Centenario del Titanic

Bueno, pues como el tiempo pasa para todos, ayer 31 de Mayo se conmemoró el centenario de la botadura del Titanic.

Eso sí, el centenario de la catástrofe será el año que viene, ya que ocurrió el 15 de Abril de 2012. Pero bueno, seguro que alguna reposición de la película cae estos días...

Caro resbalon...

CARNIVAL TO PAY $3M

US cruise line must compensate passenger for fall on pool deck of Carnival Pride.

US cruise line Carnival Corp will have to find nearly $3m in compensation for a passenger who broke a kneecap on one of its vessels.

Denise Kaba says she suffered the accident on the pool deck of the 86,000-gt Carnival Pride (built 2001) in 2009.

She filed a personal injury lawsuit against the shipowner. According to the complaint, Kaba slipped as a result of the use of a resin surface on the deck.

US district judge Ursula Ungara awarded $2.998m in damages, including more than $220,000 in past medical expenses, nearly $375,000 in future medical expenses, just over $170,000 in loss of earning capacity, $200,000 for pain and suffering in the past and nearly $2m for future non-economic damages.

Tradewinds

Echa el freno, magdaleno

Los números cantan, al menos eso es lo que piensa el Máximo Craneo pensante de mi empresa.

Entre el aumento de costes de los combustibles y las nuevas normativas más rigorosas para la protección del medio ambiente (ya era hora, por otra parte...), los estudios que ha presentado en Oslo avalan la reducción de la velocidad en el transporte de crudo como ahorro y sostenibilidad, al igual que está sucediendo en el mercado de los portacontenedores.

Si es que lo del 110 en autovías tenía que tener efectos secundarios...

SLOW DOWN!
Teekay marine head Graham Westgarth thinks tanker market should follow trend-setting containership operators and reduce speed.

Teekay Marine head Graham Westgarth says it is time tanker owners followed the container industry and slowed down by at least two knots.

Speaking in Oslo ahead of the NorShipping exhibition, Westgarth, who is also chairman of tanker owners association Intertanko, said that slowing down would reduce emissions and boost earnings in the distressed tanker market.

He said: "At Teekay we took a look at what happened if you optimised speeds at 12 knots with the capability to move upwards rather than 14 knots and we saw it would bring huge benefits from the economic and environmental perspective.

"That is exactly what is happening in the container business where they are now designing ships at 18 knots with the capability to go up. I think the tanker industry could learn from them and when we order ships we should certainly think about it."

TradeWinds earlier reported that Maersk Line's latest generation of containerships had been ordered at Daewoo Shipbuilding with a slower operating speed of 19 knots, compared to 23 knots in the previous series, demonstrating the trend to lower speeds in the liner business.

Westgarth said that slow steaming had already saved rock bottom rates in the tanker market from falling further, demonstrating the potential benefits to the market.

"The tanker market is bad but it could have been much worse," he said on the impact of going slower. Westgarth pointed out that there are other factors that are making tanker journeys longer. Piracy he said had seen westbound tanker traffic having to divert east first and reroute around the Indian coast to avoid the danger areas.

He also pointed out that new environmental initiatives like Intertanko's "Virtual Arrival", which helps tankers to schedule voyages more efficiently, could also result in slower operating speeds.

However Westgarth conceded that one factor which could work against a general trend toward slower speeds in the tanker market is the fragmented ownership in the business. The top three tanker owners control less than 10% of the tonnage in the market.

Westgarth, who was speaking on the future of the tanker market, said he is concerned over the impact of oil prices on economic growth. "We have seen oil at $100 a barrel for some time, it is a real threat to global economic growth," he said.

Fuente: Tradewinds

Unos se van y otros vienen...

Y no me refiero a mí, que me dan un par de semanas a bordo antes de desembarcar.

Si la semana pasada os dejé la noticia de la desinversión de Maersk en el LNG, poniendo a la venta sus metaneros, ahora es STENA la que anuncia que va a entrar de lleno en el mercado.

Espero que tenga suerte, aunque sus espectativas de fletes a 100.000$/día son bastante alegres...

STENA CONFIRMS LNG MOVE

Managing director Ulf Ryder says he has great faith in the sector; expects new ships to earn over $100,000 per day.

Swedish shipowner Stena Bulk has confirmed that it is the buyer of three LNG carriers from Nobu Su's TMT.

