'Natchan world' takes to the water

Incat chairman extols virtues of Japan's new shallow-draught 112-metre craft.

The latest vessel yet to be built by Incat has been launched at the Hobart shipyard. The second ferry for Higashi Nihon Ferry will join her sister 'Natchan Rera', completed by Incat last August, in service across Japan's Tsugaru Strait between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. At nearly 11,000 gross tonnes the new 112-metre long 'Natchan World' is one of the largest vessels built by Incat. Yet she will operate with a loaded draught of just 3.83 metres, enabling her to operate into the shallowest of ports. Despite this however, the launch operation did cause Incat Chairman Robert Clifford a few anxious moments. 'The ship was launched at the lowest high tide I have had to contend with in 50 years of boat and shipbuilding. The level reached at 06:00 hrs on Monday February 18 was 150mm less than predictions, owing to the continued good weather. We had no choice but to launch however, as the next predicted suitable tide is not until May 5, some two months away, Mr. Clifford said. Drivers crossing the River Derwent via the Bowen Bridge will now be treated to a glimpse of the 'Natchan World's' eye-catching livery, the design of which was publicly sought in Japan. Before leaving Hobart for Japan the 'Natchan World' will be officially named in a ceremony at the Incat shipyard.
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Havyard Leirvik delivers the first Havyard-design

Havyard Leirvik has delivered NB 092 'Havila Saturn', a Havyard 842 Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessel (AHTS) to owner Havila Saturn.

The first vessel of Havyard-design has now been delivered and is ready for starting operating for her owners. 'Havila Saturn' is a Havyard 842 AHTS, which is designed for operation both in the Norwegian North Sea and worldwide. Main criteria for the design process was to develop a vessel which can execute 90 percent of the AHTS work in the North Sea and being cost efficient during operations and building world wide at the same time. Since NB 092 was ordered at Havyard Leirvik AS, in November 2005, further 12 vessels of Havyard 842 design have been ordered. Four at Havyard Leirvik, four in India and four in China for owners from Norway, India and Singapore. The Havyard-design has been a big success since the launching in 2005. It is fantastic to see the first vessel of own design sailing, ready to serve her new owners. The building period and testing of the vessel before delivery has given positive answers. The shipyard has long experience in building of large, advanced offshore support vessels and is one of the Norwegian shipyards building most AHTS.
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Genoa to kick PSA out of Voltri?

Genoa Port Authority has threatened to withdraw its terminal concession to Voltri Terminal Europa if productivity does not improve.

The president of the port authority, Luigi Merlo, summoned Eddie Teh, the boss of VTE’s owner PSA Corp to a crisis meeting this week – a meeting that ended with Teh receiving an ultimatum to sort the problems our within six months or lose the concession. Voltri has been beset by productivity problems, largely due to its new Cosmos software program which was paralysed for three full weeks, at one point forcing to port to close to export cargo. The original business plan forecast a 2M-teu throughput within two years against 1.16M achieved in 2007. “We explained to PSA that we are very concerned by the damage caused to [Genoa’s] image and the economic drawback,” the President of Liguria Region, Claudio Burlando, said afterwards. “The company must sort out the deep problem of lack of communication between the Italian middle management and foreign high management,” he added.
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DYT Completes First Voyage to Dubai

Dockwise Yacht Transport recently delivered a shipment of pleasure yachts to Jebel Ali, Dubai for the Dubai International Boat Show that commence from March 11.

The operation took place aboard the Lady Gloria, a ship supplied by BBC Chartering and Logistics, which collaborated with DYT last October to expand global shipping options for DYT customers and will now regularly service Dubai and other previously hard-to-reach destinations. The same loading masters who manage DYT's float-on/float-off service for its fleet of four semi-submersible ships managed the lift-on/lift-off service aboard the Lady Gloria, one of 140 BBC vessels in operation worldwide. On its voyage from Port Everglades to Dubai via Genoa, Lady Gloria loaded an impressive set of yachts, including a new, 105-ft. Mangusta and a 30-ft. limousine tender from Royal Denship.

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Inuit village seeks climate change payout

A village on Alaska's Arctic coastline has filed suit in a US District Court against 24 energy companies in an attempt to link erosion damage from global warming to the companies' actions.

Residents of Kivalina, a village of about 400 native Inupiat on the tip of a barrier reef between the Chukchi Sea and two river mouths, filed suit against the companies this week in US District Court in San Francisco. Village residents claimed that greenhouse gas emissions from the companies help warm the atmosphere and melt sea ice that used to protect them from winter storms. "Houses and buildings are in imminent danger of falling into the sea as the village is battered by storms and its ground crumbles from underneath it," the suit said. The residents seek relocation costs, which could run to $400 million. The defendants, including oil giants ExxonMobil, BP and Chevron Corp; coal miner Peabody Energy Corp, and power generator American Electric Power, are some of the largest producers of products that emit the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, or sell coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. Late last year, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offered a gloomy report on global warming's impact on the Arctic, finding less ice and warmer temperatures.
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More shipping lines to switch to Malaysia within the next decade

More shipping lines are expected to switch hubs to Malaysia within the next five to ten years, drawn by Malaysian ports' attractive pricing and capability in handling cargo volumes.

Westports Malaysia director Ruben Emir Gnanalingam said that while Singapore has more shipping line hubs, the island state had limited capacity and prices in Malaysia were still substantially cheaper. Singapore is also currently the largest handler of trans-shipment cargo volume in the Southeast Asian region, handling 28 million TEU of the 50 million in Southeast Asia while Malaysia handles 15 million TEU. Of the 15 million TEU, Westports is aiming for five million TEU this year. The three main ports for trans-shipment cargo currently are Westports, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Singapore. Ruben added that trans-shipment cargo volume in the Southeast Asian region was growing between 10 percent and 15 percent a year with an estimated 55 million TEU in 2008. Westports expects its new 600-metre berth to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of this year. The berth is part of CT5; a new container terminal Westports is constructing as part of its RM800 million (US$249.4 million) three-year expansion plan to boost annual capacity by some 30 percent.
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Yantai delivers for Marine Subsea

China’s largest rig builder Yantai Raffles Shipyard has delivered an accommodation barge to Norwegian oil and gas service company Marine Subsea.

The barge, African Caribe, is 102 metres long by 30 metres wide, and can accommodate 350 people and is equipped with a 150-tonne crawler crane. Yantai Raffles is expected to supply Marine Subsea with a second similar barge, with berths for 400 people, later this year. Oslo-based Marine Subsea focuses on construction support and well intervention. Yantai Raffles is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange but plans to list on the Singapore bourse. Its experience includes constructing jack-up drilling rigs, semi-submersible drilling rigs, floating production, storage and offloading vessels, pipe-laying vessels and prototype vessels.
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