South Africa News

Rolls-Royce announces the completion of the sale of our Bergen Engines business to Langley Holdings plc for an enterprise value of €63m. The completion of the transaction, which was announced on 3 August 2021, follows the conclusion of work to separate the business from the Group. Sale proceeds of €91m from the transaction, together with €16m of cash held within Bergen Engines which has been retained by Rolls-Royce, will be used to help rebuild the Rolls-Royce balance sheet in...

BAE Systems has been awarded a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract worth up to $154 million to continue supporting the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Webster Outlying Field. Under the contract awarded in November, BAE Systems will support the rapid integration and sustainment of command, control, communications, computers, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems for the Special Communications Mission Systems Division....

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has commenced total digital manifest management regime for all vessels calling at all Nigerian Ports. The Physical transactions concerning Sailing Certificates and cargo manifest processing are being phased out completely as stakeholders are encouraged to fully embrace the Agency’s initiative by visiting the NIMASA portal. The Director General of the Agency Dr. Bashir Jamoh said that the automation is aimed at fur...

EasyShipping, a well-known international logistics service platform in China is joining forces with TradeLens – the global blockchain digital platform, to provide innovative ocean freight financing solutions for Chinese foreign trade and logistics companies. Cross-border trading is a pillar of the global economy and supply chains are a key component to enable cross-border trading. As the current global supply chain suffers from imbalance, tight resource allocation and low efficiency, most...

Nestled in the North Pacific Ocean and the largest of the Micronesian islands is Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States of America (USA). There are two main drivers of trade in this island nation in the Pacific Ocean, the US military presence and tourism. The current population of Guam stands at about 170,000 people, with this number expected to increase slightly by 2024, as 5,000 US Marine personnel and their families will be relocated to Guam from Okinawa, Japan. Guam, a ke...

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has taken its first order for LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) fuel gas supply systems (FGSS), for high-pressure dual-fuel marine engines. The company will deliver FGSS to be installed on six (6) LNG-fuelled car carriers, to be built by a group company of Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. LNG fuel gas supply systems (FGSS) The core components of the newly ordered FGSS are LNG fuel tanks, LNG fuel gas supply units and...

The next stage of Wightlink’s £1.5 million investment in the FastCat foot passenger route terminal, between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head, in the United Kingdom, starts on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. The timetable will stay the same, but there will be changes to the way customers can board the catamarans, in Portsmouth, United Kingdom, for the next three months, because of major structural repairs and maintenance at the terminal. FastCat terminal repair work Customers will...

Leask Marine announced that the company has recently completed a major offshore decommissioning project in France, on behalf of Hydroquest, to remove their 1 MW turbine from their test site off Paimpol-Bréhat, in Brittany, France. Offshore decommissioning project The offshore decommissioning project entailed project management, engineering, and marine operations, with the engagement of the North Sea Atlantic vessel. In association with Tadek Ltd, the decommissioning & recovery proc...

Tokyo’s renowned classification society, ClassNK has released ‘PrimeShip-PSC Intelligence’, a mobile app to assist the improvement of ship management system and PSC performance, provided free of charge. The application is the mobile version of PSC Intelligence PC version for ship management companies, which was released in 2018. PrimeShip-PSC Intelligence mobile app The PrimeShip-PSC Intelligence mobile application has been developed for seafarers The PrimeShip-PSC Intellig...

Rolls-Royce is focusing on methanol as a fuel for climate-friendly shipping: Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems is currently working on mtu engines for use with methanol. New four-stroke engines The new high-speed four-stroke engines, which are based on proven mtu technologies, are planned to be available to customers as soon as possible for use in commercial ships and yachts. Denise Kurtulus, the Vice President - Global Marine at Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, said “With the new de...

