Baltic Index Jumps 11% as Chinese Coal Demand Propels Capesizes
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index jumped about 11% to its highest in nearly three months on Friday as high Chinese coal demand drove up capesize rates.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, leaped 158 points, or nearly 11%, to 1,606, its highest since Oct. 14, 2020.The main index was up about 17.6% for the week, its highest jump since early October last year.The capesize index jumped 426 points, or about 20%, to 2,548, a peak since Oct.
Encore Dredging Partners Acquires Inland Dredging Company
Newly formed dredging and marine infrastructure services firm Encore Dredging Partners, LLC. (EDP) said it has acquired Inland Dredging Company, LLC for an undisclosed purchase price.EDP said it completed the transaction with support from its sole financial sponsor, Austin, Texas-based private equity firm AV Capital. League City, Texas-based EDP is a mid-sized cutter suction and mechanical dredging services provider focused on navigable waterways throughout the U.S.For 24 years…
Roberts Named President of Foss Maritime
Seattle-based tug and towing company Foss Maritime said its chief operating officer Will Roberts has been promoted to president.“It was evident to our leadership team that Will’s ability to perform at the highest level along with his business acumen continues to align very well with our organization,” said Jason Childs CEO of Foss' parent company Saltchuk Marine. “As we look to the future, we’re confident…
Rem Offshore's Platform Supply Vessel Hired for Offshore Wind Work
Norwegian offshore vessel operator Rem Offshore has said its platform supply vessel Rem Trader has been awarded a contract in the offshore wind sector.Rem Offshore…
HMD LNG Carrier Gets AIP From the Korean Register
The Korean Register (KR) has awarded Approval In Principle (AIP) for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier with a prismatic IMO type-B tank built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD). The ship is a small to medium-sized LNG carrier with a B-type cargo tank developed as a result of a technical collaboration project between KR and HMD, which began in February 2020.The type-B tank is usually applied to the…
DSIC Delivers LR2 Newbuild to Maersk Tankers
Danish based Maersk Tankers has taken delivery 115,000 dwt tanker Maersk Sara from Chinese shipbuilder Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC).The LR2 vessel, second in a series of 10, is said to be 20% more fuel-efficient than similar vessels she will replace in the existing fleet and meets the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) phase 3 requirements applicable from 2025.Maersk Sara is equipped…
In Sub-Saharan Africa's First, Ghana Takes Delivery of Offshore LNG Terminal
Ghana has taken delivery of sub-Saharan Africa's first offshore receiving terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG), allowing it to start delivering LNG to customers in the first quarter of this year, the terminal's operator said.Tema LNG, which is backed by UK-based Helios Investment Partners, said in a statement that a floating regasification unit (FRU) built by a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding…
Canadian Coast Guard Begins Icebreaking on the Great Lakes
The Canadian Coast Guard’s annual icebreaking season on the Great Lakes, which provides assistance to the shipping industry, is underway. Working in partnership with U.S. Coast Guard District 9, the Canadian Coast Guard has two icebreakers assigned to the Great Lakes for the entire winter season: CCGS Griffon and CCGS Samuel Risley. These vessels are supported as required by additional Coast Guard vessels during the spring icebreaking season.Although the St.
N-O-S to Provide Vessels for Ørsted's UK West Coast Wind Farms
Crew transfer vessel company Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) has signed a contract with the offshore wind farm giant Ørsted to provide vessels for its British west coast operations.N-O-S will provide crew transfer support to Ørsted’s UK West Coast Hub through the provision of seven CTVs over the next three years. The first vessels will start at the beginning of 2021 and will be accompanied by more vessels gradually until the summer.
