SRTS News

Container ports across the world aside from China are set to face imminent congestion as a swathe of boxes sent for shipment from factories in Asia arrive at their import destinations. Shipping lines started calling at Chinese ports again three weeks ago as the infection rate in China declined and ... read more

Spanish authorities are testing the crew onboard the 16,020 teu after one crewmember came down with symptoms linked to coronavirus as the ship came into dock at Algericas. The ship was ordered to anchor in the bay rather than dock at the terminal after the master radioed in with news ... read more

Developments are happening fast in relation to crew repatriation during the coronavirus outbreak. The UK has designated seafarers as key workers, Singapore is allowing crew changes with a number of caveats, while measures have been put in place today to allow crew to land and board ship in Hong Kong. ... read more

On July 1 last year Matt Duke took over from Camilla Grieg as CEO of Grieg Star, one of the best known names in Norwegian shipowning. Coming from an IT background, Duke is busy transforming the company into a pioneer for the digital age. Duke joined Grieg Star as chief ... read more

Antong Holdings, a major domestic container shipping operator in China, has announced that creditor AVIC Trust has applied in court to restructure the company due to its inability to repay debt. The court case against the company comes only six months after Antong Holdings entered into a strategic framework agreement ... read more

Japanese owner Asahi Tanker has announced a plan to build the world’s first two zero-emissions electric bunker tankers. The vessels are being designed by e5 Laboratories, a joint venture set up by Asahi Tanker with Exeno Yamamizu, MOL and Mitsubishi in August last year, to develop electrically powered ships and ... read more

Supramaxes used to be among the easiest ships to sell on the secondhand market. No longer. Take for example the plight of the 2009-built owned by Japan’s Hisafuku Kisen. The 55,000 dwt Kawasaki-built ship has just been withdrawn from sale after offers came in at around $10m, considerably lower than ... read more

London-listed Tufton Oceanic has acquired the 2012-built 33,500 dwt handy bulker from Cypriot owner Interorient Shipmanagement. According to shipbroking sources, Tufton Oceanic bought the Weihai Samjin-built ship for a price of around $7m. The price is significantly cheaper than the MSI valuation of and VesselsValue valuation of $8.03m. Earlier this ... read more

Houston-headquartered McDermott International has been awarded a contract by BHP in Mexico to provide pre-front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) services for a floating production unit that will be installed in the Trion field, located around 180 km off the Mexican coast. The pre-FEED scope includes engineering tasks related to the configuration, ... read more

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre has been alerted by Malaysian intelligence that an Abu Sayyaf kidnap for ransom group left Jolo Island in the far south of the Philippines, yesterday destined for Sabah, Malaysia. Security consultants Ambrey suggest the target area is understood to be around Felda ... read more

Pillarstone’s Genoa-based Premuda has taken delivery of newbuild MR tanker from Minami Nippon, its first newbuild in five years. The vessel has been brought in by Premuda on a 7-year charter from Japan’s Shoei group. “Premuda has non-mandatory purchase options on the vessel, which has been chartered out to Clearlake ... read more

BW Offshore has announced that it has laid up the in Singapore after the expiration of a long-term contract with Petrobras. The 31-year-old FPSO tanker had been operating on the Camarupim field offshore Brazil since 2019 and the contract expired on March 29. BW Offshore currently operates a fleet of ... read more

Hong Kong-based venture capital firm Betatron has announced a partnership with YPSN (Young Professionals In Shipping Network) and Heron Advisory to develop venture capital investment funds and accelerators in the maritime industry. Betatron will be investing up to $500,000 into each startup and run a 4-months acceleration program which focuses ... read more

Carriers are rushing through blanked sailing announcements on a scale and speed never seen before, giving shippers very little chance to make alternative plans. Last week, the carriers had blanked two sailings due to the pandemic spread. As of Sunday, this had increased to 45 blank sailings, according to data ... read more

Less than three months after being introduced the global sulphur cap risks being another victim of the coronavirus with news from the UK where authorities have publicly admitted they have stopped checking for compliant fuel. Reuters reported on Friday that the UK has suspended checks on ships for compliance with ... read more

Singapore has stepped up to the plate and provided a remedy of sorts to the ongoing crew change crunch brought about by coronavirus. Thousands of seafarers have been unable to return home or board ship as countries have entered lockdown in the fight against coronavirus. Normally, around 100,000 seafarers leave ... read more

Coronavirus has infected the latest quarterly survey carried on this site with readers asked to pick their winners and losers from the current extraordinary lockdown times. MarPoll, Splash’s topical survey, has 10 questions for readers to answer. Which sectors will be the worst hit from the virus? Which sectors will ... read more

Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United (JMU), Japan’s two largest shipbuilders, have given details of their new joint venture company. Nihon Shipyard Co will start operating on October 1 with Imabari holding a 51% stake and JMU 49%. It will handle all commercial ships excluding liquefied natural gas carriers. At ... read more

One of South Korea’s largest shipping lines has a new boss. Joong Ho Ahn steps up today from the position of deputy president to CEO at Pan Ocean, replacing Sung-Yob Choo. The Pan Ocean fleet today totals 88 vessels, made up of 65 bulkers, 16 tankers, four boxships, one LNG ... read more

Teekay Corporation has entered into a new bareboat charter contract with Foinaven operator Britoil, a subsidiary of BP, for the FPSO unit for a period of up to ten years. Teekay will receive an upfront payment of around $67m in cash, a nominal dayrate over the life of the contract, ... read more