Singapore News

Singapore's port operator PSA Corporation Limited (PSA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to develop a pipeline of talent for the future mega port in Tuas.The MoU is aimed at producing data science, info-communications and engineering professionals for the Tuas port, said a joint statement by PSA and SUTD.The new Tuas Port will harness big data, and leverage automation technologies and smart systems to raise terminal productivity and service quality…

Singapore-based Quantum Pacific Shipping (QPS) has received a loan from BNP Paribas to finance the purchase and installation of exhaust gas cleaning systems on its vessels.The loan up to $40 million is arranged on Quantum Pacific’s behalf by its management company Eastern Pacific."BNP Paribas is the lender, agent and security trustee for the Green Loan, which finances the cost of purchasing and installing marine exhaust gas cleaning systems (Scrubbers) for 16 vessels under the QPS fleet…

Indian Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari Wednesday flagged off the maiden container mainline vessel at VoC Port (Tuticorin Port), opening direct shipping route to eastern countries.Calling the step a "gamechanger in container traffic of South India", Gadkari said that Tuticorin has the potential to become a "major industrial hub".At present containers from Tuticorin to Far East countries viz Malaysia, Singapore, China and Hong Kong are transited by the feeder vessels to Colombo where they are further connected to the mother vessel .With Mainline call being done directly at Tuticorin…

Japanese shipping and logistics giant Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) has signed long-term contracts with Diamond Gas International Pte. Ltd. (DGI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) located in Singapore, for DGI to charter from NYK three newly built liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.Previously, NYK concluded long-term time-charter contracts for three new LNG vessels for MC’s Cameron LNG project, so these most recent contracts bring the total to six carriers for MC.The NYK Group will be responsible for ship management for the three ordered LNG carriers…

Delegates from the world’s leading ports have come together to examine their role in the rapidly evolving maritime logistics landscape and in particular to coordinate their contribution to the establishment of an interconnected maritime supply chain at the Port of Barcelona.The multilateral partnership of the world leading ports, ChainPORT, has just concluded its 4th Annual Meeting which was hosted last week by the Port of Barcelona.ChainPORT was initiated in 2016 by the Port…

Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Koch Shipping Singapore, for one of its Panamax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Ismene.The a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels said in a press note that the gross charter rate is US$12,125 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period until minimum January 1, 2020 up to maximum March 31, 2020.The charter is expected to commence on December 12, 2018, it said.

With the ongoing development of deepwater pre-salt plays and a decreased demand on local content in tankers and other vessels, Brazilian national operator Petrobras and other super-majors have been looking abroad for better rates and reliable operators of shuttle tankers. Claudio Paschoa, Maritime Reporter’s correspondent in Brazil spoke to Peter Liew, Global Director – Mid Size Tankers, Crude Shipping, about AET Tankers’ history and its operations in Brazil.AET (formerly American Eagle Tankers) was founded in Houston in 1994 primarily to conduct lightering operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

The container transportation and shipping company American President Lines Ltd (APL) announced the proposed acquisition of the book of business of its sister company Cheng Lie Navigation (CNC), Taiwan's Intra-Asia carrier.With this, APL will consolidate all its Intra-Asia business under the CNC brand to be operated from Singapore, retaining both sales networks and all sales channels.“This strategic move will enable us to become the Intra-Asia Champion with the most comprehensive market connectivity in the Far East.

Geneva based commodity trading company Trafigura increased its liquefied natural gas (LNG) traded volumes by 22% to 9.9 million mt in its financial year ending September 30 2018, driven by sales to China and South Korea, with the Asian share of our LNG business jumping to 30 percent.According to the annual report from the multinational commodity trading company, which is legally registered in Singapore,  the big story in the LNG market in 2018 was a surge in demand in Asia. In China…

Singapore’s Swissco Holdings, currently under judicial management, announced that it is disposing of a substantial part of its offshore support vessels division, which is expected to help reduce the group's liabilities.UAE's Allianz Middle East Ship Management has signed a deal to buy most of the OSV fleet of Swissco, said a stock exchange annoucement from the restructuring vessel-owner."The Vessels are being sold on an “as-iswhere-is” basis. Only 3 of the 25 Vessels proposed to be disposed of are on charter.

Singapore-based First Ship Lease Trust (FSL Trust) Management has entered into a letter of intent with China’s Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) to order two LR2 product tankers, fitted with scrubbers, for around $97.2m.The two 114,000 dwt Tier III LR2 product tankers are expected to be delivered to the Purchasers in November 2020 and January 2021 respectively, said a stock exchange annoucement from the business trust which owns a fleet of vessels across major shipping sub-sectors."The newbuilding acquisition is being undertaken as part of the renewal of FSLT’s aging fleet.

