1. Art and Diseño

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 037
Number 037 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Friday 06-02-2015
News reports received from readers and Internet News articles copied from various news sites.
The Damen built ASD 2411 SL DAINTREE navigating in Port Botany (Australia)
Photo : Piet Sinke – CLICK on the photo !
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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 037
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EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS
DOCKWISE VANGUARD SETS NEW RECORD !
The DOCKWISE VANGUARD loaded the GOLIAT FPSO near Silido Island Geoje Korea. With more than 65.000
tonnes a new record! Photo : Corné Jongeneelen ©
PORT OPERATIONS IN PORT BOTANY
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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 037
In Port Botany (Australia) PB
Towage is operating the SL
DAINTREE (ex PB DAINTREE) PB
Towage a leading Australasian
based towage contractor with a fleet
of 45 modern vessels operating in the
Oceania, SE Asia and Middle East
regions, offering a range of marine
logistics
and
towage
services
centered on key growth markets. PB
Towage was acquired by Smit
Lamnalco in December 2014 for
around US$ 60 million for this money
Smit Lamnalco takeover PBTA’s
towage operations and 16 harbour
tugs as well two additional assets,
one harbour tug and one barge,
owned by other PB companies.
“PB Towage Australia has done a
great
job
for
its
customers,
establishing itself as a leading provider of harbour
towage services with a good reputation as a safe
and quality-conscious
operator,” said Pacific
Basin chief executive Mats Berglund.“ As we
have previously stated, however, our strategy is to
enhance our focus on our cornerstone dry bulk
business.
“We are happy that, through this agreement with
Smit Lamnalco, we are making good progress on
our strategy while ensuring the PBTA business can
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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 037
continue to operate as a going concern under the
ownership of a highly reputable towage group.” Tony
Cousins, managing director of PB Towage Australia,
added: “This is a very welcome development for all
employees and clients of PB Towage Australia. “Smit
Lamnalco now brings the specialist towage capability
and coverage necessary to compete on an international
scale.”Smit Lamnalco
chief
executive
Daan
Koornneef said: “We are excited by the acquisition of
PB Towage Australia, the second largest player in the
country, which will enable the expansion of our footprint
into Australia. “Smit Lamnalco will be active in eight ports in Australia with a total of 29
vessels offering a combination of harbour towage, terminal and FPSO-related services." As
mentioned above in Port Botany the tug SL DAINTREE is operating, the SL DAINTREE is a
2010 built Damen shipyard group built ASD 2411 tug with a length of 24.47 mtr
powered by 2 Caterpillar 3561B engines as seen below with an total output of 5600 BHP
for 68 ton bollard pull
The SL DAINTREE is a beautiful well maintained tug which operates with a crew of 3, Port Botany is a deepwater
seaport located in Botany Bay in Sydney, Australia. The port is dominated by trade in containerised manufactured
products, and to a lesser extent, bulk liquid imports including petroleum and natural gas. It is Australia's secondlargest container port, and is administered by NSW Ports which entered into a 99-year lease agreement with the NSW
Government in May 2013. The bulk liquid terminal was completed in 1979 as a common-user facility for the import of
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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 037
natural gas, oil, petroleum and chemicals. The terminal and storage area were progressively expanded during the
1980s including new ethylene tanks and handling plant operated by ICI, and AGL storage caverns in 1994 and 2000.
The bulk liquid terminal can accommodate ships of around 230 metres (750 ft) in length and 90,000 tonnes (89,000
long tons; 99,000 short tons). Intermodal container lifting
container crane belonging to Patrick Corporation at Port
Botany
The northernmost container terminal was completed in 1979
and officially opened by then-Premier Neville Wran who
christened it Brotherson Dock in memory of former Maritime
Services Board chairman Bill Brotherson who had died in 1975.
The terminal was initially leased to Australian shipping
company ANL but was transferred to Patrick Corporation in the
1990s. In 2006 the Patrick Corporation merged with Toll
Holdings. The southern container terminal opened in 1982,
christened Brotherson Dock Two and leased to the newly
formed stevedore company Container Terminals Australia
(CTAL). Despite both terminals being of equal size and quay length, Brotherson Dock Two struggled to compete with
its northern neighbour. In its first full year of operation, Brotherson Two handled just 91,000 containers with a berth
occupancy rate of 40 percent. In
the
1990s
CTAL
ceased
operations and the terminal lease
was sold to shipping company
P&O. In 2006
P&O was
purchased by Dubai Ports. The
third container terminal at Port
Botany was completed in June
2011. The A$515 million project
included the reclamation of 63
hectares (160 acres) of land with
the
construction
of
1.85
kilometres (1.15 mi) of shipping
wharves which will berth five
vessels. In addition, there was
associated rail and road networks.
Top : The SAFMARINE MERU moored in Port Botany – photo : Piet Sinke – © CLICK on the photo !
Baulderstone and Jan De Nul Joint Venture partners were awarded the Australian Construction Achievement
Award,
Australian
construction industry’s
most prestigious award,
for their work on the
project. In December
2009,
Hutchison
Whampoa invested in
Terminal
3
through
subsidiary
Hutchison
Port Holdings (and its
wholly owned subsidiary
Sydney
International
Container
Terminals),
signed a 30-year lease
with Sydney Ports Corporation, now transferred to NSW Ports. Top : the tanker PRO EMERALD moored in Port
Botany photo : Piet Sinke – © CLICK on the photo ! The terminal is expected to be operational during 2013. The
expansion catered for continued growth in demand for imports by intermodal containers and to provide space for a
third stevedore for Sydney. The expansion was twice the size recommended by an independent Commission of Inquiry
in 2004. The Commission's recommendation proposed that increased demand could be catered for by the two existing
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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 037
stevedores via improvements in technology and logistics. The concentration of NSW's container trade at Port Botany
will see a tripling of containers being
processed, and although there are plans to
double the current percentage of containers
being transported by freight rail from 20%
to 40%, there will still be a 200% increase in
container trucks on Sydney's roads.
Left : the PALANCA SYDNEY moored in
Port Botany photo : Piet Sinke – ©
CLICK on the photo !
An A$84 million expansion to the Bulk Liquids Berth, called BLB2, has
commenced and will double the capacity of bulk liquids operations.
The BLB2, became operational mid-2013, and is suitable for ships up
to 270 metres (890 ft) in length and 120,000 tonnes
herewith I would like to thank the hospitality
of Capt Stuart and his crew onboard the SL
DAINTREE whilst onboard this beautiful tug,
as well for the hospitality from the, at the
photo seen Tom and Damien, both Damen
Shipyards Group representative in Australia
& Capt Stuart of the SL DAINTREE and
shippingnewsclippings editor Piet
All photo’s : Piet Sinke © CLICK on the
photos or hyperlink in text !
Stena Line confirms end of Dun Laoghaire
to Holyhead route
Stena Line has confirmed it is to end its seasonal passenger ferry service from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead. Dun
Laoghaire Harbour Company (DHLR) expressed disappointment at the news but said it was now actively seeking
alternative providers to offer a service on the route and had received a number of informal approaches from ferry
operators in recent months.DHLR, which has issued a call for expressions of interest in operating an alternative service
on the eTenders website, said it hoped a replacement passenger service would be in place for 2016. Stena Line ferries
in Dublin Bay. Concerns have emerged that the line intends to pull out of Dún Laoghaire altogether and will not
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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2015 – 037
resume the service it normally operates from the port during the summer next year.Fears ferry operator Stena Line
may pull out of Dún Laoghaire
A ferry service has been running between Dun Laghoaire and Holyhead since 1835. A small fast craft was introduced
to the route in 1993, which was replaced by the world’s largest fast craft, the HSS Stena Explorer, in 1995 Stena
said it will concentrate on expanding its existing ferry service at Dublin Port. “With two services operating
approximately 10 miles apart we needed to make a decision in relation to what operation best serves the needs of our
customers now and in the years ahead, and that operation is Dublin Port,” said Ian Davies, Stena Line’s route manager
for Irish Sea South.
The Dun Laoghaire service was successful for several years following its introduction, carrying more than 1.7 million
passengers annually during its peak in 1998. However, Stena said that after the withdrawal of ‘duty free’ shopping and
a reduction in passengers with cars, passenger numbers had fallen dramatically, with fewer than 200,000 travelling
through Dun Laoghaire Harbour last year. The service was reduced to a seasonal operation five years ago.
