Wong News

More than 100 people died after a ferry boat sank off the northern coast of Mozambique, President Filipe Nyusi said on Monday, and almost 20 others were still missing.An official from the country's Maritime Transport Institute (INTRASMAR) said the vessel carrying 130 passengers was an overloaded fishing boat and was not licensed to transport people.It was ferrying people from Lunga in Nampula province to Mozambique Island on Sunday, Lourenco Machado, an administrator of INTRASMAR…

At least 94 people died, including children, and 26 are missing after a ferry boat capsized off the northern coast of Mozambique, an official from the country's Maritime Transport Institute (INTRASMAR) said.The vessel was an overloaded fishing boat and was not licensed to transport people, Lourenco Machado, an administrator of INSTRASMAR, said on state television on Monday."On Sunday we registered a maritime incident where at least 94 people died when a barge carrying 130 people capsized.

Mexico's state energy company Pemex said on Saturday that a fire broke out at one of its platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, adding that it had activated emergency protocols and contained it but that nine workers were injured in the accident.Pemex said in a statement that two of the workers were its own employees and seven were from other companies, adding that none were severely injured.The fire broke out late afternoon in a part of the Akal B platform where gas pipelines are located.Videos…

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Iran-aligned Houthis fired on Tuesday one close-range ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon in the Red Sea, but it did not hit the vessel and there were no injuries or damage reported."United States Central Command and a coalition vessel successfully engaged and destroyed two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen," CENTCOM added in a statement early on Wednesday.(Reuters - Reporting by Enas Alashray; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

The Singapore government has recounted the achievements of Maritime Singapore to date to highlight the nation’s successes as a maritime hub in 2023:Total business spending by key maritime companies overseen by MPA exceeded S$4.8 billion, up from S$4.3 billion in 2022. Twenty-five maritime companies established or expanded their operations in Singapore last year. These included maritime services companies and companies setting up sustainability desks in Singapore as part of their…

One of two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis at the container vessel M/V MSC SKY II in the Gulf of Aden hit the ship and caused "damage", the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday.Initial reports indicated no injuries and the Liberian-flagged, Swiss-owned container vessel did not request assistance and continued on its way, CENTCOM said in a statement.A military spokesperson for the Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday that they targeted the vessel with "a number of suitable naval missiles".

Fueltrax reports it has won a series of contracts from a group of deep sea and offshore support vessel operators working with a global oil company in Southeast Asia.Of 30 ships that implemented a fuel management system at the urging of their oil company customer to ensure accurate fuel usage transparency and emissions tracking, 28 of them chose the Fueltrax Electronic Fuel Management System (EFMS), the Texas-based company said.The patented Fueltrax EFMS measures direct fuel consumption and transfers on board, enabling vessel operators to reduce operational and fuel costs.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis fired missiles at two vessels in the Red Sea, they said on Tuesday, causing minor damage to a cargo ship that was sailing off the coast of Yemen's Hodeidah.The Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels with drones and missiles in the Red Sea since mid-November, in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.The group's military spokesman said it fired naval missiles at the Morning Tide and Star Nasia…

A climate change protest off Australia's east coast disrupted operations at the country's biggest coal export port on Saturday, the port operator said.Climate activist group Rising Tide, which claimed responsibility for the action, said around 1,500 people were at the protest, 300 of them in the shipping channel near the Port of Newcastle, as part of a 30-hour blockade set to run until 4 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Sunday.Climate change is a divisive issue in Australia, the world's biggest exporter of thermal coal behind Indonesia…

China is willing to provide necessary information in accordance with international law regarding an investigation on damage to a Baltic Sea gas pipeline, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday at a regular press briefing.The damage earlier this month is believed to have been caused by a ship dragging a large anchor along the seabed, but it was too early to tell if this was an accident or a deliberate act, Finnish police said on Tuesday.

Japan will ensure stable and steady energy supply to the country even after the U.S. imposed fresh sanctions related to Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Tuesday.The Arctic LNG 2 project is operated by Russia's Novatek while Japanese trading company Mitsui & Co and state-owned Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) hold a combined 10% stake.Mitsui and JOGMEC are set to receive a combined 2 million metric tons of LNG per year from the project.The latest sanctions are part of several economic measures the U.S.…

Shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk warned on Friday of a steeper decline in global demand for shipping containers by sea this year, prompted by muted economic growth and customers reducing inventories.The company, one of the world's biggest container shippers with a market share of around 17%, said it expects container volumes to fall by as much as 4%. It had previously forecast a decline of no more than 2.5%.Maersk transports goods for retailers and consumer companies such as Walmart…

