To Port News

Hawai‘i’s interisland freight company Young Brothers has become the first marine transportation company in the Unites States to install an innovative mooring system designed to improve safety and efficiency.The new $1.5 million ShoreTension mooring system was blessed in a ceremony at the Port of Kaumalapau in Lāna‘i on Monday. The technology, which keeps the barge steady against the dock during inclement weather, is already being utilized in harbors around the globe in countries like New Zealand…

A formal naming ceremony was held at the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company in the Chinese province of Quanzhou on April 26 for AAL Shipping’s new heavy lift vessel, AAL Limassol.Due to sail on her maiden voyage from China into Europe, the 32,000 deadweight AAL Limassol is set to carry a full weather deck of project heavy lift cargo, including two 135-meter-long barges, weighing 1,650 tonnes and fifteen 80.5-meter-long wind blades. The newbuild will sail under the Cyprus flag.Kyriacos Panayides…

Lloyd's of London insurers Hiscox and Lancashire do not expect large insurance claims from the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March that caused widespread disruption, they said on Thursday.Some estimates for the total insured losses from the bridge collapse run into billions of dollars, given the loss of lives, bridge repair costs and traffic re-routing.The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday insurer Chubb was preparing to make a $350 million payout to the state of Maryland.Hiscox does not have direct exposure to the business interruption policy of the port…

In 2018, convicted cocaine trafficker Slobodan Kostovski fled a Brazilian prison and made his way back to Europe with a fake passport.The Serbian senior quickly fell into old habits, police allege. Last August, Kostovski was arrested in Belgrade, accused of shipping 2.7 metric tonnes of cocaine from Brazil aboard a 22-meter vessel apprehended near Spain’s Canary Islands.Nicknamed “the General” by his associates, he had been trafficking “large amounts” of powder to “Europe for a long period of time,” Serbian police wrote in a 2022 intelligence report obtained exclusively by Reuters.

Russia has been quietly shipping refined petroleum to North Korea at levels that appear to violate the mandates of the United Nations Security Council, a U.S. official said on Thursday, adding the U.S. is planning new sanctions in response.The disclosure came on the first day after a U.N. panel of experts monitoring enforcement of longstanding U.N. sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear weapons and missile programs was disbanded after a Russian veto."At the same time that Moscow vetoed the panel’s mandate renewal…

The Unified Command recovered the body of another missing victim at the Key Bridge incident site on May 1, 2024.The victim is identified as Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, of Glen Burnie, Maryland.Unified Command salvage teams located one of the missing construction vehicles and promptly notified the Maryland Department of State Police. Police investigators along with officers from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police and the FBI then recovered the body of a fifth construction worker inside a red truck.

Crowley and Teamsters Union Local 901 have reached a new labor agreement to extend their longtime partnership into its sixth decade serving the shipping and logistics needs of Puerto Rico.The agreement, recently ratified by union members, covers the 200 employees who work at Crowley’s Isla Grande Terminal in San Juan until 2029. Employees there serve as port equipment operators, truck drivers and support operations in various other roles important to safe and reliable operations.“We have successfully worked with the Teamsters Union to provide safe…

Shares of Viking Holdings rose 9% in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, giving the travel and cruising company a valuation of $11 billion.Viking opened at $26.15 compared with its initial public offering (IPO) price of $24 in a stellar debut, amid a rebound in stock market listings and at a time when cruise stocks have delivered outsized returns.Founded in 1997, Viking provides destination-focused itineraries including a shore excursion at every port and an onboard and onshore program through performances of music and art, cooking demonstrations, port talks and guest lect

Sunil Krishnakumar, Senior Technical Manager at the International Chamber of Shipping, provides his key insights on the newly released Engine Room Procedures Guide, Second Edition, by ICS.The shipping industry has embarked on a transformative journey, actively working towards a sustainable future and a safer environment. With a strong commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the industry is actively seeking the uptake and safe use of new low-GHG technologies and alternatives…

Logistical constraints at the Port of Vancouver mean waterborne oil exports from the highly anticipated Trans Mountain pipeline expansion due to start up on Wednesday may only be around half what the Canadian government-owned corporation has forecast, traders and shipping sources said.The C$34 billion ($24.82 billion) project to nearly triple the flow of crude from Alberta to Canada's Pacific Coast to 890,000 barrels per day is scheduled to start operating on May 1 after years of regulatory delays and construction setbacks.The extra 590…

Carbon Clean has achieved a fabrication milestone on Ørsted’s FlagshipONE project, Europe’s largest commercial-scale e-methanol facility under construction. The first equipment has been mounted on the structural steel of the first module, marking the start of the module assembly process.Once operational, Carbon Clean’s technology will be capable of capturing 70,000 tonnes of biogenic CO2 per year for Ørsted’s facility in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.Carbon Clean’s CaptureX semi-modular technology for this project is being fabricated at Schwartz Hautmont’s site at the Port of Tarragona in Vila-seca…

