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Northwest Europe News

21 Feb 2024

EST-Floattech Receives €4 Million Investment

Source: EST-Floattech

Developer of maritime battery systems EST-Floattech has received an investment of 4 million euros from Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam and existing shareholders Rotterdam Port Fund, PDENH, Ponooc, and Yard Energy.Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam is investing 3 million euros, the fund's first investment in maritime battery systems. The existing shareholders are jointly investing 1 million euros.The announcement was made by Chantal Zeegers, the Alderman for Climate, Building, and Housing in Rotterdam.

16 Feb 2024

World’s First Ammonia-powered Containership Ordered

(Image: CMB.TECH)

Partners behind a project to develop the world’s first ammonia-powered containership have placed an order to build the groundbreaking vessel at Qingdao Yangfan Shipbuilding, in China.Expected to be delivered by mid-2026, the 1,400 TEU ice-class containership Yara Eyde will run on ammonia as fuel, serving routes between Norway and Germany.The vessel will be owned by Delphis, the container division of CMB.TECH, and operated by NCL Oslofjord AS, a joint venture between North Sea…

15 Jan 2024

Houthis Say They Will Target US Ships

© Andrea Izzotti / Adobe Stock

Yemen's Houthi movement will expand its targets in the Red Sea region to include U.S. ships, an official from the Iran-allied group said on Monday, as it vowed to keep up attacks after U.S. and British strikes on its sites in Yemen.Attacks by the Houthis on ships in area since November have impacted companies and alarmed major powers in an escalation of Israel's more than three-month war with Hamas militants in Gaza. The group says it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians.British…

08 Dec 2023

US LNG Exports Through Panama Canal Shrink, Asia-Europe Spreads Widen

© Mariusz / Adobe Stock

The number of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels transiting the Panama Canal to Asia halved in November compared with a year ago as Asia prices for the gas this week traded at their steepest premium to European prices in nearly two years.A severe drought has cut vessel traffic through the canal, increasing costs for shippers that take alternative routes or pay extra fees for auctioned slots in Panama. Further restrictions on canal transits likely will put more cargoes on lengthier routes…

24 Oct 2023

Russia Strikes Deal with DP World to Develop Arctic Sea Route

© Viesturs / Adobe Stock

Russian nuclear agency Rosatom said on Tuesday it has set up a joint venture with Dubai's DP World to develop container shipping through the Arctic as part of an initiative heavily promoted by President Vladimir Putin.The deal with one of the world's top port operators is the most tangible sign yet of Moscow's ability to attract big international partners to help it realise its ambitious plans for what it calls the Northern Sea Route.Putin has talked up prospects for the Arctic corridor…

04 Sep 2023

CO2 Shipping on the Rise

Source: Rystad Energy

The transportation of CO2 is taking to the seas as emitters look for flexible ways to move captured carbon to offshore storage projects, with a fleet of 55 carriers required by 2030, according to Rystad Energy research.Based on planned carbon capture projects, Rystad predicts that more than 90 million tonnes per annum (tpa) of CO2 will be shipped by the end of the decade, volumes requiring 48 terminals to handle the import and export of the gas.As the global carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) market expands…

18 Apr 2023

Norway Crude Mops Up in Europe as Russia's Urals Heads East

Johan Sverdrup - Photo credit: Lizette Bertelsen and Jonny Engelsvoll - Equinor

The clear winner in the race to replace Russian oil at Europe's refineries is Norway's Johan Sverdrup crude, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and traders.Johan Sverdrup was launched in 2019, making it a relative newcomer compared to Russia's Urals grade.Initially sold mostly to Asia, an EU ban on Russian seaborne oil imports imposed in December has opened up the European market where the medium sour grade has become a primary feedstock for refiners in countries such as Germany…

23 Feb 2023

CLdN Car Carrier Fitted with Rotor Sails

(Photo: CLdN)

CLdN announced one of its RoRo car carrier vessels is ready for its return to service after being fitted with a rotor sail wind propulsion system.The Luxembourg based company is the latest in a string of ship owners and operators to have turned to wind propulsion systems as a means to reduce fuel burn and emissions amid its journey to improve operational efficiency and its environmental footprint.Now fitted with two 35mx5m rotor sails, Delphine is the first vessel in the CLdN fleet to be fitted with the system and will return to service from Zeebrugge…

08 Feb 2023

Monjasa Inks Deal to Distribute Green Ammonia for Shipping

(Photo: Monjasa)

On 6 February 2023, Monjasa and HØST PtX Esbjerg have signed a Commercial Collaboration Agreement (CCA) on logistics services and offtake of green ammonia for the maritime sector. According to the CCA, Monjasa will provide logistics services that will enable distribution of green ammonia from HØST PtX Esbjerg, which is a Danish power-to-ammonia project managed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).As a maritime logistics partner, Monjasa has the possibility to provide the offtake partners of HØST PtX Esbjerg with green ammonia.