It is paying $700m for the 145,000-cbm Stena Blue Sky (built 2006) and two 174,000-cbm newbuildings. All three ships are ice-classed. The newbuildings are not fixed whilst the Stena Blue Sky has another 22 months left of a charter to Gazprom of Russia.

TradeWinds reported on the deal last week, but could not obtain comments. This is Stena Bulk's first move into LNG.

Managing director Ulf Ryder has great faith in the investment and believes the newbuildings will earn "in excess of $100,000 per day." "We believe this to be a very good investment. LNG accounts for a significant part of the growth in the global energy supply and there is currently a shortage of LNG tankers," he said.

Capacity utilisation of the 320 large LNG tankers in operation is nearly 90%. In addition, the demand for transportation of LNG is expected to rise about 8% per year over the next decade.

"In addition to the shipyards' full order books, there is a need for 60-70 new LNG tankers to satisfy the rising demand up until 2014," Ryder said.

"Having the liquidity and operational know-how to be able to purchase these three vessels so quickly gives our LNG investment an excellent starting point."

Stena said it expects the two newly built vessels to be delivered from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in June 2011. They will then be fitted out with supplementary equipment after which they will be ready to load their first cargo of LNG at the end of July.
Fuente: Tradewinds

Mas movimiento en Maersk

Si hace unos días os comentaba la intención de Maersk de vender su flota de LNGs, ahora parece que la división de FPSOs también tiene los días contados (con Teekay de nuevo por el medio de ambas ventas...)

MAERSK EYE FPSO EXIT
Industry sources say Danish giant may be looking to offload its floating production arm after recent LNG sale talk.

AP Moller Maersk is said to be considering the sale of its floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) business.

"Maersk has been discreetly tapping the market for some months about a possible sale of its FPSO business," TradeWinds' sister publication Upstream said quoting an unnamed source.

Talk of its FPSO business being no longer "core for Maersk" comes barely days after the Danish giant said it may sell its LNG shipping arm.

The Danish company said it will go "to the market to find a potential buyer for Maersk LNG" because it wants to "reallocate resources" to other parts of the group.

Quoting a rival FPSO contractor the newspaper said "informal discussions have been held" between Maersk and potential buyers.

"Maersk has been approached by interests that have been keen to look either at individual units in their fleet or the entire division," Upstream reported.

Together, the LNG and FPSO arms made a profit of only $12m in the first quarter of 2011 and generated a rate of return of 1.8%, far below that of Maersk's upstream and shipping businesses.

Late last year Maersk brought in Stig Hoffmeyer as the new chief executive at its LNG and FPSO operations in a bid to turn things around.

When appointed in September last year, Hoffmeyer, an old hand at turning around companies' fortunes, did not pull his punches.

"Seen from a newcomer's view, this industry has an attractive potential. However, profitability has so far not yet been at a satisfactory level." Ironically, Hoffmeyer, speaking at a recent conference in Singapore, said that global demand for FPSOs was set to double this decade.

"I have never been in an industry before where the future outlook is so bright," he said.

BW Offshore is considered by several sources as a potential buyer, but Teekay's offshore arm has just announced a major fund raising initiative. Maersk FPSOs' fleet comprises the Ngujima-Yin unit in Australia, the Nkossa II gas floater, the Maersk Curlew FPSO and the part-owned North Sea producer.

Its fifth unit, Maersk Peregrino, has just begun operations off Brazil on Statoil's Peregrino field. In addition, it also operates the Alvheim FPSO off Norway.

The FPSO market is already dominated by three players, SBM Offshore, Modec and BW Offshore, who between them control around 44% of the market.
Fuente: Tradewinds

Ultimo viaje

Pues nada, ya vamos camino de cargar y a la vuelta en la descarga me marcharé para casa (eso parece). Pero bueno, de momento son como 18 días más, así que aun queda... pero bueno, esto si que es la cuenta atrás!!!

Salvando a los de Salvamento...

TUG SINKS OFF PORTUGAL

Operator Boluda blames bad weather for loss of V.B. Antartico, but all crew safe.

A Spanish tug has sunk off Portugal, but all 11 crew were rescued. Operator Boluda blamed bad weather in the Atlantic for the loss of the 9,000-hp Cartagena-based V.B. Antartico (built 1977) on 15 May, 70 miles offshore.

