Sea and Coast Magazine (Feb 2020)

DELHI POLICE LICENSING UNIT NO: F.2 (S.6) PRESS/2016

MONTHLY MARITIME MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2020 Volume-04 Issue-2 RNI NO:DELENG/2017/ 70663 ₹115 Distributed in India,Singapore,Canada,Sri Lanka,Iran,Italy,Greece,Venezuela,Israel,UAE,SouthAfrica, Usa,Spain,Kazakhstan,Vietnam,Turkey,Malaysia, And Nigeria

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Content

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NEWS US IRAN CONFLICT AND IMPACT ON SOUTH ASIA

The Naval Exercise in the Gulf: A Warning Sign for the USA Yuvraj Thakur, General Manager, Verifavia Shipping-IHM

Port of Amsterdam Handles Record Transshipment Volumes MSC Cruises’ LNG-Powered Newbuilds to Feature Wärtsilä Equipment

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Modernizing the global maritime distress and safety system

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EC: A.P. Møller Capital Gets Green Light for Port Terminals in West Africa

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SAAM to Take Majority Stake in Intertug

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CARNIVAL CORPORATION TO DEBUT 4 NEW CRUISE SHIPS IN 2020

Boost for IMO-led REMPEC Mediterranean marine pollution response centre

Croatian DIV Group to Buy Norway’s Kleven Verft National Geographic Endurance Floated Out in Norway Genting Hong Kong Raises USD 900 Mn to Refinance Genting Dream

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Oman Shipping Company Signs Its 1st Ijara Contract to Finance Two Ships

OSC Signs USD 110 Mn Loan to Refinance Five Ships

Port of Rotterdam Points to Rise in LNG Bunkering Large Vessel Demand Rises as Boxships Queuing for Scrubber Retrofits Wärtsilä Scrubber Wins Type Approval in China

TEEKAY OFFSHORE SELECTS MARLINK FOR MANAGED IT SERVICES

Flex LNG Extends Charter for 2018-Built LNG Carrier

Damen Poised to Develop Shipbuilding in Bangladesh

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Containership HIT BY ‘DEVASTATING’ FIRE OFF MOZAMBIQUE

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Port of Hamburg Will Not Lose Cargo due to Liner Service Changes

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Tallink to Make Silja Europa More Eco Friendly

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China’s Crude Oil Thirst Drives Brazilian Exports to All-Time High

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TORM Invests in Scrubber-Fitted Lr2 Newbuilding Pair

IMO Secretary General: Prices for Compliant Fuels Stabilizing

China iron ore port stocks continued to fall on pre-holiday stockpiling

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First Ship-to-Ship LNG Bunkering Completed at Port of Rostock

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US-China Deal What Will It Mean for Tanker Shipping?

Marubeni, Klaveness Create Giant Panamax Pool Operator

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Poten: Relatively Smooth Sailing as IMO 2020 Enters into Force?

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HMM Sets Sights on 25 Pct Higher Revenue in 2020

Maersk Ups Bunker Surcharge amid VLSFO Rise

Panama’s Ship Registry Posts Best Closure In

Hapag-Lloyd Sets Sights on New Orders

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Cruise Ships Skip Australia’s Port of Eden amid Raging Bush Fires

MUA Threatens with Fresh Industrial Action as Tensions with DP World Intensify

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Autonomous Ship Project Bankrolled by EU

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Wallenius SOL Picks MAN Cryo Fuel Gas Supply Systems for New RoRos

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Mr. Shekhar Dutt Former Governor of Chhattisgarh Former Deputy National Security Advisor Former Defence Secretary of India

Dr Patrick Verhoeven Managing Director International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH)

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hen I put together this edition of Seaandcoast news, it occurred to me that the actual nature of the domestic waterfront, no matter how unshakable or unchanging, cannot be more polar than the opposite. We often write about the same subject over time, but the seemingly inevitable struggle to convey every subject in an original way never really manifests.

This is because the shipping industry - especially our target market for brown water, inland navigation and shallow water - is continuously developing, whether we like it or not. This edition is a perfect example of this metric.

We are constantly evolving as our advisory panel keeps getting better. Our new advisory members are Dr. Patrick Verhoeven and Mr. Shekhar Mittal. Both are well-known personalities in their respective fields. Our new edition consists of an exclusive column by Yuvraj Thakur, General Manager, Verifavia Shipping-IHM as well.

Our other articles have detailed information on how the Asian evelopment Bank (ADB) has prepared an Action Plan for infrastructure Creation to Increase the Use of Coastal Shipping in India. Other pertinent reports are Year-End Review 2019- Ministry of Shipping which contains meticulously obtained information a Slightly off course for this edition, but no less important, The Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019 becomes an Act after receiving the assent of President of India. We have done a detailed report on this bill. Last year also saw the Inauguration of Navarms 2019, 4th International Seminar cum Exhibition on Naval Weapon Systems; we have done an exclusive story on the event.

Our other insightful piece includes experts who are thinking about the coming decade for shipping and the role that long-distance vessels will play. This is followed by news from Gen (Retd) VK Singh, Minister of State for Road Traffic.

What’s more? We have in-depth analysis CALLEYA: SULPHUR CAP IS A VERY HARD DEADLINE, NO EXCEPTIONS. We also have Port of Gdańsk CEO making predictions about this year (2020).

This is not complete. Our editorial staff did a lot of wonderful stories covering the global and domestic marine industry, defense, etc. Read the full list of projects launched by the big players and the union government and their impact on regional maritime trade. We hope you enjoy reading this issue. We will wait for your suggestions and letters.

Until then, read on and send the message on.

Ramjeet

ARCHANA TRIPATHI

+91 9555039039

Name -Aswathi Pillai Rank-Master Company-Integrity ships pvt ltd

CHESTA MISHRA Managing Editor

SEA AND COAST VOICE OF MARINE COMMUNITY

US IRAN CONFLICT AND IMPACT ON SOUTH ASIA The geopolitical crisis in the Middle East is not in a vacuum, might engulf South Asia as well War clouds over the Middle East have not yet disappeared. According to Al Jazeera, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the foreign powers to withdraw their armed forces from the Middle East and warned them that if they stayed in the region they could "be in danger". Today the American soldier is in danger, tomorrow the European soldier could be in danger, and quot; said Hassan Rouhani on television on Wednesday without going into detail.

Rouhani’s comments are the first time he has threatened European countries under increasing tensions with the United States.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s government has threatened to impose a 25 percent duty on European automobile imports if Britain France, and Germany don't officially accuse Iran of violating a 2015 nuclear deal, the ashington Post reported on Wednesday.

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The three countries said in a statement that they continued to wish the deal success and that they were not joining any "maximum pressure" US campaign against Iran.

The U.S. abandoned the deal in 2018 and again imposed sanctions, said Al Jazeera.

Impact on South Asia The United States would have been forced to seek Indian cooperation with Asian Islamic countries, including Pakistan that did not want to participate in an American-led military operation in the region. Due to U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil, India had to import oil from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia at a higher cost. Iran wanted to sell more than 500,000 barrels a day (BPD) to India and had offered almost free shipping and extended credit.

But Prime Minister Modi has withdrawn due to India’s proximity to the US.Iran had emerged as the largest single importer of Indian tea and imported over 50 million kg in 2019, which corresponds to around 10% of total Indian tea exports.

The development of the port of Chabahar in Iran, to which India had committed (to ensure access to Central Asia bypassing Pakistan), would have been further hampered in the event of war.

Remittances, mostly from the Middle East, make up a large part of India’s foreign exchange earnings. India posted $ 80 billion in remittances in 2018, ranking number one worldwide in this category. China followed in second place with $ 67 billion, followed by Mexico and the Philippines.

India If the war between Iran and the United States had actually broken out, the United States would have asked India to allow the United States military to operate from Indian Air Force and military bases along the Pakistan border as part of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) to operate between the two countries. At the recent India-US summit, in which the foreign and defense ministers of both countries attended, the United States expressed its willingness to activate LEMOA. We are sure that the land of Pakistan will not be used against another country and that Pakistan will not become part of this regional conflict, said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Pakistan is experiencing a severe economic crisis and is experiencing thanks to funding from the IMF and Saudi Arabia. The war in the region with its indirect participation will not allow Pakistan to get out of the economic swamp. Pakistan ranks fifth in the world in terms of $ 19.3 billion, the country that receives the most transfers every year, many of them from the unstable Middle East.

Pakistan is also concerned that the armed conflict with Iran will affect the peace process in Afghanistan, where the US will find it more difficult to reach an agreement with the Taliban, who is a Pakistani ally.

line to help India build trade ties with Afghanistan and bypass hostile Pakistan. But this plan will go into smoke, the US and Iran wars will be flattened in Chabahar. President Ghani is also aware that in the event of war Iran could use its deputy, the Fatemiyoun brigade, against his regime.

Srilanka The US-Iran war (including Iraq) may affect the tea industry in Sri Lanka. Iran and Iraq are major buyers of tea from Sri Lanka and, according to the Sri Lanka Tea Export Association, import 20,263 tonnes and 35,367 tonnes respectively from November 2019. Sri Lanka has traditionally maintained good relations with Iran, whose oil exports have helped build the only refinery in Sapugaskand. It was developed to use Iranian oil. US sanctions against Iran caused trouble at the Sapugaskand refinery. Like India, Sri Lanka buys oil at a higher price from non-Iranian sources. The retail prices of oil in Sri Lanka are kept low to keep commodity prices low. However, this means that the state importer and distributor of Ceypetco oil remains deeply and permanently indebted to the government.

Afghanistan Afghanistan, like India, is interested in developing the port of Chabahar in Iran because it provides the inland country with access to the sea.

The United States, which controls Afghanistan through the Kabul regime, silently accepted Chabahar’s development of a supply Page 08

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CDR (Ret.) Eyal Pinko Strategic, Business Intelligence and Cyber Consulting Ph.D. candidate Strategy, Defense and Intelligence studies Bar Ilan University Research Fellow Haifa Maritime Policy and Strategy Research Center

The Naval Exercise in the Gulf: A Warning Sign for the USA The naval maneuver in which naval forces from Iran, Russia and China participated practiced a naval warfare doctrine that includes two defensive loops against the USA. The exercise sends a significant message in the direction of the USA. Commentary

A Multinational Naval Message to the USA Over the last week of December 2019, a strategic multinational naval exercise was conducted by naval forces from Iran, China and Russia. The exercise took place in the sea area between the Straits of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, all the way to the Indian Ocean.

Exercise participants included three destroyers of the regular Iranian navy, a Russian destroyer, a Chinese destroyer, and several vessels of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with numerous aircraft and helicopters of both Iranian naval forces.

The exercise, conducted over the course of four days, included joint drills practicing the assembly of a maritime status picture, combat drills simulating attacks against US naval vessels, joint protection of naval vessels against US air strikes and missile attacks, protection of the maritime routes leading into and out of the Straits of Hormuz, and search and rescue drills. Some of the best naval vessels of the participating countries took part in the exercise, which included drills of launching state-of-the-art missiles and deploying torpedoes and naval mines.

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The exercise presents a strategic naval warfare doctrine that includes combat operations at long distances from the shore, with the intention of establishing two defensive loops against US forces. The first loop consists of fighting at very long ranges, intended to deny access toward the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz to US naval vessels. The actual fighting at these extreme ranges is to be performed by large surface vessels, submarines and aircraft operated by the Iranian regular navy, in cooperation with the warships of China and Russia.

The second defensive loop, implemented by the naval force of the IRGC, is deployed relatively close to the Iranian shore and Straits of Hormuz (within a range of up to 100 nautical miles). It is intended to prevent the US adversary from operating effectively, and from attacking targets (including high-value targets) deep inside Iranian territory, and even to deny the forces of the US Navy and US Marine Corps the ability to invade the Iranian shore, in the event that these forces had managed to break through the first defensive loop established by the Iranian regular navy.

How can we improve ship recycling regulation?

