Built to the same Conan Wu & Associates design as the 2008 ‘Venture G’, ‘Maria G’s’ key distinction lies in its switch to Cummins for main propulsion. A pair of Cummins KTA50-M2 mains, each generating 1,193kW at 1,800 rpm also power the vessel, and the main’s turn two-metre diameter propellers in nozzles on 19.5cm diameter shafts through Twin Disc MG5506 gears with 6:1 reduction. A total of three Cummins QSM11DM-powered 245 kW generators meet the vessel’s electrical requirements, and the deck contains a hydraulic crane (TTS GP 320-10-15,0). The ‘Maria G’ is also fitted with a Schottel STT 330 LK FPP tunnel type five tonne bow thruster.
Monday, July 6, 2009
A new vessel from Sealink’s Miri Yard
The Sealink Slipways, located at Miri in the Sarawak Province of East Malaysia, has recently delivered a 53.8 by 13.8-metre offshore and service vessel to Rederij Groen of the Netherlands.
Built to the same Conan Wu & Associates design as the 2008 ‘Venture G’, ‘Maria G’s’ key distinction lies in its switch to Cummins for main propulsion. A pair of Cummins KTA50-M2 mains, each generating 1,193kW at 1,800 rpm also power the vessel, and the main’s turn two-metre diameter propellers in nozzles on 19.5cm diameter shafts through Twin Disc MG5506 gears with 6:1 reduction. A total of three Cummins QSM11DM-powered 245 kW generators meet the vessel’s electrical requirements, and the deck contains a hydraulic crane (TTS GP 320-10-15,0). The ‘Maria G’ is also fitted with a Schottel STT 330 LK FPP tunnel type five tonne bow thruster.Read More
Built to the same Conan Wu & Associates design as the 2008 ‘Venture G’, ‘Maria G’s’ key distinction lies in its switch to Cummins for main propulsion. A pair of Cummins KTA50-M2 mains, each generating 1,193kW at 1,800 rpm also power the vessel, and the main’s turn two-metre diameter propellers in nozzles on 19.5cm diameter shafts through Twin Disc MG5506 gears with 6:1 reduction. A total of three Cummins QSM11DM-powered 245 kW generators meet the vessel’s electrical requirements, and the deck contains a hydraulic crane (TTS GP 320-10-15,0). The ‘Maria G’ is also fitted with a Schottel STT 330 LK FPP tunnel type five tonne bow thruster.
IMO Council makes 2010 the 'Year of the seafarer'
The Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), meeting for its 102nd session in London (29 June to 3 July 2009), agreed that next year’s theme for World Maritime Day will be “2010: Year of the Seafarer”, endorsing a proposal from IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos.
The theme - to be celebrated throughout the year and also at a World Maritime Day parallel event in Argentina - was selected to give IMO and the international maritime community the opportunity to pay tribute to the world’s seafarers for their unique contribution to society and in recognition of the risks they shoulder in the execution of their duties in an often hostile environment. In proposing it, SecretaryGeneral Mitropoulos said that “the unique hazards confronting the 1.5 million seafarers of the world - including pirate attacks, unwarranted detention and abandonment - coupled with the predicted looming shortage of ships’ officers, make it ever more incumbent to take immediate and effective action to forestall a situation from developing in which ships are not manned with sufficient skilled personnel”. The theme complements IMO’s ongoing “Go to Sea!” campaign to attract new entrants to the shipping industry, which was launched in November 2008 in association with the International Labour Organization, the “Round Table” of shipping industry organizations and the International Transport Workers’ Federation. It is also in line with the comprehensive review, initiated in 2006, of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) 1978 and its associated Code, updated texts of which are due to be considered by a Diplomatic Conference scheduled to be held in Manila, Philippines, in mid-2010.
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BLRT rebuilds bunker vessels
The Estonian yard group BLRT Grupp has found a niche market – converting single-hull bunker vessels into double-hull vessels in accordance with MARPOL regulations.
The group’s yard, Tallinn Shipyard, recently rebuilt three Estonian bunker vessels, which now have double hulls. The vessels’ cargo capacity was reduced by some 18–20 per cent. BLRT is negotiating with Murmansk Shipping Company to rebuild the bunker vessel Kotlas and the waste disposal barge Randal.Read More
The group’s yard, Tallinn Shipyard, recently rebuilt three Estonian bunker vessels, which now have double hulls. The vessels’ cargo capacity was reduced by some 18–20 per cent. BLRT is negotiating with Murmansk Shipping Company to rebuild the bunker vessel Kotlas and the waste disposal barge Randal.
BPA to buy three berths from PNC
Seoul: South Korea's Busan Port Authority (BPA) has confirmed a deal to acquire three berths at Pusan New Port Co (PNC) at an estimated price of 490 billion won ($387 million), writes Portworld.
The berths, with a total capacity of 1.5m teu, were owned by financially troubled PNC, which started the sale negotiations with BPA in April this year. A BPA spokeswoman said operation of the berths would now be put out to tender with a final bidding date on July 8, it was reported. The prime bidder will be announced on July 10 and BPA hopes the three berths will start operations in October.The spokeswoman said some interested parties include PSA International and an association of domestic near-sea operators whose members include KMTC, Heung-A and Nam Saung Shipping. PNC was originally scheduled to commence operations of the three berths in May, but BPA stepped in because of questions over PNC's ability to take on the additional berths, given its shaky financial position.
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PetroVietnam to Set Up Oil JV for Devt Offshore Venezuela
State-run Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, or PetroVietnam, said Friday it will set up an oil joint venture with Venezuelan Petroleum Corp. in the second half of this year.
The joint venture, PetroMacareo, will produce oil in the Junin-2 offshore block in Venezuela's Orinoco belt, PetroVietnam said in a statement. State media said in May that Venezuelan Petroleum Corp., a subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil firm PdVSA, will hold a 60% stake in the joint venture, while PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corp., a leading production unit of PetroVietnam, will hold the remaining 40%. PetroMacareo will be able to produce a combined 200,000 barrels a day of heavy and extra heavy oil from the Junin-2 block, which will then be processed into light crude oil to supply to an oil refinery in Vietnam, said Voice of Vietnam radio.
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Sunday, July 5, 2009
Pipavav Shipyard to launch IPO
India: Pipavav Shipyard is planning to launch an initial public offering by the end of September but must receive approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
A representative from the shipyard said the company hoped to bring forward the date of the IPO.The shipyard plans to raise some US$104 million through the IPO. The company will use the money to build several VLCCs and LNG tankers. In 2008, Pipavav received approval for the issue and sold over 868 million shares.
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Safmarine launches 'Safari 3'
Safmarine has enhanced its existing Safari (Southern Africa–Far East) service with the introduction of a new string dedicated to the Indian Ocean Islands and Mozambique.
According to Safmarine’s SA Trades Executive, Alex de Bruyn: ”Our new Safari 3 string will complement Safmarine's existing service offering and market coverage of Southern Africa. Not only will it improve our direct coverage of the niche ports of Toamasina and Maputo to and from Asia, but it will also strengthen Safmarine's service into South Africa by taking the Indian Ocean Islands out of the westbound rotation of the main Safari string where our customers require fast transit times. “The new string - which launches on Thursday, July 2, 2009 - will also deliver market leading transit times to and from Mozambique and Madagascar; it will be particularly attractive to shippers wanting a faster and more reliable service between Maputo and the Indian Ocean Islands. For example, the westbound transit time between Madagascar and Maputo is only four days.” Safari 3 is a weekly service linking Asia to Mozambique and the Indian Ocean Islands with direct calls to Tanjung Pelepas, Port Louis, Toamasina and Maputo.
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Transocean Shelf Explorer Starts Drilling on Veninsky Block
On June 30, the Transocean Shelf Explorer jackup started drilling on the Veninsky Block at the Sakhalin-3 project, in which a 74.9% stake belongs to Rosneft and the remaining 25.1% are held by Sinopec.
The drilling was ordered by the Project operator, Veninneft LLC, which had scheduled the drilling of two exploration wells during the 2009 field season.The first Veninsky Block well will be drilled at a distance of roughly 10 kilometers from the shore, with the actual drilling site lying 25 meters beneath the sea. The second well will be located on the North-Veninsky structure, almost 9 kilometers offshore and 21 meters deep. The drilling operations will last till the middle of October.
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Eestinova took delivery of Emi Leader
Onega Shipbuilding Yard in Petrozavodsk has delivered Emi Leader to the Estonian shipping company Eestinova OÜ in St. Petersburg.
Its the second vessel in a series of four units. These multipurpose dry-cargo carriers have been designed by Marine Engineering Bureau in Odessa for transportation between European ports. The Malta-flagged Emi Leader, 4,500 DWT, is 89.99 metres long and 14 metres wide. She has a cruising speed of 11.5 knots. The vessel can load 140 TEUs and has ice class 1B. Orimi Ship in St. Petersburg has ordered the other two vessels in the series.
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Saturday, July 4, 2009
'Fairplay VIII' donated to Hamburg museum
Germany: Foundation Hamburg Maritim took delivery of a 47-year-old Hamburg harbour tug yesterday (July 2) from Fairplay Towage.
The 447kW ‘Fairplay VIII’ was moored at its new berth at Sandtorhafen, Hamburg’s new museum-port.Joerg Mainzer, Managing Director of Fairplay-Towage, handed one of the original brass-keys of the tug’s wheelhouse as well as the ship’s papers to Reinhard Wolf, Chairman of the board of the foundation. The tug, built in 1962 at the Theodor-Buschmann Yard, which has belonged to the Fairplay-Group since 1957, will forthwith be moored at Sandtorhafen and will be open to visitors.Read More
The 447kW ‘Fairplay VIII’ was moored at its new berth at Sandtorhafen, Hamburg’s new museum-port.Joerg Mainzer, Managing Director of Fairplay-Towage, handed one of the original brass-keys of the tug’s wheelhouse as well as the ship’s papers to Reinhard Wolf, Chairman of the board of the foundation. The tug, built in 1962 at the Theodor-Buschmann Yard, which has belonged to the Fairplay-Group since 1957, will forthwith be moored at Sandtorhafen and will be open to visitors.
