The Spa News

French energy giant TotalEnergies and Oman National Oil Company (OQ) have reached the final investment decision (FID) on the Marsa LNG project, which will feature an LNG plant completely powered by renewable energy that will produce LNG for use as a marine fuel for maritime transportation.Through their joint company Marsa Liquefied Natural Gas (Marsa), TotalEnergies (80%) and OQ (20%) have launched the integrated Marsa LNG project which combines upstream gas production, downstream gas liquefaction…

SunStone Maritime Group has announced the long-term summer charter of the Infinity vessel, Ocean Victory, with a new client.From April 2025, the Ocean Victory will be trading in the Mediterranean Sea during northern hemisphere summer seasons for Spanish luxury cruise operator, Alma Cruceros.Alma Cruceros is a Spanish operator planning itineraries covering Spanish destinations in the Mediterranean, as well as Northern and Western Africa and the Canary Islands. The cruise product will be designed for Spanish speaking passengers in all areas from music…

Virginia-class submarines, an aircraft carrier and frigates being built for the U.S. Navy are now years behind schedule because of skilled labor shortages, design issues, and supply chain challenges stemming from the pandemic, the Navy said on Tuesday.U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro in January ordered a comprehensive review to examine national and local causes of the challenges to shipbuilding with Tuesday's results showing that five classes of ships being built for the U.S.

Woodside has signed a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) for the long-term supply of LNG to Korea.The SPA provides for the supply of approximately 0.5 million tonnes per annum of LNG for a period of 10.5 years on a delivered basis, commencing in 2026 subject to customary conditions precedent.LNG delivered to KOGAS under the SPA will be sourced from uncommitted volumes across Woodside’s global portfolio, including the Scarborough Energy Project which is targeting first LNG cargo in 2026.Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill said the SPA was significant as Woodside’s first l

SunStone Maritime Group announced it has secured multi-year charters for two of its expedition cruise ships.The deals are for SunStone's Infinity Class vessels Ocean Explorer and the Ocean Odyssey, both built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) and delivered in 2021 and 2022 respectively.Under its new charter agreement, Ocean Explorer will return to polar cruising in October 2024 for SunStone's long-term client Quark Expeditions. The vessel, which ran aground in a remote part of Greenland last year…

Brunvoll’s will invest $10m in new production technology: One large machining center for gearbox housings were ordered for the factory in Volda. The other machine on order is a large combination turning and machining center for the factory in Molde. The machines will be delivered by the supplier PAMA S.P.A in Q1 2025. PAMA is an Italian company with a 90-year long history of delivering medium to large machines with high requirements to rigidity and shares the same passion as Brunvoll…

The steel cutting ceremony for the seventh and final vessel in the Infinity series of expedition cruise ships took place at the Haimen shipyard of China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI).The PC6 expedition cruise ship, yet to be named, will embark on a long-term charter upon its delivery, the ship is technically identical to the rest of the Infinity vessels.The Infinity-class newbuilds, featuring up to 95 passenger cabins, each equipped with bathrooms and most with balconies, promise an immersive and comfortable experience for travellers.

Burger Boat Company and yacht designer Evan K. Marshall have collaborated on the Burger 142 Atrium Motor Yacht, a vessel the companies say combines impeccable design and cutting-edge technology in a stunning 142-foot masterpiece.The inspiration behind the design was to establish an extraordinary centerpiece within the yacht's interior. With the Atrium, Marshall has successfully crafted a multi-story grand entrance that has never been seen on a yacht of this size. This distinctive feature will captivate the owner and their guests…

U.S.-based LNG firm Excelerate Energy has signed a long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with the Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla). Petrobangla has agreed to purchase 0.85 to 1.0 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG from Excelerate for a term of 15 years beginning January 2026. Excelerate will deliver 0.85 MTPA of LNG in 2026 and 2027 and 1 MTPA from 2028 to 2040.Excelerate first opened the Bangladesh market to LNG in 2018 with the development of its integrated Moheshkhali LNG floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminal.

Italian energy company Axpo has signed a 10-year deal to charter an LNG bunkering vessel which is expected to begin operations in 2025.The agreement has been signed with Italy’s Gas and Heat SpA and the San Giorgio del Porto shipyard. The vessel will be built in the San Giorgio’s shipyard in Piombino, Italy, and will have a capacity of up to 7,500 cubic metres. In the future, the ship could also transport bio-LNG and ammonia. Active off the coast of Naples, the vessel will provide ship-to-ship bunkering as well as ship-to-truck transfer of LNG to tanker trucks onshore…

BP will defend its rights "to the absolute fullest" in an arbitration case against U.S. exporter Venture Global LNG over failing to supply contracted cargoes, Chief Executive Officer Bernard Looney said on Tuesday.Oil companies Shell SHEL.L and have separately filed for arbitration against Venture Global LNG over failing to supply contracted cargoes, even as it sold to non-contract customers while prices were soaring."You can expect us to defend our legal rights to the absolute fullest…

Equinor and Cheniere announced a new 15-year purchase agreement of around 1.75 million tons of LNG per year, with half of the volume starting from 2027. This agreement brings the total volumes that Equinor has contracted with Cheniere up to around 3.5 million tonnes per year.This new Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Cheniere will double the volumes of LNG that Equinor will export out of Cheniere’s LNG terminals on the U.S. Gulf coast.

