Provincial Government News

Western sanctions on Russia have significantly reduced state oil revenues and diverted tens of billions of dollars towards shipping and refining firms, some with Russian connections.Most of the winners from the sanctions are based in China, India, Greece and the United Arab Emirates, at least 20 trading and banking sources said. A handful are partly owned by Russian companies.None of the firms is breaching sanctions, the sources told Reuters, but they have benefited from measures…

China has launched a crackdown on illegal sand mining operations on the Yangtze river, which have made large parts of central China more vulnerable to drought.Excessive sand mining on the Yangtze, which provides water for a third of the Chinese population, is believed to be responsible for the abnormally low levels of water during the winter drought season in recent years.Sand mining in the river and its connecting lakes and tributaries has also affected shipping routes and made it harder for authorities to control summer floods.According to a notice issued by the water…

Swiss-based global mining and commodities trader Glencore is set to send its first spot liquefied natural gas cargo to Zhoushan in eastern China in a trading joint venture with Zhejiang Energy Group, a top company trader said on Friday.Glencore's joint venture with Zhejiang, which is backed by the provincial government, dates from 2018, making it one of the few Western traders with such tie-ups in China, the world's top crude oil buyer and second-largest importer of LNG.Alex Sanna…

Dutch shipbuilder Damen has launched two, 81-metre road ferries for the Canadian ferry operator BC Ferries at its Galati shipyard in Romania.Damen Shipyards Group, which operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, said that the ferries were launched “within a few weeks” and they are now undergoing outfitting before the units enter service in 2020.Once operational they will be capable of carrying up to 300 passengers and crew, and 47 vehicles, it added.The ferries have been built to Damen’s Road Ferry 8117E3 design and the order was secured following an extensive, multi-phased, international tender process. BC Ferries is currently undertaking a fleet renewal programme that will see a number of new vessels operating in the province of British Colombia, on Canada’s Pacific coastline.

Saudi Aramco recently signed an MoU with Chinese Zhejiang provincial government during the 2nd International Petroleum and Natural Gas Enterprises Conference (IPEC), to acquire a share of Zhejiang Petrochemical’s new refinery project.Abdulaziz Al Judaimi, Sr. VP Downstream, said: "We are exploring opportunities for new refining and petrochemicals facilities, making further investments in China. Saudi Aramco has recently signed a crude oil supply agreement with Zhejiang Petrochemical (Rongsheng). This increase in customer base is due to our continuous focus and attention to the Chinese market. We are also a major JV partner in a growing portfolio of refining and petrochemical assets in China."Saudi Aramco plays an important part in China’s energy security.

China's Sinopec Corp has teamed with Zhejiang Energy Group Co Ltd on a 3 million tonne-per-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in east China, with the first phase set for operation at end-2021, the state oil giant said on Wednesday.The project, to be built in Wenzhou of Zhejiang province, includes four tanks each able to store 200,000 cubic meters of LNG, a berth to dock tankers of 30,000 cubic meters to 266,000 cubic meters, as well as a 26-km (16-mile) pipeline.The two…

The Nautican Research and Development manufacturing facility in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, said it is now ready to ship the facility's first Integrated Propulsion Unit (IPU) to a client in Alaska. “Nautican is another excellent example of an emerging advanced marine technology company finding success right here on Prince Edward Island,” said PEI Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Heath MacDonald, who was on site with Nautican representatives to review the Ocean Series Class 200 IPU system prior to shipment.

The new Nautican Research and Development manufacturing and integration facility in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, opened in December 2016 with the support of Babcock Canada and the provincial government. The first shipment, a set of rudders, is nearing completion and will soon be delivered to Pacific Fisherman in Seattle. The new facility produces Nautican’s High-Efficiency marine propulsion products. Over the coming years Nautican will progressively transition the manufacturing of its Integrated Propulsion Units (IPUs) to the new facility as well.

