Iberian Peninsula News

A group of Spanish archaeologists have made detailed diagrams of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck to help work out how best to recover it from the sea before a storm destroys it forever.The eight-metre-long Mazarron II, named after the municipality in the southeastern Spanish region of Murcia where it was found off the coast, is a unique piece of ancient maritime engineering.Nine technicians from the University of Valencia underwent 560 hours of scuba diving over more than two weeks in June to record all the cracks and fissures in the ship…

An underwater pipeline to carry green hydrogen between Barcelona and Marseille will cost around 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion), according to preliminary estimates of the project agreed between Spain, Portugal and France, two sources told Reuters. It comes as an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine has accelerated European plans to bolster renewable energy as an alternative to Russian gas. Spain and Portugal aim to become clean hydrogen hubs and net energy exporters, causing…

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.

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…

A luxurious super-yacht linked to the owner of Russia's largest steel pipe maker, who is currently under British and European Union sanctions, docked in Gibraltar on Monday and was then detained by the authorities.Western sanctions on Russian oligarchs over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine have triggered an exodus of luxury yachts from Europe in recent weeks, with several heading towards the Maldives, which has no extradition treaty with the United States.Reuters TV footage showed the "Axioma", believed to be owned by Dmitrievich Pumpyansky, owner of steel group TMK, moored at Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula…

Europe's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals have limited available capacity to absorb extra supply from the United States or other major producers in the event of Russian gas disruption if it invades Ukraine.Concerns are mounting that Russia, which provides around a third of Europe's gas, is preparing to invade Ukraine which could disrupt gas flows to Europe. Russia has repeatedly denied it is preparing to invade Ukraine.The U.S. administration has recently approached major energy producers such as Qatar and Japan and to see if they can send extra LNG to Europe.At least half of U.S.

CMA CGM Group, a shipping and logistics giant, has agreed to make a €25 million investment, including €10 million in quasi-equity, in Brittany Ferries, the largest ferry company operating under the French flag, to support Brittany Ferries’ post-Covid-19 recovery.Brittany Ferries said the partnership would help to unlock synergies between the two companies in passenger and freight transport. "By harnessing the respective areas of expertise of the CMA CGM Group and Brittany Ferries, it will also help promote the development of cross-Channel shipping and underpin France’s position in the sector.

A Spanish charity rescue boat sought safe port on Friday after Italy rejected its request to disembark 124 people saved from two migrant rafts in the Mediterranean, the organisation said.Non-governmental organisation (NGO) rescue boats have largely disappeared from the Mediterranean over the last year as governments have tightened controls. Charity ships that have rescued migrants have faced lengthy standoffs in their attempt to disembark those onboard.Barcelona-based NGO Open Arms rescued 55 people from a sinking raft on Thursday, among them two babies, and a further 69 people from another boat during Thursday night, the organisation said on Twitter.Two heavily pregnant women were among those rescued from the second raft…

A Spanish charity rescue boat sought safe port on Friday after Italy rejected its request to disembark 124 people saved from two migrant rafts in the Mediterranean, the organisation said.Non-governmental organisation (NGO) rescue boats have largely disappeared from the Mediterranean over the last year as governments have tightened controls. Charity ships that have rescued migrants have faced lengthy standoffs in their attempt to disembark those onboard.Barcelona-based NGO Open Arms rescued 55 people from a sinking raft on Thursday, among them two babies, and a further 69 people from another boat during Thursday night, the organisation said on Twitter.Two heavily pregnant women were among those rescued from the second raft…

Russia's second largest natural gas producer Novatek said that its trading subsidiary Novatek Gas&Power Asia and Spanish energy company Repsol  have agreed to a 15-year contract to supply 1 mtpa of LNG from the Arctic LNG 2 project and other projects.The LNG will be delivered ex-ship primarily to markets on the Iberian Peninsula, said a release from Novatek.“The agreement for the sale of LNG would allow us to increase our market presence on the Iberian Peninsula where Russian pipeline gas is not supplied,” noted Novatek’s First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board Lev Feodosyev.“Expanding our supply geography and diversifying our long-term contract customer base is consistent with the Company's strategy to ramp up LNG production in the Russian Arctic…