20 Jan 2023

Insolvency at European Storage Terminal Supports Tank Storage Rates

© Martin Bergsma / Adobe Stock

The insolvency of a major storage terminal planned in northwest Europe has supported regional tank storage rates for diesel and gasoline, just as European traders rush to fill up diesel tanks ahead of a Feb. 5 ban on Russian fuel.Earlier this month, the district court in Rotterdam declared the insolvency of the long-delayed HES Hartel Tank Terminal, to be developed in Europe's major trading port of Rotterdam.The terminal would have offered 1.3 million cubic metres of storage capacity for gasoline…

06 Jan 2023

The Top 10 Offshore Wind Energy Trends to Watch in 2023

©Twixter/AdobeStock

The drivers for global offshore wind growth look good for 2023. Global offshore wind is forecast to grow from over 60 GW at the end of 2022 to 240 GW by 2030 and over 410 GW by 2035. But the sunny outlook must be balanced with some building dark clouds. As we prepare for the new year, let us look at ten factors that will shape the offshore wind sector in 2023.1. Solid foundations: Optimism for the supply chain is founded on declared and inferred offshore wind deployment targets by a growing number of countries of over 400 GW, driven by energy transition and energy security policies.2.

03 Jan 2023

2023 Outlook: The Offshore Service Vessel Market

Copyright Ramon Cliff/AdobeStock

The market for offshore support vessels has been through a rather rough few years since offshore exploration and production activity took a nose-dive in 2015 following the oil price crash the year before.The newbuild order boom that came with the ever-greener pastures imagined in the industry ensured that not only was the supply- and demand balance off by an insurmountable degree in the years that followed, but at its peak, in 2017, the oversupply of anchor handling tug supply…

17 Nov 2022

Intelatus: Almost 30,000 Offshore Wind Turbines to Be Installed by 2035

Credit: eyeimagery/AdobeStock

Over the last few years, many statements have been made concerning growth in offshore wind turbine and foundation installation demand. These statements have been followed, in some cases, by firm orders for high-specification vessels, mainly from established players. However, many of the announcements remain unconverted into shipyard orders.According to a new report released by Intelatus Global Partners, close to 30,000 increasingly large turbines and foundations will be installed…

26 Oct 2022

LNG Ships Play Waiting Game Off Spain's Coast as Higher Prices Eyed

Several ships carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) anchored off Spain's Bay of Cadiz are likely to stay there until late November in anticipation of a rise in European gas prices, industry sources said.Dozens of ships have been circling off the Iberian coast and in the Mediterranean sea for weeks, unable to secure slots to unload their LNG cargoes as plants that convert the superchilled fuel back to gas are operating at maximum capacity.The high volume of LNG in floating storage exposes Europe's lack of "regasification" capacity just as the continent stocks up for a winter of substantially less Russian pipeline gas.But industry sources say some of the waiting ships are part of a trading strategy from their respective companies…

31 Oct 2022

CEO in Focus: Allard Castelein, Port of Rotterdam

Image courtesy Port of Rotterdam Authority/ © Ernst Bode

The Port of Rotterdam has blazed a path for ports globally in terms of automation, digitalization and decarbonization. As he enters the final year of his tenure, Allard Castelein, CEO, Port of Rotterdam, says there is still much work to do.While many global organizations are adept at ‘talking the talk’, the Port of Rotterdam stands out as ‘walking the walk’ in regards to real investment and innovation in robotics, digitalization and infrastructure improvements to facilitate the efficient, effective transfer of ship’s cargo for distribution globally.

26 Jul 2022

Port Report: Rotterdam Throughput Stays Strong Despite Russia Decline

NYK LINE container ship loaded by gantry cranes in the Port of Rotterdam. Copyright VanderWolf Images/AdobeStock

The volume of total cargo throughput in the port of Rotterdam was 0.8% higher in the first half of the year (233.5 million tonnes) than in the same period in 2021 (231.6 million tonnes). In many segments, the war in Ukraine led to significant changes. For example, imports of both LNG and coal rose very sharply as an alternative to reduced European imports of Russian gas by pipeline. The throughput of crude oil increased, with oil products falling off. Throughput of iron ore, agricultural…

31 Oct 2022

VIDEO: One-on-One with Pieter van Oord, CEO, Van Oord

Pieter Van Oord, CEO, Van Oord, graces the cover of the June 2022 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.

