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Weber News

09 Jun 2023

North American Lobster Industry Confronts 'Ropeless' Traps After Whale Entanglements

Š norrie39 / Adobe Stock

An emerging technology to fish for lobsters virtually ropeless to prevent whale entanglements is exciting conservationists, but getting a frigid reception from harvesters worried it will drive them out of business and upend their way of life.Injuries to endangered North Atlantic Right Whales ensnared in fishing gear have fueled a prominent campaign by environmental groups to pressure the industry to adopt on-demand equipment that only suspends ropes in the water briefly before traps are pulled from the water.The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch…

17 Dec 2021

St. Louis Container on Barge Project Moves Forward

(Image: APCT)

Key stakeholders behind the efforts to launch innovative container-on-vessel (COV) service to the Midwest on Firday announced that Hawtex Development Corporation is signing on as the lead developer for a new COV port facility in Jefferson County, Mo. to be developed in collaboration with Fred Weber/Riverview Commerce Park LLC and integrating a 300+ acre adjacent parcel owned by The Doe Run Company. The new port will be a critical link on the new, all-water, north-south trade lane connecting the Midwest and the St. Louis region to the lower Mississippi River and on to worldwide destinations.

20 Jul 2020

River Cruising Returns on the Danube

NickoVISION (Photo: Nicko Cruises)

River cruises are making a quiet comeback on the Danube after the COVID-19 pandemic brought global tourism to a standstill and forced companies to suspend voyages.Holiday makers are adapting to strict new safety measures on the elegant ships with Germany’s Nicko Cruises the first to restart Danube trips on June 22.The company is now operating three vessels for the six to eight-day trips from Passau, in Germany, to Budapest, passing scenic hills and old castles along the way.“Normally, we have 90% occupancy, this year we have around 70%.

25 Feb 2020

WFO Launches Floating Offshore Wind Committee

Global industry advocacy group World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO) has created a new working group - the Floating Offshore Wind Committee (FOWC) - to promote the acceleration of commercial-scale floating offshore wind.FOWC will tackle areas from policy-making through health and safety to maritime spatial planning.According to WFO, the new initiative aims outperforming the installed capacity and cost competitiveness seen with bottom-fixed offshore wind today. The principal objectives of the committee are education, advocacy and policymaking, as well as enabling cost reductions and commercial-scale deployment.It also aims to promote the highest…

29 Apr 2019

Maersk's Digital Ocean Customs Clearance

Photo courtesy of Maersk

International trade is subjected to diverse and wide controls and customs regulations that need to be met to ensure that traded goods are entering and exiting legally.If a delay occurs, the entire plan gets affected. A delay causes increased expenses such as storage costs, fines, and penalties, resulting in additional problems for importers and exporters."This new one-stop-shop allows us to timely and efficiently handle export and import declarations for our customers. The solution provides downstream benefits of full governance and compliance…

15 Apr 2019

WASHINGTON WATCH: A Tale of Two Fleets

Jeff Vogel, a Member in Cozen O’Connor’s Transportation & Trade Group.

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.

23 Jan 2019

The Tanker Market: 2019 and Beyond

Alex and Alice under construction. Photo courtesy Euronav

Late 2018 saw the tanker market bubble upwards through late November, with daily vessel hires moving in the direction of, though not yet reaching levels not seen since late 2014-2015, when oil prices were in freefall and inventories building to the brim. A few pundits have suggested that we are seeing a “mini 2014” where lowered oil prices are coaxing another inventory build which would drive tanker capacity utilization, and per diem freight inflows, higher. The oil market has changed over four years…

19 Jan 2018

Congressional, Maritime Leaders Support Jones Act on the Hill

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation held a hearing Wednesday on “The State of the U.S. Flag Maritime Industry” during which congressional and maritime leaders stressed the importance of the Jones Act. RADM Mark H. Mr. Mr. The Committee and those testifying expressed bipartisan support for the Jones Act and enforcement of the law. “In order for us to maintain the way of life as we know it as a nation that is secure and is able to project power, be it Navy power or commercial power, the Jones Act is intrinsic to that. Congressman Weber likewise noted the need to maintain a strong domestic maritime industry and the importance of the Jones Act.

