Prime Minister Inaugurates Merchant Navy week celebrations

The 45^th National Maritime Day celebrations began with the inauguration of Merchant Navy Week by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

The Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways, Thiru T.R. Baalu pinned the first miniature merchant navy flag on the wearing apparel of the Prime Minister. On this occasion, the secretary, Shri. A.P.V.N Sharma also pinned the merchant navy flag on the wearing apparel of Thiru T.R. Baalu. Merchant Navy Week is celebrated throughout the country every year culminating into National Maritime Day on 5^th April, in commemoration of the sailing of the first Indian Vessel SS Loyalty on its maiden voyage on 5^th April 1919 from Mumbai to London. The principle objective of the Merchant Navy Week and the National maritime Day celebrations is to create awareness amongst the countrymen about the Indian shipping industry and to underline its vital role in bolstering the country’s economy. The activities of the shipping industry and the requirement of seafarers are highlighted during the week long celebrations through different media which include special newspaper features, brochures/souvenirs, seminars, radio/TV programs, workshops, exhibitions, competitions etc.
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Tianjin 300,000-tonnage crude oil dock to start operation

The 300,000-tonnage crude oil dock in the northern Chinese municipality of Tianjin is expected to start trial operation in September 2008.

Having built the body of the hydraulic works, the company is looking to complete the whole project in August. By far, RMB740 million (US$102.2 million) has been invested in the project, compared with the plan of RMB1.379 billion (US$190.5 million) total investment. After achieving completion, the wharf apron of the port can berth 100,000 to 300,000-tonne very large crude carriers (VLCC) and have an annual handling capacity of 20 million tonnes. Port of Tianjin's area is to be expanded to 100 square kilometres from the current 30 square kilometres by 2010. The port is building several new terminals, which includes 22 berths of more than 10,000 tonnes with an aggregate capacity of 138 million tonnes. After these projects are finished, the port's capacity will be raised to 290 million tonnes.

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Mitsui-MAN B&W Diesel Engine Achieves World Record

This world record is established when MES completes the construction of Mitsui-MAN B&W 6S50MC-C Mark 7 at its Tamano Works for Sanoyasu Hishino Meisho Corporation (with president Mr. Shinich Kimura), who will install such engine to a chip carrier of 4.35 million cubic feet to her owner, Mitsui OSK Lines.

In the wake of growing demand for new shipbuilding boosted by active ocean cargo transport, the production of diesel engine by MES is significantly increasing recently. Only after two years and five months since MES achieved 50-million horsepower production in October 2005, it establishes accumulated 60 million-horse power record since it produced the first engine in 1928. The annual production in fiscal year 2006 was 4.01 million horsepower and will be 4.63 million, the record high annual production, in fiscal year 2007. Since the technical agreement with B&W, Denmark (presently MAN B&W) in 1926 on the production of diesel engine, MES has been producing engines with excellent records as a leading engine manufacturer of the world. MES is also strengthening the after-service sector of the engine business including the newly developed Marine Diesel Engine Performance/Life Expectancy Diagnosis System (product names “e-GICS” and "e-GICSW”) to which the communications satellite and internet are fully utilized and is committed to ensure the high quality customer service.
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Ground broken for new Chouest shipyard

Gary Chouest and company broke ground in Houma, La., on March 28 at the new LaShip shipyard site.

Among the many attending the ceremony was Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. LaShip will likely become the largest fabrication and shipbuilding facility in Edison Chouest Offshore's worldwide operation, employing 1,000 workers skilled in shipyard trades. Construction of the yard is expected to be one of the single largest economic development projects for the Port of Terrebonne in the last 10 years.

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China Shipping to spend $3.3 bln buying vessels

China Shipping Development plans to spend 23 billion yuan ($3.3 billion) to buy 59 vessels over the next five years, more than doubling its capacity to ride an anticipated upswell in global trade.

The oil and coal carrier, which is building up a fleet of more than 180 ships to meet the heavy resource needs of China's fast-growing economy, the world's fourth-largest, currently maintains a total capacity of 7.82 million deadweight tonnes (dwt), Chairman Li Shaode told. The 59 vessels, to be delivered in the years until 2012, come with a collective capacity of 8.69 million dwt and will more than double the firm's shipping capability, he said. The amount to be spent exceeded previous expectations. Li told early this month that his firm, which began shipping iron ore for steel making last year, intended to spend about $2.8 billion over five years to double its capacity.

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Ports' distillate fuel plan is official

The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach officially adopted an incentive scheme for ships to use distillate fuel in the port area.

"This joint effort demonstrates once again that these two ports are world leaders in aggressively and dramatically advancing environmental protection," said Los Angeles Harbor Commission President S. David Freeman. Under the scheme, the two port authorities will subsidize shipowners to use distillate fuel instead of fuel oil bunkers in the main engines of their ships. Sulphur oxides (SOx) will be cut by as much as 11% and particulate matter (PM) by 9%, according to their figures. "Ships are the No. 1 pollution source here at the ports and we don't want to keep waiting for state regulations to kick in,"said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Mario Cordero. Next year, regulations making distillate fuel mandatory are expected to be in place, introduced by the California Air Resources Board (ARB). The incentive program is expected to cost the two ports around $18.5 million and will be a one-year program starting July 1 and expiring June 30, 2009 - unless extended by the two commissions. "This program will incentivize our customers to start the process of switching over to low-sulphur fuel well ahead of future state emissions rules," said Los Angeles port Executive Director Dr. Geraldine Knatz. To qualify for the incentive scheme, the ships must also participate in the ports' voluntary Vessel Speed Reduction Program, limiting speeds to 12 knots.
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Transas Wins Thailand Simulator Contract

Transas has been awarded a contract for the design, supply, commissioning and training of a full Mission Ship Handling Simulator from Precious Shipping Public Company Limited, Thailand.

PSL is a pure dry cargo ship-owner operating in the small handy size sector of the Tramp freight market. It is one of the largest companies in the world operating in this segment. Transas Marine Pacific (the sales and service arm of Transas in the Asia Pacific Region) completed the commissioning, operator and instructor training on Feb 29th 2008. The Simulator is a 270 degree Full Mission Ship Handling Simulator housed in Transas Consoles and is integrated with a GMDSS simulator. The system makes use of Transas Evaluation & Assessment Systems coupled with Transas audio and video loggers to successfully refer to removing the possibility of human operational error. PSL commented that the company rules and regulations follow the highest safety standards in operating ships, with a view to eliminating or at least minimizing human injury, loss of life and environmental damage. PSL has procured the simulator to train seafaring personnel at Management, Operational and Support levels through in-house courses conducted by the PSL Training Centre. In doing so, the company will continue to provide a stimulating and rewarding working environment with opportunities for self-development and growth for all its employees.

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Chowgule Ports & Infrastructure to develop minor port

Chowgule Ports & Infrastructure Pvt Ltd (CPIPL) has signed an agreement with Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) to develop a minor port at Jaigad in the Ratnagiri district.

