Terminal Projects News

There is no denying that 2023 was a challenging year for the U.S. offshore wind market. Citing macroeconomic factors including high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks, Ørsted announced on October 31 that they were ceasing the development of the Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects, which were scheduled for construction off the coast of New Jersey. Unfortunately, the troubling news has continued into the new year, with Equinor and BP announcing on…

Dutch energy company VTTI said on Monday it plans to build a new floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Netherlands with capacity to import 5 billion cubic meters of gas annually. On Friday the Dutch government said it was in talks with two different groups over new LNG terminals to increase Dutch import capacity by 5-8 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually as it seeks to ensure the country's energy security. Rotterdam-based VTTI said in a statement it was "striving"…

Operating on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from day one in service, the MV George III, the first of Pasha Group’s two new ‘Ohana Class’, Jones Act-qualified containerships, features a state-of-the-art engine, an optimized hull form, and an underwater propulsion system with a high-efficiency rudder and propeller. George III is the first LNG-powered vessel to fuel on the West Coast and the first to serve Hawaii. The 774-ft. Jones Act vessel surpasses the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2030 emission standards for ocean vessels.

Japanese shipping transport company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a charter deal with Hong Kong LNG Terminal Limited for a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).The FSRU would be used for the Hong Kong Offshore LNG Terminal Project (HKOLNG Project), which is a joint venture established by  Castle Peak Power Company Limited (CAPCO) and The Hongkong Electric Co., Ltd. (HK Electric).The FSRU vessel will be used for receiving, storing, and regasifying LNG for the supply of natural gas to CAPCO and HK Electric for power generation through two separate subsea gas pipelines.MOL will also be responsible for providing operations…

Sentinel Midstream LLC has secured shipper commitments needed to move forward on a proposed $1 billion crude export terminal off the Texas coast, the company's chief executive said on Wednesday.The firm's Texas GulfLink project is one of eight proposed U.S. deepwater export projects seeking to load supertankers that carry up to 2 million barrels of crude. Sentinel last week became the fifth to apply for federal permits.Sentinel's offshore facility could begin operations in early 2020 and load up to 2 million bpd from single-point mooring buoys in deepwaters 30 miles off Freeport…

When enough to meet the need is not enough to get the help.From my office window in downtown St. Louis, I can see a dramatic illustration of the inefficiency in how our country moves freight. My office faces east, and I look down on a stretch of Interstate 70, that major east-west highway that runs from Baltimore to Interstate 15 in Utah. It is not unusual to see the traffic on this highway heavily congested, even at a standstill at times. This congested traffic usually includes many tractor-trailer trucks.

Following years in the pricing doldrums, LNG is hot again, with business prospects for floating production and regasification looking strong through 2023. We talk to Jim McCaul of International Maritime Associates (IMA) for his insights, as he is fresh off of a 12-month stint investigating the market in depth."We wanted to take a fresh look at the market, to identify opportunities both in the production and regassification of LNG" is how McCaul, founder of IMA, best describes his team’s 12-month effort to study and report on the industry.

The liquefied natural gas market is growing every year, but the terminals that ship and receive the fuel are shrinking. The booming sector's next-generation infrastructure is being designed for a emerging-market buyers that want smaller volumes on shorter, more flexible contracts. LNG export terminals, where the gas is liquefied and put on vessels for shipping, have traditionally been massive, custom-built facilities that cost tens of billions of dollars. And so to justify the investment, they have typically required equally massive, long-term supply deals, often lasting a decade or more. Numerous terminal projects on the horizon, by contrast…

Qatar Gas Transport Company and Norwegian shipping business Hoegh LNG have embarked on a joint project to open new markets for Qatar to sell its liquefied natural gas (LNG) via floating import terminals. Hoegh LNG, a developer of floating LNG import terminals, expects to start work on the import terminal project in a matter of months, CEO Sveinung Stohle told Reuters. Stohle said Hoegh LNG and Qatar Gas Transport Company, which operates a large fleet of LNG tankers, are evaluating countries in which they could establish a floating terminal, naming South America and south-east Asia as attractive prospects. Top LNG producer Qatar, which is in the midst of a diplomatic crisis that erupted when Saudi Arabia and other Arab states cut diplomatic and transport links with Doha in early June…