The crew, 10 Cubans and a Spaniard, were picked up by K Line's 140,000-cbm LNG carrier Arctic Voyager (built 2006) and Columbia Shipmanagement's 8,600-dwt chemical tanker UCT Elizabeth (built 2004).

The LNG ship was heading to Brest in France with the men on Tuesday. The tug was towing a floating dock to La Coruna.

Accidentes curiosos

Os dejo un par de noticias curiosas de Tradewinds, más que nada por que uno se produjo por que el capitán y el oficial de guardia estaban jugando al ordenador en el puente y en el otro se sospecha que el causante de la embarrancada fue el último combate de la megaestrella filipina de boxeo Mani Pacquiao, aunque ha sido negado esto último por el capitán.

La verdad es que ambas situaciones son lamentables, más aún si cabe el tema del remolcador en el mismo bajo que tuvo su fatídico accidente el EXXON VALDES. En el caso del bulkcarrier, es más preocupante la recuperación del arrecife en el que se clavó:

CAPTAIN "PLAYING GAMES"

Tug spilled oil after grounding in Alaska because master was distracted by game of Hearts on computer, USCG says.

A tug ran aground off the US because the inattentive captain was playing video games, the US Coast Guard (USCG) said. The 538-gt Pathfinder (built 1970) grounded on Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef, site of the Exxon Valdez disaster, in 2009, spilling 6,400 gallons of oil.

It was part of a navigation safety system established in the aftermath of the 1989 tanker spill to guide vessels through the sound. But the Crowley Marine Services-operated vessel struck the same submerged reef that ripped open the hull of the Exxon Valdez.

The preliminary USCG report said captain Eugene Monsen changed Pathfinder's course despite losing track of the vessel's precise location, increased speed and failed to properly communicate with other officers.

"The fact that he went to the computer to play video games after a course change further aggravates the situation and amplifies the lack of attention on the bridge between the master and second mate," the report said.

Monsen was playing Hearts and other games on the computer and had his back to the bridge's front window, the report said. The Coast Guard report noted that the captain and the second mate had violated Crowley's operating policies.

But the report also recommended the company update its policies, calling for new provisions to address crew members' use of cell phones and recreational electronic devices.

The USCG also should consider some new rules or policies about use of such devices, the report said.

"Games, music, phone calls to far-away family are a strong temptation and could easily distract a ship's officer from maintaining a proper lookout," the report said.

Crowley spokesman Mark Miller said that Pathfinder's captain and second mate were fired after they were determined to have violated policies. The incident was an aberration for the company, which has a long history of operating throughout Alaska, he added.

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PACQUIAO NOT TO BLAME

Master of grounded bulker Double Prosperity denies all the crew were watching big boxing match at time of accident.

The master of the grounded bulker Double Prosperity has denied all the crew were watching a big boxing match at the time of the incident off the Philippines.

Local mayor Danny Martinez has speculated that the 77,000-dwt Japanese-owned vessel (built 2005) grounded on Sunday during the televised bout between Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao and American Shane Mosley in Las Vegas.

But the captain told local TV that the cause of the grounding on a coral reef was due to a miscalculation.

The Yano Kaiun ship will be stuck off Sarangani for two weeks before it can be refloated. It will be 20 years before the damaged coral will recover, experts said.

Double Prosperity was carrying 65,000 tonnes of coal to Indian from Australia.

Maersk se desprende de los LNG

Todo no van a ser nuevas construcciones en el mercado, ahora Maersk se desprende de su división de metaneros, 8 barcos con menos de 10 años, algunos de los cuales están fletados a Rasgas. Veremos a ver quién se queda con el paquete...

MAERSK LNG UP FOR GRABS

Danish shipowner hangs a for sale sign on its gas carriers as it is not in a position to be a leader in the red hot market.

AP Moller-Maersk has placed its LNG shipping arm on the auction block despite it turning a profit in the first quarter of the year. Maersk's move to offload the business comes at a time when many of its rivals in the sector are splashing out on newbuildings.

Nils Andersen, CEO of AP Moller, said in a conference call: "We believe there will be demand for it and we are also not selling it unless we get a good price." He added: "We are willing to leave an area like LNG when we find we are not in a position to really make a difference for our customers or influence the industry due to small scale."

He would not be drawn on when the sale will be completed but did reveal the unit is expected to remain profitable for the remainder of the year due to a strong spot market.

