Inauguration of ShipTek 2008

ShipTek 2008, the two-day international conference on Shipbuilding and Conversion Technology was inaugurated on 29 April 2008, Tuesday, 9.00 am at Hotel Taj Residency, Kochi.

Mr. Noboru Ueda, Chairman, Class NK, Japan lit the lamp for the prestigious event organized by Marine BizTV and Aries Marine. Over 200 delegates from across the world attended the conference. The mega event was sponsored by the members of International Association of Class Societies (IACS) like Class NK, Germanischer Lloyd and RINA. Other lead players like Keppel Offshore & Marine, MSI, Transas, Zebec Marine and Seagull Marine were also among the sponsors. The event was co sponsored by Master Shipyard. The inauguration of ShipTek expo 2008, the two day exhibition also took place in the same venue at 1.00pm by Mr. Kevin Shakesheff, ICS, UK and Rear. Admiral Ajit Tewari, Indian Shipbuilders Association, India. The conference had four sessions on the most relevant current issues of the maritime world scheduled for two consecutive days, out of which two sessions including eleven paper presentations were scheduled for the first day. The remaining two sessions of the conference will be held at the same venue on 30 April 2008. The topics for paper presentation for the first day were Indian Shipbuilding Industry and its Future Prospects, Super Eco-Ship - A Human and Environmentally Friendly Ship, World Shipbuilding Trends & Korea Shipbuilding Industry, Strength Aspects and Weather Routing of Multi-Purpose Ships, Assessment of Hull Structural Slamming Loads on High Speed Planing Crafts, Design and Strength Assessment of Moonpool Region and Development of Design of Heavy Lift Cum Pipelay Vessels LTS 3000.

Read More

European Shipyard Week attracts attention

For the second time, European shipyards and related companies opened their doors for European Shipyard Week to advertise their high-tech products and processes and promote a wide range of career opportunities.

Open door days at many companies, universities, research centres, museums and other institutions, special presentations for school classes and artistic performances at the opening event in the Netherlands formed part of the program. The promotion attracted thousands of school leavers, young graduates, job seekers and other interested visitors to participate. High-ranking speakers of the European Commission, the European Parliament and representatives of Europe's shipbuilding regions, attended the opening conference in Brussels on April 2. The first Shipyard Week, launched two years ago, resulted in increased recruitment numbers in maritime universities and companies. Nevertheless, the shipbuilding and ship repair industry still experience a growing shortage of engineers and skilled workers. Due to growing business as well as the age profile of the current workforce, European shipyards will require a further increase in recruitment numbers. This triggered the decision to organize the shipyard week on a biannual basis.
Read More

Higher fuel costs buoy demand for ships: Seaspan

The practice of "slow steaming" - running ships at lower speeds to conserve pricey fuel - is increasing demand for container ships on global trade routes, Seaspan Corp. chief executive officer Gerry Wang said.

Because customers still want goods delivered on the same schedule, slow-steaming means more ships are required to deliver the same amount of goods - so a shipping line, through redeployment, might run nine ships on an Asia-Europe route that used to operate with eight, he said. Seaspan, which is incorporated in the Marshall Islands and has executive offices in Hong Kong and Vancouver, leases container ships to major shipping lines. Slow-steaming, along with increased Asia-Europe container traffic, is driving container ship demand and makes a potential glut of big new ships less likely, Mr. Wang said on a conference call. "I'm not 100-per-cent sure that even with all the big ships coming on in 2009 that there will be oversupply," he said. Shipping lines have in recent years ordered more than 100 post-Panamax (too big to fit through the Panama Canal) vessels, raising speculation of a glut of container ships. The company reported a first-quarter loss of $37.7-million (U.S.) or 65 cents a share on sales of $54.2-million for the three months ended March 31, compared with a profit of $14.7-million or 31 cents a share on sales of $41.2-million for the same period the previous year. Seaspan reported "normalized" earnings, which exclude non-cash losses from interest rate swap agreements, of 28 cents a share, a penny off an analysts' consensus estimate of 29 cents. The company said it is redeploying ships to Asia-Europe routes as that traffic picks up and Asia-North American shipments soften. Asia-Europe traffic is estimated to have grown by 17 per cent last year compared with 6.9-per-cent increase in Asia-North America cargo.

Read More

High-tech pirates are no romantic figures

A French yacht. A Japanese tanker. A Spanish fishing boat. After several years of decline, pirates are striking with increasing frequency on the high seas.

Attacks in the first three months of this year were up 20 percent compared with the same period in 2007, analysts say. Last year saw more pirate attacks than the year before. And although the motive is still money, today's pirates are a far cry from the eye-patched, peg-legged swashbucklers of Hollywood. "The only thing today's pirates have in common with the romantic vision people have of pirates is that they are ruthless criminals who exploit very vulnerable people at sea," said Pottengal Mukundan of the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors shipping crime. Today's maritime muggers don night-vision goggles, carry rocket launchers and navigate with global positioning devices. With the ransoms they collect, pirates can earn up to $40,000 a year, analysts say. That's a fortune for someone from an impoverished country. A spate of well-publicized attacks this month has cast the problem in sharp relief. On April 4, suspected Somali pirates seized a French luxury yacht and held its crew of 30 for a week. Then, in a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie, French troops chased the hijackers into the desert before the hijackers could make off with the reported $2 million in ransom. Last week, suspected pirates shot at a Japanese tanker in the waters off the Horn of Africa. Assailants have also attacked ships carrying food and relief supplies to war-torn regions.
Read More

Seacor continues to build monohulls

Despite the success of their catamaran crewboats, US-based Seacor Marine continues to build their conventional crewboats.

Hull 464, to be named ‘Alice G. McCall', is currently building at Gulf Craft in Louisiana, to be delivered in August of this year. Two more conventional vessels will follow the 57.9- by 10.4-metre boat in 2009 and 2010. Five 1,342kW Cummins KTA50-M2 main engines for a total of 6,711kW will power the DP2-classed ‘Alice G. McCall'. Gears will be Twin Disc MG-6848 with 2.93:1 reduction turning four-blade Nibral propellers on five-inch shafts. The boat will have three independent rudders. A Cummins QSM11 engine will power the boat's Thrustmaster azimuthing bow thruster. An additional Cummins QSM11 will drive the two tunnel bow thrusters. The vessel's two 135kW gensets will each be powered by Cummins 6 CTA engines, as will the bulk compressor drive. Maximum speed will be 26 knots at 1,900RPM with fuel consumption at 1,590 litres per hour. Cruising speed will be 23 knots at 1,800RPM and 1,173 litres per hour fuel consumption. At the economy speed of 20 knots and 1,600RPM fuel consumption drops to 984 litres per hour.

Read More

Al-Jurf field shuts down

Mabruk Oil Operations, a subsidiary of Total, has temporarily shut down production on the Al-Jurf field offshore Libya.

