Safmarine's newbuilt to join AMEX service

South African Marine Corporation Limited has recently named its latest container ship the ‘Safmarine Nile'.

It is the third in a series of five Safmarine sister ships built at the Hegemann Group-owned Volkswerft shipyard in Stralsund, Germany. The 2,474TEU ‘Safmarine Nile' is the fifth vessel to be named in as many months by the shipping company, which is currently mid-way through an extensive fleet expansion programme, the largest in the Safmarine's 62-year history. The new vessel will join the ‘Safmarine Ngami' and ‘Safmarine Nyassa', named earlier this year, on the weekly South Africa/USA (AMEX) service which uses eight 2,300TEU vessels. The southbound port rotation for the AMEX service is: Newark, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Freeport, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban.
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New Container Terminal-1 in Subic is ISPS compliant

The New Container Terminal-1 at the Subic Bay Freeport is ready for global trade with its ISPS compliance certification.
The terminal is operated by International Container Terminal Services, subsidiary Subic Bay International Terminal. The New Container Terminal-1 (NCT-1), Subic Bay Freeport's newest container handling facility, was recently awarded a three-year certification for its compliance with the International Code for the Security of Ships and Port Facilities (ISPS). The certification was issued by Undersecretary Cecilio Penilla, administrator of the Office for Transport Security of the Philippine Department of Transportation and Communications. An official of Subic Bay International Terminal Corporation (SBITC), operator of the NCT-1, said the ISPS clearance is an indication that the new terminal is ready for global trade as well as ensuring the safety and security of containers in the terminal. "As the new trading gateway in northern Philippines serving the industries of Subic, Clark and Tarlac economic zones, we are priming the NCT-1 to be at par with the world's best practices in terminal operations," said Aurelio C. Garcia, SBITC general manager. The ISPS is a security regulation by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization established in 2004 to counter increasing terror threats in global maritime trade. The code is an anti-terrorism measure which covers all seafaring vessels and sea ports worldwide.

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Qatar Issues Offshore Oil Construction Tender

Qatar Petroleum (QP) has issued a construction services tender covering its offshore fields as part of a three-year deal.

The scope of works includes fabrication, piping, welding, painting, hydro testing and crane support facilities. In addition, three boats equipped with a deck-mounted crane and offshore construction crew will be required to work on QP's offshore facilities and operational structures. QP says the deal may be split into four separate contracts or could also be awarded as one job. The closing date for bids is 22 June with the contract scheduled to start by 26 September. While Qatar has halted exploration on its mammoth North field, four new gas blocks are to be tendered to oil majors in the next 12 months. The state also expects to increase oil production to 1.1 million barrels-a-day (b/d), from the current 900,000 b/d, by 2010.

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BHP calls for deregulation of Oz ports to ease congestion

BHP Billiton Ltd, the world's biggest mining company, has said Australia needs to ease government control over ports and railroads to attract private investment and thereby enable rapid and efficient expansion of capacity.

"Concerns have been raised about the lack of investment in Australia's regulated ports," said Marius Kloppers, ceo of BHP (which is trying to buy rival Rio Tinto Group). "It doesn't matter how much ore we producers dig out of the ground if we can't transport it to our customers." Australia needs to maximize spending on infrastructure to expand more quickly and efficiently, he added. Bottlenecks at ports in Australia, the world's largest coal exporter, have helped constrain the supply of the fuel to Asian customers, boosting prices to a record and increasing costs for mining companies. BHP is considering spending $85 billion to increase output of commodities to meet demand, led by China. The two biggest coal-export ports in Australia, Newcastle in New South Wales and Dalrymple Bay in Queensland, have appointed independent coordinators to ease constraints. Expansion at regulated ports, such as Queensland's Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, takes longer than at unregulated ports, Kloppers said. He pointed out that the recent increasing of capacity by 8m tons a year at Dalrymple had taken five years to achieve, compared to just three years needed to expand unregulated port of Gladstone by 28m tons a year.

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China Shipping to raise dollar borrowing to fund fleet growth

China Shipping Development Co plans to spend 23.4bn yuan ($3.37bn) on buying 59 vessels over the next five years to more than double its current capacity.

While cash flow will be enough to pay the first year's installment on the new vessels of around 5.5bn yuan, the company is ready to take out more dollar loans in coming years, thereby offsetting the impact of the rising Chinese currency, China Shipping's chief accountant is reported as saying. China Shipping's dollar-denominated debt is expected to reach as much as $1.4 billion by 2011, accounting for 75 percent of its overall debt, Wang Kangtian told on the sidelines of a shareholders' meeting. Dollar loans currently stand at roughly $300 million, or 55% of overall debt.

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COSCO seeks stake in the Greek port of Piraeus

China Ocean Shipping Company is interested in taking part in possible plans to buy shares in the Piraeus Port Authority (PPA), giving it increased access to European markets.

COSCO president Wei Jiafu discussed port investment when he met Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, who was visiting China, in January this year. PPA handles almost 60 per cent of all Greek shipping. The Greek Government owns 74.1 per cent of PPA at the moment. The Thessalonica Port Authority said COSCO Hellas has also expressed an interest in developing co-operative ties with the northern Greek port. China Shipping Group (CSG), China's second-largest shipping company, is also seeking facilities in the Greek port of Crete. The COSCO president said earlier that port investment is a priority for the company's future expansion. In December 2007, the group was involved in a joint venture formed by AP Møller-Maersk and Hutchison Whampoa to buy and develop the second phase of Shanghai's Yangshan port. COSCO Pacific, a port investor affiliated to the Group, took 10 per cent of the venture.
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Remøy Shipping to build at Ulstein Verft

Remøy Shipping has signed a contract with Ulstein Verft for the building of two eco-friendly platform supply vessels (PSV) of ULSTEIN PX105 type designed by Ulstein Design with future-oriented products and systems from Ulstein Elektro.

The vessels are already set for long-term contracts with StatoilHydro upon completion. The vessels will be delivered in February and May 2011. StatoilHydro announced earlier this year that Remøy Shipping had been awarded an eight-year contract with an option for four times one additional year for two PSVs with Ulstein Design equipment and design packages. Shipyard negotiations had not been concluded by the time Remøy and StatoilHydro agreed upon the deal, but Remøy Shipping is placing its trust in local players to have the ships ready for StatoilHydro by the contracted start date. A large number of the details in the newly developed ULSTEIN PX105 design are according to requirement specifications from StatoilHydro. The vessels are equipped with Mecmar's exhaust system, which releases exhaust through the hull side, right over the water surface. The ships are also equipped with the newly developed CargoMaxx tank system that can load cuttings, dry bulk, mud, brine and fuel. The system is also prepared for oil protection and oil recovery operation. The ULSTEIN PX105 design is 88.8 metres long and 19 metres wide, with a total output of 7600eKW. The vessels will be equipped after the Ulstein Accommodation Standard and will have technology from Ulstein Elektro. Remøy Shipping currently has a fleet of six vessels for coast guard, seismic and offshore service.
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