Singapore News

Rhenus Acquires World Net Logistics

European logistics provider Rhenus Group has acquired South African freight forwarding and logistics specialist World Net Logistics (WNL).The takeover of the Johannesburg-headquartered firm WNL is still subject to approval by the relevant cartel authorities.In addition to having a dense network of business sites in South Africa, WNL also has several branches and partners in Asia and Germany.The acquisition by Germany’s Rhenus Group is the latest in a string of purchases around the world in the last few months alone…

GPS Plans Rail Link in Port of Amsterdam

Singapore-headquartered international petroleum storage and logistics provider Global Petro Storage (GPS) has entered into an agreement with the Port of Amsterdam to develop a railcar connection on land adjacent to GPS' existing 11-tank gasoline and bioguel storage and blending facility.GPS intends to develop a rail connection to the public network and to points across Europe that will increase its efficiency and offerings to clients.Port of Amsterdam endorses the importance of good rail connections to and from the Amsterdam port region. Transport by rail is safe and sustainable.

India Watchdog: DP World Trying to Halt Probe

India's antitrust regulator said in a court filing that a challenge by Dubai's DP World of a probe into its alleged anti-competitive practices at a Mumbai port is an effort to halt or delay possible adverse findings against the firm.The Competition Commission of India (CCI) told a Mumbai court that DP World's local unit had "prematurely" rushed to court to stall or delay the probe, according to a filing by the watchdog dated Jan. 30 and seen by Reuters.The CCI filing has not been previously reported…

Hill Dickinson Strengthens Team

Hill Dickinson announced a series of high-level appointments.Joining Hill Dickinson are Master Mariner Kevin Austin, Korean market specialist Beth Bradley, and transactional lawyer Sung Hwan Choi.Experienced Master Mariner Kevin Austin, currently a Legal Director with Norton Rose, is especially well known in the London Hull Market. He will join Hill Dickinson as a Legal Director in London, following a strategic rearrangement of the firm’s mariner team, which sees Joe Quain return…

PSA, Partners Jointly Acquire Gdańsk

Singapore-based port operator PSA International, Poland’s sovereign wealth fund PFR, and IFM Global Infrastructure Fund (GIF), have agreed a deal with Australian infrastructure firm Macquarie to buy Poland’s largest container port DCT Gdansk.DCT Gdańsk is situated at the crossroads of the Baltic deep-sea trading routes and holds a strategic position as a major gateway into Poland and Central-Eastern European markets.Construction of the Port began in 2005 with the outgoing shareholders…

Fakes Make Up 3.3% of Global Trade

Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods, mostly originated in China, has risen steadily, posing a major challenge in an innovation-driven global economy, revealed a new study.Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods has risen steadily in the last few years – even as overall trade volumes stagnated – and now stands at 3.3% of global trade, according to a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EU’s Intellectual Property Office.Trends…

Diana Fixes m/v San Francisco with Koch

Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Koch Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore, for one of its Newcastlemax dry bulk vessels, the m/v San Francisco.The global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels said that the gross charter rate is US$16,000 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum 19 months to about 22 months. The charter commenced earlier today.The “San Francisco” is a 208…

First Commercial Drone Ship Delivery

Launching this week in partnership with Airbus, Wilhelmsen’s shore-to-ship Singapore pilot project, marks the first deployment of drone technology in real-time port conditions, delivering a variety of small, time-critical items to working vessels at anchorage.Lifting off from Marina South Pier in Singapore with 3D printed consumables from Wilhelmsen’s onshore 3D printing micro-factory, the Airbus Skyways drone navigated autonomously along pre-determined ‘aerial-corridors’ in its 1.5km flight to Eastern Working Anchorage.

Lankhorst Appoints Commercial Director

Maritime and heavy lift ropes company, Lankhorst Ropes, has appointed Mark Pieter Frölich as commercial director for Lankhorst Ropes USA. Based in Philadelphia, Frölich will head the development of Lankhorst Ropes’ sales in the maritime and offshore markets in the United States and Canada.Lankhorst Ropes is part of Kansas based WireCo WorldGroup, a steel wire and synthetic ropes maker. Previously regional manager for Lankhorst Ropes in the Middle East, Frölich has spent the past seven years successfully founding and growing the WireCo WorldGroup branch office in Dubai.

