1. Gazprom Neft has completed construction of Russia’s first LNG bunkering vessel
Construction of Russia’s first ever bunkering vessel — for natural gas (LNG) refuelling of cargo and passenger ships — is now complete: the final stage of building the Dmitry Mendeleev having involved testing of gas and cryogenic (freezing) equipment, loading systems, and LNG storage and offloading pumps and compressors.* The vessel will shortly begin its maiden voyage towards its fixed berthing in the Baltic Sea. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/16/gazprom-neft-has-completed-construction-of-russias-first-lng-bunkering-vessel/
2. Superyacht Reine d’Azur left “completely destroyed” by fire
On Wednesday, August 11, 2021, around 4:30 am, a fire broke out on the yacht Reine d’Azur (British flag) while it was at anchor west of Port-Cros. Ten people (four crew members and six passengers) were quickly evacuated and brought to safety. There were no casualties. The fire was extinguished at 13:00. Since then, the hull has been taken in tow by the BSAA Jason, and kept in a safe area off the Island of the Levant pending its final handling.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/16/superyacht-reine-dazur-left-completely-destroyed-by-fire/
3. Odfjell cadets graduate with flying colors from the Philippines’ premiere maritime education
This year’s Odfjell cadets have successfully graduated from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA), and are now a few steps away from signing on as full-fledged Odfjell seafarers. PMMA, the pioneer institution in maritime education in the country, held its 198th commencement exercises at the PMMA Complex in San Narciso, Zambales in the northern Philippines on July 28. https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/16/odfjell-cadets-graduate-with-flying-colors-from-the-philippines-premiere-maritime-education/
4. Significant volume growth in the Seaport of Kiel
The port of Kiel achieved significant volume growth in the cargo sector in the first half of the year. In the period from the beginning of January to the end of June, a total of 8.25 percent more goods were handled than in the reference period. Ferry traffic grew disproportionately and even achieved an increase of 12.7 percent in the number of transhipped trucks and trailers.
https://cyprusshippingnews.com/2021/08/16/significant-volume-growth-in-the-seaport-of-kiel/
5. Carbon-neutral hydrogen production facility planned for Port of Corpus Christi
The Port of Corpus Christi and Howard Midstream Energy Partners plan to convert Howard’s Javelina refinery services facility into a carbon-neutral hydrogen production facility. Javelina controls approximately 60m cubic feet per day of hydrogen production through a combination of hydrogen entrained in the six local refineries’ waste gas that the facility processes, and hydrogen produced through a steam methane reformer process. https://splash247.com/carbon-neutral-hydrogen-production-facility-planned-for-port-of-corpus-christi/
6. US imposes sanctions on Omani oil broker and VLCC for Iranian oil smuggling
The US Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on an Omani oil trader and a crude oil tanker accused of supporting the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Treasury targeted Omani national Mahmood Rashid Amur Al Habsi and businesses in Oman, Liberia, and Romania involved in the international smuggling of Iran’s oil. https://splash247.com/us-imposes-sanctions-on-omani-oil-broker-and-vlcc-for-iranian-oil-smuggling/
7. Russia Opens Criminal Investigation Over Black Sea Tanker Spill
Russian investigators were conducting searches at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) after last Saturday’s oil spill near the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, the regional branch of the investigative committee said on Thursday. Russia opened a criminal investigation on the spill, which occurred during loading of the (Greek flagged tanker Minerva Symphony) while moored to an offshore floating jetty. According to CPC, a crucial part of the jetty broke and caused the accident. https://gcaptain.com/criminal-investigation-black-sea-oil-spill/
8. Chevron Delays Office Return
Chevron Corp. is postponing the full return of employees to its headquarters in San Ramon, California, and its largest office in Houston due to the rapid spread of the Covid-19 delta variant. The oil giant had planned a return to San Ramon in September but is now “monitoring regional case rates for improvement to determine a new return date,” it said in an emailed statement. https://gcaptain.com/chevron-delays-office-return/
9. Hapag-Lloyd expects no easing of container market before 2022
Supply chain bottlenecks, port congestion and a capacity crunch have driven container lines to previously unknown levels of profitability and Hapag-Lloyd’s first half 2021 results were no exception. The German line reported first half profit of $3.3bn (EUR2.7bn) more than 10 times the $314m profit it report in the first half of 2020. “In a market with very strong demand for container transports, we have benefitted from significantly improved freight rates and look back on a very good first half year,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd. https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/containers/hapag-lloyd-expects-no-easing-container-market-2022
10. Salalah Port Handles 2.1 Million Containers First Half Of 2021
OMAN’s Port of Salalah handled 2.1 million containers in the first half of 2021, showcasing a key economic site for commercial containers. The port also handled 8.8 million general cargo goods in the first half of 2021, reports Times of Oman. “Despite challenges posed by Covid-19, the port had achieved positive growth in 2020. It made the largest volume of container handling ever – a record hit of 4.3 million containers, compared to 4.1 million in 2019,” said Salalah port company executive manager Mohammed Oufait Al-Shanfari. https://www.shippingtribune.com/news/shipping/Salalah+Port+handles+2.1+million+containers+first+half+of+2021
