Good day Mariners

Canada’s second busiest port, the Port of Montreal, is still under lockdown following a labour dispute between the Maritime Employers Association and its longshore labour force. The Montreal Port Authority obtained an injunction on July 21 to allow access to the port and to continue work unrelated to the employees of the Maritime Employers Association.
The Montreal Port Authority has said that the grain terminal can receive and ship cargo and that rail traffic can also resume, however cargo on the terminal property is not being handled. No container has entered the port since July 19.
The labour dispute involves the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and its longshore labour force over issues of pay and work conditions. The MEA is a non-profit organisation representing member companies involved in shipping, including ship owners, operators and agents, stevedoring contractors and terminal operators.
Reuters reports that the association has locked out 800 unionised workers in response to union pressure tactics.
The port handled 1.2 million containers with about 11.3 million tonnes of cargo in 2009.

A second frigate for the Indian Navy has been launched at the Baltic shipyard “Yantar” in the west of Russia. According to Russian and Indian tradition, the launching was marked by the smashing of a coconut and a bottle of champagne against the vessel’s bow and was attended by Deputy Chief of the Indian Naval Staff Vice-Admiral Dilip Kumar Devan. Mr.Devan welcomed the frigate’s launch as a good instance of bilateral defense cooperation.

Under the 1.5-billion-dollar contract, signed in 2006, the Indian Navy is to be supplied with three frigates in 2011-2012. The shipyard’s official has said work to fulfill the order proceeds according to schedule.

Management of Japan’s ports is to be opened up to the private sector, following a decision from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Japan has 997 ports, however only a few are managed by the private sector, reports Japan’s news service, Nikkei.

Source: Nikkei
Courtesy : Baird Maritime

Hyundai Heavy Industries has signed the largest number of shipbuilding orders this year of all South Korean listed companies, according the Korea Exchange.

The company racked up KRW4.8231 trillion (US$3.9 billion) worth of new orders up to June 16.

courtesy : baird maritime

The Royal Malaysian Navy’s Scorpene submarine KD Tun Razak, which is on its maiden journey home from Toulon in France accompanied by corvette KD Lekiu call at the port here for a four-day visit on Friday.

Malaysia’s Defence Attache in New Delhi Colonel Yusri bin Haji Anwar will be in Kochi in connection with the port call of Tun Razak.

Colonel Anwar, along with Tun Razak’s Commanding Officer Commander Mohamad Azuwan bin Haroun and Lekiu’s Commanding Officer Commander Baharudin bin Wan Mohamad Nor will call on Rear Admiral S.S. Jamwal, Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command, on Friday.

a game of football has been organised between the Indian and the Malaysian Navies

Courtesy : Hindu

The US’s busiest seaport complex, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, recorded the second-best May ever, indicating that the economy is finally firing up.

The Los Angeles Times reported that imports increased 12.5 percent in May compared to last year, while exports picked up 5.3 percent in th Port of Los Angeles. For the year through to May, 2.9 million containers have passed through the ports.

At Long Beach, overall traffic was equally good, up 18.5 percent.

More than 40 percent of the US’ imports come through the two ports making them good indicators of national economic health.

COURTESY: BAIRD MARITIME

Russian shipyards are ready to build Mistral class helicopter carriers whenever they receive orders from the military

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said earlier on Monday that Russia had reached the final stage of pre-contract talks with France, Spain and the Netherlands on the purchase of four of the French warships.

Russia built three Ivan Rogov class amphibious transport ships during the Soviet era. One of them, the Mitrofan Moskalenko, is still in service with the Russian Navy but has been put on a Defense Ministry list of assets for sale.

Courtesy : Baird Maritime

Greece is still the largest shipping country in the world in terms of dry/bulk cargo and tanker fleet capacity, despite the growing presence of China which ranks third, just behind Japan.
According to N. Cotzias statistics, Greece is the largest buyer for dry/bulk cargo ship and tankers, and occupies 22 percent of dry bulk/cargo ship use. This compares to Japan and China who occupy 20 perceent and 12 percent respectively, with expectations that China will soon largest buyer in the market.

