Queen Mary 2 Skips Voyage to New York Amid Omicron Worries
Carnival Corp's Cunard cruise line said on Wednesday its Queen Mary 2 ship would skip a scheduled stop at New York and instead extend its stay in Barbados until Jan. 2 to bring in more staffers.Cunard said its decision to add more crew members was a precautionary measure, but it did not detail why it needed more workers.The ship, Cunard's flagship liner named by Queen Elizabeth, is among the more than 85 vessels the U.S.
Royal Caribbean Bookings Take a Hit as Omicron Fears Worsen
Royal Caribbean Group said on Thursday it was grappling with a drop in bookings and a rise in cancellations as COVID-19 cases surge in the United States, driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant.U.S. cruise ships have been gradually returning to the seas since late June, but an increase in Omicron cases has sparked calls for a temporary ban on cruising, including from Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.Since the Celebrity Cruises parent resumed operations from U.S.
US CDC Says to Avoid Cruise Travel as Omicron Cases Surge
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people should avoid traveling on cruise ships regardless of their vaccination status, as daily COVID-19 cases in the country climb to record highs due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.The move delivers another blow to the cruise industry that had just started returning to the seas in June after a months-long suspension of voyages caused…
KR Awards AIP for Two Green Ammonia-fueled Vessels
The Korean Register (KR) awarded approval in principal (AIP) to two green ammonia-fueled ships at KR’s Seoul branch office on December 15, 2021. One of the ships is a 60,000m3 ammonia-fueled ammonia carrier and the other is a 38,000m3 ammonia carrier/bunkering ship, developed by Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD).The AIP…
2021 in Review: The Dry Bulk and Tanker Markets
The Signal Group offers an exhaustive overview of the trends in the dry bulk and tanker markets that both defined 2021, and offer a glimpse as to what might be in store for 2022 and beyond. The report is excerpted in short below; to see the full report CLICK HERE.Using Signal Ocean data, give the insight to analyze the trends and changes across the major vessel sizes in the dry and tanker freight market for 2021.
Standard Drilling Sells PSV Standard Princess
Oslo-listed offshore energy investment firm Standard Drilling announced it has sold the platform supply vessel Standard Princess for $10.3 million.The Cyprus-headquartered…
Halter Marine Awarded Contract for Second USCG Polar Security Cutter
Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder Halter Marine has been awarded a contract to build a second U.S. Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.The $552.7 million detail design and construction contract follows a $745.9 million contract awarded in 2019 to build the first PSC. There is also an option for a third PSC.The Polar Security Cutter program is planned to replace the Coast Guard's existing fleet of icebreakers.
2022 & Beyond: Will the Container Carrier Debacle Ever End?
When the global supply chain runs smoothly, it’s like a well-choreographed dance. Everything comes together elegantly and effortlessly. But when someone misses a step, the show can quickly turn into a disaster. And that’s what’s currently unfolding before our eyes, headline after headline.Those of us in the supply chain industry know it takes a Herculean effort to keep the wheels of commerce turning without so much as a squeak or rattle.
Chinese Uncertainties Continues to Weigh on Iron Ore Futures
Dalian and Singapore iron ore futures rebounded on Thursday after three days of losses, but worries over demand for the steelmaking ingredient in top steel producer China kept benchmark prices near their two-week lows hit the day before.The most-traded May iron ore contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange rose 2.4% to 679 yuan ($106.59) a tonne by 0248 GMT. It touched 650.50 yuan in the previous session, its lowest since Dec.
