Fincantieri Lays Keel for Cruise Ship Viking Mars
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri said Thursday it has laid the keel for small ocean cruise ship Viking Mars, the eighth in a series for the shipowner Viking Cruises. The vessel is due for delivery in 2022.As its sister ships, the newbuild 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, including the “Safe return to port”.
U-Ming VLOCs Protected by Nippon Antifouling System
Grand Wisdom, the second very large ore carrier (VLOC) to join the U-Ming Marine Transport fleet, has been delivered with a protective hull coating from Nippon Marine Paint’s A-LF Sea product range.Delivered in December from Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry’s shipyard in Qingdao, China, Grand Wisdom is the second in a pair of eco-friendly bulkers to join the owner’s 48-strong fleet. Sister ship Grand Pioneer…
Stena Line Plans to Launch 'Fossil-free' Ships Before 2030
Swedish ferry company Stena Line said it plans to put two battery-powered vessels into service by 2030. The new RoPax ferries, which will operate without the use of fossil fuels, are part of the company's wider effort to reduce its environmental footprint.The news was revealed in Gothenburg on Thursday by Stena Lines CEO Niclas Mårtensson during a press conference announcing the Tranzero Initiative…
Australia's Exporters Weather China Squall, Find New Harbors
Australia’s trade surplus rose to a six-month high in December as iron ore exports to China easily weathered diplomatic squalls between the two countries, while coal shipments found new buyers beyond the world’s second-largest economy.China’s reliance on steel-intensive infrastructure and construction to sustain economic growth means it has little choice but to keep importing Australian iron ore, even as prices for the mineral hit multi-year highs.Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics ou
North P&I Club Names Arklow Shipping's Tyrrell as Chair
North P&I Club has elected James Alexander Tyrrell as its new chair of the board, succeeding Pratap Shirke, in a change at the helm of the global marine insurer that also sees Ioanna Procopiou become the Club’s first female vice-chair.Tyrrell, a director of North member Arklow Shipping, takes up the role from February 4, having previously served as vice-chair of the North board. The formal announcement follows full approval by the Prudential Regulation Authority…
Greek Cruise Operators Hope Vaccinations Will Help Save Summer Season
Greek cruise lines hope a swifter vaccination rollout and the government’s proposed vaccine certificates scheme can help get ships out of the docks where they have been idling empty for the past year and back to sea for the vital summer season.With international travel now at a near-standstill, saving at least part of the summer season will be vital, said George Koumpenas, Chief Operating Officer for Celestyal Cruises…
Hestbaek Takes the Helm at Hamburg Süd
Long-serving Hamburg Süd executive Poul Hestbaek will take the CEO reins from Dr. Arnt Vespermann, who will step down after more than 20 years at the German container shipping company.Hestbaek has been with Hamburg Süd since 2004 and is currently the company's CCO. The 59-year-old shipping-industry veteran has previously been responsible for the liner shipping company’s commercial business on several continents…
Containership Crew Member Medevaced Off Hawaii
An injured mariner was medevaced from a containership off the coast of Hawaii on Wednesday.At 4 a.m., Saturday, the captain of the 984-foot Adonis notified Joint…
Bluewater Taps Royston for FPSO Engine Overhaul
FPSO operator Bluewater Services signed a framework agreement with marine engineering and maintenance firm Royston for engine overhaul, repair, and associated services on two of its FPSOs.Under the agreement, Royston will carry out planned engine maintenance and emergency repairs on the Haewene Brim and Aoka Mizu FPSOs operating in the North Sea. The framework includes main engine work on both vessels as well as on generator sets and fire pumps.The Samsung built 103…
Denmark to Build Giant Wind Energy Hub In the North Sea
Denmark has reached a deal on the construction of the first of its kind wind energy hub in the North Sea that promises to produce yet unseen amounts of green electricity, in what has been described as the largest construction project in Danish history.The energy hub - an artificial island - will serve as an offshore power plant gathering and distributing green electricity from hundreds of wind turbines surrounding the island directly to consumers in countries surrounding the North Sea.
