Panama Canal Expects Cargo Slowdown
The amount of cargo passing through the Panama Canal is expected to shrink this fiscal year, the canal’s top authority said on Wednesday, with experts warning lower volumes could hurt Panama’s economy.Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said the institution forecasts just 500 million tonnes of goods passing through the 50-mile (80-km) trans-oceanic waterway in the 2023 fiscal year, some 10.3 million less than the previous forecast.Vasquez blamed the slowdown in part on Russia’s war in Ukraine…
Fincantieri Floats Out LNG-fueled Cruise Ship for Princess
Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri announced it has floated out Princess Cruises' latest newbuild, Sun Princess, in Monfalcone.At 175,500 gross tons Sun Princess is the largest ship built in Italy to date. It is also the first cruise ship built by Fincantieri to run on cleaner burning liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well Princess Cruises’ first dual-fuel vessel powered primarily by LNG.Scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of 2024…
US Needs Until Year-end to Complete Offshore Drilling Plan
The Biden administration needs until the end of this year to finalize a long-awaited five-year plan for offshore oil and gas development in federal waters, according to court documents filed this week.The U.S. has been without a congressionally-mandated five year schedule of offshore oil and gas auctions since the previous one expired in June 2022. The process is being closely watched by the oil and gas industry…
Wilson Taps Seaber to Digitalize Fleet Scheduling
Finnish maritime software company Seaber.io announced Norway-based Wilson EuroCarriers will use its technology to enable the digitalization of its fleet scheduling, helping to improve efficiency as well as reducing costs and emissions.With a fleet of about 130 vessels in the range of 1500-8500 DWT, Wilson is the largest short sea shipping company in Europe. As a fully integrated shipping company Wilson handle everything in-house…
Crescent River Port Pilots Order Two Vessels from Snow & Company
Seattle shipbuilder Snow & Company announced it has been awarded a contract to build a pair of 50-foot pilot boats for the Crescent River Port Pilots’ Association, based in Louisiana. Designed by U.K.-based Camarc Design, the all-aluminum vessels have a refined hull with enhanced fuel efficiencies and reduced slamming accelerations, which provide excellent all-around seakeeping capabilities and a pilot…
Hornblower Hires DiFulgo as Chief People Officer
Hornblower Group announced Karen DiFulgo has joined the company as Chief People Officer, responsible for leading the strategic and operational human resources initiatives across the company’s global portfolio. She will report to Adam Peakes, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Hornblower Group.DiFulgo comes to Hornblower from Benchmark Global Hospitality, where she served as the Chief People Officer.
French Strike Disrupts Rhine River Traffic
Rhine river traffic came to a standstill in some places on Wednesday due to strikes against French government plans to raise the pension age, with sections of the river in France, Germany and Switzerland affected, a CGT union representative and Germany's Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSA) said.Around 1.28 million people in France had participated in a sixth day of protests on Tuesday against…
Campbell Promotes Statler to Senior VP of River Operations
Houston, Pa.-based marine transportation and services business Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. (CTC) announced it has promoted Gary Statler to senior vice president of river operations, effective March 1, 2023.Statler joined Campbell in October of 2014 and served as vice president of administration from February of 2021.Campbell's president, Kyle Buese, said Statler's promotion is in line with the company's long-term succession plan…
Performance Shipping Orders LNG-ready LR2 Tanker
Greek shipping company Performance Shipping on Wednesday announced it has signed a shipbuilding contract with China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Limited for a newbuild LR2 Aframax product/crude oil tanker.The 114,000 DWT vessel was ordered for for a contract price of $62.6 million, net of commission to third party, Performance Shipping said. The company noted that 15% of the purchase price is payable upon receipt of a refund guarantee…
DP World to Install Innovative BOXBAY Container Storage System in Busan
UAE-based logistics giant DP World announced its BOXBAY high-bay storage system will be installed to boost container handling efficiency at its terminal in Busan, South Korea.BOXBAY was developed by DP World in a joint venture with German plant technology supplier SMS group, who first created and proved the system for handling heavy metal coils. Refined for port logistics, the fully automated rack-like container storage system allows direct access to each container at any time…
Germany Raids Suspected Ship in Nord Stream Pipeline Blast Probe
Western allies on Wednesday warned against reaching premature conclusions on who was responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines, with Germany suggesting the attack could also have been a "false flag" operation to blame Ukraine.A New York Times report, citing intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials, said on Tuesday a pro-Ukrainian group may be behind the blasts that became a flashpoint between the West and Russia after last year's Russian invasion of Ukraine.The report…
Hunsucker Named President of Kohler Power Systems
Kohler announced the appointment of Charles Hunsucker to the role of President - Kohler Power Systems reporting to Brian Melka, Group President – Energy.Hunsucker joined Kohler Co.
