• Saipem awards contract to Fairmount.

A contract has been signed by the company and Saipem for the charter of AHT Fairmount Summit for towage and anchor handling operations for Saipem’s Castoro Sei.

• Bourbon moves into subsea services field.

Bourbon is moving into subsea services with a US$2.5 billion investment over the next five years.

• Dredging protester stands by surfing stunt.

A surfer, fined yesterday for coming within metres of the dredging ship the Queen of the Netherlands, has defended his actions.

• Van Oord completes The World.
• Ferry may be grounded for a week.
• Somalis hijack newbuild Svitzer tug.

• Japan to build artificial islands for Sochi Olympics.
• European Maritime Day.

Press reports in The Netherlands say Jan de Nul’s mega trailing suction hopper dredger Vasco da Gama dredger has been damaged by fire, and could it be four months before the vessel is back in action.

“There is electrical damage in the engine control room”, a spokesman for the Belgian company told Thomson Financial News.

The news had fuelled talk that Boskalis could benefit from its competitor’s setback, with an Amsterdam-based trader saying this global capacity cut should underpin the group’s performance and reduces uncertainty on estimates.

The reduction of 33,000 m3 or about 3 pct of the total global capacity could mean that prices may go up again, increasing margins even further, according to the trader.

The report did not say when or where, or how the fire occured, or provide many details about the extent of the damage.

Brief specs Vasco da Gama:
Hopper capacity: 33,000 cbm
Dimensions: 201,40 x 36.2m
Suction pipe diameter: 1,400 mm
Deadweight: 59,000 ton
Propulsion power: 2 x 14,700 kW
Speed: 16,3 kts

source: Dredging News Online

Short movie of the creation of Palm Jumeirah island by dredging company Van Oord.

Educational video about a Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger.

Promotional video from Boskalis.

Onboard an unidentified backhoe dredger.

• New owners for Klyne Tugs.
• Tug Malta expanding.
• Boskalis and Van Oord build Second Maasvlakte.
• Salvage team raises chemical-laden sunken ship on Yangtze River.
• Vinci, Bouygues, Alstom in running to build new Panama Canal locks.
• EDT Towage invests in two PX105s.

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• Lerwick set for £12 million dredging contract.
• Cal Dive Acquires Horizon Offshore.
• Britain proposes massive offshore wind power investment.

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• Rumours say Jaisu Shipping is to set up a facility for the construction and repair of dredgers.
• Support for offshore wind farm schemes.
• Dutch debate building Tulip Island in North Sea.
• Oil Spill Devastates Korean Coast.
• Suez unit Degrement, Besix get 800 mln usd contract with Dubai’s Palm Utilities.
• Malaysia’s first dredge building shipyard will be built in Port Klang in the next two years.
• Salvage plan for stricken ship.
• SBM Offshore may get 1.5 bln usd FPSO contracts.

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• Dutch Consider New Ways of Holding Back the Waters.
• Ship stuck in the mud.
• Troubled waters over New Flame salvage operation.
• Superior Offshore International Extends Closing for Acquisition of Ocean Flow International.
• Vroon Offshore Services Acquires AHTS Acqua Azzurra.

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• Sovereign Exploration Associates International Inc. set uo new subsidiary.
• N54bn needed to dredge rivers Niger, Benue.
• StatoilHydro Acquires Two Blocks Offshore Brazil.
• Hercules Offshore to sell nine land rigs for $107M.
• Dredging marine sediments affects garden tomatoes.
• Russia steps up development of offshore technology.

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