Panama Canal Authority Holds Hearing on New Toll Structure
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is holding a public hearing today on a proposed toll structure change. The proposed restructuring, which the ACP Board of Directors approved on December 24, calls for each ship segment to be priced based upon different units of measurement. For instance, containers will be measured and priced on TEUs, dry bulkers will be based on deadweight tonnage capacity and metric tons of cargo…
Brightoil Reports Steady Growth in Interim Results
Brightoil Petroleum (Holdings) Limited announced its interim results for the six months ended December 31, 2014, reporting steady growth over the period. During the period, profit attributable to the owners of the group increased 3% year-on-year to HK$561 million. Basic earnings per share amounted to 6.41 HK cents, up 3% from a year ago. Total revenue climbed 11% from HK$40.3 billion in 1HFY2014 toHK$44.9…
Somali Pirates Release Long-held Hostages
Somali pirates have freed four Thai nationals seized from a fishing vessel at sea in 2010, ending the longest-running hostage drama in the Horn of Africa state, the United Nations said on Friday.
Coast Guard Foundation Announces 2015 Scholarships
The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of Coast Guard members and their families, announced yesterday that it has kicked off its scholarship season. Accepting applications until March 15th, children of enlisted Coast Guard members may apply for scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per year. Over the last 20 years, the Coast Guard Foundation…
Mexico Approves 5 Shallow Water Areas in Round One Oil Tender
Mexico has approved the terms for five shallow water areas containing around 355 million barrels of oil equivalent as part of its Round One tender to open up the country's oil fields…
Damen ASD 2810 Hybrid Tug Delivered to Multraship
Multraship took delivery of a Damen ASD 2810 Hybrid tug vessel, built at Damen Shipyards Galaţi, in Romania. The delivery is part of Multraship’s fleet expansion program, which involves a number of Damen vessel orders. The new vessel, named Multratug 28, sailed under her own keel to the Netherlands from Galaţi. The tug features an expected bollard pull of 61 metric tons. Damen’s ASD 2810 Hybrid is a new design, and Multratug 28 is the second of its class to be built.
Dredging Project to Protect Virginia Shoreline
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Naval Air Station Oceana at Dam Neck, Virginia, expect to begin a shore protection project at the Dam Neck annex within the next month. Sand from the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), to be used for this project, will enhance coastal resilience by protecting shoreline infrastructure. In addition, the project will restore shorebird and sea turtle nesting habitat and improve the recreational beach in this Virginia Beach community.
HHI to Add Massive Heavy Lift Vessel
Shipbuilder and offshore facilities contractor Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI) informs that its shipbuilding affiliate, Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, completed a 10,000-ton heavy lift vessel (HLV), Hyundai-10000, at its shipyard in Yeongam, South Korea. The HLV is equipped with eight double truss jib cranes measures 182 meters in length, 70 meters in width and 11 meters in depth. The vessel…
MES Delivers FPSO Hull to MODEC
Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (MES) delivered the hull of a floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) for MODEC, Inc. The FPSO hull sailed out from MES’ Chiba Shipyard on February 27, 2015. The FPSO will be chartered to a consortium formed by Petrobras (45%), BG Group (30%) and Repsol Sinopec Brasil S.A. (25%) after topside integration and commissioning work by MODEC. This is MES’ second FPSO hull, following Kerr-Mcggy Global Producer III delivered in 2000.
Davie Building LNG-powered Ferries
Canadian shipbuilder Davie held a keel laying ceremony for MV Armand-Imbeau II, marking the beginning of the hull assembly for this first of two sisterships under construction at Davie for the Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ). The two ferries for the Tadoussac‒Baie-Sainte-Catherine route are to built at a total cost of $125 million for year-round navigation on the Saguenay Fjord. The first ferry…
Van der Vlist Expands Zeebrugge Facilities
Van der Vlist Zeebrugge has expanded the capacity of the Zeebrugge site. The indoor and outdoor storage facilities now occupy a surface of 50,000 m². A new 950 m² warehouse raises its indoor capacity to a total of 4,500m². The company also invested in two new workshops: a standard workshop of 1.150 m² for light and semi heavy machines, and one for heavy machines with wide gates and a 20 ton lift capacity, which is 450 m². Finally, the washing facility was expanded from 125 m² to 285 m².
Some Roads Reopened in Brazil, Truck Strike Persists
Striking truckers lifted their blockade of dozens of highways in Brazil after police began fining and arresting protesters, though strike organizers said they had…
ClassNK Updates Guidelines for Floating Offshore Facilities
ClassNK released a new version of its Guidelines for Floating Offshore Facilities for LNG/LPG Production, Storage, Offloading and Regasification. Available on the ClassNK website, this second edition is an update to the initial guidelines released in February 2011 which aims to provide technical guidelines for the construction and survey of floating offshore facilities. With its lates version, ClassNK…
US, Chinese Navies Conduct Joint Exercise
A U.S. Navy littoral combat ship and a Chinese Navy frigate conducted a joint training exercise in the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) and the China’s People's Liberation Army-Navy [PLA(N)] Jiangkai II frigate Hengshui (FFG 572) were conducting routine training and operations in international waters of the South China Sea when the ships realized a training opportunity was present, the U.S. Navy said.
Keppel FELS to Deliver 100th Jackup Rig
Keppel FELS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) is on track to deliver PV Drilling VI, a KFELS B Class jackup rig, to PV Drilling Overseas (PVDO), a subsidiary of PetroVietnam Drilling & Well Services Corp (PV Drilling) on time, on budget and with a perfect safety record. It is the 100th jackup rig Keppel FELS has built since 1970, of which more than half are based on the KFELS B Class design.
Crowley Crew Aids Ill-fated Catamaran
The crew of the Crowley-managed, 393-foot, heavy lift vessel Ocean Crescent recently provided assistance to five people aboard the damaged and drifting catamaran Rainmaker during a routine transit from Progresso, Mexico, to Halifax, Canada. Following a message from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to render assistance, if possible, the Crowley crew onboard diverted the Ocean Crescent approximately 20 nautical…
Lithuania Looks to U.S. for Gas
Lithuanian liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer Litgas has signed a preliminary agreement with a U.S. supplier, looking to lessen the Baltic nation's dependence on Russia.
Petrobras Denies Hiring JPMorgan for License Sales
Petróleo Brasileiro SA denied on Friday that it has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co to handle the sale of oil exploration licenses in deep-sea areas off the coast this year.
Asia-Europe Container Freight Rates Fell 6.5 pct
Shipping freight rates for transporting containers from ports in Asia to Northern Europe fell by 6.5 percent to $938 per 20-foot container (TEU) in the week ended Friday…
Brent up to $61, First Monthly Gain Since July
Brent premium over U.S. crude widens to $12; China's implied oil demand set to grow 3 percent this year. Crude oil futures rebounded on Friday and Brent headed for its first monthly gain since July…
