Shipping News

A pair of 9,300 DWT self-discharging bulk carriers being built for Norway’s Aasen Shipping at the Royal Bodewes shipyard in the Netherlands will be the first of their kind to be fitted with a hybrid propulsion solution.Wärtsilä said it secured an order in December 2019 to provide the complete system design and full equipment scope for two newbuilds.Torbørn Torkelsen, CEO at Aasen Shipping, said, “We approached Wärtsilä because of their capabilities in delivering hybrid propulsion systems.”When contacted to determine whether a hybrid installation would be beneficial for these new ships…

WinGD (Winterthur Gas & Diesel) has invested in fuel research with the development of a flexible injection system. In a whitepaper released today, ‘Flexible Injector to Advance Alternative Fuels Research’, the engine designers describe how the concept will play a crucial role in its investigations into low-carbon liquid fuels and engine injection concepts to harness them.The system was developed as part of HERCULES 2, a collaborative European engine research project which concluded in 2018.

Hong Kong has suspended cross-border ferry service to and from mainland China as it seeks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.All cross-boundary ferry services to and from the China Ferry Terminal and the Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal have been suspended, Hong Kong's government announced on Wednesday,The government said other modes of transport, including rail and airline service, have also been suspended or restricted as part of its plans to reduce the flow of people between the Mainland and Hong Kong.As of Wednesday morning…

Verifavia Shipping, the independent accredited environmental verification and auditing body for maritime industry, has certified Fueltrax, against the European Union’s (EU) Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) regulation requirements and IMO Data Collection System (DCS).The EU MRV regulation requires ships of 5,000 gross tonnages or higher to collect data from previous years to monitor CO2 emissions, fuel consumption, and other parameters, such as distance traveled, time at sea, and cargo carried on a per voyage basis.

Performance Shipping, a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of vessels, announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it took delivery of the M/T P. Fos (formerly M/T Virgo Sun).The vessel is a 2007-built Aframax tanker vessel of 115,577 dwt that the Company entered into an agreement to purchase in November 2019.Two days ago, the Greece-based company signed a Memorandum of Agreement to sell to an unaffiliated third party the 2008-built Post-Panamax container vessel M/V Rotterdam…

Bermuda-based operator of mid-sized tankers Teekay Tankers has closed a new five-year, $533 million revolving credit facility to refinance 31 vessels.The size of the new debt facility was reduced since announcing the term sheet signing in November 2019 as a result of excluding five vessels from the new facility, including the three vessel sales noted above and a potential for further opportunistic vessel sales.The proceeds from the new debt facility will be used to repay approximately $455 million of the company’s existing debt.

GTMaritime is now offering a penetration testing service free of charge which allows customers to evaluate the ability of their personnel to identify phishing attacksShipping companies choosing GTMailPlus and other solutions from the GTMaritime portfolio are employing best-in-class technology to prevent the vast majority of phishing attempts from ever reaching crew. But threats are continually evolving: hackers are constantly trying to come up with new ruses to outwit software-based protections…

Torben Østergaard-Nielsen’s global shipping group United Shipping & Trading Company (USTC) has welcomed Nina Østergaard Borris as new COO to its Executive Board.For the past six years, Nina Østergaard Borris has been Executive Assistant and Head of M&A in Bunker Holding, the USTC group’s largest business unit, focusing on business optimization, strategy and M&A.In parallel with her employment at Bunker Holding, Borris has served as a board member in the sister companies SDK (shipping and logistics company) and Uni-Tankers (shipowning company) as well as the parent company USTC.

On land, one of the most effective ways to reduce water consumption is to conduct a “water audit,” which involves analyzing a building’s water use, discovering where potential water savings are possible, and implementing a cost-effective plan to turn those possible water savings into reality.Typically, a water audit involves:Identifying where water is brought into a facility (looking for leaks before water is delivered)Location of all water-using fixtures and systems as well as drainage systemsGathering two years of water utility bills…

Shipping on the river Danube was blocked in northern Bulgaria on Tuesday after a Ukrainian vessel ran aground because of low water levels, the Bulgarian maritime agency said.Efforts were being made to remove the Ukrainian ship as 15 other vessels were being held up because of the incident, near the town of Belene, an agency official said. No information was available on what cargoes those vessels were carrying.Bulgarian authorities said the Ukrainian vessel's captain would be fined for not complying with a 22-decimetre depth restriction.

The Women's International Shipping and Trading Association Limited (WISTA International) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on promoting greater diversity and inclusion through enhanced cooperation activities in the maritime field.According to a press release from the UN body, these activities will lay the groundwork for further discussion on how a diverse workforce will be essential for a sustainable future.Initiatives already under way include a study to collect and analyze data on the number of women employed in the maritime sector…

Greece-based Performance Shipping  announced it has signed a Memorandum of Agreement to sell to an unaffiliated third party the 2008-built Post-Panamax container vessel M/V Rotterdam, for a sale price of $18.5M before commissions.The global shipping company specializing in the ownership of vessels said in a press release, the scheduled delivery to the buyer latest by May 15, 2020.Upon completion of the aforementioned sale, Performance Shipping Inc.’s fleet will consist of one…

The UK-based High Speed Transfers (HST) has taken delivery of its fourth fast crew supplier (FCS) 2710, eighteen months after receiving its first, the HST 'Hudson'.HST received HST Hudson, in June 2018, which was followed by HST Sofia in March 2019 and HST Harri in October of the same year.The latest addition is named HST Euan and in mid-January 2020 she was loaded on to a heavy lift vessel at Damen Shipyards Antalya in Turkey bound for Rotterdam.The HST Euan replicates the features and layout of her sister ships.

