Transocean Orders Two New Ultra-Deepwater Drillships
Transocean Ltd. inform that a subsidiary company has awarded contracts to Sembcorp Marine's subsidiary, Jurong Shipyard, in Singapore for construction of two newbuild dynamically positioned ultra-deepwater drillships with contract options for up to three more. The two drillships are expected to be delivered from the shipyard in the second quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, respectively.
BIRNS Celebrates 60th Anniversary at New Orleans Show
Founded in 1954, BIRNS, Inc. designer and manufacturer of high performance lighting and connector systems for deep ocean, marine, military and nuclear power applications celebrated the anniversary at the recent Underwater Intervention show in New Orleans. BIRNS informs of a well attended event in its booth at the show to commemorate the anniversary. The event included a slideshow of historical company photos honoring the founding CEO Jack Birns…
China, South Korea, Subsea Crane Orders for MacGregor
MacGregor, part of Cargotec, informs it has won an order for two subsea cranes from South Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries and another for one from China’s Wuchang Shipbuilding. The active heave-compensated cranes will have an SWL of 100-tonnes and 25-tonnes respectively. They will be fitted on board a new 160m heavy construction vessel (hull 2654) being built at the yard for global offshore specialist, Subsea 7.
Brazil Offshore Safety Issues May Affect Petrobas Production
Reuters – Brazil 's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA could face new production stoppages on platforms in the Campos Basin if it does not resolve lingering safety issues, the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reported on Sunday. The company, best known as Petrobras, has improved safety standards in its offshore fields in the last two years but needs to improve "a lot"," a federal labor-law prosecutor, Mauricio Coentro, told the newspaper.
Port Metro Container Truck Drivers Issue Work Stop Notice
Reuters – Vancouver container truck drivers have issued a 48-hour stop work notice to authorities at Canada's busiest port over a long-running dispute related to pay and service levels. The United Truckers Association of British Columbia (UTA), a non-profit group representing union and non-union drivers, said many of its 1,400 drivers will walk off the job on Wednesday, disrupting the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods and commodities through Western Canada.
Liebherr Container Cranes Commission Seven in Rotterdam Terminal
Ireland’s Liebherr Container Cranes say they have recently commissioned seven straddle carriers at ECT Delta Terminal in Rotterdam. The straddle carriers operate in the landside interface zone, shuttling between the automatic stacking cranes and trucks. In addition the straddles will handle multi trailers for intra terminal transfer for onward transport by train or barge. The Liebherr straddle carriers are linked to a remote positional tracking system…
Cargo Covering by Sentina Qualified to Deter Terrorists
Sentina Corp, a New York-based producer of protective cargo coverings, says it has been awarded the designation of 'Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology' under the Department of Homeland Security's Safety Act for its Freight Glove, a reusable, vacuum-sealable, and tamper-evident covering. The Freight Glove is the flagship offering from Sentina Corp., a company focused on creating sustainable packagings that prevent unauthorized opening - and in the process protect shipments from water damage…
Australia’s CEA to Show Off Hi-Tech Warship Radar
Senator David Johnstone, Australian Minister for Defence, is inviting media and gallery TV to a briefing of the world-leading Australian Phased Array Radar technology at CEA Australia in Canberra on Thursday 27 February 2014. The developers explain that CEAFAR is an active phased array radar with a unique microwave tile-based design. The combination of the microwave tile and the Digital Beam Forming (DBF) backend provides a modular, programmable and scalable solution.
UK Needs to Explore for New North Sea Oil & Gas
In its annual Activity Survey for 2014, trade association Oil & Gas UK says only 15 exploration wells were drilled in 2013, according to figures from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), continuing a steep downward trend. Exploration over the past three years has been at its lowest in the history of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) and in 2013 replaced just 80 million barrels. Oil & Gas UK chief executive…
Enbridge to Further Ration Crude Shipping Space
Reuters - Canadian pipeline company Enbridge Inc will apportion space on the 231,000 barrel-per-day Line 6B by an extra 35 percent in March, two trade sources said on Wednesday.
EU Shares Counter-piracy Knowledge with Tanzania
On Monday, February 24, European Union counter-piracy operation Atalanta and EUCAP Nestor, the civilian-led Maritime Security Capacity building EU Mission, hosted two training sessions for Tanzanian Maritime Police and Navy in Dar es Salaam to share knowledge and experiences in fight against piracy in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean region. The practical trainings held on board the EU Naval Force flagship…
HII Declares Quarterly Dividend
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share, payable on March 14, 2014, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 7, 2014. HII will release its full fourth quarter 2013 financial results tomorrow, February 27 and host an earnings conference call at 9 a.m. EST the same day. The call will be webcast live on HII's website: huntingtoningalls.com.
Star Bulk Charters Two Newbuilds
Star Bulk Carriers Corp., a global shipping company focusing on the transportation of dry bulk cargos, announced that it has entered into agreements with CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping Company Limited, an affiliate of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd of China (SWS) to bareboat charter, two fuel efficient Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels, hull numbers 1372 and 1371 each with a cargo carrying capacity of 208…
WCI Praises IWTF Tax Reform
Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) President and CEO Michael J. Toohey today praised the leadership of House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) for inclusion of a recommendation to increase, by six cents per-gallon, the 20-cent-per-gallon user fee paid for by inland waterways towboat operators into the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF). The IWTF funds new construction and major rehabilitation of priority navigation projects on the nation’s inland waterways system.
Officers Elected at Port of Greater Baton Rouge
The board of commissioners for the Port of Greater Baton Rouge recently elected officers for 2014. Officers elected include Blaine Sheets, Ascension Parish, president; Clint Seneca, Iberville Parish, vice president; Corey Sarullo, Iberville Parish, secretary; and Bobby Watts, East Baton Rouge, treasurer. Blaine Sheets, president, is president of Specialized Industrial Maintenance in Gonzales and is a former member of the Board of Commissioners for the Pontchartrain Levee District.
China's Assertiveness Hardens Malaysian Stance in Sea Dispute
The submerged reef would be easy to miss, under turquoise seas about 80 km (50 miles) off Malaysia's Borneo island state of Sarawak. But two Chinese naval exercises…
Boskalis Expects Baltic Ace Salvage Contract
The Dutch Department of Public Works intends to award the contract for the salvage of the wreck of the car carrier Baltic Ace to Boskalis and its partner Mammoet Salvage, Boskalis announced in a press release late last week. The wreck and its cargo need to be removed because they pose a threat to the environment and to shipping on the busy route towards the Port of Rotterdam. The Department of Public Works expects the definitive signing of the contract in the second half of March 2014.
Mariner Medevaced near Alaska
A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed in Cold Bay, medevaced a mariner from the 680-foot fish processing vessel…
RS, Baku Shipyard Enter Crewboat Agreement
Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) signed an agreement with Baku Shipyard LLC of Azerbaijan for the design approval of project 38М сrewboat high speed craft (designer - SHIPTECH, Singapore).
Glasgow Struggles Following Shipbuilding Departure
Showy entertainment venues, museums and new housing blocks have replaced many of the shipyards that once lined Glasgow's River Clyde. Long gone are the days when the area was an industrial powerhouse producing around a fifth of the world's ships - now Scotland's largest city promotes itself instead as a financial and commercial hub, soon to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. But although billions of…