Russ News

A joint venture between Eimskip and Ernst Russ AG has acquired a secondhand containership. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.The vessel, to be named Bakkafoss, was built in 2009 and has a slot capacity of 1,025 TEU.Scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2023, the vessel will be chartered out to Eimskip for a period of up to three years, serving the company's North American route.With this investment, the partners are expanding their portfolio of operated ships…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted the most notable newbuilds delivered in 2022. From sturdy and nimble workboats, to the first new Jones Act laker in a generation, each vessel on display showcases the industry’s engineering prowess and technological ingenuity, with the focus on improving efficiency in operations. The maritime industry has no shortage of challenges to overcome, and each of Marine News’ top vessels will, in one way or another, aid efforts to tackle them.Mark W.

Maritime medical operations and public health provider VIKAND Solutions, LLC said it has appointed Russ Holmes as director of business development.Perhaps best known for providing end-to-end medical solutions to the cruise industry for its guests and crew, the company said bringing Holmes onboard positions it to further extend its medical best practices and results to the global maritime industry, including commercial shipping, private islands, the gas and oil energy sector, and the yachting market.“To this newly created role at VIKAND…

Mercy Ships' new hospital ship Global Mercy, nearing completion at the Tianjin Xingang shipyard in China, will be powered by four Wärtsilä 32 engines.When completed, the philanthropic organization's Global Mercy will be the world’s largest vessel of its kind, providing essential healthcare to patients in developing countries. Mercy Ships expects to take delivery in 2021, and the ship’s maiden voyage is planned later in the year to Africa where crew will provide vital surgical care at no cost.Wärtsilä…

John Waterhouse is a ubiquitous character in the U.S. maritime industry, a deep-thinker, a signature bow tie and more than three decades of naval architecture and marine engineering experience and success as co-owner of the Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG).While growing up, John Waterhouse spent some time in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and it was as a young boy standing on the shores of English Bay, watching ships come in from around the world to load and unload their cargos, when he realized that a maritime career could be his future.

Greg Butler was rushed to hospital with COVID-19 within days of getting home to self-isolate after being allowed off the Ruby Princess cruise liner in Sydney, one of more than 130 passengers who tested positive in Australia’s worst coronavirus outbreak.One of them, a woman, died earlier this week.The 56-year-old Butler had been holidaying with his partner, Robin Russ, who remains in isolation.“I tested negative and he tested positive,” Russ said over the telephone from the apartment they moved to for quarantine.After disembarking at Sydney Harbour on March 19…

The Ernst Russ Group has acquired a 700 TEU geared container ship in cooperation with a strategic partner.German-based company which manages a fleet of around 80 container, tanker and bulker ships as well as other vessels said that the successful acquisition of the vessel strengthens its strategic position in the market and further expands the Ernst Russ Group fleet.The 700 TEU container ship, MV ‘Skogafoss’ was built in 2007 and is in a good technical condition. It has been operating on the North-Atlantic shipping routes to date and will be delivered into a charter with the Icelandic liner company Eimskip.The value of the transaction will not be disclosed.

ABS Advanced Solutions has announced a partnership with SecurityGate to provide enhanced cyber risk analysis to the maritime market.The effort integrates the ABS proprietary FCI Cyber Risk Methodology into the award-winning SecurityGate SaaS platform, further solidifying the ABS maritime cyber security leadership. The resulting dashboard provides an instant shared view, illustrating the degree of cyber risk across assets, operations and critical suppliers. “ABS is the global leader in marine and offshore cyber security. This partnership with SecurityGate takes us to the next level,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO.

Hamburg-based provider of shipping services Peter Döhle and Ernst Russ are selling ship management company Hammonia Reederei  to  Scandinavian investors, Ness Risan and Partners (NRP), a Norwegian investment fund and former owners of Containerships Group, Finland.With the transaction, Ernst Russ follows its strategy and further focuses on activities in asset investment and asset management in shipping and real estate, said a release from Ernst Russ AG, a listed asset and investment management company in Germany with a focus on maritime business.Prospectively, Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG bundles the fleet’s technical management in-house…

New solution incorporates National Institute of Standards and Technology Cyber Security Framework (NIST CSF). ABS Advanced Solutions announced a first-of-its-kind cyber security solution to aid regulated maritime facilities in complying with US Coast Guard (USCG) guidance. The suite of services provides a turnkey solution for port and terminal facility operators responsible for maintaining USCG regulated Facility Security Plans (FSPs).In 2017, the USCG announced the intent that regulated maritime facilities in the United States address cyber security in their FSPs.

Hamburg-based feeder operator Team Lines, which belongs to the Belgian Delphis Group,   will close down its business.The deteriorating market conditions in Northern Europe combined with the ongoing consolidation process in the maritime sector are said to be the reason why the Hamburg-based container feeder operator Team Lines Deutschland ceases its business operations from February 11, 2019.In a circular, the shipping company announced that In a circular, Team Lines Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG decided to discontinue all activities of Team Lines with effect from February 11th. The feeder shipping company also informed the customers and…

The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard completed a trilateral exercise with Iraqi navy and Kuwaiti navy partners in the Northern Arabian Gulf, August 15.The exercise focused on improving collective proficiency in maritime security tactics between the three nations and ensuring the freedom of navigation throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Participants included the guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68), U.S. coastal patrol ships USS Tempest (PC 2) and USS Chinook (PC 9), U.S. Coast Guard Island-class patrol boat USCGC Monomoy (WPB 1326), Iraqi navy patrol boat P 303, and Kuwaiti navy patrol boat KNS Al-Garoh (P 3725). The Sullivans led command and control of each event throughout the exercise.

