Asia News

Contship Italia Group has been pulling all the stops to increase its intermodal offering during the past months.Italy’s leading service provider for integrated global supply chains said that its Rail Hub Milano (RHM) and its gateway ports La Spezia and Ravenna serve as backbone of the Group’s growing intermodal network.La Spezia is geographically located within a range of 320 km from the key economic regions in Italy, accounting for over 47% of the total Italian GDP. RHM is located in Melzo, just outside the city of Milan at the heart of consumer and industrial regions.

Afghan Ministry of Transportation will soon launch a commercial shipping line with the assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran to conduct business activities between Chabahar Free Trade Zone and India.IRNA reported quoted the Afghan Ministry of Transportation as saying that the shipping sector would soon be formed and the ships could operate commercial activities with the flag of Afghanistan in free waters.The other local media hailed the move saying that Afghan will soon establish a department of shipping and ships will plough the ocean flying the Afghan flag.

Myanmar is the latest country to benefit from International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s work to enhance marine oil spill preparedness and response in the ASEAN region.A press note from the UN agency informed that a training course for senior officials and members of the national oil spill management team is taking place in Yangon, Myanmar (12-14 November).The training is focused on the effective response to oil spills, including on both managing risks from shipping and incident management.

China has overtaken Japan to become the world's top importer of natural gas, as Beijing's crackdown on pollution boosts its demand for the more environmentally friendly fuel, while the restart of nuclear reactors in Japan reduces its LNG imports.China's total natural gas imports over January to October this year via pipeline and as liquefied natural gas (LNG) were at 72.06 million tonnes, up a third from the same period last year, according to Reuters calculations based on General Administration of Customs data.Japan…

A U.S.-China tit-for-tat over tariffs hasn’t dampened cargo volume growth at the Port of Oakland. In fact, the Port is on track for its third straight year of record container volume in 2018, stated the Port authorities.But can it last? That’s the question supply chain experts pondered this week at the quarterly meeting of the Port’s Efficiency Task Force. Forty trade and transportation executives ranging from longshore labor representatives to cargo owners gathered to discuss trade dynamics.

A new ice-breaking tanker capable of navigating the Arctic on its own is set to load its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment from Russia's fast-expanding Yamal facility.The Georgiy Brusilov left South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering shipyard at the weekend and is due at Yamal's Sabetta port on Nov. 28, Refinitiv Eikon data shows.It is the eighth ARC7-class LNG carrier, which are longer than the Titanic, to join the Yamal fleet operated by Teekay, Mitsui OSK Lines and Dynagas, with another seven expected.The vessels have enabled Yamal's operator Novatek to ramp up production since its first LNG cargo at the end of last year…

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), has agreed, in principle, to extend to 2040 its gas supply agreement with ADNOC LNG, in coordination with ADNOC LNG’s joint venture partners, Mitsui, BP and Total.The the state-owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates said that the new gas supply agreement is scheduled to take effect from April 1, 2019, replacing an existing agreement, due to expire on March 31, 2019.The extension announcement follows the Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Petroleum…

Global container trade continued to lose momentum in Q3 2018, with growth down to around 2.7% compared to Q3 2017, said A.P. Moller - Maersk in its Q3 interim report.Year-to-date, global container trade has increased by 4.2% compared with the same period last year, a much slower pace of growth than the 5.8% recorded in 2017 Container trade remained fairly weak on the EastWest trades, growing by 1.9% in Q3.Growth was driven by European imports from Asia of 2.3%, refl ecting descent…

Taiwanese ocean shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation  said that its 3rd quarter net loss after tax for Q3 was USD 30 million, a reduction of 76.16% compared to last quarter, and USD 220 million for the nine-month period.However, in Q3 2018, Yang Ming posted consolidated revenues of USD $1.3 billion, a growth of 15.2% compared to the second quarter of the year.According to a press statement Yang Ming, one of the main reasons for the loss was an “unfavourable supply-demand balance”…

Novatek Gas and Power Asia, wholly owned subsidiary of Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer Novatek, shipped a cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced from the Yamal LNG project to China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).The LNG cargo was delivered to Fujian LNG Terminal in China via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) by an Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier in 20 days, completing the NSR part of the journey in 7.5 days.A release from the natural gas producers quoted Leonid Mikhelson…

As many as 20 LNG tankers floating in Asian waters; most off Singapore. The last time tankers used for storage was in 2014.Tankers storing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Asian waters have more than doubled in number since late October as traders have been caught off guard by warmer-than-expected temperatures that have capped demand and pulled down prices.Spot market demand ahead of winter has been slowed by the forecasts for warmer temperatures this year in North Asia, with onshore storage tanks filling up."People were expecting China to buy as much as last year in the spot market…

A retired U.S. Navy captain pleaded guilty to criminal conflict of interest charges and a former U.S. Navy master chief was sentenced to 17 months in prison today on corruption charges. The defendants are among the latest U.S. Navy officials to plead guilty and be sentenced in the expansive corruption and fraud investigation involving foreign defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis and his Singapore-based ship husbanding company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA).Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Adam L.

