Fugro’s Newest Survey Vessel Goes to Work
Fugro Venturer, the newest of Fugro’s purpose-designed, standardized survey vessels, has departed on her maiden voyage that takes her to the deep waters of Ireland’s Atlantic margin and the far North of the Barents Sea. The 72-meter vessel is a platform for technological innovation, where Fugro’s trademark technologies such as OARS (centralized command centers with direct access to offshore survey projects)…
Maersk Unable to Ship Qatar Bound Cargo from UAE
Maersk can no longer transport goods in or out of Qatar after Arab countries imposed restrictions on trade with the tiny Gulf state and the company is looking at alternative shipping routes.
Crew Health: Addressing Seafarer Obesity
Sophia Bullard, Crew Health Program Director at UK P&I Club, comments on the fact many crewmembers fail pre-sea medical examinations due to a combination of serious illnesses linked to obesity. It could be argued that obesity alone is a precursor to other more serious conditions if nothing is done to reduce body mass index (BMI) and improve lifestyle. A BMI of 25 or above can signify a serious weight problem.
MSC Cruises Orders Newbuilds at STX France
Ship owner MSC Cruises and shipbuilder STX France signed a new memorandum of understanding firming up the order of two 200,000 GRT, LNG-powered mega cruise ships, with options for two additional vessels. The four ships will become MSC Cruises’ World Class. The signing took place at the MSC Meraviglia delivery ceremony in the presence of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, and Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy.
China: Engine of the Asian Cruise Industry
Cruise holidays. Despite the now mundane miracle of aviation travel, Earth's deep oceans and seas still beckon to millions of holidaymakers year on year. Or, if perhaps not the water herself, then the concomitant aspects of contemporary cruise travel. A number of days if not weeks aboard a gargantuan, luxury-focused ship, which is replete from fore to aft with swimming pools, cafes, bars, restaurants, libraries, retail departments, casinos…did we mention bars, too? Magnificent.
Meek Named IMCA President
Harke Jan Meek, chief commercial officer at Heerema Marine Contractors, has been named the new president and chairman of the board of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA). Meek succeeds Bruno Faure (TechnipFMC), who has stepped down as president of IMCA after completing his two-year term of office, in accordance with the association’s constitution. Faure remains on the board of the association. Iain Grainger, vice president commercial at McDermott International Inc.
Interview: James Espino, President, Gnostech
Gnostech president James Espino weighs in on the trends in combating the plague of the industry. Please tell us your background. I was a career Coast Guard Officer until I retired in 2013. Upon retiring from the Coast Guard I joined Gnostech as the chief operating officer and became president in late 2014. The majority of my career was spent in either maritime law enforcement and defense operations…
Egypt Imposes Tariffs on Chinese, Turkish and Ukrainian Steel
Egypt has imposed temporary import tariffs on steel from China, Turkey and Ukraine, the trade ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The tariff will be set at 17 percent for Chinese steel…
Ellicott Dredges Bags Three US Govt Contracts
Ellicott Dredges announced it was recently awarded three contracts with the U.S. government. The first contract is for a customized Ellicott 860SL Swinging Dragon dredge and support boat for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). This dredge will be used to increase depth and restore water flow in the Colorado River, and to create wetland habitats. One of the primary objectives of this program is multi-species conservation, including birds, fish, turtles, insects and plants.
Great Lakes Limestone Trade Slides in May
Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 3.6 million tons in May, a decrease of 5.4 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) reported. May’s loadings were, however, slightly above the month’s five-year average. Loadings from U.S. quarries totaled 2.9 million tons, a decrease of 4.2 percent compared to a year ago, while shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 683,000 tons, a decrease of 9.3 percent, LCA said.
RoRo Ferry Delivered to Gambia
Damen has delivered a road ferry to a client in the Gambia more than a month ahead of schedule. The ferry was built entirely in the Netherlands to a very tight deadline, with the hull constructed in just 70 days at Damen’s subsidiary Niron Staal in Amsterdam. The outfitting was then carried out at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem. Operating from Banjul, the Gambian capital, to Barra, across the mouth of the Gambia River estuary…
Baltic Index Inches Lower on Weak Demand
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, fell marginally on Tuesday as improved capesize rates failed to offset lower rates for panamax and smaller vessels. The overall index, which considers rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, was down 3 points, or 0.37 percent, at 818 points. The capesize index gained 13 points, or 0.96 percent, to 1,366 points.
Shell Launches New Trunk Piston Engine Oils
Shell Marine has unveiled its next generation Shell Argina and Shell Gadinia trunk piston oils for the medium-speed engine market. As owners face pressures to shift toward cleaner fuels that address emissions regulations, Shell said demand for distillates and low-sulphur heavy fuel oil will only increase as shipping approaches a global fuel sulphur content cap of 0.5 percent, imposed by IMO from 2020. Already, dual-fuel engines are taking an increasing share of the medium speed market.
Qatari Export Costs to Rise as Port Ban Disrupts Trading
Region's largest bunkering hub shuns Qatari vessels; affected shippers may face delays, higher costs. The costs of Qatari energy and commodity exports are likely…
BMT Secures New Orleans Passenger Ferry Contract
BMT Group subsidiary BMT Nigel Gee has secured a new contract with sister company BMT Designers & Planners and Louisiana based shipyard Metal Shark for two 32m high speed/low wake wash, 149-passenger aluminum catamaran ferries for the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA). BMT Nigel Gee will be responsible for concept through to production design with BMT Designer & Planners providing local U.S. presence and design engineering support.
Cargo Ship Banned from Australian Ports
A Papua New Guinea-flagged cargo ship Kiunga Chief has been banned from entering or using Australian ports for three months after the ship was detained for a third…
Oil Slips on Mideast Rift Worries
Group of Arab states cuts all ties with Qatar; tankers going to/from Qatar barred from Fujairah port. Oil prices slipped further below $50 a barrel on Tuesday on…
Korea’s Big 3 Yards in Path of Recovery
South Korea’s shipbuilders are expected to recover this year after suffering from a global industrywide slump, reported The Korea Economic Daily. The report said…
MSC Cruises Welcomes Meraviglia
The Switzerland-based MSC Cruises welcomed its new giant, MSC Meraviglia, first in a new class of ships. MSC Cruises officially christened its newest cruise ship…
FEPORT Releases Strategic Roadmap for Future
Federation of European Private Port Operators and Terminals (FEPORT) members have exchanged about the strategic roadmap of the organization for the three coming…
