Original news was published on 10 June,2014

SAL Anne-Sofie carries vessels from Turkey to Iraq

Liburnia Maritime Agency has loaded two oil recovery vessels in Tuzla, a suburb of Istanbul, Turkey.

The vessels were loaded onto Anne-Sofie, SAL’s 12,000-tonne-deadweight multipurpose vessel that has two onboard cranes with a combined lifting capacity of 1,400 tonnes. Each of the recovery vessels weighed 338 tons and measured 42 meters long, GPLN said in a statement on behalf of its Croatian member.

The Anne-Sofie carried the cargoes to Umm Qasr, a port city in southern Iraq.

*NEWS SOURCE

    Original news was published on 9 June, 2014

“Ready to roll out the red carpet for investors,” Minister says

Greece ‘s conservative-led government supports a plan to privatize the country’s major ports in hopes of attracting billions of euros of new investments.

Greece’s Minister for Shipping Miltiadis Varvitsiotis told the Wall Street Journal the country was ready to “roll out the red carpet” for investors in the 13 major ports it is planning to sell off, and was ready to consider private investment even in smaller harbors.

“I think privately managed companies can be more efficient and more aggressive in the market,” Varvitsiotis said.

The government got a taste of privatization through Cosco’s efforts at Piraeus, the nation’s main port, which have turned its portion of the port into one of the top 10 container ports in Europe. Cosco will spend US$300 million over the next six years to further expand cargo-handling facilities at the port. The government has initiated a bid for the rest of the port at Piraeus. A.P. Moeller Maersk, International Container Terminal (Philippines), Ports America and Cosco itself have expressed interest. The deal is expected to close by the end of this year.

Privatizing ports is just one aspect of the government’s sweeping plan. Earlier this year, it announced it would sell stakes in state-held rail and road transport, airports, utilities, gaming and public real estate holdings.

*NEWS SOURCE

IMPORT volumes at major US ports are expected to go up 7.5 per cent in June as retailers bring in high quantities fearful of disruptions on the west coast after the dockers' labour contract expires, says Global Port Tracker.

  Original news was published on 8 June, 2014

LONG Beach Mayor Bob Foster has appointed Lou Anne Bynum to the board of harbour commissioners to replace Thomas Fields providing the body with its first female majority.

Ms Bynum has served on the Long Beach City College (LBCC) as vice-president of college advancement and economic development and has been with the college since 1997.

In a report from Long Beach Press Telegram, Mayor Foster said that her 25 years in the public and private sector which has included numerous port related projects shows deep connections in the community and business acumen.

"She's kind of Miss Business in Long Beach, and I think she'll add a business-oriented approach there," he said of the appointment, which typically runs for two six-year terms at US$100 per board meeting that usually runs twice a month.

*NEWS SOURCE

      Original news was published on 7 June,2014

A total of eight investment groups expressed interest in a tender to buy 67% of equity capital in Thessaloniki Port Organization, while Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund said on Thursday, as Ana-Mpa reports today. The eight candidates are: APM Terminals, B.V.; Deutsche Invest Equity Partners, GmbH; DufercoParticipation Holding, SA; International Container Terminal Services, Inc; Mitsui & Co., Ltd.; P&O Steam Navigation Company (DP World); Russian Railways JSC-GEK TERNA S.A. and Yilport Holding,Inc. In an announcement, the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (Taiped) said that its privatization advisors will evaluate all bids before submitting their recommendations to the board of Taiped for the candidates to be included in the next phase of the tender.

The Fund board also approved the five investment groups to be included in the second phase of a tender to sell a 67% equity capital in Piraeus Port Organization (OLP). These five investors are: APM Terminals, B.V.; COSCO (Hong Kong) Group Limited; International Container Terminal Services, Inc; Ports America Group Holdings and Utilico Emerging Markets Limited. These investors will have access to detailed data over the assets of the port and the terms of the tender procedure. The board meeting also approved the final plan of a concession contract for the exploitation of the first group of tourism harbors (Alimos, Poros, Hydra, New Epidavros), with the submission of biding bids expected in July 2014. 

*NEWS SOURCE

2009-built VLGC Karoline N fetches record time charter

A time charter for a very large gas carrier has been reportedly extended for two years at a monthly rate of $2.8M, an amount that industry sources believe is an all-time high.

Brokers told IHS Maritime that Hamburg-based Neu Gas Shipping International's 2009-built Karoline N was chartered for $2.8M/month, for two years. Sources indicate the charterer could be Mexican LPG trader Texas Gas & Oil.

Traders told IHS Maritime that Texas Gas & Oil is an LPG supplier to Guatemala, which would necessitate a transit through the Panama Canal. "But sometimes, Texas Gas & Oil sells its shipments to other traders so that again could be why it wants a ship that can transit the Panama Canal to reach Asian buyers," said a Singapore-based trader.

*NEWS SOURCE

Waldemar Poulsen, formerly with Safmarine in Houston, has been named president and CEO of Rickmers-Linie (America), effective July 1, 2014. Previously, Poulsen was director/country manager with Safmarine, responsible for the activities of the multi-purpose division of Safmarine in the Americas.

Poulsen replaces Robert Sappio, who has been heading Rickmers-Linie (America) since September 2012. Sappio will continue to serve on the board of Rickmers-Linie (America).

Ulrich Ulrichs, CEO of Rickmers-Linie thanked Sappio for his instrumental role in transforming and improving the company’s operations in the Americas. “Bob’s leadership over the last two years has helped to better position our company for the future in the Americas,” Ulrichs said in a statement. “We are happy he will remain connected to the company in a board role.”


*NEWS SOURCE

STX Sun Rise is scheduled to arrive this month at the Panama Canal carrying four new gates for the third set of locks. It has left the Mediterranean and is now in open waters in the Atlantic Ocean.

The 24,173-deadweight-ton semi-submersible vessel sailed from the Port of Trieste in Italy. The gates were built by Cimolai and weigh about 3,100 tons each.

This is the second shipment of gates from Cimolai for the US$5.25 billion expansion. The first four gates were built for the Atlantic side, while the current shipment of gates will be installed on the Pacific side of the project. STX Sun Rise also transported the Atlantic gates, which arrived last August. Two additional shipments are scheduled for a total of eight gates on each side of the locks.

When the new steel gates arrive, they will be transported by SPMTs to the installation site. Each gate measures more than 57 meters long, 10 meters wide and 30 meters high.

*NEWS SOURCE

Subject to Kitimat LNG Terminal approval

TransCanada plans to build its US$1.9 billion Merrick Mainline Pipeline project, which will run about 161 miles through British Columbia, Canada, and end at the Kitimat LNG Terminal.

The decision was made following news that Transcanada’s subsidiary Nova Gas Transmission signed agreements with Chevron Canada and Apache Canada  for approximately 1.9 billion cubic feet per day of firm natural gas transportation services, the Canadian company said in a statement.

The Merrick Mainline Pipeline will transport natural gas sourced through the NGTL System to the inlet of CVX/APA’s proposed Pacific Trail Pipeline. The proposed project will be an extension from the existing Groundbirch Mainline section of the NGTL System beginning near Dawson Creek, B.C. to its end point near the community of Summit Lake, B.C.

TransCanada is continuing development work on the project, including field studies, engineering and design work, and pipeline routing, to support applications for regulatory approvals and finalize project requirements. Construction of the Merrick Mainline is dependent on regulatory approval and a positive final investment decision for the Kitimat LNG project.

Transcanada plans to file an application with the National Energy Board in the fourth quarter of 2014. If approved, the Merrick Mainline would begin service in the first quarter of 2020.

*NEWS SOURCE