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The Sca News

04 Mar 2024

Egypt Studying Further Expansion of Suez Canal

© Nancy Pauwels / Adobe Stock

Egypt is studying further expansions of the Suez Canal to extend and complete a second channel of the waterway, the canal's head said on Monday, a move that could allow for higher volumes of shipping and prevent blockages from halting traffic.The comments come as the canal is seeing a sharp fall in revenue due to shipping companies diverting away from the waterway, the shortest route between Europe and Asia, because of attacks by Houthi militants in Yemen against ships in the Red Sea.Any new extension would come on top of current work to extend the second channel by 10 kilometers, and to deepe

25 Jan 2024

Shipbuilders Council of America Names New Board Leaders

Brad Moyer (Photo: SCA)

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, announced its new Board of Directors leadership and the incoming chairs of the SCA Partners Committee. The announcements kicked off the Association’s Annual Meeting on May 17 in Washington, D.C.Brad Moyer, Vice President of BAE Systems Ship Repair, is ascending from his Vice Chairman post to  Chairman of the Board, assuming the position from Ben Bordelon…

06 Dec 2023

Containership Strikes Floating Bridge in the Suez Canal

© Mariusz / Adobe Stock

A container ship collided with a floating bridge in the eastern lane of the Suez Canal on Wednesday but the passage of ships through the waterway was not interrupted, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said.Tugboats helped the One Orpheus after it suffered a fault with its rudder while transiting the canal on its way from Singapore to the Netherlands, the authority said in a statement.The incident occurred in the eastern lane of the middle section of the canal, built as an expansion that was completed in 2015.Convoys of ships coming from the south were diverted along the original branch of the can

09 Nov 2023

Sustainable Fund Launched for Methanol Fleet

Source: ProMarine

ProMarine AG has launched an industry-first sustainable shipping fund with an initial portfolio of four methanol-fuelled MR tankers led by Proman and Stena Bulk.Low Emission Methanol Shipping Company S.C.A. SICAV–RAIF (LEMSCO) is the result of a collaboration between Proman and Stena Bulk. The fund is backed by equity investors and benefits from a green loan from ABN AMRO. LEMSCO's seed assets consist of four methanol fuelled vessels acquired from Proman and Stena Bulk: Stena Pro Patria…

09 Nov 2023

US Shipbuilding: Policy and Progress

© Maxim Khalansky / Adobe Stock

When asked about the top issues facing shipbuilders, executives at the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) listed a number of topics and concerns. SCA is the only national trade association representing U.S. shipyards engaged in the building and repairing of military and other government and commercial vessels, and companies providing goods and services to the shipbuilding industry.Shutdowns have consequencesMatthew Paxton and Paula Zorensky are, respectively, SCA President and Vice President. Their top federal concern at the end of September? A U.S.

06 Aug 2023

Suez Canal Tugboat Sinks After Collision with Tanker

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

A Suez Canal tugboat sank on Saturday and one of its crew was missing after it collided with a Hong Kong-flagged LPG tanker though shipping traffic in the strategically important waterway was largely unaffected, the canal authority said.Convoys of ships passing through the canal from the north were not affected, while the passage of ships travelling from the south returned to normal by about midnight on Saturday, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement.The tanker, Chinagas Legend…

22 Jun 2023

Shipbuilders Council of America Announces Safety Award Winners

(File photo: Metal Shark Boats)

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, announced its yearly member safety awards for 2023.“Workforce health and safety is embedded into the fabric of our industry because the teams that work in our shipyards and throughout the industrial base are the most important asset we have in building and repairing the U.S. commercial and military fleets,” said Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America.

