Tees News

The United States targeted Iranian and Houthi commanders and a vessel that shipped more than $100 million in Iranian commodities to businesses in China in sanctions announced on Tuesday.Mohammad Reza Falahzadeh, deputy commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), and Ibrahim al-Nashiri, a member of Yemen's Houthi militia, were designated under the sanctions, the Treasury Department said.The Iranian military has provided weapons and intelligence support to the Houthis that support the group's attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea…

Vard, a Norwegian firm specializing in shipbuilding and design, said Friday its subsidiary in Vietnam, Vard Vung Tau, had delivered a newbuild 944 Grampian Tees service operation vessel to owner North Star.This SOV is the third of four purpose-designed and built ships destined for decade-long minimum charters to support operations and maintenance (O&M) work at the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm.Once the wind farm currently under construction is fully operational, it will become the largest in the world, producing enough electricity to power six million British homes.

PD Ports in the U.K. has ordered a new dredging vessel from Dutch shipbuilder Neptune Marine.The 71-meter-long hopper dredge, which has already been named the Emerald Duchess following a competition among PD Ports employees, was ordered for £23 million and will arrive at Teesport next summer.Currently under construction at a shipyard in Poland for commissioning, ahead of trials in the Netherlands in 2024, the Emerald Duchess will replace the Cleveland County, which had served…

ABS and Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) have signed a research agreement to investigated ammonia as fuel, ship electrification, carbon capture and sequestration, trusted artificial intelligence (AI), and safety of industrial wearable visualization technologies, among other topics.The research agreement is part of the continuing collaboration between ABS and Texas A&M which includes a recent endowment establishing the ABS Ocean Engineering Department Chair. The…

Viega, the first press fitting system to meet the standard for use on Navy combat ships, has won approval for additional components to be used onboard. Last year, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) approved the use of MegaPress® CuNi press fittings in sizes ½" to 2" to be used in surface combatant vessels for a variety of systems, including chilled water, potable water, electronic freshwater cooling, seawater cooling, washdown countermeasures, drainage and many others. ProPress copper ½" fittings were also approved for potable water and various drains.

Dutch offshore installation company Van Oord on Thursday confirmed it had secured a contract to deliver and install monopile foundations and array cables for RWE's 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK.The contract comes a little over a week after RWE made a financial investment decision for the Sofia offshore wind farm, located the Dogger Bank in the central North Sea, 195 kilometers from the North East coast of the UK. "Through its UK branch MPI Offshore, Van Oord will create a logistics hub to deliver the comprehensive scope of work…

Japanese shipbuilding major Tsuneishi Shipbuilding delivered the 500th newbuilding in long running bulker range the Tsuneishi Economical Standard Ship (TESS).The TESS64 Aeroline bulker Sarita was delivered to Ugland Shipping by Tsuneshi Heavy Industries (Cebu) in November last year marked the 500th vessel of a TEES design to be delivered."As indicated by its name “TESS”, the TESS series features fuel consumption performance with excellent economy, and high versatility that is easy to use. TESS, our representative brand, has been a favorite with customers since the first ship was completed in 1984," said a press release.While Handymax bulk carriers used to have a deadweight of 36…

Associated British Ports (ABP) announced new customers for the Port of Immingham this week as the port welcomed the first vessel in a new contract with customers Top Blue and The Fuel Trading Company.The new deal is expected to bring an extra 30,000 tonnes per year through the Port of Immingham – the largest Port by tonnage in the UK. The cargo being delivered is Prilled Urea which is a key part of the mixture for the AdBlue market.AdBlue is a fluid which is put into vehicle exhaust systems, helping to reduce emissions produced by diesel engines. With car manufacturers having to follow to strict emissions targets, AdBlue is vital to make sure diesel cars are kinder to the environment.The Humber provides an ideal location and efficient links to the product’s final destination…

