Maritime Industry Top News
India, ASEAN Leaders Agree to Boost Maritime Cooperation
The leaders of India and southeast Asia agreed on Thursday to boost their maritime ties at a summit in New Delhi, as they seek to balance the increasing weight of China across the region. India is hosting the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Regional Cooperation (ASEAN) and the summit comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pursuing an “Act East” policy of developing ties with these countries.
Domestic Maritime Training: In Extremis
The built-for-purpose National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) training ship comes to life. Anybody who has spent four years at a State Maritime Academy (SMA)…
Calais Port Paralyzed by Protest over Pulse Fishing
French fishermen blockaded Calais throughout Thursday, halting shipping movements at France's busiest passenger port and a major entry point to Europe for British goods, in protest at losses inflicted by the practice of electric pulse fishing. A flotilla of fishing vessels set out at dawn from nearby Boulogne, the biggest fishing port, and blocked the narrow shipping channel into Calais, said fisherman Stephane Pinto.
Coast Guard to Offload $721 Mln of Seized Cocaine
The U.S. Coast Guard will offload more than 47,000 pounds of cocaine worth over $721 million Thursday at 9:30 a.m., which was seized in 23 separate interdictions in the eastern Pacific Ocean by U.S. and Canadian forces operating in international waters off the coast of Central and South America. Senior U.S. and Canadian officials will be at the offload to discuss new tactics used by transnational organized…
Golar Agrees 15-year LNG Import Terminal Deal for Jamaica
Norwegian shipping company Golar LNG Partners will deploy a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) to Jamaica for up to 15 years from the fourth quarter of 2018…
Towing Vessel Ablaze on the Lower Mississippi
A push boat is ablaze on the lower Mississippi after a fire reportedly broke out in the vessel’s engine room Thursday morning. The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding to a fire aboard uninspected towing vessel George King at mile marker 390 on the lower Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Miss. Other local agencies are also involved in emergency response efforts. The nine crewmembers aboard George King were able to safely disembark to the dry cargo barges the vessel was pushing.
Seacor Orders Hybrid Power and DP Upgrades
Kongsberg has received an order to deliver unique ‘Full Picture’ technology upgrades for a further three Platform Supply Vessels (PSV) owned by Mantenimiento Express Marítimo SAPI de CV (“MEXMAR”), Seacor Marine’s joint venture in Mexico. The contract follows the September 2017 contract for the same ground-breaking upgrade package on the Seacor Maya PSV, which was an important step taken by MEXMAR…
CSSC Listed Businesses to Get Capital Injections for Shipyards
China State Shipbuilding Corporation's listed units CSSC Holdings and CSSC Offshore & Marine plan to bring in major investors to inject about 10.2 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) of capital into four shipyards. China's shipyards have been suffering from a prolonged downturn in the shipping industry and both companies said the planned capital increases were part of the government's wider "supply-side structural reform policy".
Sentinel Awarded Contract for Patrol Vessel Charter
Aberdeen-based Sentinel Marine has been awarded a contract to provide a patrol vessel to be chartered by the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) in international and EU waters. Lundy Sentinel is one of the firm’s growing fleet of new built multi-role emergency response and rescue vessels (ERRVs). The contract to charter the Lundy Sentinel is for an initial period of two years, with an option to extend for a further two years.
Lengthened Research Vessel Gets a New Life
The R/V Connecticut operated by the University of Connecticut (UConn) Marine Sciences program was recently lengthened from 76 feet to 90 feet, giving scientists and crew on board the oceanographic research vessel some much needed extra space. The 1998-built R/V Connecticut had been operating at its original length of 76 feet since its construction, but the vessel required additional staterooms and lab space.
Autonomous Ship Research Center Opened in Finland
Rolls-Royce’s new research facility in Turku, Finland provides a space for the company and its partners to develop technologies that will help shape the future of an increasingly more autonomous global shipping industry. Officially opened on January 25, the new R&D center, which Rolls-Royce calls the Research & Development Center for Autonomous Ships, will focus on projects relating to autonomous navigation…
China Agrees to Joint Sanchi Collision Probe
The maritime authorities of China, Panama, Iran and Hong Kong on Thursday signed an agreement to jointly investigate a collision in the East China Sea that caused…
Euronav Freight Rates Slide, but Q4 Results Beat Street
Belgian crude oil shipper Euronav's freight rates in the fourth quarter hit their lowest level since 2012, hurt by excess available tonnage, the company said on Thursday.
Keppel Posts First Quarterly Loss in 14 Years
Singaporean conglomerate Keppel Corp swung to its first quarterly net loss in 14 years, after accounting for a huge fine its rig-building unit agreed to pay to resolve…
Protesting Fishermen Block Calais Port
French fishermen blockaded Calais on Thursday, halting shipping movements at France's busiest passenger port and a major entry point to Europe for British goods…
River Rhine in South Germany Still Closed to Shipping
The Rhine in southern Germany remained closed to shipping on Thursday after a sharp rise in water levels and the river is likely to stay closed into the weekend, German authorities said.
Gunvor Gets Approval for Rotterdam Refinery Upgrade
The Netherlands has given provisional approval to Gunvor to add a fuel upgrading unit at its Rotterdam refinery, according to a document seen by Reuters, as the…
Subsea 7 Bags Contracts Offshore Norway
Subsea 7 S.A. said it was awarded a contract from Statoil for the Johan Castberg field development, located 240 km from Hammerfest in Norway. The contract comprises the design…
Maersk Drilling Axes Dozens of Staff
Maersk Drilling USA is laying off 84 employees who work aboard the Maersk Viking (UDW drillship), located in the Gulf of Mexico, and report directly to the company’s office in Houston…
Hutchison Ports BEST Upgrades Cranes
Hutchison Ports BEST terminal in Barcelona has increased its ability to handle the world’s largest container ships by increasing the height of three ship-to-shore…
