Divers Seal Tank Vents Leaking Oil from Bulk Carrier off Gibraltar
Divers sealed two tank vents that leaked fuel from a bulk carrier that was damaged and beached after a collision off the British enclave of Gibraltar on the southern tip of Spain, local authorities said on Thursday.The hull of the bulk carrier OS 35 broke after the collision with an LNG tanker and started leaking fuel oil on Wednesday, but the vessel has not broken into two parts."The Captain of the Port confirmed that the leak of low sulphur fuel oil from the tank vents is fully under control," the Gibraltar government said in a statement.The LNG tanker was not significantly affected by the c
Bulker Breaking Up and Leaking Oil After Collision off Gibraltar
A bulk carrier that collided with an LNG tanker off Gibraltar started leaking fuel oil, authorities in the British overseas territory on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula said on Wednesday.The collision on Tuesday forced the closure of the Gibraltar port for four hours. It was later fully reopened.The hull of the bulk carrier OS 35 broke, authorities said, but the vessel has not separated into two parts."There has been a substance leak from the vessel as a result of the movement arising from its break.
Bulk Carrier Aground After Collision with LNG Carrier in Gibraltar
An LNG tanker and a bulk carrier have collided off Gibraltar, leaving the latter beached, authorities in the British overseas territory on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula said on Tuesday.The collision forced the closure of the port for four hours, but it has fully reopened, authorities said, while booms were being deployed around the beached vessel to prevent any potential fuel spill."The Gibraltar Port Authority remains at the scene and is continuously reviewing all aspects of the situation…
New Fuel Rules Push Shipowners to Go Green with LNG
Tough new rules on marine fuel are forcing shipowners to explore liquefied natural gas as a cleaner alternative and ports such as Gibraltar are preparing to offer upgraded refueling facilities in the shipping industry's biggest shake-up in decades.From 2020, International Maritime Organization rules will ban ships from using fuels with a sulphur content above 0.5 percent, compared with 3.5 percent now, unless they are equipped to clean up sulphur emissions. This will be enforced…
Bob Sanguinetti New CEO of the UK Chamber of Shipping
Bob Sanguinetti has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping. Sanguinetti was recently CEO of the Gibraltar Port Authority, where he was credited with delivering significant growth in vessel traffic following a series of wide-reaching initiatives. Previously he served as Commodore in the Royal Navy. Sanguinetti said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this prestigious role at a time when shipping is so central to the political agenda. The UK Chamber team deserve great credit for their work in recent years, and I am determined that we build on the solid foundation created under Guy Platten’s leadership. “The UK Chamber has a long and proud heritage at the heart of the shipping community.
Cheap Oil Slows Move to LNG as Bunker Fuel
Low oil prices are denting the take-up of liquefied natural gas as a cleaner source of energy to power ships, and it will be a few more years yet before the fuel makes serious inroads into the marine bunker market. The global shipping sector is under pressure from governments to reduce harmful emissions from vessels, including sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (C02), by using cleaner fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) rather than traditional heavy fuel oil and diesel sources. The momentum has increased since December's global climate deal in Paris, but industry officials say it will take time for LNG to grow as a bunker fuel because the infrastructure needed requires heavy investment at a time when companies are slashing budgets.
First of new VT Halmatic Nelson for Gibraltar Pilots
Following recent deliveries to the Spanish ports of La Coruna and Algeciras Gibraltar Pilots are the latest recipients of a new Optimised Nelson 35 Pilot Boat from VT Halmatic. A sister vessel for the same customer is in fit-out at VT Halmatic's Portchester Shipyard facility and another for Adour Pilots, France is being moulded. The Optimised 35 features a new resiliently mounted wheelhouse offering increased comfort and visibility for the two man crew and two pilots. Further benefits of the new isolated wheelhouse are the dramatically reduced levels of noise ( 75 db in the wheelhouse at maximum revs ) and vibration from the machinery space. Equipment levels have been significantly improved from that found on the previous Nelson 35 model.
