Northwestern Europe News

Titan, the independent supplier of low and zero-emission fuels, acquired two small scale LNG carriers – the Seapeak Unikum and Seapeak Vision – from Seapeak, the Canadian gas transportation company formerly known as Teekay LNG Partners. The vessels will be retrofitted to ensure suitable LNG bunkering capabilities, enabling them to both transport and bunker LNG, liquefied biomethane (LBM), and in the longer-term hydrogen derived e-methane (e-LNG).Both sister vessels have a cargo capacity of 12,000 ccbm and measure 152 x 19.8m. The vessels will join Titan’s fleet in March this year.

Canadian shipping company Algoma Central Corporation on Thursday announced it has acquired two 18,894 dwt product tankers. Built in 2007, the sister ships were purchased to prepare for the coming replacement of two older vessels in the company’s Algoma Product Tankers fleet.“The vessels are high quality additions to our Product Tanker fleet,” said Gregg Ruhl, President and CEO of Algoma, “and mark an important step in our on-going fleet renewal journey, which is expanding to include renewal within our tanker fleet.

Dutch dredging and marine services company Boskalis said it has taken delivery of its largest-ever consignment of drop-in biofuel which will be used to power two hopper dredgers on upcoming projects in northwestern Europe.The use of cleaner-burning biofuel will result in a CO2 reduction of approximately 90% for the 12,000 m3 hopper dredger Willem van Oranje and approximately 45% for the 4,500 m3 hopper dredger Strandway, the company said.The delivery of approximately 1,000 m3 of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO)…

French energy group Total said Monday it had realized the first ship-to-containership Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering operation in France. The world’s largest LNG bunker vessel in operation, Total’s Gas Agility, completed on Friday evening, April 30th, at the Port of Dunkirk the refueling of the world’s largest containership powered by LNG, the CMA CGM Jacques Saade, with around 16,400m3 of LNG.This inaugural operation also marks Dunkerque LNG terminal’s first loading of…

Finland’s oil refiner Neste Corporation has made low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO)available in Bremerhaven, Germany in response to the upcoming IMO 2020 global regulation.Neste and the German BMT Bunker und Mineralöltransport GmbH have signed a partner agreement concerning distribution and sales of Neste MarineTM 0.5. This new marine fuel, containing maximum 0.5% sulphur, has been available in Bremerhaven, Germany, since the beginning of November 2019. BMT is a bunkering services company with a long experience in the sales of marine fuels. The company is well-known especially in the North Sea coast in Germany, which is a key logistics channel for global shipping companies.“We are truly delighted that BMT is our marine fuel channel partner in Northwestern Europe.

U.S. liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exports have grown year-over-year by 22% to 22.5 million tons year-to-date (YTD) and Middle East exports have grown on the same basis 3.5% to 22.6 million tons, said Dorian LPG.For the first time, U.S. and Middle East volumes were equal, said the owner and operator of modern very large gas carriers (VLGCs)."Our expectation is that the U.S. exports will grow faster than those from the Middle East. U.S. propane inventories continue to push towards the higher-end of their 5-year range, having reached 80 million barrels on July 26th, 21.4% higher than last year, which was almost equal to the percentage increase in exports," it said.North American export capacity continues to expand, further supporting global LPG trade.

Qatargas Operating Company Limited delivered the first cargo of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) on a Q-Max vessel to Zeebrugge LNG Terminal in Belgium, marking the first discharge of a Q-Max LNG vessel at this terminal.The world's largest liquefied natural gas company announced in a media release that the cargo, which was loaded at the Ras Laffan terminal in Qatar on 22nd June 2019, arrived on board the Q-Max vessel, 'Al Dafna' on 22nd July 2019.The delivery also celebrates yet another multi-terminal delivery for Qatargas bringing the total number of multi-port deliveries undertaken by the Company in 2019 to eight deliveries, it said."This operation saw the first LNG parcel discharged in Zeebrugge and a second parcel at the South Hook LNG terminal in the United Kingdom…