Unifeeder to Gayle
Danish Unifeeder will commence service to Gävle Container Terminal, GCT, in August. Unifeeder transports other shipping companies containers to European ports as Rotterdam, Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Antwerp.
“This is very positive and an obvious indication of the status of GCT. Today we are the largest East Coast container port in Sweden, and by the awaited connection to Rotterdam our operation conditions will be further improved”, says GCT Marketing Manager Håkan Bergström in a comment. Unifeeder will service Gävle by weekly calls.Read More
“This is very positive and an obvious indication of the status of GCT. Today we are the largest East Coast container port in Sweden, and by the awaited connection to Rotterdam our operation conditions will be further improved”, says GCT Marketing Manager Håkan Bergström in a comment. Unifeeder will service Gävle by weekly calls.
Analysis: Focus on India - South Asia Rig Count Heats Up
Exploration in India has grown dramatically in the last decade through the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) program.
With its first formal open exploration round in 1997, India is currently conducting its eighth bidding round for exploration and development opportunities on- and offshore the South Asian country. Prior to the open bidding process, only 11% of the country's sedimentary basins were under exploration, and after the first seven rounds of bidding, approximately 50% of India's sedimentary basins are under exploration.
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Evergreen and Coscon merge southern services
Taiwan: Asian container lines Evergreen and Coscon are to merge their two jointly-operated services between the Far East-South America and Far East-South Africa into a single route, reports news site MGN.
The move was, the companies said, a bid to cope with soaring bunker prices and the poor state of the box market. The new ESA service will operate with a total of eleven 3,500 teu vessels of which Evergreen will deploy seven with four coming from Coscon.Read More
The move was, the companies said, a bid to cope with soaring bunker prices and the poor state of the box market. The new ESA service will operate with a total of eleven 3,500 teu vessels of which Evergreen will deploy seven with four coming from Coscon.
China Iron Ore Demand to Boost Shipping, Morgan Stanley Says
Chinese iron ore usage will boost demand for shipping as imports of the steelmaking raw material will remain cheaper than domestic output Morgan Stanley said. “We believe Chinese iron ore demand will put incremental pressure on the seaborne market, as domestic mines are uneconomical,” Morgan Stanley said in a note to clients today.
The bank raised price estimates for the steelmaking ingredient by 42 percent for Australia and 27 percent for Brazil. Steelmakers in China, the world’s biggest producer of the alloy, may trim the price cut they’re seeking for iron ore and aim to agree to annual supply contracts by the end of this month, Tian Zhiping, vice president of Hebei Iron & Steel Group, said by phone today. China’s demand for iron ore has boosted the Baltic Dry Index, a measure of dry-bulk shipping costs, as much as fivefold this year and led to record queues of ships waiting to discharge consignments of the raw material.
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Friday, July 3, 2009
Pilot project in the Baltic Sea
In 2009, the EU Commission plans to establish a project with a value of EUR 2 million with the intention to “Cut sulphur emissions and nitrogen oxides in the Baltic Sea by launching a pilot emission trading scheme between stakeholders which are willing to participate on a voluntary basis”.
Until August 7, member states and the industry can hand over proposals for the design of the emissions trading scheme.The EU Commission also wants to “include shipping in research and preparatory work of the Commission to complement its ongoing work in order to identify and define the conditions for a possible trading system for both SO2 and NOx in future legislation.” In 2008, the European Commission initiated two studies focusing on a trading scheme. Through the first study the EU Commission has started to investigate the legal and technical feasibility of establishing an open system of emissions trading between ships and land-based emission sources in the EU for emissions of SO2 and NOx. In the second study the EU-commission investigates the feasibility of using remote sensing to identify ships emitting substantially more air pollutants than the required legal limits in areas such as the Baltic Sea, North Sea and English Channel.
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BP hires Subsea 7 for Valhall work
STAVANGER, NORWAY: Subsea 7 Inc. (OSE: SUB) has been awarded a contract from BP Norway for engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning (EPIC) of the Valhall flank gas lift pipelines and wellhead platform riser caisson project in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.
The contract has an approximate value of US$40 million.The scope of work involves engineering, procurement and fabrication of subsea and platform components, installation of two eight-inch diameter pipelines, one 3.7 miles (6 km) long and the other 4.3 miles (7 km) long, and one new caisson on the wellhead platform and subsea tie-in spools at the Valhall Flank South and Valhall Flank North platform locations.The project management and engineering will be performed at Subsea 7's offices in Stavanger, Norway. The offshore operations are due to take place in two campaigns commencing in the summer of 2010.
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The contract has an approximate value of US$40 million.The scope of work involves engineering, procurement and fabrication of subsea and platform components, installation of two eight-inch diameter pipelines, one 3.7 miles (6 km) long and the other 4.3 miles (7 km) long, and one new caisson on the wellhead platform and subsea tie-in spools at the Valhall Flank South and Valhall Flank North platform locations.The project management and engineering will be performed at Subsea 7's offices in Stavanger, Norway. The offshore operations are due to take place in two campaigns commencing in the summer of 2010.
Nor-Shipping 2009 Defies Economic Downturn
Nor-Shipping 2009 was the largest in the event’s history, dating back to 1967. 1105 exhibitors from 52 countries participated.
By comparison, Nor-Shipping 2007, which took place in the midst of a market boom, had 830 exhibitors from 42 countries.The Leading Voices conference that opened Nor-Shipping 2009 on Tuesday, June 9 got the show off to a favorable start. Attended by Norway’s King Harald V, the conference featured leaders of global stature, including IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos, and Richard Fain and Wilh. Wilhelmsen of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ASA CEO Ingar Skaug discussed shipping’s role in the fight against climate change. CNN’s Todd Benjamin led round-table discussions about the industry’s and regulators’ efforts to contain greenhouse gas emissions.
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STX claims its Dalian yard is largest in the world
Dalian: A shipyard that has laid claim to be the largest in the world in terms of physical size held a launching ceremony Wednesday at Changxing Island in Dalian.
STX (Dalian) Shipbuilding Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the STX Group from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the investor of the project, said the yard was now the largest in the world in terms of physical area. The firm did not reveal the cost of the yard.Used for final assembly of big ships, the drydock is 460 m long, with a width of 135 m and a height of 14.5 m. It is able to accommodate two ships each with a dead weight tonnage of 320,000 tons to be built simultaneously, said the company.The former largest shipyard in the world in terms of physical size was built by ROK-based Hanjin Heavy Industries in the Philippines. The Dalian dock is 1 m longer and 1 m wider than its Filipino counterpart, the STX (Dalian) Shipbuilding said while its physical area dwarfs the Hanjin yard. Changxing Island is filling up fast with new yards and port projects. It is situated about two hours drive from downtown Dalian. Dalian is already home to China's largest shipbuilding yard, DSIC, which recently scooped the shipbuilding trophy at the annual Seatrade Asia Awards.
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Moore Stephens: Shipping confidence up
Overall confidence levels in the shipping industry have shown a slight improvement over the past three months, according to the latest shipping confidence survey from international accountant and shipping consultant Moore Stephens.
But there are high levels of concern about the harmful effects of the glut of newbuildings that will continue coming onto the market over the next year.The average confidence level expressed by respondents, on a scale of 1 to 10, was 5.5, compared to 5.4 in the previous survey in February 2009. Owners, managers and charterers all exhibited a small increase in confidence in connection with the shipping markets in which they operate. Confidence among brokers, meanwhile, was marginally down, and the lowest among all categories of respondent. Geographically, the highest confidence level was recorded by respondents in Asia.Comments generally reflected the downturn in economic markets worldwide. One respondent noted: “The volume of work is the same, but the payments are late, and that is what is killing us”. But there was also some optimism, with another respondent commenting: “The shipping market will be stable until September, and then should slowly improve”.
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Thursday, July 2, 2009
Zamil launches ‘Algosaibi 51’
Zamil Offshore Services has inaugurated the diving support vessel ‘Algosaibi 51’, built especially for Khalifa Abdulrahman Al Gosaibi Diving Company.
The vessel is 49 metres in length and twelve metres at the beam. It is powered by twin engines each delivering 1,200kW. The vessel will be equipped with advanced navigation and control systems. ‘Algosaibi 51’ is expected to be delivered two months prior to the contract deadline after the completion of its outfitting.
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Qingdao to host this year’s World Shipping Summit
Qingdao: More than 1,000 delegates are expected to flock to Qingdao this November for the sixth edition of Cosco's World Shipping (China) Summit.
A stellar line up of speakers will be on hand including the ceos and presidents of many of the world’s largest shipping corporations. Described as the "Davos" of the shipping industry, the event takes place in the second week of November with a host of social functions to go alongside the two-day conference. Once again Seatrade will be publishing a dual language guide to this vital Shandong port city, due out at the summit and also Marintec China a month later in Shanghai.
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Harbor Branch Gets $2m Navy Grant
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute received a $2m grant from the U.S. Navy to develop a robotic laser system to identify mines and other threats in ports and coastal waters.
The system to be developed at Harbor Branch would involve a group of underwater robots scanning the water with laser beams and sending information to shore or to a ship above. According to project leader Fraser Dalgleish, an assistant research professor at Harbor Branch, the technology would allow images of much larger areas of the ocean than are now possible. The process will involve 10 Harbor Branch staffers over four to five years and require at least another $2 million from the Navy, Dalgleish said.
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AHTS Damas Victory sinks offshore Qatar
DOHA: Nearly 30 people could be dead after Damas Oil & Marine Services anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) Damas Victory sank in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Qatar on the morning of June 30, according to international press reports.
The accident took place at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time, Qatar's Ministry of the Interior said, as the AHTS was returning to port in Doha during bad weather. George Mathew, the general manager of the ship's operator, told the Associated Press that the ship's captain had requested permission to enter the channel leading to Doha's harbor, but was told to remain at an outer anchorage because of the rough conditions."At that time, a huge swell and strong wind hit him and the vessel was capsized," Mathew said in an AP interview. "It completely sank in three minutes."
