Vogel News

Dry bulk shipping companies Star Bulk Carriers and Eagle Bulk Shipping have reached a deal to merge in a $2.1 billion all-stock deal.The terms of the definitive agreement have received unanimous approval from the boards of directors of both New York-listed ocean carriers, and the companes expect the deal to close in the first half of 2024 following approvals from regulators and Eagle shareholder.Eagle shareholders will receive 2.6211 shares of Star Bulk common stock for each share of Eagle common stock owned.

Captain Morgan McManus will serve as the Ship’s Master on the Empire State VII, the first in a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), which at press time was getting its post-sea trial finishing touches at Philly Shipyard. The project to design, build and deliver the NSMV series is one of the most exciting shipbuilding programs in the U.S. – a government shipbuilding project leveraging commercial shipbuilding efficiencies. For insights, we visited with Captain McManus to discuss the ship, it’s technology suite and its role in helping to educate a new generation of U.S.

Stamford, Conn. based dry bulk shipping company Eagle Bulk Shipping on Monday announced it will transfer the listing of its shares from the Nasdaq Global Select Market to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The company said it expects to commence trading as a NYSE-listed company at market open on January 4, 2023 under its existing ticker symbol, “EGLE”. The Company’s shares will continue to trade on the Nasdaq until the market close on January 3, 2023.Eagle's CEO Gary Vogel commented, “We are truly excited to join the New York Stock Exchange and have our shares trade alongside some of the world’s most respected companies, including the majority of our U.S.-listed peers within the maritime/shipping space.

Climate change advocates and seafarers recently gathered for a small conference at the Hudson Valley Maritime Museum in Kingston, N.Y., to discuss the shipping industry’s struggle to achieve sustainability and environmental compliance.The setting, the hamlet of Rondout, N.Y. (within Kingston), holds significance as it was, ironically, a Hudson River port once considered the largest coal port in the world (yes, the world). In 1828, the opening of the Delaware and Hudson Canal enabled coal to be delivered from Pennsylvania to New York City.

On September 14, 2022, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I Committee), Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, held a hearing which indicated a potential revitalization, and new enforcement regime, of U.S.-flag requirements under the Cargo Preference Act of 1954 (the CPA). The hearing occurred on the heels of a Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report regarding the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) lack of COA enforcement, with significant recommendations to revamp oversight by the agency to ensure a growing…

Law firm Cozen O’Connor announced it has promoted 11 members to shareholder including Marine News contributor Jeff Vogel.Vogel focuses his practice on strategic and operational matters affecting the U.S. maritime industry and on government contracts across all industries. In the maritime space, he represents ocean carriers and maritime stakeholders in regulatory and financial matters before government regulatory bodies. In his government contracts practice, he represents clients in the aviation…

U.S. shipowner Eagle Bulk's 2018 decision to outfit the majority of its dry bulk fleet with scrubbers has proven to be an environmentally sound and profitable decision, with an expected payback on investment by the end of 2022.The company's CEO Gary Vogel and Chief Strategy Officer Costa Tsoutsoplides said in a recent trade press interview that Eagle Bulk answered the MARPOL 2020 0.5% emissions ceiling with a $100 million investment to equip 47 ships—89% of its fleet of supramaxes and ultramaxes—with CR Ocean Engineering (CROE) scrubbers.Having already recorded $60 million of fuel savings…

Gary Vogel, chief executive officer of Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc., has been named as the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) Commodore for the year 2022.The 2022 Commodore Award, given each year to a person in the international maritime industry who has contributed to the growth and development of the industry, will be presented on March 31, at the Gala Dinner marking the conclusion of the annual Connecticut Maritime Association conference and expo, in Stamford, Conn..Vogel has served as CEO and director of Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (NASDAQ: EGLE) since September, 2015.

