InterManager Daily News 03.12.2019.

1. Car carrier fire west of Brest, France

Car carrier RCC PASSION reported fire in engine room at around 1700 UTC Dec 2 in Celtic sea some 40 nm WNW of Ushant Island, said MRCC Corsen, France. Firefighters team was transferred on board of car carrier by helicopter, crew meanwhile, fought fire by own means. Sometime around midnight troubled vessel was approached by SAR ship ABEILLE BOURBON (IMO 9308687). As of 0200 UTC Dec 2, RCC PASSION seems to be on tow of ABEILLE BOURBON, destination unknown, situation on board and damages extent unknown. Initially, she was en route from Le Havre to Fort-de-France, Martinique, with 2195 cars on board. http://maritimebulletin.net/2019/12/02/car-carrier-fire-west-of-brest-france/

2. Handy tankers enjoy record ‘supercharged’ rates

The past week saw freight rates for both clean and dirty handy tankers in the Black Sea and Mediterranean surge to record levels, according to brokers Gibson.

Analysts at Alphatanker reported on Friday how the cross-Mediterranean tanker market had caught fire in the wake of the release of a number of date-specific cargoes plus delays building in the wake of bad weather in the region. Rates on the benchmark MR1 trade (TC6) from Skikda to Marseille were standing at WS 337 on Friday compared with WS 195 one week earlier. https://splash247.com/handy-tankers-enjoy-record-supercharged-rates/

3. Imabari and JMU tie up

Japan has responded to mega yard mergers in neighbouring South Korea and China. The country’s top two shipbuilders, Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United (JMU), are forming an alliance and will enter into a capital tie-up. Imabari will take a nearly 30% stake in loss making JMU by purchasing new shares by the end of March. https://splash247.com/imabari-and-jmu-tie-up/

4. Singapore voices concern on Hyundai Heavy’s DSME takeover

Hyundai Heavy Industries’s planned takeover of compatriot Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has hit a speed bump in Southeast Asia. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has raised concerns on the proposed merger of the two South Korean shipbuilding giants. https://splash247.com/singapore-voices-concern-on-hyundai-heavys-dsme-takeover/

5. DecarbonICE: New Carbon Capture Project Gains High-Level Traction

DecarbonICE, a project led by former DNV GL head Henrik Madsen with the aim of leading the industry to carbon negative shipping, has garnered support from a number of major players from the industry. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/287152/decarbonice-new-carbon-capture-project-gains-high-level-traction/

6. Maersk Kicks Off Office Workforce Cuts

Danish shipping giant Maersk has confirmed that it would be reducing the number of employees in its offices in both Denmark and abroad. The company said the layoffs arose from the need to reduce costs in its head office functions.

How many jobs will be axed is yet unknown as Maersk itself is still evaluating the extent of cuts that are necessary. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/287143/maersk-kicks-off-office-workforce-cuts/

7. Evergreen Signs Up for Four 23,000 TEU Boxships in China

Taiwanese shipping major Evergreen has signed contracts with Jiangnan Shipyard and Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding for the construction of four 23,000 TEU containerships. The contract signing coincided with the establishment of China Shipbuilding Corporation, “the world’s largest shipbuilding group” which was formed through the merger of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and China Shipbuilding Industry Corp (CSIC). https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/287138/evergreen-signs-up-for-four-23000-teu-boxships-in-china/

8. Boomsma Shipping Opts for Scrubbers to Comply with IMO 2020

The Netherlands-based shipping company Boomsma Shipping has decided to install scrubbers on its vessels as a way of complying with the IMO2020 regulations that enter into force on January 1, 2020. The company said it signed a contract for a first scrubber with Value Maritime with an option for two more. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/287116/boomsma-shipping-opts-for-scrubbers-to-comply-with-imo-2020/

9. Construction Begins on K Line’s LNG-Powered Car Carrier

Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding has started construction works on an LNG-powered car carrier for compatriot shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K Line). The works started after K Line placed an order for the ship in December 2018.

Imabari is scheduled to deliver the 199.9-meter newbuild in the fall of 2020. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/287083/construction-begins-on-k-lines-lng-powered-car-carrier/

10. CMA CGM Concludes Biofuel Tests with IKEA, GoodShipping

French container shipping major CMA CGM, the GoodShipping Program and IKEA Transport & Logistics Services have successfully completed their 2019 biofuel test program on CMA CGM vessels. The completion follows positive trials of heavy fuel oil (HFO) equivalent (HFO) biofuel oil (BFO) during CMA CGM Alexander von Humboldt’s North Europe-Asia trip, which occurred in September and October 2019. https://mobile.worldmaritimenews.com/archives/287059/cma-cgm-concludes-biofuel-tests-with-ikea-goodshipping/