Sonja News

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced the winners of the 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe, Affordable Ferry.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said: “This year, the students were tasked with designing a RoPax ferry to carry around 300 passengers, many of whom prefer the use of outdoor hammocks, plus vehicles and cargo on the Amazon River between Manaus and Tefé ona trip that is to last 20 hours. Because of the continuing spread of Covid 19 in Brazil and its transmission via river transport…

Nauticor-operated LNG bunker supply vessel Kairos completed the first LNG bunkering operation in the port of Södertälje, Sweden, delivering 150 tons of LNG.Finnish North European Oil Trade (NEOT)  was the first company to bunker LNG from the Kairos vessel.During the operation, 150 tons of LNG were bunkered from “Kairos” to “Ternsund” at the port’s oil terminal.Åsa Boström, Controller at the Port of Södertälje, stated, “The first LNG bunker operation was a huge success and the cooperation between the terminal and port operators, the crews on board of the LNG bunker vessel and the receiving vessel went very well. Establishing alternative fuels in the port fits perfectly well into our overall strategy to minimize environmental impact and emissions.

The world’s first  liquefied natural gas (LNG) cruise ship, AIDAnova, was christened on August 31 at Meyer Werft  shipyard in Papenburg.The spectacular naming ceremony took place at the completely sold-out AIDA Open Air at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, attended by 25,000 spectators. The highlight of the evening was the biggest solo headline show by star DJ / producer David Guetta.“AIDAnova’s naming ceremony was a special event in a special place: We are delighted that we were able to stage the AIDA Open Air in Papenburg at the Meyer Werft shipyard, so that we could share our enthusiasm about our new ship with so many people.

For the first time in the history of the cruise company AIDA Cruises, a whole family will christen the newest ship AIDAnova. The Mirza family from Hanau in Hesse was selected from hundreds of applicants by a jury.On August 31, 2018 Sonja and Asad Mirza with their children Sophia and Adrian will christen the newest ship of the AIDA fleet. It is expected that 25,000 spectators will attend the event at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, which will include a christening show and a live concert by star DJ David Guetta.

Nauticor has extended its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply network for ships within the North Sea region and has now begun delivering to maritime customers in the Port of Rotterdam. The Dutch port is the latest location added to the firm’s LNG distribution network, adding to a growing portfolio of one of the leading suppliers of LNG as fuel for ships. The premier bunker operation by Nauticor in the Port of Rotterdam saw the containership Wes Amelie, owned by Wessels Reederei based in Haren/Ems, receive the chilled fuel.

The world’s first container feeder vessel refit to use natural gas was commissioned in late August in Bremerhaven, ushering in a new era in the use of alternative fuels across the global maritime sector. The container vessel Wes Amelie, owned by Wessels Reederei, Haren/Ems, was converted for the use of methane as a standard fuel at the German Dry Docks Shipyard in Bremerhaven, making it the world’s first of its kind vessel which consumes environmentally friendly methane. This conversion is more than simply another environmentally advanced ship…

The world’s first containership retrofitted with a liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine was launched on August 23, 2017. Since May 2017, the 1,000 TEU containership Wes Amelie, owned by Wessels Reederei based in Harem/Ems, has undergone an engine conversion at the German Dry Docks in Bremerhaven, and from this point forward will run on LNG fuel. Experts from the Hamburg based company Nauticor were selected to conduct the vessel’s initial LNG bunkering at the Kühlhauskai in the Port of Bremerhaven. In total, four trucks of LNG were brought to the German port and transferred to the vessel.

President Barack Obama and state governors on Wednesday urged millions of people along the U.S. Southeast coast to evacuate and prepare for Hurricane Matthew as the potentially devastating storm took aim at Florida. Matthew, currently pummeling the Bahamas and the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, was forecast to begin lashing Florida with fierce winds, storm surges and heavy rain late on Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Federal emergency response teams took positions and stockpiled supplies in Florida…

Thirty-seven countries, including US & Mexico propose to list ten shark & ray species under international wildlife treaty. At least 37 countries, including the United States and Mexico, have proposed protections for ten shark and ray species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The U.S. will join Colombia in leading an effort to secure trade measures for the oceanic whitetip shark. In cooperation with at least five other countries and the European Union, Mexico is pursuing protections for three species of hammerheads. Other species proposed by various CITES Parties include the porbeagle shark, both manta rays, and three freshwater stingrays.

Established by Markus N. Hansen in 1919 and later with his brother Realf the company started out originally repairing and building engines. In the mid-1970s Grovfjord Mek Verksted AS progressed to building aluminium and steel fishing boats up to 88ft in length, and in the 1990s receiving contracts for the repair and building of shrimp trawlers. In 1998 Grovfjord Mek Verksted made the decision to focus its activities on the construction of aluminium work boats for the aquaculture industry and invested heavily in new production equipment…

King Harald cut the ribbon at the opening of the factory together with chair of the Board Odd Gleditsch dy and general manager of Jotun Vietnam Martin Chew. King Harald and Queen Sonja played a central role in the opening of Jotun's expanded production facility in Vietnam on Friday November 5th. King Harald cut the ribbon at the opening of the factory and Queen Sonja pressed the button initiating production. The new facility thereby received a regal start and the first tin of paint was aptly labelled Majestic, Jotun's most popular indoor paints in the East.

Royal Caribbean International is putting a new twist on a long-standing maritime tradition by launching a national search for the Godmother of Freedom of the Seas – the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship scheduled to debut in May 2006. Historically an honor reserved for heads of state, politicians and celebrities, Godmothers officially give ships their names and serve as guiding spirits. Royal Caribbean Godmothers include Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway, Rosalynn Carter, Lauren Bacall, Whoopi Goldberg, Gloria Estefan, Katarina Witt, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, champion wheelchair marathoner Jean Driscoll and 2004 Teacher of the Year Kathy Mellor.