The company, which is co-promoted by Chowgule Steamships, is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) floated to undertake the port infrastructure development and ship repair projects at Jaigad, writes the Business Standard. The port development projects would be undertaken under BOOST basis, the company informed the BSE.

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Maritime conference looks at macro issues

Macro factors were high on the agenda at the Asia Pacific Maritime 2008 Conference.

Supply and demand in shipping and the ways in which goods are moved around were among the pressing issues discussed on the opening day yesterday. Maersk South-east Asia chief executive Jesper Praestengaard opened the discussion by saying that 2008 will be 'an interesting year for the maritime sector'. He highlighted three factors that will affect container shipping in particular. They are constantly rising oil prices; increasing environmental concerns; and the demise of the liner conferences. First, an average 60 per cent or so increase in fuel rates from US$300 to US$490 per tonne of bunker over the past year is a critical issue that needs to be addressed, he said. Liners need a fair and transparent way to adjust rates according to such rapidly changing circumstances. Another issue that needs to be looked at urgently is what will happen to the long-established tradition of liner conferences after October, when new regulations will oblige their dissolution, Mr Praestengaard said. A major issue brought up during conference sessions yesterday was how to get sufficient crew to keep up with rapidly growing fleets. A debate ensued on how to attract people to seafaring, amid growing prosperity in nations that have traditionally provided crews, while making sure that the rapid promotion of current manpower is commensurate with skill levels. A discussion on intermodal transport solutions revealed potential problems but also many projects that countries throughout the region are putting in place to cater to future demand.

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Rolls-Royce bags Petrobras order

Rolls-Royce is to build four additional gas turbine power generation packages valued at $73 million for use on Petrobras' P-56 semi-sub.

This brings the number of Rolls-Royce gas turnbine generator sets for Petrobras offshore projects to 27 since 2001, with a total value of more than $300 million. The new order is for RB211-powered generating set packages for the $1.2 billion P-56 semi-submersible platform, which is part of the development of the Marlim Sul field, located off Rio de Janeiro in the Campos basin. Four RB211 dual-fuel generating sets will be installed in two modules and will provide complete electrical power for the P-56 platform. The platform will be located 124 kilometers off the coast and will eventually be connected to 22 wellheads at a depth of 1700 metres. Eleven of the wellheads will be oil and gas producers, with the remaining 11 used to inject water to increase production flow. The 46,500-ton platform is designed to operate for 25 years and will be capable for processing and treating 170,000 barrels of liquids and producing 100,000 barrels of oil, 6 million cubic metres of natural gas, and injecting 45,000 cubic metres per day of water into the reservoir. Rolls-Royce will package the gas turbine generating sets at its plant in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The RB211 gas turbine engines will be manufactured at the Rolls-Royce facility in Montreal, Canada.

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'Condor Vitesse' holed

Fast ferry services have been thrown into disarray because of strong winds and damage caused to 'Condor Vitesse'.

The Condor Vitesse hit the wall shortly after leaving the harbour. After circling St Malo for about two hours, the ferry returned to the harbour. The boat was punctured above the water level, so no water came in. She has sustained some hull damage, and has been withdrawn from service for repair. Condor is making alternative arrangements for stranded passengers. 'Commodore Clipper', 'Condor Express' and 'Condor 10' are being routed to St Malo. Condor has apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers and say they are doing all they can to ensure that services are maintained and disruption is kept to a minimum. Meanwhile all HD Ferries sailings have been cancelled.

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Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM revamps China-US west coast services

Maersk Line, together with MSC and CMA CGM, are in the process of reorganizing their respective services between China and the US west coast, to launch three separate joint services in April.

The first service, which MSC has named the 'Eagle Express', will cover Central and Southern China, and will call at Hong Kong, Yantian, Kaohsiung, Shanghai, Qingdao and Los Angeles. The second service, the 'New Orient Express', will cover Central and Northern China, making port of calls at Dalian, Tianjin Xingang, Shanghai, Ningbo, Long Beach and Oakland. Each of these two new services will deploy five 8,000TEU ships, with four operated by Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company and two vessels operated by CMA CGM.

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Filipino focus for latest IMEC training initiative

The International Maritime Employers’ Committee has launched a series of initiatives aimed at raising both the volume and quality of maritime education in Asia.

London-based IMEC, whose 128 members operate some 7,200 ships and employ more than 185,000 seafarers, is focusing initially on the Philippines which provides 35% of its member companies’ seamen and about 20% of officers. Explaining the background, IMEC Chairman Ian Sherwood of Delta Marine said his members were no longer happy to see Filipino cadets trained to work merely as junior officers, but wanted to prepare them for future employment in senior officer positions. Similarly, IMEC wants to ease the path for seafarers who wish to study for officer positions. IMEC’s Cadet Training Enhancement Program, launched a few weeks ago and boosted by the appointment of training consultant Captain Cedric D’Souza, will see the sponsorship of 50 specially selected Filipino cadets enlisted on IMEC training courses at the University of Cebu. A further 200 students will be taken on next year. A group of 14 maritime lecturers from various Filipino colleges has just completed a module of the IMEC-sponsored course at the Warsash Maritime Academy in Southampton. The group is now receiving further training in the Philippines and will complete studies in September. IMEC delegations are also to visit both Manila and Vietnam in June to assess the feasibility of developing further maritime training resources.

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Filipino focus for latest IMEC training initiative

The International Maritime Employers’ Committee has launched a series of initiatives aimed at raising both the volume and quality of maritime education in Asia.

London-based IMEC, whose 128 members operate some 7,200 ships and employ more than 185,000 seafarers, is focusing initially on the Philippines which provides 35% of its member companies’ seamen and about 20% of officers. Explaining the background, IMEC Chairman Ian Sherwood of Delta Marine said his members were no longer happy to see Filipino cadets trained to work merely as junior officers, but wanted to prepare them for future employment in senior officer positions. Similarly, IMEC wants to ease the path for seafarers who wish to study for officer positions. IMEC’s Cadet Training Enhancement Program, launched a few weeks ago and boosted by the appointment of training consultant Captain Cedric D’Souza, will see the sponsorship of 50 specially selected Filipino cadets enlisted on IMEC training courses at the University of Cebu. A further 200 students will be taken on next year. A group of 14 maritime lecturers from various Filipino colleges has just completed a module of the IMEC-sponsored course at the Warsash Maritime Academy in Southampton. The group is now receiving further training in the Philippines and will complete studies in September. IMEC delegations are also to visit both Manila and Vietnam in June to assess the feasibility of developing further maritime training resources.

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Estonia is first to sign Wreck Removal Convention

The Republic of Estonia has become the first country to sign, subject to ratification, the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007.

