daily collection of maritime press clippings 2009 –...

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2009 – 042

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Number 042 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Friday 13-02-2009 News reports received from readers and Internet News articles taken from various news sites.

HAL’s Volendam seen moored in Lyttleton harbour in New Zealand, Photo : Karel Stompe ©

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US NAVY CRUISER INTERCEPTS PIRATE ATTACK

A Marshall Islands-flagged tanker came under pirate

attack off Somalia and quick thinking by the crew and a rapid response by the

US Navy resulted in the capture of seven pirates.

On Wednesday 11th February 2009 @ 1500 local time, the 13,107 dwt Polaris radioed a Mayday that suspected pirates in a skiff had come alongside as the vessel was underway and thrown a ladder up to effect boarding. But the

Polaris’ crew tossed the ladder aside before the attackers could scale the freeboard. The Norfolk, Virginia-based warship USS Vella Gulf responded and located a skiff that met the Polaris crew’s description. The cruiser’s visit, board, search and seizure team searched the skiff and found several weapons, including AK-47s and rocket propelled grenades. The seven men aboard the skiff were taken into custody and once the Vella Gulf has rendezvoused with the Polaris, the tanker’s crew positively identified the pirates. The pirates will be transferred to another US Navy ship – the Lewis & Clark – and held there until they can be turned over to Kenyan officials for prosecution. Subsequent to a recent agreement with the US, Kenya is establishing a special judicial unit to try captured pirates. William Gallagher, president of International Registries which administers the Marshall Islands flag, praised both the Polaris crew and the US Navy in remarks to Fairplay. “The (Polaris) crew showed their training today and I am thrilled that a US warship was in a position to capture the pirates,” he added, noting that flag officials had monitored the entire event from its offices in Reston, Virginia.



USS CG 72 VELLA GULF

Photo : Cpt. Lawrence Dalli - Malta Ship Photos ©

Dubai's QE2 hotel project facing delays The multi-million-dollar transformation that would turn British ocean liner the QE2 into a floating luxury hotel in Dubai may be faltering under worsening economic conditions. The beloved ship retired from the Cunard fleet in November. According to online publication Maritime Matters, the global economic crisis and the subsequent decline of Dubai's tourism may have stymied the QE2 project. Sources have indicated to Maritime Matters that Nakheel, the

government-owned company that's handling QE2's transformation, may have altered or postponed the plans to convert the former cruise ship into a luxury hotel after scaling back on several major projects and slashing 500 jobs. Photo : Ed Hannink © It's still too early to tell exactly how the QE2 project will be impacted by Nakheel's financial tightening, but news of the company's struggles have

led maritime blog sites to speculate about a different fate for QE2, including a one-way ticket to the scrap yard or even a repurchase of the classic vessel by Cunard. Following more than 40 years in service, QE2 was handed over to its new owners in Dubai at the end of November 2008. Proposed changes to QE2 as part of the project included replacing QE2's funnel with a glass structure housing penthouse suites, creating a new, 500-plus-seat theatre for West End- and Broadway-style shows, gutting cabins and public spaces and replacing them with larger rooms and apartments, and the addition of a 5,000 square metre spa complex, nearly twice the size of that found on any other cruise ship.

Singapore to join anti-piracy mission Singapore will send a navy transport ship and two helicopters to support multinational anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden area, the defence minister said Thursday. Teo Chee Hean told parliament that the Southeast Asian city-state -- which has one of Asia's most modern armed forces -- will send a landing ship tank (LST) and two Super Puma helicopters.



He said they will work with the new international counter-piracy task force, known as CTF-151, operating in and around the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The minister did not give a date for the Singapore contingent's deployment. On Wednesday the US Navy, which currently leads the CTF-151, said it had arrested seven suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the first time the task force has apprehended suspected pirates since its formation a month ago. Singapore has also sent LST vessels to waters near Iraq to support coalition forces there. China has already sent naval forces to the Gulf of Aden, and Japan's defence minister said recently his country's navy may be deployed as part of the anti-piracy operations as early as March. Pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden last year, an increase of more than 200 percent on 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy and shipping security issues.

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Dry bulk market keeps positive momentum, albeit at lower pace

The Baltic Dry Index’s rally surged on Wednesday and is now above 2000 points at 2055. But for the first time in days, there some signs of fatigue, with the panamax sector remaining virtually unchanged. The capesize market meanwhile kept on powering through with the relative index now standing at 3822 points, up by 196 versus the previous day. According to the Baltic Exchange’s data, the average daily time charter for a capesize now stands at $39538. Commenting on the capesize market, Fearnley’s latest weekly report, issued yesterday said that the Baltic Capesize Index (BCI) has now risen 60%, including last week, while the average time charter is up by 80%. This positive development was attributed to a shortage of tonnage which was evident in both basins whilst Chinese ore import activity increased. The Brazil/China route jumped from $19.35 to $27.00 and the fronthaul time charter rate from $37,000 to $60,000. “West Australia/China rose more than $4.00 to $11.25 and the Pacific r/v $24,000 to $43,000. More period discussions were seen with modern 170,000 tonners asking in excess of $35,000 for 1 year. A "mature" 165,000 tonner was rumoured fixed for such a period in excess of $30,000” said Fearnley’s. Trying to explain this rebound in the market, analysts indicated that many of the short-term pressures weighing on shipping rates are already showing signs of abating. For instance, the credit freeze has begun to wither. Bank-to-bank lending has resumed. Governments around the world have put up hundreds of billions of dollars to back the world's banking system, and letters of credit appear to be navigating their way through the system again. Another reason highlighted is the fact that the relations between China’s steel companies and Brazilian iron ore suppliers have now cooled down, with Brazilians backing down from the price hikes they were demanding. China, of course, is an important market for shippers, and many investors worry about a slowing Chinese economy. While there are some signs of this, it is a relative term. After all, China is on track to maintain an 8.5% rate of growth for the next four years. That's considered breakneck speed for any economy, and it will add +50% to China's GDP by the end of 2013. China will need iron ore and other materials to build out that growth. Brazil and other international suppliers with sell it, then ships will move it. Source : Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News



