A pair of floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels now under construction for Petrobras are to be built to ABS Class.
The sister FPSOs, currently named P-78 and P-79, underline ABS’ continued leadership in the sector, where 60 percent of all FPSOs in service are ABS Class. Both vessels will operate in Brazil’s pre-salt Buzios Field in the Santos Basin. Around 70 percent of FPSOs in Brazil are ABS Class, including 30 vessels with capacity to handle more than 100,000 barrels per day.
“There is a reason ABS is the Class of choice for the offshore industry and has been for more than 70 years. We are committed to supporting innovation and safety in both construction and operations and we are proud to use our extensive experience to support this landmark project. ABS also has deep knowledge of the Brazilian regulatory environment and the experience to support clients in achieving regulatory compliance,” said Matt Tremblay, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Offshore.
Construction of FPSO P-78 has been awarded to a consortium of Keppel Offshore and Marine and Hyundai Heavy Industries. Construction of FPSO P-79 has been awarded to a consortium of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Saipem. Both vessels, which are due in service in 2025, have an installed capacity to pump 180,000 barrels per day and process 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day.
ABS has developed detailed practical guidance to assist offshore operators navigating Brazil’s unique regulatory environment. Practical Considerations for Regulatory Compliance in Brazil is designed to help floating production installations operating in Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters comply with a series of requirements that are specific and set forth by multiple local agencies.
In an emergency order issued Thursday, the government of the Bahamas said that it will no longer allow cruise ships to enter its ports if they carry unvaccinated passengers.
The declaration, released under the Bahamas customs agency’s emergency powers, will require every cruise ship master to send a passenger manifest to a Bahamian port medical officer for review. The manifest must include the vaccination status of every person on board. For the ship to gain entry to the port, all passengers 12 years of age or older must have been fully vaccinated prior to embarking at the start of the voyage (except for those who are ineligible for the vaccine for medical reasons).
The order explicitly covers “private stops” – the private-island ports of call operated by cruise lines for their own use, like Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay and Disney’s Castaway Cay. These facilities are isolated from the Bahamian public, though some employ Bahamian nationals.
The order does not apply to crewmembers, contractors or non-revenue passengers, who are covered by previous agreements between cruise lines and the government of the Bahamas. The rule will take effect on September 3, and it will be in force through at least November 1.
On Thursday, Royal Caribbean changed its vaccination policies for Florida-based cruises on or after September 1 (along with several voyages in late August). To comply with legal requirements in the Bahamas and in St. Thomas, passengers departing on Royal Caribbean cruises out of Florida will have to obtain full vaccination before boarding. The policy adds to the line’s existing vaccination requirements for departures from Washington State, Texas, New Jersey, the UK and the EU.
Disney Cruise Line, which has pinned its restart plans on one-call sailings to its private port in the Bahamas, says that it “strongly encourages” but does not require vaccination, according to its current online guidelines.
A court fight over a Florida state ban on vaccine passports could affect the cruise lines’ ability to comply with the Bahamian order. A Florida law banning all businesses from requiring their customers to show proof of vaccination has been temporarily suspended by a federal judge, allowing Norwegian Cruise Line to move ahead with the first fully-vaccinated cruises from PortMiami; the state has appealed the decision and plans to dispute it in court.
Once considered the most dangerous area on the globe for mariners, the High Risk Area (HRA) for piracy in the Indian Ocean is being reduced under an agreement with the global shipping industry. The changes reducing the geographic boundaries were set by the leading shipping organizations reflecting a continued downward trend in Somali piracy and the effective international protection efforts and methods adopted by the shipping industry.
The HRA was created at the height of the Somali piracy threat in 2010 to show shipowners, operators, and seafarers where pirates operated and where extra vigilance was required to avoid attacks. That year, the International Maritime Bureau reported that Somali pirates hijacked 49 ships and took over 1,000 hostages.
Subsequent updates to the HRA reflected the changing nature of threats in the region, including the successful suppression of Somali pirate action. Somali pirate groups have not attacked a merchant vessel since 2017.
