Western Region News

Russian energy company Novatek said on Sunday it had been forced to suspend some operations at a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal due to a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.The giant Ust-Luga complex, located on the Gulf of Finland about 170 km (110 miles) west of St. Petersburg, is used to ship oil and gas products to international markets. It processes stable gas condensate - a type of light oil - into light and heavy naphtha, kerosene and diesel to be shipped by sea.It was not clear how long the disruption would last…

Marine Learning Systems (MLS) has renewed an existing contract with the Canadian Coast Guard to supply a maritime learning management system. Named SeaReady, the learning management system supports the Western Region of the Canadian Coast Guard by providing online training and assessment to operational and technical personnel.Following a fair and transparent process through Public Services and Procurement Canada, Marine Learning Systems was initially awarded the contract due to their ability to deliver learning and assessment tools to remote locations without reliance on internet connectivity.

Berne, Ind.-based portable sectional barge manufacturer Poseidon Barge said it has hired Jerome Lemanowicz as East Coast territory sales manager, to fill the position left by the transfer of Carl Piedmont from the Northeast to the West Coast.Located in New Jersey, Lemanowicz's territory includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C., Montreal, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova…

SAFE Boats International has hired Mark Stott as Business Development Director for the U.S. Western Region for government customers and private/commercial customers worldwide.Stott began his professional career in electronics and telecommunications before diving into the maritime industry. He has served as an engineer on large, private vessels worldwide and undertaken technical and business development roles with Protector USA and most recently, Moose Boats.“I’m excited to bring to SAFE Boats my 20-plus years of marine technical and business development experience,” Stott says.

India’s new deepwater gas production could be under pressure from low spot LNG prices, says Wood Mackenzie.Deepwater is expected to drive India’s gas production growth, adding over 1 billion cubic foot per day (bcfd) of new supply by 2023. However, only 15% or 200 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of this supply has been contracted to date. With market demand impacted by Covid-19, and low spot LNG prices expected to persist at least until 2022, the full commercialization of these…

Canadian National Railway (CN) said it plans to invest approximately $345 million across British Columbia in 2019 to expand and strengthen the Company’s rail network throughout the province.“Following a record capital program in 2018, CN has been able to take on more traffic from different commodity sectors based on contracts with our customers. This year, CN is planning to invest even more than last year to continue boosting capacity and network resiliency and to meet growing traffic on our corridors across B.C.,” said Doug Ryhorchuk, Vice-President of CN’s Western Region.The B.C. investments are part of CN’s 2019 record $3.9-billion capital investment focused on enabling growth from all commodity segments…

Canadian National Railway (CN) said it plans to invest more than $245 million in Saskatchewan in 2019 to expand and strengthen the company’s rail network across the province.“Following a record capital program in 2018, CN brought on 25% more qualified train conductors in Western Canada and added over 10% more active high horse power locomotives to its network. This year, CN is investing $35M more than last year to bring greater capacity to CN’s mainline to benefit all commodities,” said Doug Ryhorchuk, vice-president of CN’s Western Region.The Saskatchewan investments are part of CN’s 2019 record $3.9 billion capital investment focused on enabling growth from all commodity segments…

India’s containerised trade grew 6 per cent during the last quarter of 2018, with the western region outperforming the other three regions in Q4 trade.A report released by the world’s largest container shipping company Maersk has attributed the growth in trade to increased demand for refrigerated cargo from India coupled with improved trade relations with China. The demand for India-made goods such as vehicles, cereals and rice; supplemented by refrigerated cargo such as fish, seafood, vegetables and pharmaceuticals saw maximum growth in exports.While imports have maintained a stable growth of 9%, largely driven by substantial inflow of metals and paper.

The Panama Canal has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Port of Itaqui to promote the shipment of grains and other cargoes in the commercial route from Brazil through the Panama Canal to destinations located in the Pacific Ocean.Itaqui, located in São Luís, Maranhão, is the Brazilian port closest to the Panama Canal. It  has the infrastructure and connectivity necessary to move these exports to markets in Asia."With this agreement, the Panama Canal looks to promote the use of the Panamax Locks for grain transits originating in northern Brazil and traveling to markets in Asia" said a statement from Panama Canal Authority."We look forward to a very productive relationship while we work together on our mutual objectives of improving and facilitating global trade…

Venezuela's state-run PDVSA suspended oil storage and shipping from its Caribbean facilities following a move by ConocoPhillips to temporarily seize the firm's assets on four islands, according to a PDVSA source and Reuters data.PDVSA has begun concentrating most shipping in its main crude terminal of Jose on Venezuela's eastern coast and recalling tankers to Venezuelan waters to avoid seizures that would further cut its exports and worsen an economy on the verge of collapse.U.S.…

Major oil producers pushed up high bids at a Gulf of Mexico offshore auction to $121 million on Wednesday, a nearly seven-fold increase from a year ago, as their return to deep water exploration gained momentum. This compared with $18 million in high bids at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) Outer Continental Shelf auction last summer. Winners will be announced after a 90-day review. Some producers have signaled that they expect Gulf of Mexico projects to become more profitable now that they have trimmed operations to adapt to low oil prices.

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has offered a concession to  IBISTEK Limited, a Ghanaian firm towards the development and operations of a container and multi-purpose terminal at the Port of Takoradi. This is part of the Port Authority’s Master Plan and development efforts to equip the Port of Takoradi for future demands. The concession related project works and installations will be executed at a cost of $370million. The terminals, in the long term, could have the capacity of handling One Million Twenty Equivalent Unit (TEUs) containers in line with the GPHA’s projected growth for cargo through the Port of Takoradi. The concession term is 25years.