Pieter van Oord is candid in discussing the future growth of his storied company’s activities in offshore wind with specific insights on challenging current jobs, Van Oord’s recent order of a massive and groundbreaking Wind Turbine Installation Vessel, and the company’s future working in the United States.Pieter, to start, can you give a ‘By the Numbers’ look at your company today using the metrics of your choice?Well, 2021 was a disappointing year for us. As we said in our annual report…

04 May 2022

Vopak, Gasunie Team Up to Build Hydrogen Import Infrastructure in Dutch, German Ports

Credit:Gasunie

Vopak, a Dutch natural gas infrastructure and transportation company operating in the Netherlands and Germany, has teamed up with the tank storage firm Gasunie to jointly develop future terminal infrastructure projects for hydrogen import into Northwest Europe via Dutch and German ports. The two companies have collaborated in the Gate LNG terminal in the Port of Rotterdam that came into operation in 2011."Alongside domestic production of hydrogen, large-scale import of green hydrogen will become essential for reaching the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 targets.

24 Feb 2022

Major Buyers of Russian Oil Struggle with Bank Guarantees

The global oil market was thrown into chaos on Thursday after Russia invaded Ukraine, with top buyers of Russian oil struggling to secure guarantees at Western banks or find ships to take crude from one of the world's largest producers.At least three major buyers of Russian oil have been unable to open letters of credit from Western banks to cover purchases on Thursday, four trading sources said, citing market uncertainty after the Russian invasion.Russia produces every 10th barrel in the world and oil prices jumped to above $105 per barrel on Thursday, their highest since 2014, due to fears of disruptions.In the Black Sea, a Turkish-owned ship was hit by a bomb off the coast of Ukraine's port city Odessa…

23 Nov 2021

Tech File: OATECH Fish-Farming "Superyacht" Earns RINA AIP

Ocean Ark, a new-concept offshore fish-farming system recently received an AIP from RINA. Image courtesy Ocean Ark Tech of Chile/RINA

A fish-farming superyacht developed by Ocean Ark Tech of Chile (OATECH) and its strategic ally, London-based Ocean Sovereign, is one step closer to delivering fish to market after winning a key approval from marine classification society, RINA.Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) announced the Approval in Principle (AiP) of the new-concept offshore fish-farming system, Ocean Ark. The vessel delivers a new approach to aquaculture and looks set to disrupt by dramatically improving fish health…

29 Apr 2022

Costlier Smaller Tankers Deployed to Move Displaced Russian Oil to China

© Em Campos / Adobe Stock

Traders are deploying smaller, costlier vessels to ship displaced Russian oil from European ports to China, in a rare move as Western sanctions on Moscow force them to use unconventional methods to transport the product.About 5 million barrels of Russian Urals crude was scheduled to load in April and May destined for China on four Aframax-sized tankers that each carry 730,000 barrels and two Suezmax-sized vessels each holding around 1 million barrels, according to shipping reports and research by Refinitiv and Vortexa.A very large crude carrier (VLCC)…

09 Mar 2022

Rotor Sails To Be Installed on CLdN RoRo

Image © HR Wallingford

Norsepower has announced an agreement signed with CLdN to install two tilting Rotor Sails on board a 2018-built Ro-Ro vessel to improve ship fuel efficiency and carbon emissions reduction. Preparations are currently taking place with the installation anticipated to be completed by December 2022.The MV Delphine, a vessel with a cargo capacity of close to 8,000 lane meters, transits between the UK, Ireland and Europe and is the largest short sea Ro-Ro vessel operating in the world today.

08 Oct 2021

Horisont Energi Picks Port of Rotterdam as European Distribution Hub for its Blue Ammonia

Credit: Horisont Energi

Horisont Energi, a company working to develop its blue ammonia project in Norway, has signed a deal with liquid bulk storage company Koole Terminals to develop an ammonia terminal and storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, for further distribution.Horisont Energi is developing the Barents Blue project in Norway's north, Europe's first large-scale carbon-neutral ammonia plant with offshore carbon storage. Gas for the project will come from Equinor's and Var Energi's offshore fields in the Barents Sea.