Oil field services provider Schlumberger cuts 21,000 jobs
Schlumberger is cutting 21,000 jobs in response to the pandemic and related oil crisis. CEO Olivier le Peuch says the second quarter ‘has probably been the most challenging quarter in the past decades.’ The company...Read more
Port of Rotterdam wants to break away from China
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is investigating how the port can become less dependent on Asia and China in particular. Currently 73 per cent of the containers come from this continent. Due to the Covid-19...Read more
Throughput port of Rotterdam falls sharply, but less than feared
Throughput in the port of Rotterdam decreased by 9.1 per cent in the first half of the year compared with 2019, amounting to 218.9 million tonnes. Container throughput was only 3.3 per cent down on...Read more
Marine engine manufacturer MAN to cut almost 4000 jobs
MAN Energy Solutions says an extensive cost-cutting and restructuring programme is needed to ensure the future viability of the company. Measures include the elimination of up to 3000 positions in Germany and 950 in other...Read more
Drewry: charter rates won’t recover until end of 2021
Charter rates for multi-purpose ships, including break bulk and heavy lift vessels, are not expected to recover back to pre-Covid-19 levels until the end of 2021. Recovery is anticipated to take even longer if the...Read more
Almost 15.5 million euros corona state aid for Damen Shipyards
The Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) has revealed the amount of state aid companies have received as part of the Dutch government’s corona measures. On the list are also quite a few maritime companies. Dutch...Read more
‘Europe finally sees shipbuilding as vital industry’
The European Council has finally acknowledged that the European maritime industry is of vital importance to the EU. An important development according to SWZ|Maritime’s Editor-in-Chief Antoon Oosting, because it is now included in Horizon Europe,...Read more
Shell to write off 20 billion dollars in assets, plans major reorganisation
Royal Dutch Shell is preparing a major reorganisation in response to the new oil crisis, which sees the company write off at least 20 billion dollars in assets in the previous quarter. ‘We will likely...Read more
Berg Propulsion to centre marine propulsion manufacturing in Sweden
Manufacturer of propulsion systems and marine controls for vessels Berg Propulsion will move all manufacturing operations to a campus location in Sweden. It concerns production of the company’s controllable pitch propellers, azimuthing and transverse thrusters,...Read more
Dutch shipbuilding order intake plummets by 45 per cent
The Dutch shipbuilding industry for seagoing vessels is in dire straits. Several shipyards have gone into the red and the order intake in 2019 amounted to just 351 million euros, a 45 per cent decline...Read more
Wagenborg almost quadruples bottomline in 2019
Royal Wagenborg significantly improved its profit last year. The company’s operating result more than doubled from 27 to 71 million euros, while the net profit jumped from 13 to 44 million euros. This year, the...Read more
DFDS axes another 650 jobs due to corona crisis
Ferry company DFDS has announced that it will cut 650 jobs. The cost reduction is part of a larger austerity round, with which the Danish company wants to adapt to the new market conditions. The outbreak...Read more
What are the benefits and limitations of marine battery propulsion?
Batteries and marine fuel cells have shown promise on smaller vessels. The flexible approach needed to use these technologies as a power source for larger, oceangoing ships is only now beginning to emerge. Foreship in...Read more
Huisman to lure submarine builders to Schiedam with special crane
Huisman has added a Submarine Handling Crane to its Schiedam facility in the Netherlands. The crane builder hopes it will entice the three non-Dutch manufacturers bidding on the contract to build the new Dutch submarines...Read moreDutch inland shippers see 2020 as a year lost
The transport of goods by water has fallen sharply due to the corona crisis. Inland navigation had already been losing ground in the transport of mineral fuels, but the corona crisis has made this much...Read more
‘Seaport throughput to decrease by eleven per cent in best-case scenario’
In the best possible scenario, transshipment in the Dutch seaports will decrease by eleven per cent in 2020 compared to the previous year due to the corona crisis. For road, rail and inland navigation, the...Read more
Aegir-Marine acquires Holland Propeller Services
Aegir-Marine has reached agreement for the acquisition of Holland Propeller Services (HPS). The companies are both brand-independent global suppliers of parts and services for propulsion and star seal systems. With the acquisition, the company seeks to...Read more
Pandemic may break European taboo on state aid for maritime industry
For some shipbuilders in Spain, it’s just sour grapes. They are angry with the Dutch Government after its decision to save the Royal IHC shipyard from falling into Chinese hands. However, in his latest opinion...Read more