Redefined HRA map (BIMCO)
“The security landscape is constantly evolving, and as new security threats have emerged or intensified outside the Indian Ocean it has become clear the HRA is outdated and misleading,” said Guy Platten, ICS Secretary General. “At the height of the crisis the HRA was essential in raising awareness of the Somali pirate threat and the need to apply mitigation measures, but it has essentially served its purpose in protecting crews and vessels in the region.”
Representing the global shipping and oil industries, the trade associations BIMCO, ICS, INTERCARGO, INTERTANKO, and OCIMF, agreed to reduce the HRA boundaries to the Yemeni and Somali Territorial Seas and Exclusive Economic Zones in its eastern and southern reaches. The official reduction in the boundaries goes into effect on September 1.
Speaking as a representative of the oil shipping industry Robert Drysdale, OCIMF Managing Director explained that the adjustment to the HRA reflects the reality of the piracy threat. However, while the organizations believe the threat zone has been reduced, they cautioned that vessels and their operators should be continuing to undertake pre-transit risk assessments that take into account the latest information from both the Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) and High Risk Area. A broader area was designated as the VRA and ships entering the area are still encouraged to report to the UKMTO to be monitored during transit and register with the Maritime Security Centre for the Horn of Africa (MSCHOA).
The organizations, in consultation with international partners, however, also agreed to develop a comprehensive new approach to assessing international maritime security threats to allow shipowners and operators to fully gauge the risk of voyages worldwide. They expect to complete this effort by the end of 2021.
David Loosley, BIMCO Secretary General and CEO explained, “The current form of the HRA is no longer the best way to guide maritime security risk management processes. As demonstrated with the recent security incidents in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula, we need a more granular approach to the concepts of threat and risk. The next logical step is to develop a global, threat-based concept which captures how ships of various type, size, nationality, ownership, etc. face different risk levels.”
An inattentive anchor watch in high current conditions led to two collisions and $17 million in damage, according to a new report by the NTSB.
On May 8, 2020, a pilot aboard the bulker Nomadic Milde anchored the vessel near Kenner Bend in the Lower Mississippi River, just upriver from New Orleans. Water conditions were high, with currents at the site of about 4-5 knots. The position of the anchorage was just 500 feet upriver from another bulker, the Atlantic Venus.
After setting the starboard and port anchors, the pilot departed the ship, and the crew took over the anchor watch. However, according to the NTSB’s analysis of the vessel’s trackline and heading, the starboard anchor likely started dragging before the pilot stepped off onto the pilot launch. It then dragged for a second time downriver, closer to the Atlantic Venus, closing about half the original distance between the two vessels. The engine was shut down and put on 10-minute standby status for a restart if needed.
NTSB found that there was no evidence that either watch officer aboard the Nomadic Milde checked the ship’s position at frequent intervals, or that they used any means other than the ECDIS to monitor for movement. In addition, the radius of the ECDIS anchor watch alarm was set for 590 feet – far more than the distance to the Atlantic Venus’ bow. Though a review of the ECDIS display (and other position-indicating means) would have suggested that the vessel was moving, the bridge team did not detect the movement for about 40 minutes after it began, and they were only alerted to the danger by a radio call from Atlantic Venus. It would be another 30 minutes before they called to restart the engine, and (after a VTS watchstander instructed them to wait for a pilot before maneuvering) another eight minutes before they began using their bow thruster, main engine and rudder. Shortly after, the Milde collided with the bulbous bow of the Atlantic Venus.
The Milde was caught on the Venus’ bow, and tugs were called to pull her clear. Two pilots arrived to direct the maneuvers. However, when the Milde finally came free, she swiftly drifted towards the southern bank. Though the engine was running full astern, she allided with the upriver end of a specialty-chemical loading dock belonging to Cornerstone Chemical, making contact at six knots. The impact destroyed one cell of the dock, irreparably damaging about $11 million worth of equipment. The vessel herself sustained a long gash in her hull and severe damage to her propeller, with an estimated cost of about $6 million to repair.
The NTSB determined the probable cause of the collision was the bridge team on the Nomadic Milde not effectively monitoring the vessel’s position.