23 Jun 2017

Asia Tankers-VLCC Rates Supported by Floating Storage

Trafigura hires five VLCCs to store oil; short-term storage a profitable play. Freight rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) could creep higher as more ships are chartered for floating storage and crude oil shipments increase ahead of the northern winter, brokers said. "There might be a slow creep up towards 60 (on the Worldscale measure)," said Ashok Sharma, managing director of ship broker BRS Baxi in Singapore on Friday. "W60 is at least on the horizon. Rates from West Africa to China are already at W56," he added. That came as VLCC rates from the Middle East to Asia gained around 3 Worldscale points since last Thursday, buoyed by growing interest from traders seeking to charter vessels to store oil for one to three months. "The storage play has gained traction.

18 Apr 2017

Banned at Sea: Venezuela's Crude-stained Oil Tankers

In the scorching heat of the Caribbean Sea, workers in scuba suits scrub crude oil by hand from the hull of the Caspian Galaxy, a tanker so filthy it can't set sail in international waters. The vessel is among many that are constantly contaminated at two major export terminals where they load crude from Venezuela's state-run oil company, PDVSA. The water here has an oily sheen from leaks in the rusty pipelines under the surface. That means the tankers have to be cleaned before traveling to many foreign ports, which won't admit crude-stained ships for fear of environmental damage to their harbors, port facilities or other vessels. The…

24 Jan 2017

MASS continues to support Maritime Anti-piracy Operations

The European Council has extended the mandate for European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) - Operation ATALANTA - until 31 December 2018, which means Cohort company MASS will continue to provide the Classified Mission Network for the enduring Operation. Operation ATALANTA was launched in December 2008 to contribute to the deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast. The operation also protects vessels of the World Food Programme and other vulnerable shipping, monitors fishing activities off the coast of Somalia and supports other EU missions and programmes in the region. MASS provides the core operational mission network for the effective command and control of this multi-national Operation both ashore and afloat.

06 Oct 2016

Asian Crude Demand Pushes Charter Rates

Robust Asian demand for West African crude is fueling a worldwide surge in shipping rates for the largest oil tankers that is being felt from Houston to Singapore. Chartering rates for Suezmaxes and very large crude carriers (VLCCs) have recovered rapidly in recent weeks after plunging to their lowest in more than year this summer. The spike in rates comes as Asian refiners return to the market after a seasonal turnaround period, and as several key streams of West African crude are finally loading for export after supplies were constrained because of pipeline disruptions in Nigeria. The higher rates, which imply fewer imports into the United States, could support benchmark oil prices in coming weeks.

28 Jul 2016

Safety and Preparation on the Brownwater Radar

File photo: Thomas Rollins

Weather Channel Forecasters are predicting a “near-average” hurricane season for 2016, but warn that an average season does not mean businesses and residents shouldn’t prepare for the worst. While it is unclear whether the season, which began June 1, will bring about a few mild storms or a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, one thing is for sure: safety and preparation are on the radars of the owners and operators of brownwater vessels. Although forecasters consider this year’s predicted 12 named storms “average”…

24 Feb 2016

Texas Ranks Third for U.S. Maritime Jobs, Houston No. 2

Photo courtesy of AMP

Texas ranks third among all states for domestic maritime jobs with Houston ranked second among all U.S. cities for its contribution to the U.S. maritime industry, according to a new study PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for the Transportation Institute and released by the American Maritime Partnership (AMP), the voice of the U.S. domestic maritime industry. The domestic maritime industry, comprised of the vessels which move cargoes between American ports, pumps $8 billion annually into the Texas economy, and provides 39,190 Texas maritime jobs, with $2.3 billion in worker income.

11 Nov 2015

‘Simulation and Training without Boundaries’

Photo: Transas

More than 200 experts from all around the world are expected to attend the global Simulation User Conference (SimUC 2016) “Simulation and Training without boundaries”, which will be hosted by Transas in Singapore on January 28, 2016. Transas SimUC is an international event that gathers Transas simulators users and Transas partners to exchange experience and ideas about maritime simulation and training. The Simulation and Training without boundaries theme will embrace trending subjects such as e-Navigation and cloud simulation…

28 Sep 2015

VLCC Tankers on the Upside on Stronger Demand

The VLCC market continued to strengthen this week with sentiment supported by both stronger demand and expectations for the October Middle East and West Africa programs to rise substantially from September levels, according to Charles R.Weber Weekly. According to the latest report from shipbroker Charles R. Weber, “in the VLCC market, 35 fixtures were reported this week marking a 9% w/w gain and the most since May. "China made up a large portion of the demand gain as observed from the fact that combined Middle East and West Africa fixtures headed to the country were at a YTD high (though on a four?week moving average basis this week was at a seven? week high)," says the report.

