Catching Cruise Off-Guard: Norway’s zero-emissions fjord cruises
Norway on Jan. 1, 2026, will begin a ban on cruise ships powering through the Unesco-listed heritage fjords on anything but zero-emissions propulsion. For now, that means battery power, but few of the 190 cruise ship calls to these fjords are made with that kind of electro-chemical fuel on board. From now until 2026, you can still cruise the fjords on a closed-loop, or in-line, scrubber system, but few cruise ships have these installed.
Hurtigruten Inks 'Rotten Fish' Biogas Deal
As the global marine industry aggressively moves to reduce emissions from ships, and Norway in particular has thrown down the gauntlet of zero emission cruise ships in certain fjords along its scenic coast, Norwegian cruise ship operator Hurtigruten has signed a 7.5-year deal to buy liquefied biogas (LBG) made from dead fish and other organic waste to help power its vessels.Under the contract with Biokraft…
Iran, Iraq to Dredge Arvand river
Iran and Iraq have agreed to solve the issue of dredging of Arvand River (Shatt al-Arab) in Iranian southwestern city of Khorramshahr in Khouzestan.Based on the agreement reached, it was decided to establish a temporary technical committee with the aim of providing the preconditions for joint dredging of Arvand River, said Fars News Agency."It is expected that more technical meetings with Iran and Iraq experts will be held for dredging operations at Arvand river in the upcoming ten days…
EnFAIT Tidal Project Claims Success
Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal (EnFAIT), the flagship EU tidal energy project, has reduced the cost of tidal energy by 15 per cent and grown its supply chain from four to 14 EU countries, just 18 months after its launch.EnFAIT is an academic-industry collaboration between nine European partners focused on demonstrating the economic viability of tidal power. The project is also paving the way for a…
Saudi Aramco to Buy LNG from US
Saudi Arabia’s state owned oil company Saudi Aramco will buy 5 million tons of liquid natural gas per year(LNG) from the U.S. company Sempra Energy, based in San Diego under a 20 year agreement.The heads of agreement (HOA) between the companies anticipates the negotiation and finalization of a definitive 20-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) sale-and-purchase agreement (SPA) for five million tonnes per…
PSA, PFR, IFM Jointly Acquire DCT GDAŃSK
PSA International Ptd Ltd (PSA), the Polish Development Fund (PFR) and the IFM Global Infrastructure Fund (GIF) managed by IFM Investors have completed the transaction to jointly acquire DCT Gdańsk, the largest container terminal in Poland.DCT Gdańsk is one of the fastest growing container ports in Europe and the only terminal in the Baltic that can serve Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) with a capacity of up to 23…
Pacific Radiance Wins Case Against Chinese Yard
Singapore-based offshore vessel operator Pacific Radiance has won an arbitration award against a Chinese shipyard in a case involving two cancelled platform supply vessels (PSVs).The arbitral award provides for the refund of the pre-delivery instalment amounting to $2.8m along with contractual interest from the date of payment of the instalments until the date of refundThe arbitration case began in…
Race Against WW II Shipwrecks Oil Spill
A remediation programme to protect island ecosystems from damage caused by oil pollution from World War II wrecks sunk in the Pacific Ocean will launch in Newcastle Harbour today (Thursday 23 May).The programme is the result of a partnership between Major Projects Foundation, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) – an intergovernmental Pacific regional organisation made up of 26 members – and the University of Newcastle.
Solstad Offshore Bags New PSV Contracts
Norwegian offshore service and supply ship shipping company Solstad Offshore has been awarded contracts for two platform supply vessels (PSVs) in Norway.Solstad said in a press release that Wintershall Dea had awarded a 10-well firm plus options contract to support its West Mira rig drilling campaign. The contract duration is estimated to be 30 months.Commencement of the contract will take place in August/September 2019…
Fugro Cancels, McDermott Extends CSV Charter
The provider of geo-intelligence and asset integrity solutions for large constructions, infrastructure and natural resource, Fugro has cancelled a charter with Oceanteam for construction support vessel (CSV) Southern Ocean off Australia as the unit has been delayed while working on its current job off India.Meanwhile, McDermott has awarded a charter extension to the Southern Ocean for operations offshore India."As a result of the cyclone hitting the Indian coast early May…
Star Bulk Carriers Reports Q1 Loss
Greek shipping company Star Bulk Carriers Corp reported a net loss of $5.3 million, or $0.06 loss per share for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019.Net income for the first quarter of 2018 was $9.9 million, said the global shipping company providing worldwide seaborne transportation solutions in the dry bulk sector."By the end of May 2019 we are on track to have 40 vessels scrubber fitted. We expect to have a fully scrubber fitted fleet by January 2020.
