Ore Carrier News

U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation has completed the installation of four Rotor Sails on its very large ore carrier (VLOC) vessel Grand Pioneer, becoming the first Taiwanese shipowner to adopt the wind-assisted propulsion technology.The sails, supplied by U.K.-based Anemoi Marine Technologies, were installed on a 325,000 deadweight tonne (DWT) vessel at COSCO Zhoushan Shipyard in September during a scheduled dry-docking.The plug-and-play process saw the four 35-meter tall, five-meter diameter sails lifted onto the vessel and fixed in 1.5 days…

Australia’s unique enclosed self-discharging transhippers ensure a dust-free supply chain for the Onslow Iron project.Onslow in north Western Australia is a desert. It receives less than 10 inches of rain a year, and for much of the year temperatures reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s known for dust storms that can turn the town red.It’s iron ore country, but the lack of a deepwater port meant that the nearby resources were stranded until Mineral Resources (MinRes) came up with…

On May 7, 2025, the first in a groundbreaking fleet of 3,000-ton deadweight hopper barges, designed by Robert Allan Ltd., was officially launched at Juruá Shipyard in Manaus, Brazil. The event marked a milestone in LHG Mining’s river transportation initiative in South America.This inaugural barge is part of a 400-unit fleet commissioned by LHG Mining to enable the efficient, sustainable transport of high-grade iron ore from Corumbá, Brazil, to export terminals in Uruguay. The cargo will travel over 2…

Fortescue’s Green Pioneer, billed as the world’s first ammonia dual-powered vessel, left Singapore in January of this year on voyage past the Cape of Good Hope en route initially to Southampton, both for Port State Control and to demonstrate the use of ammonia in its engines to the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and then on to London’s Canary Wharf where is stayed through mid-April, before travelling to other north European ports.At the time when the IMO’s Marine Environment…

CMB.TECH has signed an agreement with Fortescue to charter a new ammonia-powered ore carrier. Fortescue and Bocimar, part of CMB.TECH, have signed an agreement for an ammonia-powered Newcastlemax featuring a dual fuel engine.The 210,000-dwt vessel is part of CMB.TECH’s series of large dry bulk carriers currently on order at Qingdao Beihai Shipyard and is expected to be delivered to Fortescue by the end of 2026.It will play a vital role taking iron ore from the Pilbara to customers…

Anemoi Marine Technologies completed the installation of five Rotor Sails onboard the 400,000 dwt Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC), Sohar Max, making it the largest vessel to receive wind propulsion technology to date. Sohar Max is a first generation Valemax, built in 2012 in China’s Rongsheng shipyard, and is a project that  showcased collaboration between Brazilian mining giant Vale S.A., Omani shipowner Asyad and UK-based Rotor Sail provider Anemoi.The five 35 m tall, 5 m diameter Rotor Sails were retrofitted onboard Sohar Max at the COSCO Zhoushan shipyard in China, in October 2024.

Anemoi Marine Technologies has today announced that Clare Urmston has been appointed as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).After holding a number of executive and non-executive positions within the manufacturing, healthcare and fast-moving consumer goods sectors, Clare Urmston joined Anemoi in March 2020 as its Chief Financial Officer and, in May 2024, became Chief Operating Officer as part of the company’s growth into Asia.She replaces Kim Diederichsen who is stepping…

NS United Kaiun Kaisha (NSU) and Vale have reached an agreement to install rotor sails from Anemoi Marine Technologies on 400,000dwt-type very large ore carrier (VLOC).The VLOC NSU TUBARAO has been engaged in a long-term transportation contract between NSU and Vale since its delivery in September 2020.A rotor sail is a device for obtaining propulsion by using the pressure difference generated around a cylinder by rotating a cylindrical sail installed on the deck. It is expected…

As companies approach the exploitation phase of Deep Sea Mining, one critical factor is the transportation of mineral ores from the mine site location to onshore refineries While this may appear to be a relatively simple step, involving conventional bulk ore carriers and standard procedures, the nuances and practical limits of operating in the deep ocean mean that this step becomes increasingly complex and challenging. This article will explore the STARS concept, the likely regulatory requirements, and the complexities of this new vessel type.

Avikus, HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation in-house startup, has verified that its autonomous navigation system is capable of reducing fuel use by as much as 15%, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 10%.The fuel savings were quantified on a 325,000-ton very large ore carrier (VLOC) operating several times on a 5,800-mile route from Singapore to Brazil using Avikus’ autonomous HiNAS Control system.The verification of this performance was conducted through procedures that were jointly developed by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Avikus…

Brazilian mining firm Vale will install five Rotor Sails from Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd (“Anemoi”), a supplier of wind-assisted propulsion technology for commercial vessels, onboard a 400,000 dwt Valemax, the world’s largest ore carrier. The vessel is owned by Omani shipowner, Asyad.Five 35-meter-tall, 5-meter-diameter cylindrical sails will be installed on the Sohar Max VLOC. The Rotor Sails will be installed on Anemoi’s folding deployment system, whereby the sails can be folded from vertical to mitigate impact on air draft and cargo handling operations.

