Boskalis cleared to sell harbour towage operations

Boskalis and its co-shareholder KS Investments (Keppel) have secured regulatory clearance to offload harbour towage activities in Singapore as well as Malaysia.

Under the deal, Italian towage operator Rimorchiatori Mediterranei will buy Keppel Smit Towage (KST) and Maju Maritime.

The transaction was signed last November, with completion anticipated at the beginning of the third quarter of this year.

Boskalis will secure a cash payment of nearly €80m ($85.8m) for its 49% equity interest in the joint venture.

In 1991, KST was set up as a joint venture between Keppel and Boskalis’ wholly-owned unit SMIT.

Currently, KST is said to be one of the largest harbour tug service providers in Southeast Asia, running a combined fleet of 58 tug boats in Singapore and through its Malaysian joint venture.

The KST deal aligns with Boskalis’ strategic decision in 2019 to sell its harbour towage activities.

Belships signs deal to acquire Ultramax bulk carrier

Norway-based Belships has agreed to purchase a 64,000 deadweight tonnage (dwt) Ultramax bulk carrier.

The modern bulk carrier was constructed at a Japanese shipyard in 2020. Before the ship’s delivery, Belships will make a $6m payment.

With options to extend for an additional three years, the vessel is funded through a time charter lease agreement for a nearly five-year fixed period.

Belships stated that "the agreement comes with an option to purchase the vessel at the end of the charter significantly below current market levels", adding that there is no obligation to acquire the ship.

The delivery of the vessel is anticipated in the second quarter of the year.

Furthermore, Belships agreed to divest a 63,000dwt bulk carrier called Belpareil.

The company is expected to realise a gain of around $10m in the third quarter of the year through the transaction.

AWS to support Port of Long Beach’s digital infrastructure project

The Port of Long Beach in the US has collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to improve the visibility of cargo data at the port.

Under the deal, AWS will support the port’s new digital infrastructure project, called the Supply Chain Information Highway.

The project will aggregate data for companies across industries to enable real-time cargo tracking from origin to destination. Supply chain stakeholders can use the data to gather better insights for planning, scheduling and enhancing their systems.

The port has turned to technology company UNCOMN for the development of the Supply Chain Information Highway software.

UNCOMN has collaborated with AWS to deliver the cloud computing infrastructure and services required for the functioning of the Supply Chain Information Highway. The data will be stored using Amazon Simple Storage Service.

Rio Tinto and BP collaborate on one-year marine biofuel trial

British oil and gas company BP has entered an agreement with mining firm Rio Tinto to conduct a trial of marine biofuels.

The trial is being carried out with the aim of cutting down carbon emissions from the Anglo-Australian miner’s marine fleet. As part of the trial, BP will supply marine biofuel to Rio Tinto’s fleet for one year.

Rio Tinto’s RTM Tasman vessel, which will travel on a mix of Transatlantic and Atlantic-Pacific routes, will be powered by a BP-manufactured B30 biofuel blend.

The biofuel consists of 30% fatty acid methyl esters blended with very low sulphur fuel oil. According to BP, the ability of the B30 biofuel blend to lower lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions will be up to 26% more than standard marine fuel oil.