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Nile News

26 Jun 2023

SUMED Taps Thordon to Equip Pipeline Service Boats

SUMED 4, is one of seven SUMED service boats fitted with Thordon SXL tailshaft bearings (Photo: Thordon Bearings)

Egypt’s SUMED pipeline operator Arab Petroleum Pipeline Company (SUMED) has completed the tailshaft conversion to Thordon’s SXL seawater-lubricated bearing system for seven special purpose single point mooring (SPM) service boats.The final vessel in a series of 17.5m (57.4ft) long, 1976–built service boats had its original oil-lubricated tailshaft bearings replaced with the Thordon system at Nefertiti Marine’s Yard-K, in Rosetta Nile, in December 2022. The first vessel, SUMED 10…

11 Nov 2022

Fincantieri Delivers Viking's First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cruise Ship

(Photo: Fincantieri)

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri announced it has delivered the first vessel for luxury cruise operator Viking equipped with an emissions reducing hydrogen fuel cell system.Identical to Viking’s other ocean ships, the 47,800 ton Viking Neptune is fitted with a small hydrogen fuel system, making it the cruise industry’s first ship to test the use of hydrogen power for on board operations. “We are especially proud to welcome this newest sister ship to our ocean fleet, as it also marks a significant advancement in testing hydrogen as a future fuel for our vessels…

13 Apr 2022

Eni Inks Deal for Egyptian LNG Exports to Europe

© Mariusz / Adobe Stock

Italy's Eni has signed a framework agreement with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) to provide shipments of Egyptian liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Italy and Europe, the Egyptian government said on Wednesday."The agreement also aims to exploit the great potential in the field of research and exploration in Egypt, especially in the Nile Delta, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Western Desert," a cabinet statement added.(Reuters - Reporting by Momen Said Atallah; Writing by Ahmad Elhamy; Editing by Jan Harvey)

06 Aug 2021

Egypt Finds Ancient Military Vessel, Greek Graves in Sunken City

Huge blocks of the destroyed temple of Amun in Thonis-Heracleion fell on top of a galley which was moored alongside and sank her. 2nd century BC. (Christoph Gerigk © Franck Goddio / Hilti Foundation)

Divers have discovered rare remains of a military vessel in the ancient sunken city of Thônis-Heracleion—once Egypt's largest port on the Mediterranean—and a funerary complex illustrating the presence of Greek merchants, the country said on Monday.The city, which controlled the entrance to Egypt at the mouth of a western branch of the Nile, dominated the area for centuries before the foundation of Alexandria nearby by Alexander the Great in 331 BC.Destroyed and sunk along with a wide area of the Nile delta by several earthquakes and tidal waves…

19 Jul 2021

Egypt: Divers Discover Ancient Military Vessel in Sunken City

Credit: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Divers have discovered rare remains of a military vessel in the ancient sunken city of Thônis-Heracleion - once Egypt's largest port on the Mediterranean - and a funerary complex illustrating the presence of Greek merchants, the country said on Monday. The city, which controlled the entrance to Egypt at the mouth of a western branch of the Nile, dominated the area for centuries before the foundation of Alexandria nearby by Alexander the Great in 331 BC.Destroyed and sunk along with a wide area of the Nile delta by several earthquakes and tidal waves…

29 Mar 2021

Traffic in Suez Canal Resumes After Ever Given Refloated

(Photo: Svitzer)

Shipping was on the move again late on Monday in Egypt's Suez Canal after tugs refloated a giant container ship which had been blocking the channel for almost a week, causing a huge build-up of vessels around the waterway.With the 400-meter-long (430-yard) Ever Given dislodged, 113 ships were expected to transit the canal in both directions by early Tuesday morning, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chairman Osama Rabie told reporters.He said a backlog of 422 ships could be cleared in 3 -1/2 days.The Ever Given had become jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal…

18 Mar 2021

Hapag-Lloyd Avoids Forecast Due to Coronavirus Uncertainty

© Wolfgang / Adobe Stock

German container shipper Hapag-Lloyd said on Thursday it almost tripled its net result in 2020 due to lower costs and higher freight rates, but shied away from specifying 2021 results due to uncertainty in the coronavirus crisis.The net result in 2020 amounted to 935 million euros ($1.12 billion) compared with 373 million euros in 2019 after revenue rose 3% and freight rates increased 4%, it said in a statement.Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth largest container line, expected to…

17 Mar 2021

Hapag-Lloyd Acquires NileDutch

(Photo: NileDutch)

German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd announced Wednesday it has reached a deal to acquire NileDutch, based in the Netherlands, strengthening Hapag-Lloyd's position in the African market.The sale and purchase agreement will see Hapag-Lloyd acquire all shares of  Nile Dutch Investments B.V., subject to the approval of antitrust authorities.Rotterdam-headquartered NileDutch is among leading providers of container services from and to West Africa. The company currently offers 10 liner services…

