Ore Carrier News

Avikus, HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation in-house startup, has verified that its autonomous navigation system is capable of reducing fuel use by as much as 15%, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 10%.The fuel savings were quantified on a 325,000-ton very large ore carrier (VLOC) operating several times on a 5,800-mile route from Singapore to Brazil using Avikus’ autonomous HiNAS Control system.The verification of this performance was conducted through procedures that were jointly developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Avikus…

Brazilian mining firm Vale will install five Rotor Sails from Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd (“Anemoi”), a supplier of wind-assisted propulsion technology for commercial vessels, onboard a 400,000 dwt Valemax, the world’s largest ore carrier. The vessel is owned by Omani shipowner, Asyad.Five 35-meter-tall, 5-meter-diameter cylindrical sails will be installed on the Sohar Max VLOC. The Rotor Sails will be installed on Anemoi’s folding deployment system, whereby the sails can be folded from vertical to mitigate impact on air draft and cargo handling operations.

On July 2, COSCO Shipping Bulk's 400,000-ton ore carrier Yuanyihai successfully completed what the company claims is the fasters unloading of iron ore in the world.The unloading operation took place in Dongjiakou Port Area of Qingdao Port. It took only 30.7 hours to complete the unloading of 375,500 tons of cargo.COSCO Shipping Bulk coordinated with the port to formulate a plan to speed up the unloading and arranged for the representative of COSCO Shipping Bulk Beijing Branch in Qingdao and the ship’s crew to cooperate on the effort.After the Yuanyihai berthed…

An interim report from an ongoing Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has detailed the sequence of events of a loaded iron ore carrier’s grounding in a channel while departing Port Hedland, Western Australia in 2022.The interim report details factual information but contains no analysis or findings.In the early hours of April 9, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Hagen Oldendorff departed its berth at Port Hedland, with a harbour pilot onboard. About 50 minutes after departure…

Anemoi Marine Technologies, a UK-based developer of rotor sails for the shipping industry, said it is enhancing its efforts to provide its technology for ship owners, managers and charterers to install onboard vessels as they look to decarbonize their operations.Anemoi offers a range of rotor sails, varying in height from 24 to 35m, suitable for installation and retrofitting on deep-sea vessels including bulk carriers, tankers, ferries, ro-ros, and multipurpose vessels. These…

Of all the rivers in the world, the St. Lawrence River is undeniably one of the most challenging for mariners.This water highway is at some spots as narrow as a large river and, at others, as wide as a small sea. It has played a vital role over the last three centuries as an important artery for trade, communication, transportation and settlement. And since 1959, the year the St. Lawrence Seaway was inaugurated, it has been a gateway to the heart of the continent.The first European explorers who sailed the St. Lawrence discovered it was not easy to master: it was long, but never calm.

BHP Group expects to receive three more bulk carriers powered partly by liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the next six to nine months, part of the company's plans to cut emissions from shipping, a senior executive said.BHP, which received its first two LNG-fuelled vessels earlier this year, has locked in some term supplies of LNG buffering the company from volatile prices and is studying the potential for biofuels, Fergus Eley, BHP's Head of Maritime Enterprise, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON) 2022.The world's largest miner and shipper of dry bulk commodities is targeting…

Singapore-based dry bulk owner Berge Bulk has signed a deal with wind-assisted propulsion firm  Anemoi Marine Technologies to supply and fit two vessels in their dry bulk fleet with Anemoi Rotor Sails.Rotor Sails are large mechanical sails that harness the renewable power of the wind to reduce emissions and fuel consumption on commercial ships when driven to spin. Anemoi predicts that the four-rotor system will save Berge Bulk 1200-1500 metric tons of fuel per vessel each year.The first vessel…

Lloyd’s Register granted Approval in Principle (AIP) for an SDARI (Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute) designed 210,000 DWT Newcastlemax bulk carrier installed with Anemoi Rotor Sails.The Newcastlemax AIP is part of a joint development project signed in 2020 with Anemoi Marine Technologies, Lloyd’s Register, and SDARI. Oldendorff Carriers is the shipowner partner for this Newcastlemax design"This has been an important project as part of Oldendorff Carriers’ commitment towards Getting to Zero," said Torsten Barenthin, Director Innovation, Oldendorff Carriers.

BHP Group unveiled the world's first liquefied natural gas-fueled bulk carrier vessel in Singapore on Monday, one of five vessels that the mining giant will take delivery of in 2022 as part of efforts to curb supply chain emissions.The 299-metre (981 ft) long Mt. Tourmaline Newcastlemax ore carrier was built by Eastern Pacific Shipping in China and stopped off in Singapore to take on LNG fuel. It will next head to Port Hedland in Western Australia to load iron ore that will then be shipped to customers in China.BHP…

Despite the very strong freight rates and the apparently tight market, the all-important driver for dry bulk shipping, China, has in fact seen imports of its two largest dry bulk commodities shrink year-on-year so far this year. The two largest imported commodities for China, iron ore and coal are however, interestingly on two different trajectories, as the latter could be ending the year with higher total volumes than in 2020.“The high freight rates that the dry bulk market is currently enjoying cannot directly be linked to higher volumes from the world’s largest dry bulk importer.

