Bulk Carriers Orders Down 30%
The number of Bulker orders were down 30% for 2020 YTD compared to the same period last year. From the 1st of January 2020 when the Chinese market and shipyards closed due to the pandemic, until today, we have only seen USD 1,037 mil spend in the Bulker NB market, down 35% for the same period in 2019. The Chinese government have now started up the economy again and most of the orders placed are by…
Fincantieri Floats Out Cruise Ship Viking Venus
Viking Venus, the seventh ocean cruise ship which Fincantieri is building for the shipowner Viking, was floated out Thursday at the shipyard in Ancona, Italy. Interior fittings will now begin, leading the vessel to its delivery, scheduled in 2021.As its sister ships, she will have a gross tonnage of about 47,800 tons, 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers.The Viking units are all built according to the latest navigation regulations and equipped with the most modern safety systems…
IMO Head Commends Nigeria's Antipiracy Efforts
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim commended Nigeria’s antipiracy efforts in the Gulf of Guinea as the West African nation continues to make strides to curb attacks against ships in the world’s top piracy hot spot.Lim said recent actions made by the West African country to restrain piracy in the region “send a strong and valuable message to the international…
USCG Commissions Fast Response Cutter Edgar Culbertson
The U.S. Coast Guard held a commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson, the service's 37th fast response cutter, at Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, Friday.The new 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) was built by Bollinger Shipyards and delivered in February.Built to replace the service's 110-foot patrol boats, FRCs have a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command…
The Next Generation Takes Ownership in USTC
First financial steps have been made to cement the planned succession process of Torben Østergaard-Nielsen’s global shipping group United Shipping & Trading Company (USTC), based in Middelfart, Denmark.The next generation in the family-owned business, daughters Nina Østergaard Borris and Mia Østergaard Nielsen, have become co-owners via the parent company Selfinvest. In the future, they will take even greater part in the active ownership of the group.With more than 2…
OXE Marine Delivers Its First 300hp Diesel Outboards
Sweden-based OXE Marine said it has delivered its first 300-horsepower diesel outboard engine after it commenced production of the new model in May. After passing rigorous quality tests, the first OXE300 units are now ready to be shipped to customers. The production of OXE300 will ramp up and move to new production facility in July.Designed, tested and produced in house by OXE Marine, the OXE300, derives its power from a three-liter six-cylinder bi-turbo automotive diesel engine.
Container Shipping Hit Hard by US Lockdown -BIMCO
The coronavirus pandemic has shutdown much of the U.S. economy for months and even as parts of it reopen, the data is beginning to reveal the extent of the damage that has been done and a slow recovery is taking a tentative shape.The second estimate for gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter shows a 5% contraction from the previous quarter, and just 0.2% growth from the first quarter of 2019.
UK Gov't Urged to Exempt All Offshore Workers from Quarantine Restrictions
A group comprising five offshore energy industry associations has called for the UK Government to exempt all offshore energy sector workers from the 14-day quarantine restrictions introduced on June 8.The group that calls itself the global Offshore Industry Group, comprises International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC), International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA)…
Gladding-Hearn Delivers New Launch to Virginia Pilots
The Virginia Pilot Association has taken delivery of a Chesapeake Class MK II launch from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, its ninth pilot boat built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard since 1983.The Virginia pilots’ new launch Richmond incorporates the performance benefits of Volvo Penta’s IPS three-pod system and Humphree interceptors. “The combination of the Volvo Penta IPS system and the Humphree interceptors produces lower sound levels and improved comfort and higher speed…
Alfa Laval Unveils Scrubber for Smaller Ships
Alfa Laval introduced its PureSOx Express, a new version of its open-loop scrubber system delivered as a fully enclosed module and specifically designed for use on board smaller ships.Adapted for a simple and cost-efficient fit, the new system is engineered to reduce the investment cost, engineering time and physical work of installing a SOx scrubber on board vessels such as handymax bulkers or product tankers…
Shannon Buys Ardent's Australian Subsidiary
The Ardent Group sold its Australian subsidiary Ardent Oceania Pty Ltd to its managing director Drew Shannon. It will continue as an independent company under the new name United Salvage Pty Ltd.Ardent, a maritime emergency management and wreck removal company created by the 2015 merger of salvage divisions of Svitzer and Crowley, announced last month it will no longer enter into new contracts from May 2020.In April…
Nexans to Deliver Cables for Giant Offshore Wind Farm in Scotland
French industrial cable supplier Nexans has been awarded a contract by SSE Renewables to deliver cables for the recently sanctioned 1,075 megawatt (MW) Seagreen offshore wind farm project.The contract calls for Nexans to design, manufacture and install the high voltage (HV) onshore and offshore export cables.Construction on the 1,075 megawatt (MW) project, which is located 27km off the coast of Angus, will start next year.
