Petrobras Eyes Restart at FPSOs Hit by Coronavirus
Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras plans to restart operations in the coming days at two ships used in offshore oil production that suffered coronavirus outbreaks, an executive told journalists during a call on Friday.Petrobras Exploration and Production Director Carlos Alberto de Oliveira said operations at the Cidade de Santos should restart over the weekend, and operations at the Capixaba should restart within 10 days.
Tanker Crewman Medevaced Off the Coast of Florida
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Charles David Jr. (WPC-1107) crew medevaced a 31-year-old Filipino man from the 820-foot motor tanker, Philotimos, approximately 155 miles southwest of Key West, Fla., Thursday.Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a medevac request from the Philotimos crew stating a 31-year-old crewmember was suffering from a possible appendicitis.The Coast Guard crew arrived to the scene…
Retreating Chinese Steel Stockpiles a Positive for Iron Ore Demand -EastGate
Chinese steel stockpiles reached record highs amid the coronavirus outbreak, but are now steadily easing. This paints the picture of an increased construction activity and a growing seaborne demand for the key dry bulk commodity of iron ore, says EastGate Shipping Inc. Demand returning to normal levelsSteel inventories in China have been showing a steady downward trend following the all-time highs recorded in mid-March.
Crystal Endeavor Launch Delayed Due to COVID-19 Shipyard Closure
Genting's Crystal Expedition Cruises announced the launch of its new polar class luxury expedition ship Crystal Endeavor will be delayed due to the temporary closure of the MV Werften shipyards during the COVID-19 pandemic.The 164-meter, 20,000-gross-ton Crystal Endeavorc is currently berthed in MV Werften's Stralsund yard for final outfitting and was due to enter service in August before the shipbuilder in mid-March announced a four-week pause on operations at its locations in Wismar…
M/V Trudy Takes on Biofuel Bunkers in Rotterdam
Bavarian ship management company MINSHIP and its subsidiary MINMARINE said that a bulk carrier in their fleet of managed vessels, M/V Trudy, has successfully bunkered biofuel at the Port of Rotterdam.The biofuel bunkered by the 2009-built, 30,790-dwt bulk carrier on April 17 was GoodFuels’ sustainable Bio-fuel Oil MR1-100: which is a second generation sustainable biofuel produced from certified feedstock…
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Brings its Fleet Home
“Stay at home” is the global message of the moment. The fleet of the Hamburg-based cruise company Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, which would normally be sailing the seven seas, is now heading for the waters of its home port. The expedition ship, the HANSEATIC nature, will be the first to return and is expected to arrive in Hamburg, Germany, on April 20. Its sister ship, the international HANSEATIC inspiration…
Singapore Mulls Placing Workers who Recover from COVID-19 on Cruise Ships
Singapore is assessing whether migrant workers who have recovered from coronavirus might be safer on cruise ships than back in dormitories that have become infection hotbeds, despite problems controlling onboard outbreaks encountered elsewhere.The city-state has seen virus cases surge in sprawling housing complexes for foreign laborers, recording its biggest ever jump in cases on Thursday, and is looking for new accommodation solutions for hundreds of workers.Around 60% of the 4…
Hans F. Muhlert, P.Eng. Awarded SNAME Fellow Status
In March 2020 the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) announced the awarding of the status of Fellow to Hans Muhlert of Robert Allan Ltd. This significant distinction is: “Accorded exclusively to individuals who have made outstanding personal contributions to naval architecture, marine or ocean engineering, or allied disciplines through significant achievements in design, research…
Crude Oil Held in Sea Storage Hits New Record
Traders are storing an estimated record 160 million barrels of oil on ships - double the level from two weeks ago as they seek to tackle a glut of stocks created by a slide in global demand from the coronavirus, shipping sources say.Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers including Russia have agreed a record cut in output from May of 9.7 million barrels per day…
Indian Fishermen, Caught Out by Virus Lockdown, Dock After Weeks at Sea
Hundreds of exhausted Indian fishermen, who said they were refused entry at two ports after a nationwide lockdown was imposed to fight the new coronavirus, docked in the western state of Maharashtra on Friday after about a month at sea.The men were out in the Arabian Sea on March 24 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown, which has now been extended to May 3.They tried to dock at Nargol in the state of Gujarat to the north…
Lack of Monitoring Contributed to 2019 Laker Fire -NTSB
A lack of operating procedures for continuous active monitoring contributed to the extent of damage caused by a 2019 fire on board a laid-up bulk carrier in Toldeo, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report.At about 8:10 p.m. local time on February 16, 2019, a fire was reported on the 770-foot-long St. Clair while the vessel was undergoing winter at the CSX TORCO Iron Ore Terminal (TORCO…
New Leadership at Exmar After Chairman Bodson Dies from COVID-19
Belgian shipping and offshore company Exmar outlined its leadership succession plan following the April 4 death of board chairman Baron Philippe Bodson due to the novel coronavirus.Nicolas Saverys, previously CEO of Exmar, will take up the position of executive chairman of the board of directors, and Francis Mottrie, deputy CEO of the Exmar Group, as been appointed as CEO.Bodson, 75, had been a member of Exmar's board of directors for 18 years, and served as chairman for 15.
Chinese, Malaysian Offshore Oil Vessels in South China Sea Standoff
A Chinese government survey ship is tagging an exploration vessel operated by Malaysia's state oil company Petronas in disputed waters in the South China Sea, three…
Scana Offshore Wins Offshore Wind Contract
Kvaerner ASA awarded Scana Offshore AS a contract for the supply of mooring equipment to Hywind Tampen, Equinor's new floating wind farm. The contract is Scana Offshore's first hardware contract in the floating wind power market.The delivery from Scana Offshore will consist of 33 hull brackets, which are used to attach anchoring lines to the hulls on the 11 offshore wind turbines that make up the Hywind Tampen wind farm.
Two Tier 4 Newbuilds Delivered to NYC Ferry
The first two low emission EPA Tier 4 compliant 29-meter passenger ferries, named H401 and Curiosity, have been delivered for the still expanding NYC Ferry by Hornblower, said naval architect Incat Crowther, whose digital ship design package allowed identical vessel to be constructed at independent shipyards; Halimar Shipyard of Morgan City, La and Breaux Brothers Enterprises of Loreauville, La.The…
Vard to Build Taiwan-bound Offshore Wind Farm Vessel
Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has said it has won a contract to design and build a Service Operation Vessel (SOV) for Ta San Shang Marine.The news comes a day after Orsted confirmed it would charter a newbuild SOV from Ta San Shang - a JV between MOL and TTM - on a 15-year deal, for work in Taiwan.The SOV is of VARD 4 19 design, developed by Vard Design. The vessel will be built at VARD’s shipyard Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam…