Neo News

Since 2006, the average container ship has doubled in size to 4,580 TEU and ships with a capacity of more than 12,000 TEU has accounted for 51% of the fleet’s capacity expansion. Today, just 626 ships provide 36% of the fleet’s capacity, and the trend is set to continue as the large ships dominate the order book, says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.When the Emma Maersk was delivered in August 2006, the ship was by far the largest container ship in the world. It is 400 metres long, 56 metres wide and has a capacity of about 17,800 (14,000 TEU when delivered).

Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), ICTSI’s operations at the Port of Melbourne in Australia, recently completed Phase 3A of its expansion project.VICT can now accommodate neo-Panamax container ships, the largest container vessels calling Australia. The ships can now sail directly into Port Phillip and dock at VICT – the only terminal in Melbourne capable of receiving them. It is also the only fully-automated container terminal in the southern hemisphere.The AUD235 million expansion project is being carried out in two phases.

New York-listed shipowner Capital Product Partners L.P. (CPLP) has closed the umbrella agreement from November 2023, moving forward with the $3.1 billion acquisition of 11 newbuild LNG carrier vessels.CPLP entered into umbrella agreement with Capital Maritime & Trading Corp. and Capital GP on November 13, providing for the acquisition of 11 newbuild liquefied LNG carriers.Upon the closing of the umbrella agreement on Thursday, CPLP entered into 11 share purchase agreements to acquire 100% of the equity interests in each vessel-owning company.Each Vessel will have a capacity of 174…

The Panama Canal will extend restrictions on ships' maximum depth, it said on Tuesday, and it has limited average crossings at one of the world's busiest trade passages to just 32 ships a day as a prolonged drought continues.The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will maintain a depth limit of 44 feet, or 13.41 meters, for neo-Panamax container ships.In June, the authority put off further restrictions that would have brought depth limits up half a foot, meaning ships would have needed to lighten their loads to float higher.During Panama's rainy season…

The Panama Canal will postpone depth restrictions that were set to affect the largest ships crossing the key waterway, the canal authority said, after much-needed rain provided relief to the strained maritime passage.A series of measures were scheduled to go into effect on June 25 and July 9 requiring ships to float at higher depths, meaning they needed to carry less cargo or otherwise shed weight and impacting trade at one of the world's busiest commercial crossings.Panama's rainy season had been slow to give respite to a months-long drought.

The Panama Canal will expand restrictions on the largest ships crossing the waterway, one of the world's busiest trade passages, the canal authority's administrator said on Wednesday, citing shallower waters due to drought.The measure follows a series of depth restrictions in the 50-mile (80 km) canal since the beginning of the year due to a drought, which authorities had hoped would ease by the start of the Central American country's rainy season.Ship traffic, including container ships and oil tankers, using the canal between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean accounts for about 3.5% of glo

Two of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled containerships were named and commissioned during a ceremony at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea.The newly built ZIM Mount Everest and ZIM Mount Blanc are the second and third 15,000 TEU LNG-Powered vessels in a series of 10 vessels being built for Seaspan Corporation for long term charters to Israeli carrier ZIM, Both vessels will join ZIM Sammy Ofer, delivered in February 2023, as the first LNG containerships to call the U.S. East Coast.The Neo-Panamax vessels are 366-meters long with a 51-meter beam.

The Panama Canal will impose lower draft restrictions on the largest ships passing through the key global trade route due to falling water levels at nearby lakes that form part of the waterway, the canal authority said on Tuesday.The restrictions, which will take effect on Wednesday, mean so-called neo-Panamex container ships seeking to cross the canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans must comply with a maximum depth of 47.5 feet, down from 50 feet, forcing them to weigh less or otherwise transport fewer goods.The new measures are due to recent drought conditions…

Israeli container carrier ZIM announced its first vessel fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) has set sail on its maiden voyage.The 15,000 TEU dual-fuel box ship Zim Sammy Ofer, built by South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries, is the first of 10 vessel ordered in a long-term chartering agreement between ZIM and Seaspan Corporation.The Neo-Panamax vessel is 366-meters long with a 51-meter beam. The vessel has a max service speed of 22.5 knots, a dual-fuel main engine with output of 46…

South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard hosted a naming ceremony for the 15,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel vessel Zim Sammy Ofer.The Zim Sammy Ofer is the first of 10 vessel ordered in a long-term chartering agreement between ZIM and Seaspan Corporation. The vessel was named after the late shipping magnate Sammy Ofer, who passed away in 2011. The Neo-Panamax vessel is 366-meters long with a 51-meter beam. The vessel has a max service speed of 22.5 knots, a dual-fuel main engine with output of 46…

ABS granted approval in principle (AIP) to Samsung Heavy Industries’ (SHI) design for an ammonia-fueled Neo-Panamax container vessel.Presented in Athens, Greece, at the Posidonia International Shipping Exhibition, the AIP confirms the design has been reviewed by ABS against the requirements outlined in the ABS Guide for Ammonia Fueled Vessels. “This ammonia-fueled vessel represents a significant step forward in the industry’s desire to realize the emissions reduction potential of ammonia as fuel, and we are proud to use our experience to support it.

