Xiamen Minhua Shipping has specified a Steelpaint corrosion protection system for a trio of newbuild multi-purpose cargo ships building at Fujian Shipbuilding’s yards in China. The order marks the Germany-based coatings specialist’s first newbuilding contract with a Chinese shipowner.

The first vessel in the series, the 12,000dwt Min Hua 9 delivered from the Fujian Hengsheng shipyard in June, is now operating with a Stelpant-PU-Zinc universal primer protecting steel cargo holds, hatch covers, decks, topsides and hatch coamings against corrosion.

The polyurethane and zinc-based primer will also protect sisterships Min Hua 15 and Min Hua 16, both of which are under construction at the Fujian Donghai Shipyard, with deliveries scheduled for December 2024 and November 2025.

With its high-solid formulation and finely meshed zinc pigments Stelpant-PU-Zinc can be applied in temperatures ranging from -5°C to +50°C, and with a relative humidity level as high as 98%.

For tank tops and lower stools/hoppers, Steelpaint recommends a film thickness of 2 x 80µm after grit blasting to Sa2.5, while other areas need only one 80µm coat before a 120µm application of a conventional topcoat epoxy.

Compatible with most top-coats without the need of a tiecoat,…

ADNOC Logistics and Services plc has taken delivery of Al Shelila, the first of six newbuild liquified natural gas (LNG) carriers from Jiangnan Shipyard in China. The vessel has been delivered two months ahead of schedule, with the remaining five expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026. Immediately after delivery Al Shelila will go on hire with a top-tier, global energy trader.

Al Shelila’s naming and delivery ceremony will be attended by His Excellency Muhannad Sulaiman Al Naqbi, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in Shanghai, Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S, Lin Ou, Chairman of Jiangnan Shipyard, Tony Liang, General Manager, Wanhua Chemical Group, Rong Yao of CSTC, Norbert Kray of DNV and Sebastien Fatet of GTT.

Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S, said: “We are proud to take delivery of ‘Al Shelila,’ from Jiangnan Shipyard. In Arabic, ‘Shelila’ represents strength and grace, qualities that reflect the legacy of our forefathers’ vessels. As we expand our fleet to meet rising global demand for natural gas, our deepening partnership with Jiangnan Shipyard underscores the strong industrial ties between the UAE and China, reinforcing our shared commitment to powering global economic…

The U.S. Department of Energy’s loans office said on Friday it has finalized a loan of $1.3 billion to ENTEK Lithium Separators to finance a plant in Indiana for making lithium-ion battery separators used mostly in electric vehicles.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The Loan Programs Office is racing to finalize billions of dollars in loans to companies developing cutting-edge technologies expected to help speed an energy transition and curb climate change.

The loan was offered conditionally in July through the LPO’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which that has $40 billion in direct lending authority.

It is uncertain whether President-elect Donald Trump would finalize any outstanding LPO loans if the administration of President Joe Biden does not complete pending loans before leaving office on Jan. 20. Trump’s incoming administration plans to target federal regulations that aim to make vehicles more energy-efficient and spark a shift toward EVs.

WHAT ARE BATTERY SEPARATORS?
Battery separators play a key role in the performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries. Separators produced at the project in Terre Haute, Indiana, will accommodate all existing lithium-ion EV battery chemistries, the LPO has said.

BY THE NUMBERS
The project is…

The Federal Communications Commission voted 5-0 to propose new rules governing undersea internet cables in the face of growing security concerns in the wake of two fiber-optic undersea telecommunication cables being severed in the Baltic Sea this week, which is suspected to be sabotage.

The FCC eyes new rules to address the national security concerns over the global network of more than 400 subsea cables that handle more than 98% of international internet traffic.

“With the expansion of data centers, rise of cloud computing, and increasing bandwidth demands of new large language models, these facilities are poised to grow even more critical,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said.

Rosenworcel noted that in 2023 Taiwan accused two Chinese vessels of cutting the only two cables that support internet access on the Matsu Islands and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea may have been responsible for the cutting of three cables providing internet service to Europe and Asia.

“While the details of these incidents remain in dispute, what is clear is that these facilities — with locations that are openly published to prevent damage — are becoming a target,” Rosenworcel said.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said “turning undersea cables into a political and…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has secured multiple new contracts and contract extensions, whose combined value is $60 million.

Solstad secured one new contract, and one contract extension from Petrobras, for work offshore Brazil.

Namely, Petrobras awarded an 18-month firm contract for the construction support vessel (CSV) Normand Valiant. The start of the contract is scheduled for February 2025 in direct continuation of current contract.

Solastad also secured a contract extension for its anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel Normand Sagaris, whereby current contract with Petrobras in Brazil has been extended for 120 days until March 2025, when the vessel will start on its earlier announced three-year contract with the same client.

Aside from Petrobras contracts, Solstad also secured an extension for the AHTS Normand Sirius until August 2025, with an option to extend the contract with another 247 days, while a new 60 days contract has been entered into for the AHTS Normand Saracen.

Both vessels will support drilling campaigns offshore Western Australia.

Normand Valiant, Normand Sagaris, Normand Saracen and Normand Sirius are owned by Solstad Maritime Holding, in which Solstad Offshore ASA holds 27.3%.

…

“The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) has recovered since the start of November due to stronger capesize freight rates, but the index is still down 10% y/y. The capesize market has benefited from a 1% increase in shipments so far in November compared to October 2024 and November 2023. However, the increase has not been enough to recover to the highs seen during the first three quarters of 2024,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.

On  November 19, 2024, the BDI reached 1,627 points, up from 1,374 on 4 November. Before then, the index had gradually fallen since the end of September due to weaker capesize shipments. The capesize segment accounts for 40% of the BDI and therefore, changes in this market significantly impact the index.

Currently, the BDI is down 10% y/y despite a 4% y/y increase in the Baltic Capesize Index (BCI), as other segments continue to underperform. The BDI and BCI indices were much stronger during the first three quarters of 2024 when they rose by 41% y/y and 94% y/y respectively.

“This weakening in capesize spot rates has negatively impacted market sentiment. Since the start of October, one year time charter rates have fallen by 7%, while prices for five-year-old second hand capesizes have decreased by 2%,” says…