Porti & ambiente — le notizie raccolte

Fuel supply risks could determine how early and how sharply container shipping’s peak season hits this year, with Asia-Europe most exposed if the Strait of Hormuz disruption drags on, according to Freightos head of research Judah Levine. He said shipping had so far avoided the severe fuel shortages feared at the start of the crisis, particularly in Singapore and other Far East bunkering hubs, but he warned that a prolonged closure could change that within months. “The Far East is especially dependent on oil that would normally move through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, adding that Europe was also exposed, with North America less vulnerable initially. Although some vessels had made extra port calls to secure fuel, and there had been low levels of very-low-sulphur fuel oil in some locations, Mr Levine said supply chains had only adjusted to the initial shock, not eliminated the risk. If shortages emerge, the effect on ocean freight would be more severe than the rate moves seen so far, because the disruption would hit effective vessel supply. Carriers would likely respond by slow-steaming and blanking more sailings, reducing available capacity just as demand begins to rise. On Asia-Europe, Mr Levine expectspeak season to start early, potentially as soon as this month, because Red Sea diversions had extended transit times and narrowed the shipping window before early October’s Golden Week holiday. That means European importers moving goods from Asia are likely to ship earlier to ensure inventory arrives in time, which could put upward pressure on rates even before a traditional peak season develops. “We have longer transit times from Asia to Europe… And we’d expect that most shippers want to make sure they move. I think peak season will start early this year, maybe already some pressure this month even. But that has kind of been the norm since the Red Sea diversions started.” Rolf Habben Jensen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, seemed optimistic during yesterday’s earnings call, noting: “If we look at forward bookings… I think there is an expectation that we will have a fairly normal peak season. “I think the outlook for this year, despite all the uncertainty that there is, is not only bleak. We’ve seen spot rates go up a bit. We see now a bit more momentum going into May. But of course, the important moment will always be end of June and July when we head into peak season. “Right now, I think the signs are that we will have a fairly normal peak season, but of course, that remains to be seen.” However, Mr Levine added that this year’s peak may also be “muted”, compared with recent years, especially on the transpacific lane. National Retail Federation projections for US ocean imports show a July peak, with volumes elevated in August before declining in September, but July volumes are expected to be 8% below last year and 6% below 2024. Mr Habben Jensen noted that transpacific contract rates, excluding the fuel component, were “a bit down compared with the previous year”, but demand remained strong. One downside risk for carriers is that higher energy prices could also weaken consumer demand. Mr Levine noted that Maersk had flagged the same concern: if fuel costs raise inflation and subdue spending, peak-season freight demand could disappoint, while carriers still face elevated operating costs. Mr Habben Jensen said: “At the moment, we also see a bit of recovery on the Atlantic, but it will be decided what is going to happen during the peak season because that’s where we’ll still need to have a further uptake on the rates, as the additional bunker costs still weigh very heavily on our P&L.” Mr Levine concluded that without a major bunker shortage, he expected no extreme rate spike –“probably more of the same until peak season kicks in”, he said.

DP World has expanded its ambitions in Bangladesh’s port sector, seeking to operate Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) alongside its long-standing interest in the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), according to government officials and industry sources. The UAE-based global port operator submitted the proposal last month during a meeting of the Bangladesh-UAE Public Private Partnership Platform in Dubai. Bangladesh is opening-up its ports and logistics sector to foreign operators and investors, with several international terminal operators already entering the market. DP World has expressed interest for years – in 2019, it proposed investing $1bn in the country’s ports and logistics infrastructure. However, NCT, Chittagong Port’s largest container terminal, has long been at the centre of political and labour opposition over plans to hand operations to a foreign operator. Port workers and political activists have protested against the proposal over the past two years. Industry sources said DP World wants to secure long-term leases for both NCT and CCT, which are side by side in Chittagong Port. The operator is also understood to be interested in investing in an inland container depot in Gazipur and the planned Bay Container Terminal in Chittagong, as well as digitising Chittagong Port operations. Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), confirmed DP World had submitted a proposal covering CCT operations, adding: “We have received proposals on CCT from other global operators as well. But we are yet to take a decision.” Md Zakaria, newly appointed secretary at the Ministry of Shipping, said the proposal remained under discussion, with the Public-Private Partnership Office examining the matter. Bangladesh has increasingly attracted foreign port investors and operators in recent years amid the government push to modernise maritime infrastructure and improve supply chain efficiency. Saudi Arabia-based Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) has been operating the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) since June 2024. Meanwhile, the government is progressing plans for the Bay Container Terminal project in partnership with PSA Singapore, DP World and Chittagong Port Authority. Construction is also under way on the $2bn Matarbari deepsea port project, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Two Japanese companies are building the facility, which authorities hope will establish Bangladesh as a regional container hub and reduce dependence on small feeder vessels for cargo transhipment. Elsewhere, APM Terminals, part of AP Moller-Maersk, has been awarded the contract to build and operate the Laldia Container Terminal in Chittagong. Inland logistics investment is also increasing. Medlog Bangladesh Private, part of Switzerland-based MSC Group, began operations at Dhaka’s Pangaon Inland Container Terminal (PICT) in January. Meanwhile, exporters have welcomed the prospect of another global operator taking on terminal operations in Chittagong. Abul Kalam Azad, a Dhaka-based exporter, said appointing DP World to operate the CCT could improve efficiency. “We hope to receive better services if the DP World is awarded the task,” he added. DP World was approached for comment, but had not responded before publication.

Singapore-based ship management company Synergy Marine claims it has been cleared of any wrongdoing when the containershipDalihit Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024. And it says it will defend itself “strenuously” against a US Justice Department (DoJ) accusation of negligence. The DOJ yesterday indicted Synergy Marine and the ship’s technical superintendent, Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, for negligence that caused the accident, resulting in the bridge collapsing, killing six construction workers. Synergy Marine toldThe Loadstarthe US National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) last November found loose wiring, caused by a misapplied label, was the likely cause of blackouts on theDalishortly after it set out from Baltimore for Sri Lanka. The electrical failure led to a loss of steering and propulsion on the Maersk-chartered 10,000 teu ship, which then slammed into the bridge. Synergy Marine said: “Both the NTSB and well-respected maritime experts have conclusively determined that the accident was inevitable, due to the loose wire, and in no way attributable to Synergy’s operation of the vessel.” In deciding the indictment, acting US attorney general Todd Blanche called the incident a “preventable tragedy of enormous consequence”. The DoJ claimed that had Dali’s crew used proper fuel pumps to restore power, the ship would have sailed safely under the bridge. Synergy Marine says the department has criminalised the accident. “The NTSB’s factual reports do not indicate that the probable cause of the allision was because theDaliwas out of compliance with any code, law, regulation, or rule governing its operation, or with the builder’s recommendations, at the time of the allision. TheDali, and other vessels managed by Synergy, also had a near-flawless Port State Control record in the US. “Synergy will vigorously defend itself against these inaccurate allegations. Synergy and its employees have fully cooperated and have been transparent at all times during the NTSB’s investigation, and any allegations to the contrary are woefully inaccurate. We’re confident that the DoJ cannot and will not meet its burden of proof, and that we will prevail at trial.” Meanwhile, theDali’s Singapore-based owner, Grace Ocean, is suing vessel builder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, alleging that defective construction had resulted in the loose wire.

