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Tradewinds News

15 Oct 2023

GMS: Pakistan and Bangladesh Lagging Behind Alang

Source: GMS

As deals continue to be concluded into Alang, the Indian ship recycling sector remains on a positive footing overall, with Pakistan and (especially) Bangladesh still lagging behind, reports cash buyer GMS.Despite steel plate prices coming off by about US$ 11/Ton and the Indian Rupee weakening marginally over the course of the week, the overall outlook for India remains positive.Several ship recyclers from the sub-continent markets were gathered at the annual Tradewinds Ship Recycling Conference in Singapore this week…

28 Aug 2020

Maritime Risk Symposium 2020: Maritime Resilience in Black Swan Events

In 2007, scholar Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who holds a doctorate from the University of Paris, wrote a bestselling book titled â€œBlack Swan,” which proposed a theory involving unpredictable events with significant impact. Taleb believed that a black swan event was an outlier with significant impact and, once it occurs, is the source of deep reflection and rationalization. Since the book’s publication, a significant number of research efforts have been developed to consider possible black swan events that significantly impact the Maritime Transportation System (MTS) and the Maritime Global Commons.

05 Nov 2019

Maritime History & the Panama Canal

Grace Lines COLOMBIA transit of Panama Canal. Source: U.S.Merchant Marine Academy Maritime Museum.

The Panama Canal is a strategic crossroads for maritime traffic, and is arguably one of the most important maritime developments in the past century. Here we take a deeper dive into the history behind that famous strip of waterway.The present canal, which saw its first vessel transits in 1914, along with possible alternatives through Nicaragua and Mexico, had actually been on the minds of merchants, explorers and military/political strategists since the Age of Exploration in early 1500’s.

04 Sep 2018

SMM Launches with High-Profile Guest Speakers

Photo: SMM

At today’s opening press conference of the international maritime trade fair in Hamburg, political and business leaders discussed current challenges facing the shipping industry. The focus of the debate was on the 0.5 percent sulphur limit for ship fuels which will take effect on January 1,  2020, and the industry's goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping in half by the year 2050. Roughly 2,300 exhibitors and the extensive conference program accompanying the trade fair will deliver answers to the industry's complex questions. Roughly 50,000 visitors are expected to attend.

22 Aug 2018

SMM Interview: Three Questions for Claus Ulrich Selbach

Claus Ulrich Selbach, Business Unit Director – Maritime and Technology Fairs. (Photo: SMM)

The world is filled with marine exhibitions and conferences. What is special about SMM 2018?The sheer dimensions of this trade fair are stunning: 93,000 square meters of exhibition floor in 13 halls, and 50,000 expected industry visitors from more than 120 countries make SMM the world's biggest trade fair for the maritime sector. Even more important is the quality of the fair's 2200 exhibitors which cover the entire value chain of the maritime industry. This allows us to claim international technology and innovation leadership once again.At the exhibition stands…

20 Aug 2018

Sunken Barge Raised from Gulf of Mexico Seafloor

(Photo: Resolve Marine Group)

A sunken derrick barge has been raised from the Gulf of Mexico seafloor following several months of planning, engineering, on-site preparations and the heaviest salvage lift ever accomplished in the Americas, said marine services and wreck removal specialists Resolve Salvage and Fire Americas.The 350 ft x 100 ft derrick barge DB1 sank 30 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico on October 22, 2017, when adverse weather caused it to drag anchors and contact the offshore platform that the DB1 was engaged in removing.

10 Oct 2017

Seafarers UK Appoints Corporate Fundraising Manager

Mairéad Ní Cheóinín has been appointed to Seafarers UK as the charity’s new Corporate Fundraising Manager where her focus will be on engaging with the commercial maritime sector. Mairéad brings a wealth of business development, marketing experience and industry knowledge to the position from her previous roles, working with Steamship Mutual P&I, TradeWinds, Informa PLC in London and the Irish Maritime Development Office in Dublin. Mairéad joins the grant-giving, campaigning and fundraising charity at an exciting time, as it celebrates its Centenary and is looking ahead to the next phase of its future. Her role will be to raise awareness of Seafarers UK’s wider impact within the maritime charity sector.

23 Mar 2017

Tradewinds Towing Returns to Laborde for Repowers

Photo: Laborde Products

In September of 2006, Dominique Smith of the then one tug company Tradewinds Towing came to Laborde Products, to look at the S12R engine for the repower of the Miss Lis, an Alaskan built low profile tug he planned on repowering. Later that same month, the deal was made, and shortly thereafter, the Miss Lis set sail with new Mitsubishi engines and Reintjes transmissions supplied by Laborde Products. Since then, the engines have logged over 30,000 hours travelling throughout North, Central and South America.

