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Cambodia News

14 Nov 2023

Viking Expands Southeast Asia River Fleet

Source: Viking

Viking has announced the expansion of its river fleet in Southeast Asia with the new Viking Tonle.Designed for the Mekong River, the vessel will join its identical sister ship, the Viking Saigon, which debuted in 2022, and will sail between Kampong Cham, Cambodia, and Mỹ Tho, Vietnam, as part of Viking's 15-day Magnificent Mekong itinerary.The ship is under construction and is currently scheduled to debut in October 2025. To meet strong demand for Mekong River voyages, Viking…

24 Jan 2022

Dredgers Spotted Off Cambodian Base Where China is Funding Work

© Eleven K Production / Adobe Stock

Dredgers have been spotted off Cambodia’s Ream naval base, where China is funding construction work and deeper port facilities would be necessary for the docking of larger military ships, a U.S. think tank said on Friday.The United States, which has sought to push back against Beijing's extensive territorial claims and military expansion in the South China Sea, reiterated its "serious concerns" about China's construction and military presence at Ream."These developments threaten U.S.

07 Oct 2021

US Trade Balance with China Improving on Higher Exports -BIMCO

© Mariusz / Adobe Stock

The trade war continues to rage in the shade of the headline-grabbing supply chain disruptions. The tariffs are still in place and are unlikely to go anywhere despite the change of administration in the United States. While higher exports from the US to China under the Phase One Agreement have added volumes for tanker and dry bulk shipping, containerized imports to the US have shifted from China to other countries in the region. Despite an increase in exports, the commitments made in the Phase One Agreement are a long way off and unlikely to be met…

27 Aug 2021

Cambodia's Oil Export Ambitions Sink with "Stolen" Tanker Standoff

Apsara field (File Photo - KrisEnergy)

When Cambodian officials commemorated the start of the country's first oil project in June by preserving the first drops of production at a high-profile ceremony, they heralded the country's emergence as a budding oil exporter at the heart of Asia.But instead of reaping royalties, Cambodia's government has filed a theft complaint against the crew of the tanker that stored the crude, after they sailed away with the oil amid a payment dispute with the oil field's developer.Singapore-based KrisEnergy…

26 Aug 2021

Cambodia Seeks Return of Ship Carrying Country's First Oil Output

The Cambodian government is seeking the return of an oil tanker and its crew who have been detained in Indonesia, alleging that the ship had loaded oil illegally from an offshore oil field, a government official said on Thursday.The Bahamas-flagged tanker MT Strovolos and its crew were detained in waters near the Anambas islands of Indonesia on July 27, the Indonesian Navy said in a statement.The vessel is carrying Cambodia's first-ever oil production from an offshore oil field which began operation in December 2020. However, the cargo has been stuck onboard the tanker since May as the project developer KrisEnergy entered liquidation in June after being unable to pay debts."I am worried," Cambodia's Ministry of Mines and Energy spokesman Cheap Suor said.

26 Aug 2021

Indonesia Seizes Tanker Loaded with 'Stolen' Cambodian Crude

MT Strovolos - Credit: TTH/MarineTrafic.com

Indonesia's navy is preparing to charge the captain of a ship accused of loading oil illegally in Cambodia and anchoring in Indonesian waters without permission, according to local authorities and the vessel owner.Bahamas-flagged tanker MT Strovolos was stopped in waters near the Anambas Islands of Indonesia on July 27, the Indonesian Navy said in a statement. The stop followed a red notice issued by the Cambodian embassy on July 24 that asked Indonesian authorities to make an arrest on suspicion of stealing around 300…

23 Sep 2020

US-China Trade War Shifts Asia’s Manufacturing Landscape -BIMCO

© Nomad_Soul / Adobe Stock

The peak season for containerized exports from Asia to the U.S. is now underway with the COVID-19 pandemic and astoundingly high freight rates making it easy to forget the trade war which has now entered its third year. However, despite the disruption this year, the effects of the tariffs remain clear and the long-term shifts that were already occurring before the pandemic are unlikely to be reversed.One of the most obvious impacts is the shift in the Asian manufacturing landscape. Manufacturing of many goods now facing tariffs when imported by the U.S..

