First RAstar 2800-CL ASD Escort Tug Delivered
Svitzer Suez 1, the first RAstar 2800-CL ASD escort tug, has been delivered to Svitzer Egypt LLC by Cheoy Lee Shipyards and will soon commence operations in the Suez Canal. Svitzer are the first owners of this new escort tug design and a further nine tugs to this design have already been ordered with Cheoy Lee.The RAstar 2800-CL design started with a “blank sheet of paper”, according to naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd.…
Great Lakes Towing Expands Services to Sturgeon Bay
The Great Lakes Towing Company said it is expanding its harbor towing and ice breaking services to Sturgeon Bay, Wis.The Towing Company has undertaken a fleet renewal program that began with the laying of 10 keels in August 2016. Since that time, the company has added five new Damen Stan 1907 ICE design tugs to its fleet, with the sixth new tug being delivered next month, and the seventh in Spring 2022.There will now be two Towing Company tugs stationed in Sturgeon Bay full-time…
Maersk Issues First Green Bond to Fund Methanol Vessels
Shipping giant Maersk said it has launched its Green Finance Framework designed to allow the company to issue a variety of sustainable financing instruments which may include bonds, loans, project finance and other instruments.“Issuing Green Financing Instruments is a further step to integrating sustainability into our financing operations as it is an effective tool for channeling investments to projects…
CMA CGM's Earnings Soar on Shipping Rush
Shipping group CMA CGM on Friday reported a surge in third-quarter earnings and said it expected an even stronger performance for the end of the year as intense demand kept freight rates high and container capacity stretched.French-based CMA CGM, one of the world's largest container lines, said net profit rose to $5.6 billion in the third quarter from $567 million in the same period last year, while core EBITDA earnings rose to $7.1 billion from $1.7 billion.An economic rebound following a coron
Phillips 66 to Convert Alliance Refinery to Terminal Facility
Energy manufacturing and logistics company Phillips 66 announced it plans to convert its Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse, La., to a terminal facility. The conversion is expected to take place in 2022.“We made this decision after exploring several options and considering the investment needed to repair the refinery following Hurricane Ida,” said Greg Garland, Chairman and CEO of Phillips 66. “Alliance’s existing infrastructure and Gulf Coast location make it an attractive midstream asset.
Worker Medevaced from Platform off Louisiana
A worker was medevaced from a platform approximately 18 miles southeast of Grand Isle, La., the U.S. Coast Guard said on Friday.Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call at approximately 2:40 a.m. stating a worker offshore was experiencing seizure like symptoms.Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew. The helicopter crew arrived on scene…
AWO Applauds Passage of US Infrastructure Bill
The American Waterways Operators, a trade group representing the U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry, said it applauds the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, H.R. 3684, signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this week.The bill contains $17 billion for ports and waterways, including $2.5 billion of 100% federal funding for inland waterways construction and major rehabilitation projects, $4 billion for U.S.
New Report Tracks Sources of Marine Litter
The sources and impact of sea-based marine litter form the focus of a new report by the Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), an advisory body to the United Nations sponsored by 10 UN entities. The report outlines the various sources of marine litter and the impact and assesses the current availability of data and identifies knowledge gaps for the main categories of sea-based sources of marine plastic litter.
Pacific LNG Freight Spot Rates Hit Fresh Record High
Tanker rates to ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) across the Pacific hit a fresh record high on Friday as high demand for the U.S. super chilled fuel from Asia drives up the demand for vessels, industry sources told Reuters.The cost of chartering a vessel to carry a shipment of LNG from Australia to Japan jumped to a record high of $335,000 per day, according to data intelligence firm Spark Commodities.The…
Panamax Bulkers Post Worst Week Since Early 2019
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index jumped on Friday, but posted a weekly drop with the panamax index suffering its steepest weekly decline since February 2019.The overall index…
MacGregor to Equip MBARI's New Research Vessel
MacGregor, part of Cargotec, said it has been taped to deliver a suite of overboard handling systems for the new oceanographic research vessel David Packard owned by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), a private, nonprofit oceanographic research center based in California. Founded in 1987 by David Packard, MBARI’s mission is to advance marine science and technology to understand a changing ocean.
Lengthening of Three Windstar Cruises Vessels Completed
A major project to lengthen and renovate three Windstar cruise ships has been completed.The conversions were led by the Fincantieri yard starting in 2019 with the first of the three sister vessels, the Star Breeze, being completed in 2020. This was followed by the Star Legend in mid- 2020, and finally the Star Pride in October 2021. The renovation included the ships being extended in length from 135 meters (443 feet) to 160.6 meters (527 feet).
Six Officers Acquire U.S. Marine Transport Firm Express Marine
Express Marine, Inc., a U.S.-flag marine transportation and logistics services and solutions company on Friday said that the company has been formally acquired by its officers and will continue to operate under the Express Marine name.Ownership of Express Marine has been transferred from former Chief Executive Officer Richard “Dick” Walling to six longstanding company officers who will continue in…
Maiden Voyage For World’s First Electric & Autonomous Container Ship - Yara Birkeland
Yara Birkeland, the world's first electric and self-propelled container ship has set off for its maiden voyage in the Oslo fjord in Norway.No Friday, today, the Norwegian Prime Minister was given a tour by the CEO of Yara, Svein Tore Holsether.Holsether said: "We are proud to be able to showcase the world's first fully electric and self-propelled container ship. It will cut 1,000 tonnes of CO2 and replace 40…
Construction of U.S. First Large-scale Offshore Wind Farm Starts
Spanish renewables giant Iberdrola has informed that it has started construction work for the Vineyard Wind 1, the United States' first large-scale offshore wind farm.The offshore wind farm will be located off the coast of Massachusetts. It is 25 times larger than an existing offshore wind farm in Rhode Island, which has 30 MW installed capacity and supplies electricity to 17,000 homes.With 800 MW capacity…
Legal Background Behind New Nord Stream 2 License Demand
Germany's energy regulator has temporarily halted the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, requiring the Swiss-based, Gazprom-led consortium behind the infrastructure to form a German subsidiary to secure a licence.Following are some of the legal considerations associated with the move by Germany's Federal Network Agency, which aims to strengthen its oversight of the project in…
Ithaca Energy Charters Solstad Offshore Platform Supplier
Norwegian offshore support vessel firm Solstad Offshore has secured a term contract for the platform supply vessel Far Symphony in the UK North Sea.The contract is with the UKCS-focused oil and gas company Ithaca Energy.Under the charter, the platform supplier, equipped with DP 2 from Kongsberg, will be supporting Ithaca’s UK North Sea operations for a period of one year firm, with further options up to one year.