China currently have 12 percent of global cargo ship fleet capacity, while Greece continues to place massive orders – US$2.6 billion in new cargo ships in 2008 – to maintain its number one spot.

courtesy : Baird maritime

Libya’s General National Maritime Transport Company (GNMTC) has announced plans to break into cruise shipping though the construction of a 1,739-cabin cruise ship for delivery in December, 2012.

GNMTC has signed a letter of intent for the order with STX France after having consulted a number of European builders.

GNMTC, which announced the signing of the letter of intent on its website, said that the new vessel would be comparable to the ‘MSC Fantasia’ and ‘MSC Splendida’, built by STX France for MSC Cruises, but bigger and with greater passenger capacity.

Tripoli-based GNMTC is best known as an operator of crude, product and liquid petroleum gas tankers. It has a fleet of 15 owned and managed vessels.

courtesy : Baird Maritime

The French Navy’s amphibious landing helicopter dock (LHD) ‘Tonnerre’ dock at the port here on Wednesday.

The ship, which is on a training cruise for about 120 midshipmen, was successfully involved in an anti-piracy operation when it was about 450 nautical miles off the Somali coast in early May.

The ship is capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, including amphibious and air support operations, crisis management, command and control and medical support.

LHD Tonnerre, a 21,600 tonne Mistral-class vessel, has the versatility to carry up to 12 medium or 16 light attack helicopters; 110 armoured vehicles or 13 tanks; and troops numbering about 650, depending on its type of mission. In case of need, it can be converted into a fairly big hospital with surgery and X-ray rooms.

coutesy : The Hindu

“Environment Friendly Ships by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries”

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) intends to return to luxury passenger shipbuilding following ten years of no activity in the sector.

Working out of Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works, MHI will employ 700 designers to develop more environmentally friendly ships, particularly luxury liners, despite claims in the industry that shipbuilding will exceed demand three times over by 2015.

Cruise passenger numbers have increased four to five percent, year on year, with expected orders for passenger cruise ships to be 10 to 15 per year, according to the Yomiuri Daily. MHI said it aims to receive US$654 million in orders over the next four years.

MHI will be entering a tight market, now dominated by South Korea, which has built 28.93 million tonnes or roughly 10 million tonnes more than Japan. China too, is increasing its lead over Japan due to its huge domestic demand.

Courtesy : Baird Maritime

Ecovision Asia is celebrating World Ocean Day with the support of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong from June 4 to 8.
The celebration brings together key stakeholders in the Hong Kong community, the Asia premier of the award-winning film ‘Sharkwater’ and the launch of the 10th Annual Hong Kong International Coastal Cleanup Challenge.
World Ocean Day, which falls on June 8 this year, recognises that oceans are “essential to food security and the health and survival of all life, power our climate and are a critical part of the biosphere”.
It was initiated by environmentalist David Suzuki and is now supported by the United Nations.

courtesy : baird maritime

“The Unsinkable Houseboat of India”

All the 4,000-odd boats operating in the State’s inland waterways will henceforth have to comply with the new norms prescribed in the (Kerala) Inland Vessel Rules 2010, for obtaining or renewing licence.

The rules framed by a committee headed by B.R. Menon, Advisor to the State Government on Developing Inland Waterways and Ports, took effect on April 30. With this, the Chief Inspector of Boats (who is from the Irrigation Department) will cease to be the licensing authority for boats. Now onwards, a committee headed by marine engineers and naval architects will inspect the boats and issue or renew licences.

S.K. Pyarilal, former head of the department of ship technology of Cusat, who was a member of the committee which framed the rules, said that houseboats too would have to comply with the new norms.

“Most of the recent boat accidents in Kerala happened because the licensing authority was not competent enough to inspect the vessels and certify their fitness. The officials inspecting boats must have an idea of naval architecture.” There are two fundamental safety aspects for boats — they should neither sink nor capsize. The Kumarakom tragedy was caused by water leaking into the hull, which resulted in the vessel sinking. In the case of Thettaked and Thekkady accidents, the boats capsized.

Based on the new rules laid down Mr Sohan Roy CEO of Aries Group acclaimed that “Safe Botel”, the only houseboat which satisfies all the norms prescribed in the Inland Vessel Rules 2010. It is designed using the latest software and art technology.