COSCO Shipping Ports and Qingdao Port International (QPI) announced to enter into the Transaction Agreement, pursuant to which COSCO Shipping Ports will make strategic investment in QPI. Taking the proposed New H Share Issurance plan of QPI into consideration, the Subscription Shares will represent approximately 16.82% of the issued share capital of QPI, and COSCO Shipping Ports’ shareholding in QPI will increase to approximately 18.41% in total. Shanghai China Shipping Terminal Development Co., Ltd. (SCSTD), a wholly-owned subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Ports, will subscribe for 1,015,520,000 non-circulating domestic shares in QPI at a total consideration of approximately RMB 5.8 billion (equivalent to RMB5.71 per share)…

South Africa’s ports are ramping up for another busy cruise season with at least14 luxury cruise lines and 20 vessels of varying sizesset to ferry international and domestic tourists across the country’s port cities. The 2016/17 South African cruise season kicks off on 1 November.MSC SINFONIA – the largest and most popular cruise ship in the local cruise calendar –will be a highlight when she arrives in her homeport of Durban in the early hours of Tuesday, 1 November on a journey from Venice, Italy, carrying 2600 European and South African passengers. The ship has been accommodated at the Port of Durban’s longer M berth since last year after being lengthened by 24 metres and undergoing a multi-million Euro revamp.

On July 15, 2016, Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) signed a syndicated loan facility worth AUD 398 million (approximately USD 300 million) with seven leading global financial institutions, namely: Citibank N.A., KFW IPEX-Bank, Standard Chartered Bank as Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners, Bank of China Limited, DBS Bank Ltd., Investec Bank PLC as Mandated Lead Arrangers, and Cathay United Bank as Lead Arranger. The facility provides significant financial flexibility with long-dated tenors of 7, 10, and 16 years. Finnvera, the Finland based export credit agency, also participated in the transaction by providing a guarantee for a portion of the facility.

The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved a $1.17 billion fiscal year (FY) 2016/17 annual budget for the Port of Los Angeles. As in years past, budget allocations closely align and support the four key objectives of the Port’s 2012-2017 Strategic Plan, which include: development of a world-class infrastructure that promotes growth; implementation of an efficient, secure and environmentally sustainable supply chain; improved financial performance of Port assets; and strengthened relationships with Port stakeholders. “Our Port Strategic Plan has been a great tool to keep us consistently focused and committed to our infrastructure and operational priorities,” said Ambassador Vilma Martinez, Harbor Commission President.

South Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has ordered two seawater/propane based regasification modules from Wärtsilä. The systems are to be installed on floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) vessels owned by Höegh LNG, the Norway based owner and operator of floating energy solutions, and by Russian energy company Gazprom. The contracts, which were signed in July, also include an option for a further contract from HHI for another Höegh vessel that is valid until December of this year. Both regasification systems are modularized for easy installation and will be supplied with seawater filter and steam/seawater heating modules, Wärtsilä said.

After 10 years of diplomatic negotiation, the UN P5+1 countries (the U.S., the U.K., France, China, Russia and Germany) reached an agreement to unwind economic sanctions on Iran in return for significant international control and surveillance over its nuclear activities. The deal will revive foreign investment in Iran, as Western IOCs renew pre-sanction projects, notes energy industry market research and consulting company Douglas-Westwood (DW), who adds Brent dropped $1.15 to $56.70/bbl on the back of the announcement, with markets fearing a worsening of the global supply glut. Iran holds the world’s fourth-largest oil reserves and second-largest gas reserves, while being the second largest OPEC producer after Saudi Arabia.

