Valles News

Angad Banga of the Caravel Group was elected as new Chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSOA). He succeeded Wellington Koo, of Valles Steamship Co., Ltd, who stepped down after completing his two-year term as Chairman of the HKSOA.Banga has also taken over the Chairmanship of Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) at the same time. Banga’s tenure as Chairman of ASA will come to an end on the day of ASA’s next AGM to be held in Hong Kong on 28 May 2024.

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…

The Hong Kong and Vancouver-based shipowner Valles Steamship has ordered a new 112,000 dwt crude oil tanker from South Korea’s Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering (SHIME).Ship set to be fitted with a scrubber and will enter the market before the end of 2020, said a release from Valles, which was founded by C.S. Koo in Shanghai as a family business in 1917."We take great pleasure in concluding a newbuilding contract with the esteemed yard and the we look forward to further strengthening their relationship with SHIME," said the statement.The newbuild Aframax will join seven other Aframaxes in Valles Steamship’s fleet. Other ships operated by the company include Panamax bulkers and medium and long range product tankers.

The Vancouver International Maritime Centre (VIMC) is on a mission to grow the city and port into one of the world’s premiere maritime centers. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News recently spoke with Kaity Arsoniadis-Stein, Executive Director of the newly re-established VIMC, for her insights on the pace and direction of the initiative. Let’s start out easily. Why Vancouver? Why now? Why Vancouver? Projections and studies indicate that global trade will increase and shift to the Pacific due to the demand of resources by China and India.

Drydocks World received a high-level delegation of the Council members from the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO) on 11 November. The delegation included Mr. Olav Eek Thorstensen, MD & CEO of Thome Shipmanagement, Ms. Ann-Marie Astrom, Vice Chairman of the Rederi AB Gotland. The delegation also included members of the board: Mr. Derya Sabaz, COO / Co-owner of v Besiktas Likid AS, Mr. Takis E. Koutris, Managing Director of Roxana Shipping SA, Mr. Tim Horne, Managing Director of Teekay, Mr. Wellington Koo, Executive Director of Valles Shipping and Mr. Erik Ranheim, Staff Member of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO). The delegation met senior management and operational figures in the Drydocks World group, led by Eng.

At the 150th Annual Meeting of the Members of ABS, three industry leaders were elected to the ABS Council. Following the Annual Meeting, the ABS Council met and elected industry leaders to both its Marine and Offshore Technical Committees. Individuals serving on the ABS Council and the Technical Committees help guide the class society in fulfilling its mission of promoting the security of life, property and the natural environment. “Classification represents the concept of self-regulation for the marine and offshore industry,” said ABS President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki.

ABS Nautical Systems opened offices in Vancouver, BC Canada and Shanghai, China as part of the company’s continued efforts to expand its global footprint. The Vancouver office will serve local clients including Teekay Corporation, Seaspan Ship Management Ltd., and Valles, while handling all Pacific Northwest operations, spanning from Northern California to Canada including Alaska. ABS Nautical Systems has also opened an office in Shanghai to service maritime companies within China. Shanghai has a strong maritime presence and has ranked first of the world's busiest cargo ports and as such, ABS Nautical Systems foresees a large growth opportunity in this market.

At the recent ABS Council meeting in N.Y., 40 prominent members of the shipping and offshore industries were elected as new members of the international classification society. The ABS Council also elected two new members to the society’s Technical Committee. “ABS governance is vested in a membership comprised of distinguished individuals drawn from the international shipping, shipbuilding and offshore industries, from academia, the insurance sector and other related disciplines,” said ABS Chairman and CEO Robert D. Somerville. Akimitsu Ashida, President, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. Noel L. Captain Ali M. Belhag, Chairman, GNMTC – General National Maritime Transport Co. Joseph L. Takatoshi Funada, President, Funada Kaiun Co., Ltd. Kevin M.

Rapidly rising prices for steel plate in China may be taking the edge off the financial performance at some Chinese shipbuilders. But it will take a lot more than that to undermine shipyards' dramatic expansion plans aimed at ensuring the country's builders produce more ships than any other nation by 2015. In the short run, however, the country's relatively inexperienced builders seem to have failed to read the steel supply signs. They have found themselves caught out by a number of factors driving up ship steel prices. These have risen by almost 60% over the last 30 months or so and now stand close to $400 a ton. On the one hand, soaring…

Christopher J. Wiernicki was elected to the ABS Board of Directors by the ABS Council following the Annual Meeting of the members of the international classification society. Wiernicki was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of ABS on January 1. He is also an elected Corporate Officer of the society. Prior to his current appointment, Wiernicki served as President and COO of ABS Europe Ltd, the Division of the society responsible for activities throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Wiernicki has also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for ABS and as President and Chief Operating Officer of ABSG Consulting Inc., an affiliate of ABS and the principal operating subsidiary of ABS Group of Companies, Inc.