Baltimore's Alternate Shipping Channels Not Deep Enough, Maersk Says
The Baltimore port's alternate shipping channels are not deep enough to accommodate the oceangoing container vessels that Maersk and other carriers use, the Danish shipping group said in a statement on Wednesday.A container vessel chartered by Maersk collided with a major bridge in the U.S. port of Baltimore's harbor last month, causing the structure to collapse.
Greenpeace Targets Russia-linked Baltic Sea Fuel Tanker
Greenpeace activists painted slogans on an Estonian-owned tanker in the middle of the Baltic Sea on Friday, and said the ship supplied bunker fuel to vessels transporting Russian oil that posed a danger to the environment and would fuel conflict."Oil fuels war," the campaigners, who arrived in small boats, scrawled in large white letters on the side of the Zircone tanker, pictures provided by Greenpeace showed.The vessel, sitting in international waters off the Swedish island of Gotland, has supplied fuel to more than 50 oil tankers travelling to or from Russian ports in the last two months, S
Faulty Missile Launcher Closes Busy Danish Sea Lane
An activated but faulty missile launcher on a Danish navy vessel triggered a closure of airspace and shipping traffic in the Great Belt strait on Thursday, the Danish armed forces said.Denmark's National Maritime Authority had earlier warned ships not to sail through the Great Belt strait, one of the world's busiest sea lanes and the main maritime access to the Baltic Sea, due to the risk of "falling missile fragments"."The problem occurred during a mandatory test where the missile launcher is activated and cannot be deactivated…
Ship That Collided with Baltimore Bridge Was Chartered by Maersk
The Dali container vessel that collided on Tuesday with a bridge in Baltimore was chartered by shipping company Maersk at the time of the accident, the Danish company said in a statement."We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected," Maersk said.The Dali was set to depart Baltimore early on Tuesday and arrive at Colombo on April 22, according to a schedule on Maersk's website.The vessel is owned by Singapore's Grace Ocean Pte and managed by Synergy Marine Group, according to LSEG data.(Reuters - Reporting by Terje Solsvik and Louise Rasmu
Maersk Will Avoid Red Sea Despite EU Security Operation
Shipping company Maersk said on Friday it was too early to resume sailings through the Red Sea due to a continued elevated risk level, despite an initiative by the European Union to increase safety in the region.Maersk, one of the world's biggest container shipping companies, suspended Red Sea traffic on Jan.
Norway Offers $193 Million Funding to Arctic Floating Wind Farm Project
A floating offshore wind farm planned in Arctic waters on Friday received 2 billion Norwegian crowns ($193 million) in state funding, with Norway viewing the still costly technology as a key contributor for industry development and emission cuts.The GoliatVind project in the Barents Sea, consisting of five 15 megawatts turbines and seeking to supply power to the Arctic town of Hammerfest, beat out six other applicants in a tender by government agency Enova.Norway hopes that floating offshore wind will provide an industrial future for its offshore supply industry as well as a means of cutting e
Norway's Oil Industry Resumes Helicopter Flights After Deadly Crash
Norwegian oil companies resumed helicopter flights to offshore oil and gas fields on Friday following Wednesday's deadly crash off the country's west coast, operator Equinor and airports said on Friday.On Thursday helicopter traffic was halted to oil and gas platforms following the crash in which one person died and five were injured. Norway said it was considering grounding Sikorsky's S-92A aircraft model while investigating the accident."Based on dialogue with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)…
Lithuania Probes Baltic Sea Oil Spill
Lithuania said on Thursday it had been informed by a subsidiary of Polish oil refiner Orlen PKN of an oil spill in the country's waters in the Baltic Sea and had launched a probe into the incident.Lithuania's Environmental Protection Department said in a statement the subsidiary, Orlen Lietuva, had informed it on Wednesday of a 300-litre spill near the Butinge oil import terminal in connection with the loading of a tanker.It said an inspection by Lithuania later on Wednesday showed the spill measured nine kilometers by two kilometers with at least 1.8 tonnes of oil on the surface…
Maersk to Spin Off Svitzer
Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Thursday it will spin off its towage and marine services activities and plans to list the new company on the Nasdaq Copenhagen stock exchange.Maersk has sought to streamline its business in recent years, spinning off oil rigs and other units that did not fit with its core shipping and logistics operations.The anticipated first day of trading for the shares of the new company, to be called Svitzer Group, is on April 30, Maersk said as it reported…
Sweden Ends Nord Stream Sabotage Probe
Sweden on Wednesday dropped its investigation into the explosions in 2022 on Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Germany, saying it lacked jurisdiction in the case but had handed evidence it had uncovered over to German investigators.The multi-billion-dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines transporting gas under the Baltic Sea were ruptured by a series of blasts in the Swedish and Danish economic zones in September 2022, releasing vast amounts of methane into the air.Russia and the West…
Indian Navy Rescues Crew from US-Owned Ship After Attack Off Yemen
The Indian Navy said on Thursday it had rescued the crew of a U.S.-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemen's Houthi movement as tensions in the region's sea lanes disrupted global trade.Following the attack on the U.S. Genco Picardy late on Wednesday, the U.S. military said its forces had conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region".Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on…
Norway Parliament Votes in favor of Seabed Mining
Norway's parliament on Tuesday voted in favor of allowing Arctic seabed mineral exploration, in line with a deal reached between the government and key opposition parties last month, overcoming objections from environmental campaigners.The decision comes as Norway hopes to become the first country to make deep-sea mining happen on a commercial scale and secure critical minerals and jobs despite concerns over the environmental impact and international calls for a moratorium.There is yet no set timeline for when exploration could begin, although the plan is to award companies exclusive rights to