The Ambassador of Estonia to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Dr Margus Laidre, signed the Convention on behalf of Estonia at IMO Headquarters in London on Friday, 28 March. The Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention was adopted in May 2007 and will provide the legal basis for States to remove, or have removed, shipwrecks that may have the potential to affect adversely the safety of lives, goods and property at sea, as well as the marine environment. The Convention is open for signature until 18 November 2008 and, thereafter, will be open for ratification, accession or acceptance. It will enter into force twelve months following the date on which ten States have either signed it without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or approval or have deposited instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Secretary General of IMO, Efthimios E. Mitropoulos. Mr. Mitropoulos welcomed the signature by Estonia and urged other States to follow suit, at the earliest opportunity, so that, “as intended, the Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention, once in force, can fill a gap in the existing international legal framework by providing the first set of uniform international rules aimed at ensuring the prompt and effective removal of wrecks beyond the territorial sea, thereby also contributing to the IMO goals of safe navigation and marine environmental protection.”

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South Boats launch 5th wind farm service vessel

South Boats Special Projects announce the commissioning of another Offshore Wind Farm Service Vessel for Offshore Wind Power Marine Services of Conwy, North Wales for a long-term contract with Dong Energy on Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Farm.

'Offshore Progress' is a first of class South Catamaran 47/15-metre Alloy Wind Farm Service Vessel and measures 15.7-metre length overall, 6.3-metre beam overall, has a draft of 0.9 metres and has a lightship displacement (including fluids) of 23.5 tonnes. This new design follows on from the success of previous 14-metre vessels currently in service on Lynn and Inner Dowsing Offshore Wind Farms in the UK and Q7 Offshore Wind Farm off the Dutch coast. Offshore Wind Power Marine Services are a specialist supplier of Wind Farm Service Vessels and 'Offshore Progress' joins existing vessels 'Offshore Provider' and 'Fastcat' in the OWPMS fleet. OWPMS also have two further vessels on order with South Boats for 2009 delivery. The company has extensive experience operating their vessels at North Hoyle, Burbo Bank, Barrow and Q7 Offshore Wind Farms and already has several long-term contracts in place for their existing and ordered vessels. Ben Colman of South Boats Special Projects said 'We are delighted with the performance of 'Offshore Progress', she clearly demonstrates the growing demand for faster, more fuel efficient and highly specified offshore wind farm service vessels.

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Singapore, Indian navies conduct missile exercise

India and Singapore’s navies conducted a 14-day exercise using combined surface-to-air missile live firing for the first time, Singapore’s defense ministry said.

Held in the Bay of Bengal from March 17 to March 29, the event has been held annually since 1994 and started with anti-submarine warfare exercises. The Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) ‘has grown in scope and complexity, evolving to advanced naval water exercises covering the air, surface and sub-surface dimensions,’ a statement said. The Singapore navy sent a frigate, two missile corvettes and a landing ship tank. The Indian navy deployed a destroyer, a frigate, two corvettes, two missile boats, two fast-attack craft and one offshore patrol vessel, together with a submarine. Both navies also deployed maritime patrol aircraft. In addition to SIMBEX, the statement said both navies have regular interactions including exchange programs and courses.
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Port of Hamburg plans new building of a double-armed balance bridge

The Hamburg Port Authority announced the beginning of construction works for a new bridge over the Rethe canal.

The new bridge will be built in 2009 only few metres west of the old one. It is designed as a double-armed balance bridge with separate lanes for road and rail. The advantage of this design is that hydraulic balance bridges can be operated very economically. They are reliable in operation and generate lower maintenance costs. In addition, a balance bridge has unlimited passage height, which is in view of the increasing number of ever larger ships is a further advantage against a lift-bridge. During the planning process, which did an architect, particular importance has been attached to the bridge fitting the typical structure of the port environment, support. The new building will replace the 1934 lift-bridge. A reconstruction is not economically viable; the planned new building will take in account the nautical requirements and increasing traffic in the port. The neighboring port terminals, mainly handling all kind of bulk cargo, are very open-minded to the plans and will profit from the increased efficiency, which can be expected for this port area. Since the old lift-bridge will remain in service until the opening of the balance bridge, traffic will not be affected. After completion, the new bridge will have a span of 100 metres, which makes it one of the world's largest mobile bridges. Construction costs are estimated at EUR72 million (US$113.6 million).

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Oil Fuel Tank Protection: Germanischer Lloyd presents New Service to support Environmental Standards

Environmental protection, prevention of marine pollution and enhanced ship safety is put into practice in the field of fuel oil tank protection.

The shipowners’ commitment to comply with an exceeding range of international standards can now be applied with Germanischer Lloyd’s new service for fuel oil tank protection: Apart from drawing pre-checks, the classification society offers design optimization helping to meet the new MARPOL requirements on fuel oil tanks and therefore improve the environmental safety of the ship. Additionally, the experts pay special attention to technical solutions, which reduce the economical impact on the design. The revision of MARPOL Annex I Regulation 12A specifies the design requirements for fuel oil tanks in ship newbuildings. It sets the requirements concerning the location and size of the fuel tanks in all ships with an aggregate oil fuel capacity of 600 m³ and above. The application of the regulation includes ships whose building contract was signed on or after 1 August 2007 or delivery is scheduled on or after 1 August 2010. In absence of a building contract, the regulation is applicable to keels, which are laid on or after 1 February 2008. To minimize the economic impact on ship owners, the regulation defines two alternative design approaches: a rather pragmatic set of descriptive rules, and a more sophisticated probabilistic approach. Both methods provide equivalent degrees of protection.

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Deal set to boost cruise visits

More cruise ships from Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida could dock in the South West in the future.

Representatives from the cruise industry in the region have been to the US trying to drum up business. The organization Destination South West was set up to promote Cornwall, Devon and Dorset ports to cruise companies around the world. Delegates have signed an agreement with a port in Miami-Dade, often described as the world's cruise capital. It means the organization can access the major US cruise lines to push Cornwall and Devon as destinations for the future and also access information on which ships call at Miami. The American cruise industry is the biggest market for the UK with more than 100 ships booked into South West ports this year, but officials say there is scope for many more. Bob Harrison, director of cruise operations for Destination South West, said the visit - which was part-funded by UK Trade & Investment - was "very successful". "We were able to meet all the cruise lines based in Miami and Fort Lauderdale and show them what the South West has to offer as a cruise trip destination and it was very well received."
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Dongjiang Bonded Port offers of 10 container services

The first phase of Tianjin Dongjiang Bonded Port Area counted 10 container services in foreign trade as regular callers at the end of February.

The 10-square kilometre Dongjiang Bonded Port Area provides international transit and export processing. The first phase of Dongjiang covers an area of four square kilometres and its logistics area is open for users. Tianjin Port has been in talks with more than 300 storage and logistics companies, two of which have settled in the logistics area of Dongjiang first phase. Logistics giants including YCH Logistics and Kline Zhenhua Logistics are seeking a place in Dongjiang Bonded Port Area and 12 firms have signed letters of intent with Tianjin Port, including Mattel and Pufeng Logistics.
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Mitsubishi Heavy in Vietnam yard venture

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan is making a landmark investment in southeast Asia.

It will build a ship repair yard as a joint venture with Mitsui OSK Lines, Japanese trading company Marubeni Corp and local state-owned shipbuilder Vinashin. A first dock should be up and running by 2010. A second dock for shipbuilding is being mulled. Mitsubishi Heavy is the latest Japanese yard to head overseas amid high costs at home and an ageing workforce.