During drilling operations on the B18 gas injection well, a deviation occurred in the well trajectory, damaging the production pipe of adjacent well B12. For safety and security, all platform wells have been shut down and a team of specialists has been dispatched to evaluate and rectify the problem. Total reports no injuries or environmental damage. The Al-Jurf field is a wellhead platform that produces to an anchored floating production storage and offloading vessel around three kilometers (1.8 miles) away in water depths of around nine meters (29 ft). Production capacity of the field is around 45,000 b/d. Mabruk Oil Operations is the operator of the field, and Total holds a 37.5 percent working interest.

Read More

Wärtsilä enters new service category - acquires Danish steam boiler service company

Wärtsilä has acquired the Danish company International Combustion Engineering A/S (I.C.E.).

I.C.E. specializes in project engineering and the service and repair of steam boilers and ancillary burner systems. The company has its headquarters in Aalborg, Denmark. The acquisition of I.C.E. will expand Wärtsilä’s service offering into the new category of boiler services. This new service category will further improve Wärtsilä’s competitiveness as a leading total services provider. I.C.E. has a strong market position, particularly with merchant vessels, while its major customers are shipping companies around the world. The company also has a trading division that supplies spare parts for boiler and burner systems. Furthermore, I.C.E. has the potential for strong global growth, and for expansion into segments such as offshore, cruise & ferry and special vessels, as well as to non-marine related industrial and land based power plant applications. The company’s annual net sales amounted to 46,8 million Danish crowns (EUR 6.3 million) in 2007. “I.C.E.’s excellent know-how of boiler services is a very welcome addition to Wärtsilä’s service offering. The acquisition will further expand Wärtsilä’s competitiveness and position as the number one global service provider”, says Mr Tage Blomberg, Group Vice President, Wärtsilä Services.

Read More

Maersk Line wins “Best Shipping Line – Asia-Europe” and “Best Global Shipping Line”

Maersk Line, the core liner activity of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group emerged winner of the “Best Shipping Line - Asia-Europe” Award for the 21st consecutive year at the 22nd Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards (AFSCA).

Maersk Line also clinched the coveted “Best Global Shipping Line” Award for the 15th year running at the AFSCA ceremony held in Singapore. The awards are a reflection of the comprehensive and reliable end-to-end transportation solutions that Maersk Line offers to customers through its global service network. The Maersk Line fleet consists of more than 500 container vessels with a capacity of more than 1.7 million TEUs. Through a network of its own offices and third party agents in more than 125 countries, Maersk Line continues to provide consistent and high-quality service to customers worldwide. As winner of the “Best Shipping Line – Asia-Europe” Award, Maersk Line has eleven extensive strings on the Asia-Europe route, of which the latest Asia-Europe 11 or AE11 route was introduced to support shipments from Asia to Spain. Restructuring of the Asia-Europe routes has also brought enhanced coverage of markets in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. Judging criteria for the two Awards included schedule reliability, efficient customer service, service network comprehensiveness, competitive pricing and information technology. The winners were voted by the readers of Cargonews Asia and the results audited by Ernst & Young. The 22nd AFSCA was held at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore and marks one of the longest standing and most renowned maritime awards in Asia.

Read More

Stolt-Nielsen to build Singapore chemical storage terminal

Stolt-Nielsen’s Stolt Tankers & Terminals division has been approved by the Singapore Economic Development Board to construct a chemical storage terminal on 15 hectares of vacant land on Jurong Island.

Upon scheduled completion in the second half of 2010, the terminal will the have a total bulk liquid storage capacity of 325,000 cubic meters. "We are pleased to have been chosen as the preferred chemical logistics service provider, which opens the way for the construction of a new state-of-the-art terminal to meet the growing needs for bulk-liquid storage of chemical manufacturers and customers in the South-East Asia region," said Asia Pacific MD Andrew Pickering. "Stolt-Nielsen already has a significant presence in the region with commercial and ship management offices, tank container depots, bulk-liquid storage terminals, and deep sea and regional shipping networks. Jurong Island is a vital link in the global supply chain for bulk-liquid chemicals and we look forward to expanding our relationships and presence there." The development of the site is subject to a number of additional agreements between local authorities and the company as well as Stolt-Nielsen board approval.

Read More

STX to build new yard in Bangladesh

STX Shipbuilding has signed an agreement with Meghna Ship Builders and Dockyard to set up a $40m shipyard at Meghnaghat in Naryanganj, Bangladesh.

The facility will have an initial annual capacity of four 15,000-tonne ships and is expected to be the first robotic welding facility in Bangladesh. Investment in the project is slated to rise by $60m in a few months. The yard is expected to begin commercial operations within 15 months and has already reported a great deal of international interest.

Read More

Largest cruise ship berths in UK

One of the world's largest cruise ships has arrived in the UK for the first time ahead of its naming ceremony.

The 160,000-tonne Independence of the Seas docked in Southampton, Hampshire, at 0700 BST - its home port. Built in Finland, the £400m ship equals the size of owner Royal Caribbean's two other ships, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas. It will be named in Southampton next Wednesday and will sail to and from the city all summer. Susan Hooper, senior vice president of Royal Caribbean, said: "Positioning one of our largest and newest ships in Southampton reaffirms Royal Caribbean International's strong commitment to the region. The European cruise industry is booming and 1.5 million Britons are expected to take a cruise holiday in 2008. Independence of the Seas will set sail on its maiden voyage on 2 May for a two-week cruise of the Mediterranean. On Tuesday, Cunard's three Queens - QE2, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria - met in Southampton for the first and last time. QE2 will retire in November when it will be converted into a hotel in Dubai.

Read More

Panamax OOCL Panama Christened

Panama Canal Administrator Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta and his wife, Ana Matilde Arias de Alemán, presided over the christening of the sixth 4,500-TEU Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) Panamax vessel.

It is the current maximum size for a ship to transit the Canal. At a ceremony held at the Geoje Shipyard in Korea, the new Panamax vessel was given the name OOCL Panama in honor of the historic role that the Panama Canal has played in the development of global commerce. The OOCL Panama will initially be deployed on the Asia-Australia AEA2 service. The port rotation will be: Yokohama / Osaka / Busan / Qingdao / Shanghai / Ningbo / Xiamen / Hong Kong / Kaohsiung / Melbourne / Sydney / Brisbane and back to Yokohama in a 42-day round trip.

Read More

Indian naval ships arrive in S Africa for joint exercises

Indian Navy ships, INS Mumbai and INS Karmukh, have reached Durban harbour to participate in the 10-days long exercise with the navies of South Africa and Brazil off the Cape Town coast.