21 Jun 2023

Suez Canal Authority to Sell 20% of Subsidiary in Experimental Offer

© Mariusz / Adobe Stock

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is offering a 20% stake in a subsidiary company in line with a government drive to boost the private sector, but selling or leasing the canal is "out of question", SCA head Osama Rabie said on Wednesday.Rabie said the sale of the 20% stake in the Canal Company for Mooring and Lights on the Egyptian stock market was an experiment and indicated that there could be more stake sales in the future."In principle, we might continue doing this," he told a press conference.The Canal Company for Mooring and Lights…

13 Mar 2023

Dredge Firms Focus on Sustainability as ESG Issues Climb Agenda

Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger - Vox Apolonia. Image courtesy Van Oord

Climate change, rising sea levels, land reclamation and offshore energy are all factors underpinning business models at Europe’s dredge and marine engineering majors. They are adopting strong sustainability credentials as their operations come under closer environmental, social, governance (ESG) scrutiny and new opportunities open up in the US offshore wind sectorThe relatively small number of global marine engineering and dredge firms face more observation of their business models than ever before.

16 Jan 2023

ABS Signs On Suez Canal's Green Program

© Val Traveller / Adobe Stock

ABS and the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a long-term sustainability roadmap and decarbonization strategy for the canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.The MoU will see ABS and SCA work together on issues related to sustainability and the green environment as a part of the SCA’s business plan to transition to a green canal by 2030. Over the year-long agreement, ABS and the SCA will work together to develop a decarbonization…

09 Jan 2023

Traffic in Suez Canal Normal After Ship Breakdown Dealt With

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

Shipping traffic in the Suez Canal was proceeding normally on Monday after tugs towed a cargo vessel that broke down during its passage through the waterway, the Canal Authority said.The breakdown was expected to cause only minor delays, with convoys of ships resuming regular transit by 11:00 local time (09:00 GMT), shipping agent Leth said.The M/V Glory, which was sailing to China, suffered a technical fault when it was 38km into its passage southward through the canal, before being towed by four tugs to a repair area…

22 Dec 2022

Suez Canal Open to Foreign Investment, Sovereignty Protected

© Genya / Adobe Stock

Egypt's Suez Canal welcomes foreign investment but foreigners would have no control over the waterway or over a proposed fund that would help to manage its resources, the head of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said on Thursday.SCA Chairman Osama Rabie was speaking to reporters after legal amendments providing for the fund were discussed in parliament this week, triggering speculation they would open the door to selling stakes in the canal to foreigners.The fund, under discussion for several years…

05 Dec 2022

SCA Names Frank Collins Senior Defense Advisor

Frank Collins (Photo: SCA)

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, announced Frank Collins as Senior Defense Advisor, overseeing the organization’s national ship repair and security, as well as the industry workforce development and education initiatives.Frank Collins is an accomplished strategic business consultant with over 36 years of public and private sector experience in the ship repair industry. Collins served as Chief Executive Officer of United States Marine Preservation…

02 Nov 2022

US Mid-term Elections Bring Changes, Uncertainty in Congressional Maritime Leadership

© chris / Adobe Stock

Regardless of whether the Republicans seize or the Democrats maintain control of the House and Senate, there is a guarantee that changes in leadership will occur in some of the key Congressional leadership positions that will impact the maritime industry. Two of the most significant Congressional committees of jurisdiction are the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (House T&I) and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Senate Commerce). Both committees have jurisdiction over the U.S.

19 Sep 2022

Suez Canal Authority to Raise Transit Fees by 15% in 2023

© Genya / Adobe Stock

The Suez Canal Authority will raise fees for ships passing through the canal by 15% in 2023, SCA chairman and managing director Adm. Ossama Rabiee said on Saturday.Transit fees for dry bulk and cruise ships will be raised by 10%, Rabie added.The fee increase, which comes amid global inflation and generally improved charter rates for most vessel types, take effect January 1, 2023, Rabie said.