Euronav Posts 4Q Loss. Expects Pressure on Freight Rates to Continue in 2021
Belgium's Euronav expects pressure on freight rates to continue until late 2021, the tanker operator said as it reported weaker than expected quarterly results on Thursday, citing OPEC+ export cuts because of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on demand for oil.The company, one of the world's largest tanker companies, benefited from soaring demand for oil storage at sea in early 2020 as buyers struggled to find space for surplus crude when demand collapsed during the first wave of the pandemic.Howev
Solstad Offshore Sells Three Platform Supply Vessels
Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has sold three platform supply vessels.The vessels, sold by Solstad's Deep Sea Supply Shipowning AS and Deep Sea Supply Shipowning I AS subsidiaries, are the Sea Angler built in 2007, the Sea Bass built in 2008, and the Sea Turbot, also built in 2008."Delivery of the vessels to the new owner took place today Thursday, February 4th, 2021. The sale of the vessels will result in an immaterial accounting effect for 1Q 2021…
Rolls-Royce Sells Bergen Engine Medium Speed Business for $180m
Rolls-Royce signed an agreement to sell the Bergen Engines medium speed gas and diesel engines business to TMH International, the international branch of TMH Group, for net proceeds of approximately $180 million.TMH Group, based in Russia, is an engineering company in rail transport technologies and the world’s fourth largest supplier of rail rolling stock. It offers a range of products and services…
BOEM to Restart Permitting for Major US Offshore Wind Project
The Biden administration said on Wednesday it would restart permitting for the first major U.S. offshore wind farm, reversing a Trump administration decision that canceled the process late last year.The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said in a statement it would resume environmental review of the Vineyard Wind project as part of the administration's broad plan to speed renewable energy…
Fueltrax Announces Expansion in Asia
Maritime fuel management systems provider Fueltrax said it is expanding its representation in Asia in response to growing demand for its solutions in Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific regions. Joining the company is Faiz Azani, Director of Operations – Southeast Asia, and Chris Pemberton, Regional Representative – Asia PacificAzani joined the FUELTRAX team last month and brings 11 years of experience in the oil and gas…
CNOOC Orders Tanker at Dajin
Chinese shipbuilder Dajin Heavy Industry said it has secured an order to build a 9,200 dwt product tanker for a unit of national oil company CNOOC.Dajin, a subsidiary of Shanghai Bestway Marine Engineering Design, said the newbuild is scheduled for delivery in 2022.
Euronav Buys Two Suezmax Tankers Under Construction
Belgian tanker operator Euronav said it has reached a deal to acquire two Suezmax tankers currently under construction at the Daehan Shipyard in South Korea for a total purchase price of $113 million. Both vessels are due for delivery in January 2022.The vessels are the latest generation of Suezmax Eco-type tankers, fitted with exhaust gas scrubbers and ballast water treatment systems. The vessels have LNG-ready notation…
Shipbuilder in Mozambique Debt Scandal Says It Made Payments to Now-President Nyusi
A Lebanese shipbuilder at the center of a $2 billion debt scandal in Mozambique said it made payments to its now-president and ruling party in 2014, but said these were legal campaign donations not bribes, according to a London court filing.Privinvest said payments made to President Filipe Nyusi in the run-up to his election and to the Frelimo party were allowed under Mozambican law, according to the Jan.
Wärtsilä’s Hybrid Solution Selected for New Isle of Man Ferry
Finnish technology group Wärtsilä said it will supply a range of solutions for a new 132-meter RoPax ferry being built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co (IOMSP). The newbuild will serve the Heysham to Douglas, Isle of Man route. The Wärtsilä scope includes Wärtsilä 31 engines, electrical and automation including Wärtsilä’s Low Loss Concept (LLC), an energy storage system and propulsion machinery including the transverse thrusters.
NAVTOR Launches NavFleet, the Latest Name in Fleet Optimization
NAVTOR launched NavFleet, touted by the company as a "breakthrough application" developed over the past two years in collaboration with shipowners designed to open up a new horizon of possibilities: enabling real-time operational insight, performance optimization and enhanced business decision making for fleet management.NAVTOR has made its name through the development of a suite of e-Navigation products…