A special reception was accorded to the officers and the crewmembers of the ships, which are scheduled to take part in naval exercises from May 5 to May 15. "The relations between India and South Africa have taken a new momentum with the recent establishment of the Indo-African Forum in New Delhi," Indian High Commissioner to South Africa Rajiv Kumar Bhatia said while addressing the special reception ceremony here. This relationship will now reach new heights when the Indian navy takes part in joint exercises with the South African and Brazilian navies. It is a tremendous boost for the three countries from the South, he added. Indian Consul General in Durban, Harsh Varshan Shringla, prasied the officers and crewmen of INS Mumbai and INS Karmukh for taking part in social upliftment programs for disadvantaged people in the city since their arrival three days ago. The reception was attended by a large number of guests, which include the leader of Inkatha Freedom Party and chairman of the House of Traditional Leaders in KwaZulu-Natal, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, and the Deputy Mayor of Durban, Logie Naidoo. The two ships will leave the Durban Harbour on Tuesday for Cape Town to participate in the naval exercises.

Read More

Qatar and Rotterdam form port co-operation agreement

State oil company Qatar Petroleum and the port of Rotterdam have agreed to a long-term cooperation on strategy and development.

Rotterdam will help Qatar Petroleum to develop its Ras Laffan port, and in return the Dutch port hopes to gain closer links to the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). "With this cooperation Port of Rotterdam wants to strengthen its position as Europe's main energy port, especially in the supply chain for LNG and associated hydrocarbon products," the port's Chief Executive Hans Smits said. The cooperation was laid out in a Memorandum of Understanding during a visit of Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani to the Netherlands this week. Qatar sits on the world's third-largest gas reserves and aims to boost LNG capacity to 77m tonnes in 2010. LNG production in Qatar is split between two companies, Qatargas and Rasgas, both majority owned by the state oil company Qatar Petroleum. Dutch oil storage company Vopak and state pipeline operator Gasunie have said they are planning to build an LNG terminal in Rotterdam, estimated to cost about 800m euros ($1.25bn).
Read More

Austal secures fast patrol craft fleet order

Austal has just announced the contract to build six 30-metre aluminium fast patrol craft for the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

This significant order includes additional contracts for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and crew training services. The all-aluminium fast patrol boats will support the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard in providing sustained surveillance in the country's internal waters, the archipelagic territorial sea and its exclusive economic zone. Each vessel will have a small 12-man crew, a maximum speed of 40 knots and will be armed with three general-purpose machine guns and a 20mm cannon. All six vessels will be constructed at Austal's facilities in Henderson, Western Australia and are scheduled for delivery by early 2010. During the construction period, Austal will provide a training programme including familiarization of vessel operation, ship based engineer training as well as maintenance training for shore-based support personnel. The fast patrol craft will play a major role in ensuring the safety of shipping, as well as the preservation of the marine environment. Each patrol boat is to be powered by two MTU 16 cylinder 2000 series diesel engines driving a Kamewa waterjet propulsion system, allowing a maximum speed of 40 knots and a maximum range of more than 1000 nautical miles at 10 knots.

Read More

Germanischer Lloyd Opens 11th Station in China

With a festive gathering of more than 100 representatives from Chinese shipyards, the maritime supply industry and shipowners, Germanischer Lloyd inaugurated its new Station in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.

The team of more than 20 employees under the management of Station Manager Gerhard Patz service the ship newbuilding at five shipyards and 90 component manufacturers. In addition, they cover the regular fleet in service inspections at the ports of Yangzhou, Taizhou and Lianyungang. Yangzhou is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze river and the Jinghang Canal. Because of its location it has historically been a leading economic and cultural center as well as major port of trade. Today, Yangzhou is once again an important transportation and market center. It also has some industrial output, chiefly in cotton and textiles. From the very beginning, the classification society Germanischer Lloyd has been present in Asia. In 1870, just three years after its foundation in Hamburg, Germany, the society opened its first office in Shanghai. The classification society has built up a strong network of more than 200 experts in China serving shipyards, supply industry and shipping companies. Roughly 750 container ships, multi-purpose vessels, bulk carriers and oil/chemical tankers are presently being built or in the GL orderbook at more than 60 shipyards. The spectrum of services includes amongst others newbuilding supervision, ship in service inspections, ISM, ISO and ISPS certification, quality management certification and approval of workshops / shipyards as well as training activities.

Read More

ClassNK strengthens Indian presence

Japanese ship classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) has established a new local area representative at Kochi (Cochin), India.

The office is the fourth for the classification society in India, and the 102nd exclusive survey site for ClassNK’s global network. ClassNK currently has offices in Visakhapatnam, commonly known as Visag, Mumbai and Chennai.

Read More

DSME to foray into tourism sector

South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has signed an agreement with the Omani government to develop the tourism sector in Duqm.

The deal, which has an estimated value of roughly $20 billion and is DSME’s first foray into real estate, will see the company the port city about 450 kilometers south of Muscat into a tourist and business area. DSME is currently in the process of building a ship-repair yard in Oman, which is tipped to be one of the biggest in the Middle East. The company may develop Duqm into a marine resort with condominiums and hotels as well as building homes for people working in the city, which will become an industrial and tourist area by 2020, the shipyard said. The government also plans to build a refinery complex, a crude-oil export terminal and a new airport and expand port facilities in the city.

Read More

First Poseidon Challenge Award presented to IACS

This week has seen the first Poseidon Challenge Award presented to the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) by Willem De Ruiter, Executive Director of the European Maritime Safety Agency.

The award was for its work on the successful introduction of the new IACS Common Structural Rules for Tankers (CSR), including the accelerated introduction of the new IMO Standards for Protective Coatings more than 18 months in advance of their mandated IMO implementation date. The Poseidon Challenge Award was created to recognize outstanding accomplishments in continuous improvement in the maritime industry. The judging panel consisted of five members: Nicholas Fistes, Chairman of INTERTANKO; Chris Horrocks, former Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping; Thimlo Mitropoulos, IMO Secretary General; Thomas Tay, General Secretary for the Singapore Maritime Officers' Union; and Stephen Van Dyck, Chairman of the Poseidon Challenge. Fifteen entries were received, nominating individuals, companies, associations, equipment and publications to receive the award. Nominations were required to be based upon sustained commitment to continuous improvement, voluntary efforts to raise or set higher standards for performance, significant outreach towards working together with other sectors in the maritime industry, setting goals of excellence and taking tangible steps towards achieving the goals and leadership in moving the maritime industry towards continuous improvement.

Read More

StatoilHydro makes gas discovery in the Norwegian Sea

According to preliminary calculations, a gas discovery in the Natalia prospect in the Norwegian Sea could contain around 1.5 billion cubic metres of recoverable gas.

Natalia is located five kilometres north-west of the Midgard structure on the Asgard field on the Halten Bank and adds to the many finds in this area. Exploration activities in the area have so far this year given good results, such as the Natalia, Gamma and Marulk (partner-operated) finds. Positive results in Gamma and Natalia are also important contributions in evaluating the potential of equivalent structures in the area. The exploration well was drilled to a total depth of 3040 metres below sea level and was completed in rocks of early Jurassic age. The well has not been formation tested, but comprehensive data collection and sampling have been carried out, including core drilling and fluid sampling.
Read More

China COSCO orders 25 new vessels

China COSCO Holdings Company has agreed to spend $2.29bn for 25 new vessels of an aggregate 106,800teu and 2.113m dwt.

