PUBLISHED AUG 27, 2021 8:07 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

The heavy-lift industry is called on to manage unique projects that often require transporting large or heavy structures long distances. Recently, the Norwegian specialized heavy transportation and installation contractor OHT was assigned the unique challenge of transporting a 590-foot-long floating dry-dock nearly 10,500 nautical miles for Promaritime.

The floating dry-dock, which measures 590 feet in length and 121 feet in width, was located in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It needed to be transported to northern Europe for ultimate deployment in France.

The vessel assigned the task of moving the dry-dock was the Hawk. While it is among the top five largest semi-submersible heavy lift vessels in the world, the Hawk only has 515 feet of free deck length available.

The solution developed by OHT was to diagonally load the massive dry-dock for the voyage. That meant that the dry-dock would be overhanging the sides of the vessel, which already has a beam of 182 feet. The width of the overall transport was close to 400 feet with the dry-dock overhanging each side of the Hawk by approximately 105 feet.

“With the exceptional experience of the captain and crew on board the vessel, Hawk was able to safely navigate around Cape of Good Hope with only minimal delays due to adverse weather and without stopping in any safe haven such as Port Elizabeth,” reports OHT.

The transit was completed in 40 days. The day after the Hawk arrived in Brest, the dry-dock was offloaded. It was then towed to the Damen shipyard where it is currently completing repairs and receiving a new coat of paint. After the shipyard, the dry-dock will be towed to the port of Rouen, where it will begin operations.

(photos courtesy of OHT)

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By Jack Wittels (Bloomberg) The world’s largest container-shipping line is making a $1.4 billion investment in a greener fleet.  A.P. Moller – Maersk A/S (AMKBY) has ordered eight new vessels, each costing $175 million, that can be propelled by cleanly made methanol instead of an oil-based fuel. They’re set for delivery from 2024.

“We don’t believe in more fossil fuels,” Morten Bo Christiansen, vice president and head of decarbonization, said in an interview. “A lot of our customers are very, very supportive of this.”

Shipping, the backbone of global trade, accounts for almost 3% of man-made carbon dioxide emissions. The level has been rising in recent years, according to data from the International Maritime Organization. By 2050, the United Nations body wants shipping’s total greenhouse gas emissions to at least halve relative to 2008. Last year, IMO rules designed to curb air pollution by limiting the sulfur content of marine fuel came into force.

Maersk isn’t the only shipper starting to make the transition. Oil tanker owner Euronav NV has ordered new ships capable of one day running on ammonia or liquefied natural gas. Commodities trader Cargill has said it plans to add so-called wing sails to some of its fleet.

Back in February, Maersk said all future newbuild vessels under its ownership would be able to use carbon-neutral fuels. It also announced the launch in 2023 of a small container vessel that could run on clean versions of methanol. This latest order is much bigger — each ship can carry about 16,000 containers.

“This is a firm signal to fuel producers that sizable market demand for the green fuels of the future is emerging at speed,” said Maersk’s chief executive officer, Soren Skou. More than half of the company’s 200 largest customers have set science-based or zero-carbon targets for their supply chains or are in the process of doing so, according to a statement.

The new vessels, built by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., represent about 3% of Maersk’s total container capacity. They’ll replace older ships in the company’s fleet, saving about one million tons of carbon dioxide a year. Maersk has the option for four more of the ships to be delivered in 2025.

The company acknowledges that finding enough carbon-neutral methanol for the vessels from the first day of service will be “challenging.” The additional design cost of being able to run on both methanol and conventional oil-derived, low-sulfur marine fuel will be in the range of 10-15% of the vessels’ total price. Maersk plans to use carbon neutral e-methanol, or, sustainable bio-methanol, as soon as possible in the new ships.

Environmentally-friendly sailing isn’t cheap. The clean methanol that the ships can burn is “at least twice as expensive” as the fossil-based, very low-sulfur fuel oil used by many vessels today, according to Christiansen. In a normal freight rate environment — today’s bonanza prices being an exception — doubling the fuel price translates to about a 15% rate increase, he said.

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Maersk Makes $1.4 Billion Bet On Methanol Ships

By Nick Savvides (The Loadstar) –

More than 90% of HMM’s seafaring union members voted to strike on Sunday and, if a resolution is not reached, the 453 union members are threatening to resign en masse tomorrow and apply to join Swiss-Italian rival MSC.

HMM’s seafaring and shore-based staff have expressed dissatisfaction over “a meagre” salary increment, despite the company achieving record profits last year, thanks to tight shipping capacity and logistics disruptions caused by Covid-19.

Their grievance stems from an eight-year salary freeze only lifted this year after HMM’s financial struggles culminated in a government bailout when Korea Development Bank (KDB) swapped debt for equity in 2016.