Rolls-Royce has agreed to work with IHI Corporation, to develop and deliver a future fighter engine demonstrator. Rolls-Royce – IHI Corporation The engine demonstrator programme will be a critical step forward, in enabling the two nations – United Kingdom and Japan, to develop their future fighter aircraft requirements, potentially securing hundreds of future jobs in the UK and Japan. Work on the joint engine demonstrator will kick-start in early 2022, with the United Kingdom (UK)...

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) will be a key technology if the world is to meet the goals of the Paris and Glasgow agreements. Although the technologies and the industry are very much still emerging, a possible challenge is connecting capture sources to facilities for use or storage sites, especially where pipelines are not an option. As a result, CO2 transport ship technology will be needed if large quantities are to be safely transported at costs that are commercially viable. Most transport...

The technology group Wärtsilä has completed the installation and commissioning of a unique hybrid power system combined with a PV solar energy system in collaboration with Marfin Management and Solbian, onboard a bulk carrier vessel, making it one of the most technologically advanced vessel of its type in the global fleet. The installation was carried out on the M/V Paolo Topic, a bulk carrier built in 2016 at the Onomichi Dockyard in Japan and managed by Marfin Management S.A.M. The...

Market sentiments continue to remain strong across major economies in West and Central Asia, driven primarily by strong demand for consumer products. Despite growing concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, the region has seen varied reactions across the logistics sector, over the last month. A truckers’ strike created supply chain disruptions in Bangladesh, while in India, a dip in fuel prices brought welcome relief for both businesses and consumers alike....

As of 1 January 2022, Aarhus Logistics Center (ALC) changes its name to Blue Water Logistics, in order to optimise the port setup and continue increasing the efficiency of the activities for the benefit of customers and business partners. In 2013, Blue Water Shipping acquired ALC, which has been operated independently servicing new and long-time customers within logistics, stevedoring, and warehousing. “The change of name will not affect customer relations, cooperation agreements, or ser...

‘By perseverance, everything reaches its target,’ the saying goes. Yet another year is almost over, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge everybody’s patience and perseverance. Many probably thought they would be back to a more ‘normal’ situation by now, but unfortunately it seems everyone will have to persevere a while longer. All the more important it is now to acknowledge and celebrate some of the progress and milestones that are being reached in the...

Leask Marine have completed a 5-month O&M preventative maintenance programme, installing Dynamic Bend Stiffeners (DBS) on cables at the London Array offshore wind farm, in order to help extend the life of their subsea assets. C-Fenna and C-Force vessels The programming saw Leask Marine’s C-Fenna and newly commissioned C-Force, working side-by-side to clean marine growth from existing cable protection systems, before installing the Dynamic Bend Stiffener, using a bespoke installation...

At the 32nd session of the IMO Assembly (A 32) from December 6 to December 15, 2021, the Assembly adopted a resolution on comprehensive action to address seafarers’ challenges, during the COVID-19 pandemic, consolidating issues related to crew change, access to medical care, ‘key worker’ designation and seafarers' prioritisation for COVID-19 vaccination. The resolution urges IMO Member States to: Designate seafarers as ‘key workers’, in order to facilitate shore...

Crowley recently awarded cadets Justin Kern and Ryan Tobin of SUNY Maritime College with its Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships in recognition of their success and pursuit of maritime careers. A senior from East Islip, N.Y., Justin Kern is studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Operations with a U.S. Coast Guard deck licence. Kern is an active member of the Coast Guard Club and the Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program (AUP), serving first as the club operations officer, t...

Inmarsat, the renowned company in global, mobile satellite communications, is giving free connectivity to maritime crews around the globe that use its Fleet Hotspot service. Free connectivity to maritime crews Given the critical role that connectivity plays in crew welfare, Inmarsat will deliver 250 MB of free data to active Fleet Hotspot accounts on December 24, 2021.The seasonal gift will be automatically topped up to active crew accounts. The free 250 MB is available for a variety of conne...

Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation has awarded Blue Water a new four-year contract – covering transport of military equipment with focus on USA, Canada and Europe. Further, the contract includes worldwide relocation services for personal property. Over the years, Blue Water has built a significant setup and wide experience in transport of defence equipment. Through existing cooperation with Danish Defence, they have provided transport and logistics services to the milit...

Solent Gateway, the UK’s fastest-growing port, is offering a unique opportunity for the renewables sector with its designated Freeport status complemented with the sea, road, and rail access, opening substantial growth opportunities in the region. The Sector Deal between the offshore wind industry and the UK Government in 2019 created certainty – unmatched by other European governments – that the UK will remain the anchor market for offshore wind. Productivity and innovation...

bp and Maersk Tankers, with support from the Danish Maritime Authority, have completed trials using biofuel-blended marine fuel in product tankers, demonstrating that sustainable biofuels can be used as a marine ‘drop-in fuel’ to help reduce carbon emissions in shipping. Global shipping accounts for around 3% of the global carbon emissions. bp is a major global marine fuel and lubricants supplier and operator and charterer of tankers and other vessels worldwide. Maersk Tankers comme...

SBM Offshore is pleased to announce that it has secured a US$620 million bridge loan facility for the financing of the construction of FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão. The FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão will be deployed at the Mero field in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil. Mero is a project under Libra Consortium responsibility, in which Petrobras is the operator with 40 percent and with the following partners: Shell Brasil with 20 percent, TotalEnergies with 20 percent, CNODC...

Global full-service provider Blue Water announces a new logistics partnership with the shared professional services group supporting Holland America Group, which consists of Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn and P&O Australia. As part of the cooperation, Blue Water will be managing the warehouse operations for the Group’s main distribution center in Florida, including order fulfillment, distribution, storage, cross dock, and live loads for dry, chilled, and frozen shipm...

Malaysia Airlines, the national carrier of Malaysia operated its inaugural flight using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in partnership with PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad (PDB) and Neste. The flight marks Malaysia Airlines’ commitment to make SAF the cleaner and more viable energy option for regular flights by 2025. Collaborative result The historic flight MH7979 utilising the Airbus 330-200 aircraft departed Amsterdam Airport Schiphol at 12:55 pm local time using a blended mixture of approxim...

Swiss based marine engine technology developer, Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd. (WinGD) continues to invest in its R&D (Research & Development) testing infrastructure, with the opening of a new collaborative Global Test Centre in Shanghai, China. Global Test Centre The new test centre, which opened on the December 16, 2021, is in collaboration with CSPI (China Shipbuilding Power Engineering Institute Co., Ltd.), for the advancement of a decarbonised future, through sustainable fuel an...

Arkady Korostelev, the President of FESCO Transportation Group (FESCO/the Group) took part in a meeting on implementation of coastal transportations in 2022, in the Far Eastern Federal District, presided by Alexander Poshivay, the Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation (Russia). Coastal transportations in 2022 The President of FESCO, Arkady Korostelev, at the meeting, voiced the need for administrations of the Magadan Region, the Kamchatka Territory, the Chukotka Autonomous Okr...

Master Boat Builders has begun construction of Crowley’s eWolf, the first all-electric ship assist tug in the U.S., at its shipyard in Coden, Ala. “Initiating construction of the first-ever fully electric U.S. tugboat, the eWolf marks a historic moment for Crowley and Master Boat Builders,” said Garrett Rice, President of Master Boat Builders. “Today is also a remarkable milestone for the entire U.S. maritime industry, as we work toward providing groundbreaking...

Orca AI, the AI-based navigation safety platform, has partnered with Greece’s Latsco Shipping Limited, to enable their liquefied natural gas (LNG) fleet to increase its situational awareness and navigate safely on congested waterways. Orca’s AI-powered maritime avoidance collision system utilises computer vision sensors and thermal cameras to provide real-time alerts on potentially hazardous events. The platform provides operators with greater visibility on those events with ac...