Bermuda-based  floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Höegh LNG Holdings took delivery of Höegh Gannet, its ninth floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).Höegh Gannet has regasification capacity of 1 Bcf per day and storage capacity of 170 000 cbm of LNG, combined making it the largest FSRU built by capacity, said a release from the company.The unit has been constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea and is equipped with a reinforced GTT Mark III membrane…

Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association (EGCSA) has attacked Singapore's restrictions on open-loop versions of the systems as "disappointing" and "politically motivated."The scrubber manufacturing industry body said in a press release: "The recent announcement by the outgoing CEO of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) banning the discharge of process water from open loop scrubbers for vessels visiting Singapore came without prior notice or discussion with the IMO…

Nine or more tankers on the way or discharged into Asia, while at least five still holding LNG off Singapore.Several liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes that had been stored on vessels in Asian waters are now heading towards buyers' terminals in China, Japan or South Korea as spot prices for the super-chilled fuel have plunged this week to multi-month lows.At least nine LNG tankers are now on their way or have already offloaded cargoes to buyers after floating off Singapore, Malaysian or South China waters for up to two months…

Limited availability drove LNG shipping rates to highs; but prices now falling as more ship supply becomes available.Inflated spot charter rates for liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are easing as more ships becoming available, which could help increase LNG trade if Asian demand rises in coming months.LNG charter rates are a key component of spot LNG trade, dictating the way the super-cooled gas is transported. Charter rates usually follow the price of LNG, which has fallen since September due to sluggish demand from Asian buyers.Rates have remained high for most of this year…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said that it is banning the discharge of "wash water" used in ships to scrub engine exhaust, with effect from Jan 1, 2020, said a report in Reuters.The vessels will have to use compliant fuel once the IMO 2020 sulphur cap comes into force.The report said that the ban of so-called open-loop scrubbers is part of an effort to prepare one of the world’s busiest ports for International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules that come into force in 2020 and oblige ships to use cleaner fuels.Andrew Tan…

The first regional donor/recipient workshop on maritime Technical Cooperation activities held in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (26-30 November). The workshop built on the long-term resource mobilization strategy for International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Technical Cooperation activities, approved at the sixty-eighth session of the IMO Technical Cooperation Committee (TCC).According to a release from IMO, this strategy identified a more proactive and methodical approach with regard to generating new resources by encouraging the development of partnerships with Member States…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) technical assistance and institutional support has been instrumental in the recent adoption of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan.IMO said that the plan was adopted by the 24th ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting, held in Bangkok, Thailand (8 November). The Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan provides for a mechanism whereby ASEAN Member States can request and provide mutual support in…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) continues to prepare the Port of Singapore and Singapore-registered ships for the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 0.5 per cent fuel global limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships, which will take effect from 1 January 2020.In his opening address at the Singapore Registry of Ships (SRS) Forum, Chief Executive of MPA,  Andrew Tan, also announced initiatives by MPA to improve the delivery of its services.To prepare for the IMO 2020 0.5 per cent global emission limit for sulphur…

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Japanese telecom giant MTI have reached an agreement to participate in a long-term demonstration of tidal energy being sponsored by MAKO Energy and Sentosa Development Corporation, which will provide the demonstration site.The demonstration will start next spring in a first-time attempt to commercialize tidal energy in Singapore.MAKO Energy is the Singapore-based subsidiary of Elemental Energy Technologies, a tidal turbine developer that has interest and expertise in the area of renewable energy solutions, particularly tidal power and its applications.

Singapore based construction specialist of rigs, semi-submersibles and specialised offshore vessels PaxOcean held the keel laying ceremony of PSA Marine’s first dual fuel ship-handling tug  at its facility in Zhuhai, China.Earlier, Robert Allan, the designer of LNG tugs, has been selected to design the very first RAmparts 2800-DF for PSA Marine.Peter Chew, Managing Director and Lim Bock Kee, Senior General Manager (Special Projects) of PSA Marine attended the ceremony.Robert Allan designed the RAstar 4000-DF for Østensjø Rederi, Norway and RAstar 3800-DF for Ningbo Port, China.

The CMA CGM Group has been awarded the Most Accomplished Asia Pacific Ship Owner Award 2018 at the Maritime2020 Summit, which was held in Singapore on November 27, 2018.The French container transportation and shipping company said that this award recognizes the shipowner who demonstrates the greatest efforts to make its fleet more sustainable, efficient and environmentally friendly.Mathieu Girardin, Vice President CMA CGM Asia regional Office, received the award on behalf of the…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has hosted the 44th ASEAN Ports Association (APA) Meeting on 27 and 28 November 2018. The annual meeting was officially opened by the Chairman of MPA, Niam Chiang Meng, at the Conrad Centennial Hotel.About 100 key port executives and decision-makers from the nine member nations of the APA  attended the event, which serves as a platform for ASEAN ports to cooperate in areas such as port development, operations and management.The nine member nations of the APA are Brunei Darussalam…