Shipping

IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announces that Dutch shipbuilder, Damen Group, has chosen to extend its agreement with IFS by purchasing additional user licenses for IFS Applications.

Damen Shipyards, headquartered in Gorinchem, The Netherlands, implemented IFS Applications in 2010 to support business processes across its global organization. By extending its use of IFS Applications, Damen Group is reinforcing its strategic, long-term partnership with IFS.

"We will deploy IFS globally for all Damen companies," said Marc de Thouars, Group IT Director of Damen Group. "This extension of our license agreement will allow us to share resources between the various companies with one central database for parts and resources."

"The maritime sector is one of IFS's target industries. We offer an integrated, industry-specific solution for managing the entire project and asset lifecycle, from engineering, procurement, materials management and management to installation and commissioning," said Nico van Heuven, Managing Director, IFS Benelux. "IFS staff worldwide has extensive experience in this industry, which we have used to develop best-practice solutions in collaboration with our customers. Our focus and our global IFS network are the reasons that Damen chose IFS in first place, and are also the reasons why they are extending its contract with us."

About IFS

IFS is a public company (XSTO: IFS) founded in 1983 that develops, supplies, and implements IFS Applications, a component-based extended ERP suite built on SOA technology. IFS focuses on industries where any of four core processes are strategic: Service & asset management, manufacturing, supply chain and projects. The company has 2,000 customers and is present in approximately 60 countries with 2,800 employees in total. Net revenue in 2011 was SKr 2.6 billion.

Damen is an international shipbuilding group with more than 6,000 employees in 35 countries. The company builds an average of 150 vessels per year. In addition, Damen carries out approximately 1,000 ship repairs annually. A key success factor for Damen is its proven method of modular design and build. This method is inextricably linked to the concept of standardization of designs and components for tugs, workboats and other commercial vessels. This concept was introduced in 1969 by Damen and is the cornerstone of its international success. The Damen Shipyards Group consists of some 30 yards in The Netherlands and worldwide with a total turnover of around € 1.4 billion in 2011. Clients include other contractors, oil companies, port authorities, towing companies, offshore companies and maritime service companies.

JCT heralds first 11,000 TEU container vessels

Making yet another significant landmark in the container handling saga of Sri Lanka, the State-owned Jaye Container Terminal (JCT) received an 11,660 TEU capacity Container Carrier, 'MV MSC LUCIANA', operated by the Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). 'MV MSC LUCIANA' makes history as the largest ever container vessel thus far called over at the port of Colombo.

Upul Jayatissa, Chief Manager (Marketing and Business development) SLPA, Upali De Soyza, Chief manager (Operations) SLPA, Capt. Nihal Keppitipola, Managing Director SLPA, Dr. Priyath B Wickrama Chairman SLPA exchanging plaques with the Master of the vessel Capt. Kojicic Veselin, Rohan De Silva, Managing Director of MSC Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Capt. Ravi Jayawickrama, Harbor Master SLPA and Shamal Perera, General Manager (Operations and Logistics) of MSC Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.

In celebration of this historic event to JCT, SLPA and to Sri Lanka at large, a plaque exchange ceremony was held on board the vessel 'MV MSC LUCIANA' on her maiden voyage at JCT/SLPA, on the 23rd of January, 2013.

Plaques were exchanged between SLPA upper echelon comprising Chairman, Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama, Managing Director, Capt. Nihal Keppetipola, and the Master of the Vessel Capt.

Kojicic Veselin in the presence of MSC top brass including Managing Director, Rohan de. Silva, General Manager (Operations and Logistics), Shamal Perera and other senior SLPA and MSC officials.

MSC, in a very bold move switched over to the state-run Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) operated by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) in December, 2009 expecting to carry out more than 1500 moves per vessel. Commenting at the ceremony, SLPA Chairman, Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama said 'The MSC LUCIANA's call at Jaye Container Terminal brings us great significance for it is the largest ever container vessel to visit Colombo.

