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Copper News

14 Mar 2024

PPG Unveils New ‘Ultra Low-Friction’ Vessels Coating

Bow coated with PPG NEXEON 810 marine coating (Credit: PPG)

PPG has launched the PPG NEXEON 810 coating, described as an innovative copper­-free antifouling coating developed with a strong emphasis on vessel performance, emissions reduction and sustainability.Independent tests, following ISO 19030 and International Towing Tank Conference standards, have confirmed that the ultrasmooth surface of PPG Nexeon 810 coating can yield an immediate boost in power of up to 10% and enhance operational efficiency by up to 15%, according to PPG.This is due to improved fouling control performance…

13 Feb 2024

Wreck of WWII-era Cargo Ship Found in the Great Lakes

(Photo: Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)

The wreck of a World War II-era freighter has been discovered in over 600 feet of water around 35 miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.Over the last 7 years, shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain has been studying remote sensing data in the search for shipwrecks in Lake Superior. After coming across a particularly deep anomaly, he reached out to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) for help in identifying the potential wreck. In 2023 GLSHS Director of Marine Operations…

27 Dec 2023

Prysmian Commissions Inter-Array Cable System at French Offshore Wind Farm

Cable laying vessel Ariadne (Credit: Asso.subsea)

Prysmian Group has commissioned the inter-array cable system for the Fécamp offshore wind farm, located in the English Channel, offshore France.The Fécamp offshore wind farm is composed of 71 wind turbines with a total capacity of nearly 500MW.It will be able to generate clean electricity equivalent to the power needs of over 770,000 people.Prysmian had secured this project in 2020 with a contract awarded by EDF Renewables and its partners.Asso.subsea was contracted by Prysmian Group to execute the seabed preparation, installation and protection works for the cables.

13 Dec 2023

ESL Uses Multiple Modes to Cut Carbon Emissions 20%

Image courtesy ESL

Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) reports that it has cut 20% emissions on 75% of its fleet using a multi-prong approach of equipment technology and operational technique.A central aspect of the program involved a re-design of ESL’s vessels' propellers. In collaboration with designers from Mecklenburger Metallguss GmbH (MMG), ESL and the Peter Döhle group jointly developed and installed upgraded propellers on each ship. The use of these propellers reportedly yielded a significant improvement in overall flow and efficiency.

19 Nov 2023

Panama Port Blockade Keeps Supplies from First Quantum Mine

© jdross75 / Adobe Stock

A ship with supplies for Canadian miner First Quantum's unit in Panama was unable to dock as local boats blocked off access to the key port, the company said in a statement to Reuters on Friday.Protests have escalated in recent weeks against the miner's contract for a major copper mine operated by the company's local unit, known as Minera Panama.The ship in question has remained in Panamanian waters for several days without being able to reach the Punta Rincon port due to protests…

09 Nov 2023

World's First: Japanese Firms to Looking to Build Sustainable Bulk Carriers for Copper Transport from Chile

Signing ceremony
First from left, Masashi Suda, President, NBP
Second from left, Koichi Kawamura, Director, OSHIMA
Third from left, Norihiko Nonaka, Managing Executive Officer, SUMITOMO
Fourth from left, Máximo Pacheco, Chairman of the Board, CODELCO - Credit: NYK Lines

Japan's NYK Line said Thursday its NYK Bulk & Project Carriers Ltd. (NBP), Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (OSHIMA), and Sumitomo Corporation (SUMITOMO) had signed a memorandum of understanding to study, design, and construct the world’s first Handymax bulk carrier (ammonia dual fuel type) dedicated to the transport of copper products, that will reduce CO2 emissions to zero.The MoU signing comes just a year after Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (CODELCO), a Chilean state-owned company and one of the world's leading copper producers, and NYK Bulk & Project Carriers Ltd.

08 Nov 2023

Gladding-Hearn Delivers New Pilot Boat to Bermuda

(Photo: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation)

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has delivered a Chesapeake Class pilot boat to the Bermuda Government, Department of Marine and Port Services. It follows delivery of a 61’ pilot/rescue vessel to the port services in 2011.The new all-aluminum launch is certified to Lloyd’s Register class and replaces a 10-knot steel pilot boat built by the Somerset, Mass. shipyard in 1980. With a deep-V hull designed by Ray Hunt Design, the new boat measures 52.11’ overall, with a 15.10’ beam and a 4.8’ draft.