Prysmian to Build US Subsea Cable Plant
Italy's Prysmian plans to invest around 200 million euros ($226 million) to build a plant in the U.S. to produce submarine power transmission cables, CEO Valerio Battista said to the media in remarks confirmed by a company spokesman.The plant, to be built in Brayton Point, Mass., is part of two contracts worth a total of almost $900 million that the world's largest cable maker has won in the Unites…
Indonesia Says It Will Allow Stranded Rohingya Boat to Seek Refuge
Indonesia will allow a boat packed with Rohingya which had become stranded off its coast to dock in the Southeast Asian country, its security ministry said on Wednesday, after calls from aid organizations to allow the vessel to seek refuge.Local officials in Aceh, a province on the western island of Sumatra said on Tuesday that they would provide the roughly 120 passengers on board with food, medicine and water…
Oil Firms Predict Rising Output, But Warn of Higher Costs
U.S. oil and gas executives are predicting higher production and drilling activity next year as oil prices climb, but say they face sharply higher costs, according to a poll released on Wednesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.Some 49% of executives surveyed said they aim to expand output next year, while 15% said their main focus would be to maintain existing production levels and 13% plan to focus on reducing debt.
UK Royal Navy Testing Crewless Minehunter
The U.K. Royal Navy said it is testing a new crewless minehunter as part of its drive toward autonomous systems.Developed through a joint Anglo-French Maritime Mine Counter Measures program, the system is designed to detect the latest mine threats while reducing the risk to the lives of those searching for them. It comprises an uncrewed surface vessel, towed sonar and a portable operation center, and…
Oil Prices Hold Near $80 on Tight Supply and Stocks Drop
Oil prices held close to $80 a barrel on Wednesday as global supply outages and declining U.S. inventories offset worries that rising coronavirus cases might reduce demand.Brent crude rose to as much as $79.20 a barrel before retreating to trade 24 cents down on the day at $78.70 by 1427 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude edged 32 cents lower to $75.65 after touching $76.17.Both contracts are trading near their highest in a month…
World's First All-electric Tanker Launched
An all-electric, battery-powered tanker—said to be the world's first—has been launched at the Koa Sangyo Co., Ltd. shipyard in Japan.The new vessel, named Asahi, was built for Japanese shipping company Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd. and is scheduled to enter service in Tokyo Bay as a bunker fuel supply ship following completion and delivery in late March 2022. The 62-meter-long vessel has a tank capacity of 1…
Cruise Ship with COVID-19 Outbreak Docks in Mexico
Mexico on Tuesday allowed a cruise ship to dock and disembark tourists in spite of an outbreak of COVID-19 on board, as the government vowed to keep the country open to cruise vessels provided sanitary precautions are met.The ship, Ms Zuiderdam, with some 2,000 passengers and crew, docked in the port of Guaymas in the northern state of state of Sonora, state and federal authorities said.In a statement…
Carnival Says Most Itineraries Unchanged as Omicron Cases Rise
Carnival Corp (CCL.N) said on Tuesday a majority of its ships' itineraries were unchanged despite a surge in cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, which has threatened to stall a recovery in the cruise industry.The world's largest cruise operator, however, said a few destination ports were reviewing their protocols and processes due to the fast-spreading new variant.Many passengers and media reports…
Bunker Holding Will Not Appeal Conviction for Syria Jet Fuel Exports
Fuel supplier Bunker Holding, its chief executive and a subsidiary have decided not to appeal a conviction handed to them by a Danish city court for breaching European Union sanctions, the parties said on Wednesday."Bunker Holding, Keld R.
LNG Newbuilds Drives Svanehøj to Record Order Intake in 2021
Demand for LNG-fuelled newbuilds is growing across the shipping industry, and with it Danish pump specialist Svanehøj reports it has quadrupled its sales of fuel pump solutions in 2021 and is heading for an all-time high order intake. 2021 has been a record year for new LNG dual-fuel shipbuilding contracts, which has a very positive impact on the order books at Svanehøj. The company reports 2021 was a banner year with an order intake of nearly $122 million…
CETO JIP to develop Low Pressure Solutions for CO2 Ship Transport
Equinor, Shell, TotalEnergies, Gassco and DNV announced the kick-off of a new JIP to develop low-pressure solutions for the transportation of CO2 by ships. The CETO (CO2 Efficient Transport via Ocean) JIP will carry out the technology qualification of a low-pressure ship design and identify solutions to scale CO2 transportation volume, while reducing the associated risks, to support the development of opportunities in CCS.