This heralds how the container shipping will be like in the coming future with economies of scale becoming the major concern in ship building.

More often than not, the pursuit of economies of scale in liner shipping has been cited as the major reason behind carrier's motivation to form strategic alliances, engage in mergers and acquisitions and to increase vessel capacity by building larger vessels.

When the Panama's new locks are inaugurated in 2014, channels will allow transit of bigger vessels, removing another impediment against mega ship building.

"I am glad to say that Colombo will be ready to handle any mega vessel on the order book. With the construction of Colombo South Harbour, the first stage of which is to be completed in 2013, we will have the capacity to entertain largest triple E class vessels and Sri Lanka will be the only port in South Asia to handle large vessels," he further said. Managing Director of SLPA, Capt.

Nihal Keppetipola expressing his views at the ceremony said ?Today is a historic day for SLPA. The MSC, one of our oldest and loyal container shipping business partners has made the SLPA achieve another accolade.

Today we have demonstrated to the shipping community that we have the ability to handle an 11,000 TEU class vessel, the largest ever to have called thus far at Colombo. MSC has always been with us in crests and in troughs of our business and I am confident that they will continue to be with us in the future."

He added saying, "We need to be the change that we wish to see in the world. Let me attribute our ambitious development projects and our determination to change the organizational culture to our vision to be the Logistics excellence in the Silk Route." Capt.

Keppetipola praised the current Port Chairman as a leader par excellence by saying "Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations."

"Under our wing, we are confident that MSC will thrive and grow from strength to strength in the future. Your success indeed is the SLPA's success too," he further said

The vessel operates under Cheetah service with port rotation of Durban, Port Louis, Colombo, Singapore, Far East, Singapore, Durban and Europe.

Portugal plans to proceed with shipyard privatisation: minister

Portugal expects to clarify EU-probed funds provided to the ENVC shipyard next month, and proceed with the site's privatisation to help trim public debt, Defense Minister Jose Pedro Aguiar Branco said on Friday.

The European Commission on Wednesday launched an investigation into whether Portugal had broken EU competition rules by helping the shipyard keep operating with public subsidies. On Friday, Branco was quoted in local media as saying that the government "is in the process of providing all the clarifications necessary to continue with the privatisation.

The privatisation of ENVC, or Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo, was initially forecast for December, he said, before it was delayed by queries from the European Commission.

The company, owned by the government through holding company Empordef, has posted losses since 2000.

Portugal, which is working through a strict bail-out program drawn up with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, is committed to reducing its public debt, in part by privatising some state-owned assets.

Seven secondhand container vessels sold

A total of seven secondhand container vessels has been sold over the past seven days, according to Lion Shipbrokers Weekly report.

The first on the list is a 5,928 TEUS vessel M/V "APL IRELAND", built in 2003 by Koyo Dockyard, a member of Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd and she has been sold to clients of Costamare for $20 mill.

Clients of Tsakos bought a pair of identical vessels for $45 mill including time charter back to Hamburg Sud at $27,250 per day until January 2016.

The 4,616 TEUS vessels, M/V "CAP INES" and M/V "CAP ISABEL" were built in 2010 by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. Norse Management from Norway has sold 1,645 TEUS container vessel M/V "HANSA LAUENBURG" to its client for $13.5 mill. Built by Guangzhou Wenchong in 2006, the vessel is GL classed and equipped with MAN-B&W 7S60MC-C engine.

Furthermore, M/V "HANSA CATALINA", a 1,645 TEUS vessel, built in 1997 by Hanjin Heavy Industries and classed by GL, has been sold to clients of Victoria Oceanway of Greece for $2.8 mill.

M/V "HANSA CENTAUR", a 1,645 TEUS vessel, built in 1997 by Hanjin Heavy Industries, has been sold to undisclosed buyers for US $.4 mill. And finally, M/V "CS STAR", a 1,139 TEUS vessel, built in 1993 by Orskov Christensen shipyard from Denmark, has been reportedly sold to clients of Arkas of Turkey for $2.1 mill.

