China Reveals “Polar Silk Road” in Arctic
China unveiled its ambitions to develop a "Polar Silk Road" through the Arctic, joining a multinational race to exploit opportunities in the resource-rich region…
TOTE Places Hawaii Plans on Hold
U.S. ocean carrier TOTE said its plans to enter the domestic Hawaiian trade have been derailed by the scope and timing of infrastructure upgrades that would be required to accommodate the new service. TOTE had been earmarked access to Honolulu Piers 1 and 2 and exclusive use of the adjacent 45 acres starting in 2020, but the carrier has now put its plans on hold after a preliminary study of the site…
Damen Maaskant Scores Twin-rigger Contract
Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam said it has secured another contract to build a twin-rig fly shooting fishing trawler; this time for brothers Rense and Johannes de Boer. This is Damen Maaskant’s second fishing trawler contract in as many months, following close behind the contract to build the 32-meter long Spes Nova that was signed in November. Although the new vessel, to be named Meindert Senior…
Rescuers Searching for Overdue Kiribati Ferry
Search and rescue crews are searching for a Kiribati passenger ferry that has gone missing with an estimated 50 people on board in the central Pacific. The 17.5…
Sea Ice Could Disrupt Shipping in Northern China
A unit of China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) on Friday issued a blue alert for sea ice in a key port area in the north of the country, potentially disrupting commodities shipments, as temperatures in the region plummet. Sea ice in the Liaodong Bay, the northern arm of China's Bohai Sea, now extends 67 nautical miles (124 km) from the shoreline, the North China Sea Marine Forecasting Center said in an 0700 GMT alert.
Mississippi Towing Vessel Fire Extinguished
A large fire has been extinguished on board a push boat near Vicksburg, Miss., the U.S. Coast Guard said. The fire broke out in the engine room of uninspected towing vessel George King near mile marker 390 on the lower Mississippi River on Thursday morning. The nine crew on board were able to safely disembark, and no injuries or pollution have been reported. The Coast Guard said it is working with local agencies to continue monitoring the vessel.
Former MSC Contractor Pleads Guilty to Bribery
A former contractor at the Military Sealift Command (MSC) pleaded guilty for accepting bribes totaling approximately $2.8 million in the course of a bribery and…
New Virus Found in the Ocean
Researchers from MIT and Albert Einstein College of Medicine have discovered a new type of virus that dominates water samples taken from the ocean but has long escaped analysis because its characteristics are not detected by standard tests. The newly identified viruses have long been missed by previous studies due several unusual properties including a lack of “tail” found on most catalogued and sequenced bacterial viruses.
Keel Laid for Transnet’s New Plough Tug
Construction of Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA) new bed leveler (plough tug) is underway and was marked by an official keel laying ceremony in Port Elizabeth on January 19. The new vessel is being designed, manufactured, assembled, commissioned and delivered to TNPA’s Dredging Services division by shipbuilder FTC Engineering (Pty) Ltd, trading as Tide Marine Shipyard. The Black-, woman-owned…
Baltic Index Posts Weekly Gain on Firmer Vessel Rates
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, on Friday marked its first weekly gain in three as rates for capesize and panamax vessels improved. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, was up 2 points, or 0.16 percent, at 1,219 points. It rose 8.4 percent this week. The capesize index rose 20 points, or 1.14 percent, to 1,772 points.
CMA CGM Takes Delivery of 20,600 TEU Flagship
French shipping group CMA CGM said it has taken delivery of its new flagship, the first in a series of three new 20,600 TEU containerships. The French flagged CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery will enter into service on February 6 on the FAL 1 service (French Asia Line 1), which connects Asia to Northern Europe. CMA CGM said the new 400-meter long and 59-meter wide box ship features a Becker Twisted…
Jefferies Upbeat on LNG, LPG and Dry Bulk Shippers
Jefferies optimistic on stocks of LNG, LPG and dry bulk shippers With spot rates at 4-year highs, brokerage says, "we believe additional LNG liquefaction terminals will continue to stimulate LNG shipping demand above and beyond LNG shipping supply growth" All shipping sectors to improve through 2018, 2019; "seasonal patience will be required in the dry bulk, refined products and crude tanker sectors" - Jefferies Improvement in global economic conditions and Chinese preference for hig
TMC to Equip FPSO Newbuild
Oslo based compressor supplier TMC Compressors said it has won a contract to supply the marine compressed air system for a new floating production storage and offloading…
Kawasaki Kisen, 3 Others Plan LNG Bunkering Venture
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Chubu Electric Power , Toyota Tsusho, and Nippon Yusen KK say they have started discussions to launch a business supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel ships.
Samsung Heavy to Issue New Shares
South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries Co Ltd plans to issue new shares worth 1.56 trillion won ($1.47 billion), the company said on Friday. The world's third-largest…
30 Drown off Yemen After Boat Capsizes
At least 30 African refugees and migrants drowned off the coast of Yemen this week in a boat heading towards Djibouti operated by smugglers who are reported to have fired on passengers…
How Sanchi's Spill Could Spread
The worst tanker oil spill in decades is unfolding across hundreds of miles of the East China Sea after an Iranian oil tanker carrying more than 100,000 tonnes of…
Fast-growing Global Trade Boosts Fuel Demand
Freight movements in the United States and around the rest of the world are growing at some of the fastest rates this decade, which should provide a big boost for diesel consumption in 2018.
Siemens Gamesa Gets DNV GL Type Certificate for Wind Turbine
DNV GL has awarded Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy with the Type Certificate for its eight megawatt (8 MW) offshore wind turbine SWT-8.0-154. Fully compliant to…
Piraeus Port Contracts Huawei to Upgrade Network
Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) SA and the Huawei Technologies SA are pleased to announce the contract conclusion for the modernization of the PPA network infrastructure.