22 Sep 2016

MarAd Stresses Economic Impact of Shipyard Jobs in NE

Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen (Photo: MARAD)

In comments before the international Tradewinds Ship Owners Forum in New York City, Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen highlighted the more than 42,700 jobs, $3.6 billion in labor income and $4.78 billion in GDP associated with employment for shipbuilding and repair in the northeast region. “American shipyards provide a dependable, highly trained workforce that produce, repair and maintain some of the world’s most modern and innovative vessels. Their efforts ensure our…

04 Aug 2016

Brexit Impact on Shipping and Sea Trade in UK

Eversheds International says that UK trade would clearly be impacted by the Brexit vote. "We saw an immediate effect on currency and share prices, although there are signs that the market is settling down after the initial post-vote furore," says a report by Eversheds. In terms of longer term impact, there are some matters which are already tolerably clear, for example that any changes to the cost of trade with the EU are likely to affect freight volumes at British ports. However, the precise nature and extent of the effect on UK trade will depend entirely on the form of relationship which is ultimately agreed both with the EU and with other trading partners.

04 Aug 2016

Brexit Implications for Global Shipping, Sea Trade

The buzzword for the post-Brexit landscape both in Europe and further afield is ‘uncertainty’. No-one really knows the long term effect that Brexit will have on local and global economies, says  Eversheds International. However, as the dust settles following the referendum, market experts, industry analysts and businesses are assessing the position with cooler heads and so, whilst certainty may be a little way off, more concrete predictions and assertions of intent are beginning to emerge. This is evident daily in commentary and news from the shipping and sea trade sector. The international shipping market is fuelled by trade, which in turn depends on the health of the global economy.

15 Jun 2015

Beaching Ban Bad for Ship Recycling Industry

On Monday 20th of April 2015, Michael Grey of Lloyds List published the article "Name-calling bullies" where he outlined his opposition to the idea of banning beaching and gave reasons why such a decision would be impractical and unethical for the ship recycling industry. In fact, throughout his article he stressed the improvements of safety and environmental standards which have taken place in facilities in the Indian subcontinent and highlighted the fact that these improvements had been witnessed during a fact-finding visit to Alang, India, by a delegation of Japanese industry and government officials organised by GMS. In his article there are few other arguments worth highlighting…

23 Apr 2015

MISC may Sell AET Tanker Holdings

MISC Bhd  is selling AET Tanker Holdings Sdn Bhd, which owns a fleet of 74 crude oil and product tankers, to US-listed Teekay Tankers Ltd, reports local media. AET is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia's MISC Bhd. and a major global shipowner and operator with a fleet of around 80 tankers including 13 VLCCs, 48 Aframaxes and four Suezmaxes. MISC is a subsidiary of Malaysian energy conglomerate Petronas. “MISC is not in a position to comment on Teekay’s business plans,” the shipping company’s corporate communications arm responded when asked to verify news reported by Oslo-based shipping press Tradewinds. “It is difficult to quantify the disposal gain at this point of time without the actual acquisition price,” Kenanga Research said.

27 Mar 2015

Greek Ferry Still Stuck

The Greek ferry that ran aground just outside of port on the Aegean Island of Kassos Wednesday night is still stuck. The 227 passengers and 55 crew aboard the Vitsentzos Kornaros are facing the prospect of a third night stuck on the ferry, as the weather that caused the grounding is also preventing a tug boat from conducting recovery operations. The Greek coast guard has said the passengers and crew are in no danger. TradeWinds reported that two fishing boats tried to refloat the vessel yesterday, but without success.

26 Mar 2015

Greek Ferry Runs Aground in the Aegean

A Greek ferry ran aground on the Aegean island of Kassos overnight, the AP is reporting.      None of the 227 passengers and 55 crew were injured and a tug boat was sent from the Cycladic island of Mykonos to conduct the rescue operation, the Greek coastguard said.      The Vitsenzos Kornaros was traveling from Piraeus to Rhodes, a route with seven stops. It became grounded as it approached the dock at the island of Kassos. Kassos is part of the Dodecanese island complex northeast of Crete, the AP said.      TradeWinds reported that winds reached seven to eight on the Beaufort scale and dragged the ship to the port’s breakwater, where it got trapped.     Enikos.gr has what it says is a video of the ferry battling the winds.

