CMA CGM to Buy Auto Logistics Firm Gefco
Shipping group CMA CGM is set to buy auto transport company Gefco, French paper Les Echos reported on Friday, citing sources close to the matter.CMA CGM declined to comment.Gefco, in which French-Italian carmaker Stellantis holds a 25% stake, will be valued at 450 to 500 million euros in the deal, the paper said.Auto transport company Gefco, co-owned by French-Italian carmaker Stellantis, said on Friday it will buy back the 75% of its shares that are held by Russian Railways (RZD) after it was p
UK Starts Criminal and Civil Probes Into P&O Ferries Job Cuts
Britain’s insolvency service has started formal criminal and civil investigations into P&O Ferries to look into the company’s decision to fire hundreds of workers without notice last month, business minister Kwasi Kwarteng said on Friday.The probe comes after P&O Ferries admitted to breaking the law in the manner in which it terminated about 800 staff last month to hire cheaper agency workers, a move that has since caused major backlash from politicians and workers.“I can confirm that the Insolv
DSME Delivers LNG Carrier John A. Angelicoussis
South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has delivered the newly built liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier John A. Angelicoussis to Greek shipowner the Angelicoussis Group.The Greek-flagged vessel, which is named in honor of the company's late founder John A. Angelicoussis, will be operated by Angelicoussis affiliate Maran Gas.The ship has a cargo capacity of 173,400 cubic meters and is propelled by two MAN two-stroke dual-fuel ME-GI engines…
Lars Thrane Releases LRIT for LT-3100S GMDSS System
Lars Thrane A/S is pleased to announce the release of Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) functionality for the MED/Wheelmark approved LT-3100S GMDSS System.The LT-3100S GMDSS System is an Iridium GMDSS satellite communications product developed and certified to comply with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Chapter IV Radiocommunication Requirements. Iridium was recognized and adopted as…
Keel Laid for Finnlines' First Hybrid RoPax
A keel laying ceremony was held Friday for Finnsirius, the first of two ro-pax vessels being built for Finnlines at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai, China.Scheduled to enter service in 2023, Finnsirius and its sister vessel Finncanopus will operate on the Finland–Sweden route where Finnlines has sailed since 1997. The ports of call are Naantali in mainland Finland, Långnäs on the Åland Islands…
Samsung Delivers Shuttle Tanker to Altera
Altera Infrastructure, formerly known as Teekay Offshore, said it has taken delivery of a new shuttle tanker from Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea.The 148,200 DWT newbuild, Altera Thule, was handed over to Altera on Thursday. The ship's crew is currently on board and preparing for sail away after familiarization, testing and drills, the company said.The Bahamas-registered suezmax will operate on long-term contracts with a group of companies that includes Chevron…
Helix in Multi-year Well Intervention Deal with Shell in U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Helix Energy Solutions Group, a U.S. offshore oil, and gas well services company, has signed a multi-year deal with Shell to provide Well Intervention services in the Gulf of Mexico.Under the contract Helix will provide either the Q4000 or Q5000 riser-based semi-submersible well intervention vessel, a 10k or 15k Intervention Riser System (IRS), remotely operated vehicles, project management, and engineering…
Ammonia-fueled Car Carrier Design Gets DNV Nod
Classification society DNV said it awarded an approval in principle (AIP) certificate to Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) for its ammonia-fueled 7,000 CEU car carrier design.Ammonia is emerging as a promising alternative fuel option for shipping to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.SDARI's new ammonia-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) design is said to be the first from China.
Yara to Set Up Scandinavian Green Ammonia Bunkering Network
Norway's Yara and Azane Fuel Solutions have signed a deal to create a Scandinavian network of bunker terminals to supply ships with zero-carbon ammonia as marine fuel, the companies said on Friday.They said the network will make "green" ammonia - produced from renewable electricity - available for the shipping industry in the region by 2024, which is also when the first ships with ammonia-fueled engines are expected to enter the market.A hydrogen-carrying chemical primarily used as a fertilizer…
Port Capacity in Question as UK Offshore Wind Expands
U.K. port bosses are scratching their heads as to how to meet demand as offshore wind, including new floating projects, ramps up around the country’s coastline.The U.K. government is pushing this source of energy and has a 40-gigawatt (GW) by 2030 target—ramping up from around 30 GW today—for offshore wind. While fixed bottom projects continue to roll out, through some of the world’s largest offshore wind farms…
Cheniere Declares Option for the 5th LNG Carrier from Flex LNG
Flex LNG announced on Friday that Cheniere has declared it option to employ a fifth liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier under a time charter deal announced in April 2021.