CMA CGM Upgrades NEMO service

Shipping group CMA CGM has reinforced its Europe / Indian Ocean & Australia offering by upgrading its NEMO service, which liaises North Europe and the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean Islands and Australia on the southbound leg and Australia to southeast Asia and Europe on the northbound leg.This upgraded service will be effective in September 2019 and operated in partnership with MSC, subject to applicable filing requirements.CMA CGM said the new offer will feature an upgraded fleet and provide expanded port coverage through a better utilization of hubs offering dedicated feeder services.

SEA\LNG Welcomes Vancouver Fraser Port

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has joined SEA\LNG, the multi-sector industry coalition aiming to accelerate the widespread adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. Vancouver Fraser Port  is the first North America port member to join the industry group.The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency of the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, and the fourth port member to join the coalition, alongside Port of Rotterdam, Yokohama-Kawasaki International Port Corporation (YKIP), and most recently the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

ReCAAP Asia Piracy, Sea Robbery Report

Piracy and Sea Robbery Situation in Asia in February 2019A total of three incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia in February 2019There was no report of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern SabahThere was no report of hijacking of ships for theft of oil cargoHowever, the abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah remains a serious concernOf the three incidents reported in February 2019, one incident occurred on board ship anchored at Caofeidian anchorage in China, one incident on board ship anchored at

DNV GL Rolls Out Remote Surveys

Classification society DNV GL has announced that all DNV GL classed vessels are now able to utilize the possibility of remote surveys for some inspections through the Veracity data platform. This means that for a range of surveys, a DNV GL surveyor will not be required to travel to the vessel. Instead, by using an online connection or video streaming link, a dedicated team of remote surveyors can provide support to vessels anywhere in the world with documentation, images, video (streaming or recordings), and input provided by the customer and crew.

Wan Hai Lines Enhances Japan Services

Taiwanese shipping company Wan Hai Lines announced the enhancement of its Japan service coverage.With effect from early April 2019, the company shall upgrade its existing New Super 1 service and also extend one of its existing Japan Kanto service to cover Malaysia, the provider of full-containerized shipping service said in a press note.Upgrade existing New Super 1 service(NS1) to Panamax vessel size: The service will maintain 4 vessel deployment with WHL deploying 2 x 4250Teu vessels, while IAL and OOCL deploys 1 vessel each.

MOL Signs LNG Charter with Pavilion Gas

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that it has signed a long-term charter contract to operate Asia's largest (12,000m3-class) LNG bunkering vessel in Singapore, the world's largest fuel supply port, with Pavilion Gas, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pavilion Energy.Demand for LNG as bunker fuel is expected to grow on a global scale as stricter SOx regulations take effect in January 2020. Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) is focusing considerable effort on development…

DP World Asks Court to Halt Antitrust Probe at Mumbai Port

Dubai's DP World has asked an Indian court to halt an investigation into alleged antitrust violations at the country's largest container port in Mumbai, saying the regulator was seeking excessive information, a court document seen by Reuters showed.The Competition Commission of India (CCI) last year said it suspected antitrust violations by DP World and Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk at the terminals they operate at state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).The CCI's investigation followed a complaint by Singapore's PSA International Pte Ltd…

ONE: Loading Record Exceeding 19000 TEUs

MOL TRIBUTE, operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE), renewed a loading record with 19,190 TEUs (including 38 TEUs void slots). The previous loading record was 18767 TEUs by MOL TRADITION in late December 2018. MOL TRIBUTE, which is deployed in ONE’s Far East Loop 2 (FE2) service in THE Alliance (THEA), achieved the record on her Singapore westbound departure to North Europe on 11 Feb 2019, and it was the first time for ONE to surpass 19000 TEUs containers onboard.

APL: New Asia Australia Express 2

APL launched a new weekly Asia Australia Express 2 (AAX2) service that will connect the key Southeast Asian ports of Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia to the two major eastern Australian cities of Brisbane and Sydney.The AAX2 service is poised to be the only service in the market with a direct call from Ho Chi Minh to Australia. Promising the industry’s fastest transit time, an AAX2 shipment from Ho Chi Minh to Brisbane and Sydney will take just 16 days and 18 days respectively.

