Southern Europe News

TECO 2030 and 14 consortium partners are to receive Horizon Europe funding to build and demonstrate a passenger ferry powered by TECO 2030 PEM fuel cells.The grant amount reserved for TECO 2030 is EUR 2.3 million ($2.5 million), and the consortium members come from seven European countries and cover the whole innovation value chain, including technology developers, academic institutions, maritime engineering, class society, digital transformation and a shipyard.The project is a Horizon Innovation Action that aims to develop…

Survivors of a boat disaster that likely killed hundreds of migrants near Greece have given accounts of traffickers in North Africa cramming them into a clapped-out fishing trawler. They recounted hellish conditions above and below deck, with no food or water.Some also said the tragic end, when it came, was precipitated by the actions of the Greek coastguard. They have told judicial authorities of a doomed attempt to tow the overloaded trawler that caused the vessel to capsize…

Russia said on Sunday that Ukraine had made unsuccessful attempt to attack a Russian naval ship with six high-speed drone boats as the Russian vessel patrolled major natural gas pipelines in the Black Sea.The 'Priazovye' ship was carrying out what Russia's defense ministry said was "monitoring of the situation and ensuring security along the routes of the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines in the southeastern part of the Black Sea."Ukraine attacked in the early hours of Sunday about 300 km south-east of Sevastopol…

Crowley has named Erika Graziuso as its new Chief Information Officer, tapped to lead the company’s information technology and digital transformation strategy with a key focus on digital solutions, cybersecurity and responsible data management.“Erika brings a demonstrated track record of driving innovation that helps corporations prepare for the opportunities and challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Tom Crowley, Chairman and CEO. “As Crowley expands its technological capabilities to exceed the demands of a constantly changing landscape…

Edda Wind’s new Service Operation Vessel Edda Goelo (C416) was launched at Astilleros Balenciaga shipyard in Spain on Friday.Edda Goelo will serve as a mother vessel for wind turbine technicians as they perform maintenance work on offshore wind turbines. When completed, the new SOV will start operations for wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa at Iberdrola’s offshore wind farm in the Saint-Brieuc Bay off France in the third quarter of 2023. The vessel has a five-year contract with Siemens Gamesa…

Southern Europe's first all-electric ferry is being built by Navaltagus Reparação e Construção Naval, a member of Grupo ETE, in Portugal.Designed by Vera Navis Naval Architects, the zero-emissions ferry is being built and will operate in Aveiro, Portugal.Shift Clean Energy and Nave De Luz Lda (NDL) are co-leading a consortium to supply and install electrical components for the new vessel. Additional members of the consortium include Danfoss Editron, power electronic and Technology Venture Middle East Marine Services LLC, the technology integration consultants and Marine Electricals (I) Pvt.

Seven neighbors from a village in western Senegal boarded a fishing boat crammed with migrants just after midnight on Oct. 26. Their destination: Europe, 1000 miles away over open ocean.Two of them are now missing, presumed dead, after the boat carrying dozens of people capsized in a collision with the Senegalese coastguard.One can barely walk from his injuries. Another is haunted by the memory of clinging to a piece of flotsam while others around him flailed and sank into the black ocean."You see people die in front of you and you cannot do anything…

Testing, inspection and verification services firm Bureau Veritas (BV) said it has taken a number of steps to broaden and deepen its marine and offshore services in North America.The opening of a new remote survey center in Miami is the latest step in the delivery of digital services across the Bureau Veritas network, providing yet further global coverage for remote surveys.Florida-based Tropical Shipping’s fleet has now benefited from remote survey services on three of its vessels sailing in the Caribbean trades.

Italian ports cannot be considered safe because of the coronavirus epidemic and will not let migrant boats operated by charities dock, the government has ruled.The decision was taken late on Tuesday after a ship operated by the German non-governmental group Sea-Eye picked up some 150 people off Libya and headed towards Italy."For the entire duration of the national health emergency caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Italian ports cannot guarantee the requisites needed to be classified and defined as a place of safety…

At least five fully-laden liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are idling offshore India, as yet unable to discharge their cargoes, after importers there declared force majeure earlier this week, according to an analyst and shipping sources.Gas demand is falling globally amid the fast-spreading coronavirus which has capped industrial output, forcing LNG tankers in several regions to remain at sea fully laden with no immediate destination, the sources said.At least three major buyers in India…

High in the Arctic Circle lies the Northern Sea Route, one of the planet’s vital shipping arteries. It cuts a journey by almost a third compared to the southern route but it is passing through waters which are mostly frozen.The northern route connects east and west, allowing cargo to be transferred from northern Europe to northeast Asia, via the Bering Strait. It’s a 30% faster passage than the southern Europe-Asia alternative via the Suez Canal and is attractive to shipping companies, thanks to considerable fuel and emission savings.

A consortium led by Hill International has won a contract from Thessaloniki Port Authority (THPA) in Greece to support major expansion works at Thessaloniki port.Hill International, a player in managing construction risk, announced that it has signed an agreement with THPA as leader of a consortium including Rogan Associates SA, to provide design and project management services for the planned expansion of the marine works infrastructure of Pier 6.The Port of Thessaloniki is the most important port of Northern Greece and a key transportation hub for Southeast Europe as a part of the Core Network of the Trans-European Transport Network.It occupies a total area of approximately 1.5 million square meters and hosts a variety of activities…

Cargo container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd has is to split its European operations into northern and southern regions. The company said the move was part of its strategy to remain closely connected with international clients. After the reorganization, Hapag-Lloyd will serve its customers from a total of six regions.The new Region South Europe will be headquartered in Genoa, Italy to reinforce the company’s activities in the Mediterranean region. Juan Pablo Richards, previously manager of the company’s operations in Area Brazil…