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Ships moored on loch during slump
Four redundant container ships have been moored in Loch Striven this week because of the fall in world trade.
The Danish shipping company Maersk has decided to put the ships into what is called "cold lay-up". This means they will be moored together on the loch with a skeleton crew for at least six months, or until it is economically viable to move them on. The four ships have been waiting in the Firth of Clyde for a decision on their future. Maersk made its decision last week and over the past few days the ships have been towed into the loch and anchored. The four ships, the Bentonville, Baltimore, Sealand Performance and Beaumont, sailed from South Africa with food and consumer goods for markets in northern Europe. They should have made their way back along the same route, but with trade down, they have no cargo to carry. It is now more cost effective to pay lay-up fees to the local port authority, Clydeport, rather than move them on. During the economic boom, shipping companies - including Maersk - expanded their fleets and built massive container ships. This expansion, coupled with the sudden fall in world trade has hit shipping companies hard. Even the bustling ports in the Far East and major hub ports such as Los Angeles have been affected. There are now several hundred ships in lay-up in Singapore. Estimates suggest that world trade has fallen by about 10%.
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009
AWD Alliance signs procurement contracts
Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Science, Personnel and Materiel, yesterday announced that the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) Alliance has signed several procurement contracts relating to the combat system of the new Hobart-class AWDs.
These procurements for the combat system on the destroyers and for shipbuilding work and supplies were recently completed by the AWD Alliance. “These procurements demonstrate the… continuing transition… from planning and decision-making to execution of this national building project,” Mr Combet said. Among the more significant of these procurements are combat system contracts to provide a very short range-surface capability, an electro optical system and a number of contracts relating to the valves and flanges required for the project. “[The] announcement builds on the more than A$850 million (US$685 million) of contracts signed by the AWD Alliance since December last year,” said Mr Combet. “This includes A$450 million (US$363 million) for the hull block construction. In addition, a number of ship building contracts have also been signed, including the provision of the AWD turbines, the helicopter handling system, reduction gears, steering system, gas turbines, the ships‚ engines, generators and propellers.”
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Stolt Tankers cancels newbuilding at South Korean yard
Seoul: Stolt Tankers, a subsidiary of Stolt-Nielsen, has cancelled a contract with SLS Shipbuilding of South Korea for the construction of a parcel tanker, citing extended delivery delays, writes news site Tanker operator.
The cancelled contract was for a 44,000 dwt coated parcel tanker, which was the second in a series of four ships. On 30th March, Stolt Tankers had entered into arbitration with SLS Shipbuilding disputing the builder’s claim for ‘force majeure’ to justify delays on the hull. The ship was originally scheduled for delivery in September 2008. All progress payments to date were covered by bank refund guarantees.This move follows the cancellation of a hull for the first ship in the series from SLS Shipyard on 18th March. The yard had also disputed this cancellation and the parties entered into arbitration on 26th March.
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New Ultra-Luxury Vessel, Seaborne Odyssey
The Yachts of Seabourn launched Seabourn Odyssey from Venice as the first ultra-luxury vessel to debut in six years.
The 32,000-ton vessel built by T. Mariotti of Genoa, Italy, accommodates 450 guests in 225 luxury suites, ninety percent with verandas, offering one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the industry with highly personalized service. Odyssey features the largest spa on any luxury yacht, four restaurants and a host of luxury amenities. Odyssey is the first of three new vessels Seabourn is building, a 216% increase in capacity for the line, with Seabourn Sojourn launching in June 2010 and a third new-build in 2011.
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Ships sail towards scrapheap
More ships have been scrapped so far this year than in the whole of 2008 as owners decide to cash in on their ageing fleets rather than have them sit unused amid the slowdown in global trade brought on by the recession.
Ship owners who had been receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars a day for their vessels are now having to accept a fraction of that, often not enough to make it worthwhile running the ship, especially given that they can get $200 a tonne for the scrap metal.“For container ships, there’s no employment — or what owners do get is less than it costs to run,” Quentin Soanes, director of Braemar Shipping Services, a ship broker, said. “If an owner ... can’t afford to lay off a ship, [he] turns to demolition.” Almost every part of a ship can be recycled, with equipment often resold and the steel used in construction. Mr Soanes said that scrapping started to pick up in November last year and that the first three months of 2009 were extremely busy.Tom Peter Blankestijn, who looks after ship recycling for A.P. Moller Maersk, said that he expected to scrap more than 20 ships this year, compared with 27 over the past eight years.
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PGS completes processing of MEO's Artemis 3-D survey
MELBOURNE: Petroleum Geo-Services Australia Pty Ltd (PGS) has completed the processing of MEO Australia Ltd.'s (ASX: MEO) 97-square-mile (250-sq-km) Artemis 3-D seismic survey in WA-360-P in the Carnarvon Basin offshore Western Australia.
The processing has been completed on schedule and the dataset is expected in house on June 30. The survey was acquired in March of 2009 using PGS seismic vessel Orient Explorer to help delineate the northern extent of the Artemis prospect identified on MEO's existing 2007 3-D seismic survey, in preparation for the drilling of an exploration well, currently scheduled for 2010. Interpretation of the Artemis 3-D seismic survey is a component of de-risking the Artemis prospect ahead of the drilling commitment. MEO launched a formal farm-out process in late April to attract a partner to fund the drilling of the exploration well. The company has advised prospective parties that indicative farm-in offers are due by July 31, 2009.
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
‘Azura’ launched at Fincantieri Monfalcone
Italy: The Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard launched a new P&O cruise ship for the Carnival Group on June 26.
‘Azura’ is a sistership of the ‘Ventura’ which was delivered last year at the same yard. ‘Azura’ will commence operations in the northern spring next year. Present at the launch ceremony were, on behalf of the shipowner, David Dingle, CEO of Carnival UK and Nigel Esdale, Managing Director of P&O Cruises, while Fincantieri was represented by Paolo Capobianco, Director of Monfalcone shipyard. Godmother to the ship was Amanda Dowds, wife of Captain Keith Dowds who will command the new vessel. Weighing in at a gross tonnage of 116,000 tonnes, and at 290 metres long, with 2,180 cabins for 3,118 guests and 1,265 crew, the ‘Azura’ is a masterpiece of Italian style, a perfect mix of high technology, elegance and exclusive services.Read More
‘Azura’ is a sistership of the ‘Ventura’ which was delivered last year at the same yard. ‘Azura’ will commence operations in the northern spring next year. Present at the launch ceremony were, on behalf of the shipowner, David Dingle, CEO of Carnival UK and Nigel Esdale, Managing Director of P&O Cruises, while Fincantieri was represented by Paolo Capobianco, Director of Monfalcone shipyard. Godmother to the ship was Amanda Dowds, wife of Captain Keith Dowds who will command the new vessel. Weighing in at a gross tonnage of 116,000 tonnes, and at 290 metres long, with 2,180 cabins for 3,118 guests and 1,265 crew, the ‘Azura’ is a masterpiece of Italian style, a perfect mix of high technology, elegance and exclusive services.
Maersk looks to boost intra-Asia volumes six fold
Hong Kong: AP Moller-Maersk wants to expand its share of the intra-Asia container trades six-fold, ScandAsia reported.
Expansion plans for this region through Singapore-based feeder subsidiary Mercantile Cargo Consolidators Transport were outlined a year ago, with AP Moller-Maersk keen to fully exploit a sector in which it has had only a peripheral interest until now. Current market share is put at around 2%, whereas Maersk Line’s share of the inter-continental trades is between12% and 15%. That is the target for MCC Transport, according to chief executive Tim Wickmann.
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‘Manannan’ participates in Manx TT Race
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s latest Incat fast ferry has completed her first Manx TT Race period, ferrying thousands of passengers and their bikes to and from the island during race festival.
During the TT period, the Steam Packet Company carried over 9,900 motorcycles, 4,000 cars/vans and 30,000 passengers, in each direction with its two fast craft and conventional ferry. Allocated to the busy Douglas to Liverpool service, the ‘Manannan’ is the largest diesel-powered high speed craft on the Irish Sea with greater cruising speed and increased vehicle and passenger capacity than the vessel she replaces. The 96-metre wave piercing catamaran was built by Incat in Tasmania, Australia, in 1998 as the ‘Incat 050’. Purchased by the Manx company in May 2008, the vessel sailed from Tasmania bound for Portsmouth, England, in June 2008 to commence an extensive refit project.
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Pride names four new drillships
HOUSTON: Pride International Inc. (NYSE: PDE) has named the four new ultra-deepwater drillships it has under construction.
Pride is naming the drillships after major subsea features that occur in some of the deepest areas of the ocean. Deep Ocean Ascension, formerly PS1, is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2010. Deep Ocean Clarion, formerly PS2, is expected for delivery in the third quarter of 2010. Deep Ocean Mendocino, formerly PS3, is expected for delivery in the first quarter of 2011. Deep Ocean Molokai, formerly PS4, is expected for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2011. The drillships, capable of operating in water depths of up to 12,000 feet (3,658 m), are being built at Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, South Korea.
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Shippers, insurers fear Somali piracy may escalate
Pirate attacks on vessels sailing off Somalia could get worse, pushing up insurance and shipping costs and possibly forcing companies to use longer sea routes, industry officials say.
Piracy has flourished in recent months off the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes and seaborne gangs have seized several cargo ships and collected tens of millions of dollars in ransom for the safe release of crews and cargoes. Last week the Group of Eight powers said it was "seriously concerned" about the increasing threat. "(The) piracy risk is likely to get worse before it gets better," said a report this month commissioned by Lloyd's of London [LOL.UL], the specialist insurance market. While foreign navies have been deployed off Somalia since the turn of the year to try to prevent attacks, those forces have found themselves stretched given the vast expanses of water involved leaving vessels vulnerable to attack. "It's quite difficult to find vessels that will go through the Gulf of Aden these days," said a London-based shipbroker. Marine insurance brokers said insurers were charging between 0.05 percent to 0.175 percent of the value of a ship per voyage in the Gulf of Aden versus zero to 0.05 percent in May 2008. "Rates and charges may well escalate if the number of successful piracy attacks increases," said Paul Newton, head of hull and yacht underwriting in Britain with insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Speciality.