FLEET EXTENSION FOR KOTUG On Saturday 7 February 2009, the RT Margo, which arrived in Rotterdam from Singapore at the end of last year, was christened at Kotug's New Year employees event in the Port of Rotterdam. This tugboat with a towing capacity of 83 ton of the 'Rotortug' principle, patented by Kooren Shipbuilding & Trading BV

(three propulsion units and three main engines) is currently the strongest port tug in the Dutch waters.

from left to right: Captain Leon Versteeg, Mrs. Maria

Bosch-Gonsalves, Mrs. Margo Kok-van der Wal,

Captain Danny Blonk

The RT Margo was christened by Mrs Maria Bosch-Gonsalves, widow of Captain Bart Bosch. Upon delivery the RT Margo would have been under the command of Captain Bosch, who sadly is no longer with us. Kotug is therefore proud and honoured that Mrs Bosch-Gonsalves was able to christen the RT Margo.

The RT Margo is named after Mrs Margo Kok-van der Wal, CFO at Kotug, in honour of her special contribution to the Kotug organisation and her 25th anniversary with the company. RT Margo is part of an extensive newbuilding programme of powerful and manoeuvrable 'Rotor' tugs, which are being built at shipyards in Japan and Singapore. In the coming years KOTUG will renew and expand its fleet with these 'state of the art' units.

Dubai port operator says investigation under way into tanker crash; no spill reported

Dubai's port operator says authorities have begun investigating the cause of a fiery tanker accident off the city's coast. DP World spokeswoman Sarah Lockie says the tanker and container ship that struck it are safely anchored as owners decide what steps to take next. She says oil spill booms are set up around the damaged tanker as a precaution, but no spill was reported or expected. The ships are being checked for damage. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident with help from DP World, which is controlled by the emirate's government. Source : Newsday

CNPC to build LNG terminal in Shenzhen



China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), one of the country's three biggest oil and gas producers, acknowledged that it had started the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Shenzhen. The southern city will be the first nationwide to have two LNG terminals, for China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), another one on the Big Three list, has built such a terminal there. CNPC will be responsible for the operation of the new terminal with a 51 percent stake, and its partners CLP Holdings Limited (SEHK: 0002) and Shenzhen Gas Corporation will respectively own 24.5 percent of the terminal, disclosed a publicity executive with the Hong Kong-listed company. But the executive did not tell the capacity of the terminal located in the Dachan Bay and the time for its completion. LNG in the terminal will be sent to such areas like the southern province of Guangdong and its neighbor Hong Kong. In fact, the terminal is to serve the country's West-to-East Natural Gas Transmission Project, and is part of the second West-to-East gas pipeline that is scheduled to start service wholly in late 2011. The project, joining the northwestern Chinese port of Khorgos to Shanghai in East China and Guangzhou in South China, will pass through 15 domestic provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions with a total length of 9,102 kilometers. With an about CNY 142.2 billion investment, it is expected to transport 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from Central Asia as well as Tarim, Junggar, and Ordos, three energy-rich basins in Northwest China, to eastern and southern Chinese areas. Meanwhile, in order to get a sufficient supply, CNPC has signed LNG supply agreements with global giants like Total and Royal Dutch Shell Plc. Shell, Europe's biggest oil company, has clinched a two-decade deal to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) of 2 million tons a year to China. On November 24, 2008, Shell Eastern LNG under its wing just signed the deal with PetroChina International Co., Ltd., wholly-owned by PetroChina Co., Ltd. , the listed vehicle of CNPC. Earlier reports said that the LNG supplies would partially come from the Gorgon gas project in western Australia, which was 25 percent owned by the European company and was still undergoing initial development. Shell (China) Ltd. Chairman Lim Haw Kuang pointed out that the signing of the deal marked another important stride toward further cooperation between Shell and PotroChina. Source: tradingmarkets

KNRM IJmuiden haalt bewusteloze man van tanker

KNRM-reddingboot Koos van Messel uit IJmuiden heeft woensdagochtend een bewusteloos bemanningslid van een schip opgehaald. De man voer op de chemicaliëntanker Bow Baleaia.

Op ruim negen kilometer voor de kust werd de man aan boord genomen. Ambulancepersoneel kwam naar IJmuiden en voer mee met de Koos van Messel. Aan boord werd een hersenbloeding geconstateerd. De man is met de reddingboot naar IJmuiden gebracht en vervolgens met een ambulance naar het Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis in Beverwijk gebracht. Omdat zijn toestand verslechterde, werd hij 's middags overgebracht naar het Slotervaart Ziekenhuis in Amsterdam.

Hauliers await return of Rosyth-Zeebrugge ferry

Scottish hauliers that relied on the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry crossing which Superfast ended last September are counting down the days until the service is resumed. Norfolkline, which plans to revive the service in May with three overnight sailings each way per week, says interest from freight companies is high and it intends to accept freight bookings within weeks. Commercial rates are in the process of being finalised.