Terminal operators across major Indian ports have opportunistically increased their container handling charges (THCs), sparking another layer of pain for cargo owners facing the brunt of Middle East-related surcharges. THCs are normally collected by carriers on behalf of their shippers, so revisions ultimately also become a profit bonanza for container lines with mark-up attempts. For example, the fees levied by DP World-operated Mundra International Container Terminal (MICT) have already been raised substantially, effective on Friday, by 15% to 20%, according to industry sources. A customer advisory from Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) said THCs on a 20ft dry container would be up to INR15,500 (approximately $163) from INR13,700, and for a 40ft dry box INR23,450 from INR20,750. And to almost $600 for a 40ft reefer. There are indications that other terminals in Mundra will follow suit soon and sources have also reported THC increases at some of the terminals in Nhava Sheva (JNPA). Singapore-based container line ONE recently published a revised scale of THC rates for exports/imports handled across JNPA terminals “applicable across all tradelanes and services and be valid till further notice”, the carrier told customers. Carriers normally act in unison when it comes to announcing THC revisions. Hapag-Lloyd reportedly raised the THCs it collects from Indian customers on 1 April, with another round of changes likely soon, industry sources said. Additionally, there is no uniformity among terminals, even within a port, on the level of charges applied. Pro-shipper groups and policymakers have tried in vain to regulate THCs, meeting stiff resistance from carriers, across markets. JNPA and Mundra account for the lion’s share of Indian containerised volumes. Both ports have seen a wave of ad-hoc vessel calls resulting from Middle East trade diversions, choking yards with transhipment containers. Meanwhile, Indian exports in fiscal year 2025-26 were relatively flat year on year, due to the impact of geopolitical shocks. Total export trade by value edged up to around $442bn from $438bn, data shows. Officials at the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) claimed accelerated market diversification efforts were helpful in keeping export trade in a positive trajectory. “With continued policy support and trade facilitation, India is well poised to enhance its share in global trade and move towards becoming a leading export powerhouse,” it said.

Intra-Asia rates continue to rise – despite sluggish cargo volumes – as operators continue to use volatile bunker prices to justify emergency fuel surcharges. Korea Ocean Business Corporation’s Container Composite Index (KCCI) shows that, as of 27 April, Busan-South-east Asia rates averaged $1,097 per 40ft, up $12 from a fortnight ago. And compared with average rates of $933 per 40ft in March, this is a 16% increase, a level not seen since last June, when rates averaged $1,129. The KCCI Busan-South-east Asia averages are calculated based on freight rates for the Busan-Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore routes. On 1 May, Drewry’s Intra-Asia Container Index registered a 6% hike on rates a fortnight ago, averaging $918 per 40ft. The inceased rates belie the weak cargo demand. Korea Customs figures for March show container traffic between South Korea and eight South-east Asian countries down 6% year on year, to 353,600 teu, continuing a post-Chinese New Year decline. Both export and import volumes weakened: exports fell 4% year on year, to 174,400 teu; while imports dropped 8%, to 179,200 teu. By country, all except Indonesia showed negative growth. Vietnam, South Korea’s largest trading partner on South-east Asian routes, recorded a 9% year-on-year decline, to 111,300 teu. Its third-largest trading partner, Malaysia, saw an 8% drop, to 51,500 teu, and Thailand, the fourth-largest trading partner, recorded a 10% decline to 48,200 teu. Indonesia, on the other hand, recorded a 13% jump in container trade, to 55,900 teu. Meanwhile, the higher oil prices have brought inflationary pressures, causing consumers to tighten their belts. And the spike in oil prices is also driving up freight rates, with shipping lines justifying $100 emergency fuel surcharges and $50 low-sulphur surcharges on top of GRIs. This is despite bunker prices having cooled from an initial surge that saw prices pass $1,000 per tonne. Shipping lines have argued that as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, they must cover themselves against unexpected fuel price hikes. Drewry Supply Chain Advisors head Philip Damas toldThe Loadstar: “GRIs were supported by the effect of Middle East disruptions and bottlenecks on intra-Asia capacity and Asian ports.” Inside the industry’s AI shift Complete The Loadstar’s ‘State of AI in the Supply Chain’ survey — and receive the full report and data before release. Take the 2-min survey

Ocean Network Express (ONE) reported a sharp decline in earnings for full-year 2025, as weaker freight rates and soft demand weighed on performance despite stable volumes. The Singapore-headquartered carrier grouping posted full-year revenue of $16.6bn for the period April 2025 to March 2026, down 14% year on year. EBITDA fell 54%, to $2.75bn, while EBIT dropped 92%, to $310m. Net profit also plunged 92% to $338m. Lifted volumes remained largely flat, up just 1% year on year, to 12.9m teu – an increase of 117,000 teu, which lagged significantly behind overall year-on-year market demand growth of 4.7% last year, according to Container Trades Statistics. ONE said cargo movements had remained “sluggish” in the fourth quarter, although a modest recovery in freight rates helped deliver a quarterly profit of $55m. But for the full year, demand was described as ‘subdued’, although there was some seasonal strength on the Asia-Europe trade ahead of Chinese New Year. The carrier noted that an influx of newbuild tonnage continued to pressure the supply-demand balance, weighing on freight rates. However, this was partially offset by port congestion and severe weather disruption, which tightened effective capacity. Geopolitical tension in the Middle East also pushed up costs, although the direct impact on fourth-quarter earnings was limited. The carrier explained that costs had risen across several areas. Operating expenses increased, due to higher vessel costs and port charges, while variables were driven up by more expensive empty container repositioning. Freight rates also declined overall, amid the softer supply-demand balance, although bunker prices fell year on year and overhead costs remained stable. In the Asia-North America eastbound trade, both the pre-CNY peak and post-holiday recovery were weaker than expected, with volumes trending down year on year. In contrast, ONE noted that Asia-Europe westbound demand had strengthened ahead of the holiday, supporting improved utilisation on both major routes. Chief executive Jeremy Nixon said the line had managed to remain profitable through “disciplined cost control and operational efficiency”, despite the heightened volatility. “While we continue to navigate a complex and volatile global environment, our focus remains on maintaining safe, secure, and reliable operations,” he said, adding that a new leadership structure and service enhancements would support performance in the coming year. And looking ahead, ONE forecasted a full-year profit of around $300m for FY2026, another decline following 2025, and warned that outlook visibility remained limited due to geopolitical risks, particularly in the Middle East. The carrier said the restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz and continued diversion from the Red Sea/Suez Canal route, with vessels still routing via the Cape of Good Hope, had added significant cost pressure. And cargo flows to North America had weakened, while demand for Europe-bound shipments remained comparatively robust. To mitigate disruption, ONE said it had taken “agile measures” across its network, including expanding terminal capacity in key locations such as Laem Chabang and Busan, aimed at stabilising operations and improving service reliability. Inside the industry’s AI shift Complete The Loadstar’s ‘State of AI in the Supply Chain’ survey — and receive the full report and data before release. Take the 2-min survey

