MSC Container Ship Hull Damage to be Repaired at Anchorage

Specialists of the Canadian Ministry of Transportation, Germanischer Lloyd as well as representatives of the shipyard, insurance, charterer and owners REEDEREI NSB have decided after inspecting the damaged 'MSC Monterey' (anchored south of Newfoundland) that permanent repairs can be carried out on site. Owners, REEDEREI NSB inform that after inspection of the crack on the main deck and the outer hull…
Shanghai Remains World's Busiest Container Port

Shanghai port container throughput rose 3.3 percent to a record 33.6 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) last year, according to official data just published, reports Xinua. According to the Chinese news agency, the city first became the world’s biggest container port in 2010 when it surpassed Singapore, and 2013 also saw a range of achievements in Shanghai shipping: the official opening of…
Go Marine Group Sells 7 Offshore Support Vessels

Singapore's Otto Marine Ltd. says that its 90% owned subsidiary, Go Marine Group Pty Ltd. has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement to sell the 7 vessels concerned to RSOV Marine Pte Ltd for an aggregate sum of US$10 million. The vessels are named: GO 4 IT, GO Puriya, GO Shaula, Piparn, Yikara, Minotaur and Centaur. Otto Marine add that Mr Yaw Chee Siew, its Executive Chairman and controlling shareholder…
Antarctic Ice-Beset Vessels Await Arrival of US Icebreaker

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter 'Polar Star' is responding to a request from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to assist the Russian-flagged passenger expedition ship 'Akademik Shokalskiy' and the Chinese-flagged icebreaker 'Xue Long' (which had earlier taken off the passengers from the 'Shokalsky' before becoming beset herself). The Polar Star leaves Sydney today after taking on supplies prior to its voyage to Antarctica…
Maersk VLCC Tankships Sold to Euronav

Euronav says it has contracted to acquire 15 Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) from Maersk Tankers for a total acquisition price of US$ 980-million payable as the vessels are delivered. Each vessel will be sold under the industry standard sale form as a stand-alone asset with deliveries taking place between late January and June 2014, with the exception of one vessel currently under charter, which will be delivered towards the end of the year.
Ship Preps for Chemical Weapon Mission
According to a recent report on Reuters, a U.S.-owned cargo ship is being prepared for deployment in about two weeks ... it's mission: to destroy Syria's chemical weapons.
Winter Work Kicks Off at Great Lakes Shipyard

The start of the winter layup season at Great Lakes Shipyard is marked by the arrival of Interlake Steamship Company’s articulated tug-barge Dorothy Ann and Pathfinder. The ATB will remain berthed in the yard for planned repairs and routine maintenance, as well as various inspections and miscellaneous renewals. Other winter layup and repair work scheduled for this winter will include Inland Lakes Management’s S/S Alpena…
BW Offshore: VLCC Acquired for Future Projects
BW Offshore announced that it has exercised an option to acquire the tanker Blue Opal for $83.4 million from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). Blue…
Global Port Security and BMT Isis

The operational complexities and changing landscape of ports and terminals continue to present ongoing challenges for port authorities and operators globally. In particular, changing legislation, diversification, security concerns, higher traffic density, larger vessel sizes, as well as movements of hazardous cargoes, reflect on a port’s required level of traffic management, vessel scheduling and navigational planning. This can, in some instances become a very complex task.
U.S. Port Security and the Impact of Sequester & Budget Woes

This article describes the impact of the “sequester” and budget showdowns on ports and port security, and also gives a preview of the House-Senate Conference on the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). On the one hand, ports and port security have been severely hampered by the ongoing budget battles, as has the rest of the U.S. Government and economy. On the other hand, Congress appears to be on the brink of reauthorizing the Water Resources Development Act for the first time in six years.
U.S. Export Reform: New Year, New Rules
Early in the coming year, the U.S. export control regime governing the shipbuilding supply chain will undergo a sea change with the implementation of export reform…
CSBC to Build Two Containerships for Iseaco
Taiwan's CSBC Corp. inked a deal to build two 1,800 teu containerships for Iseaco Holdings of Singapore. The ships were reportedly ordered at a price of $25 million each.
Siem PSV Chartered by Petrobras

Siem Offshore and Petrobras have entered into a charter agreement for the Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) Siem Atlas. The charter period has commenced and is for a firm period of two years. Petrobras has an option to extend the charter for two additional years, upon terms to be mutually agreed. The gross contract value for the firm period is approximately $26 million. siemoffshore.com
New Mobile App from Marine Response Alliance

Marine Response Alliance (MRA), an association of the top U.S. emergency responders providing OPA 90 Salvage Marine Firefighting (SMFF), has launched an exclusive mobile app, providing ship owners/operators, qualified individuals (QIs) and the U.S. Coast Guard with immediate access to the MRA's resources for Salvage Marine Fire Fighting as per OPA 90 compliance as well as the ability to report incidents through TITAN Salvage (MRA partner) around the world.
Drilling Rig Sinks While Under Construction
Reuters reported that a rig under construction for Odfjell Drilling sank at a Daewoo-owned shipyard in South Korea Saturday. The drilling rig, intended for BP use…
BP Norway, Maersk Extend Drilling Rig Contract
BP Norway has extended the contract for the jackup Maersk Reacher by two years from September 2014 to September 2016, for an estimated value of $222 million. BP…
Tecton Acquires Endurance Exploration
Tecton Corporation (TTNC) has acquired Endurance Exploration Group, LLC, a development stage company that specializes in subsea shipwreck research, search and survey…
Two Workers Killed in Shipbuilding Blast
Multiple sources reported that a natural gas explosion at Huarun Dadong Dockyard Co. Ltd.'s shipbuilding facility in Chongming County left two workers dead and another…
Algoma Refunded for Cancelled Tanker Contracts
Algoma Central Corporation announced earlier this week that it has received payments totaling $41.7 million from two Chinese banks on refund guarantees related to…
Oldest Great Lakes Freighter to Operate as a Barge

November 2013 marked the final voyage of historic freighter St. Marys Challenger, a 1906-built cement carrier regarded as the oldest operational vessel on the Great Lakes. But the ship is now being prepped to enter a new life—as a barge. The 562-foot steamship, which operated for more than 100 years on the Lakes, has already been stripped of its fuel tanks, pilot house and a portion of its deck as part of the conversion process, according to the Chicago Tribune.