Veracruz News

AET, a member of the MISC Group, held a naming ceremony in Singapore for its latest liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel very large crude carrier (VLCC), Eagle Veracruz.The Singapore-flagged 300,000 dwt tanker was named by Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) Grace Fu, who is also the Lady Sponsor of the vessel. The ceremony, which was held at the PSA Keppel Terminal, also saw attendance by Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and senior officials from MSE…

The Singapore Registry of Ships (SRS) surpassed the 100 million gross tonnage (GT) milestone, with the registration of AET’s Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), Eagle Veracruz, on January 23, 2024.SRS is administered by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Established in 1966 and administering about 4,000 vessels aggregating over 100 million gross tonnage, the SRS is among the world’s largest ship registries with one of the youngest quality fleets.Eagle Veracruz, is a dual-fuelled LNG VLCC named after the Mexican state of Veracruz where one of the oldest ports in Mexico is located…

Three new cutter suction dredgers (CSD) built in the Netherlands by Damen Dredging Equipment (DDE) were commissioned in the harbor of Veracruz, Mexico, for SEMAR.The three CSD250s are not the first Damen dredgers to be operated by SEMAR. Over the past few years, Damen has delivered a number of CSD500s, a CSD450 and a CSD650. All of these dredgers operate on an array of projects along both coastlines of Mexico.“It has been a pleasure to renew our cooperation with SEMAR,” Horacio Delgado Bravo, sales manager at Damen Shipyards states.

Cuba has begun using its own tankers to ramp up crude imports from Mexico, which in the second quarter surpassed Russia as a key oil provider to the fuel-thirsty island, according to vessel monitoring data.Following days-long lines to fill drivers' tanks and power blackouts, the communist-run nation saddled with harsh U.S. economic sanctions has broadened its sources of oil imports in a move to ease fuel scarcity, replenish stocks and reduce dependence on its traditional and largest supplier, Venezuela. Washington has also sanctioned Venezuela's oil industry since 2019 over election-fraud claims.Mexico has emerged as a top provider, sending oil on a vessel owned by state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and ships managed by Cuba.

Mexico plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export hub worth between $4 billion and $5 billion in the Gulf of Mexico that will help serve European demand, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday.The planned LNG facility in the port of Coatzacoalcos, in the eastern state of Veracruz, would transport gas by boat to Europe, Lopez Obrador said."We're about to promote private sector involvement, it's going to be an investment of $4-5 billion this plant," he told a regular news conference.Lopez Obrador had previously floated the idea of an LNG plant in Coatzacoalcos, alongside

Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC has delivered a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) to SEMAR (Secretaria de Marina) at the Port of Veracruz in Mexico. The Bahia San Carlos dredger, of the n Easydredge 2700 type, was built from stock at the Krimpen aan de IJssel and Kinderdijk shipyards in the Netherlands. Being built from the stock program allowed Royal IHC to comply with SEMAR’s request for an ultra-short delivery time, the Dutch company said.Following successful sea trials in the North Sea in October…

Mexico will send two navy ships loaded with food and medical supplies to Cuba, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blamed the U.S. embargo for fomenting the biggest unrest in Cuba in decades.The ships will leave the port of Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, taking syringes, oxygen tanks, and masks along with powdered milk, cans of tuna, beans, flour, cooking oil, and gasoline.The shipments exemplify Mexico's policy of "international…

A crew member aboard a Cuba-flagged oil tanker on its way from a Mexican shipyard to Venezuela was reported missing this week, according to a shipping report seen by Reuters, marking the second incident aboard the same vessel in about a year.Sailor Rafael Desiderio Martinez Alonso was not found last Sunday by the doctor onboard oil tanker Petion, which set sail on May 6 from Mexico's port of Veracruz bound for the Cardon terminal in Venezuela's western coast.The report by the tanker's shipping agency to Venezuelan port authorities about the incident said Martinez Alonso, who was one the tanker's fitters, is believed to have fallen into open waters because his shoes were found near the ship's gas plant.