Inspections of ships moving grains from Ukraine have restarted after a pause which threatened to shut down the Black Sea shipping corridor, the RIA news agency cited the Russian foreign ministry as saying on Tuesday. A ministry official quoted by RIA blamed Monday's interruption on Ukraine's failure to observe agreed procedures but said the issue has been resolved. Kyiv said on Monday the U.N.-brokered initiative allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain was in danger of shutting down after Russia blocked inspections of participating ships in Turkish waters.Pyotr Ilyichyov…

China's defense ministry said on Friday that it yet again had to monitor and drive away the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Milius that entered its territorial waters in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands."We sternly demand the U.S. to immediately stop such provocative acts, otherwise it will bear the serious consequences of unforeseen incidents," a spokesperson said in a statement from the Ministry of National Defence.The U.S. Navy said the guided-missile destroyer was asserting…

India has withdrawn trading licenses for oil tankers and bulk carriers that are more than 25 years old, its shipping regulator said, as the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter looks to cut emissions and reduce the average age of its fleet. The order also bans acquisition of such vessels that are more than two decades old. Under current guidelines, vessels that are less than 25 years old can be acquired without any technical clearance. "There is a need to modernize the Indian fleet…

Chevron's shipping arm has set out to reduce the carbon intensity of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) fleet operations.The U.S.-based supermajor said Chevron Shipping Company has entered into an agreement with Singapore's Sembcorp Marine Repairs & Upgrades to install new technologies aboard its vessels, such as a reliquefication system, hull air lubrication and a new gas compressor, that are together expected to reduce cargo boil-off, lower fuel consumption and increase volumes…

The increasing need to secure energy supplies after easing COVID-19 restrictions has pushed China to gradually resume Australian coal imports and urge domestic miners to boost their already record output.The lifting of the unofficial ban on Australian coal imports, which were halted in 2020 in a fit of Chinese pique over questions on COVID's origins, is the clearest sign yet of the renewed ties between them. The resumption is also a reminder of their economic interdependence as Australia's raw materials play a crucial role in fuelling the export-oriented economy of China…

Singapore-based shipbuilder Sembcorp Marine has delivered Deepwater Titan, the world’s second 8th-generation drillship, to Transocean subsidiary Triton Titan GmBH.Deepwater Titan is the second of two new 8th-generation drillships constructed by Sembcorp Marine based on the group’s Jurong Espadon 3T design. The dual-derrick drillship is the first-ever unit delivered with two 20,000-psi blowout preventers (BOPs), well-control, riser and piping systems for high-pressure and high-temperature drilling and completion operations.

China's soybean stocks are set to tighten further as delays in shipments from the United States deepen shortages of key animal feed ingredient soymeal, keeping prices at record highs.Ships carrying up to three million tonnes of U.S. soybeans which were scheduled to arrive this month and in November are likely to get delayed by about 15 to 20 days, two soybean traders told Reuters.While U.S. cargo delays are likely to weigh on benchmark Chicago soybean futures, tight soymeal supplies will buoy Chinese hog prices.

China's soybean stocks are set to tighten further as delays in shipments from the United States deepen shortages of key animal feed ingredient soymeal, keeping prices at record highs. Ships carrying up to three million tonnes of U.S. soybeans which were scheduled to arrive this month and in November are likely to get delayed by about 15 to 20 days, two soybean traders told Reuters. While U.S. cargo delays are likely to weigh on benchmark Chicago soybean futures, tight soymeal supplies will buoy Chinese hog prices.

A U.S. Treasury official has ruled out secondary sanctions to enforce a price cap mechanism on Russian oil exports despite a proposal last week by U.S. senators.Democratic and Republican senators last week proposed that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration use secondary sanctions on international banks to strengthen the price cap aimed at capping Russia's oil revenues while minimizing the impact on global markets and prices."We don't think secondary sanctions are needed," Catherine Wolfram, deputy assistant secretary for climate and energy economics at the U.S.

A Stella Maris chaplain is supporting crew onboard ships berthed at Felixstowe port amid the ongoing dockworkers strike.Julian Wong had gone on board the container vessel George Washington Bridge which arrived in Felixstowe on August 19 before the start of the strike, to meet the crew and left them his contact details in case they needed to get in touch.The ship was scheduled to leave the port on August 20, but its departure was delayed, so the crew had to stay on board. On August 24…

Steerprop, a designer and manufacturer of high-performance propulsion systems, has won a major order to supply the complete propulsion package for Maersk Supply Service's recently ordered Wind Installation Vessel (WIV). Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine Ltd, which has secured a contract for the construction of the vessel for Maersk Supply Service, ordered the propulsion package from Steerprop.Steerprop's scope includes six ducted L-drive azimuth propulsors with an output power of 4500 kW and two 900 kW Steerprop Tunnel Thrusters for dynamic positioning…