Duncan Adams, for Duncan Adams Haulage in Grangemouth, says that in the last month of its operation the firm put 162 trailers on the Superfast ferry and that it will "definitely" be using the service again. "It can't come quick enough," he says. "Our rates to Zeebrugge going now via Middlesbrough have been much more expensive. Everybody knows that February, March and April will be absolutely dreadful." Source :roadtransport

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NAVY NEWS New Russian sub will get spring sea trial

Russia's first Borey-class strategic nuclear submarine will get its first sea trials in the spring, military officials said Wednesday. The sub will tested after warmer weather enables navigation to open in the White Sea, Russian Navy commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky told RIA Novosti. "The ice floe conditions in the White Sea at present are still not favorable for navigation. The submarine's crew and a team of Sevmash specialists continue to ready the vessel for the trials," Vysotsky said. The nuclear sub Yury Dolgoruky was completed at the Sevmash plant in northern Russia in April 2007 and is equipped with new sea-based Bulava ballistic missiles, which have not entered service but are due to undergo further testing this year, the news service said. Source : UPI.com

Indian nuclear submarine project on track, says Antony

India’s ambitious project to build a nuclear-powered attack submarine is in its final stages, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Wednesday. “Things (the project) are in the final stage,” Antony said at a press conference here after inaugurating the seventh edition of Aero India international air show here. “Some years back, there were some bottlenecks in terms of supply of parts. It is over now,” the defence minister asserted. “We will announce it (the vessel’s launch) whenever it is ready,” Antony added.



The construction of the nuclear submarine, or advanced technology vessel (ATV) as the project is designated, is in line with India’s nuclear doctrine enunciated in 1999, which calls for its nuclear forces to be effective, enduring, diverse, flexible, and responsive to the requirements in accordance with the concept of credible minimum deterrence. The doctrine calls for high survivability against surprise attacks and for rapid punitive response. A nuclear submarine that can remain submerged almost indefinitely and cannot be detected underwater, therefore, meets all these criteria and offers the most invulnerable launch platforms for nuclear weapons, the doctrine says. It is the world’s most powerful deterrent force - a stealthy undersea platform with enormous nuclear firepower. For a country like India with a no-first use policy, it is vital because it prevents a potential adversary from launching a crippling first-strike to knock out all nuclear weapons, the doctrine says. As a precursor to the launch of the indigenous nuclear submarine, India had been hoping to lease an Akula class vessel from Russia that was expected to join the fleet by 2009. However, a devastating accident during sea trials of such a vessel last year has pushed this back and no new date has been set for the submarine to arrive in India. Source : Thaindian

Hr.Ms. De Ruyter wordt afgemeerd op de nieuwe offshore kade in Den Helder t.g.v. de opening op 11-02-2009 door de Regge en Rotte, Beide slepers zijn dag en nacht in touw voor de Koninklijke Marine in Den Helder !

Foto : Bart Jellema ©

LHD 8 completes shipbuilders' trials The Northrop Grumman Corporation-built amphibious assault ship Makin Island (LHD 8) returned from three-day builder's sea trials held in the Gulf of Mexico this week. The ship is the eighth USS Wasp (LHD 1)-class amphibious assault ship being built by the company at its Gulf Coast facilities in Pascagoula, Miss. During builder's trials, Makin Island performed all required sea trial evolutions during the three days, including the operational achievement of the first gas turbine/electric-powered propulsion system ever used on large deck



amphibious assault ships. The gas turbine engines and electric drive will provide significant ship life-cycle savings in manpower and maintenance costs over previous ships. "The Navy and industry team overcame many challenges in getting to this trial," said U.S. Navy Capt. Jeffery Riedel, program manager of Amphibious Warfare Programs for PEO Ships. "The ship performed very well. This was the first time an LHD obtained full power on both gas turbines and on its electric drive. I look forward to acceptance trials and delivering Makin Island to the fleet." "We worked collaboratively with the Navy to meet our program commitments, and complete this significant milestone," said Irwin F. Edenzon, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding--Gulf Coast. "Our shipbuilders did an outstanding job overcoming some challenges in building the nation's most sophisticated LHD to-date. We are confident the Gulf Coast team will continue the steady progress made on LHD 8, and we're on our way to a second quarter 2009 delivery." The Gulf Coast shipbuilding team met several other milestones paving the way for builder's sea trials including the resolution of critical electrical cabling installation issues and a significant integrated propulsion system testing program. The Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Gulf Coast test and trials team will join U.S. Navy personnel at-sea for Makin Island acceptance trials. The Makin Island is 844 feet long and 106 feet wide and weighs 42,800 tons. Its 70,000 horsepower hybrid propulsion system will drive it to speeds in excess of 20 knots. As a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship, it is designed to transport and land a Marine Expeditionary Unit, a force of almost 2,000 Marines, ashore by helicopter, landing craft and amphibious assault vehicle. It will also have secondary missions of sea control and power projection by helicopter and fixed-wing vertical short take-off and landing aircraft; command and control; and mission support, including a hospital with six operating rooms. Makin Island is scheduled for commissioning at its San Diego homeport in October 2009 Source : MarineLog

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German shipbuilding orders at the lowest since 2001

Germany’s orderbook reduced by 14 percent in 2008, the German Shipbuilding And Ocean Industry’s General Secretary (VSM), Werner Lundt said recently. The country received its lowest number of new orders since 2001 with only 46 vessels ordered at German shipyards last year. By comparison, there were 79 orders placed in 2007. According to VSM, 29 orders, mostly pertaining to containerships, were cancelled in 2008. Since the onset of the global credit crunch, yards have been finding it more difficult to secure loans from banks. Mr Lundt added that the future of nearly 30 vessels was at stake if the yards were not able to get financial aid. German yards are now turning away from the construction of containerships and were adapting to the new economic climate by concentrating on other markets such as product tankers and gas tankers. Some yards were also looking into the workboat sector.