“While we have enjoyed a very professional working relationship with Dun Laoghaire Harbour over many years, the
economic realities of the current situation in relation to our business levels have left us with no choice but to close the
service. Dublin continues to grow in importance, not only as the core freight port for Ireland but also as the key
tourism gateway into Ireland,” said Mr Davies.“Ireland remains a strategically important region for us which is why
Stena Line has invested over £250million across our Irish Sea business in the last five years alone,” he added.
DHLC said it had held active discussions with Stena in recent days over resumption of the seasonal service but said the
ferry company had been unable to secure a suitable vessel and had decided to ditch the service.“In the event that
Stena identifies a suitable vessel to meet passenger needs on the route, the Harbour Company would be receptive to
any future approach from Stena,” it said in a statement. The company said the importance of the passenger service
business to Dun Laoghaire had declined in recent year.DHLC said it did not envisage job losses at the harbour as a
result of the move on account of new commercial activities, which include proposals for an urban beach and an
international diaspora centre.There are also plans to boost cruise passenger numbers with a planning application for a
new cruise berth for ‘next generation’ cruise ships to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála in the coming weeks. It is
estimated that Dun Laoghaire will attract 100,000 cruise passengers and crew this year, with similar numbers expected
for 2016 and 2017. It said that while ferry passenger spend last year totalled €800,000, it expects cruise passengers to
spend about €7 million. Source : Irishtimes
Brittany charters ro-pax
The 22,000–gt SIRENA SEAWAYS (built 2003) will join in May and will be renamed.It is currently having exhaustcleaning scrubbers fitted to comply with new European low-sulphur rules.The ferry will run under the no-frills
Economie brand between Portsmouth and Le Havre route four times a week and from Portsmouth to Bilbao once a
week.Mike Bevens, group commercial director, said: "We have been really pleased with the demand for our new nofrills service so this additional ship will provide a welcome boost in capacity and provide our customers with an even
wider range of sailing times.“Furthermore, it now brings the total number of services to Spain to seven a week, again
providing more choice."The ship is certified to carry 610 passengers but Brittany Ferries will limit numbers to well
below this to give passenger "plenty of space to enjoy". Source : Tradewinds
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OSV ORYX moving in preparing for fuel transfer at PLSV TOP Coral do Atlantico. Bacia de Santos Iracema Sul
Brazil. Photo : Capt Peter Franse (c)
Sovcomflot and RS cooperate to bring new
state-of-the-art vessels to Russia’s
commercial fleet
Sovcomflot (SCF Group) and Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) have both taken steps to make the Russian
fleet more competitive. In 2014, 10 SCF Group vessels were transferred to the RS class, meaning that it is now
responsible for the survey of 40 Sovcomflot ships in total. These include the very latest Atlanticmax LNG carriers,
multi-purpose icebreaking supply vessels, crude oil tankers, chemical carriers and tugs. In order to satisfy the
increasing requirements of large-scale oil & gas projects on Russia’s continental shelf, Sovcomflot plans to expand its
fleet of specialised and technically advanced vessels operating under the flag of the Russian Federation, whilst
continuing to develop mutually-beneficial partnerships with Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. At present, SCF’s
entire shipbuilding programme is being carried out with the participation of RS.
SCF Group and RS are currently working together on several shipbuilding projects which are technically complex, in
light of the difficulty of operating vessels at extremely low temperatures and in regions with challenging climatic
conditions. The new vessels ordered by Sovcomflot to serve Russia’s Yamal LNG project include an ARC7 pilot Arctic
ice class LNG carrier. The ship’s technical characteristics and her unique power capacity, comparable with that of a
nuclear-powered icebreaker, allow her to transport cargo along the Northern Sea Route. This LNG carrier is planned to
enter service in June 2016. RS is also surveying the construction of another series of unique ARC7 ice class shuttle
tankers, with a deadweight of 42,000 tonnes, to operate on the Novoportovsk gas condensate field (the largest field
on the Yamal peninsula). These vessels are expected to be completed in 2016.
A series of state-of-the-art icebreaking supply vessels is being constructed at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard (United
Shipbuilding Corporation), to work on the north-east of Sakhalin Island. These ships, with the high ‘Icebreaker6’ ice
class, will work all year round to ensure safe operations at these oil & gas fields. They will also be employed as part of
the technical equipment for drilling platforms, and for icebreaking and rescue operations. This series of vessels also
includes a larger supply vessel for production platforms. This will be an upgraded version of the Vitus Bering series of
icebreaking supply vessels, which are also part of the SCF Group’s fleet, classed by RS, and which will operate at the
Arkutun-Dagi offshore oil field. These new vessels are planned to be completed by 2017. They will work under the flag
of the Russian Federation and will be staffed by Russian crews.
SCF Group’s Executive Vice President, Igor Tonkovidov, noted: “Russian Maritime Register of Shipping is the leader in
standard-setting for ice class vessels, and our cooperation with them is a vital element of Sovcomflot’s technical
management. SCF Group has a fleet of modern and technologically sophisticated ships, equipped to work in extreme
climatic conditions. We are dedicated to developing our business, and in doing so to increase the standards of
maritime safety, while continuing to provide our charterers with reliable cargo transportation”. RS Chief Operating
Officer, Pavel Shikhov, added: “Expanding our cooperation with SCF Group, in particular during new shipbuilding
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programmes, is one of RS main priorities. The vessels ordered by Sovcomflot reflect the very latest shipbuilding
innovations. Our participation in these projects is not only an acknowledgement of our expertise, but also an
opportunity to further develop and gain further advanced experience. Our cooperation with Russia’s largest shipping
company is not limited to classification. In 2015, RS will continue to work on the appraisal and certification of SCF
Group’s management systems, which began in 2013 with a draft agreement to conduct a diagnostic audit of OOO SCF
Arctica. Furthermore, both of our companies place great emphasis on the professional development of our staff, and
improving the standard of training that Russian sailors receive. Source: Russian Maritime Register of Shipping
Euronav’s $235m Maersk Venture
International shipping enterprise Euronav NV has announced that it will repay the US$235 million bond issued to
finance the acquisition of 15 VLCC oil tankers from Maersk Tankers Singapore, following a closure of its Initial Public
Offering (IPO) of ordinary shares on the New York Stock Exchange. According to World Maritime News, the vessels
have an average age of four years and will expand Euronav’s large tanker fleet. On January 30, 2015, Euronav issued
notice to exercise its right to request the contribution of 30 outstanding perpetual convertible preferred equity
securities.
Euronav issued a redemption notice on January 28, 2015 and expects to repay its bond around February 19, 2015.
The bond was issued at 85% of its principal amount with an interest rate of 5.95% for the first year and 8.50% as of
the first anniversary date.The company expects the aggregate principal amount of $75,000,000 to be contributed to
Euronav’s share capital through a contribution on February 6, 2015, against the issuance of more than 9.4 million
shares. The shares to be issued will be listed on both Euronext Brussels and the NYSE but tradeable only on Euronext
Brussels.Source : Port Technology
Seacurus launches new South-East Asian
petro-piracy cover
Specialist marine insurance intermediary Seacurus has developed a petro-piracy endorsement which can be added to
existing Kidnap & Ransom (KR) insurance cover in response to the evolving threats to ships, their cargoes and crews
when transiting the South China Sea, Malacca Straits, Indonesian Archipelago and Gulf of Guinea.
According to recent figures published by the International Maritime Bureau, South-East Asia accounted for threequarters of global maritime piracy last year after a surge in tanker hijackings helped to fuel a 22 per cent jump in
armed robbery and pirate attacks on ships in the region. There were 183 actual and attempted incidents of piracy and
robbery involving ships in South-East Asian waters last year, compared to 150 in 2013. In the Gulf of Guinea,
meanwhile, cargo theft is likely to remain on the agenda of Nigeria-based criminal gangs throughout 2015.
Denis Nifontov, Head of Marine K&R at Seacurus, says, “The criminal reach demonstrated by last year’s hijack of the
tanker Kerala, coupled with the number of successful and attempted attacks in 2014 and the lack of any evidence that
such gangs have been neutralised, suggests that further attempts at cargo theft will take place in 2015 across the
region. Seacurus has recognised the need for traditional marine K&R cover to evolve to provide all interested parties
with assurance that every eventuality is covered.
“The modus operandi of South-East Asian and Gulf of Guinea criminal gangs differs from the Somalian piracy model.
Ships’ crews are regularly exposed to life-threatening situations as criminals take control of and ransack vessels,
stealing valuable petro-chemical cargoes for commercial gain.”