The annual Terminal Operators Conference (TOC) in Europe was held June 9-11 in Rotterdam with over 4000 people attending the conference supply chain sessions, Tech TOC, Bulk TOC venues and exhibits. Alex Duca, head of design and automation for APM Terminals called for a sensor revolution. “We want to have sensors everywhere - on all moving equipment, on all operational interfaces and transfer points. Sensors give us data power and metrics - so we can make things better and improve services. A whole new world of equipment intelligence opens to us all. When you extend this capability across the port ecosystem we make quantum leaps in the business and the supply chain. We make our customers stronger, our companies better and our jobs more important - each of us has a role to play”.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, will introduce yet another port industry first during the upcoming TOC Europe exhibition in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. On 9 June, ONE is coming. Automation is widely accepted as the way towards improved productivity, safety and competitiveness in today's container terminals. However, it is often perceived as a difficult task that requires terminal operators to integrate multiple complex systems. "We believe that the port industry is at the start of the next big wave of automation. Kalmar and Navis, as global technology leaders in this field, are strongly contributing to this transformation and addressing the industry's challenges.

PT. Pelabuhan Indonesia II (Persero) (“IPC”), Mitsui & Co, Ltd. (“Mitsui”), Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (“NYK Line”) and PSA International Pte Ltd (“PSA”) have agreed to jointly participate in the construction and operation of a new container terminal at Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta, Indonesia. This new terminal will be developed and operated by the newly established project company PT New Priok Container Terminal One (“NPCT1”). The Republic of Indonesia has in recent years experienced dramatic economic growth accompanied by a rapid increase in container traffic. Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port is the most important and largest port in Indonesia, handling the majority of Indonesia’s international container traffic.

The American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) 2013 Cruise Seminar in San Francisco, April 24-26, will kick off with a candid look inside the cruise industry from the perspective of four key cruise line executives and end with a tour of the Port of San Francisco to see the impact of the America’s Cup on port operations. In between these bookend sessions, seminar participants will be treated to a host of presentations ranging from new international regulations on ship air emissions to itinerary planning, cruise facility design, financing and joint-use terminal opportunities.

Konecranes has signed an agreement to deliver an Automated RTG (ARTG) system to Indonesian state-owned terminal operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III (Persero), (“Pelindo III”). This will be the world’s first commercially operational Automated RTG system. The order comprises 11 ARTG cranes, Remote Operating Stations (ROSs) and container yard automation infrastructure such as intelligent container stack gates. Delivery is scheduled for 2015. The parties involved have agreed not to disclose the value of the order. The government of Indonesia is building a nationwide freight transport system to improve the movement of goods through the country’s vast waterways. As part of this program, Pelindo III will extend its Terminal Petikemas Semarang (TPKS) in Semarang, Central Java.

The Harbor Commissioner's Fiscal 2013-14 Budget Includes $399.9-million capital expenditure to improve cargo flow and dfficiency. The Los Angeles Harbor Commission has adopted a 2013-14 fiscal year (FY) budget of approximately $1.1 billion for the Port of Los Angeles, including one of the largest annual Capital Improvement Programs -- $399.9 million or 37% of the total budget -- in Port history. The budget supports more than 8,500 jobs, 6,870 of which are attributable to construction project spending in the coming fiscal year which begins July 1.

Classification society ABS said it has taken another step to meet industry needs with the formation of the ABS Global Gas Solutions Team to leverage the organization's LNG and LPG capabilities. This group of experienced gas professionals will work alongside owners, shipyards and equipment manufacturers to provide an extensive range of services to this growing market. "The discovery of new gas resources around the world and the exciting potential for wide-scale adoption of gas as a marine fuel are leading to a dynamic shift in the global marketplace," says ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J.

Floating production has been one of the most significant developments in the oil and gas industry over the past four decades. Since the first floating production unit (Argyll) was installed in 1975, more than 350 offshore fields too deep, too remote or too small for fixed platforms have been developed using floating production facilities. Looking forward, the future of the sector continues to look very promising, but some barriers and threats to growth have appeared. Three hundred and twenty (320) oil/gas floating production units are now in service…