Linking Indian, French navies

Kochi, India: The French Navy is in consultation with navies of many countries, including India, in developing interoperability as part of its effort to carve out a mechanism to fight piracy at sea, Jerome Bonnafont, Ambassador of France to India, has said.

Captain Herve Blejean, commanding officer of the 13,000-tonne carrier that is on a six-month around-the-globe-voyage with 119 cadets, including 14 females and some foreign cadets, on board, said the problem of piracy had grown when there was not much navy participation in fighting piracy. “However, the French Navy has been able to apprehend over 25 pirates, including eight last night, after it got actively involved in this task. Indian naval ships have also done commendable work in neutralizing bids by pirates. The legal aspect of fighting piracy — bringing pirates to book — is very complicated, but we have a strong resolution from the United Nations in this regard,” he said, pointing out that in an anti-piracy offensive launched by Jeanne D’ Arc off the Somali coast on April 11 last year, 30 hostages were freed and six pirates arrested. In order to coordinate against threats of piracy, narcotic traffic, human trafficking and the like, a special communication device was deployed to connect Indian and French navies. “This is mainly to exchange operational data,” he said. As regards the French presence in the Indian Ocean, the Captain said the French continued to deploy at least two frigates here because the north of Indian Ocean faced a few issues and the French wanted this area to stabilise.

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AEMTC and GL Academy to collaborate for maritime training

Mumbai: Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre (AEMTC) and GL Academy have signed an agreement for collaboration on advanced maritime training.

The cooperation marks the beginning of an extensive collaboration to work jointly on a post-graduate diploma course in naval architecture. Additionally, value-added seminars and workshops for the maritime industry will be provided. The first GL Academy course on "Ship Structures II" will be held in February. Further topics are scheduled for 2009. AEMTC was set up in 1994 and today is an international training institute catering to personnel for the maritime and offshore training sectors. It uses modern methods of teaching including simulation, hands-on workshop training, and web-based learning and assessment systems.

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Korean and Indian shipyards rethink and restructure

Shipyards in Korea and India are rethinking and restructuring in a bid to hold out during the credit crunch.

In South Korea, the scale of restructuring is evident, though analysts say that the “first round” of restructuring had not been dramatic. They say that a large scale second phase would begin in February. The world’s largest shipbuilding market is set to concentrate on business diversification, and may choose to build high value-added ships and offshore plants since smaller firms have so far not expressed any enthusiasm for this sector. And while large shipbuilders may be unable to get the finances to upsize themselves at the moment, they see this time as a chance to widen South Korea’s lead over Chinese shipbuilding. Meanwhile, failed South Korean builder C& Heavy Industries, which was liquidated has now been presented with three options. The first could be to reject financial support offered and rebuild the business independently by securing some US$10 million in funds and US$104 million in investment capital. The second option would be for the builder to allow the courts to restructure the business. The final option would be for the company to sell off to a third party. The South Korean government is keen to withdraw C& Heavy from the market and is heavily promoting restructuring to other yards.

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MOL and Gulf LPG start VLGC Pool

Tokyo: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Gulf LPG Transport Company W.L.L. of Qatar (Gulf LPG) have entered into an agreement for immediate launch of a very large gas carrier (VLGC) pool called LPG Global Transport.

MOL and Gulf LPG have jointly incorporated LPG Global Transport Management Inc. to manage the pool’s business operations. In a statement to the press, the Japanese shipping giant said, “Both MOL and Gulf LPG are bullish about the future expansion of global LPG seaborne trade, especially from Qatar. LPG Global Transport will be able to offer enhanced services to LPG charterers and create efficiencies by optimizing voyage costs through efficient deployment of the combined fleet.” LPG Global Transport is expected to substantially increase its pooled fleet, with Gulf LPG contributing one new building in March 2009 and MOL adding seven new buildings to be delivered during the second half of 2009 and the first half of 2010.

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New cranes at Ecuadorian terminal heralds new era of port operations

The Guayaquil Container and Multipurpose Terminals (GCMT) in Ecuador has recently taken delivery of three new quay cranes and eight rubber tyred gantries (RTGs).

The new container handling equipment, manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery of China, is the first of their type to be introduced in Ecuador, heralding a new era of modern port operations in the country. The owner and operator of the terminal, Contecon Guayaquil, acquired two mobile harbor cranes immediately after its takeover of the port in 2007.

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Venezuela seizes ENSCO rig

Venezuela seized an oil rig run ENSCO in a dispute over payment for services today, a sign that tumbling oil prices have worsened the cash crunch at state-run PDVSA.

The company said ENSCO had broken its contract by halting drilling at the offshore Petrosucre oil project that includes investment from Italy's ENI in a dispute over ENSCO's past work. PDVSA said Dallas-based ENSCO had earned $110 million from its work at the project, but did not say how much money ENSCO was owed or whether negotiations continue. ENSCO was not immediately available to comment on the issue, but a company spokesman had previously confirmed it was struggling to receive payment from PDVSA. PDVSA has built close to $8 billion in debts with providers and sources said in recent months it has skipped payments to partners and services companies as falling crude prices and heavy social spending have pinched its finances. But the company has faced growing complaints from a broad array of providers about unpaid bills.

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New tanker launched at Brodosplit

Croatia: A new tanker for navigation and transport for oil products in icy regions was launched at the Brodosplit shipyard last weekend (Saturday January 24).

The Swedish owner of newbuilding 462, a tanker with a 65,056-tonne capacity, is Concordia Maritime. The tanker was built in accordance with the MAX concept is characterized by good economy, high flexibility and a high level of safety. Its wider hull design means that the vessel can load about 30 percent more cargo without its draught being affected. In addition to having mandatory double hulls, the vessel has double main engines in two completely separate engine rooms, double rudders and steering gear, two propellers and double control systems. All these double systems can be operated independently of each other, which results in even safer oil transportation. This is the first ship of a total of four in a handmax fleet building program which Concordia contracted Brodosplit to build.

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