Mr Lundt said he hoped there would be no more insolvencies at German shipyard. Since the financial slowdown, Lindenau, Cassens, SSW and SMG Werft have all gone down. Source : Baird Online

Bulgarian shipyard doubles profits in 2008 Bulgarian shipyard Odessos is warning of tougher times ahead in 2009 after reporting that its profits doubled in 2008. Based in Varna, Odessos Shiprepair Yard reported earnings of over US$9.94 million in 2008, a rise of 50 percent from 2007. Spread over an area of about 320,000 square meters, Odessos is the largest well equipped yard in Bulgaria suitable for repair and drydocking of vessels up to 35,000DWT and afloat repairs of vessels up to 150,000DWT. Source : Baird Online

Chinese yards told to freeze expansion China's State Council today agreed a stimulus plan for shipbuilding, but said that shipyards should suspend construction of new docks and the expansion of slipways for three years to facilitate industrial restructuring. The State Council adopted the stimulus plan for shipbuilding at an executive meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao. According to Xinhua, the meeting agreed to increase credit support by an unspecified amount for ship buyers. It also decided to extend the existing financial support policies for oceangoing vessels until 2012. These policies include tax rebates on key imported components for domestically owned oceangoing ships. The State Council also recommended investment in research and development of facilities to build high-technology ships and maritime engineering equipment and promote technical innovation. Source : MarineLog

Meyer Werf is kredietcrisis-proof Containerschepen liggen al aan de ketting, omdat er vanwege de kredietcrisis minder vracht wordt aangeboden. Opdrachten voor nieuwe vrachtschepen zijn er daardoor nauwelijks, omdat rederijen de hand op de knip houden. Wereldwijd komen scheepswerven in de problemen en dreigt massa-ontslag. De kredietcrisis lijkt echter geen vat te krijgen op de Meyer Werf in Papenburg. De scheepsbouwer, gespecialiseerd in het bouwen van reuzencruiseschepen, verwacht ook nauwelijks in de problemen te komen, zo heeft directeur Bernard Meyer laten weten tegenover het banktijdschrift Sparkassen Magazin. Meyer vertrouwt er op dat mensen gewoon hun cruisevakanties blijven boeken. "Alles wijst er ook op dat mensen op vakantie blijven gaan", meent Meyer. Voor de komende zes maanden verwacht hij geen nieuwe orders van cruisemaatschappijen, maar in de loop van 2010 rekent de directeur op herstel. Acquisitie gaat momenteel heel moeilijk. Enerzijds komt dat omdat banken geen geld willen lenen, anderzijds zijn rederijen een beetje afwachtend, hoewel de boekingscijfers positief zijn. Tot en met november 2012 heeft de Meyer Werf werk zat. Annuleringen zijn er niet, alle contracten worden nagekomen. En dat terwijl een cruiseboot bij Meyer voor de opdrachtgever goed is voor een investering van toch al snel 500 tot 600 miljoen euro. De contracten van de AIDA-vloot maken daarop een uitzondering. Die zijn iets goedkoper. Toch lonen de grote investeringen, meent Meyer, omdat het gaat om een uitgave die wordt uitgestreken over meer dan een kwart eeuw. Bernard Meyer zegt verder dat de werf op het juiste moment heeft geïnvesteerd, waardoor ze in Papenburg kredietcrisisproof zijn. Hij noemt de uitbreiding van het overdekte dok, waaraan momenteel wordt gewerkt als een meesterzet.



Ook wordt 80 miljoen euro uitgetrokken voor nieuwbouw van een ultramoderne staalstraat, voorzien van computergestuurde lasers. Daarmee is de werf een van de modernste van Europa en beschikken ze hier over het grootste overdekte dok van de wereld. De kredietcrisis mag de werf nauwelijks raken, een groter probleem is om aan vaklui te komen. De werf doet er alles aan gekwalificeerde mensen te lokken. Jaarlijks wordt daaraan ongeveer negen miljoen euro gespendeerd. Momenteel worden rond de vierhonderd jongeren opgeleid voor dertien verschillende beroepen. Bron : Dagblad van het Noorden

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Global boxship capacity at its lowest in 16 months

The total capacity of the global containership fleet has reached its lowest level in 16 months. According to figures by AXS-Alphaliner News, the capacity of the world’s 1,147 boxships has fallen to 6.1 million TEU as of February 1, 2009.

The MOL CELEBRATION seen passing the Singapore Straits Eastbound Photo : Piet Sinke ©

This above photo can also be seen in high resolution in the photo album at my website www.maasmondmaritime.com



AXS said that the global orderbook represented 49.1 percent of the current boxship fleet, and that this was down by 64 percent from its peak in November 2007. AXS further noted that for the first time in 20 years, four months have passed without a single order for a new containership. Meanwhile, contracts are being cancelled and ships are being converted to other vessel types. Source : Baird Online

The ADVENTURE of the SEAS seen approaching Willemstad – Curacao Photo : Kees Bustraan ©

Maersk shuts China headquarters Maersk Line, the world's largest container shipping firm, has closed its Greater China headquarters in Beijing and halved the number of its mainland sub-regional offices to streamline operations amid slowing demand, the South China Morning Post reported. The reorganisation had largely been completed and no significant lay-offs were involved. He refused to disclose the headcount at the Beijing office or the number who opted to resign. Maersk's six sub-regional offices, in Qingdao, Shanghai, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, would be merged into three – in Qingdao, Shanghai and Hong Kong – to cover north China, east China and south China. Maersk Line's operations in Greater China would be grouped under the north Asia regional office, headquartered in Hong Kong. The mainland headquarters of Maersk Group, which also has terminal operations and logistics services, would remain in Beijing.