The newest cruise ship in the Holland America Line fleet, the Nieuw Statendam, made its maiden call to the port of Amsterdam on Sunday, 5 May 2019.The second Pinnacle Class ship moored at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) and was welcomed with a water salute by Port of Amsterdam. Amsterdam will be the ship’s home port during the upcoming summer season.This was the maiden call for the ship that was christened by Oprah Winfrey in Ft. Lauderdale last February. A cruise ship’s maiden call to a port is traditionally accompanied by a plaque & key ceremony.Alma Prins-Droog, Commercial Manager Cruise at Port of Amsterdam, presented Captain Sybe de Boer with the port of Amsterdam coat of arms.

U.S. shipments of liquefied natural gas are expected to fall to their lowest level in six months in April, after a leading U.S. supplier shut units for maintenance at a time when a glut of supply has driven some worldwide prices to near three-year lows.Based on exports through April 10, the United States is on track to sell roughly 91.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of natural gas as LNG, which would be the lowest since October. That compares with an estimated record 139.8 bcfd shipped in March…

Benchmark diesel barge refining margins in northwest Europe rose at the start of the week despite plentiful imports from Asia, the Middle East and the United States. Recent highlights include:* In recent days at least seven Diesel cargoes carrying around 550,000 tonnes were booked out of Asia and the Middle East to northwestern Europe as the arbitrage on the route remained open, according to shipping data and traders.* In addition the arbitrage from the U.S. Gulf coast was also open with at least eight tankers booked to go to Europe, carrying around 350,000 tonnes of products, most likely Diesel.* Benchmark crude prices were down 1.2 percent.GASOIL* One barge of 0.1 percent sulphur content gasoil traded at a discount of $13 to the July diesel contract.

Independent wind asset operations management specialist OutSmart BV has selected Kongsberg Digital AS to provide an integrated management system on the innovative Kognifai digital platform and ecosystem. The sophisticated digital solution will be used to manage OutSmart’s extensive onshore and offshore wind turbine portfolio. OutSmart provides services to wind farm owners, fund managers, and wind project companies in Northwestern Europe to maximize the revenues of their wind assets. Part of Deutsche Windtechnik Offshore and Consulting GmbH, OutSmart currently operates more than 400 onshore and offshore wind and solar assets (1.8 GW in total) in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Port of Amsterdam, STC-Group Holding and Iskes Towage & Salvage signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Amsterdam with Port of Fujairah (PoF), one of the largest oil storage and bunkering hubs in the world. The agreement focuses on further strategic cooperation. Located on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, the port of Fujairah has seen tremendous growth in the past decades, turning from a regional multi-purpose Port into an important part of the global oil supply chain. PoF strives to consolidate and further expand on its achieved market position and to improve its port operations to live up to the standard of a world class port.

Recently NBS Maritime B.V. commenced business operations in the Netherlands, becoming the first NBS office in Northwestern Europe as the company expands its regional reach to serve directly vessels at key ports in the region. NBS NL will cater for the growing customer base of the company in the area, covering the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Already amongst the leading ship suppliers in the Black Sea region, NBS Maritime has a network of offices in Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, and a global ship supply unit – NBS Global. Located in Halsteren, NBS Maritime B.V. is positioned close to the busiest European hub – Rotterdam port. The strategic…

KOTUG International B.V. and Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. have formalized a joint venture for the companies’ European harbor towage operations. The joint operations are transferred to a 50/50 joint venture, combining the European harbor towage activities of KOTUG and Boskalis’ subsidiary SMIT. The merged operations will operate under the entity KOTUG SMIT Towage, with operational integration beginning April 7, 2016. With a fleet of 65 tugboats, KOTUG SMIT Towage will provide harbor towage services in northwestern Europe, operating in 11 ports in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and U.K.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. and KOTUG International B.V. have reached a formal agreement to merge their European harbor towage operations following on a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties in late 2014. The combined operations will be transferred to a 50/50 joint venture bringing together the European harbor towage activities of KOTUG and Boskalis subsidiary SMIT, operating under the new name KOTUG SMIT Towage. The scope of the joint venture will encompass the harbor towage operations of SMIT in Belgium…