One of China's top coal-producing provinces has vowed to slash its level of fine particle pollution by one-fifth by 2020, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday, citing the provincial government. China has adopted various measures from policing barbeques to halting industrial production in efforts to ease the yearly winter haze that hit the country earlier this month leaving cities veiled in foul-smelling smog. China's northern Shanxi province aims to increase the proportion of days per year with good air quality to 75.4 percent, the agency said. The move comes after concentrations of PM2.5, fine particulate matter, in a major northern Chinese city exceeded a World Health Organisation guideline by 100 times in December.

A former Montague resident, Elizabeth Reynolds Boyd has always been looking for a way to give back to her home province. The respected naval architect and owner of Nautican Research and Development joined Premier Wade MacLauchlan and Babcock Canada Vice President Jake Jacobson to announce a new advanced marine technology presence in Summerside. The Nautican, Babcock, and provincial partnership province will bring a manufacturing facility and 21 new full-time jobs over the next three years – joining the six employees already on staff – to Slemon Park. “I see Prince Edward Island as the best place for this new manufacturing facility given its location, skilled work force and the efforts of the government to establish the province as a hub for marine business,” Elizabeth Reynolds Boyd said.

A former Montague resident, Elizabeth Reynolds Boyd has always been looking for a way to give back to her home province. The respected naval architect and owner of Nautican Research and Development joined Premier Wade MacLauchlan and Babcock Canada Vice President Jake Jacobson to announce a new advanced marine technology presence in Summerside. The Nautican, Babcock, and provincial partnership province will bring a manufacturing facility and 21 new full-time jobs over the next three years – joining the six employees already on staff – to Slemon Park.

The Vancouver International Maritime Centre (VIMC) welcomes the Provincial government’s $1-million commitment for the second year in a row. B.C. The VIMC’s mandate is to encourage global shipping companies to move their operations to Vancouver, bringing high-paid, high-value jobs with them. The city is well-positioned to create the first maritime hub on the west coast of North America, offering competitive tax rates and access to the Asia Pacific Gateway. Last fall, Singapore-based AAL opened an office in Vancouver, with the support of the VMIC. Yesterday, VIMC Executive Director Kaity Arsoniadis-Stein, along with Jewel Jacobs of the Squamish First Nation, were given the honour of officially christening the SST Capilano. The new tug was named after historical leader, Chief Joe Capilano.

The Damen 80-meter ice class RoPax ferry MV Veteran handover to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (GNL) took place in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada on October 23, 2015. Launched earlier this year by Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania on March 27, the vessel will start services from Fogo Island and Change Islands before the end of November. MV Veteran was delivered from the shipyard on time and within budget. MV Veteran is the first of a two-vessel contract, with a design stemming from a Canadian-Danish partnership between Fleetway and Knud E. Hansen.

Gas seen as key to help resolve power crisis; gas could be sourced from Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique. South Africa could build its first 20 billion rand ($1.4 billion) liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility at the west coast port of Saldanha Bay to feed gas-to-power projects aimed at easing chronic supply shortages, an official said on Tuesday. Importing LNG is among the options Africa's most developed economy is considering to diversify its energy sources away from coal and ease power shortfalls that have curbed growth. Several companies, including Shell, Mitsubishi and Sasol, are expected to bid for 3,126 megawatt (MW) gas-to-power projects in the first quarter of 2016, when exact details will become known.

The second of two 80-meter ice class Ro-Pax ferries - the MV Legionnaire - has been launched at Damen Shipyards Galati, Romania. The naming was performed by Lori Anne Companion, Deputy Minister at the Department of Transportation and Works of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The MV Legionnaire is sister ship to the MV Veteran, launched earlier this year at the Romanian yard. Both vessels are part of a large vessel replacement program being undertaken by the Provincial Government. 81 meters in length and with a beam of 17 meters, she will carry up to 200 passengers and 60 cars (PAE) at a cruising speed of 14 knots. MV Legionnaire will operate on the short-haul route from Portugal Cove to Bell Island, the busiest route of the province.