Port Tampa Welcomes CMA CGM

Florida's largest port Port Tampa Bay welcome the announcement by the CMA CGM Group, that it will begin serving Port Tampa Bay in late May 2019 on its Pacific Express 3, or PEX3 service.With a presence in 160 countries and a fleet of 506 vessels, CMA CGM serves over 420 ports across the globe and is a member of the Ocean Alliance. The PEX3 port service rotation will be as follows: Singapore – Vung Tau – Hong Kong – Shekou – Ningbo – Shanghai - Busan – Panama Canal - Houston – Mobile – New Orleans – Tampa – Miami – Singapore."We are delighted with this announcement by CMA CGM…

Diana Shipping Fixes Houston with Koch

Diana Shipping announced that, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, it has entered into a time charter contract with Koch Shipping Pte. Ltd., Singapore, for one of its Capesize dry bulk vessels, the m/v Houston.The global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels said that the gross charter rate is US$10,125 per day, minus a 5% commission paid to third parties, for a period of minimum 14 months to about 17 months. The charter commenced on February 17…

WiseTech Global Acquires Containerchain

Logistics software company WiseTech Global has announced its acquisition of Singaporean supply chain tracking and management software firm Containerchain.Based in Singapore, Containerchain provides optimization services such as real-time tracking, operational planning and automation to logistics communities in Europe, the US and the Asia-Pacific region.Containerchain serves the container community of empty container depots, road transporters, container terminals, warehouses, shipping lines and cargo owners.

IMO 2020: Fujairah Offers Clean Fuel

The Port of Fujairah in the UAE, one of the world's largest bunkering hubs, has begun offering cleaner marine fuel oils that comply with stricter global emissions rules which come into effect at the start of 2020, a port document showed.Bunker fuel with a maximum 0.5 percent sulfur content are "available in Fujairah as early as February 2019 onwards," said a notice to mariners posted on the Port of Fujairah's website. To comply with IMO 2020 rules, shippers can switch to burning cleaner but more expensive oil…

Schulte Group Acquires Stake in TecHullClean

Schulte Group acquires TecHullClean to expand its range of IMO-compliant underwater inspection, repair and maintenance solutionsSchulte Group, Hamburg, Germany, acquired a majority stake in TecHullClean Limited (THC), a Singapore registered underwater inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) technology company headquartered in Singapore and Algeciras, Spain and with further subsidiaries in Spain, Gibraltar and Ghana.THC specializes in underwater hull cleaning, inspection and propeller…

APL Vancouver En-route to Singapore

The fire-stricken 9,200 teu APL Vancouver is en route to a Singapore lay-by berth for inspection by surveyors, following the decision last week to declare general average (GA)."The vessel was cleared for departure on February 12th following inspections by the Salvage team and Class surveyor," said a press note from APL.Additional safety measures have been provided for its voyage to Singapore, including an escort tug.At about 0330 hours on 31 January, off the Vietnamese coast, a fire started in a cargo hold forward of the vessel’s accommodation block.

Ecochlor Wins BWMS Contract with ATC

Alaskan Tanker Company (ATC) will retrofit the Ecochlor ballast water management system (BWMS) on board their fleet including three VLCC crude oil tankers and an option for one additional vessel. Each of these vessels are U.S. flag tankers with Zone 1 and Zone 0 hazardous areas.The Ecochlor BWMS is approved for installation in both US Flag and International vessels in hazardous areas rated Zone 1 or Zone 0 through their U.S. Coast Guard Type Approval certification. The installations will start in the fall of 2019 and run through 2021 at the Sembawang Shipyard…

Update: Maersk Honam Heads for Rebuild

The sound part of the vessel Maersk Honam, which was hit by a serious fire last year, is being transported to Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyard in South Korea, where it will be rebuilt. The sound section of Maersk Honam was successfully loaded aboard the heavy-lift vessel Xin Guan Hua on open waters outside Dubai (UAE) on Saturday, 2 February. It was expected to pass Singapore Strait on Monday, 18 February 2019. The heavy-lift vessel will deliver the 228.5-metres-long section from midship to stern at Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyard in South Korea in March…