Gazpromneft Marine Bunker in Pact with Cruise Lines
The Gazprom Neft bunkering business Gazpromneft Marine Bunker has concluded new agreements with cruise operators Royal Caribbean International and Saga Cruises.Gazpromneft Marine Bunker will be managing approximately 60 bunkering operations for Royal Caribbean and Saga cruise liners during the summer navigation season (May—September 2019) at St Petersburg’s Marine Façade passenger port.Total sales of marine fuels under these contracts are expected to be in the order of 55…
DP World Strengthen Brazil Ties
Brazil Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ernesto Henrique Fraga Araujo met with the global port operator DP World Group's Chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia this week.They discussed social reform, a stable and efficient regulatory framework to attract investors alongside public private partnerships to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI). The meeting preceded Mr.
NAPA Becomes First Service Provider for ShipDC IoS-OP
Finnish maritime software provider NAPA has become the first service provider for ClassNK-owned Ship Data Centre’s Internet of Ships Open Platform (ShipDC IoS-OP).NAPA will provide ship performance analytics and voyage optimisation capabilities for the universal platform developed to share vessel operational data between stakeholders.The aim of the ShipDC IoS-OP is to create a new, digital maritime…
ZIM Cuts Q1 Net Loss
The Israel-headquartered container carrier Zim Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) reported a first-quarter net loss of $17.5 million compared with a net loss of $26.1 million in the first quarter of 2018.The global container shipping company said in a stock exchange annoucement that its first-quarter revenues were $796.2 million, an increase of 6% over the $751.4 million reported for the first quarter of 2018.In Q1 2019…
Dry Bulk Fleet Utilization Falls 3.7% in Q1
Global dry bulk fleet utilization (calculated as total demand in tonne miles transported divided by total available fleet capacity) dropped by 3.7% in the first quarter of 2019, reflecting the trend observed in the rate environment, said Golden Ocean Group (GOGL), Bermuda registered, Norway based dry bulk shipping company.According to Maritime Analytics, global fleet utilization was 82.1% in the first quarter of 2019…
Diana Shipping Fixes Baltimore with Koch
Diana Shipping has entered into a time charter contract with the Singapore-based provider of shipping transportation services Koch Shipping, for one of its Capesize dry bulk vessels, the m/v Baltimore.The global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels said that the gross charter rate is US$15,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of about 19 months to about 22 months.
Canada Plans $11.7 Bln Coast Guard Overhaul
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said Canada would spend an estimated C$15.7 billion ($11.7 billion) to renew its coast guard fleet and that it would partner with a new shipyard to complete the project.Two Arctic icebreakers will be among a total of 18 new ships ordered, Trudeau told reporters in Vancouver. They will be built by Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax on the east coast, while 16 multi…
KVH Appoints Loke VP Asia Pacific
KVH Industries (Nasdaq: KVHI) said that Ken Loke has been named Vice President – Asia Pacific, to direct all initiatives for KVH in this region. Loke has extensive experience in satellite and managed services with top companies active in the telecommunications and maritime industries. KVH provides connectivity solutions for the maritime market, including global mini-VSAT Broadbandsm services used by thousands of vessels worldwide.Prior to joining KVH…
Navy: $2.3B Deal for 12 Mine Hunting Ships
The Belgium Naval & Robotics consortium, composed of Naval Group and ECA Group, won the contract to supply 12 minehunting vessels to the Belgian and Dutch navies. Equipped with around 100 drones, constituting approximately 10 drone systems (toolboxes), six ships are destined for the Belgian Navy, while the other six will be delivered to the Dutch Navy.The 10-year contract is worth nearly $2.3B. After a three-year design phase…
