbers on the Great Lakes in April 2015 after pioneering the emission-reduction technology on its M/V Hon. James L. Oberstar. Earlier this month, the M/V James R. Barker sailed as the fleet’s first 1,000-footer with scrubbers. “With the Lee A.

U.S. Coast Guard Station Jones Beach crewmembers swam to shore after their rescue boat capsized in rough waters near East Rockaway Inlet, today. At approximately 2 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound Command Center received an urgent distress call from the 76-foot scallop fishing vessel, Carolina Queen III, that had been taking on water with seven mariners aboard. Shortly after, the master reported the vessel was under control and had run aground near the East Rockaway Inlet. Coast Guard Station Jones Beach launched a 25-foot Response Boat Small to assist. The inlet water produced 10- to 12-foot waves and the vessel capsized. The five crewmembers aboard swam safely to shore. The Coast Guard vessel ran aground and is currently secured on the beach.

Israel’s shipping firm ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has launched an extensive program aimed at changing its organizational structure. The change is based on the company's business plan to focus on profitable trade areas in which ZIM enjoys competitive advantage. Company's management said that the aim of the program is to build a lean and agile enterprise, attentive to the needs of customers and market trends. The shipping operator will transform the regional branches to create three business units that will report directly to the head of the company. The Pacific Unit will be responsible for transport between Asia and North and Central America…

Responders are working to remove a grounded seagoing tug and empty tank barge Monday, after the vessels became beached near East Beach on Galveston Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced. The Peter F Gellatly and barge Double Skin 504 ran aground after drifting from anchorage and across the Houston Ship Channel. The Coast Guard said it is working with contractors and  the vessel’s owner to ensure that the barge is safely refloated. Response crews are waiting for weather and tidal conditions to improve in order to safely and successfully refloat the vessel.

As vessel owners struggle over the best and most efficient means to meet stringent new emission regulations, the Interlake Steamship Company has proven phase one of emissions-reduction technology on Great Lakes;  and two additional ships are to be outfitted with exhaust gas scrubbers in 2016. Following the implementation of exhaust gas scrubbers on its self-unloading bulk carrier M/V Hon. James L. Oberstar, the Interlake Steamship Company said it plans to expand its emission-reduction efforts to one-third of its fleet by installing similar scrubber systems on the M/V Lee A.

Following the implementation of exhaust gas scrubbers on its self-unloading bulk carrier M/V Hon. James L. Oberstar, the Interlake Steamship Company has announced its plans to expand its emission-reduction efforts to one-third of its fleet by installing similar scrubber systems on the M/V Lee A. Tregurtha and M/V James R. Barker early next year. In April 2015, Interlake became the first U.S.-flag fleet to test freshwater scrubbers on the Great Lakes when the system became operational on the 806-foot Oberstar.

An Australian Navy warship patrolling Indian Ocean waters seized heroin worth $158 million near east Africa this week, a navy official said on Thursday, one of the region's biggest heroin hauls in recent years. East Africa has become a key export route for Afghan heroin destined for Europe but regional maritime forces, short of funds and anti-trafficking expertise, have struggled to stem the flow of narcotics through their territorial waters. Crew from the frigate HMAS Toowoomba…

Piracy, terrorism and criminal activities originating in Somalia can only be addressed by creating a climate of security, engagement and empowerment that will encourage home grown businesses, international investment and alternative employment for Somalia’s young people. That’s one of the key conclusions of the second high level meeting of public and private sector experts on Somalia brought together by DP World and knowledge partner the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) in Dubai under the theme ‘Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Opportunities, Communities’ Engagement and Soft Diplomacy’. The expert panel was the second in a series that form part of DP World’s ongoing counter piracy efforts and Somalia capacity building.

