STX Bags Orders for Six Tankers
South Korea’s STX Offshore & Shipbuilding won contracts to build six tankers from Greece and local shippers, reports Korea JoongAng Daily. STX announced that Greek shipper OceanGold Tankers placed an order for four medium-range tankers of 50,000 DWT capacity. Two were order on an option contract, which gives the buyer a right to pay for the ship at a pre-determined price in case ship prices rise. The deal was worth $140 million in total.
Standard Club Establishes New Offshore Advisory Committee
The Standard Club is driving developments in offshore P&I with the launch of the Standard Club Offshore Advisory Committee (SCOAC). SCOAC aims to analyse offshore trends, assist the club in further understanding and disseminating industry best-practice and develop new strategies to provide a focused direction for the benefit of the club’s offshore membership. The committee consists of leading offshore players including Allseas Group…
First Ship with IMO Tier III EIAPP Engines Launched
The launch of the L’Astrolabe, a 72 metre polar logistics vessel fitted with a complete Wärtsilä propulsion machinery package and Wärtsilä NOR (NOx Reducer) SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) exhaust gas cleaning systems for all the main engines, took place on July 12. This is the first vessel operating with the International Maritime Organisation’s IMO Tier III EIAPP (Engine International Air Pollution Prevention) certified Wärtsilä diesel engines.
VMAG Rolls Out its Marine Refit and New Build Department
Voyager Maritime Alliance Group (VMAG) , one of the leading marine technology providers in South Florida, is expanding its already comprehensive list of services by adding turnkey marine services that now encompass the entire refit and new build process. “In simple terms – we do it all! Says David Leone, President of VMAG, from the initial planning, naval architecture services, networking and data cabling…
Truman Departs for Sea Trials
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) departed Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for Sea Trials July 21 following a 10-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA). Truman's Commanding Officer, Capt. Ryan B. Scholl, praised ship forces, NNSY and civilian contractors for working together to stay on schedule and making an on-time departure from the shipyard. "The number one goal for this ship over the last year was making it better than when it arrived here," said Scholl.
Certifying Spaceship Earth
Former DNV GL President and CEO, Henrik O. Madsen has presented UN Secretary-General António Guterres with a testimonial attesting to DNV GL's assessment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN Headquarters in New York this week. The presentation took place during a Board meeting of UN Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, with over 9000 member companies.
Port Cooperation and Maritime Security in Belize
Identifying and dealing with potential threats to port security operations was at the core of a three-day workshop in Belize City, Belize (18-20 July). The event took a closer look at security needs and associated risks. Through interactive presentations and discussions between participants the workshop helped identify opportunities for increased collaboration between government agencies and port owners/operators as well as assessing port security training priorities.
Global LNG Deals Set Bullish Tone as Peru Export Halt Tightens Market
Asian spot LNG prices stepped higher this week, shrugging off months of weakness, as Royal Dutch Shell replaced lost output from its Peru plant via spot markets and as a flurry of higher-priced deals surprised traders. Peru's liquefaction plant suspended loadings for several weeks without explanation, exerting strain on Shell, which is the sole exporter of Peruvian LNG and was forced to pick up replacement supply on spot markets.
Svitzer Bags FSRU Support Contract in Bangladesh
Svitzer will provide marine support services for the Excelerate Energy FSRU at Bangladesh’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal. Excelerate Energy…
Hampton Roads Transit Christens New Ferry
Virginia’s Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) has christened its newest passenger ferry, the first of three to be delivered to the agency as part of a $7 million program to replace the fleet’s aging vessels, the newest of which was delivered in 1990 and the oldest of which has been in service since 1982. Designed by BMT and constructed by Armstrong Marine in North Carolina, the new vessel is a 149-passenger…
Tanker with Disputed Kurdish Oil Reappears off Malta
The Neverland tanker has reappeared off the coast of Malta after going off radar near Canada on June 30, when it was chartered by oil trader Vitol carrying Iraqi Kurdish crude oil…
Dredger Newbuild Heads to Australia
A newly built Damen Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) 650 has completed sea trials in Shanghai and is now underway to new owner, Gippsland Ports in Australia on her own keel. The TSHD, named Tommy Norton, is the first Damen dredger built for Australia. Having left Shanghai on July 14, a Damen team is sailing Tommy Norton approximately 5,000 nautical miles over a period of approximately 30 days to reach Australia.
Activists Protest near Oil Rig in Norway's Arctic Sea Area
Environmental activists protested on Friday near an offshore rig contracted by Statoil in the remote Norwegian Arctic, where the firm is looking for oil and gas deposits.
A Significant Date for Subchapter M
July 20 marks a milestone in Subchapter M implementation. Towing vessels with keels laid or major conversions on or after July 20, 2017 are required to meet 46 CFR Subchapter M and obtain a Certificate of Inspection (COI) prior to operating. Additionally, starting July 20, 2018, a portion of existing towing vessels will have one year to meet all of Subchapter M and obtain COIs. By July 19, 2022, 100 percent of the towing vessels must have valid COIs on board.
Baltic Index Win Streak at 9 Straight Days
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose on Friday for the ninth straight session, on higher rates for capesize and smaller vessels. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, was up 13 points, or 1.35 percent, at 977 points, touching its highest in more than two months. The capesize index climbed 61 points, or 5.58 percent, to 1,154 points.
VLCC Outlook Brightens Slightly
Rate correction likely after low S-Oil charter drags market. Freight rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) could see a small respite next week, building on the slight improvement seen in the last two days although sentiment is likely to remain pessimistic of any real recovery, brokers said on Friday. "There was a large drop on Tuesday when South Korea's S-Oil fixed at 45.50 (on the Worldscale measure). But rates are now correcting," a Singapore-based supertanker broker said.
Schlumberger to Acquire Majority Stake in Eurasia Drilling
Russia's Eurasia Drilling Company (EDC) said on Thursday it would sell a 51 percent stake in the company to the oilfield services provider, U.S.-based Schlumberger NV. The agreement is subject to approval by the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS), the company said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed since it is subject to approval. The agreement, if approved, would extend a strategic alliance with Schlumberger that dates to 2011, Eurasia added.
Rotterdam Port Throughput Up by 3.9%
With an increase in throughput of 3.9%, the port of Rotterdam can look back a good first half year. There was growth in eight of the ten market segments. The only falls were in the volumes of mineral oil products and other liquid bulk. In particular, the volume of containers handled (9.3% in TEU, 10.4% in tonnes) was the determining factor for the overall growth in throughput. Dry bulk increased (5.2%), liquid bulk decreased slightly (-1.0%) and break bulk was very much on the rise (10.8%).
Kinkasan Maru Gets Ship Heritage Certificate
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that the engine control console installed on the bridge of the Kinkasan Maru was selected for a "Ship Heritage Certificate" from the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers (JASNAOE). Kinkasan Maru (1961-1979) was a general cargo ship, built at Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Tamano Shipyard in 1961, and operated by MOL. The society noted that the Kinkasan Maru's system represented a pioneering step in the development of automated engines.
Australia Conducts Amphibious Task Group Drill
Australia’s amphibious capability was put to the test recently as the Amphibious Task Group Headquarters took charge of the largest amphibious assault conducted by an Australian force for 70 years as part of Exercise TALISMAN SABER. The assault, led from amphibious sssault ship HMAS Canberra, was a significant milestone in the Australian Defence Force’s development of a high end amphibious warfare capability.