Maersk Line earlier reshuffled its 14 regional offices, merging the northeast Asia, Greater China, Southeast Asia and Oceania offices into two – north Asia and Asia-Pacific. The company said the restructuring was not aimed at cutting costs. Source: CargonewsAsia

Nigeria: Strike - Ships Divert to Neighbouring Ports

Just as shipping lines have continued to divert their cargoes to the neighbouring countries, the Port Industry Anticorruption Standing Committee (PIACSC) has condemned the strike action embarked upon by Clearing Agents, describing it as 'diversionary'. Chairman of the Committee Mr. Val Usifoh said that the strike action will only succeed in worsening the congestion at the Lagos ports.Some Terminal Operators and Shipping Lines have also expressed concern that rather than taking advantage of the large waivers offered by them, some agents have continued to paralyze the ports. As a result of the strike by a section of the agents, most of the terminals have had to stop berthing vessels as their storage yards are full and trucks have not allowed in clearing agents to evacuate containers. Dependable sources told Daily Trust that the strike action has sent an alarming signal to the international shipping community as shipping lines have started to deviate from Nigerian ports to neighbouring countries to discharge their goods. As a result of the strike action which brought the ports to their knees, essential import cargos are being delayed. Experts also said that the action is capable of bringing production plants in the country to a stand-still while waiting for their imported raw materials which are stuck inside the ports due to the strike action. "The cost imposed on Nigeria by this action is huge, and it is imposed by the one party who has no cargo ownership and who has no investments in the port - the clearing agent", a shipping agent said. Since the beginning of the year, several measures have been instituted to tackle congestion at the ports. The Nigeria Customs Service has made efforts to allow re-declaration of containers that have discrepancies. NPA is has been moving overtime containers out of the port, Shipping lines are waiving demurrage and Terminal operators are waiving storage, Daily Trust can report. Source : All Africa

CMA CGM lands Syrian port deal CMA CGM has signed a 10-year concession agreement with Lattakia Port General Company (LPGC) to manage and operate a container terminal in the Syrian port of Lattakia (Lattakia Container Terminal). The terminal will be operated by a consortium composed of CMA CGM/Terminal Link (51 percent), and Souria Holding (49 percent), a Syrian Limited Liability Company. Located in Western Syria, 186 km southwest of Alep and 90 km north of Tartous, Lattakia is Syria’s main port in the Mediterranean. Its Container Terminal is located on a 69-hectare area, has a 972 m quay and a total depth ranging between 11.8 m and 13.3 m. It handled a total of 570 000 TEUs in 2008. The consortium plans to increase the terminal’s capacity to one million TEUs by 2012 thanks to infrastructure and equipment investments throughout the concession period. “This new concession agreement will reinforce CMA CGM’s presence in Syria and further improve the quality of service offered to both the port’s customers and the group’s own vessels and customers,” said CMA CGM group chief executive vice-president Farid Salem,



“It will serve as a strategic base, which will improve the group’s coverage of the region and connect Lattakia to the world’s biggest ports.” This will be CMA CGM’s 29th investment in port terminals worldwide. Operations by CMA CGM/ Terminal Link/Souria will start in July 2009. Source: cargonewsasia

Falkland Islands Adventure for Dockwise Logistics experts in Dockwise's subsidiary Dockwise Shipping are working closely with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to recover the Royal Navy research vessel HMS ENDURANCE. The Endurance encountered technical difficulties in the Falkland islands that left her without propulsion and in need of a transport home to Portsmouth to effect repairs needed to make her operational again. Dockwise provides a technical, viable and safe solution in these circumstances. The Endurance will be dry-transported on the deck of the Dockwise semi-submersible heavy lift vessel, TARGET,which has already been deployed due to its close proximity in the area and its ability to assist on short notice. The operation involves engineering and fabrication of a fitting support structure. Preparation of the vessel's deck will be completed prior to arrival at the collection point. The Endurance will be loaded onto the deck of the Target in waters off the coast of East Falkland in late February. The eight-thousand nautical mile transit back to the UK is expected to take approximately four weeks. The Endurance is due to arrive in Portsmouth before the end of March. Dockwise CEO, Andre Goedée is pleased to be able to assist the UK MoD. He has made every resource available to ensure the operation goes smoothly and without delay. He commented: "We discussed the MoD's request knowing that it was an urgent requirement and that it was vital for the UK's overseas interests to get the HMS ENDURANCE repaired and back to operational status as soon as possible. The expertise and resources of Dockwise are designed for this sort of operation, and we pride ourselves on delivering high quality, efficient and risk-free solutions to our customers."

GE Shipping contracts to sell a gas carrier



The Great Eastern Shipping Co Ltd. (G E Shipping) has contracted to sell its LPG gas carrier, “Jag Vayu”. The 1978 built, 28,400 dwt vessel will be delivered to the buyers in Q4 FY2009. The Company’s current new building order book comprises 10 vessels aggregating 0.90 mn dwt (2 LRI product tankers, 2 Suezmax crude carriers, 4 Kamsarmax dry bulk carriers & 2 Supramax dry bulk carriers). Source: Great Eastern Shipping Co Ltd

ANGLIAN EARL TOWS FRENCH CARRIER CLEMENCEAU ON ITS FINAL VOYAGE

Klyne Tugs (Lowestoft) Ltd has delivered the former French aircraft carrier Clemenceau to be broken up by the Able UK TERRC (Teesside Environmental Reclamation and Recycling Centre) facility at Able Seaton Port on the River Tees. The operation was a straightforward, well planned, commercial towage operation undertaken by the company’s anchor-handling tug Anglian Earl.

Remarking on the safe and timely arrival of the ship Captain Colin Harrison, Able UK’s, Head of Ports & Logistics said: “We were delighted with the high level of service provided by Klyne Tugs. This was a very high profile event and the commission was undertaken on schedule and with an essential overriding emphasis on safety. All parties involved

deserve congratulating for a job well done.” Now known as hull Q790, the former flagship of the French navy Clemenceau is a vessel of 32,780 gross tons, 255m in length, with a flight deck 51m wide. Anglian Earl left the French port of Brest at mid-day on the 3rd of February and arrived off the Tees Estuary during the afternoon of the 7th. Local tugs met with Anglian Earl and its tow the following day and completed the berthing operation at the Teeside facility. The 713 mile sea tow was undertaken at an average speed of approximately 7 knots. In spite of passing through the Dover Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, the carefully planned voyage was completed without difficulty. Anglian Earl is a powerful deepsea anchor-handling tug with a bollard pull of 130 tonnes that has been employed on many high profile towage and salvage operations. The tug was under the command of Captain Leo Bioic a highly experienced deepsea tug master who has been with Klyne Tugs for over 12 years. An important aspect of the towage operation was the organisation and provision of appropriate towing gear and rigging the vital towing connection onboard the ship. Most of which was the responsibility of the tug crew. Carl