“Monitoring a ship at anchor, especially in an area where the risks of nearby hazards and weather and current are present, requires a continuous state of vigilance and the use of all available means to determine whether a vessel is dragging or not,” NTSB concluded. “Although ECDIS is a useful tool in determining a ship’s position at anchor, the ship’s radars would have provided information for the crew to determine or crosscheck if the range to a vessel or object had decreased, or if the ship had moved while at anchor.”
Efforts are continuing to provide liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling solutions to ship owners and operators along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. In the latest development, the Port of New Orleans announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with CLEANCOR Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of SEACOR Holdings, to collaborate on the development of LNG supply within the port. CLEANCOR will work with Port NOLA to help provide LNG to the port’s customers and marine operators.
“We are pleased to partner with CLEANCOR to ensure we provide Port NOLA tenants and customers with the best options for the most efficient and effective operations,” said Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO Port NOLA and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. “LNG paves the way of the future and provides a suitable and sustainable fuel source for the diverse cargo operations on our terminals and in our jurisdiction.”
In collaboration with Port NOLA, CLEANCOR will develop options for infrastructure development that integrate into Port NOLA’s long-range planning as well as work to educate Port NOLA customers and other local stakeholders regarding the environmental and financial benefits of LNG bunkering. CLEANCOR will also provide options for LNG bunkering that are compatible with forecasted customer demand and collaborate with Port NOLA to obtain Federal, state, and other authorizations and permits needed to develop the required infrastructure and operations.
“Our mission is to accelerate the adoption of low carbon fueling solutions and this constitutes an exciting opportunity to not only advance the region’s first such project but also to contribute to the decarbonization of the maritime sector,” said Jeff Woods, CEO CLEANCOR.”
While the partners plan to pursue the development of LNG capabilities to support the expansion of the port, no time was offered for when the LNG bunker might become available.
NOLA joins other ports along the Gulf Coast that are working to develop LNG bunkering. Recently both the ports of Galveston and Corpus Christi in Texas announced that they had also entered into agreements to introduce LNG bunkering capabilities. The Port of Galveston and Stabilis Solutions expect to have their operations available before the end of 2021, while Stabilis Solutions is working with Corpus Christi to construct an LNG fueling infrastructure as they seek to expand the port’s support of the decarbonization efforts by the maritime industry.
The Royal Navy has joined the earthquake relief effort in Haiti, deploying the supply ship RFA Wave Knight to help the U.S. Army’s airlift operations.
The ship is serving as a lilypad refueling point for U.S. Army helicopters, providing Black Hawks with a place to land and tank up without flying all the way back to base. This allows them to spend much more time on their rescue and relief mission, extending the capability of the available aviation assets.
RFA Wave Knight was already positioned in the Caribbean for hurricane season, and she arrived on scene to respond to Saturday’s devastating earthquake by Tuesday afternoon.
“The tragedy ashore in Haiti shows why we need to be ready for disaster relief operations. I’m proud of the Task Group’s response,” said Commander Brian Trim, Commander of the UK’s Caribbean Task Group. “We’ve moved fast and today we started work, supporting our partners to deliver aid and save lives on shore. And we’re ready for more challenges ahead, with new tasks in the coming days.”
The U.S. Navy amphib USS Arlington is also under way to provide logistics assistance, departing August 17 from her home port in Norfolk, Virginia. Arlington made a fast 24-hour turnaround, having just returned from a two-week exercise at sea. She has deployed to Haiti with two MH-60 helicopters, a landing craft unit, a fleet surgical team and a contingent of Marines for additional support.
The U.S. Coast Guard has also been hard at work. Its aviation crews were some of the first responders on scene after the quake, and they have steadily racked up aid delivery, survey and evacuation flights over the course of the week. The USCG is also working with Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations division, which has contributed its own helicopter crews and communications aircraft to the effort.
On Wednesday, Coast Guard aircrews flew medical personnel into the remote mountain village of Annette, Haiti to provide assessment and assistance. On return flights, they medevaced 20 critically injured civilians to a medical facility in Port au Prince for treatment.
