Gas Tankers News

COSCO Tankers Disable AIS as Sanctions Bite

About one-third of the oil tankers owned by COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) have shut off their ship-tracking transponders since the United States imposed sanctions on the company for allegedly shipping Iranian crude, shipping data showed.From Sept. 30 to Oct. 7, a total of 14 COSCO Dalian ships, six of which carry some oil, stopped sending location data from their automatic identification system (AIS), ship tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon showed. The U.S. imposed the sanctions on Sept.

Ever Larger LNG Tankers Head for Panama Canal

A 'Q-Flex' LNG tanker, the world's second-largest class of liquefied natural gas carriers, is set to pass through the Panama Canal for the first time, the canal's CEO said, expanding the Americas to Asia trade route for the fast-growing commodity.The 'Al Safliyah', which can carry about 210,000 cubic metres of LNG, is on its way to Panama from the North Pacific after discharging a cargo from Qatar into Korea Gas Corp's (KOGAS) Tongyeong terminal on April 21, shipping data in Refinitiv Eikon showed."This is the first Q-Flex to transit the Panama Canal…

Rimorchiatori Spezzini Orders Two Damen ASD Tugs

Rimorchiatori Spezzini, a subsidiary of the Scafi Group, contracted Damen Shipyards Group for two new Damen ASD Tugs 2411. The order comes as part of Scafi’s plans to expand its fleet in response to the newly assigned harbor towage concession in the port of Safi, Morocco. The two new ASD Tugs will be based in the Port of La Spezia, an important maritime hub for commercial markets in North Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. (Read more about the Port of La Spezia in the latest…

Panama Canal LNG Volume Soars as Global Demand Grows

The Panama Canal may carry five times as much liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2020 as it did last year as production of the fuel expands in the United States and Asian import demand rises, the head of the canal's governing agency told Reuters.LNG volumes traversing the Canal could hit 30 million tonnes a year before the end of 2020, said Jorge Quijano, who leads the Panama Canal Authority, up from 6 million tonnes last year.Demand for LNG has risen significantly in the last three years as the increase of supply…

Kuwait Oil Tanker Signs Financing Deal for 8 Tankers

Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) said on Thursday it had signed a 140 million dinar ($467 million) financing deal with three local banks for eight oil tankers, state news agency KUNA reported. The 10-year financing was obtained from Warba, Ahli United and Kuwait International banks, KUNA said. Earlier, KOTC and South Korean construction firm Hyundai Heavy Industries have co-signed a contract worth USD 213.36 million to build three immense gas tankers, as part of a major KOTC fleet overhaul.

Morch Elected to J. Lauritzen BoD

Danish shipping company J. Lauritzen adds CEO of Norwegian Odfjell, Kristian V. Mørch, and CFO of the cleaning company ISS, Barbara Plucnar Jensen, into its board of directors. "J. Lauritzen A/S in March 2018, Kristian V. Morch, CEO at Odfjell SE, Norway and Barbara Plucnar Jensen, CFO at ISS UK and Ireland will be elected as new members of the Board of Directors of J. Lauritzen," said a press release from the company. In connection with the upcoming annual general meeting, Marianne Wiinholt, CFO & EVP at Ørsted will resign from the Board of Directors of J. Lauritzen. Kristian V.

Top 10 Trends in Maritime Recruitment

At the beginning of each year I'm frequently asked about the trends I expect to see in the world of maritime recruitment, and the start of 2018 has been no different. Having thought long and hard about what happened in 2017 and how this will affect recruitment this year, I have made a list of the 10 essential maritime recruitment trends for this year. 1. Salaries and bonuses will mostly remain static. With the exception of a few areas, 2018 will see little change in compensation and benefits in the wider sector.

Hyundai Heavy Industries, KOTC Ink Gas Carriers Deal

Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) has signed a contract with South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for three very large gas carries (VLGC). The three 84,000 cbm LPG carriers are expected to start delivery in 2019. The contract worth USD 213.36 million to build three immense gas tankers is part of a major KOTC fleet overhaul. The deal entails the construction of three liquefied gas tankers at a cost of USD 71.12 million per tanker, the marine transport company said in a statement to KUNA.