Monday, June 29, 2009
ACMA Monitors First Dry Dock of TxDOT Ferry
Alan C. McClure Associates (ACMA), a naval architecture and engineering firm, announced that the first dry dock for a ferry being built for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has been completed at Conrad Deepwater in Amelia, Louisiana.
ACMA and Schuller & Allen provided engineering and design for the new 264-ft vessel, and ACMA is now providing owner’s representation during the construction period until vessel delivery. ACMA Vice President Darrel Harvey said “The ferry’s first dry dock went very smoothly. The vessel received her new propeller shafts, propellers and rudders, along with a fresh coat of bottom paint. Now she’ll be given the final top side colors that she’ll proudly wear during her tour of duty.
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Dockwise reduces debt by US$58 million
Hamilton, Bermuda: Dockwise expects to reduce its debt by a total of US$58 million to just below US$963 million by the end of the second quarter of 2009.
Following its 18-month refurbishment, ‘Mighty Servant 3’ will shortly rejoin the fleet of Dockwise Transport. ‘Mighty Servant 3’ will bring Dockwise's total fleet to 20 semi submersible vessels. Delivery of the vessel triggers the release of the remaining US$40.6 million currently held in escrow to cover the costs of reinstatement and vendor compensation, Dockwise said. Also, settlement of the previously announced debt buy back is scheduled for June 30, 2009. This will reduce the group’s debt by some US$8.5 million.
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Bharati Shipyard takes on ABG for Great Offshore stake
Mumbai: Leading Indian Shipbuilder Bharati Shipyard is looking to top a counter bid by rival ABG Shipyard Limited for a controlling stake in offshore services firm Great Offshore, raising prospects of a price war, reports news site Zeenews.
PC Kapoor MD of Bharati Shipyard said "We will be making another revised offer, the timing will be a few days hence and what the price will be I cannot say right now." Kapoor said Bharati has invested Rs 2.45bn till now to acquire about 19.5% in Great Offshore, while ABG Shipyard holds a mere 2%. However, he hinted that total investment in Great Offshore could top Rs 4bn and added that Bharati has substantial support from some major shareholders of Great Offshore, including the Sheth family, the original founders of the company. ABG Shipyard made an open offer to acquire over 32% in Great Offshore at Rs 375 a share, countering Bharati's Rs 344 a share bid made earlier this month.
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Rowan to Recommence Construction of Joe Douglas Jackup
Rowan will recommence construction of the third 240C class jackup rig, the Joe Douglas, at its Vicksburg, Mississippi shipyard, with delivery expected in the third quarter 2011.
Matt Ralls, Rowan's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Earlier this year we halted construction on this rig due to concerns over the turmoil in the credit markets and the downturn in jackup drilling markets. Based on improvements in the credit markets and our confidence in our liquidity outlook through 2010, we have elected to resume construction. We believe that this very capable, high specification rig will generate an attractive return on capital based on its expected go forward cost of $150 million and will be met with widespread customer acceptance when it is delivered in 2011."The Company began construction of the initial 240C class rig, the Rowan Mississippi, in 2007. The 240C was designed to be a significant upgrade of the original 116-C class, which was the "workhorse" of the global drilling industry since its introduction in the late 1970s. The Joe Douglas, like its sister rigs the Rowan Mississippi and the Ralph Coffman, will have 2.5 million pounds of hookload, an 80 feet cantilever reach and 491 feet of leg length.Read More
Matt Ralls, Rowan's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Earlier this year we halted construction on this rig due to concerns over the turmoil in the credit markets and the downturn in jackup drilling markets. Based on improvements in the credit markets and our confidence in our liquidity outlook through 2010, we have elected to resume construction. We believe that this very capable, high specification rig will generate an attractive return on capital based on its expected go forward cost of $150 million and will be met with widespread customer acceptance when it is delivered in 2011."The Company began construction of the initial 240C class rig, the Rowan Mississippi, in 2007. The 240C was designed to be a significant upgrade of the original 116-C class, which was the "workhorse" of the global drilling industry since its introduction in the late 1970s. The Joe Douglas, like its sister rigs the Rowan Mississippi and the Ralph Coffman, will have 2.5 million pounds of hookload, an 80 feet cantilever reach and 491 feet of leg length.
China shipbuilding industry keeps growing
Although many analysts keep doubting about whether aggressive Chinese shipbuilders will manage to produce the larger part of the new building orders, mainly of dry bulk carriers, placed during the past couple of years, one thing seems almost certain; that, China will account for almost 40% of the global shipbuilding capacity by the end of 2010 with an accumulative production base of 52 million dwt on an annual basis.
In fact China will move one step further to reach the top of the world’s shipbuilding capacity by 2012. These are some of the figures contained in a comprehensive new report on the Chinese shipbuilding industry, compiled by DC Marine Supply. In whole, Japan, Korea and China now account for 82% of the global shipbuilding activity, but China appears to be the latest “trend” thanks to low labor costs. As shipbrokers in Hellas have indicated, a significant part of this expansion of Chinese shipbuilders has been fuelled by Hellenic shipping companies, which also financed Japan’s and South Korea’s shipyards in the previous decades. China’s biggest shipbuilding base can be found in Shanghai where almost 12 million dwt can be produced annually, with Zhejiang following at second place with 8 million dwt, while third place is occupied by the province of Jiangsu with 7 million dwt. But, as the actual figures already surpass those on paper, Jiangsu province actually completed 8.89 million dwt in 2008 and is on the way to have an actual capacity of 26.5 million dwt by 2010.
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Sunday, June 28, 2009
Maersk Group cuts down on ship investments
The A P Møller-Mærsk Group will downsize its investments in ships in the future. Instead, the company will take more ships on time charter when it is necessary to increase the capacity.
“In the present market, our investments will generate more profit in other areas”, explains Nils Smedegaard Andersen, CEO of A P Møller-Mærsk, in an interview in Berlingske Nyhedsmagasin.Over the last couple of years, the group has invested USD 11.2 billion in new ships and other projects. In the future, the oil business and the terminal business will be the main targets for investments as they have great potential. Currently, A P Møller-Mærsk has 70 container carriers on order with a capacity of 365,338 TEUs or equal to 17.9 per cent of the active fleet.
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Shipwreck Science Program Begins
Fifteen talented Erie area high school students in the Minority College Experience / Women in Science and Engineering (MCE/WISE) program through Penn State Erie, participated in the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies' (BCMS) first expedition of the Shipwreck Science Program on June 12, 2009.
BCMS is an eleven year old non-profit community based organization in Erie, Pennsylvania that uses hands-on projects including sailing, boatbuilding, navigation and environmental science to teach and reinforce traditional subjects. The students learned not only about some of the shipwrecks in our local waters, but also about navigation, boat handling, history and technology. Using sophisticated engineering equipment including a Side Scan Sonar and an Underwater Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV), the students were introduced to some of the skills and instruments used in today's underwater exploration technologies.
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Report explains delays for UK Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers
The UK House of Commons and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have issued a report on the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer programme, identifying problems encountered and lessons learnt during the process.
Following the PAC’s investigation into the reason the project’s increased costs and delays, it was found and acknowledged that “serious mistakes” were made in the early stages of the project, Defence Professionals reported. “The project management arrangements on the Type 45 destroyer were poor and allowed the culture of over-optimism to persist for too long,” the publication quoted the report as saying. Following an extensive review of the project, the contract was renegotiated to a more realistic level and has not experienced any more budget problems or time delays. The first Type 45 destroyer will enter service this year, two years later than originally planned. Furthermore, despite its purpose of being equipped with anti-air capabilities, the Principal Anti-Air Missle System (PAAMS) will not be installed until 2011. Due to the delays, the UK Ministry of Defence has had to extend the life of the Type 42 destroyers, which are costly to maintain.
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Following the PAC’s investigation into the reason the project’s increased costs and delays, it was found and acknowledged that “serious mistakes” were made in the early stages of the project, Defence Professionals reported. “The project management arrangements on the Type 45 destroyer were poor and allowed the culture of over-optimism to persist for too long,” the publication quoted the report as saying. Following an extensive review of the project, the contract was renegotiated to a more realistic level and has not experienced any more budget problems or time delays. The first Type 45 destroyer will enter service this year, two years later than originally planned. Furthermore, despite its purpose of being equipped with anti-air capabilities, the Principal Anti-Air Missle System (PAAMS) will not be installed until 2011. Due to the delays, the UK Ministry of Defence has had to extend the life of the Type 42 destroyers, which are costly to maintain.
Blue Star Ferries signs new building deal with Daewoo
Blue Star Ferries hosted a formal event to celebrate the official signing of the company’s newbuilding order sealed at the end of the previous week.
In a central Athens hotel, the company, part of Attica Group, signed the $200 million deal with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co., the world's No.3 shipbuilder Under the terms of the deal, Daewoo will build two new fast car-passenger ferries. The South Korean shipbuilder plans to deliver the ships by the first quarter of 2012, it said in a statement. The order came as shipbuilders such as Daewoo suffer from a steep fall in new ship orders. Attica Group’s announcement of the deal also said that the ships will have overall length 145.5 meters and speed of 26 knots and the capacity to carry 2,400 passengers and 450 private vehicles or 50 freight units and 150 private vehicles.
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Saturday, June 27, 2009
Grandweld holds keel laying for thee vessels
Dubai, UAE: Grandweld has celebrated a keel laying ceremony for three new shipbuilding contracts for the offshore oil and gas industry.
The ceremony for two 36-metre utility vessels and one 41-metre crewboat was held on June 18. The vessels will be owned and operated by UAE-based fleet operator Humaid Badir Marine Shipping. The three-vessel order comes after a long history of ship repair work being carried out by Grandweld for Humaid Badir. The 36-metre steel utility vessels will carry 70 tonnes of deck cargo with a maximum speed of 13 knots. The design has an accommodation for 44 persons and is powered by two caterpillar engines rated at 1,080kW each. The aluminium crewboat is yet another order for the highly successful 41-metre series, being the tenth vessel of the design to be built. The vessel carries 45 tonnes of deck cargo, 60 persons and has a maximum speed of 24 knots. Grandweld is also in the final stages of sea trials before delivery for the first of four 100-tonne bollard pull tugs for Bourbon. The other three sister ships to follow later in the year.
