The container shipping industry will have to ride out a bumpy period amid an anticipated seasonal decline in volumes spilling into the first quarter of next year and growing supply of ships. According to BIMCO, handling this will be a recurring seasonal challenge. “Bearing in mind that freight rates
France-based classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) has been awarded the responsibility for classification of CMA CGM’s new 22,000 TEU containerships. The classification society informed that the decision for the nine ships to be fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been carefully consider
Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, the 133,500-ton Carnival Horizon, completed its final sea trials in the Adriatic Sea earlier this week in anticipation of its inaugural cruise in April 2018. Currently in the final stages of construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, the 3,974-pa
US-based expedition cruise company Lindblad Expeditions Holdings has signed an agreement with Norwegian shipbuilder and ship designer Ulstein for the construction of a new polar expedition ship. The vessel will be the first polar newbuild in the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic fleet. The s
Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Gondan has launched the first vessel from a batch of four GRP eco fast ferries for shipping company Baleària. Launched on November 3 at the facilities of the shipyard’s GRP division, the ferry is scheduled to join its owner at the end of the year. The 28-meter-long ves
The introduction of autonomous ships, often described as the next step for the maritime industry, is looming as projects have already been launched to make the smart ship concept a reality. One of the examples is the construction of the world’s first electric and autonomous containership, Yara Birke
Readers’ Picks of the Week (October 30 – November 3, 2017)
The Sub Panamax containership Maersk Pembroke has been sold for green recycling to a yard in Turkey, data from VesselsValue shows. Based on the provided information, the sale took place at the end of September. The demolition value of the 1988-built ship was set at USD 4.97 million. The vessel is ye
Costa Cruises, the Italian brand of Carnival Corporation, carried out a coin ceremony for its new ship Costa Venezia at Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone on November 1. Scheduled to enter service in 2019, the new cruise ship will be the first Costa vessel built and designed specifically for Chinese
Following limited contracting in the bulk carrier sector in the last three years, ordering has started to pick up with 17.1 million dwt contracted in the first nine months of 2017. By the end of September 2017, the orderbook totalled 623 vessels of 64 million dwt, equivalent to 7.9% of fleet capacit
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri held a keel laying ceremony for the first of three new cruise ships being built for Virgin Voyages, part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group. The party-like ceremony, Branson’s trademark, held on Tuesday, October 31 in Sestri Ponente, Genoa, saw Branson arrive at th
The shipbuilding industry has handed over only a half of the 2,440 vessels which have deliveries dates scheduled for 2017, VesselsValue unveiled the data. Out of the scheduled deliveries, only 1,220 have hit the water so far this year, meaning 50% of the 2017 orderbook is outstanding as the final ni
Greek drybulk shipping firm DryShips has expanded its fleet with a third newbuilding very large gas carrier (VLGC). The high specifications vessel, capable of carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), will be employed under a time charter on a fixed rate with ten years firm duration to an oil major tr
Despite somewhat increased activity in terms of new orders in the product tanker sector in the first nine months of 2017, the orderbook remains at historically low levels, as disclosed by Capital Product Partners L.P. in a market commentary. The MR product tanker orderbook currently stands at 7.2% o