The Canadian government has approved TransCanada Corp's proposed C$1.7 billion ($1.38 billion) North Montney Mainline natural gas pipeline that would connect natural gas fields in northern British Columbia with a Pacific Coast export terminal. The North Montney line would feed into a second new pipeline, the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission line, that would serve an $11 billion liquefied natural gas export terminal, called the Pacific NorthWest LNG project, proposed by state-owned Malaysian energy company Petronas. The federal natural resources department announced the North Montney approval late on Wednesday. In April, the Canadian regulator…

International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) dry port unit, Laguna Gateway Inland Container Terminal (LGICT), recently broke ground to start the expansion of new facilities which include extended and dedicated storage areas for loaded and empty containers, a runway for rubber tired gantries (RTG), container care facilities, weigh bridges at the gates and an upgraded access road, as it primes the Laguna dry port for the revival of intermodal freight transport in the Philippines. The expansion works, which is Phase 1 development of LGICT, commenced after groundbreaking and time capsule lowering ceremonies attended by officers and staff of ICTSI and LGICT, representatives from joint venture partners Transnational Diversified Group and Nippon Container Terminals Co.

Cenovus Energy Inc , Canada's No.2 independent oil producer, said on Friday it has received regulatory approval for its Telephone Lake oil sands project, a facility that could eventually produce more than 300,000 barrels of oil per day. The company said the Alberta Energy Regulator and the provincial government approved the thermal oil sands project, which will pump steam into oil sands deposits to liquefy the tar-like bitumen so it can flow to the surface. Cenovus said Telephone Lake will be developed in stages, with a 90,000 bpd initial phase, followed by expansions. However, it will not make a final decision on whether to proceed with construction until next year.

WESMAR announced that another ferry, the MV Norcon Galatea, has installed WESMAR’s commercial bow thrusters. The 387-ton, 125-foot Ro-Ro Passenger Ferry, owned by Norcon Marine Services, Clarenville, Newfoundland, provides support for the provincial ferry fleet serving Bell Island and Portugal Cove, Newfoundland. The Galatea has capacity for 70 passengers and 20 cars. The 40-year-old Ferry was previously the MV Hamilton Sound and owned by the Provincial Government, but in 2011 they sold her, and after extensive upgrades by its new owner the Provincial Government leased her back.

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has secured a contract from Dutch shipbuilding group, Damen Shipyards, for the design and delivery of key components for RoRo access equipment for two 80m ice-class RoPax ferries destined to operate in Canada. The investment in these new vessels is part of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Government's vessel renewal programme. The first ferry is scheduled for delivery in 2015 and will operate on the Fogo Island and Change Islands service. The second is scheduled for delivery in 2016 and will operate on the Bell Island service.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced that Gerald Carter has been appointed to its Board for a three-year term. He replaces Ralph Mercier as the representative for the Québec Provincial Government. Gerald Carter comes to the Seaway with a long history in marine transportation . He is a past President of Canada Steamship Lines Inc. (CSL), a major player in the Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Seaway system. Mr. Carter joined CSL in the early 1990s as Director of Information Systems. This appointment was followed by a series of progressively more responsible roles, leading to his nomination as President, a position he held from 2002 to 2012.

This second order, placed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Government, is for an identical vessel to one ordered from Damen a few weeks ago, but this ferry will be deployed between Bell Island and Portugal Cove-St. Philip's. Scheduled for delivery in February 2016, the 14-knot Ro-Ro ferry will be able to carry up to 200 passengers and 60 vehicles. According to the shipbuilders, the investment in the new ferry is part of the Government’s vessel renewal programme and will expand capacity on the route by replacing the MV Beaumont Hamel.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Government has awarded Damen Shipyards Group an order for a state-of-the-art, 80 m Ice Class ferry, which will operate on the Fogo Island-Change Islands service. Scheduled for delivery in September 2015, the 14-knot ro-ro ferry will be able to carry up to 200 passengers and 60 vehicles. The investment in the new ferry is part of the Government’s vessel renewal program. She will replace the aging MV Captain Earl Winsor. Fifteen proposals were received in response to the Government's request for proposals for the construction of new ferry vessels.