Echandia to Supply Battery Systems for Spliethoff’s Cargo Vessel Newbuilds
Swedish developer of battery systems for maritime applications Echandia has been selected to supply energy storage systems for eight newbuild cargo vessels, with an option for two more vessels, owned by Spliethoff Group.The vessels are being built at Wuhu Shipyard in China, with WE Tech Solutions as the system integrator.The battery systems will be installed to optimize generator efficiency during cargo loading and unloading system operations, a demanding application requiring…
Minervagracht Crew Member Dies
A crew member of the Dutch cargo ship that was attacked by Houthis in the Gulf of Aden last week has died of his injuries, the vessel's Amsterdam-based operator Spliethoff said in a statement Monday evening.The company did not release further details about the deceased crew member, but a spokesperson told a Dutch broadcaster they were Filipino.The vessel, Minervagracht, was in international waters in the Gulf of Aden when it was struck by an explosive device that inflicted substantial damage and started a fire on the ship.
Netherlands Calls on EU to Sanction Houthis
The Netherlands called on the EU on Wednesday to sanction Yemen's Houthis as a terrorist group, after the organisation claimed responsibility for an attack on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht in the Gulf of Aden.The Iran-aligned group has launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023, targeting ships they deem linked to Israel in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war on Gaza."The Houthis have long posed a serious threat to freedom of navigation," the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Countries including the United Stat
Crew Safe as Dutch-Flagged Cargo Ship Remains Adrift and Ablaze in Gulf of Aden
The Dutch-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht was ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, a day after being hit by an explosive device, its operator and the EU maritime mission Aspides said.Yemen's Houthi militants claimed responsibility on Wednesday for the attack, saying it was carried out by a cruise missile.The strike injured two sailors and forced a helicopter evacuation of the ship's 19 crew members, according to the EU maritime mission Aspides and the vessel's operator.Amsterdam…
Dutch Cargo Ship Attacked off Yemen
The Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht is on fire and drifting in the Gulf of Aden after an attack with an explosive device required the helicopter rescue of its 19 crew, the EU maritime mission Aspides and the vessel's operator said on Monday.It was not immediately clear whether the attack that injured two sailors was carried out by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who since 2023 have launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea that they deem to be linked with…
SeaPort Manatee adds two Eco-efficient Harbor Cranes
SeaPort Manatee is furthering its ship-to-shore cargo-handling capabilities with addition of two new Konecranes Gottwald Generation 6 mobile harbor cranes at the maritime trade hub for Southwest and Central Florida and beyond.The latest pair of eco-efficient cranes arrived at the seaport Monday [Dec. 2], after a trans-Atlantic voyage from Antwerp, Belgium, on Spliethoff’s M/V Plantijngracht. The units are to enter service in January, bringing to a total of seven the number of Gottwald mobile harbor cranes in use at SeaPort Manatee.“With cargo flowing through SeaPort Manatee at a record pace…
Misunderstanding General Average Concepts Could Harm Offshore Operators
At a recent seminar in London organized by the International Underwriting Association of London (IUA) and the Association of Average Adjusters (AAA), participants heard how ignoring or not fully understanding the concept of General Average (GA) when concluding charter-party contracts for offshore services could cause problems in the event of an incident or accident.Michiel Starmans, a Fellow of the AAA and Director Legal Department of the Spliethoff Group and Alf Inge Johannessen…
Spliethoff Orders Eight New L-Type Multi-Purpose Vessels
Dutch shipping company Spliethoff has placed an order with Wuhu Shipyard in China for the construction of a new series of eight multi-purpose vessels with an option for two additional vessels.This new series of L-type vessels will be delivered starting the first quarter of 2028.The L-type vessels are specially designed for the transportation of various dry cargo types, including paper products, bulk cargo, project cargo and containers.These Finnish/Swedish 1A Ice-Classed vessels will measure 203.25 meters in length…
Spliethoff Acquires Majority Stake in ForestWave
Spliethoff Group announced it has acquired a majority interest in ForestWave, making the fellow Dutch shipping company its seventh business unit effective September 30. With this expansion, Spliethoff Group's fleet of commercially operated vessels grows to more than 140.On behalf of the Executive Board of Spliethoff Group, CFO Ingmar Bras and CCO Michael van den Heuvel emphasized the importance of this step: "After so many years of constructive and pleasant cooperation with ForestWave, formalizing this cooperation is a logical step.
