ZeroNorth signs three-year deal with Cargill

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August 9, 2023

Cargill has signed a three-year contract that will see ZeroNorth become Cargill’s primary software provider for optimisations across vessels and voyages.

The deal will see ZeroNorth become the main optimisation partner for more than 600 vessels and comes as testament to Cargill’s confidence and trust in ZeroNorth’s full-service offering and its ability to drive value for the business. The deal will drive efficiencies and positively contribute to Cargill’s environmental and commercial goals.

Cargill commenced its strategic partnership with ZeroNorth in 2020. The partnership has expanded over time, with Cargill and ZeroNorth working together to develop ZeroNorth’s advanced, market-leading fuel model and develop solutions for the dry bulk market. ZeroNorth has expanded the company’s offering to a wider customer base based on the commercial success Cargill has achieved over the years.

Speaking on the announcement, Niels Snog, Chief Commercial Officer at ZeroNorth, said:

“This three-year deal with Cargill shows the significant value of our full service offering and the benefits that can be generated by our holistic ZeroNorth platform. It represents the next evolution of our relationship together and signals how ZeroNorth can support Cargill’s evolving needs and expand our range of services and capabilities accordingly.

“We are extremely proud to have built an industry leading platform and gained Cargill’s trust to make us their primary software provider for vessel, voyage and bunkering optimisation. ZeroNorth is dedicated to helping our customers drive efficiencies across their operations to benefit profit and planet, and we are excited to expand our work with Cargill to deliver on both its environmental and commercial goals.”

Eman Abdalla, Global Operations Director for Cargill Ocean Transportation, added:

“We are delighted to announce that we’ve chosen ZeroNorth as our vessel and voyage optimisation digital platform. We have worked together in a strategic partnership since 2020 and are confident that, as part of our newly expanded agreement including their full services available in the ZeroNorth platform.

“ZeroNorth will continue to deliver the high-quality and impactful service that we are accustomed to and enable our operational digital transformation. We are also looking forward to continuing working together to develop new, market-leading solutions that meet our company needs, as well as those of the wider market.”

Governmental green light to the Snøhvit Future project

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August 9, 2023

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The approval entails onshore compression from 2028, and electrification of the plant from 2030.

“The Snøhvit owners are pleased that the government has now approved Snøhvit Future, a project that will strengthen Norway’s position as a reliable, long-term supplier of gas produced with very low greenhouse gas emissions. The project ensures long-term operation and export from Melkøya towards 2050. We fully understand that there have been many factors to consider, and we will recommend the partnership to meet the conditions for the authorities’ approval,” says Geir Tungesvik, Equinor’s executive vice president for Projects, Drilling & Procurement.

Compared to the partnership’s application, the authorities have postponed the start of electrification by two years, from 2028 to 2030. The plant will continue to run on gas turbines during this period. The approval opens for maintaining the gas turbines for back-up power from 2030 to 2033. The need for this will be assessed by 2028 at the latest.

Electrification of Hammerfest LNG will replace today’s gas turbines with electricity from the grid. This reduces CO2 emissions from the plant by around 850,000 tonnes annually. This is the most substantial individual emission reduction decision that has been made aimed at decarbonising oil and gas production in Norway. The project is an important contribution towards the energy transition.

The Snøhvit partners are investing NOK 13.2 billion (2022) in the Snøhvit Future project.

“The project generates substantial spin-offs and jobs both in Finnmark, Northern Norway and nationally. Around 70% of value creation in the development phase is expected to go to Norwegian companies. Regional employment is estimated at almost 1,700 person-years of employment, mainly in Finnmark,” says Tungesvik.

The approval of Snøhvit Future ensures continued operation on Melkøya. Today, 350 permanent employees and 150 contractors and apprentices work at the plant, and the ripple effects in Northern Norway have been documented by Bodø Science Park at almost 900 person-years of employment.

The Snøhvit Future project triggers an increased need for power and a strengthened grid. Today, the government has also approved Statnett’s licence application for a power cable (420 kV) between Skaidi and Hyggevatn, and Equinor’s licence application for a power cable (132 kV) between Hyggevatn and Melkøya.

Snøhvit licensees: Equinor Energy AS (36.79%), Petoro AS (30.00%), TotalEnergies EP Norge AS (18.40%), Neptune Energy Norge AS (12.00%) and Wintershall Dea Norge AS (2.81%).

