European Refiners Leave Oil Cargoes On Water
A growing number of oil tankers across Europe have been unable to unload their cargo over the past month as refining demand crashes, turning them into de facto floating storage, according to shipping data and trading sources.European refineries have had to cut runs after measures put in place to contain the coronavirus outbreak crushed fuel demand.More than 25 tankers with roughly 18 million barrels onboard were anchored near European ports…
Adm. James Steele Gracey, 17th USCG Commandant, Passes Away
Admiral James Steele Gracey, USCG (retired), 17th Commandant of the Coast Guard, passed away on Sunday, April 5, 2020, in Falls Church, Va., at the age of 92.Born in Newton, Mass. in 1927, Adm. Gracey graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1949. Adm. Gracey was a 1956 graduate of the Harvard Graduate School where he earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration.His career included diverse tours both ashore and afloat…
Ingalls Begins Fabrication of New US Navy Destroyer DDG 128
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division officially started fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128) on Monday. The start of fabrication signifies the first 100 tons of steel have been cut.“As we begin this important milestone in the construction of another great warship, we look forward to continuing production and carrying on the extraordinary legacy of the Navy destroyer fleet…
Norstar Hires Grünitz as Managing Director
Singapore-based manager Norstar Ship Management (NSM) has appointed Lars Grünitz as its new Managing Director, replacing Christopher Kirton.Grünitz was most recently Head of Vessel Management and Process improvement for Berge Bulk and was previously Managing Director for Thome Ship Management. He holds a doctoral degree in naval architecture and started his career in building naval submarines before…
​​​​March Cargo Imports Tumble at Top US Seaports
March imports dropped 26% at the Port of Los Angeles and 5% at the adjacent Port of Long Beach - the busiest U.S. sea trade gateways - as the novel coronavirus wrecked havoc on commerce around the globe.Imports at major U.S.
Sinopec Building LNG Storage Tanks at Tianjin Terminal
China's energy giant Sinopec has started building storage tanks in the second phase of its Tianjin terminal project to receive liquefied natural gas (LNG), the company said in a statement.The plan for the second phase is to have five LNG tanks, with storage capacity of 220,000 cubic metres each, and a new berth for LNG vessels.After the project is completed in end-2021, the LNG receiving capacity at the terminal will expand to 10.8 million tonnes per annum from the current 6 million tonnes.So fa
Boskalis Buys Salvage Firm Ardent Americas
Dutch dredging and marine services giant Boskalis has acquired the U.S.-based maritime emergency response specialist Ardent Americas.Ardent, created by the 2015 merger of salvage divisions of Svitzer and Crowley, specializes in emergency preparedness and response, wreck removals, subsea services and decommissioning for the offshore oil and gas industry. Ardent Americas was a subsidiary of Ardent Global Marine Services…
SBM Offshore: A Number of Covid-19 Cases Confirmed on FPSO
Update: The article has been updated by a statement from an SBM Offshore spokespersonSBM Offshore, a floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) leasing specialist, has said that a number of COVID-19 cases has been confirmed on one of its FPSOs."In the last few days, SBM Offshore has transported some crewmembers with symptoms from one FPSO back to shore. Further tests have now confirmed a number of positive COVID-19 cases.
Contract Extension for Petrojarl Knarr FPSO
Oil company Shell has extended the charter for Altera Infrastructure's FPSO Petrojarl Knarr FPSO, operating at the Knarr field offshore Norway.The FPSO owner, which…
Ship Architects Hires Mund
Ship Architects, Inc. announced it has hired Andrew Mund, P.E., in the role of VP Engineering & Business Development. Mund will be broadly involved in all SAi projects, but his primary focus will be on those vessel design services corresponding to the pre-construction contract stage, the company said.An educated naval architect, Mund is licensed as a professional engineer with more than 25 years of direct and supervisory experience in marine design and manufacturing.Altug Basaran…
Philippine Coast Guard's New Flagship Arrives in Manila
The Philippine Coast Guard's new offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang arrived in Manila ready for service on Tuesday after several weeks of convoying and a first operational mission.Built by OCEA, the 84-meter type OCEA OPV 270 vessel left the French shipyard at the end of December with Philippine Coast Guard crew on board, for an arrival in the Philippines initially scheduled for January.The flagship of the Philippine Coast Guard fleet…
French Aircraft Carrier Heads Home Due to Possible COVID-19 Cases
France’s flagship aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle is returning to its home port early after about 40 crew members showed signs of COVID-19 symptoms, the armed forces ministry said on Wednesday.The personnel were under strict medical observation on board the nuclear-powered carrier, which had most recently been taking part in exercises with northern European navies in the Baltic Sea.“The first cases showed symptoms recently,” the ministry said in a statement.
Philly Shipyard Wins Contract to Build US Training Ships
Philly Shipyard has been awarded a contract to build up to five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) that will enable at-sea training for America’s future mariners and support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in times of need.TOTE Services, selected in May 2019 by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) as the vessel construction manager for the NSMV program…
ABB Building Fuel Cells to Power Large Ships
ABB signs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hydrogène de France to jointly manufacture megawatt-scale fuel cell systems capable of powering oceangoing vessels.The MOU between ABB and hydrogen technologies specialist Hydrogène de France (HDF) envisages close collaboration on the assembly and production of the fuel cell power plant for marine applications.Building on an existing collaboration announced on June 27…
MJP Introduces Remote Customer Service
Waterjet supplier Marine Jet Power (MJP) has introduced remote support capabilities for MJP waterjets operating with electronic control systems. The new remote service…
Valmet to Supply Automation for Expedition Cruise Pair
Valmet will supply automation and information systems for two luxury expedition vessels being built by Helsinki Shipyard Oy in Finland for Russia’s largest river cruise company Vodohod Ltd.The 113-meter-long and 20.2-meter-wide vessels will have an ice class of PC5 and a passenger capacity of 157 persons. Their draught is 5.7 meters, and cruising speed is 14 knots. The newbuilds will operate both in…
Los Angeles Cargo Volumes Down 30.9%
America's busiest cargo port moved 49,568 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) in March, down 30.9% from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Port of Los Angeles said on Wednesday. It was the lowest amount of monthly cargo moving through the Port of Los Angeles since February 2009.March imports decreased 25.9% to 220,255 TEUs compared to the previous year. Exports decreased 23.8% to 121,146 TEUs. Empty containers declined 44.5% to 108,168 TEUs.
Stena Line To Close Trelleborg-Sassnitz Route
Stena Line will permanently suspend operations on its ferry route between Trelleborg, Sweden and Sassnitz, Germany due to the coronavirus pandemic, the European operator announced on Wednesday.The cancellation comes after Stena Line announced in March it would temporarily suspend operations on the route.Stena Line has initiated discussions with the workers' council Betriebsrat in Germany. The ferry FS Sassnitz is laid up in Port of Mukran, Sassnitz, until further notice.
Indonesia Ferry Passengers Jump Ship Amid Coronavirus Fears
Several passengers on an Indonesian ferry jumped into the sea and swam ashore after authorities sought to block the vessel docking due to fears of suspected coronavirus cases, as tensions rise over th
Saudis Cruise to Quick Paper Profit
Riyadh’s Public Investment Fund may have found the perfect time to board ship. The country’s sovereign wealth fund has built an 8% stake in Carnival, the cruise group at the waterborne epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. The company’s shares, down 83% for the year as of Friday, jumped more than 25% on Monday after it persuaded bond and stock investors to stump up $6.25 billion last week – albeit…