Shipowner Spliethoff, AEGIR‐Marine Partner on Fleet Stern Tube Service
Dutch shipowner Spliethoff and AEGIRMarine signed an agreement for the supply the stern tube sealing parts and services for Spliethoff’s fleet.According to its website, Spliethoff is a century-old company that operates a fleet of more than 50 Dutch flagged, 1A ice-classed, multipurpose vessels, ranging from 12,000 to 23,000 DWT.AEGIR‐Marine is a service‐centric stern tube seal producer and service provider. "With our seven regional offices, our service engineers are always close to the action and ready to attend any dry dock within the required time frame,” said Tom Faassen, AEGIR‐Marine.
Royal IHC Ships Equipment for Weeks' New Hopper Dredge
A shipment of Royal IHC's equipment is traveling from Europe to the U.S. to be installed on Weeks Marine's new trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD) R.B. Weeks, currently under construction at Eastern Shipbuilding Group's Allanton shipyard in Florida. In May of 2020, Royal IHC and Weeks Marine Inc. entered into a contract for the engineering and equipment delivery for the 6,540-cubic-meter-capacity newbuild, an identical vessel to the Magdalen delivered to Weeks from Eastern in 2017. Like the Magdalen, the R.B.
Port of Baltimore Bests Its Container Moves Record
The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore reports it has again topped its record for most container moves from a single ship.The 6,000 container moves conducted by longshore workers from the Maersk Edinburgh at the Seagirt Marine Terminal this week are the most ever in the port's the 315-year history. Maersk Edinburgh arrived at the port on Monday, February 8, and left early Thursday, February 11. The final container move was completed at 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.The new high mark—which counts the number of times an imported container is unloaded from a ship…
COVID-19 Weighs on Great Lakes-Seaway Shipping
While St. Lawrence Seaway cargo volumes decreased during the past two months due to economic shifts related to COVID-19, industry leaders said the binational trade and transportation corridor is ready to play its part in the economic recovery efforts in the coming months. Meanwhile, with an increased focus on commodity diversification through project cargo, international shipments of wind energy components in the Great Lakes region are taking off.Overall St. Lawrence Seaway tonnage from March 15 through May 31 totaled 7.7 million metric tons, down 10% compared to the same time period in 2019.
Wärtsilä to Equip LNG-fueled RoLo Newbuilds
Wärtsilä announced on Friday that it will supply the main equipment for three liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled short-sea Ro-Lo (roll-on, lift-off) vessels to be operated by Finland based Bore Ltd., an affiliate of the Dutch Spliethoff Group.The ships have been ordered and are being built at the WuHu Shipyard in China. The order with Wärtsilä was placed in December.Wärtsilä said it has worked in close collaboration with both the owner and the naval architect to develop a vessel optimized integrated LNG system.
Wijnne Barends Orders LNG-fueled Newbuilds
The Netherlands-based Wijnne Barends Chartering, an affiliate of the Dutch Spliethoff Group, has ordered four new next-generation short-sea cargo vessels from the WuHu Shipyard in China.The newbuilds will feature liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion and storage systems provided by Wärtsilä, making the vessels among the first of their type to be powered by LNG fuel.Because of space restrictions on short-sea cargo ships, Wärtsilä developed a customized solution in close cooperation…
Quality is the Buzz Word for ECGS
Those shipowners looking to install marine exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) as way of meeting global sulfur cap requirements are advised to ensure that manufacturers, shipyards and installers are using quality, high-end materials.Based on the collective experience gained from more than 1500 EGCS installations, Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA) 2020 members found the quality of materials and coatings used is the most important factor in optimizing EGCS safety and averting any corrosion problems during operation.“There are always some challenges involved when specifying ships’ machinery systems and scrubbers are no different,” said Arne Hubregtse, Executive Board Member, Spliethoff.
