Morgan Stanley News

Angela Chao, chair and CEO of the Foremost Group, has died in a car accident, the New York-headquartered dry bulk shipping company announced on Monday.Angela Chao was an experienced and well-respected shipping executive, having worked her way up through several leadership positions at the company founder by her father, Dr. James S.C. Chao, with her mother, the late Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, in 1964.Before joining Foremost Group in 1996, Angela Chao worked in the mergers and acquisitions department of Smith Barney…

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers ramped up exports in October, to 7.92 million metric tons, according to data provider LSEG, the second-highest monthly level on record.Exports were just shy of the record 8.01 million metric tons in April this year, and were up from 7.12 million metric tons in September, when plant maintenance reduced U.S. production.The U.S. was the world's largest exporter of LNG in the first half of this year, according to the Energy Information Agency, ahead of Qatar and Australia.

Morgan Stanley's infrastructure investment arm is teaming up with U.S. maritime, energy and logistics solutions company Crowley to advance offshore wind energy solutions for the United States.Investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners (MSIP), a private infrastructure fund platform within Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM), will hold a majority stake in Crowley Wind Services Holdings, a joint venture combining Crowley's end-to-end maritime and logistics capabilities with the financial strength and expertise of Morgan Stanley.

At least three proposed U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants have likely found enough customers to receive financial approvals this year, according to Reuters calculations, developments that would make the country the world's largest LNG exporter for years to come.After a dearth of plant approvals last decade, developers have secured dozens of long-term contracts to finance new multibillion-dollar LNG plants. The pace of approvals has accelerated as Europe has shifted…

Eric Chewning, former chief of staff to the U.S. Secretary of Defense and deputy assistant secretary for industrial policy, is joining HII as executive vice president, Strategy & Development, reporting directly to HII President and CEO Chris Kastner. Chewning assumes the role on Jan. 30.Chewning joins HII as it grows its customer set across the armed forces and executes on its significant shipbuilding backlog for its primary customer, the U.S. Navy. HII is the nation’s only builder of aircraft carriers and its largest military shipbuilder…

KVH Industries, Inc., announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Brent C. Bruun as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board. The Board also appointed two seasoned industry executives, David Kagan and David Tolley, as directors of KVH.Bruun first joined KVH in 2008 and has served as KVH’s Interim President and Chief Executive Officer since March 2022. He also served as Chief Operating Officer of KVH beginning in 2016, as well as Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

Demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected to rise by 25 to 50% by 2030, making it the fastest growing hydrocarbon over the next decade, analysts from Morgan Stanley Research said in a note on Monday.Morgan Stanley has raised its long-term LNG price outlook to $10 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), expecting spot prices of the super-chilled fuel to average 40% higher over the next decade, versus the past five years.Asian spot LNG prices hit a record above $56 mmBtu…

A stalled global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is leading to a fresh build-up of global oil supplies, pushing traders including Trafigura to book tankers to store millions of barrels of crude oil and refined fuels at sea again.The use of so-called floating storage onboard tankers comes as traditional onshore storage remains close to capacity as supplies outpace demand.Trading house Trafigura has chartered at least five of the largest tankers each capable of storing 2 million barrels of oil…

Carnival Corp’s Princess Cruises on Thursday extended the suspension of some of its voyages in Australia, Canada and Taiwan as ports around the world remain shut due to the coronavirus crisis.Cruise lines, hammered by a crisis which has seen some ships develop into high-profile infection hotspots, in recent days have been steadily pushing back cancellations well into the second half of 2020.Princess Cruises, long a favorite of older travelers, said it has extended the delay of operations on all cruises sailing in and out of Australia through mid-September on the Sea Princess…

Royal Caribbean Cruises on Wednesday launched a $3.3 billion bond offering, pledging 28 of its ships as collateral and forecast heavy losses for the first quarter as the COVID-19 pandemic brings the sector to a virtual standstill.Royal Caribbean, which was forced to suspend its cruises globally and cut about 26% of its U.S. workforce, said the health crisis has dented its first-quarter net income by about $453 million.The cruise operator’s shares, which have sunk over 72% this year…

3-Day Event Gathers Industry Leaders to Focus on Risks to the Marine Transportation SystemFrom November 13-15, the 10th annual Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) will take place at SUNY Maritime College bringing together academics, government, and commercial entities to discuss threats, challenges, and risks associated with the Marine Transportation System (MTS).Key industry leaders participating in the event include First Coast Guard District Commander Rear Admiral Andrew Tiongson, MARAD Administrator Mark “Buz” Buzby, and New York State Supreme Court Judge John Ingram. “A resilient Marine Transportation System is imperative to our Nation’s economic prosperity and national security…

Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings is offering to buy control of conglomerate Keppel Corp in a S$4.1 billion ($3 billion) deal that could hasten a consolidation in the rig building sector which is battling the effects of low oil prices.The announcement, which confirmed what two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters earlier on Monday, boosted shares in rig builder Sembcorp Marine by 12% on expectations of a likely shake-up in the industry. Shares in Sembcorp's parent Sembcorp Industries rose 10%.Keppel's offshore and marine unit…

US liquefied natural gas (LNG) developer Venture Global LNG has signed a deal with investment firm Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners for a $1.3bn equity investment in the Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility.Calcasieu Pass  project is a 10 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) liquefied natural gas project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. - giving the LNG project a major financial boost as construction starts. The facility is expected to begin supplying LNG to customers in 2022.This brings total committed capital to fund the construction of Calcasieu Pass and the continued development of Venture Global’s 20 MTPA Plaquemines LNG and 20 MTPA Delta LNG facilities to $2.2 billion.Venture Global LNG Co-CEO Mike Sabel stated…

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…

Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), the first company in the global shipping industry to issue labelled green bonds, presented its initiatives at a seminar conducted by Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. in Tokyo.A green bond is one in which the proceeds are used solely for the purpose of funding environment-friendly projects.The importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives is getting a lot of attention in capital markets, and this seminar provided information on current ESG affairs to issuers interested in ESG bonds.Yuichi Shirane, deputy manager of the Corporate Finance Team in NYK’s Finance Group…

GoodBulk, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Monaco, announced that it has launched its initial public offering of 8,500,000 common shares at an anticipated initial offering price between $15.50 to $17.50 per common share. In connection with the Offering, the Company intends to grant the underwriters the option to purchase up to 1,275,000 additional common shares. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering, together with cash on hand and additional borrowings under the Company’s credit facilities, to fund the cash portion of the purchase price for the acquisition of up to five secondhand Capesize dry bulk vessels and for general corporate purposes.

Rolls-Royce (RR.L) said it would exceed its 2020 guidance as it announced new ambitious mid-term goals, sending its shares to four-year highs and reflecting investor faith that CEO Warren East can transform Britain’s best known engineering firm.The maker of engines for civil planes, military jets and ships has been in turnaround mode since 2015. Having on Thursday announced plans to cut 4,600 jobs as part of cost-saving measures, it told shareholders on Friday the foundations…

GoodBulk, an owner and operator of dry bulk vessels, announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form F-1 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to a proposed initial public offering (IPO) of its common shares.Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse are acting as lead book-runners, Clarksons Platou Securities, Evercore ISI, Pareto Securities and UBS Investment Bank are also acting as book-runners, and ABN AMRO is acting as co-manager for the proposed offering.A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective.GoodBulk, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Monaco…

China has pledged to buy more U.S. goods to reduce America's huge trade deficit and help avoid exacerbating a trade war between the world's two biggest economies, with energy and commodities high on Washington's list of products for sale.The U.S. trade war with China is "on hold" after the governments agreed to drop tariff threats and work on a wider agreement, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday. Washington is especially keen to sell more of the United States'…

Oil prices rose on Monday as markets reacted to news that China and the United States have put a looming trade war between the world's two biggest economies "on hold". Brent crude futures were at $79.13 per barrel at 0121 GMT, up 62 cents, or 0.8 percent, from their last close. Brent broke through $80 for the first time since November 2014 last week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $71.83 a barrel, up 55 cents, or 0.8 percent, from their last settlement. The U.S. trade war with China is "on hold" after the world's largest economies agreed to drop their tariff threats while they work on a wider trade agreement, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday, giving global markets a lift in early trading on Monday.

New rules coming into force from 2020 to curb pollution produced by the world's ships are worrying everyone from OPEC oil producers to bunker fuel sellers and shipping companies.The regulations will slash emissions of sulfur, which is blamed for causing respiratory diseases and is a component of acid rain that damages vegetation and wildlife.But the energy and shipping industries are ill-prepared, say analysts, with refiners likely to struggle to meet higher demand for cleaner…

Jan Thorsgaard Nielsen, Senior Managing Director of Blackstone, is appointed Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of A/S. A P Moller Holding (APMH). APMH is a privately owned holding company and is the biggest shareholder in A P Moller-Maersk (APM), the Danish shipping giant. Jan T. Nielsen holds a Cand. Oecon. from Aarhus University, Denmark, and has been with Blackstone since 2005. He started working for Blackstone in London as an associate and was subsequently promoted to principal and Managing Director. During this time, Jan T. Nielsen was also involved in investments related to the Nordic market, including the investment in TDC and Merlin’s investment in the LEGOLAND Parks.

Morgan Stanley's top executive said on Wednesday that potential tariffs on steel and aluminum that U.S. "The biggest issues this country faces are not trade deficits, they're fiscal deficits," Chief Executive Officer James Gorman told CNBC. Gorman said that imposing tariffs on a country or ally that the United States sells a lot of goods to is not the "best way to move forward." He added that there may be retaliation from other countries due to the tariffs. "You can't be unilateral with these things," he added.