“They don’t know us, and they may never have been on a helicopter before,” said PO3 Savanna Brewer, a flight mechanic deployed to Haiti. “We are taking any chance to give them comfort because they have been through so much already.”
Since Sunday, the USCG’s helicopter crews have completed 100 relief flights, saving the lives of 83 people and helping about 120 more. They have delivered 185 disaster relief workers and transported in more than three tons of relief supplies, the agency said in a statement.
China’s Yantian port sought to reassure customers that the port is operating at full capacity and dispel rumors of possible interruptions announcing that it has set a new record for the number of containers handled for a single vessel. This news comes as the industry awaits confirmations of the rumors that the Meishan Terminal in the Ningbo-Zhoushan would begin to resume service.
Hutchison Ports Yantian issued a statement denying rumors on the Internet that the port had begun a quarantine policy requiring ships to wait offshore for 14 days. Their statement said, the rumor was “completely baseless and has seriously damaged the reputation of Yantian.” They reported that the Port of Yantian is operating normally and in July three new international routes had begun from the port.
The Yantian container terminal last week set a record for the number of containers handled as the largest container ship to call at the port made its maiden arrival. Over 8,200 TEU were handled during the maiden call of Evergreen Line’s new 24,000-TEU class Ever Ace on August 11. The new vessel also became the largest containership to call at Yantian and with a rated capacity of 23,992 TEU, it is currently considered to be the largest capacity containership in the world.
After completing cargo handling in Yantian, the Ever Ace departed China on August 14 loaded with a record of 21,710 TEU for the actual carrying volume of a single container vessel. In April, the CMA CGM Jacques Saadedeparted Singapore carrying 21,433 fully-loaded TEU for what at the time was reported to be the new world’s record.
The Ever Ace is the first of 10 new ultra-large container ships that Evergreen is introducing as the industry continues to ramp up size seeking greater efficiency. The Evergreen boxships are replacing smaller vessels and will operate on the Europe Express Service going directly from Yantian to the Suez Canal and on to Europe. The trip is scheduled to take 23 days.
While Hutchison sought to reassure customers for Yantian, the congestion at Ningbo continues to build without any official confirmation from the terminal operators that the Meishan Terminal would begin to resume. The South China Morning Post reports that they were told by a port employee that there was no firm date for the reopening for the terminal, but that the port complex still handled 93,000 TEU on August 17, “exceeding the average single-day throughput in July.”
Reports of congestion and further blank sailings however are continuing due to the uncertainty at the port. Maersk reports that it has added a seventh ship that will be omitting Ningbo this month while Hapag-Lloyd yesterday detailed four ships that will be omitting Ningbo. Yard time across the port complex continues to be limited to two days in most cases, Maersk reports, but the backlogs are adding to vessel waiting time. Maersk reports the wait time at one of the alternate terminals, Beilun Container Terminal Phase 4, is between two and three days versus one and a half to two days a week ago.
VesselsValue released an analysis of containership traffic reporting that the longest wait at Ningbo appeared to be five days for the 5,400 TEU Tasman. As of August 18, they reported that a total of 80 containerships were waiting off Ningbo with a total capacity of 393,650 TEU. That, however, was a small fraction of the 409 containerships with an estimated capacity of 2.7 million TEU that VesselsValue reported are waiting at ports around the world.
A new facility will be built in Denmark to produce carbon natural e-methanol which will be supplied for Maersk as part of its efforts to develop the alternative fuel in a pilot project with its first dual-fuel methanol-powered vessel. A.P. Moller – Maersk will partner with REintegrate, a subsidiary of the Danish renewable energy company European Energy, working closely on the development of the facility.
“This type of partnership could become a blueprint for how to scale green fuel production through collaboration with partners across the industry ecosystem, and it will provide us with valuable experiences as we are progressing on our journey to decarbonize our customers’ supply chains,” said Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Fleet & Strategic Brands, A.P. Moller – Maersk. “Sourcing the fuels of the future is a significant challenge, and we need to be able to scale production in time. This agreement with European Energy/REintegrate brings us on track to deliver on our ambition to have the world’s first container vessel operated on carbon-neutral methanol on the water by 2023.”
