Services Operator News

Singapore-based Seatrium has secured a series of major contracts for vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions, set for completion by the end of 2025.With an aggregate value of S$350 million ($259 million), the contracts have reinforced Seatrium’s reputation as a one of the market leaders in vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions.The diverse range of complex contracts secured by Seatrium Repairs and Upgrades include the upgrades and conversions of Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRU)…

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Crowley Wind Services and the City of Salem announced the transfer of ownership and an agreement for site improvements and ongoing operations for the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal.The agreement will kickstart the transformation of the site into the second port built specifically to support the construction of offshore wind farms in Massachusetts. The Salem Offshore Wind Terminal will also support the construction and installation…

Crew services specialist Boers has launched seafarer vaccination programs at German and Belgian ports, as shipping executives warn of onboard COVID-19 outbreaks because mariners are not getting vaccines quick enough.Seafarers arriving at ports in Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge can get one-shot COVID-19 jabs through Boers’ scheme, which is being launched to protect key workers in the shipping industry.The Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine will be available free of charge until further notice to all mariners of any nationality arriving in Belgium for crew changes.

CWind, a provider of project services and crew transfer vessels (CTV) to the offshore wind industry, reports it has completed the sale of its CTV Endeavour to Wood Marine, a port services operator based in Suffolk, U.K.According to CWind, part of the Global Marine Group (GMG), the sale the 18.5-meter catamaran with a maximum speed of 27 knots, is part of the company’s plan to remodel its CTV fleet.“We continuously review the composition of our fleet of over 20 CTVs, to actively divest tonnage and upgrade our fleet to suit market requirements.” Joshua Brennan, operations director at CWind.

Rolls-Royce has signed a 10-year service agreement with the global towage and marine services operator  Svitzer covering spare parts deliveries in six countries for a fleet of 17 tugs powered by MTU-brand Series 4000 engines.The agreement – named Global Frame Value Care Agreement (VCA) – covers spare parts deliveries in 6 countries.In VCA, the cost of maintenance services is being tied to the engine up-time. This is the first maintenance contract of its kind to be signed by Svitzer. The preventive maintenance arrangement preserves engine availability for Svitzer while contributing to optimal life-cycle costs.Danish founded towage company Svitzer currently operates 17 vessels with MTU Series 4000 units on board.

Alternative direct lender AURELIUS Finance Company has provided financing to support the buy-out of emergency management and offshore decommissioning company Ardent from co-owners Svitzer, a global towage operator, and Crowley Holdings, a holding company of international marine and logistics services provider Crowley Maritime Corporation.The deal will see Ardent’s senior management team acquire a shareholding in the company. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed…

DP World and Indonesia’s leading conglomerate Maspion Group have signed two preliminary agreements to create a $1.2 billion container port and industrial logistics park in East Java.It is the first joint venture of its kind in the Indonesian transportation sector involving a private sector partnership between an FDI partner and a private sector Indonesian company in Maspion, within the context of cooperation in maritime services with the state-owned maritime services operator Pelindo III. Two term sheet agreements aim to create a modern, integrated container terminal and industrial logistics park, expected to play a vital role as a trade gateway for Eastern Java.It includes cooperation in setting up Maspion International Container Port in Gresik…

Netherlands-based maritime service company EMAR Offshore Services welcomed a new vessel to its fleet. The Damen ASD Tug 2811, named E-TWO, was ordered in November 2018 with a special request for the installation of an additional FiFi1 system, aft winch and hydraulic crane.This ASD Tug 2811, one of Damen Shipyards Group’s ‘next-generation’ harbor tugs, will be deployed for assisting in the berthing and unberthing of industrial vessels in major ports.Johan van Beek, Managing Director of EMAR Offshore Services…

South Asia's APM Terminals Inland Services, operator of port and integrated inland service networks, is helping set up solar power plants in deep pockets of India.The global terminal network company is providing tailor-made logistics solutions to help overcome transport, technical and procedural challenges.The company is now offering a new end-to-end solution for major solar projects, which includes receiving cargo at the sea-port, facilitating customs inspection and clearance, multi-modal transportation to reach these isolated areas and destuffing at the site.“Back in 2015, solar power was just beginning to catch everybody's attention and imports from China were picking up at a tremendous pace.

At least 42 people drowned when a ferry sank on Thursday in Tanzania's Lake Victoria and government officials feared the final death toll could be more than 200, a senior local official said.Ukerewe District Commissioner Colonel Lucas Magembe told Reuters that the rescue mission to find survivors from the disaster had been halted until dawn on Friday with 42 people confirmed dead.Initial estimates showed that the MV Nyerere was carrying more than 300 people on board.