As agreement between Associated British Ports (ABP) container terminal located in Hull and Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping line,  to open a trading link between the north of England and the Far East.The service begins in the New Year into the 21-acre container terminal in Hull which has seen significant recent investment by ABP. The weekly feeder vessels will see ABP handle around 240 boxes per week, equivalent to 12,000 containers per year.“Unlocking this new trade gateway to the rest of the world is not only significant for the local economy, but also for the national and international economy,” said Simon Bird, ABP Humber Director.“We’re proud to welcome the world’s largest container shipping line…

Middlesbrough, UK headquartered PD Ports has launched a second rail service connecting Teesport direct with Scotland opening up further opportunities to connect global importers and exporters with the north of the UK.The new service, operated by DB Cargo, will run five days a week from the quayside at Teesport to PD Stirling Terminal at Mossend in Glasgow. The timings of the service operate in direct connection with the P&O Ferries service calling daily at Teesport from Zeebrugge and Rotterdam; providing a vital connection for shippers, shipping lines and forwarders looking for frequent, flexible and efficient routes to market.Having launched the first Scottish rail connection from Teesport in August 2015…

SafePilot from Trelleborg’s marine systems operation helped to pilot Allseas’ 200 meter-long barge, Iron Lady, from the Tees Bay to Able UK’s Seaton Port in Hartlepool which transported Shell’s 24,200 ton Brent Delta topside to Able’s facility on May 2, 2017.The Shell-operated Brent field, is located 115 miles east of the Shetland Islands, in 140 meters water depth, and has been in production since 1976. As part of Shell’s complex Brent Decommissioning Project, the Brent Delta topside, was lifted from the concrete legs of the Gravity Base Structure using innovative single lift technology.

In the week that global maritime leaders gave the UK a vote of confidence, naming it one of the world’s leading maritime centres, PD Ports is urging UK businesses not to develop ‘Brexit blinkers’ but instead to explore significant new global opportunities as the UK negotiates its exit from the EU. Industry data shows UK export performance as a whole has been stronger outside the Single Market than within the EU over the last decade according to PwC’s UK Economic Outlook report. Although Brexit will bring challenges to the UK export market, there are equal opportunities to increase their focus on key emerging markets such as Asia in the medium and long-term, allowing businesses to take a truly global approach rather than limiting themselves to trade within the Union.

Dutch geo-consultancy  Fugro’s integrated capabilities clinch further work for Sirius at the world’s largest high grade polyhalite deposit. The award of two major new contracts integrating geotechnical and geophysical investigations sees Fugro continue its site characterisation services at Sirius Minerals’ North Yorkshire polyhalite project. A new geotechnical package comprises seven deep boreholes in shaft and tunnel locations at the new UK mine, located 3.5 kilometres south of Whitby in North Yorkshire. Fugro is undertaking strength tests of the rock formation, drilling to depths in excess of 420 metres. The project is developing the world’s largest known high grade polyhalite deposit, a highly effective organic agricultural fertiliser.

Cammell Laird shipyard informs it has reached the nine-month milestone in its project to build the U.K.’s new polar research ship the RRS Sir David Attenborough. The Merseyside-based engineering services giant beat off competition from around the world to be appointed to build the £15 0million vessel. The ship, which is the biggest commercial shipbuilding project in Britain for 30 years, has been commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and it will be operated by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), transforming the U.K.’s polar research capability.

Kotug International’s offshore division has assisted Allseas with the transfer and transport of Shell’s Brent Delta topsides after the record-setting removal of the structure by Pioneering Spirit. Kotug was mainly involved in the assistance of the cargo barge Iron Lady during the transfer of the topsides from the Pioneering Spirit to the Iron Lady and the ensuing tow of the barge to the Able UK decommissioning yard in Teesside, Northeast England. After the Pioneering Spirit lifted the Brent Delta platform…

A new liquefied ethylene gas carrier (LEG) was named on Teesside today. Operated by German shipping company Hartmann Reederei and GasChem Services, the new eco-friendly sea vessel GasChem Beluga will carry shipments of ethane gas from Houston to SABIC’s cracker at Wilton on Teesside under a long-term time charter. SABIC recently converted its Teesside cracker during a major investment to enable it to take ethane gas alongside other feedstocks, to make it one of the most flexible and competitive crackers in Europe.