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) and KOTUG International B.V. (KOTUG) have reached agreement on the merger of their European harbour towage operations. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties in late 2014 has now been formalized following a thorough process. The combined operations will be transferred to a 50/50 joint venture bringing together the European harbour towage activities of SMIT, a Boskalis subsidiary, and KOTUG. The operations will continue under the name KOTUG SMIT Towage. Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, "This joint venture is an important next step in the implementation of our harbour towage strategy aimed at concentrating and expanding our harbour towage services in regional partnerships.

To convert its vessel Coral Anthelia to dual fuel operation, Anthony Veder worked with Cat dealer Bolier to complete the industry’s first in-hull retrofit – saving considerable time and money in the process. The project saw the retrofit of a marine diesel engine to dual fuel operation in the hull of a ship without altering the vessel’s structure, limiting any onboard operations or requiring the ship to dock. Gas shipping company Anthony Veder partnered with a team of Dutch partners, including Cat dealer Bolier, to accomplish this industry-first feat – all within less than five weeks.

As glacier melt in the Arctic continues to accelerate, the foot of the Atlantic's most powerful ocean current keeps pressing harder and harder on the brake pedal, resulting in the weakest Gulf Stream in the last 1,000 years. The slowing Gulf Stream water currents is threatening shifts in U.S. and European weather, as well as coastal sea levels including in New York and Boston. The cooling above the Northern Atlantic would only slightly reduce the continued warming of the continents. The scientists certainly do not expect a new ice age, thus the imagery of the ten-year-old Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ is far from reality. However, it is well established that a large, even gradual change in Atlantic Ocean circulation could have major negative effects.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. and KOTUG International B.V. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to merge the companies’ European harbor towage operations. The companies will establish a 50/50 joint venture for this purpose, combining the European harbor towage activities of SMIT, a Boskalis subsidiary, with the European harbor towage activities of KOTUG. This merger is the concluding step in Boskalis' strategy aimed at establishing regional partnerships for its harbor towage activities, as was previously done through Smit Lamnalco, Keppel SMIT and most recently SAAM SMIT.

Expanding the Suezmax fleet and greater involvement in carrying oil products are among the ambitions being pursued by theTeekay Tanker Services (TTS) business unit of Teekay. "At the same time, we're working to expand our strong Aframax position," said TTS Vice President Peder Farmen, who heads the product transport sector of TTS from the group's Norwegian office in Stavanger. Teekay's conventional shipping operations in Norway have further diversified the company's fleet, the majority of which is comprised of Aframax vessels. Since Teekay's acquisitions of Bona Shipholding in 1999, Ugland Nordic Shipping in 2001 and Navion in 2002, Teekay has established itself as a leading tanker operator in the North Sea and Atlantic, in addition to the Pacific.

Britain's Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co (P&O) shrugged off higher fuel costs and fears of a downturn in the United States to beat forecasts with a 12 percent rise in profits. P&O, which last year shed its cruise liner division to concentrate on its core ports, container shipping and ferry businesses, announced pre-tax profits before exceptionals of 269 million pounds ($390 million). "These results are considerably better than what the market would have hoped for, despite last year's increase in oil prices," chairman Lord Sterling said. "We are cautious regarding the U.S. Sterling said the company was particularly pleased with the performance of P&O Nedlloyd…

In the current evaluation of all port state inspections of ships during the past year within the scope of the "Paris Memorandum of Understanding" (Paris MoU) of the European Port State Control, Germanischer Lloyd took first place, as in the previous years. The Paris MoU determined the number of class-related detentions for each classification society and expressed them in relation to the total number of port state inspections during the years 2003 to 2005. For Germanischer Lloyd, only 43 detentions were noted for a total of 11,882 inspections. This yields a calculation factor of -1.57, which is the lowest value for the 25 societies considered. Port State Control is based on an agreement of the maritime transport authorities of Northwestern Europe dating back to January 26, 1982.