Singapore’s offshore and shipping company Nortrans Offshore has secured a flotel assignment at Block 15 off the coast of Angola with Netherlands-based SBM Offshore, a provider of the design, construction, installation, and operation of offshore floating facilities. Nortrans Offshore’s 500-POB MSU DP3Nor Spiritflotel has been awarded a two-year contract to assist SBM Offshore during Block 15’s offshore operations in Angola. The charter enables the flotel to support the life extension program for theFPSO Saxiand theFPSO Mondo, providing offshore accommodation and support services during the offshore life-extension activities campaign.The shipping player emphasized:“With her proven DP3 capabilities, continuous gangway connection functionality, and large accommodation capacity, Nor Spirit is well-positioned to support safe and efficient offshore operations throughout the project.“This award further strengthens our presence in the offshore accommodation market, and we sincerely thank SBM Offshore, ExxonMobil as Block 15 operator, and all partners involved for their continued trust and confidence in our team and assets.” Block 15 is operated by ExxonMobil in partnership with Azule Energy, Equinor, and Sonangol. SBM Offshoresecured ownership and operationsuntil 2032 as a result of the contract extension for the FPSOs Mondo and Saxi Batuque. Nortrans’ deal comes nearly two months after Subsea Integration Alliance (SIA) wasbookedby ExxonMobil to handle the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) scope of work at theRedevelopment 2.0 Likembe oil projectin Block 15 offshore Angola. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

AIM-listed and Singapore-headquartered oil and gas player Jadestone Energy has made inroads in its infill drilling campaign off the coast of Malaysia by putting the first well into production mode, with the second already drilled and activities at the third now underway. Jadestone Energy has disclosed that the first well in the 2026 Malaysia infill drilling campaign on the PM323 production sharing contract (PSC) was drilled and brought online at approximately 3,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd). The first well in the 2026 campaign, EBA-18ST3, was drilled around 20% below budget, which the firm describes as an excellent result considering the 1,200 meter horizontal reservoir section in the well at a total measured depth of 4,866 meters, the longest of any well drilled to date on theEast Belumut field. T. Mitch Little, Chief Executive Officer of Jadestone, commented:“Our established operating capabilities in Malaysia, combined with our refreshed focus on operational excellence, have been further validated by the outcome of the EBA-18ST3 well. “The result is an excellent start to this year’s drilling campaign and will significantly increase our Malaysia production in the near-term against the backdrop of strengthened Brent oil prices, with our most recent Malaysia oil sales attracting a US$14/bbl premium to Brent.” The drilling campaign originally included two firm wells and a third contingent well targeting the southwest extension of the East Belumut field, which was identified in the 2023 infill program. Based on the strong performance of the first well and the subsurface data gathered during drilling of the second well, the third well has been confirmed, with drilling already ongoing. The company’s 2026 capital expenditure guidance of $50-80 million remains unchanged. Jadestone booked Velesto’sNAGA 8rig tosupport infill drilling activitiesat theEast Belumut Phase 9project for a period of four months, starting in March. Little emphasized: “Following on from the significant progress on our Vietnam project earlier this year and the successful debt refinancing, this is further evidence of a business that is executing on its plan and strategy. We look forward to updating the market further on the second well in the campaign in the near-future.” This content is available after accepting the cookies. Development of Southeast Asian gas discoveries is a go Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

Sinolam International, a Singapore-based investment company focused on oil, gas, and power investments in emerging markets in Asia and Latin America, has confirmed the formation of an independenttribunal in an arbitration case related to the cancelation of permits for a gas-to-power development in Panama, spurring concerns over regulatory risk in the Latin American energy markets, the future of liquefied natural gas (LNG)-to-power infrastructure, and the impact of investment disputes on cross-border energy capital. The World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has officially constituted its tribunal in Sinolam International versus Republic of Panama (Case No. ARB/26/12), a move said to mark a pivotal step inthe arbitration processregarding the revocation of permits for a gas-to-power development in Panama, a 441 MW power generation project and LNG terminal in Colón. The three-member panel, chaired by Anglo-Spanish arbitratorJoseph Tirado, alongside Spanish expertsAntolín Fernández AntuñaandLluís Paradell Trius, will now hear claims that Panama’s 2024 cancelation of Sinolam’s energy license amounted to unlawful expropriation under the Panama-Singapore free trade agreement (FTA). “The naming of the panel acknowledges the validity of Sinolam’s claim. It signals the 2024 revocation of the company’s energy license is worthy of a formal international treaty dispute review into the merits of the allegation the cancelation was an unlawful asset expropriation rather than a routine regulatory decision,”emphasized the firm. A U.S. Federal District Court in Virginia remanded itslawsuitagainst AES Corporation, originally filed on December 19, 2025, in the Circuit Court for Arlington County, back to the Virginia state court on April 24, 2026, granting Sinolam’s request over the other player’s objections. Sinolam LNG TerminalandSinolam Smarter Energy LNG Power Co., which are energy infrastructure developers focused on LNG-to-power solutions in emerging markets, previouslywelcomedthe $33.4 billion AES acquisition by the BlackRock-led consortium, as it could strengthen financing in the context of any future resolution of the litigation. The dispute now transitions from the initial registration phase to the formal tribunal constitution phase under a fully operational, independent three-member international judiciary panel. Assembling this panel of jurists is interpreted as a recognition by the international legal community that thedisputeis active and significant. Kenneth Zhang, CEO of Sinolam International, commented:“Sinolam enthusiastically welcomes the official constitution of this distinguished ICSID tribunal. The seating of this panel instills confidence in our case. “This milestone validates our resolve to protect international investments and ensures our search for justice will be evaluated by a world-class tribunal of independent legal minds.” Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

West Natuna Exploration Limited (WNEL), a majority-owned subsidiary of Singapore-headquartered natural gas firm Conrad Asia Energy, has awarded PT PAL Indonesia with an engineering, procurement, construction and transport contract for the conductor support frame (CSF) for its natural gas field in the West Natuna Sea off the coast of Indonesia. The Mako gas field is structured as initially comprising six development wells tied back to a leased mobile offshore production unit (MOPU). Sales gas will be transported via an approximately 59-kilometer 18-inch pipeline to the KF platform in the adjoining Kakap PSC, then through the WNTS pipeline for delivery to the Indonesian domestic market. Under the binding contract, PT PAL Indonesia will deliver all detailed engineering required to update the FEED, finalize the full CSF design, including the transportation and installation engineering, the procurement of all non-company supplied materials, the fabrication and assembly of the jacket and topsides structures, as well as transportation to the offshore location. “This contract award marks another major milestone for the Company and reinforces our position as a trusted delivery partner in the offshore energy sector. Securing this EPCT contract for the CSF reflects the strength of our technical capability and our growing project execution track record,”said Conrad’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer,Miltos Xynogalas. “We look forward to working closely with PT PAL to safely and efficiently deliver this strategically important infrastructure asset. Importantly, this award demonstrates our continued investment in offshore gas development in Indonesia and highlights the critical role natural gas will play in supporting regional energy security and transition objectives.” WNEL, earlier this month,executed a binding contract with PT Pertamina Drilling Services Indonesiathrough the PDSI – ADES consortium for the provision of a jack-up drilling rig to support the development of the Mako gas field. As a result, the Admarine 502 independent-leg cantilever jack-up rig will be in charge of drilling the six development wells and installing the CSF. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

