Northern Europe News

Carnival Corporation's luxury cruise brand Seabourn introduced its newest vessel with a naming ceremony for Seabourn Ovation in the harbor of Valletta, Malta.Seabourn Ovation is the fifth ultra-luxury vessel to join the Seabourn fleet over the past decade, and the second of two ships designed for the line by hospitality design icon Adam D. Tihany.Seabourn Ovation was delivered on April 27 during an official handover ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa, Italy. Following the delivery ceremony…

Monjasa expands its reach to Northern France and goes from two to three supply vessels in Northwest Europe. Providing a niche market alternative to the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) bunker hub has proven relevant for a growing number of customers and volumes are increasing. Steadily growing demand in the English Channel allows Monjasa to expand its services to cover Northern France as well. Monjasa is able to cover port areas from Dunkerque, Calais, Dieppe, Le Havre and all the way to Brest.

Fischer Panda UK has supplied a Panda 25i generator and Seafari Mini 170 watermaker for the latest ROV inspection and survey boat designed by Fareham-based BW SeaCat for Norwegian company Rov AS. On show for the first time at Seawork, the 13m ROV1304 with SPEED-type fast displacement hull is leading commercial power catamaran manufacturer BW SeaCat’s fourth vessel of a well-proven similar construction, designed for deep water operation for the aquaculture industry, power plants, offshore sector and other contractors.

The advent of industry wide tightening of allowable sulfur emissions is getting nearer. Suddenly, with the deadline now little more than one year away, the countdown clock will very soon be ticking much louder. Simply stated, the cap on allowable sulfur content in marine fuels, presently at 3.5 percent in many geographical regions, will be reduced to 0.5 percent in January 2020. The 0.1 percent sulfur cap, already in effect since 2015 in coastal Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) in Europe and North America…

It took British Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani just one go to activate the mechanism that sent a big champagne bottle crashing against the massive sidewall of the “Afif”. This marked the official naming of the 15,000 TEU container ship on 16 July 2018. The name “Afif” is of Arabic origin and means “purity” and “honesty”; also, Afif is a city in central Saudi Arabia. The ship is technically equipped to use LNG fuel. With its ten sisters, “Afif” belongs to the category of “Ultra Large Container Vessel”, the second-largest ship class in Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet.

DFDS has exercised an option to order an additional freight ferry (ro-ro) newbuilding from the Chinese Jinling Shipyard.Similar to the five previously ordered large capacity freight ferries, the newbuilding is designed to carry 6,700 lane meters of freight equivalent to around 450 trailers.The new ferries will increase DFDS’ operational efficiency in the route networks in northern Europe and the Mediterranean.The first two new ferries are expected to be received in the beginning of next year…

DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, today announced that it has joined forces with Swedish atmospheric science experts, WeatherTech.The combined expertise of both companies will enable the development of the most advanced icing model for wind turbines available on the market, allowing customers to better predict the performance of turbines in cold climates.In cold climates, the performance of wind turbines is significantly reduced by ice accretion, the gradual build-up of ice on the turbine blades.

The Korean container shipping company Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has started a new, independent Asia-North Europe service in April. The first vessel of the AEX service to call at Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg on 12 May was ‘Hyundai Forward’ with a capacity of the 4,700 TEU. A total of ten units of these comparatively small Panamax container ships will rotate weekly between Busan (Korea), Shanghai (China), Ningbo (China), Kaohsiung (China), Yantian (China), Singapore, Colombo (Sri Lanka)…

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has been awarded a contract to heighten four ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes operated by Generale de Manutention Portuaire (GMP), a joint venture between DP World and Terminal Link (CMA-CGM), located in the port of Le Havre.The order was booked in Cargotec's 2018 second quarter order intake, and the project is scheduled to commence in the 3rd quarter of 2018.Guy Sansone, Technical Director, GMP: "The decision to partner with Kalmar was placed mainly because of their proven track record and the technical expertise of their dedicated crane upgrades team.

A giant vessel docked at the port of Moheshkhali in Bangladesh two months ago, propelling the populous but poor nation into the fast-expanding club of liquefied natural gas (LNG) buyers.The Excellence is the latest floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a type of carrier that has proliferated since 2015 as many countries switch to a cleaner and increasingly cheaper fuel than oil and coal.But the young FSRU industry has been beset by more project delays than successes in the past 12 months as fluctuating energy prices…

Ship owner Stena said it has decided to exercise its option to order its seventh and eighth E-Flexer vessels from Avic Weihai Shipyard. The two new vessels will be deployed within Stena Line’s route network with a planned delivery in 2022.Additionally, Stena RoRo has taken an option on the construction of a further four E-Flexer vessels that would also be built at the same Chinese shipyard.Niclas Mårtensson, CEO Stena Line, said, “We foresee increasing demand for freight capacity…

40 years ago, on September 13th, 1978, Jacques R. Saadé launched the first maritime line between Marseilles and Beirut, with only one ship and 4 employees. The day marked the beginning of an extraordinary humane and entrepreneurial adventure, said a press release.According to the statement, 40 years later, CMA CGM has become a recognized world leader, with 34,000 employees and a presence in more than 160 countries. History: It is amid the Lebanese war that Jacques R. Saadé decided to settle in Marseilles to protect his family.