The series of agreements for eight 13,350teu vessels for $1.3bn, nine 57,000dwt dry bulk vessels for $348.9m and eight 200,000dwt dry bulk vessels for $612.8m are expected to help China COSCO cope with steadily increasing market demand for dry bulk. The Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering, which holds contracts for two vessel types, is expected to deliver the first five 13,350teu vessels in 2012 with the remaining three for delivery in 2013, while the eight 200,000dwt dry bulk vessels are slated for delivery between 2010 and 2012. The nine 57,000dwt dry bulk vessels will be delivered by COSCO Shipyard Group between March-July 2009.

Read More

ABG Shipyard to diversify into sub-sea vessels

ABG Shipyard has announced that it is to add sub-sea vessel construction to its portfolio of offshore offerings.

The shipyard, which is said to currently be conducting talks with a Middle East company for strategic technology tie-up, has revealed that it is also looking to secure contracts for the underwater exploration and production vessels. Sources expect the deal to be finalised early next month.

Read More

Rolls-Royce Takes Stake in Tidal Power Project

Rolls-Royce is continuing to invest in renewable energy sources by taking a 23.5 per cent equity stake in TGL, a privately-owned company developing free stream tidal power generation capability.

Rolls-Royce is researching key technologies to provide solutions to the environmental challenges in aerospace, marine and energy markets in order to bring innovative products to market. It sees considerable synergies between the technologies and skills in its existing marine and energy businesses, and will apply these to TGL’s tidal power concept. TGL, in which Rolls-Royce has already invested £1.5 million and technical resource, is developing 500kW and 1MW demonstrators to assess viability ahead of the development of commercial multi-unit systems for tidal power arrays.
Additional development funding has come from the UK government to support the 500kW development unit, and International Power is to be launch customer, selecting, procuring and developing sites for the initial production units.
Read More

Somali troops storm Dubai ship, arrest 7 pirates

Somali troops stormed a Dubai-flagged ship on Tuesday that had been hijacked off the Horn of Africa nation, releasing its crew and arresting seven pirates, authorities said.

They pledged to do the same to rescue a Spanish ship held by pirates since the weekend. "Our troops stormed on to the Al-Khaleej and engaged the pirates. There was brief fighting before they defeated them," Abdirizak Hared, the mayor of Bosasso told. The Al-Khaleej had been carrying food and new cars for sale in Somalia when it was raided by pirates seven km (four miles) off Bosasso, in the Gulf of Aden on the northeast coast, on Monday. It was the second rescue mission against pirates operating from the lawless country this month after French commandos swooped to arrest six pirates in the same area. A surge in hijackings for ransom has made the waters off Somalia some of the world's most dangerous shipping zones. The Al-Khaleej was brought into Bosasso port under guard and 16 crewmembers of Asian origin appeared safe. There were also seven arrested pirates in chains, three of them bleeding. Police escorted them to a waiting van and drove them away under tight security from the port in Puntland region. The ship, and cars on it, showed bullet marks.

Read More

Strong Asian presence at Posidonia 2008

The record Asian participation at this years Posidonia exhibition, to be held in Athens June 2-6, reflects the region’s growing relations with the Greek maritime industry.

Over 300 Asian exhibitors have confirmed their presence, nearly three times the number that attended the 2000 event. A third of them will come from China and 62 from Japan, with Singapore and Korea together accounting for 50% of Asia's total Posidonia 2008 exhibitor participation, this is though to be the biggest show services from companies in this region outside the region. In addition to an increase from participating companies from established maritime nations, companies from the Central American Republic of Honduras, Iceland, Luxemburg and Mongolia are making their Posidonia debut this year reiterating the event's status as the world's most international shipping trade fair. New national pavilions include Romania, Argentina, Sweden and Honduras. ‘The credit crunch in the USA has had little effect on an industry that draws its strength from the booming BRIC economies [Brazil, Russia, India and China] and far eastern and Asian markets where the bulk of shipbuilding activity is concentrated,’ said Nana Michael, MD, Posidonia SA. The floor exhibition space has grown in line with stronger exhibitor demand with a total of 27,500sq mtr reserved for Posidonia 2008, the biggest in the biennial event's history.

Read More

Cicek Shipyard launches ‘Ayse Naz Bayraktar'

Cicek Shipyard, located in Tuzla Bay near Istanbul, Turkey, has launched its first container ship.

Cicek had previously focused on high specification chemical/product tankers. The 1,300TEU ship was named ‘Ayse Naz Bayraktar' and is due for delivery in July 2008. She is the first of two 22,000DWT multipurpose container ships ordered from the yard by Bayraktar Shipping, a private Turkish owner that currently operates a fleet of six container ships, all built between 1999 and 2005, and five general cargo vessels. The design of these two ships allows for a high intake of 9.5-foot-high containers and two hatches can accommodate 45-foot containers, including the 2.5-metre-wide "palletwide" containers now widely used in the intra European trades. However, they have been designed in such a way that they could be switched to breakbulk or bulk operations if required. The vessel's nominal container capacity is 1,287TEU, with 775TEU being on deck and 512TEU below deck. At 14 tonnes homogeneous, the container capacity is 910TEU. 240 reefer plugs are provided. Further flexibility is provided by two 45 tonne Liebherr shipboard cranes, making the ships fully self sustained. A MAN B&W main engine, developing 11,060kW at 127RPM, provides sufficient power for a 19-knot service speed at 90 per cent MCR.

Read More

Wärtsilä expands in UAE with new offices and workshop

Wärtsilä has opened new offices and a workshop in the UAE to meet the rapidly growing market demand from marine and power plant customers in Dubai and in the Gulf in general.

The new workshop premises, located in the Dubai Investment Park 2 (DIP2), enable Wärtsilä to offer a wide range of services for engines, ships, automation, propellers, thrusters, alignment and in-situ machining. “Dubai has become an important business hub in the Middle East and its growth is foreseen to continue in the future. The expansion of Wärtsilä’s portfolio of products and services in that region corresponds to our steadfast commitment to be a one-stop shop for industrial and marine customers”, says Tage Blomberg, Group Vice President, Wärtsilä Services. “Being in Dubai is being where the business needs are. Local presence is of the essence in the service business”, he adds. The new offices and workshop have a floor area close to 10,000 square metres, almost triple the combined size of Wärtsilä’s other locations in Dubai. It will allow the company to handle larger work in terms of dimensions and weight, being equipped with six overhead cranes with maximum capacities of 30 tonnes. Wärtsilä also plans to open an office and workshop in Dubai Maritime City. Wärtsilä has been expanding its network in the Middle East. A branch office was opened in Fujairah in April 2007, and in Bahrain in January 2008. Further offices are planned in Oman, Yemen, Egypt and Qatar, as well as additional offices and workshops in Dubai.

Read More

Cyprus to create shipping advisory body

Cyprus President, Demetris Christofias has reaffirmed the government’s support to the island’s shipping industry, stating that all efforts will be made to resolve any problems faced by the sector.