16 Jul 2020

Viking to Launch New River Cruise Ship in 2021

The 80-guest Viking Saigon is scheduled to debut for the August 30, 2021. (Image: Viking)

Viking announced it has a new ship under construction expected to launch next summer for its cruise tours in Vietnam and Cambodia.The 80-guest Viking Saigon is scheduled to debut for the August 30, 2021, cruise tour departure; the river cruise portion of the itinerary sails between Kampong Cham, Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.Purpose-built for the Mekong River, the new Viking Saigon will host 80 passengers in 40 outside staterooms. All staterooms will have hotel-style beds and floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors with a veranda or French balcony.

09 Mar 2020

Cruise Ship Turned Away by Malaysia, Thailand to Dock in Singapore

(Photo: Costa Cruises)

Singapore will allow cruise ship Costa Fortuna to dock in the city-state on Tuesday, authorities said, after it was turned away from ports in Malaysia and Thailand over coronavirus fears.Costa Fortuna departed from Singapore, where it is home-ported, on March 3.Italian cruise line Costa Crociere said there were no suspected virus cases among its guests, which includes Italians. Italy has the largest number of cases of the virus outside China with 7,375 infections.The operator…

03 Mar 2020

The Maritime Industry and COVID-19

© Anton Petrus/AdobeStock

The COVID-19 epidemic, which was first called the novel Coronavirus and then the 2019-nCoV, is spreading fast around the world. It is more contagious than the 2002 SARS outbreak, its cousin, but not as lethal. Unfortunately, its impact on the maritime community seems to already be greater than that of SARS.Ships are being required to submit Maritime Declarations of Health prior to arrival. Ships that called in Chinese ports during the previous 14 days or have persons on board…

18 Feb 2020

American from MS Westerdam Tests Positive for Coronavirus

An American passenger from a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia has tested positive for the new coronavirus a second time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia said on Sunday, after the cruise firm and Cambodian authorities sought further tests.The 83-year-old woman was the first passenger from the MS Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp unit Holland America Inc, to test positive for the virus. She tested positive in the Malaysian capital where she arrived on Friday from the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville.But the cruise ship operator had sought more tests, saying the first result was preliminary. Cambodian authorities also called on Malaysia to…

18 Feb 2020

Coronavirus Slows China's Belt and Road Push

© Jub / Adobe Stock

When President Xi Jinping made his first state visit this year to Myanmar and signed new infrastructure contracts, there was no indication of the obstacle about to trip up China's plan for railways, ports and highways around the world: the coronavirus.Travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the disease, which has now killed more than 1,800 people, have idled much of the world's second-largest economy and choked key elements of Xi's signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).Chinese workers cannot get to overseas projects…

14 Feb 2020

Cruise Industry Seeks to Limit Coronavirus Risks

Norwegian Spirit (Photo: Norwegian Cruise Lines)

The plight of the cruise ship off Japan with more than 200 coronavirus infections and the shunning of another by five ports despite no known cases has led to a sharp change in tack for an industry in shock: avoid Asia.To that end, many cruises in the region are being cancelled while others currently sailing are being re-routed, skipping originally scheduled stops in China, Hong Kong and Singapore.Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd on Thursday canceled 18 cruises in Southeast Asia after calling off eight trips to China last week.

13 Feb 2020

Cruise Ship Stranded by Virus Fears Docks in Cambodia

MS Westerdam (Photo: Holland America Line)

Cambodia has agreed to allow a cruise ship, that has been turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus, to dock and disembark its passengers, the Holland America Line said.The MS Westerdam, which has 1,455 passengers and 802 crew on board, docked at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Thursday, the company said. Guests have been cleared to begin disembarking on Friday.The ship - which HAL says has no sick passengers - has been turned away from Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Guam and the Philippines.

