Products Transportation News

Magellan Midstream Partners LP said on Wednesday it had commenced operation of a new 135-mile, 20-inch diameter refined products pipeline from its East Houston terminal to Hearne, Texas.The company also said construction of a pipeline spur from the new system to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport was also complete and would be in operation by Nov. 1, once testing is finalized.Completion of the East Houston to Hearne pipeline has also reversed an existing pipeline segment between Hearne and Dallas…

Reviewing the company’s financial and operating results for the first half year ended 30 June 2016, on 23 August 2016, the Executive Board of PAO Sovcomflot (“SCF Group”) noted that despite a tanker market downturn, the company was able to demonstrate strong performance and strengthen its financial position while continuing to enhance its industrial projects portfolio in accordance with its Development Strategy. * Five new vessels launched: pioneering 172,600 m3 capacity ice breaking LNG carrier (Arc7 ice class) for Yamal LNG project (January), three new Arctic shuttle tankers for Novy Port project (February, April, June), and a new ice-breaking supply vessel to serve Sakhalin 2 project (June).

CMA CGM to improve its ASEA service between Asia and East Africa with the launching of ASEA Kenya and ASEA Tanzania. The CMA CGM Group’s Asia-East Africa (ASEA) service upgrade is scheduled to begin December 2014 with the launch of two new services. ASEA Kenya and ASEA Tanzania, will now accompany East African markets’ growth and replace the ASEA one single service, reducing transit times from Asia and improving reliability, the company said. CMA CGM intermodal and logistics solutions will connect African land-locked countries to Asia.

Russian shipping company Sovcomflot, a global top-five tanker company, reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2014. The company, which offers crude oil, refined petroleum products and liquefied gas transportation services, recorded a “strong start” with highlights as listed below. •Successful completion by SCF Group’s company, Novoship, of modernization at the Port of Sochi for 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Sergey Frank, President and CEO of OAO Sovcomflot, said, “Following five years of recession, the tanker market is showing the early signs of a long overdue recovery.

Kinder Morgan Announces Acquisition of Jones Act Shipping Tankers in U.S. for Approximately $962 Million. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire American Petroleum Tankers (APT) and State Class Tankers (SCT) from affiliates of The Blackstone Group and Cerberus Capital Management for $962 million in cash. APT and SCT are engaged in the marine transportation of crude oil, condensate and refined products in the United States domestic trade, commonly referred to as the Jones Act trade. APT’s fleet consists of five medium range Jones Act qualified product tankers, each with 330,000 barrels of cargo capacity. With an average vessel age of approximately four years, the APT fleet is one of the youngest in the industry.

Transas Marine Denmark contracted by A/S to supply & install 28 Navi-Sailor 4000 Multifunction Display Dual ECDIS units. Transas is also to upgrade another six Eitzen Chemical vessels to the latest hardware and software ECDIS standards over the next two years. The package for each vessel includes 2 x 26" Hatteland monitors, RS6B computers, radar overlay and Firewall enabling a direct connection between the vessel's satellite communication equipment and the Transas ECDIS. After the installations, all vessels will run the unique "Pay As You Sail" chart concept from Transas.

(East Brunswick, NJ) K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. announced today that it has successfully completed the ABS HSQE certification process for all of its locations and operating divisions. K-Sea is the first U.S. flag tug and barge operator to achieve ABS HSQE certification, according to ABS. The company's management system meets the standards of the ISM Code, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. In addition, K-Sea continues to maintain its AWO Responsible Carrier Program certification.

Varna Products, manufacturer of industrial oil & fuel pumps, announced the promotion of Mark Ashurst to Operations & Facility Manager. Ashurst has been with VARNA Products/Transportation Research Corp. for nine years in charge of production. Mark’s focus will be on organizing, directing, and coordinating all production activities as well as streamlining processes and new product development. Varna has also added a new team member to the electrical engineering/production team, Wilson “Boyd” Mello.