24 Mar 2015

Fire Aboard Teekay-owned FPSO Petrojarl Knarr

The FPSO Petrojarl Knarr being towed by Fairmount Marine tugs from South Korea to Norway (file photo)

A fire started aboard the Teekay-owned FPSO Petrojarl Knarr this morning. The fire was the second aboard the FPSO unit, which was built in 2014, during its young life at sea. The blaze occurred just a week after the Petrojarl Knarr produced its first oil from the Knarr field in the North Sea. The fire erupted west of the Norwegian coastal town of Florø. The 100-member crew on board were all safe and Norwegian authorities quickly controlled the fire, according to TradeWinds. The previous fire occurred in October, when the unit was working for the UK's BG Group.

04 Dec 2013

Main Iron Works Built Tug Returning Home

Marcon International, Inc. of Coupeville, Washington reported that the 5,570BHP tug Jabbar has been sold by Awal Marine Services of Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain to TradeWinds Towing LLC of Saint Augustine, Florida. Jabbar, meaning “powerful” or “tremendous” in Arabic, was originally built by Main Iron Works of Houma, Louisiana as their Hull 335 for McAllister Towing & Transportation of New York. The twin screw tug was operated by International Tug Service, a joint venture company between McAllister and Arabian American Oil Co. Ltd.

12 Nov 2013

Crane Barge Towed from California to New York

Ocean crane barge Thomas W is towed during its 52-day journey from California to New York

After a 5,233 nautical mile tow of the ocean crane barge Thomas W from Long Beach, California through the Panama Canal, the Miss Lis reached its destination in the Hudson River, New York. The journey took 52 days. Tug and tow departed Long Beach during the first full week of August and arrived in New York in late September. Laborde Products repowered this engine with twin Mitsubishi S12R-MPTA engines rated at 2,800 bhp. The 225' L x 78' W x 15' D, ABS +A1 Ocean crane barge, outfitted with a 400 T Whirley with a 150' boom…

10 Oct 2013

Tow Fixed By Marcon Completes 5,233nm Delivery

Miss Lis in NYC

Marcon International, Inc. of Coupeville, Washington reported that after 52 days, the 2,800BHP twin screw tug Miss Lis (ex-Kari A, Marine Pioneer) successfully completed the 5,233nm tow of the ocean crane barge Thomas W from Long Beach, California through the Panama Canal to the Hudson River in New York. The 225’ x 78’ x 15’ depth, ABS +A1 Ocean crane barge, outfitted with a 400T Whirley with a 150’ boom, and laden with three smaller flat deck barges, was destined for the new Tappan Zee Bridge Project in New York.

03 Oct 2013

Hill Dickinson Announces Expansion into Hong Kong

Mike Mallin

International law firm Hill Dickinson LLP is pleased to announce the enhancement of its Asian practice with the opening of a new office in Hong Kong to work in partnership with its well-established Singapore team. This expansion, the firm's second new international location to open this year following the successful launch of the yacht team's Monaco office, will operate in association with Laracy & Co led by experienced litigator and arbitrator, Damien Laracy, and will see Master Mariner and long-standing partner…

30 Sep 2013

Jones Act Fleet a Catalyst for Growth Says Jaenichen

Paul 'Chip'  Jaenichen: Photo credit MARAD

At the inaugural recent Tradewinds Jones Act Forum, MARAD Acting Administrator Paul 'Chip'  Jaenichen discussed the changes affecting the coastwise U.S.-flag maritime industry -- also known as the Jones Act fleet. Since its enactment, the Jones Act continues to ensure a level playing field for U.S. vessels moving cargo within the nation. The Act keeps skilled American mariners employed aboard American ships by requiring that products moved between U.S. ports be carried by U.S. vessels manned by U.S. crews.

18 Sep 2013

AWO's Allegretti Touts Merits of Domestic Maritime Industry

American Waterways Operators President & CEO, Tom Allegretti

During an address today in New York City at the TradeWinds 2013 Jones Act Shipping Forum, American Maritime Partnership Chairman and American Waterways Operators President & CEO Tom Allegretti hailed the nation’s domestic maritime industry as a crucial element of America’s economic, national and homeland security, calling the Jones Act, which serves as the industry’s foundation, both a commercial and a public policy success. In his remarks, Mr. Allegretti highlighted the thriving industry’s role in the nation’s economy.

16 Jul 2013

Virginia's House of Hope Hosts Polo Fundraiser

Polo Match Fundraiser Notables: Photo credit VHH

Sandy Hurricane relief and maritime support charity, Virginia's House of Hope, celebrated its accomplishments and raised funds for the future at their recent polo match benefit. This was its first summer event and was held at Conyers Farm, Greenwich CT, on July 14th., with more than 200 friends and supporters of VHH in attendance. In addition to enjoying the graceful and exciting competition between two internationally ranked teams, and petting the horses, the participants actively bid on a beautiful selection of auction items…