Grainger Named IMCA President and Chairman
Trade association International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) announced that Iain Grainger is its new President and Chairman of the Board. Grainger, Vice President Commercial at McDermott, takes over from Harke Jan Meek.Pieter Heerema from Allseas becomes the new Vice President.
Mappers Look to Chart World's Ocean Floor by 2030
Using data collected from underwater drones, merchant ships, fishing boats and even explorers, a new scientific project aims to map the ocean floor by 2030 and solve one of the world’s enduring mysteries.With 190 million square km (73 million square miles) of water - or about 93 percent of the world's oceans with a depth of over 200 meters (650 feet) - yet to be charted, the initiative is ambitious.Satinder Bindra…
New Generation of RoRo Vessels Unveiled
Naval architect KNUD E. HANSEN reports it has signed a contract with Chinese shipbuilder Nanjing Jinling Shipyard to develop the basic design of a number of large RoRo vessels, based on a Grimaldi/KNUD E. HANSEN concept.The new vessels, the first of which is expected to be delivered in 2020, will have a length of 238 meters, a beam of 34 meters and a gross tonnage of 64,000 metric tons. Each will be able to transport more than 7…
Gunvor, Oceangold and Maas Capital Form Tanker JV
A new ship holding company has been formed through a joint venture agreement between physical energy trader Gunvor Group, ship management company Oceangold Tankers and investor Maas Capital.The three partners hold an equal share in the new company, ClearOcean Tankers, which has been incorporated in Cyprus.The new joint venture company has entered into shipbuilding contracts for six vessels from South Korean shipyards, including four MR2 product tankers from STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co.
Muted Capesize Activity Weighs on Baltic Index
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, fell for the sixth straight session on Tuesday, dragged down by lower demand for capesize vessels.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, was down 40 points, or 3.2 percent, at 1,199 points.The capesize index lost 103 points, or 5.3 percent, at 1,854 points."Capesize average earnings declined to about $13,900 per day due to reduced inquiries
Norway Rejects Plan for Fish Farming on 'World's Largest Ship'
Norway's Directorate of Fisheries has rejected Pure Atlantic's application for 45 salmon farming development licenses, arguing that the plan did not bring significant innovation to the industry, it said in a letter dated May 16.Pure Atlantic had planned to construct what would have been the world's largest ship, some 500 meters (546 yards) long and 90 meters (98 yards) wide, to house a giant fish farm off the coast of Norway.Development licenses are part of an initiative by authorities to spur g
Indian Fishermen Hail US Supreme Court Decision to Hear World Bank Suit
Farmers and fishermen in western India have welcomed a U.S. Supreme Court decision to hear their lawsuit against a World Bank agency, which financed a power plant they blame for damaging the environment and their livelihoods.The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal by the villagers of a lower court ruling that the International Finance Corp (IFC) was immune from such lawsuits under…
US LNG Projects Buoyed by China Import Talks
China's interest in reducing its trade surplus with United States through increased energy imports could advance plans for U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, said energy executives involved in developing new facilities.The White House and China on Saturday said a U.S. trade team would travel to China to explore new energy and agricultural deals. The joint communique lowered trade tensions, lifting stock markets in Asia and the United States on Monday.There are over two dozen proposed U.S.
US Sorghum Ship Switches Destination from Spain Back to Asia
The RB Eden vessel carrying 70,000 tonnes of U.S. sorghum turned around just before reaching the Spanish port of Cartagena and is now heading to Singapore, Thomson…
China and Shifting Seaborne Iron Ore Dynamics
The seaborne iron ore market appears to be in something of a sweet spot currently, with largely steady demand and prices that have been flatlining for the past couple of months. Of course, another way of saying that a market is enjoying relatively stable and good times is that it's boring, but in iron ore there is plenty of action bubbling beneath the seemingly calm exterior. It's not so much that iron ore prices or volumes are expected to shift dramatically in the coming months…
Obituary: Hans Gerhard Kahn, Founder, Jumbo
Jumbo, the maritime heavy lift company, announced that its founding father, Hans Gerhard Kahn, passed away at the age of 95 (1922-2018). Kahn passed away on Friday 18 May in Caesarea, Israel.
Benchamas FSO: InterMoor Completes Work
InterMoor has completed work for the installation of the new Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) facility Benchamas 2 (FSO Benchamas 2). Previously, the Benchamas Explorer FSO, owned and operated by Chevron, was installed in 1999 in Block B8/32 in the Gulf of Thailand. The FSO began initial production in 1999 and after operating the facility for almost 20 years, Chevron decided to replace the aging facility with the new FSO Benchamas 2.
Bibby Bags North Sea Contract
Bibby Offshore won a two-phase multimillion dollar contract with a leading oil and gas and production company. The contract, awarded in April, will see Bibby Offshore carry out IRM services across a number of the operators North Sea assets. Engineering work for this project has started, with the initial offshore phase due to commence in Q2 this year and a further campaign scheduled for Q3. Bibby Offshore’s multi-role diving support vessel…
Fincantieri-built frigate ITS Alpino Arrives in Norfolk
The ITS Alpino, a Fincantieri-built frigate sailing under the Italian flag, made landfall in Norfolk. The ITS Alpino, a FREMM-class frigate, is a model of the ship the U.S.
Diana Containerships Sells m/v Puelo
Diana Containerships has announced that it has signed, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, a Memorandum of Agreement to sell to an unaffiliated third party the 2006-built vessel “Puelo”…
IMO Conducts Port Emissions Training
For ports to cut emissions to ensure cleaner air and contribute to the battle against climate change, they first need to quantify emissions and then identify measures…
Spotlight on Liability in Latin-America
International Maritime Organization (IMO) is supporting a Regional Workshop for Latin-American countries in Argentina to implement and ratify treaties dealing with liability and compensation.
New Hydrographic Survey Vessel for USACE
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Norfolk District accepted delivery of a new high-speed foil assisted hydrographic survey vessel, due to be commissioned on May 31…
‘Black Box’ Promises to Crack Down on Ship Emissions
The Danish Maritime Association (DMA) has been examining new ways to use digital solutions for collecting and sharing data on ships’ sulfur emissions. Digitalization, DMA says, could be the key to better emissions enforcement.Danish company Litehauz, working under the the DMA led EfficienSea2 project, has recently developed a solution similar to the black box found on airplanes, but for transmitting…
Crosby Tugs Chooses ABS Nautical Systems
Crosby Tugs selected the ABS Nautical Systems (NS) mobile compliance software to enable compliance with Subchapter M regulatory requirements. By adopting NS Workboat across its fleet of tugboats, Crosby can record compliance data and generate safety reports on a mobile device while crew carry out routine operations. NS Workboat is optimized for a tablet and is available on smartphones for easy data entry, with no installed software required onboard.