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Gulf region turning in to a major hub for ship repair services

The Gulf region is fast turning into a major hub for ship repair services and conversion projects, with Dubai Drydocks in the UAE and the Arab Ship Repair Yard in Bahrain have been experiencing a significant increase in business volumes.

There are several reasons for the growing interest of ship owners and management companies in GCC-based ship repair yards, the most important being the cost factor. It is but obvious that ship owners will always seek the best deal possible when negotiating repair operations. As is well known, labour and steel parts are the most important components of any basic repair operation, and therefore hold the key to competitive pricing. The GCC region enjoys a significant advantage in this regard largely due to easy availability of affordable & experienced labour from close traditional maritime markets of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Phillipines. The cost of repair in the Middle East is estimated at 100 to 105 compared to 250 in Japan, 140/150 in Europe, 110/115 in Turkey and Balkans. China and Indonesia though offers repairs on a scale of 50/65 and about 60/75 respectively in comparison. Despite the low repair costs in Far-East based ship repair yards, what works towards the advantage of UAE and Bahrain is the large number of 'westbound traffic' out of the Gulf region. The sixth edition of the Gulf Maritime exhibition, which will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from April 21-23, 2008, will feature the latest and the most advanced range of ship repair machinery, equipment, products and technologies.

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Ice shrink in Arctic sea may attract oil firms

Winter sea ice around a Norwegian Arctic island has thinned to less than one meter since the 1960s, according to a study of a region that may be more attractive to oil firms because of climate change.

The Norwegian Polar Institute said ice around Hopen island southeast of the Svalbard archipelago had become more than 40 cms (16 inches) thinner in the past 40 years, in what it called the first long-term study of ice thickness in the Barents Sea. "Since the year 2000 there have been no observations of ice thicker than one meter at Hopen, and the local air and water temperature has also risen," the Institute said. Hopen is a narrow island about 30 km (19 miles) long off north Norway which is home to polar bears. Ice around the entire Arctic reached a record low in September 2005, the end of the northern summer. The U.N. Climate Panel says temperatures are rising more rapidly in the Arctic than on most of the planet because of global warming, stoked by human use of fossil fuels. Darker water and land soak up more heat than reflective ice and snow. Oil and gas companies are pushing north into the Barents Sea, seeking new reserves. Scientists say climate change may make the region less inhospitable and prices around $100 a barrel can justify exploration despite high costs. Russian gas giant Gazprom holds a 51 percent share in the company that plans to develop the vast Shtokman gas field to the east. France's Total owns 25 percent and StatoilHydro 24 percent.

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Jurong Shipyard on track to deliver second high-performance jack-up drilling rig

Jurong Shipyard, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine, is on track to deliver 'PetroJack II', its second high-performance deep-drilling offshore jack-up rig to PetroJack.

PetroJack II is a subsidiary of leading Norwegian energy group Larsen Oil and Gas, following the rig's naming ceremony on March 8, 2008. Scheduled for delivery in 1Q 2008, 'PetroJack II' is the second unit of four deep-drilling jack-up rigs originally contracted to Jurong Shipyard by PetroJack, which subsequently sold the first and the third unit to an international Danish drilling contractor. The fourth unit, to be named 'PetroJack IV', is scheduled for completion in 4Q 2008. 'PetroJack II' is built based on the Group's proprietary Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 (BMC Pacific 375) design, a proven and tested design that has won the confidence of the oil and gas industry with its quality performance and advanced drilling capabilities. This highly sophisticated jack-up rig will be capable of drilling high pressure and high temperature wells at 30,000 feet whilst operating in 375 feet of water. Designed with accommodation for 120 men, the rig has the capacity for large variable loads, a large liquid mud and bulk mud capacity, extensive deck space and a large jacking capacity for preload jacking.
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Cicek Shipyard cuts first steel for three Supramax bulk carriers

Cicek Shipyard has begun construction of the first of three 58,000DWT Supramax bulk carriers, the largest vessels ever to be built in Turkey.

Ordered by the Bayraktar Shipping Group, they will be constructed in the shipbuilder's panamax-sized building dock, which is currently being extended to 215 metres and when completed will be 250 metres long. Cicek Shipyard started construction of the building dock at its Tuzla Bay facility in 1999 but lack of government support resulted in it not being completed until 2006. The first and still the only such facility in Turkey, it is served by a 300-tonne gantry crane and has already been used to construct four IMO II chemical tankers. Three of these were ice class 1A vessels for Besiktas Shipping, the 18,000DWT Besiktas England and Besiktas Scotland, and the 26,000DWT Besiktas Jutland, while the fourth is a 20.000DWT tanker currently under construction for the Kaptanoglu Group. The yard also has a 160-metre long slipway served by a 200-tonne gantry crane and a smaller slipway suitable for building coastal vessels.
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Queen Victoria comes calling

The majestic Queen Victoria, on her maiden round-the-world trip and on her first visit to the Queen of the Arabian Sea arrived to a rousing reception complete with caparisoned elephants, kavadiyattam and traditional chendamelam.

The luxury cruise liner arrived on schedule at 7 a.m. from Chennai with 1,798 tourists and 1,008 crew and left for Mumbai at 5 p.m. The tourists were given traditional welcome at the port. During their brief stay in Kochi, they visited places of interest in and around the city, in buses and boats. Captain Subash Kumar, Deputy Chairman and senior officers of Cochin Port Trust greeted the Captain of the ship, Christopher Rynd and exchanged plaques to mark the maiden visit of Queen Victoria to Kochi. During the ceremony, the Captain said that Kochi was the most beautiful port in this part of the world and appreciated the efforts made by the Port Trust for a hassle-free visit by the vessel and its tourists. Queen Victoria is the 40th cruise vessel to call at Cochin Port this financial year. Two more vessels are expected to call at the port in March. The port expects eight cruise vessels during April. The vessels scheduled to arrive include Columbus, Silver Whisper, Crystal Symphony and Europa.

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Shanghai initiates foreign ships integrity management

Shanghai Maritime Bureau has formulated and on February 21, promulgated the Shanghai Green Ship Selection Proposal, to include foreign ships passing through Shanghai Port into a Marine integrity management system.

It is the first attempt in China to apply integrity management on foreign ships. Reflecting the voluntary approach, fairness, convenience, and benefiting the public, this selection has not only set strict conditions of filtering among the best, but also made the title to be valid only within two years. Maritime authorities will offer 'Shanghai Green Ships' two-year exemption from the port state supervision and inspection, moreover, possibly other preferential measures such as efficient and priority import and export procedures, priority access to Yangtze Estuary and being able to use Wusongkou Anchorage.
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Fairstar Fjord Gets DNV Certification

Fairstar Heavy Transport NV received Class Certification from DNV for its self-propelled heavy transport vessel Fjord.

