Crowley Alaska Tankers announced on 18th April that it had completed the acquisition of three tankers from SeaRiver Maritime Inc., and is now chartering them back to SeaRiver under varying multi-year terms. The tankers are the 62,318gt/2014 built Liberty Bay, the 62,318gt/2015 built Eagle Bay and the 30,415gt/1997 built American Progress. The trio of ships have been renamed Washington, California and Oregon.

dship Carriers continues to expand its fleet and has jointly acquired two new F360-type vessels, in co-operation with HS Bereederungs GmbH & Co. KG. The first 9,616gt/2011 built vessel, now named Sophia, was transferred on 6th April in Port Everglades, USA. The second vessel, the 9,616gt/2011 built Josef, will be transferred to its new owners at an official ceremony in June. dship Carriers has taken both vessels under long-term charter. The company is increasing its lifting capacity with both vessels, Sophia and Josef, which are equipped with two cranes of 180t capacity each. The vessels can serve various different client needs. Their purchase is part of dship Carriers’ fleet expansion plan to increase its market presence.

Grimaldi Group’s new 62,134gt/2017 built Pure Car & Truck Carrier Grande New York was christened on 18th April in the Port of New York at FAPS Port Newark Auto Marine Terminal. Godmother of the vessel was Amanda Matilda Cuomo Cole, granddaughter of the former late New York Governor, Mario Cuomo and also niece of the current New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The ship is deployed on the Mediterranean-North America route. Second of a series of three sister units, the Grande New York has a length of 199.90m, a beam of 32.26m and a cruising speed of 19 knots. The vessel can carry 6,700 CEU (Car Equivalent Units) or alternatively 4,000 linear metres of rolling freight and 2,500 CEU. The Grande New York is equipped with four hoistable decks which make her an extremely flexible vessel, able to transport any type of rolling cargo (cars, vans, trucks, tractors, buses, excavators, etc.) up to 5.2m high. In addition, the vessel has two access ramps, a side ramp and a quarter stern ramp, the latter allowing the loading of freight units with a weight up to 150t. She is fitted with an electronically-controlled Man Diesel & Turbo main engine that allows the ship to comply with the new regulations for reducing NOx emissions, while the installed scrubber reduces sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions. On 17th April the Grimaldi Group received the Shipping Company of the Year award during the fourth edition of the North America Automotive Global Awards, held in Detroit at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel.

Hamburg Bulk Carriers of Germany has taken delivery of its last newbuilding from the 12-strong series, the 26,436gt/2018 built Venture Grace. The vessel is the final ship delivered by Qingshan Shipyard as the yard was closed down by CSC Group. The ship features the HBC 43 design, which is based on B. Delta 43 from designer Deltamarin. The first newbuilding from the series, the Venture Goal, which is fitted with an LNG dual-fuel ready engine, was delivered in 2015. The ship was followed by four more sister ships in the same year. Two ships were handed over in 2016. The remaining trio was delivered to the company last year. The three ships, Eurus Venture, Notos Venture and Zephyr Venture, were sold to a European trading house.

Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) has returned to Korean shipbuilder Hyundai with an order for four product tankers. The company signed a $167.6m contract with Hyundai Mipo Dockyard for the construction of four 48,000 dwt product carriers on 24th April and delivery of the quartet is planned for 2020. The latest contract is part of KOTC’s ambitious fleet build-up plan, under which the company aims to more than double its fleet by 2040, bringing it to 60 ships. KOTC previously ordered three LPG tankers from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in January and one VLCC from Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry in March 2018.

Maersk Tankers has placed an order for six LR2 tanker newbuildings in China that are on contract with Dalian Shipyard. The plan is to deliver the six vessels over a period of two years with the first vessels entering the fleet in 2020. The contract with the shipbuilder includes options to order another four vessels, with the decision dependent on market development.

MISC has taken delivery of its fifth, and final, MOSS-type LNG carrier newbuilding from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). The 133,612gt/150,200m3 capacity Seri Cemara (above) is the last in five new Seri C Class LNG carriers for charter to Malaysian state oil and gas firm Petronas. As with her sisterships the Seri Cemara is designed for loading both at land based and floating LNG (FLNG) terminals. Sistership Seri Camellia last year became the first LNG carrier to operate with a floating LNG unit, the Petronas FLNG Satu. The naming ceremony was attended by Petronas President and Group CEO, Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, and his wife Puan Sri Dr. Azura Ahmad Tajuddin, who is the Lady Sponsor to the vessel, at the HHI Shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding held the christening ceremony for the165,000m3 capacity LNG Carrier Diamond Gas Orchid in April. Built via a joint venture between Mitsubishi Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line). The ship is the first Sayaringo STaGE (an acronym deriving from Steam Turbine and Gas Engines) type vessel, with significant improvements in both LNG carrying capacity and fuel performance thanks to a more efficient hull structure and an innovative hybrid propulsion system. The latter combines a steam turbine and engines that can be fired by gas. Efficient use of the engines’ waste heat in the steam turbine results in a substantial improvement in plant efficiency, enabling high-efficiency navigation throughout a full range of speeds. After completion in late June, the 293.5m long/48.94m beam, 11.05m draught and 73,800dwt ship will enter service transporting LNG for the Cameron LNG Project in the U.S. state of Louisiana in which Mitsubishi Corporation and NYK Line are jointly participating. The wife of Hidenori Takaoka, Executive Vice President and CEO of Mitsubishi Corporation’s Energy Business Group performed the ceremony.

Ocean Yield ASA took delivery of newly-built handysize dry bulk vessels La Fresnais and Interlink Amenity on 10th April. Upon delivery the 25,330gt La Fresnais commenced a 12 year bareboat charter to a company owned and guaranteed by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group (LDA) whilst the 25,546gt Interlink Amenity commenced a 10 year bareboat charter to a company owned and guaranteed by Interlink Maritime Corp. (Interlink Maritime).

Oldendorff Carriers is expanding its fleet of Babycapes further by buying four 115,000dwt bulk carriers from companies controlled by Interorient Navigation Co. Ltd., Cyprus and taking two sister vessels on period charter from them. The ships were previously operated in a pool with Dampskibsselskabet Norden A/S. All six were built at New Times Shipbuilding between 2010 and 2013, namely the Orient Sun (built 2013, to be renamed Pia Oldendorff), Orient Strength (built 2012 to be renamed Peter Oldendorff), Orient Crusader (built 2010 to be renamed Penelope Oldendorff), Orient Champion (built 2010 to be renamed Patricia Oldendorff), plus the 2010 built Orient Centaur and Orient Cavalier. The Orient Sun was the first to be taken over at Zhoushan on 20th April 2018.

Pritchard Gordon Tankers Ltd’s latest 7,000dwt Chemical & Oil Products Tanker with stainless steel tanks was launched on 17th April at the RMK Marine shipyard in Turkey. The 5,211gt ship, named Lily PG, follows on from the delivery of her sister Rose PG in 2017.