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

38,000 tonnes of equipment for Shreveport, La., plant sails from Germany

Alexander Global Logistics has moved its first shipment of a 38,000-tonne tube mill from Germany to the U.S. The new steel tube mill is being built by Benteler International, an Austrian steel company, in Shreveport, La.

The overdimensional cargo was loaded at Bremerhaven for shipment to the Port of Houston in Texas, Carago Equipment Experts CEE said in a statement on behalf of its Bremen-based member.

At Houston, the cargo was discharged and loaded onto trucks for the journey to Shreveport, a distance of about 260 miles.

In addition to the breakbulk cargo, AGL also handled 1,000 containers for the tube mill over a period of four months. The work included pre-carriages, port-handlings, seafreight, documentation, customs clearance and inspections by Alexander’s in-house surveyors.

Benteler International last fall began construction on the first phase of the US$975 million plant at the Port of Caddo-Bossier in Shreveport. This phase consists of a hot-rolling seamless steel tube facility and will be completed in the third quarter of 2015. A second phase will includes a steel mill with an electric arc furnace, due to open in 2020. When complete, the project will span 1.35 million square feet on 330 acres at the port and have the capacity to produce 320,000 tons of steel tube product annually.

*NEWS SOURCE

Holleman Ukraine SSL has joined GPLN with over 40 employees. Its offices are located in Dnipropetrovsk, the fourth largest city in Ukraine.

Holleman has extended its truck and trailer fleet, using its own equipment to provide transportation for heavy loads, weighing up to 315 tons. GPLN member Holleman specializes in the transportation of wind turbines in Eastern and Western Europe, besides other oversized and heavy cargo moves on domestic and international routes.

Holleman Special Transport & Project Cargo has several offices in Eastern Europe. Holleman SRL was established in 1997 in Romania and became a GPLN member in 2009.

*NEWS SOURCE

MAERSK Container Industry and the University of California are to issue a guide to air exchange technologies in delivery of quality fruit and produce in reefer boxes.

By using a CO2 sensor, AV+ allows the produce to dictate the level of fresh air exchange based on its respiration rather than a fixed-vent opening based on constant fan speed, said a Maersk statement.

Fixed vent openings, said the statement, leaves many variables that can alter the actual air volume being exchanged.

The key is to provide the best possible conditions for fruit or vegetables in the cargo container from point A to B, said Malcolm Dodd, principal consultant at Cold Chain Solutions.

During the transit of fruit, flowers or vegetables within a reefer container, the consumption of oxygen gives off carbon dioxide which is supported by open air exchange vents, AirEx.

"There is much variability in the amount of air that moves through the vents. There are also varied opinions on what is the best AirEx for different types of fresh produce," said Mr Dodd. "It makes sense to manage the air exchange with an engineering solution."

The AirEx vent can be mechanised and the opening controlled according to the respiration rate of the product being carried. The result will be better quality produce after the shipping voyage, Mr Dodd added.

*NEWS SOURCE

THE Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will charter a postpanamax vessel before the opening of the expanded canal to train pilots and tugboat crews to assist transits through the new lane at the Third Set of Locks.

"This is one of the best ways to train pilots and tug captains in the joint effort required to transit through the two new lock complexes of the expanded canal," said ACP vice president Esteban Saenz.

Since 2012, a total of 186 of the 280 canal pilots have been trained at the Panama Canal's Centre for Simulation, Research and Maritime Development (SIDMAR) using postpanamax ships.

"SIDMAR's mathematical modelling and simulations have been updated. Locks, navigational channels and the Culebra Cut have been added," said Mr Saenz, adding that 77 per cent of its pilots have had experience with postpanamax simulation.

Canal pilots have also taken part in training programmes, both theoretical and practical, in Berendrecht Locks in the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, which are of similar size and operation.

*NEWS SOURCE

    Original news was published on 1 June, 2014

KALMAR, part of Cargotec, has won a contract to raise the height of three ship-to-shore (STS) cranes by six metres for Terminal de Contenidors de Barcelona in Spain to meet rising container traffic as more large ships call.

The work on the project is expected to begin in the third quarter with completion for all three cranes by year end.

The terminal has an annual handling capacity of 2.3 million TEU, making it a main logistics platforms in the Mediterranean region.

Its focus is the "development of intermodal container traffic throughout South Europe, where increasing its front line ship-to-shore crane capacity is an important strategic development for the business and its competitive positioning in the market", a company statement said.

The cranes, originally provided by another supplier, will be heightened by Kalmar's crane team in the region. The scope includes complex engineering works and coordination of the project through to completion.

Heightening an STS crane, which weighs up to 2,000 tonnes, involves the use of a specialist jacking device to insert heightening construction and raise the whole crane by six metres, reaching 47 metres under spreader.

Said Grup TCB boss Gonzalo Serrano: "With the arrival of larger vessels it was imperative that we found an effective solution to increase the handling capacity of our STS cranes and maintain maximum container throughput."


*NEWS SOURCE

    Original news was published on 1 June, 2014

JAPANESE shipping giant NYK has signed an agreement with Knowledge Universe Singapore, a private education organisation, to provide assistance to employees with children, particularly working mothers assigned overseas.

This is part of the company's Gender Equality Action Plan with Knowledge Universe Singapore, in which an NYK employee child can enroll at Pat's Schoolhouse, an early childhood education centre operated by the organisation.