Maersk entered the LNG shipping sector in 1975. Today it has eight LNG carriers in its fleet, all of which are under 10 years old. Maersk has been selling off non-core assets for some time. However, Andersen says it presently has no plans to exit any other shipping sectors.

LNG is presently enjoying a boom which has led to newbuilding orders in the first quarter swamping the figure seen in the previous three years. It has also spawned three IPOs with John Fredriksen's Golar LNG Partners floating on the Nasdaq and both Awilco and Hoegh LNG looking to list in Oslo.

Maersk today booked a forecast-shattering profit of over $1bn for the first quarter.

Fuente: Tradewinds

Quien quiere mercenarios cuando hay jubilados...

DECKCHAIRS DECK PIRATES

Angry pensioners reveal how they fought off attack on cruiseship MSC Melody armed only with furniture.

Who needs guns and water cannon to repel pirates when you've got a posse of angry pensioners armed with deckchairs?

Details of the extraordinary scrap on the 1,064-berth MSC Melody (built 1982) off Africa in April 2009 have come to light after a retired UK couple settled a legal claim with MSC Cruises.

John and Barbara Jeffrey were with a group socialising on deck late at night when they first spotted a small boat following their liner, then looked on in horror as a pirate attached a rope to a lower deck and began shinning up it.

The holidaymakers threw everything they could at the man and he finally fell into the sea when a German hit him with a flying deckchair.

That enraged the other raiders, who began firing machine guns at the cruiseship.

Mr Jeffrey, 65, from North Tyneside, told the Evening Chronicle newspaper: "They were still close to the ship at this point so they didn't have a great angle to hit us. I think they were trying to scare us off so they could try with another rope, but we stood our ground and continued throwing things at the boat.

"They then pulled away from the boat and started firing at us. I was amazed at how calm everyone was."

The couple took cover inside the ship but bullets ripped through its hull, and Mr Jeffrey, a retired builder, took a glancing blow from one and was more seriously injured by shrapnel from another. Crew members eventually saw off the pirates by using water hoses to thwart their attempts to swarm aboard.

A spokeswoman for MSC Cruises said: "Passengers' safety is always paramount to us and security procedures were well in place at the time to protect the passengers from the alleged risk of piracy.

Fuente: Tradewinds

"MSC can confirm that they did not and do not accept any legal
responsibility for the incident, which was unforeseeable as it has been the
first reported case of an attack to a passenger vessel. There was adequate
security present on board during Mr and Mrs Jeffery's cruise.

"The security personnel on board took all available steps including the
deployment of water hoses. There were a few passengers who observed the
incident and tried to throw deckchairs at the pirates. This was not
necessary and the situation was well under control by the vessel."

Contra la pirateria... Teekay

Que la piratería está siendo una lacra en el medio marino los últimos años no tenemos ninguna duda, la duda es cómo atajar el problema, que cada día se está transformando en una bola más grande. Aquí os dejo las declaraciones a Tradewinds de uno de los directivos de nuestra naviera:

SAVE OUR SEAFARERS TOP ISSUE
Teekay's Dev Hildebrand warns piracy is key risk management concern but he also wants underwriters to be more innovative.

The need for underwriters to be more responsive to industry requirements and for a more effective response to piracy are the key risk management issues according to Teekay insurance chief, Dev Hildebrand.

Hildebrand wants underwriters to be more innovative in developing bespoke products to cope with the increasing sophistication of top shipowners.

"Teekay has grown a lot in last 12 years or so. We have moved from a relatively simple operation to a much more complex one with different types of ships, offshore production units and LNG shipping. As a result of that have to ensure we have ability to place these risks on a sensible way on a portfolio basis in addition to that we do projects and conversions. So we do need to look at these things in more holistic way rather than placing them in a commodity market.

"Risks have become more complex. We can no longer try to fit contracts and projects into insurance contracts, that are sometimes a historic carry over in the market. These days we really need to look at things and try to find innovative solutions in the insurance products. Those insurers that are doing this are going to have an advantage with companies like us. By and large the market is doing a pretty good job but there is a little more that needs to be done," he explained.

"Piracy is a real worry for those of us involved in shipping. It is a travesty that almost 600 people being held hostage right now. I encourage you to go to www.saveourseafarers.com if you have not done so and send a letter to your government. It is very easy to do we definitely need to keep the pressure up," added Hildebrand.

