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Chouest Orders a Second Ulmatec SOV Gangway System
Ulmatec Handling Systems has a secured a second contract to supply a motion compensated gangway and logistics support systems to Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO). The Ulmatec system has been selected for Chouest’s second Jones Act offshore wind service operation vessel (SOV).
The SOV is being built under an agreement with Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, that will see it work on the Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2 offshore wind farms. The 260-foot vessel will be built by ECO affiliate North American Shipbuilding, and will the first plug-in hybrid SOV to operate in the U.S. offshore wind market.
U.S. LNG Exports Fall in May on Lower Output and Changing Demand Trends
U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fell in May to 7.66 million tons from a record 8.01 million tons in April as plant maintenance curbed some output and weaker prices in Europe cut flows to the region, shipping data showed. U.S. LNG exporters reduced cargos to Europe last month while more LNG was delivered to Asia and Latin America, partially offsetting the European weakness, according to Refinitiv Eikon preliminary vessel tracking data.
Asia LNG prices for July delivery have rebounded from earlier declines, making U.S. LNG more attractive for traders and oil majors with access to spot cargos, according to consulting firm Rystad Energy. U.S. LNG exports to Europe fell from 71% of total exports in April to 60.5% in May, while exports to Asia rose to 14% of total shipments last month from 12% in April. Latin American imports of U.S. LNG grew to 11% in May, from 6% in April, the data showed. The increase in exports to Latin America comes as there is greater seasonal demand for natural gas for power generation and air conditioning, and in some parts of Latin America for heating as countries enter the winter period.
West Coast Ports See Extended Disruption as Labor Talks Drag On
The biggest shipping gateways on the US West Coast are enduring the longest labor-related disruptions since 2015 as talks between port employers and dockworkers close in on one year without a contract. The two sides are clashing over how to divide carriers’ pandemic-era profits in a market that’s returned to rock-bottom freight rates. The previous labor contract covering 29 ports from California to Washington State expired July 1, 2022. The International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union, representing 22,000 dockworkers, and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents ocean carriers and terminal operators, have been negotiating since May 2022.
“Before the last 48 hours we were seeing a lot of progress,” Port of Long Beach Executive, Mario Cordero, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television Tuesday. “Obviously there is an issue there that has caused some pause in the discussions.” The stalemate was already starting to disrupt cargo flows. Late Tuesday, officials who monitor marine traffic around the twin ports of LA and Long Beach said that the movements of six container vessels slated for Tuesday and Wednesday were canceled or delayed. Cordero said terminals at Long Beach were open Tuesday and the issue is “a bump in the road” before the two sides eventually reach a resolution.
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