CMA CGM will retain the only Containerships brand for its intra-European operations, giving up MacAndrews, which had already erased OPDR."Containerships: from April 1st, 2019 a single brand resulting from the union of two experts of intra-European transport CMA CGM reinforces its strategy aimed at densifying its regional coverage to the benefit of its clients," said a press release from MacAndrews.According to the French container transportation and shipping company, by joining the forces of two recognized experts of intra-European multimodal transport, the CMA CGM Group will create and develop an Intra-European leading brand, combining unique maritime and inland solutions with complementary regional footprints.Acquired by the CMA CGM Group in 2018…

At least 17 migrants died in the space of 24 hours while trying to cross the sea from North Africa to Spain, and rescuers picked up more than 100 others, the Spanish coast guard said on Monday.Two rafts were found in the Western Mediterranean between the Iberian peninsula and Morocco and Algeria with 80 people aboard, and 13 dead. They were taken to the Spanish North African enclave of Melilla, the coast guard said.The coast guard also found four bodies and rescued 22 men in the Atlantic off the southern Spanish city of Cadiz.Spain has now become the main destination for undocumented migrants and refugees from Africa and the Middle East trying to reach Europe.More than 47,000 people made the treacherous journey to Spain, often on flimsy dinghies and rafts, between Jan. 1 and Oct.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will hold the naming ceremony for its second expedition ship, the HANSEATIC inspiration on October 13, 2019 against the backdrop of the Belgian port city of Antwerp. It will be the first time in the city’s history that an ocean-going cruise ship has been christened in Antwerp. The announcement was made at lunchtime today by the CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Karl J. Pojer, who spoke to invited representatives of the press and the Deputy Mayor of Antwerp, Koen Kennis. Once she has been christened, the HANSEATIC inspiration will set sail from Antwerp the following day for her 15-day maiden voyage to Tenerife. Karl J. Pojer…

Portugal’s Blue Atlantic has released new plans for an 800 meter quay to berth two Panamax vessels showcasing its maritime trade potential. The 96-hectare site for sale in one of Europe’s leading maritime industrial zones is being primed for maritime, ports and logistics investors targeting the Iberian Peninsula and mainland Europe. Blue Atlantic project lead Fernando Fernandes said it offers one of the fastest and most efficient routes in and out of Europe, bypassing the congested Mediterranean.

Spanish liquefied natural gas (LNG) operator Gas Natural Fenosa signed an exclusive 10-year LNG supply deal with Spanish ferry operator Baleària. According to the company release, the supply contract will initially apply to the ports of Barcelona, Valencia and Algeciras, then extended to all the peninsular ports operated by the shipping company together with the entire new fleet powered by this fuel committed to using LNG as an ecological fuel. The president of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, and the Wholesale Iberian Marketing Manager of GAS NATURAL FENOSA, Joaquín Mendiluce, this morning signed this agreement at the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) in Madrid.

The CMA CGM Group announced it will merge its subsidiaries MacAndrews and OPDR effective January 1, 2018.,  in line with the Group’s strategy to develop its intra-regional activities Headquarters will be located in Hamburg. The union between these two companies specialized in intra-European transport enables the CMA CGM Group to strengthen its multimodal offer in Europe, particularly thanks to the complementarity of the geographical zones covered today by MacAndrews and OPDR, iCMA CGM said. MacAndrews will bring together the strengths of the two subsidiaries and will be characterized by: a presence in 16 countries, 36 agencies, 595 employees (310 OPDR / 285 MacAndrews) and 18 services. Acquired by CMA CGM in 2002, MacAndrews is the oldest shipping company in Europe.