One of these measures will see the creation of a joint body that will coordinate all aspects of the maritime industry and advise the president on all maritime issues, both from a commercial as well as political point of view. One of the ideas put to the two previous Transport Ministers by shipowners’ groups had been need for the creation of a chamber of shipping that would promote the interests of the ship owners and ship managers, as well as the seafarers and any business or public group involved in the development of the maritime industry. In a meeting with members of the Executive Committee of the Cyprus Shipping Council ahead of the shipowners’ 19th annual general meeting last Friday, Christofias was briefed about the current areas of concern for the shipping industry, as well as the promising prospects for the sector, provided that problems are resolved. He said “the development of merchant shipping does not only take on important economic dimensions but it also has political consequences,” adding that “in a small state, part of which is occupied, the fact that the Cyprus flag is hoisted on ships across the globe is indeed very meaningful.” President Christofias also said that “the inclusion of our flag in the White List of both the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding on port state control was the result of the policy implemented by Cyprus and this achievement has reinforced the international community’s trust in Cyprus and the Cyprus flag.,”

Read More

Aker Yards unveils Genesis construction

The secretiveness around the world's largest cruise vessels, Project Genesis, was partly unveiled yesterday in Aker Yards' Turku shipyard.

For the first time the press could see how the building of the giant floating resort is proceeding, and the huge "Central Park" with two hotel towers to take shape. The two colossal cruise vessels of the Genesis class will be delivered to Royal Caribbean in 2009 and 2010. They will be the world's largest cruise vessels. "Central Park" is a new design in which the centre of the ship opens to the sky. On each side rise six-storeyed hotel towers including 334 staterooms overlooking the park, 254 with balconies. With a length of around 110 metres and a width of 19 metres, the park will have growing lawn, trees and other vegetation. "Central Park is another example of revolutionary innovation in ship design and building," said Juha Heikinheimo, President of Aker Yards, Cruise & Ferries. "Cruise passengers are expecting new unparalleled experiences, and that is what the owners, the yard and the maritime cluster continuously are creating in good cooperation. The vessel, built under the working name ‘Cruise 5', will be delivered to Tallink in 2009. The 212-metre-long and 29-metre-wide vessel will be one of the biggest and fastest cruise ferries in the Baltic Sea, with a capacity of 2,800 passengers and a speed of 24.5 knots.

Read More

Yantai Raffles christens world’s largest crane

Yantai Raffles Shipyard Limited has christened the world’s first fixed dual-beam gantry crane, ‘Taisun’, which boasts a lifting capacity at 20,133m tonnes.

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) was present at the ceremony and witnessed a demonstration of the crane hoisting a launching barge 30 meters above the water to set a new heavy lift world record and presented YRS chairman Brian Chang with a “Witness Load Testing” certificate. The crane, which is now entering commercial service, has already been earmarked for nine lifts over the next 24 months. YRS claims that it will revolutionize the way large offshore projects such as semi-submersibles and FPSOs are built as it provides a safe, uniquely controllable and highly cost effective way to join super sections of up to 20,000mt. Overall project man-hours are expected to be reduced by up to 2m and overall build schedules and time-to-market are also expected to be shortened.
Read More

China Shipping Lines to Expand

The Port of Seattle announced that China Shipping Lines would expand its container service through Seattle.

China Shipping will move from Terminal 18, where it has called since 1999, to Terminal 30, where its division China Shipping Terminals will be an equity partner with terminal operator SSA Terminals, a joint venture between Seattle-based SSA Marine and Matson Navigation Co. Shanghai-based China Shipping through its wholly owned U.S. divisions brings 97,000 TEUs per year through the Seattle seaport's Terminal 18. TEUs are 20-ft.-equivalent units, the standard measure of container volumes because of their varying lengths.

Read More

Maritime industry investment to top Dh50bn

Investment in the Middle East maritime industry is expected to exceed Dh50 billion this year on the back of a boom in the sector across the region.

The growing demand for oil and gas is likely to draw more shipping companies and suppliers into the region to set up shop, said Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the beginning of the three-day Gulf Maritime Exhibition. Last year, UAE terminals increased container cargo throughput by 19 per cent to 11 million TEUs. “The dependency on the trans-Atlantic route has declined and new routes such as Asia-Europe and Asia-Middle East are now the busiest,” he said. To tap into the growing market, maritime firms have also placed large orders for new vessels. There are 1,549 container vessels, 170 VLCCs and 141 Suezmaxes on order worldwide, keeping world’s shipyards fully engaged for the next few years, according to recent figures. Workboats are also in high demand on the back of reclamation projects. Massive projects such as the Dubai and Umm Al Quwain marinas, the three Palm islands, The World, Dubai Festival City, and projects that are coming up in Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are creating huge demand for dredgers and support vessels. New ports and expansions across the Gulf will also throw up many opportunities for the sector. Dubai Maritime City, the world’s first purpose-built maritime centre, will also support the region’s maritime operators through its comprehensive ship repair and maintenance facility situated in the Industrial Quarter, which will be managed by Dubai Drydocks.
Read More

Three 'Queens' in final meeting

Three grand luxury liners have met in their home port of Southampton for the first and final time in their history.

Cunard's fleet of "Queens" - Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth 2 - lined up for the historic meeting at about 1800 BST. The QM2 and Queen Victoria then left port shortly afterwards, leaving the QE2 in dock. The QE2 will retire in November when it will be converted into a hotel in Dubai after more than 40 years in service. The Queen is making a farewell trip to her namesake in June before it sets sail for the United Arab Emirates. It will be the third time the Queen has visited the QE2 since she named it at Clydebank, Scotland, in 1967. During its 41 years at sea, the 70,000 tonne ship has travelled more than 5.6m nautical miles, carried more than 2.5m passengers and has also been used to transport troops and host royalty. The historic meeting of the three luxury cruise liners on the south coast comes three months after the ships met for the first time in New York in January. The earlier encounter was believed to have been a one-off in Cunard's 168-year history but a change in the QE2's schedule met they have all met again for the first time in their home port.

Read More

GL opens 11th Chinese station in Yangzhou

German classification society Germanischer Lloyd has inaugurated its 11th new station in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.

Headed by station manager Gerhard Patz, the team of more than 20 employees service the ship newbuilding at five shipyards and 90 component manufacturers and cover the regular fleet in service inspections at the ports of Yangzhou, Taizhou and Lianyungang. Yangzhou is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze river and the Jinghang Canal. Because of its location, it has historically been a leading economic and cultural centre as well as major port of trade. Today, Yangzhou is once again an important transportation and market centre. It also has some industrial output, chiefly in cotton and textiles. GL opened its first Asian office in Shanghai in 1870. The classification society currently has a presence in Dalian, Jiangyin, Nanjing, Ningbo, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Hong Kong, and Kaohsiung and boasts a network of more than 200 experts in China serving shipyards, supply industry and shipping companies. Roughly 750 container ships, multi-purpose vessels, bulk carriers and oil/chemical tankers are presently being built or in the GL orderbook at more than 60 shipyards.
Read More

StealthGas Acquires Newbuild

StealthGas Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire from an unaffiliated entity a resale new build Korean built 47,000 deadweight IMO 3 M.R. type Product Carrier.

