Russia Plans Fuel Shipments to Syria from Crimea
Russia plans to supply Syria with 200,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per year via the Crimean port of Kerch, two trading sources told Reuters. The plans…
Conoco Cutting Deepwater Spending
ConocoPhillips said on Thursday it will reduce future spending on deepwater drilling due to low crude oil prices while raising its dividend one cent. The largest spending reductions will come in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Houston-based company said it will terminate a three-year contract for an Ensco deepwater drill ship that was due to be delivered late this year. Conoco said it raised its quarterly dividend to 74 cents per share from 73 cents per share.
Rocket Fired Upon Egypt Navy Vessel
Egypt's Islamic State affiliate said on Thursday it fired a rocket at an Egyptian naval vessel in the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of Israel and the Gaza Strip.
MMA Students Awarded Crowley Scholarships
Crowley Maritime Corp.’s 2015-2016 Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships have helped to further educational opportunities for four students of Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA). The four recipients, Bryan P. Wall, Robert M. Neal, Peter Persechino and Adam Szloch, were chosen based on their excellent grades, demonstrated financial need and plans to pursue a career in the maritime industry, Crowley said. Wall is a freshman from Manasquan, N.J., majoring in marine transportation.
Shell Arctic Vessels, Capping Stack Inspected
Shell Oil Co. marine vessels Noble Discoverer and the semisubmersible drilling unit Transocean Polar Pioneer were inspected by two Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) personnel in Dutch Harbor, Alaska July 7-12, BSEE announced. BSEE said its inspectors were on board the vessels to review drilling equipment, assess overall readiness and test key safety devices, also verifying BOEM lease stipulations…
First Iranian Ship Storing Oil Sails for Asia After Nuclear Deal
An Iranian supertanker with two million barrels of oil is heading to Asia after sitting in Iranian waters for months, the first vessel storing crude offshore to sail after a nuclear deal this week…
USCG’s New Cutter Sails from Ingalls
The National Security Cutter James (WMSL 754) sailed away from Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division on Sunday, July 12, one month after being delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard, HII announced. The newbuild vessel James will be commissioned on August 8 in Boston before heading to Charleston, S.C., where she will be stationed alongside Ingalls' fourth NSC, Hamilton (WMSL 753).
Retailers: Port Statistics Bill Would Help Avoid Repeat Slowdown
The National Retail Federation (NRF) and more than 100 other business groups called for passage of legislation that would require the Transportation Department to track port statistics, saying it could help avoid a repeat of the congestion and slowdowns that occurred along the West Coast during the labor dispute resolved earlier this year. “U.S. ports are a key component in the American transportation…
Washington Maintain Service with Back-up Ferries
In order to meet demand and keep the system moving, all available back-up Washington State Ferries vessels will be called into service while two larger ferries are out for emergency repairs between Monday, July 20, and Wednesday, July 22. WSF today announced the 202-vehicle Puyallup will be out of service for three days while crews inspect an engine that broke down Saturday, June 20. Additionally,…
WCI Names Zea as Director
Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) has named Tracy R. Zea as its Director-Government Relations, effective August 4. He will be based in the Washington, D.C. office and will primarily advocate for WCI’s goals for authorizations and appropriations which support a modern, efficient, and reliable inland waterways transportation system. Zea will also work to enhance WCI’s stakeholder relationship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
US Imports Shifting to East Coast Ports
Supply Chains Radically Shift From Pacific to Atlantic Ports in the First Half of 2015. Zepol found that a hefty chunk of businesses have switched from using Pacific to Atlantic and Gulf ports this year. Total imports along the East Coast have increased by 15 percent, while import traffic on the West Coast is down 4 percent. China is the leading culprit for the supply chain shift. Imports from China along the West Coast declined by 3 percent…
ASV Performs Passive Acoustic Monitoring in GoM
ASV informs it has collaborated with the Littoral Acoustic Demonstration Center Gulf Ecological Monitoring and Modeling (LADC-GEMM) consortium to conduct 10 days of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) data collection for its BP/Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) funded project. ASV worked with Seiche Measurements Limited to integrate its PAM technology on both the C-Worker 6 and C-Enduro Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs).
BV Extends Offshore Services with APSYS Partnership
Classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) informs it has extended the range of reliability solutions it provides for the global offshore industry through a partnership…
Biofuels: Time Running Out for Tanker Owners
New regulations on the carriage of biofuels could limit the trading flexibility of product tankers from next January, according to Rivertrace Engineering, Managing Director, Mike Coomber. This is because oil discharge monitoring equipment on board most existing vessels is not geared up to handle biofuels. From next January, Coomber warns that vessels without up-to-date type-approved equipment will…
ISS Drives Forward in South America with CSAV
Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) is driving forward in South America with newly completed operations in Argentina and Panama as the car carriers agent for Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV).
CMA CGM Group Upgrades African Service
The CMA CGM Group announced changes to its African service, upgrading its EURAF 4 service to directly connect West Africa to the West Mediterranean markets each week starting July 18, the group announced. Up until now, the EURAF 4 service has been calling the following ports: Tangiers, Lome, Cotonou, Port Gentil, Libreville, Lome and Tangiers. The service upgrade will see added calls in Italy, France, Malta and Spain.
New Guidance on Large Scale Migrant Rescue
The global shipping industry, represented by a cross section of international shipowners' associations and seafarers' unions, has collectively updated the industry's Guidelines on Large Scale Rescue Operations at Sea. This is in response to the continuing crisis in the Mediterranean, in which merchant ships and their civilian crews have so far assisted in the rescue of over 50,000 people. But the Guidelines…
Kinder Morgan Mulls LPG, Product & Crude Exports
Kinder Morgan Inc is considering more export opportunities from Texas and the U.S. Northeast, including liquid petroleum gas, refined products and potentially crude…
Dividend Changes as Kvaerner Q2 Earnings Beat Street
Norwegian oil services firm Kvaerner posted forecast-beating second-quarter core profit and lifted its 2015 revenue outlook, but also trimmed its dividend policy…
Saudis Pump Out Diesel as Price War Looms
New Yanbu refinery powers Saudi fuel exports; Saudi exports more diesel end-July as peak Mideast demand over. The world's top crude oil exporter Saudi Arabia has…