Carnival's Princess banner is revising itineraries of two of its cruises undertaking a global voyage next year, amid uncertainties in the Red Sea, the cruise operator said on Tuesday.The company said the banner's two "2025 World Cruises"—Island Princess and Crown Princess—would no longer be visiting the Middle East and Asia, and instead would offer new port stops in Africa and Europe.Cruise operators such as Carnival and rival Royal Caribbean are exercising caution as attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants on vessels in the Red Sea disrupt shipping in the Suez Canal…

Enterprise Products Partners on Tuesday said it expects to have two contracts for its proposed deepwater oil export terminal by May 31 and reach a final investment decision before year-end.Enterprise's ambitious Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT), proposed off for a site off the coast of Texas, would be able to load two supertankers at a single time. It received a key government license this month, but is yet to sign any commercial customers.The cost of the project has soared to about $3 billion…

Sanmar Shipyards is delivering a new tug for Targe Towing in Scotland. Known as BIGAÇAY Xl while under construction, the tug was renamed Camperdown by its new owners, and was on its way to its new home port of Aberdeen.Camperdown is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAstar 2900SX from Robert Allan Ltd., primarily intended for demanding escort operations in exposed areas.Measuring 29.4 x 13.3m with a 5.5m molded depth and 5.75m design draft, the tug can achieve a minimum of 85 tonnes of bollard pull ahead and astern.

LDD, an Acteon company, has been awarded a contract by George Leslie to perform piling works on the Kennacraig Port's ferry terminal in Scotland.LDD, a marine foundations brand within Acteon, is supplying reverse circulation drilling (RCD) services to George Leslie to construct a new sheet pile quay wall at Kennacraig Port.The project is being undertaken in challenging ground conditions with hardness ranging from 90 to 150 MPa.Kennacraig is an existing operational ferry terminal, and the piling works will upgrade the port infrastructure to facilitate the use of new vessels.

Damen Shipyards has launched the second of its fully electric RSD-E Tugs 2513 at Damen Song Cam Shipyard.The tug is being built for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, together with five conventional RSD Tugs 2513.When delivered later this year, it will be the first fully electric tug to operate in European waters.The port was one of the first to operate a conventional RSD Tug 2513 following Damen’s release of the vessel onto the market in 2018.The Port of Antwerp-Bruges, one of the busiest in Europe…

The IMO's Legal Committee met in person for its 111th session at IMO Headquarters in London from April 22 to 26 April 2024, and finalized guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing crimes.These are to be applied where seafarers may be detained in a jurisdiction other than that of the seafarers' nationality on suspicion of committing crimes during the course of their employment on board a ship.The objective is to ensure that seafarers are treated fairly during any investigation and detention by public authorities…

The New Zealand government may restart the live export trade which has been banned since May 1, 2023.The ban was imposed in response to veterinarians, animal welfare advocates and the New Zealand public decrying conditions and outcomes for the animals. There have also been multiple disasters for the industry.Animal welfare group SPCA says politicians claiming to be champions of farming and business do not have the support of all farmers or a business case for it.“Government would have the public believe that any opposition to their plan is anti-farming…

A vessel that reported on Monday an explosion in its proximity, 54 nautical miles northwest of Yemen's Mokha, has sustained damage but the ship and crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.British maritime security firm Ambrey has said that a Malta-flagged container ship in the same location was reportedly targeted with three missiles while on route from Djibouti to the Saudi city of Jeddah.Iran-backed Houthi militants have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea

A Commissioner with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is urging President Joe Biden to provide aid for local companies and workers suffering from an economic upheaval in the wake of the tragic Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.A letter sent by Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel to President Biden on Monday asks the President to consider using the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) as a model for providing relief workers and industries affected by the temporary…

A ship under the management of Wallem Group rescued a man who had been adrift in the Java Sea for two days last week after he had jumped from a fishing vessel, reportedly in preference to continuing to work without pay.The man was picked up by Angleviken as the LR2 tanker approached anchorage at Balongan, Indonesia on 20th April, after Capt. Bhanu Kundi sighted a floating object approx. 20 degrees port, at approx. 2.5 nm ahead of the vessel and distance from nearest land approx. 12 nm from the ship at 12.30 local time.

Approximately one month has passed since the Singaporean-flagged container vessel M/V Dali allided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. The bridge, which connects Hawkins Point and Dundalk, Maryland, collapsed into the lower Patapsco River, bringing all maritime traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore to a standstill.The Unified Command offers its reflection on the response efforts underway:During the incident involving the Dali, eight road crew workers, who were on break from repairing potholes, were present on the bridge when it collapsed.

Esgian reports that new drilling contracts have been announced in the North Sea and West Africa in its Week 17 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsShelf Drilling (North Sea) has secured a letter of award with an unnamed operator, believed to be TotalEnergies, for the 400-ft jackup Shelf Drilling Fortress for a campaign in the North Sea.Noble 12,000-ft 7th generation drillship Noble Venturer has secured new contracts in West Africa with Trident Energy and Rhino Resources…