Rem Offshore’s second energy subsea construction vessel (ESCV) is currently on its way from Vietnam to Norway, where it will undergo outfitting and final completion. The Norwegian shipping company reported that REM Ocean was delivered from the hull yard in Song Cam, Vietnam, on June 15. The tow started from the Hai Phong area on June 17, and the vessel will proceed via Singapore before continuing towards Europe. In Norway, REM Ocean will be outfitted with all major systems and mission equipment at Myklebust Verft. Once delivered in 2027, the vessel will enter aneight-year contract with DeepOcean, providing subsea inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) services for Equinor. “The scope of work has been completed to a very high shipbuilding standard. In my assessment, this is among the finest hulls ever delivered to the Sunnmøre region, providing a strong foundation for a smooth and efficient outfitting phase at Myklebust Verft,”saidKristian Stavset, Head of Projects at Rem Offshore. REM Ocean will have dual-fuel engines capable of running on bio-methanol and biodiesel, along with a battery energy storage system and regenerative energy systems. Developed as a collaboration between DeepOcean, Rem Offshore, Skipsteknisk and other key suppliers, the 111.7-meter-long vessel will be equipped with anautonomous inspection drone (AID), set to accelerate the digitalization of subsea asset inspection. It will featureBrunvoll’s thruster package, a 250-ton electrical crane, two electric work-class remotely operated vehicles (WROVs) in hangars, a 1,000-square-meter outside deck area, and an inside hangar area of 350 square meters, in addition to accommodation for 120 people. The first vessel, named REM Pioneer, is scheduled for delivery this year. Initial steel cutting for this vessel took place on July 3, 2024,with the keel laying ceremony on October 24, 2024. Furthermore, REM Offshore also announced that REM Power had been launched at Vard Vung Tau and is now afloat. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

Singapore-based OMS Group, a neutral and integrated digital infrastructure service provider, has provided insight into the ongoing sea acceptance tests (SAT) for its long-range uncrewed surface vessel (USV), currently being conducted off the South of France. Upon mobilization, the unit will support autonomous survey operations. OMS Group has explained that the SAT program for theUSV Eliteis demonstrating strong early results in vessel handling, stability, systems integration, and deepwater survey performance, supporting the firm’s strategy to expand autonomous offshore survey capabilities and strengthen its position across the digital infrastructure value chain. Focused on validating vessel handling, stability, operational controls, systems integration and survey performance under representative offshore conditions, the SAT campaign’s early observations are said to confirm that the USV delivers stable line keeping and platform behavior suitable for continuous offshore survey operations over extended missions. Emmanuel Delanoue, Deputy Group CEO of OMS Group and CEO of the Telecommunications Division, said:“Beyond the survey performance itself, we are validating an entirely new operating model. The integration of autonomous technologies, remote operations and advanced survey payloads has the potential to fundamentally reshape how offshore survey campaigns are planned and executed. “Our objective is to combine operational excellence with improved safety, efficiency and environmental performance while providing customers with greater flexibility in how offshore survey projects are delivered.” The company claims that a key component of the program is the verification of the Kongsberg EM124 deepwater multibeam echosounder suite, with initial results perceived to demonstrate“robust”full-swath bathymetric acquisition capability aligned with the requirements of full ocean-depth cable route survey operations. The program continues to validate end-to-end integration between vessel systems and survey payloads, supporting the objective of delivering reliable, high-quality offshore survey data acquisition through autonomous technologies. The SAT results will support final operational procedures and deployment planning ahead of regional mobilisation in early Q4 2026. Maxime Even, Director of Marine Survey at OMS Group, stated:“From a survey perspective, the early results are extremely encouraging. The combination of the Exail DriX O-16 platform and the Kongsberg EM124 is demonstrating the stability and data quality required for deepwater bathymetric acquisition. “We are seeing strong performance across survey lines, which is essential when supporting full ocean-depth cable route surveys where data accuracy and consistency are critical. The SAT programme allows us to validate not only payload performance, but also the operational workflows and quality assurance processes that underpin reliable offshore survey delivery.” This content is available after accepting the cookies. Ulstein building two 130-meter CLVs for OMS Group The USV Elite’s deployment forms part of OMS Group’s broader strategy to enhance its survey and engineering capabilities throughOMS Geometra, its specialist survey business. The vessel’s long-endurance capability is another key area of validation during the SAT program. Designed to undertake extended offshore missions, the USV Elite provides the ability to conduct survey operations across large geographic areas while maintaining consistent survey quality and operational efficiency. With the demand for submarine cable systems continuing to accelerate globally, the company emphasizes high-quality route survey data as becoming increasingly critical to the planning, development and protection of subsea infrastructure. The firm remains committed to operating autonomous systems in accordance with recognised international frameworks and industry guidance as it expands the deployment of uncrewed technologies across future projects. Ronnie Lim, Group CEO of OMS Group, commented:“USV Elite represents a significant step forward in our strategy to expand next-generation offshore survey capabilities. The results achieved during the sea acceptance test programme demonstrate that long-range uncrewed systems can deliver the stability, endurance and survey performance required for demanding offshore applications. “As global demand for digital infrastructure continues to grow, innovative survey solutions such as USV Elite will play an increasingly important role in supporting the development of critical connectivity infrastructure worldwide.” The USV Elite is anticipated to play an important role within OMS’ expanding survey capability, complementing conventional survey methodologies while supporting future integration with autonomous underwater systems and remote operations technologies. Survey operations are also expected to be increasingly supported through the company’s planned Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Singapore, which will provide centralised oversight and operational support for autonomous offshore assets. René d’Avezac de Moran, Chief Operating Officer of OMS Group, underscored:“What we are validating is not only the vessel and survey payload performance, but also the operational model that sits behind it. “The ability to safely and efficiently deploy autonomous survey systems at scale will become increasingly important as demand for offshore survey data continues to grow. The SAT programme is helping us establish the procedures, controls and operational confidence required for future commercial deployment.” Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

Dopo oltre tre mesi (quasi quattro) da quando si è trovata ‘imprigionata’ in Golfo Persico a causa dello scoppio della guerra fra Iran, Israele e Stati Uniti, la nave Grande Torino di Grimaldi può finalmente fare rotta verso l’Oceano Indiano. Mentre scriviamo la pure car truck carrier (con una ventina di marittimi a bordo, di cui alcuni italiani) si dirige a 18 nodi di velocità in direzione dello Stretto di Hormuz con il segnale Ais che segna Singapore come destinazione finale. La nave battente bandiera italiana da febbraio si trovava in Medio Oriente mentre seguiva l’itinerario previsto dalla linea ro-ro per il trasporto di veicoli nuovi dall’Estremo Oriente all’Europa Che la Grande Torino stia per tornare libera lo ha preannunciato anche il ministro degli Esteri, Antonio Tajani, che con un messaggio su Twitter ha fatto sapere quanto segue: “In una telefonata con il Ministro degli Esteri iraniano Abbas Araghchi ho espresso soddisfazione per l’intesa raggiunta tra Stati Uniti e Iran, un passo importante per la stabilità della regione. È fondamentale adesso che l’accordo regga e consenta la piena riapertura dello Stretto di Hormuz, garantendo la libertà di navigazione e il libero transito delle merci, senza ostacoli né pedaggi. Seguiremo e faciliteremo le trattative di 60 giorni con le quali Usa e Iran dovranno arrivare a una intesa definitiva”. L’esponente di Governo ha poi proseguito dicendo: “Con il ministro abbiamo discusso della situazione in Libano: ho condiviso la posizione dell’Italia che chiede di porre fine alle operazioni militari e agli attacchi di Hezbollah. Bisogna evitare una nuova escalation, nell’interesse della pace e della sicurezza regionale. Ho anche comunicato al ministro la decisione di far rientrare il personale dell’Ambasciata a Teheran”. In conclusione Tajani ha aggiunto: “Il ministro mi ha garantito che nelle prossime ore le autorità iraniane garantiranno le condizioni per una partenza sicura della nave italiana Grande Torino, bloccata da mesi all’interno del Golfo”. Negli stessi minuti in cui questo messaggio del ministro è stato pubblicato sul social network la nave Grande Torino stava alzando l’ancora e puntando la prua verso lo Stretto di Hormuz. Da quando la car carrier era rimasta bloccata in Golfo Persico l’amministratore delegato di Grimaldi Group, Emanuele Grimaldi, ha più volte fatto sapere che non avrebbe rischiato di forzare la situazione tentando un passaggio attraverso lo Stretto di Hormuz che avrebbe potuto mettere in pericolo il proprio equipaggio. Ogni giorno di ‘prigionia’ al largo delle coste degli Emirati Arabi è costato al gruppo armatoriale partenopeo decine di migliaia di dollari. N.C. ISCRIVITI ALLA NEWSLETTER QUOTIDIANA GRATUITA DI SHIPPING ITALY SHIPPING ITALY E’ ANCHE SU WHATSAPP: BASTA CLICCARE QUI PER ISCRIVERSI AL CANALE ED ESSERE SEMPRE AGGIORNATI

