General News

Mincom has updated its electronic maintenance documentation system LinkOne to version 4.0. The publishing, viewing and distribution system allows users to consult electronic manuals on screen to carry out repairs, order new…

The IMO has asked a group chaired by Bangladesh to look at ship scrapping. Its task is to identify hazards and risks associated with current practices, collect information on previous submissions and…

Hansson Pyrotech now offers its entire range of Ikaros distress signals with an additional year`s official shelf life, bringing to four years the period of MCA current validation. The four-year dating is…

Autronica has won five contracts to deliver its new fire safety management system for several cruise ships and cruise ferries. Called AutroSafe, the system comprises a fire detection system combined with a…

Talks between the EU and Korean representatives over the issue of newbuilding prices ended without agreement. However, negotiations are continuing by telephone and there is some hope of an agreement in the…

Alstom Regulateurs Europa has supplied a range of equipment for a new 41m fast ferry to be built by Derecktor Shipyards for Nantucket/Woods Hole Steamship Authority. The maximum speed of the vessel…

Stratos has re-launched Inmarsat-A services with the inauguration of a fully digital system which it says gives enhanced call quality and data throughput. The company is also offering over 40 per cent…

On March 9, Carnival signed a letter of intent with French yard Chantiers de l?Atlantique for the $700 million contract to build Cunard?s giant cruise ship, now named Queen Mary 2 (See…

An impressed current cathodic protection system from BAC Corrosion Control is to be used to provide long-term corrosion protection for the 86m gas turbine powered aluminium hulled catamaran Austal Auto Express 86,…

Labroy Shipbuilding & Engineering has been awarded ISO 9002 accreditation by ABS. It is the first shipyard in Batam, Indonesia to receive this certification.Labroy repaired a record number of non-group vessels in…

Princess Cruises, the subsidiary of P&O, has confirmed that it has awarded a contract to build two 113,000g cruise ships to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in Japan (see Cruise).The newbuildings, which should…

Dalseide Shipping Services has developed a machine designed for de-scaling and cleaning outer pipe surfaces in a 360deg single operation. Called Rustibus Pipe it has a capacity of up to 25 m/hr…

AESA repair yard Astilleros de Cadiz has started converting the 7,000 dwt supply vessel Viking Lady into a cable layer for Norwegian owner Eidesvik & Co.The vessel is being lengthened from 92.4m…

Cruise companies confirm their confidence in the future by continuing to expand their operations, particularly in the Caribbean.According to figures compiled by G P Wild (International) for the last quarter of 1999,…

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has signed a letter of intent for two more Eagle class cruise ships from Kvaerner Masa-Yards, Finland (see Cruise).These ships would be the fourth and fifth in the…

PBE says the latest version of its AutoLog AL20 programmable logic controller gives a higher specification with bigger power and performance on a smaller footprint. It is mounted on a printed circuit…

In spite of a tough market Lisnave managed to attract 132 vessels to its yards for repair in 1999; a 12% increase on 1998. Total deadweight tonnage increased by 5% to over…

Short-term uncertainty dogs shipping sector

Struggling German shipyard Kvaerner Warnow Werft has been awarded an order for a pair of 2,524 TEU container ships based on its CV2500 design.Due to be delivered in the first half of…

A new web site designed to help engineers and maintenance professionals find solutions to problems in vessel mothballing, industrial lay-ups or corrosion prevention is available at: www.protec-inc.com.The site shows the evolution of…

Sweden?s Celsius group has sold its wholly-owned Gothenburg repair yard Gotaverken Cityvarvet to the Damen Shipyards Group. "The sale is consistent with Celsius? policy for strategic consolidation," a company statement advised, "and…

Emissions heat MEPC debate

Daewoo Heavy Industries (Daewoo) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Korea are to share an order for a total of ten 6,700 TEU post-panamax container ships from Mediterranean Shipping Company.Due to be…