04 Oct 2020

Protesters Block Port Sudan Container Terminal

© Cleop6atra / Adobe Stock

Protesters blocked Port Sudan's container terminal and a road between the eastern city and the capital Khartoum on Sunday to protest against a peace deal signed by the government and groups from across the country, a union official and residents said.The deal, ratified on Saturday in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, was focused on resolving conflicts in the western Darfur region and southern states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.Groups from other regions also signed, but some in the east say the two factions that participated in the "eastern track" of the peace process do not represent polit

09 Mar 2020

33 New Coronavirus Confirmed on Nile Cruise Ship

© creativeneko / Adobe Stock

Egypt confirmed 33 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday on a River Nile cruise ship.None of the new cases were showing symptoms of the virus, Health Minister Hala Zayed told reporters. Of 12 suspected cases among the crew announced on Friday, 11 tested negative, she said, but would nevertheless be quarantined for two weeks.Tourism is a key sector in Egypt’s economy and an important source of foreign exchange. It has recently recovered after years of disruption after Egypt’s 2011 uprising.The ship arrived in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor on Thursday from Aswan…

04 Dec 2019

Port Said Tunnel to SCCT Opened

The opening of the Port Said tunnel, under the Suez Canal just south of Port Said last week is an important piece of the jigsaw required to position the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) as Egypt’s primary gateway terminal.Construction of the twin-tubed, 4-lane road tunnel began in 2017. Its inauguration follows the opening of the Ismailia tunnel earlier this year and the 30th June Axis road, a 10-lane highway with 2+2 dedicated lanes for trucks.With the terminals strategic location offering no deviation from the main routes on trade lanes between Asia and Europe, around 95% of SCCT’s traffic has historically been made up of transshipment volume.“The new tunnel…

05 Nov 2019

EGPC Leads Oil, Gas Discoveries in Q3 2019

Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) led globally among companies in the third quarter (Q3) 2019 in terms of the highest number of oil and gas discoveries, said GlobalData.Of the total 38 discoveries made worldwide, EGPC had four, all being onshore discoveries. Of these, three were conventional oil discoveries while the remaining was a conventional gas discovery, said a report from GlobalData.Soorya Tejomoortula, Oil and Gas Analyst at GlobalData, explained: “Of the three conventional oil discoveries made by EGPC in Q3 2019, two are in the Western Desert Basin and the remaining is in the Gulf of Suez Basin. This lone conventional gas discovery was made in the Nile Delta Basin.”“Aker BP…

09 Jan 2019

Jan de Nul Completes Umbilical Installation Offshore Egypt

Marine engineering firm Jan De Nul Group Jan De Nul Group has completed the installation and burial of the two main subsea umbilicals for the exploitation of new gas fields in the West Nile Delta concessions, located in the North Alexandria region, offshore Egypt.According to the company release, specifically for this project, Jan De Nul Group reconfigured its multi-purpose vessel Willem de Vlamingh into an efficient Umbilical Installation Vessel.The two umbilicals, with a total length of 69 km, were loaded in Norway in May 2018 and transported to Egypt. The installation campaign started with a 3-km beach pull for which the Willem de Vlamingh positioned in water depths of 7 m.

10 Dec 2018

Egypt Okays BP, Mubadala Acquisition of Stake in Eni's Noor Concession

Egypt’s petroleum ministry has signed an agreement for UK Petroleum giant British Petroleum (BP) and UAE investment fund Mubadala to buy a 45 percent stake in the country's Noor offshore natural gas concesion in the Mediterannean from Italy’s Eni.In the concession, which is in participation with Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), Eni as operator through its subsidiary, IEOC, now holds a 40 percent interest. The other partners in the concession are BP with 25 percent interest and Tharwa Petroleum Company with 15 percent interest.The transactions were approved during a ceremony in Sharm El Sheik by the Egyptian Government represented by the Egyptian Petroleum Minister, Eng. Tarek El Molla.