Naturaleza

Una de las cosas que ya tenía olvidada debido a mi anterior horario era el tema de los atardeceres y los amaneceres en la mar. Generalmente veía los atardeceres de ciento en viento, por que siempre estábamos haciendo alguna cosilla dentro del barco y se me pasaba.

Pero ahora con este nuevo horario cada día es un espectáculo, y estoy aprovechando para hacer unas cuantas fotos de lo que veo prácticamente a diario.

Os dejo una de muestra de lo que estuve viendo ayer, ya os iré poniendo algunas más cuando desembarque...

Las proximas traducidas

Aunque la mayoría de las noticias que encuentro a bordo mientras que estoy embarcado las tengo en inglés, voy a ver si las voy traduciendo para que sean más cómodas de leer para la mayoría de las visitas al blog.

Además, siempre me viene bien de cara a mejorar mi inglés y el nivel de redacción. De todas formas creo que en la barra de la derecha tenéis acceso a Google Translator para que os lo haga directamente. Pero bueno, a ver si me pongo manos a la obra con ello.

Un saludo a tod@s y buen fin de semana.

Un par de noticias prefin de semana

Ambas sacadas de Tradewinds. Qué ganas tenemos que pongan internet para actualizar más a menudo y mejor (¿alguien dijo fotos?)

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Atacan a un portacontenedores con lanzagranadas en el Mar de Arabia
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Three rocket propelled grenades fired during attack on container vessel in the Arabian Sea leave their mark. An Evergreen containership has been damaged following a hostile attack by pirates in the Arabian Sea.

Rocket propelled grenades hit cabins and the kitchen area of the 3,428-teu Ital Glamour (built 1987) during the 30 minute assault yesterday morning.

According to the ship's owner, Evergreen arm Italia Marittima, bomb disposal experts from an Italian warship are now onboard to check no unexploded grenades remain.

Six pirates attacked the boxship in the early hours of Wednesday as it made its way to Saudi Arabia from Malaysia. At least three rocket propelled grenades were fired as the gang looked to take control of the vessel.

One has damaged the owner's cabin, a second struck the chief mate's quarters and a third hit the pantry near the galley. A source at Italia Marittima confirms there are no injuries to the 22 crew following the drama.

There were no armed guards on board the vessel, but evasive manoeuvres by the master and the use of fire pumps were sufficient to avoid hijack.

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Pasajera desaparecida en un crucero
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US Coast Guard resumes attempt to find passenger who disappeared from Celebrity Millennium.

The US Coast Guard (USCG) was due to resume a search for a female passenger missing from a cruiseship off Mexico on Wednesday. The woman could not be found on the 2,034-berth Celebrity Millennium (built 2000) on Tuesday and was presumed to have fallen overboard between San Diego and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.

The 65-year-old, whose name was not released, did not show up for a customs check when the vessel docked in San Diego, which was the first US port of call after the ship stopped in Mexico.

"She was back on the boat after Cabo and was seen aboard the ship while in transit, and then she came up missing in San Diego," the USCG said.

Air crews are scanning an area of sea 175 miles long. The FBI is also investigating the disappearance.

Radioactividad sobre 4 ruedas...

Parece que vamos a pasar de coches ecológicos a coches radioactivos, al menos en cuanto a las marcas japonesas se refiere.

Me imagino que después del desastre en Fukushima tendremos noticias de este pelo de aquí a bastante tiempo. Ahora ha sido en Chile donde se han encontrado trazas de radioactividad en unos cuantos coches importados desde Japón:

RADIATION ON CAR CARRIER

Chilean port workers protest after low level of radioactivity found on vehicles within Hyundai No 106.

Port workers have protested in Chile after traces of radioactivity were found on cars within a Eukor-operated vehicle carrier.

About 100 dockers believed their health was at risk in the port of Iquique after the 4,800-car-capacity Hyundai No. 106 (built 1987) arrived over the weekend. Customs agents detected low levels of radioactivity in 21 of 2,500 cars shipped from the Japanese port of Yokohama, following the problems with the nuclear power plant at Fukishima after the earthquake and tsunami in March.

But Chilean deputy treasury secretary Miguel Angel Quesada said that the Chilean nuclear commission confirmed the radioactivity was too low to cause damage to humans.