Ukrainian maritime drone damages Russian warship in Novorossiysk (VIDEO)

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August 4, 2023

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The Security Service of Ukraine with the Ukrainian Navy carried out a special operation in Novorossiysk Bay. During an attack of naval drones on the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk, a large Russian landing warship Olenegorsky Gornyak (Olenegorsk Miner) was damaged.

Unverified video footage published on social media purported to show damage to the vessel. The video shows a naval drone attacking a Russian ship, approaching the port side of the ship, then the video ends.

In other video, it was seen listing heavily to its port side. Presumably, one of the interior compartments of the ship is filled with water as a result of sustaining a hole. It is being towed to the Russian Navy base in Novorossiysk. The landing craft is accompanied by rescue vessels.

The mayor of Novorossiysk, Andrey Kravchenko, said that the Project 775 large landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak and the P-349 Suvorovets anti-saboteur boat were involved in repelling the attack of surface drones. Although the video shows that the landing ship did not perform any manoeuvres, she was simply near the shore.

A Ukrainian intelligence source said the Olenegorsky Gornyak, a Russian Navy landing ship, had suffered a serious breach and could not conduct combat missions.

X-Press Feeders will start bunkering green methanol at OCI Global in Rotterdam

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August 4, 2023

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The first vessel from X-Press Feeders, a dual-fuelled hybrid vessel, is expected to arrive in Rotterdam during the second quarter of 2024. X-Press Feeders has a total of fourteen methanol dual-fuel container ships on order.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority enthusiastically embraces this collaboration between OCI Global and X-Press Feeders, as it perfectly aligns with the port’s ambition to become carbon-neutral.

OCI, a Dutch company, is the world’s largest producer of green methanol. Recently, OCI made headlines by signing an agreement with Maersk to fuel its first green methanol-powered container ship. The vessel’s anticipated arrival in the port of Rotterdam is 26 August.

Earlier this year, OCI announced its partnership with Unibarge, a Dutch-Swiss company specialising in inland tanker shipping. As part of this collaboration, Unibarge is retrofitting a bunker barge to supply green methanol as fuel for shipping on behalf of OCI. Expanding its eco-friendly initiatives, OCI plans to extend the delivery of green methanol to shipping in various other ports than Rotterdam.

“Norwegian Viva” delivered in Marghera

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August 4, 2023

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“Norwegian Viva”, the second of six vessels from Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) new Prima Class of ships was delivered today at the Marghera shipyard.

Along with her sister-ships, “Norwegian Viva” will form the backbone of the future NCL fleet, at 143,000-tons, almost 300 meters long, and accommodating approx. 3,100 guests. Deliveries are scheduled through 2028.

The Prima Class is based on a prototype project developed by Fincantieri, which enhances the consolidated features of NCL’s signature offering of freedom and flexibility, qualified by an innovative configuration for an elevated passenger experience. In addition, focus was set on energy efficiency, with the twofold aim of optimizing consumption at sea and reducing environmental impact, compliant with all the most recent regulations on this matter.

NCL is part of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the U.S.-based company, which is one of the world’s leading cruise operators. Besides NCL, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. operates the Regent Seven Seas Cruises brand, to which Fincantieri will deliver this year in Ancona a third luxury cruise ship, “Seven Seas Grandeur”, after “Seven Seas Explorer” (2016) and “Seven Seas Splendor” (2020), as well as Oceania Cruises, for which the Group has delivered “Vista”, the first of the new generation Allura Class, with the second to be delivered in 2025.

From 2016 Fincantieri and Lloyd’s Register cooperate with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. on all brands of the group to deliver the new generation of ships.

Damen signs with UK Dredging for innovative Shoalbuster 2711 WID

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August 3, 2023

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Damen Shipyards Group has recently signed a contract with UK Dredging for the delivery of a Shoalbuster 2711 Water Injection Dredger (WID).

UK Dredging, part of Associated British Ports (ABP), operates Britain’s largest dredging fleet. Amongst its vessels are a number of Damen dredgers and workboats, including two Multi Cat Plough Vessels. The company’s scope is to undertake maintenance dredging in ABP’s ports. To do this, UK Dredging typically operates a number of hopper dredgers.

