Maritime Industry Top News
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…
Stranded Suez Ship's Owner, Insurers Face Millions in Claims
The owner and insurers of one of the world's largest container ships stuck in the Suez Canal face claims totaling millions of dollars even if the ship is refloated quickly, industry sources said on Wednesday.The 400-metre, 224,000-tonne Ever Given ran aground on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement, threatening to disrupt global shipments for days.GAC…
Fourteen US States Sue Biden Administration Over Oil and Gas Leasing Pause
Fourteen U.S. states including Louisiana and Wyoming filed suits on Wednesday against President Joe Biden's administration to challenge his pause on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters.The legal actions, which seek to restore regular federal drilling auctions, come a day before the administration is set to launch a review of the oil and gas leasing program.Biden, a Democrat, in January signed an executive order putting on hold new leasing pending that review.
Transpacific Trade Imbalance Increasing Even as Port Jams Ease - BIMCO
The year 2021 has started in much the same way as 2020 ended for U.S. container imports; import volumes are still surging. As per usual seasonality, volumes came down a little in January and February, though this year the drop wasn’t as steep as usual, says shipping organization BIMCO. Imports by the two San Pedro Bay ports in California rose 27.8% in the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2020.
Video: Ill Tanker Crewmember Medevaced off Bermuda
An ailing crewmember was medevaced from an oil tanker off the coast of Bermuda on Friday.Rescue Coordination Center Bermuda notified watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center in Portsmouth of an ill crewmember aboard the Malta-flagged tanker Antonis last Wednesday at approximately 1 p.m.The Coast Guard coordinated the rendezvous of two nearby commercial vessels to deliver…
UK Royal Navy Developing Surveillance Vessel to Protect Critical Subsea Infrastructure
The UK Royal Navy is developing a "Multi Role Ocean Surveillance ship (MROSS)" aimed at protecting critical subsea infrastructure from threat.In a statement on Wednesday, the UK Ministry of Defence said the ship would come into service by 2024."[MROSS] will be a surface vessel, with a crew of around 15 people who will conduct research to help the Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence protect our undersea critical national infrastructure and keep our lives and livelihoods secure from threat…
DNV Grants AIP for LNG-fueled Bulk Carrier Design
French engineering firm GTT and Chinese ship designer SDARI have received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society DNV for a new technical solution applied to liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled Newcastlemax bulk carriers.GTT said it designed the vessel's membrane tank up to the supporting steel wall and its integration into the vessel was studied by SDARI. The AIP confirms that the membrane…
Asia’s First Ship-to-containership LNG Bunkering Performed in Singapore
Asia's first ship-to-containership liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation was undertaken in Singapore on Wednesday as vessel owner and operators continue to turn to the cleaner burning fuel to reduce their emissions and Singapore ramps up its efforts to become an LNG bunkering hub.French shipping company CMA CGM, a large adopter of LNG fuel for its containerships, said its vessel CMA CGM Scandola was fueled with 7…
First Crude Cargo from Guyana to India Sets Sail
The first cargo from new oil producer Guyana to the world's third-largest crude importer, India, departed this month from a production facility off the South American nation's coast in a vessel chartered by trading firm Trafigura, data from Refinitiv Eikon showed on Tuesday.India has asked refiners to speed up the diversification of imports to cut their dependence on Middle Eastern crudes after OPEC+ this month decided to extend production cuts through April…