Yuvraj Thakur, General Manager, Verifavia Shipping-IHM The Hong Kong (HK) International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships was adopted in May 2009. Its entry into force will happen 24 months after ratification by at least 15 states, representing 40% of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, and combined maximum annual ship recycling volume not less than 3% of their combined tonnage. Last year, the 10 th anniversary of the Convention was marked by the ratification by India, the 15 th country, representing a huge step forward for the industry.

As India is home to a large proportion of ship recycling activities, these new regulations will impact the country’s processes and national ship workers on a huge scale.

Only once fully ratified and approved will we see the Convention come into force and understand exactly how it impacts the industry, but this is not far away from being implemented. Keeping an up-to-date Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) on board a ship throughout its life- cycle is a key requirement in both the HK Convention and the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (SRR).

The development and maintenance of an IHM should be subject to two values: quality and independence. This will enhance the credibility of the IHM and prevent conflicts of interest between the entity (individual, company or organisation) developing or updating the IHM, and those verifying the IHM on behalf of the flag state. Progressive and professional shipowners, operators and managers are increasingly recognising the potential conflict of interest if the company taking the samples is also testing those samples in its own laboratories. To date, the EU Commission has been dictating the terms of ship

But the IMO needs to utilise representatives from various stakeholders, such as laboratories, flag states, and IHM companies, to ensure independent oversight of ship recycling activities. Regular and unexpected audits will ensure that the EU’s list of shipyards that are exceeding standards and demonstrating best practice is accurate and up to date. The main problem is that while some shipyards in India have achieved approval from the class societies, they have still not been able to clear audits by the European Commission, which means there is huge disparity in quality that needs to be addressed.

Verifavia Shipping provides EU SRR and IHM services across the globe, and the majority of our hazmat experts are marine engineers and ex-seafarers from India, Singapore, China, Honk Kong and Turkey. Currently, if an IHM report is shown to a ship worker, for example, and they are asked to take appropriate precautions, there isn’t the education or training in place to support them in making safe decisions. However, we provide extensive mentoring and training which enables us, with a clear conscience, to ensure quality and consistency worldwide, regardless of the regulations in place.

Verifavia also prides itself on using independent laboratories through the process to ensure impartial results. Following ratification of the HK Convention, the industry stakeholders must take action to raise standards, such as providing medical and financial support directly to workers and suitable safety training to reduce accidents. Companies also need to put budget aside from the beginning of owning a vessel to ensure there are funds available for recycling the vessel safely, efficiently and environmentally at the end of its life.

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Port of Amsterdam Handles Record Transshipment Volumes

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utch Port of Amsterdam closed the first half of 2019 with record transshipment volumes.

Proposed revisions to guidelines on places of refuge for ships in need of assistance will also be considered.

The Sub-Committee will receive information on the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with a view to considering its recognition as a future component of the world-wide radio navigation system.

Information will also be received on the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) (Japan) for development of performance standards for QZSS equipment and with a view to its future recognition.

The Sub-Committee is expected to revise guidelines for vessel traffic services. The session will also review proposed amended ships' routeing measures, discuss matters relating to the functioning and operation of the Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) and prepare liaison statements to the International Telecommunications Union.

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim opened the session, which is being chaired by Mr. Ringo Lakeman (Netherlands). (Click for photos).

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As informed, Amsterdam transshipment increased by 12.3 percent in H1 2019 to 45.4 million tons.

This contributed to an overall transshipment growth in the North Sea Canal Area of seaports of Amsterdam, IJmuiden, Beverwijk and Zaanstad. Specifically, North Sea Canal Area transshipment rose by 7 percent to 54.1 million tons in the first six months of this year.

The above records were also offset by decreases, including in the breakbulk segment which saw a decrease of 20 percent, according to the Port of Amsterdam.

There was also a drop in the number of seagoing cruise ships visiting Amsterdam in the first half of the year. In H1 2019, 51 cruise vessels arrived in Amsterdam, compared to last year’s 74. The port explained that the tourist tax for transit calls implemented on January 1, 2019, led to a number of

The increase in Amsterdam in H1 2019 was driven by liquid, dry bulk and containers. Liquid bulk transshipment grew by 10.6 percent, dry bulk by 13.8 percent and containers by 35 percent.As

explained, the increase in the number of containers transshipped was partly due to Samskip’s short sea liner service.

The above records were also offset by decreases, including in the breakbulk segment which saw a decrease of 20 percent, according to the Port of Amsterdam.

“After record transhipments in 2018, 2019 has also got off to a very good start. We expect the situation to stabilise in the second half of the year,” Koen Overtoom, CEO of the Port of Amsterdam, commented.

There was also a drop in the number of seagoing cruise ships visiting Amsterdam in the first half of the year. In H1 2019,

The increase in coal transshipment has to do with favourable coal pricing conditions.The seasonal build-up of coal stocks

vessel owners moving to IJmuiden or Rotterdam.

later in the year is usually reflected in the transshipment figures. Last year also saw a significant decline in coal transshipment for the German hinterland due to the low water level. Growth in liquid bulk is expected to continue under the current favourable market conditions. We also expect to see further growth in general cargo,” he added.

The Port of Amsterdam is Western Europe’s fourthlargest port and plays a major role in the transshipment and processing of energy products. Last year, transshipment in Amsterdam totaled 82.3 million tons, compared to 81.3 million tons recorded in 2017.

MSC Cruises’ LNG-Powered Newbuilds to Feature Wärtsilä Equipment

In October 2019, the steel cutting ceremony was held for the first newbuild, MSC Europa, which is scheduled to be launched in May 2022.

The second vessel is slated for delivery in 2024.

integrated solutions includes for each of the two vessels five 14cylinder dual-fuel engines fitted with nitrogen oxide reduction (NOR) units, two LNGPac fuel storage and supply systems, seven thrusters, and two fixed pitch propellers.

The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery in mid2020 for the first ship, and in mid2022 for the second.

According to the technology company, these will be the first two cruise ships to run on LNG with Wärtsilä 46DF engines, and with Wärtsilä LNGPac systems.

Cruise Ships Skip Australia’s Port of Eden amid Raging Bush Fires

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innish technology group Wärtsilä will supply French shipbuilder Chantiers de l‘Atlantique with a comprehensive package of integrated solutions for MSC Cruises’ two new LNGpowered ships.

As explained, the solutions “will support and enhance the efficiency and environmental sustainability” of the Worldclass cruise vessels.

“The focus of our solutions is on reducing energy and fuel consumption in order to promote efficiency. At the same time, our nitrogen oxide reduction and LNG solutions enhance environmental sustainability,” Stefan Nysjö, Vice President, Marine Power Solutions, Wärtsilä, commented.

perations at the Australian small seaport of Eden have been impacted by the major bush fires raging across the South Coast region of New South Wales, threatening the area.

Two passenger ships that were scheduled to call at the port over the past week canceled their visits as they sought to minimize the risk to their passengers’ safety, GAC Australia said.

Specifically, the full scope of Chemical Tanker General Safety precautions at berth.

Wärtsilä’s supply ofFig: fully Page

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Port of Eden is the southernmost deepwater harbor in NSW and is situated equidistant between Sydney and Melbourne.

The port hosts three wharves: a privately owned woodchip terminal, multi-user Navy wharfs, and the breakwater wharf. The major users of the port are the Royal Australian Navy, wood chippers, cargo ships for logs and cruise ships.

Based on the latest updates, woodchip stockpiles at the woodchip mill in Eden plus the logs for export are reported to be on fire.

Allied Natural Wood Exports (ANWE), a wood products export marketing and logistics company, said it suffered considerable fire damage to its wood chip export facility located at Two-Fold Bay in Eden, in the early hours of Sunday the 5th January.

“The full extent of the damage to the stock and equipment will be assessed once the fire threat has eased and plans are being put in place for temporary and permanent resumption of operations.

“ANWE remains committed to resuming normal operations but also to its previous commitment of investing in a sawmill and briquette plant at the Eden site and in doing so bring further opportunities to the people of the region,” ANWE said.

According to GAC Australia, Eden is the only port whose operations are being affected by the bushfires at this stage.

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Relief Efforts Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Navy has been busy with response efforts to the affected areas in Australia, helping evacuate thousands of residents to safety.

The Royal Australian Navy’s largest ship, Landing Helicopter Dock HMAS Adelaide has joined HMAS Choules and MV Sycamorein support of Operation BUSHFIRE ASSIST 19-20.

Australian seafarers have also been taking a significant role in relief efforts.

Maritime Union of Australia National Secretary Paddy Crumlin said the crew of the Norwegian-flagged Far Saracen supply vessel was tasked by the Victorian Emergency Co-ordinator to deliver much-needed relief supplies to 4,000 people stranded by bushfires in the Victorian town of Mallacoota.

“Australian and Kiwi seafarers were the first on the scene with much needed supplies of food, water and diesel,” Crumlin said.

“While the Federal Government was resisting calls to activate the Australia’s Defence Forces, our seafarers were able to get those supplies to Mallacoota a full 24 hours before the first naval vessel arrived in the area.

This was an important mission for a ship which is usually engaged in the resupply of offshore rigs, so they are well versed in the logistics of resupply.

“In this case their efforts not only took the pressure off a population of locals and holiday-makers stranded by the bushfires, but also brought diesel into Mallacoota to power generators and fuel CFA fire trucks.”

As informed, the civilian crews of the training vessel MV Sycamore and the supply vessel Far Senator and the Sealink Kangaroo Island Ferries are also doing their bit to back up fire-fighting efforts and relief.

Crumlin added that Western Australia was currently cut off from the rest of the country because fire had closed the highway across the Nullarbor and that shipping would be needed to maintain supply links until road transport could get through.

“Our island nation’s blue

highway is a proven alternative however the lack Australian coastal shipping capacity prevents this from being an option,” he said.

“At a time of national crisis like the bushfire emergency, the need for an Australian merchant fleet has never been clearer.”

Modernizing the global maritime distress and safety system

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earch and rescue at sea depends on the integrated satellite and terrestrial radiocommunication communications system - the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). The GMDSS is mandatory under the International convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). IMO's Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR 7, 15-24 January) will continue its ongoing work to review GMDSS requirements, to enable the use of modern communication systems in the GMDSS, while removing requirements to carry obsolete systems. The aim is to ďŹ nalize the review in 2021, for submission to the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), so that SOLAS amendments can be adopted for entry into force in 2024 The Sub-Committee is set to complete its update of the International SafetyNET Services Manual. SafetyNET is an integral part of the GMDSS, providing an automatic directprinting satellite-based service for the promulgation of safety information and warnings.

Work on developing safety measures for non-SOLAS ships operating in polar waters will continue. The Polar Code is mandatory under SOLAS, but this generally excludes ďŹ shing vessels, pleasure yachts, smaller ships under 500 gross tons and vessels on domestic voyages.

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MUA Threatens with Fresh EC: A.P. Industrial Action as Tensions Møller with DP World Intensify Capital Gets Green Light for Port Terminals in West Africa The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) is planning a new wave of industrial action across Australian terminals as tensions between the union workers and stevedoring company DP World Australia heat up.

As informed, the latest action on behalf of the giant stevedoring company, which employs over 1,800 workers, has seen wharfies employed at DP World in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle stripped of approved leave.

The union said the move was an “unlawful and aggressive attack on workers’ rights” leaving workers unable to fulfill family obligations.

The decision has been described as an attempt of intimidating workers to accept the terms of a new workplace agreement that is being negotiated at the moment between the union and DP World.

During this period of negotiation DP World had Page 15

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sought to intimidate workers using workers’ family and social benefits such as Income Protection, we’ve seen dockings, actual sackings, threats of mass sackings, leave cancelled, attacks on democratic rights, and cancellation of Christmas bonuses,” MUA Assistant National Secretary Warren Smith said.

“Rather than backing down, workers will be responding to this latest attack with a fresh round of industrial action, including strikes, rolling stoppages during each shift, and the imposition of a range of work bans.”

As explained, MUA members want to finalise a new workplace agreement but need assurances that their jobs would be secure and vital workplace conditions would be maintained.