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The ceremony for two 36-metre utility vessels and one 41-metre crewboat was held on June 18. The vessels will be owned and operated by UAE-based fleet operator Humaid Badir Marine Shipping. The three-vessel order comes after a long history of ship repair work being carried out by Grandweld for Humaid Badir. The 36-metre steel utility vessels will carry 70 tonnes of deck cargo with a maximum speed of 13 knots. The design has an accommodation for 44 persons and is powered by two caterpillar engines rated at 1,080kW each. The aluminium crewboat is yet another order for the highly successful 41-metre series, being the tenth vessel of the design to be built. The vessel carries 45 tonnes of deck cargo, 60 persons and has a maximum speed of 24 knots. Grandweld is also in the final stages of sea trials before delivery for the first of four 100-tonne bollard pull tugs for Bourbon. The other three sister ships to follow later in the year.
Germanischer Lloyd, Celebrating 10 years in Ireland
June 2009 sees the International Classification Society Germanischer Lloyd (GL) celebrate its 10th anniversary in Ireland.
GL established its Irish subsidiary to service its local client base as well as its international clients on the island of Ireland. For several years, surveyors from the UK and continental Europe were seconded to operate Station Dublin but for the last two and a half years, the station has been manned by a local surveyor. This has permitted the forging of a good local contact point for all clients regardless of their parent company location.Mr Harald Seibicke (Area Vice-President) says “despite Ireland being considered a fringe nation on the map of Europe by many, it provides a very necessary cog in the service that GL provides it clients globally”.As Ireland is an island nation it has a high dependency on maritime trade which in turn leads to many ship calls each year. Figures released by the MSO/MSD of the Dept of Transport show that in excess of 70% of vessels visited in Irish ports are classed with GL. This has led to a recent increase in staff level with the employment of a second local surveyor. Even with this, vessels classed with GL have a very good record in the Paris MoU/PSC inspection results as carried out by the Irish Authorities.
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Shipping on V-shaped recovery: Wei Jiafu
Shanghai: Shipping is on a V-shaped recovery, maintained the boss of China’s most powerful shipping conglomerate.
Capt Wei Jiafu, president and ceo of COSCO, made this announcement in the final morning session of the China Maritime Congress held in Shanghai, coorganised by Shanghai JiaoTong University and Seatrade. Wei pointed to the recoveries in the Baltic Dry Index and western stock markets as grounds for optimism. In China domestic consumption has rocketed this year, he said. Wei revealed he had timed this cycle to perfection, offloading 126 ships in January 2008 at the height of the market. He called on his fellow shipowners to sort out the oversupply of tonnage together, praising Gao Yanming of HOSCO for his decision to cancel a tranche of his orderbook. Wei also said it was up to owners to voice their support for greater trade liberalization at a time when the spectre of protectionism hangs over world trade.
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Crowley Earns CSA Safety Award
Three Crowley vessels and their crews were recently awarded 2008 Jones F. Devlin Awards at the Chamber of Shipping of America's (CSA) Annual Safety Awards Luncheon for operating more than two years without a lost time incident.
The Crowley articulated tug barge (ATB) Sea Reliance/550-1; ATB Sound Reliance/550-2; and the tanker Blue Ridge were recognized for their exemplary safety records. More than 160 people representing over 60 companies attended the annual event held at the Hilton Houston North Hotel. "We have been holding these annual award ceremonies since the mid-1950s," said Joseph Cox, president of the CSA. "For that initial year, we honored six vessels having a total of twelve years operation with no lost-time incidents. This year, we gave awards to 1,094 vessels that operated 7,108 years without a lost-time incident. This extraordinary record is directly attributable to the professionalism of our seafarers and the dedication of shore-based company personnel to safe operation."
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DSME wins $200 million Greek ferry order
Attica Group S.A. of Greece has signed shipbuilding contracts with Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. (DSME), for two monohull-type, fast car-passenger ferries at a price of €68.50 million each [about $200 million for the pair].
The delivery of the first vessel will take place in spring 2011 and of the second vessel in the first quarter of 2012. Both ships are designed to operate in Greek domestic waters. The ships will have overall length 145.5 meters and speed of 25.5 knots and the capacity to carry 2,400 passengers and 450 private vehicles or 50 freight units and 150 private vehicles. Attica CEO Petros Vettas said: "We are pleased to sign the shipbuilding contracts for the construction of two new vessels for our group with the world-class shipyard DSME. The same shipyard has built our most successful vessels, Blue Star Paros, Blue Star Naxos and Blue Star Ithaki a few years ago. Our group's scope to provide first class sea transportation services in domestic and international waters with modern, new and fast ships will be further enhanced with the addition of these two units."Read More
The delivery of the first vessel will take place in spring 2011 and of the second vessel in the first quarter of 2012. Both ships are designed to operate in Greek domestic waters. The ships will have overall length 145.5 meters and speed of 25.5 knots and the capacity to carry 2,400 passengers and 450 private vehicles or 50 freight units and 150 private vehicles. Attica CEO Petros Vettas said: "We are pleased to sign the shipbuilding contracts for the construction of two new vessels for our group with the world-class shipyard DSME. The same shipyard has built our most successful vessels, Blue Star Paros, Blue Star Naxos and Blue Star Ithaki a few years ago. Our group's scope to provide first class sea transportation services in domestic and international waters with modern, new and fast ships will be further enhanced with the addition of these two units."
Friday, June 26, 2009
BP Marine helps to keep the ‘Angel’ flying
Mission to Seafarers receives oil for a year for support vessel Flying Angel to maintain vital link with stranded seafarers off UAE’s east coast
The Mission to Seafarers in Dubai, part of the international organisation that cares for seafarers regardless of race or religion in over 300 ports around the world, announced today that BP Marine has agreed to supply the M/V Flying Angel with its lube oil requirements for the following twelve months. “We are very happy to welcome BP Marine aboard, their generous donation of lube oil will help to ensure that the Flying Angel’s’ maintenance costs are kept to a minimum helping to maintain this vital link with distressed seafarers,” said Reverend Stephen Miller, Director and Port Chaplain, The Mission to Seafarers, Dubai. The UAE’s east coast is the second largest bunker anchorage in the world which is used by over 10,500 ships each year. During this time, over 200,000 seafarers are unable to communicate with family and friends at home for weeks, sometimes months, leading to isolation and loneliness. The vessel has an Internet café, a library with DVDs and books, a medical clinic, access to telecommunications and pastoral support.
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The Mission to Seafarers in Dubai, part of the international organisation that cares for seafarers regardless of race or religion in over 300 ports around the world, announced today that BP Marine has agreed to supply the M/V Flying Angel with its lube oil requirements for the following twelve months. “We are very happy to welcome BP Marine aboard, their generous donation of lube oil will help to ensure that the Flying Angel’s’ maintenance costs are kept to a minimum helping to maintain this vital link with distressed seafarers,” said Reverend Stephen Miller, Director and Port Chaplain, The Mission to Seafarers, Dubai. The UAE’s east coast is the second largest bunker anchorage in the world which is used by over 10,500 ships each year. During this time, over 200,000 seafarers are unable to communicate with family and friends at home for weeks, sometimes months, leading to isolation and loneliness. The vessel has an Internet café, a library with DVDs and books, a medical clinic, access to telecommunications and pastoral support.
One dead, one wounded aboard ship freed by pirates
In a reminder of the deadly nature of Somali piracy, Dutch Marines on board the just-released MV Marathon found one seafarer dead from a gunshot wound and another with a bullet wound, but in stable condition.
The dead man was reportedly the vessel's second engineer and was killed in the initial attack on the vessel. The wounded man has been identified as a cook. The Marathon had a Ukrainian crew of eight. At a briefing today, the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service, Mykola Malomuzh, said the owners had paid a ransom of $1.3 million. It was air dropped to the ship Monday. The pirates seized the Netherlands Antilles-flagged vessel, owned by Western Marine Transport NV and managed by Amons & Co., on May 7. The 2,575-tonne ship was carrying coke and was westbound through the Gulf of Aden when it was seized inside the so called safe corridor. It was seen as a high risk vessel with a small freeboard and capable of just 10 knots. Personnel from the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate De Seven Provinciën are currently on board the Marathon and have been providing medical assistance and fresh food, water and fuel.
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Douglas-Westwood: floating production report
UK-based maritime market researcher and analyst Douglas-Westwood has produced a new report on the world’s floating production market.
In its report, Douglas-Westwood provides an overview of the current and future developments of floating production units from 2009 to 2013. According to its figures, 93 floating production units were installed over the past year, while it predicts that some 121 more units will be installed within the next five years. Douglas-Westwood said that the report would cover all types of floaters, including FPSOs, FPSSs, spars and TLPs. The report will analyse the technologies involeved and economic rationale for the use of these units. The energy business consultants added that one of the major factors which would determine the future direction of FPSO expenditure was whether the sector develop through upgrades or the re-deployment of existing units by converting existing vessels.
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In its report, Douglas-Westwood provides an overview of the current and future developments of floating production units from 2009 to 2013. According to its figures, 93 floating production units were installed over the past year, while it predicts that some 121 more units will be installed within the next five years. Douglas-Westwood said that the report would cover all types of floaters, including FPSOs, FPSSs, spars and TLPs. The report will analyse the technologies involeved and economic rationale for the use of these units. The energy business consultants added that one of the major factors which would determine the future direction of FPSO expenditure was whether the sector develop through upgrades or the re-deployment of existing units by converting existing vessels.
CBD grants Yantai Raffles $150,000,000 loan
Singapore: Yantai Raffles Shipyard has signed a committed three year term loan facility with China Development Bank Corporation aimed primarily to retire more costly, existing bank debt and to establish working capital.