The purchase price of the vessel is $57.5 million and she will be financed through a combination of bank debt and internally generated cash resources. Upon her expected delivery to the Company in April 2009, she will be deployed on a three-year time charter to a Far Eastern based ship operator at a rate of $22,000 per day. The company also announced that it completed on March 19, 2008 the previously announced purchase of the Gas Premiership Japanese built 7,200 cbm Fully Pressurized LPG carrier; she has been deployed on a near four-year time charter to an international gas trader. The time charter rate will increase annually in January 2009 by 4.0%, in January 2010 by 3.8% and in January 2011 by 3.7% respectively. The company also announced that it has completed the third of three previously announced sales of Handy Size LPG carriers. The Gas Renovatio was delivered to her new owners on March 19, 2008. The company also announced that upon completion of her existing bare boat charter in mid-May the Chiltern would immediately commence a new five-year bare boat charter to a European LPG operator at a rate representing a circa 20 percent increase over the existing bare boat charter rate.
Read More

Gulf Navigation Holding approves foreign shareholding

An extraordinary general meeting of shareholders in Gulf Navigation Holding approved the board’s proposal to allow non-GCC nationals and institutions to hold shares up to 20% of the company.

The move, aimed at broadening the GulfNav investor base to include expats living in the GCC, fund managers in non-GCC banks, etc, will be implemented following necessary regulatory approvals. "We live in an era where inclusion of all sections of the population in economic development and especially in the financial markets is the need of the hour,” said GulfNav chairman Engineer Abdullah Al Shuraim. ”We cannot remain closed to business opportunities that committed investors bring with them, be they GCC nationals or expatriates. We have opened the doors to global funds, investment vehicles and individuals that are interested in diversifying their equity portfolios by investing in a company that has an excellent long-term outlook while being risk averse at the same time. We realize that new investors would demand a higher level of corporate disclosure and we are confident of providing that.” GulfNav announced a record profit of AED116.05m ($311.5m) in 2007, a 120.77% increase as compared to AED52.57m for 2006. The company started trading on the Dubai Financial Market February 07, 2007.
Read More

Jurong/Mac Laren shipyards announce Brazilian yard agreement

Jurong Shipyard, a subsidiary of Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine, signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement with Rio de Janeiro-based Mac Laren Shipyard to operate a shipyard in Brazil.

Under the five-year Alliance Agreement, Jurong Shipyard will collaborate with Mac Laren for all future offshore oil and gas-related projects to be undertaken in Brazil. Jurong Shipyard will have management lead for all the projects. In return, Mac Laren shall provide Jurong Shipyard the exclusive use of its existing shipyard facilities located in Rio de Janeiro. Located in Niteroi in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Mac Laren is a mid-sized shipyard with a total land area of 408,000m², comprising 128,000m² of waterfront land and 280,000m² of construction yard. The Mac Laren Shipyard is currently expanding its shipyard facilities with the construction of a new 150 x 130 x 13-metre drydock. Scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2009, the new drydock will be one of two purpose-built drydocks in Brazil capable of drydocking semi-submersible rigs, including the largest production rigs. Besides the drydock, the shipyard is also expanding its structural and piping workshop to 11,860m² and increasing its quayside length to 240 metres to accommodate the berthing of VLCC-sized FPSOs.
Read More

Ports of Auckland gains in service shake-up

New Zealand's Ports of Auckland will benefit from the latest round of port rotation rationalization by overseas shipping lines.

The NZX/NZS consortium of shipping lines has designated Auckland Port as the key New Zealand import port call after its recent review of its two-loop South East Asia service. The new NZX/NZS rotation, starting in June, will see five vessels operating a weekly service utilized by PIL (Pacific International Lines), OOCL (Orient Overseas Container Lines), MOL (Mistui OSK Lines), NYK (NYK Line) and MISC (Malaysian International Shipping Corporation).
Read More

Safmarine appoints Jonathan Horn regional executive

SAFMARINE has appointed Jonathan Horn as the new Africa region executive, effective May 1.

Mr Horn takes over from Alan Jones, who soon becomes senior key account executive for Safmarine, until his retirement in October 2009 after 33 years with the multi-trade shipping line.

South Africa-born Mr Jones said: "Phasing out my involvement in Africa to focus on South Africa will not only allow me to work closely with Jonathan, providing the necessary mentoring and development for a period of 18 months, but we believe the handover period is also in the best interests of Safmarine's customers."

Mr Horn joined Safmarine in 2004 as a regional executive for Kwazulu Natal, then moving to Cape Town in 2005 when he joined the personnel department before moving into customer service.

Prior to his appointment at Safmarine he served as vice president in Energy, Utilities & Chemicals Sector at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Singapore.

Read More

World's biggest container maker expects demand to fall this year

CHINA International Marine Containers (CIMC), the world's largest container maker, forecasts that the global demand will remain flat or decline in 2008.

The overproduction of containers in 2007 is another reason for the company to make provisions for 2008, in light of fewer purchases and more competition, a company statement said.

But company says trade in standard dry cargo containers and reefer boxes trade will not suffer much because it expects improvement in the domestic market for road operations, energy and chemicals equipment sales as well as airport facility activity to buoy business during global slowdown.

CIMC will spend CNY5.7 billion (US$814 million) this year, CNY1.33 billion of which for vehicle manufacturing, CNY650 million for energy and chemicals equipment manufacturing.

Read More

Cosco establishes joint venture with Indonesian firm for coal transportation

Sea transport operator China Ocean Shipping Company is making efforts to win coal shipment contract from Indonesia by establishing joint venture with a local firm.

Cosco has teamed up with Indonesia's PT Global Putra International (GPI) and the joint venture will buy up to 10 coal ships with the capacity of between 50,000 tons and 100,000 tons. "Each ship has a price tag of 50 million to 100 million U.S. dollars," GPI president Sumadi Kusuma was quoted as saying. "We established the joint venture to answer demands for coal shipment from Indonesia to foreign countries, particularly China," he said. He and Cosco CEO Wei Jiatu have met with Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal to report the joint venture establishment. "We have handed over all documents to the government, who has the final say. We are confident the joint venture will become operational this year," said Sumadi. The ministry has projected the need of 390 ships to meet the growing coal shipment, as the country's coal export is expected to hit 100 million tons by 2010.

Read More

Dismantlers tackle stricken ferry

The sister ship of the stranded Riverdance ferry is being inspected by workers to help formulate plans to dismantle the beached vessel.

