Tag: Maersk

Says aims to grow fleet without adding capacity Maersk Tankers, the tanker shipping unit of Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk, said on Monday it would lease two vessels from Korean shipping management company Cido Shipping.The two very-large crude carriers (VLCC) would be taken on long-term bare boat and would be delivered from Universal Shipyard in Japan in November and December 2011, Maersk Tankers said.When taking vessels on long term bare boat, the company leases the vessels without crew."It is Maersk Tankers' ambition to grow in the VLCC segment and become industry leaders, without adding to capacity," said Head of Crude Claus Gronborg. "Securing existing high quality and fuel efficient vessels when the timing is right is a part of the plan."Gronborg also said cooperation with other owners through pooling of vessels or other forms of partnerships was of interest to the company.Source: Reuters

The world's largest shipping concern has seen attacks on many of its ships AP Moller-Maersk will make more regular use of armed guards on tankers passing through the Gulf of Aden, the company has confirmed. However, there are "no immediate plans" to extend the policy to containerships, Maersk Tankers chief technical officer Steffen Jacobsen added.It remains unclear which contractor is likely to pick up the work, with security industry sources suggesting that it will probably have to be divided between several providers.The world's largest shipping concern has seen attacks on a number of its ships, most famously on boxship Maersk Alabama , but has previously employed guards only on an ad hoc basis.But following an assessment of its experiences so far, it has decided to adopt the step more often, especially on vessels that are slow, have a low freeboard.Mr Jacobsen said in a statement: "We have concluded that we in certain circumstances may need to use armed guards to protect the crews on our tanker vessels adequately"The decision to use armed guards will be taken on a case-by-case basis, it will be based on thorough risk assessments, and armed guards will only be used when we deem there are ...

A fleet of 22 new container ships Danish shipping and ports group AP Møller-Maersk is preparing to expand its terminal capacity in Lagos to meet rapidly growing Nigerian import volumes.APM Terminals (APMT) is considering a US$120 million proposal to develop land at its Apapa facility that could eventually be able to handle more than 1m teu a year.A final decision from corporate HQ in Copenhagen is expected by the end of the year, but local APMT executives in Nigeria are confident that the plan to enlarge the container stacking yard, invest in new equipment and improve the customs area will get the go-ahead.The investment would be part of a much larger commitment by AP Møller-Maersk to the West Africa trades, with the group already spending $2.5 billion on 22 ships purpose-built for this market, plus container equipment."We are not here to make a fast profit, we are here for the long-run," said Maersk Nigeria MD David Skov during a media visit to Lagos.With half a dozen of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies in sub-Sahara Africa, Maersk has targeted the region as one of its key markets of the future.So far, six of the first 11 "wafmax" ships have been delivered, ...

The occasion marked his 20 years as a Life Honorary Member of the Exchange. The achievements of Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller (98) were celebrated at a lunch attended by the legendary Danish shipowner and held in his honour on Wedseday on 12 October, at London's Baltic Exchange.The occasion marked his 20 years as a Life Honorary Member of the Exchange. Welcoming Mr Mc-Kinney Møller to the Baltic Exchange, its Chairman Mark Jackson said:"It is a delight that you have been able to accept our invitation and I very much hope that you will feel that you are back among friends."Referring to Mr Mc-Kinney Møller's speech of 1991 when he accepted his Life Honorary Membership, Mark Jackson said:"During your speech in October 1991 you talked about the professionalism of the Baltic membership; their thoroughness and attention to detail, but nonetheless the way in which everyone was expected to stand by the arrangements they had agreed verbally. I am pleased to say that the Baltic still demands these standards of behaviour and remains a firm proponent of the highest possible standards in all matters in shipping."Mr Mc-Kinney Møller first visited the Baltic Exchange in 1936 as an apprentice to the British shipping firm ...

Paying $1.4bn for interests in eight carriers, Teekay LNG Partners has agreed a deal to buy the LNG shipping fleet of AP Moller-Maersk.Its joint venture with Japan's Marubeni will pay $1.4bn for interests in eight carriers, it said.Unsurprisingly, it said the transaction was "expected to be accretive" to its distributable cash flow per unit.It will pay for the ships through $1.12bn of new loans and a portion of its existing liquidity.The venture will own six carriers outright, plus a 26% holding in two more.Five of the eight are operating under long-term, fixed-rate time-charter contracts, with an average remaining firm contract period duration of approximately 17 years, plus extension options.One of the others has an option to extend its short-term deal.Teekay will have 52% of the joint venture.The unnamed owners of the vessels not 100% controlled by Teekay and Marubeni have a put option to sell their stakes.A partnership between Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Qatar's Nakilat was also in the running for the fleet.Teekay chief Peter Evensen said: "The eight acquired vessel interests will increase the total number of vessels in which we have ownership interests, including committed newbuildings, to 45 vessels, and the time-charter contracts acquired with these vessels ...