In recognition of the initial pupil enrolment, the general manager of the human resources group at NYK's head office, Satoshi Nemoto, presented a gift to mark this agreement to Knowledge Universe Singapore.


*NEWS SOURCE

   Original news was published on 30 May, 2014

Operators transiting the polar regions are not always fully prepared for the unique challenges that they will face, according to a new publication issued by the Swedish Club.  Yet informing their P&I Club and Underwriter allows the owner to get access to hands-on advice that will reduce their exposure to these increased risks.

“As summer approaches in the northern hemisphere and operators look to take up the increased opportunities that the opening of the routes offers, it is easy to forget that transiting the polar regions requires a unique set of skills.” says Lars Malm, Director, Strategic Business Development & Client Relationship for The Swedish Club.

“Accident avoidance is key.  If a casualty was to occur, assistance would be limited due to the lack of infrastructure, and freezing temperatures can seriously impair the operations of any salvage equipment that can get through, escalating a minor incident into a serious casualty. We are dealing with temperatures as low as -50oC with icebergs as hard as concrete floating in unsurveyed waters.”

The need to address gaps in knowledge and coordinate ice data and ice regimes has been identified by The Swedish Club.

“The lack of a coherent ice regimen across the regions also adds to the difficulties,” said Malm. “For example, at present there are only two Arctic ice-regimes – the Russian and Canadian ice regimes. The Polar Code developed by the IMO is now awaiting ratification, but with the rules that are in force today, a vessel should operate in these areas as if it were sailing under an ice regime.”

The Swedish Club has produced a new brochure, Ice – Advice for trading in polar regions, the latest in its series of Loss Prevention publications, aimed at the shipowner considering operating in these tempting routes.

About The Swedish Club

The Swedish Club was founded in 1872 and is today a leading and diversified mutual marine insurance company, owned and controlled by its members. The Club writes Protection & Indemnity, Freight, Demurrage & Defence, Hull & Machinery, Hull Interests, Loss of Hire, War Risks, and any additional insurances required by shipowners or charterers. It also writes Hull & Machinery, War risks and Loss of Hire for Mobile Offshore Units and FPSOs.

Its head office is located in Gothenburg, Sweden, with branch offices in Piraeus, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Oslo.

*NEWS SOURCE

    Original news was published on 30 May, 2014

Damen Shipyards Group will unveil a pioneering new mobile ballast water treatment unit at the Posidonia exhibition in Athens next week.

Developed in-house, the fully containerized, mobile Damen InvaSave BWT unit provides ship owners with a cost-effective alternative to retrofitting fixed BWT systems. Damen has also developed the world’s first mobile treatment vessel to operate in ports and support ship deballasting operations.

The first of these customized Damen barges, fitted with Damen InvaSave units, is now under construction for service in the Dutch ports of Eemshaven and Delfzijl. One of the most important (financial) partners in this project is the Waddenfonds, the organization focusing on the preservation of the Waddensea, which is listed as a protected UNESCO world heritage site.

As well as avoiding considerable retrofit investments, the mobile solution means ballast water only needs treating at the point of discharge, in contrast to fixed onboard BWT installations that also need to treat ballast water at intake. Damen can deliver the system as a separate mobile container, which can be put on board or moved around the port on a truck.

Each Damen InvaSave container unit handles 300 m3/h – it’s easy to scale up if required by using multiple container units. The system has been successfully tested in the challenging waters of the Wadden Sea and the IJsselmeer in the Netherlands and is currently being certified by the Dutch Flag State.

Damen Shipyards Group

Damen Shipyards Group operates 40 ship and repair yards, employing 8.000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 5,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers about 180 vessels annually to customers worldwide.

Damen’s focus on standardization, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low total cost of ownership, high resale value and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including: tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and super yachts.

*NEWS SOURCE

FURTHER shipping line consolidation among the world's top 20 carriers is being hindered by ownership structures, according to Alphaliner's assessment of the industry's merger and acquisitions prospects.

Fourteen out of the top 21 carriers are publicly listed companies, yet they are controlled by either state-owned entities or family-owned concerns that tend to be more resistant to takeovers.

The last mega-merger wave in the liner industry occurred between 1997 and 2005. It involved top players P&O and Nedlloyd, Hanjin Shipping and DSR-Senator, NOL/APL, Maersk/Sea-Land, Maersk and P&O Nedlloyd, and Hapag-Lloyd acquired CP Ships.

Five of the liner companies acquired were publicly listed without controlling shareholders, making those acquisitions easier to execute.

The latest merger involves Germany's Hapag-Lloyd and Chile's CSAV. There is potential also for the two leading Chinese carriers, Cosco and CSCL to merge. However, none of the other state controlled carriers give any indication they were willing to give up control.

Most controlling shareholders of other major shipping lines are either unable or unwilling to pump additional cash to recapitalise the carriers, with several resorting to asset sales to maintain liquidity.

For example, the Israel Corporation's reluctance to rescue Zim with additional cash injections has pushed the line further into the hands of its creditors.

Despite a belated injection of US$200 million under a new restructuring plan, the Israel Corp's stake in Zim is to be cut from 99.7 per cent to only 32 per cent.

Zim is not considered a viable consolidation candidate, due to its special ties to Israel's administration.

The government's golden share in Zim restricts the transfer of the ocean carrier's shares and stipulates that the company has to remain incorporated in Israel, with a majority of Israeli board members.

*NEWS SOURCE