CMHI, DNV GL Ink LoI for Two Jack-ups
![The signing at OTC 2018. Front (L to R): Rulin Yao, General Manager of China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu); Ernst Meyer, Director of Offshore Classification, DNV GL – Maritime. Back (L to R): Lixin Xu, General Manager, R&D Center at China Merchants Offshore Technology Research Center; Sichuan Wu, China Merchants Industry Holding, Co Ltd.; Cor Selen, CEO co-owner/ founder of OOS Energy; Timothy Tan, General Manager (Asia Pacific) of OOS International. (Photo: DNV GL)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/the-signing-at-otc-2018-85797.jpg)
DNV GL announced it has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with shipyard China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd (CMHI) for the classification of two multi-activity jack-up units at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.Ordered by OOS Energy B.V., which is affiliated with Netherlands-based Overdulve Offshore Services (OOS) International, these 96 m long units will be purpose-built for the decommissioning market.
McDermott, CB&I Shareholders Approve Merger
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McDermott International shareholders on Tuesday approved a merger with Chicago Bridge & Iron Co that creates a vertically integrated onshore and offshore engineering and construction company, thwarting an attempt by offshore drilling contractor Subsea 7 to block the deal.More than 50 percent of McDermott shareholders supported the deal and approved a 3-to-1 reverse stock split, according to a spokesman.
Damen Debuts New Fast Crew Supplier Vessel
Damen Shipyards Group has introduced a new model to its Fast Crew Supplier range: the FCS 2710, which builds on the FCS 2610 first introduced in 2011.The first FCS…
DNV GL Hires Bendrik as Chief Digital Transformation Officer
![Klas Bendrik (Photo: DNV GL)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/klas-bendrik-photo-dnv-gl-85795.jpg)
Klas Bendrik will join DNV GL September 1 as Chief Digital Transformation Officer to support DNV GL’s digitalization and IT strategy. Bendrik will be based at the DNV GL headquarters in Høvik, Norway and will be a member of DNV GL Group’s Executive Committee and report to Group President and CEO Remi Eriksen.“Digitalization is central to our strategy. DNV GL invests 5 percent of its revenue on research…
Turkmenistan Seeks to Tap into East-West Cargo Flows with New Seaport
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Turkmenistan on Wednesday opened a new $1.5 billion cargo and passenger seaport on the Caspian Sea aiming to boost its export revenues by handling shipping traffic between Asia and Europe.The Central Asian country's main source of hard currency is its gas exports, which took a hit when Russia, once its main customer, stopped all purchases in 2016 after a pricing dispute.The port, in the city of Turkmenbashi…
Aerial Drones a Threat to Shipping?
![(Image: Martek Marine)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-martek-marine-85790.png)
Aerial drones have made major advances in endurance, range and payload capacity over recent years while prices have continually plummeted, leading to a proliferation of drones expected to reach 12 million by 2020.This trend, some believe, means aerial drones will pose an even greater threat to the safety and security of commercial shipping vessels.To help combat this emerging threat, U.K. based Martek…
Baltic Index Rises
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The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose on Wednesday on firmer capesize demand, even as rates across other vessel segments remained unchanged.* The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels snapped four straight sessions of losses and was up 19 points, or 1.4 percent, at 1,346 points.* The capesize index rose 61 points…
#BTC100 History
![Photo Courtesy of Tugboat Graffitti](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-courtesy-of-tugboat-graffitti-85788.jpg)
2016 brought about another milestone within Bouchard Transportation Co. with the appointment of Danielle Bouchard as Director of Communications. As the daughter of Morton S. Bouchard III, and the fifth generation to enter the family business, Danielle also holds the distinction of being the first female family member to hold an active role in the Company. Most importantly, BTC continues to expand its fleet with the christening of the ATB unit M/V Donna J. Bouchard and B.
Polarcus Scores Two Seismic Survey Projects
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Marine geophysical company Polarcus Limited announced it has secured two offshore seismic survey projects.The company said it has entered into a contract for a two-month broadband 3D marine seismic acquisition project in Australia that will commence immediately.Polarcus also received a letter of award for an XArray 3D marine seismic acquisition project in Asia Pacific. The two-month project is slated…
Austal Acquires ElectraWatch
Shipbuilder Austal USA announced today it has acquired privately held ElectraWatch, Inc. in an all cash stock purchase. Headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., ElectraWatch…
ABS Issues First MPD-rReady Notation
ABS announced it has awarded the world’s first Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) – Ready Notation to Ocean Rig for the ABS-classed Corcovado and Mykonos deep water…
Women Empowerment in Pacific Maritime
Women in maritime are a key contributor to the maritime transport sector. This was the message of Helen Buni from International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s gender…
PierPass Members Add Common Business Rules
The members of the West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA)—the 12 marine terminal operators at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach—have agreed to add common business…
First Damen Fast Crew Supplier with Ampelmann Gangway
The partnership between Damen Shipyards Group and Ampelmann to extend the benefits of motion-compensated gangway systems to fast crew supply vessels has reached a major landmark.
Scorpio Tankers Ties-up for Debt Refinancing
Scorpio Tankers announced that, following from the announcement of new financing initiatives on April 25, 2018, the Company has received commitments from four leading…
Oil and Gas Industry Looks to Digitalization
New research from DNV GL, the technical advisor to the oil and gas industry, reveals that 46% of senior professionals in the sector believe there has been underinvestment…
Buckeye Partners JV Announces Marine Terminal in Texas
Buckeye Partners announced the formation of a joint venture with Phillips 66 Partners and Andeavor to develop a new deep-water, open access marine terminal in Ingleside, Texas.
MarTID: The Global Survey of Maritime Training Practices Debuts
The inaugural edition of the MarTID Maritime Training Insights Database (MarTID) Report sheds new light on maritime safety and training practices, what works, and what doesn’t.
OSI to Deliver IBNS for the Royal Saudi Navy
OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) announced it has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin to provide its Integrated Bridge and Navigation System (IBNS) for the first four…
South Korea's April Exports Fall Unexpectedly
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South Korean exports declined in April for the first time in 18 months, unable to keep up with 2017’s brisk pace as global demand softened, adding to worries about the country’s trade outlook amid the risk of a deepening U.S-China trade conflict.Exports fell 1.5 percent to $50.1 billion from a year earlier, marking the first decline since October 2016 when shipments fell 3.2 percent, government data showed on Tuesday.