Suez Canal Offers New Rebates for LNG Carriers
The Suez Canal Authority has announced rebates for LNG carriers effective from July 1, 2023.Circular no. (7/2017) concerning LNG carriers (laden/ballast) has been amended as follows:LNG carriers (laden/ballast) operating between the American Gulf (and ports south) and areas in Asia will be granted rebates:a) Arabian Gulf ports (ports within the Arabian Gulf starting from Sur port, Oman) and eastern…
Piracy Is Heating Up In Key Hotspots
Reported incidents of piracy and attacks on vessels are on the rise in key hotspot areas such as the Gulf of Guinea and Singapore Straits.Sixty-five incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were recorded globally in the first half of 2023, an increase from 58 incidents for the same period in 2022, according to a mid-year report from the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB). Of the 65 incidents reported…
Shell, BP Pursue Arbitration Claims Against Venture Global LNG
Top LNG traders Shell and BP have separately filed for arbitration against U.S. exporter Venture Global LNG for failing to supply contracted cargoes, even as it sold to non-contract customers as prices soared, four people familiar with the matter said.A Venture Global LNG spokesperson did not comment on the Shell and BP claims. Last month, the company said it was in full compliance with terms of its…
Scorpio Sells 2013-built Tanker for $32.5 Million
Scorpio Tankers announced it has sold a medium range (MR) product tanker for $32.5 million.The Monaco-headquartered shipowner said the sale closed this month, but…
Keel Laid for New German Research Ship
The Meyer Group's Neptun Werft officially laid the keel for the new German research vessel Meteor IV during a ceremony at the Rostock, Germany shipyard.The Meyer Group is building the research vessel together with the Lower Saxony shipyard Fassmer on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research."Only two months after the burning start, the assembly of the individual components for the Meteor IV is now beginning.
Bunker Fuel Contamination Hits US Gulf Coast
Contaminated marine fuels from several suppliers led to fouled engines on about a dozen vessels operating from the U.S. Gulf Coast this spring, according to Lloyd's Register and marine fuel testing service VPS.The tainted fuel was the first major occurrence along the U.S.
Hornbeck Offshore Eyes U.S. Offshore Wind Work with OSV-to-SOV Conversion Project
U.S. offshore vessel owner Hornbeck Offshore Services, best known for its offshore oil and gas support vessel services, is looking at business opportunities in the growing U.S. offshore wind sector as well as in offshore accommodation services in the oil and gas area.For that, Covington, La. based Hornbeck Offshore said Wednesday it had contracted Eastern Shipbuilding Group to convert one of its recently…
Germany Tells UN: Nord Stream Inquiry Found Subsea Explosive Traces on Yacht
Germany found traces of subsea explosives in samples taken from a yacht that it suspects "may have been used to transport the explosives" to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipelines, it told the U.N. Security Council in a letter with Sweden and Denmark.A series of unexplained explosions hit the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines connecting Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea last September in the exclusive economic zones of Germany, Sweden, and Denmark.
ScanReach ConnectFuel for J.J. Ugland Fleet
J.J. Ugland awarded a contract to ScanReach to deliver its ConnectFuel solution to optimize fuel consumption and reporting for J.J. Ugland's fleet.Onboard Wireless Connectivity (OWC) is the platform for real-time data collection, analytics and reporting to onboard and onshore users. OWC is unique in the ability to quickly install the wireless mesh network, as it consists of wireless mesh network nodes that can be mounted onto bulkheads by crew or installers…
Light Structures Inks Deal for Hull Monitoring on 8 LNG Carrier Newbuilds
Light Structures AS was contracted by China Merchants Hoi Tung company to deliver and install Hull Stress Monitoring Systems for eight newbuild LNG carriers. The vessels are owned by two separate consortia for operations in the Middle East and are being built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding for delivery through 2024 to 2026.Light Structures will provide hull monitoring data to the LNG vessels using the standardized SENSFIB Global system.