Shipping Firms Continue to Pause Red Sea Shipments
Global Denmark's Maersk and German rival Hapag-Lloyd said on Tuesday their container ships would continue to avoid the Red Sea route that gives access to the Suez Canal following a weekend attack on one of Maersk's vessels.Both shipping giants have been re-routing some sailings via Africa's southern Cape of Good Hope as Yemen-based Houthi militants attack cargo vessels in the Red Sea. The disruption threatens to drive up delivery costs for goods, raising fears it could trigger…
Maersk Puts Dozens of Vessels Back on Schedule for Travel Via Suez Canal
Denmark's Maersk said on Wednesday it has scheduled several dozen container vessels to travel via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea in the next several weeks, in a further sign that global shipping firms are returning to the route.The schedule remains subject to change based on specific contingency plans that may be formed over the coming days, the company said.The world's top shipping companies, including container giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, stopped using Red Sea routes after Yemen's Houthi militant group began targeting vessels earlier this month…
Shipping Firms Impose Surcharges as Red Sea Attacks Hit Global Trade
Maersk and CMA CGM, two of the world's largest shipping firms, will impose extra charges after deciding to re-route ships following attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, as worries about the disruption to global trade grow.The surcharges, designed to cover longer voyages around Africa compared with routes via the Suez Canal, will add to rising costs for sea transport since Yemen's Houthi militant group started targeting vessels.Maersk and CMA CGM are among leading shipping lines to have suspended the passage of vessels through the Red Sea that connects with the key Suez Canal…
Maersk to Pause All Container Ship Traffic Through the Red Sea
Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk will pause all container shipments through the Red Sea until further notice, a spokesperson for the company told Reuters on Friday."Following the near-miss incident involving Maersk Gibraltar yesterday and yet another attack on a container vessel today, we have instructed all Maersk vessels in the area bound to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait to pause their journey until further notice," the company said in a statement.Maersk on Thursday said its vessel Maersk Gibraltar was targeted by a missile while travelling from Salalah…
Maersk Denies Houthi Claim Container Ship Hit by Yemeni Militia
Danish shipping company Maersk on Friday denied a claim by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement that the militia carried out a drone strike on a Maersk vessel sailing towards Israel.The Houthis earlier claimed it carried out a military operation against a Maersk container vessel, directly hitting it with a drone. The Houthis, who made the claim in a statement, did not release any evidence.Maersk on Thursday said ship Maersk Gibraltar was targeted by a missile while travelling from Salalah…
Maersk Says Containership En Route to Saudi Arabia was Targeted by Missile
Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Thursday its container ship Maersk Gibraltar was targeted by a missile while traveling from Salalah, Oman, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and that the crew and vessel were reported safe.It was not immediately clear if the missile had struck the vessel or not."At this time, we are still working to establish the facts of the incident," Maersk said in a statement.The incident took place near the Bad al-Mandab Strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden…
Maersk Says Its Services in Israel Are Operational, Stable
Danish shipping company Maersk said on Monday that its services in Israel were operational and stable, and that it was watching developments in the country closely given the ongoing war with Palestinian militant group Hamas."Bookings for ocean, rail, road and air services to and from Israel... continue to be accepted and facilitated," Maersk said in a statement.(Reuters - Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje Solsvik)
Yemen's Houthis Claim Missile Attack on Norwegian Tanker
Yemen's Houthis said on Tuesday they hit a Norwegian commercial tanker with a missile in their latest protest against Israel's bombardment of Gaza, underlining the risks of a conflict that has shaken the Middle East.The Iran-aligned group attacked the tanker, the Strinda, because it was delivering crude oil to an Israeli terminal and after its crew ignored all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sarea said in a statement.But the tanker's owner, Norway's Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, said the vessel was headed to Italy with a cargo of biofuel feedstock, not crude oil.
Norwegian Parliament Strikes Deal to Advance Seabed Mining
Norway's minority government and two opposition parties have agreed to allow seabed mineral exploration in the Arctic region, they said on Tuesday, in a key step towards full-scale ocean mining.The deal comes as Norway hopes to become the first country to make deep-sea mining happen on a commercial scale and secure critical minerals and jobs despite concerns over the environmental impact and international calls for a moratorium.The amended version of the government's proposal, which parliament will formally debate on Jan.
Environmentalists Ask Court to Block Development of Three North Sea Fields
Environmental groups on Tuesday will ask a Norwegian court to block the development of three North Sea oil and gas fields, citing insufficient assessment of global climate impact from future petroleum use.The lawsuit filed by Greenpeace and its partner Nature and Youth concerns the Equinor-operated Breidablikk and Aker BP's Yggdrasil and Tyrving fields, which hold combined reserves of some 875 million barrels of oil equivalent.The two NGOs in 2020 lost a case against Arctic drilling at Norway's top court…
Finland-Estonia Gas Pipeline System to Get Bigger Capacity after Repair
The Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, which was damaged last month, will get a bigger northbound transmission capacity next year following repairs, Finnish operator Gasgrid said in a statement on Wednesday.The increase will come from an enhancement of the Latvia-Lithuania interconnection, which allows for higher gas volumes to be transported around the Finnish-Baltic region, it added.The pipeline will in the future get a base capacity of 70.5 gigawatt hours of gas per day in the direction from Estonia to Finland…
