Maritime Industry Top News
Neptun Werft Delivers River Cruise Pair to Viking
German shipbuilder Neptun Werft said on Thursday it has delivered two new river cruise ships to the shipping company Viking River Cruises (Basel).The ships, to be named Viking Gymir and Viking Egdir, are the last two river cruise ships in the builder's current order book, ending a string of 65 sister ship deliveries for Viking River Cruises ordered at Neptun Werft from 2010 onward."More than a decade ago we launched this series of ships…
Keel Laid for Jan De Nul's Giant Offshore Installation Unit
Offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul has informed that the keel-laying ceremony was held in China for its offshore installation vessel Voltaire. The vessel will, once delivered, be able to install the world's largest offshore wind turbines.The keel-laying ceremony for the jack-up unit was held Thursday at the Cosco Shipping Shipyard in Nantong, China, in the presence of Jan De Nul, Cosco’s and…
Israeli-owned Cargo Ship Hit by Missile in Arabian Sea
A cargo ship owned by an Israeli company was damaged by a missile in the Arabian Sea on Thursday in what was suspected to be an Iranian attack, an Israeli security official said.The official…
Suez Canal Authority Considering Dredging Around Grounded Containership
The Suez Canal Authority said on Thursday it had discussed the option of dredging around a vast container ship stranded in the waterway during a meeting with a rescue team from Dutch firm Smit Salvage.Current efforts to free the ship include the use of two dredgers, nine tugs, and four diggers on the canal bank, the authority added in a statement.(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Aidan Lewis Editing by Gareth Jones)
Harvey Gulf Wins GoM Contracts with Shell, Marubeni
U.S. offshore vessel operator Harvey Gulf Subsea Solutions has won contracts for two of its Gulf of Mexico vessels.The first scope is for Marubeni Oil & Gas Inc. and will utilize the Harvey Intervention vessel for a project that includes hydrate remediation, removing and replacing HFLs, a tree pod change out, and, finally, a marine life survey.The second scope will be for Shell, where Harvey will use its Harvey Blue Sea vessel for a term flotel project.
Ship Blocking Suez Canal Could Be Stuck for Weeks
A containership blocking the Suez Canal like a "beached whale" may take weeks to free, the salvage company said, as officials stopped all ships entering the channel on Thursday in a new setback for global trade.The 400-meter Ever Given, almost as long as the Empire State Building is high, is blocking transit in both directions through one of the world's busiest shipping channels for oil and grain and…
Secondhand Bulker Market on Pace for Record Year -BIMCO
The ownership of dry bulk ships has changed hands at blistering speed in the first three months of 2021, says shipping organization BIMCO, pointing out that the course is now set for a record year in the bulk ship sale and purchase market.A total of 794 ships were bought and sold in 2020, with the smaller sectors of Handysize and Supramax being most popular. Not even three months into 2021, 279 dry bulk ships have been traded…
Specialist Salvage Teams Join Efforts to Refloat Ever Given in the Suez Canal
Salvage teams from the Netherlands and Japan have been hired to devise a plan to refloat a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal, the company leasing the vessel said on Thursday.Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp said Dutch firm Smit Salvage and Japan’s Nippon Salvage had been appointed by the ship’s owner and would work alongside its captain and the Suez Canal Authority on a plan to refloat it.“Evergreen Line will continue to coordinate with the shipowner and Suez Canal Authority to deal wit
Japanese Shipowner Apologizes for Suez Canal Grounding
Shoei Kisen, the Japanese owner of a containership stuck in the Suez Canal that is holding up potentially billions of dollars of traded goods, apologized on Thursday and added that it was working toward a resolution of the situation.It said getting the ship moving was “extremely difficult”, but that there were no injuries or oil spillage caused by it running aground.“We sincere apologize for causing a great deal of concern…
Klaveness Combination Carriers Takes Delivery of 'MV Bass'
Norwegian shipowner Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC) on Thursday took delivery of the MV Bass vessel from New Yangzi Shipyard in China. The MV Bass is the seventh of in total eight contracted CLEANBU combination carriers. MV Bass is scheduled to load her first cargo of clean petroleum products towards the end of April, KCC said."Like her sister vessels, the MV Bass has been named after a fish/sea creature…
Total to Supply LNG to MSC Cruises' Ships in Marseille