Hopkins Named Managing Director at Harris Pye UK

Nigel Hopkins has been appointed Managing Director of Harris Pye UK Ltd based at the company’s headquarters in Llandow in Wales. He joined Harris Pye on May 1 this year working alongside Dave Hayden, the company’s retiring Managing Director at the Harris Pye UK headquarters in Llandow, South Wales before officially taking over from Dave Hayden on October  1, 2017. Nigel Hopkins started his engineering career in the merchant navy spending 13 years sailing on a variety of vessels including oil tankers…

OSM Crew Management for Lauritzen Kosan Fleet

Global ship management company OSM Maritime Group said it has been awarded full crew management of Lauritzen Kosan’s entire fleet of liquefied gas tankers, including 26 refrigerated ethylene, semi-refrigerated and pressurised gas carriers. OSM’s focus on the provision of personal service and expert seafarers, combined with delivering business efficiencies and economies of scale, has seen the company grow considerably in 2017. This latest contract ranks as its largest individual win of the year, bringing the number of vessels OSM provides services to far beyond the 500 mark.

Vopak Launches Concurrent Bunkering Services in Singapore

Vopak, the world's largest independent storage tank operator, has launched a new service that allows tankers docking at its Singapore Sebarok oil terminal to refuel while simultaneously loading or discharging cargoes. "The new concurrent bunkering service is in line with Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's directive to improve port efficiency," Vopak said in a statement on Tuesday. The service eliminates the time needed to move tankers calling at the Sebarok terminal to designated anchorages in Singapore's congested waters for refuelling, also known as bunkering.

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Q2 Profit Surges 73%

China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings reported a 73 percent increase in second-quarter net profit, helped by higher revenue from the construction of larger-size vessels,  Reuters reported. The company, which specialises in dry-bulk carriers,  posted a net profit of 719.92 million yuan (S$146 million) for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017. Revenue increased 27 per cent year on year to 3.79 billion yuan in Q2 due to higher contributions across its different businesses.

Hyundai Heavy Wins $600 Vitol Tanker Contract

The Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) won a contract worth up to $600 million from Netherlands-based energy and commodities company Vitol to build as many as eight gas tankers, Reuters reported. HHI will construct two liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers with a capacity of 84,000 cubic meters (3 million cubic feet) each. The ships are expected to be delivered in the first half of 2019. Under the deal, the energy company holds the option to order six more gas carriers.

Monjasa Reports Panama Canal Supply Growth

Physical bunker supplier Monjasa has been active in the Panama Canal since 2011 and established a physical presence for operations and bunker trading in Panama City in 2015. Now one year after the official inauguration of the new locks of the expanded Panama Canal, Monjasa said it has seen supply volumes continually grow. “Since the opening of the new locks exactly a year ago, we have seen a positive development in the local bunker market,” said Rasmus Jacobsen, Managing Director for Monjasa Americas.

Global Shipping Feels Fallout from Maersk Cyber Attack

Global shipping is still feeling the effects of a cyber attack that hit A.P. Moller-Maersk two days ago, showing the scale of the damage a computer virus can unleash on the technology dependent and inter-connected industry. About 90 percent of world trade is transported by sea, with ships and ports acting as the arteries of the global economy. Ports increasingly rely on communications systems to keep operations running smoothly, and any IT glitches can create major disruptions for complex logistic supply chains. The cyber attack was among the biggest-ever disruptions to hit global shipping.

Container Shippers Ordered to Testify in US Investigation

The U.S. Justice Department has ordered top executives from several container shipping lines to testify in an antitrust investigation into an industry that is the backbone of global trade, the companies said on Wednesday. The world's biggest container shipper, Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk, Germany's Hapag Lloyd, Taiwan-based Evergreen, Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) said their executives were among those who had been subpoenaed. The United States is concerned that the proposed alliances of several major companies…

Norbulk Shipping: 25 Years of Recruiting Seafarers

Norbulk Shipping is celebrating 25 years of training and recruiting seafarers from its management offices in Riga, Latvia. The crewing and training center run by Hanza Marine Management, a partner company to Norbulk Shipping, supplies 4,000 seafarers to 150 vessels and supplies a wide range of crewing recruitment and training services to its clients. This year, it is celebrating 25 years in business after the manning agency was set up in the early ’90s, shortly after Latvia regained independence.