The staff’s unions are demanding a 25% wage hike and bonuses amounting to 1,200% of their salaries.

But HMM management is offering 8%, a bonus of 300% of salaries and a productivity incentive equating to 200%. KDB, HMM’s largest shareholder, is reportedly reluctant to accede to the demands.

An HMM spokesman told The Loadstar: “Negotiations between the management and the labour union are still under way to reach an agreement. Both sides are having a continuing dialogue on this matter and still doing their best for a settlement.”

The Loadstar understands that MSC is offering a salary 2.5 times what HMM is paying, equating to a monthly salary of $13,000-$14,000 to chief officers and a $5,000 for deckhands.

If the strike goes ahead, seafarers on HMM ships scheduled to arrive in Busan tomorrow would disembark in groups, while those supposed to board in their stead will refuse to produce tests stating they are free of Covid-19, a requirement for embarkation.

In July, MSC advertised for Korean seafarers with manning experience on ultra-large containerships. HMM is the only Korean carrier with such vessels and it was clear the advertisements targeted its crew members.

Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) is now “undertaking contingency planning procedures”, fearing a logistical crisis reminiscent of Hanjin Shipping’s collapse in October 2016, which immobilised its ships, causing many containers to be delayed before being transferred to HMM and alliance partners.

Hanjin’s collapse caused Korean container shipping capacity to plunge from 1.05m teu in early 2016 to 460,000 teu at the end of that year. And if HMM, which has a capacity of 850,000 teu, were to be incapacitated by the first industrial action in its 45-year history, there would be chaos.

The MOF has formed a task force, led by director of shipping and logistics Jeon Jae-woo to “maintain essential business functions and prepare support measures in case of emergency”.

The ministry has said that HMM was on course to achieve a record performance this year and is urging the management and unions to work together “in the nation’s interests” and to consider the threat logistics bottlenecks present to shippers.

Local media reports suggested SM Line, the only other ocean-going Korean carrier, could carry HMM cargo if required, but given the shortage of ships, there is a limit as to how much relief SM could offer.

The Loadstar is known at the highest levels of logistics and supply chain management as one of the best sources of influential analysis and commentary.

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HMM Seafarers Threaten Pay Strike, Mass Resignation

A passenger from the Carnival Vista has died from COVID-19 after several cases – mostly among crew members – were reported on the cruise ship earlier this month.

The New York Times reported Monday that the 77-year-old woman, who previously tested positive, died in a Tulsa, Oklahoma hospital after being transferred there from Belize.

As we reported previously, Carnival Vista arrived in Belize during a round-trip voyage from Galveston, Texas on August 11, reporting to authorities that it had 27 positive cases of COVID-19 on board. The majority of cases, 26 in total, were among crew members of the ship. It’s not immediately clear if the woman was the one passenger out of the 27 cases.

Belize authorities reported Carnival Vista arrived with 2,895 guests and 1,441 crew. Nearly all crew members on the ship were vaccinated as well as over 96% of guests on board, the Belize Tourism Board reported at the time.

The New York Times report said the sickened passenger was disembarked in Belize and admitted to a local hospital, where her condition worsened. She was eventually evacuated to a hospital in Tulsa where she passed away. An update on a GoFundMe page set up for the victim said she was transferred to Tulsa as early as August 6. It’s also no clear if she was vaccinated.

“We are very sorry to hear about the death of a guest who sailed on Carnival Vista,” Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement initially reported by the Times and now obtained by gCaptain. The statement added that the guest “almost certainly” did not contract the virus while on board the Vista.

Nevertheless, the incident highlights the difficulty cruise lines face in returning to cruising. For this reason, the U.S. Centers of Disease Control’s updated guidance recommends that high-risk travelers should avoid cruise ship travel altogether, regardless of whether or not they are vaccinated.

In response to our request for comment, Carnival Cruise Line provided us with the following statement:

“Carnival has implemented a suite of protocols that are designed to flex up as needed to adapt to the changing public health situation related to COVID-19.  We meet the standards for a vaccinated cruise as defined by the CDC, with at least 95 percent of our guests and all of our crew being vaccinated, and then implemented additional measures, as we are now requiring vaccinated guests to present both proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test at check-in.  Those few guests who cannot be vaccinated are tested twice before boarding the ship, and again at debarkation.  And all guests must wear masks in the indoor areas of the ship where people gather, such as dining rooms, theaters and casinos.  Unfortunately, no venue on land or at sea is COVID-free right now, but we are committed to protecting the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit and have not hesitated to act quickly and go beyond existing public health guidelines.”

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Carnival Vista Passenger Dies from COVID-19