Beare, Klyne’s Managing Director commented; “It was an extremely demanding operation for the crew of the tug with all the towing equipment having to be placed in position and securely fastened. The total weight of the towing gear was 20 tonnes and it had to be pulled into position from the deck of the tug. The crew did extremely well to complete the task in two and a half days prior to leaving Brest “

Singapore firms in box seat in OSV market Singapore companies in the offshore supply vessel (OSV) market will be hit by the economic downturn but are in the box seat as far as market action is concerned. This is because they are owner-operators, as well as builders in some cases, says industry expert Neil Baird, who is organising this month's Asian Shipping and Workboat Exhibition. They can sell or charter out vessels when prices and charter rates are good, or build up their own fleets during the lulls, he points out. According to Mr Baird, experience shows the normal economic cycle lasts 10 years, with the boom starting five years before the crisis. The last peak was in 1987-1988, and industry figures show that during 2003-2004, orders worth an average of US$30 million-US$35 million were coming in at the rate of 10 a day. Having worked through this order boom, the bottom of the present down cycle is expected to be in 2010, when orders will slowly rise again until the boom takes off again in 10 years' time, Mr Baird says. During this time, older vessels will be scrapped as owners weed out their fleets and reduce their overall age. Modern vessels will become more economic to run and charterers are becoming more demanding in terms of emissions, higher quality build and better design. The present down-trend should therefore be seen as a period of renewal and will give industry players some breathing space. During this period 'there will probably be some oversupply, but not as much as many people fear', says Mr Baird. 'There is still a need for larger, more modern, more capable vessels (and) I feel that demand will increase again this year.' For example, companies such as Bourbon, which is expecting the delivery of 31 supply vessels and 44 crew boats this year alone, may start to feel the effect of the slowdown in the oil boom. While acknowledging that the oil price fall could affect business, Bourbon, a major supplier of offshore supply vessels, said in its fourth-quarter results recently that its offshore division's revenue increased 63 per cent to 209.1 million euros (S$406.5 million). Mr Baird says: 'They may well have problems. But what they are building are high-quality, well-equipped modern vessels.' The demand and supply situation for offshore supply vessels also depends to some extent on geography as well as the market mood, he adds. Bourbon, for example, highlighted the fact that its offshore division continues to see strong growth in Asia and Africa. At end-2008, it was operating 16 supply vessels and 13 crew boats in Asia and recently set up a joint venture unit to cater to the needs of the Asian market. The market continues to provide good opportunities. In general, each rig requires about 12 or more offshore supply vessels to service it. 'A lot of new rigs have and are being launched on the back of ongoing work, although, obviously, the order spree has come to an end,' Mr Baird says. Companies that have been building on speculation in line with the buoyant market sentiment last year may find themselves a little caught out, he says. But unlike expensive and specific items such as oil rigs, offshore supply vessels are more versatile. 'Building on spec is always dangerous, but offshore supply vessels are a bit less so because they are readily converted to other roles,' Mr Baird says. 'Those companies (that have punted on spec) are long-term market participants who have experienced tough times in the past. They are resilient and adaptable.' Source: Business Times

Golden Ocean Group tenders delivery notice regarding sale of panamax vessel M/V Bellflower

Golden Ocean Group Limited has tendered delivery notice in connection with the sale of the Company's panamax vessel M/V Bellflower. The agreed sales price is $76 million. Golden Ocean has at the same time declared the



purchase option on the vessel at a strike price of $21.3 million. The Buyer has informed Golden Ocean that they do not have the financial resources to take delivery of the vessel. The Board of Golden Ocean has considered their available options including their possibility to pursue the claim through legal recovery, both against the Buyer as well as the Buyer's owners. The timing and financial backing for a potential award made such a route uncertain. In this process the counterpart has come back with a proposal to buy the vessel for a reduced price of $50 million. The new agreement includes a $10 million second priority financing with 7 years maturity to rank after a first priority mortgage maximized to $18 million. This price is estimated to reflect a significant contribution from the Buyer above the current market value of the vessel. The new sales agreement is based on the new ultimate owners bringing new equity to the Buyer. The Board agreed in this difficult situation to accept the new contract and the vessel is expected to be delivered to the new owners in March 2009. If such sale fails Golden Ocean will seek recovery under the original contract with the Buyers. Due to financial constraints and risk of bankruptcy for one of the Golden Ocean's counterparts (Spanish cement producer), it has been agreed as follows (with reference to the press release sent out on the third of December 2007): The Panamax vessels M/V Mulberry Paris and M/V Mulberry Wilton (both 76.500 dwt) have been redelivered to the Company from their existing charter. A cash compensation of approximately $25 million has been agreed upon for the balance period commitment (until the third quarter of 2011). Both vessels will be trading in the spot market until further notice. The loss for Golden Ocean compared to the present forward market is approximately $32.0 million with the potential for some further recovery based on a positive financial development of the charterer. The loss is sensitive to the spot earnings for the two vessels going forward. Due to non-compliance with the terms and conditions for the sale/leaseback agreements of two Capesize vessels to be delivered from Daehan Shipbuilding, Ship Finance International Limited and Golden Ocean have agreed to terminate the agreement. The Company is in discussions with banks to replace these two financing arrangements as well as seeking financing for the 10 ships the Company presently have unfinanced. The two breaches of contract put constraints on the Company's liquidity position and might force the Company to seek further risk capital. The Company's major shareholder has under certain conditions indicated a positive willingness to contribute to such a solution. The major condition is that the Company can agree acceptable changes in the loan documentation with its banks as well as the holders of the Company's Convertible Bonds. A significant part of Golden Ocean's value is linked to the value of the Company's charter portfolio. As advised in the third quarter 2008 press release, Golden Ocean considers the counterparty risk to be the biggest challenge for the Company going forward. The Company will enter into discussions with the banks to discuss potential changes to its loan agreements, among others the interpretation of the loan agreements related to the value of charter parties into the net worth calculation. The Company anticipates that similar discussions will take place with the Company's convertible bond holders. Such changes might be needed so that the Company is in compliance with existing lending facilities going forward. Golden Ocean has also started discussions with the shipyards and other specific creditors in order to achieve reliefs in the Company's contracts and agreements. This includes, among other items, cancellations of newbuilding contracts, but as of today no agreements have been made. The Company intends to present further information about the need for financing in the fourth quarter report to be released February 26th 2008. Source: Golden Ocean Group