World Maritime News is yet to receive a comment on the matter from DP World Australia.

The European Commission has approved the acquisition of joint control over four project companies with concessions to build or operate port terminals in West Africa by Denmark’s A.P. Møller Capital (APMC).

These include GSEZ Cargo Ports, a company operating a cargo terminal and logistics business in Gabon; GSEZ Mineral Port, which operates a mineral terminal in Owendo, Gabon; Arise, acompany holding the concession for a cargo port in Mauritania; and Terminal Industriel Polyvalent

de San Pedro S.A., which holds a concession to build and operate a bulk terminal in the Ivory Coast.

SAAM to Take Majority Stake in Intertug

“The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns because of its limited impact on the market. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure,” the European Commission said in a statement.

APMC is an affiliate of A.P. Møller Holding and was established to manage stand-alone funds to invest in infrastructure in emerging markets. The first fund is focusing on Africa.

Africa Infrastructure Fund I K/S (AIF 1), acting by its manager APMC, will acquire the shares in the project companies through Arise P&L Limited, a special purpose vehicle incorporated in the United Kingdom.

Upon completion, the four project companies will also be full-function joint ventures within the EU merger rules.

Back in August 2017, A.P. Møller Holding, together with PKA, PensionDanmark and Lægernes Pension, launched AIF. Twelve months after the launch, APMC received total commitments of USD 982 million from institutional investors.

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hilean Sociedad Matriz SAAM has signed an agreement with the shareholders of Intertug Investment Holding, a towage services provider operating in Colombia, Mexico and Central America, to acquire 70% of the company.

“The partnership with Intertug allows us to enter Colombia, one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America, and to reinforce our presence in Mexico and Central America,” Macario Valdés, SAAM’s CEO, commented.

With the newest acquisition, SAAM Towage continues to consolidate its position as the largest tug operator in the Americas.

Once the deal is completed, SAAM will operate a fleet of more than 170 tugs in 11 countries.

“This transaction is consistent with our growth and internationalization strategy and is complemented by the acquisition of 100% of the operations in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Panama, and our recently announced entry into El Salvador,” the executive added.

Intertug has more than 25 years’ experience providing harbor towage, offshore and special services in Colombia, Mexico and Central America. Its 25-vessel fleet logs more than 18,000 maneuvers a year, generating around USD 44 million in towage service revenue annually.

As informed, the agreement is subject to approval from regulatory authorities and compliance with other relevant conditions. SAAM plans to finance the acquisition with a combined capital increase and share purchase.

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CARNIVAL CORPORATION TO DEBUT 4 NEW CRUISE SHIPS IN 2020

Carnival Corporation & plc., the world’s largest cruise company, is set to launch four new cruise ships in 2020 across four of its cruise line brands.

Throughout the year, Carnival Corporation’s international brands P&O Cruises UK, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Costa Cruises will debut the following new vessels — Iona, Enchanted Princess, Mardi Gras and Costa Firenze, respectively.

Gras will be the third and fourth of Carnival Corporation’s eleven next-generation cruise ships joining the fleet through 2025 that can be powered by LNG, the advanced fuel technology, eliminating sulfur and significantly improving overall air emissions.ing built at Meyer Werft in Germany, the 180,000 GT Iona marks the first new ship for P&O Cruises since the introduction of Britannia in 2015. When it joins the P&O Cruises (UK) fleet in May, it will launch as the British line’s first LNG-powered ship.

Mardi Gras is named as a tribute to TSS Mardi Gras, Carnival Cruise Line’s first-ever ship that entered service in 1972. Being built by Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku, the ship is set to debut in November 2020 as the first cruise vessel in North America to be powered by LNG. Debuting in Rome in June, the 3,660-passenger Enchanted Princess is Princess Cruises’ fifth Royal-class ship. In addition, it is the second purpose-built MedallionClass newbuild. The 145,000 GT unit is under construction at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. Costa Firenze is the second ship for Costa Cruises built specifically for the China market, where the Italian company was the first international cruise line to start operating in 2006. Slated for delivery in Italy in late September, Costa Firence will head to China, offering cruising for Chinese passengers beginning October 20.

The introduction of the four new ships in 2020 is part of Carnival Corporation’s ongoing fleet enhancement strategy, with sixteen new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. The four newbuilds follow the introduction of four new Carnival vessels in 2019 – Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Panorama, Costa Cruises’ Costa Smeralda and Costa Venezia, and Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess.

Together, the corporation’s nine cruise lines operate 105 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world..

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Boost for IMO-led REMPEC Mediterranean marine pollution response centre Mediterranean coastal states have

support environmental protection

agreed to increase resources for the

of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean States also adopted a roadmap towards the

IMO-administered Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response

The meeting agreed to

Centre for the Mediterranean Sea

new standards and

(REMPEC), which assists

guidelines which have

Mediterranean coastal states to

been developed by

build national capacities to prevent

REMPEC. These include:

marine pollution from ships and act

standards and guidelines

in the event of major incidents.

under the Offshore Protocol, which aims at

Parties to the Barcelona Convention

protecting against

for the protection of the

pollution from offshore

possible future designation of the

Mediterranean, meeting in Naples,

activities; and guidelines on port

Mediterranean Sea as a sulphur

Italy (2-5 December), recognised

reception facilities (Guidelines on

oxides (SOx) Emission Control Area

increased workload and new

the Provision of Reception Facilities

under the IMO regulations for

environmental issues (such as air

in Ports and the Delivery of Ship-

prevention of air pollution from

pollution) assigned to REMPEC and

Generated Wastes and the

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established under the

Port Reception Facilities).

1 January 2020, cutting the limit

Mediterranean Action Plan to Page

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Panamaʼs Ship Registry Posts Best Closure In Past 6 Years

Panama’s Ship Registry maintains its leadership of the world merchant fleet with a total of 8,289 vessels, over 500 gt, and 220, 1M gt, representing 16% of the total merchant fleet of 98,027 ships, according to IHS Markit.

The closure of 2019 shows an increase in tonnage and number of vessels registered as compared to 217.1M tons and 8,000 vessels at December 2018.

The Ship Registry has made changes in the registration’s daily process and re-engineering of the register, including the implementation of the Electronic Registry of Ships that should be operational in 2020 and which will allow a quicker vessel registration. “We control carefully our statistics and monitor closely the behavior of the fleet, in general,” says Rafael Cigarruista, Panama Maritime Authority (AMP)’s director of Merchant Marine and head of the Ship Registry.

“Our priorities are customer’s satisfaction and efficient service,” he adds.

At January 13,2020, Japan is Panama Registry’s main customer with 42% of the fleet (91.405,585 gt) followed by South Korea with 11.1% (24,178,637 gt), Greece with 8% (17,464,120 gt), China with 8% (17,277,520 gt) and Italy with 7.4% (16,050,457 gt).

The new administration that took office July 1, 2019, is reorganizing the Registry marketing strategies aiming at customers’ satisfaction and the unification of competitive rates aligned with the international market.

The AMP Directorate General of Merchant Marine expects the Ship Registry to grow by at least 5M tons in 2020 thanks to quicker registration, on-line processes and transparency and reliability.

The acceptance of Panama in the Tokyo MoU as a member country “will allows us to provide better support to our customers, in the region,” said Cigarruista. Panama has also been re-elected as Category A” at the IMO General Council, being the only open registry among the 10 States members of the Category A. “Port State Inspections compliance has been improved globally in our fleet and we are implementing fully the IMO 2020 requirements, a milestone that marks a profound change in the international maritime industry with respect to the use of low sulphur fuel,” he adds.

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China iron ore port stocks continued to fall on pre-holiday stockpiling Inventories of seaborne iron ore across Chinese ports continued to trend lower this week, as steelmakers stockpiled in the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday which falls in late January this year.

SMM data showed that iron ore stocks across 35 Chinese ports decreased 1.66 million mt in the week ended January 10 to 113.74 million mt, after a decline of 1.63 million mt in the previous week. This was 14.79 million mt lower than the same period last year.

Deliveries leaving those ports, however, dropped this week, indicating that the pre-holiday stockpiling activity is running out of steam.

A sharp decline in Dalian iron ore futures prices on the back of geopolitical turmoil also dampened buying enthusiasm among steelmakers this week.

For the same week, iron ore deliveries from the 35 ports averaged 2.79 million mt per day, down 77,000 mt from the previous week.

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LR: Industry Players Join Forces on Ammonia-Fueled Tanker Project

Malaysia’s shipping group MISC Berhad, South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), UK’s classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Germany’s engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions have decided to work together on a joint development project (JDP) for an ammonia-fueled tanker to support shipping’s drive towards a decarbonized future.

As explained, the creation of the alliance has been motivated by the partners’ shared belief that the maritime industry needs leadership and greater collaboration if shipping is to meet the International Maritime Organisation’s 2050 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission target.

Agreed in 2018, the target requires commercially viable deep-sea zero-emission vessels (ZEVs) to be in operation by 2030.

Ammonia is just one of the pathways towards zero-carbon emitting vessels. The partners recognize that the shipping industry will need to explore multiple decarbonization pathways and hope their collaboration will spur others in the maritime industry to join forces on addressing this global challenge.

What is more, the partners believe that the creation of such alliances will send a clear message that shipping can progress itself to fit times and circumstances, ahead of regulatory action.

The drive to decarbonize shipping is to be a dominant focus of the decade ahead and follows a year of action in 2019 that saw the launch of Getting to Zero Coalition, an alliance committed to getting commercially viable deep-sea ZEVs powered by zero-emission energy resources into operation by 2030.

Shipping’s decarbonization as a shared obligation was also a key talking point during the Global Maritime Forum held in Singapore in October 2019 where more than 220 industry leaders congregated to discuss the challenges facing the shipping industry.

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At MISC, we believe the global maritime industry needs to be more collaborative in defining our future together, rather than being confrontational and fragmented in our efforts. I am very glad that our distinguished partners have come together with MISC to showcase joint leadership in developing one of the pathways towards a zero-carbon future for the maritime industry,” Yee Yang Chien, President & Group CEO MISC Berhad, said.

“We all know that the industry-wide movement is vital, and new zero-carbon fuel technologies, such as ammonia fuel, are to be brought on the table, in order to take action proactively on maritime GHG emissions in accordance with the IMO’s ambitious road map. We hope SHI’s experience and expertise in novel ship design development will effectively contribute to this joint development project and all JDP partners could get better insight into the feasible and sustainable zero-carbon fuel vessel design solutions,” Joon Ou Nam, President & CEO of SHI, commented.

“As we start the 2020s we are proud to be among a four-party team to make deepsea ZeroEmission Vessels (ZEVs) a reality within this decade…These are exciting times as we commence the industry’s fourth Propulsion Revolution as during LR’s history we have supported the transition from wind to coal to oil and now look forward to safely decarbonising,” Nick Brown, Marine & Offshore Director, Lloyd’s Register, noted.

“Low-speed diesel engines are the most efficient propulsion system for trans-oceanic shipping and already run on a sizable number of emission-friendly fuels. We look forward to adding ammonia to the list and welcome the opportunity to work with industry partners in this venture,” Bjarne Foldager Jensen, Senior Vice President, Head of Two Stroke Business at MAN, added.

Damen Poised to Develop Shipbuilding in Bangladesh Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Group and Australian-based Gentium Solutions have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Industry of Bangladesh, seeking to establish and develop shipbuilding and ship repair industry in Bangladesh.

Damen said that the aim was to build ships in Bangladesh, for Bangladesh, with a longterm view of serving export markets.

Under the MoU, the partners plan to establish a shipbuilding and repair facility in line with global standards. The facility is expected to have the capacity to build and deliver seagoing vessels able to compete in the global marketplace.Furthermore, Gentium-Damen consortium plans to facilitate a transfer of technology and knowledge to help Bangladeshi personnel develop the skills required to serve the international maritime industry, thus creating training and employment opportunities.