A smaller water injection dredger will enable the company to extend the intervals in between hopper dredging operations, thereby considerably increasing efficiency. Damen has adapted the proven, standard design of the Shoalbuster 2711 specifically for this project. This has included optimising the vessel’s hull to suit the role it will undertake. The vessel will also feature a highly efficient diesel-electric system that will facilitate a significant reduction in both fuel consumption and emissions.

In place of the usual submersible jets, the Shoalbuster 2711 WID will use a next generation, fully electric Damen E-DOP450 dredge pump. This, the largest in Damen’s dredge pump portfolio, has a 4,000m3/h capacity, ensuring optimal efficiency and low operational costs.

The vessel will also be equipped with an hydraulically operated A-frame. When not in the use, the A-frame will tilt, enabling the plough to be stored on the vessel’s aft.

Use of the E-DOP and A-frame contributes significantly to the vessel’s multi-functionality; when not in use, the plough including pump, can be dismounted and stored on the quayside, leaving the vessel free to undertake other operations.

Joppe Neijens, Damen Sales Manager Dredging, said of the contract:

“We are very pleased to once more be working with UK Dredging. This innovative project demonstrates the versatility of the standardised shipbuilding approach; even though the vessel is built in series it can be adapted to meet the needs of the customer. The Shoalbuster 2711 WID is an extremely versatile vessel with an operating profile that goes way beyond its primary function. It’s also a very efficient vessel that offers a leap forward in terms of sustainability and cost-effectiveness in operation – a good concept for now and for the future.”

Mark Pearson General Manager, UK Dredging said:

“The Contract Award of this Damen Shoalbuster 2711 WID is an important milestone for UK Dredging. The introduction of WID into our fleet will enable us to offer our clients a number of different dredging techniques optimised for the local conditions. The vessel’s highly efficient diesel-electric propulsion and power system will help to achieve a significant reduction in both fuel consumption and emissions that are important steps towards reducing UK Dredging’s carbon footprint.”

Saipem: awarded two new E&C offshore contracts in Romania and Germany

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August 3, 2023

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The first contract relates to the Neptun Deep Gas Development Project located in the Black Sea, Romania, for which the award procedure was completed by OMV Petrom.

The scope of work entails the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCIC) of a gas processing platform at around 100 metre water depth, three subsea developments (respectively at around 1000 metre water depth in the Domino field and at around 100 metre water depth in the Pelican field), a 30” gas pipeline around 160 km long, and associated fiber optic cable from the shallow water platform to the Romanian coast.

The gas processing platform will be fabricated at Saipem’s yards in Italy and Indonesia, and the offshore operations will be performed by the Saipem 7000 and JSD 6000 vessels. The technological tests and analyzes for the materials used in the project will be carried out in Romania, through the local entity of Saipem in Ploiesti.

A second contract has been awarded to Saipem by GASCADE Gastransport GmbH to execute the pipelaying of the “Ostsee Anbindungsleitung”, in the Pomeranian Bay in north-eastern Germany.

Saipem’s activities entail the transportation and installation of a 48” gas line of around 50 km, from the Lubmin site, in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, to the Mukran port, along the east coast of the Rügen island, and the construction of landfalls, utilizing its own pipelay barge Castoro 10. The “Ostsee Anbindungsleitung” is scheduled to be commissioned in early 2024.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines collaborates on pure water hydrogen production project

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August 3, 2023

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Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. has announced that its initiative to develop a pure water production system for hydrogen generation, proposed jointly by Kyushu University Professor Takeshi Shinoda and Taiyo Sangyo Co., Ltd. has been selected for a Shiga Prefecture-backed project to promote social implementation of near-future technologies.

MOL is promoting the Wind Hunter Project, which harnesses offshore wind energy to produce hydrogen from water onboard and convert it into propulsion for vessels, to realize a decarbonized, hydrogen-based society. However, hydrogen production requires a higher level of water purity, even more than drinking water. During the Wind Hunter hydrogen production process, seawater is first purified by passing it through a filter to remove impurities such as organic matter (carbon content, microplastics, etc.), inorganic matter (iron, magnesium, sodium), and sludge, but the filters currently in common use require frequent replacement, which increases the workload of crewmembers and imposes a significant cost burden.

In this development, the three parties will play the following roles to develop long-lasting, durable, and high-performance filters that will be able to remove even bacteria, which will require even more advanced technology in the future, and to manufacture a pure water production system.

The development of more efficient onboard technology to produce pure water from seawater in the Wind Hunter project will mark a major step toward the realization of large zero-emission ships.