Norway-headquartered oil industry supplier Eureka, a provider of pumping and power solutions to the offshore energy industries that is part of the Techouse Group, has been hired by Singapore’s Yinson Production, a subsidiary of Kuala Lumpur-based energy infrastructure and technology company Yinson, to supply a back-up power generator set for a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) deployed in Nigerian waters. This contract with Yinson Production for theFPSO Abigail-Joseph’s back-up power module will see Eureka engineer, manufacture, and deliver a turnkey containerized generator set for use as an essential back-up power source on board the FPSO, which is deployed at theAnyala and Madu fields, located offshore Nigeria. The company will manage engineering and procurement from its headquarters at Fornebu outside Oslo, Norway, and office in Zenica, Bosnia-Hercegovina. The Norwegian firm’s facility at Sørumsand, north of Oslo, will manage manufacturing and assembly of the containerized generator set. Ole-Johan Øby Svendsen, Chief Commercial Officer at Eureka, commented:“We have extensive experience from delivering various types of gensets to offshore assets all over the world. We apply a stringent and high-quality execution model to ensure that we deliver the right quality at the right time, in line with Yinson Production’s expectations.” This tailor-made generator set incorporates an optimized design to cater for a high-speed engine solution. Eureka’s service team in Norway will manage commissioning, start-up, and provide operational support when the equipment is installed on board the FPSO. The firm has not disclosed the value of the contract. Tom Munkejord, CEO of Eureka, underlined:“We have a highly flexible and competent organization that understands the importance of designing and developing a robust product with a long lifespan. With the FPSO located far from shore, the operator needs to be certain that it has a reliable back-up power source. That is exactly what we will provide.” The vessel is owned by Yinson Production and currently leased to First E&P offshore Nigeria. The Asian FPSO giant told Offshore-Energy.biz at the start of the year that itwould continue to use its lease-and-operate model, while remaining focused on operational excellence and disciplined execution in 2026. Take the spotlight and anchor your brand in the heart of the offshore world! Join us for a bigger impact and amplify your presence at the core hub of the offshore energy community!

A Suezmax tanker loaded with crude, sliding through the Phillips Channel south of Singapore at around eight knots, displaces close to 150,000 tonnes of water. The channel’s navigable depth is limited, and the largest Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) that pass through here operate with minimal under-keel clearance when fully laden. The Strait of Malacca and the Singapore Strait, the two-stage maritime corridor that links the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea, carries roughlya quarter of all seaborne oiland a third of global trade. And it does so over a seabed that, in stretches, the largest ships clear by only a few metres. This is not an engineering quirk. It is the central physical fact of the busiest shipping lane on Earth. The strait narrows in stages as a ship moves east from the Andaman Sea. North of Sumatra it is broad and forgiving, more than 200 nautical miles across. By the time a vessel reaches the One Fathom Bank off Port Klang, the navigable width has collapsed to a few miles of dredged water flanked by shoals. By the Phillips Channel, just southwest of Singapore, the usable shipping lane is narrow and the controlling depth limited at chart datum. A fully laden VLCC has substantial draft requirements, and the arithmetic is tight. The rules governing the straits require deep-draught vessels and the largest tankers to keepat least three and a half metres of clearancebeneath the keel at all times. Pilots time transits to high tide, watch swell forecasts obsessively, and accept that for several hours of a voyage worth hundreds of millions of dollars the ship is gliding over the bottom on a cushion of water about as deep as a one-storey room is tall. The strait is so shallow, and so commercially essential, that the global tanker industry built a ship class around it. “Malaccamax” is the largest size of vessel that can transit the strait fully loaded. Anything larger — the ultra-large crude carriers of the 1970s — has to go the long way around, south of Sumatra and through the Lombok or Sunda Straits, adding significant distance and days of steaming. The economics of that detour are brutal. A Malaccamax burning substantial fuel oil daily pays for the convenience of the shortcut many times over. So shipowners design to the strait’s controlling depth, and the strait, in turn, shapes the global oil fleet. About 90,000 vessels transit the Strait of Malacca each year, according to data cited by analysts atThe Conversation. That is one ship roughly every six minutes, around the clock, every day. On a clear morning from the observation deck of Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, the anchorage off the southern coast looks like a parking lot of steel — bulk carriers, container ships, LNG tankers, crude carriers, all queueing for berths, bunkers, or the next slot through the traffic separation scheme. The Singapore Strait operates a one-way traffic system run jointly by Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, with eastbound and westbound lanes separated by a buffer zone and policed by VTIS, the Vessel Traffic Information Service. Pilots speak to controllers in clipped English. A deviation of a few hundred metres can put a laden VLCC on a reef. The numbers behind what moves through here are difficult to picture. Around16 million barrels of oil a daypass through the strait, along with most of the liquefied natural gas bound for Japan, South Korea, and China. A substantial portion of China’s crude oil imports cross the strait at some point in their journey. For Beijing, this is the basis of what has been called the “Malacca dilemma” — the strategic vulnerability of having the nation’s energy lifeline pinched into a corridor a few kilometres wide. A new analysis from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, summarised byTradeWinds, argues that China’s energy supply is in fact more exposed at the Strait of Hormuz than at Malacca, because crude that has already cleared Hormuz has many possible routes east. The Malacca route is the cheapest. It is also the shallowest. When a large ship moves through shallow water, it sinks. The phenomenon is called squat: water accelerating under the hull drops in pressure, the stern settles, and a VLCC at speed in shallow water can squat significantly. Pilots compensate by reducing speed, which reduces squat but increases transit time and fuel burn. They watch the tide tables for the extra clearance a spring tide gives them. They watch the wake of the ship ahead, because a passing vessel can lower the water level behind it by tens of centimetres. A long swell rolling up from the Indian Ocean, combined with squat, can eat into that required margin — which is why the regulations cap speed at 12 knots through the tightest stretches and pilots routinely run well below it. The combination of draft, squat and swell is exactly the variable a transit is planned around, hour by hour, so that the three-and-a-half-metre minimum is preserved even when conditions conspire against it. The Malacca Strait sits on the Sunda Shelf, a drowned continental platform that, during the last glacial maximum some 20,000 years ago, was dry land. Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Java were joined into a single landmass called Sundaland. As sea levels rose roughly 120 metres after the last ice age, the lowlands flooded but the underlying geology remained: a broad, shallow shelf rather than a deep marine channel. Sediment from the great rivers of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula continues to fill the strait. Without continuous dredging of the main channels and the Phillips Channel approaches, depths would shoal further. The three littoral states — Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore — coordinate hydrographic surveys and channel maintenance under longstanding arrangements. Strategists in Washington, Beijing and New Delhi keep returning to the same map. A blockade or major incident in the strait — a collision, a grounding, a deliberate act — would ripple through global energy markets within hours. Writing inForeign Affairs, analysts have drawn the comparison to the 1984 “tanker war” in the Persian Gulf, when Iran laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz but the chokepoint nonetheless remained in use because alternatives were so costly. Alternatives to Malacca exist but they are slower, deeper, and harder to police. The Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra is shorter for some routes but treacherous, with active volcanism around Anak Krakatau. The Lombok Strait, between Bali and Lombok, is deep enough for ultra-large crude carriers but adds days to a voyage. Proposals for a canal across the Kra Isthmus in Thailand have circulated for centuries and never been built. Pipelines across the Malay Peninsula have been discussed and shelved. Southeast Asian governments have begun openly discussing whether the strait should be tolled, particularly after disruptions elsewhere. The Council on Foreign Relations notes that the conversation has shifted from “freedom of navigation” purism toward serious consideration of user fees to fund safety, anti-piracy and environmental work. Piracy in the strait, once one of the world’s worst hotspots, has fallen sharply after coordinated patrols by the littoral states.Reporting on the declinecredits the Malacca Strait Patrol, a joint sea and air operation, with much of the change. Collisions remain the bigger risk. Most incidents involve smaller craft cutting across the traffic separation lanes — fishing boats, sand barges, ferries. A laden VLCC at speed needs significant distance to stop. The pilots know it. So does the VTIS controller in Singapore who sees a fishing skiff drift across a tanker’s track on radar and has perhaps 90 seconds to do something about it. Singapore, which sits at the strait’s eastern hinge, has built its economy on this geography. The Port of Singapore handled around 39 million TEU of containers in 2023 and remains the world’s largest bunkering port, refuelling the ships that move global trade. The city-state is now positioning itself to supplygreen methanoland ammonia to the next generation of tankers, betting that whatever fuel ships burn in 2050, they will still come through this channel to take it on board. Indonesia, on the southern shore, has pushed in a different direction, courting Chinese investment for ports and industrial corridors along the Sumatran and Riau coasts. Some of those projects havecollided with local communitiesbeing asked to make way for the wharves and refineries the new traffic will demand. At any given moment, somewhere in the Phillips Channel, a tanker pilot is staring at an echo sounder display. The number on the screen shows the gap between the bottom of the ship and the bottom of the sea. In the worst minutes of a transit, with squat and swell working against the pilot, it can press down toward the three-and-a-half-metre floor the rules will not let it cross — a thin band of water under a hull that can run the length of three football pitches. Above the pilot’s head, on the bridge wing, a quarter of the world’s oil moves past Singapore’s skyline at the speed of a brisk jog. Below, mud and shells. The space between them is the margin the modern economy lives on. Written by The Space Daily Editorial Team produces content across our two editorial pillars: space industry news and Mind & Meaning. We cover launches, missions, satellites, defense, and the technology of getting humans to space, alongside the psychology of ambition, isolation, and meaning under extremes. Articles reflect our team's collective editorial process, source verification, drafting, technical review, and editing, rather than a single writer's work. Space Daily takes editorial responsibility for content under this byline. For more on how we work, see oureditorial policy.