K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. has acquired the 140,000 barrel capacity double-hulled barge S/R New York and the 8,000 horsepower tugboat S/R Everett. This integrated tug barge unit, built in 2000, had been leased by SeaRiver Maritime, Inc., a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, from a financial institution. The purchase price of $34 million was financed using available cash and $25 million in borrowings under a new term loan. The new equipment will begin working immediately and is expected to be accretive to K-Sea's distributable cash flow. K-Sea has also signed a new multi-year contract with SeaRiver to utilize the unit in Exxon Mobil's petroleum products transportation in the Northeast United States. The barge has been renamed DBL 140 and the tugboat has been renamed Lincoln Sea.

K-Sea Transportation Partners has acquired the 140,000 barrel capacity double-hulled barge S/R New York and the 8,000 horsepower tugboat S/R Everett. This integrated tug barge unit, built in 2000, had been leased by SeaRiver Maritime, Inc., a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, from a financial institution. The purchase price of $34 million was financed using available cash and $25 million in borrowings under a new term loan. The new equipment will begin working immediately and is expected to be accretive to K-Sea's distributable cash flow. K-Sea has also signed a new multi-year contract with SeaRiver to utilize the unit in Exxon Mobil's petroleum products transportation in the Northeast United States. The barge has been renamed DBL 140 and the tugboat has been renamed Lincoln Sea.

TOP Tankers Inc., took delivery of M/T Invincible, a 47,084 Dwt, ice-classed, double-hull Handymax tanker, built in 1992 by Halla Engineering & Heavy Industries Limited of the Republic of Korea. The delivery of the M/T Invincible represents the third of 10 double-hull tankers the company expects to acquire from its current owners from the proceeds of its initial public offering announced on July 23, 2004. This third delivery increases the size of the fleet to 10 tankers, consisting of 2 Suezmax tankers, 5 Handymax tankers, and 3 Handysize tankers. TOP Tankers Inc. is an international provider of worldwide seaborne crude oil and petroleum products transportation services.

Stolt-Nielsen S.A. (SNSA) (Oslo Børs: SNI), announced today that it has signed an agreement with Xinshun Shipyard in China for the purchase of up to six 5,900 deadweight ton (dwt) bitumen tanker newbuildings due for delivery from February 2010. Under the terms of the agreement, SNSA has placed firm orders for two ships and holds options to purchase a further four ships. It is intended that a new division of SNSA will be established in Asia-Pacific that will provide logistical services for the distribution of bitumen. Mr. Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen, Chief Executive Officer of SNSA, said, "This investment in new, superior performance bitumen tankers represents our entry into an attractive sector…

K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. has completed the acquisition of Smith Maritime, Ltd. of Honolulu, Hawaii and Sirius Maritime, LLC of Seattle, Wash. President and CEO Timothy J. Casey said: “We are very excited about welcoming the Smith and Sirius operating teams to K-Sea. This acquisition immediately increases our barrel-carrying capacity by 770,000 barrels, or 22% of our capacity of 3.5 million barrels at June 30, 2007. In addition, our ongoing vessel newbuilding program, under which we have ten new tank barges under construction, will add 524,000 barrels over the next three and one-half years. “These transactions strengthen our operations on the West Coast and also expand our geographical presence to Hawaii, thus providing a further platform for future growth.

Thought to be the first of its kind in the world, Russia, Finland and Estonia all cooperated together as part of an EU funded long term project on Gulf of Finland Maritime Safety and Marine Environment Protection Cooperation (GOFMEC) which allowed crisis response simulator training to take place simultaneously in three educational establishments. In order to achieve this, the maritime educational institutes of the aforementioned countries were equipped with latest marine and crisis management simulators from Transas’ simulation division which worth approximately $318,900. The four EU funded projects between Russia (Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy /Training Centre)…

K-Sea Transportation Partners L.P. has agreed to acquire Sea Coast Towing, Inc. of Seattle, Wash. from Marine Resources Group, Inc., also of Seattle, for approximately $81 million. Sea Coast operates 15 tank barges and 15 tugboats, representing 694,000 barrels of capacity, of which 316,000 barrels are double-hulled. Of the remaining single hulled capacity, approximately 80 percent is eligible to operate in the Jones Act trades until January 2015, with the remaining capacity (one vessel) eligible until January 2008. The addition of these tank barges will represent a 27.1% increase in the barrel-carrying capacity of the K-Sea fleet to over 3.2 million barrels…