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Monday, March 18, 2024
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18 Mar 2024

IMO to Open Regional Office in Fiji

Source: IMO

The IMO will open its seventh Regional Presence Office (RPO), in Suva, Fiji, after IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, and Fiji Minister for Transport, Ro Filipe Tuisawau, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 18.The Regional Presence Office will support the maritime needs and priorities of countries in the Pacific Islands region, aligning IMO actions with national and regional development policies, while providing advice on key maritime issues such as training, safety and security, legislation and marine environment.

17 Mar 2024

Esgian Week 11 Report: New Discoveries in UK and Namibia

Source: COSL

Esgian reports that drilling contracts have been announced this week for operations in Brazil and the Philippines, and new discoveries have been confirmed in the UK and Namibia in its Week 11 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.ContractsCOSL Drilling has emerged as the winner for Petrobras' moored semisubmersible tender with the 4,600-ft Nanhai 8 (also known as Nan Hai Ba Hao).Noble has secured a high-dayrate drillship contract with Prime Energy in the Philippines.Drilling Activity and…

10 Mar 2024

Esgian Week 10 Report: Additional Backlog Secured

© freddytb Foto / Adobe Stock

Esgian reports that offshore drilling contractors secured additional backlog in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Egypt, Nigeria, and Brazil and operators confirmed new discoveries in Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire, and China in its Week 10 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.ContractsDiamond Offshore has executed a two-year contract extension with a subsidiary of bp in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for the 12,000-ft drillship Ocean BlackHornet.Shelf Drilling’s 250-ft jackup Rig 141 has secured a two-year…

06 Mar 2024

Russia Oil Fleet Shifts Away from Liberia, Marshall Island Flags Amid US Sanctions Crackdown

© evannovostro / Adobe Stock

Dozens of oil tankers used by Russia have stopped sailing under the Liberian and Marshall Islands flags in recent weeks after the United States ramped up sanctions enforcement on ships linked to those registries, according to shipping data and interviews with industry and government officials.The shift reflects the close relationship between the U.S. and the flag administration companies of Liberia and the Marshall Islands, which are headquartered not in their home countries, but in Virginia, just miles from Washington D.C. and within the jurisdiction of U.S.

05 Mar 2024

Singapore and Australia Formalize Corridor Collaboration

© ake1150 / Adobe Stock

Singapore and Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formally collaborate on establishing the Singapore-Australia green and digital shipping corridor.The MoU was signed by Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance, and Catherine King, Australian Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.Both countries will work with interested partners to explore opportunities to develop zero or near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission fuel supply chains for the maritime industry…

05 Mar 2024

Philippines Summons China Diplomat Over 'Aggressive' Actions in South China Sea

© luzitanija / Adobe Stock

The Philippines summoned China's deputy chief of mission in Manila on Tuesday to protest what it called "aggressive actions" by Chinese naval forces against a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed on a South China Sea shoal.Manila's South China Sea task force said Philippine vessels carrying out the routine mission to the Second Thomas Shoal were "harassed (and) blocked" by Chinese maritime militia and coast guard ships on Tuesday.Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannon…

04 Mar 2024

Victoria International Container Terminal Phase 3A Expansion Completed

Source: ICTSI

Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), ICTSI’s operations at the Port of Melbourne in Australia, recently completed Phase 3A of its expansion project.VICT can now accommodate neo-Panamax container ships, the largest container vessels calling Australia. The ships can now sail directly into Port Phillip and dock at VICT – the only terminal in Melbourne capable of receiving them. It is also the only fully-automated container terminal in the southern hemisphere.The AUD235 million expansion project is being carried out in two phases.