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“Damen has a long track record of skills and knowledge transfer of which we are immensely proud. It is our philosophy and practice to help develop the shipbuilding and maritime industries in the countries in which we operate.

This includes investing in the establishment of high quality facilities and equipment and the training of local personnel,” Roland Briene, Area Director Asia Pacific of Damen Shipyards Group, said.

HapagLloyd Sets Sights on New Orders German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd is considering an investment in new ships after a long period of keeping its ordering appetite at bay.

“We will have to start replacing ships in our fleet from 2022, 2023,” Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd was cited as saying by Reuters following a press conference in Hamburg last week.

The investments are likely to target ultra large containerships with the capacity of up to 23,000 TEU, following in the footsteps of its rivals like CMA CGM and MSC, which have already employed

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some of their colossal newbuilds on the Europe-Asia route.

Following the integration of its business with United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), Hapag-Lloyd became the fifthlargest container shipping company in the world and had no need to order new tonnage as UASC provided it with modern tonnage influx, including ships of 19,000 TEU. A Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson confirmed to World Maritime News that orders of new ships “are most likely until 2021”.

The company did not provide further details on the targeted size of ships being planned.

Over the past decade, ordering in the containership sector has been dominated by the interest in large ships with over 10,000 TEU in capacity. Based on the data from Alphaliner, the total capacity of the world’s cellular containership fleet passed the 23 million TEU mark following the delivery of two more Pegasus class vessels to MSC last September.

Nevertheless, the ordering spree in the sector since 2017 has considerably widened the gap between the supply and demand, in particular as deliveries of ultra-large container ships continued sending relatively smaller ships onto other routes. As such, the question of overcapacity and filling of these mega-ships with enough cargo to avail of the economies of scale lingers.

Outlook for 2020 The fleet modernization commentary was made as Hapag-Lloyd was announcing its expectations for business performance in 2020.

Jansen believes that this year will be impacted the most by the IMO 2020 sulphur regulation’s entrance into force.

“The costs involved in converting vessels and using the new fuel will be high. Since the lion’s share of our fleet will sail with the new low-sulphur fuel oil, we expect additional costs of around 1 billion US dollars per year,” he said earlier this month in a market review.

The CEO of the German major believes climate action, especially in Europe, would exert further pressure on liners. Namely, shipping is proposed to be included in the European carbon market (known as the ETS) and pay for its CO2 emissions.

Hence, the search for alternative fuels will become even more important as companies rush to cut their carbon footprint and at the same time battle to keep their businesses healthy.

The perfect storm in container shipping is also facilitated by the ongoing trade tensions and geopolitical factors.

“We live in times that continue to be turbulent in political terms. Trade conflicts can have an impact on trade routes, and they can steer global economic growth in one direction, but also in the other. We will have to live with these possible fluctuations and manage them as best we can,” Jansen said.

“A year and a half ago, we adopted our Strategy 2023 and set ourselves the goal of becoming the number one for quality among carriers. We are continuing to pursue this goal. In the near future, we will publish a set of quality promises by which we will be measured going forward. We will continue to invest heavily in digital products and services. And we will continue to concentrate on expanding our business in growth regions, such as Africa, the Middle East and India.”

Investment in new terminals is also being considered, however, for this year Hapag-Lloyd will hold off from any new investments amid the expected impact from the IMO 2020 regulation on its business performance.

MARUBENI, KLAVENESS CREATE GIANT PANAMAX POOL OPERATOR

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apan’s Marubeni Corporation and Norwegian dry bulk operator Klaveness are merging Panamax Pool activities.

A jointly owned pool management company, Maruklav Management Inc., will be led by Michael Jørgensen as the company MD, with Masashi Kobayashi from Marubeni as Deputy MD. The combination of existing fleets in the MG Harrison Shipping and Baumarine Pools will see the venture with a fleet of approximately 30 vessels starting operations in early April.

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The two companies said that the combined entity will become “the leading Panamax pool operator in the world.”

Dubai and Singapore, where existing teams will be strengthened by experienced executives from Marubeni pool operations.

“Combining the strengths of major trading house Marubeni and long-term Owner and Operator Klaveness will not only leverage individual capabilities, but also capitalize on a more analytical approach to pool management and enable greater flexibility and adaptation to the risk appetite of each individual vessel owner,” Klaveness explained.

DIV GROUP TO BUY NORWAY’S KLEVEN VERFT

“While the increase in fleet size will give the pool increased global exposure, both houses remain confident the joint effort around data analytics, machine learning and research will facilitate correct positioning and allow the core chartering teams to optimize in terms of duration and direction at any given time.”

“Every participant will not only benefit from improved earnings and market insights but will also have a manager taking care of their vessels for strong asset preservation over years of employment through the safe hands of our joint operations teams,” Takeshi Hisatomi, General Manager of Marubeni Corporation said.

The companies said they want to challenge existing period structures and pool models.

“MaruKlav in this respect welcomes all owners in the industry to collaborate around the existing and common challenges in our industry,” the company added.

The daily management of the pool activities will be run out of Klaveness’ offices in Oslo,

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CROATIAN

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roatian DIV Group has agreed with Norwegian expedition cruise operator Hurtigruten to acquire Kleven Verft, a Ulsteinvik-based builder of ferries and offshore support vessels.

The agreement is expected to be implemented in the coming weeks, Kleven said in a statement.

DIV Group is a consortium of maritime and metal processing companies which also acquired the Croatian shipyard Brodosplit in 2013.

Commenting on the acquisition, Kjetil Bollestad, CEO of Kleven Verft, said that the shipyard has undergone a difficult time but managed to deliver “fantastic” ships. With the new owner, the yard has long-term development plans, he added.

In addition, Tomislav Debeljak, owner and CEO of DIV Group, said that the transaction opens up the opportunity for cooperation between two shipyards. He believes that the acquisition would create synergy effects in all segments of the two shipyards’ operations. In addition, the transaction would result in lower costs, savings of up to 5 percent and better competitiveness.

In 2019, Kleven delivered to Hurtigruten MS Roald Amundsen, the world’s first hybrid electric-powered expedition ship and its sister vessel, MS Fridtjof Nansen. The yet-to-be-named third ship is expected to be delivered in 2021.

class for access deep into polar regions. The ship’s expanded fuel and water tanks provide for extended operations in remote areas, while the zero-speed stabilizers will ensure stability, whether at zero speed or full steam ahead.

National Geographic Endurance Floated Out in Norway

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indblad Expeditions Holdings’ new polar expedition ship was floated out in Ulsteinvik, Norway on December 7, ship builder and designer Ulstein said.

The National Geographic Endurance is the first of two X-Bow polar vessels ordered by the US-based cruise company Lindblad Expeditions at Ulstein Verft.

Scheduled to join the Lindblad-National Geographic fleet in 2020, the newbuild will undergo final work prior to delivery, according to Ulstein.

In late April 2019, the National Geographic Endurance was towed to Ulsteinvik from Gydnia, Poland, where construction of the main hull steel work was completed.

The National Geographic Endurance, a Polar Class 5 vessel, can accommodate 126 passengers in 69 outsidefacing cabins. One of its key features is Ulstein’s X-Bow, a bow that provides fuel efficiency and a very high ice

The National Geographic Endurance will be followed by the National Geographic Resolution, the second polar newbuild slated for delivery in 2021.

In October, Lindblad Expeditions and Ulstein celebrated the keel laying for the National Geographic Resolution at the CRIST shipyard in Poland. The occasion also served as the official naming ceremony of the vessel.

Genting Hong Kong Raises USD 900 Mn to Refinance Genting Dream

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ruise operator Genting Hong Kong has raised USD 900 million through a sale and leaseback transaction of one of Dream Cruises’ ships – the 2016built, 150,000 gross ton Genting Dream.

The sale and leaseback deal was closed with a consortium of four Chinese leasing companies, through their special purpose vehicles indirectly wholly-owned by Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Co., CMB Financial Leasing Co., CCB Financial Leasing Corporation Limited and China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co. DNB Markets acted as advisor to Genting Hong Kong.

The company said that a part of the funds received was used for repayment of the outstanding balance of approximately USD 502 million in respect of the existing bank loan for the Genting Dream.

“We are very appreciative of the consortium for supporting Genting Hong Kong in the refinancing of Genting Dream which allows a longer repayment period with a balloon payment at the end of 12 years,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman and Chief Executive of Genting Hong Kong.

“With the completion of this transaction, the group is now focusing on launching new summer itineraries for Dream Cruises which will showcase the best of Southeast Asia with exciting new destinations including Christmas Island and Belitung in addition to popular destinations such as Palawan and Kota Kinabalu. As well, we are looking forward to the highly anticipated debuts of Crystal Endeavor in August this year and of Global Dream in 2021.”

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Oman Shipping Company Signs Its 1st Ijara Contract to Finance Two Ships

Muscat-based Oman Shipping Company (OSC) has completed a USD 80 million Shariah-compliant “Ijara” transaction with Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB).

The financing facility represents OSC’s first Ijara asset finance transaction, according to Clyde & Co. Specifically, the facility would enable the shipping company to finance two very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and further support its expansion plans, Michael Jorgensen, Chief Financial Officer and Acting Chief Executive Officer at OSC, told Times of Oman.

On the other hand, the transaction is part of the Islamic bank’s efforts to fund “significant assets” in the marine and energy sectors.

Established in 2003, OSC has a fleet of about 50 vessels including LNG, LPG carriers, tankers, bulkers, multipurpose and container vessels.

OSC Signs USD 110 Mn Loan to Refinance Five Ships Muscat-based Oman Shipping Company (OSC) has agreed a new USD 110 million ship financing deal with banking and financial services company Standard Chartered.

Under the deal, signed on September 15, the funds would be used for refinancing of three tanker vessels and two very large crude carriers (VLCCs).

The new financing facility would enable Oman Shipping Company to optimize its debt position by reducing overall borrowing costs and eliminating refinancing risk, while diversifying the company’s pool of financial partners.

“OSC is growing from strength to strength, and today’s announcement will help us explore opportunities to expand our full-service shipping offering yet further,” Michael Jorgensen, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Oman Shipping Company, was cited as saying.

The company has a fleet of 50 vessels, including LNG and LPG carriers, VLCCs, tankers, VLOCs and containerships.

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Port of Rotterdam Points to Rise in LNG Bunkering

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urope’s top bunkering port, the Port of Rotterdam, has seen an increase in LNG bunkering at the port.

Based on the data from the port authority, the bunker sales of LNG in 2019 stood at over 22,747 metric tons, doubling from the total marked in 2018 which stood at 9,483 metric tons.

The figure for 2019 does not include the sales for the fourth quarter of 2019, as these numbers haven’t been revealed yet.

For the third quarter of 2019, the port’s bunker sales reached 11,075 metric tons, exceeding the total for the entire previous year.

LNG has become a popular fuel choice among ship owners, as various studies said its emissions of sulphur oxides (Sox), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) were close to zero when compared to conventional oil-based marine fuels.

There are now three permanent LNG bunker vessels in the port of Rotterdam and a further four LNG bunker specialists have a license to bunker LNG in the port, the port said.

One of those ships is Shell’s Cardissa, which has a capacity to hold around 6,500 m3 of LNG fuel.

The vessel delivers fuel from the Gate terminal in Rotterdam and in locations throughout Europe.

Since starting operations in 2017, it has bunkered Sovcomflot’s LNG-fuelled Aframaxes, Carnival’s LNG-fuelled cruise ships in North West Europe and the Mediterranean, and Containerships OY’s dual-fuel box ships deployed in North West Europe.

Aside from Shell, Titan LNG is also a registered provider of LNG bunkering in the port. It has developed an LNG bunkering barge in Northwest Europe for the Amsterdam – Rotterdam – Antwerp (ARA) region: the Titan LNG FlexFueler.

The LNG bunker barge navigates to LNG powered seagoing vessels to supply LNG while they load or unload their cargo (SIMOPS). Furthermore, it has fixed locations where bunkering can take place for seagoing vessels and inland waterway barges. It bunkered its first fuel in June 2019.