U.S. carrier Matson announced it promoted three executives to the company's senior leadership team, effective immediately.Branton "Bal" Dreyfus, Vice President, Alaska, has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Alaska in recognition of Matson's growing scope of operations, continuing investment in and long-term commitment to serving Alaska. Dreyfus will continue to report directly to Matt Cox, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.Capt. John "Jack" Sullivan, Vice President, Vessel Operations and Engineering…

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index fell to its lowest level since April 2016, dragged down by lower vessels rates across categories. The Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels ferrying dry bulk commodities, dropped 11 points, or 2.0%, to 546 — its lowest in over 3 years.The capesize index fell 30 points, or 18.2%, to 135.The index registered its 32nd consecutive session of losses, touching its lowest level since April 3 last year.

Belgium-based shipping group Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) announced it will invest in new technologies that will enable it to operate a zero carbon fleet by 2050.The 125-year-old firm, which operates a fleet of bulk carriers, containerships and chemical carriers, said it has already begun offsetting its CO2 emissions to have net zero CO2 emissions from 2020 by supporting certified climate projects in developing countries and acquiring high quality Voluntary Carbon Units (VCU’s) in Zambia (agro-forestry…

The Nordic energy company Gasum said its LNG bunkering vessel Coralius has successfully performed its 200th ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation.The vessel receiving the LNG fuel was Fjord Line’s MS Stavangerfjord. The bunkering took place while Stavangerfjord underwent periodical maintenance at the Fayard yard in Odense, Denmark.“We normally supply LNG to Stavangerfjord by a loading arm on a regular basis directly from our LNG plant in Risavika,” said Gunnar Helmen, Sales Manager at Gasum.“It’s great to get this opportunity to supply the cruise ferry with LNG in dock in Denmark.

Sanlin Shipyard of Shanghai Harbour Fuxing Shipping Service Company delivered ASD 35/50 Tug Jin Gang Lun 34 to Tianjin Port.She joins the Port’s tugboat fleet and serves the main roles of harbour towing, berthing and unberthing visiting vessels, with additional function of fire-fighting and minor ice breaking.Following her sister vessel of Jin Gang Lun 33 which was delivered in November, Jin Gang Lun 34 is also custom designed in Canada by the Vancouver based naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.

Estonian shipping company Tallink Grupp said that its vessel Silja Europa has set sail to Turku Repair Yard in Naantali, Finland for scheduled maintenance and planned renewal works that would make the ship more environmentally friendly.The 1993-built vessel will stay in Turku Repair Yard for two weeks, returning to the Tallinn-Helsinki route on February 9, said a press note from the provider of mini-cruise and passenger transport services in the northern Baltic Sea region.During the scheduled docking, the vessel will undergo considerable renovation of several key passenger areas.

The German shipping company United Heavy Lift (UHL)  Hamburg has taken over a modern Heavy Lift fleet of nine eco-friendly F900 newbuildings.The vessels each have a cargo capacity of 14,100 dead-weight tonnes and are capable of lifting loads of up to 900 tonnes. Being built in 2018 and 2019, most of the nine vessels have only just hit the water. They are sailing under the Portuguese flag.“Our mission is to expand our company’s position as front-runners for an eco-friendly Heavy Lift shipping industry. The fleet of nine newbuilding F900 vessels is a perfect match for our sustainability policy.

Danish shipping companies have signed a charter that obliges them to actively focus on gender equality, as part of country's new initiative aimed at increasing the share of women in the shipping industry.Just under 20,000 men and just over 3,000 women are employed in Danish shipping companies.The uneven distribution that needs to be changed, says Danish Shipping, who has now initiated a charter where the shipping companies can commit to focusing on gender equality.The first 13 shipping companies sign the charter later today…

Sweden's Alfa Laval has joined the Getting to Zero Coalition, a coordinated effort to fight climate change by introducing zero-emission vessels by the year 2030.Alfa Laval is committed to reaching this vital goal, which is key to decarbonizing the global shipping industry and reaching the International Maritime Organization (IMO) target of cutting vessel-related greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2050.The ‘Getting to Zero Coalition’ was announced on September 23, 2019…

Germany's largest port, the Port of Hamburg not expecting reduction in container throughput caused by liner service changes announced by Ocean Alliance and Maersk.From April, the Ocean Alliance NEU 5 service handled by EUROGATE Container Terminal Hamburg – CTH is being transferred to Antwerp, said a press release from the a sea port on the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, 110 kilometres from its mouth on the North Sea."This service will be run by the Ocean Alliance Partner, CMA CGM as FAL 3 with an approximate annual volume of 150…