Greece News

The Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association - HELMEPA received an Honorary Award by the institution Environmental Awards 2018, organized for the 5th consecutive year by Boussias Communications "for advancing environmental awareness at all levels of the shipping community since 1982 and for the voluntary environmental program HELMEPA Junior sunce 1993". The Award ceremony for best practices implemented in Greece for the protection of the environment and sustainability…

The global shipping company providing worldwide seaborne transportation solutions in the dry bulk sector Star Bulk Carriers Corp will commence trading on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker “SBLK R” starting on Monday July 16, 2018. The ship manager of seaborne transportation announced on July 6 2018 that it had closed the acquisition of 15 operating dry bulk vessels from Songa Bulk for an aggregate of 13.725 million common shares of Star Bulk and $145.0 million in cash.

Greek shipowners could relocate to Britain after it leaves the European Union if European regulators demand changes to favorable shipping taxes in Greece, a top industry official said on Friday.The European Union has been pressing Greece to end generous tax allowances it grants shipowners, although the government has steered away from imposing heavy taxes on an industry that operates some of the world's biggest vessels."If the European Union threatens us ... obviously we will look at alternative options…

How to create better shipping for a better future was a theme running throughout the 2018 IMO World Maritime Day Parallel Event (13-15 June), held in Szczecin, Poland. “IMO's heritage for 70 years has been to drive improvements in shipping to achieve a better world today. But we cannot rest on past achievements. Our challenge for the years to come remains the same: to create better shipping - for a better future,” said IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim, in his keynote address. The international audience was welcomed by Mr.

Shipping confidence held steady in the three months to end-May 2018 according to the latest Confidence Survey from international accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens. The average confidence level expressed by respondents was unchanged at the four-year high of 6.4 out of 10.0 recorded in February 2018. Confidence on the part of owners was also sustained at a four-year high, of 6.6, while managers’ confidence was up from 6.4 to 6.7. The rating for charterers was up to 6.7 from 5.0 and confidence in the broking sector was up from 6.1 to 6.3.

Italy and Malta are refusing to allow charity ships in ports; governments say charity ships help people smugglers. Charities counter that policy will cause more deaths at sea. For the second time in a week, Malta on Monday detained a humanitarian vessel that normally rescues boat migrants off the coast of Libya, where two shipwrecks have claimed the lives of as many as 200 people in recent days. The Sea Watch 3 vessel, operated by a German charity, requested to leave port after undergoing maintenance and the port authority refused, a Sea Watch spokeswoman said.

Energy trader Mercuria Group has agreed to provide a $1 billion trade finance facility to Greece's Aegean Marine Petroleum Network, the marine fuel logistics and supplies company said on Thursday, sending Aegean's stock up more than 150 percent.New York-listed Aegean Marine underwent a major leadership change this year after losses prompted an activist investor revolt to sever ties with the company founder, shipping and oil tycoon Dimitris Melissanidis.Aegean announced a $200 million write-off in early June after a new chairman, Donald Moore, was appointed in May to lead a strategic review.Shares in Aegean were up 127 percent at $1.43 as of 1359 GMT, having risen as high as $1.53.Swiss-based Mercuria will initially inject at least $30 million in cash, Aegean Marine said.Aegean Marine also

Remi Eriksen, Group President and CEO of DNV GL, has been on the job for nearly three years, taking over at arguably one of the more challenging and pivotal times in maritime history. We met with Eriksen recently in Athens, Greece, for his insights on the markets and DNV GL’s position going forward.While Remi Eriksen’s tenure at the top of DNV GL has coincided almost perfectly with one of the maritime industry’s deepest and longest slumps, he said that there is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, with a small pick up in shipbuilding year-on-year since 2016.

Global marine insurer North P&I Club said that Gagan Dhillon will take over Michael Asherson’s responsibilities for the Greek Membership and lead the claims team based in Newcastle.Gagan, a Master Mariner, first sailed in command of a tanker in 2007 before joining North in 2010 and gaining a First Class (Honours) degree in law.Michael Asherson will take up a position as partner with leading South African law firm Shepstone and Wylie in Durban and will leave the Club at the end of August.After 18 years with the Club…

Wildfires raging in Greece have killed dozens, left scores more injured and have driven some off cliffs or into the sea in one of the country’s worst disasters in recent years.Several fires near the country’s capital Athens, one of the world’s top shipping hubs, have killed at least 74 people and left 187 injured, officials said Tuesday. Its feared the death toll could rise further as the number missing is unknown.Athens and the port city to its west, Pireaus, are home to more than 600 shipowers.Although the fires subsided greatly by Tuesday afternoon…

Of the 220 ships broken in the second quarter of 2018, 169 were sold to be scrapped on the beaches of South Asia, says NGO Shipbreaking Platform.In the second quarter of 2018, American ship owners sold the most ships to the South Asian yards with 26 vessels beached, followed by Greek and UAE owners. In the end of April, Pakistan reopened the market to the import of tankers.In two months alone, 22 tankers reached the shores of Gadani to be scrapped as devaluing freight rates have…