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Finally, Anthony Veder is also registered to provide LNG bunkering services in the port.

Anthony Veder and Sirius Shipping commissioned their LNG-bunkering vessel Coralius in 2015.

Coralius offers LNG bunkering services for Skangas, a subsidiary of Gasum, mainly operating in the North Sea, the Skagerak area and the Baltic Sea. Back in June 2019, Coralius conducted its first bunkering in the port of Rotterdam.

During the ship-to-ship operation, LNG was supplied to the chemical tanker Bit Viking. The event represented a milestone for Coralius proving its availability in the ARA. The Port of Rotterdam sees LNG as one of the strategic pillars of the port’s broader energy transition ambitions, having a target of reducing its CO2 emissions levels by more than 90% by 2050.

Rotterdam aims to become an attractive LNG bunkering hub and has introduced incentives to stimulate the uptake of LNG as a marine fuel. These include the Environmental Shipping Index (ESI), which is a points-based system that offers a 10% discount on port dues for the cleanest ships; and a 10% discount for shipping lines if they choose to bunker LNG in Rotterdam.

The Port of Rotterdam said two additional bunker specialists are scheduled to start operating this year.

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“The Port Authority is working closely with other ports including the Port of Antwerp to introduce a bunker permit for bunker fuel suppliers, starting 1 January 2021. A similar permit is already in place for LNG. The intention is for this permit to designate, for the first time, which substances are not permitted in bunkers. It is anticipated that the permit will considerably improve both transparency in the bunker market as well as bunker quantity and quality. More information will be published in mid-2020,” the port authority said.

Antwerp is also working to bolster its LNG Bunkering infrastructure.

As informed on Monday, Cryostar and KC LNG have won a contract for building an LNG ship bunkering and truck fueling facility in the port of Antwerp. The project promotors of the facility are Fluxys, G&V, Titan LNG and Rolande.

The LNG facility is set for commissioning in the first quarter of 2020.

“The facility will allow Fluxys, G&V, Titan LNG and Rolande to substantially widen the LNG fuelling options at quay 526/528 in the port of Antwerp, where currently truck-to-ship bunkering is offered. LNGpowered inland waterway ships will be able to dock at quay 526/528 for bunkering from a fixed storage unit while LNG powered trucks will be able to refuel at the facility as well,” a statement from KC LNG reads.

Furthermore, mid-2020 the FlexFueler002 LNG bunkering barge will become operational in the greater Antwerp port area enabling ship-to-ship LNG bunkering on a larger scale.

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hri Mansukh Mandaviya participates in the Round-table of UNAIDS on the theme “Access for all: Leveraging Innovations, Investments and Partnerships for Health” Innovative Technologies and Solutions can play a key role in bridging Economic Inequalities: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya The Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) and Chemical & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya today participated in the High-level roundtable of UNAIDS (The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) on the theme Access for all: Leveraging Innovations, Investments and Partnerships for Health at World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland.

In a one-hour long discussion Shri Mandaviya stated that, “Health needs to be accessible for all and innovative technologies and solutions can play a key role, including in bridging economic inequalities”. Shri Mandaviya is on a Four-day official visit to Davos to attend World Economic Forum.

Shri Mansukh Mandaviya in the High-level roundtable discussed about what Government of India has done for Health Access to All in the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

He mentioned various schemes initiated by Government of India for ‘Creating a Healthy India’. He deliberated about the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (Ayushman Bharat) the largest healthcare programme in the world and Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana – to provide affordable quality medicines for all.

Earlier in 2015, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya had delivered his key-note address in United Nations on “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. In his address he mentioned how Government of India is changing the scenario of health-sector, and the policy changes driven by Government for Affordable and Quality Health Access to All. UNAIDS provides the strategic direction, advocacy, coordination and technical support needed to catalyse and connect leadership from governments, the private sector and communities to deliver life-saving HIV services. UNAIDS is leading the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Shri Mansukh Mandaviya proceeds on Four-day official visit to Davos to attend Annual World Economic Forum (WEF) Meeting To meet the World Leaders of Industry, Investors and Entrepreneurs; to discuss the prospects of further reforms, priorities of capital markets and inclusive policy making among others The Union Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya is attending the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting being held at Davos, Switzerland from 21st -24th January 2020. During his stay in Davos, the Minister will meet thevarious leadersof Industry, Investors and Entrepreneurs from around the world.

The Union Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya is attending the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting being held at Davos, Switzerland from 21st -24th January 2020. During his stay in Davos, the Minister will meet thevarious leadersof Industry, Investors and Entrepreneurs from around the world.

Shri Mandaviya will hold bilateral meetings with Ministers of Qatar, Belgium and SecretaryGeneral of International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

He will be the part of WEF sessions,round table and bilateral meetings with CEOs of the Companies. The Ministerwill also participate in an informal WTO Ministerial gathering being held during this period.

Important Sessions & Bilateral Meetings to be attended by Shri Mandaviya include the following: Sessions

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· Medical Diagnosis: Back to Basics · Innovation for Impact: Engineering sustainable Plastics · Recharging International Trade· Chemicals & Advanced Materials Policy · Strategic Outlook: The Indian Ocean Rim· Informal gathering of World Economics Leaders (IGWE) Finding Resilience Bilateral Meetings with Ministers / Organisations · Meeting with IMO · Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium · Meeting with Minister of Qatar Bilateral Meetings with CEOs · Meeting with Sultyan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, CEO, DP World (UAE) · Meeting with Dev Sanyal, CEO Alternative Energy · Meeting with Mr. Sumant Sinha, Renew Power · Meeting with Gemini Corporation· Meeting with Mr. Eugene Mayne, CEO, Tristar Transportation· Meeting with CEO, Antwerp Port Authority · Meeting with British Petroleum The Minister is participating in WEF 2020 along with the Union Minister of Railways and Commerce Shri Piyush Goyal and Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, Finance Minister of Punjab, IT Minister of Telangana, Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos is a leading forum where participants come together to address the most pressing issues on the global agenda in an exceptional atmosphere featuring inter-disciplinary, informal and direct interactions among peers. The theme of the 2020 meeting is Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World.

Prime Minister attends the grand Sesquicentenary Celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust, launches multimodal development projects for Kolkata Port Launches the Port Anthem Coasts are gateways to development, says PM Prime Minister names Kolkata Port Trust after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hands over Cheque of Rs 501 Crore towards pension fund of employees of the Kolkata Port Trust Inaugurates Kaushal Vikas Kendra and Pritilata Chhatra Avas for Tribal girl students of Sunderbans More than Rs1200 crores spent on Infrastructure development, better rail connectivity and Modernization of Kolkata Port: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the grand Sesquicentenary Celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust today.

Prime Minister unveiled a plaque at the site of original Port Jetties to commemorate 150 years of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT).

Shri Modi termed that it is a privilege to be a part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the KoPT a historic symbol of the country's water power.

"This port has stood witness to many a historical moment in the country like India getting independence from foreign rule. From Satyagraha to Swachhagraha, this port has seen the country changing. This port has not only seen consignors, but also the carriers of knowledge who have left a mark on the country and the world. In a way, this port of Kolkata symbolizes India's aspiration for industrial, spiritual and self-reliance", the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister also launched the Port Anthem during the event.

PM stated that the long coast line of India from Gujarat's Lothal Port to Kolkata Port was not only engaged in trade and business but also in spread of civilization and culture across the world.

"Our government believes that our coasts are gateways to development. This is the reason the government started Sagarmala project for modernizing infrastructure and improving connectivity of the Ports. Thirty six hundred projects worth more than Rs 6 lakh crore have been identified under this scheme. Out of these, more than 200 projects worth more than Rs 3 lakh crore are underway and about one hundred twenty five have been completed. Kolkata Port is connected to the industrial centers of eastern India due to the construction of river waterways. And trade has become easier with countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar", PM added.

Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port Trust PM also announced Kolkata Port Trust to be named after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. "Dr. Mukherjee, the son of Bengal, laid the foundation for industrialization in the country and has been very instrumental in the development of projects such as Chittaranjan Locomotive Factory, Hindustan Aircraft Factory, Sindri Fertilizer Factory and Damodar Valley Corporation. I also remember Babasaheb Ambedkar. Dr. Mukherjee and Baba Saheb gave a new vision to postindependence India", PM said.

Shri Mandaviya said that in last 15 years, for the first time, this year Kolkata Port has made profit.

He said, under the guidance of Prime Minster Shri Narendra Modi and his visionary Sagarmala Project, more than Rs1200 crores has been spent on Infrastructure development, better rail connectivity and Modernization of Kolkata Port in the last five years.

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Welfare of the Pensioners of KoPT Shri Narendra Modi also handed over a Cheque of Rs 501 Crore towards final instalment to meet the deficit of pension fund of retired and existing employees of the Kolkata Port Trust.

Prime Minister also felicitated two oldest pensioners of the Kolkata Port Trust, Shri Nagina Bhagat and Shri Naresh Chandra Chakraborty (105 and 100 years respectively).

Prime Minister inaugurated Kaushal Vikas Kendra and Pritilata Chhatra Avas for 200 Tribal girl students of Sunderbans.

PM said that every effort is being made by the Central Government for the development of West Bengal, particularly for the development of the poor, underprivileged and the exploited. He said that as soon as the West Bengal state government approves of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, people of West Bengal will also start getting benefits from these schemes.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the upgraded Ship Repair Facility of Cochin Kolkata Ship Repair Unit at Netaji Subhas Dry Dock.

PM inaugurated the Full Rake Handling Facility and dedicated the upgraded Railway Infrastructure of Kolkata Dock System of KoPT for smooth cargo movement and improving turnaround time.

PM also launched the Mechanisation of Berth No.3 at Haldia Dock Complex of KoPT and a proposed riverfront development scheme.

Prime Minister to proceed on a two day official visit to Kolkata on 11th and 12th January 2020 To Dedicate 4 renovated heritage buildings to the Nation To Participate in Sesquicentenary celebration of the Kolkata Port Trust To Fulfil the Pension Requirements of the Retired and Existing Employees of the Kolkata Port Trust To felicitate two oldest surviving Centenarian retired employees of the port Trust

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is proceeding on a two day official visit to Kolkata on the 11th and 12th January 2020.

Dedication of Heritage Buildings to the Nation On the 11th of January, the Prime Minister shall dedicate to the Nation Four Refurbished Heritage Buildings in Kolkata to the Nation.

These are the Old Currency Building, the Belvedere House, the Metcalfe House and the Victoria Memorial Hall. The Union Ministry of Culture has renovated these 4 iconic galleries and refurbished them with new exhibitions while curating the old galleries.

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Ministry of Culture under the direction of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is developing cultural spaces around iconic buildings in various metro cities in the country. To begin with the cities of Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Varanasi are being taken up under this project.

Sesquicentenary Celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) The Prime Minister shall also participate in the grand Sesquicentenary Celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust on the 11th and 12th January 2020.

Shri Narendra Modi shall be handing over a Cheque of Rs 501 Crore towards final instalment to meet the deficit of pension fund of retired and existing employees of the Kolkata Port Trust.

In a memorable event, the Prime Minister shall also be felicitating two oldest pensioners of the Kolkata Port Trust Shri Nagina Bhagat and Shri Naresh Chandra Chakraborty (105 and 100 years respectively).

The Prime Minister shall also launch the Port Anthem during the event.

Shri Modi shall also unveil a plaque of 150 years of commemorative installation at the site of original Port Jetties.

The Prime Minister shall also inaugurate the upgraded Ship Repair Faciility of Cochin Kolkata Ship Repair Unit at Netaji Subhas Dry Dock.

Shri Narendra Modi shall inaugurate the Full Rake Handling Facility while dedicating the upgraded Railway Infrastructure of Kolkata Dock System of KoPT for smooth cargo movement and improving turnaround time.

Prime Minister shall also launch the Mechanisation of Berth No.3 at Haldia Dock Complex of KoPT and a proposed riverfront development scheme.