QatarEnergy’s LNG trading arm, QatarEnergy Trading, has signed a long-term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) to supply about 1.8 million tons per annum (MTPA) of LNG to Bangladesh for 15 years, starting in 2026.The SPA signing at QatarEnergy’s Headquarters in Doha, was witnessed by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, and Nasrul Hamid, the state minister for Power…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced it has delivered a new ocean cruise ship for shipowner Viking from its shipyard in Ancona.The newly built Viking Saturn will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. Like its sister ships, Viking Saturn is about 47,800 tons, 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers.According to Fincantieri, the “Viking Saturn”, the tenth of this class, has been designed by experienced naval architects and engineers, including an interior design team of Los Angeles-based Rottet Studios and London-based SMC Design…

Exxon Mobil Corp is considering selling its majority stake in Italy's main regasification terminal as part of a wider strategy to divest from non-core assets, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. The Rovigo liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal is owned by Exxon's subsidiary ExxonMobil Italiana Gas (70.7%), QatarEnergy subsidiary Qatar Terminal Company Limited (22%) and Snam Spa SRG.MI (7.3%). Snam, an Italian gas grid operator, has the first right of refusal should a partner decide to divest.

A 655,000-barrel cargo of Venezuelan heavy crude chartered by a unit of Italy's Eni SpA departed on Friday from a port operated by state-run PDVSA, shipping data showed, marking Venezuela's first export to Europe after a three-month pause.Eni and Spain's Repsol SA last year received U.S. authorizations to take Venezuelan oil to Europe as compensation for outstanding debt in an easing of American sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry.But the shipments were allocated intermittently last year. And so far this year most Venezuelan crude exports have been halted during a sweeping audit by new PDVSA boss Pedro Tellechea, who revised contract terms to avoid a series of failed payments by some customers.The Greece-flagged Aframax tanker Minerva Alexandra…

Finnlines will make major investments in its route between Sweden and mainland Finland via Åland during 2023 as the freight and passenger shipping company continues to bounce back from the pandemic slowdown.The company announced on Tuesday that it is introducing two new Superstar cargo-passenger vessels as part of general plans for increasing passenger comfort on the Kapellskär–Långnäs–Naantali route, with the first ro-pax vessel set to start operating on the route in autumn 2023.The new vessels Finnsirius and Finncanopus are part of Finnlines EUR 500 million investment program…

A $75-million superyacht linked to a sanctioned Russian steel billionaire was auctioned on Tuesday in Gibraltar, court sources said, in what is understood to be the first sale of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.The Axioma was granted entry into Gibraltarian waters and then impounded by the authorities in March after U.S. bank JP Morgan said its alleged owner Dmitry Pumpyansky had reneged on the terms of a $20 million loan.The 72.5-metre vessel is being auctioned by the Gibraltar Admiralty Court. It was listed for one day, with closed bids to be sent electronically by midday on Tuesday, a court spokesman said.Nigel Hollyer…

SunStone Maritime Group A/S took delivery of two Infinity class ships -- Sylvia Earle and Ocean Odyssey -- from the CMHI Shipyard in Haimen, China. The pair are the fourth and the fifth of the Infinity class delivered from China Merchant Heavy Industries, and both will be on long-term, year-round charter: the SYLVIA EARLE with Aurora Expeditions, and the OCEAN ODYSSEY with Vantage Deluxe World Travel.The Infinity series of ships represents a collaboration between European design and technology and Chinese shipbuilding.Infinity class ships measure 104 x 18m with a 5.1m draft.

The 10-year-old Viking Grace returned to operate between Turku and Stockholm on February 12 as a better and climate-smarter version of itself. During its three-week visit to the dock, new technology to reduce fuel consumption was installed and the interior refurbished. Some 5,000 square meters of old carpet and bags and bags of textiles were recycled.Viking Grace has spent the last three weeks at the dry dock in Odense, Denmark, where an extensive refurbishment and maintenance…

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean Group (RCL.N) on Thursday reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss as bookings rebounded and travelers splurged on cabanas, spa treatments and watches while onboard.The world's second-largest cruise line operator is the latest company to report good results as travelers, free of restrictions related to COVID-19, spend heavily on rental cars, airline tickets and hotels."Despite concerns about the U.S. and global economy, high inflation and amid geopolitical uncertainty…

 Saudi Arabia's defense ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Spanish state-owned Navantia company on Wednesday to build multi-mission combat ships for the Saudi Navy, the Saudi state news agency (SPA) reported early on Thursday."The MoU aims to raise the level of readiness of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces to enhance maritime security in the region, and protect the vital and strategic interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,"  it said.According to the agreement, the Spanish company "would localize up to 100% of naval shipbuilding, integration of combat systems, and ship main

QatarEnergy has signed a 27-year deal to supply China's Sinopec with liquefied natural gas (LNG), the longest such LNG agreement so far as volatile markets drive buyers to seek long-term deals. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, competition for LNG has become intense, with Europe in particular needing vast amounts to help replace Russian pipeline gas that used to make up almost 40% of the continent's imports."Today is an important milestone for the first sales and purchase agreement (SPA) for North Field East project…