The firm tasked with dismantling the ferry, which is grounded on a Blackpool beach, took over the site on Monday. The 2,600 tonne Riverdance is due to be stripped down before being cut into pieces and transported for recycling in an operation expected to take 14 weeks. Experts boarded sister ship the Moondance in Heysham on Monday. The Riverdance ran aground off the Lancashire coast in January after being hit by a freak wave as it sailed from Northern Ireland to Heysham. Hancock's Contractors in Heysham, Lancashire, has been awarded the contract to dismantle the Riverdance, which has now sunk about 4m (4.4yd) into the sand.

Read More

Ezra takes delivery of Lewek Trogon

Ezra Holdings has taken delivery of an 18,000 bhp anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel, Lewek Trogon from Drydocks World Singapore.

The newbuild AHTS is equipped with Rolls Royce engines and dynamic positioning capabilities. Construction on the vessel took place at the previous Pan-United shipyard, which was acquired by Drydocks last year. Lewek Trogon will be officially named at a ceremony held at the Singapore shipyard today. The vessel will be loaded with supplies and fuel before departing Singapore in about two weeks time to begin a first assignment in Southeast Asia.

Read More

New double-ended ferry 'La Gironde' crosses namesake river

The Bordeaux region is situated in the Department Gironde, directly on the Atlantic coast where a ferry service runs across a six-kilometre stretch between the picturesque towns of Verdon sur Mer and Royan.

This ferry connection saves passengers a detour of approximately 155 kilometres and/or a car trip lasting some three hours. The double-ended ferry 'La Gironde', fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers (VSP), entered service in 2002. It will receive a sister ship, also installed with VSPs. Owing to large tidal differences, strong currents characterize the river mouth of the Gironde into the Gulf of Biscay. Varying flow directions and fierce, blustery winds aggravate ferry traffic. During the construction of 'La Gironde', criteria such as high sailing stability and reliability proved to be the main incentive for the ship owner to decide in favor of the Voith Schneider Propeller as the ferry's propulsion system. Just like the first ferry, the new ship specifies a draught limit of only 2.60 meters. The new ferry will be built at the French shipyard Chantier Piriou in Concarneau, Brittany, and is expected to take up service in spring 2010. The public authority Conseil Général de la Gironde, which also operates the sister, owns it ship 'La Gironde'. The vessel offers room for 600 passengers and 138 cars or alternatively 6 trucks plus 93 cars. It measures 78 metres long and 18.3 meters wide. The ship is designed for a target speed of 13.6 knots.
Read More

“K” Line to join in on WHL’s JCV service

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” Line) and Wan Hai Lines Ltd (WHL) have signed an agreement to co-operate on the latter’s current weekly Japan-China-Vietnam Service (JCV).

Starting May 8, “K” Line will replace one of WHL’s vessels on the route. Three 770teu vessels and call on the following ports on its 21-day rotation will operate the fixed-day service: Tokyo - Yokohama - Shanghai - Hong Kong - Huangpu - Da Nang - Hochiminh City (Cat Lai & VICT) - Hong Kong - Shekou – Tokyo. The service will also drop southbound Shekou calling and add southbound Huangpu. The changes to the current JCV service are seen as a further enhancement to each carrier’s present service network.

Read More

World’s Largest Cruise Ship Delivered

The third in the series of the world´s largest cruise vessels for Royal Caribbean was delivered in Aker Yards, Turku.

The “Independence of the Seas” has all of the signature elements of her sister ships “Freedom of the Seas” and “Liberty of the Seas”, making the Freedom-class ships the most innovative and forward-looking class of ships in the cruise industry for the time being. The vessel is like a small city with lots of service: many restaurants, theatres, cafés, shopping mall, hospital, hair dressers´ and bakers. Already the mindset behind the vessel’s name is in giving the the passengers the independence to create their own unique adventure by choosing multiple onboard options - from rock climbing, surfing or ice skating to spa treatments, fine dining or world-class entertainment. “Independence of the Seas is an evidence of that Aker Yards is continuously delivering in schedule large cruise vessels which are state-of-the-art regarding both design and functionality”, says Juha Heikinheimo, President of Aker Yards, Cruise & Ferries. In addition to the innovative comfort amenities there is lots of technical improvement onboard the Independence, e.g. advanced water purification: The state-of-the-art AWP-plant purifies all of the ship’s grey and black waters into a degree of being virtually pure drinking water. The vessel is 339 m long, 38.6 m wide, and takes 4,375 passengers and 1,365 crew. It has diesel-electric propulsion. In order to ensure a best possible fuel economy and subsequently environmentally friendly operation a series of different hydrodynamic improvements including a new ducktail design were carefully studied and taken into use.

Read More

Shanghai surges to second spot

Shanghai has leapt over Hong Kong to become the world's second busiest container port, with 26.15 million TEU crossing its wharves last year.

Hong Kong handled 23.99 million boxes. The Yangtze River Delta port remains behind Singapore, which handled 27.9 million containers in 2007. However, significant expansion at Shanghai's giant Yangshan port complex means its move into number one spot is a matter of time. The 20.4 percent increase in throughput helped Shanghai International Port grow its net profit by 22.75 percent to US$518.77 million. Cargo volume handled stood at 353 million tonnes, up 13.1 percent, while operating revenue rose 27.6 percent to $2.32 billion. The port expects container throughput to reach 30 million TEU this year, although the National Reform and Development Commission, China’s top economic planning agency, have raised concerns over the slowing US economy.

Read More

Mexico's Lakach field has 308 MMcf reserves

Mexico's state oil company Pemex has announced large natural gas reserves at its Lakach gas field, located 70 miles (113 km) northeast of Veracruz.

Pemex calls Lakach, the fourth most important field in Mexico in terms of total reserves of unassociated gas. Lakach is said to contain proved reserves of 308 MMcf of gas, proved and probable reserves of 673 MMcf and proved, probable and possible reserves of 1,302 MMcf. Initial tests from wells there indicate a production rate of 25 MMcf/d to 30 MMcf/d. The Lakach wells are in water depths of 3,241 feet (988 m) feet of water, one of the deepest water depths in which Pemex has drilled. The gas deposits are located around 9,842 feet to 10,498 feet (3,000 to 3,200 m) deep. Production from Lakach is expected to begin in 2013. The large amount of reserves in relatively deep water have encouraged Pemex to look towards deepwater oil and gas to reverse Mexico's declining oil reserves. However, the energy reform bill that would allow Pemex to partner with foreign companies for exploration and production, giving Pemex access to the knowledge and technology needed to fully exploit deepwater reserves, has been heavily contested.

Read More

Unithai enters SE Asian energy transportation arena

Unithai, the Thai arm of IMC Corp Group, has unveiled plans to provide transportation-based supply-chain solution services to South East Asia, primarily for Thailand’s oil and gas industry.

