P&O Cruises' Iona Nearly Ready for Delivery
P&O Cruises' new ship Iona is on sea trials and nearing delivery a few months behind schedule after the coronavirus pandemic caused construction delays at Meyer Werft's Bremerhaven shipyard. The new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered cruise ship had been slated for delivery to Carnival's P&O brand earlier this Spring and was due to enter service in May before COVID-19 disrupted work on board Iona and at many shipyards across Europe…
USS George Washington Overhaul 75% Complete
The U.S. Navy's nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) reached the 75% completion point of the ship’s force work package.The warship entered dry dock at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia in August 2017 to start her fueling complex overhaul (RCOH) period, the sixth Nimitz-class carrier to undergo this major mid-life milestone. In the 34 months since, her sailors have contributed more than 1.3 million work-hours out of the 2…
New Vessel Enters Service at Formosa 1 Wind Farm
A new 36-meter service accommodation transfer vessel (SATV) completed its sea trials program for owner Ventus Marine and charterer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and has commenced operations and maintenance activities on the Formosa 1 offshore wind farm project in Taiwan.The first-of-its-kind vessel was designed by BMT and built by Penguin Shipyard International. It is engineered to provide long-term offshore accommodation for 10 crew onboard for the 12 day offshore endurance…
Qatar Petroleum in 'Largest LNG Shipbuilding Deal in History'
Qatari state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Petroleum has entered into what it says "are the largest LNG shipbuilding agreements in history to secure more than 100 ships valued in excess of QR 70 billion [USD19,2 billion] to cater for its LNG growth plans." Qatar Petroleum said Monday it had entered into three agreements with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI)…
Two Iranian Tankers Sail Back After Venezuela Delivery
Two Iranian tankers that delivered fuel to Venezuela as part of a five-vessel flotilla have begun to sail back, according to Refinitiv Eikon, as the government of…
Ports Pledge to Stay Open During COVID-19
Dozens of seaports across Asia, Oceania, Middle East, Africa, Europe and Americas have pledged to remain open to merchant vessels to ensure the flow of essential goods throughout the coronavirus pandemic.To date, more than 50 port authorities have signed on to support the Port Authorities Roundtable (PAR) COVID-19 declaration, initiated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore for ports to commit…
Unique Arctic Journey for Russian LNG Carrier
Sovcomflot's Arc7 ice-class Christophe de Margerie liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier has made history by successfully transiting the Eastbound ice-covered part of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in May, carrying LNG from Novatek's Yamal LNG project to China.The Russian vessel owner said the event marked the first time in the history of the shipping industry that a large-capacity vessel of this class…
Iran Ready to Continue Fuel Shipments to Venezuela
Iran will continue fuel shipments to Venezuela if Caracas requests more supplies, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday, despite Washington's criticism…
Suncor Extinguishes Fire on Terra Nova FPSO
A fire broke out on Saturday aboard Suncor Energy-operated Terra Nova FPSO offshore Canada, the offshore oil and gas regulator C-NLOPB said.Suncor told C-NLOPB that…
Panama to Fine Ships up to $10,000 if They Tamper with Transponders
Panama's Maritime Authority said it will impose sanctions on vessels, including fines of up to $10,000 and withdrawing its flag from the ship, if they deliberately deactivate, tamper or alter the operation of their tracking transponders."This General Directorate of Merchant Marine will impose sanctions to all those Panamanian flagged vessels that deliberately deactivate, tamper or alter the operation of Long Range Identification and Tracking System or the Automatic Identification System…
Med Marine to Build Tug for Port of Mombasa
Turkish tugboat builder, towage and pilotage operator Med Marine said it has signed a deal with Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to build and deliver a new 42-meter tugboat for the Port of Mombasa.The vessel is scheduled to enter service in East Africa’s largest port in 2021 as part of the KPA’s equipment modernization and maintenance program aiming to enhance efficiency at the port.The vessel design is from the RAstar ASD tug series by Canada’s Robert Allan Ltd.
Jeff Bezos Invests in Digital Freight Forwarder Beacon
Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos has picked British startup Beacon, a digital freight forwarder, for his latest investment.Beacon said on Sunday it raised over $15 million in Series A fundraising, from investors including Bezos and venture capital firm 8VC.The startup, formed by two former Uber Technologies Inc executives two years ago, is already backed by Uber founders Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp, along with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.Beacon is also a supply chain finance fir
APL England Captain Charged Over Lost Containers
The master of Singapore-flagged APL England is facing charges in Australia after the vessel under his command lost dozens of containers overboard in rough seas off the coast of Sydney last week.The offences relate to pollution and/or damage of the marine environment as a result of poor cargo loading, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.The 5,510 TEU capacity APL England had been en route from Ningbo…
Tullow Says 58 Workers Test Positive for COVID-19 Offshore Ghana
Fifty-eight workers tested positive for COVID-19 at an oil production facility run by Tullow Oil off Ghana's Atlantic coast, the company said in a statement on Friday…
Flurry of US Crude Export Fixtures Offers Slimmer of Hope
A flurry of tentative bookings to export U.S. crude oil from the Gulf Coast suggests demand is edging up after the coronavirus slammed energy consumption worldwide.BP, Trafigura and Equinor have all tentatively fixed vessels this past week to carry U.S. crude to global destinations over the coming month, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and shipping sources.Commodities merchant Trafigura and Occidental Petroleum are among companies looking to book vessels to ship crude from the U.S.
Sanmar Delivers New Svitzer Tug in Port of Sohar
Turkish tug building specialist Sanmar Shipyards followed up on recent deliveries of the two Sirapinar class ASD tugs to Oman's Port of Sohar with the delivery of the first of a three part order of the larger and more powerful Bigacay class ASD tugs. The arrival of this tug to the Port of Sohar, alongside its two sisters due shortly, will conclude the fleet development aims of the operator Svitzer and Port of Sohar…
Turkey May Begin Drilling Under Libya Deal in 3-4 Months
Turkey may begin oil exploration in the eastern Mediterranean within three or four months under a deal it signed with Libya that was condemned by others in the region including Greece, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Friday.Libya's internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) signed the maritime delimitation deal last year. Turkey says it creates an exclusive economic zone from its southern coast to Libya's northeast coast…
Bollinger Adds New Dry Dock
Bollinger Quick Repair, LLC, a Bollinger Shipyards LLC company, has taken delivery of a new 3,400 ton dry-dock.Built at Bollinger Shipyard’s Amelia, La. facility, the dock is now in service and measures 219’7” X 84’, with a wing wall depth of 15’, and is rated for 3,400 tons, said Bollinger President & CEO, Ben Bordelon.The dry-dock is named in honor of long-time Bollinger employee Eddie Barnes, Jr.…
Westcon Lines Up Coast Guard Ship Repair Work
Norway's Westcon Yards says it entered into a new agreement with the Norwegian Armed Forces for the maintenance of Coast Guard vessels."This is an important agreement for us," says Georg Matre, ship repair officer at Westcon Yards, pointing out that the first maintenance agreement with the Armed Forces came into place in 2016. The latest agreement, now valid for an additional three years, concerns…
EU Approves Finnish Aid to Maritime Companies Impacted by COVID-19
The European Commission has approved a €600 million ($668.1 million) Finnish aid scheme to support maritime companies impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.The aid scheme will take the form of State guarantees on working capital loans and will be accessible to maritime operators that are essential for maintaining the security of supply to Finland during the coronavirus outbreak. The funds are intended to help these firms cover immediate working capital needs…