U.S.-based dry bulk shipping company Eagle Bulk Shipping on Thursday announced ithas appointed Costa Tsoutsoplides to the newly created chief strategy officer position. In this role, Tsoutsoplides will have broad responsibilities in developing Eagle’s corporate strategy as well as leading capital markets initiatives and overseeing ESG and investor relations. Tsoutsoplides will also retain his existing responsibilities, including mergers and acquisitions and vessel sale and purchase.Eagle's CEO Gary Vogel said, “I am pleased to announce Costa’s well-deserved promotion.

The U.S.-based dry bulk shipowner Eagle Bulk Shipping said Wednesday it had bought two high-spec 2015-built scrubber-fitted Ultramax bulk carriers for $44 million.The vessels, which will be renamed the M/V Antwerp Eagle and M/V Valencia Eagle, are of the SDARI-64 design and were constructed at Jiangsu Hantong Ship Heavy Industry Co. The company expects to take delivery of both ships during the third quarter of 2021.Eagle Bulk Shipping said it would fund the acquisition will with cash on hand, which includes equity issued under the company’s ATM program.

Eagle Bulk Shipping has acquired two Ultramax bulk carriers, the U.S.-based dry bulk owner-operator announced Tuesday.The first vessel, which was built in 2015 and will be renamed the Helsinki Eagle, has been acquired for $16.5 million. The second vessel, which was built in 2016 and will be renamed the Stockholm Eagle, has been acquired for $17.65 million. Both SDARI-64 scrubber-fitted ships were constructed at Chengxi Shipyard Co. Ltd.Closings are expected during the first quarter of 2021, with the M/V Stockholm Eagle delivering to Eagle in the Atlantic basin.The sales follow the company’s recently-announced acquisition of a similar specification vessel renamed Oslo Eagle.Gary Vogel…

The end of 2019 promises to be a busy, and potentially discordant, legislative and regulatory period for the United States maritime industry as both Congress and the Executive Branch look to take decisive action, with both positive and negative potential impacts depending on your perspective. With appropriation and authorization bills still pending, and various open regulatory actions, there are significant opportunities for maritime stakeholders to influence policy outcomes.Funding Fights Continue in CongressOn October 31…

The US-based dry bulk carrier Eagle Bulk Shipping has joined industry group the Getting to Zero Coalition.The group is an alliance of over 90 companies within the maritime, energy, infrastructure, and finance sectors which are committed to the decarbonization of deep-sea shipping, in line with the International Maritime Organization's greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy and the UNFCC Paris Agreement.Gary Vogel, Eagle Bulk’s CEO, said, “We are constantly working on improving energy and operational efficiencies at Eagle, and while these will continue to be critically important, on their own, they will not be enough to meet the…

Eagle Bulk Shipping (EBS), the US-based fully integrated shipowner-operator engaged in the global transportation of drybulk commodities, announced that is has taken delivery of the sixth and final Ultramax drybulk vessel it agreed to acquire in July.The ship, which has been renamed the M/V Hong Kong Eagle, is a 2016-built, high specification SDARI-64 Ultramax vessel built at Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., said the owner-operator within the Supramax / Ultramax segment.Gary Vogel, Eagle Bulk’s CEO, commented, “We are pleased to have successfully completed our latest round of vessel acquisitions. With a current fleet of 50 Supramax / Ultramax ships…

Searcher Seismic announced the expansion of its modern offshore data library with the completion of its Northern Basins Prospectivity Study in Papua New Guinea.The independent multi-client company providing seismic datasets and associated products to the global oil and gas industry, said that in conjunction with Discover Geoscience, it has compiled the Northern Basins Prospectivity Study following its successful acquisition of the Solomon Sea Broadband Non-Exclusive 2D seismic survey in 2017.The study offers the industry a detailed understanding of the basins and hydrocarbon potential of the region, with extensive coverage of the Cape Vogel…

The US-based shipowner-operator engaged in the global transportation of drybulk commodities, Eagle Bulk Shipping  announced the establishment of a new commercial office in Copenhagen, relocating from its existing base in Hamburg.The Copenhagen office will be led by Mathias Groenvald, who recently joined Eagle Bulk, said a press release from the player in Supramax / Ultramax segment.Groenvald previously served as Senior Vice President, Head of Chartering for Clipper Bulk, and has over 30 years of drybulk industry experience.Gary Vogel, Eagle Bulk's CEO, commented, "Given its significant concentration of drybulk activity, we believe that Copenhagen is the ideal location for our European commercial operations.

