Transocean lands three-year drillship contract

Transocean Inc. received a three-year contract from Anadarko Petroleum Corp. for ultra-deepwater drillship Discoverer Spirit for operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The contract is expected to commence in December 2010, immediately following the rig's existing commitments in the region. Estimated contract revenues over the new contract's three-year period are US$569.4 million, or a day rate of US$520,000. The rig, which entered service in 2000, is capable of operating in up to 10,000 feet (3,048 m) of water.

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COSCO Shanghai container centre under construction

COSCO held a foundation-laying ceremony for its Shanghai Container Centre at its logistics park in Nanhui District, Shanghai City.

Deputy Mayor of Shanghai, Yang Xiong and Vice President of COSCO, Zhang Fusheng attended the ceremony on the morning of October 27 and laid the foundations for the project. Integrated Container Development, funded by COSCO Container Lines, has been placed in charge of construction. The operation of the project covers a land area of 232,000m2 and is made up of a container yard, an examination area, four single-storey warehouses and some life. Production related facilities, is designed to handle 500,000 TEU per year.

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Siba sets new record for livestock shipment

Siba Ships have set a new record for livestock shipment, moving 22,100 steers and heifers from Darwin, Australia to Jakarta and Panjang, Indonesia in one shipment aboard the 'Deneb Prima'.

The previous global record on the same ship was 20,900 cattle. It took 36 hours to load the cattle’s on board, weighing 8,000 tonnes and consumed 200 tonnes of feed per day on their voyage. The cattle trade to Indonesia is a vital export trade for Australia and provides a major protein source for South East Asia, says, Mauro Baizarini, chairman of Siba Ships. Siba also began a new regular service this week by shipping one of the largest ever consignments of dairy cattle from Australian shores, from Portland, Victoria, to Mexico. Siba Ships is the Italian ship owning arm of the Baizarini group which specializes in the trading and transportation of livestock. Over more than forty years, the company has transported livestock mainly from Australia to the Middle East, South East Asia and South America.
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Stybarrow to pump its first oil

First production has begun at the Stybarrow Oil Project in permit WA-32-L off Western Australia.

The production has started from the Eskdale field, with subsequent production from the Stybarrow field expected in the coming weeks. Minor production is expected in the initial stage, with a ramp-up period of several months to an expected plateau production rates of around 50,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil a day. The Stybarrow Venture floating production, storage and offloading facility will produce oil. BHP Billiton operates the Stybarrow Oil Project with a 50% working interest with Woodside holding the remaining 50%.
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UAE committed to Opec goals

The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, addressed the closed-door session of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries at Riyadh, reiterating UAE's commitment to continue supplying oil to the international market.

Shaikh Khalifa attributed the increase in oil prices to the rising consumption, the high taxes imposed by the consumer countries, market speculations and to the fact that some producing countries have become oil importers. He emphasized for developing clean, safe and cheap alternative sources of energy. Opec's role and policy aimed at maintaining the interests of producers and consumers’ as well as maintaining stability in the world oil market was commended. UAE announced that it would contribute $150 million to back up scientific research in the field of energy, environment and climatic change. UAE's pledge was made in a closed-door session of the Heads of State of Opec member countries in Riyadh.
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Japanese whaling fleet heads for Antarctic

The Japanese whaling fleet has left southern Japan for its biggest hunt since commercial whaling was officially banned, aiming at humpback whales from Australian waters to its haul.

The factory ship Nisshin Maru and three chaser ships left after its ceremonial departure to newer levels of whaling from Shimonoseki. Humpback whales have not been legally hunted in the Antarctic since 1963 and never, since the moratorium on commercial whaling came into effect in 1986, have so many whales been earmarked for death. However, under the guise of scientific research 50 humpbacks have been added to the Japanese tally, with 50 giant fin whales, and up to 935 minkes. Tokyo's Institute of Cetacean Research disclosed that the hunt would take place in Antarctic waters south-west of Australia. Research shows that the humpbacks would mainly come from stocks that breed and migrate off the east and west coasts of Australia.
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CKYH Alliance revamps Asia-North Europe services

South Korean shipping line Hanjin Shipping, from early December, has announced restructuring of the Asia-North Europe services in partnership with other CKYH Alliance members, Coscon, “K” Line and Yang Ming.

Hanjin Shipping and the CKYH Alliance not only re-arrange port rotations but also adds two more services and deploys larger vessels ranging up to 10,000 TEU in capacity. The changes to the Asia-North Europe services are intended to raise the schedule frequencies from Asia and add more carrying capacity to meet growing demand between Asia and North Europe.
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