Germany's Port of Kiel says goodbye to the  Italian cruise shipping company Costa Crociere cruise vessel Costa Pacifica for this year’s season on Sunday (September 02).To mark the over 40 years of partnership between the shipping company, the city and the port, Hans-Werner Tovar, City President, Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director Port of Kiel, Captain Paolo Viscafè and Dr Jörg Rudolph, General Manager Costa Germany, unveiled a bronze plate on Kiel’s Walk of Cruise Ships at the Ostseekai Terminal.City President Tovar: “With this plate on the Walk of Cruise Ships…

HISWA Holland Yachting Group and Port of Amsterdam announced in May 2018 their ambition to put Amsterdam on the map as a top destination for superyachts.The last two months more than 10 superyachts have chosen Amsterdam as their destination. They include Reef Chief, Aviva, Avanti, Forever One and Big Eagle.According to a press release from the port, the Amsterdam is attractive to owners and captains of superyachts on account of "the wide selection of berths located in the city centre…

DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, today announced that the company’s technical expertise was an important part of the due diligence of the Bjerkreim cluster, a 294-megawatt group of wind farms in Norway.The German asset manager for renewable energy investments Luxcara recently entered long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for 100% of the output and environmental attributes of the three contiguous wind projects.Working alongside Norwegian developer Norsk Vind Energi and the owner and long-term operator of the wind farms Luxcara…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced a plan to issue green bonds (its 20th and 21st series unsecured corporate bonds) through a public offering in Japan's domestic market. It also announced the acquisition of a second opinion from a third-party institute.Japan's 1st Green Bonds are aimed at individual investors. Green bonds are used to raise funds for businesses aimed at protecting and improving the environment.MOL established the MOL Group Environmental Vision 2030 in April 2017…

HISWA Holland Yachting Group and Port of Amsterdam are making real their ambition to establish Amsterdam more firmly as a major destination for superyachts. The diversity in berths located in the heart of the city centre, combined with excellent re-fit and maintenance facilities in the port area make Amsterdam a unique destination for superyachts. A quiet transformation has been underway in the superyacht world for some years now. Where the Mediterranean and the Caribbean used to reign supreme in terms of both facilities and interest…

French-based CMA CGM, one of the world's largest container shipping firms, has agreed to acquire Finland's Containerships from Container Finance Ltd Oy.Terms of the deal, which is expected to close in three to six months, were not disclosed.Containerships, which recorded sales of 227 million euros ($263 million) last year, ships cargo between Finland, Russia, the Baltic States, continental Europe, the UK and Ireland as well as in the Mediterranean region between Turkey and North Africa, it said in a regulatory filing.The acquisition will add to CMA CGM's regional network in northern Europe and

Danish shipping and logistics group DFDS has completed the acquisition of Turkey’s largest operator of Ro-Ro freight ships and will be a major player in the strong and continuously growing trade between the EU and Turkey. In April, DFDS signed an agreement with the owners of  U.N. Ro-Ro to acquire the shares in the company, said a press release from the company. “All relevant authorities have now approved the transaction and I am very pleased to announce that on 7 June we completed the deal. U.N.

Danish shipping and logistics company DFDS has agreed to buy Turkish freight shipping operator U.N. Ro-Ro from Turkish private equity firms Actera Group and Esas Holdings for 950 million euros ($1.17 billion) on a debt-free basis. It marks a change of course for the Turkish company, which had planned an initial public offering for up to 57.7 percent of the company, a draft prospectus showed last month. U.N. Ro-Ro operates five freight shipping routes between Turkey, Italy and France. DFDS said U.N.

New study examines Japanese government strategy for creating infrastructure for environmentally-friendly ship fuel.A new report by the Intrernational Transport Forum at the OECD assesses Japan’s ambition to become an international bunkering hub for liquefied natural gas (LNG).The Japanese government is working to position the nation as a LNG bunkering hub as it expects the fuel's significance in shipping to grow.Japan is already the world’s largest importer of LNG by a large margin.

MSC Meraviglia officially made her maiden call at the port of Hamburg today, marking the start of her new as well as the brand’s best and most accessible-ever season in Northern Europe. At the traditional exchange of crests attended by Senator Horch from the City of Hamburg as well as representatives from the Ports and other institutions, media and travel partners, MSC Cruises, the Swiss-based world’s largest privately owned cruise line and now for the third consecutive year brand market leader across the whole of Europe…

Stena Oil has signed an agreement to create a new marine fuel terminal in the Port of Frederikshavn. The facility will be fully adapted for the new Sulphur Directive 2020 and its location will reduce the distances travelled by bunkering vessels. The oil terminal will be the largest of its kind in Scandinavia, with a capacity of 75 000 cubic metres. "We are delighted to be developing our business in Frederikshavn. We will create a state-of-the-art terminal that can handle all fuel types that meet the IMO’s global sulphur directive, which comes into effect in 2020.