US Shipping bows from battle

US Shipping Partners has relented in its fight with private equity firm Blackstone over the two parties’ joint venture to build five product tankers at NASSCO.

Speaking to Fairplay late Monday, USSP chief executive Ron O’Kelley confirmed that an agreement was reached in mediation whereby USSP will no longer serve as the vessel manager of the Golden State, delivered in January, nor the Pelican State, to be delivered 15 June. USSP will continue to serve as the construction manager for the final three vessels in the series, but not their vessel manager. USSP will also step down as managing member of the JV. USSP, which is in the midst of a Chapter XI restructuring, will lose its equity interest in the JV, to which it contributed $70M. The mediation agreement will be confirmed by the court in the next few weeks and contractual changes will take effect 60 days later.

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Fleet Week Parade of Ships

Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet joined Navy League New York Council members in observing Fleet Week New York 2009's opening Parade of Ships May 20 at a reception in southern Manhattan.

"On behalf of the maritime forces of the U.S. and our Canadian ally, I'd like to relay the message that 'We love New York!'" proclaimed Vice Adm. Mel Williams, Jr., to numerous civilian and military distinguished guests shortly before the ships were within sight. He pointed out the importance of such opportunities. "They allow the American public to see and better understand our maritime forces." He also thanked supporters of the Navy for hosting the reception to review U.S. and Canadian ships as they sail up the Hudson River."We are inspired by your support," said Williams. "You are true patriots, and you are sincerely appreciated by those of us who serve in the armed forces."

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Odense delivers new Ro-Ro ferry

Denmark’s Odense Lindo Shipyard has delivered the first of six Ro-Ro ferries.

Owned by Epic Shipping, UK, the ‘Maas Viking’ has been chartered to Norfolkline. The new vessels have a length of 199 metres and a beam of 26.5 metres. ‘Mass Viking’s’ Caterpillar 9M43 engines produces 7,150kW of power output. Hull number 217 is now plying a service route between Rotterdam and North Killingholme. Its sistership ‘Humber Viking’ is scheduled for deliver in August.

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DNV: "15% emission reduction for existing fleet - with improved bottom line"

Better operational practices can reduce emissions to air from today’s ships by some 15%.

The improvements can be achieved now, with present technology and with improved bottom line. A new tool, the DNV Triple-E, has also been developed to obtain measurable improvements for individual ships. Ships from all market segments can reduce their air emissions. On average, optimising the engine performance, the trim for all drafts and speeds and the propulsion system efficiency and, among other measures, improving voyage management can reduce emissions by 15% for all type of ships – all to be achieved without additional costs. Even greater reductions might be possible.DNV has developed a set of abatement curves to plot the achievable emission reductions against the estimated cost effectiveness. These curves are a result of research activity within DNV but are based on factual and measurable improvements achieved by owners, operators and individual ships in operation.

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Princess Cruises Marks 40th Anniversary of Sailing from San Francisco

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) - Mayor Gavin Newsom has declared "Princess Cruises Day" in San Francisco to commemorate the cruise line's 40th anniversary of sailing from the Port of San Francisco.

Forty years ago, Princess Italia sailed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, commencing a new era of cruise tourism. Since that inaugural voyage in 1969, Princess Cruises has sailed cruise ships from San Francisco Bay to the far reaches of the Alaskan glaciers, down to the Mexican Riviera, and around the world. Princess Cruises, the Port's largest cruise customer, has made approximately 1,000 calls at the Port of San Francisco over the past four decades, and carried well over one million passengers. "The relationship between San Francisco and Princess Cruises dates back to the company's earliest days, and it has been strong for 40 years," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Not only does Princess provide a great travel experience, but having their ships on the San Francisco waterfront translates into tourism revenue for the City, as well as jobs for longshoremen and shipyard workers."

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