U.S. President Donald Trump expects the European Union to fund 9 to 11 liquefied natural gas (LNG) ports to absorb "vastly" more shipments from the United States but current EU investment in new projects will only help open small markets.In a White House press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte late on Monday, Trump said part of the U.S.-EU trade talks sought to expand America's reach into the continent's gas markets which were awash in Russian supply."And we are already talking to the European Union about building anywhere from 9 to 11 ports…

Diana Shipping announced that, effective August 1, 2018, the Company increased the size of its Board of Directors from nine to eleven members.The global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels appointed Christos Glavanis to serve as a Class I Director and appointed Mr. Andreas Michalopoulos, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, to serve as a Class III director, in each case effective August 1, 2018.The Board has determined that Glavanis is an “independent director” as such term is defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934…

The Cyprus shipping sector continues to make news, as Dr. Heinrich Schulte, the chairman of the Schulte Group, underlined his long-term commitment to the Cypriot shipping industry when he met with H.E. Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, on June 11, 2018. Earlier this month MarineLink.com interviewed Natasa Pilides, Cyprus Deputy Minister of Shipping, on the sidelines of the Posidonia exhibition in Athens, Greece…

With the rise in transport by sea of chemicals and gases, in bulk and containerized, adequate preparedness for response to potential spill incidents involving hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) is increasingly important. The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) is hosting a regional workshop on response to such incidents, in Valletta, Malta (20-21 June). Regional cooperation on oil and HNS spill response and contingency planning is an efficient and cost-effective way of preparing for possible spills – through the sharing of information…

Norsafe announced it has recently secured an order from Papastratos Tobacco Company S.A., an affiliate of Philip Morris International in Greece, for the construction of five high speed patrol boats, which will be donated to the Hellenic Coast Guard.The donation of the boats is part of the international project PMI Impact, created by Philip Morris International, whose aim is to support public and private bodies in the fight against smuggling and related crimes.The five units will be manufactured in Greece and are expected to join the Hellenic Coast Guard fleet at the end of 2018.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri hosted a float-out ceremony for a new cruise ship under construction for Carnival Corporation’s Italian brand Costa Cruises. The new ship, Costa Venezia, is Costa’s first ship designed and built specifically for the Chinese market.“As our first ship built specifically for the Chinese market, Costa Venezia marks a new era not just for Costa Cruises and Fincantieri but for the Chinese cruise industry as a whole,” said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Group Asia.

Lloyd's Register presented Approval in Principle (AiP) to Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd (SWS) for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fueled Newcastlemax 210,000 DWT bulk carrier design during a ceremony this week at the Posidonia 2018 trade show in Greece.SWS and LR have agreed to jointly develop the bulk carrier design, which is based on an existing conventional bulk carrier design and updated to incorporate LNG propulsion.LR provided assistance and support, in terms of the LNG fuel system application and verifying the design against the IGF code…

Maritime connectivity services provider Globecomm has appointed J&E Papadopoulos as its new representative to the Greece and Cyprus shipping markets.J&E Papadopoulos will provide sales and marketing services locally as well as pre- and post-sales support, installation, commissioning and technical services for Globecomm Maritime products in the region.Established in Piraeus in 1968, J&E Papadopoulos SA is a distributor of marine spare parts, representing numerous European and U.S.

ABB Turbocharging and Multimarine Services Ltd (MMS) have agreed an ABB Turbocharging Service Point will open at the MMS shipyard facility at Limassol Port, Cyprus.The deal, signed this week during the Posidonia exhibition in Athens, confirms the creation of the first turbocharging service point in Limassol to be located at a shipyard, after proactive discussions between ABB Turbocharging Greece & Cyprus and MMS to relocate ABB’s local service facilities. The relocation will support a closer physical pick up point for marine customers, providing convenience and faster access to customized servicing for optimal uptime and fleet productivity.“This is a positive agreement for ABB Turbocharging and will enable us to better serve our customers by offering reliable…

Original research commissioned by Inmarsat suggests that the maritime industry is more amenable to adopting analytic, management and operational tools applied through the Internet of Things (IoT) than many commentators have supposed. The release of ‘Industrial IoT: Maritime’ coincides with Posidonia 2018 and is part of the Inmarsat Research Programme 2018,  which provides a cross-sectoral study on digitalisation in the global supply chain and is due for publication on June 26th.

GAC Greece has become the latest GAC company to sign up to the Green Award (GA) Foundation’s scheme, underlining its commitment to environmental issues. Under the scheme, GA-certified ships that use GAC's ship agency services at Greek ports can claim a 10% discount on the company’s agency fees. By joining the incentive scheme, GAC Greece demonstrated its commitment to applying and promoting measures to encourage green shipping. The Green Award Foundation is a non-profit, independent international platform for the maritime industry to stimulate safer…

After a long break, CJSC Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company has restored its operation in foreign waters in 2014 by the respective order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and took series of effective measures in this regard. In the past four years, number of vessels sailing outside Caspian basin – in the Sea of Azov, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea increased by 13, out of which 11 are dry cargo vessels, while 2 are tankers. These vessels floating under our three…