A £700m cruise ship with a real lawn larger than eight tennis courts has arrived in Southampton port ahead of its naming ceremony. The new 122,000-tonne Celebrity Equinox, owned by Royal Caribbean, will spend the next two weeks berthed at the port for her inaugural celebrations. Equinox’s sister shi
Energy business Douglas Westwood has predicted that while spending in 2009 and 2010 has been hindered by the financial crisis, offshore operators are still expected to increase offshore drilling investment by 32 percent from 2009 to 2013, compared with 2004 to 2008. According to a report by The Gulf
Brazilian authorities are demanding that more than 1,400 tonnes of hazardous British waste found in three ports be returned to the UK. The Brazilian environment agency, Ibama, says that international treaties have been violated. An investigation into how and why the waste was sent to Brazil has been
On Friday July 17, Coen De Koning and Thijs sailing as Team Boskalis (NED), sailing a Nacra Infusion, took gold at the F18 World Championships 2009 in Knokke/Belgium. Coen de Koning (NED) successfully defended his 2008 world title with his new crew Thijs Visser (NED). Their Team Boskalis team mates
The project provides for the construction of a new system of locks and is one of the world’s most important engineering works. The technical proposal presented obtains the best score, reflecting the level of excellence of Jan De Nul Group, which ranks among the top international civil and maritime c
Today the Lürssen Rendsburg shipyard launched the 75 metre Northern Star, also known as Project Scout. Her owner had previously built a 63 metre superyacht with the same name at Lürssen and realizes yet another dream in a 12m longer yacht. Following final outfitting and sea trials the luxury expedit
Libya has entered the deepwater exploration sector with a first offshore well in the Sirte Basin in the Mediterranean Sea. ExxonMobil said it spudded the country’s first deepwater well in Contract Area 20, northeast of Misrate in the Libyan sector of the Mediterranean, where it has previously acquir
The United Nations is discussing rules to cut the soaring emission of greenhouse gases from shipping. The environment committee of the International Maritime Organisation is drawing up recommendations for design standards to make ships more efficient. It includes working on operating standards so th
Slovakian Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek announced this week that state-owned bank Eximbanka would provide long-term loans to shipbuilder Komarno. The financing scheme will provide continued shipbuilding activities at the yard for eight to ten vessels per year.
A £4.5m slip road is being opened at a Kent port, ensuring a much smoother getaway for ferry passengers. Cars and lorries leaving the Port of Dover will be able to access the A2 and A20 roads far quicker than before. Dover Harbour Board has estimated that the road will save freight operators about £
The Indian Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, this week announced during a two-day national conference that the Indian Government would provide full assistance to the states for the modernisation of important fishing harbours and landing centres. Mr Pawar added that assistance for minor fishing har
Ulstein Verft has won the contract with GIEK and Sparebank 1 SR-bank on completing the construction of a large anchor handling vessel for Solstad. The ship comes from the bankrupt Karmsund Maritime Service AS and is an important component in filling up Ulstein Verft’s production capacity. “Solstad w
Piracy attacks around the world more than doubled to 240 from 114 during the first six months of the year compared with the same period in 2008, the ICC International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB) said yesterday. “As in the last quarterly report, the rise in overall numbers is due
The UK could be a global leader in offshore wind energy component manufacturing in the next decade with new support promised by the government. In its recently released Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, the government said it will provide £120m to fund the development of a British-based offshore wind
