US Corn, Soy Exports Lag Normal Autumn Pace Amid River Shipping Woes
U.S. soybean exports are trailing their normal autumn pace despite rising supplies from an accelerating harvest, as low river levels have slowed the flow of grain barges to export terminals, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data issued on Monday.Corn exports are also lagging their typical harvest-time rate, weekly USDA export inspections data showed.Low water on the Mississippi RiverâŠ
Chile Uses High-tech Buoys to Protect Migrating Whales
A smart buoy that can "hear" the ocean and monitor climate change is part of a new effort to help endangered whales avoid ship collisions on their journey from Antarctica to the equator.The buoy was installed in the Gulf of Corcovado, some 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) south of Chile's capital, in early October and is the first of many planned by the Blue Boat Initiative, a project designed to protectâŠ
Kongsberg Wins Deal to Equip Sweden's New All-electric Ferries
Kongsberg Maritime on Wednesday announced it has signed a contract with Holland Shipyards Group to provide electrification and control systems with automated functionalities for up to four new all-electric ferries for the Swedish Transport Administration, with two firm for delivery and an option for two more.Kongsberg Maritime said it has been tapped to provide the ferriesâ electrical systems, as well as a control system suiteâŠ
Mercury Marine Opens New Global Distribution Center in Indiana
Mercury Marine opened its new, purpose-built distribution center to support its parts and accessories business. The new 512,000 square foot facility is located near Indianapolis, Ind., a major thoroughfare connecting Mercuryâs global customers that will improve delivery and service and will add much needed capacity for scale, stability, and reduced logistics costs, the company said.Mercuryâs current distribution facility at its global headquarters in Fond du LacâŠ
DFDS Wins Tender to Continue Newhaven-Dieppe Service
DFDS has won the tender to operate ferries between Newhaven, U.K. and Dieppe, France, clearing the Danish operator to continue its service on the route for the next five years.âWe are delighted to be awarded the contract to continue operating the important ferry link between Newhaven and Dieppe. This secures hundreds of local DFDS jobs and enables us to continue our ambitious plans to invest in the routeâŠ
Light Structures Reports First Call European Defense Fund Success
Maritime structural health monitoring specialist Light Structures is a member of two winning consortia in the first call of the European Defense Fund (EDF). Both consortia consist of the leading naval yards in Europe, organized through The Shipyardsâ & Maritime Equipment Association of Europe (Sea Europe), national delegates, and the Norwegian partners SINTEF, Kongsberg, Jotne and Light Structures.TheâŠ
ABL Appoints New Country Manager in Greece
Energy and marine consultancy ABL Group has appointed Maria Dragoumerli to head up the companyâs operations in Greece, with specific focus on the countryâs maritime industry.Based in Piraeus, Dragoumerli will be in charge of driving the development of ABLâs service offering in the Greek market, in particular provision of support to the countryâs extensive shipping and maritime industries.Dragoumerli joins ABL from Helikon Shipping Enterprises Ltd in LondonâŠ
Shareholders Approve SAAM's $1 Billion Terminals Sale to Hapag-Lloyd
SAAM shareholders at an extraordinary shareholderâs meeting on Tuesday approved a deal valued at about $1 billion to sell 100% of the shares of its subsidiaries SAAM Ports and SAAM Logistics, as well as the real estate assets belonging to the logistics business, to the German liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd.The agreement, first announced earlier this month, consists of selling SAAMâs stakes in the 10 port terminals it operates in six countries in the Americas (five are in Chile)âŠ
Höegh Autoliners Exercises Option to Buy 2099-built RoRo
Höegh Autoliners announced it has exercised its option to purchase Höegh St. Petersburg for $29,300,000, well below the $70 million average market value estimated by three different brokers for the end of Q3.âHöegh Autoliners is again demonstrating its commitment to serve and build a long-term relationship with our customers based on a fleet we own and control. All our deep-sea operated vessels are owned (29 vessels) or on charters with purchase options (five vessels).
Crude Tanker Rates Expected to Stay Strong Despite Russia Turmoil
Prospects for the crude oil tanker market are expected to stay strong for at least the next year helped by low ship ordering, despite the loss of some trade from Russia due to Western sanctions, leading ship operators say.Russia has increased exports to Asia, Africa and South America following the imposition of Western sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.
Peacock Set to Take Over as CEO of The Shipownersâ Club
The Shipownersâ Club, a P&I insurer in the smaller and specialist vessel sector, announced Simon Peacock will take over as CEO in 2023.Current CEO Simon Swallow will be stepping down on May 25, 2023 before starting his retirement on August 3, 2023. The current Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Simon Peacock, will be the incoming CEO on May 25, 2023. Marcus Tarrant, currently Director and Chief Actuary of the Clubâs management companyâŠ
Tianjin Southwest Maritime to Convert LPG Carrier Pair for Dual-fuel Operations
MAN Energy Solutionsâ after-sales division, MAN PrimeServ, has announced the signing of a contract to retrofit two LPG carriers for Tianjin Southwest Maritime Ltd. â the Chinese liquefied-gas carrier operator. The COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) yard will host the respective conversions of the individual MAN B&W 6G60ME-C engines aboard the âGas Geminiâ and âGas Aquariusâ to dual-fuel MAN B&W 6G60ME-LGIP units capable of running on LPG.
USACE Orders Crane Barge for St. Marys River
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District in concert with the Philadelphia District and the Marine Design Center awarded a 11.4 million contract to Southwest Shipyard in Houston for a new crane barge on the St. Marys River.âThe new crane barge will perform critical lock and hydropower facility maintenance at the Soo Project Office (Soo Locks),â said Justin Proulx, Chief of the St. Marys River Section.
Police Guard LNG Ports as Germany Fast-tracks Critical Infrastructure Law
Germany has ordered police to guard LNG terminals under construction and increased aerial supervision of its rail network as it prepares a law to bolster the protection of critical infrastructure, its interior minister told Reuters.Suspected sabotage on the German rail network and on the Baltic Sea gas pipelines linking Germany and Russia in recent weeks have raised concerns about the country's exposureâŠ
AMSC Takes Delivery of Construction Support Vessel. Leases it to Solstad Offshore
American Shipping Company ASA (AMSC) has completed the acquisition and taken delivery of the Normand Maximus construction support vessel.The vessel has already started a long-term bareboat charter with a subsidiary of the Norwegian offshore vessel operator Solstad Offshore upon delivery."The Normand Maximus is a premier offshore construction vessel and one of the most modern heavy duty subsea vessels.
Nippon Yusen to Invest in Pertamina's Shipping Unit
Japan's Nippon Yusen said on Wednesday it will invest in Pertamina International Shipping (PIS), a unit of Indonesia's state energy firm Pertamina, without disclosing terms of the deal. ,The move by Japan's biggest shipping company is aimed at expanding business in Indonesia, where energy and energy transportation demand are expected to increase in tandem with the country's economic growth, a spokesperson for Nippon Yusen said. Nippon Yusen plans to complete the deal by the end of 2022.
U.S. Envoy in Lebanon Next Week with Maritime Deal to Sign
U.S. energy envoy Amos Hochstein will be in Beirut next week carrying a copy of the maritime agreement with Israel for Lebanese officials to sign, Lebanese negotiator Elias Bou Saab told Reuters on Wednesday. The deal - hailed by all three parties as a historic achievement - marks a diplomatic departure from decades of war and hostility and once in force will open the door to offshore energy exploration. "Hochstein will be in Beirut next week with the agreement that we will sign," Bou Saab said.