Ampelmann's Gangway for New Ice-Breaking W2W Vessel
Dutch offshore crew transfer specialist Ampelmann will deliver an ice-strengthened gangway for the recently ordered, Russia-bound, shallow draft ice-breaking walk to work vessel.As previously reported, Dutch shipbuilder Niestern Sander, with compatriot vessel-owner Wagenborg Offshore, signed a deal with Mercury Sakhalin and Pola for the construction of the vessel. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2021…
US Navy Calls In Reservists to Help Clear Ship Maintenance Backlog
The U.S. Navy is mobilizing 1,629 Reservists to support aircraft carrier and submarine maintenance at its four public shipyards starting in July. This mobilization will help reduce the maintenance backlog that has developed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In March, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) authorized weather and safety leave for shipyard personnel who fell under the U.S. Centers for Disease…
Port of LA Cargo Volume Down 30% in May
The coronavirus pandemic and ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions threaten the peak holiday shipping season for the Port of Los Angeles, which just suffered its slowest May in more than a decade, Executive Director Gene Seroka said on Wednesday.The busiest U.S. port and the No. 1 U.S. gateway for ocean trade with China logged its slowest May since the "Great Recession" of 2009.May volume fell 30% from last year after business shutdowns aimed at controlling COVID-19 infections and U.S.
Steve Parks: 1975-2020
Steve Parks, a long-tenured and well-known maritime media marketing persona, passed away suddenly of a heart attack on June 7, 2020. He was 45.Steve began his career in maritime publishing in 1998 selling the Shipping World & Shipbuilding. He was hired by John Labdon Associates (JLA) as senior media consultant and was group sales manager for Marine Propulsion magazine from 2003-2007. He went on to serve as sales and development director at Riviera Maritime Media from 2007-2014.In 2014…
Apply Now for the MN100
Marine News magazine is accepting entries for its annual MN100 awards edition. Each year, the publication's August issue profiles 100 of the top firms in the shallow-draft, brown water, workboat space. Is your company one of the best? Apply now.The 100 companies selected will be featured in the largest BPA-audited b-to-b publication in this genre. OEMs, service providers, shipyards, operators and the full gamut of marine-related businesses are eligible.
US Navy to Bar Confederate Flags from Ships and Bases
The U.S. Navy is working to ban the Confederate battle flag from all public spaces on Navy installations, ships and aircraft, the service said on Tuesday, as the military and the country as a whole grapple with questions about racial inequality.The Navy made the move amid protests across the United States and other countries sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd, an Africa-American man who died after a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.In a statement…
Barge Grounds in St. Marys River
A salvage plan is being developed to refloat a barge that went aground in the lower St. Marys River, near Sweets Point, Mich.At 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie Command Center received notification that the 302-foot barge PML2501 towed by the 132-foot towing vessel Anglian Lady grounded in the lower St. Marys River. Both assets are Canadian and had been en route from Sault Sainte Marie, Ont. to Burns Harbor, Ind. at the time of the incident.
Italy Weighs Warships Sale to Egypt After Student Murder
Italy has yet to approve the sale to Egypt of two warships made by shipbuilder Fincantieri, as the government weighs political considerations and analyses the deal, Italy's foreign minister said on Wednesday.Rumors Rome had approved the sale raised criticism in Italy and members of the government have voiced concerns about Egypt's human rights record, especially after Italian student Giulio Regeni was tortured and murdered in Cairo in 2016.Answering questions during a parliamentary hearing…