04 Mar 2024

After Failed Voyage, 14,500 Australian Livestock Sail Again for Israel

Image courtesy of Michael Mondello

Around 14,500 livestock sailed from Australia to Israel on Sunday for the second time, two months after their first voyage was curtailed by the threat of attack by Houthi militants in the Red Sea.The animals left Fremantle port in Perth on Jan. 5 but halfway to the Middle East, their ship abandoned its route and was ordered home by the Australian government.The turn-back was part of the havoc wrought by the Houthi strikes in support of Hamas militants in Palestine that have forced…

03 Mar 2024

Eight Japanese Ports Join The Green Award

Source: The Green Award

The Green Award Foundation has announced that eight ports managed by the Osaka Ports and Harbors Bureau have joined as new Incentive Providers, offering discounted port fees to Green Award certified vessels that call their ports.This expands The Green Award’s network to 47 ports incentivising safety and sustainability in shipping globally.Among the eight new Japanese ports are the Port of Sakai-Senboku and Port of Hannan, two major industrial ports situated in the Osaka Bay. With a long history as trading hubs…

03 Mar 2024

Malaysia Says MH370 Search Must Go On

© atulvermabhai / Adobe Stock

Malaysia is pushing for a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the transport minister said on Sunday, as the 10th anniversary of its disappearance in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries approaches.Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.Malaysian investigators initially did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been deliberately taken off course, and debris…

01 Mar 2024

Animal Welfare Groups Decry Bahijah Re-Export Decision

Image courtesy of Michael Mondello

The Australian Alliance for Animals and the RSPCA have expressed dismay over the decision by Australia’s Department of Agriculture to allow the re-export of more than 15,000 sheep on board the Bahijah to the Middle East.Originally, 16,000 Australian sheep and cattle were onboard the Bahijah for over a month after the vessel departed from Australia and then turned back from the Middle East due to maritime security concerns in the Red Sea. It was then recalled to Perth by the Department of Agriculture.The animals were unloaded after the Department rejected a plan for their immediate re-export.

01 Mar 2024

New US Sanctions More Likely to Curb Indian Imports of Russian Coal

© Letopisec / Adobe Stock

New U.S. sanctions on Moscow are more likely than previous ones to cut Indian imports of thermal coal from Russia because they specifically cite top exporters SUEK and Mechel, three major traders of Russian coal said.Russia, historically a minor exporter of the fuel to India, began boosting shipments to the south Asian country after Western sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.The latest U.S. sanctions also include Russia's payment system, financial institutions and energy production."With the new sanctions…

28 Feb 2024

Qatar's Bigger LNG Expansion to Squeeze US, Other Rivals

(File photo: QatarEnergy)

Qatar's planned expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production could see it control nearly 25% share of the global market by 2030 and squeeze out rival projects including in the United States where President Biden paused new export approvals, market experts say.Qatar, one of the world's top LNG exporters, plans an 85% expansion in LNG output from its North Field's current 77 million metric tons per year (mtpa) to 142 mtpa by 2030, from previously expected 126 mtpa.Some market experts said that the move will have an impact on global projects in the United States…

26 Feb 2024

Roll Group Adds Two Ships

Image courtesy Roll Group

Roll Group will add two vessels from the global logistics company, KMC Line, commencing in the second half of 2025. The vessels will be renamed Bigroll KMC Beaumont and Bigroll KMC Busan, giving the heavy cargo carrier a larger fleet of 10 heavy transport project vessels. KMC Line, founded in 1989 and based in Korea, specializes in steel shipping, bulk carriers, heavy cargo shipping industries, and agency work. The company operates primarily in Asia, Australia, and the Americas.Roll Group…

23 Feb 2024

US Imposes Sanctions on Russia's Leading Tanker Group Sovcomflot

© Andriy Sharpilo / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Treasury said on Fridayit has imposed sanctions on Russia's leading tanker group Sovcomflot FLOT.MM, as Washington seeks to reduce Russia's revenues from oil sales that it can use to support its invasion of Ukraine.The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control also designated 14 crude oil tankers vessels as property in which Sovcomflot has an interest. It issued a general license allowing the offloading of crude oil, or other cargoes, from the vessels for 45 days."Sovcomflot as a whole…

23 Feb 2024

The APAC Offshore Market: Riding the Wave of Success into 2024 and Beyond

Copyright Peter Hermes Furian/AdobeStock

2023 was the first year of real recovery for owners in the offshore supply market and yet we have barely skimmed the surface of what’s to come.The market is still on an upward trajectory with charter rates accelerating month-by-month, availability changing day-by-day, leading to earnings doubling and, in some segments, tripling since the lows of 2020. Current rates will remind many of the glory days of pre-2014 with the demand for OSVs projected to remain elevated for years to come.In general…

