Sohar News

An operation was underway on Monday to salvage the liquefied petroleum gas tanker MV Falcon, which remains on fire and adrift in the Gulf of Aden following an October 18 explosion on board, maritime security sources said.The Cameroon-flagged vessel was fully laden when the explosion occurred at 0700 GMT as it was sailing off Yemen, forcing most of its 26 crew members to abandon the vessel.The cause of the blast is unclear, but early indications suggest it was an accident related to its cargo…

The LPG-laden tanker MV Falcon was on fire and adrift on Saturday off the coast of Yemen, after it reported an explosion that forced members of its crew to abandon the vessel, the European Union's naval force Aspides said in a statement.The cause of the explosion was unclear but most likely an accident, according to initial indications, Aspides said. It added that at least 15% of the Cameroon-flagged vessel was on fire.Due to the risk of further explosions, since the tanker was fully loaded with liquefied petroleum gas…

India's Adani Group on Monday denied "any deliberate engagement" in sanctions evasion or trade involving Iranian-origin liquefied petroleum gas, after the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. prosecutors were probing whether Adani entities had imported Iranian LPG into India through their Mundra port.An Adani spokesperson called the report "baseless and mischievous" in a statement, adding: "We are not aware of any investigation by U.S. authorities on this subject."The WSJ said…

French energy giant TotalEnergies and OQ Exploration and Production (OQEP), Oman's national oil company, have held the ground breaking ceremony for the Marsa LNG plant, marking the start of construction of the Marsa LNG plant in the port of Sohar, northern Oman.The ground breaking ceremony was held one year after the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the project, which will feature a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant completely powered by renewable energy that will produce LNG…

Oman's state-owned logistics firm Asyad Group plans to sell shares in its shipping subsidiary through an initial public offering, it said on Wednesday, as part of the Gulf country's privatization drive.The group, owned by Oman's sovereign wealth fund, plans to sell a stake of at least 20% in Asyad Shipping Co and float it on the Muscat stock exchange, it said in document detailing its intention to float."The intended listing would provide investors with the opportunity to invest in one of the world's largest diversified maritime shipping companies and a key player in the Omani economy…

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.

Wind-assisted propulsion systems developer Anemoi Marine Technologies has secured a Type Approval Design Certificate from classification society DNV for its Rotor Sail design.The Type Approval Design Certificate (TADC) validates that Anemoi's 5x35m Rotor Sail design complies with DNV's technical standard (ST-0511) for Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems (WAPS).In May 2024, Anemoi's 5x35m Rotor Sail was installed on the DNV-classed bulk carrier Berge Neblina, owned by Berge Bulk,…

Iran has sent small shipments of crude oil to new destinations such as Bangladesh and Oman, according to shipping sources and data, the latest sign of Tehran pushing to sustain output at close to its highest in five years.Oil sales are Iran's major revenue source and the country has been looking for ways to sidestep U.S. sanctions on its crude exports that former president Donald Trump re-imposed in 2018 over Tehran's nuclear program.Iran, which is exempt from output quotas set by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)…

The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker since January is sailing through the Red Sea, just days after Yemen-based Houthi militants sank their second vessel in attacks begun last November.The vessel, Asya Energy, passed Yemen, travelling through the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Tuesday, shiptracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed, the same week that the second ship believed to have been hit by the militants sank."Asya Energy is the first LNG tanker to sail through the Strait since January…

CB&I, a wholly owned subsidiary of McDermott, has been awarded a significant contract by TotalEnergies and OQ joint venture for the engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) of a full containment concrete liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank, located in Oman's Port of Sohar.Under the contract, awarded by Marsa Liquefied Natural Gas, CB&I will provide turnkey EPC services for a 165,000m3 full containment concrete LNG storage tank and associated piping to grade.Project delivery will be executed in Oman…

French energy giant TotalEnergies and Oman National Oil Company (OQ) have reached the final investment decision (FID) on the Marsa LNG project, which will feature an LNG plant completely powered by renewable energy that will produce LNG for use as a marine fuel for maritime transportation.Through their joint company Marsa Liquefied Natural Gas (Marsa), TotalEnergies (80%) and OQ (20%) have launched the integrated Marsa LNG project which combines upstream gas production, downstream gas liquefaction…

Iran seized a tanker with Iraqi crude destined for Turkey on Thursday in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the U.S., Iranian state media reported, a move likely to stoke regional tensions.The seizure of the Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas coincides with weeks of attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias targeting Red Sea shipping routes."After the theft of Iranian oil by the United States last year, St Nikolas tanker was seized by Iran's Navy this morning with a judicial order ...