31 Aug 2015

Optimistic on VLCC Market

Shipbroker Charles R. Weber is quite optimistic on the future prospects of the VLCC market for 2016 onwards. The demand is expected to remain elevated with spot voyages generating around 940 bln ton-miles per quarter, on average, during 2016 – around 1.0% above our current estimate for 2015, says its latest weekly analysis. Augmenting the impact of ton-miles on earnings is the increasing diverse geographic profile of trade routes; the scenario materialized during 2H14 and has prevailed through most of 2015. This trend is characterized by more long-haul voyages from West Africa, the Caribbean and North Sea, largely to points in Asia.

04 May 2015

BMT Innovation Recognised in AWA Awards

BMT WBM (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has announced that the Hawkesbury-Nepean River and South Creek model, developed for Sydney Water has been awarded the Program Innovation Award at this year’s Australian Water Association’s (AWA) New South Wales (NSW) Awards. BMT developed the TUFLOW FV (estuarine and riverine) component of the model, a core modelling tool which is used in many environmental modelling projects. Sydney Water is Australia's largest water utility, supplying water, wastewater, recycled water and some stormwater services to over 4.6 million people. As part of its operations, Sydney Water releases tertiary treated wastewater from several locations to the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system…

04 May 2015

Suezmax Tanker Market on the Rise Yet Again

Suezmax tankers are looking good for a strong 2015 year, before posting a mild downside during 2016, but are poised to accelerate yet again in 2017 on rising deliveries, said shipbroker Charles R. Weber in its latest weekly report (Ref. “Suezmax earnings continued to experience surprising strength during the first quarter of the year with an average of ~$46,951/day exceeding our early-January projection by 15%. Through the full year, we have raised our projected average by 6% to ~$37,200/day. During 2016 and 2017 we project averages of $35,375/day and $31,000/day, respectively”, said the shipbroker. Suezmax earnings have strengthened in recent months…

13 Apr 2015

US Navy Cargo Ship Drifts Powerless

The U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command cargo ship Cape Intrepid lost power and drifted in the Strait of Juan de Fuca for about 3 miles before a tug intervened to take control of the vessel on Saturday. The 685-foot Navy-contracted cargo was undergoing sea trials after a long period docked in Tacoma when it lost power about 2:30 a.m. Saturday north of Clallam Bay. Coast Guard Lt. Ben Weber says it drifted about 3 ½ miles before the emergency tug Jeffrey Foss reached it approximately two hours later. The tug Jeffrey Foss has taken the vessel to Port Angeles in Washington for repairs. Cape Intrepid is operated by Military Sealift Command, Tacoma. It left Tacoma on Friday for sea trials. It wasn't immediately clear why it lost power or how long repairs might take.

15 Feb 2015

Farmers Hit by Strife at West Coast Ports

Protracted labor strife and shipping disruptions at U.S. West Coast ports have hit farmers especially hard, posing a major barrier to perishable goods headed to overseas markets and resulting in losses estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars a week. Foreign Pacific Rim customers facing chronic delays in shipments of U.S. food and farm products are turning to other countries for produce ranging from citrus and apples to beef and pork, the Washington-based Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) has reported. Many frustrated U.S. suppliers are deciding to forgo exports and scrambling instead to find domestic buyers for their produce, driving down prices, said Wendy Fink-Weber, a spokeswoman for the Western Growers trade organization.

10 Feb 2015

Marine Fuel Quality Improving -IBIA

The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) noted an improvement in bunker quality from across the marine fuels supply chain thanks in part to a campaign launched by the association. Addressing an audience of more than 1,000 marine fuel buyers, suppliers and traders at the association’s annual dinner in London last night, IBIA Chairman Jens Maul Jorgensen said that the early results for 2015 show that there has been a marked improvement in bunker fuel quality with 8% of samples found to be off-spec compared with 10% in 2014. These results are based on samples taken by testing company Intertek ShipCare. “Test figures for standard…

13 Nov 2014

89 Crowley Vessels Receive Environmental Awards

Photo: Crowley

Eighty-nine Crowley Maritime Corp.-owned and operated vessels were honored with Certificates of Environmental Achievement for years of safe operations during the eleventh-annual Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) awards ceremony today. Crowley received an award for each vessel that worked at least two consecutive years without an environmental incident. The 89 vessels have logged a combined 968 years of service without incident, a true testament to Crowley’s commitment to keeping harbors and oceans clean.