22 Oct 2023

Tanzania Inks Deals with DP World to Operate Dar es Salaam Port Berths

© druid007 / Adobe Stock

Tanzania on Sunday signed agreements with Dubai state-owned ports operator DP World to operate part of the Dar es Salaam port for 30 years, a deal that has previously been opposed by Tanzania opposition and rights groups.Plasduce Mbossa, director general of state-owned Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) which currently manages the port, said DP World will lease and operate four of the 12 berths at the country's largest port.Dar es Salaam also serves landlocked nations in east and southern Africa like Uganda…

22 Aug 2023

OSM Thome and PGS Collaborate on Ammonia-Fuelled Vessels

Source: Pherousa

Norwegian companies OSM Thome and Pherousa Green Shipping (PGS) have entered into a Letter of Intent outlining their collaboration on six 63,000dwt Ultramax bulk carriers to be ordered by PGS.The collaboration involves Phases I, II, and III, encompassing Drawing Approval, Project Development, and Site Supervision. Furthermore, OSM Thome will manage the crew and technical management of the constructed vessels.PGS, established in 2023, is in the process of initiating the order for these zero-emission vessels, designed by Deltamarin in Finland.

21 Aug 2023

Historic Drought, Hot Seas Slow Panama Canal Shipping

Source: Panama Canal Authority

Before the Ever Max ship carrying lava lamps, sofas, Halloween costumes and artificial Christmas trees could make its inaugural Panama Canal voyage this month, a historic drought forced it to drop weight by offloading hundreds of containers.Weather-related disruptions denied the vessel, owned by Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine, a chance on Aug. 1 to set a record for carrying the most containers through the vital maritime shortcut that connects the Pacific and Atlantic…

17 Aug 2023

China Demand Drives 7% Jump in Minor Ore Exports

Copyright nordroden/AdobeStock

“Driven by continued growth in minor ore demand in China, global seaborne minor ore exports rose 7% y/y in the first seven months of 2023, vastly outpacing the 2% y/y growth in overall dry bulk exports,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Accounting for 51% of seaborne minor ore exports, bauxite exports also led year to date growth with a 9% y/y increase. Bauxite is refined into alumina, the primary ingredient in aluminium production.Chinese aluminium production has rapidly increased since the start of the Ukraine war.

20 Jun 2023

Norway Moves to Open Its Waters to Deep-sea Mining

© idea_studio / Adobe Stock

The Norwegian government on Tuesday proposed opening its waters to deep-sea mining despite opposition from green campaigners and some countries, as it seeks to shift from a reliance on hydrocarbons to new sources of economic activity.Norway, whose vast oil and gas reserves made it one of the world's wealthiest countries, has taken a leading role in the global race to mine the ocean floor for metals that are in high demand as countries transition away from fossil fuels."We need minerals to succeed with the green transition…

13 Jun 2023

Call for Stricter Regulation of Scrubber Washwater

© APchanel / Adobe Stock

The combined emissions of metals and other environmentally hazardous substances from ships is putting the marine environment at risk according to a new study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.The researchers calculated the contaminant load from these emissions into the marine environment in four ports, and found that water discharged from ships’ scrubbers accounts for most of the contaminants.“The results speak for themselves. Stricter regulation of discharge water from scrubbers is crucial to reduce the deterioration of the marine environment…

14 Apr 2023

Cyclone Ilsa Hits Australia's Northwest, Misses Iron Ore Export Hub

00:30 AEST on Friday 14 April 2023 | Cloud/surface composite, Australia - Credit: Australian Bureau of Meteorology

A tropical cyclone smashed into Australia's northwest coast as a category 5 storm, setting new wind speed records, but has largely spared populated regions including the world's largest iron ore export hub at Port Hedland, authorities said on Friday. Cyclone Ilsa made landfall early Friday morning with the highest intensity rating on a 1-to 5 scale and then moved inland as emergency crews urged several remote communities along the storm's path to seek shelter and remain indoors."Port Hedland ... escaped the brunt of the cyclone at this stage.

03 Apr 2023

UN to Start Taking Deep-sea Mining Applications This July

File photo. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration.