All lifejackets are fitted with a lifting becket, which in comparison with the size of body in rough seas, is like finding a needle in a haystack. Lifesaver is 3 meters of brightly visible yellow line, spliced into a loop with a triangle at one end. The other end is fitted to the lifting becket in an automatic life jacket. When the life jacket inflates, the Lifesaver floats out onto the water and is much easier and faster for the rescuer onboard to grab with a boathook and secure the casualty to the boat.

Twelve new P x P reducer and P x FPT union options are available for the Viega MegaPress and MegaPressG systems for carbon steel piping systems. Viega said it has introduced 12 new reducer and union options for the Viega MegaPress and MegaPressG systems for schedule 5 to schedule 40 carbon steel piping systems in sizes 1/2" to 2". The Viega MegaPress system uses modern cold press connections for pipe installation. The Viega MegaPress system is ideal for hydronic heat, chilled water, compressed air, fire sprinkler systems, low-pressure steam and vacuum lines.

MPI’s wind-turbine installation vessel (WTIV), MPI Resolution, is currently undergoing installation of leg extensions at the company’s Tees Offshore Base in Middlesbrough, UK. Following these modifications, MPI Resolution will be able to operate in water depths of up to 35m, depending upon the site-specific data. This represents a gain of up to 7m on the previous jacking capabilities of the vessel and substantially increases the operability as a result. Modification works started in mid-September and the ten-week work schedule is being undertaken by local fabrication and engineering firm Wilton Engineering Services Ltd, with the vessel jacked alongside to deck height of 25m above the quay. MPI Resolution is the world’s first purpose-built WTIV.

PD Ports initiated a series of voluntary consultative discussions with the ICS (North East Branch) and the Tees and Hartlepool Port Users Association (THPUA). Following these consultations PD Ports will be increasing all Port Dues Tariffs by 1.0%, broadly in line with current UK RPI, from 1 January 2016. This 1% increase to tariffs is a holding measure whilst the overall impact of the SSI closure as it impinges on the broader River is assessed. Since the closure of SSI UK and the loss of some 25% of port volumes PD Ports has, for its part, undertaken a number of measures to deal with the consequences of this very profound business reduction.

Mermaid has secured a 2-year contract for its dive support vessel, ‘Mermaid Commander’, to provide subsea construction support in the Gulf of Thailand for a repeat international fabrication and installation contractor whose end customer is a major international upstream oil and gas operator. The contract has an estimated value of USD 50 million. The 2-year contract will be for subsea construction and will be performed using saturation diving and will include the installation of numerous spool pieces, risers, wyes, tees, etc. Additional services include the provision of a remotely operated vehicle (“ROV”), survey, and a spool fabrication spread.

The release of ShipConstructor 2015 CAD/CAM software is a key part of SSI’s new plan to increase flexibility, security, convenience and simplicity for its clients in the shipbuilding and offshore markets, the company said. According to SSI, ShipConstructor 2015 contains several new catalogs, an augmentation SSI claims is of immediate benefit, as they will help users quickly and accurately model components to correct specifications. These catalog additions and changes include the following XML standard templates: PipeCatalog-ASME-CarbonSteel.XML, ImperialWeldStandards.XML and MetricWeldStandards.XML. According to SSI, of particular note are the details related to the addition of the catalog for ASME Carbon Steel Pipe.

SSI announced the launch of two new offerings: ShipConstructor 2015 and PublisherLT  for the EnterprisePlatform. The release of ShipConstructor 2015 CAD/CAM software is a key part of SSI's new plan to increase flexibility, security, convenience and simplicity for its clients in the shipbuilding and offshore markets, the company said. According to SSI, ShipConstructor 2015 contains a significant augmentation that will immediately be of benefit: the addition of several new catalogs.