Aries Marine has initiated the first state of the art houseboat made of steel. The company has introduced BOTEL (Backwater Operated Tourist Entertainment Launch), an innovative attempt in the houseboat industry. This solar-powered houseboat was introduced for the first time in the India International Boat Show 2005. BOTEL has attained much appreciation during the IIBS 2005, held in Kochi.

Considered as an alternative to the traditional houseboats, BOTEL is a scientifically designed unsinkable vessel. According to Mr. Sohan Roy, CEO of Aries Group, BOTEL is a benchmark in the boating world as far as the safety features are concerned. BOTEL is an indigenous houseboat with a different face cut including great interiors and eco friendly features. The most important feature is that it is the first houseboat in India to be made of steel and is unsinkable even in accidents because of the buoyancy chambers fitted in it. The hull of the vessel is fitted with stabilising keels to prevent undesired rolling in high waters.

The steel houseboat also has easy conveyance to water and is equipped with life jackets, life buoys, inflatable rafts and other life saving accessories. BOTEL is the practical solution for the unrestrained pollution created by the houseboats, leading to environmental problems affecting the ecosystem.

Technically BOTEL is designed keeping in mind the comfort and safety of the tourists

Courtesy : Hindu

“Samsung comes first in its 36 year history ”

Korean heavyweight Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has overtaken Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), if only temporarily, to hold the world’s largest shipbuilding orderbook, according to data from Clarksons Research Services.

At the end of March, HHI was ahead with 8.5 million CGT to SHI’s 8.0 million CGT, but a surge of orders in April pulled SHI ahead for the first time in its 36-year history.

Courtesy : Baird Maritime

Fincantieri and the US cruise group Carnival Corporation have announced a new order to build two prototype ships for the Princess Cruises brand. The contract confirms a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February.

At 141,000 gross tonnes, the two new vessels, which will have a maximum passenger capacity of 3,600, will be the largest cruise ships ever built by Fincantieri and the flagships of Princess Cruises fleet.

Scheduled for delivery in spring 2013 and 2014, these ships, as prototypes, will be two of the most exclusive and innovative in the world.

courtesy : baird maritime

Tensions deepened on Thursday on the Korean peninsula as South Korea accused North Korea of firing a torpedo that sank a naval warship, killing 46 sailors in the country’s worst military disaster since the Korean War. President Lee Myung-bak vowed “stern action” for the provocation following the release of long-awaited results from a multinational investigation into the March 26 sinking near the Koreas’ tense maritime border.

North Korea called the results a fabrication, and warned that any retaliation would trigger war. It continued to deny involvement in the sinking of the warship Cheonan.

An international civilian-military investigation team said evidence overwhelmingly proved a North Korean submarine fired a homing torpedo that caused a massive underwater blast that tore the Cheonan apart.

While 58 sailors were rescued from the frigid Yellow Sea waters, 46 died.

Since the 1950-53 war on the Korean peninsula ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas remain locked in a state of war and divided by the world’s most heavily armed border.

Cortesy : Hindu

The cyclonic storm ‘Laila’ in the Bay of Bengal gained in strength overnight and spun closer to the eastern coast of the country

Satellite picture on Wednesday showed the outer bands of the cyclone circling from north to south tangential to the Kerala coast

The heaviest recorded rainfall in the State during the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday was 5 cm at Kunnamkulam in Thrissur district. Many other stations recorded rainfall ranging from 1 cm to 3 cm on the gauge. The prospects are for continued rainfall, because the cyclone is traced to roll up the ridge of the eastern flank of the peninsula drawing moisture from southeast Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the entire Bay of Bengal.

The 6 Rubber Tyre Gantry cranes (RTGs) is the first consignment of the fleet of 15 units which would be deployed as the yard cranes at Vallarpadam. These have been manufactured by TGPC at Abu Dhabi at a cost of 1.7 million dollars a piece and transported in fully assembled condition. The offloading of the cranes would be a roll off operation from the barge after removal of the sea fastening.

