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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