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.

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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.”


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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

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.

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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."


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