France: Nuclear Submarine Le Terrible Moves to Dock for Major Refit
French Navy's ballistic nuclear submarine Le Terrible has arrived in dock 8 of the Brest naval base in France to continue its Full Cycle Docking (FCD), otherwise known as a major refit. This will be the first FCD for Le Terrible and will involve 14 months of industrial activities to modernize the submarine and restore its operational potential for the coming 10 years.The submarine’s FCD work began…
Ireland Eases Customs Rules as Low Demand Stops Ferry Sailings
Ireland's tax authority temporarily eased post-Brexit customs arrangements after some trucks were unable to deliver goods from Britain, difficulties that prompted the largest Irish Sea ferry operator to cancel some sailings from Friday.Britain's departure from the EU's orbit introduces reams of paperwork and costs that must be completed to move goods across the new customs border. For Irish firms, it means a 12-fold rise in the number of import and export declarations…
Iron Ore Shipments from Australia's Port Hedland to China Rise 16%
Iron ore shipments to China from Australia's Port Hedland rose by 16% in December from a month earlier, despite a short weather-related shutdown, the Pilbara Ports Authority said on Friday. Iron ore exports to China rose to 40.0 million tonnes from 34.44 million tonnes in November, data from the authority showed. Total iron ore exports from Port Hedland rose to 46.5 million tonnes from 41.61 million tonnes in November.
Iranian Ship Arrives at Venezuelan Port
An Iranian ship arrived at the Venezuelan port of La Guaira on Thursday, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, in what appeared to be a continuation of the commercial…
USCG Seeks Cruise Ship for Underway Examiner Training
The U.S. Coast Guard said it is seeking a cruise ship to host examiner training courses while underway.The contracting opportunity is for a vessel of at least 70,000 gross tons to host three Foreign Passenger Vessel Examiner (FPVE) courses for the Coast Guard's United States Coast Guard Cruise Ship National Center of Expertise (CSNCOE). The training would be conducted in 2021 on board a cruise ship departing from either Ft. Lauderdale, Miami or Canaveral, Fla.The CSNCOE, located in Ft.
Pioneering Spirit to Remove Two Morecambe Bay Platforms
Allseas' giant heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit will remove the DP3 and DP4 platforms in Morecambe Bay off the U.K. for independent oil and gas operator Spirit Energy.The two normally unmanned installations used to produce gas as part of Spirit Energy’s complex of eight installations in Morecambe Bay. As the field has matured, the reserves the platforms previously tapped into have been produced by the larger…
HII Begins Fabrication of Destroyer Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129)
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division started fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129) on January 7, 2021. The start of fabrication signifies the first 100 tons of steel have been cut.“The start of fabrication for one of the U.S. Navy’s most critical assets is always a significant milestone for our shipbuilders,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said.
US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to Resign
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said Thursday she would resign, citing the intrusion of the U.S. Capitol by violent supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.Chao, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is the first Cabinet secretary to announce her departure after the events. Many lower-level administration officials have announced they would resign, including several White House aides.Chao said her resignation would take effect Monday…
Digital Twins: Rivers, Oceans, Harbors Recreated
In 2001, George Burkley, a maritime educator, wrote a look-ahead article for Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, presenting the benefits and real-world payoffs from using simulators in maritime education. In the late 1990s, new tech and software advances were creating scenario programs that moved a student closer and closer to the realities demanded by, well, reality. “The future is here, and we are ready to simulate it…
Halter Marine Upgrades Launch Way for Polar Security Cutter Build
Gearing up to build the U.S.' first new heavy icebreaker in decades, Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder Halter Marine said it is upgrading the launch way area where the U.S. Coast Guard's Polar Security Cutter (PSC) will be constructed.The detailed design phase is "rapidly progressing", the shipbuilder said, and the 460-foot icebreaker is the heaviest vessel per foot of length that Halter Marine has constructed.
IMO2021, Not Just an IT Concern
IMO2021 came into effect on January 1, and it is vital that ship owners and managers continue to monitor the systems and processes in place to ensure vessels remain cyber secure. Mike McNally, Commercial Director at GTMaritime discusses what shipping companies can do to ensure cyber security and that they remain compliant with the new regulations.The IMO2021 guidelines on maritime cyber risk management provide the basis for a safer, more secure and resilient cyber space for shipping operations.