Future-Fuel-Ready Courage Enters Service on the Rhine
Following a successful initial loading operation and maiden voyage on the river Rhine, Covestro and HGK Shipping GmbH officially put into service the new low-water vessel called 'Courage' at the beginning of March. Designed 'future-fuel-ready', It is designed to supply the material manufacturer’s customers with finished products from the company’s business sites in North Rhine-Westphalia. Sister vessel…
Alaska's Qilak LNG Targets Asia with $5B Project to Compete with Russia
Qilak LNG plans to invest $5 billion in a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Alaska's North Slope to compete with Russia's Yamal project for Asian customers towards the end of this decade, its chief executive said. Major LNG importers such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are rethinking Russian supplies after sanctions on Moscow after it invaded Ukraine and more natural gas could be…
US Plans No Wider Easing of Sanctions on Venezuela, Official Says
The U.S. government is not planning a systematic easing of sanctions on Venezuela after an initial round allowed partners of state-run oil firm PDVSA to resume taking oil for past debts, a State Department official said.In November, Washington issued a six-month license allowing Chevron Corp. to expand operations and export Venezuelan oil to the United States. Eni and Repsol also began taking Venezuelan crude for debt with U.S. approvals, This year, Trinidad and Tobago received a U.S.
Wärtsilä to Deliver CCS-ready Scrubbers for 8,200 TEU Containerships
Wärtsilä received its first order for carbon capture and storage-ready scrubber systems - CCS-Ready scrubbers.Wärtsilä said that four 8,200 TEU container vessels, being built at undisclosed Asian-based yard, would be fitted with Wärtsilä’s CCS-Ready 35MW scrubber in an open loop configuration.The scrubbers are termed CCS-Ready because, as part of their installation, Wärtsilä will perform additional…
New Intelligence Points to Pro-Ukraine Group in Nord Stream Attack
New intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggests that a pro-Ukraine group - likely comprised of Ukrainians or Russians - attacked the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September, but there are no firm conclusions, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.There was no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy or other Ukrainian government officials were behind the attacks which spewed natural gas into the Baltic Sea, the newspaper reported, citing U.S.
MOL Bulk Carrier to be Equipped with Rotor Sails
Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and Brazilian headquartered mining company Vale are teaming up to retrofit an in-service bulk carrier with rotor sail auxiliary wind propulsion to help reduce fuel burn and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.The 200,000-ton class Capesize bulk carrier, currently employed under a mid-term contract for transportation of iron ore for Vale, will be fitted with a pair of 35- by 5-meter rotor sails produced by Finland's Norsepower.
Kyiv Holding Online Talks with Partners on Grain Export Deal Extension
Ukraine has started online talks with partners on extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative aimed at ensuring Kyiv can keep shipping grain to global markets, a senior Ukrainian government source said on Tuesday.The source said Ukraine had not held discussions with Russia, which blockaded Ukrainian Black Sea ports after its invasion last year, but that it was Kyiv's understanding that its partners were talking to Moscow."The situation with negotiations is rather complicated.
Auramarine Opens New Factory in Shanghai
Auramarine, provider of fuel supply systems and other auxiliary equipment for the marine, power and process industries, announced its relocation in Shanghai, China.Auramarine’s CEO John Bergman said, “Our new factory enables us to increase our production capacity to meet the demands of the coming years, while also providing a first-class working environment for our dedicated staff. All of these improvements will result in shorter lead times…
