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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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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