'Siem Sapphire' Providing W2W Services for Offshore Wind Farm Commissioning in Taiwan
Norwegian offshore vessel owner Siem Offshore has signed a new contract for the “Siem Sapphire” AHTS vessel for operations in Taiwan. "Delivery [of the vessel] has already taken place, and secures firm utilization well into the third quarter of 2022 plus options," Siem Offshore said.The scope of work consists of walk-to-work (“W2W”) operations for accommodation support in relation to the commissioning of an offshore wind farm.
Marlink, Intelsat Increase Bandwidth Capacity for Cruise and Merchant Shipping Sectors
Smart network company Marlink has extended its partnership with Intelsat to offer increased Ku and C-band satellite connectivity to maritime customers in cruise and merchant shipping sectors.The agreement will see Intelsat assign capacity to the Marlink network providing a unique level of coverage in waters as far south as Antarctica as well as ocean regions around Africa and the Middle East. Marlink will derive the additional capacity from multiple assets…
Multiple Ships Suffer 'Blackouts' Due to Tainted Bunker Fuel from Singapore
A major bunker fuel contamination has affected at least 14 shipping vessels that received high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) from Singapore, fuel, and oil testing firm Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) said.The company said an increasing number of ships were getting affected by the tainted bunker fuel after 34 vessels were identified to have received HSFO deliveries from two unnamed Singapore suppliers over the last two months that were contaminated with up to 2…
New Fortress Energy Plans to Build Offshore LNG Export Project in Louisiana by Q1 2023
U.S. energy company New Fortress Energy Inc said on Thursday it filed with federal regulators to build an offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project off Louisiana that could enter service as soon as the first quarter of 2023.That is much faster than the usual two to four years it takes to build a land-based LNG plant and, if completed, would help the United States meet President Joe Biden's…
Oil Protesters Block 10 UK Oil Terminals
Hundreds of climate change protesters blocked oil terminals across Britain on Friday with some supporters climbing on top of oil tankers as part of their campaign to force the government to end its reliance on fossil fuels.Extinction Rebellion, which caused days of traffic chaos in central London three years ago, and another group Just Stop Oil blocked refineries around London, Birmingham, and Southampton.Police in Essex, just east of London, said they were dealing with three incidents and six p
US Senate Approves Bill to Ease Export Shipping Backlogs
The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill to improve oversight of ocean shipping, a step supporters say will help ease export backlogs.The Ocean Shipping Reform Act, led by Senators John Thune and Amy Klobuchar, would strengthen the investigatory authority of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the U.S. agency that oversees ocean shipping, and boost transparency of industry practices.Senate…
Campbell Buys Assets of E Squared Marine
Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. (CTC), a fully integrated marine services company headquartered in Pennsylvania, announced Thursday that it has purchased the…
Caterpillar Marine to Invest in Methanol Engine Tech
Engine maker Caterpillar announced it is investing to develop methanol engine technologies as the commercial maritime sector continues to engineer and implement new solutions to reduce emissions.The company called the cleaner burning fuel a key to decarbonization in the marine industry. Compared to conventional fuels, methanol produces fewer emissions such as SOx, NOx and particulate matter.“This commitment…
Strong Outdraft and Wind Contributed to Tow Striking Guide Wall
The contact between a tow and a section of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in Alton, Ill., was caused by the pilot of the towing vessel not effectively compensating for a strong outdraft and wind, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.On March 19, 2021, the 177-foot-long towing vessel Kevin Michael was pushing 15 barges down the Mississippi River when the tow struck the bull nose of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam upstream main lock chamber guide wall…