DP World, one of the world's largest port operators, said on Thursday it was confident it would meet full-year market expectations as it reported a flat half-year net profit. The Dubai-headquartered firm made a profit of $606 million attributable to the owners of the company in the six months to June 30, according to a bourse statement. The earnings, which were in line with analyst estimates, according to Thomson Reuters data, compare with a $608 million profit in the same period a year earlier. Revenue increased 9.6 percent to $2.29 billion, and in July the company said gross container volumes rose 8.2 percent in the first half to 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Germany plans to expand the network of charging stations for electric cars across the country to help boost lacklustre demand, a Transport Ministry paper seen by Reuters showed. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government wants to bring 1 million battery-powered vehicles onto the roads of Europe's largest economy by the end of the decade. But high vehicle costs and drivers' concerns about infrastructure and limited battery range have held back sales in Germany to just 24,000 models out of a market of about 3 million cars, according to government data. Germany currently only has about 100 quick service charging points for electric cars, allowing drivers to recharge batteries in less than an hour…

BHP Billiton said on Wednesday it may seek government intervention to avert industrial action by tugboat workers at the Port Hedland iron ore port that threatens to disrupt hundreds of millions of dollars in exports. "It's highly likely we would do that," Jimmy Wilson, president of BHP's iron ore division, told reporters amid a long-running dispute between union workers and port services operator Teekay Shipping, which charges BHP a fee for operating tug services. BHP also called the union's demands on pay and working conditions "unreasonable". Australia's government has intervened in industrial disputes before. In 2011, the Fair Work Australia commission stepped in to end a long-running dispute between Qantas and three unions when the airline grounded its fleet…

DigiGone announced that its video communications system and software platform has been approved for use with Thuraya’s IP terminals. A mobile satellite services operator, Thuraya is actively rolling out the DigiGone satellite communications solution across their distribution channels in all vertical markets. Optimized for narrowband satellite channels, DigiGone offers high-quality encrypted video and audio conferencing, video streaming, Voice over IP (VoIP), IM Chat and file transfer using a small fraction of the bandwidth needed for other commercial video telecommunication solutions.

Shallow water offshore support services operator Acta Marine gives an update on the worldwide deployment of its specialized vessels. In Asia the Coastal Victory is engaged upon offshore support activities with a shallow draft pipe lay vessel in Korea and Taiwan. This 50TBP Multi-purpose Anchor Handling vessel is well positioned to support new maritime infrastructure projects in this growing region. In the Middle East, the Coastal Ranger and Coastal Rambler are involved in the construction of artificial energy islands.

Thuraya names Joseph R. Francis as Regional Director, North America to support the company's work in the government market sector. Mobile satellite services operator, Thuraya Telecommunications Company's new man will be based in the U.S. and will oversee business development and solidify Thuraya’s support of the government market. His areas of focus will include operations, management and support of service partners and identification of new market opportunities. Mr Francis has over a decade of experience in the satellite and aerospace industry, and has worked for companies such as Honeywell where he supported NASA programs and Loral. He joins Thuraya from SES where he held a variety of management and leadership roles focused on the U.S. Government market.

Thuraya Telecommunications Company, an international mobile satellite services operator, announced the appointment of Mr. Stephen O’Neill, President of Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inc (BSSI), as a member of the Corporate Board of Directors. BSSI is one of Thuraya’s strategic shareholders and manufacturer of Thuraya’s leading-edge commercial satellites. The appointment of Mr. Stephen O’Neill will further enhance the partnership between BSSI and Thuraya that traces back to the company’s inception. Mr. O’ Neill has over 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry.

Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Administrative Law Judge Norman Kline ended the dispute between the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) and South Carolina Maritime Services, Inc. Maritime Services, operator of cruise-to-nowhere vessel M/V Tropicana, filed a complain against the SCSPA in October. It was seeking an investigation by the FMC regarding its claim by the SCSPA to refuse Maritime Services a berth for its vessel at state-owned docking facilities, while at the same time allowing Carnival Cruise Line to operate similar cruises, was discriminatory and in violation of the Shipping Act of 1984. In dismissing the complaint…

Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Administrative Law Judge Norman Kline ended the dispute between the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SCSPA) and South Carolina Maritime Services, Inc. Maritime Services, operator of cruise-to-nowhere vessel M/V Tropicana, filed a complaint against the SCSPA in October. It was seeking an investigation by the FMC regarding its claim by the SCSPA to refuse Maritime Services a berth for its vessel at state-owned docking facilities, while at the same time allowing Carnival Cruise Line to operate similar cruises, was discriminatory and in violation of the Shipping Act of 1984. In dismissing the complaint…