Loren names luxury cruise liner

Italian film star Sophia Loren has named a giant luxury cruise liner at a launch party at the Port of Dover.

The Oscar-winning actress joined Prince and Princess Michael of Kent on board MSC Poesia for the event before it sailed from the Kent port for Venice. The vessel is the newest addition to the MSC Cruises fleet, and it was the first time one of its liners had been christened outside Italy. Two Dover Harbour Board tugs fired water cannons in salute on her arrival. The 93,300 tonne liner, which can accommodate more than 3,000 guests in 1,275 cabins and has its own theatre, tennis court and two swimming pools, was berthed at the port's cruise terminal over the weekend. The launch party, on Saturday night, also featured opera singer Andrea Bocelli, singers KT Tunstall and Peter Grant, and the Ronnie Scott Orchestra. Chairman of Dover District Council, Bernard Butcher, said the launch of the Poesia had given the town a welcome boost. "Dover, sadly, is looking just a little bit worn at the moment and our aim now is to completely revamp... I'm sure with the cruise ships coming in there will be more for the visitors to enjoy. "This is what the cruise ships are all about really - it's commerce for them and revenue for us and this is what we're trying to achieve," he said.

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MAN Diesel engines supply massive sea lifting power

MAN Diesel's Shanghai organization has landed an engine contract in the specialized segment for large floating cranes and construction barges.

A newly designed (DLV4400) heavy-lift floating crane from Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC) with a 4,400 tonne lifting capacity will be powered by seven MAN Diesel 9L32/40 GenSets. The total installed output of 31.5MW will supply propulsion power, power for maneuvering, for the crane activities, and to the hotel accommodation load for 250 persons. The vessel, which is designed to propel itself at up to twelve knots in trial condition, will also be equipped with a dynamic positioning system classed GL DynPos-AutR. The propulsors specified are 2 x 2,000 kW tunnel thrusters at the bow of the vessel, 2 x 2,500 kW retractable azimuth thrusters at the foreship, and 2 x 4,500 kW azimuth thrusters at the aftship. On the deck, the vessel will have a helicopter platform situated at the forecastle deck, and the full revolving main crane will be installed in the after area of deck. The hull for the DLV 4400 is expected to be built, however the identity of the yard has not yet been disclosed. However, the final outfitting and mounting of crane equipment will be performed at ZPMC's shipyard on Changxin Island.

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Indo-German naval exercise begins today

A three-day Indo-German naval exercise will begin on Tuesday, on the western coast of India.

The two countries signed a defense cooperation agreement in 2006. From the German side, the exercises will see the participation of over 700 personnel from the German Task Force comprising the Federal German Ship (FGS) Hamburg, an air-defense ship; frigate FGS Koeln; and a replenishment tanker FGS Berlin. The vessels arrived in Kochi, a major port city of the south on Saturday. Two frigates of the Indian Navy, apart from a helicopter and training ships — INS Tir and INS Krishna — will represent India. The Task Force Commander, Captain Michael Budde, said the German and Indian warships from the naval base would jointly leave the Kochi harbor on Tuesday for the joint exercises. “Seamanship, replenishment at sea and exchange of ship personnel and flying exercises will be held in the sea off Kochi. More advanced maneuvers like surface and submarine warfare will be held further northwards, where the Indian frigates from the Western Naval Command will join.” India will get top-end technology and it will be a win-win situation for both countries in this partnership of equals. Germany needs to retain her competitive edge by making good use of the economy products manufactured in India. Rear Admiral Karl Wilhelm Bollow, Commander of Germany’s Flotilla II, who came to Kochi to inspect his units, said the Germans would also hold joint operations with the French and South African navies.

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Rotterdam and Long Beach in environmental partnership

The Port of Rotterdam Authority and the Port of Long Beach have agreed to jointly boost protection of their environments.

Officials from the two ports signed an environmental exchange agreement that aims to promote 'green' practices and technologies. “Through this agreement the ports of Long Beach and Rotterdam will work together to advance the best environmental seaport practices and technologies on both continents,” Long Beach Harbor Commission President Mario Cordero said. Signed on April 1, the agreement calls for the ports of Long Beach and Rotterdam to collaborate on environmental issues such as marine wildlife, air quality, soils and sediments, water quality, sustainability and community engagement. The accord includes the exchange of technical information on improving air quality, the establishment of joint delegations to study port emissions and pollutants, as well as the ongoing development of control measures and best practices surrounding port and urban sustainability policies. According to Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, the signing of the agreement would “strengthen the partnership between two seaports viewed as international leaders for a cleaner environment.” The Port of Long Beach is seen by some as having pioneered environmental stewardship among American seaports with its award-winning Green Port Policy and its clean-air partnership, the Clean Air Action Plan. The Port of Rotterdam is also seen as a leader in terms of clean technologies and efficient port practices that minimize environmental impacts.