Three Cuban-flagged tankers that are under U.S. sanctions for transporting Venezuelan oil to the Communist-run island have been serviced in the port of Veracruz on Mexico's Gulf coast, according to vessel tracking data and industry sources.The maintenance work on the vessels—one of which was serviced as recently as this month—is a potential breach of sanctions on Venezuela, two lawyers who specialize in U.S. sanctions said.However, the United States has in the past not brought enforcement actions against shipyards for doing work on blacklisted vessels from those countries, according to U.S. Treasury Department data.Under U.S. law, companies and individuals are prohibited from materially assisting sanctioned entities.

Mexican authorities said on Sunday they had confiscated a vessel in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz and a warehouse in neighboring Tabasco along with storage tanks and trucks used by criminal groups to steal, transport and store hydrocarbons.Fuel theft has been a problem in Mexico for decades but President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has enacted a range of measures to stamp out the practice and crush corruption and organized crime.State oil company Petroleos Mexicanos said in a recent presentation that an estimated 106 billion pesos ($5.02 billion) had been saved since Lopez Obrador took office in December 2018.Various anonymous complaints about criminal groups siphoning off hydrocarbons from pipelines in the area led to the operation…

An offshore supply vessel was reportedly attacked offshore Mexico on Friday, July 24, in an incident that was described as a "violent armed boarding and robbery of personal belongings."The maritime safety intelligence company Dryad said Monday that the offshore supply vessel Natalie was boarded while conducting operations in the vicinity of the ODIN Offshore platform 12nm NE of Coatzacoalcos."It is understood that the vessel was boarded early morning within hours of darkness. A channel 16 broadcast received from the vessel stated “We would like to inform you that at this moment pirates are getting on board the ship NATALIE which is near the ODIN platform…

The azimuth tugs SAAM Huasteca and SAAM Valparaíso, both owned by SAAM Towage, reached the ports of Veracruz and Colón, respectively, and will soon complete the process of registering and being licensed to operate.SAAM Huasteca is designed to perform escort functions, as required for large container ships to best enter the recently inaugurated northern area at the port of Veracruz, Mexico. It was built in Vietnam at the DAMEN SONGCAM shipyard, part of  the Dutch Damen Shipyards Group…

Mammoet, a Dutch company specialized in engineered heavy lifting and transport of over-sized and heavy objects, said that its  team has successfully completed the second phase of the relocation of several shipping container cranes for Hutchison Ports ICAVE as part of a planned port expansion in Veracruz, Mexico.Mammoet used 56 axle lines of SPMT to transport two ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and ten rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs). The completion of the crane relocations has increased the port’s capacity to more than 95 million tons. According to the company, the biggest challenge faced by the team was the execution of the moves during the ‘North Winds’, which are seasonal winds that hit the region regularly from November to February.

In August 2019 Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract with SAAM Towage for the delivery of an ASD Tug 2813 to SAAM Mexico for operations in the port of Veracruz. This order is the latest milestone in a business relationship spanning several decades and involving numerous vessels.Due to an existing relationship built on previous shared success, SAAM Towage approached Damen sales manager Ezequiel Najmias with a possible order. Ezequiel used the opportunity to invite SAAM Towage representatives to visit the Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam.

Hamburg Süd christened the “Polar Mexico” container ship in the Mexican port of Veracruz on the weekend.The sponsor of the “Polar Mexico” is Claudia Dávila, wife of Carlos Ayala, Logistics and Distribution Director of Alpek Polyester, which is a subsidiary of the Alfa Group, one of the largest corporate groups in Mexico.The Mexican economy is strong in the fruit sector as well as in other industries with high import and export volumes, such as automobile manufacturing, chemicals and brewing.