Tra mostaccioli e lievitati contemporanei, la guida di Dissapore alle migliori pasticcerie di Cagliari e Oristano, provincia compresa. L’artigianalità come faro, abbiamo consumato le suole alla ricerca delle migliori pasticcerie dell’Oristanese e del Cagliariano. Come è nostro solito, non abbiamo privilegiato i lievitati contemporanei anziché la tradizione locale: sono sullo stesso piano, purché la proposta sia valida e le ricette frutto dei pasticceri e delle pasticcere del territorio censito. Ne è uscita una selezione eterogenea, che racconta questo angolo di Sardegna attraverso una proposta sfaccettata, dove tradizione e contemporaneità si fondono, tracciando talvolta percorsi inediti. Banconi che propongono seadas e pardulas, e altri dove la proposta è incentrata sulla viennoiserie contemporanea. Un mosaico di stili e proposte che tratteggia una scena gastronomica vivace soprattutto nel Cagliaritano, indiscusso polo gastronomico dell’Isola. Ed emerge, altresì, una tradizione tutta locale legata alla colazione, al rito che accompagna la mattina in maniera trasversale, tra dolcetti tipici, pizzette sfogliate cagliaritane e pasticceria francese virtuosamente eseguita. La nostra guida alle migliori pasticcerie di Cagliari e Oristano è parte di un progetto itinerante che attraversa l’Italia, ed è resa possibile da Molino Dallagiovanna, sponsor di Dissapore. L’Operà di Simone, Oristano Simone Spanu si approccia alla pasticceria da giovanissimo, iniziando a lavorare “a bottega” a diciotto anni, presso una pasticceria dell’Osistanese. Seguiranno l’apprendistato e i primi corsi di formazione fuori regione (Cast Alimenti e l’Arte Dolce di Rimini ,solo per citarne alcuni). Il 2012 è l’anno della svolta, con l’apertura della sua prima pasticceria a Cabras dove rimarrà fino al 2020, per poi spostarsi ad Oristano. L’attuale punto vendita, aperto nel 2025, affaccia su una delle vie più vivaci del centro cittadino. L’Operà di Simone è un locale moderno, caratterizzato da una proposta che da ampio spazio agli sfogliati e lievitati da colazione che guardano al buono e bello dello Stivale con numerose incursioni d’Oltralpe: pain au chocolat e croissant ariosi danno bella mostra di sé in vetrina assiema all’ottima la veneziana e l’iconica pizzetta sfogliata, trasformando la colazione in un rito lento per i numerosi avventori che animano il locale soprattutto durante il fine settimana. Ditrizio, Cagliari Situata a pochi passi dal porto di Cagliari, la Pasticceria Ditrizio rappresenta l’incontro felice tra la grande scuola tecnica internazionale e l’anima verace della tradizione italiana. Fondata nel giugno 2020 dal pastry chef pugliese Piero Ditrizio e dalla compagna Valentina Fais, questa insegna ha rapidamente trasformato il rito della colazione cittadina. Piero, figlio d’arte con un curriculum d’eccellenza costruito tra la Francia, Londra e Singapore, propone una visione contemporanea che riduce zuccheri e calorie, puntando tutto su materia prima e tecniche di lievitazione naturale. L’offerta a banco e ampia: viennoiserie ma anche classici regionali come i pasticciotti leccesi, i cannoli siciliani e le fragranti veneziane, senza dimenticare l’omaggio locale della pizzetta sfoglia cagliaritana, qui nobilitata dall’uso del burro al posto dello strutto. Il protagonista indiscusso è però il maritozzo, una soffice nuvola che richiede tre giorni di lavorazione, diventata ormai un’icona urbana farcita con panna freschissima o varianti al pistacchio e tiramisù. L’inaugurazione a novembre 2024 del Ditrizio Lab in Via Bacaredda ha segnato un altro tassello importante per il pastry chef pugliese, il segno tangibile di come la città abbia saputo riconoscere e premiare uno dei progetti tra i più validi in città. Pasticceria Piemontese, Cagliari Nel vivace quartiere di San Benedetto, la Pasticceria Piemontese rappresenta dal 1974 un baluardo dell’alta arte dolciaria, frutto del legame storico tra la tradizione torinese e l’Isola. Fondata da Giuseppe Aresu, l’insegna è oggi guidata dal figlio Gianluca, maître chocolatier di fama internazionale che ha saputo trasformare il laboratorio di via Lai in una mecca del gusto tra le più apprezzate in città. La filosofia del locale mette al centro gli ingredienti, su tutti cacao e cioccolato, selezionati da Madagascar, Ecuador e Perù per dare vita a creazioni che uniscono rigore tecnico e creatività. La proposta gastronomica spazia dalla viennoiserie d’autore alle torte moderne, ma trova il suo apice proprio nelle lavorazioni del cioccolato, dove l’estro di Aresu si manifesta in sculture monumentali e proposte innovative come la “Gustazza”, un originale connubio tra uovo pasquale e farciture cremose al pistacchio o gianduia. Un indirizzo imprescindibile per chi cerca una proposta contemporanea nel cuore della città. Matrice, Cagliari Nel cuore pulsante di Cagliari, in piazza Yenne, Matrice ridefinisce il concetto di dolcezza attraverso il manifesto della pasticceria agricola. Il progetto di Gabriele Giambastiani, pastry chef di origine lucchese con un solido passato nell’hôtellerie, abbatte ogni barriera fisica tra artigiano e cliente con un laboratorio completamente a vista che trasforma la produzione in un rito collettivo. Qui la materia prima non è solo ingrediente, ma il fulcro di un pensiero che mette al centro la filiera corta e il legame con chi coltiva la terra: dalle farine Monococco di Orosei allo zafferano DOP di San Gavino, fino al miele della Gallura e alla rara pompia di Siniscola. L’offerta gastronomica è contemporanea: tecnica francese, ispirazione scandinava e radici toscane del titolare dialogano in un menù ampio. Accanto a viennoiserie d’autore come il croissant al caramello, trovano spazio specialità come il budino di riso e la pesca di Prato, senza dimenticare la pizzetta sfoglia cagliaritana, omaggio alla tradizione locale, parte di un menù ampio e goloso anche sul salato. Completano l’offerta una carta bevande ampia e interessante. In questo ambiente dove convivono