22 Feb 2024

Austal Awarded Contract for Two More Patrol Boat Builds

Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy (Image: Austal Australia)

Shipbuilding group Austal Limited announces that Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for the construction of two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy.The A$157 million contract follows the procurement announcement made by the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) on November 23, 2023 and brings the total number of Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats being delivered to the Navy, under the SEA1445-1 Project, to ten.Austal Limited Chief…

22 Feb 2024

Pearlson to Upgrade Shiplift at Australia's Osborne Naval Shipyard

Australian Naval Infrastructure in Osborne, South Australia (Photo: Pearlson Shiplift Corporation)

Pearlson Shiplift Corporation, a subsidiary of The Pearlson Group, announced it has been awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to deliver a large capacity upgrade and extension for Australian Naval Infrastructure (ANI) in Osborne, South Australia.The works will be installed by McConnell Dowell, one of the largest construction companies in the region. Once completed later this year, Pearlson Shiplift Corporation will recommission ANI’s shiplift system as the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.“We are honored to be awarded this project - the largest in the region.

21 Feb 2024

American Queen Voyages Up for Sale as Hornblower Gets New Majority Owner

(Credit: Hornblower Group)

A global alternative investment firm Strategic Value Partners has entered into agreement with Hornblower Group to acquire the majority ownership of the company in exchange for significant equity investment. As part of the agreement, Crestview Partners retained minority ownership in the business, and the decision was made to sell or wind down the company’s overnight cruises unit American Queen Voyages.Aside from significant minority stake in the business, Crestview will become the sole owner of Journey Beyond…

12 Feb 2024

Unloading of Stranded Australian Livestock Begins

Image courtesy of Michael Mondello

Thousands of sheep and cattle stuck on a ship that was forced to abandon a passage through the Red Sea last month have begun disembarking at the same Australian port they left nearly six weeks ago, Australia's agriculture ministry said late on Monday.The MV Bahijah sailed from Fremantle, Western Australia on Jan. 5 for Israel with about 14,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle on board, but diverted from its route due to the threat of attack by Yemen's Houthi militia before being ordered…

09 Feb 2024

Gladys Goh takes the Helm at Nippon Paint Marine

Nippon Paint Marine appointed Gladys Goh as its President, effective immediately, making her the first female and foreign national to lead a principal operating company in Japan. Image courtesy Nippon Paint Marine

Nippon Paint Marine appointed Gladys Goh as its President, effective immediately, making her the first female and foreign national to lead a principal operating company in Japan. The marine division is the founding business for the 140-year-old Nippon Paint Holdings Group, a leader and pioneer in marine paint and Goh Gladys joined Nippon Paint Malaysia in 2006, driving the brand to become Malaysia's top coatings provider and subsequently led expansion into new markets. She concurrently serves as Senior Vice-President…

07 Feb 2024

Australian Welfare Organizations Call for Suspension of Live Animal Exports

Source: Animals Australia

The Australian Alliance for Animals has written an open letter to animal exporters imploring them to voluntarily suspend all live animal exports to or through the Red Sea while the risk of attack remains and to suspend any extended journeys to the Middle East via the Cape of Good Hope.The move follows the recently aborted voyage of the Bahijah. The livestock carrier sailed from Australia for Israel on January 5 but was recalled over a week into the voyage after diverting towards…

07 Feb 2024

Japan’s First LNG-Fueled Capesize Bulk Carrier Delivered

SG Ocean (Credit: NYK)

An LNG-fueled capesize bulk carrier, ordered by NYK and to be deployed to transport iron ore and coal from Australia to Japan under a long-term consecutive voyage charter contract with JFE Steel Corporation (JFE), has been delivered.The naming ceremony for the vessel was held on January 30, 2024, at Japan Marine United Corporation's Tsu Shipyard in Mie Prefecture.The vessel is the first capesize LNG-fueled bulk carrier to be built at a shipyard in Japan, according to an NYK research.The vessel was named ‘SG Ocean’ to reflect the ‘SG’ of NYK's ‘Sail GREEN’ brand…

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