Maritime Industry Top News
Greece, Italy to Sign Accord on Maritime Zones
Greece and Italy will sign an agreement on maritime boundaries during a visit by Italy's foreign minister to Athens on Tuesday, the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry said.The deal follows months of tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean region over natural resources. Turkey, Greece and Cyprus have been caught in a complex diplomatic standoff over the issue.Details of the deal were not immediately available.Italian…
Mellquist Tapped as Next President at Volvo Penta
Heléne Mellquist has been appointed as President Volvo Penta and new member of Volvo Group Management. She will replace Björn Ingemanson, who is retiring. Mellquist, born in 1964, currently holds the position as President for the European Division at Volvo Trucks. Her career at the Volvo Group began in 1988 and she has held many senior positions at the company. She has also held the position as CEO at TransAtlantic 2012-2015.
Gula Skrinet AB to Acquire Caterpillar Propulsion AB
Gula Skrinet AB reached an agreement with Caterpillar Luxembourg Sarl to acquire Caterpillar Propulsion AB and its subsidiaries. The sale is expected to close on June 30, 2020. Caterpillar Propulsion AB, formerly Berg Propulsion AB, is a manufacturer of mechanically and electrically driven propulsion systems and marine controls for ships.The proposed acquisition includes Caterpillar Propulsion AB and its subsidiaries…
Temasek Supports Sembcorp Marine's $1.5B Rights Issue
Singapore's Temasek Holdings stepped in on Monday to support a S$2.1 billion ($1.5 billion) rights issue by Sembcorp Marine as the state investor moves to help the city-state's struggling rig-building sector.Following the deal, loss-making Sembcorp Marine, which has been hit hard by an industry downturn, plans to demerge from its parent company Sembcorp Industries."It's just the next step in Singapore's long overdue consolidation of the offshore and marine sector…
U.S. Gulf of Mexico Oil Firms Resuming Output as Storm Passes
Energy companies on Monday began preparations to resume oil and gas production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, a day after Tropical Storm Cristobal blew through with high winds and heavy rains.Producers had evacuated 182 offshore facilities and shut in about a third of oil and gas production in U.S. Gulf of Mexico wells as of Monday.Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Murphy Oil Corp and BP Plc were among the companies…
Shell Cuts Havila Crusader PSV Charter
Norwegian offshore vessel provider Havila Shipping has said that Shell has cut the contract for the Havila Crusader platform supply vessel early.The vessel was chartered from January 18, 2020, for a period of 2 wells firm in the UK, when, according to Havila Shipping, the parties agreed on an estimated charter period of one year. "The parties have different views on the obligation of Shell UK Limited in a charter party based on 2 wells.
Genco Makes First Full Crew Change Under Singapore's New Rules
U.S.-based drybulk shipowner Genco Shipping & Trading Limited announced the successful full crew change of the Genco Liberty, a 180,032 DWT Capesize vessel, marking the first full crew change under new COVID-19 protocols in Singapore. A total of 37 seafarers were involved in this crew change, which was completed on June 6, 2020 and executed in accordance with protocols established by Genco, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and the Synergy Group.John C.
Höegh Xiamen Fire Contained
A three-alarm fire that broke out aboard vehicle carrier Höegh Xiamen in the Port of Jacksonville last week continues to burn but has been controlled and contained, authorities said Monday.Firefighters with Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) and specialist marine firefighters with Resolve Marine Group are working to maintain the structural integrity of the 600-foot roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) ship and reduce the threat of any environmental impact to the river.
