Basic Infrastructure News

A project to transform the Port Talbot into a major hub for floating offshore wind (FLOW) and green energy development has come one step closer to securing a share of up to $200 million (£160 million) of UK Government funding.The UK Government has agreed to take forward the Future Port Talbot project and the Port of Cromarty Firth to undergo due diligence as part of the next stage of its Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS).The due diligence process…

The words “blue economy” will soon shape the future of Canada’s oceans, from the fiords and straits of British Columbia to the rugged coastlines of the Atlantic to the vast seascapes of the Arctic. The transformation of Canada’s ocean economies will be felt throughout the country and will set an example for nations around the world.But what is a blue economy? And what makes it different from business as usual?The term blue economy was first championed by small-island developing countries, including Fiji, Bahamas and Palau, to bring more local benefits from ocean industries.

Golar Power, which offers integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) based downstream solutions, and Petrobras Distribuidora S.A. (BR Distribuidora) announce the formation of a Partnership for the development of an LNG distribution businesses in Brazil. According to a press release, the intention is to introduce LNG as an alternative to the fuels currently available to Brazil’s cargo and people transportation, industrial, thermoelectric generation, commercial and residential sectors.Both Golar Power and BR Distribuidora believe that LNG is an innovative and potentially disruptive solution for the transportation sector in Brazil that delivers environmental benefits as well as important economic gains for customers, society and for Brazil as a whole.

As industry increasingly evolves on the digital transformation path, inevitably the focus turns to the move toward cloud computing. Last month Maritime Reporter & Engineering News spoke with Howard Fireman, SVP and Chief Technology Officer of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for take on how industry innovators – large and small – in the shipbuilding and marine equipment sectors are leveraging inherent advantages of cloud computing to better position themselves for the competitive long-haul.

For northern communities and economies, the expected growth of Arctic shipping has the potential to bring new jobs and industries, lower cost of living, and new infrastructure and investment. But with these exciting opportunities come certain risks that must be managed. This week, a draft international agreement — the Polar Code — was reached for new shipping regulations in the Arctic at a meeting of the International Maritime Organization’s environment committee. For the first time, binding rules for ship operations will be in place. This is welcome news as ice melts and development pressures ratchet up in the Arctic. It is encouraging…

Showy entertainment venues, museums and new housing blocks have replaced many of the shipyards that once lined Glasgow's River Clyde. Long gone are the days when the area was an industrial powerhouse producing around a fifth of the world's ships - now Scotland's largest city promotes itself instead as a financial and commercial hub, soon to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. But although billions of pounds of investment have given Glasgow a shining new waterfront and growth in sectors like financial services…

Evergreen Marine Corp. partnered with  French-based CMA CGM Grou, & Yang Ming Marine both offer new container services. Evergreen's new route, called South Red Sea Service, connects Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and countries near the Red Sea, as well as provide services into landlocked African countries like Ethiopia through the East African country of Djibouti, reports Focus Taiwan. The new Red Sea service will begin May 2 with a container ship departing from Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia. The new route will be served by five 2,200 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels -- three operated by Evergreen Marine and two by CMA CGM. Meanwhile, Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has agreed with L&T Shipbuilding Limited (LTSB), the shipbuilding arm of India's Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T), under which MHI will provide a broad range of technological support to LTSB for construction of commercial vessels. The two companies are slated to sign the technical collaboration agreement tomorrow. MHI has recently been proactively promoting development of its engineering business, centering on technology licensing, while LTSB…

The European Commission today presented an EU strategy to make the dismantling of old ships safer for workers and the environment. Every year between 200 and 600 large merchant ships are taken apart for their valuable scrap metal. Many ships taken out of service in Europe end up being dismantled on beaches in South Asia. A lack of environmental protection and safety measures results in high accident rates, health risks and extensive pollution of wide stretches of the coast. The proposed strategy on better ship dismantling includes actions to help implement key elements of an international Convention on safe ship recycling, due to be concluded in May 2009.

The Pakistan government has decided to upgrade the basic infrastructure for construction of commercial cargo ships and warships, including F-22 P frigates, in Karachi, according to a report on www.uniquepakistan.com. The government has allocated funds for the fiscal year 2007-08 and it has already dropped Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited (KSEW) from its proposed privatization list. It is envisaged that if shipbuilding projects for the Pakistan Navy, Karachi Port Trust (KPT)…