Seabed-mining ship Sagar Nidhi joins Indian fleet

Union Science & Technology Minister Kapil Sibal dedicated the oceanographic research vessel Sagar Nidhi to the nation in Chennai in the presence of Shipping and Surface Transport Minister T R Balu at the Chennai port trust.

The third research vessel after Sagar Purvi and Sagar Paschimi, the Italian-built Sagar Nidhi is set to launch submersible capsules capable of taking scientists to a depth of six km below the sea level. The 104 metres long and 18 metres wide ship would help in the study of marine theatres, tropical and polar environments. During its maiden voyage from Italy to India, the multipurpose research vessel Sagar Nidhi made a 12-hour detour, responding to an emergency call from another ship, according to marine engineers who were tracking its journey. The 2320-million-rupee vessel will be used for conducting oceanic studies on the fuel of the future gas hydrates and search for scientific evidence about origin of life and cures for chronic diseases. The research vessel is the first in India equipped with a winch and cable strong enough to hoist 60 tonnes from a depth of 6,000 metres under the sea. It is also the first with a feature that allows it to maintain its position within five metres of a point even in choppy seawaters with 2.5-metre high waves.
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Arabian Gulf tanker rates likely to increase due to lack of vessels

The cost of shipping Middle East crude to Asia, the world's busiest route for supertankers, may advance for a sixth day because vessel supply is constrained in the Atlantic.

When ship charter rates rise in western hemisphere markets, some owners whose tankers are in Europe or the US may choose to compete for West African cargoes rather than sending the ships back to the Middle East, cutting availability.

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PTT Pcl, Thailand's biggest energy company, hired the tanker Xin Jin Yang for 138 Worldscale points, according. That's 1.5 per cent above the London-based Baltic Exchange's assessment of WS135.94 for a comparable voyage to Singapore. Xin Jin Yang is fitted with a double hull to cut the risk of an oil spill. That makes it more expensive to hire than single-hulled ships. The exchange's benchmark assessment for freight derivative contracts advanced for a fifth day to WS132.66 yesterday. Worldscale points are a percentage of a nominal rate, or flat rate, for more than 320,000 specific routes. At WS132.66, owners of double-hulled very large crude carriers, or VLCCs, can earn about $100,273 a day on a 39-day round trip from Saudi Arabia to South Korea, based on a formula by R.S. Platou, an Oslo-based shipbroker, and Bloomberg marine-fuel prices.
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Shipping Corporation in talks with Korea's STX for shipbuilding JV

State-run Shipping Corp. of India Ltd, the county's biggest shipping firm by fleet size and revenues, is in talks with South Korean shipbuilder STX Shipbuilding Co. Ltd for a joint venture.

India looks to scale up its shipbuilding capacity to tap into a global shipbuilding boom. SCI has started discussions with STX for a joint venture shipyard in India, but nothing has been finalized as yet. S. Hajara, chairman and managing director of SCI, said the company is ''talking to many partners and will finalize one at an appropriate time.'' He did not confirm talks with STX and declined to name the potential partners. An STX spokesperson, too, declined to comment on the subject. The Union government plans to build two international-size shipyards, one each on the east and west coasts, with investments from private firms to boost India's shipbuilding capacity as part of its $12.4 billion (Rs49,500 crore) national maritime development program. It is not known whether SCI's talks with STX are for one of these yards.
Indian shipyards currently have the capacity to build ships with a combined cargo carrying capacity of 2.8 million tonnes (mt) a year. This is small by global standards. India has 23 shipyards, seven of which are owned by the Centre and two by state governments. The other shipyards are owned by private firms, including ABG Shipyard Ltd, Bharati Shipyard Ltd, Larsen and Toubro Ltd and Pipavav Shipyard Ltd. STX Shipbuilding has facilities in Busan and Jinhae in South Korea, Dalian in China and is also building a new yard in Vietnam.
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The Havyard Group secures order for new IMR vessel design

Havyard Leirvik has signed contract with Havila Shipping for construction of a Havyard 855 IMR skip, Yard No. 101.

The Havyard 855 IMR (inspection, maintenance and repair) design will be built at Havyard Leirvik, is scheduled to be delivered in the summer of 2010 and has a contract value including OFE of approximately NOK700 million (US$123.5 million). The vessel will be designed and built for inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea offshore installations for oil production. The vessel will have a length of 97.5 metres, breadth of 19,8 metres and a accommodation for 70 persons. Further the vessel will be equipped with an offshore crane with capacity of 100 tonnes at 15 metres, have a cargo deck of 600m2 and a maximum speed of 17 knots. The vessel will be designed for taking care of the environment for both crew and surroundings, among other things seen through appliance of comfort class, clean class and catalysts for reducing outlet to the air.
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Hanjin Shipping adds 6,500-TEU newbuilding to FEX

Hanjin Shipping, based in South Korea, plans to deploy an additional 6,500-TEU vessel on its Far East Europe Express service.

The new deployed ship is Hanjin Chongqing, recently named at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan City and is the last in a series of the eight 6,500-TEU vessels on order since 2004. As well as the other seven 6,500-TEU vessels delivered earlier, the Hanjin Chongqing is equipped with a state-of-the art engine, which allows for 27 knots with minimum fuel consumption. The ship is also air pollution-free as the engine completely burns the fuel. Hanjin Shipping said the latest 6,500-TEU box ship would replace the existing 5,500-TEU ship used on the FEX service. As a result, all vessels in the service will be upgraded from 5,500 TEU to 6,500 TEU. The port rotation for the Far East Europe Express service is: Xingang, Gwangyang, Busan, Yantian, Singapore, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Singapore, Kaohsiung, returning to Xingang.
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