The new cover from Seacurus recognises the need to protect crews against the potential for a kidnapping situation,
and ship and cargo owners against the risk of business interruption and property theft. In addition to the benefits of a
$1m marine K&R policy, the cover includes as standard such additional benefits as loss of hire ($500,000), loss or theft
of cargo ($500,000), loss of bunkers ($250,000), and loss or theft of money ($50,000) - all within an aggregate policy
limit of $5m.
Denis Nifontov says, “Given that, by its very nature, criminal activity is unpredictable, Seacurus believes that, for a
small additional voyage cost, cover can be arranged to give all parties to the maritime adventure peace of mind that
their interests are insured. Shipowners, charterers and cargo interests (who can be added to the policy as co-insureds
to cover their own interests in the voyage), can buy $5m of cover for a seven-day voyage for a typical premium cost of
$1,250, subject to an assessment of the usual underwriting information. In this way, all parties can protect their
standard marine insurances and insurance records from the potential for costly claims, whilst negating the need for
costly and time-consuming recovery actions and General Average settlements.
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Ship live photo the Dutch pilot speed tender COLUMBIA operating off Hoek van Holland
Photo / Film Cees van der Kooij © CLICK on the photo !
New Costa Rica port to open in 2018, says
Maersk unit
A port being built on Costa Rica's east coast by APM Terminals, a unit of Danish-based Maersk Group, will begin
operating in 2018, after labor and environmental concerns threatened to derail the country's biggest infrastructure
project. The first stage of the Moin Container Terminal project will cost nearly $670 million and more than double
current capacity by adding 1.3 million TEUS (twenty-foot equivalent units) in the country, which ranks as the world's
No. 1 pineapple exporter.
"The concession clock is ticking. It means that we have, under our concession agreement, 36 months to build the first
phase of the terminal," Paul Gallie, the Dutch firm's Central America managing director told Reuters in an
interview.The project, which saw two years of delays, aims to reach a capacity of 2.7 million TEUS, at a total cost of
about $1 billion.Since the project was awarded in 2011, it has faced opposition from dock worker unions which claim
APM Terminals will dominate maritime trade in Costa Rica, jeopardizing state operations.Environmental groups have
also warned that the construction will pose risks for protected species such as turtles that nest on nearby beaches. But
Costa Rica's Environmental Ministry green lighted the project.Environmentalists and unions have vowed to keep up
legal efforts to stop the port construction."So far we have won all (the lawsuits). We are not worried about it," said
Gallie. The new terminal will nearly double the size of vessels that can operate in Costa Rica. Source : Reuters
(Writing by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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New Auckland coastguard boat arrives at
base
Auckland's new $2.5 million coastguard rescue boat arrived at its Waitemata base after managing a small rescue on its
delivery voyage. The "New Lion", as it has been nicknamed, replaces the Lion Foundation Rescue, which has had 11
years of service on Waitemata Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf. It was built by Whanganui's Q-West Boat Builders, which
built the police launch Deodar III and the Pine Harbour ferries.
as the New Lion passed the Hole in the Rock off the Bay of Islands, it came across a localcharter boat that had not
seen its three divers for 90 minutes.Another charter jet boat started a search and the divers were spotted. The New
Lion stayed at the scene to ensure the divers were medically fine. It joins the ASB Rescue and Trillian Rescue Alpha.
The Auckland Coastguard says its new vessel will provide a more modern and better-equipped rescue boat to the
region. It will be able to respond quickly in extreme conditions. Designed by Auckland's Teknicraft, it is described as a
jet-powered, adjustable foil running catamaran.Its additional beam means the cockpit, the ambulance bay and the
bridge are a great improvement on previous vessels. Source : Stuff
Ship live photo : The THALASSA PATRIS outbound from Rotterdam-Europoort.
Photo / Film Cees van der Kooij © CLICK on the photo !
Twinsave, EKOB and ABB introduce SynRM
at the Stichtse Rijnlanden Polder Board
In close collaboration with ABB, Twinsave BV has recently installed one of the first SynRM facilities in the
Netherlands at the Stichtse Rijnlanden Polder Board water treatment plant.“The machines gradually started to
become obsolete”, says Ries Peeters, Manager and Owner of Twinsave Power Quality B.V. “At the ABB stand at
the energy fair in Gorinchem (The Netherlands) I spoke with Marcel Zevenbergen, who acquainted me with the new
SynRM motor developed by ABB. I knew at once that I wanted to do something with this at the treatment plant.”
Substantial savings
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“At the polder board there was immediate interest, but it quickly became clear
that no budget was available”, according to Ries. “Twinsave and partner EKOB
Energy BV have assessed sixteen motors at the Utrecht water treatment plant
for feasibility and ultimately it turned out there be ten motors suitable for
replacement by SynRM units. In the meantime we have already replaced one of
the eight influent pumps.The initial adjustment was a bit of a challenge, but that
was a good learning opportunity. In particular, control from the water treatment plant had to be combined with
regulation of the drive, but that has so many possibilities that it became difficult to maintain an overview. Fortunately
ABB was able to solve this quickly. Next time we’re letting ABB take care of the initial setup completely, so that the
technical people from the polder board can watch.” The SynRM was extremely economical at every speed, not just at a
high load. No other motor could achieve this sort of savings except a permanent magnet motor.
Smart financing
Ries, who has a technical
background
himself,
came in contact with Paul
Lankreijer from EKOB
Energy
BV
through
intermediaries. For its
own projects, EKOB was
already making use of a
smart
structure
with
which the polder board
can be fully relieved of
responsibility on several
fronts. The electric motor
is delivered on the basis of a so-called ESCo structure, and EKOB Energy BV takes care of installation and maintenance
of the facilities for its own account and at its own risk. So the end customer, RWZI Utrecht, has no involvement with
investment and maintenance costs, but does receive the financial advantages. And those quickly run to tens of
thousands of Euros per year. “My roots are in retail, but I have been involved in the energy sector for years”, says
Paul. “I offer companies a concept in which EKOB pays for complete installation for the customer and we make
agreements on the distribution of the results of the greater efficiency and economy of the machines. So we also
purchased and installed the ABB motor for the polder board – and fortunately it did what we had expected. The
savings are about 30%, so quite a bit. We took on the maintenance too, for which we make use of the ABB service
package and the Motor & Drive Care insurance. The costs of this are in fact very attractive in proportion to the level of
care offered. Actually this is a pilot project, with which we want to demonstrate the difference in energy requirements
for the various motors and drives. So this is also an important test case for us. Quite exciting!”
In operation
So far one electric motor of one of the eight influent pumps has been replaced in the sewage pumping station of the
water treatment plant. The existing motor was a 110 kW 965 rpm motor thirty years old, which was started with a soft
starter. Now the new motor drives a sewage water pump by means of a toothed belt transmission with a different ratio
than the old V-belt drive, delivering even more savings. The new motor and drive is a 90 kW 1000 rpm ABB
Synchronous Reluctance motor with an ACS880 frequency converter. As a unit this amply complies with the IE4
classification: the speed is brought down to 955 rpm to maintain the same pump speed. The first complete Drive &
Motor Care contract in the Netherlands was also concluded for this motor; ABB will take on all the responsibility for the
motor and the drive for the first five years. Ries continues: “Because the rotor temperature stays low, the energy loss
is less and the bearings last longer. The motor temperature stays lower too. By optimally adjusting the accompanying
frequency converter, the output can be brought up to the highest level. Also significant is the much longer service life
of the drive belt. This can definitely be used 20,000 hours without re-tensioning. For continuous use this means that
the belt lasts about two and a half years. The noise volume of this motor is substantially lower too. In the meantime
we’ve started a feasibility study of the possibilities for replacing the rest of the existing electric motors by SynRM
electric motors. If we modernise the entire facility with this sort of ABB components, the water treatment plant will
easily comply with the very highest environmental requirements.” “Throughout the entire process we maintained very
intensive contact with ABB. They really listen to our comments and feedback too. We see, for example, that matters
we have commented on are implemented in new models within a year. It’s also useful for us to know that ABB offers
integrated solutions. So there is a solution at hand immediately if we’re installing several machines and harmonic
distortion or other power quality challenges can occur.”
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A look ahead
“We see many more applications for this technology in the Netherlands, where there are not only many water
treatment plants, but also over 4300 polder pumping stations, plus a large harbour area and the process industry”,
Paul concludes. “Many business sectors know quite a few applications in which this technology can lead to high
savings. Within the water sector the delivery of quality is the most important thing – the energy bill has always been
paid. But due to the current economic circumstances and regulations in the area of sustainability, they must also
operate more economically. In addition, no one knows how the price of electricity is going to evolve in the long term,
so it pays to invest in considerably more economical facilities now.”