Greek shipowner Danaos Corporation announced Monday that it has ordered four 7,200 TEU containerships from Daehan Shipbuilding in South Korea. The neo-panamax newbuilds are slated for delivery in the first half of 2024.The vessels will be methanol fuel ready, will come with open loop scrubbers and will be built in accordance with the latest requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in relation to Tier III emission standards and Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) Phase III, said New York-listed Danaos, one of the world's largest charterers of containerships.“These vessels are at the forefront of new technology, come with the latest specifications on emissions requirements and are methanol ready.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, which oversees the world's biggest marine refuelling hub, said it is investigating the suspected contamination of bunker fuel supplied to several ships in the port and had ordered supply of the batch to be halted.At least 14 ships that received tainted high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) from Singapore suffered loss of power and engine problems, Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) said late last week."We detected contamination in 34 fuel samples and we are aware of 14 vessels that have suffered damages.

An innovative methanol-fueled bulk carrier has been designed in a joint development project (JDP) between ABS, SDTR Marine Pte Ltd. (SDTR) and the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI).SDTR supplied key operational data and SDARI developed the design with ABS support and review. ABS also provided an analysis of methanol as fuel market outlook, including a vessel performance evaluation in various operating scenarios including under the European Union Emissions Trading System (Fuel EU…

Hensoldt introduced its new Manta NEO X band radar system for the commercial shipping market in Rotterdam @ Europort.The Manta NEO X band radar -- designed for all types of ships from workboats up to tankers and cruise ships -- uses CHIRP pulse compression and beam sharpening technology, promising low through life costs as there is no magnetron to replace. Hensoldt UK specialist R&D teams create innovative navigation technologies for all types of commercial vessels.The use of solid state technology allows for improved efficiency…

BIMCO’s Shipping Number of the Week: Secondhand container ship deals jump over 100% in H1 2021During the first half of 2021, a total 277 container ships have changed hands, a 103.7% jump from 136 ships bought and sold in the same period of 2020 (source: VesselsValue). The jump testifies to a red-hot container market that has fueled demand for tonnage, not only in the charter market, but also for secondhand ships. A total of 922,203 TEU found new owners, with an average ship size of 3,403 TEU.

Is neo-colonialism in the Gulf of Guinea the answer to West Africa’s maritime crime crisis?In October 2020, China’s transport ministry established an ad hoc workgroup to lay down precautionary measures for ships and seafarers passing through high piracy risk West African waters.The move came as China told its vessels to up vigilance and implement a series of precautionary measures to ensure the security of ocea-going vessels and seafarers amid rising attacks and a surge in kidnaps in the Gulf of Guinea.Plans outlined by Wu Chungeng…

Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries has delivered the world's first very large containership powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Singapore's Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS), the South Korean shipbuilder announced Wednesday.The LNG-powered, 14,800 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) capacity CMA CGM Tenere is one of six containerships in a series being built for EPS by Hyundai Samho, a unit of shipbuilding giant Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. The six neo-Panamax box…

The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore reports it has again topped its record for most container moves from a single ship.The 6,000 container moves conducted by longshore workers from the Maersk Edinburgh at the Seagirt Marine Terminal this week are the most ever in the port's the 315-year history. Maersk Edinburgh arrived at the port on Monday, February 8, and left early Thursday, February 11. The final container move was completed at 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.The new high mark—which counts the number of times an imported container is unloaded from a ship…

Seaspan Corporation on Tuesday announced it has reached a deal to order six additional containerships, bringing to 37 the number of newbuilds the shipowner has ordered since December 2020. The six 15,500 TEU neo-panamax box ships will be fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers) and are expected to be delivered from the second half of 2023 through to mid-year 2024, said Seaspan, a subsidiary of New York-listed Atlas Corp. Once delivered, the vessels will operate under…

MAN Energy Solutions announced that the first ME-GI engine featuring its newly-developed pump vaporizer unit (PVU) has completed liquefied natural gas (LNG) trials in Korea.The engine is installed aboard the first in a series of six neo-Panamax boxships—built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI), and ordered by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS), the Singapore-based shipping company—each powered by individual MAN B&W 11G90ME-GI main engines. French container shipping company CMA CGM has already chartered the vessel…

This September, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District awarded the final two dredging contracts on its harbor deepening project, which will make Charleston’s harbor the deepest on the East Coast.The contract awards also coincided with the arrival September 20 of the CMA CGM Brazil, a 15,072-TEU containership stretching 1,200 feet long, and the largest containership to ever call on the East Coast and Charleston harbor.Charleston was the last stop on its East Coast itinerary…

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are marking a milestone of environmental stewardship this month on the landmark restoration of Poplar Island near Talbot County. Simultaneously, the agencies are advancing plans for their next partnership using dredged materials to preserve and protect Maryland’s waterways: the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration.Since 1998, Poplar Island has…