31 Aug 2022

Tanker Refloated After Running Aground in the Suez Canal

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

Tug boats refloated an oil tanker that was briefly stranded in Egypt's Suez Canal late on Wednesday due to a technical fault with its rudder, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said.The vessel, Affinity V, had been blocking the southern section of the canal, two navigational sources said, but SCA sources said shortly after midnight local time that traffic had returned to normal.The incident occurred in the same southern, single-lane stretch of the canal where a giant cargo ship, the Ever Given, ran aground for six days in March 2021, disrupting global trade.According to ship monitoring service Tan

08 Jun 2022

US Senator Murkowski Receives Maritime Leadership Award

Sen. Murkowski receives Maritime Leadership Award from Shipbuilders Council of America president Matthew Paxton and Chairman of the SCA, Ben Bordelon (Photo: SCA)

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, on Wednesday presented U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) with the SCA Maritime Leadership Award at its 2022 annual meeting.The award is given each year to national leaders or elected officials who demonstrate exemplary dedication and support for the nearly 400,000 men and women who serve in America’s shipyards and throughout the domestic industrial base.“Throughout her time in public office, Sen.

27 May 2022

Shipbuilders Council Announces 2022 Shipyard Safety Awards

(File photo: Fincantieri Marinette Marine)

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipyard industry, today announced the 2022 Annual Shipyard Safety Awards. SCA recognized a total of 15 U.S. shipyards and repair facilities with seven recipients receiving multiple awards.SCA honors shipbuilding and repair organizations with the “Excellence in Safety” Award and “Improvement in Safety” Award each year for enhancement of operations and promotion of safety and accident prevention.

11 Mar 2022

2022 US Shipbuilding Report

Gladding Hearn is currently building four pilot boats, including a 70-foot pilot boat for the Galveston Pilots. (Photo: Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding)

It’s a common story in the U.S. shipbuilding industry today. A piece of equipment that used to be available for delivery on short notice—maybe in one or two weeks—now must be ordered months or more in advance, and it costs double. Add to this rising steel prices and the labor issues that have pervaded nearly all industrial sectors since the early days of the pandemic, and it’s clear that business is far from usual for American shipyards.Bollinger Shipyards president and CEO, Ben Bordelon…

25 Jan 2022

Svitzer to Deploy Two More Tugs in the Suez Canal

(Photo: Svitzer)

Maersk's towage arm Svitzer announced another extension of its current contract with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) to include two additional tugs to service the vital trade artery.Turkish tugboat builder Med Marine will deliver the two new vessels, both RAstar 2800 75tonnes bollard pull tugs with firefighting capabilities and escort notation, designed by Robert Allan Ltd.Svitzer started operating in the Suez Canal in late 2019 with the two tugs Svitzer Port Said 1 and Svitzer Port Said 2, providing towage services to the SCA out of Port Said.

19 Jan 2022

Suez Canal Expansion Due to Complete in July 2023

Credit:  Pabkov/AdobeStock

A project to expand parts of the Suez Canal is expected to be completed after two years of work in July 2023, the chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said on Sunday.The SCA announced accelerated plans to extend a second channel of the canal and to enlarge an existing channel after the Ever Given container ship ran aground and blocked the waterway for six days last year."The project will be completed in 24 months. We started in July 2021 and God willing we will finish in July 2023…

03 Jan 2022

Suez Canal to Offer Incentives for Eco-friendly Ships

© andrej pol / Adobe Stock

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) plans to offer financial incentives for ships that follow environmentally friendly standards, Egyptian daily paper El Watan reported on Monday, citing a TV interview with SCA Chairman Osama Rabieh.(Reporting by Moataz Mohamed; Writing by Lina Najem; Editing by David Goodman)

02 Oct 2021

Suez Canal Reports Record Daily Transits

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

A record 87 vessels passed through the Suez Canal on Wednesday, September 29, besting the previous record of 75 set in February 2019.The record includes 38 vessels transiting southbound and 49 northbound, with 2 million and 2.8 million total net tonnage of cargo on board respectively, according to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).The southern convoy was led by containership MSC Anna, en route from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, while the northern convoy was led by containership MSC Istanbul, sailing from Morocco to Singapore.