Singapore News

Low-sulphur Fuel Oil Prices Drop

Prices for very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) in ports around the world have fallen within the first month since the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) new regulation for a 0.50% global sulphur cap for marine fuels has taken effect.Singapore has seen one of the largest drops in the price of VLSFO, which peaked on January 7, 2020 at $740 per metric ton (MT) and dropped $99 to $641 per MT on January 22, BIMCO points out.Prices rose in December as shipowners transitioned…

Chembulk Tankers Announces Leadership Changes

Chembulk Tankers announced on Wednseday that Bart B. Kelleher has taken over as Chief Executive Officer for David Ellis, who has resigned for personal reasons. Ellis will be available to the company through January 31, 2020.Kelleher has held senior executive roles within Chembulk since joining the company in early 2016, initially as Chief Strategy Officer and then Chief Financial Officer in early 2019. Prior to joining Chembulk, Kelleher was the Chief Operating Officer for Principal Maritime Management and held roles in investment banking…

Klaveness, Marubeni Form Panamax Bulker Pool

Norwegian dry bulk operator Torvald Klaveness and Japanese trading house Marubeni have merged their panamax pool activities into a new jointly-owned pool management company called Maruklav Management.Maruklav, claimed to be the world's biggest panamax bulker pool, will be led by Michael Jørgensen as the company MD, with Masashi Kobayashi from Marubeni as Deputy MD. The combination of existing fleets in the MG Harrison Shipping and Baumarine Pools will see the venture with a fleet…

Low-sulphur Fuel Sales Surge

The final quarter of 2019 marked a massive decline of high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) sales, as the industry transitioned into compliance of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) 2020 Sulphur Cap (IMO 2020). In Singapore, the world’s largest bunkering hub, the bunker sale landscape saw significant change as the sale of high-sulphur fuel oil dropped tremendously in a matter of months. In contrast, the sale of low-sulphur fuels skyrocketed in the final quarter.The first wave…

China Tax Waiver for Cleaner Ship Fuel Exports

China has approved a long-awaited tax waiver on exports of cleaner ship fuel, paving the way for refiners to boost output, though Beijing may initially limit shipments to focus on growing its coastal marine fuel market, state refiner officials say.Ships globally have switched to lower sulphur fuels, or use emissions-removing devices, to comply with new rules imposed by the International Maritime Organization this year.China's State Council, or cabinet, gave the go-ahead to waive taxes on the 0.5% or very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO)…

Can the New Silk Road Compete with the Maritime Silk Road?

China’s president Xi Jinping refers the Belt and Road Initiative, aka the New Silk Road, as the “Project of the Century” and according to a recent Bloomberg article, Morgan Stanley anticipates Chinese investments will total $1.3 trillion by 2027. In addition, more than 150 countries and international organizations have committed to invest in the project as well with infrastructure enhancements, such as roadways and power plants. But will this New Silk Road ever really compete with the firmly established Maritime Silk Road?Bernhard Simon…

Britannia P&I sets up Shop in NY

Britannia P&I has established a new exclusive correspondent, B Americas P&I, to be based in New York.B Americas P&I will be headed by Michael Unger, a maritime lawyer with extensive litigation and arbitration experience.B Americas will enhance the Club’s ability to provide a round-the-clock claims service to all its Members, while also focusing on the needs of Britannia’s North American Members.This development follows other recent steps taken by the Club, including the opening of new offices in Denmark and Greece and the strengthening of its teams in Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

Mideast Tensions Create Insurance Headache for Tanker Owners

Even as the United States and Iran appear to signal a keenness to avoid further conflict, oil and gas shipowners are bracing to pay a price for the war of words that culminated in rocket strikes in Iraq over the last week - higher insurance bills.According to industry sources, payments known as war risk premiums for tankers shuttling through the Strait of Hormuz could rise significantly, adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to shipping costs in some cases that will ultimately…

Signal, Heidmar Join Forces on Tanker Fleet

Greek commercial ship management company Signal Maritime Services and tanker vessel trader Heidmar join forces to deliver commercial management to the global tanker market.Both companies have agreed a milestone partnership, under which Signal will manage a joint tanker fleet using its proprietary technology and analytical approach, said a press release.Signal’s Artificial-Intelligence-backed solution to pool management has consistently delivered superior earnings to its pool members…

APM Terminals Pipavav Appoints Sørensen

APM Terminals Pipavav (Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited), has appointed Mr. Jakob Friis Sørensen as Managing Director, effective January 1, 2020Sørensen has been a part of A.P. Moller Maersk Group since 1987 starting at the internal A. P.  Moller Shipping School in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has held various positions within the Group in Maersk Line, Maersk Logistics and Damco in countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and India. Sørensen holds an MBA from Henley Management College…

Grindrod Eyes Stake in IVS Bulk JV

Singapore-headquartered provider of maritime transportation services in the drybulk and product tanker sectors, Grindrod Shipping Holdings is planning acquisition of an additional 33.25% stake in its IVS Bulk joint venture."Grindrod Shipping is progressing negotiations to acquire all of the 33.25% ordinary and preference shares in IVS Bulk held by one of its two JV partners for approximately $44.2 million, thereby increasing our stake in the JV to 66.75%," said a press release from the provider of dry-bulk and liquid shipping services.

Scrubber, BWTS Retrofits Drive Keppel in 2019

Scrubber and ballast water treatment system refits have helped to maintain brisk business at shipyards globally, as shipowners upgrade ships to meet regulatory mandate. In Singapore, Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. reports that it has won 104 scrubber and BWTS retrofit orders worth a combined value of $118 million year-to-date, bringing the total number of retrofit projects secured to date to 108 scrubber and 97 BWTS projects.“Installation of scrubbers and BWTS can be highly complex and there has been strong demand worldwide to meet regulatory deadlines…

CMA CGM: Terminal Deal with China Merchants Complete

CMA CGM said on Friday it had finalized an agreement with China Merchants Port Holdings Co.