Acta Marine contracted CIG Shipbuilding to
build Wind Farm Support Vessel
Acta Marine contracted CIG Shipbuilding for the design and construction of a large Wind Farm Support Vessel. The
DP-2 fitted vessel measures 108 by 16 meters and offers comfortable accommodation and workspace for 75 persons
onboard. The vessel will be equipped with two dedicated boat landings for Crew Transfer Vessels as well as a motioncompensated gangway, which allows a safe and efficient transfer of technicians and equipment between the vessel
and wind turbines.
CIG has optimized the design with the aim of creating a vessel with the best possible workability and comfort for
operations in heavier sea state conditions, applicable for wind farms that are built further offshore.
The vessel will be named “ACTA ORION ” and is scheduled for delivery in September 2015. The hull is currently
under construction in Poland and outfitting will take place in the north of the Netherlands. Immediately after delivery,
the vessel will be chartered by contractor Van Oord, who will use ACTA ORION during the construction of the Gemini
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Offshore Wind Farm that will be located 85 km offshore in the Dutch part of the North Sea.The new ACTA ORION will
be the largest unit in the fleet of Acta Marine. In the coming months, Acta Marine plans to make further investments
for the offshore wind market by adding Crew Transfer Vessels to the fleet.
Nova Star ferry to get another $13M from
government
The Nova Star used up a $21 million provincial fund intended to last seven years within the first months of its
inaugural season. Since then, the province has put up another $7.5 million, including $2.5 million to berth the ferry in
South Carolina for the winter. The Nova Scotia government says it will spend another $13 million to bankroll the ferry
service between Yarmouth and Portland, Maine, this year.
Economic and Rural Development and Tourism Minister Michel Samson announced Wednesday in Yarmouth the
government has signed a one-year contract with the operators of the Nova Star."We are confident that the $13-million
subsidy is going to be more than adequate for the Nova Star to have a successful operating season," said Samson.
Nova Star ferry's winter quarters cost additional $2.5 The province says, in the spring, it will issue a request for a
proposal to operate the service for 2016.Keith Condon, a Yarmouth businessman who had previously expressed an
interest in taking over the ferry service, declined to comment Wednesday on whether he would put in a
proposal."Hopefully, they've corrected some of the issues, so good luck to them. This is their day," he said.
This year the ferry will run from June 1 to Oct. 14 and begin its run in Maine. Nova Star says it will operate seven days
a week and is offering what it calls "flexible pricing" in 2015 including discounts for travellers on Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday.The company says it will charge a one way fare of $94 for an adult. Return travellers will get a 10 per cent
discount.Nova Star officials are predicting 80,000 passengers in 2015.
"We believe this is going to be a good year and we're targeting 80,000 passengers and we feel that's a good goal,"
said Mark Amundsen, president and CEO of Nova Star Cruises.During its inaugural season in 2014, the ferry carried
59,000 passengers. The province said those passengers spent $13 million in Nova Scotia.In 2014, taxpayers spent
$28.5 million on the Nova Star, including burning through a $21-million, seven-year subsidy during the first season.
Ferry service resumed last year after a four-year hiatus. The previous New Democratic government cancelled a
provincial subsidy on the grounds it was too expensive. In a briefing Wednesday, government officials said the new
agreement contains more measures to lower costs and provide more auditing. Source : CBC
The Bulker MARINA BLISS arriving at Tata steel in Ijmuiden assisted by the Iskes tug HERCULES
Photo : Erwin Willemse ©
Philippines says Chinese ship rammed
fishing boats in Scarborough Shoal
The Philippines said on Wednesday that a Chinese coast guard ship had rammed three Philippine fishing boats in the
disputed Scarborough Shoal area of the South China Sea last week and Manila had protested to Beijing over the
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incident. China seized control of the area after a three-month stand-off with the Philippine coast guard in 2012. Beijing
lays claim the entire South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also claim areas of the sea where about $5 trillion ship-borne
trade passes every year. All states except Brunei have a military presence in the disputed areas."The Philippines
strongly protested China’s continuing actions to harass and prevent Filipino fishermen from legitimately pursuing their
livelihood in that area," the foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.The Manila government handed over
two protest notes to the Chinese Embassy in Manila, foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose said. Calls to the
Chinese Embassy seeking comment on the protests went unanswered.Jose said the first protest was over the
"intentional" ramming of three local fishing boats by a Chinese coast guard ship on Thursday, which had damaged the
vessels and put the lives of fishermen at risk.Manila had also protested over the collection of giant clams in the lagoon
of Scarborough Shoal by 24 Chinese utility boats on Jan. 22, Jose said. "The Philippines strongly protested this
destructive and illegal activity," he said, as a violation of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity and Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).Philippines coast guard officials said this
was the most serious incident involving Chinese ships and local fishing boats. Last year, the Chinese coast guard ship
fired water cannon at Filipino fishing boats in the same area. Source : Reuters (Reporting by Manuel Mogato;
Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Huge banana boats to start docking at
Portsmouth’s port
MONSTER reefer vessels that measure up to 185m long are set to arrive at Portsmouth’s port soon. Africa Express
Line (AEL) operates a fleet of new generation ships and has just signed a new contract with MMD Ltd, the fruit
handling specialists at Portsmouth International Port.
The reefer vessels are the biggest ever to unload at Portsmouth, but in turn will be dwarfed by the forthcoming Queen
Elizabeth supercarrriers, which are 280m long. The first AEL ship to arrive will be MV Cote D’Ivoirian Star, which is
due to sail into Portsmouth Harbour on Saturday, February 14, laden with a cargo of about 2,500 tonnes of bananas
and pineapples. Each week one of four AEL vessels will bring a similar amount of the same fruits, with an additional
1,000 tonnes of other produce such as sweetcorn, tomatoes and vegetables. All the produce being handled by MMD is
destined for UK supermarkets and is loaded at ports along the West African coast; the ships call at Cameroon, Ivory
Coast, Ghana and Senegal along the route to Portsmouth.It takes a month from leaving the first port in Africa before
reaching the South Coast of England. The vessels then move on to Antwerp in Belgium where produce heading for the
European market is unloaded.
Port manager Martin Putman said: ‘This is an important new contract for MMD, underlining how continued investment
in new facilities helps to attract world class operators like AEL.’ Reefer vessels are traditionally used for transporting
fresh produce.The four AEL vessels operating the new route to Portsmouth International Port are: Cote D’Ivoirian
Star, Colombian Star, Caribbean Star and Costa Rican Star. Source : Portsmouth.co.uk
Ezra's Subsea division wins US$65 million
in global contracts
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Ezra Holdings Limited says that the Group’s Subsea Services division, EMAS AMC, has secured multiple contracts
from various energy companies valued at more than US$65 million (including options).Scope of work includes project
management, engineering, and transportation and installation works for a floating production storage offloading
(FPSO) vessel in Africa, as well as various engineering and offshore construction support contracts.
Work on the various project activities has commenced with offshore execution taking place in 2015 and 2016.“Despite
the current headwinds faced by the oil and gas industry, our tendering activities remain healthy,” said Mr Lionel Lee,
Ezra’s Group CEO and Managing Director. Source: Scandinavian Oil & Gas
The TIMMERMAN I is used by Van Brink shipyard in Rotterdam for assisting ships in and out of the Drydock
Photo : Frans Sanderse ©
Ship mooring breaks in strong winds
The ER NEW YORK seen arriving at the Port Chalmers container terminal earlier this week – Photo : Ross Walker
Tug boats have secured a container ship at Timaru's port after it broke its stern mooring this morning in strong winds.
PrimePort chief executive Phil Melhopt said the 260 metre E.R. NEW YORK broke its stern mooring about 11.30am,
snapping a bollard in the process. Melhopt said the port recorded northwesterly gusts of 50 knots around the time the
mooring broke. The tug boats Aoraki and Timaru as well as the pilot launch Ohau pushed the Liberian-flagged
container ship back against the dock shortly afterward. Melhopt praised the "excellent" pilot and marine team for their
"extremely quick" reaction. PrimePort would be investigating the incident and would have to repair the bollard. It had
also told the Canterbury Harbourmaster about the incident.Hydraulic engineer Craig Atwill saw the ship just after it
came loose and immediately thought "this could be bad". Atwill said the tugs and pilot launch were "very quick" to
secure the ship. Melhopt said the ship was loaded and was waiting for winds to die down before leaving the port when
the mooring snapped. He said it was "up to Mother Nature" whether wind would further delay the ship's departure and
thereby delay another ship from docking. Source: The Timaru Herald
International Port Welfare PartnershipPilot
Project
A better welcome for visiting seafarers
A new website designed to encourage the formation of port welfare boards around the world to provide a welcome to
visiting seafarers has been launched today by the UK based Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB). An important
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element in a project managed on behalf of the International Seafarers’ Welfare Assistance Network (ISWAN), the
website explains the role of welfare boards, which are an integral part of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, now
being implemented around the world.
