DP World Southampton sets a new record

The arrival of the CMA CGM Vela set a new terminal record for the largest declared containership to call at DP World Southampton.

The 11,040 TEU capacity boxship, with a gross tonnage of 1,29,000 tons and a length of 347m, carries 14% more capacity than the terminal’s previous record holder, the CMA CGM Orfeo, which called at the terminal in August of this year. DP World Southampton is the UK’s second largest container terminal, handling some 1.9m TEU last year, a 26% increase on the 2006 figure. Talking about the new record, DP World Southampton managing director Campbell Mason said, ‘We are delighted to welcome yet another record breaker to the terminal. The fact that we were celebrating a record size vessel only a few months ago highlights the increasing trend within the industry toward ever larger, cost effective ships. With the terminal’s first two super post-panamax cranes now in full operation and an additional two super post-panamax cranes scheduled to arrive next summer, we are well positioned to meet that industry trend.’

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India may deploy more warships to fight pirates

The Indian navy may beef up its security presence significantly in the Gulf of Aden to counter the threat of rampant piracy to shipping companies.

Somali pirates have caused havoc in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes this year, hijacking dozens of ships including a Saudi Arabian supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of oil, the biggest hijacking in history. The Indian navy plans to “significantly augment” its presence off the Horn of Africa, and a proposal by the Ministry of Shipping to deploy up to four warships is under “active consideration”. India deployed the Tabar, a naval warship, in October to escort Indian ships after the country’s shipping firms said they were losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a month on cost overruns and delays in meeting deadlines. India also renewed its call for greater cooperation between foreign navies to tackle the piracy threat. Piracy off Somalia is forcing shipping companies to avoid the Suez Canal and send cargoes of oil and other goods on a longer and more expensive journey around southern Africa. Pirate attacks in Somali waters this year have driven up insurance costs for shipping firms and the decision to divert cargo risks pushing up prices for manufactured goods and commodities.

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Petrobras in new 2bn barrel pre-salt find

State-run Brazilian operator Petrobras has informed the National Petroleum Agency that it has made a huge 1.5 billion to 2 billion barrel of oil pre-salt discovery off the coast of Espirito Santo.

Petrobras completed the drilling of two new wells in pre-salt reservoirs under the Baleia Franca, Baleia Azul, and Jubarte heavy oil fields, where the light oil find was made. The 6-BFR-1-ESS and 6-BAZ-1DB-ESS wells were drilled nearly 80 kilometers off the coast and lie close to Jubarte discovery well 1-ESS-103A. The reservoirs in the wells lie under a layer of up to 700 meters of salt and are located 4200 meters to 4800 metres below sea level. So far, six wells have been drilled in the Espírito Santo pre-salt layer, all of which have proven successful. With the new discoveries, the total estimated volume of oil in the Parque das Baleias area, including the reservoirs located above and below the salt layer, add up to around 3.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent.

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