pietra del Sinis e legni di recupero, Matrice si afferma come un’officina del buono tra le più interessanti e contemporanee della città Cagliaritana. Les Negres, Cagliari Chez les nègres rappresenta dal 1964 una delle insegne più storiche e identitarie della città. La pasticceria nasce dal talento e dal coraggio di Mario Miceli, arrivato in Sardegna dalla Tunisia con la sua famiglia, portando con sé un bagaglio culturale che ha contribuito a trasformare l’offerta dolciaria locale. Il nome, che recentemente ha suscitato accesi dibattiti, fu scelto dai fondatori non con intenti discriminatori, ma come un paradosso identitario per rivendicare con orgoglio le proprie radici e la propria condizione di immigrati. Sotto la guida dell’attuale titolare Salvatore Armetta, nipote del fondatore, il locale continua a essere una fucina del gusto dove la pasticceria francese incontra la tradizione italiana e le influenze nordafricane. L’offerta gastronomica si distingue per la cura delle torte decorate e per la straordinaria morbidezza delle creme, realizzate seguendo le ricette originali tramandate da nonno Mario. Il menu non è ampissimo, qui si viene per prendere un cabaret di paste freschissime su ordinazione, o fare una frugale colazione con la “bomba” -tra le migliori assaggiate in città- tra i lievitati da colazione (o da dopo-serata) più amati a Cagliari. Una pasta fritta, che qui propongono anche al forno, farcita al momento con crema pasticcera. Pbread Natural Bakery, Cagliari Affacciata sul molo Ichnusa a Cagliari, Pbread Natural Bakery Boutique rappresenta la riuscita metamorfosi di Stefano Pibi, ex manager che ha scelto di dedicare la propria vita alla panificazione. In questo palazzo storico dall’anima urbana, il lievito madre è il protagonista di una proposta gastronomica che accompagna l’avventore dalla colazione all’aperitivo serale. La produzione di pane è monumentale, sono tantissime infatti le varianti che ruotano seguendo un calendario settimanale meticoloso: dai panificati con farine di grani antichi, fino a tipicità territoriali come il pane di Villaurbana o il Triticale sardo. L’offerta cambia pelle con il passare delle ore, partendo proprio dalla viennoiserie mattutina e dagli sfogliati d’autore, caratterizzati da strutture alveolate e da un morso golosamente tenace-ne è espressione l’ottimo pain au chocolat- che diventa elemento caratterizzante, la firma del panettiere. Completa l’offerta una cantina curata con estrema sensibilità, circa quattrocento etichette che guardano al buono dello Stivale con numerose incursioni d’Oltralpe. Pasticceria Marie, Quartu Sant’Elena e Cagliari Marie Champeyrol ha portato un po’ di Francia in Sardegna. Dall’apertura del primo punto vendita del 2015, Pasticceria Marie ha saputo ritagliarsi uno spazio nella scena gastronomica locale grazie alla levatura delle proposte a banco. Con due punti vendita, il laboratorio-pasticceria in via Mascagni a Quartu e il bar pasticceria in via Campania a Cagliari, questa realtà è riuscita a diventare rapidamente un punto di riferimento per la colazione, attirando residenti e turisti grazie a un ambiente ospitale e ad una proposta ampia e golosa. La burrosità -qui si usa solo burro francese- e fragranza dei lievitati e sfogliati da colazione sono il biglietto da visita del locale, su tutti il croissant “au beurre”, ormai un signature che ha reso questa realtà tra le tappe immancabili per chi cerca un’autentica atmosfera da boulangerie in Sardegna. La Speciale, Cagliari Molte delle insegne menzionate in questa selezione sono la rappresentazione di una storia di famiglia, quella de La Speciale nasce sul finire degli anni ’60 per volere dei fratelli Carlo e Giuseppe Pucci. Il locale di via Pasquale Curgia ha costruito un’identità ancorata alla tradizione Cagliaritana e non solo. Lievitati e sfogliati da colazione, monoporzioni e mignon classici e torte da ricorrenza costruiscono un’offerta ampia, che guarda principalmente alla tradizione locale e al buono dello Stivale: cannoli ripieni e sfogliatelle ricce, l’immancabile pizza sfogliata cagliaritana, ma anche alcune proposte esterofile ormai parte del rito nostrano della colazione. Merita una menzione speciale la brioches alla crema, un lievitato soffice e dalla texture impalpabile, farcito in superfice con crema pasticcera: un morso goloso e avvolgente tra i più apprezzati dalla clientela che da anni premia questa realtà del Cagliaritano. Sorelle Piccioni- Quartu Sant’Elena Non una bottega ma un vero tempio della tradizione dolciaria sarda. A Quartu Sant’Elena, le sorelle Nuccia e Mariolina Piccioni sono ormai considerate un monumento alla memoria e al gesto. Dal 1970 questo laboratorio rappresenta l’eredità vivente di mamma Gesuina, dove ogni preparazione artigianale è considerata una sorta di preghiera. La maestria delle sorelle, oggi ultranovantenni, si manifesta nel rifiuto categorico di alterare i processi produttivi storici in favore della modernità, preservando un’identità gastronomica pura e territoriale oggi tramandata alle nipoti, tra le pochissime rimaste sull’Isola, legata esclusivamente alle ricette della propria città. L’intera offerta è un viaggio a tratti nostalgico in una pasticceria d’antan: gueffus avvolti in carte colorate, pardulas e pabassinas che profumano di sapa e tradizioni antiche, ogni creazione riflette una cura meticolosa, evidente nella scenografica vetrina-gioiello allestita annualmente in occasione della festa di Sant’Elena. L’esperienza trova il suo apice nei celebri mostaccioli, capolavori di pazienza che richiedono tredici giorni di lievitazione e mandorle rigorosamente macinate a mano per due volte, arricchite dalle note calde di cannella, vanillina, acquavite e cognac. Preparazioni dove concetti come gesto, tempo e dedizione sono la cifra di un luogo che trasuda storia. La pasticceria delle sorelle Piccioni è un presidio di memoria collettiva dove il tempo sembra essersi fermato per preservare i sapori più autentici del Campidano.

