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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
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