In addition, the company signed a new contact to transport a highly specialized cargo from the U.S Gulf of Mexico to the North Sea. The specific identity of the cargo cannot be revealed under the terms of a confidentiality agreement with the client, however, Mario Kerssens, Director of Sales and Marketing for Fairstar comments, "This is a perfect cargo for the maiden voyage of Fjord. While not a rig, the cargo will require a high degree of skill on behalf of the crew and maneuverability by the Fjord in very tight loading conditions. The final destination for the cargo in the North Sea positions Fjord to pick up the floating dry dock in June in Newcastle, UK, which is scheduled to be transported to India. From there, Fjord will move on to Korea to pick up the Tombua Landana module in Korea and transport it to offshore Angola. With this project, the Fjord will now be working for a period of 163 days in 2008." Cristijn Sarvaas, CFO, added "The time charter equivalent revenue for this contract is $81,000 per day for a period of 47 days. This is in line with the forecasts we have been sharing with the market and brings total confirmed gross revenue for the Fjord to over 15 million in 2008. We expect Fjord will continue to achieve this level of day rates for the foreseeable future."
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IBIA Plans to Establish Professional Bunkering Qualifications

The International Bunker Industry Association has commissioned an independent study into the feasibility of instigating professional qualifications for the global bunkering industry workforce.

It has put the study out to tender, and expects to announce the successful bidder by the end of June this year. IBIA secretary-general Ian Adams says, “IBIA does not want to become a training establishment itself. But it recognizes the need to improve the capabilities of the bunkering workforce by establishing a comprehensive training regimen and independent system by which people in the industry can be assessed.” Two levels of qualification have been discussed, but not finalised. These are the IBIA Foundation Diploma (IFD) and the IBIA Professional Qualification (IPQ). The IFD could be achieved by relative newcomers to the industry, or could be structured as a refresher course for those looking for career advancement. The IPQ is envisaged as a qualification widely respected and recognized throughout the bunkering and marine industry sectors and as an essential qualification for significant career advancement. It could comprise three parallel in-depth courses focused on buying, selling and services. IBIA envisages that the independent study will provide a way forward to establishing it as the arbiter of training standards in the bunkering sector.
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European Commission opens an investigation into the activities of petrol tankers in the Strait of Gibraltar.

The European Commission is to open an investigation into the allegedly uncontrolled activities of the so-called floating petrol stations in the Strait of Gibraltar.

The EC will decide whether any penal action is needed. Antonio Muñoz gave the news from Verdemar-Ecologistas en Accion, who said that he had been notified of the investigation by letter last Friday. It comes after his organization had called on Brussels to investigate the matter, claiming that there was not adequate monitoring in the Strait, nor an efficient system of fines, which would persuade the petrol companies to stop putting marine life and people’s health in danger. Verdemar has estimated that nearly seven million tons of oil is transferred between tankers in the Gibraltar Bay. The recent case of the New Flame, the scrap metal boat that remains half sunk off Gibraltar after colliding with a tanker last August, has highlighted the dangers to the environment in the bay. Reports indicate the vessel has a cargo of 44,000 used exhaust pipes, car batteries and other toxic products on board, with pollution from the ship reaching beaches in Algeciras. An earlier investigation into the practice of ‘bunkering’ moving petrol from one tanker to another while at sea, took place in the Strait in 2006 when two Scottish MPs made a complaint, and that merely resulted in some observations coming from Brussels a year later that such operations should always be carried out with attention being made to the environment.
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Dubai to host maritime arbitration conference

The first Maritime Arbitration Conference will be held with the support of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The emirate of Dubai will be hosting the activities of this conference from April 5 to April 7, 2008, with the participation of a panel of commercial and maritime arbitrators and law figures on both levels — regional and international. This conference is regarded as a major move towards the solving of any legal and professional disputes in relation with maritime arbitration and to communicate the same to the concerned entities and organizations.
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Fremantle based Sea Corporation signs the world's largest ship agency contract for 2008

Fremantle based ship broking, ship agency and marine service provider Sea Corp has signed an agreement to handle the shipping needs of the Pilbara's new force in iron ore, Fortescue Metals Group.

The three-year contract, which can be extended for five years, becomes effective from April 2008 and is understood to represent the world's largest ship agency tender signed this year. Seacorp will handle all the ship agency, local representation and document execution for Fortescue, and will be the exclusive agent for all ships calling at the Pilbara port of Port Hedland to handle Fortescue cargo. Seacorp managing director Craig Thompson said Seacorp would also be the shipping agent for Fortescue's CFR, cost and freight terms, shipments at various discharge ports in China. Seacorp, which was set up by Craig Thompson in 1998, is the nation's largest independently owned Australian ship agency and Shipbroking Company. Seacorp brought a unique dimension to the Australian transport scene in that it brought an all encompassing shipping and international trade consultancy service to clients. Seacorp's diversified range of services includes ship broking, ship agency, document execution, marine surveys, inspections and the provision of specialized marine personnel.

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Carnival Uses Intersleek 900

International Paint completed a hull coating project on Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Victory.

The seven-year-old Italian-built vessel, one of a fleet of 23 passenger liners, was coated with Intersleek 900 during a recent drydocking in the Grand Bahamas Shipyard in Freeport, Grand Bahama, in late 2007. Carnival Valor is was due to be coated with Intersleek 900 in early 2008. Intersleek 900 was chosen following a long evaluation of the Intersleek 700 foul release system by Carnival Cruise Lines. According to International, Intersleek 700 demonstrated that the coating decreased fuel consumption and improved hull maintenance. Secondary benefits of using Intersleek 700 included a reduction in the amount of hazardous wash water and contaminated grit produced during coating repair, fewer coats and less paint applied at subsequent drydockings, fewer volatile organic compounds released during the painting process and less time spent in drydock. “The Intersleek coating has definitely proven to be effective on Carnival’s vessels in terms of improving vessel speed and energy efficiency along with preventing fouling build up on the underwater hull,” said Roberto Martinoli, the Executive VP of Carnival Cruise Lines who was involved in the evaluation of Intersleek 700. Carnival Cruise Lines chose Intersleek 900, the new patented fluoropolymer foul release coating for the recent docking of the Carnival Victory and the impending docking of the Carnival Valor.

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China's export container transportation market coming out of stagnation

China's export container transportation market is gradually coming out of its previous stagnation with cargo volumes restored to normal on the three main routes of Europe, North America and Japan during the week ended March 21.

SSE says that the latest data Freights on part of the routes have reversed the previous decline. SSE's China Containerized Freight Index closed at 1,145.41 points on March 21, which levels with the previous week. SSE's freight index for Europe and the Mediterranean routes were 1,716.6 and 1,696. 14 points respectively in the week, up 1.1 percent and 1.2 percent respectively over the previous week. SSE's freight index for the Japan route dropped 4.2 percent from the previous week to close at 797.16 points. According to SSE's information department, freight demand on the Europe and Mediterranean routes continued to restore last week. Resumed cargo volume is keeping shipping companies' average capacity utilization at 80 percent despite the release of new shipping capacities onto these routes.