15 Aug 2018

At Least 22 Drown after Boat Sinks in Sudan

At least 22 students drowned on Wednesday when a boat carrying more than 40 people sank while crossing the Nile in northern Sudan, state news agency SUNA said.Civil defense forces were searching the waters for the missing passengers but had not recovered the bodies, the agency added. A female hospital employee also drowned.(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, writing by Amina Ismail, Editing by Sami Aboudi and Matthew Mpoke Bigg)

21 Jun 2018

Oil Tanker Tows Disabled Sailboat to Safety

A Singapore flagged oil tanker came to the rescue of four French sailors whose sailboat became disabled by broken sails and engine failure approximately 225 miles east of Cape May, N.J. on Thursday, June 7.U.S. Coast Guard rescue authorities received a notification from French rescue personnel that the 43-foot sailboat Simbad had a disabled engine and broken sails and required assistance. The four sailors reported two were in good health, one sailor had broken ribs and the last sailor had severe sea sickness.Help came for the 748-foot tanker BW Nile after the Coast Guard queried the Amver system and located and requested the Amver participating ship divert to assist the sailboat.After agreeing to assist…

20 Oct 2017

Schulte Marine Concept Wins First Cruise Ship Newbuild Contract

Image: Schulte Marine Concept

Schulte Marine Concept (SMC) said it has won its first cruise ship contract with Portugal-based Mystic Cruises. Schulte Marine Concept the project management arm of maritime services company Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), working together with Bernhard Schulte Cruise Services (BS Cruise), will provide technical consultancy and newbuild supervision services to support construction of the oceangoing luxury expedition cruise ship, MS World Explorer. MS World Explorer will be built as a 126-meter long expedition cruise ship with a passenger capacity of 200 and a crew complement of 111.

18 Aug 2017

CMA CGM Hires Diana Containerships' Domingo

Diana Containerships Inc., a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of containerships, announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with CMA CGM, Marseille, for one of its Panamax container vessels, the m/v Domingo. The gross charter rate is US$8,500 per day, minus a 3.5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum 8 months to maximum  11 months. The charter will commence on September 15, 2017. The m/v Domingo is currently chartered to Nile Dutch Africa Line B.V. at a gross charter rate of US$6,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties. The “Domingo” is a 3,739 TEU container vessel built in 2001.

03 Aug 2017

New Eco-friendly Expedition Cruise Ship in the Works

Photo: Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce said it has signed a deal with WestSea Yard, part of Martifer Group, to equip an expeditionary oceanic cruise ship for Portuguese based cruise company Mystic Cruises. The vessel, to be called the MS World Explorer, will be the company’s first expeditionary oceanic cruise ship. The MS World Explorer will offer expeditionary cruise itineraries in Antarctica from November to March and this new vessel’s inaugural Antarctic season is already fully chartered to, and being distributed globally by, Polar Cruise Company Quark Expeditions.

21 Jun 2017

Dredging: Digging Deep for a 'WIIN'

© Nancy Hochmuth / Adobe Stock

In the waning days of 2016, the outlook brightened dramatically for the big U.S. dredging contractors. Just before Congress dispersed for the Holidays, then-President Obama signed a pivotal piece of legislation – the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, S612. Authorized needed investment in America’s ports, channels, locks, dams, and other infrastructure that supports the maritime and waterways transportation system and provides flood protection. Authorized U.S.

11 May 2017

Egypt Weans Itself off Foreign Gas

Egypt seeking to defer up to 25 LNG cargoes this year-trade; talks with trade houses and producers ongoing. Egypt is holding talks with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) suppliers to defer contracted shipments this year and aims to cut back on purchases in 2018, as surging domestic gas production squeezes out demand for costly foreign imports. Cairo's desire for gas self-sufficiency by the end of 2018 bodes ill for traders having to reshuffle LNG out of the country amid concern over the impact on global gas prices if replacement markets for the world's eighth-biggest importer of the super-cooled fuel are not found fast enough. State-run importer EGAS aims to defer dozens of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes due this year, analyst, trade and industry sources say.

18 Apr 2017

NileDutch selects ClearMetal predictive platform

Ocean Carrier Nile Dutch will use ClearMetal's machine-learning approach to fleet and container utilization improvement. ClearMetal is a predictive logistics company that uses AI and machine learning to unlock new efficiencies for global trade. "Managing fleet and container utilization against a backdrop of fluctuating demand in today's highly complex market can be challenging," said Mark Kraaijenbrink, Director Information and Communications Technology for Nile Dutch. "We are always seeking innovative solutions to gain a competitive edge and ClearMetal's machine learning technology for predictive logistics appears to provide a significant advantage over any other industry methods and tools we've seen," Mark added.

06 Nov 2016

Van Oord Bags Two Egyptian Offshore Deals

Van Oord has been awarded two contracts by international contractor Subsea 7. The assignments include the construction of a landfall and the execution of subsea rock installation works in Egypt. The projects are part of the West Nile Delta project, which comprises the development of a series of gas fields, located 65 km off the northern coast of Egypt. Final client is oil and gas company BP. Preparations on site have already started. The landfall scope of work consists of the installation of a cofferdam, trenching and pipe pull activities and will be executed in 2017. The landfall location is at the Burrulus terminal near Idku, 50 km from Alexandria. Van Oord will deploy a trailing suction hopper dredger, backhoe dredger and 600 tonnes winch.