Its fourth U.S. flag tanker Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) and its guests celebrated the naming of its fourth U.S. flag tanker, the MAERSK PEARY, last Friday at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in Norfolk. The freshly painted, 591-foot ship sat pier-side in downtown Norfolk and was adorned with red, white and blue bunting as distinguished guests, customers, partners, and colleagues welcomed the vessel into MLL's U.S. flag fleet.The vessel is ice-classed and is aptly named after Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary, famous for his excursions to the North Pole. This extraordinary vessel will travel annually to Thule Air Force Base, Greenland and McMurdo Station, Antarctica delivering fuel to support military operations and research at the top and bottom of the globe. In July, MLL won a long-term time charter from the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command to support these missions. MAERSK PEARY was reflagged into the U.S. registry on September 19, 2011, and American officers and crew will operate the ship."The name-giving is a great opportunity to honor our customers and partners; reflect on our company's commitment to the U.S. flag maritime industry; and celebrate the strengthening of these partnerships," said John F. Reinhart, President and CEO of ...

Orlen Lietuva to supply Quadrise Fuels International's Marine MSAR fuel UK-based Quadrise International says it has finalised contracts to commence sea trials of its Marine MSAR bunker fuel, moving the company a step closer to commercialisation. Quadrise is developing the emulsion fuel as a low cost alternative to heavy fuel oil in the shipping, refining and power generation markets. The results of the sea trials evaluation programme are expected during the first half of next year.The company has signed deals with AP Møller-Mærsk, Orlen Lietuva refinery in Lithuania and AkzoNobel Surface Chemistry which, Quadrise says "define the contributions and responsibilities for all facets of the production and evaluation programme".Qradrise's executive chairman Ian Williams said: "These sea trials represent a key milestone for the Company and, potentially, for the marine sector. QIL and its partners have worked tirelessly to get to this stage of Marine MSAR? evaluation. We look forward to confirming the opportunity that this represents for the Company and our partners in the marine fuels industry."The trial starts with the installation of an MSAR manufacturing unit at the 200,000 barrel per day Orlen Lietuva refinery in Mazeikiai, followed by the production of an initial volume of Marine MSAR fuel. ...

Focus on fuel changing the industry The world's biggest container shipping company, Maersk Line, is confident its order for 20 giant new vessels will not spoil the market and only a few rivals will order such ships, a senior Maersk executive said.Maersk Line, a unit of Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), has ordered 20 of the new Triple-E class vessels from South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd .The first of the vessels with capacity for 18,000 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers are due to be delivered in July 2013 and the last in mid-2015, and some analysts warn the capacity expansion could flood the market.The ships will serve on Asia-Europe routes.Soren Andersen, Maersk Line's head of Maersk Line's vessel management team, told the Informa Maritime Events conference he did not expect the Triple-E class to become a new industry standard like the 13,000 TEU New Panamax class."Generally, it will be only very few companies who will go for these ships," Andersen said. "I don't see a new industry standard emerging."Andersen said this was because "money was harder to come by" now than before and few rivals had the financial muscle that Maersk Line has ...

Maersk Line expanded its Asia-Europe Service 7 with a direct call at Qingdao Maersk Line expanded its Asia-Europe Service 7 with a direct call at Qingdao, China, effective this month.The additional port call came into effect with the sailing of vessel Teno from Qingdao on Sept. 20. The upgraded AE7 rotation is Da Chan Bay, Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Tangier, Felixstowe, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Port Tangier, Jeddah, Jebel Ali, and Da Chan Bay.The Danish carrier recently implemented a series of changes in the port coverage of its Asia-Mediterranean service network, including the AE11 and AE15, to improve service reliability and transit times on the route.Source: The Journal of Commerce

Order for lifeboats, davits, fast rescue boat for Maersk Drilling Norwegian company Noreq has received an order for lifeboats, davits, fast rescue boat and rescue boat davit for six drill ships for Maersk Drilling, which are being built at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea.The contract is for a package for each ship comprising six 80-person lifeboats together with davits, plus one fast rescue boat with davit. The total makes it, according to Noreq, the largest single lifeboat order it has received.This new order joins several other recent contracts. "2012 and 2013 are looking to be very promising for our company, and we are proud to be approved by the biggest players in our industry. We are confident that more orders are coming our way as even more yards and owners discovers the benefits of our davit system" says managing director Styrk Bekkenes.Source: The Motorship