The cranes are capable of lifting 41 tons under the spreader and can handle 20,40,45 feet ISO containers from the container yards to the truck and vice versa at a theoretical cycle speed of about 25 to 30 boxes per hour. These cranes weigh about 130 tons and are structurally designed for 2 million lifts.

The crane is operated by an operator from an ergonomically designed cabin with all the advanced safety features. These cranes incorporate high standard safety and reliability. There have been substantial improvement in the design and the cranes are also fitted with the sensors that detect pedestrians and obstacles on the track and prevent crane movement.

The crane management system provides all essential data for fault detection, maintenance and operational data.

“Women break gender barrier in US”
Midshipman Jessica Wilcox, who graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis this month is among the first group of women to be tapped for the elite force, one of the military’s last all-male bastions.

She is ready to break into the fraternity, though it means being submerged for three months at a time in a space no wider than a motor home

The Navy announced last month that it would place women on submarine crews. By January 2012, after 15 months of training, 19 women will be assigned to four ballistic missile submarines.

The women will share a bedroom so small that only one person can stand up at a time.

When they want to use the bathroom — just two showers and two toilets for 15 officers — they will hang a sign on the door that says “women only.” To move from bedroom to bathroom, they will walk corridors so narrow that two sailors cannot pass without pressing against each other.

Inspite of such decision opens a prestigious career path to women and increases the Navy’s recruiting pool for submarine postings there are about 550 retired and active-duty military personnel, as well as their spouses — all of whom argue that submarines are no place for women.

“Cochin Port Trust suffers loss”
Cochin Port Trust employees (CPEO) advises the management of Cochin Port TRust to raise compensation clause against the dredging company for the loss suffered by the port due to non-completion of of dredging work after extension of contract period.

Mr C.D Nandakumar, General Secretary and Labour Trustee mentioned in his letter mentioned in his letter to the Chairman of Coshin Port Trsut to raise compensation immediately based on the original terms from February 2010.

He also added that the dredging contractor was scheduled to complete work of dredging operations to provide 14.5 metre draft for International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) by end of January this year.

The sub. committee extended the time for completion of dredging operation till April 30. But as per the latest information the contractor had not completed the work even after the expiry of the extended date.

Courtesy : Hindu

“World’s largest solar powered ship exhibited in Hamburg ”

‘PlanetSolar’, the largest ship powered by solar energy in the world, was officially exhibited last week on the 821st birthday of Hamburg’s harbour.
‘PlanetSolar’ is a high-tech catamaran with a length of 31 metres, a beam of 15 metres and a displacement of 85 tonnes. It has a surface area of 537 square metres of solar panels. The futuristic-looking ship is powered by two 10kW electric motors.

On board it has the world’s largest lithium-ion battery, with a power storage capacity of 2,910Ah and a weight of 11 tonnes. In total, ‘PlanetSolar’ can travel 540 nautical miles without sunlight.

‘PlanetSolar’ has a top speed of 14 knots and can house around 40 guests. It produces zero environmental pollution and the ship moves noiselessly. The vessel was built in Germany by the Knierim Shipyard and HDW in Kiel.

In 2011, ‘PlanetSolar’ will set sail on a world cruise of approximately 27,000 nautical miles, with the aim of promoting solar energy and the use of environmentally-conscious alternative fuel for sailing.

“Society is becoming increasingly sustainable and technology is playing a leading role in this process,” René van der Bruggen, CEO of Imtech, said. The Dutch company is acting as the technology partner of ‘PlanetSolar’.

“The trend towards ‘green’ technical infrastructure, which started in the energy, buildings, and data centres markets, is now also obvious present in the maritime market.”

Government-owned Cochin Shipyard has plans to raise funds through capital markets, but it seems its planned IPO will get delayed further because of some crucial restructuring.

The yard is working on a new face which focuses onspecialised shipbuilding to get better response from the investor for its initial public offer scheduled in FY11 as approved by the government.

Theyard is looking to split the infrastructure in five specialised
business units namely naval, offshore, small commercial ships, repair and ship conversion, in order to be a broad spectrum shipyard.The new IPO draft prospectus will also project defence shipbuilding as a focus area

The restructuring process would delay the yard’s IPO, which was initially planned in 2008 during the shipping boom, to raise Rs 1,000 crore through issuance of 10 per cent fresh equity.

