Stena Line Acquires Ferry and RoRo Port Operations in Ventspils
Stena Line announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the operations of the ferry and RoRo terminals in the Port of Ventspils, Latvia, representing the latest in a range of investments in the Baltic region, including the addition of upgraded ferries and new ferry routes.The acquisition in Latvia is the latest among several moves to support Stena Line’s long-term expansion in the growing Baltic Sea region.
St. Johns Ship Building Launches Vocational Training and Apprenticeship Program
St. Johns Ship Building (SJSB) is working to attract the next generation of skilled shipyard workers.The Palatka, Fla. shipbuilder announced it has introduced a comprehensive vocational training program designed to cultivate a variety of sought-after marine and shipbuilding crafts and trades. The program will be progressively rolled out, with each stage focusing on different skill sets and timeframes.The…
India's Adani Ports to Pay $130 Million of Debt Early
India's Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, a group company of the beleaguered Adani Group, said on Tuesday that it would pay $130 million of its debt early, after nearly $413 million worth of debt has been tendered for early payment.Adani Ports had floated a tender of up to $130 million of 3.375% 2024 maturity dollar-denominated bonds late last month, as it seeks to boost investor confidence after the group's shares were pummelled earlier this year by a U.S. short-seller's report.
HAV Group Set to Acquire Undheim Systems, Adding DP Capabilities
Norway's HAV Group ASA has agreed to acquire Undheim Systems AS, a provider of dynamic positioning (DP) systems for vessels."The planned technology acquisition is a strategic move that accelerates HAV Group's plans to offer digital functionality that meets the global maritime market's needs for decision support tools and autonomous ship operations," HAV Group said.“HAV Group already provides digital decision support systems to vessels in order to cut operating expenditure and emissions to air.
U.S. Offshore Vessel Owner Harvey Gulf Welcomes Philip Luongo as Executive VP
U.S.-based offshore vessel owner Harvey Gulf International Marine has said that Philip Luongo, a New York native and graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, has joined the company. After graduating Kings Point, Luongo upgraded his Unlimited U.S. Coast Guard License by sailing on deep sea vessels and operating production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Luongo then transitioned shore side where he worked for BP for nine years…
North Star to Expand Offshore Wind Fleet with Two New Vessels from Vard
Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, part of Italy's Fincantieri, has signed new contracts to design and construct two commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) for the UK-based offshore vessel owner North Star.The agreement also has an option for two additional ships, which could ultimately create a total of up to 200 new seafaring job opportunities across the CSOV fleet once operational, Vard said.North Star…
Meyer Turku Increased Turnover in 2022
Meyer Turku Group has published its 2022 financial results indicating a positive turnaround on the previous year.The Group’s turnover was 1.30 billion euros, up about 200 million euros on 2021. The loss for the financial year was 15.6 million euros, which was less than the previous year's 17 million euros.Meyer Turku CEO Tim Meyer comments on the result: "During 2022, we were particularly affected by the difficult availability of materials and overall increased costs…
US Coast Guard Warns on Load Line Regulations
The Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis has released U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 06-23: Avoiding Load Line Requirements.The safety alert cites a recent marine casualty resulting in the total loss of a crane barge, estimated at over $6 million, and cautions about the risks associated with not complying with load line regulations.The incident occurred approximately 18 miles offshore…
Lomar Shipping Buys Three Bulk Carriers
U.K.-based shipowner Lomar Shipping announced it has acquired three Supramax bulk carriers as part of its ongoing bulker fleet expansion program.The company, a subsidiary of New York-based Libra Group, said it has taken delivery of the 57,038-dwt Oslo Trader (ex Ariadne, built in 2010), while the 2012-built 56,702-dwt Lima Trader (ex Universal Bangkok) and 57,075-dwt Rome Trader (ex Haut Brion), built in 2011…
US Consumer Goods Import Forecast Lowered for First Half of 2023
Closely watched U.S. retail trade forecasters on Monday lowered their import target for the first half of 2023 and said they expect incoming ocean container volume to remain soft going into this autumn - when retailers like Walmart (WMT.N) should be well into holiday season preparations.The Global Port Tracker now expects U.S. container imports of 10.4 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) for the first half of the year, a reduction of nearly 4% from its prior forecast.
