Houthis Release South Korean, Saudi vessels
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement released three vessels and 16 people it had seized, South Korea's Foreign Ministry and a Houthi military source in Yemen said on Wednesday.The seizure on Sunday was the latest incident at sea around Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is leading a Western-backed coalition of Arab states against the Houthis, who control the capital and most population centres and have been accused of attacking shipping.Of the vessels freed on Tuesday, two were South Korean and one was Saudi Arabia-flagged, the South Korean ministry said in a statement, adding that the families of two South Koreans among the crew had been notified."The three ships were released after the necessary legal measures…
Sovcomflot New LNG Tanker Cuts 30% CO2
Russian shipping company PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) has achieved significant CO2 emission cuts since taking delivery of the first of its “Green Funnel” LNG-fueled Aframax crude oil tankers last year.PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) has accumulated data showing that using LNG as a primary fuel for these large-capacity tankers enabled a 30 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions compared with similar vessels powered by traditional heavy fuel. This reduction exceeds the original design target values.Igor Tonkovidov, Executive Vice President and CTO/COO of Sovcomflot, delivered a report on the first results of operating ‘Green Funnel’ series tankers…
Shell, BP 2005’s Leading Oil Tanker Hirers
Royal Dutch Shell plc and BP plc, Europe’s largest energy companies, were the leading hirers of oil tankers last year as crude prices rose to records. Shell hired 762 crude oil tankers for single voyages in 2005, accounting for 7.5 percent of the global total, according to figures compiled by New York-based shipbroker Poten & Partners. BP rose from fifth in 2004 to second, with a share of 4.9 percent. Exxon Mobil Corp, the world’s top energy company, came third in the survey. Oil producers and traders hire tankers to ship oil from producing regions to refineries around the world. Shell and BP lease ships from owners including Front line Ltd and Teekay Shipping Co, the world’s largest oil tanker companies.