Regulation 4.4 of MLC 2006,requires member states to ensure that seafarers working on board a ship have access to
shore-based facilities and services to secure their health and well-being. It recommends that in order to fulfil this
requirement, member states “shall encourage the establishment of welfare boards which shall regularly review welfare
facilities and services to ensure that they are appropriate in the light of changes in the needs of seafarers resulting
from technical, operational and other developments in the shipping industry.” Managed by the MNWB, the ISWAN
project is designed to provide information, guidance and advice to assist in the establishment of welfare boards in
parts of the world where they have not been previously seen. Additionally, the project will assess the operational
effectiveness of existing welfare boards around the world, while helping to establish minimum standards and
promoting best practice. It is hoped that using this information, developed within a single point of contact, a “model”
might be provided that will be the basis of welfare boards thus fulfilling the objectives of MLC 2006 and leading to a
major, global project.
ISWAN Executive Director, Roger Harris stated "We are pleased to have the ITF Seafarers’ Trust sponsoring and
MNWB managing this important pilot project on our behalf.”He added “We now have an international Project Executive
Committee that boasts cross sector representation and are looking forward to working in partnership with MNWB who
possess a wealth of experience operating welfare boards.”
Peter Tomlin, Deputy Chief Executive of MNWB and Project Managerstated "Strong, effective Welfare Boardsneedn’t be
expensive or time consuming to organise or participate in. Every port is unique and we are mindful that there is no
easy ‘one size fits all’ rule for establishing Welfare Boards; however, we look forward to sharing our expertise with
partners in the international maritime community. Welfare boards are capable of really supporting and improving
seafarers’ welfare services in ports andthis exciting pilot project captures the collaborative spirit of MLC, 2006”
Kimberly Karlshoej, Head of ITF Seafarers’ Trust stated “The Trust is very proud to be the sponsor of the Port Welfare
Partnership Pilot Project. The promotion and utilisation of port welfare boards is a critical step in improving services to
seafarers during their all too short stays in the world's ports”.
The project website emphasises that the successful welfare board is, like a well-functioning port welfare committee, a
co-operative partnership within the maritime community. It will involve the participation of individuals and agencies
such as harbourmasters, port agents, port health, seafaring unions, voluntary organisations and the welfare providers,
along with local authorities. At both a national and local port level, it will also encourage financial support from the
industry through port levies and donations, and seek other mechanisms for funding, where this might be required.
Designed to provide an introduction to the important topic of seafarers’ welfare, and underlining the reasons why the
obligations under MLC 2006 are important, the website also shows something of the life of the modern day seafarer
and why ports need to provide this essential workforce with a warm welcome, all around the world.
To access the new project website visit www.portwelfare.org
left : The London & South East
Ports Welfare Committee, one
of the UK’s welfare boards meets
regularly to support and improve
welfare services for domicile and
visiting seafarers
Further organisational information:
ISWAN:
The
International
Seafarers Welfare and Assistance
Network
promotes
seafarers
welfare worldwide and supports
seafarers with a 24/7 helpline
www.seafarerswelfare.org
MNWB: The Merchant Navy
Welfare Board is the UK umbrella
charity for the Merchant Navy supportingthe provision of quality welfare services for seafarers and their dependants.
www.mnwb.org. ITF Seafarers’ Trust: The ITF Seafarers’ Trust provides funds for organisations who do work for
the benefit of seafarers www.seafarerstrust.org For further project information: email [email protected]
or contact: Alastair Whitfield, Project Administrator [email protected] or Peter Tomlin MBE MNM, Deputy Chief
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Executive & Project Manager, Merchant Navy Welfare Board, 8, Cumberland Place, Southampton SO15 2BH Tel: 0044
(0) 2380337799.
The BREMEN FIGHTER with Greenbarge II sailed from Vlissingen Photo : via Arthur Veenstra SHL
Mohamed SaqrAlfalahi takes delivery of
Albwardy Marine 20m aluminum patrol vessel
Mohamed SaqrAlfalahi General Maintenance has taken delivery of a new 20 metre aluminum patrol vessel. The vessel,
named AD COMET will replace their current vessel and undertake general and patrol duties in the Abu Dhabi waters.
The twin-screw vessel is built according the latest standards in the closed aluminum new-building shed at Albwardy
Marine Engineering in Sharjah (Damen Shipyards Sharjah).Mr. Yuji Nakamori, General manager of Mohamed
SaqrAlfalahi General Maintenance commented: “The delivery of this vessel is another signal of our commitment to
provide the high standards of facilities and services required by our client. We chose Albwardy Marine Engineering
because of their fine reputation and track record together with their level of service and customer care”.
More deepwater WDDM wells go onstream
offshore Egypt
BG Group’s Egyptian oil and gas production increased to 68,000 boe/d during 4Q 2014, up from the previous two
quarters. This was mainly due to the impact of new wells from the West Delta Deep Marine Phase 9a development in
the Mediterranean Sea, although still 33% down on the total for 4Q 2013. Eight of the nine Phase 9a wells are now
onstream, although the development will only temporarily offset BG’s underlying Egypt E&P declines.In the UK North
Sea, the company’s Armada, Everest, and Lomond fields were shut in during 4Q for planned asset integrity and
maintenance campaigns. The work on the Armada hub was completed in December while the asset integrity program
at Lomond is expected to be completed during 1Q. At Everest, the scope of the work had to be reduced following
storm damage to the accommodation support floatel in October. The outstanding duties have now been added to the
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next Everest campaign, scheduled for this summer.Production from all three field centers should restart soon following
the completion of repairs to a valve on the CATS Riser Tower.In December, all six riser systems were connected to the
Petrojarl Knarr FPSO that will serve the 80-MMboe Knarr field development. Subject to weather conditions, start-up is
expected during the current quarter.As for the company’s interests off Brazil, the 150,000-b/d Cidade de Itaguai (FPSO
6) for the Iracema North development arrived in Brazil last month for integration work. The operator expects first oil
during 4Q.Three remaining leased FPSOs, to be deployed at Lula Alto, Lula Central and Lapa in the Santos basin,
remain on schedule for first production in 2016.Work continues at shipyards in China, Japan, and Singapore ahead of
integration works which will be performed at the Brasa and BrasFELS shipyards in Rio de Janeiro. The first “replicant”
FPSO, P-66, has arrived at BrasFELS and integration works have started. Source : offshore-mag
Independent Consultants and Brokers in the International Tug and Supply Vessel market
(offices in London and Singapore)
Telephone : +44 (0) 20 8398 9833
Facsimile : + 44 (0) 20 8398 1618
E-mail : [email protected]
Internet : www.marint.co.uk
Ezra's Subsea division wins US$65 million
in global contracts
Ezra Holdings Limited says that the Group’s Subsea Services division, EMAS AMC, has secured multiple contracts
from various energy companies valued at more than US$65 million (including options).Scope of work includes project
management, engineering, and transportation and installation works for a floating prduction storage offloading (FPSO)
vessel in Africa, as well as various engineering and offshore construction support contracts.
Work on the various project activities has commenced with offshore execution taking place in 2015 and 2016.“Despite
the current headwinds faced by the oil and gas industry, our tendering activities remain healthy,” said Mr Lionel Lee,
Ezra’s Group CEO and Managing Director. Source: Scandinavian Oil & Gas
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Shipping in Very Troubled Waters
Now that the New Year, except in China, is with us it is time to focus on shipping’s future in the troubled waters of the
Global Economy.
Shipping has always been a vital ingredient in physical World Trade, but never more so with the evolution of the
industrial economies of Asia and the search for minerals and other raw materials in Africa and South America. This all
while the movement of energy products, oil and gas, continues to expand.
Shipping is vital to all these activities as consumers and suppliers invariably live oceans apart. Yet despite its vitality
and its unique ability to produce ships of many different types to meet demands of the trades, it has rarely ever been
able to influence its own economics advantageously.
Shipping, like its operations, has always been an offshore business and today the vast majority of commercial ships are
owned in offshore companies and trade under the flags of numerous open registries. Shipping also has a reputation for
secrecy, enhanced by its corporate structures and until recently there we very few publicly traded shipping companies.
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Shipping has always been a very personalized business and despite its global expansion, remains so today. It attracts
entrepreneurs because of the volatility of the businesses it serves and the fact that there are few barriers to entry
other than money.
