Good day Mariners

“Hyundai falls short of 2009 orderbook target ”

Hyundai Heavy Industries missed its US$7.5 billion target for newbuild orders in 2009 by a long shot, inking only US$444 million of orders instead.

A securities filing showed that Hyundai only received US$41 million of new orders in the last quarter of 2009.

London’s Clarkson Research Services data showed that this consisted of three tankers, two 180,000DWT bulkers and one FPSO. This order included two contract alterations to existing orders.

“Samsung to build green shipyard ”

Samsung Heavy Industries, Korea, held a ceremony to launch its green management programme on January 28. As part of the project, Samsung announced that it launch a “green shipyard”.

Worth US$434 million and to be ready by 2015, this specialised shipyard will develop environmentally-friendly vessels.

“The green growth paradigm is emerging due to global warming and companies are required to take action and responsibility for the cause,” Samsung President Noh In-sik was quoted as saying by Asiasis.

“Keeping pace with the demands of the new era, we will promote growth based on green management in a bid to become a socially responsible company.”

A green management committee with a representative director will also be chosen to head the new shipyard.

The shipyard will aim to develop new technologies to enhance energy efficiency while decreasing green house gas emissions by 30 percent.

“Marshall Islands positions to be the third largest open registry”

The Marshall Islands Registry positions to be the world’s third largest open registry with more than 52.3 million gross tons and 2,102 registered vessels. It was the World Fleet Monitor, published by Clarkson Research Services which ranked the Marshall Islands as third in its January 2010 launch issue.

The publication states that Marshall Islands was also the fastest growing of the top four registries last year. The Registry, which is administered by International Registries, Inc. (IRI), attributes its success to the continued decentralization of registry services to its 20 worldwide offices, its client service ethos and the fact that it continues to post top safety and environmental scores with global port States.

Marshall Islands Registry is marked as the only major open registry to be included on the US Coast Guard’s Qualship 21 roster for four years in a row. The Registry also maintains its white list status on both the Paris and Tokyo MoUs. Clarkson’s also notes in the World Fleet Monitor that the Marshall Islands has the youngest fleet among the top ten registries.