First Diesel-Electric Damen Shoalbuster Ordered
On January 25, 2019 the contract was signed between Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld (DSHa) and longstanding client Herman Sr. for the building of the first diesel-electric Damen Shoalbuster 3514 SD DP2. The new vessel is scheduled for delivery by the first half of 2020 and will be named Brutus. The Shoalbuster 3514 SD (shallow draft) DP2 (dynamic positioning 2) will be the first of a new Shoalbuster class and one of the largest and most sophisticated in the range…
Round the Clock Business Demands Seamless Comms
Network Innovations and its inland waterways connectivity solution eliminates “dead spot” coverage woes. And, not a moment too soon.The bane of inland operators – or at least one of many – has always been the dearth of reliable and economical vessel-to-shore communications. Even in America’s heartland where cellular coverage is routinely billed as seamless, so-called ‘dead spots’ persist. Sometimes…
Commonwealth LNG sees Euro Demand for LA Gas Terminal
Commonwealth LNG has received commitments from European buyers to take almost half of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its planned 8.4-million-tonnes-per-year export terminal in Louisiana, Chief Executive Officer Paul Varello said on Wednesday.The Commonwealth project is one of more than 10 LNG export terminals under development or construction in the United States along the coast of the Gulf of…
Sakhalin: Offshore Heavy Lift Refit
Large-scale conversion project on offshore platform Molikpaq operated by Sakhalin Energy.While the refit of heavy lift capacity onboard an offshore rig might sound mundane, Liebherr’s project to replace and modernize cranes on the offshore platform Molikpaq operated by Sakhalin Energy, a unit subjected to some of the world’s harshest conditions, is anything but mundane.The modernization project on…
DP World buys back P&O Ferries for $421 mln
DP World has bought back British ferry and shipping freight operator P&O Ferries for 322 million pounds ($421 million), more than a decade after it sold it.DP World acquired the British shipping and logistics company in 2006 but soon sold off some assets, including P&O Ferries to its major shareholder, state holding company Dubai World.DP World announced on Wednesday it was buying the company, and a spokeswoman later told Reuters it had bought it back from Dubai World.Dubai World was at the hear
Hedge Funds Hunt for Shipping Debt
A growing number of hedge funds are moving into shipping debt, an asset class few have invested in before, looking to buy up loans and bonds as banks cut their exposure to the troubled sector.World economy worries and cost pressures are dampening prospects for a proper recovery in many segments of the shipping sector, which has struggled with tough markets for a decade.Meanwhile European banks, particularly German lenders…
A New Name in Ship, Yacht Sales
Vesselbay.com went live in 2019 with the launch of an online sales platform for vessels, a platform designed to ensure efficient sales processes.Vesselbay.com aims to bring together buyers and sellers of vessels, invisible to the eyes of third parties, on an international scale. It works as follows: 1] A private or business vendor advertises a yacht or ship on Vesselbay.com.2] A potential buyer makes an invisible, provisional bid for the vessel online via the Vesselbay.com website or app.
RCL Confirms Sixth Vessel Order
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL) just gave confirmation of an order for Chantiers de l’Atlantique, according to a previous option agreement, to build a new Oasis-class cruise ship, due for delivery in the fall of 2023.“At her delivery, she will be the twenty third cruise ship built by our yard for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, and we are especially proud of it”, said Laurent Castaing, General Manager…
Keppel Delivers Jack-up Rig to Grupo R
Singapore's Keppel FELS has delivered the jackup rig, Cantarell IV, to Grupo R with a perfect safety record.The wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) said that as part of the deal, Grupo R has entered into a sale and leaseback agreement with FELS Asset, another wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel O&M.FELS Asset will purchase the rig from Grupo R for US$179m which is equivalent to the balance contract value of the rig.
Japanese Offshore Wind to Hit 4GW in 2028
Japan's nascent offshore wind industry is expected to increase dramatically over the next ten years, according to energy analysts Wood Mackenzie, who predict that by 2028 the island country will boast upwards of 4 gigawatts (GW) of offshore capacity, a 62-fold increase on 2018 figures.As nuclear power falls out of favour in the aftermath of 2011’s Fukushima Dai’ichi nuclear disaster, Japan has struggled to bring its nuclear reactors back on the grid.