Prime Minister shall also inaugurate Kaushal Vikas Kendra and Pritilata Chhatri Avas for 200 Tribal girl students of Sunderbans, a project undertaken by KoPT with Purvanchal Kalyan Ashram, Gosaba, Sunderbans affiliate to Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram.

Large Vessel Demand Rises as Boxships Queuing for Scrubber Retrofits More than 100 containerships aggregating 950,000 TEUs were in yards for scrubber retrofits last month before the International Maritime Organization (IMO) sulphur cap entered into force on January 1, 2020, according to Alphaliner.

Many of these retrofits combined routine dry dockings for planned maintenance and classification surveys deadlines.

Even after the deduction of the routine maintenance/class work component, the scrubber retrofits have been freezing the equivalent of 90 standard ships of 8,500 TEU, the shipping analyst estimated.

Furthermore, another 15 ships totaling 130,000 TEUs were lying at anchor in December while awaiting their yard slots as retrofits have been plagued by delays due in particular to a lack of trained manpower and of yard capacity.

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As a result, the IMO 2020 regulation and their consequences have become a major driver for the charter market, Alphaliner explained.

This was driven by two main factors — the need to find substitute ships to fill the gaps left by vessels immobilized for scrubber retrofits and the vessel scarcity created by this extra demand has boosted charter rates.

On the other hand, the long line of boxships waiting to enter repair yards for the installation of scrubbers with extended yard stays are coasting shipowners dearly in vessel downtime. Among the top twelve carriers, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has been the most badly affected by the retrofit delays, with at least 15 vessels clocking yard stays of over 80 days, Alphaliner’s data showed.

At the end of 2019, ships with exhaust gas cleaning systems reportedly accounted for some 5.9% of the total number of containerships or 11.8% of the total TEU capacity of the fleet.

As informed, more scrubber fitted containerships are expected to be delivered in the next two years, including both newbuildings and retrofitted units, that could possibly bring their total number to some 1,000 ships for 10 million TEU by the end of 2022.

Wärtsilä Scrubber Wins Type Approval in China

Wärtsilä’s exhaust gas cleaning (EGC) system has received a Type Approval from the China Classification Society (CCS), the Finnish technology company said.

The approval comes after Chinese shipbuilder Dalian Shipbuilding Industry ordered the system for installation onboard the New Treasure, a new very large crude carrier (VLCC).

The ship is being built for Associated Maritime of Hong Kong, part of the China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES) group, the largest VLCC owner in China.

As explained, the approval marks a significant breakthrough for the Wärtsilä system in the Chinese market.

According to Wärtsilä, full-scale testing was carried out after the system’s shipboard installation was completed, and the relevant data was reviewed and reported by Dalian Maritime University, as an independent third party. The process involved a review of the design, and a check of the fabrication of the scrubber tower itself to verify that it is in accordance with all the CCS class and quality requirements.

“Having CCS Type Approval now means that this product can be installed on any CCS class ship without the need for further emissions testing,” Jan Othman, Director, Exhaust Treatment, Wärtsilä Marine, commented.

The order for the Wärtsilä system was placed in August 2018, and the equipment was delivered to the yard in July 2019.

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TEEKAY OFFSHORE SELECTS MARLINK FOR MANAGED IT SERVICES

Leading marine energy, transportation, storage and production company selects ITLink solutions for more compliance and resilience Oslo/Paris, January 22, 2020: Teekay Offshore has selected Marlink’s ITLink solutions portfolio with its benchmark IT operational platform, KeepUp@Sea, to streamline and improve fleet IT management. The deployment of ITLink positions Marlink as a single supplier of diverse Information Communication Technology (ICT) services for Teekay Offshore vessels, following a satellite services contract renewal in May 2019.

Marlink will provision ITLink solutions across Teekay Offshore’s fleet of shuttle tankers, ALP towing vessels and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units to ensure more availability of operational tools, resulting in more efficient and sustainable fleet operations. Representing a major endorsement of Marlink’s ability to facilitate end-to-end digitalisation strategies for maritime businesses, this latest contract with Teekay Offshore also highlights the operational and financial advantages of using a single supplier to integrate failsafe global connectivity with a secure, managed IT infrastructure.

Under the conditions of the new deal, Marlink’s ITLink solutions with KeepUp@Sea will manage and optimise Teekay Offshore’s fleet IT infrastructure and software. The implementation of standardisation, automation and remote network management generates substantial savings in time and resources while reducing the possibility of human error and the requirement for technicians to travel to a ship to fix IT issues. This helps to reduce Teekay Offshore’s environmental footprint, while maintaining the compliance and resilience of vessel IT networks with automated software updates and remote access for troubleshooting.

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Marlink’s seamless VSAT connectivity is crucial to the successful running of Teekay Offshore’s operational processes, expediting everything from document/data transfer, remote diagnostics, voice communications and videoconferencing to planned maintenance system updates and morale-boosting social media browsing for crew welfare. ITLink solutions are also key to a cyber-secure and well-ordered IT network, future-proofing the firm in readiness for fleet expansion, with the building of six new Eshuttle tankers, and the advent of new regulations including IMO 2021 Cyber Security guidelines.

The integration of our connectivity services with the ITLink portfolio and KeepUp@Sea will simplify and enhance Teekay Offshore’s IT infrastructure, with all the material, logistical and support benefits they can expect from collaborating with a trusted single source. We are confident that remote digital intervention will have a tangible impact on Teekay Offshore’s ability to optimise and deliver more sustainable, profitable and environmentally friendly operations.”

“As our operations become ever more sophisticated, encompassing the shorebased remote monitoring of onboard systems, it’s obviously vital for us to know that the digital foundation between vessels and from shore to ship can be relied upon without question,” says Regis Rougier, Vice President Operations, Teekay. “We’re delighted to have Marlink as an attentive and convenient single interface between our all-important IT and communications structures.”

As the situation stands at the moment, it seems that oil companies, bunker providers and other market participants have used the ample time they had prior to January 1, 2020 to build up their inventories to be able to handle a surge in demand for compliant fuels.

“We’re very pleased to be strengthening our close relationship with Teekay Offshore and keeping the company at the cutting-edge of maritime digitalisation,” adds Tore Morten Olsen, President Maritime, Marlink.

Poten: Relatively Smooth Sailing as IMO 2020 Enters into Force?

Two weeks into January 2020, it appears the shipping industry is coping better than expected following the entry into force of

the highly dreaded sulphur cap, according to Poten Tanker Opinion.

One of the main concerns about the implementation of the IMO 2020, has been the availability of compliant fuels.

As such, Poten believes that the availability of various compliant fuels would not be a major problem for tankers moving forward.

“We think that the availability of compliant fuels will increase over time. This will probably reduce the price differential between VLSFO and HSFO in the main bunkering hubs worldwide, although regional supply/demand discrepancies will remain,” Poten & Partners said.

There have been some reports of tight availability of very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) in a few ports. Specifically, it has been reported that vessels were faced with long waiting times at the ports of Gibraltar and Singapore where ships were queuing to bunker compliant fuels.

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When it comes to the quality of bunkers, there have been no majors issues reported as of yet, however, fuel quality problems may take a lot longer to surface. A great deal has to do with the owners being quite diligent in sampling/testing the fuels beforehand as a lesson learnt from the most recent fuel contamination cases, the utmost goal being to avoid large-scale problems.

However, Poten pointed to another issue that hasn’t been given that much attention, the availability of high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO).

Only vessels with scrubbers, currently representing an estimated 12% of the fleet can still use this fuel and as a result, demand for HSFO has fallen off a cliff around the world. For marine fuel suppliers, it may not make sense to dedicate storage tanks and bunker barges to HSFO in smaller bunker ports if there is no consistent demand.

“Shipping companies that own vessels with scrubbers will need to do more bunker planning and, in some case, may deviate their vessel from its optimal route in search of high sulphur bunkers,” Poten added.

For a Suezmax tanker trading from West Africa to Rotterdam, the difference is USD 14,000/day. On shorter haul voyages, which are more typical for Aframax tankers, the differences are much smaller. The TCE premium for an Aframax with a scrubber trading in the Caribbean is “only” USD 7,000/day.

IMO Secretary General: Prices for Compliant Fuels Stabilizing

As explained, when vessels trade a majority (or all) of their time in ECA zones, (requiring 0.1% sulphur fuels), the scrubber premium disappears altogether.

“If long-term availability of HSFO is maintained and the economics continue to make sense, we expect more scrubber installations on larger vessels employed on long-haul trades. For larger product tankers (LR1’s/LR2’s) on the longhaul AG-East trades, scrubbers also appear to be a good investment.

“Scrubbers are not without problems and challenges, but unless there are significant regulatory changes, we expect scrubbers are here to stay.

Over time, they will get better, become more reliable and cheaper to operate.”

Prices for compliant fuels, very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and marine gas oil (MGO), rose quickly since the start of implementation of the sulphur cap on January 1, 2020, but now appear to be stabilizing, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said.

Assessing the progress on sulphur limit implementation, Lim said that there has been a relatively smooth transition from 3.5 pct sulphur content of ships’ fuel oil to 0.5 pct fuels.

It appears that owners that opted to install scrubbers on their vessels have started to collect their anticipated premiums.

The IMO added that as of 20 January, 10 cases of compliant fuel being unavailable had been reported in IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS), while the dedicated email address established by the IMO Secretariat (imo2020@imo.org) has not received any specific correspondence reporting issues with implementation.

On the benchmark TD3 (Arabian Gulf – China) route, the Time Charter Equivalent (TCE) for a VLCC with a scrubber is USD 24,000/day higher than for a vessel that burns VLSFO, Poten’s data shows.

“I believe it is testimony to the diligence and dedication of IMO, its Member States, the shipping industry, the fuel supply industry and other relevant industries that such a major rule change is being implemented successfully without significant disruption to maritime transport and those that depend on it,” IMO Secretary-General said.

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“The next important target is fast approaching, when carrying non-compliant fuel oil on board ships becomes prohibited on March 1, 2020. I urge all shipowners, operators and masters to comply with the carriage ban, where applicable, when it comes into effect.

IMO will remain vigilant and ready to respond and provide any support. I would like to thank, sincerely, IMO Member Governments, the shipping industry and all stakeholders, including shippers and the fuel oil supply industry, for their efforts so far and to ask for further cooperation to ensure IMO 2020 is implemented properly.”

There have been a lot of concerns in the shipping community with regard to picking the right compliance option, its safety, availability, reliability and finally issues concerning the very policing of the compliance among shipowners.

Teething problems are still likely to occur, but initial market reports claim that the industry seems to have done its homework and prepared well for the sulphur cap implementation.

US-CHINA DEAL WHAT WILL IT MEAN FOR TANKER SHIPPING?

Under the ‘phase one’ trade deal signed last week, China has pledged to increase imports of American goods, targeting to bolster its energy imports by USD 52.4 billion above 2017 levels over the next two years.

The deal has been welcomed across the supply chain as a positive step to ending trade war and further trade tensions among global superpowers.

According to BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst Peter Sand, the deal will deliver both trade creation and trade diversion.

Speaking on CNBC, Sand said that more than half of the said amount is expected to come in the form of crude oil.

China is the world’s largest importer of crude oil. In 2019, it imported well over 10 million barrels per day (mb/d), the majority of those imports being seaborne, data from Poten and Partners shows.

As a result, any changes in those imports, in volume or in origin could have significant implications for the tanker market.

Before any prediction can be made, it remains to be seen how China will implement its commitment and whether it would switch to US crude supply.

“If China decided to divert its trade from West Africa and Brazil to the U.S. that would deliver longer hauls for the oil tankers and it would be positive for the market. Naturally, if the country completely shies away from buying in Norway, that would decrease the trading distances, which matters to shipping,” Sand explained.

For 2020, the IEA expects that Chinese oil demand will grow by about 400 Kb/d, from 13.6 mb/d to 14.0 mb/d.

