Scl News

A dozen ships from the Swiss high seas fleet are being sold off as the global shipping crisis takes its toll on the quirky remnant of landlocked Switzerland's efforts to ensure supplies of essential goods at times of international unrest. Worried about the security of food and energy supplies during wartime, Switzerland launched its high seas fleet in 1941, putting Swiss flags on tankers and freighters it could call on at times of need. But as times changed and supply routes became more stable, Switzerland has limited its support since 1959 to debt guarantees for shipping lines able to reduce borrowing costs in return for pledges to make ships available if Bern needed them.

Vessel sales for March 2016 (as of April 1) as prepared by Shipping Intelligence, Inc., New York.

China Shipping Container Lines Co. orders the world’s biggest container ship, taking over the title from Maersk Line. Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. will build five vessels each capable of carrying 18,400 20-foot containers for $700 million for China Shipping, the Ulsan, South Korea-based company has informed Bloomberg. Delivery will start in the second half of 2014. Shipping lines, including Maersk and Evergreen Group, are adding bigger vessels that burn less fuel and have lower emissions to reduce costs. Maersk next month will take delivery of the world’s biggest container ship, which can carry 18,000 TEU containers, from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Source: Bloomberg

Flavio Silveira does design work for the Beconal shipyard where he continues to upgrade the Amason’s basic pushboat design. This September the yard delivered a 1200 hp pushboat  to Planalto. As do most Amazon pusboats, the hull of the M/V SCL 22 has a slight dead-rise at the bow with a two deck winches for making up to the tow mounted on the foredeck. Push knees are designed to accommodate barges at various drafts. A walkway from the top of the main deck house to the top of the push knees will provide safe access to the deck of high barges.

Forwarding company Swiss Container Line (SCL), part of the Atlantic Forwarding Group, started its own operations in Rotterdam. It concentrates on shipments between Asia and Europe. Atlantic Forwarding, with 25 branches, ships 90,000 TEU per annum between the two continents and so far Rotterdam was used for a minor percentage. For air freight SCL is going to co-operate with Cargo Masters at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, some 50 miles from Rotterdam.

Lockheed Martin and teammate United Defense, LP, have used experience with the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) to develop a new Single Cell (SCL) launcher. The SCL is intended for ships either too small for the traditional eight-cell MK 41 or with mission requirements not requiring an eight-cell launcher. The SCL will provide an affordable solution for improved ship self defense requirements on aircraft carriers, large-deck amphibious ships, and other smaller surface combatants, such as corvettes and frigates. SCL is based on proven MK 41 technology and incorporates the latest Baseline VII Launch Control System (LCS), and other Computer-off-the-Shelf (COTS) components.

The U.S. Navy is awarding indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contracts to 391 contractors that will provide for their competition for service requirements solicited by Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Air Systems Command, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Naval Supply Systems Command, Military Sealift Command, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Strategic Systems Programs, and the United States Marine Corps. The 22 functional service areas within the scope of the contracts include 1. Research and Development Support. 2. Engineering System Engineering and Process Engineering Support. 3. Modeling, Simulation, Stimulation, and Analysis Support. 4. Prototyping, Pre-Production, Model-Making, and Fabrication Support.

Manpower Software plc (MSW) today announces the award of two contracts for the sale of its Maritime Crew Administration product to Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCCL) and Sun Cruises Limited (SCL), the subsidiary of Airtours plc. These contract awards follow on from the recent sales of MSW's Crew Task Scheduling product to RCCL and the Access Control product, "Souls on Board," to SCL. MSW was also granted two contracts for the sale of its Workforce Planning product to Guinness UDV Limited (part of the Diageo group of companies) and BP Shipping Limited (a division of BP plc). The initial value of the four contracts is in excess of $2.2 million. RCCL has purchased MSW's Maritime Crew Administration product as part of an enterprise-wide program of improvement.