Mitsubishi Launches, Christens LNG Bunkering Vessel
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company based in Yokohama, today held a christening and launch ceremony for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel, the first to operate in western Japan, built under contract for KEYS Bunkering West Japan Co., Ltd. The ceremony was conducted at the Enoura Plant at MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Marine Assekuranz, Fram Insurance Brokers Form JV "Marine Alliance"
Marine insurance brokers Marine Assekuranz from Hamburg and Fram from Norway are joining forces. With the core expertise in insuring ships and transports worldwide for decades – now they are joining forces under the umbrella of the "Marine Alliance". The alliance was founded last year by Söderberg & Partners, a Stockholm-based family business that is the majority shareholder of Fram. The Marine Alliance will offer specialized industry know-how…
Ship Fire at Port Newark Extinguished
The Unified Command consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark Fire Department, and Gallagher Marine Systems has successfully concluded shipboard fire response operations at Port Newark and is transitioning to the investigation and salvage operations.The Grimaldi cargo vessel Grande Costa D’Avorio caught fire Wednesday night around 9:30PM at the Port of Newark, an incident in which two firefighters died Thursday.
NYK Wood-Chip Carrier Rescues Woman Near the Philippines
Southern Ace, a wood-chip carrier operated by NYK, spotted a woman in distress on the sea surface near the Philippines at around 17:45 (local time) on July 5 while sailing from Albany, Australia, to Niigata, Japan.After notifying the Philippine Coast Guard, the vessel rescued the person and handed her over to the coast guard at 21:00 on the same day.Captain Rex D. Lumosbog led the rescue by Southern Ace.
MEPC 80: Action Taken on Range of Environmental Regulations
The IMO’s MEPC 80 session adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships and advanced other environmental initiatives.The revised IMO GHG Strategy includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping close to 2050, a commitment to ensure an uptake of alternative zero and near-zero GHG fuels by 2030, as well as indicative check-points for 2030 and 2040:1.
China Celebrates National Maritime Day
China celebrated its 19th National Maritime Day on July 11, with celebrations taking place in museums and schools along with a range of technical conferences.The Ministry of Transport released the 2022 China Shipping Development Report which showed that container throughput at ports increased by 4.7% and the volume of rail-water multi-modal transport routes increased by 16% year-on-year.China Daily reports Vice-Transport Minister Fu Xuyin saying: “By the end of last year…
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Expands Partnership with Local Technical College
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) is expanding its partnership with a local technical college in an effort to advance the maritime manufacturing industry and meet growing workforce demand within the region.In fall 2022, FBS and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) designed a specialized training program for FBS employees to advance their welding and ship/pipe-fitting techniques.
ABS Issues AIP for Ammonia-fueled Containership
Classification society ABS informs it has awarded an approval in principle (AIP) to Korea Maritime Consultants Co., Ltd. (KOMAC) for a the design of a new containership engineered to run on ammonia fuel.The 3,600-TEU vessel is a design from KOMAC to address what they forecast as an increase in market need for small-scale, ammonia-fueled vessels.ABS said it conducted a comprehensive review and participated…
Cheniere Shunning Panama Canal for Longer LNG Routes to Asia
Top U.S. LNG exporter Cheniere Energy LNG.A is shunning the Panama Canal to transport liquefied natural gas to Asia because the market is not supporting use of the waterway, said Chief Operating Officer Corey Grindal on Monday.The Panama Canal historically has been used by U.S Gulf Coast LNG exporters to send LNG to Asian customers via the Pacific Ocean. But a months-long drought has led to delays…
World's Top Fertilizer Maker Cuts Output as Canada Port Strike Drags On
The world's biggest fertilizer producer Nutrien Ltd cut production on Tuesday, citing the impact of an 11-day-old strike in Canada's Pacific ports whose cost has now ballooned to an estimated C$5.5 billion ($4.2 billion).Some 7,500 dock workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) walked off on July 1 after failing to agree a new wage deal with the British Columbia…
