IHC Merwede is pleased to announce that it has recently secured assignments for vessels and equipment in its core markets of dredging and offshore to the value of €500 million. This further reinforces the group’s belief that there will be continued demand for its innovative vessels, advanced equipment and life-cycle support. Source: IHC Merwede, www.ihcmerwede.co...

STX Finland and Viking Line have signed a preliminary agreement for the construction of a new generation cruise ferry for Viking Line. The ship price will be about EUR240 million (US$314 million), and it will be built at STX Europe shipyard in Turku for delivery in the beginning of 2013. Source: Baird maritime, www.bairdmaritime...

The fully owned subsidiary of A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S, Mærsk Olie og Gas A/S ("Maersk Oil"), has agreed with SK Energy Co., Ltd. to acquire SK do Brasil Ltda. for USD 2.4 billion on a cash and debt-free basis. The acquisition is subject to customary conditions, including governmental approval and will not affect the 2010 financial result of A. P. Møller – Mærsk A/S. Source: Maersk, www.maersk.com/Pr...

Norwegian Saga Shipholding, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NYK, has placed an order at South Korean Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering for five 55,000 DWT open-hatch carriers for delivery between October 2012 and August 2013. Saga has also signed a contract with Japanese Oshima Shipbuilding for another two 55,000 DWT open-hatch vessels. Delivery is set for 2012 and 2013. Source: Shipgaz news, www.shipgaz.com/n...

Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Vinalines Container Shipping Company (VCSC) will launch a new joint service, the Thailand–Vietnam–Singapore (TVS) service, at the end of December. The TVS service will be operated by two 1,100 TEU vessels. NYK and VCSC will deploy one vessel each for this new joint service. The first vessel will be deployed by NYK on December 21, 2010, from Laem Chabang port. Ports of call for the 14-day rotation will be as follows: Laem Chabang (Tue/Tue), Ho Chi Minh (Thu/Fri), Haiphong (Sun/Mon), Ho Chi Minh (Wed/Thu), Singapore (Sat/Sun), and Laem Chabang. TVS will not only provide an express service from Thailand to North Vietnam but also strengthen the service network from North and South Vietnam to Singapore. Source: NYK, www.nyk.com/engli...

Weather permitting, Princess Cruise Line’s 2,300 passenger Sapphire Princess is scheduled to arrive in Santa Barbara today. A record number, seven cruise ships are scheduled to bring their passengers and pollutants to Santa Barbara in 2011. Here’s the memo…. “Santa Barbara welcomes another visit from Princess Cruise Line’s Sapphire Princess. Weather permitting, nearly 2,000 passengers will disembark at Sea Landing and flow into downtown shops and businesses from 9am to 4pm. With Christmas right around the corner, this visit is an ideal opportunity to shop for last minute gifts from charming Santa Barbara. Consider opening your doors early this Sunday to welcome cruise ship passengers, offer welcoming hospitality and give our guests a reason to come back to visit in the future.”

Cargotec, together with Patrick terminal operations and Patrick Automation, pioneered the world's first and only free ranging robotic straddle carrier terminal in Brisbane, Australia. Last month, the automated facility won Terminal of the Year at the 15th Annual Lloyd's List DCN Shipping and Maritime Industry Awards. Patrick's unmanned fleet consists of 27 fully automated Kalmar EDRIVE® straddle carriers. Source: Cargotec, www.cargotec.com/...

French containership giant CMA CGM Group has decided to implement an Emergency Port Congestion Surcharge (PCS) in the port of Sydney for CMA CGM services to and from Europe. “Operational situation at Sydney Port Botany has worsened over the last month and constant delays penalise CMA CGM vessels with additional over-consumption to ensure schedule integrity,” said CMA CGM in a statement. Source: Baird Maritime, www.bairdmaritime...

Petrobras and Statoil have struck oil in the Indra prospect in the Espirito Santo basin offshore Brazil. Petrobras is operator for licence BM-ES-32, Statoil holds a 40% stake. Source: Offshore 247, www.offshore247.c...

Maersk Oil will stop warning rig employees of impending environmental control surveillance flights, broadcaster DR reported on its website, citing Chief Executive Officer Jakob Thomasen. The decision follows criticism by the environmental protection agency that such warnings are counterproductive, Thomasen told the Copenhagen-based broadcaster. He added that such information did not make a difference as time would be too short to clean up a potential oil spill. Source: Maritime Danmark, www.maritimedanma...