Dutch dredging company Royal Boskalis Westminster has awarded towage company Fairmount a contract to tow the trailing suction hopper dredger WD Fairway from China to Thailand, where the vessel will be repaired.

The dredger, which was holed amidships in a collision with the container vessel MSC Joanna in China, will be the maiden tow for Fairmount Expedition.

The vessels are currently en route and due to arrive in Thailand on or about August 13th.

source: Dredging News Online

Tags : Boskalis, Fairmount, towage, WD Fairway, Fairmount Expedition

Ever receive e-mails offering you business opportunities that sound too good to be true? Well, they probably are.

Internet fraudsters (using e-mail, websites, chat rooms, message boards, etc. as their preferred tools) have become more daring over recent years. In some cases violence and threats of physical harm may be employed to further pressure victims. The on-line scams know no national borders or boundaries; they respect no investigative jurisdictions. But, as with all scammers, they have one objective �EUR” to separate you from your money!

Internet Fraud schemes originate from US and European countries, but a significant proportion seems to come from Africa, particularly Nigeria, and sometimes from Egypt.

Internet Scammers will attempt to obtain private personal or company data (names, back account details, social security number, addresses, etc.) to scam their victims out of their money.

There are some simple tips when doing business with people/companies you don’t know :

- Do business with companies you know and trust. If you don’t know them, check them out (use the Web, check their references, ask for their VAT number and proof of incorporation)
- Understand the offer. Get all the details and promises in writing.
- Check all bills and invoices carefully. It’s hard to get your money back once you’ve paid it to a con artist.
- Guard your financial or other account information. Don’t provide it to anyone unless there is a legitimate reason to do so as part of a transaction.
- Educate your employees about avoiding scams. Make sure they understand their roles and responsibilities.

Useful websites:
- You can file an Internet Crime Complaint here.
- Oil Offshore Marine will research the legitimacy of any offer
- Internet Crime Report 2006

Tags : internet fraud, IC3

Finavera Renewables Inc. has signed an exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to acquire a 20 megawatt (MW) wind farm in Germany, subject to completion of a final purchase and sale agreement and due diligence. The wind farm project is currently under construction and is expected to reach commercial operation in December 2007.

Finavera Renewables CEO Jason Bak said, “This opportunity is an important milestone in the development of our Company as we grow from a project developer to an owner-operator and asset manager. This project is already under construction and is anticipated to generate clean, green electricity by the end of this year.”

“Detailed due diligence thus far has made us aware of several factors that make this project very attractive: it has a two tranche debt financing package offered by a major German lender, there is a guaranteed power sales agreement until 2027, and it provides the company with the opportunity for near-term revenue,” added Bak.

Key project highlights include:

�EUR� A Feed-in Tariff power sales agreement providing long term
predictable cash flow as the German Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (”EEG”) guarantees a sales price of EUR 0.0819 cents per kWh fed into the grid until 2027.

�EUR� The Project has an estimated electricity yield of 38,550,000 kWh at
P50 levels.

�EUR� The Project will utilize ten proven 2MW turbines, under
warranty by the manufacturer and subject to a 12-year maintenance agreement with the same German turbine manufacturer.

�EUR� The Project Vendor is a leading developer in the German wind energy
sector and is responsible for the installation and operation of more than 50 MW of wind projects.

Bak concluded, “This acquisition strategy represents the next stage in the corporate development of our company… Generated profits can then be reinvested in achieving key wind project milestones and the development of our AquaBuOY wave energy technology.”

source: Renewable Energy Access

Tags : Finavera, wind farm, AquaBuOY,

German utility E.On AG said Tuesday it is buying Energi E2 Renovables Ibericas, which operates wind farms in Spain and Portugal, from Denmark’s DONG Energy in a deal worth �,�722 million (US$997 million).

E.On said E2 currently has a generating capacity in Spain and Portugal of about 260 megawatts, mostly from wind farms but also including smaller hydroelectric and biomass plants.

It has further wind farms with an extra capacity of 560 megawatts planned for completion in the next four years.

The deal’s total value includes �,�256 million (US$354 million) in net debt to be assumed by E.On, the Duesseldorf-based company said.

“Energi E2 Renovables Ibericas ideally supplements our future activities in Spain,” Chief Executive Wulf Bernotat said. “Wind power will play an important role in our future energy mix.”

On Monday, E.On won European Union approval to buy Spanish power utility Viesgo from Enel SpA and acquire additional generation capacity from Endesa SA, making it the fourth-largest player on the Spanish power market.

source: International Herald Tribune

Tags : E.ON, wind farm

German-based energy company E.ON is planning to build a massive windfarm off the Yorkshire coast.

The company says that the windfarm could have as many as 83 turbines, which will be around 410 feet high and visible from the Holderness coast. However, there is dismay among fishermen as they say that the windfarm will be located in one of the top shellfish areas - with boats from Bridlington and Withernsea and Hornsea fishing in the area.

Government regulations state that wind farms must have a 50 metre safety zone around them, which would mean Yorkshire fishermen being unable to fish in some of the most productive areas.