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has signed an agreement with Noatum Container Terminal Bilbao for delivering two rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs) for intermodal operation. This is Kalmar's first RMG delivery since the new offering was launched in September 2017. The order was booked in Cargotec's fourth quarter 2017 intake and the delivery will take place during the first half of 2019. Noatum Container Terminal Bilbao is a large scale container terminal serving as a gateway for container transportation throughout the Iberian Peninsula and south-western France with strong intermodal services in Spain. The new Kalmar RMGs will be used for intermodal operations at the railyard which contains four train tracks, five container stacking rows and a service lane for road trucks.

With the global fuel sulphur limit of 0.5% entering into force in 2020, the interest towards LNG as a marine fuel is increasing. One of the main obstacles to the accelerated uptake of LNG, however, is the uncertainty regarding future market volumes for LNG. DNV GL has addressed this issue in a recent market study on the future LNG market in the Iberian Peninsula, as part of driving the development of an EU-wide network of LNG refuelling points. DNV GL conducted the market study on behalf of the six-year CORE LNGas hive project1, which aims to provide an investment plan for LNG fuelling in Spain and Portugal. The 33 million Euro project is coordinated by Enagas, and co-funded by the European Commission.

The Arctic has a serious litter problem: in just ten years, the concentration of marine litter at a deep-sea station in the Arctic Ocean has risen 20-fold. This was recently reported in a study by researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Plastic bags, glass shards and fishing nets: despite its location, far from any urban areas, the amount of litter in the depths of the Arctic Ocean continues to rise, posing a serious threat to its fragile ecosystem. Since 2002, AWI researchers have been documenting the amount of litter at two stations of the AWI’s “Hausgarten”, a deep-sea observatory network, which comprises 21 stations in the Fram Strait, between Greenland and Svalbard.

Whilst LNG has proven to be a viable option as a bunkering fuel for ships, there are still challenges to the pace of its development and demand for LNG as a fuel. One of the obstacles to the accelerated uptake is the uncertainty regarding its availability. DNV GL is undertaking a new study on the LNG market in the EU as part of its efforts to drive the development of an EU-wide network of LNG refuelling points. The company has also developed a new tool and guidelines to facilitate wider adoption. The market study is being carried out on behalf of the CORE LNGas hive project which is co-funded by the European Commission. The research aims to develop a safe and efficient…

OPDR announced its new CAVA service, starting June 7, to connect the Spanish east coast with northern European ports, including Saint Petersburg. It will further increase OPDR’s weekly sailings from the Iberian Peninsula to Northern European ports to 23 sailings per week. The new service links the Spanish ports Valencia and Cartagena to four ports in northern Europe: Tilbury, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Saint Petersburg. Therefore, the new CAVA service is particularly interesting for customers in the business of fast moving goods…

The Port of Barcelona ended 2015 with positive results in its key traffic indicators, with record figures in foreign trade and certain strategic cargo segments such as vehicles and motorways of the sea. Containers are a key traffic and a good barometer of the economic environment, and the Port registered 2 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units, equivalent to one 20-foot container), up 4 percent year on year. This growth was even higher if taken only in terms of foreign trade. Export containers at the Port of Barcelona increased by 6.5 percent, while on the import side there was year-on-year growth of 9 percent. These results also indicate that export container traffic at the Port of Barcelona in 2015 was 52 percent higher than before the onset of the crisis in 2008.

Swiss  Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) has finalized the acquisition of CP Carga, the freight and logistics unit of Portugal’s state-owned railway. MSC Rail, railway company of MSC, has completed the acquisition of the CP Carga - Logística e Transportes Ferroviários de Mercadorias SA, railway company established in 2009 and formerly owned by the group's entire public rail Portuguese Combois de Portugal (CP). The acquisition plan for of 95 percent of the rail freight carrier was formalized  and announced last year, but the Portuguese authorities gave their consent in December 2015. With the transaction MSC Rail got the 95% stake in the Portuguese company, while the remaining 5% will be offered to employees of the railway company.