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Iran singled out by US Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard has alerted the maritime community that Iran has been placed on the port security advisory list.

The Coast Guard determined that Iran has not maintained effective anti-terrorism measures. The determination was made in accordance with the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, which authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into account several factors, including whether a foreign port poses a high risk of introducing terrorism to international maritime commerce. Vessels will be targeted for increased boardings when arriving in U.S. ports if they have visited one of the countries in the port security advisory list during their last five port calls.

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US vessel 'shoots at Suez boat'

A US container ship approaching the Suez Canal has opened fire on a small Egyptian motorboat, killing one man and wounding two others.

The Global Patriot, carrying used US military equipment, was in the Gulf of Suez when it was approached by a motorboat selling local merchandise. Its crew apparently fired after the boat failed to heed warnings to stop when asked, the US navy said. It added that it was in contact with Egypt through the US embassy in Cairo. As many as 100 other local vessels are said to have gathered at the scene, carrying hawkers demanding an inquiry. Some 7.5% of world sea trade passes through the Suez Canal, which is 190km long (118 miles) and 120m wide (395ft) at its narrowest point. It was after sunset on Monday when a motorboat carrying three local Egyptian traders approached the Global Patriot in the Gulf of Suez as it prepared to sail towards the Mediterranean, according to Egyptian officials. The Global Patriot's crew are reported to have ordered the motorboat to stop and when it did not, they opened fire, killing one and wounding two others, the officials added. According to the US Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC), the Global Patriot is a US-flagged roll-on, roll-off container ship chartered from Global Container Lines. In the past, it has been used by the MSC to transport a US military Patriot Missile defence battery, ammunition, and MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles around the world.
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Abeking & Rasmussen launches the 78m Eminence (6478)

In 2005, Abeking & Rasmussen, the famous German shipyard located on the banks of the river Weser, contracted it’s largest yacht ever, the 78.43 meter hull 6478.

Ordered by the US owner of the 57m Abeking Excellence III, the project was named Excellence IV. However in 2007, while in the final months of completion, her owner sold the yacht and last Tuesday she was launched as Eminence. Reymond & Langton Design has designed the Exterior as well as interior with the naval architecture in the hands of the A&R in house engineering department. The five deck yacht with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure features an almost stern wide transom hatch with two of the well proven tender launching systems developed by A&R which allows for smooth launching and recovering even when under way. The draft of Eminence has been reduced to 3.2m allowing access to shallow anchorages especially in the Bahamas. Propelled by two 1492 kW Caterpillars speed will be 16.5 knots. The yacht is built according to Lloyds Register of Shipping and MCA.

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Russian river fleet attracts investors

Russian river fleet is becoming more and more attractive to investors, including foreign.

Italian shipping company Pietro Barbaro launches the largest financing in the history of the Russian market of river transportation of US$80 million; Italians plan to create a fleet of 11 vessels. Their Russian company Prime Shipping will operate the fleet. Experts consider that Pietro Barbaro can take up to 15-20 percent of the Russian market of river transportation. In the summer of 2006, Pietro Barbaro bought Russian Prime Shipping from the British company Burren Energy, which at that time owned six vessels. Bank Intesa Sanpaolo and shipping group Pietro Barbaro agreed to spend US$80 million to create the tanker fleet, class 'river-sea', for the transportation of mineral oil on Volga-Don waterways and Caspian Sea. Last December Krasnoe Sormovo launched the fourth tanker, 5,000DWT for Pietro Barbaro. The cost of such vessel is about EUR10 million (US$15.7 million).

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Saudi Arabia working to ensure oil supply

Saudi Arabia said that it is working to expand its crude production and refinery capacity in order to maintain world economic growth.

"The Supreme Council of Petroleum and Mineral Affairs affirmed Saudi Arabia's desire for oil market stability and maintaining supplies to all regions (of the world) at all times to ensure continuing global economic development," a statement said. The Council expressed its satisfaction at the kingdom's work in expanding crude production and refining capacity to help meet global demand," it said. "The kingdom will work with Opec countries, other producers and consuming countries towards oil market stability and to avoid the effects of harmful speculation." The Council, headed by King Abdullah, met a day after US Vice President Dick Cheney met with Saudi leaders in Riyadh to discuss crude prices. Washington has said it wants Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, to help raise Opec production to help ease prices.

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Coast Guard: 4 dead, 1 missing in fishing vessel's sinking

Four crewmembers of a fishing vessel sinking off the coast of Alaska have died, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson said Sunday.

The Seattle, Washington-based Alaska Ranger was in 10-foot seas and winds of 30 to 35 miles per hour when it reported water was leaking into its steering gear compartment about 2:50 a.m. Sunday. The trawler had 47 people on board, said Chief Petty Officer Barry Lane, a Coast Guard spokesperson. Four of those had been confirmed dead by late morning. The 180-foot processing trawler was about 120 miles west of Dutch Harbor, in the remote Aleutian Islands, when the crew reported being "overwhelmed by water" and abandoned ship. Most of the crew had survival suits to protect them from water that was near-freezing, said Cmdr. Todd Trimpert, a Coast Guard spokesman. No cause of death was immediately known for the four crew members who died, but "certainly, they were in the water a long time," Trimpert said. Trimpert said investigators have not determined why the ship sank, but did not believe weather was the cause. The sinking left an unknown amount of diesel fuel on the surface of the Bering Sea.

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18 Ukrainian sailors trapped underwater in Hong Kong feared dead

Eighteen Ukrainian sailors were feared dead on Monday after they were trapped underwater in their capsized tugboat in Hong Kong for nearly 40 hours amid strong currents.

Their chances for survival are very slim,'' spokesman Zhang Jianwen of China's Guangzhou Salvage Bureau told. Divers were searching for bodies, and a Chinese salvage boat was stabilizing the Ukrainian tugboat and preparing it for a move from its current depth of 35 meters (115 feet) to shallower waters to ease rescue efforts, Zhang said. A larger boat would be required for the move, but it was not immediately clear if such a boat could navigate through Hong Kong's bridges and waters, Zhang said. The tugboat Neftegaz 67 sank and has been lying upside down underwater since late Saturday, when it collided with Chinese cargo ship Yao Hai in waters northwest of Hong Kong's outlying Lantau island. The 80-meter-long (264-foot-long) Ukrainian vessel sank quickly but the Chinese ship suffered only bow damage and stayed afloat, officials said. All 25 crewmembers on the Chinese vessel were rescued, but only seven of the 25 on the Ukrainian ship were found. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. Officials say weather conditions were reasonable at the time of the accident and neither ship was overloaded. The Neftegaz 67 was traveling from the southern Chinese city Shenzhen to an oil field south of Hong Kong.

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Vessels that use emission-reduction technology

StatoilHydro has awarded contracts for four new supply vessels for the Norwegian continental shelf.

