Swire News

Swire Shipping commemorated the opening of its new Japan branch office in Tokyo on February 21,2024 with an event at The Palace Hotel in Tokyo, marking Swire Shipping’s official return to Japan with a physical presence.A highlight of the evening was the Kagami-biraki ceremony – the customary breaking open of a sake barrel – a tradition steeped in respect and appreciation. Esteemed long-serving former employees of Swire, who had served the company with dedication in the past, shared a toast of sake alongside the current Japan team onstage.

Swire Shipping announced that Westwood Shipping Lines, a niche vessel operator it acquired in June 2022, has changed its name to Swire Shipping.According to Sire, the rebrand—which took effect February 1—will help Westwood to leverage synergies and capabilities in containers, networks, and projects across the global Swire Shipping network to better serve customers throughout North America, Japan, South Korea and China.“The integration of Westwood Shipping Lines reflects our continued investment and expansion in the North Pacific.

Swire Projects, the projects and heavy lift shipping arm of Swire Shipping, has officially launched a dedicated semi liner service connecting East Asia with the West Coast of North America.Previously offered on an ad hoc basis, the service will provide enhanced cargo connectivity and support the growing demand for reliable breakbulk and project cargo transportation into the West Coast and a gateway to the interior of the Continent avoiding the need to route cargo via the Panama Canal.Swire Projects' semi liner service connects the base ports of Qingdao and Taicang in China and ports en route…

Angad Banga of The Caravel Group was elected Chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association at the organization’s annual meeting held on November 22, 2023.Banga succeeds Wellington Koo, of Valles Steamship, who stepped down after completing his two-year term as Chairman.Richard Hext of Swire Shipping was elected Deputy Chairman, succeeding Banga. Qian Weizhong of COSCO Shipping (Hong Kong) and Wang Yongxin of China Merchants Energy Shipping Company Limited were re-elected as the Vice Chairmen.Koo…

At an award ceremony in Singapore this week, 60 MaritimeONE Scholarships and seven Tripartite Maritime Scholarships (TMSS) were presented, sponsored by 34 partners from industry, foundations, and unions.The number surpassed last year’s award of 54 scholarships by 27 partners. More companies have come onboard to support MaritimeONE Scholarships in recent years, reflecting the focus on talent development by Maritime Singapore. To date, 584 MaritimeONE Scholarships, with a sponsorship value of $16 million have been awarded since the program started in 2007.Besides maritime-related courses…

The offshore supply vessel industry has weathered a tumultuous decade characterized by a prolonged trough that tested the resilience of vessel owners. However, the tides have turned, and the industry is now experiencing a strong and much-awaited revival.The offshore supply vessel industry has weathered a tumultuous decade characterized by a prolonged trough that tested the resilience of vessel owners. However, the tides have turned, and the industry is now experiencing a strong and much-awaited revival.While long seen as a derelict industry by investors…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has settled with two shipping companies over claims of violations of EPA’s Vessel General Permit issued under the Clean Water Act.Under the terms of the settlements, Swire Shipping Pte. Ltd. will pay $137,000 in penalties and MMS Co. Ltd. will pay $200,000 in penalties for claims of ballast water discharge, inspection, monitoring, and reporting violations.The violations relate to Singapore-based Swire Shipping’s vessels, the Papuan Chief and the New Guinea Chief…

Mining company K+S Aktiengesellschaft and shipping company Swire Bulk announced a formal partnership to develop decarbonization solutions in an effort to decarbonize their operations and drive reductions in greenhouse gases in the maritime supply chain.Patrick Lieberam, Senior Vice President Supply Chain Management of K+S, shared, “As a mining company, K+S is aware of its responsibility and in the area of logistics, will stand by the side of its long-term partner Swire in the implementation of zero emissions and provide support in all areas.

The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has released its report on the injury of a crew member during ladder operations on the container ship Moana Chief, citing weak safety culture on the part of the vessel’s operator.The incident occurred in the Port of Auckland on December 10, 2021 when the container ship Moana Chief was preparing to leave port. The crew had started to retrieve its telescopic accommodation ladder for stowing. A crew member’s leg was…

Swire Bulk announced it is voluntarily rerouting its vessels off southern Sri Lanka to avoid whale strikes in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.The move comes after researchers identified ship strikes as the leading cause of death for whales in the area, a feeding ground for many cetaceans.Swire Bulk, part of the Swire Group, said its vessels will now pass at least 15 nautical miles south of Dondra Head traffic separation scheme and avoid sailing through marked out as “no go areas”.

For many, the ocean is life. It provides transportation, work, commerce, food, recreation—tales as old as time and shared by people across the globe. These stories are lived day to day, passed down between generations, and shared with the public through various media. Maritime museums assume responsibility to share these histories while honoring the communities shaped ocean exploration and commerce. In a decade where ocean health and climatic events have become a primary focus…

Swire Shipping's projects business unit Swire Projects has entered into a long-term agreement with shipowner R. Braren for the charter of three handysize multipurpose (MPP) vessels. These vessels will service customer requirements in bluewater trades, carrying project, breakbulk and unitized cargoes.This follows the deal announced in November 2021 for the long-term charter of six MPP heavy lift vessels with Nordic Project and Finance.Namir Khanbabi, General Manager of Swire Projects, said this latest charter arrangement “fits with the plan to expand our MPP fleet in line with our growth strategy. These workhorse vessels will take Swire Projects’ growing MPP Fleet to 15 vessels by year-end.”The 28…