Why then does shipping struggle to operate profitably, or even when it does, only succeed in doing so for short
periods of time, followed by longer periods of extreme hardship?
This has been clearly illustrated recently when the 4 boom years of the last decade have been followed by 6 years of
loss-making markets in nearly all sectors. This time however we have seen an enormous inflow of new equity capital
and bank debt, expecting a return to the markets of the last boom, which is more visible and reliant on financial
analysis than any previous group of investors.
Shipping, mainly because of its uniquely personalized business relationships, does not beat to the analysts drum and
the return to profitability will not come from some projected time cycle, but from the unpredicted changes in the
economics of its customers.
As has always happened in the past, shipping’s new money sees no end to the boom and proceeds to order new ships
to expand the size of the fleet. This ignores the fact that the boom profits only arose when the demand for shipping
exceeded the supply of ships and itself was only a temporary imbalance.
Thus the majority of new money has invested in ordering new ships, or taking over orders from companies already in
default, or even buying non-performing debt from troubled banks. Despite the fact that several thousand new ships
have delivered in the past 5 years, few have traded profitably if one takes into account interest and depreciation which
are the 2 main items excluded in EBITDA calculations.
With another 3,000 ships due to deliver in the next 2 years and with the existing fleets averaging only 9 years of age,
thereby minimizing scrapping, the excess capacity will continue through the rest of this decade, unless there are
unpredicted increases in customer’s economics.
The customers are struggling in troubled waters of their own with China leading the way in rationalizing its future
expansion while coping with the excesses of the past. It now however has enormous capacity to build ships and
recognizes that continuing to do so will control the transport costs of its raw material and energy imports as well as
the export of its manufactured goods. The Japanese did this very successfully in the 70s and 80s.
Of even greater concern is the sudden collapse in the price of crude oil, which while reducing the price of bunkers,
highlights the fact that oil customers are consuming less. The enormous expansion of oil production in the US coupled
with the imports from Canada and the future growth from Mexico may well remove the market for other US imports.
This coupled with China’s and Europe’s reduction of oil imports and their increase in the use of LNG renders the
outlook for the large crude carriers as very bleak. The analysts will falsely look to the use of VLCCs for storage, which
at its upmost limit might occupy 2% of the fleet, which is due to grow by 14% in the next 2 years.
The large dry markets are a disaster with Iron ore at its lowest price for 10 years and yet demand is back to pre-boom
levels. Unlike other industry’s fixed assets, ships do not stop working when their owners go bankrupt. Instead they are
sold to new owners at the lower market prices and continue to carry the cargoes they were designed for at cheaper
rates, thereby maintaining the excess capacity.
Shipping looks to continue its unprofitable activity for some time to come and the new money will suffer more than the
old money. Source: Paul Slater, First International
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Greek cargo ship attacked off Nigeria; one
crew member killed
Gunmen attacked a Greek-owned tanker while it was waiting to load off Nigeria late on Tuesday, killing its Greek
deputy captain and taking hostage three other crew, Greece’s coastguard said on Wednesday. The attack on the
vessel KALAMOS, which had a crew of 23 and was sailing under a Maltese flag, took place at Qua Iboe, a sea area
between Cameroon and Nigeria, the coastguard said. “The foreign and shipping ministries have taken the necessary
actions for the rescue of the hostages,” Greece’s Deputy Shipping Minister Thodoris Dritsas said in a statement.The
ship had sailed from China to Nigeria to load. Greece’s shipping ministry said the rest of the ship’s crew was safe.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and George Georgiopoulos; editing by Andrew Roche)
Newbuilding orders on stable mode as ship
owners take a look at the economy
As the dry bulk market has been suffering of late and flirting with historical lows, demand for newbuilding bulkers has
plummeted as well, at least until prices quoted from shipyards follow a similar course. As such, overall demand for
newbuildings has remained at stable, albeit low levels. In its latest report, shipbroker Clarkson Hellas noted that ”
Clients of Maran Tankers have placed an order for two firm 319,000 DWT VLCCs at DSME for delivery in 2017. In
November, Clients of Maran were reported to have swapped two orders among total four VLCCs at DSME into 174,000
CBM LNG Carriers. Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport (AMPTC) in Egypt have contracted two firm plus two optional
158,000 DWT Suezmax Tankers with HHI. These vessels are understood to be coated and will be delivered throughout
2017.The Container market has seen a single order this week, with Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan announcing a
contract for eleven firm 18,000 TEU Container Carriers with Shoei Kisen Kaisha. These vessels will be delivered
throughout 2018 and 2019 from Imabari’s Marugume yard and will go on a long term charter to Evergreen in Taiwan.
Finally in Gas, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have announced an order for two firm 177,000 CBM LNG Carriers at their
Nagasaki yard. The first vessel is set for delivery in 2018 to NYK Line and the second vessel is set for delivery in 2019
to Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. Both vessels will be chartered by Mitsui & Co for 25 years”, Clarkson Hellas concluded.
In a separate report, shipbroker Intermodal said that “activity in the newbuilding market remained at the same levels
last week, with tankers and gas tankers still making up for the biggest share of the recently reported orders. In the
case of tankers, there is still a clear preference towards VLCC and Suezmax units, while despite the overall downward
trend in newbuilding prices we are seeing that in both these segments the orders that are coming through reveal a
tendency for prices to go up rather than down. As far as dry bulk units are concerned, the situation is pretty much
unchanged, with limited ordering interest remaining the main driver behind the softening market. We expect things
over at the dry bulker side to quieten further during February, while in terms of prices, it seems that there could easily
be some room for further discounts and as long as the freight market is not showing any signs of an imminent
improvement that could get buyers back into action. In terms of recently reported deals, Taiwanese owner, Sincere
Navigation, has placed an order, for one firm VLCC (319,000dwt) at SWS, in China, for a price of $ 95.0m each and
delivery set in 2017″, Intermodal mentioned.Allied Shipbroking added in its report that “it seems to be all about the
tanker market these days, with interest still holding strong while prices are still holding fairly soft thanks to the minimal
interest for new contracts for other vessel types. It has mainly been the South Koreans that have benefited from this
spike in interest, holding a very competitive position for tankers compared to shipbuilders elsewhere. As has been the
case however in the past, it won’t be long till we start to see some interest trickle down to their Chinese competitors
as well as prompt slots start to drain. Despite this, it looks as though there is still room for further price drops as we
have seen minimal discounts being offered up till now, compared to where prices stood during the latter part of 2014.
Shipbuilders have been holding back further price reductions for the time being, yet as secondhand prices continue to
fall in the dry bulk market, it seems as if it will be their only marketing tool left in order to entice owners’ interest once
again. With interest switching towards the larger crude tankers, it was no surprise to see Taiwan’s Sincere Navigation
switch one of their previ-ous orders for 2 Capesize bulkers at China’s SWS, to one VLCC tanker (319,000dwt), paying
an additional USD 3.0m for the switch”, it concluded. Source : Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News
Worldwide
Forewarned is forearmed
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The more an operator, and indeed masters of their ships, knows about the ports to which they are heading, the better.
If they have no relevant experience at that port, they will get a feel of the place from a consultation with the
appropriate Admiralty Pilot or other guides, and the charts.
But these will only provide some of the information. It is unlikely that there will be any advice on the level of service
provided by the terminals in that port, and while these may well fire off a list of items they expect from the visiting
ship, any attempt from the ship to reciprocate with its own requests may fall on stony ground!
Dry bulk terminals often provide their own problems for visiting ships as just about every terminal is different and it is
often only hard experience that will enable a master to evaluate the sort of service his ship has received. Some
terminals will be absolutely brilliant, with excellent communications and a sense that both the ship and the terminal
operator are working together to achieve the best possible outcome. Others may be rather less co-operative, while
others may acquire a bad reputation for stevedore damage, the mooring and berthing arrangements or other
important services. It would obviously be good to know about these matters in advance.
All of which is why last month, BIMCO called on shipping companies to participate in a new vetting system that is
designed to gather information on the quality of facilities and the service at bulk terminals around the world. Just a
few minutes completing a brief survey report will, in time, provide the raw material for what it is hoped will become a
useful overview of port performance as seen from the ship which has just left the facility.