Mai Bo Liang, Chairman of Yantai Raffles’ Board said “Two of the priority objectives of the Company’s current Finance strategy are to establish and build upon key banking relationships in China, and to replace short-term bank lines with committed, longer term, competitively-priced funding arrangements. In securing this facility with CDB, Yantai Raffles has achieved an outcome that absolutely meets these two core objectives.”“Yantai Raffles is delighted to establish this business relationship with CDB and, with the ongoing commitment of Yantai Raffles’ two largest shareholders, Brian Chang and China International Marine Containers, and is confident that there will be opportunities to develop further areas of mutual cooperation with CDB,” he added.This transaction follows closely behind a Co-operation Agreement signed between CIMC and CDB in March 2009, in which CDB has provided CIMC with credit facilities of up to RMB 6.5bn ($1bn).
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Somali Pirate Attacks Boost Shipping Insurance Rates
The cost of piracy insurance has increased as much as 20-fold after attacks on shipping off the Horn of Africa doubled in the first quarter, insurance broker Marsh said.
Attacks on large commercial vessels such as the Sirius Star, a Saudi oil supertanker that was released in January, almost two months after it was hijacked with a cargo of 2 million barrels of oil, have spurred premiums and demand for coverage. Piracy “is a pretty challenging piece of risk to underwrite,” Marcus Baker, head of marine insurance at Marsh in London, said in a telephone interview. “These pirates are attacking up to 700 miles off shore.” The European Union extended its anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia by a year last week, warning of a “serious threat” to ships in the sea corridor that handles a tenth of the world’s trade. Armed gangs have seized at least 29 merchant ships this year and carried out 114 attacks, more than in all of 2008, according to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “We had ships that were quoted at 0.05 percent on their value for a trip through the Gulf of Aden in the middle of last year, and we have had other ships recently quoted at 0.1 percent for the same trip,” Baker said.
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Petrobras, Vale Join Forces to Explore Offshore Brazil
Petrobras has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vale S.A. which establishes the framework for a partnership to explore and produce oil and natural gas in part of BM-ES-22 concession, located off the northern coast of the state of Espírito Santo.
This concession is formed by ES-M-466, ES-M-468, ES-M-527 and ES-M-523 blocks, acquired by Petrobras at National Petroleum Agency (ANP) sixth bidding round. The blocks are situated at water depths of between one and two thousand meters and exploration is focused on the post-salt section. The object of the Memorandum is to establish the basis to negotiate the transfer of 25% working interest in the blocks ES-M 466, ES-M-468 and ES-M-527 to Vale and assure the exclusive right to Vale to acquire the participation of theses blocks during the tenor of the Memorandum. The final conditions of the negotiation have to be submitted for the approval of the ANP.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Sailors Use Improved Navy Lighterage System
Sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 2 had the opportunity to test the Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS) during the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) exercise June 15-21.
The JLOTS exercise was a test of the military's ability to move equipment and sustainment supplies to specific areas without the benefit of a fixed port facility. The exercise increased interoperability and improved military readiness by alleviating situational sustainment issues.INLS played a large role in the JLOTS mission by acting as a floating pier, or causeway system, which is comprised of powered and non-powered floating platforms.
New tug ‘Horcon’ for LNG terminal in Chile
The new LNG tug ‘Horcon’, delivered this week to Ultratug Santiago from the ASENAV shipyard, will be stationed at the new LNG terminal in Quintero, Chile.
With a length of 32.5 metres, a beam of eleven metres and a draught of 4.9 metres, the vessel achieves a 64-tonne bollard pull. The tug features a JonRie Series 250 LNG Escort Winch, with a 75-tonne line pull at a 20-metre/minute line speed. The winch also features a line date chart recorder, Scope indicator and three tension metres and a foot control for the winch.
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Yards fight for Great Offshore acquisition
Mumbai: Yesterday saw a large scale bidding war between two Indian shipyards kick off for the acquisition of Great Offshore.
Earlier this month, Bharati Shipyard (pictured) offered INR 344 (US$7.10) to acquire some 7.83 million shares of Great Offshore, or about a 20 percent interest. Bharati Shipyard already held over 5.53 million shares in Great Offshore. Yesterday, however, ABG Shipyard offered INR 375 (US$7.74) per share for about a 34 percent stake in Great Offshore. ABG already holds a small interest in Great Offshore.Yesterday’s offer prompted Bharati Shipyard Managing Director P.C. Kapoor to say, "We will be making another revised offer, the timing will be a few days hence, and what the price will be I cannot say right now."
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Shipbuilding - a challenge for the entire industry
What happens in the shipbuilding sector will play a fundamental role in shaping the fortunes of the wider shipping market for the next decade.
There has been a lot of talk in recent months about the state of world shipbuilding, but much of the commentary has been based on supposition, gut instinct or pure guesswork. There has been little rigorous assessment of the likely cancellation risk associated with the current bulging orderbook. Do commentators know the likely level of future shipbuilding demand, or the shipping demand that drives it? Do they know how many orders have been cancelled, and how many “cancelled” ships will be built anyway? Do they know what shipbuilding capacity really is? How much of today’s order slippage is the result of a planned slowdown in production and how much is a measure of shipyards’ over-optimism? Now, in a new 200-page report, Drewry Shipping Consultants analyses the facts and explodes some of the myths surrounding the future of this crucial sector. The lack of knowledge has led to some assessments that are cock-eyed or just plain wrong – sometimes dangerously so. But several things can be stated without equivocation.Read More
There has been a lot of talk in recent months about the state of world shipbuilding, but much of the commentary has been based on supposition, gut instinct or pure guesswork. There has been little rigorous assessment of the likely cancellation risk associated with the current bulging orderbook. Do commentators know the likely level of future shipbuilding demand, or the shipping demand that drives it? Do they know how many orders have been cancelled, and how many “cancelled” ships will be built anyway? Do they know what shipbuilding capacity really is? How much of today’s order slippage is the result of a planned slowdown in production and how much is a measure of shipyards’ over-optimism? Now, in a new 200-page report, Drewry Shipping Consultants analyses the facts and explodes some of the myths surrounding the future of this crucial sector. The lack of knowledge has led to some assessments that are cock-eyed or just plain wrong – sometimes dangerously so. But several things can be stated without equivocation.
Anadarko Strikes Oil at Samurai Prospect in Gulf of Mexico
Anadarko announced a Miocene discovery at the Samurai prospect in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico in Green Canyon block 432.
The discovery well, located approximately 12 miles north of the Marco Polo platform, encountered more than 120 feet of net oil pay in several high-quality sands.” Samurai marks our third discovery in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico this year," said Bob Daniels, Anadarko Sr. Vice President, Worldwide Exploration. "We are very pleased with the results of this initial well, which is located in close proximity to existing infrastructure, demonstrating the value of our hub-and-spoke approach. We look forward to drilling a sidetrack appraisal well within the next year. The continued success of our worldwide exploration program reinforces our expectations of discovering approximately 350 million BOE (barrels of oil equivalent) of net resources in 2009, which is a 50-percent increase from the expectations we communicated at our investor conference in March of this year."Read More
The discovery well, located approximately 12 miles north of the Marco Polo platform, encountered more than 120 feet of net oil pay in several high-quality sands.” Samurai marks our third discovery in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico this year," said Bob Daniels, Anadarko Sr. Vice President, Worldwide Exploration. "We are very pleased with the results of this initial well, which is located in close proximity to existing infrastructure, demonstrating the value of our hub-and-spoke approach. We look forward to drilling a sidetrack appraisal well within the next year. The continued success of our worldwide exploration program reinforces our expectations of discovering approximately 350 million BOE (barrels of oil equivalent) of net resources in 2009, which is a 50-percent increase from the expectations we communicated at our investor conference in March of this year."
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
‘Kamaran’ begins operation in Yemen
The ‘Kamaran’ is the second of the three line-handling boats supplied by Alnmaritec to operate at a new LNG terminal in the Yemen.
The vessel is fitted with twin Cummins engines and Ultrajet 305 HT waterjets from Ultra Dynamics giving her a top speed of around 28 knots and a bollard pull of around three tonnes. ‘Kamaran’ has a fully enclosed wheel house. Internally, the vessel has seating for six passengers. The vessel has a two-tonne hydraulic capstan and a tow post fitted with an on-load quick release hook as well as a man overboard recovery davit and an aft dive platform with dive ladder. ‘Kamaran’ is fitted with a water spray deluge system and carries a removable boarding platform since the vessel’s duties also include pilot operations for the LNG tankers.
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AK Fishing Boat Repowered with Isuzu
Kodiak Diesel in Kodiak, Alaska has just finished the repower of the F/V Jeanoah an 84 ft crabbing and long line vessel owned by Fairweather Fisheries, Jerry Bongen & James Stevens.
The new engine is a UM6WG1WM-AB1K Isuzu tier 2 common rail, M1 rating to deliver 505 HP @1800 RPM engine. The engine was paired with a Twin Disc 5170 6:1 transmission. The Jenoah fishes from Sitka out to the Aleutian Islands. With a fishing area this large, engine reliability is very important. Kodiak Diesel worked closely with the owners to choose an engine that would work as hard as they do while offering the dependability needed in this harsh environment.Read More
The new engine is a UM6WG1WM-AB1K Isuzu tier 2 common rail, M1 rating to deliver 505 HP @1800 RPM engine. The engine was paired with a Twin Disc 5170 6:1 transmission. The Jenoah fishes from Sitka out to the Aleutian Islands. With a fishing area this large, engine reliability is very important. Kodiak Diesel worked closely with the owners to choose an engine that would work as hard as they do while offering the dependability needed in this harsh environment.
Grandweld secures new shipbuilding contracts
Dubai: Grandweld recently held keel laying ceremonies for for two 36m Utility Vessels and one 41m Crewboat for repeat customer Humaid Badir Marine Shipping Est, a UAE based fleet operator.