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If the Phase 1 agreement is implemented, and U.S. crude is competitively priced, there is room for significant additional volumes of U.S. crude oil to find its way to China. It would help if China removed the 5% tariff it currently levies on U.S. crude oil imports, Poten said in its tanker report.

A research report from Goldman Sachs, discussing the ins and outs of the trade deal, suggests that China could import an additional 500 kb/d in U.S. crude in 2020 and an additional 800 kb/d in 2021 (both relative to 2017).

Based on these numbers, China would need to reduce its purchases from other crude oil suppliers in 2020 to meet its target.

“If they reduce purchases from the Middle East, ton mile demand will increase, but if light sweet crude oil from the U.S. replaces similar grades from Europe or West Africa, the impact will be more muted. For 2021, assuming China’s oil demand will grow by at least 300 Kb/d, no barrels from other suppliers will need to be replaced,” Poten explained.

However, China may not need an additional 300 Kb/d of light sweet crude and imports of lighter grades from West Africa and the Middle East may be reduced. This shift will likely have a modestly positive impact on demand for VLCCs, the vessels of choice to make these moves.

U.S. crude oil production reached 12.3 Mb/d in 2019 (EIA). Production (and by extension exports) is projected to increase by 1 Mb/d in 2020 and another 700 Kb/d in 2021, with further growth expected in subsequent years.

So, the U.S. will have ample crude oil to satisfy additional Chinese demand.

According to Ann-Louise Hittle, vice president, macro oils at Wood Mackenzie, the trade deal is beneficial to the broader global economy but will have a limited impact on the global oil market and the Asian regional refining market.

“Larger purchases of US crude oil exports will be the primary method for China to comply with this agreement, but a USD 52.4 billion increase in energy imports from the US over two years is going to be challenging, especially as liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas will play a minor role in plugging the gap.”

are designed to process medium/heavy crudes from the Middle East and Latin America.

“With the new trade deal, preliminary estimates suggest that China would need to import an average of about 1.1 million b/d of US crude over the next two years. China would be able to absorb these US volumes, however, they would make up only 11% of total crude imports.”

US crude prices are unlikely to be affected by the deal, Hittle believes, because they are already discounted to reflect the cost of transport to other Asian nations.

“The deal does pose a challenge for OPEC producers such as Saudi Arabia who aim to maintain market share in growing Asia oil markets – especially China,” she added.

“Assuming China is committed to the deal, discounting OPEC barrels to maintain market share will be ineffective.

Instead, we would expect to see a shuffling of global crude trade, with the crude shipping sector benefiting from the growth in long-haul trade.

In 2017, China imported about 300,000 barrels per day (b/d) of US crude oil, valued at close to USD 5.8 billion, she said.

“OPEC will need to send volumes to other nations in Asia and to Europe, backfilling those US barrels that are now heading to China.”

“In a free trade market, our proprietary Refinery Supply Model suggests that an optimal volume of US crude imports for China is only about 400,000 b/d in 2021.

Despite the continued growth of US oil exports, China’s appetite for US tight oil is limited given that its deep conversion refineries

China imposes a 5% tariff on US crude imports and has not indicated whether waivers or exemptions to the tariff will be offered. If it remains in place, the tariff could hit refining margins.

“This would discourage the country’s independent refiners from processing large volumes of US crude,”Alan Gelder, vice president, refining at WoodMac, said. “ Page

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“Chinese NOCs with large integrated refinery and petrochemical sites are most likely to process the extra US volumes. These sites have more flexibility to manage shifts in product yields resulting from the increase in lighter crudes and they have the strongest competitive position, so best able to absorb the cost impact.”

FLEX LNG EXTENDS CHARTER FOR 2018-BUILT LNG CARRIER

Bermuda-based LNG carrier owner Flex LNG has extended a time charter agreement for Flex Enterprise, a 173,400 cbm vessel.

With this extension, the firm period under the time charter is until the end of the first quarter of 2021.

The charterer also has remaining extension options.

The time charter rate is variable as a function of the overall market conditions, according to the company.

“Flex LNG Fleet Management took over ship management responsibilities for this ship in November 2019 so we are particularly pleased that the charterer has elected to extend this time charter,” Øystein M. Kalleklev, Chief Executive Officer of Flex LNG Management, commented.

Back in 2018, Flex LNG entered into a time charter agreement for the 96,000 dwt Flex Enterprise with gas and power utility company Enel Trade. The carrier was hired for a period of twelve months that commenced in the second half of 2019.

In 2019, Flex LNG completed the sale-and-charterback transaction with Hyundai Glovis for the 2018built vessels Flex Enterprise and Flex Endeavour. The ships were sold for USD 420 million and chartered back on a time-charter basis to subsidiaries of Flex LNG for a period of ten years and the company has options to acquire the LNG carrier duo during the term of the charters.

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Containership HIT BY ‘DEVASTATING’ FIRE OFF MOZAMBIQUE

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abinet approves Model MoU with foreign countries for unilateral/bilateral recognition of Certificates of Competency of seafarers The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the Model Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for unilateral/bilateral recognition of Certificates, pursuant to Regulation 1/10 of International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for Seafarers, 1978 as amended to be signed between the Directorate General of Shipping, Government of India and its counterparts in foreign countries, with the approval of Minister-in-charge of Shipping and the Minister of External Affairs.

Benefits The unilateral MoU would facilitate unilateral recognition by another country of the certificates issued by the Directorate General of Shipping to Indian seafarers,

without seeking similar recognition by India of the certificates issued by that country.

Indian Seafarers, therefore, will be eligible to be placed on ships under the flag of that country for employment, thus leading to increased employment opportunities.

The proposed bilateral MoU will enable India and another country with which such an MoU may be entered, to mutually recognize maritime education and training, certificates of competency, endorsements, documentary evidence of training and medical fitness certificates, issued to the seafarers who are citizens of respective countries in accordance with the provisions of regulation 1/10 of the STCW Convention.

The bilateral MoU would therefore, make the seafarers of both the countries to be eligible for employment on ships of either party based on the certificates so recognized.

India being a seafarer supplying nation with large pool of trained seafarers will stand to be benefitted.

A fire broke out in the engine room of the Sub Panamax containership EM Oinousses while the ship was sailing from Maputo to Mombasa on January 20, 2020.

Dutch towage company KOTUG International BV said that two of its rotortugs picked up the Mayday signal from the containership on Monday evening.

The ship’s crew managed to extinguish the fire, however, at approximately 50 miles off the coast of Nacala, Mozambique, the ship was unable to control its course as a result of the fire damage.

Kotug described the fire as devastating.

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The steerless containership was battling high swells and the safety of its 25 crew members was at risk.

Having received the Mayday signal, KOTUG’s Rotortugs RT Spirit and RT Magic were sent to the scene to salvage the stricken vessel. They towed the ship to a safe haven at the Port of Nacala on January 21 where the crew members were able to disembark safely.

Autonomous Ship Project Bankrolled by EU

There were no injuries reported to the containership’s crew.

“We are glad that we were able to bring the MV EM Oinousses and its crew to a safe haven and prevented a possible disaster for the vessel, its crew, and the environment,” says Ard-Jan Kooren, CEO of KOTUG International.

The Greek-flagged 2,506 TEU containership was built in 2000 and is operated by Europseas Shipping, according to the data from VesselsValue.

The autonomous-ship project being developed by the Norwegian maritime cluster has received around EUR 20.1 million (USD 22 million), one of the largest grants ever given to Norwegian players, from Horizon 2020, an EU research program.

Under the project, Kongsberg is going to install and test autonomous technology on two vessels in different operational environments. The two autonomous vessels will be demonstrated for use especially in short sea coastal shipping and Europe’s inland waterways.

“The Norwegian maritime cluster, which Kongsberg is part of, is the world leader in autonomous shipping. Now we are further strengthening our position through the AUTOSHIP project which will accelerate the realisation of next-generation autonomous ships and create a roadmap for commercialising autonomous shipping in the EU in the next five years,” says Egil Haugsdal, CEO of Kongsberg Maritime.

AUTOSHIP, a four-year Horizon 2020 project, is a collaboration between Kongsberg and Norway’s research organisation, SINTEF, as well as several European partners, including support from the Research Council of Norway.

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“ The race is underway internationally. The technology contributes to safer, more efficient and sustainable operations at sea, both in transport and aquaculture. The project now receives one of the largest allocations from the EU’s Horizon 2020 program to a Norwegian player ever.

This is a NOK 200 million mark of quality,” says Iselin Nybø, Norway’s Minister of Research and Higher Education.

General cargo vessel Eidsvaag Pioneer is one of the two vessels that will now be equipped for remoteoperated and autonomous maritime transport. This ship is owned by the Eidsvaag shipping company and operates along the Norwegian coast and in vulnerable fjord areas where it carries fish feed to fishfarms.

According to Kongsberg, markets for both short sea coastal shipping and transport on inland waterways are expected to explode in the next few years, both in Norway, Europe, and worldwide.

“We will demonstrate that it is possible to remotely operate several ships from land and over large geographical areas. The technology is used in different ways on the vessel to show that the solutions can be applied widely. This is a market with significant potential,” says Haugsdal.

As explained, the aim of the project is to test and furtherdevelop key technology linked to fully

autonomous navigation systems, intelligent machinery systems, selfdiagnostics, prognostics and operation scheduling, as well as communication technology enabling a prominent level of cybersecurity and integrating the vessels into upgraded einfrastructure.

Wallenius SOL Picks MAN Cryo Fuel Gas Supply Systems for New RoRos

“We will contribute by developing cloud-based communications systems and advanced simulations to test and ensure that the autonomous vessels operate safely and optimally,” says Hege Skryseth, the CEO of Kongsberg Digital.

The other vessel to be equipped with autonomous technology is a Belgian pallet shuttle barge owned by Blue Line Logistics NV. The ship operates on canals in Europe, transporting goods to and from large container ports.

The cluster believes Europe’s inland waterways can achieve major environmental gains by using new technology.

Swedish shipping line Wallenius SOL has selected MAN Energy Solutions’ LNG fuel-gas supply systems for its two new icebreaking roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels.

On January 22, MAN said that its marine LNG fuel-gas-system Kongsberg added that an manufacturer MAN Cryo signed autonomous barge in the contract with Wallenius operation is expected to take SOL, the company established around 7,500 trucks off the

by Wallenius Lines and SOL in roads each year, resulting in April 2019 to transport forestry reductions in both traffic products and other goods in a congestion and emissions. network covering the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. MAN Energy Solutions has also been selected to supply 2 × 9L28/32DF dual-fuel auxiliary engines to each vessel.

The two LNG-fueled RoRos are being built at Yantai Raffles shipyard in China. Upon completion, the vessels will be the largest to ever meet Finnish/Swedish ice class 1A Super standard, ensuring year-round service in the frozen Gulf of Bothnia.

The 242-meter newbuilds will have a sailing speed of 20 knots and a capacity of 5,800 lane meters. Delivery of the vessels is scheduled for 2021 and the order includes an option for two further vessels.

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“These RoRos will operate in a sensitive, sulphur-emissioncontrol area in harsh winter conditions where a reliable LNG fuel-gas supply system is of the utmost importance.

We are very pleased that both shipyard and shipowner trust us to deliver the fuel-gas supply system for … vessels,” Louise Andersson, Head of MAN Cryo, commented.

HMM Sets Sights on 25 Pct Higher Revenue in 2020

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orean shipping giant Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) roughly anticipates a 25% improvement in its revenue for 2020, reaping the fruits from the impending deployment of its mega container vessels.

Twelve 24,000 TEU containerships are scheduled to be sequentially delivered as of April this year and thereby deployed in the Asia-Europe trade under the service network of THE Alliance.

“Once HMM operates mega container vessels in earnest, overall sales volumes and revenue is expected to be increased accordingly based on a range of efforts to enhance its sales competitiveness, in particular, in the field of back-haul business,” an HMM spokesperson told World Maritime News.

The spokesperson added that the rise in revenue is expected “notwithstanding continued uncertainties in the global trade environment.”