12 Feb 2020

Cruise Ship Stranded by Coronavirus Fears to Dock in Cambodia

© freshidea / Adobe Stock

Cambodia has agreed to let a cruise ship, that has been turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus, to dock and disembark its passengers, the Holland America Line said on Wednesday.The MS Westerdam, which has 1,455 passengers and 802 crew on board, will dock at the Cambodian sea port of Sihanoukville on Thursday, the company said.The ship - which says it has no sick passengers - has been turned away from Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Guam and the Philippines. (Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

23 Dec 2019

Asia Boosts IMO Technical Cooperation

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), Thailand’s Ministry of Transport and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia (UNESCAP) have recently organized the second regional Knowledge Partnership Workshop in Asia in Bangkok,The workshop was designed to support maritime technical cooperation activities in the region.The workshop brought together officials from transport ministries, responsible for maritime affairs, and finance ministries, responsible for official development assistance. Participants shared knowledge, skills, and experience and meet maritime and development cooperation counterparts from around the…

13 Nov 2019

Profab Gets Apsara Gig from KrisEnergy

Southeast Asia-focused oil and gas company KrisEnergy Apsara Co signed a conditional letter of award with PT Profab for the supply of a minimum facilities wellhead “mini-platform” for the Apsara oilfield – Cambodia’s maiden oil development.According to a press note from the Singapore-based parent company KrisEnergy, the scope of work covers key procurement, and the fabrication and construction of the jacket, topsides and other related accessories for the Mini-Platform, including full pre-commissioning and loading onto a barge for transportation.The work will be undertaken at Profab’s facility on Batam Island, Indonesia, it said.The Apsara field in Cambodia Block A lies over the Khmer Basin…

16 Oct 2019

ITF Expands into Asia Pacific

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has established its latest Contacts Network, covering Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Thailand.ITF has seen a significant increase in seafarers requesting assistance from countries without an inspector or contact, in recent years.Attempting to resolve these requests is often challenging due to several factors, including the local political context and the effectiveness of maritime authorities.To address this problem the ITF initiated a project in 2018 to create a network of contacts from ITF affiliated unions, welfare organisations…

07 Aug 2019

Cambodia Readies with Oil Spill Preparedness

Supporting countries to prepare for contingencies is an important part of International Maritime Organization (IMO) 's capacity building work.According to the UN body, Cambodia is the latest country to benefit from IMO assistance to update its oil spill contingency plan, by identifying country-specific risks and existing gaps in order to be able to respond effectively to oil spill incidents.A national workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (6-9 August) has brought together 60 participants from 20 government entities and oil companies.Attendees received an overview of the international framework for oil spill preparedness and response and are…

10 Jul 2019

IMO's Ghost Gear Initiative

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working on best practices to prevent and reduce abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear."Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear can continue to capture and kill marine animals and may cause navigational hazards – as well as contributing to the global marine litter problem," the UN body pointed out.IMO is working closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on reducing marine plastic litter from fishing vessels, including fishing gear, as part of the IMO Action Plan on the Reduction of Marine Plastic Litter. This collaboration includes IMO participation at a series of regional FAO-led workshops on best practices to prevent and reduce abandoned…

08 Oct 2019

Yang Ming Launches CVK Service

Taiwanese ocean shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation has announced the launch of CVK service (China-Vietnam-Cambodia Service) with effect from October 21st, 2019."We are launching the service in light of the strong cargo volumes in the area of China, Vietnam and Cambodia," said a press release.The port rotation of CVK service is Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh, Sihanoukville, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Ningbo.This will be Yang Ming’s first service that directly links China’s ports, Da Nang and Sihanoukville. The launch of CVK service will significantly shorten the transit time and offer more efficient delivery service between China…

31 May 2019

IMO Training on Healthy Seas in SE Asia

Seven developing countries -Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippine, Thailand and Vietnam - in South-East Asia has received training to help implement key IMO marine environment protection treaties at a workshop in Singapore (28-30 May).Under the Marine Environment Protection for Southeast Asia Seas (MEPSEAS) Project project, launched last year, participants are gaining the skills to train others in their countries on how to apply IMO measures to protect seas in the region.Through the MEPSEAS Project, IMO is helping to give this unique region the protection it needs.The workshop is focusing on regulations in the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)…

10 Feb 2019

IMO Counter-Terrorism Workshop

International Maritime Organization (IMO) maritime security and counter-terrorism treaties are key international instruments supporting countries to counter terrorism.The UN body said that to boost implementation of these treaties in South and South-East Asia, IMO and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducted a cross-regional workshop in Bali, Indonesia (5-8-February).The workshop was addressing the need to ratify the relevant international counter-terrorism instruments and to incorporate their provisions into national laws as well as promoting multi-agency and regional collaboration.The event builds on recent national workshops held in Bangladesh…