Wärtsilä Systems for Spliethoff OSV
Finnish tech company Wärtsilä will supply equipment for two offshore support vessels (OSV)under construction at the Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding yard in China for Netherlands-based shipping company Spliethoff.The order with Wärtsilä is booked in November 2019, said a press note.The design of the two DP2-B-type ships combines the intake of a multi-purpose vessel with Dynamic Positioning station-keeping ability, thus making them ideal for supplying cargo to offshore installations. The versatile characteristics give the ships a unique position on the market. The design parameters specified high fuel efficiency and a minimal environmental footprint…
Conoship to Design DP2- B-type Vessels for Spliethoff
The Netherlands-based maritime engineering company Conoship International recently signed a contract with China’s Mawei Shipyard for the design of Spliethoff’s two multipurpose DP2 B-type vessels.The versatile characteristics of this new B-Type make this vessel unique in the market and will comply with the requirements of IMO Tier III. They are built under class of Lloyd’s Register, have ice class 1A and also comply with the Polar code.The ships are to be delivered in October 2021 en February 2022.Shipping company Spliethoff Group, Amsterdam, has recently ordered nine new ships from Chinese shipyards. For all of which Conoship International has been selected to deliver the design.
Spliethoff Orders Newbuild DP2 B-types
Amsterdam-based Spliethoff Group has recently signed a contract with China’s Mawei Shipyard for the newbuild of two DP2- B-type vessels.The largest shipowner in the Netherlands said the design combines the capacity of a multipurpose vessel with DP2 station-keeping up to Beaufort scale 6, which makes it well suited for supplying heavy cargo directly offshore."To obtain the fast, safe and efficient loading and discharge of pipes, both on and offshore, the vessel has a removable, automated, pipe-handling gantry crane installed," it said.The B-Type is also equipped with two Huisman 500 mt Heavy Lift Mast cranes, making her suitable for both heavy lift transportation and offshore installation.
UPM to Charter 7 LNG-fueled Newbuilds
Helsinki-headquartered UPM Logistics says that it has entered into a long-term charter agreement with the Finnish Bore Ltd and the Dutch Wijnne Barends, both affiliates of the Dutch Spliethoff Group.Together, the companies will design and build seven state-of-the-art vessels for sustainable sea transportation for UPM in Europe.“This arrangement is a consistent step in UPM’s logistics strategy. It will safeguard a sustainable, competitive and reliable shipping solution for our businesses and customers on long term,” said Lauri Rikala, Director, Global Break Bulk Shipping, UPM Logistics.Bore Ltd will build three (3) RoLo vessels for transporting…
Shipowners See Increase in IMO-Compliant Fuels, But Doubts Persist
Shipowners, who are facing one of the biggest changes in the oil industry in decades, are seeing more fuels that will be compliant with new rules on sulphur emissions from ships, but some say the way forward is far from clear.The United Nations shipping agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will from January 2020 limit the sulphur content in fuel ships use to 0.5%.With the exception of some zones around northwest Europe and North America known as Emission Control Areas where maximum sulphur content is restricted to 0.1% sulphur, the current global cap is 3.5%.The sulphur switch will be a mammoth task as it requires adapting the 300 million tonne a year bunker fuel market…
Spliethoff Gets Green Loan From ING, EIB
Dutch banking group ING and the European Investment Bank said they will provide a EUR 110 million ($123 million) loan to Dutch ship management firm Spliethoff’s Bevrachtingskantoor B.V. for retrofitting vessels with exhaust gas cleaning systems.According to a European Commission press release, Spliethoff will use the loan to retrofit 42 of its vessels with exhaust gas cleaning systems and ballast water management systems.The loan is part of the ING and EIB EUR300mln Green Shipping partnership signed in 2018, to support sponsors of green and sustainable projects in the maritime transport sector with advantageous financial terms.The loan will allow Spliethoff to have 17 vessels retrofitted with both exhaust gas cleaning systems and ballast water management systems…
AST to Supply VSAT Services to Spliethoff Group
AST Marine Networks, a division of The AST Group (AST), won a contract to supply Dutch shipping company Spliethoff with global VSAT and L-band satellite communications to more than 80 vessels across multiple fleets.Worldwide ocean transport and dry cargo specialists Spliethoff has chosen AST as its supplier of global satellite communications. Together with network partner ITC Global, AST will provide Spliethoff with a global Ku VSAT network, failover L-band services, hardware and bandwidth as well as 24/7 manned support.