He added the cars will be hosed down on board and any radioactivity will be contained inside the ship, owned by Zodiac.

Fuente: TRADEWINDS

(No he encontrado foto más grande del barco en cuestión...)

Y sobre el astillero de Nakilat en Ras Laffan...

Aquí tenéis la última noticia. Después del megaastillero que se han cascado los cataríes para el mantenimiento de su flota de metaneros, han comenzado también a rentabilizarlo haciendo mantenimiento de barcos ajenos.

Normal, con la cantidad de tráfico que existe en la zona y la cantidad de metaneros que van a cargar a su terminal que no son propios, era lo lógico esta apertura al exterior. La pela es la pela, y su competencia directa en el Golfo Pérsico (el astillero que hay en Dubai) últimamente ha bajado el nivel de calidad bastante. A ver si con competencia se vuelven a poner las pilas...

N-KOM GETS DOWN TO WORK ON FIRST FOREIGN-PARTNERED LNG CARRIER

Qatar's new $3.5 billion shipyard has taken in its first foreign-partnered LNG carrier as the complex gears up for its maiden year of operation.

N-KOM (Nakilat-Keppel Offshore Marine), a joint venture between Qatar's special shipowning vehicle and one of Singapore's leading shipyards, has played host to the RasGaschartered 145,700-cbm Simaisma (built 2006, pictured), which is owned by Greece's Maran Gas Maritime.

The massive yard, which was opened in November, has been designed primarily to cater for Qatar's huge 54-ship LNG carrier fleet. However, the facility will also provide repair, maintenance and shipbuilding facilities for a wide range of vessels that will serve the tiny Gulf state and the Middle East region.

N-KOM chairman Mohammed Ghannam, who is also Nakilat managing director, said phases one and two of the yard are now completed and operational. It has already received several Q-Flex LNG carriers controlled by Nakilat.

Fuente: LNG UNLIMITED

Sobre el Arctic Spirit...

ARCTIC SPIRIT GETS JOB AS SHUTTLE FOR PUERTO ESCOBAR

Investment bank Morgan Stanley's LNG trading arm has snapped up a mid-size vessel controlled by Teekay to act as a shuttle ship for Argentina's second import facility. Morgan Stanley officials confirmed the company has chartered the 89,900-cbm Arctic Spirit (built 1993)until 2014.

The LNG carrier is expected to be used for the next six months to ship cargoes to the upcoming Puerto Escobar facility 30 miles from capital Buenos Aires. It is due to be commissioned next month. Rate details have yet to emerge.

Earlier this month Morgan Stanley scooped a deal to supply the bulk of the cargoes required by Argentina's state energy company Enarsa. The trader is expected to provide 14 shipments, which are likely to be sourced from Nigeria and Trinidad.

Spain's Stream is understood to be supplying the remaining 30% of the required volumes. Arctic Spirit will be used to ship cargoes to Excelerate Energy's 150,900-cbm regasification vessel Exemplar (built 2010), which has been chartered to act as the import terminal. The vessel is able to send out up to 500 million cubic feet per day of vaporised gas.

While the regas unit can be put in place, the waters of the Parana River where it will be moored are too shallow to allow for a fully laden LNG carrier to approach.

Sources at Enarsa have indicated they expect to use a mix of partly lightered cargoes on conventional vessels, full smaller ships such as Arctic Spirit, and cargoes that have been partially discharged at Argentina's more southerly Bahia Blanca GasPort.

The first two solutions are the more likely, they commented.

The ice-class winterised Arctic Spirit is one of the few LNG carriers worldwide to have been built with the SPB-type containment system. This eliminates sloshing and allows for any tankfilling level, which could be advantageous when conducting ship-to-ship transfer operations.

Fuente: LNG UNLIMITED

3 noticias provenientes de LNG Unlimited

Os dejo 3 noticias que he leido en LNG UNLIMITED:

- Una sobre Enagas y su aumento de capacidad en las terminales de las que disponen

- Otra sobre el Arctic Spirit, uno de los LNGs de nuestra compañía que ha conseguido ser fletado para la nueva terminal de Argentina en Puerto Escobar

- y la última sobre el astillero que los catarís han construido en Ras Laffan, que pude ver el año pasado en las 2 ocasiones que cargarmos allí.