Worldmaritime.com

Conversion of Ships to Gas driven by tidal wave of interest

With the high price of low sulphur diesel and increasingly aggressive Emissions control areas (ECAs) in US waters, shipping firms and gas giants are looking to LNG as the next step in the evolution of marine fuel.

With operational cost savings of up to 50% according to studies and a superior environmental profile, the conversion of ships to gas is being driven by a tidal wave of interest.

This will be explored at the LNG for Marine Transportation Conference hosted by FC Business Intelligence. But the capital costs associated with such a change are significant and prohibitive; cost estimates vary between ships but can easily exceed $70 million per ship. But there are long term concerns as well, with ship owners and operators concerned about the consistent supply of gas, the development of new infrastructure and the sell on value of their ships if they are exclusively fuelled by gas.

Nevertheless, there is a clear sea-change in the perspectives of key stakeholders. John Hatley of Wartsilla comments that this evolution is natural saying that, "Millennia ago the shift was oar to sail, two centuries ago it was sail to steam, a century ago steam to diesel, and now it's a new era for gas."

And he is not alone; Gas suppliers including Shell and AGL resources are amongst the key movers in new high horse power markets.

They have identified the marine sector as a promising market well placed to take advantage of the surplus in natural gas. Marvin Odum, president of Shell remarked that "LNG can provide great advantages for our commercial customers as a future energy solution in transportation" when talking about Shell's future strategy to fuel the marine, rail and mining sectors. There are also partnerships being built across the global supply chain to make this possible.

High profile deals between the likes of Harvey Gulf and Wartsilla, Gazprom and Summa group and DNV and KOGAS are evidence of the appetite for change.

These commercial companies are often supported in their endeavours by port operators as they look to develop bunkering projects.

However, with the market still in its' early stages of development, a forum for producers, end users, infrastructure developers and port stakeholders is key for development. The LNG for Marine Transportation Conference is set to be that forum.

With 200+ delegates expected, the core focus of the event is how to build an LNG fuel market for the Marine Sector in the USA.

world maritime news

French/Chinese shipping groups CMA CGM, CMHI unveil tie up

French container shipping company CMA CGM has sold 49 percent of its Terminal Link unit in Marseille, southern France, to China Merchants Holdings International (CMHI) for 400 million euros ($540 million) in the first phase of a strategic partnership, they said.

"Following an initial restructuring, the operation should be finalised during the second half of 2013, subject to approval by competent regulatory authorities," a joint statement said.

CMA CGM, the world's third biggest container shipping company, has already said it would take measures to restructure $4.6 billion in debt.

Terminal Link manages 15 container terminals that serve the main global shipping routes, making the deal "a significant step in the internationalisation" of CMHI's activities, the statement said.

CMHI is present in eight Chinese cities, Sri Lanka and Africa, and its tie-up with CMA CGM in Marseille "represents the first step in a strategic partnership for both sides," the statement said.

AFP

Dock workers secure the ropes of Antarctic cruise vessel the MV Orion, carrying rescued French sailor Alain Delord, at Macquarie dock in Hobart. A French sailor walked off the cruise ship that saved him after he spent three days adrift in a life-raft in the remote Southern Ocean, smiling and assisted by his rescuers. Alain Delord was marooned on a life-raft in mountainous seas about 500 nautical miles from southern Australias Tasmania after his yacht was badly damaged in perilous weather during a solo round-the-world sailing attempt. AFP

Containers are loaded onto a cargo ship at the pier in Tokyo port. Japan said it logged a record trade deficit in 2012, Japans exports totalled 63.7 trillion yen against imports of 70.7 trillion yen, as exports to debt-hit Europe plunged and a bitter diplomatic spat with its biggest trade partner China weighed on demand. AFP

IFS extends agreement with Damen Group