CEVA Logistics, one of the world’s leading global supply chain management companies, today announced the official opening of the City of Energy in the United Arab Emirates. The hub, which covers an area of 27,000 sqm of warehouse space and 10,000 sqm of yard space, is strategically located in Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai and is fully dedicated to the warehousing and handling of oil and gas products for the Energy sector. The cutting-edge logistics platform is unique in the Middle East, being the first logistics company with a facility dedicated solely to the oil and gas market. The City of Energy will house CEVA’s oil and gas customers and will be home to CEVA’s dedicated Oil & Gas and project logistics team.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) is continuing to oversee Apache Corp.’s source control efforts for a natural gas leak near East Cameron Block 278 Platform B. The platform is located approximately 93 miles offshore Louisiana, south of Lake Charles, in about 173 feet of water. The platform, which has not been in production for nearly a decade, is currently used to process natural gas and condensate from other facilities. With BOEMRE’s approval and after several safety system evaluations, Apache personnel re-boarded the platform January 19 and began work to kill the leaking well. BOEMRE engineers reviewed and approved the well control procedures to be used from the platform.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) is continuing to oversee Apache Corp.’s source control efforts for a natural gas leak near East Cameron Block 278 Platform B. The platform is located approximately 93 miles offshore Louisiana, south of Lake Charles, in about 173 feet of water. The platform, which has not been in production for nearly a decade, is currently used to process natural gas and condensate from other facilities. With BOEMRE’s approval and after several safety system evaluations, Apache personnel have re-boarded the platform and begun work to kill the leaking well. BOEMRE engineers reviewed and approved the well control procedures to be used from the platform.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) is continuing to oversee Apache Corp.’s source control efforts for a natural gas leak near East Cameron Block 278 Platform B. The platform is located approximately 93 miles offshore Louisiana, south of Lake Charles, in about 173 feet of water. The platform, which has not been in production for nearly a decade, is currently used to process natural gas and condensate from other facilities. With BOEMRE’s approval and after a safety evaluation, Apache personnel have re-boarded the platform and are preparing equipment to begin work to contain the source of the gas leak. BOEMRE engineers are completing final reviews of source control procedures.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) is continuing to oversee Apache Corp.’s source control efforts for a natural gas leak near East Cameron Block 278 Platform B. The platform is located approximately 93 miles offshore Louisiana, south of Lake Charles, in about 173 feet of water. The platform, which has not been in production for nearly a decade, is currently used to process natural gas and condensate from other facilities. Under the oversight of BOEMRE, Apache Corp has deployed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to evaluate the safety issues associated with re-boarding the platform. If the platform can be re-boarded safely, source control measures can be taken using equipment on the facility.

Moffatt & Nichol announced that it has recently signed a contract with the Bulgarian Ports and Infrastructure Company for detailed design of two new container terminals at the Black Sea ports of Varna and Bourgas in the Republic of Bulgaria. In a joint venture with Japanese consulting firm Oriental Consultants, Moffatt & Nichol will be responsible for the detailed design, tender assistance, and construction supervision for the two new container terminals. This project will be managed through the firm’s London office. The project, which has been financed by a $410m loan provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is expected to last 80 months. Local engineering and design support will be provided by Bulgarian sub-consultants.

The U.S. Navy currently possesses approximately 280 ships, less than half the number during the Cold War. Between likely budget cuts, the increased cost of shipbuilding, and continued de-commissionings, the long-term outlook is that the fleet will continue its decrease in size, perhaps reaching as few ships as 200. "Allowing the current U.S. naval slippage to continue will result in a combat fleet of a size we haven't seen since 1911," said Seth Cropsey, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and former Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy. In order to address this issue, Hudson Institute is hosting a conference, “Don't Give Up the Ships - A Look at a 200-Ship Navy.” Speakers will include Rep.

The Coast Guard discovered an estimated 50 gallons of biodiesel that leaked from a spill reported yesterday near East Newark, N.J., along the Passaic River near North Arlington, N.J., at approximately 10 a.m., today. During a follow-up inspection of the shore, Coast Guard pollution investigators noticed the soy based oil spill had leaked out along the shoreline. The clear biodiesel spill reportedly stretches two miles in length and less than a millimeter thick. Ken’s Marine, a commercial pollution recovery company, is currently on scene and has deployed two absorbent booms in the river to catch any product drifting down river. Workers have also placed the absorbent pads along the shore and in the water by boat.

An estimated 1,000 gallons of biodiesel oil is reported to have spilled into a catch basin near East Newark, NJ, on the Passaic River at about 5:30 a.m. March 26. Coast Guard Sector New York received a report from the National Response Center (NRC) that Innovation Fuels Inc. reported the spill had occurred during an internal transfer and that the source of the release had been secured. None of the product was reported to have reached the water. Biodiesel oil is a non-petroleum based diesel fuel similar to vegetable oil or animal fat. Kens Marine has been contracted to clean up the spill and have deployed preventative boom around the area.