Singapore-based Unithai Energy Pte Ltd will operate the new business in collaboration with oil instrument diversified broker PVM Oil Associates. “Unithai has provided supply-chain services for the energy industry since 1999, when it commenced its offshore logistics business,” said Kim Kyung Soo, IMC Corp Group deputy ceo and Unithai Energy md. “Now, it is forming Thailand’s largest fleet of the supply and support vessels for the oil and gas industry in Thailand. In collaboration with PVM,” said Mr Kim, “we will be able to expand our energy transportation and supply chain solutions to support further energy development in the midst of the region’s continued economic growth and rapid industrialization.” Unithai is part of an energy supply chain that includes parent company IMC Corp Group, an Asia-focused firm that provides integrated industrial solutions, and sister company Aurora Tankers, a regional operator in liquid bulk transportation.

Read More

LNG arrives at two new US terminals

Two LNG tankers arriving along the upper US Texas Gulf Coast within five days of each other are delivering commissioning cargoes for two new LNG terminals, one in Louisiana and one in Texas.

The 145,000cu m 'Celestine River' docked at Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass terminal, in Cameron Parish, along the Sabine River border near Port Arthur. The tanker had loaded its cargo at Nigeria LNG. On April 15, the 138,000cu m LNG regasification tanker 'Excelsior' arrived at Freeport LNG Development LP's Quintana terminal, about 110 kilometres south of Houston. The LNGR tanker had loaded its cargo in Trinidad and Tobago, historically the largest LNG shipper to the US. These two terminals, which will undergo cool down over the next several weeks, and receive two or three more cargoes each in the process, will be the first land-based LNG terminals to open in the US in more than 25 years. Two more US terminals, also in Louisiana and Texas, are in final stages of construction and expect to start up later this year or in first quarter 2009. ExxonMobil Golden Pass terminal lies across the Sabine River from Cheniere's terminal. And east of Sabine Pass, near Hackberry, 28 kilometres from the Gulf of Mexico, Sempra Energy subsidiary Sempra LNG is in the final months of building its Cameron LNG terminal.

Read More

Concor to resume coastal shipping in a month

HD Gujrati, group general manager of international marketing at the state-owned Container Corporation of India in Mumbai has revealed plans to resume coastal shipping services as part of its strategy to widen its reach as a logistics service provider.

“Short-sea shipping (coastal shipping) is the future,” said Gujrati. “We intend to start regular shipping services on coastal routes within a month.” Although Concor had offered coastal shipping a few years ago, the services were discontinued due to operational and regulatory reasons. This time around, the company is clear about its strategy. “Initially, we will buy slots (space on board a ship occupied by a container) in the coastal ships of firms specializing in this sector. Subsequently, we may hire full ships or even buy ships in partnership with an experienced firm,” Gujrati said. Coastal shipping is said to be a cheaper alternative to carrying cargo by road or rail. But, despite a 7,517km coastline dotted with 12 major ports and more than 200 smaller ones, India’s coastal shipping has not developed to the level prevailing in other parts of the globe. Coastal shipping accounts for more than 40% of the trade volumes in the US, China and Europe, but in India, it makes for just 7% of the total domestic cargo transport, according to consultancy firm Ernst and Young. Concor is negotiating with several firms for a joint venture, but Gujrati declined to give details.

Read More

Galoc set to flow next month

First oil from the Galoc oilfield off the Philippine looks set to flow early next month as the pre-commissioning of the floating production, storage and offloading vessel is nearing completion and is expected to be mobilized shortly.

The FPSO, Rubicon Intrepid’s pre-commissioning prior to hook-up to a pre-installed mooring and riser system is progressing in Batangas, 120 kilometres south of Manila, said joint venture member Otto Energy. The Galoc oilfield lies about 65 kilometres north-west of Palawan. Shareholders in the Galoc field are the Galoc Production Company (58.29%), Nido Petroleum (22.28%), Philodrill (7.02%), Oriental Petroleum & Minerals (7.58%), Forum Energy (2.27%), Alcorn Gold Resources (1.53%) and PetroEnergy Resources (1.03%). Australian junior Otto Energy holds a 31.38% shareholding in Galoc Production, while a subsidiary of Vitol owns the remaining 68.62% stake.

Read More

Chinese magnates cooperate on shipbuilding

China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Baosteel and China Shipping Group, the three largest individual players in Chinese shipbuilding, steel producing and shipping, have recently signed an agreement on cooperating on the Long Xue Shipbuilding Base in Guangzhou.

The three companies aim to establish the biggest shipyard in southern China. The Long Xue Shipbuilding Base is one of the strategy shipbuilding areas approved by the Chinese central government. As the most important port city in Southern China, Guangzhou only has a shipbuilding capacity of less than one million DWT and the largest ship that can be built there is 60,000DWT. Long Xue will be able to reach 2.12 million DWT in production ability and will also be able to build 300,000DWT-sized ships.

Read More

'Natchan World' arrives in Japan

The newest vessel built by Incat has arrived in Japan less than seven days after leaving Hobart, Australia.

Delivered by Incat to her new owner an impressive two months ahead of schedule, the 'Natchan World' left Hobart on April 10. The vessel arrived in Hakodate on Thursday April 17 in the early hours of the morning. On completion of crew training, the new ship will enter service on in early May after an inauguration and ribbon-cutting ceremony at Aomori. Senior Japanese government officials and also representatives of Incat and the Tasmanian government will then have the opportunity to sample all the ship has to offer during her maiden voyage before continuing the celebrations at Hakodate. The 'Natchan World' is Incat's second high speed wave piercing catamaran for Higashi Nihon Ferry. The vessel now joins its sister ship 'Natchan Rera'', which was completed by Incat last August. The 'Natchan Rera' is currently in service across Japan's Tsugaru Strait between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. At nearly 11,000GT, the new 112-metre long 'Natchan World' is one of the largest vessels yet built by Incat. 'Natchan World' can operate at speeds of approximately 40 knots and has a capacity for up to 800 persons and 355 cars, or 450 lane metres of trucks and 193 cars.

Read More

2nd Maldives International Boat Show 2008

Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services (Pvt) will be organizing the 2^nd Maldives International Boat Show 2008.

Maldives’ premier Boat Show will have an exclusive access from the 28^th to 30 April 2008 at the Dharubaaruge Exhibition Hall, Male, Republic of Maldives. The event is endorsed by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade together with the Maldives National Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The 2008 exhibition themed “Set Sail for the Maldives” is expected to outperform the previous event with a much wider array of products on show. The organizers objective is to make the Maldives International Boat Show 2008 a regional show, making it ‘a water front festivity’ in the tourism calendar of Maldives. They hope to do this by adding many other events to the boat show such as a fishing competition, a boat race, a wind surfing competition in order to attract competitors, participants and tourists from the entire region. The annual show will feature and showcase all types of boat builders, accessory suppliers and other service providers from all over the world to introduce their latest innovations to the buyers in the Maldives and other regional buyers. The show will draw big names from the regional and international boating and marine industry, and will find its place in the global boat show calendar. The MIBS Game Fishing Competition will take place concurrently with the exhibition attracting anglers from all over the world. This will be endorsed and supported by the Game Fish Association of Maldives together with the Sports Fishing Club of Sri Lanka. MIBS Game Fishing Competition is poised to become the biggest event of its kind in the region.

Read More