An oil tanker caught up in a dispute last year between the United States and Iran was boarded by armed individuals off the coast of Oman on Thursday and appeared to have changed course towards Iran, according to UK maritime sources.The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker St Nikolas was boarded by armed intruders as it sailed close to the Omani city of Sohar, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey, and its AIS tracking system was turned off as it headed in the direction…

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.

A tanker was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman on Tuesday, causing minor damage to the hull with no injuries or spillage of the gas oil cargo, Eastern Pacific Shipping, which manages tanker Pacific Zircon, said on Wednesday. The Singapore-based firm, which is controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, said it was investigating the incident which took place approximately 150 miles off the coast of Oman. "All crew are safe and accounted for," it said. "Preliminary reports indicate the vessel...was hit by a projectile," Eastern Pacific Shipping said. "There is some minor damage to the vessel's hull but no spillage of cargo or water ingress." The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet earlier told Reuters it is aware of an incident in the Gulf of Oman involving a commercial vessel.

Oman's state-owned Asyad is considering buying ports and terminals abroad and could divest assets outside its core logistics business, such as a college and project management operation, its chief executive said on Thursday.The plans by the company, which is owned by the Oman Investment Authority, align with the small oil producing Gulf state's broader strategy to reduce reliance on crude revenues and expand its non-oil industries.Chief Executive Abdulrahman Salim Al Hatmi told…

Israel accused Iran on Wednesday of being linked to a recent oil spill off its shores that caused major ecological damage, calling the incident environmental terrorism.The spill was caused by an oil tanker that was carrying pirated cargo from Iran to Syria last month, Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel said.The vessel sailed through the Gulf and the Red Sea without radio contact, switching its tracking devices back on before passing through Egypt's Suez Canal, Gamliel told reporters.It turned the devices off again before entering Israeli waters in the eastern Mediterranean, and dropped oil into the sea between Feb.

Tankers carrying Iranian gasoline that was confiscated by the U.S. government and became embroiled in a court ownership battle have struggled to discharge in the United States, shifting course over the last week.The U.S. Department of Justice last month seized over 1 million barrels of Iranian fuel on board four privately-owned tankers bound for Venezuela, part of Washington's efforts to disrupt trade between the two sanctioned nations.The fuel has been at sea ever since, aboard two separate vessels that took the fuel in July and have zig-zagged at sea as they search for a terminal to discharge.The July seizure initially appeared a win for President Donald Trump's efforts to isolate the two nations.

Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards said it will soon deliver the fifth and final vessel in a series of new tug builds for operator Svitzer at Oman's Port of Sohar.The newest tug Svitzer Saham is the third 80t bollard pull RAstar 2900SX variant, Sanmar’s Bigacay class, joining sister vessels Svitzer Sohar and Svitzer Shinas, alongside two other earlier deliveries in 2020 of the 50t bollard pull variant of the RAmparts 2200 (named Svitzer Liwa and Svitzer Barka), Sanmar’s Sirapinar…

On February 12 Albwardy Damen entered into an agreement with SOHAR for the opening of a workshop. For the signing, which took place at SOHAR Port and Freezone Head Office in Oman, SOHAR was represented by Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO of SOHAR Port and Albwardy Damen was represented by Ibrahim Mohamed Al Shidi. The agreement will see the installation of a 40-foot workshop container at a service jetty in the Port, in collaboration with Albwardy Damen’s Omani partner, Sawahel Sohar Al Almya…

The owners of four Iranian fuel cargoes that were confiscated by U.S. authorities last month mounted a challenge to the seizure, asserting their rights to control the cargo, according to a court filing on Tuesday.The U.S. Justice Department last month announced the seizure of 1.116 million barrels of fuel it said was destined for Venezuela. The oil industries of Venezuela and Iran, both OPEC nations, are under U.S. sanctions, and Iran earlier this year irked Washington by sending gasoline cargoes to Venezuela.In the Tuesday filing with the U.S.

Turkish tug building specialist Sanmar Shipyards followed up on recent deliveries of the two Sirapinar class ASD tugs to Oman's Port of Sohar with the delivery of the first of a three part order of the larger and more powerful Bigacay class ASD tugs. The arrival of this tug to the Port of Sohar, alongside its two sisters due shortly, will conclude the fleet development aims of the operator Svitzer and Port of Sohar; agreed as part of the 15 year renewal of the former's marine services contract, awarded in early 2019.

A rare ethanol shipment of U.S. origin is expected to arrive in China this month, according to three industry sources and shipping data, probably the first such cargo since the two countries struck an initial trade deal in January.The market has been watching closely for signs of renewed trade in biofuel after China waived some additional tariffs on 696 American products, ethanol among them, to support purchases of U.S. farm goods, after the signing of the Phase 1 trade deal.Oil tanker SC Chongqing, which loaded a cargo of about 9,000 tonnes at Oman's Sohar port in April, is expected to arrive at Nanjing in eastern Jiangsu province on Friday…