Cochin Shipyard’s move indicates the lucrativeness of allied areas such as defence and ship conversion in the changed shipbuilding market dynamics.

Meanwhile, experts caution that while increasing focus on defence orders Cochin Shipyard should not lose out on its core merchant shipbuilding, as once new orders start flowing globally, shipbuilding countries like Korea and China will become aggressive and here Indian yards should be prepared to maintain their share of global shipbuilding.

Courtesy : Beta NDTV Profit

Second largest Croatian port to be ready in 2013

Vienna-based construction company Strabag has said that construction of a port in Croatia will be completed in 2013.
The new port is located in Gazenica in the Dalmatian city of Zadar. Construction work began in May 2009. The overall
cost of the construction is estimated at US$302 million.

The project has received major backing from the German KfW banking group and the European Investment Bank.

When completed, the port will be the second largest after the port in Split.

Courtesy : Baird Maritime

The government issued a tsunami warning following an earthquake in Sumatra (Indonesia) on Sunday afternoon. Fisheries Minister S. Sarma said in an official release that sea level could rise. So, fishermen should not venture out into the sea and those living on the coast should keep vigil.

“Construction on Asia’s largest cruise terminal ending”
Construction on Asia’s largest cruise terminal is scheduled to be completed in May ahead of receiving two large vessels ‘Costa’ and ‘Legend of the Seas’ in June.
Work on a large harbour to accommodate cruise ships will draw to a close in Tianjin, becoming the largest artificial deepwater port of northern China.

Last year, Tianjin received 50 calls from international cruise liners, a 56 percent year-on-year growth.

Courtesy : Baird maritime

With the airspace of most northern and western European countries being closed due to the fallout of ash from the volcanic eruption in Iceland, air transportation has been severely disrupted and many passengers have decide to choose an alternative way of travelling: by ferry.

German-Danish Scandlines called in extra catering staff to serve all stranded air passengers. Scandlines records showed a clear increase in passenger, car and bus volumes, especially on their traffic machine routes of Helsingør – Helsingborg, Gedser – Rostock and Rødby – Puttgarden.

“We are effectively operating at the level of peak summer days, on what is normally a quiet weekend in April,” said Michael Speckenbach, Corporate Communications Director at Scandlines.

In other news, John Steen-Mikkelsen has resigned his position of COO of Scandlines in Denmark to take up the position of CEO at Bornholmstrafikken. Scandlines CEO Michael Hassing also recently resigned.

German-Danish Scandlines called in extra catering staff to serve all stranded air passengers. Scandlines records showed a clear increase in passenger, car and bus volumes, especially on their traffic machine routes of Helsingør – Helsingborg, Gedser – Rostock and Rødby – Puttgarden.

“We are effectively operating at the level of peak summer days, on what is normally a quiet weekend in April,” said Michael Speckenbach, Corporate Communications Director at Scandlines.

In other news, John Steen-Mikkelsen has resigned his position of COO of Scandlines in Denmark to take up the position of CEO at Bornholmstrafikken. Scandlines CEO Michael Hassing also recently resigned.

“An intimate cruise ship in Cochin ”

MS Costa Allegra is a cruise ship owned and operated by the Italy-based Costa Cruises. She was built in 1969 by the Wärtsilä Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland as the container ship In 1990 the ship was acquired by Costa Cruises and rebuilt into a cruise ship at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy. She entered service as the Costa Allegra in 1992.

The eight decks on the Costa Allegra are named after famous impressionist painters. A three deck high glass atrium is the centre of the ship. All throughout the ship, elegant works of art can be found.[2]
The play of light on glass and water transforms this magnificent ship into a floating work of art. Carrying The intimate Costa Allegra cruise ship is a vessel of imagination and opulence. Peach and rose hand cut Carrara marble, walls finished in the finest woods and decks named after famous impressionist painters. There is a glass atrium three decks high, and a dome that opens up to a 360 degree view of the sky — day or night. Fountains stream into pools that are at the same time, exquisite skylights for the public rooms below. On the Costa Allegra cruise ship, you will find art and artistry around out every corner.

