Germany News

The European Union is considering a six-month extension to its Mediterranean mission, which is aimed at cracking down on smugglers and migration from Africa, but only for air patrols and training Libya's coast guard, according to a draft statement.The current mandate of the so-called Sophia mission expires this week and Italy wants to change it so that its ships are no longer patrolling and picking up people in the sea. Other states such as Germany want to prolong Sophia.A potential compromise discussed by national diplomats in Brussels on Tuesday…

European ferry operator Stena Line has installed Japanese sleeping pods on its Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Skåne vessels, operating between Rostock in Germany and Trelleborg in Sweden.Stena Line is the first ferry company to offer its customers Japanese sleeping pods which will be a cost-efficient way to sleep and rest during the crossing.The pods are inspired by Japanese capsule hotels offer 2m2space for one person and can be booked from today and will be available for travellers from April 1st.“We see it as an innovative offer for a cost-conscious target group…

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, announced on February 8, 2018 that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the marine and offshore businesses of TTS Group ASA.The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals from the competition authorities in Germany, South Korea and China. MacGregor announced the approval from the German regulator on November 6, 2018 and the approval from the South Korean regulator on 27 December 2018.MacGregor announced in December that it expected to receive approval from the competition authority in China and close the transaction during Q1 2019. Due to a longer than expected regulatory process in China, the company currently expects closing of the transaction to take place in Q2 2019.

International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN body, announced that a major five-year project to help protect marine biodiversity has been kick-started at a global workshop at IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom (18-20 March).The IMO-executed GloFouling Partnerships project will address bioinvasions by organisms which can build up on ships’ hulls and other marine structures. The project is a collaboration between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and IMO.Representatives from 12 lead partnering countries…

European logistics provider Rhenus Group has acquired South African freight forwarding and logistics specialist World Net Logistics (WNL).The takeover of the Johannesburg-headquartered firm WNL is still subject to approval by the relevant cartel authorities.In addition to having a dense network of business sites in South Africa, WNL also has several branches and partners in Asia and Germany.The acquisition by Germany’s Rhenus Group is the latest in a string of purchases around the world in the last few months alone…

BASF's oil and gas subsidiary Wintershall  said it would build up its presence in the Brazilian offshore oil sector this year where it won exploration licences in 2018."It is part of our growth course that we are also active in new regions, and Brazil offers great potential," said chief executive Mario Mehren at the company's annual news conference.First results of seismic measurements in three blocks of the Potiguar basin to be operated by Wintershall are expected by mid-2020, he said.Wintershall, which is due to merge with rival DEA in the first half of this year, would also invest in the expansion of gas and oil in its core regions Russia, Norway, Argentina, the Middle East and Germany, he said. (Reuters reporting by Vera Eckert, editing by Riham Alkousaa)

ABS National Committee has met recently in Germany to explores pathways to 2050, automation and digital with German maritime leaders and offered insight on key challenges.Vessel automation, demystifying digital technologies and pathways to 2050 compliance led the debate at the ABS German National Committee, said a press note from the global provider of classification and technical advisory services to the marine and offshore industries.“ABS is committed to the German market and we have relocated European management to Hamburg to further enhance our deep relationships with German ship owners.

Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods, mostly originated in China, has risen steadily, posing a major challenge in an innovation-driven global economy, revealed a new study.Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods has risen steadily in the last few years – even as overall trade volumes stagnated – and now stands at 3.3% of global trade, according to a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EU’s Intellectual Property Office.Trends…

The technology group Wärtsilä has successfully tested its remote guidance service, thereby creating an entirely new dimension in vessel repair and maintenance operations. Through real-time communication using voice-controlled Augmented Reality (AR) wearables and remote guidance software, ship crew members, field service engineers and shipyard personnel can communicate with shore-based experts anywhere in the world. The tests were carried out onboard the ‘Huckleberry Finn’, a RoRo ferry operated by TT-Lines…

Shipping services provider Boluda Corporación Marítima has signed a letter of intent to acquire all the shares, worth 300 million euros, of Kotug Smit Towage.The Netherlands-based towage services provider Kotug Smit Towage is operating in North Sea countries (United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany).Boluda Corporación Marítima is now in talks to acquire 100% of the towage company Kotug Smit Towage created in 2016. The shares are owned equally by the two companies Kotug International BV and Royal Boskalis Westminster NV…

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into German utility E.on's  takeover of certain assets from domestic Innogy, saying the transaction may lead to higher prices for consumers.The deal, which is worth a reported €43 billion ($48 billion at today's conversion rate), includes Innogy's distribution and consumer solutions business, as well as certain electricity generation assets.The Commission has concerns that the proposed acquisition may reduce competition in retail markets for electricity and gas in several Member States.Commissioner Margrethe Vestager…

With gas supplies growing at a faster rate than domestic demand, Russia can increase pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Europe, said a report.Russia’s gas production has been steadily increasing since the low of 611 Bcm in 2015, and reached 695 Bcm in 2018, according to a report form Rystad Energy, an independent energy research and business intelligence companyMature fields exhibit relatively high decline rates, but volumes from the recent start-ups and discoveries in Yamal, East Siberia and the Far East are expected to offset the decline.