German-based  cargo container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd AG is splitting its Region Europe into northern and southern parts. In doing so, the world’s fifth-largest liner shipping company will remain close to global markets and serve customers from a total of six regions effective immediately.The new Region South Europe, which will have its headquarters in the Italian port city of Genoa, aims to bolster Hapag-Lloyd’s competitive position in the Mediterranean region. It will include Area Italy, Area Iberia, Area Turkey, Area Egypt and Area Med Agents, which manages the company’s 15 agents in the region.The new head and senior managing director of Region South Europe will be Juan Pablo Richards…

With the arrival of the MSC Trieste,  Contship’s La Spezia Container Terminal  (LSCT) greeted the maiden voyage of the “revised” Dragon/AE20 service from Asia operated by 2M joint partners, MSC and Maersk Line.Like its predecessor, the service calls La Spezia as its first gateway port call in the West Mediterranean, taking advantage of the connectivity throughout Italy as well as southern Europe.The number of port calls in the rotation has been reduced to improve schedule integrity and overall service efficiency. Built in 2011 and over 365m in length the MSC Trieste has a deadweight of almost 155,000 tons and a nominal capacity of 13…

Azerbaijan is an important supplier of crude oil and natural gas in the Caspian Sea region, particularly to European markets, the US Energy Information Administration said in its report.The EIA’s report notes that Azerbaijan’s exports of natural gas are poised to become a more significant part of the country’s economy.Azerbaijan produced about 600 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of dry natural gas in 2017 and exported about 210 Bcf, according to EIA’s International Energy Statistics.“Azerbaijan is planning to expand its natural gas exports to Europe. European Union leaders consider connecting Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz natural gas field to Southern Europe to be a step toward the strategic goal of diversifying Europe’s natural gas supply.

The Port of Algeciras Authority (APBA) Chairman, Manuel Moron, and the Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Chairman, Mao Jianhong, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that is set to formalize co-operation between both of the logistics powerhouses and increase commercial flow between Southern Europe and Asia. According to the port and harbour of Algeciras, the MoU was rubber-stamped during the official state visit to Spain of the Chinese President,  Xi Jinping, who - together with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez - was present at the event."The relationship between the two ports is very close. During the year, several meetings have taken place…

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, and Abu Dhabi Ports have opened a facility which will reduce trucking of EGA’s aluminium within Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD) by over 290,000 kilometres per year, reducing costs and environmental emissions. The new container freight station will be used to load metal into containers for transfer onto ships for export. It has been purpose built by Abu Dhabi Ports close to EGA’s Al Taweelah site to reduce the trucking distance for each consignment by approximately 17 kilometres. Last year EGA shipped some 600,000 tonnes of aluminium from Khalifa Port, requiring over 17,000 truck movements from EGA’s site to the quayside.

Cepsa presented in the Port of Huelva the first multi-product marine fuel supply vessel in southern Europe. The vessel, based in the port of Huelva, will provide ship to ship Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), in addition to traditional fuels: fuel oils and diesel. State-of-the-art technology has been used in its construction including a new fuel measurement system, based on Mass Flow Meters technology, which guarantees the accuracy in the supply of fuel to vessels. The new multipurpose vessel (OIZMENDI), which will operate in Huelva, has an LNG load capacity of 600 m3, 1,900 tons of fuel oil and 470 tons of diesel. This new initiative is part of the CORE LNGas Hive project…

China has the world’s largest and farthest-ranging fishing operation, outstripping the next 10 biggest combined, according to what researchers say is the most comprehensive and data-intensive study on the subject. Ships from China amassed approximately 17 million hours of fishing in 2016, mostly off the southern coast of their home country, but also as far away as Africa and South America. The next-biggest operation is Taiwan‘s, with 2.2 million hours of fishing. The data, collected and analyzed over five years by Global Fishing Watch…

In 2017, global ton-mile demand to transport crude and residual fuels increased by 5.4 percent, supported by a 4.9 percent increase in VLCCs (which accounted for 62 percent of the total demand for dirty tankers), according to McQuilling Services’ 2018-2022 Tanker Market Outlook report. Suezmax demand meanwhile accounted for 24 percent of all DPP demand in 2017, 1 percent higher than 2016 due to higher crude exports from the Southern Europe and North Africa load region towards the Asian refinery complex.

The world’s biggest specialized vessel to import liquefied natural gas (LNG)  is scheduled to be operational in November to contribute to Turkey's energy supply security, Bloomberg reported. The MOL FSRU Challenger, as long as the Eiffel Tower, is expected to arrive from South Korea this month and start by year-end. Last winter, a cold snap gripped the whole region, including Iran, where Turkey gets some of its gas from. That meant the nation couldn’t get hold of enough fuel to meet its booming gas demand and the grid asked private power plants to reduce fuel demand by as much as 90 percent. A first floating storage and regasification unit, the Neptune, arrived in December to complement two onshore terminals at Aliağa and Marmara Ereğlisi.

The CMA CGM Group, a leader in container shipping, is launching an innovative offer to connect Morocco more quickly to Europe: Morocco Express 1/2/3. This service is an extremely competitive alternative to road transport transiting through Spain thanks to its reliability and to the reduction of the environmental footprint. The first departures are scheduled simultaneously on 21 October in Tangiers and Marseille with 3 different rotations for optimized service. Loop 1: weekly service on a fixed day, available throughout the year. It connects Casablanca and Tangier to Marseille with 3 departures per week from Morocco on a ship with a capacity of 180 trailers. Loop 2: weekly service on a fixed day, available throughout the year.