Far Eastern News

Indian sub-continent ship recycling markets enjoyed a greater than expected degree of a post-Ramadan resurgence, reports cash buyer GMS.“Vessel prices across the various destinations seemed to have concurrently enjoyed varying degrees of an uptick this week on the back of which some eye-opening sales were seemingly concluded into the various sub-continent locations.”However, this firming is certainly surprising, given that recycling destination currencies suffered through their own versions of volatility against the U.S.

Hamburg-based ship finance platform oceanis’s Q4 State of Ship Finance Report comes with a thank-you to shipping companies that are committed to the green transition.Over the past decade, oceanis has seen large changes to the ship financing landscape towards greener projects. The most obvious green financiers are the Poseidon Principles banks, the initiative launched in 2019 whose signatories manage 70% of the world’s shipping loans. At the same time, many other banks and funds are moving away from financing ‘brown’ assets and trades.

President Vladimir Putin signed on Wednesday a decree transferring to Russia's state nuclear power company Rosatom state-owned shares of the Far Eastern Shipping Company, parent company of transportation group Fesco.Fesco was formerly controlled by Ziyavudin Magomedov, who was convicted last year on organized crime and embezzlement charges and is serving a 19-year jail sentence following one of the highest-profile prosecutions of a Russian tycoon in years.Magamedov says the charges are unfounded and is appealing his conviction.

Japan will stress the importance of investment in natural gas, liquefied natural gas as well as cleaner fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia during its presidency of the G7 this year, a source said, but would keep it clean to meet 2050 carbon neutral goal.Japan, president of the rich-country grouping for 2023, will hold a ministerial meeting on climate, energy and environment in the city of Sapporo on April 15-16, ahead of the main G7 summit in Hiroshima on May 19-21.Japan expects global energy markets to remain tight for years and it would "emphasise investment into natural gas…

A christening ceremony at Oshima Shipbuilding yard in Japan was recently held by U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation (TSEC code: 2606 – one of nine public-listed companies of the Far Eastern Group) for its new built 99,990 DWT Post Panamax Bulk Carrier M.V. Cemtex Dominance.The event was hosted by Mr. Douglas Hsu, Chairman of the Far Eastern Group on July 12, 2022, with attendance of Mrs. Tracy Tsai Wang, who christened the vessel and also many business associates and distinguished guests.Measuring 235m in length and 40m in width, M.V.

Russia announced on Thursday its navy would stage a sweeping set of exercises involving all its fleets this month and next from the Pacific to the Atlantic, the latest show of strength in a surge of military activity during a standoff with the West.The drills will take place in the seas directly adjacent to Russia and also feature maneuvers in the Mediterranean, the North Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific, it said.They will draw on 140 warships and support vessels…

A group of Russian maritime stakeholders have agreed to develop ship repair cluster in the country’s Far East.The trilateral agreement between PAO Sovcomflot, SMART LNG (a joint venture between PAO Sovcomflot and PAO NOVATEK) and Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center (FESRC, a subsidiary of Rosneft) was signed by: Andrey Shishkin, CEO of FESRC and Vice-President for Energy, Localization and Innovation of Rosneft; Igor Tonkovidov, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sovcomflot, and Sergey Frank, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SMART LNG.

Russia on Friday begins laying its first undersea fiber optic communications cable through the Arctic as part of a state-run project to bring high-speed internet to its remote hydrocarbon-rich north after a private-led initiative stalled.Moscow is aiming to improve patchy communications and infrastructure in its far north where it has expanded its military presence and is developing the Northern Sea Route to become a major shipping lane.The cable link, due to be completed in 2026…

Dry bulk shipping company Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. announced it has reached separate deals to acquire a secondhand Capesize vessel and sell the oldest vessel in its fleet.The pure-play Capesize shipowner said it will acquire a 2009-built bulker through a $24.6 million purchase agreement with "a major Japanese company", while a sales agreement with "a far-eastern company" will see the 2001-built Leadership exit the Seanergy fleet for a net sale price of approximately $12 million.The newly acquire bulk carrier, to be be renamed Friendship, was built at a Japanese shipyard and has a cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 177,000 deadweight tons (dwt).

Reduced volumes are currently posing a major challenge to container shipping due to the COVID-19 crisis. So far, freight rates have been held up by the massive blanking of sailings that carriers have put in place.However, even before this crisis, the container shipping industry was saddled with overcapacity carried over from the previous decade, a problem that will rise again due to the demand fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.To understand the challenges that the container shipping market will face in the coming years…

French engineering firm GTT announced Thursday it has signed a Technical Assistance and License Agreement (TALA) with the Russian shipyard Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex for the construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers using GTT membrane tank solutions.Zvezda obtained its GTT license after a qualification process that began in September 2017, including the construction of a Mark III technology mock-up.The TALA will allow Zvezda to build ARC7 icebreaking LNG carriers fitted with the GTT membrane storage system.

On September 24, 2019, the Board of Directors of PAO Sovcomflot elected Sergey Frank as its new Chairman. Igor Tonkovidov was appointed as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. Both appointments are with immediate effect.The meeting was attended by Maxim Akimov, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, who noted in his address: "Through consistent implementation of Sovcomflot's Strategies 2005-2011 and 2012-2018, the company has transformed itself into a global leader in energy shipping and offshore services. Over the past 15 years, Sovcomflot fleet has grown more than threefold.