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Maritime industry wants Dubai arbitration centre

A maritime arbitration centre may soon be created in Dubai, based on a recommendation being prepared by a think tank, which has emphasized the need for such because of the increasing maritime trade in the region.

Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Al Mulla, founder and general manager of the Emirates International Law Centre (EILC) said his company is recommending an administered arbitration, as against an ad hoc, system that is compliant to Islamic rules. "Our idea is to revive the Islamic arbitration, which covers a wide range of topics," he added, stressing that maritime arbitration systems worldwide mostly cover only the amicable settlement of commercial disputes. But the Islamic maritime arbitration system, he said, covers a wide range of related disputes, such as political, criminal, personal, civil and trade relations. "This is a very old system, but will still be very effective in settling various disputes," Al Mulla said. An ad hoc arbitration requires parties to make their own arrangements for the selection of arbitrators and the designation of rules and procedures while an administered arbitration has an independent agency to manage dispute resolutions. Al Mulla said that having a maritime arbitration centre would boost regional and international trade through Dubai, as this provides the business operations security that foreign investors are looking for. He also said that maritime trade accounts for 75 per cent of the world's total trade. EILC has organized the three-day Maritime Arbitration Conference, which ended yestersay in Dubai and has attracted experts and industry players from across the region, Asia and Europe. Dubai is part of an international arbitration jurisdiction involving at least 150 other nations.

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Emaar EC and DP World combine for Saudi seaport

Emaar Economic City has signed an agreement with the Dubai-based DP World Limited, a global marine terminal operator, to develop and operate the port at King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia that would be the largest on the Red Sea.

The port, which will be the first in the kingdom to be financed completely by the private sector, would become one of the world's ten largest ports with a capacity to handle 20 million 20-foot containers a year, said Emaar EC, the Saudi Arabia unit of Dubai's Emaar Properties, in a statement yesterday. "With its strategic location on the Red Sea, the KAEC Sea Port will create a regional logistics hub that will further stimulate the Saudi economy through new job and investment opportunities," said Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar EC. The statement said that a multi-purpose cargo terminal is set to be operational by the end of 2010 and a separate terminal capable of handling 1.6 million TEU, or 20-foot equivalent container units, will operate by mid-2011. Afterwards the port's capacity will be increased on several phases. It added that the port, set to extend over 14 square kilometres, would create 15,000 jobs and contribute an average of AED9.8 billion (SAR10 billion) to Saudi Arabia's annual gross domestic product upon completion of the all the work phases. Governor Amr Al Dabbagh, of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), expressed his office's commitment to help transform Saudi Arabia into one of the world's ten most competitive economies by 2010. DP World, the world's fourth-largest marine port operator, has a portfolio of 43 terminals and 13 new developments across 28 countries. It designs, builds and operates ports as well as provides logistics, infrastructure development and consultancy services.

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BHP says Thebe is biggest find in five years

BHP Billiton’s deep-water Thebe gas field off Western Australia is the largest petroleum discovery the company has made in five years, said its petroleum chief executive Michael Yeager.

The field contains between 2 trillion cubic feet of gas and 3 Tcf based on one well, the Thebe-1 wildcat of August last year. BHP is currently drilling the Thebe-2 appraisal well with the semi-submersible Atwood Eagle in about 4000 feet of water in BHP’s 100%-owned Block WA-346-P. Yeager said at the APPEA conference in Perth, Australia, that a number of development options are being eyed for Thebe with liquefied natural gas exports a leading contender. These concepts include a stand alone onshore LNG export facility, a shared liquefaction plant, and floating LNG. Yeager said its 100%-owned Pilbara LNG concept is an option for Thebe processing. Some years ago, BHP progressed Pilbara LNG for receiving gas from the big Scarborough field in which BHP owns a 50% non-operating stake. However, Scarborough operator ExxonMobil did not support Pilbara LNG, so the project went on hold. The Thebe-1 discovery well hit a gross gas column of 240 feet in the Triassic Mungaroo formation.

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