Ukraine Says Russia Has Effectively Stopped Black Sea Grain Deal
Russia has effectively stopped the Black sea grain deal by refusing to register incoming vessels, Ukraine's reconstruction ministry said on Monday.Ukrainian Black Sea ports were blockaded after Russia's invasion last year, but access to three of them was cleared last July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv that was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey."The Russian Federation once again effectively…
CMA CGM to Buy Bollore Logistics Unit for $5.5 Billion
French shipping group CMA CGM has committed to buy the logistics operations of family-run conglomerate Bollore for an enterprise value of 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion), the two companies said on Monday.CMA CGM granted the Bollore group an option to sell it the logistics business, which generated more than 7 billion euros in revenue last year and employs 13,500 people.Bollore said it would decide whether…
LNG Dual-fuel VLCC Design Gets AIP from Bureau Veritas
French engineering firm GTT said it has obtained an approval in principle (AIP) from Bureau Veritas (BV) for the design of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel very large crude carrier (VLCC). This approval is part of a joint development project (JDP), started in May 2022, and carried out by Shanghai Waigaiqiao Shipyard (SWS) and BV.The SWS-designed vessel features optimized hull lines and is equipped with GTT’s high-tech system for LNG cargo containment…
Colonna’s Promotes Three Execs
Tom Godfrey, President & CEO of Colonna’s Shipyard, Incorporated (CSI), today announced the promotions of three executives from the company’s leadership team to new positions. Randall Crutchfield has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Jordan Webb, becomes the Executive Vice President of Shipyard Operations. Chris Hartwig has been promoted to Senior Director of Steel America. All three appointments are effective immediately.
Lifeboats Need to be Reinvented, Industry Group Says
A maritime industry safety group is calling for the total reinvention of lifeboats on board cargo vessels amid frequent injuries among seafarers.“Lifeboats are an essential part of crew safety onboard every vessel, but seafarers are way too often getting injured when launching the lifeboat,” the Container Ship Safety Forum e.V. (CSSF) said. “Over the years, many seafarers have been injured – some of them fatally – while launching the lifeboat during evacuations or evacuation drills.
Bad Fuel Caused Washington State Ferry Grounding
A fuel contamination issue led to the grounding of a Washington State Ferries (WSF) vessel in April, the operator said in a recent update.The 440-foot double-ended Jumbo Class ferry Walla Walla was traveling from Bremerton, Wash. to Seattle with 596 passengers and 15 crew members on board when it ran aground in Rich Passage, just off Bainbridge Island, Wash., at approximately 4:30 p.m. on April 15.
Thousands Rally in Australia Against Potential Submarine Base
Thousands of people rallied on Saturday against a future nuclear-powered submarine base at Port Kembla in eastern Australia as part of the A$368 billion ($244.1 billion) AUKUS defense pact with the United States and Britain.The second-largest coal export port in New South Wales state is the Defense Department’s preferred site for a new east-coast submarine base, according to state broadcaster ABC.Protesters…
Tanker Crew Members Rescued More Than Five weeks After Gulf of Guinea Pirate Attack
Six crew members who were kidnapped by pirates from a Danish-owned ship in the Gulf of Guinea in late March have been rescued from an undisclosed location in Nigeria…
MODEC Confirms Its First FPSO Order in Guyana
Japan's MODEC said Monday it would proceed with engineering, procurement, and construction on the Uaru FPSO vessel following a final investment decision on the Uaru offshore oil project by ExxonMobil in Guyana last month.The Uaru FPSO is named ‘Errea Wittu’, which means ‘abundance,’ and will be the fifth offshore FPSO in Guyana and the first to be supplied by MODEC. The first four, two of which are now in production in the Stabroek block off Guyana…
Italy New LNG Terminal to be Operational at End-month
The new floating terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) set up in the Tuscan port of Piombino will start its commercial operations at the end of this month, the CEO of Italy's gas grid operator Snam said on Friday.The terminal will make available around 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas this year and around 5 bcm next year said Snam's Stefano Venier at a press conference to mark the arrival of the first LNG tanker in Piombino."This ship is a great service to the country," Environment Ministe