MJM Bags Largest-Ever Cruise Contract
Global marine outfitter, MJM Marine is undertaking its biggest-ever project which will see a team of 1,400 people spend more than a month working on a cruise liner at locations including China and the US.The company been appointed as the main outfitting contractor by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) to completely refurbish the Norwegian Joy, as the company repositions the ship to the West Coast of the United States.In a multi-million dollar project…
Port of Oakland Gets Giant Cranes
SSA Terminals, the operator of Oakland International Container Terminal, submitted last week a $30 million order for three 300-foot-tall gantry cranes, which are expected to be delivered in 18 months.The cranes will go to Oakland International Terminal on Oakland Estuary and will become the tallest on the West Coast, port officials said.The project aims to prepare the port to handle the world's largest container ships, which can be up to 1,300 feet long and carry nearly 23,000 cargo containers.
Kraken Robotics Nets Ocean Infinity Deal
The marine technology company Kraken Robotics has received $1.7 million purchase orders from Ocean Infinity for the AquaPix Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) sensors and support.According to a press note from the provider of software-centric sensors and underwater robotic systems, product delivery is expected during Q1 and Q2, 2019. This is the second set of purchase orders from Ocean Infinity under an initial master agreement contract announced in Q3 2017.Oliver Plunkett…
Dry Bulk Market Looks Dull
Global dry bulk fleet utilization (calculated as total demand in tonne miles transported divided by total available fleet capacity) dropped by 1.4% in the fourth quarter of 2018, reflecting the trend observed in the rate environment.According to Norway based dry bulk shipping company Golden Ocean Group, freight rates in the fourth quarter of 2018 disappointed compared to expectations, in particular for the Capesize vessels…
Valles Orders New Tanker from SHI
The Hong Kong and Vancouver-based shipowner Valles Steamship has ordered a new 112,000 dwt crude oil tanker from South Korea’s Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering (SHIME).Ship set to be fitted with a scrubber and will enter the market before the end of 2020, said a release from Valles, which was founded by C.S. Koo in Shanghai as a family business in 1917."We take great pleasure in concluding…
Cosco, Bolloré in Logistics Partnership
China’s container shipping company Cosco Shipping Lines signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Africa-based Bolloré Transport & Logistics to develop new opportunities in transport, logistics and port infrastructure.The two companies, partners for over 20 years, want to densify their commercial relations while exploring new opportunities for cooperation in transport, logistics and port infrastructure.Through this agreement…
DSME Workers to Strike Against HHI Takeover
Workers at South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) voted on February 19 to strike to oppose Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI)’ proposed takeover.According to labour union, the approval for the proposed strike heralds a bumpy road for a mega deal between HHI and the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB).The decision to go on strike was supported by a majority of DSME workers in a meeting on February 19, Yonhap reported citing the workers’ 5,600-member union.
Wärtsilä EnergoProFin Gets Vancouver OK
Marine technology specialists Wartsila’s energy-saving propeller cap has been included in the 2019 Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s EcoAction Program which offers harbor dues discounts for vessels calling at the Port of Vancouver that meet environmental best practices.The listing is in the vessel quieting category, which awards a 23 percent discount in harbor dues for vessels utilizing this technology.
Gas4Sea, Equinor in LNG Bunkering Pact
Marine LNG Zeebrugge, a joint venture of the Gas4Sea partners - ENGIE, Mitsubishi Corporation and NYK - has signed an agreement with the Norwegian multinational energy group Equinor.Under the agreement, Marine LNG Zeebrugge will supply liquefied natural gas as a marine fuel to Equinor’s four crude shuttle tankers in the Dutch port of Rotterdam.The four planned dual fuel vessels are to come into service in early 2020…
Navios Appoints Alexander Kalafatides as Director
The dry cargo vessel player Navios Maritime Partners announced the appointment of Mr. Alexander Kalafatides to its Board of Directors.The international owner and operator of dry bulk and container vessels said in a press release that Kalafatides has nearly 30 years of experience in general management and marketing.Kalafatides also serves as an adjunct professor in International Business at Drexel University. Kalafatides served in the Board of Directors of Navios Maritime Midstream Partners L.P.
