Southern Illinois Transfer Orders Harbor Tug
Barbour JB Shipyard of St. Louis has laid the keel for a new harbor tug that will be powered by Veth Z-drives. The purchase agreement was signed at the Inland Marine Expo, St. Louis, by Kurt Johnson, Southern Illinois Transfer president and owner of the vessel; Guido Davids, Veth Propulsion area sales manager; and Tim Batten, Twin Disc director of global marine sales. Twin Disc is the distributor for Veth Propulsion in the US, exclusive of the Gulf Coast region.
Baltic Index Falls to Lowest Since Early March
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, on Thursday fell to its lowest since early March as demand slowed across all vessel segments. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, was down 16 points, or 1.71 percent, at 918 points. The capesize index lost 59 points, or 3.57 percent, at 1,595 points.
ABB Opens Two-stage Turbocharging to a Wider Market
ABB Turbocharging will launch in mid-2017 a new frame size for its two-stage turbocharging solution, Power2 800-M, extending the benefits of high pressure ratios, increased turbocharging efficiency and fuel savings to a wider scope of medium-speed engine configurations, the manufacturer said. The new frame size, Power2 845-M, applicable to an increased range of ship propulsion solutions, will open up the efficiency and operational benefits to a greater spectrum of vessel types…
Sembcorp, Coldharbour Sign BWTS Deal
Coldharbour Marine, developer of an in-tank, in-voyage and inert gas-based ballast water treatment system for large tankers, bulkers and LNG vessels, has signed an agreement with Sembcorp Marine that will see the latter offer the Coldharbour GLD BWT as part of the Sembcorp Marine Green Technology Retrofit (GTR) solutions for ship owners. The GTR solutions provide carefully evaluated ballast water treatment…
Patrol Boats Delivered to the Vietnam Coast Guard
Six new military patrol boats built by Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark have been delivered to the Vietnam Coast Guard. The welded-aluminum Metal Shark 45-foot Defiant pilothouse patrol vessels were provided to Vietnam by the United States in a move that underscores the increased security cooperation between the two nations. The vessels were officially handed over by U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius to the Vietnam Coast Guard on Monday in the province of Quang Nam.
U.S. Freight Recovery Spurs Diesel Demand
U.S. freight movements have started increasing again, which should help boost consumption of distillate fuel oil in 2017 and 2018. The tonnage of freight moved by road…
U.S. Warship Challenges Beijing in South China Sea
A U.S. Navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, the first…
Acquisitions to Yield Better Results for Hoegh LNG
Hoegh LNG Partners closed the acquisition of 51% interest in Höegh LNG Colombia Holding, the owner of the entities that own and operate the Höegh Grace on January 3, 2017.
Hapag-Lloyd, UASC Complete Merger
Hapag-Lloyd and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) merged yesterday (May 25, 2017). The merger between the two liner shipping companies was completed in Hamburg.
Growth in Merchant Ships Rescuing Migrants: ECSA
European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA)'s Maritime Security Working Group recently had an exchange of views with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency…
Piracy Comes Back in Somalia
Piracy in Somalia is making a comeback and the Gulf of Guinea remains the world’s most active hotspot for crew kidnappings, UK Chamber of Shipping said quoting latest data.
Denmark Tightene Water Scooter Regulations
Danish Ministry of Industry will launch a set of new initiatives to enhance safety at sea when operating water scooters, jet skis, speed boats and the like. The…
Future USS Gerald R. Ford Underway for Acceptance Trials
The future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) departed Naval Station Norfolk for its second set of sea trials, known as acceptance trials (AT) May 24. Acceptance Trials…
Hazard Map to Supplement 'Capt.'s DOSCA'
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines will add a hazard map to the Captain's Dynamic Operation System for Counter planning and Analysis (Capt.'s DOSCA), which is provided by Weathernews…
India to Allocate 2.5 pct of Road Fund for National Waterways
The Indian government has approved a proposal to allocate 2.5 per cent of the Central Road Fund (CRF) for National Waterways (NWs) that would result in about Rs 2…
A Hybrid Drive’s Digital Landscape
Hybrid drive and potential fuel savings are well known — from 10 to 30 percent, according to the sources we’ve written about over the years. Less known, is the potential need to purchase some sort of remote monitoring package to complement that diesel-electric or battery hybrid system from a system operator in order to secure the maximum safety benefits. As the count of system operators offering hybrid drives grows…
Meyer Werft Lays Keel of Norwegian Bliss
A keel laying ceremony was held for Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) new cruise ship Norwegian Bliss at the shipbuilder Meyer Werft’s facility in Papenburg, Germany. During the ceremony, one of the keel blocks of the 167,800 gross ton vessel was lifted into the covered building hall, signifying a major milestone in the ship’s construction. NCL president and CEO Andy Stuart laid the traditional coin, etched with the outline of the ship’s signature hull designed by wildlife artist Wyland…
Wärtsilä Wins Contract for New CLdN RoRos
Wärtsilä said it has been awarded a contract to supply controllable pitch propellers and power take off / power take home (PTO/PTH) shaft generator systems for two new RoRo vessels being built at the Uljanik shipyard in Croatia. The ships have been ordered by the Luxembourg based operator, CLdN Ro-Ro SA. There is an option for an additional two vessels. Wärtsilä, which booked its orders in December 2016 and February 2017…
A Flexible Workforce is Crucial Offshore
WRS CEO Mark Brown investigates the importance of marine and ship management companies’ utilization of a more flexible workforce. As offshore-focused businesses weather the unprecedented industry downturn, many companies servicing the sector are looking for ways to more efficiently manage costs in order to survive. Since the oil price started to contract in June 2014, radical cost reductions across…
Petrobras Sees Higher Oil Exports as Presalt Fields Develop
Brazilian government-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro SA expects higher oil exports this year than initial projections, Guilherme França, executive manager of trade and marketing, said Wednesday.