The three vessel order is said to signal a strong 2009/10 order book for the Dubai based shipbuilding, ship repair and conversion yard, part of GMMOS Group. Grandweld gm Jamal Abki said: “Humaid Badir has been a wonderful friend and business partner in ship repair throughout the years, and it is an excellent development in our relationship to start shipbuilding for them.” Hassan Yahya, Humaid Badir md said: “We are always very impressed with Grandweld’s results and their professional commitment to quality and customer support. We look forward to a highly successful building program.” The 36m steel Utility Vessels will carry 70 tonnes of deck cargo with a maximum speed of 13knots. The design has an accommodation for 44 persons and is powered by two caterpillar engines rated at 1450HP each.
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Grandweld secures new shipbuilding contracts
Dubai: Grandweld recently held keel laying ceremonies for for two 36m Utility Vessels and one 41m Crewboat for repeat customer Humaid Badir Marine Shipping Est, a UAE based fleet operator.
The three vessel order is said to signal a strong 2009/10 order book for the Dubai based shipbuilding, ship repair and conversion yard, part of GMMOS Group. Grandweld gm Jamal Abki said: “Humaid Badir has been a wonderful friend and business partner in ship repair throughout the years, and it is an excellent development in our relationship to start shipbuilding for them.” Hassan Yahya, Humaid Badir md said: “We are always very impressed with Grandweld’s results and their professional commitment to quality and customer support. We look forward to a highly successful building program.” The 36m steel Utility Vessels will carry 70 tonnes of deck cargo with a maximum speed of 13knots. The design has an accommodation for 44 persons and is powered by two caterpillar engines rated at 1450HP each.
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Over 2 billion ferry passengers worldwide
Over 2 billion passengers, 255 million cars and 34.1 million trailers were transported by ferry services worldwide last year.
According to ShipPax Information. There were 6.7 million number of sailings, representing one ferry departure every fifth second. In 2008, 61 ferries were sold. 13 new ferry services were inaugurated although 13 others were closed. For example, the Norwegian ferry operator Nye Kystlink AS decided to close down its service from Langesund to Hirtshals and Strömstad and liquidate the company. The last sailing took place on October 21, 2008. The cruise industry reports a healthy 2008 as 19.5 million passengers travelled with cruise ships worldwide, a growth rate of 7.9 per cent. 33 per cent of the passengers were carried in the largest market, the Caribbean. A growth region is the Mediterranean which accounts for more capacity than any other market for six months of the year.
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Small North Sea Oil Discovery Could Realize Visund North Devt
A small oil discovery has been made by StatoilHydro in the Titan prospect directly east of northern Visund in the Tampen area of the Norwegian North Sea.
Made by exploration wells 34/8-13 A and 34/8-13 S, this strike is estimated to contain 5.6-12.5 million recoverable barrels of oil equivalent. A tie-in to Visund will be assessed. The wells were drilled by the Scarabeo 5 semisub. "Although it's only a small find, the volumes proven could be very significant for realizing a Visund North development," explained Visund operations head Tom Karsten Gustavsen. Intended to prove petroleum in the Brent group, the discovery wells were drilled in a structurally complex area. While 13 A found a small oil column in Upper Jurassic sands, the underlying Brent group proved to be an aquifer. Well 13 S, drilled 2.7 kilometers to the southeast, found oil in the Brent group.
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Small North Sea Oil Discovery Could Realize Visund North Devt
A small oil discovery has been made by StatoilHydro in the Titan prospect directly east of northern Visund in the Tampen area of the Norwegian North Sea.
Made by exploration wells 34/8-13 A and 34/8-13 S, this strike is estimated to contain 5.6-12.5 million recoverable barrels of oil equivalent. A tie-in to Visund will be assessed. The wells were drilled by the Scarabeo 5 semisub. "Although it's only a small find, the volumes proven could be very significant for realizing a Visund North development," explained Visund operations head Tom Karsten Gustavsen. Intended to prove petroleum in the Brent group, the discovery wells were drilled in a structurally complex area. While 13 A found a small oil column in Upper Jurassic sands, the underlying Brent group proved to be an aquifer. Well 13 S, drilled 2.7 kilometers to the southeast, found oil in the Brent group.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Volvo Ocean Race: Final in Port Race
After an extremely disappointing leg nine, which saw second overall in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 slip away when Telefónica Blue ran aground and had to return to Marstrand for emergency repairs.
Bouwe Bekking and his men made a remarkable comeback today, to snatch the in-port race in Stockholm from nearest rival PUMA. Telefónica Black was third.The rocks and islands surrounding the course set today for the final of the in-port race series in the Volvo Ocean Race were black with thousands of spectators, while out on the water, in the Stockholm Archipelago, spectator boats lined both sides of the course and masts could be seen as far as the eye could see. The well-behaved spectator fleet was expertly marshalled by the Swedish Navy. It was the perfect day for racing. As the breeze built to nine knots for the first of two races, the fleet of seven Volvo Open 70s, sailing with plenty of heel and producing foaming white water from their bows made a clean start, led by Delta Lloyd.
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Attica to sign for two new ro-pax vessels
The Attica Group, Greece, has reached an agreement with Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) for the building of two new fast car-passenger ferries.
Attica said that the contracts would be signed on June 25. The ships will each have an overall length of 145.5 metres and a speed of 26 knots. The vessels will have the capacity to carry 2,400 passengers and 450 private vehicles or 50 freight units and 150 private vehicles.
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National port regulator in the offing
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Shipping has decided to set up an authority to regulate the functioning of major ports along the coastline of the country.
The department on Monday circulated the draft of the new law it proposes to enact to set up the authority under the Major Ports Regulatory Authority Act, 2009. The regulatory authority would comprise a chairman and four members with a five-year term and would have the liberty to set up regional offices as well. The authority would decide on the rates for the facilities and services provided at the major ports and to monitor the performance standards of the port authorities and private operators providing such facilities and services.
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Dry Blue Star Returns to the Burger Shipyard
Blue Star, a 1987 86.5 ft Raised Pilot House Burger, returned home to the Burger shipyard to have routine maintenance performed.
She arrived at the shipyard Tuesday June 9, 2009 after a 10 hour run from Grand Haven, Michigan where she had spent the winter. Once at the Burger facilities she was hauled utilizing Burger’s 500mt Marine Travelift. The Burger Service Team is working closely with the Captain and crew of to assure a rapid return to the water as she is scheduled to spend most of her summer cruising Lake Superior.Utilizing Burger’s facility and knowledgeable staff for this service work was a natural fit for the owner and crew of Blue Star. What better place to bring your vessel for service than the shipyard in which she was built.Burger Boat Company designs and builds custom yachts, in aluminum and/or steel, ranging in sizes to 200 ft. Since 1863 Burger has been recognized internationally for design, quality construction, seaworthiness, reliability and is the most respected custom yacht builder in America.
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Petrobras to Reel in More Rigs for Offshore Santos Basin
Petrobras to Reel in More Rigs for Offshore Santos Basin
Brazilian state-run energy giant Petrobras (PBR) expects to bring up to four more drilling rigs to a prospect in the offshore Santos Basin in the second half of the year.The ultra-deepwater rigs will be used to "attack" areas in the subsalt region in the Santos Basin, Petrobras' Mario Carminatti told the local Estado news agency. The Santos Basin is home to the Tupi field, the Western Hemisphere's largest oil discovery in more than 30 years.The rigs will be used to complete studies of the Tupi, as well as other subsalt drill targets, Petrobras' executive manager for exploration said.
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Persian Gulf Tanker Rates Fall Most in Six Weeks
The cost of delivering Middle East crude to Asia, the world’s busiest route for supertankers, posted its biggest weekly drop in six as demand from oil companies for ships to load next month’s cargoes fell.
Shipping costs on the Saudi Arabia to Japan route, the industry benchmark, fell 0.6 percent to 49.22 Worldscale points today, according to the London-based Baltic Exchange.That took the week’s decline to 4.8 percent, the largest such drop since the week to May 8. Daily earnings for ships plowing the route fell 3.4 percent to $30,340.
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Shipping costs on the Saudi Arabia to Japan route, the industry benchmark, fell 0.6 percent to 49.22 Worldscale points today, according to the London-based Baltic Exchange.That took the week’s decline to 4.8 percent, the largest such drop since the week to May 8. Daily earnings for ships plowing the route fell 3.4 percent to $30,340.
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Rongsheng snares large Omani order
Shanghai: Chinese shipbuilder Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries Co ,Won a $484 million deal.
Chinese shipbuilder Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries Co, which is aiming to sell shares to the public in 2009, won a $484 million deal to build four ships for Oman Shipping Co, a government official said on Sunday. The vessels would carry exports from an iron ore pellet plant in northern Oman which is expected to begin production in the second half of 2010. Brazil's Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (Vale) is building the $1 billion plant. Rongsheng has a relationship with Vale already – building $1.2bn of VLOCs for the Brazilian mineral conglomerate. "The vessels will be delivered by the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012 and will be chartered to Vale for its exports," the official from Oman's Tender Board told Reuters.
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Chinese shipbuilder Jiangsu Rongsheng Heavy Industries Co, which is aiming to sell shares to the public in 2009, won a $484 million deal to build four ships for Oman Shipping Co, a government official said on Sunday. The vessels would carry exports from an iron ore pellet plant in northern Oman which is expected to begin production in the second half of 2010. Brazil's Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (Vale) is building the $1 billion plant. Rongsheng has a relationship with Vale already – building $1.2bn of VLOCs for the Brazilian mineral conglomerate. "The vessels will be delivered by the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012 and will be chartered to Vale for its exports," the official from Oman's Tender Board told Reuters.
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Oil slides towards $69
Crude fell towards $69 a barrel today after extending the previous session's drop of more than 2% as bearish sentiment over gasoline markets in the US continued to dominate investors' concerns.