VARD, one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels, has announced that it has signed an agreement to provide a state-of-the-art stern trawler to Russian deepwater fishing company Luntos Co. Ltd. The vessel, a VARD 8 02 design, will feature a range of innovations to ensure optimal productivity, sustainability and operational efficiency, delivering high performance in the most demanding environmental conditions.The new vessel, with a length of 80.4 meters and a beam of 16.7 meters, has been specially tailored for Luntos, based on the proven VARD 8 02 design.

The highest US crude oil exports to China in 11 months lifted total seaborne US crude oil exports to a record high at 11.9 million (m) tonnes in June 2019. Also contributing to the June record was South Korea, as exports to the other main Far Eastern buyer reached an all-time high volume of 2.3m tonnes.1.2m tonnes were shipped to China between June 1, and  June 30, , up from 1m tonnes in May and worlds apart from no exports at all in the months of August through October in 2018…

Russian shipping company FESCO Transportation Group announced that as part of the development of FESCO Fast Forward services it is optimizing the rotation and changing the names of regular shipping lines from China and the Republic of Korea to Russia.Transportation services between China and Russia will be carried out under the brand FESCO China Express, and between the Republic of Korea and Russia - under the brand FESCO Korea Express.FESCO China Express will operate on two routes: Vladivostok-Vostochny-Shekou-Yantian-Xiamen-Ningbo-Shanghai-Vladivostok and the fast route - Eastern Arrow – Vladivostok-Qingdao-Shanghai-Ningbo-Vladivostok.

Over 202 billion rubles ($3.09 billion) will be allocated for the construction of the Zvezda shipbuilding complex in Russia's Far Eastern Primorsky Region, of which 66 billion rubles have already been given.According to Sputnik, the Zvezda shipyard, once completed, will comprise production facilities and workshops for that will be used to build marine equipment, including gas carriers, tankers and nuclear icebreakers.The report quoted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov saying that Zvezda had already signed deals with major Russian companies to build 37 vessels.Under the capital investment plan, the total capital investment in the Zvezda shipbuilding complex is estimated at 202.2 billion rubles, the report said.The project is currently being financed from investors' funds.

Russia's first-floating nuclear power plant arrived in the Arctic port of Murmansk over the weekend in preparation for its maiden mission, providing electricity to an isolated Russian town across the Bering Strait from Alaska.The state company behind the plant, called the "Akademik Lomonosov", says it could pioneer a new power source for remote regions of the planet, but green campaigners have expressed concern about the risk of nuclear accidents. Greenpeace has called it the "nuclear Titanic".Russian state nuclear company Rosatom…

The new Vessel Electric Propulsion Training Center at the Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University in Russia will help to prepare seafarers for work on vessels equipped with Azipod propulsion systemsThe center will be used to train MSUN cadets, as well as to provide advanced training to commissioned officers of the merchant fleet. It is also planned to conduct research, including scientific and experimental activities, in the area of automation of electric propulsion and vessel power supply.The establishment of the center follows the trilateral research…

The biggest market change in the fourth calendar quarter of 2018, was the decline in crude oil prices, with Brent falling from a monthly average of nearly $82/barrel in October, finishing the year below $51 per barrel. As a result, global  liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)prices followed the downward trend.Dorian LPG, the Stamford-based owner and operator of 22 very-large gas carriers, said that without the additional LPG cargoes out of Marcus Hook from Mariner East 2, which started operations in January 2019, U.S. exports remained similar to the third calendar quarter of 2018, if not slightly lower.Total LPG exports from the U.S. are estimated at 32.8 million metric tons for the full year, up nearly 10% year-over-year.

Russia's new far eastern Zvezda shipyard has cancelled a tender to import key parts for a crude oil tanker from South Korea's Hyundai, RIA news agency reported on Monday, citing a database of state purchases.Kommersant newspaper had reported that Zvezda issued a tender to import a stern, bow sections an anchors for an Aframax crude oil tanker ordered by Rosneft despite an earlier plan to construct the tanker at the shipyard.The Zvezda shipyard, which is being built by a consortium of oil giant Rosneft…

Evergreen Group celebrated its 50th Anniversary at the Chang Yung-Fa Foundation, home of the charity set-up by Evergreen Group Founder and Chairman Dr. Y.F. Chang, said a press release from the company.In addition to senior executives and employees of the Group’s businesses, the event was also attended by public officials, customers and business agents from both the shipping and airline industries as well as representatives of supply chain partners from more than fifty countries.The celebration commenced with a performance by the choir of the Yihsing branch of Jiahsing Elementary School from Hsinchu County. The choir was a gold medal…

Russian oil company Rosneft announced it has ordered two Aframax crude oil tankers to be built at Russia's far eastern Zvezda shipyard for scheduled delivery in 2022.The Russian-flagged vessels will have a deadweight of 114,000 metric tons and a 1A/1B ice class, which makes them able to operate in icy conditions year round, including in sub-Arctic seas and Russian ports of the Baltic region, said Russian shipping company PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group).According to the documents, Arctic Leasing will place orders for construction of the two Aframax tankers at the shipyard…

Russian Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex has increased its portfolio of orders by 42 percent in the second half of 2018.The shipbuilding and engineering complex in the town of Bolshoy Kamen in the Russian Far East said that currently, it has a total of 37 vessels in its orderbook and is in the process of securing new contracts.Zvezda’s anchor customer is Rosneft, which placed an order for 26 vessels, including 12 Arc6 and Arc7 ice-class tankers, 4 ice-class multi-purpose support vessels, and 10 Aframax tankers.Gazprom ordered 3 support vessels, 1 vessel for transporting drilling crews, and 1 multi-purpose service vessel for offshore production unit.Rosmorport ordered 1 shallow-draft icebreaker.