Swire Bulk said it will operate a new liner service between Southeast Asia and Europe from June 2022 in addition to its tramp services.The company said it will deploy one to two vessels on a monthly rotation into Europe, calling at Amamapare (Indonesia), Singapore, and Dahej (India) to load cargo before arriving in Huelva (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium) and Brunsbüttel (Germany) for discharge operations. Customers will also be able to request additional port calls at countries between Southeast Asia to Europe.Launched by Swire Bulk’s Parcelling division…

Pacifica Shipping confirms it is introducing a second vessel onto its New Zealand coastal shipping service, which is expected to be operational mid-September this year.The vessel will add 1,300TEU extra capacity every week and will complement the existing coastal service provided by Pacifica Shipping’s MV Moana Chief, a 1,700TEU ship, which has been operating since August 2019.Country Manager for Pacifica Shipping and Swire Shipping New Zealand Brodie Stevens, said the service…

U.S.-headquartered offshore support vessels (OSV) owner Tidewater Inc. on Friday announced it has completed its acquisition of Singapore's Swire Pacific Offshore Holdings Limited (SPO), creating the industry’s largest OSV fleet.The $190 million transaction adds 50 vessels to the Tidewater fleet, which now stands at more than 200 vessels in total, including crew boats, tug boats and maintenance vessels.SPO, now formerly a subsidiary of Swire Pacific Limited, will operate under the Tidewater brand name.

Offshore services firm Swire Energy Services (SES) said it has been awarded a contract from wind farm operator Ørsted for a routine maintenance campaign off the U.K. coast for Summer 2022.The new contract will see SES provide services including blade maintenance and the provision of service operation vessel (SOV) and crew transfer vessel (CTV) logistics for two of Ørsted’s wind farms off the coast of Cumbria.The contract is one of the first major blade service scopes SES has won since it acquired wind service company ALL NRG in August of 2021…

Since the acquisition of ALL NRG in August 2021, Swire Energy Services Wind division has seen several new senior appointments, with the most recent being that of Jan Harrestrup as Head of Commercial.Leading the commercial team, Harrestrup will be responsible for global business development, contract management and sales, in addition to procurement and the general management of SES Danish entity, Swire Energy Services A/S.Prior to his appointment Harrestrup held the role of Head of Sales with B&R Automation Danmark.

Tongues are wagging in the offshore sector, as one of the longest-running rumors in the market has finally come true. U.S. offshore vessel owner Tidewater Marine has acquired Singapore's Swire Pacific Offshore for USD 190 million, the company’s biggest powerplay since its acquisition of GulfMark Offshore back in 2018.But why SPO, and why now? In this article, VesselsValue's Head of Offshore, Rob Day, seeks to answer these questions and provide commentary on why this long-time…

Offshore service vessels owner Tidewater has signed a partnership agreement with Tero Marine to provide consultancy services and the fleetwide implementation of Tero Marine’s TM Master fleet management software suite.The move is part of Tidewater's wider initiative aiming to transform its fleet to global systems and processes, create efficiencies through automation, digitalization to connect and integrate onshore and offshore, and scalability to optimize fleet efficiency for new acquisitions.

Algoma Central Corporation and Nova Marine announced their global short sea shipping joint venture NovaAlgoma has acquired five secondhand bulk carrier vessels, including three cement carriers from KGJ Cement in Northern Europe and two handy-size bulk carriers from Swire Bulk Holdings Pte. Ltd. of Singapore.“We carefully consider each opportunity for growth and these vessel purchases fit perfectly into our long-term plan for sustaining a profitable business alongside our partners at Nova Marine,“ said Gregg Ruhl, President and CEO of Algoma Central Corporation.

U.S.-based offshore support vessel owner Tidewater said Wednesday it had agreed to acquire Swire Pacific Offshore Holdings Limited (SPO), a subsidiary of Swire Pacific Limited for around $190 million. Tidewater said the transaction would create the industry’s largest fleet of offshore support vessels with 203 vessels in total, including crew boats, tug boats and maintenance vessels. "SPO’s fleet of 50 OSVs consists of 29 AHTS vessels and 21 PSVs; pro forma for the transaction…

Nova Marina Carriers, the Lugano based shipping company (controlled by the Romeo and Bolfo/Gozzi families), confirmed the purchase of two new 39,000 dwt bulk carriers, presently owned by the Swire China Navigation group in Hong Kong. These new vessels are due to be delivered to the company shortly; the first in the next few days on the U.S., and the second In April in the Far East.These ships were built in 2013 and 2014 and will join the 80 vessels Nova Marine fleet, with seven other ships in the fleet holding similar characteristics, including EEXI engines. The new vessels will be renamed Sider Athena and the second Sider Evamaria.

Cadeler CEO Mikkel Gleerup shares insights on the path ahead for his company in the fast-growing offshore wind sector, with details on Cadeler’s new X-Class Wind Turbine Installation Vessels.The last two years were big year for your company, with a name change from Swire Blue Ocean and IPO at the end of 2020 and a rebranding through 2021. What was the rationale for these moves?We rebranded from Swire Blue Ocean to Cadeler end of 2020 to demonstrate that this was a separation from Swire.