“In addition to the rise in revenue, it is needless to say that 2020 will be the year to improve our profit structure as well,” he concluded.

HMM is expected to add some 34 ships to THE Alliance’s network this year, adding up to 519,000 TEUs. Last week, THE Alliance unveiled an expanded service network for 2020 as it welcomed HMM as a full member.

With the US Federal Maritime Commission’s acceptance of HMM membership, the carrier will join its three counterparts in the alliance, Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express (ONE), and Yang Ming.

THE Alliance plans to launch the upgraded product package around April 1, 2020.

World Maritime News Staff

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FIRST SHIP-TO-SHIP LNG BUNKERING COMPLETED AT PORT OF ROSTOCK Kairos, described as the world’s largest LNG bunker vessel, has completed the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering in the Port of Rostock — representing the second such operation to take place in Germany.

Maersk Ups Bunker Surcharge amid VLSFO Rise

P Orion is currently under construction at the Liebherr yard in the Port of Rostock where it is being outfitted with a 5,000-ton crane.

It is the fifth dual-fuel addition to the DEME’s fleet.

“After conducting the first ship-to-ship LNG transfer in Germany only a few weeks ago in Brunsbüttel for DEME’s Scheldt River, we are happy to also extend our cooperation for the latest vessel joining the DEME fleet, Orion,” Jan Schubert, Senior Manager Sales & Business Development at Nauticor, said. “(T)his is the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation in the Port of Rostock and highlights that the availability of LNG is now secured in another important port in Northwest Europe, thereby further reducing the hurdles for companies to decide in favour of alternative fuels and ultimately, making shipping more sustainable.”

“This operation strengthens the LNG cluster in Rostock significantly and is an essential extension of the services offered by the port… Environmentally friendly fuels, such as LNG, and a shipping industry driven by sustainability will shape our port in the long-run,” Jens A. Scharner, Managing Director of Rostock Port GmbH, commented.

rompted by a price surge of very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) since the implementation start of the sulphur cap 2020, Danish shipping major Maersk has decided to increase its bunker surcharge.

“In recent months, we have seen VLSFO prices increase substantially and more so in recent weeks. In particular, VLSFO price in Asia (Singapore) for a period exceeded 700 USD/TON, more than 20% increase compared to the previous bunker prices used for the Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) and Environmental Fuel Fee (EFF) calculation. The average increase in January thus is expected to exceed USD 50/mt,” Maersk said in an advisory.

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The tariff increases will be implemented across all trades and will range between 50 to 200 USD per box.

Maersk said the new tariffs will be effective as of March 1, 2020, adding that the actual increases per trade will be communicated by the end of January.

China’s Crude Oil Thirst Drives Brazilian Exports to All-Time High

The world’s largest container shipping company revealed earlier that it expects that the new regulation would push up its fuel bill by USD 2 billion per year.

As such, numerous companies, including Maersk, introduced bunker surcharges as a solution, transferring some of these additional costs to the end customers, assigning fuel cost a larger portion of the total freight rate.

The company introduced Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) surcharge in 2019 to recover costs of compliance with the global sulphur cap, which mandates the use of fuel with a sulphur content of 0.5% instead of 3.5 %.

The BAF consists of two key elements: the fuel price which is calculated as the average fuel price in key bunkering ports around the world, and a trade factor that reflects the average fuel consumption on a given trade lane.

Brazilian crude oil exports hit a record high in December 2019 with a total of 8.7 million tons of crude oil exported, as China continues to turn to Brazil for crude, according to BIMCO. As explained, the December picture matches the overall trend which shows that China has increasingly gone to Brazil to cover part of its crude oil demand.

The previous monthly record for Brazilian crude oil exports of 8.1 million tons was set in July 2018, at which time 41% of the crude oil was sent to China. In December 2019, 64% of total crude exports went to China, the shipping association informed.

In 2019, 63% of Brazil’s total crude oil exports went to China. That was a 42% jump over a five-year period, from 20% of crude exports in 2014. Brazilian exports to China grew by 21% in 2019 compared to 2018.

While the lion share of Brazilian crude oil was shipped to China, Brazil only accounted for 8% of Chinese crude oil imports through the first 11 months of 2019.

“US crude oil exports have been the talk of the town in past years, yet crude oil exports from Brazil are also proving to be an interesting development to watch out for,” Peter Sand, BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst, commented.

“The record-breaking Brazilian crude oil exports in December bring a positive development to the crude oil tanker market with a strong tonne-mile upside generated by the long-haul trade from Brazil to China.”

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Record-breaking oil production in Brazil Brazilian crude oil production has steadily risen in recent years, driven largely by oil extracted from the pre-salt oil deposits located offshore on the Brazilian continental shelf under thick layers of rock and salt.

Data from Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP) indicates that roughly 95% of Brazilian oil is produced offshore. Extracting offshore oil deep underneath the surface is a costly process, often requiring the use of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) ships.

Nonetheless, Brazil has managed to ramp up production in recent years. In November 2019, a total of 3 million barrels per day (m/bpd) were produced, a 20% jump compared to November 2018.

From 2010 to 2018, annual average oil production rose 34% from 2m/bpd to 2.6m/bpd, which is set to be surpassed by a fair margin in 2019, having averaged 2.7m/bpd in the first 11 months of the year.

November 2019 marked the highest level of production ever with a total of 3m/bpd produced, a 20% jump compared to the same month in 2018.

Petrobras, the largest Brazilian oil major accounting for roughly 75-80% of all oil production, has outlined an annual production target of 2.2 m/bpd for 2020,

which is set to grow annually to 2.9 m/bpd in 2024.

Petrobras’ target indicates stable growth for Brazilian oil production in the mediumterm, which will surely be a growth driver for the country’s crude oil exports, BIMCO added.

However, several factors, including China’s energy supplier diversification and yearly growth, point in the other direction.

“Brazilian crude oil production has risen steadily over the past decade, with the exception of 2018. With future production estimated to follow the same growth rate, Brazil could increasingly become a driver of crude oil tanker tonne-mile growth in the coming year, especially if China sustains its increasing appetite for the Brazilian crude oil,” Sand further said.

“Whatever the outcome from the US-China phase one trade deal, Brazilian crude oil exports have, for the time being, brought a positive development to the crude oil tanker market, which experienced high fleet growth in 2019,” the shipping association concluded.

The majority of the crude oil is shipped on long-haul trades, facilitating a positive ton-mile upside to the shipping market.

Brazilian crude oil is mediumheavy with relatively low sulphur content, which could partly act as a substitute for Venezuelan crude oil. There is no massive difference in shipping distance if importers substitute Venezuelan crude oil for Brazilian crude, the shipping association noted.

“It may however be too early to forecast whether China will divert its crude oil imports from Brazil to the US.”

TORM Invests in Scrubber-Fitted Lr2 Newbuilding Pair

Will the US-China trade deal affect Brazilian exports?

The recently inked US-China phase one trade deal, in which China has committed to increasing its imports of, amongst other things, energy commodities, could slow the ton-mile growth of Brazilian exports if the deal results in trade diversion rather than trade creation, BIMCO believes.

Danish tanker shipping company TORM has inked a contract to buy two scrubberfitted LR2 newbuildings from Chinese-based Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI).

TORM has a long-term relationship with state-owned GSI, which has built 29 ships in the company’s current fleet.

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The two new ships are expected for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The Danish shipowner said the vessels would be constructed according to its specifications in order to optimize trading and fuelefficiency. Furthermore, the ships would be prepared for a potential later dual-fuel installation.

As informed, the vessel was delivered to the new owner in late December 2019, and in connection with the transaction USD 4 million of debt was repaid.

Port of Hamburg Will Not Lose Cargo due to Liner Service Changes

Earlier this month, the company secured a commitment for a total of USD 496 million from a syndicate of lenders to refinance its debt and bolster its capital structure.

“I am very pleased that TORM The company said the total has utilized its long-term amount was a combination of relationship with Guangzhou two separate term facilities Shipyard International to enter and a revolving credit facility, into an agreement to purchase which would be used to two LR2 newbuildings. These refinance the company’s debt newbuildings will be financed covering a total of USD 502 through a flexible and attracmillion. tive sale and leaseback Germany’s Port of Hamburg said it is not expecting a reduction structure including a repurin container throughput caused by liner service changes chase option at the end of the lease period,” says Executive announced by Ocean Alliance and Maersk.

Director Jacob Meldgaard.

Starting from April 2020, the Ocean Alliance’s NEU 5 service hanTORM expects its CAPEX for dled by Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH) is being the two vessels to be USD 95 transferred to Antwerp. This service will be run by the Ocean Alliance partner CMA CGM as FAL 3 with an approximate annual million including extra costs volume of 150,000 TEU. related to TORM’s design requirements and scrubber installations. For this purpose, the company has secured financing of USD 76 million with an undisclosed international financial institution.

The financing will be structured as a ten-year sale and leaseback agreement with purchase options during the lease period and at maturity.

Over the recent period, the tanker owner and operator was focusing on repaying its debt.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the company sold an older Handy vessel, TORM Loire (built in 2004), for USD 9 million.

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Going forward, the entire container volume carried until now to and from Hamburg by this service will be handled by the five Ocean Alliance liner services continuing to call in Hamburg. These are the full-container services NEU 2, NEU 3, NEU 4, NEU 6 and NEU 7.

“In the course of optimizing annual planning, the resulting transfer of one of the six services creates no overall problem either for the shippers or the Port of Hamburg. The container cargo will continue to be handled in its entirety by these services in Hamburg,” Axel Mattern, Joint CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing, explained.

“In the shipping industry such liner service adjustments are absolutely normal when the shipping alliances develop new products and present no cause for concern. Hamburg is not losing any cargo because of it,” Mattern added.

CMA CGM, one of the biggest Port of Hamburg customers in container transport with a total of 15 full-container and feeder services, said that the container cargo handled until now by the abovementioned service in Hamburg will be distributed among the other five Asia-Europe services continuing to call Hamburg.

Furthermore, Danish shipping major Maersk has also reported a change to its sailing schedule. The ME 1 service that until now has weekly served India via Dubai and Saudi-Arabia with the German ports of Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven will, as of February, temporarily not be calling Hamburg.

Container cargo previously carried on ME 1 will continue to be handled on Maersk’s AE 7 service to and from Hamburg.

“We assume that with Hamburg served by the AE 7 service, the majority of containers from the ME 1 service will continue to be handled in Hamburg after the fairway adjustment,” Ingo Egloff, who is Axel Mattern’s Joint CEO at Port of Hamburg Marketing, said.

“The 12 mega-containerships deployed in the AE 7 service with a capacity of between 16,500 and 19,500 TEU offer the necessary transport capacity,” he continued.

After suspending the ME 1 service, Maersk will be calling Hamburg with a total of five container liner services.

Tallink to Make Silja Europa More Eco Friendly

Tallink Grupp’s vessel Silja Europa will set sail to Turku Repair Yard in Naantali, Finland, on January 26, for scheduled maintenance and planned renewal works that would make the ship more environmentally friendly.

The 1993-built vessel will stay in Turku Repair Yard for two weeks, returning to the Tallinn-Helsinki route on February 9.

During the scheduled docking, the vessel will undergo considerable renovation of several key passenger areas.

On the technical side – like all Tallink’s vessels undergoing scheduled dockings in 2020 – preparations will be made to the vessel for the use of high-voltage shore connection during its port stays.

Other important technical improvements to the vessel will include the installation of the ballast water treatment system to better address the environmental challenges of shipping and enhance the protection of the local marine environment.

As part of the planned maintenance works, the vessel’s provision cooling system as well as the ship’s automation and power management systems will be replaced. Commenting on the Silja Europa planned works, captain Tarvi-Carlos Tuulik, Tallink Grupp’s Head of Ship Management, said: „Silja Europa is the largest cruise ferry operating on the Baltic Sea and is very popular among our customers for both regular day cruises as well as special cruises offered over the spring and summer period.

Therefore, it is very important that we regularly modernise the vessel.”

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