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 Tuesday, May 30, 2000
Those numbers are set to be cut dramatically. To regain competitiveness and long term
stability in recruitment of seafarers Bergesen wants to replace
a number of Norwegian and British seafarers onboard its vessels
with officers and others from other countries. The aim is to
obtain a substantial reduction resulting in Bergesen having approximately
600 Norwegian and British seafarers by the end of 2002. It says
a large portion of this reduction "will take effect at the
normal term of employment" and "for the rest voluntary
solutions Cadets, trainees and junior officers will be allowed to finish their education. Bergesen says the number of people seeking employment as seafarers has increased in recent years. However, changes in the general labor market and development in the offshore sector has, says Bergesen, "caused young Norwegian seafarers to lose interest in choosing the maritime sector as a lifelong career possibility. The result is a high turnover of the younger Norwegian officers and an increase in the average age of our Norwegian top officers. Bergesen says its competitors in Norway
and abroad operate their ships with a much lower number of West
European officers, resulting in considerable differences in costs.
Bergesen notes it "is dependent upon having a competitive
level of ship operating costs" and that manning costs constitute
a substantial portion of the total ship operating costs. Bergesen
says itschange in policy will yield annual cost savings estimated
at NOK 200 million based on its current fleet. CMB
unit in long term LNG shipping deal with Enron Exmar has placed an order for a 138,000
cubic metre LNG carrier with
Litton
awarded $41.7 million for Aegis destroyer engineering, planning
services The $41.7 million award is the first increment of a five-year Follow-Yard Services contract, which has a potential total value of more than $211 million. The remaining elements of the contract will be awarded annually over the next four years. Litton Ingalls has been providing support services for the DDG 51 program for the past 12 years. "Ongoing support of the Navy's surface fleet is a major element of Litton Ship Systems' business base," said Jerry St. Pe, executive vice president of Litton and chief operating officer of Litton Ship Systems. "By awarding this new five-year Follow-Yard Services contract, the Navy expresses its confidence in Litton Ship Systems' ability not only to build these ships, but also to provide vital engineering and planning support to a class of destroyers that now includes more than 50 ships in the Fleet or under contract." Litton Ingalls has delivered 12 Aegis destroyers
to the Navy, and will deliver a 13th, ROOSEVELT (DDG 80), next
month. Twelve additional Aegis destroyers are under contract
or option to Litton
Ingalls, with delivery dates extending into 2006. New
charterparty BP Amoco Shipping, which has a long tradition
of developing tank charterparties, The BIMCO Documentary Committee, renowned
for its documentary expertise, was approached in the spring of
1999. Soren Larsen, Deputy Secretary General of BIMCO and BP Amoco Shipping say they have
worked hard to ensure that the new form not only meets the stringent
expectations of the industry, but will also conform to the high
standards required of all documents which gain BIMCO's stamp
of approval. Particular attention has been paid by BIMCO and
BP Amoco Shipping to the often contentious issues of cancelation,
speed and performance, |
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