Brazilian miner Vale expects to soon put into service the first-ever bulk carrier propelled partially sails, the company said on Thursday.The rotor sail-equipped newbuild, a very large ore carrier (VLOC) named Sea Zhoushan, is being built in China for owner by Pan Ocean Ship Management and will be chartered by Vale upon delivery in the coming days. Not only is Sea Zhoushan the first bulk carrier to be fitted with rotor sails, the 340-meter, 325,000 dwt vessel is also the largest ship ever to be outfitted with the fuel-saving and emissions-reducing technology…

Grand Wisdom, the second very large ore carrier (VLOC) to join the U-Ming Marine Transport fleet, has been delivered with a protective hull coating from Nippon Marine Paint’s A-LF Sea product range.Delivered in December from Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry’s shipyard in Qingdao, China, Grand Wisdom is the second in a pair of eco-friendly bulkers to join the owner’s 48-strong fleet. Sister ship Grand Pioneer, delivered in August, represented the Taipei-headquartered shipowner’s entry into the VLOC market.Motoi Takeuchi…

The bow section of the stricken bulk carrier Wakashio has been scuttled Monday after the Japanese-owned bulk carrier ran aground, spilled oil and broke apart atop a coral reef off Mauritius.Scuttling efforts commenced last week but progressed slowly due to rough sea conditions, authorities said. The front section of the ship is no longer visible as of 3:30 p.m. local time on Monday after salvors cut holes into the bulkheads of several cargo hatches to accelerate the sinking process…

The Japanese-owned bulk carrier that ran aground off Mauritius and spilled oil over pristine waters and fragile coral reefs diverted more than 100 kilometers from a regular shipping lane, data from a maritime analysis firm showed.The MV Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, struck a coral reef on Mauritius's southeast coast on July 25 and later began leaking oil. Two of the ship's officers have since been arrested on charges of endangering…

The 340-meter-long very large ore carrier (VLOC) Stellar Banner has been scuttled off the coast of Brazil after being declared a total loss due to extensive hull damage suffered during a grounding incident.The 300,660 dwt vessel, owned and operated by the South Korean company Polaris Shipping, ran aground while carrying iron ore bound for China from Vale's terminal in Maranhão in February. The 2016-built Stellar Banner began listing heavily but did not capsize, and all 20 crew members were evacuated from the ship.The ship had been refloated and towed to deeper water after 145…

A 340-meter-long very large ore carrier (VLOC) that ran aground off the coast of Brazil earlier this year will be scuttled due to the extent of hull damage suffered as a result of the incident, Brazilian authorities said.The 300,660 dwt Stellar Banner, owned and operated by the South Korean company Polaris Shipping, ran aground while carrying iron ore bound for China from Vale's terminal in Maranhão in February. The 2016-built ship began listing heavily but did not capsize, and…

An NYK-operated ore carrier Owari Maru was awarded the Meteorological Agency's Director-General Award on June 1 for the contribution the ship has made to meteorological business development by observing marine weather conditions and transmitting observation results over an extended period of time.Every year, Japan’s minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT), together with the director-general of the Japan Meteorological Agency, commend vessels that have participated in observing and reporting marine weather conditions…

Singapore's dry bulk shipping company Berge Bulk has taken delivery of the second and newest 300,000DWT very large ore carrier (VLOC) in China.The new vessel, named Berge Mafadi, was delivered from the Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) yard in Guangzhou, said a press note. With a ‘Rightship A+’ rating and an Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) 20% below the baseline, she ranks amongst the most energy-efficient bulk carriers in the world.Berge Mafadi has been designed to carry a maximum cargo lift from Port Hedland as well as South Africa and Brazil.The vessel is named after a peak on the border of South Africa and Lesotho. At the height of 3,450m, Mafadi is the highest mountain in the nation of South Africa.

Japanese shipping major Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) and the shipbuilding and repairing company Namura Shipbuilding have jointly received an Approval in Principle (AIP) for the concept design of an LNG-fueled ore carrier from DNV GL."Work on this joint project for the development of an LNG-fueled ore carrier has complied with both environmental and actual operation requirements as follows, based on the second generation WOZMAX of Namura Shipyard," said a press release from the provider of container, breakbulk and roll-on, roll-off shipping.WOZMAX (registered brand of Namura Shipyard) is an optimum size of vessel that can call main West Australian iron ore loading ports…

Korean Register (KR), its Chairman, management and entire staff offers sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the seafarers who tragically lost their lives due to the sinking of Stellar Daisy. KR reaffirms its commitment to investigating the causes of the sinking, sharing its knowledge and implementing any changes necessary to avoid a similar loss in the future. The factsStellar Daisy was a 266,141 dwt Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC) owned by Polaris Shipping and flagged with the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). On 31 March 2017 whilst en route from Ilha Guaiba, Brazil to Qingdao and laden with iron ore fines, the ship sank in the South Atlantic Ocean around 1700 nautical miles from Uruguay and 1800 nautical miles from South Africa.

NewbuildingMany Chinese companies have been stepping up in the bulker market with COSCO Shipping and Avic leasing placing orders at Chinese yards. Of the total 313 Bulkers ordered over the past year, nearly 40% have been Panamax vessels, demonstrating the hot market.Source: Vessels ValueSecond hand marketThe Bulker market as a whole has shown a softening in values over the past year. The main reason for this is due to the drop off in rates throughout the first quarter of 2019.

Japanese shipping giant Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has placed an order for a 210,000 dwt bulk carrier at compatriot shipbuilder, Japan Marine United Corporation.The 108,900 gross ton vessel is being built for a consecutive voyage contract with JFE Steel and will be used to ship iron ore and coal. The newbuild is due for delivery in fiscal year 2021.The main features of this vessel will comply with NOx emission regulations (Tier III) and be equipped with SOx scrubber that removes SOx from the exhaust gas for complying with SOx emission regulations that will be enforced worldwide from January 2020.This vessel is also an energy-saving type that achieves both increased cargo weight and reduced fuel consumption compared to conventional ships…