Hutchison Ports signed an MOU with the Government of Ukraine for the development of Chornomorsk Port on the Black Sea. The MOU was signed by Clemence Cheng, Managing Director Hutchison Ports Europe, and Volodymyr Omelyan, the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure during a visit by the Minister to the Port of Felixstowe. The Minister was joined by Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Natalia Galibarenko. Commenting on the agreement, Clemence Cheng, said, “We are delighted to sign this Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Ukraine to develop container terminal facilities at Chornomorsk. Minister Omelyan added, “I am glad that the world's leading port operator enters Ukraine's maritime market.

The Port of Prince Rupert has commissioned a new shore-based radar regime designed to safely accommodate the port’s growth in vessel traffic and international trade. Shore-based radar builds on the existing vessel traffic service that provides active vessel monitoring and navigational information to vessels at the Port of Prince Rupert. Transmitting data from three tower sites across the port’s coastal shores, the system provides coverage ranging from the northeast of Haida Gwaii to the Alaskan border. “The addition of radar improves the capability of the port to proactively monitor and manage vessel movement in the harbor,” said Don Krusel, President & CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

Calmer seas and Libya's lawlessness have opened the way for smugglers to ship thousands of migrants across the Mediterranean this week, in a striking reminder of how far Europe is from ending the migrant crisis. In just four days, Italy's coastguard and European vessels pulled 13,000 migrants from packed wooden boats and rubber dinghies crossing from Libya's coast through the Strait of Sicily, one of the shortest routes from North Africa. Images from rescue vessels showed migrants crammed into fragile boats, some in orange life jackets, others jumping into the water to swim as rescuers shouted for them to stop. Many were women and children, most of them Subsaharan Africans.

Missiles flew far enough to reach any part of S.Korea. North Korea fired three ballistic missiles on Tuesday which flew between 500 and 600 km (300-360 miles) into the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of provocative moves by the isolated country. The U.S. military said it detected launches of what it believed were two Scud missiles and one Rodong, a home-grown missile based on Soviet-era Scud technology. North Korea has fired both types numerous times in recent years, an indication that unlike recent launches that were seen as efforts by the North to improve its missile capability, Tuesday's were meant as a show of force.

Abu Dhabi Ports, the master developer, operator and manager of ports and Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad) in the Emirate, has renamed its subsidiary, Abu Dhabi Marine Services, as ‘SAFEEN’ –meaning ships in Arabic- in a bid to rebrand itself. The announcement was followed closely by the brand winning the prestigious International Safety Management (ISM) certification from the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Further, as part of expanding its fleet and improving services, SAFEEN  has added a new tug boat named ‘MAQTAA’ to its existing fleet of five tugs, five pilot boats, six  speed boats, one buoy maintenance boat and two oil spill response boats. The company plans to acquire three more tug boats by the end of 2016.

The Indian government’s has been going all out to put the growth of the Indian maritime Industry on a fast track by opening up a host of opportunities, offering goodies and putting in place new facilities. Setting the tone for his keynote address at the 9th Biennial International Conference on Ports, Shipping & Logistics organized by the Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, Nitin Gadkari, Union Ministry of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, government of India assured his all out support to the head honchos of ship owning, ship manning, logistic companies, and other players of the Maritime Industry…

Art Anderson Associates informs it has been awarded a five year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for program and project management as well as other services supporting the Marine Engineering Branch for oceanographic and fisheries research ships and small vessels operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Marine Operations (OMAO). The agreement will allow NOAA to contract with Art Anderson Associates for integration and project management services including acquisition, program and mission management, technical writing, ship construction supervision services, post shakedown availability support and waterfront production oversight. The award is the second major BPA awarded to Art Anderson Associates this year from NOAA.

Abu Dhabi Ports – the master developer, operator and manager of ports and Khalifa Industrial Zone in the Emirate, recently completed extensive redevelopment work at Al Mirfa Port, upgrading its infrastructure and facilities to better serve the community. The extensive redevelopment work is part of Abu Dhabi Ports’ commitment to diversifying the Emirate’s economy by supporting and serving local communities. The infrastructural upgrade, newly established facilities and improved standards of services have now positioned Al Mirfa Port to become the first port dedicated to supporting the fishing industry and community in the Emirate. Praising the variety of services and the overall enhancements completed at Al Mirfa Port, H.E.

Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in the Western Region, H.E. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Ports, officially inaugurated Al Mirfa Port in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Ports – the master developer, operator and manager of ports and Khalifa Industrial Zone in the Emirate, recently completed redevelopment work at Al Mirfa Port, upgrading its infrastructure and facilities.

HYUNDAI MERCHANT MARINE (HMM), the Korean conglomerate operating its ASIA CHENNAI SERVICE (ACS) made an ad hoc call at Krishnapatnam Port on November 26, 2015. ACS service which was launched in 2007 is a direct service ex Chennai to Port Kelang, Singapore, Shanghai, Busan, Ulsan, Hong Kong and Yantian. MV Hyundai Vladivostok Voyage 602E after sailing from Chennai on its east bound route called Krishnapatnam Port Container Terminal (KPCT) on the 26th and sailed the same day carrying 498 export laden containers. This direct service to South East Asia and China will open up more destinations on East Bound Traffic for EXIM players in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana hinterland apart from Karnataka Western Region.

World Wide Metric, a global supplier specializing in the distribution of valves, flanges, piping systems and hydraulic components in JIS and DIN, and ANSI standards, is celebrating its 45th anniversary. In 1970, former ship captain Constantinos Contos, who immigrated to the United States from Greece in 1969, founded a ship repair company in Brooklyn, N.Y. Soon after, he began receiving an abundance of requests for metric valves and flanges from foreign vessels, but despite the demand, metric replacement parts weren’t easy to find stateside.