HALLIN’S NEW VESSEL WINS US$20 MILLION SHELL CONTRACT



Hallin Marine, the AIM quoted subsea solutions provider to the oil and gas industry, announces that its new subsea operations vessel (SOV), the Ullswater, has won its first order and will commence the US$20 million contract immediately. The contract will see the Ullswater operate in the role of accommodation support vessel for offshore oil and gas owner/operator Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX) into 2010 as part of the Malampaya shallow water platform maintenance programme. The 78 metre Ullswater is Hallin’s new build, flagship vessel and has just successfully completed its sea trials following delivery from its construction docks in Batam, Indonesia.

The vessel is now being mobilised to support the SPEX’s programme and will operate in its dynamically positioned class two (DP2) mode and provide support and accommodation to the construction crews carrying out the platform maintenance programme. The contract is a firm charter hire with SPEX, which is a subsidiary of the Royal Dutch Shell Group, with potential to extend on location through 2010. Jon Attenburrow, Hallin’s East Division’s MD, said: “Hallin is pleased to receive the 2009 contract award from Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., which is part of one of the world’s major operators. We look forward to a successful campaign in support of Shell’s offshore operations with Hallin’s flagship vessel, the SOV Ullswater.”

Tug Waterman and Watergeus and Wagenborg Barge 1 and 2 during Ro-Ro discharging 4 columns in Gdansk at the ”Lotos refinery”.

Photo : Marc Mazereeuw - Wagenborg Sleepdienst & Hanzestad Hijstransport ©

SUBSEA 7 NAMED 'COMPANY OF THE YEAR' AT ANNUAL SUBSEA BUSINESS AWARDS



Subsea 7 Inc one of the world’s leading subsea engineering and construction companies, was recognised last night for excellence throughout its business and operations when it was named ‘Subsea Company of the Year’ at the 2009 Subsea UK Business Awards. Finalists in the ‘Subsea Company of the Year’ category, which also included Hallin Marine and Tracerco, were judged on a number of factors, including: growth in the last year; national and international profile and reputation; business and technical excellence; commitment to staff training and development and commitment to safety and the environment. Achievements such as recently scoring 93% for Health and Safety and 91% for Environmental issues with FPAL (First Point Assessment Ltd) – the highest ever scores awarded to an FPAL listed company in these areas - and its investment in, and commitment to, numerous new technologies – including helping other SME’s in the Subsea Industry get their technologies to market; were among just some of the reasons Subsea 7 was selected as the 2009 winner: Robin Davies, Vice President for Subsea 7’s UK Region accepted the award on behalf of the company: “I am honoured to accept the ‘Subsea Company of the Year’ award on behalf of everyone at Subsea 7, whose hard work, commitment and vision towards becoming the Subsea Partner of Choice, has resulted in us being able to demonstrate excellence in all areas of our business and operations. Subsea UK is the industry body and focal point for the entire British subsea industry and aims to increase business opportunities at home and abroad for the sector. Its annual business awards ceremony coincides with its flagship annual Aberdeen exhibition and conference – Subsea 09. The awards took place at the AECC on Wednesday 11th February and were attended by over 700 delegates from the Oil and Gas community.

Seen at the CDM yard at Curacao the very nice engine room of the Wagenborgs , ASIABORG, with a Wartsila Mainengine, The vessel is under Dutch flag/Delfzijl but crew is completely Chinese.

Photo : John Smit ©



Hapag-Lloyd to continue Canada-Mediterranean service unchanged

Hapag-Lloyd will continue the service between Montreal and ports in the Mediterranean provided in cooperation with Senator Lines without any change, offering customers reliable, weekly departures. Eight ships, two of which are contributed by Senator, are currently deployed. The service runs from Montreal to Fos, Genoa, Salerno and Cagliari as well as Valencia Leghorn, Cadiz and Lisbon. The vessels deployed have capacities of between 1,000 and 2,000 TEU. In a notice to the trade it is said, that Hanjin Shipping, as parent company of Senator Lines, is presently investigating the possibility of continuing the Canada-Mediterranean service in conjunction with Hapag-Lloyd. Source: yourindustrynews

K Line launches new coal carrier Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd (K Line), a Japanese shipping company, has launched a new 88,000 deadweight tonne coal carrier to join its specialised fleet for thermal coal transport. The vessel, Tohoku Maru, was built at Marugame Shipyard of Imabari Shipbuilding Co Ltd in Japan, K Line said in a statement. The Corona-series, which K Line created and continues to develop, consists of epoch-making coal carriers equipped with wide beam and shallow draft, which are the most suitable type to enter ports of domestic thermal power stations to discharge cargo. Tohoku Maru will be principally involved in long-term service carrying thermal coal to Tohoku Electric Power Co Inc thermal power stations. In another statement, K Line announced that it would launch a new service between South Africa and West Africa by April. The service will enable K Line to tap into the growing Asia to West Africa market by linking with its Asia to South Africa service and offer a high-quality package to its customers. The new service will be operated independently by K Line where its port rotations include Cape Town in South Africa, Tema in Ghana and Lagos in Nigeria and Cotonou in Benin. There weekly service will be operated by four 1,000 20ft-equivalent-unit capacity vessels. Source : The Star