How can green technology and innovation help deliver International Maritime Organization (IMO) ’s initial strategy on reducing GHG emissions from ships?A press note from the UN body said that this was one of the questions being addressed this week at the Greentech in Shipping Global Forum in Hamburg, Germany (26-27 February).Speaking at the conference, IMO’s Camille Bourgeon addressed maritime sector experts in green technology and innovation, saying that their work will be important in delivering IMO’s Initial GHG Strategy and achieving the goal to make shipping carbon free.The Strategy…

Hamburg-based provider of shipping services Peter Döhle and Ernst Russ are selling ship management company Hammonia Reederei  to  Scandinavian investors, Ness Risan and Partners (NRP), a Norwegian investment fund and former owners of Containerships Group, Finland.With the transaction, Ernst Russ follows its strategy and further focuses on activities in asset investment and asset management in shipping and real estate, said a release from Ernst Russ AG, a listed asset and investment management company in Germany with a focus on maritime business.Prospectively…

The ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven, Germany, have joined an ambitious campaign to a ban on heavy fuel oil (HFO) from Arctic shipping – along with more than 80 companies, organisations, politicians, NGOs and explorers.Bremenports GmbH & Co. KG, operates the twin ports Bremen and Bremerhaven, which rank as the fourth busiest container port in Europe, and the world’s 16th biggest.“Bremenports is proud to sign up to the Arctic Commitment. Heavy fuel oil has no place in Arctic shipping.

Germany's Hapag-Lloyd is cleared of a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the practices of container shipping companies, with no charges brought, a spokesman said on Tuesday."Hapag-Lloyd was informed that the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division is closing its investigation without charges against the company, its affiliates or any other current or former employees," he said.This followed similar statements by bigger rivals Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Company…

Although LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) provides a solid supplement to European gas supplies, the EU is and will remain a pipeline market – for good reasons, said Wintershall's new position paper.The report from Germany's largest crude oil and natural gas producer on the importance of liquid gas for Europe said that the liquefaction is highly energy-intensive – the energy consumption corresponds to about 13% of the gas transported.With an energy loss of less than five percent, pipelines are much more energy-efficient. Another argument for pipeline gas lay in its lower costs.

German Naval Yards Kiel, has floated out 'Atair', the world's first LNG fueled research vessel, after a building period of 16 months.The 75 m vessel is being built for Germany’s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) by the general contractor is Fassmer Shipyard.Hull and superstructure as well as parts of the outfitting were constructed at German Naval Yards Kiel. The survey vessel is planned to be used for wreck search and underwater surveying.The LNG-propulsion - known as the future technology in the shipping industry - is a very innovative feature on “Atair”.

A new Liebherr LHM 420 Mobile Harbor Crane was officially inaugurated in the middle of February in Passau, Bavaria. The new machine in the port of Passau is the first Liebherr Mobile Harbor Crane to comply with the new exhaust gas purification stage V.Around ten years after the opening of the trimodal port location in Passau-Schalding, bayernhafen has once again significantly expanded its infrastructure. In addition to new extension railway an investment was also made in a new mobile harbor crane. bayernhafen Passau is Bavaria's gateway to and from south-eastern Europe.

The world's largest heavy lift and pipelay vessel, Pioneering Spirit, will take a temporary pause from Nord Stream 2 pipelaying activities in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone to perform planned platform lift work in the North Sea.The Allseas-owned vessel, which in 2018 installed the 22,000 t drilling platform topsides for Equinor’s Johan Sverdrup development on the Norwegian continental shelf, will now return to the field to install the 26,000 t processing platform topsides and the 18,000 t living quarters platform topsides.

The economic importance of nautical tourism for Schleswig-Holstein is continuing to increase. More than 2.2 million passengers are expected in the port of Kiel alone this year, forecasting record numbers like 600,000 cruise passengers and 1.6 million ferry travelers.Last year, passengers generated a turnover of about 68 million Euros in Kiel. The consumer spending of the port’s ferry passengers amounts to more than 53 million Euros. These are complemented by another 15 million Euros spent by cruise passengers and the crews.

Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA said on Thursday it has not halted business with maritime firm Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), even after the German firm said it would remove the crews that have been operating 10 of 15 PDVSA vessels over unpaid fees and return the tankers.On Tuesday, PDVSA's maritime arm PDV Marina declared an emergency due to lack of staff to immediately receive the 10 vessels BSM proposed to return to Venezuelan ports due to unpaid bills of at…

AIDA Cara opened the Cruiseport Rotterdam cruise season yesterday (March 07) as the vessel arrived at 07.30 hours at the Holland Amerikakade, right next to the AIDA Mar in the heart of Rotterdam."This year, for the first time, over 100 cruise ships will call in at Rotterdam. Around 80 cruise ships per year arrived over the past two seasons," said Port of Rotterdam Authority."For twelve cruise ships, this will be their first visit to Rotterdam. High points will include the arrival of MS Costa Mediterranea on 6 May…