How were the loading, discharging or ballasting handled , from the ship’s viewpoint? How were the mooring and
berthing arrangements – were they safe and efficient? What about the information exchange between the terminal
and the ship? How did the ship rate the quality and availability of equipment and other services that she might have
required during her stay? This information, with the identity of both ship and operating company sending the survey
being kept strictly confidential, will enable BIMCO to gauge the performance of terminals and eventually to provide
members with meaningful information about the quality and performance of the terminals. A star rating will provide a
speedy overview of the various criteria surveyed and enable members to have advance notice of what their ships
might expect at the ports to which they are headed.To be forewarned is to be forearmed and ships given this
information can make their dispositions accordingly from any trends that are indicated. Sharing the feedback from the
reports will, says BIMCO Deputy Secretary General Lars Robert Pedersen – “highlight which terminals are performing
the best – or the least effectively”. Such transparency will hopefully help to drive up standards.Clearly the more data
that is received, the more complete will be the picture given of the world’s dry bulk terminals. The survey forms are
available from BIMCO online or can be mailed on request. Source: BIMCO
Maritime crime analysis for 2014
Members have faced a challenging security environment in recent years, with piracy, fraud and other maritime crime
likely to pose further challenges in 2015.
The Association is grateful to Dryad Maritime for contributing to this update.
Maritime crime figures for 2014
Crime, fraud, piracy and security issues continue to present a very challenging safety environment for the shipping
industry. In 2014 there were numerous events and issues which again focused attention on the need to prioritise
safety at sea beyond the traditional risks encountered in the marine environment.
These events included the conflict in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, the continuation of the civil war in Syria, the rise of
the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, political instability and violence in Libya and Yemen as well as more violent piracy
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in the Gulf of Guinea. In 2014 there was also an Asian resurgence for pirate attacks, particularly focusing on the theft
of petroleum products from smaller parcel carriers.
Dryad Maritime have provided an overview of maritime crime figures for the year 2014, and the full report as well as
infographics are available from their website.
Highlights of the report include:
Gulf of Guinea
While there was an overall reduction in the number of incidents in 2014 compared to 2013, there was a significant
increase in attacks involving kidnapping of crew. This was noted particularly in areas of the Nigerian Exclusive
Economic Zone. This is expected to be a continuing trend in to 2015.
Horn of Africa
Somali piracy appears to have continued its significant decline in the last two years, but the situation on the ground
which contributed to the problem remains relatively unchanged. If companies continue to utilise the resources and
employ the practices that helped to contain piracy in this region then 2015 may present a similar picture to that of
2014.
Southeast Asia
An area of concern, as 2014 saw a further double digit increase in reported maritime crime as compared to 2014. A
significant contributor was the sudden spurt of hijacking attacks for fuel theft purposes. Theft and robbery issues also
continue to be an issue in this part of the world.
Risk management advice
An appreciation of the nature of the risks faced by shipping, particularly the regional variations, as well as continued
vigilance will be key to managing these risks. It would for instance be a risk to consider the issue of Gulf of Aden /
Somali piracy to be resolved and longer a serious threat. Should discipline and commitment to deploying appropriate
resources wane, then the pirates will be ready to exploit the situation and once again successfully capture vessels.
Following the BMP 4, as well as other advice, continues to be highly recommended. Before and during each voyage,
appropriate risk assessments need to be undertaken and the necessary resources employed to ensure that vessels
maintain a sufficient level of readiness to deter and meet the risks they may face. Fully appreciating the usefulness of
the ISPS Code in maintaining ship side security is also very important. Skuld has published detailed advice and
information on these issues that will assist Members in managing these risks. For vessel specific enquiries, members
are asked to contact their usual Skuld business unit. Source: SKULD
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Scorpio Bulkers Inc. Announces Agreements to
Modify Existing Shipbuilding Contracts for
Three Capesize Vessels
Scorpio Bulkers Inc.announced that it has reached agreements with a shipyard in South Korea to modify existing
newbuilding contracts for three Capesize Vessels. The three contracts, two for vessels scheduled for delivery within the
first quarter of 2016 and one for a vessel scheduled for delivery within the second quarter of 2016, will now provide
for the construction of three LR1 product tankers, two of which will be scheduled for delivery within the second quarter
of 2017 and one within the third quarter of 2017. As a result, the Company will incur a loss of approximately $22
million relating to writing down the contracts to their estimated fair market value. Also, upon completion of customary
documentation, the LR1 contracts will be re-classified on the balance sheet as assets held for sale. Should the
contracts be sold for their current fair market value, the estimated future cash obligations of the Company will be
reduced by approximately $60 million. The Company has no plans for any further contract conversions. Scorpio
Tankers Inc., a related party, has informed the Company that it will not purchase the LR1 vessels.
East Coast South America to/from Europe
market capacity down 10% - Maersk Line
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Maersk Line informs customers of the steady decline in market demand on the popular trade between the east coast of
South America and Europe and the Mediterranean. This weakening demand has led to substantial open capacity and
resulted in a need to adjust our network to match the changing market forces, the company said in its press release.
From the 5th January 2015, capacity and reefer plugs were adjusted to more accurately match market demands. This
has resulted in a 10% reduction in overall market capacity, including plug capacity. Smaller vessels of between 4,500
and 6,500 TEU capacity are phasing in and will provide a more efficient operation in line with today’s market demand.
These changes will have no effect on the superior products and service our customer’s already enjoy. Source :
portnews
NAVY NEWS
Grounded Navy ship freed from reef off
Okinawa
A Military Sealift Command ship is again transiting the seas after the U.S. Navy on Tuesday was able to remove the
vessel from a reef six miles off the coast of Okinawa. The USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak was carrying 131 civilians and
U.S. servicemembers when it ran aground on Jan. 22. For the past two weeks, personnel have been trying various
ways to refloat the vessel. Workers offloaded the ship’s fuel on Monday, which lightened it enough for it to break free
from the reef during a high-tide cycle, the Navy said in a news release.
After the operation, the ship was able to transit under its own power to Naval Fleet Activities White Beach in Okinawa,
the Navy said.“Safely refloating the vessel required the right sea state, the right tide and the right weather conditions
to lessen any risks to personnel, the ship and the environment,” the release said. Japan and Navy officials are now
assessing the potential damage to the reef. The cause of the incident remains under investigation. source : Stars &
Stripes
Uruguayan Navy Ship Sails for Antarctic
Scientific Base
The Uruguayan rescue naval ship ROU 26 VANGUARDIA sailedto the Antarctic Scientific Base Artigas, where it will
arrive in 15 days to resupply the base.The navy carry out this kind of missions since 1991 with the support of the
Uruguayan Antarctic Institute.The commander of the ship Francisco Rodríguez'said that their main mission is to
transport all the supplies that the base needs for 2015. With a crew 0f 72 the vessel is carring 30 tons of supplies and
spear parts, 188 thousand liters of gas oil for heating perpouses and the transportation means. The route of the ship
will be in the direction of the Magallanes Strait, to Ushuaia (Argentina)and from there to Puerto Williams.There it will
wait for a weather opportunity to then enter Antatica.The ship will also perform oceanographic, meteorological and
other supportive tasks and is a demonstration of Uruguay’s commitment to the Antarctic Treaty, for peaceful and
responsible use of the Antarctic environment, the source reported.Source: Prensa Latina
ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES
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Freeport Container Port welcomes the
Maersk Kotka, part of 2M alliance
On Sunday, 1st February, 2015, the Freeport Container Port (FCP) welcomed the Maersk Kotka, the first Maersk vessel
as part of the 2M alliance to call at Freeport since the announcement of the Vessel Sharing Agreement (VSA) between
Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
The 10-year VSA involves the Asia – Europe, transatlantic and transpacific trades and began in early January. The
agreement, which is known as 2M, encompasses 193 vessels with a capacity of 2.4m TEUs deployed on 22 strings.
FCP executives revealed that Freeport figures prominently in the new agreement as one of the 77 selected ports of
call. Further, FCP is the only transshipment hub in the region to service 2m cargo from Asia and Europe to United
States East Coast and Gulf.
Upon arrival of the Maersk Kotka, a Welcome to commemorate the first Maersk vessel was held on board the vessel
late Sunday and a plaque was presented to the captain before the vessel departed.
FCP is the transshipment hub of the Americas and has the deepest and largest man-made harbour in the Caribbean
with MSC as its major customer. According to FCP, with 2M, there is an opportunity for FCP to gain more volume with
Maersk as a stand-alone client.
There now is a greater opportunity for Maersk to bring their volumes on the same vessel and use Freeport to build its
network to the United States East Coast or the Caribbean.
As it is centrally located at the intersection of major North America, South America, Far East and European trade
routes, FCP plans to seize the opportunity to make Freeport home to two of the world’s largest shipping lines.