Singapore Jails Tanker Captain in Shell Theft Case

The captain of a Vietnamese oil tanker has been jailed for over five years in Singapore for his role in a scheme that saw around $150 million of oil stolen from Shell's biggest refinery over several years.Doan Xuan Than, 47, was sentenced to 66 months in prison on Thursday, a spokesman for the State Courts of Singapore said, becoming the second person jailed in a case that also involves former employees of Royal Dutch Shell who allegedly conspired to siphon oil from the firm's Singapore refinery.The theft…

China Stocks up on VLSFO Ahead of IMO2020 Deadline

Chinese marine fuel suppliers have signed up short-term deals to buy very low-sulphur fuel oil from companies like oil major Shell, Germany's Uniper and U.S. commodities trader Freepoint ahead of a new standard on emissions for the global shipping industry that kicks in on Jan. 1.While China's state refiners have pledged to produce a combined 14 million tonnes of the fuel for 2020 that complies with the tighter rules set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Beijing…

Diana Shipping Fixes Santa Barbara with Pacbulk

Diana Shipping  announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Pacbulk Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore, for one of its Capesize dry bulk vessels, the m/v Santa Barbara.The global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels said that the gross charter rate is US$17,250 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum twelve (months to maximum fourteen months.The charter is expected to commence on December 27…

Asia Reports 8 Piracy Incidents in November

A total of eight incidents of armed robbery were reported against ships in Asia in November 2019, according to ReCAAP ISC monthly piracy report.ReCAAP said of the eight incidents reported in November 2019, five incidents, comprising four actual incidents and one attempted incident, occurred in the Singapore Strait.The total number of incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships reported during January-November 2019 has decreased by 4%, but the number of actual incidents…

Amoil Appoints Margaritis MD

Amoil has appointed Alexandros Margaritis as Managing Director as of January 1, 2020.Margaritis brings 14 years of industry experience and has held previous positions in Singapore and Dubai respectively.Amoil was established in 1984 as the first independent bunker trading and supply service in South Africa.

BW LPG's CEO Martin Ackermann Resigns

BW LPG Limited, owner and operator of LPG vessels,  said that Martin Ackermann has decided to step down as CEO at the end of this year for family reasons, after five years leading the company from Singapore.Anders Onarheim, a non-executive director of BW LPG since 2013 and former Managing Director of Carnegie, will act as interim CEO of BW LPG.Martin Ackermann, CEO of BW LPG, said: “It has been a privilege to lead BW LPG through some challenging years and to see it continue as a strong platform for the future”.Andreas Sohmen-Pao…

Bahri Looks to Make LNG Foray

Saudi Aramco's shipping arm Bahri has issued an expression of interest (EOI) to charter up to 12 liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers from 2025, its first foray into the superchilled fuel, industry sources said on Monday.No further details were immediately available and Saudi Aramco declined to comment. EOIs are preliminary enquiries that may or may not turn into full-fledged orders.According to Bahri's website, the national shipping carrier of Saudi Arabia has six business units dealing in oil…

CMA CGM and Total to Develop LNG Ship Refueling in Marseille

Container shipping firm CMA CGM will use the French Mediterranean port of Marseille for refueling some of its planned gas-powered vessels, backed by a supply partnership with energy group Total.Total will supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a refueling barge to enable CMA CGM to refuel LNG-powered vessels at the Marseille-Fos hub starting in 2021, the companies said in a joint statement on Wednesday.The initiative covers five vessels with a capacity of 15,000 twenty-foot equivalent…

Unifeeder Acquires Feedertech

Denmark’s Short-sea operator Unifeeder , part of the global port operator DP World, has acquired a 77% stake in The Feedertech Group, a Singapore-based feeder and shortsea operator.The Group’s Chairman, Ali Maghami, will retain the remaining 23% shareholding.Established in 2003, the Group operates two companies; Feedertech, which is a feedering service and Perma, a regional shortsea network. Both operate in the same market and connect the fast-growing trade route of Asia-Middle…

Diana Shipping Wins Ausca, Koch Charters

Diana Shipping  announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Ausca Shipping Limited, Hong Kong, for one of its Kamsarmax dry bulk vessels, the m/v Myrsini.According to the global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, the gross charter rate is US$11,500 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum 13 months to about 15 months. The charter is expected to commence on December 4…

Grindrod Extends IVS Bulk JV

Singapore based shipowner and operator Grindrod Shipping announced a number of transactions relating to the extension of its IVS Bulk joint venture, implementation of a financing arrangement and a fleet update.Grindrod Shipping has extended the termination date of its IVS Bulk joint venture from September 30, 2019 to November 30, 2019."We continue to progress the transaction agreed in principle with the joint venture partners whereby the company would acquire an additional 33.25% stake from one of the partners with the other partner retaining its 33.25% stake…

Singapore Raises Concern over HHI-DSME Deal

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has expressed concern about the agreement of fusion notified from the South Korean shipbuilding groups Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME).The authority antitrust of Singapore has raised competition concerns with the proposed acquisition by Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd. (KSOE) of a majority interest in DSME and the intended integration of the businesses of KSOE and DSME.Earlier…

Asian Refiners Strive to Finish IMO Preparations

At SK Energy's largest refinery in South Korea, engineers are rushing to complete a new processing unit ahead of schedule as the firm looks to boost sales of low-emission fuels before new marine fuel standards take effect in just one month.In Japan, the country's second-biggest refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co is taking a more cautious stance, increasing capacity for low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO), but also relying on blending to produce IMO 2020 compliant bunker fuel.The different approaches…