The company used this opportunity to obtain another gas-powered vessel. The total value of the contracts, including options, is almost NOK3 billion (US$579.4 million). The vessels will be delivered in the period 2008-2011. Two of the vessels will be delivered by Remøy Shipping, whereas the two other ones will be delivered by Farstad Shipping and DOF Management. All of the four vessels employ a new technology that reduces the emissions to the air. Three of the vessels have a diesel-electric solution with a catalyst, which reduces the emissions of NOx by about 90 percent compared with ordinary diesel vessels. The vessel running on liquefied natural gas, LNG, in addition reduces the emissions of CO2 by some 20 percent. This is StatoilHydro's fourth contract for a gas-powered vessel. StatoilHydro is so far the only company in the world that uses gas vessels for offshore operations.

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EOG sees big BC gas gains in 2011

EOG Resources chief executive said that the Houston-based independent oil and gas company would not log big production gains from a giant Canadian gas find until 2011.

“For substantial volumes for EOG to come from this play, pencil in 2011,” CEO Mark Papa told investors at the Bear Stearns Global Oil and Gas Conference. Last month, EOG said it may have discovered one of the largest accumulations of natural gas in Canada with its Horn River Basin play. Drilling on its acreage in northeastern British Columbia may have uncovered 6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, the company said. First sales are expected this summer, but output will not rise quickly, due to the find’s remote northern location and the need to build up infrastructure. Wells are expected to cost an average of about $10 million each, Papa told investors. Still, Papa said the Canadian resource play has the potential to be as big as the Barnett Shale in North Texas, but the rate of return for the gas will be lower, due to the find’s location far away from natural gas market centers.

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Saudi Aramco contracts Hercules' newly acquired rigs

Hercules Offshore has signed contracts to provide Saudi Aramco with two jackup drilling rigs for three-year terms plus one-year fixed price options at the same rate.

The contracts are for the Hercules 300 and Hercules 261, currently known as High Island I and High Island VIII. Hercules 300 was acquired from Transocean on March 14, while the closing on the purchase of Hercules 261 from Transocean is expected on the completion of its current contract commitment in May. Hercules Offshore is negotiating contracts for the dry tow transportation of the rigs from the Gulf of Mexico to a shipyard in the Middle East in the second quarter of 2008. There, the rigs will undergo 90 to 120 days of contract preparation work. The contracts with Saudi Aramco will begin around Sept. 30. Potential revenue from the three-year contracts totals around US$151 million for Hercules 300 and US$140 million for Hercules 261, excluding payment to the company of reimbursable expenses and a total of around US$25 million for mobilization of the two rigs. Hercules Offshore CEO and President Randy Stilley said, "The acquisition of these high quality rigs, coupled with their redeployment to the Middle East, reflects the culmination of another key step in the execution of Hercules Offshore's strategic plan. We are extremely pleased to establish a relationship with one of world's largest operators, Saudi Aramco. These contracts, together with our recent contracts with ONGC in India, reaffirm our position as one of the world's leading shallow water offshore drillers."

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Cosco Busan pilot to face charges under Clean Water Act

The pilot of the container ship Cosco Busan that crashed into a bumper of the Bay Bridge and spilled approximately 58,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay in November has been charged with criminal negligence and violating environmental laws.

Under the Clean Water Act, as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, John Joseph Cota has been charged with the negligent discharge of oil and the killing of migratory birds. The oil spill has been linked to the death of about 2,000 sea birds, including brown pelicans, a federally endangered species, and marbled murrelets, which are considered endangered by California. According to court documents, Cota failed to use the ship’s radar, failed to consult on the ship’s course with the Chinese captain and crew, failed to verify the vessel’s position, and piloted the Cosco Busan at an unsafe speed as it left the port of Oakland in a heavy fog. If convicted, the pilot faces up to 18 months in jail and a $115,000 fine.

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BHP-Billiton evacuates Neptune TLP

Australian producer BHP-Billiton has removed all personnel from its Neptune tension leg platform (TLP) in the deep-water US Gulf after inspections discovered ‘anomalies’ in the facility’s hull.

According to BHP spokesperson Teresa Wong, visual inspections being conducted in advance of planned start of production from the Green Canyon block 613 platform found the ‘anomalies’, which she added have not been fully defined. The facility is located in about 4250 feet of water. As a safety measure, BHP pulled the project personnel working on commissioning of the SBM-Atlantia-designed mono-column TLP while additional surveys are being undertaken to discover the source and nature of the ‘anomalies’. A number of teams are working at the facility to determine the next course of action. BHP hopes to know more about the situation early next week. The 5900-ton hull of the Neptune TLP was built at the Port Arthur, Texas, facility of Signal International. The project was the first of its kind for the fabrication yard. The $1.1 billion Neptune project has been a source of cost overruns and delays, and was most recently due to come on stream during the first quarter. BHP-Billiton operates Neptune with a 35% working interest. Partners in the development are Marathon Oil (30%), Woodside Petroleum (20%) and Repsol (15%).

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The Gigayacht

Monaco-based Wally Yachts continues to develop innovative concepts and minimalist luxury at a rate exceeding any other marine design house on the planet.

The company's latest is the WallyIsland—a 99 meter (325 feet) "gigayacht" that dwarfs the vast majority of luxury megayachts and reconceives the yacht as a floating personal island, a mobile address that can be used as a home, an entertaining space or even a moving exhibition or show space. Wally Yachts reconceives the yacht as a 325-ft. floating personal island. Over the last ten years, several yachts have been built over the 320-foot mark. WallyIsland is not the first of this new breed of luxury gigayachts—nor is it the largest. WallyIsland looks more like a tanker than its gigayacht brethren, due to the huge 1000m2 main deck area and the fact that is has only three upper-level decks rather than the multilevel arrangements typical on others. It has designed this way to increase open entertaining space and allow large garden spaces, and this sort of design also keeps the cost of the yacht "competitive. The WallyIsland's main deck can include a large, deep swimming pool, garden spaces, tennis or mini soccer grounds, as well as the requisite helipads. It includes sleeping quarters for up to 40 crew and 24 guests as well as the extravagant owner's suites and holds around three-quarters of a million litres of fuel. The interiors feature a main saloon, living/dining room; guest accommodation, library, cinema, spa, wellness and fitness area; service and crew area; and the steering/navigation area.

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Hamburg Süd christens the 'Rio de la Plata', its largest-ever container ship

At the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) yard in Okpo, Korea, Hamburg Süd has christened the largest-ever container ship in the company's history.

The 'Rio de la Plata' is the first newbuilding in a series of six identical vessels each possessing a slot capacity of 5,900TEU. At a length of 286 metres, the 'Rio' class is precisely one bay longer than the 5,552TEU 'Monte' class vessels. Sponsor of the 'Rio de la Plata' is Marén Schröder, daughter of Dr Ernst F. Schröder, personally liable partner of Dr August Oetker KG, Bielefeld. Following her delivery on April 2, 2008, the 'Rio de la Plata' will initially is phased into Hamburg Süd's Asia - South America East Coast service for a short time before being deployed in the shipping group's Europe - South America East Coast trade. She and her five sister ships will gradually replace the 'Monte' vessels deployed there, which will then connect Asia with South America East Coast. The name chosen for the ship, 'Rio de la Plata', comes from the estuary formed by the major South American rivers Paraná and Uruguay, on which the two key ports of Buenos Aires and Montevideo are situated.

