Iran warns India over pipeline deal

Iran warned India that it would sign a multi-billion dollar gas pipeline deal with Pakistan alone if New Delhi did not swiftly agree terms on transit pricing with Islamabad.

Iranian and Pakistani officials are holding a round of talks this week over finalising the long-delayed pipeline, which would see Iranian gas sent to Pakistan and to India via Pakistan. But Indian officials have been absent from the talks over the “peace pipeline” as Islamabad and New Delhi have yet to agree over the payment of transit fees by the latter. India had said on Tuesday it remained committed to the deal despite its not attending the new round of talks in Tehran. Discussions on the 7.4-billion-dollar project started in 1994, but have been held up by technical and commercial issues.

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Dubai issues Maritime City law

The Dubai Government has issued the Law No. (11) of 2007 establishing the Dubai Maritime City, which is to gradually incorporate the ship repair and maritime services companies located at Jadaf Dubai, a top official said.

According to the new law, the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) will be able to levy fees and register vessels and professionals in the maritime sector, set up a maritime arbitration centre as well as become a centre for marine insurance and re-insurance. The law, promulgated by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, stipulates that the facility will be managed by the DMCA, which will be affiliated with the Ports, Customs and Free Zones Corporation.

According to the law, the DMCA shall aim to enhance the position of the Emirate and to make it a centre, without limitation, of the maritime services; maritime management; vessel and yacht registration; vessel and yacht ownership and charter; maritime and educational research; vessel and yacht design and building; maritime shipment organization; maritime exhibitions, conferences, training and workshops; maritime tourism; and maritime specialized arbitration. The law will further enhance the position of Dubai as a centre of maritime excellence, said Amir Ali, chief executive of Dubai Maritime City.

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Petrobras hands pair $1.4bn P-56 deal

Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras has sealed a $1.4 billion contract for its new 100,000-barrel-per-day P-56 production rig with a Keppel Fels (Brasil) - Technip consortium after months of exclusive negotiations.

The consortium includes the local unit of Singapore-based Keppel Fels and French energy services group Technip. The P-56 rig should start operating at the end of 2010. The P-54 was converted by the Jurong Shipyard in Singapore and then integrated locally with topsides fabricated at the Maua-Jurong yard near Rio de Janeiro. Jurong Shipyard is a unit of SembCorp Marine.

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Rolls Royce signs £24 mln deal

Rolls-Royce has signed a £24 million contract with a Singapore-based shipping company to supply complete marine power systems for four heavy lift vessels.

The order marks an important milestone in the company’s growing marine power systems business. Rolls-Royce has options for eight more vessels with SE Shipping in Singapore, which would triple the order value. SE Shipping is a subsidiary of Indian based Suzlon Energy, one of the world’s largest wind turbine suppliers. The company plans to use the vessels for the global transportation of wind turbine parts. Rolls-Royce is supplying equipment which powers and propels the ship including diesel engines, propellers, tunnel thrusters and steering gear.

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SCI plans to build country's largest shipyard

Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has firmed up plans to build the country's largest shipyard with an investment of around Rs 3,000 crore.

The public sector company would compete with Larson and Toubro, Korean shipping major STX, Essar, Shapoorji Pallonji and Bharti Shipyard for the two shipbuilding projects that the government plans to float. The company is likely to make a formal announcement in this regard in the next six to eight weeks.

The government had earlier proposed to build two shipyards, one on the west coast and the other on the east coast, of international standards. The sites identified by the shipping ministry are Kakinada, Ennore and Tuticorin in east coast, and Mundra and Pipavav in the west coast. These shipyards would be bigger than all the existing facilities in the country.

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Chennai port signs MoU with Belgium

The Chennai Port Trust has signed a fresh memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Port of Zeebrugge (Belgium).

In 1997 the two ports signed an MoU with the intention of cooperating in various fields related to maritime transportation and port development and working together as sister ports. The co-operation extended to all aspects of port activity and transfer of technology between the two ports. At that point of time, both ports laid accent on handling of bulk cargoes such as coal and iron ore. Chennai port in particular will draw on the available expertise in Zeebrugge Port in the field of containers, car carriers and cruise vessels.

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Korea on top position

Korea widened its lead in shipbuilding orders over China in August, cementing its status as the world's top shipbuilding nation, a London-based market researcher said Wednesday (Sept. 26).

Korean shipbuilders such as Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Samsung Heavy Industries Co. received a combined 22.1 million compensated gross tons in new orders in August, 3.1 million CGTs more than those won by Chinese rivals, said Clarkson Research Studies.

In the January-April period, China overtook Korea in shipbuilding orders, but Seoul reclaimed the top position in May by obtaining 11.7 million CGTs. According to the market researcher, Korea recorded the largest order backlog of 58.8 million CGTs in the January-August period, followed by China with 44.3 million CGTs and Japan with 30.5 million CGTs. In terms of order backlogs, six Korean companies were among the world's top 10 shipyards, with four Chinese shipbuilders holding the other spots, Clarkson said.

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