German asset and investment manager Ernst Russ Group has sold its stake in Marenave Schiffahrts AG, a shipping company in Germany. "The focus of the Ernst Russ Group’s work was on restoring the business activities and realigning Marenave Schiffahrts AG in the maritime sector. This was concurrent with the strategic approach of Ernst Russ Group and offered potential to enter into a successful partnership," said a statement from the company. After acquiring a larger block of shares in January 2018, Deutsche Balaton AG held a total of 21.34 % of all shares. The differing views of both major shareholders, Ernst Russ Group and Deutsche Balaton AG…

ContainerPort Group, Inc. announced today that its President and long-time company veteran, Russel A. Graef, passed away on October 26, 2017. It is with great sorrow that we share the loss of one of the intermodal industry’s founders, pioneers and collaborators. Since CPG’s founding in 1971, Graef held executive positions in all divisions of the business, including terminal operations, sales, logistics, fleet safety, trucking, depot/CY and M&R operations. Fred Hunger, CEO of World Shipping, CPG’s parent company says, “Russ was a true company man focused on ContainerPort Group’s mission: To become intermodal’s best by achieving excellence in all we do.

The Ernst Russ Group has successfully completed another transaction and acquired two container ships with capacities of 2,450 TEU and 2,785 TEU and an average age of just under 12 years. Global Transportation & Logistics provided financing to Ernst Russ. Purchase price for the two container ships is undisclosed. The transaction was structured and carried out by Ernst Russ Maritime Management GmbH & Co. KG as the maritime asset manager of the Ernst Russ Group. A company within the northern German maritime cluster has been given responsibility for the technical management of the ships. Another experienced partner will be in charge of chartering.

KVH Industries, Inc. has launched a new all-inclusive Connectivity as a Service (CaaS) offering for the maritime industry, AgilePlans by KVH. For a single monthly fee, AgilePlans by KVH brings an advanced satellite communications solution onboard without a costly capital expenditure or long-term commitment. The subscription fee is as low as $499/month for a complete package including hardware, connectivity, installation at select ports, entertainment and training content and global support. The AgilePlans by KVH subscription model is designed to deliver everything a fleet needs for better communications and improved operational efficiency at sea.

The Patterson Company provides a full product line for an array of industries – from winches to ratchet turnbuckles to tensors and beyond. Every day, Patterson seeks out new ways to improve its products through innovative teamwork with customers and partners throughout every market sector they touch. Patterson’s winches, turnbuckles, and tensors are designed and manufactured with an eye toward innovation. This year, the company that brought the inland towboat industry the patented YoYo Winch…

A vote was passed at the ordinary shareholders’ meeting of HCI Capital AG yesterday to change the company’s name to Ernst Russ AG. The Executive Board and Supervisory Board put the proposal to the shareholders’ meeting as one element of the corporate strategy to strengthen the maritime services segment and position the company as an asset and investment manager with a maritime focus. The future business model, in which the Group offers its services as a one-stop shop covering the entire value chain, was presented to the shareholders at the general meeting. The Group is no longer solely dependent on its previous business model of raising and managing funds.

The HCI Group and two other investors have taken over a total of thirteen ships from the loan portfolio of HSH Nordbank. The HCI Group structured the portfolio acquisition and is investing a substantial amount itself. The portfolio consists of thirteen feeder ships of between 800 and 1,800 TEU, with an average age of nearly ten years. Deutsche Bank AG will be refinancing part of the portfolio. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price for the vessels. In its role as general manager, the HCI Group has outsourced technical ship management to three providers within the north-German maritime cluster. Commercial ship management will be coordinated by the HCI Group and carried out by experienced partners.

HCI Capital AG acquires the long-established Hamburg shipping company Ernst Russ GmbH & Co. KG. The HCI Group, which early in 2016 already the majority of the shares of König & Cie. Group had taken, thus expanding again the controlled fleet and strengthen its maritime services division. This HCI consistently pursued the strategic positioning as an asset and investment manager with a maritime focus. The Ernst Russ GmbH & Co. KG is one of the oldest, internationally known Hamburg shipping companies and has existed since 1893. They bereedert a fleet of seven container and four RoRo ships and has different interests. These include the Combi Trade GmbH, an international shipyard mediation, and participation in the chartering broker Ernst Russ Shipbroker GmbH & Co. KG.

International law firm Ince & Co has announced that it has advised Fugro on a sale and lease back agreement with ICON Investments regarding two of its geotechnical drill ships Fugro Scout and Fugro Voyager. ICON financed the acquisition of the vessels by loan facilities from a syndicate of lending banks led by Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A. Dutch stock exchange listed offshore operator Fugro is the world’s largest integrator of geotechnical, survey, subsea and geosciences services. Fugro is playing a key role in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the Southern Indian Ocean. They are a longstanding client of Ince & Co’s energy department.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday said his transportation commissioner Jamie Fox would step down by the end of the month to return to the private sector after only a year in the position. Fox was previously a lobbyist with airline company United Continental Holdings Inc. before Christie tapped him to be transportation czar in September 2014. Federal authorities are conducting a criminal probe into the previous relationship between United, during Fox's tenure there, and David Samson, former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Federal investigators are probing flights that United added between Newark, New Jersey, and Columbia, South Carolina, near Samson's vacation home.

Shipping company SC Line has started up service between Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades and Cuba, reports Sun Sentinel. The cargo and cruise vessels no longer require a special license to ply between US and Cuba. SC Line can serve the Cuban seaports of Mariel and Santiago every two weeks on a route that circles between Florida, Cuba, Panama and Colombia. On 20 September the SC Line vessel Caroline Russ berthed at Mariel in Cuba. It can carry shipping containers. It was the first call on a new service every 14 days linking Port Everglades, Florida with Mariel and Santiago de Cuba. “This new service offered by SC Line is the evident proof of the successful efforts that both Governments have been doing for the last months,” SC Line said.