Storage expansion drive draws to close at Enagas

Spain's Enagas has completed a wave of nationwide LNG storage capacity expansion projects. Compatriot terminal operator Saggas is also nearing completion of its last tank at Sagunto.

An eighth tank at Enagas's largest import terminal at Barcelona has begun operations. The addition of the 150,000 cubic-metre unit takes total storage capacity to 840,000 cubic metres at the plant, which can send out nearly 17.1 billion cubic metres per annum.

Sources had previously indicated the tank would be operational during the first half of this year. Its on-time Leading Spanish terminal player opens latest tank at Barcelona site completion caps an expansion programme that brought new storage and marine infrastructure across the company's three wholly owned terminals.

In recent months, Enagas launched operations of a new jetty at Barcelona that allowed Qatar's massive Q-Max vessels to call. The company, which also operates Spain's pipeline network, launched
operations of tank number 7 just last year. Enagas recently started up a fifth storage tank at its
11.8 Bcma Huelva LNG terminal. Last year, the fifth tank at Cartagena wentonline.

The three terminals now have total storage capacity of nearly 2.04 million cubic metres of LNG. Although Enagas put any further expansion of the facilities off the table last year, it is building the 8 Bcma El Musel LNG terminal at Gijon in northern Spain. Also, its 40%-owned Bahia Bizkaia Gas terminal near Bilbao is gearing up to start construction of a new tank, and Enagas is poised to take a stake in a terminal project in the Canary Islands.

Meanwhile, Sagunto LNG operator Saggas is preparing to commission its fourth tank this summer. A spokeswoman declined to disclose a more exact timeframe. The tank will begin commercial operations
towards the end of this year, bringing total storage capacity to 600,000 cubic metres.

The 8.76 Bcma terminal is owned by Gas Natural Fenosa, Deutche Bank arm RREEF, Osaka Gas and Oman Oil Holdings.

Fuente: LNG UNLIMITED

Lento avance...

Parece que, por fin, se ponen plazos definitivos a la liberalización de la AP-1, aunque los plazos me parecen totalmente desorbitados y abusivos, más ahora que la voy a tener que usar a menudo:

FOMENTO HARÁ UN INFORME SOBRE COMO SE ADAPTARÁ EN 2018 LA AP-1 A AUTOVÍA

El Defensor del Pueblo, a través de la defensora en funciones, María Luisa Cava de Llano y Carrió, ha solicitado a la Dirección General de Carreteras del Ministerio de Fomento «un informe complementario comunicando las actuaciones que finalmente se lleven a cabo para transformar la AP-1 en autovía libre de peaje entre Miranda y Burgos».

Es la actuación que el órgano consultivo nacional ha decidido hacer una vez que el Ministerio haya dado respuesta a su requerimiento sobre la necesidad de liberar la AP-1 mientras no haya una solución definitiva a los problemas de la N-I. Un requerimiento surgido por una queja formulada por el PCAL, cuya respuesta se ha dado este mismo mes.

En la carta remitida por la defensora al partido en Miranda, el Ministerio reconoce que no será hasta 2018, cuando acaba la concesión de la autopista, cuando proceda a la «adaptación de la AP-1 como autovía, con las adecuaciones que sean necesarias en lo referente a señalización, accesos, etc». Algo que Fomento justifica en que adelantar la reversión de la vía «implicaría una indemnización incompatible actualmente con el Plan de Estabilidad y ajuste del déficit público». Argumento por el cual también se defiende desde Madrid la anulación del proceso para hacer autovía la N-I.

Nada dice Fomento, por ejemplo -y el PCAL espera que sea algo sobre lo que se pronuncie-, sobre si se hará un tercer carril en todo el trazado. Desde este partido, que censuró la política del PSOE en esta materia, se recordó que es el propio Ministerio el que en su informe reconoce que la N-I soporta hasta 15.000 vehículos diarios entre Miranda y Burgos, 4.500 pesados, y que presenta deterioro del firme, agrietamientos y baches.

No obstante Fomento recuerda que hay aprobado un gasto de 18 millones para rehabilitar el firme entre Miranda y Burgos, y otras mejoras, como la que se acomete entre Monasterio de Rodilla y Cubo de Bureba (36,25 millones) y las variantes de Monasterio (21,40 millones) y Santa María Ribarredonda (8,60 millones). Unas obras que Fomento valora «contribuirán sin duda a mejorar significativamente el estado de la actual carretera».

