India’s Deepening Project to Make Room for Larger Boxships

In an effort to attract containerships of up to 12,500 TEUs at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India unveiled the details of the second phase of the deepening and widening project at the Mumbai Harbour Channel and JN Port Channel.

Under the USD 309.8 million project, the existing channel would be widened from the current 370 to 450 meters for straight reach, while its draft is set to be increased from 14 to 15 meters.

The project would also see the channel extended from the current 33.5 to 35.5 kilometers.

“The work is likely to be implemented by inviting global tenders and to be completed within 2 years after its award,” the officials informed.

Additionally, India’s government said that the entire project cost will be funded through internal resources of JN Port Trust (JNPT) with market borrowing, if necessary.

The present total capacity of the JNPT for container handling is 5 million TEUs. After the fourth terminal becomes operational, this capacity is expected to increase to 9.8 million TEUs.

“Considering the expansion of the container vessel sizes on the main trade routes, it is anticipated that vessels of more than 8,000-12,000 TEU size will call the JN Port,” the government said, adding that the port currently handles vessels with a capacity of up to 6,000 TEUs.

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Wijnne Barends Orders Six Ships in India

Dutch shipping company Wijnne Barends, a part of the Spliethoff Group, has placed an order for the construction of six energy-efficient vessels at the Indian shipyard Chowgule & Company.

Featuring 4,200 deadweight tons, the vessels will have a length of 98 metres and “are designed to meet the increased environmental requirements that apply to newly built vessels,” according to the company.

The vessels will have a cargo hold of more than 6,000 m³ and are set to meet the highest Swedish/Finnish ice class.

The first ship from the batch is scheduled to join its owner in the last quarter of 2018, while the remaining vessels will be added to the existing Lady-H series in intervals of four months.

With the Tier III standards, which were put into effect for all newly built vessels on American waters in January 2016, the shipping firm aims to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions. In 2021, these standards are also scheduled to apply in the North – and Baltic seas, the main area of the company’s operation.

The short sea shipping firm currently operates a fleet of 38 small dry cargo vessels which have a total size of 141,000 dwt, according to data provided by VesselsValue.

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Suezmax Tanker on Auction in Singapore

Suezmax crude oil tanker Ambassador, which was arrested on January 19 in Singapore waters, has been put up for auction, according to Supreme Court of Singapore’s data. 

The court’s data shows that the closing date for bids for the 153,000 dwt vessel is April 12, 2017.

The net value of bunkers on board Ambassador is SGD 46,299 (USD 33,184). This price is excluded from the sale and has to be paid by the purchaser. According to the court, the amount payable cannot be negotiated.

Built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in 1997, Ambassador features a length of 269 meters and a width of 49 meters.

Market value of the tanker, which flies the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, currently stands at USD 8.43 million, according to information provided by VesselsValue.

As of March 30, 2017, Ambassador’s AIS data shows it is anchored in Singapore area.

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DFDS Strengthens Ties with Port of Ghent

Danish shipping and logistics company DFDS has signed a strategic partnership with Belgium-based Ghent Port Company as the shipping firm aims to strengthen its position in the port of Ghent.

Namely, DFDS has decided to increase the number of ro/ro freight sailings between Ghent and Gothenburg and strengthen its hinterland anchoring by transporting containers in a fixed schedule three times per week aboard inland vessels in the direction of Antwerp and Rotterdam.

Utilizing three ships, DFDS is currently offering six sailings a week on its freight route between Ghent and Gothenburg. During the summer of 2017, the company will add its vessel Ark Germania as the fourth ship on the route, increasing the number of weekly departures from six to eight.

In 2016, the Ghent-Gothenburg service, which also calls at Brevik in Norway once a week, catered for the transport of 2.1 million tonnes of goods, the second highest volume ever.

Furthermore, DFDS is expanding its activities in Ghent port with a fixed schedule of three sailings per week for containers on inland vessels. The barges are loaded at the multimodal terminal located at the Mercatordok. From there, a regular container line will be set up between Ghent and the ports of Zeeland Seaports, Rotterdam and Antwerp.

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Spotted: Höegh Tracer Visits APM Terminals Pipavav

Höegh Tracer, a pure car truck carrier (PCTC) operated by Norwegian shipping company Höegh Autoliners, arrived at APM Terminals Pipavav on February 28, becoming the largest ship of its kind to ever call an Indian port.

Built by Chinese shipbuilder Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry, the Post-Panamax vessel was delivered to its owner, Oslo-listed Ocean Yield ASA, in March 2016.

Featuring a deck space of 71,400 square meters and a carrying capacity of 8,500 car equivalent units, the vessel is one of the world’s largest PCTCs.

The 75,717 gross ton PCTC has a length of 199.9 meters and a width of 36.5 meters.

Höegh Tracer loaded 1,700 cars for export delivery at Port Pipavav, which is located 152 nautical miles from Nhava Sheva in Mumbai.

APM Terminals Pipavav, in partnership with NYK Auto Logistics (India), operates the roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) terminal, which has a capacity of 250,000 vehicles annually.

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Fincantieri Ends Vard Offer at 74 Pct

Fincantieri Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of the Italian shipbuilding conglomerate Fincantieri, has closed its offer for the ordinary shares of Vard Holdings Limited with valid acceptances for 74.45% of Vard’s share capital.

The voluntary conditional general offer, which was launched in November 2016 in Singapore, closed on March 24 with acceptances for over 215.9 million offer shares.

The company said that it is paying SGD 53.3 million (USD 38.2 million) for the shares acquired through the Singapore Stock Exchange.

Fincantieri earlier informed that its aim was to acquire the remaining 44.37% of the Vard share capital not already held by Fincantieri O&G, which is equal to over 523.5 million shares.

The price per share offered to the minority shareholders was initially SGD 0.24 for a maximum consideration of SGD 125.6 million in case of full acceptance. In January 2017, Fincantieri was asked to revise its offer as the minority shareholders of Vard said that there was room for improvement on the price, Securities Investors Association (Singapore) informed.

Listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, Vard is one of the largest shipbuilders of offshore and specialized vessels, with nine shipyards in Norway, Romania, Brazil and Vietnam

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