Fednav Combines Its Shipping Business Units
Canadian bulk shipping company Fednav said Monday it will reorganizing its commercial and technical shipping businesses under one management entity.The Marine Department, led by Executive Vice-President Tina Revsbech, will unite the traditional Chartering and Operations teams with their counterparts in the Shipowning, Technical, and Arctic units.In addition, Fednav announced the appointment of Isabelle Brassard as Senior Vice-President…
US Sanctions on Iranian Shipping Network Take Effect
U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran's shipping network took effect on Monday, months after they were announced in December following accusations of supporting proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement on Monday warned commercial and maritime industries, governments and others that they risked U.S. sanctions if they did business with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and its Shanghai-based subsidiary…
More than Half of Theodore Roosevelt Crew Have Coronavirus Antibodies
A U.S. Navy investigation into the spread of the coronavirus aboard the Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier has found that about 60 percent of sailors tested had antibodies for the virus, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday, suggesting a far higher infection rate than previously known.In April, the Navy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started conducting serology tests…
Vigor Wins Contract to Overhaul Hospital Ship Mercy
Vigor Marine has been awarded a $56,450,644 firm-fixed-price contract for a 210-calendar day split shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry docking of the hospital ship U.S. Naval Ship Mercy (T-AH 19).Work will be performed in Portland, Ore., and is expected to be complete by August 2021. The deal includes one base period and 17 options that, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value to $61,201,329.
Pandemic Offers Scientists a Chance to 'Hear' the Oceans
Eleven years ago, environmental scientist Jesse Ausubel dreamed aloud in a commencement speech: What if scientists could record the sounds of the ocean in the days before propeller-driven ships and boats spanned the globe?They would listen to chit-chat between blue whales hundreds of miles apart. They would record the familiar chirps and clicks among a pod of dolphins. And they would do so without…
Cheoy Lee Building WFSV Pair for Japanese Wind Farms
Currently under construction at Cheoy Lee Shipyards' Hin Lee (Zhuhai) Shipyard facility are two 27-meter wind farm support vessels (WFSV) to support operations and maintenance of the Akita and Noshiro offshore wind farms, in the Akita Prefecture region of Japan.The first WFSV is set to be launched in December this year, with the delivery to the operator Akita Offshore Wind Corporation (AOW) in early…
Ship Operators File Lashing Complaint With EC
Six European shortsea and feeder ship operators have filed an official complaint to the European Commission, claiming International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) attempts to force ships to use dockers for container lashing violate EU competition law.In a letter to the Directorate-General for Competition dated May 19, 2020, the operators call for an official investigation into the ITF and affiliated Dutch union FNV Bondgnoten…
US Agencies Ink MOU for Hawaii Emergency Harbor Assessments
The U.S. Coast Guard signed a memorandum of understanding in June with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Coast Survey, State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, and United States Army Corps of Engineers regarding maritime emergency harbor assessments within federal waterways in Hawaii.This agreement means the partners can work more efficiently and effectively to assess the State's harbors following disasters…
Mike Hooks Orders New Dredge at MPW
Mike Hooks, LLC has signed a deal with Mobile, Ala. fabricator Mobile Pulley Works (MPW) to design and build a new 27-inch cutter suction dredge (CSD).The new CSD Lorraine Hooks is being designed to the latest industry standards to maximize safety, comfort, and efficiency. The dredge will house on-board crew accommodations to provide comfort and convenience for personnel while they are onboard. The…
Energean Power FPSO Topside Installation Work Kicks Off
Work on Energean's Energean Power FPSO in Singapore has begun as Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard, Singapore, reopened on June 2, after the COVID-19 lockdown.The FPSO hull arrived from China in April for topside integration works in Singapore, however, on arrival, the yard operations were shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Energean on Monday said that on 2 June 2020, the Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard…
US Weighs Blacklisting More Oil Tankers Over Venezuela
The United States is considering imposing sanctions on dozens of additional foreign oil tankers for trading with Venezuela, U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday, the latest effort to sever what Washington sees as a lifeline for President Nicolas Maduro.Some sanctions could be announced in the near term while others could be imposed over a longer period if the trading activity persists in violation of U.S.
Injured Crewman Medevaced from Disabled Maersk Containership
The U.S. Coast Guard said it medevaced a Maersk containership crewmember injured by an engine room blast that disabled the vessel off the U.S. East Coast.The Coast Guard said watchstanders at its Fifth District command center received a report on Thursday evening that an explosion occurred in the engine room of the Danish-flagged cargo ship Laura Maersk, which burned a crewmember and disabled the vessel.Aircrews…