Desde el PCAL creen que visto el informe, en el que el propio Ministerio reconoce la peligrosidad, las deficiencias y la saturación de la vía, es necesario actuar de inmediato y no esperar todavía hasta el año 2018 para dar una solución efectiva al problema de la N-I. «No tendrá seguridad si no es con un desdoblamiento de calzadas y eliminando la posibilidad de que se produzcan choques frontales», dijo el líder del PCAL en la ciudad, Pablo Sevilla.

Orón - Bardauri

El PCAL valoró el nuevo vial previsto por la Sepes entre Orón y Bardauri, explicando que la solución al problema del tráfico y comunicaciones en la zona debe ser «más completa» con una unión a la carretera de Ircio. También propuso que se articule una fórmula para que las canteras de la zona paguen «un canon de paso» que ayude a la conservación de las vías.

Fuente: Diario de Burgos

Malas noticias

Aunque espero que sea un asunto puntual (y totalmente temporal), ya que conozco a mucha gente que trabaja allí. Mucho ánimo!!!

Montefibre lleva al ERE a 224 trabajadores un máximo de 60 días

Montefibre llevará finalmente a 224 de sus 350 trabajadores al Expediente de Regulación de Empleo (ERE) anunciado hace semanas. Y lo hará gracias la aprobación de dicha regulación temporal que Trabajo ha autorizado, después de que la empresa decidiera tramitarlo tras la asamblea de trabajadores en la que la propuesta hecha por la dirección para llegar a un acuerdo fuera rechazada por la mayoría de la plantilla.

Ayer ya se colgó por parte de la Dirección en los tablones de anuncio de la planta un escrito en el que se explicaba que Trabajo había notificado la aprobación del ERE el día 27 de abril. No obstante, los representantes de los trabajadores no conocían oficialmente esta aprobación, y desde Trabajo, en el resumen de los ERE tramitados a fecha de ayer, la solicitud seguía apareciendo como pendiente, por lo que es probable que sea hoy cuando se oficialice.

El expediente que tramitó Montefibre contempla que en él estarán afectados 224 operarios, principalmente de producción, durante un periodo máximo de seis meses de aplicación y durante un máximo de 60 días naturales para cada trabajador. No obstante, se espera que una parte importante de ellos no supere los 30 días de forzado descanso.

Respecto a las condiciones económicas con las que se irán al paro obligatorio durante este periodo, en el planteamiento de la multinacional dedicada a la fabricación de fibras sintéticas se ofrecía un complemento para llegar al 100% del sueldo de todos los operarios afectados. Sin embargo, al tramitarse sin acuerdo entre empresa y trabajadores, los operarios cobrarán la retribución que les corresponda por desempleo, que podría estar de media en un 70% del salario habitual.

En la nota de la empresa se recoge que el inicio de la aplicación del expediente temporal está previsto para el día 1 de mayo (este domingo), por lo que se extenderá como máximo hasta el 31 de octubre. De los 224 trabajadores afectados, 214 son hombres y 10 mujeres. De esta manera la planta química de la multinacional de origen italiano reestructurará su actividad durante al menos medio año, justificando la necesidad de recurrir a este ERE temporal por razones productivas.

Y es que arrastra una falta de financiación para tener saldo y liquidez suficiente para la compra de materias primas con las que mantener su nivel de producción. Según se ha dado traslado a los representantes de los trabajadores las entidades financieras no acceden a las peticiones de crédito ya que no confían en la estabilidad económica de la planta.

Y eso que la fábrica mirandesa cerró el año 2010 con beneficios y no se ha visto duramente afectada por la crisis como ha ocurrido con otras plantas. Tanto que mantiene un programa de contratos relevo y en los últimos meses ha incorporado trabajadores, y hasta trabaja en un proyecto para renovar su planta eléctrica de cogeneración que supone unos 20 millones de euros de inversión. Por el contrario, y aunque no directamente vinculado con la planta de Miranda, el grupo italiano sí atraviesa ciertas dificultades en Italia.

Cabe recordar que el pasado 1 de abril se votó en asamblea de trabajadores el preacuerdo con la empresa. De los 146 trabajadores presentes, 43 votaron a favor, 89 lo hicieron en contra y se entregaron 14 papeletas en blanco.

Fuente: Diario de Burgos