American shipowner Eagle Bulk Shipping  has announced that Eagle Bulk Ultraco, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has closed on a new five-year senior secured facility  totaling USD 208.4 million, maturing in 2024. The global transporter of drybulk commodities said that the Facility is secured by 21 vessels, including the M/V Cape Town Eagle which was acquired earlier this month, and includes a term loan of USD 153.4 million and a revolving credit facility of USD 55 million.Gary Vogel, Eagle’s CEO, said: “We are very pleased that the Company continues to secure increasingly attractive debt financing and has increased its financial flexibility in the process.

Mixed Government Support for U.S. Shipbuilding.It has been a busy start to the 116th Congress for the U.S. shipbuilding industry, with three congressional hearings in early March focused on the industry’s role as a critical component of the U.S. national security industrial base. In addition, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, which was signed into law on February 15, contained mixed news for shipbuilding programs. Through the congressional hearings and enacted legislation, two opposing themes have emerged.

Dry bulk shipowner Eagle Bulk Shipping announced this week it will purchase up to 37 exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as scrubbers, from an undisclosed manufacturer as part of its strategy to comply with new regulations that limit ships’ sulphur emissions from 2020.The U.S.-headquartered shipowner said it has placed firm orders for scrubbers to be retrofitted on 19 of its vessels ahead of the January 1, 2020 implementation date of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 0.5 percent sulphur cap rules.

Maritime Challenges in the 116th Congress.The 116th Congress, with its now Democrat-controlled House and 110 newly-elected members, faces a choice. On one hand, Congress can continue to pursue the status quo, supporting U.S.-flag vessel operators and domestic port infrastructure development through existing programs, with suboptimal results. On the other, the 116th Congress can choose to be bold. It can recognize that the U.S.-flag fleet, with only 83 vessels operating in international trade, clearly requires new mechanisms of support.

Two new high-speed ferries to be run by Spanish ferry operator Fred. Olsen, S.A. are each to be powered by four MTU 20-cylinder 8000 M71L engines and by Kamewa waterjets from Rolls-Royce. The ferries will be 117m trimarans, designed by Austal Australia, and are to ply the waters around the Canary Islands along with the world’s largest aluminum fast ferry in operation, the Benchijigua Express. It is also planned to sign a maintenance agreement for both new ferries for a period of up to 8 years and a maximum of 24,000 hours of operation.

Searcher Seismic, in cooperation with BGP, has completed the acquisition of the Triok broadband non-exclusive 2D seismic survey in the Northern Basins of Papua New Guinea.Following the acquisition of the Solomon Sea non-exclusive 2D in the northern basins of Papua New Guinea, the Triok broadband non-exclusive 2D seismic survey consists of 3,845 km (2,389 mi) of 2D long-offset, high-resolution, broadband seismic and offers regional coverage of the Cape Vogel basin and Huon Gulf.Andrew Weller, Asia-Pacific Manager for Searcher Seismic, said the survey will be the key to unlock several questions and understanding of Northern Papua New Guinea…

Eagle Bulk Shipping, a US-based fully integrated shipowner-operator engaged in the global transportation of drybulk commodities, has reported  a net income of $6.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2018, compared to a net loss of $16.6 million in the fourth quarter 2017The Connecticut-headquartered owner of handymax dry bulk vessels said in a stock exchange annoucement that it generated net revenues of $86.7 million, representing an increase of 16% compared to fourth quarter 2017.Meanwhile, its net revenues for year ended December 31, 2018 stood at  $310.1 million, representing an increase of 31% compared to prior year.Gary Vogel…