In this project, a pure water production system will be designed not only for seawater but also for fresh water through a demonstration test in Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. MOL will assess the effects of differences in water quality and establish a versatile pure water production technology by comparing seawater with fresh water from Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. It will not only create pure water production technology for the Wind Hunter project, but also apply the developed technology to supply pure water to hydrogen production plant and other applications.

Hapag-Lloyd to take over terminal stakes in North, Central and South America

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August 3, 2023

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Hapag-Lloyd has successfully completed its 100 % acquisition of SM SAAM’s terminal business and related logistics services, which is based on an agreement announced in October 2022.

The transaction was approved unconditionally by the relevant antitrust authorities of all countries involved in this acquisition process.

“We are very pleased about the successful completion of this transaction, which significantly increases our footprint in Latin America and underlines our commitment to the Latin American markets. Looking ahead, we will focus on further developing the business and on continuing to offer the best quality to all of SAAM Terminals’ customers,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd AG.

Investing in terminal infrastructure is a key element of Hapag-Lloyd’s strategic agenda, and Latin America is one of its key markets. The transaction includes interests in terminals in Iquique, Antofagasta, San Antonio, San Vicente and Corral (Chile), Port Everglades (United States / Florida), Mazatlán (Mexico), Buenavista (Colombia), Guayaquil (Ecuador) and Caldera (Costa Rica) as well as related logistics services. The acquisition will further strengthen Hapag-Lloyd’s core liner shipping business and help the carrier to build up a robust and attractive terminal portfolio.

The new entity will be led by its CEO, Mauricio Carrasco, who has been Managing Director for the Terminals Division within the SAAM Group since 2020. Mauricio Carrasco is an experienced senior executive with long-standing experience in Latin America and globally. He has served as Senior Vice President of Development at CSAV and as Senior Director at Hapag-Lloyd, with responsibilities in the Americas, China, Dubai, and India. Rodolfo Díaz, former Senior Director Business Administration Region Latin America at Hapag-Lloyd, will join him as CFO.

NORDEN strengthens its future supply of renewable fuels

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August 3, 2023

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The investment is a strategic partnership, where NORDEN secures access to renewable fuels, specifically biooil, at favourable pricing. The partnership places NORDEN at the forefront of the research and development of future renewable fuels, where NORDEN can also benefit from future renewable biooils once developed.

NORDEN and MASH Makes have prior to the investment collaborated on the use of biofuels since 2021. Based on this collaboration and subsequent in-depth review of the MASH Makes technical platform and business model, NORDEN gained insights into the viability and scalability of the MASH Makes biofuel platform.

“We cannot rely solely on traditional offtake agreements with fuel suppliers to achieve decarbonisation at the necessary speed that climate change requires,” says NORDEN CEO, Jan Rindbo. “We need to be a greater part of the supply chain, to both ensure significant volumes and attractive prices that can make NORDEN competitive in offering low emission freight solutions to our customers.”

The investment is in line with NORDEN’s climate strategy of helping our customers decarbonise their supply chain and is also a natural next step in our biofuel journey. NORDEN was in 2018 one of the first shipping companies to successfully trial 100% biofuel on a large ocean-going vessel.

“With this investment, we are turning our attention to the next generation of biofuels and scale up consumption of biofuel,” says Adam Nielsen, Head of Logistics & Climate Solutions at NORDEN. “The benefit of biooil is that it can be used in existing vessel technologies and bridge the gap between transitioning from fossil fuels to carbon free fuels, which requires new vessel technologies.”

As a strategic partner, NORDEN’s role will be to help MASH Makes bring its biooil products to the marine fuel market and offtake biofuel for NORDEN’s fleet. The production of MASH Makes’ first biooil product is in a late development stage and we expect to conduct the first trial onboard NORDEN vessels in early 2024. Furthermore, the expectation is that MASH Makes can gradually ramp up its production and become a significant supplier to NORDEN’s fleet within the next 3 years in strategically important locations for decarbonising global tramp shipping.

“We are excited and humbled by the fact that NORDEN – a uniquely capable purchaser in the biofuel space – has seen sufficient potential in our platform to not only invest, but also to enter a strategic offtake- and potential production site financing agreements with MASH. We believe that this partnership will greatly accelerate the continued scale up of our business and put us on track for our gigaton range greenhouse gas reduction target,” says Jakob Andersen, CEO of MASH Makes.