On July 2, COSCO Shipping Bulk's 400,000-ton ore carrier Yuanyihai successfully completed what the company claims is the fasters unloading of iron ore in the world.The unloading operation took place in Dongjiakou Port Area of Qingdao Port. It took only 30.7 hours to complete the unloading of 375,500 tons of cargo.COSCO Shipping Bulk coordinated with the port to formulate a plan to speed up the unloading and arranged for the representative of COSCO Shipping Bulk Beijing Branch in Qingdao and the ship’s crew to cooperate on the effort.After the Yuanyihai berthed…

An interim report from an ongoing Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has detailed the sequence of events of a loaded iron ore carrier’s grounding in a channel while departing Port Hedland, Western Australia in 2022.The interim report details factual information but contains no analysis or findings.In the early hours of April 9, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Hagen Oldendorff departed its berth at Port Hedland, with a harbour pilot onboard. About 50 minutes after departure…

Anemoi Marine Technologies, a UK-based developer of rotor sails for the shipping industry, said it is enhancing its efforts to provide its technology for ship owners, managers and charterers to install onboard vessels as they look to decarbonize their operations.Anemoi offers a range of rotor sails, varying in height from 24 to 35m, suitable for installation and retrofitting on deep-sea vessels including bulk carriers, tankers, ferries, ro-ros, and multipurpose vessels. These…

Of all the rivers in the world, the St. Lawrence River is undeniably one of the most challenging for mariners.This water highway is at some spots as narrow as a large river and, at others, as wide as a small sea. It has played a vital role over the last three centuries as an important artery for trade, communication, transportation and settlement. And since 1959, the year the St. Lawrence Seaway was inaugurated, it has been a gateway to the heart of the continent.The first European explorers who sailed the St. Lawrence discovered it was not easy to master: it was long, but never calm.

BHP Group expects to receive three more bulk carriers powered partly by liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the next six to nine months, part of the company's plans to cut emissions from shipping, a senior executive said.BHP, which received its first two LNG-fuelled vessels earlier this year, has locked in some term supplies of LNG buffering the company from volatile prices and is studying the potential for biofuels, Fergus Eley, BHP's Head of Maritime Enterprise, told Reuters on the sidelines of the Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON) 2022.The world's largest miner and shipper of dry bulk commodities is targeting…

Singapore-based dry bulk owner Berge Bulk has signed a deal with wind-assisted propulsion firm  Anemoi Marine Technologies to supply and fit two vessels in their dry bulk fleet with Anemoi Rotor Sails.Rotor Sails are large mechanical sails that harness the renewable power of the wind to reduce emissions and fuel consumption on commercial ships when driven to spin. Anemoi predicts that the four-rotor system will save Berge Bulk 1200-1500 metric tons of fuel per vessel each year.The first vessel…

Lloyd’s Register granted Approval in Principle (AIP) for an SDARI (Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute) designed 210,000 DWT Newcastlemax bulk carrier installed with Anemoi Rotor Sails.The Newcastlemax AIP is part of a joint development project signed in 2020 with Anemoi Marine Technologies, Lloyd’s Register, and SDARI. Oldendorff Carriers is the shipowner partner for this Newcastlemax design"This has been an important project as part of Oldendorff Carriers’ commitment towards Getting to Zero," said Torsten Barenthin, Director Innovation, Oldendorff Carriers.

Despite the very strong freight rates and the apparently tight market, the all-important driver for dry bulk shipping, China, has in fact seen imports of its two largest dry bulk commodities shrink year-on-year so far this year. The two largest imported commodities for China, iron ore and coal are however, interestingly on two different trajectories, as the latter could be ending the year with higher total volumes than in 2020.“The high freight rates that the dry bulk market is currently enjoying cannot directly be linked to higher volumes from the world’s largest dry bulk importer.

BHP Group unveiled the world's first liquefied natural gas-fueled bulk carrier vessel in Singapore on Monday, one of five vessels that the mining giant will take delivery of in 2022 as part of efforts to curb supply chain emissions.The 299-metre (981 ft) long Mt. Tourmaline Newcastlemax ore carrier was built by Eastern Pacific Shipping in China and stopped off in Singapore to take on LNG fuel. It will next head to Port Hedland in Western Australia to load iron ore that will then be shipped to customers in China.BHP…

Brazilian miner Vale expects to soon put into service the first-ever bulk carrier propelled partially sails, the company said on Thursday.The rotor sail-equipped newbuild, a very large ore carrier (VLOC) named Sea Zhoushan, is being built in China for owner by Pan Ocean Ship Management and will be chartered by Vale upon delivery in the coming days. Not only is Sea Zhoushan the first bulk carrier to be fitted with rotor sails, the 340-meter, 325,000 dwt vessel is also the largest ship ever to be outfitted with the fuel-saving and emissions-reducing technology…

Grand Wisdom, the second very large ore carrier (VLOC) to join the U-Ming Marine Transport fleet, has been delivered with a protective hull coating from Nippon Marine Paint’s A-LF Sea product range.Delivered in December from Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry’s shipyard in Qingdao, China, Grand Wisdom is the second in a pair of eco-friendly bulkers to join the owner’s 48-strong fleet. Sister ship Grand Pioneer, delivered in August, represented the Taipei-headquartered shipowner’s entry into the VLOC market.Motoi Takeuchi…

The bow section of the stricken bulk carrier Wakashio has been scuttled Monday after the Japanese-owned bulk carrier ran aground, spilled oil and broke apart atop a coral reef off Mauritius.Scuttling efforts commenced last week but progressed slowly due to rough sea conditions, authorities said. The front section of the ship is no longer visible as of 3:30 p.m. local time on Monday after salvors cut holes into the bulkheads of several cargo hatches to accelerate the sinking process…