General News

Shipping companies are experiencing a tightening of lending conditions because of growing market uncertainty and a weakening of banks' ability to lend, senior officials have revealed. The ambitious building programmes announced around…

European engineers and researchers have developed a robot that is able to remove marine growth from a ship's hull. HISMAR, the Hull Identification System for Marine Autonomous Robotics, was developed under European…

Conflicting directions given by the financial authorities are creating confusion for bidders of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). After Korea Development Bank (KDB), the main creditor of DSME, changed its stance…

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry, one of China's biggest shipyards, plans to boost production from this year's 3 million dwt to 10 million dwt by 2020. DSIC expects sales of 17 billion yuan this…

Reports are emerging that there are signs of a significant dispute between Norwegian Cruise Line and Aker Yards France, the shipyard that's building NCL's innovative new F3 series of ships. The dispute,…

The naval architect firm of Marin Teknikk in Norway has secured a new contract with a Korean shipyard for delivery of design and engineering package for two new MT 6024 support vessels…

Japan?s IHI Marine United is to provide a Turkish shipyard with the design of its 56,000 dwt bulker "Future 56 (F56)" along with related materials and components in a deal arranged by…

Samsung Heavy Industries has received a 633.4 billion won ($567.8 million) order from Europe and said it would raise its order target for 2008 by more than 30%. The South Korean shipbuilder…

The government of Malta is to issue an official statement regarding its call for expression of interest in the privatization of The Malta Shipyards. The bid closed yesterday and prospective buyers were…

The EU has promised a swift decision on whether to approve Polish government rescue plans for two shipyards where thousands of jobs are at stake. "My people are doing their utmost to…

An international convention banning the use of organotins and other harmful substances in anti-fouling paints applied on ships' hulls enters into force on 17 September 2008. The International Convention on the Control…

An international agreement covering liability for bunker spills comes into force in November when ship owners will be liable for pollution damage. The IMO's Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution…

Alfa Laval, a leading company in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling, has received an order for plate heat exchangers from a company in the Russian power industry. The order value…

Zhang Guangqin, chairman of the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI), has emphasized that the domestic shipping sector in China faces many formidable challenges. Chinese shipbuilders have to face escalating…

The French classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) has opened a Yacht Technical Office in Genoa, Italy. It provides a centre of expertise for all issues relating to the construction, classification and statutory…

The Brazilian state owned oil company Petrobras has revealed plans to purchase ten newbuild FPSOs. Eight of the vessels would be built domestically at the Rio Grande Shipyard in Southern Brazil. All…

KUALA LUMPUR: Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd (BHIC) has proposed entering into a joint venture in Malaysia with Turkey?s Yonca-Onuk Savunma Sanyii AS shipyard to build vessels for the government and private…

Last Friday Poland submitted restructuring plans aimed at saving its Baltic shipyards in Gdynia, Gdansk and Szczecin to the European Commission in compliance with an EU-imposed deadline. "The Commission will now analyse…

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said that the strategy adopted by the Maltese government to privatise loss-making Malta Shipyards was not acceptable under EU law. This decision leaves the government with no…

The "Monte Azul", the second unit of a second series of ten vessels of the successful "Monte" class container ships, was christened at the Daewoo-Mangalia Heavy Industries (DMHI) yard in Romania. It…

Simon M?kster Shipping in Norway has signed contract with Simek AS for building of one more Havyard 832 CD RS Rescue and Stand by vessel for delivery in March 2010. This will…

A comprehensive programme of tests carried out by MarinTek in Trondheim, Norway, confirms that the Torpedo lifeboat has properties that no other free-fall lifeboat can match. The new Torpedo free-fall lifeboat, which…

The Dublin-based research company Research and Markets has recently produced a report on the Chinese shipbuilding industry entitled "In-depth Analysis of China's Shipbuilding Industry 2008". In this report Research and Markets states…