Petrobras starts production of Búzios field, Santos Basin
Petrobras started (20/4) the production of the Búzios field, in the pre-salt of the Santos Basin, through the platform P-74. Búzios is the first field in production under an Onerous Assignment regime. The P-74 is located about 200 km off the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, at a water depth of 2,000 meters and is the thirteenth platform to enter into operation in the Brazilian pre-salt. Due to the high production potential of Búzios…
USCG Cutter Seizes $200m in Cocaine
The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC-623) returned home Friday to Astoria after a 60-day counternarcotic patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. While patrolling international waters off the coast of Mexico and Central America, Steadfast’s law enforcement boarding teams intercepted and stopped eight separate vessels suspected of smuggling illicit drugs. The eight boardings resulted in the discovery and seizure of approximately 13…
Hazira Port Breaches 500K TEU Mark
Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India’s largest port developer today said that it had breached the 0.5 Million TEU mark at Hazira Port in FY 2017-18, with year-end throughout touching 500,879 TEUs, corresponding to a remarkable growth rate of 20.7% over 2016-17. With an annual capacity of 1 million TEUs, 2 berths of combined length of 630 metres and quay-side infrastructure comprising 6 QC’s and 16RTG’s…
Star Bulk Acquires 16 Ships
Star Bulk Carriers Corp. agreed to acquire 16 vessels from entities affiliated with Augustea Atlantica SpA and York Capital Management in an all-share transaction. As consideration for the Vessel Acquisition, Star Bulk has agreed to issue approximately 10.5 million common shares to the sellers of the 16 vessels, equal to approximately 14.1% of Star Bulk’s common shares after the closing of the Vessel Acquisition.
USCG Cutter Richard Snyder Commissioned
The Coast Guard commissioned North Carolina's first Fast Response Cutter, the Richard Snyder, during a ceremony in Atlantic Beach. FRCs feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment that allow their crews to more effectively conduct the Coast Guard’s statutory missions. The cutter is named after Richard Snyder, a World War II…
Mark Chu Steps Down as COO of Seaspan
Seaspan Corporation, the world's largest independent containership owner operator, has announced that Mark Chu has notified the company that he plans to step down from his roles as General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer to pursue other opportunities. Chu will remain in his current roles through August 31st, 2018 to help facilitate a seamless transition. Bing Chen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Seaspan said…
Samskip Nor Lines' Service to Call Rotterdam
Samskip subsidiary Nor Lines will include calls at Rotterdam for the first time in its weekly multipurpose liner service connecting to Western, Mid and Northern Norway, with effect from June 1st. The service is provided by Nor Lines' state of the art, LNG-fuelled vessels MV Kvitnos and MV Kvitbjorn. These flexible ships will sail in 14-day loops, connecting Rotterdam and Eemshaven with Norwegian ports from Hammerfest in the far north…
IMarEST CEO David Loosley Appointed to Government Maritime Panel
Working in partnership with industry, the government aims to challenge the sector to think about what it will look like in 2050. This vision will reinforce the development of Maritime 2050, a long-term strategy by the end of 2018 that emphasises the opportunities for the UK maritime sector. The expert panel will offer advice and look strategically at the issues that will be of critical importance to the maritime industry, and all the industries it sustains, up to 2050.
Diana Shipping TC for m/v Arethusa with Glencore
Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Glencore Agriculture B.V., Rotterdam, for one of its Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Arethusa. The global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels said that the gross charter rate is US$12,600 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum 12 months to maximum 15 months.
Star Bulk Carriers Acquires 16 Vessels
Star Bulk Carriers Corp announced that it has agreed to acquire 16 vessels from entities affiliated with Augustea Atlantica SpA and York Capital Management in an all-share transaction. As consideration for the Vessel Acquisition, Star Bulk has agreed to issue approximately 10.5 million common shares to the sellers of the 16 vessels, equal to approximately 14.1% of Star Bulk’s common shares after the closing of the Vessel Acquisition.
Rotterdam to Construct Tide Pools Along Calandkanaal
The Port of Rotterdam Authority will be constructing 16 tide pools along the north side of Calandkanaal. These pools will be realised by embedding raw concrete basins in the banks of the waterway. The design of these tide pools, manufactured by ECOncrete, ensures that water is retained for a longer time in the pools during low tide. This turns the temporary pools into miniature ecosystems, which often occur naturally in rocky coastal zones but are largely absent in modern ports.
Mexico Prepares for Marine Security Threats
Mexico has hosted a five-day workshop on International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code), which sets out preventive security measures in case of threats to ships and port facilities. Designated authority and port facility security officers had the chance to improve their knowledge and understanding through practical exercises as well as class-based training in how to implement the relevant provisions of the ISPS Code…
Ships Carrying US Sorghum U-turn after China Tariffs
Several ships carrying cargoes of sorghum from the United States to China have changed course since Beijing slapped hefty anti-dumping deposits on U.S. imports of the grain, trade sources and a Reuters analysis of export and shipping data showed.Sorghum is a niche animal feed and a tiny slice of the billions of dollars in exports at stake in the trade dispute between the world's two largest economies…
Oldendorff Halts Guyana Operation Due to Rusal Crisis
German shipping group Oldendorff Carriers is stopping its business in Guyana, the company said on Friday, after the United States blacklisted Russian aluminum producer Rusal, which has a plant in the South American country.The United States on April 6 imposed sanctions against Russian entities and individuals to punish Moscow for its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and what the U.S. Treasury Department dubbed other "malign activity".Since then…
Navios Buoyed by JPMorgan Duble Upgrade
GE Profit Tops Estimates
General Electric Co posted quarterly results that topped expectations on Friday, as earnings from aviation, healthcare and transportation offset weak power and oil-and-gas profits…
First COI Issued Under Subchapter M
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued its very first certificate of inspection (COI) under the Subchapter M requirements, which set new rules for the inspection, standards and safety policies of towing vessels.The COI issued to Marine Towing of Tampa's 90-foot tug Endeavor was signed Wednesday by Capt. Holly Najarian, commander of Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., and was presented Thursday morning at the company’s corporate office in Tampa…
EU Suspects Tax Fraud at China's New Gateway to Europe
European Union and Italian authorities are investigating suspected wide-scale tax fraud by Chinese criminal gangs importing goods via Greece’s largest port of Piraeus, a trade gateway between China and Europe, officials said.“The VAT is completely evaded, with enormous damage to the national tax authorities and to the community,” Fabio Botto, of the Italian Central Anti-fraud Office’s special investigative unit…
Trump Rails Against Oil Prices, OPEC Pushes Back
U.S. President Donald Trump accused OPEC on Friday of "artificially" boosting oil prices, drawing rebukes from some of the world's top energy exporters."Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea. Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted!" Trump wrote on Twitter.It was unclear what triggered the tweet, Trump's first mention of OPEC on social media during his term.U.S.
USCG Increases Marine Casualty Reporting Thresholds
Members should be aware that the USCG has increased the marine casualty property damage thresholds for reportable marine casualties that take place in US waters or involve US-flag ships. These changes took effect on 18 April 2018. A marine casualty is any incident involving a ship that occurs on navigable waters of the US and/or involves a US ship that results in any of the following: Loss of life…