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Hanjin Heavy to form shipyard safety committee

South Korean-owned Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction has said that it plans to form a special committee to monitor compliance of its subcontractors with international safety standards in shipbuilding works.

“We will try to level up safety awareness of all those concerned, including subcontractors, to the extent of international standard. In addition, we will form a special committee to especially monitor and implement safety wise matters,” Pyeong Jong Yu, HHIC-Philippines general manager said. “It was and will be our concern that our employees, including subcontractors must be well aware of what is shipbuilding and its incidental activities,” he added. The company has had a handful of work-related deaths in recent months, including an explosion at its Subic yard in January that killed two workers and injured five others.

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Port fuel incentives will not replace new rules

A possible distillate fuel subsidy scheme in Los Angeles and Long Beach will not replace new fuel rules being considered in California.

The scheme was announced this week by the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach but, if approved this month, would run only until June 30, 2009.
"Most shipping lines will be able to start participating immediately," said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Mario Cordero. The two port authorities expected that new fuel rules from the California Air Resources Board (ARB) would come into play on July 1, 2009. The ARB presented that start date for its main engine distillate fuel requirements at a workshop earlier this month. The agency had intended to seek board approval for the new rules in April. But a spokesperson told the workshop that there were still aspects of the rule that needed further consultation and that it would seek approval in June this year. ARB also noted that it was continuing to evaluate technical issues related to fuel switching and was doing further work on the issue of fuel availability. It estimated, however, that the rules would lead to substantial reductions in particulate matter (PM) and sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions. The two port authorities this week saw their scheme as a means to achieve even faster reductions in the use of fuel oil bunkers and lower ship emissions. The ports have estimated that the additional cost to subsidize distillate fuel could run to $18.5 million.

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Promoting ship-building industry

An opportunity is showing up for Bangladesh to promote an emerging sector and make it a largely successful one in a short period of time and earn a bounty in foreign currencies on a sustainable basis.

This is the country's budding ship building industry. Already, two private sector shipping companies have made their mark in this field by getting orders from European countries to make small and medium sized ocean going ships. They are now doing path-breaking work in this sector and other potential entrepreneurs can take on shipbuilding tasks by emulating their example and adding sinews to this sector. The situation now is much like the early seventies when Bangladesh was just starting to launch itself in the readymade garments (RMG) sector. The RMG sector then quickly flourished to come to the state it has reached today. A similar feat is possible in the very hopeful shipbuilding sector. The world market for ordered ships is growing annually by six per cent and if Bangladesh can even get two per cent of the market shares in this sector, it can start earning the equivalent of foreign currencies in the neighbourhood of Taka 560 billion in the near future. The earnings are only one side to the multi-faceted spin-offs. In the event of such a success, hundreds of thousands of people will be employed in this new industry and its linkage ones as it will be semi-labor intensive in the Bangladesh context. There are indeed great possibilities for the shipbuilding sector to be tapped in a conducive policy environment. It is largely up to the government to help timely in the creation of it so that this industry can take-off faster.

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Rolls-Royce signs mou with Vinashin

Rolls-Royce signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) aimed at helping to develop Vietnam’s fast-growing marine industry.

The scope of the partnership will include identifying potential strategic partners for development of shared business interests, which include the delivery of propulsion systems as well as developing a sourcing strategy that enhances the business activities of both parties in Vietnam and for the export market. It will also develop a sourcing strategy that enhances the business activities of both parties in Vietnam and for the export market. John Paterson, Rolls-Royce president - marine, said: “This agreement provides the framework for the establishment of a strong relationship between Rolls-Royce and Vinashin. I am confident that this strategic partnership will help promote and develop the fast-growing marine industry in Vietnam and also enable Rolls-Royce to expand its marine capabilities in Vietnam and the region.” The agreement also recognizes Vinashin’s goal of enhancing both management and technical skills of its workforce by including the development of a training structure which will call on the technical expertise of Rolls-Royce.

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Chevron bids high on Green Canyon 944

Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 206 began today with a large bid by Chevron Corp. for Green Canyon Block 944.

The energy giant's high bid of over US$55 million was one of 10 bids submitted for the tract, far outstripping a US$26 million bid from a partnering between Brazilian state oil company Petrobras and Oklahoma-based Devon Energy. ExxonMobil also bid on the block. Green Canyon Block 945 proved equally as popular as nearby Green Canyon Block 944, also attracting 10 bids. United States Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne opened the sale by praising the corporations working in the Gulf of Mexico, and thanking them "on behalf of America" for the technology they develop and the energy security they provide. The reading of the bids for Lease Sale 206 will be followed by Lease Sale 224, which offers blocks in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico.

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Samsung Heavy wins US$1.3 billion ship order

Samsung Heavy Industries wins a deal valued at 1.35 trillion (US$1.3 billion) to build two drill ships.

The deal with an unidentified American company called on Samsung Heavy to deliver the vessels, used for deep-water oil exploration, by July 2011, the company said. Shipyards in South Korea, the world's largest shipbuilding nation, have received record orders in recent years as demand has surged for vessels to transport raw materials to China and goods to the rest of the world.

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Yarrow drill stem scents gas

Innamincka Petroleum is drilling ahead at a depth of 2735 metres in the Yarrow North-1 well in Queensland after a drill stem test brought small quantities of gas to the surface.

The company said it had run the test in basal Patchawarra/Tirrawarra sediments between 2716 and 2735 metres. It said the gas flowed to the surface for about 66 minutes before the isolating packer gave way. The company said that wireline logging would provide more detailed information once the well had been sunk to its target depth of 27770 metres. The well is being drilled on Queensland Petroleum Exploration Licence 103 about 120 kilometres north of Moomba. Innamincka operates the well with a 75% stake.

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UK holds six vessels

The UK's Maritime & Coastguard Agency detained six foreign ships during February 2008 after failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection.

In February 159 Port State Control inspections were carried out in the UK. A total of 41 vessels had no deficiencies raised against them, 70 had between one and five deficiencies, 36 had between six and ten deficiencies 11 had between eleven and twenty deficiencies and there was 1 vessel inspected which had more than twenty deficiencies. Out of the detained vessels three were registered with a flag states listed on the Paris MOU white list, six were registered with flag states on the grey list and two were registered with flag states on the black list and one was not listed. The vessels detained in February included a 499gt St Vincent & Grenadines flagged general cargo vessel, which was detained in Hull following the arrest of the master who had been arrested by the local police as it was suspected he had been drinking. In another case a 20,248gt Panama-flagged vessel was detained in Bristol because the port lifeboat suspension falls blocks - forward & aft were holed and wasted. The fire drill and abandonment drill was substandard and the crew showed a lack of emergency preparedness during these drills. The number and nature of the defects identified on board indicated a major breakdown of the vessels' Safety Management System (SMS).

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