REintegrate has been pursuing the production of green e-methanol in its test laboratory in Aalborg. Plans call for the new facility to produce the approximately 10,000 tons of e-methanol that Maersk’s first vessel will require annually while in service. The methanol facility will use renewable energy and biogenic CO2 to produce e-methanol. The fuel production is expected to start in 2023.
“We’re proud to be a part of the first large-scale e-methanol production in Denmark,” said Knud Erik Andersen, CEO, European Energy. “While renewable energy is becoming more and more common in the energy mix of electricity consumption, this is one of the first steps in heavy transportation towards using 100 percent renewable energy.”
Earlier this year, Maersk announced that it would begin to explore methanol through the operation of a pilot vessel, a feeder operated by a Maersk subsidiary, Sealand Europe, on a Baltic shipping route. The 2,100 TEU feeder ship was ordered from Hyundai Mipo Dockyards in South Korea and is expected to enter service in mid-2023.
The energy needed for the power-to-methanol production will be provided by a solar farm located in southern Denmark. The companies said that had not yet decided where the power-to-methanol facility will be located. The new facility will be its third e-methanol facility developed by European Energy. They are also constructing an e-methanol facility in northern Denmark that is expected to start production in 2022.
The Government of Canada announced major investments to improve handling capacity and marine vessel traffic flow, both at its east and west coast ports.
In an official statement on 12 August, the government announced $33 million for the Saguenay Port, on the country’s west coast, aiming to enhance the performance and functions of facilities at the port, help increase handling capacity and reduce bottlenecks in daily operations.
The major investment comes as part of the National Trade Corridors Fund and involves installing an electric mechanized transport system—also known as a conveyor—to transport bulk materials at the Saguenay Port site. The system will be used to move materials back and forth between the industrial port zone and ships docked at the Grande-Anse Marine Terminal. This system will support the loading and unloading of materials, and will be accessible for current and future port users who may build processing plants on the Saguenay Port property.
This major contribution from the Government of Canada will allow the Port of Saguenay to electrify its bulk cargo transshipment operations and become even more competitive. This strategic infrastructure for Quebec supports the port in its mission to promote trade and highlights the great importance of the Saguenay waterway for Canada,
…noted Stéphane Bédard, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Port of Saguenay.
China is building what it is calling the world’s largest all electric-drive cruise ship for use on the Yangtze River. The vessel is part of a pilot project supported by the Chines government to advance the development of electric drive vessels.
Construction of the hull for the 328-foot-long Yangtze Three Gorges 1 was recently completed at the Yichang Shipbuilding Industrial Park in Yichang, China. The vessel is being built as a demonstration project to be operated jointly by the China Yangtze Power Company and the Hubei Three Gorges Tourism Company. The vessel, which will have a capacity of up to 1,300 people, is designed to promote the green development of Yangtze River shipping.
According to details released by the tourism company, the vessel will be powered by a battery with a capacity of 7,500 kWh. It will have the capacity to operate more than 60 miles on one charge. They are saying the advancements with the battery pack system will significantly extend the battery life and performance.
In addition to the battery pack, they are developing other advanced systems to support the operation of the ship. A DC bus frequency conversion control power system will distribute power to all parts of the vessel and battery and energy management systems will assist in the efficient distribution of power. The vessel will also be enabled for remote monitoring while aboard there will be intelligent lighting and energy systems.
Another key part of the project is the development of high and low-voltage charging systems. This will contribute to the efficient operation of the ship solving the problem of high-voltage charging electric vessels. According to the officials, it will be the first time a vessel has adopted a system of high-voltage charging.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology first proposed the pure electric cruise ship in 2018 and the following year the concept designs were presented by the China Classification Society. The Ministry of Transportation lists this as one of its pilot projects.
The vessel is currently being outfitted with the first trial voyage expected before the end of 2021. After delivery, the ship will operate on tourist routes along the Yangtze, China long river, and in the Three Gorges region.
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