The Humber Gateway development will be located five miles off Easington and only eight miles from another proposed offshore wind farm - Westernmost Rough. This could mean that two fishing areas will be off-limits to local fishermen.
Fishermens�EUR(TM) representatives have condemned the plan, saying they are disgusted that no one had consulted them over the plans and that those who would be most affected were always the last to find out.

Only last year the fishermen of East Yorkshire suffered their equipment being damaged by illegal French fishing. This is another blow to a traditional industry of the Yorkshire coast.

source: British National Party

Tag: E.ON, windfarm, Humber Gateway

Norwegian offshore services group DeepOcean ASA said it has won a contract from India’s Reliance Industries for the provision of a multi-purpose subsea support vessel, in a deal worth 166 mln usd.

DeepOcean said the announced contract value concerns a fixed three-year period starting in December.

However, the contract also includes two additional one-year options that would, if exercised, increase the total contract value by 118 mln usd.

source: Forbes

Tags : DeepOcean, subsea, Reliance Industries

Jan De Nul Group finalises current investment program 2007 �EUR” 2010 by placing two major orders amounting to 400 mln Euro.

Today a contract was signed with Uljanik Shipyard in Pula, Croatia for the construction of a third self-propelled cutter suction dredger. This vessel will be identical to the two units under construction at the same Yard and is due for delivery early 2010.
These three identical cutter suction dredgers, each with an installed power of 23 520 kW and a construction weight of 11 000 ton, will incorporate all know-how acquired from the construction and operation of the Marco Polo (built in 1979), the Leonardo da Vinci (1985) and the J.F.J. De Nul (2003).

The Jan De Nul Group has formally ordered a second 46 000 m3 mega hopperdredger from the La Naval Shipyard in Sestao, Spain. The first unit will be available by the end of 2008, and the second identical one by the end of 2009. The Group now has 5 hopperdredgers under construction, ranging from 3 700 to 46 000 m3 hoppercapacity, with a total of 110 700 m3. This will bring the total capacity of the Jan De Nul Group fleet of hopperdredgers from 155 000 to 265 000 m3, an increase of 70 %. With these investments the Jan De Nul Group continues its expansion, building state of the art vessels in shipyards in Holland, Spain, Croatia, Korea and China.

The current 1,25 billion Euro investment program 2007 �EUR” 2010 now consists of 19 vessels, i.e.:
- Two 46 000 m3 mega hopperdredgers.
- Two 7 500 m3 hopperdredgers.
- Three 23 520 kW self-propelled cutter suction dredgers.
- One 6000 ton side stone dumping vessel.
- One 32 000 ton fallpipe & mining vessel.
- Three very large backhoe dredgers, with buckets up to 40 m³.
- Two 3 700 m3 splitbarges.
- One 3 700 m3 splithopperdredger.
- Four 1 800 m3 splitbarges.

The first delivery will be done this year, and deliveries will continue until early 2010.

The fleet expansion triggers an increase in Jan De Nul Group�EUR(TM)s workforce from the actual 4000 with 850 seaman and 400 staff to over 5250 people. The investment programme further strengthens the dominant position of Jan De Nul Group in the dredging industry. Its balanced, versatile fleet, with an average age of 10.7 years in 2010 will prove to be the major asset in executing the most challenging projects and servicing our worldwide clients.

source: Jan De Nul

Tags : dredging, Jan De Nul, cutter suction dredger, Uljanik Shipyard

© International Marine Consultancy

The tug will be delivered in the first half of September in Denmark. She will be renamed “Poseidon” and her trading area will be the Baltic.

BRIEF SPECS “Poseidon”

Built by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. East Isle Canada September 2006

Length overall: 30,80 m.
Length betw. p.p.: 29.00 m.
Breadth moulded: 11,19 m.
Depth moulded: 5,21 m.
Draft moulded: 5,55 m.
Gross tonnage: 360

Speed max: 12,5 kn.
Max range 50 % load: 5000 Nav.m.

Class: Lloyds Register *100 A1 tug, fifi(2400cbm)w/waterspray, LMC 06/02, UMS DIRP 06/02
Iceclass 1A
Trading area: Sea area A3 (worldwide) Main engines: 2 of CAT 3516
Each developing 1875 kw
2 of Rolls Royce 225 Controllable Pitch Azimuth Propellers 1 x bowthruster 260 kw
Auxiliary machinery:
2 of gen. sets 2 x 165 kW
Firefigting water monitors: 2 of 1200 m3/h.

Towing equipment etc:
Certified bollard pull: 60 t.
Towing winch, max brake force: 150 t.
Hawser winch, max braking force: 150 t.
Towing wire: ø 51 mm 762 m.
Line handling winch fore 150 t
Hydraulic 8�EUR� Tow pins:
Electric tugger winch 10 t. Electric Capstan: 3 t. Hydraulic crane: 10 t at 3 m arm.

Navigation equipment etc.:
2 ARPA Radars.
Gyro.
Autopilot.
Transas chartplotter Echo sounder.
GMDSS radiostation.
Navtex.
DGPS Navigator
GPS Navigator.
Accommodation for 6 persons.

source: Alfons Håkans