The the third largest container port in the world Port of Shenzhen Lativa's Freeport of Riga have a common goal - to become internationally important and strong ports through cooperation.Recently, Port of Riga welcomed a delegation from the Port of Shenzhen, including representatives of the city municipality and management of the port authority, as well as port entrepreneurs — representatives of all four container terminals of the Port of Shenzhen.Since the Port of Shenzhen is a cooperation port for Riga…

As part of its strategy to make further inroads into the Japanese shipping market the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) is opening its new office in the heart of Tokyo's Minato district.BMA’s new office at Nishi-Shinbashi was inaugurated by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas, the Honorable Peter Turnquest.The office will provide direct service to the Japanese maritime market, the world’s second largest in terms of vessel tonnage.Turnquest said: “Japan is a great maritime nation, and The Bahamas Ship Registry is one of the world’s top registries.

Oil price reporting agency Argus has launched five new price assessments for low-sulphur marine fuels, ahead of new global rules capping the amount of sulphur in marine fuels, also known as bunkers.International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations will cut the limit for sulphur in bunker fuels globally from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent from the start of 2020."Argus is pleased to be taking the lead in bringing price transparency that enables this large and emerging oil market to advance trading in preparation for the IMO 2020 required fuels…

Malaysia’s Sapura Energy has entered into a heads of agreement with Austria’s OMV to form a strategic partnership and acquire half of Sapura Upstream for $1.6 billion."Under the agreements, OMV Exploration and Production GmbH (OMV E&P), a wholly-owned subsidiary of OMV Aktiengesellschaft, will buy a 50 per cent stake of the enlarged issued share capital in a newly-formed joint venture company, SEB Upstream Sdn Bhd (SUP), based on an enterprise value of up to USD1.6 billion comprising an equity value of up to USD1…

Lloyd’s Register has granted an approval in principle to STX Offshore & Shipbuilding for a 50,000 dwt MR tanker design capable of using LNG as a fuel. This development is the result of close collaboration between STX and LR.STX incorporated an LNG-fuelled propulsion system into their existing conventional MR tanker design with technical assistance and support from LR, ensuring that the design is in compliance with the new IGF code as well as LR’s Gas Fuelled Rules, covering other…

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), has announced that its cruise joint venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) will launch this week under the name CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited. The new China-based cruise company plans to operate its own fleet to serve Chinese cruise guests by the end of 2019.CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited announced an agreement to purchase two existing ships from Carnival Corporation’s Costa Group, the leading cruise operator in Europe and Asia.

The development that saw no U.S. seaborne exports of crude oil to China in August has continued into September, according to BIMCO. This is despite crude oil not being a part of the ‘official trade war’.“The trade war between the U.S. and China is now impacting trade in both tariffed and some un-tariffed goods with both countries looking elsewhere for alternative buyers and sellers,” said Peter Sand, BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst.“Ton mile demand generated by total U.S. crude oil exports has risen 17 percent from August to September…

Saudi Arabia's Bahri is targeting acquisitions in Asia and the Middle East as the exclusive oil shipper for state energy giant Saudi Aramco seeks to expand its reach, the chief executive said on Wednesday.Bahri is the world's largest owner and operator of very large crude carriers (VLCCs). Saudi sovereign wealth fund the Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns 22 percent of the company and Aramco has a 20 percent stake."We are looking at multiple acquisitions in the Middle East and Asia worth tens of millions of dollars…

Sempra Energy, the US group that aims to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility near Ensenada, Mexico, to serve customers in Asia moved closer to becoming reality as the natural gas utilities holding company  announced agreements with three international firms.The San Diego-based company announced in a press release that  that its subsidiaries Infraestructura Energetica Nova  (IEnova) and Sempra LNG & Midstream have signed three Heads of Agreements (HOAs) with affiliates of Total, Mitsui & Co. and Tokyo Gas Co.

Steelhead Asia, a unit of the Canadian LNG export project developer Steelhead LNG, said that Marina Surzhenko has taken the role of Director LNG.Based in Singapore, Marina is responsible for developing Steelhead’s business in Asia as well as leading the negotiations of LNG offtake contracts.Marina is an energy and investment management executive with 20 years of global experience in gas and LNG contracts negotiations and contract management. During her time at Shell and Gazprom…

Rhine water levels hit record lows in October; river is a key fuel transport hub for Europe.Low water levels on the Rhine river have caused a fuel supply deficit in parts of Europe's industrial heartlands that is sucking up cargoes from more than 10,000 km away in Singapore.Following a long, scorching summer, water levels on the Rhine - a key commodity shipping lane connecting industrial centres in Switzerland, Germany, France and the Netherlands to major seaports - fell to record lows…