Hong Kong shipping line OOCL becomes a new customer for the Port of Gothenburg

The Hong Kong-based shipping line OOCL is set to become a new customer for the Port of Gothenburg. In March, a new line will commence linking Gothenburg with Russia and the continent. OOCL, Orient Overseas Container Line, is one of the world's largest shipping lines and operates worldwide. This publicly listed Hong Kong shipping line will now be putting into the Port of Gothenburg. A rotation route will commence covering Hamburg/Gothenburg/Klaipeda (Lithuania), St Petersburg, Rauma (Finland) and Gävle/Hamburg. The freight comprises import goods from Asia, Australia and North America and will be reloaded from the line's ocean-going vessels in Hamburg onto vessels serving the new route. It will also be possible for Swedish companies to use the route to export goods to Lithuania, Finland and Russia. "It is incredibly exciting that OOCL has chosen to focus on the Port of Gothenburg and that we have yet another direct link to the important Russian market. OOCL is also one of the shipping lines that we hope will in the future choose to operate directly to Gothenburg with its ocean-going vessels, allowing transit operations for the Baltic region to be handled here instead of on the continent," says Claes Sundmark, Sales Director at the Port of Gothenburg. To facilitate the movement of freight from different parts of Sweden, including the Stockholm area, to the Port of Gothenburg, OOCL will make use of the rail shuttles that link the port to different towns in Sweden. The vessels on the new route are the OOCL Neva and the OOCL Narva, each with a capacity of 868 TEU. They will put into Gothenburg each Thursday. Source: portgot



OOCL slash capacity by a quarter

The OOCL DUBAI seen moored at the Brani terminal in Singapore Photo : Piet Sinke ©


Orient Overseas International Limited, the owner of Orient Overseas Container Line, has told Reuters it will slash capacity by 25%. Chairman of the Hong Kong-listed company Tung Chee-chen expects the firm’s container traffic to fall by 20%-30% in early 2009, OOCL takes delivery of 10 new vessels this year, mainly towards the back end of 2009. Many ships will head for repair and few chartered in ships will see their contracts renewed, Tung said. As of the end of 2008 OOCL boasted a fleet of 86 vessels totalling 366,384 teu. "Taking into consideration the figures for January and February, 2009 will be a very difficult year," Tung told Reuters., warning, “It may take two to three years to return to positive growth.” Source: seatradeasia

Containerships takes on ferries from Denmark

Containerships - fast, reliable alternative to the ferries from Denmark to the UK SCANDINAVIA and Baltic shipping specialist Containerships is to operate a new weekly connection from the Danish market effective this week. An existing service operated with a 900-teu-vessel service calling at the Latvian port of Riga (Tuesday) and Klaipeda in Lithuania (Wednesday), will now call at the Danish port of Aarhus (Thursday) before Teesport (Friday) and Rotterdam (Saturday). “Not only can we now offer a fast, reliable alternative to the ferries from Denmark to the UK, but we can now also offer a Baltic States gateway for Russian cargoes from the Danish market,” said Containerships Denmark director Orri Jonsson. “With a Friday arrival in Teesport, we can have goods into the marketplace in Scotland and northern England over the weekend or first thing Monday morning. This is especially important for our perishable goods customers,” he added. The new service would also strengthen the company’s position regarding goods from the Baltics to Iceland via Aarhus, he said. Containerships already serves Denmark with a Gdansk, Sodertalje, St Petersburg and Helsinki service. It has a matrix of service offerings linking Teesport, Tilbury, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Ghent with Helsinki, Riga, Klaipeda, St Petersburg and Gdansk. Source : Lloydslist



The reefer BARENTS BAY of Seatrade seen off Gibraltar Photo : Beau Bisso – T&T Bisso Response ©

Trico Marine scores US$80 million in contracts, extensions

Trico Marine Services has been awarded new contracts and extensions of certain existing contracts worth over US$80 million in value. The contracts were with the Trico Marine Group's subsea services company DeepOcean AS or its subsea protection company CTC Marine. Over the last two months, multiple contracts representing around US$53 million in value were awarded to DeepOcean involving inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) and survey work. StatoilHydro secured multipurpose support vessel Edda Fonn for all of 2009 to conduct inspections of production platforms in the North Sea. StatoilHydro will also use support vessel Edda Freya for four months of survey work beginning Apr. 1, with options for additional duration depending on the work scope. Edda Freya will also be used for survey work in Gibraltar for Enagas. DeepOcean will perform a survey of gas pipelines from Spain to Morocco. Support vessel Deep Endeavour has been secured for six months of IMR work through June 2009 with a major contractor to Pemex. CTC Marine secured contract extension and awards representing US$31 million in value. Bluewhale Offshore Engineering Technology extended its contract until August 2009, under which CTC Marine shall complete work scope including, but not limited to, diving support work, installation, trenching and burial as well as riser installation services.



Trident Australasia recently awarded CTC Marine a contract commencing in March 2009 for the Longtom project, covering the installation and trenching of over 20 kilometers (12.43 miles) of umbilical in addition to installation of spools and deployment of protection structures. A contract for installation of telecom cables commencing in 2010 was also awarded to CTC Marine. Trico Marine Chairman and CEO Joseph Compofelice said, commented, "These contract awards show the strength of our subsea services and subsea protection businesses. We continue to win contract awards directly or indirectly for national oil companies in the international arena. Furthermore, our historical performance and strong relationships are proving valuable as we continue to secure work with national oil companies. Lastly, we are seeing pricing in these contracts that is consistent with the level of pricing we experienced in 2008."

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Above seen the SMIT Rebras tugs in Santos SMIT TUPI, TUXA, TORA, TICUNA and TAPEBA Photo : Pieter van Stein - SMIT Rebras ©

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