Home PageServicesClientsNewsContact Us

Friday 19 January 2018

Liberia opens state-of-the-art maritime training institute

Liberia President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf officially opened the Liberia Maritime Training Institute (LMTI) at an inauguration ceremony in Marshall City, Liberia, on 5 January. The state-of-the-art facility is named after John G Bestman, former Liberian finance minister and a member of the board of governors of the Central Bank of Liberia.

Under the management of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), LMTI has undergone a massive renovation and facility modernisation programme over the past two years, resulting in the creation of a new campus and state-of-the-art facilities. There are currently 24 full-time cadet-students – selected after an exhaustive nationwide programme of interviews and examinations - studying mechanical and electrical engineering on campus at LMTI.

President Johnson-Sirleaf toured the 17.3-acre facility, which includes a newly constructed hi-tech workshop accommodating a machinery shop, a welding and gas-cutting shop, an electrical lab, an electronics lab, a machining shop, and a seamanship shop. Other facilities include a computer lab, ship simulators, air-conditioned classrooms, a training swimming pool, and a state-of-the-art gymnasium

LMTI managing director Avi Zaidenberg says, “The Liberian government solicited LISCR to restore and operate LMTI, to facilitate first-rate education and to produce certified high-quality seafarers, in keeping with Liberia’s rich maritime heritage. The training is also designed to develop and nurture skills which can be used ashore in local markets for the advancement of the Liberian economy, and to support the expansion of the domestic maritime sector. Our overall objective is to enhance the capacity and quality of Liberia’s next-generation workforce.”

The Liberian Registry is the world’s most technologically advanced maritime administration. It has a long-established track record of combining the highest standards of safety for vessels and crews with the highest levels of responsive and innovative service to owners. Moreover, it has a well-deserved reputation for supporting international legislation designed to maintain and improve the safety and effectiveness of the shipping industry and protection of the marine environment. www.liscr.com



Labels: , , , , , ,

Thursday 18 January 2018

OSD launches latest harbour tug design in its Azistern series

Offshore Ship Designers (OSD) has launched a new tug design as part of its expanding portfolio of fuel-efficient vessels. The 390 gt Azistern 2870 harbour tug has a hard chine hull form which optimises energy-saving during transit and results in a very low wash, an invaluable attribute in crowded ports and harbours. It has a bollard pull of 70 tonnes and a maximum speed of 12 knots. Providing accommodation for six persons, it has an overall length of 28.3 m, and a breadth of 11.5 m.

The Azistern 2870 combines compact vessel length with high bollard pull. It has been designed with multiple deck equipment options, the installation of which are dependent on specific end-user preference. Options can include a double drum forward towing winch with integrated horizontal anchor windlass and mooring warping heads, or a forward towing winch with separate vertical anchor windlass/capstan units. A double drum aft winch can be included in a semi-sheltered position, and the towing hook comes with multiple positioning options. The vessel can also be fitted with a stern roller, deck crane, and FiFi monitors, and the design accommodates the possible installation of a bow-thruster unit.

The Azistern 2870 has been designed with fully MLC-compliant crew cabins which include a number of ensuite washrooms. There is semi-sheltered accommodation access and ample space for storage of loose deck equipment. The vessel also features semi-sheltered engine room intake louvres and fully enclosed dedicated deck store lockers and rope store lockers, ideal for operation in cold-weather regions.

OSD technical manager Herm Jan de Vries says, “The Azistern 2870 is the very latest addition to our Azistern family. Like its sisters, it is a highly flexible vessel which offers operators the innovative options they need in today’s challenging market conditions. The basic design is on the shelves, which results in a short delivery time for clients.”

Offshore Ship Designers specializes in newbuild design and basic engineering for a wide range of ship types, including tugs, workboats and vessels for the offshore, renewable energy, passenger transport, fishing and general cargo markets. Strategically located in Europe and Asia, its experienced teams provide a full range of consultancy, naval architecture and marine engineering services, including concept FEED studies, vessel refit and conversion, and structural and stability investigations.

www.offshoreshipdesigners.com

For more information:
Merijn Brusselers
Offshore Ship Designers
+31 (0)255 54 50 70
mb@offshoreshipdesigners.com

Labels: , , , , , ,

Thursday 4 January 2018

Moore Stephens says optimism likely to outweigh pessimism for shipping in 2018

International accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens expects optimism to triumph over pessimism in the shipping industry during the next twelve months.

Writing in the latest issue of Bottom Line, the newsletter of the Moore Stephens shipping industry group, partner Richard Greiner says, “According to a recent study, pessimists live longer than optimists, and shipping is short of neither. But the industry has always valued longevity as well as new blood, and it certainly ended 2017 in more optimistic mood than it closed the previous year.

“Oscar Wilde said it is always best to borrow money from pessimists, because they won’t expect it back. But there was no shortage of people lending money for sound business deals in shipping last year in the firm belief that that they will get it back – and not without good reason.

“Overall industry confidence hit a three-year high in 2017. Oil prices reached a three-year peak, while there was a 50% rise in the Baltic Dry Index over a six-month period in the second half of 2017. Finance was available from within and outside the industry. Some sanity returned to the newbuilding orderbooks, and charterers in particular displayed an appetite for new investment.

“In 2018, freight rates will harden if there is a further reduction in tonnage overcapacity and an acceleration in ship demolition. Money will still be available for the right investment. Shipping will continue to be impacted by geopolitical uncertainty, which could be influenced in either a positive or negative way by elections in Brazil, Iraq, Italy, Mexico, Russia and elsewhere.

“US interest rates will most likely go up over the coming 12 months, and the implications of new accounting standards will start to bite. Smart technology will assume increasing importance, adding value and improving safety but putting pressure on R&D budgets. Doubts will persist about the sufficiency of low-sulphur fuel, and gas will become an increasingly attractive option for powering new and converted tonnage as the price of oil recovers.

“The riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma which currently presents itself as Brexit will continue to fuel pessimism and optimism in more-or-less equal measure.

“If there were no pessimists, there would be no optimists. Shipping remains a vital global industry, carrying the vast majority of world trade while emitting a lower per-unit level of harmful emissions than any other comparable form of transport. In 2018, optimism can be expected to outweigh pessimism in the shipping industry.”


Moore Stephens LLP is noted for a number of industry specialisations and is widely acknowledged as a leading shipping, offshore maritime and transport & logistics adviser. Moore Stephens LLP is a member firm of Moore Stephens International Limited, one of the world's leading accounting and consulting associations, with 626 offices of independent member firms in 108 countries, employing 27,997 people and generating revenues in 2016 of $2.7 billion. www.moorestephens.co.uk


For more information:
Richard Greiner
Moore Stephens LLP
Tel: +44 (0)20 7334 9191
richard.greiner@moorestephens.com

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Search all news items





Home | Services | Clients | News | Contact
Copyright © Merlin Corporate Communications.