The second in a planned series of interactive workshops to prepare countries for a wide range of potential threats and security situations has been held, in Veracruz, Mexico (26-27 February).The interactive Port Facility Security/Port Security Officer Tabletop Exercise was run by International Maritime Organization (IMO) in collaboration with the Organization of American States Inter American Committee Against Terrorism (OAS-CICTE), following a successful pilot in Panama 2018.According to a press note from the UN body, participants in Mexico took part in a simulation exercise, designed to allow port facility security officers to develop their decision making skills in different situations…

The Pure Car & Truck Carrier Grande Halifax, owned and operated by the Grimaldi Group, has been christened yesterday in Halifax, New Scotia. Godmother of the new vessel was Ms. Karen Oldfield, President and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority. A ceremony took place at Halterm/Autoport with the presence of a distinguished delegation composed of representatives of civil and maritime authorities, among which the mayor of Halifax Michael Savage, Members of Parliament, the honorary consul of Italy in Halifax Marilisa Benigno, port operators, shippers, managers of the Grimaldi Group and of its daughter company ACL (Atlantic Container Line).

Being prepared in the event of a major maritime security incident is essential. To help address this issue, a maritime security training has taken place in Veracruz, Mexico (12-13 July). The International Maritime Organization (IMO) workshop aimed to promote a multi-agency approach to maritime security and law enforcement to improve cooperation among government departments. The event also highlighted the need for an integrated approach to the implementation of SOLAS Chapter XI-2, the ISPS Code and broader security measures. Participants explored a number of hypothetical scenarios related to maritime and port security. The workshop also reviewed existing procedures, particularly roles and responsibilities, with the aim of identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement.

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) is pleased to announce that winners have been selected for its 2019 Ferry Design Competition. The awards will be presented at WFSA’s Ferry Safety and Technology Conference, which will be be held in Bangkok February 20‐22, 2019. In the contest, student teams were tasked with designing a passenger ferry for the Pasig River, the locus of commercial and public activities in Manila. Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, Executive Director of WFSA, had…

Broward County's Port Everglades had a record-setting month in December 2016, logging 104,590 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, the industry's standard measurement for containers), moving through the Port. This is the highest producing month in the Port's nearly 90 -year history, and a 15 percent increase over December 2015. TEU counts at Port Everglades have been climbing since September. "Our customers are bringing in higher volumes of consumer goods such as produce, clothing and household goods as the region's population increases. It's an indication of a strengthening economy," said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steven Cernak. He announced the record TEU count at Florida Governor Rick Scott's 2017 Jobs Summit in Orlando on February 2, 2017.

Hurricane Franklin made landfall on the eastern coast of Mexico in the state of Veracruz, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said early Thursday.   Franklin, a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, is located about 70 miles (115 km) north-northwest of Veracruz with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (140 kmh), the NHC said.   The hurricane is expected to weaken rapidly as it moves farther inland during the next several hours, the Miami-based weather forecaster said.   Reporting by Apeksha Nair

After evaluating performance in 2017, the German shipping line serving sectors such as pharmaceuticals, the automotive industry and the technology sector in Mexico expects maritime shipping volumes to experience double-digit growth in 2018 and foresees a continuous increase in cargo volumes. On holding its annual meeting with Latin American leaders in Mexico, the shipping line Hapag-Lloyd pointed to significant growth in infrastructure and operational capacities in the country on reporting its year-end closing for 2017. This positive development is thanks to the favorable outlook in maritime transport in Mexico and worldwide. During the current year…

The Ocean Alliance has launched its new Day Two Product with an estimated 3.6 million TEU carrying capacity provided by approximately 340 containerships deployed on 41 services. The new offering will commence in April 2018. Alliance partners CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen and OOCL will offer 20 Transpacific services, six Asia-Europe services, four Asia-Mediterranean services, four Transatlantic services, five Asia-Middle East services and two Asia-Red Sea services. “Ocean Alliance has been a fantastic success from a customer perspective since its launch last spring and we are very enthusiastic to announce our Day Two Product,” said Olivier Nivoix, Senior Vice President Ocean Alliance Lines.