Crude fell 2.5% on Friday, dragged lower by a sell-off in the gasoline market as dealers bet there would ample fuel supply in the US to meet demand from summer vacationers. US crude for July delivery fell 39 cents to $69.16 by 0157 GMT. The contract fell $1.82 to settle at $69.55 a barrel on Friday, registering a weekly loss of more than 3%. London Brent crude fell 32 cents to $68.87. "In May, the market was pricing in that there would be a gasoline shortage but the latest data is obviously showing that it is not happening," said Ben Westmore, a commodities analyst at the National Australia Bank. "There are also high stockpiles of crude, so the general market sentiment is that the balance of demand and supply in the market hasn't improved too much"
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Lindo Shipyard might axe 2,000 out of 2,700 jobs
Denmark: Lindø Shipyard may be forced to cut 2,000 jobs in the workforce total of 2,700.
Lindø Shipyard may be forced to cut 2,000 jobs by the second quarter of 2010 if the shipyard does not receive new orders. Lindø has not received any orders since the first quarter of 2008. “The situation does not look good and things have become worse lately,” said Lindo CEO Finn Buus Nielsen in a Maritime Danmark story which quoted the Daily Borsen. “The adjustment is needed when taking into consideration the way our construction programme looks these days. If our products are not purchased we have to throttle down.” According to the report, Lindø yard owner AP Møller-Maersk may even decide to completely shut down the yard with a workforce total of 2,700, once its orderbook to 2011 is fulfilled. A final decision will be reached by the start of the northern summer holidays.
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Safe Bulkers, ,Inc. Announces the Sale of Panamax Class Vessel
The Company announced today that it has entered an agreement to sell a 76,000 dwt Panamax class vessel built in 2003 for $33 million.Safe Bulkers, Inc., an international provider of marine drybulk transportation services, announced the sale of a Panamax Class Vessel.
Fleet Update. The Company announced today that it has entered an agreement to sell a 76,000 dwt Panamax class vessel built in 2003 for $33 million, excluding commissions to brokers. The vessel will be delivered to its new owners in December 2009. The extended delivery period, which exceeds the market standard of three months, will permit the Company to employ the vessel in the spot market through December 2009. Proceeds from the sale of the vessel will strengthen the Company's balance sheet.The Company also provided additional details regarding its entry into a resale agreement to acquire a Capesize class newbuild vessel to be delivered in April 2010, which had been previously announced in a press release dated June 8, 2009. The acquisition price for the 177,000 dwt newbuild is $63 million, including commissions, and the vessel will be delivered by the Shanghai Jiangnan Changxing Shipbuilding Co., part of the SWS group
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
India May OK Rig Holiday for Oil Cos Next Week
India is likely to give more time to oil and gas exploration companies for drilling in their deepwater blocks as a shortage of rigs has delayed production schedules, an oil ministry official said Friday.
"The drilling moratorium issue is likely to come up in the next Cabinet meeting," the official told reporters.The government has been considering a rig holiday as the companies haven't been able to adhere to the timeline written into their production sharing contracts with the government, mainly due to a shortage of rigs.The extension is expected to give companies such as Oil & Natural Gas Corp., Reliance Industries Ltd. and Italy's ENI SpA three more years to develop some of the blocks they have been awarded under the government's new exploration licensing policy.
"The drilling moratorium issue is likely to come up in the next Cabinet meeting," the official told reporters.The government has been considering a rig holiday as the companies haven't been able to adhere to the timeline written into their production sharing contracts with the government, mainly due to a shortage of rigs.The extension is expected to give companies such as Oil & Natural Gas Corp., Reliance Industries Ltd. and Italy's ENI SpA three more years to develop some of the blocks they have been awarded under the government's new exploration licensing policy.
Topaz Launches Crew Boat, Kanoo 40
Topaz Energy and Marine Ltd. through its subsidiary Nico Craft has launched a 98.4 ft crew boat named Kanoo 40 for Kanoo Shipping.
The crew boat was designed by Technicraft, New Zealand and all the engineering and construction work was undertaken by Nico Craft in Fujairah. Nico Craft forms a part of Topaz Engineering, the newly formed engineering division of Topaz Energy and Marine. Kanoo 40 is a medium speed catamaran vessel designed to service vessels within a distance of 50 nautical miles from port. The boat is constructed using welded seawater resistant aluminium alloy and the hull is a semi-planning type. The Kanoo 40 has a moulded beam of 32.8 ft and a draught of 3.9 ft.The crew boat has a deck cargo capacity of 376.7 sq ft and can carry a crew of 5 and upto 35 passengers at a speed of 27 knots. The vessel has been built under the Bureau Veritas Certification.
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CPC to ramp up supertanker ownership
Taipei: Chinese Petroleum Corp (CPC) of Taiwan is planning boosting its VLCC fleet dramatically.
The energy giant is in talks with both Chinese Maritime and U-Ming Marine Transport about a joint venture which could initially order seven 300,000-dwt VLCCs and one 80,000-dwt tanker. CPC wants to build up a 35-strong VLCC fleet eventually.
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The world is swimming in oil
Oil tankers are anchored off the Dutch coast, unable to deliver their cargo to the port of Rotterdam because its oil facilities are filled to capacity, but also because it is more profitable.
Last Friday, a total of eight supertankers - very large crude carriers (VLCC) – had anchored off the Dutch coast, half of them fully loaded. Each of them can carry up to 2 million barrels of crude oil, enough to fill up 6 million small cars. These supertankers could reach the port of Rotterdam, Europe's biggest oil refining and trade centre, in less than an hour. But they don't. There just isn't enough room, says Jeroen Kortsmit, commercial manager at Royal Dirkzwager, a maritime advisory company. "The port of Rotterdam is filled to capacity." Rotterdam is being flooded with crude oil, which has become superfluous because of the economic slowdown. The port can normally hold up to 12.8 million cubic metres of crude oil. That's 80 million barrels, or enough to supply all 27 member states of the European Union for five days. Now the Rotterdam port is full and companies active in oil shortage, like Vopak, Oiltanking and Eurotank, are doing good business these days.Read More
Last Friday, a total of eight supertankers - very large crude carriers (VLCC) – had anchored off the Dutch coast, half of them fully loaded. Each of them can carry up to 2 million barrels of crude oil, enough to fill up 6 million small cars. These supertankers could reach the port of Rotterdam, Europe's biggest oil refining and trade centre, in less than an hour. But they don't. There just isn't enough room, says Jeroen Kortsmit, commercial manager at Royal Dirkzwager, a maritime advisory company. "The port of Rotterdam is filled to capacity." Rotterdam is being flooded with crude oil, which has become superfluous because of the economic slowdown. The port can normally hold up to 12.8 million cubic metres of crude oil. That's 80 million barrels, or enough to supply all 27 member states of the European Union for five days. Now the Rotterdam port is full and companies active in oil shortage, like Vopak, Oiltanking and Eurotank, are doing good business these days.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Round the Island Race
The JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, will take place on Saturday 20 June with a total entry of 1,779 boats.
Professional and Olympic sailors line up with family cruisers, sportsboats, classic yachts and one designs, in Britain's most popular sailing area. Top of the ratings IRC0 is headed by current race record holder Mike Slade's 30m super maxi ICAP Leopard. The crew comprises Volvo Ocean Race, America's Cup and Admiral's Cup sailors headed by Mike Slade's professional boat captain of 18 years, Chris Sherlock.Tony Todd's Performance Yachts 100 Liara is the new kid on the block. Built by Southern Ocean Marine to a Dixon Yacht Design, she was launched in New Zealand in February 2009. Skipper Ross Appleby, a graduate from Southampton University, has taken Tony Todd's previous yachts to success in the ARC, Guadeloupe to Antigua Race and Nelson's Pursuit Race. Given Liara's 5m draft, Ross will be denied some traditional tide cheating manoeuvres, presenting an interesting challenge. On handicap, ICAP Leopard is rated 25% higher than Liara, so if Leopard finishes the race in four hours Liara can finish in five and still beat her.
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WESMAR Bow Thruster on Oil Support Vessel
WESMAR (Western Marine Electronics) of Woodinville, Wa. has announced the installation of their ABS design approved bow thruster for dynamic positioning on the 175 ft FSV Gulf Fury, the newest and fastest oil support vessel for Gulf Fleet of Lafayette, Louisiana. Gulf Fury, joins a fleet of 17 other Gulf Fleet vessels.
“She is our first total ABS classed DPS-1 vessel. With this classification and with WESMAR’s V2-20 ABS design approved bow thruster, the Gulf Fury is viewed highly in the industry, creating opportunities for us around the world,” said Ryan Pecoraro, Technical Engineer and Project Manager for Gulf Fleet. Gulf Fury was built for deep water offshore work around platforms that are not attached to the sea bottom, traveling back and forth doing crew changes and carrying cargo for the rigs, 24 hours a day/7 days a week. This work requires close maneuvering in adverse conditions, and holding the boat true, and this is where the WESMAR bow thruster is of great value, says Pecoraro.
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Analysis: Diamond Offshore's Fleet & Focus
A strong competitor in the offshore rig market, Diamond Offshore currently offers 45 offshore rigs, making it the fourth largest fleet of competitive offshore rigs.
Of its total fleet, 14 are jackups, 30 are semisubmersibles and one is a drillship. Currently, Diamond has approximately 90% of its rig fleet contracted, and in June 2009 alone, the total revenue generated by contracted rigs exceeded $320,000,000. The majority of Diamond's rig fleet is currently performing drilling operations. In fact, 34 rigs are presently drilling, and three are performing workover operations. One is waiting on location, one is undergoing inspection, one is being modified, and one is en route to a new location. Four rigs are ready-stacked at this time.
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NYK and Kawasaki to build and lease drillships
Japan: NYK and Kawasaki have signed an agreement to jointly lease deepsea drillships in Brazil.
The two companies, along with Mitsui, have placed a major order with a South Korean builder for a vessel with offshore exploration capabilities and the ability to drill in water depths of up to 3,000 metres. According to The Nikkei, NYK and Kawasaki plan to build the vessel and lease it to Brazilian state-owned offshore giant Petrobras until 2012. Petrobras, which had plans to spend US$28 billion over five years on offshore oil exploration, has been having financial difficulties since the onslaught of the credit crunch. Many foreign countries, especially China, have since voiced interest in acquiring rights to the large oilfield which was discovered off the Brazilian coast last year.
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