Source: Bahama Islands Info
Takoradi Port expansion Project makes
progress II
To meet the ever-growing demands of the port's clientele, the Port of Takoradi has embarked on a major expansion
and investment program to transform the port's capacity, facilities and operations. The original master plan of 2002
recommended segregation of cargo and improved container handling facilities, but the discovery of oil prompted a new
master plan to accommodate facilities to service offshore support operations, development of bulk and container
terminals, positioning of a floating dock for vessel repairs with depths ranging from 10 to 16 metres.
Phases I and II of the project includes the extension of the breakwater; provision of a bulk terminal/jetty to handle
bulk commodities and dredging of the access channels. The berths will also be dredged to a depth of 16.0 metres.
On completion, manganese, bauxite, clinker, limestone and other bulk cargo operations will be transferred to the new
bulk jetty. There will also be a dedicated berth (oil and gas hub) with a depth of 10.0 metres to cater for supply
activities related to the oil industry. The project will involve reclaiming of the log pond area which will be used to build
a 1 km quay with a depth alongside of 16 metres. Additionally 770 metres quay wall will be reclaimed from the existing
berth 2 to 6 with 11meter depth.
The work includes:
. Access channel dredged to 16.0 metres
. Extension of breakwater by 1.080 km northward
. Construction of bulk terminals with 16.0 metres depth
. Construction of oil services terminal
. Reclamation of 53,000 hectares of land
. Construction of open storage area for oilfield plant and machinery
. Construction of dual access roads to the port.
Additionally, as part of the expansion project the development of the port's major entry and exit routes and
construction of a 300,000 teu's container terminal with ship-to-shore cranes plus a transit shed for the storage of
bagged cargoes will be developed.
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Two major dual carriageways will provide the much-needed links to the port. The first would link the port with the
Harbour Roundabout while the second would link Gate 10 with New Takoradi and the Paa Grant Roundabout. This will
considerably ease traffic in and around the port. Other roads would link the port with Nkotompor and Sekondi. A
Belgian company Jan De Nul (JDN) won the bid to construct the breakwater extension, the bulk jetty, the dredging
and backfilling. They have since completed the 1,080km breakwater which began last quarter of the year 2013 was
successfully completed before scheduled time in August, 2014. What is left is the casting of 9,000 cbm of concrete on
top of the entire break water extension to provide access to the facility. To facilitate the concrete works for the
breakwater and the bulk jetty, JDN has installed a new concrete factory at their new site (Old Mechanical and Materials
Department Blocks). Currently, trial operations/tests are being done to determine the right aggregate mix for the
production of concrete for the project.
The concrete plant installed has a capacity of 300cbm/day. A total of 45,000cbm of concrete is also needed for
precasting the quay wall of the bulk jetty. All things being equal, operations will begin by the end of January 2015.
Barges to support these operations have already arrived in the port.
In addition to the above, dredging of the main access channel to -16 metres commenced with the arrival of the
dredger, MV NICOLLO MACHIAVELLI, on January 2, 2015. Dredging works of the entrance channel commenced
on 7th January 2015 and is expected to last about 4 months. To facilitate continuous traffic to and from the port
during the dredging, suction sink pipes have been laid at 10.3meters depth which will be hooked to a specialized barge
for transportation to the newly created storage site at the old central stores. It is worthy to note that the specialized
barge has also arrived in the port and awaiting the commencement of the project.
Viking/Halliburton Company have leased the former tug wharf area from GPHA Takoradi for the construction of
storage facilities and delivery of services to oil supply vessels. The berth has been dredged from -2 to -9 metres to be
able to accommodate larger supply vessels that call for discharge and loading of oil and gas related cargoes.
Additionally marine diesel and oil silos have been constructed at the Viking berth for the storage of muds, drilling
fluids, base oil, and other chemicals.
A desalination plant with a 12 cubic tons/hr has been installed to supply fresh water to vessels. On completion of the
expansion works, pipes will be laid to all berths to allow for the supply of fresh water for vessels calling the port and
other chemicals to offshore vessels. Due to the expected increase in the number of vessel calls when the expansion
project is completed, plans are far advanced to augment the existing capacity with a 32 cubic tons/hr facility by midFebruary 2015. With this, the perennial shortage of fresh water supply due to the dependence on the national network
will be a thing of the past.
The former cocoa and sawn timber sheds have been demolished to make way for the construction of the Oil hub to
service the oil fields of Ghana and the West African sub-region.
The Ghana Cocoa Board has constructed a 100mt capacity warehouse at Kadjebil, 13 km away from the port from
where trucks convey the cocoa to the port as and when vessels call the port for cocoa. Sawn timber is now handled at
the Safe Bond Warehouse at shed C. The Super Majors Companies in the Ghanaian oil/gas industry have already
signed MOUs over the Oil Hub and made payment of commitment fees for the lease of space. Indeed 50% of the
companies have paid up with the remaining 50% expected to pay by end February 2015. These companies include
Schulmberger, Viking/Hlliburton, Tullow, Conship, Bollore, Supermaritime, Subsea 7.
Subsea 7 company one of the super major tenants of the Oil Hub has already broken ground with the completion of
their offices, workshops and warehouses. Indeed they have completed the construction of their fabrication facility and
have already commenced the $600million contract for Tullow with respect to the TEN project. The contract includes
the fabrication of 6 suction pipes each weighing 110 tons and 18 sleepers each weighing 14tons. In addition, 50
welding machines and two crawler cranes with 400 ton and 225 tons capacity have been positioned at the yard to
assist in the handling of heavy lifts to and from the yard.
Subsea 7 Fabrication Yard
In addition to the above, Subsea 7 is reclaiming 5,000 meter square area at the former log pond as an additional
operational area.
The 4,800sqm former shed 4 area at the main wharf has been allocated to Baj Freight Company Limited a key
logistics company in the Oil and Gas industry, is being re-enforced with pavement blocks to support the industry.
Demolition of the old shed was completed in November 2014 and pavement reinforcement is scheduled to be
completed by the end of January, 2015. All things being equal operations from the site expected to commence from
February 1, 2015. Source: Ghana Ports
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Copenship files for bankruptcy
Dire dry cargo rates have seen Danish operator Copenship and division Copenship Bulkers file for bankruptcy. An
extremely poor market, counterparty defaults and unsettled claims, have been cited as reasons behind the filing.
Management have sought the protection of the Bankruptcy Division of the Danish Maritime and Commercial Court. Per
Astrup Madsen of the LEET law firm is talking charge of the proceedings.
Both Madsen and Copenship chief executive Michael Fenger were unavailable for comment today. The move comes
with dry cargo rates running at 30-year lows and the Baltic Dry Index below 600 points. Copenship is an established
name in the bulker market, having been founded in 1978.Its website says it has a fleet of over 50 vessels on charter at
any one time. Click HERE to see the COPENSHIP WISDOM anchored off Singapore last week Source :
Tradewinds
‘Urgent’ ferry meeting call
After the council wrote to the Scottish Government back in October about concerns over the DFDS Seaways ferry
service, then First Minister Alex Salmond revealed potential proposals to safeguard the route by supporting the
acquisition of a new vessel.
However, no date has been arranged for Fife representatives to meet the Government and now depute council leader
Lesley Laird is challenginginfrastructure, investment and cities secretary Keith Brown to respond to the calls for an
“urgent” meeting. The announcement in November was most welcome but there still remains a number of crucial
outstanding questions that the cabinet secretary must answer,” she said. “That is why I have written yet again seeking
an urgent meeting. Fife has one of the largest manufacturing bases in Scotland, and local employers are amongst the
many businesses that depend on this service for export routes.“The current financial support agreement is only in
place until the end of March 2015 and it is vital to Fife this is extended until the new ferry is up and running.There is
typically a long lead time before a new-build ferry is in service and that’s why we need to know what the
commissioning process for the new ferry will be and how long this is likely to take.” Cllr Laird added, “From an
economic perspective it would also be good to understand what the tender process for the new ferry will be.“We also
need guarantees about service standards, shipping times, costs and capacity on the new route.“This could be a
fantastic boost to the Fife economy, opening up new employment and supply chain opportunities for businesses here
in Fife and other parts of Scotland.“With all these areas yet to be agreed it’s essential that the minister meets with the
council in the next few weeks.“There will undoubtedly be job opportunities from this too so we want to make sure the
Scottish Government will support Fife businesses getting a fair crack at any future work and that Fife gets the
opportunity to live up to its growing reputation as the best place to do business.”source : dunfernlinepress
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Click HERE for the LIVE STREAM WEBCAM in Hoek van Holland
Berghaven
…. PHOTO OF THE DAY …..
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