“Cat fight between China and Korea”

Chinese shipyards took full advantage of their low-cost edge over rival shipbuilding nations Korea and Japan. In 2009, China beat Korea to the shipbuilding top spot, having won 44.4 percent of all new orders compared with Korea’s 40.1 percent.

With the world now recovering from the global financial crisis, analysts said that they expected the trend towards building in China to continue. Asiasis commented that this shift was “revolutionary”, since Korea has been at the global shipbuilding top spot for over two decades.

However, while China claims the highest rank in terms of order in take for 2009, Korean builders are more frequently named in the world’s top ten shipbuilders, taking seven spots in total.

For now, Korea continues to hold its own as it focuses on high technology building of vessels such as LNGs, which most Chinese yards are not yet capable of achieving.

Courtesy : Baird Maritime

“Kerala to invest in the ‘business of ports”

The Kerala Government is sailing to emerge as one of the leading maritime States, if the action plan prepared by the Department of Ports for the maritime development of the State is any evidence.
The Government, with its clear vision on the future maritime development, has identified the port sector as a major thrust area to promote industrial activity in the State. By identifying this sector as a potential source of generating revenue, the Government has initiated steps to encourage setting up of new port facilities, support infrastructure and upgrading of existing facilities along with installation of modern and efficient handling equipments.
A committee constituted by the Department of Ports has recommended investment in the “business of ports”, which has the potential to drive the economic development of the State. Business of ports includes development operations of the port infrastructure as also port-related industries, the committee observed.
Before coming out with the action plan, the Committee visited all prominent locations in the State, including non-major ports from Manjeswaram in the North to Vizhinjam in the South and interacted with various trade bodies and stakeholders.
It had also made a study on the canal and inland water bodies to ascertain the possibilities of integrating the movement of cargo through the canals and inland waters with coastal shipping by developing a new mode of water transport in the form of canal-cum-coastal shipping to maximise the movement of cargo by water transportation.

Non-major ports

Dr Jacob Thomas, Director of Ports, told Business Line that the objective of the study is to establish a network of non-major ports along the 580-km Kerala coast for effectively handling major portion of the cargo, which is now being handled by road and rail networks, thereby enhancing the economy of the State and creating more job opportunities.
With the setting up of such a network, he said it would be possible to achieve 25 per cent of Kerala’s total cargo movement through water transportation by 2020.
The Government, he said, proposed to develop the port sector through the PPP mode and separate companies would be established for development and operations by holding 26 per cent stake.
The investment in the port development is expected to be around Rs 2,000 crore in the next three years and the first phase will come mostly as private investment.
At present, there are 17 non-major ports in Kerala, which are under the Government’s control.
These ports have to be developed and sufficient infrastructure has to be provided to handle medium and small-sized vessels throughout the year.
The State has also come out with a policy on ports to increase its share in the maritime trade by setting a target of becoming the top three maritime States in the country in terms of cargo handling in the next 10 years.

Focus on SEZ

Stressing the need to provide more focus on the need to develop SEZ in the port areas, the committee suggested creation of at least four SEZs at Azhikkal, Ponnani, Kodungallur and Vizhinjam by March 2015 so as to create a hassle-free environment for the promotion of exports.
The Committee also recommended to commence the development projects of Azhikkal, Beypore, Ponnani, Alappuzha, Kollam and Vizhinjam ports by January 2011 and complete all stages of the projects in a time-bound manner by 2016.
There is also a need to initiate action for the development of Kasargode, Badagara, Thalassery, Kodungallur and Neendakara ports by January 2011 to facilitate coastal shipping.
The 580-km Kerala shoreline is also an international border having security implications. The coast is proposed to be benefitted under the Kerala Maritime Board soon. For the coastal security, a separate budget allocation has been made in the State Budget for the first time.
Modern coastal security and port security arrangements are also planned, Dr Thomas said.

“Do you still believe in the phrase Old is Gold”
It’s the picture of ‘Prussen’, a German Cargo Vessel, when it was launched in 1920. This biggest vessel of that time, had its service from Hamburg and Ecuador in Chili. Normally it takes 58 to 79 days to cover this distance.