The International Seabed Authority will start accepting applications in July from companies that want to mine the ocean's floor, a decision that came after the U.N. body spent the past two weeks debating standards for the new and controversial practice.Deep-sea mining would extract cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese - key battery materials - from potato-sized rocks called "polymetallic nodules" on the ocean's floor at depths of 4 to 6 km (2.5 to 4 miles). They are abundant…

17 Mar 2023

Norway's Loke Buys UK Deep-sea Mining Firm from Lockheed

(Photo: Loke Marine Minerals)

Norway's Loke Marine Minerals has acquired deep-sea mining firm UK Seabed Resources (UKSR) from Lockheed Martin, the companies said on Thursday.UKSR holds a 100% interest in two deep sea mineral licences in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean, and a 19.9% interest in the Ocean Mineral Singapore, licences issued by the International Seabed Authority (ISA)."We've got the approval from the UK government... Our ambition is to start extraction from 2030," Hans Olav Hide…

24 Jan 2023

Subsea Mining Plans Pit Renewable Energy Demand Against Ocean Life

Deep sea sponges and other creatures live on and among valuable manganese nodules like this one that could be mined from the seafloor. ROV KIEL 6000/GEOMAR

As companies race to expand renewable energy and the batteries to store it, finding sufficient amounts of rare earth metals to build the technology is no easy feat. That’s leading mining companies to take a closer look at a largely unexplored frontier – the deep ocean seabed.A wealth of these metals can be found in manganese nodules that look like cobblestones scattered across wide areas of deep ocean seabed. But the fragile ecosystems deep in the oceans are little understood…

11 Jan 2023

Robbers Pull Off Multimillion-dollar Copper Heist in Chilean Port

© Roman / Adobe Stock

Chilean authorities said on Wednesday they were investigating a violent heist in Chile's main seaport where thieves stole several shipping containers filled with copper belonging to state-owned giant Codelco.Juan Carlos Catalan, the local prosecutor, said in a statement that ten armed men entered the San Antonio port early on Tuesday morning, attacked workers and stole 13 containers, 12 of which had copper."There was one guard and four workers that (the assailants)tied up and beat and left locked up…

22 Aug 2022

What Impact Will Strike at Britain's Busiest Container Port Have?

© Rob / Adobe Stock

More than 1,900 workers at Britain's biggest container port, Felixstowe, have begun eight days of strike action that will cause disruption to trade and supply chains.The staff at Felixstowe, on the east coast of England, are taking industrial action in a dispute over pay, becoming the latest workers to strike in Britain as unions demand higher wages for members facing a cost-of-living crisis. read moreBelow is a look at Felixstowe's operations and the possible impact from the strike:How big is the port?About 48% of all containers brought into the UK are transported through the Felixstowe port…

11 Aug 2022

Combi Carrier Koryu Set for Rotor Sail Install

(Image: Norsepower)

BHP has partnered with Pan Pacific Copper (PPC), a member of JX Nippon Mining & Metals group, and Norsepower, provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from maritime transportation between BHP’s mines in Chile and PPC’s smelters in Japan. The parties are conducting a technical assessment and plan a retrofit installation of wind-assisted propulsion system onboard the M/V Koryu, a combination carrier operated by Nippon Marine – a member of SENKO group (shares held by SENKO 60%, JX Nippon Mining & Metals 40%).

13 Jun 2022

CTO in Focus: Henrik Stiesdal, Wind Power Pioneer

Henrik - 1978: Stiesdal’s 1978 turbine was made with wooden blades and a control system, both of which he built from scratch. It was only retired in 1991 when the wood had rotted. Henrik: Henrik Stiesdal. Photo from Stiesdal A/S.

Wind power pioneer Henrik Stiesdal built his first wind turbine in 1978. It was one of Denmark’s first step towards becoming a wind energy powerhouse, with Stiesdal regularly at the helm. He’s now got wider climate initiatives in his sights, including industrializing floating offshore wind. He reflected with OE’s Elaine Maslin.By 2021, a total of 35 GW of offshore wind had been installed across the world. To meet global climate targets, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says that another 80 GW of it needs to be built per year by 2030.

05 May 2022

TMC, Allseas Complete Initial Deepwater Trials of Polymetallic Nodule Collector Vehicle

Hidden Gem - Credit: TMC

The Metals Company (TMC) and Allseas have successfully completed the initial deep-water trials of the polymetallic nodule collector vehicle in the Atlantic Ocean, TMC said Thursday.To remind, back in March, The Metals Company (TMC), a company extracting battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, said it had together with its strategic partner and shareholder, Allseas, completed the deployment and wet-test commissioning of their pilot robotic nodule collector vehicle at the Port of Rotterdam…

03 May 2022

Viega Fittings Get Additional U.S. Navy Approval

Credit: Viega

Viega, the first press fitting system to meet the standard for use on Navy combat ships, has won approval for additional components to be used onboard. Last year, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) approved the use of MegaPress® CuNi press fittings in sizes ½" to 2" to be used in surface combatant vessels for a variety of systems, including chilled water, potable water, electronic freshwater cooling, seawater cooling, washdown countermeasures, drainage and many others. ProPress copper ½" fittings were also approved for potable water and various drains.