French oil and gas major Total has struck a deal with cruise line MSC Cruises to supply around 45,000 tons per year of LNG to MSC Cruises’ upcoming LNG-powered cruise ships to make calls in the port of Marseille (France).According to the statement on Thursday, MSC Cruises’ LNG-powered vessels will be amongst the most technologically advanced cruise ships in the world, bringing a range of environmental innovations to the market…
USTC Acquires 60% Stake in CM Biomas
USTC has acquired 60% of CM Biomass, the world’s largest independent wood pellet trading company, a move designed to consolidate USTC as a global force in shipping and trade. USTC, which has a long history within commodity trade, shipping, and logistics, has acquired the stake of CM Biomass, a company in theCopenhagen Merchants Group. The remaining 40% will be held by the existing owners, and the CM…
Suez Canal Traffic Suspended as Efforts Continue to Dislodge Grounded Ship
The Suez Canal temporarily suspended traffic on Thursday as efforts to dislodge a 400 m (430 yard) long container vessel that has blocked the waterway continued for a third day, with eight tugs working to straighten the ship.The Ever Given vessel, almost as long as the Empire State Building is high, ran aground diagonally across the single-lane stretch of the southern canal on Tuesday morning after…
Petronas Becomes First Company to Produce LNG from Two FLNG Units
Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas has become the first energy company to produce LNG from two floating LNG facilities, after the LNG shipment was delivered by its floating LNG facility PFLNG DUA on Wednesday, March 24.The cargo was loaded onto the Seri Camar LNG Carrier operated by MISC Bhd for shipment to our LNG Buyer in Thailand. The PFLNG DUOA is located at Block H Rotan gas field, around 140 kilometers offshore Sabah…
James Fisher to Add LNG-fueled Vessels to Its Fleet
U.K.-based James Fisher said it will add two liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel product tankers to its fleet during 2022.The 6,000dwt vessels will be traded by James Fisher Everard (JFE).Specifically designed for ports with restricted access around the coastline of Northern Europe, the IMO II vessels are said to be the first product tankers of their size with the capability to run on LNG fuel.Eoghan O’Lionaird…
Gulf Island Shipyards Delivers New Tug to Bay-Houston
Bay-Houston Towing Co. in January took delivery of the final tug in a series of five ordered from Gulf Island Shipyards LLC in 2018.George M and its four sister vessels are Z-Tech 30-80 tugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd. The series' first tug Mark E. Kuebler was delivered in 2019.Robert Allan Ltd. said the Z-Tech 30-80 design incorporates its unique RAstar series sponsoned hull form in the existing Z-Tech design…
US CDC Order Limiting Cruises to Remain Effective Until Nov. 1
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday it would keep its stringent framework for a resumption of cruise ship operations until November 1, rebuffing an industry body’s push to lift the order early.Earlier on Wednesday, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) had urged the CDC to allow for a return to sailing from U.S.
Ever Given Grounding Causes Vessel Logjam In and Near the Suez Canal
Dozens of ships carrying everything from oil to consumer goods have been delayed by the grounding of a vessel in the Suez Canal, and companies may have to reroute cargoes around Africa if the blockage extends beyond 24 hours, shipping sources said.Efforts were underway on Wednesday to refloat the 400-meter, 224,000-tonne Ever Given, which got stranded on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to…
MAN's ME-GI Engines Ordered for 10 VLCC Newbuilds
MAN Energy Solutions said Wednesday it has won an order to supply its MAN B&W 7G80ME-GI Mk9.5 dual-fuel engines for a series of 10 300,000-dwt very large crude carriers (VLCC) being built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) in South Korea. HSD Engine will construct the engines, also in Korea.The newbuilds—including four for Advantage Tankers, three for AET and three for International Seaways—will operate globally on charter to oil major Shell.
Oil Gains More Than $3/bbl After Suez Canal Ship Grounding
Oil prices jumped about 6% on Wednesday after a ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, and worries that the incident could tie up crude shipments gave prices a boost after a slide over the last week.The crude benchmarks, U.S. crude and London-based Brent, added to gains after U.S. inventory figures showed a further rebound in refining activity, suggesting U.S. refiners are mostly recovered from the cold snap that slammed Texas in February.Brent crude settled at $64.41 a barrel…
