First of Norled's Four New Hybrid Ferries Enters Service
Festøya, the first in a series of four new hybrid ferries due for delivery to Norwegian ferry operator Norled in 2020, entered service in mid-July.The double-ended RoPax ferries are being built at the Remontowa shipyard in Poland. Two of the 114.4 m long and 17.7 m wide Norled ferries will service the Festøya-Solavågen route and are capable of taking on board up to 120 cars and 296 passengers. The other two vessels will operate the Mannheller-Fodnes route and are certified to carry more…
Two Storms Head for US Gulf in Rare Hurricane Season Event
A pair of tropical cyclones forecast to become hurricanes early next week are headed for the U.S. Gulf Coast and will spin over the Gulf's warm waters simultaneously, a rare weather event that could cause massive disruption as they make landfall.The last time two cyclones entered the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was in 1959, according to meteorologists interviewed by Reuters, and there have only been a handful of other occasions when two storms entered the Gulf simultaneously.
Four Missing, Six Injured After Dredge Strikes a Pipeline in Corpus Christi
Four people are missing and six have been hospitalized for injuries caused by a pipeline explosion in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel on Friday, officials said.The explosion and subsequent fire were reported at about 8 a.m. local time near Nueces Bay in the northern part of the city after a dredge struck a pipeline in the water. The dredge, Waymon L Boyd owned by Houston-based Orion Marine Group, was working on a private project…
Argentinian Shipyard to Build First Domestically Produced Dredger
SPI Servicios Portuarios Integrados for Mar del Plata port in Argentina has acquired a DOP Dredger component package from Damen Shipyards Group. The Argentinian shipyard will build major components and assemble the dredger. The DOP Dredger 250 will be used to dredge underneath a floating dock, which the shipyards wants to keep operational full-time. The trick is that the dock will remain in place during…
Somali Pirates Release Last of Hostages Captured in 2015
Somali pirates have released three Iranian hostages held for five years, a maritime security official said on Thursday, as conflicting reports emerged whether another ship had been seized after a three-year hiatus in hijackings.The three Iranians are the last of the crew of the Iranian fishing vessel FV Siraj, which was captured by pirates on March 22, 2015.“This marks the end of an era of Somali piracy and the pain and suffering of Somalia’s forgotten hostages…
Mauritius Begins Wakashio Scuttling Operations
Mauritius said on Thursday it had started to scuttle the Japanese-owned bulk carrier that ran aground off its shores and spilled oil over pristine waters and fragile coral reefs. The MV Wakashio hit a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on July 25 and began spilling oil on August 6, prompting the government to announce a state of environmental emergency.Two of the ship's officers were arrested on…
Baltic Index Posts Weekly Fall
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index fell on Friday, posting its first weekly fall in four weeks as demand for capesize and panamax vessels dropped.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities and reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, fell 37 points, or 2.4%, to 1,481, ending the week 7.1% lower.The capesize index declined 79 points, or 3.5%, to 2,160, lowest in more than three weeks.
Metal Shark Delivers Patrol Boat to the Dominican Republic
Shipbuilder Metal Shark has delivered an 85- by 19.5-foot welded aluminum Near Coastal Patrol Vessel (NCPV) to the Dominican Republic’s Navy under a $54 million U.S. Navy contract to produce up to 13 Defiant-class patrol craft for U.S. partner nations.Christened Betelgeuse in keeping with the Dominican tradition of naming military vessels after constellations, the new patrol craft was built at Metal Shark’s Franklin, La.
Three Firms in Dorado FPSO FEED Contract Race
Three FPSO specialists are competing for Santos' Dorado FPSO front end engineering design contract, set to be awarded later this year.This is according to Carnarvon, Santos' partner in the Dorado field discovered offshore W. Australia in 2018, and dubbed one of the gas-rich country's largest oil discoveries of the century.Santos and Carnarvon have envisioned the development to include an FPSO and a…
Equinor, ConocoPhillips Get Consents for Swisher, Slagugle Drilling
Oil and gas companies Equinor and ConocoPhillips on Friday received approvals for drilling of offshore wells in the North Sea, and the Norwegian Sea, respectively.Equinor…
Wärtsilä Sees 'Significant' Benefits from Profit Sharing Deal with Brittany Ferries
Finnish marine technology group Wärtsilä has said that its profit-sharing deal based on fuel savings signed two years ago with Brittany Ferries has significantly benefitted both companies. The installation of Wärtsilä's Trim and Speed energy management and optimization technology on the first vessel ‘Cap Finistere’, covered by the contract, was finalized and fully operational in March 2019. The installation was carried out by Wärtsilä Voyage.
Bahri Orders Ten Chemical Tankers from Hyundai for $410M
Saudi Arabia's national shipping company Bahri has ordered ten 49,999-dwt Medium Range (MR) chemical tankers from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, part of South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).Bahri said the order, signed at a virtual ceremony, was valued $410 million, meaning $41 million per vessel. The first deliveries are expected in the first quarter of 2022.Seung-Yong Park, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of HHI…
Wakashio Bulk Carrier Deviated from Shipping Lane before Mauritius Impact
The Japanese-owned bulk carrier that ran aground off Mauritius and spilled oil over pristine waters and fragile coral reefs diverted more than 100 kilometers from a regular shipping lane, data from a maritime analysis firm showed.The MV Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, struck a coral reef on Mauritius's southeast coast on July 25 and later began leaking oil.