Suez Canal to Feel Pinch of Slow Down

The traffic developments through the Suez Canal showed the change in each type of transient and cargo ships, which gives an indication of the future of traffic in the canal, according to analysis conducted by Daily News Egypt. According to data, the contradiction between the low number of vessels and higher payloads shows a tendency to rely on bigger ships to save costs. The Suez Canal will have to cope with this development and maintain an appropriate depth to meet the requirements of these larger vessels.

Panama Canal Plans LNG Terminal

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP), which administers the canal, is looking at building a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import terminal near the Canal. The ACP has been awarded a US Trade and Development Agency grant to help fund a feasibility study for the project, which it is considering for when the expanded canal is opened next year and the waterway is expected to handle considerable liquefied natural gas tankers. A statement from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency says that…

IMO Adopts Regulations for Ships Using LNG

United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted globally binding regulations for ships using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel. The IMO has just adopted a new international code of safety for ships using gases or other low-flashpoint fuels – the so-called IGF Code. The Code is to help ensure that the safety level of ships using LNG and other more environmentally friendly fuels is enhanced and made more homogeneous. The regulations will enter into force in 2017 and apply to new ships and new conversions of ships, respectively, except for gas tankers.

BP Shipping Marks its 100th Year

BP Shipping today celebrates its 100-year anniversary, making it the longest continually operating company in the BP group. Formed on April 30, 1915 as the British Tanker Company, the business has adapted to significant world events including two world wars, the Great Depression, closures of the Suez Canal, and the impact of oil nationalisations on the world economy and the movement of oil and gas. BP Shipping has also played its role in the evolution of safer and more environmentally sustainable shipping practices including inert gas systems…

BP Shipping Turns 100

BP Shipping celebrated its 100-year anniversary yesterday, making it the longest continually operating company in the group. Formed on April 30, 1915 as the British Tanker Company, the business has contributed to two world wars, the Great Depression, the closures of the Suez Canal, and the impact of oil nationalisations on the world economy and the movement of oil and gas. It has also played a role in the evolution of safer and more environmentally sustainable shipping practices including inert gas systems, crude oil washing and double hulling.

Grand Elena's Hundredth Voyage

The gas tanker Grand Elena, jointly owned by PAO Sovcomflot and the Japanese company NYK, has embarked on her hundredth voyage from the port of Prigorodnoye in Russia to Japan. The vessel is undertaking her latest shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on behalf of Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. The LNG carrier is chartered to Sakhalin Energy under a long-term time charter agreement and is operated along with two other vessels of the same series, Grand Aniva and the Grand Mereya, as part of the Sakhalin-2 project.

Decade Old India Shipping Summit Makes History

In ten years, India Shipping Summit held consistently in Mumbai, has sailed on a robust growth course despite the worldwide witnessing recessionary waves buffeting any endeavors to grow and gain. The reasons are not too far to see. From the very beginning it has been reputed to be a mega event of South East Asia. It sought consistently to bring government representatives and the leading lights of the industry on to a common platform thus acting as a beacon for the country’s maritime trade to move on the road to progress.

China Charges State-owned Shipyard Ex-head with Taking Bribes

The former chairman of Chinese state-run shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding has been charged with taking bribes, prosecutors said on Friday, the latest official to be swept up in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption crackdown. The Supreme People's Procuratorate said in a notice on its website that Gu Tiquan, former board chairman of the Shanghai-based shipyard, would be prosecuted. It did not give details. Hudong-Zhonghua is a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, one of the largest shipbuilding conglomerates in the country.

The Martitime Security Focus Is Shifting

Former Vice-Admiral and Commander-in-chief of the German Navy Hans-Joachim Stricker, President of the German Maritime Institute (DMI), believes that in terms of security the industry is headed in the right direction. But challenges remain. Safety First: Shipping is no exception. Keeping people and property out of harm's way not only means complying with onboard technical safety regulations, training ship crews and providing rescue equipment. It also means addressing external threats from terrorism and piracy, which continue to be a major challenge for shipping.