ByLarry Olmsted, Senior Contributor. There are a few important awards and ratings for commercial aviation, but none carries as much clout as the annualSkytrax World Airline Awards, the “Oscars of Aviation.” In the latest 2025 awards,Qatar Airwayswas named the World’s Best Airline for a record ninth time—more than any other carrier ever. It won 13 awards in all, also more than any other carrier, including regional wins for Cleanest Airline, Best Cabin Crew, Best Business Class, Best Economy Class and Best Airline in The Middle East (for the 13thtime)—the most competitive luxury market in the world. On a global level, besides Airline of the Year, Qatar won for World’s Best Business Class Lounge (Doha), and most importantly, World’s Best Business Class Seat and World’s Best Business Class, what the airline is most famous for. After winning World’s Best Business Class for the ninth straight time, Qatar might be tempted to rest on its laurels, but instead, it is getting ready to roll out an even better upgraded version and new lounge. I follow trends in commercial aviation and recently gave a presentation on the “New Golden Age of Aviation” to luxury travel advisors at the annual conference of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), the leading industry group (and if you are looking to use a travel advisor, and you should,ASTA membership is an important qualification). I call it a new Golden Age because almost all of the better airlines around the world, including but not limited to Cathay Pacific, Singapore, EVA, ANA, Thai, Lufthansa, Swiss, Air France, Qantas, Air New Zealand, and even the big three US carriers, have either rolled out new upgraded versions of their premium cabins or are in the process of doing so, with investments of billions of dollars. United alone is scheduled to take possession of around 250 planes with enhanced premium cabins in just the next two years. In my presentation I highlighted three seminal moments in a commercial aviation history. In 1955 TWA added coach and invented the multi-cabin airliner. In 2000 British Airways rolled out Club World, the first lay flat business class seat, and even though there were flaws (like not having aisle access meant you had to climb over sleeping strangers) the idea of bed-like sleep on a plane revolutionized premium cabins. But what I called the “Game changer” only occurred nine years ago, in 2017, when Qatar introduced the Qsuite, a lay flat seat enclosed by privacy walls and a door, with more comfort, more space, all aisle access, and most importantly more privacy, something that since the pandemic has become one of the most sought after elements of luxury travel. It also had one other revolutionary feature, pairs of seats designed for couples that could be combined (and four seat clusters for business colleagues or families), with the partition wall removed and special bedding to become a double bed in flight, taking the same shared travel experience you’d expect at a hotel above 30,000 feet. While the word “suite” is overused in aviation, and these are more accurately luxury pods (walls don’t reach the ceiling, there’s no second room and certainly no bathroom), just about every one of the improvements on the airlines listed above is a global scramble to catch up to Qsuites, which are not just the best business class seats, anchoring the world’s best business class, but are also better than the vast majority of First Class products in the world, and certainly most first class products flying to the United States. That’s an important distinction for my main audience, because while alleged social media “influencers” are always eager to take free flights and show videos of themselves in the tiny handful of ultra-luxury First Class suites in the sky, those with showers and such, very few of these serve U.S. airports. Likewise, many of the other new privacy focused business class “suites” are highly limited (for example, Swiss’ new high-end Senses flies only one route from Boston to Zurich and Cathay’s impressive new Aria only goes from three West Coast cities), whereas Qatar offers the industry leading Qsuites every day on flights to and from more than 10 North American gateways (though planes are always subject to logistical substitutions). It’s the best, but it’s also the most consistently available. The Qsuite and lounges have been so high profile for the past decade that it is easy to associate Qatar purely with luxury. But when I check flights out of Boston, where I usually fly from, they are often less expensive to connecting destinations beyond Doha than the mainstream European carriers that are my other main options. Skytrax rated them the Best Economy Class and Best Economy Food in the Middle East,Global Travellermagazine rated them the Best Economy in the World, and AirlineRatings.com specifically noted that their economy coupled with exemplary business class made them the world’s best airline. If your budget is limited to Economy, you might as well fly the best economy available. I’ve flown in premium class on many of the world’s most awarded airlines, and last month tried Qatar again after a few years absence looking for insights into their unprecedented string of awards. The airline has won Best Business Class from Skytrax every single year since the Qsuite was released in 2017 (awards were suspended in 2020 for the pandemic), and is the only airline to ever win in the age of the privacy suite, but there is more to the successful formula than the seat, as evidenced by the fact that Qatar also won World’s Best Business Class in 2016, before the Qsuite existed. My experience confirmed why they also win for things like best crew, cleanliness and notably, Best Onboard Business and Economy Class Catering Middle East. It was simply among the best in-flight meals I have ever had (Turkish Airlines is another award winner and personal favorite of mine in this category with its famous “flying chefs”), and to be honest, at any price and any airline with any celebrity chef figurehead, I expect relatively little of airline food, usually opt for the lounge instead, and generally it cannot compare to a decent restaurant—except this time my meals on Qatar did. You also have the freedom to choose what you want at boarding to make sure they don’t run out but order it to be served at any time during your flight. They are on your schedule, versus the airline industry norm, which is the reverse. It’s a lot of little things that add up. While some airlines boast of the brand of champagne they serve in premium cabins, on my four legs with Qatar I had three different wine lists, each with different topnotch French champagnes (brut and rose) as well as an interesting selection of Old and New World still wines, which is more interesting than getting the same thing over and over, even when the same thing is very good (after all, the foods change so why not the wines paired with them?). And whereas on many overnight flights even in premium class staff disappears for long stretches, on Qatar they work either side of the cabin in coordinated teams and are on top of everything from a service point of view. One service issue really stood out to me. Many years ago, when I frequently flew US Airways (now part of American), I was upgraded to First on a domestic flight and accidentally left my noise cancelling headphones in the seat pocket. After getting off the plane I called the airline, and even though I had my boarding pass and they found the headphones at my seat, they would not return them because I did not have my name on them and thus could not prove they were mine. For real. The lack of logic and the couple of hundred dollars it cost me were infuriating, but I’ve let go of that. On this last trip, my wife accidentally left her entertainment kit, a zippered pouch with tablet, cords and headphones, in the under screen storage compartment (ironically because of all that was provided on the flight, she never needed to use her own entertainment or audio). We got off in Doha, transferred planes to Delhi, and she realized. When we landed she called Qatar, the next day they emailed us that it had been located, and a couple of days later the pouch was sent on its way and delivered to us at the Delhi airport. Of course, beyond excellent food and service, the privacy and comfort of the Qsuite is a big part of the experience, but so is the bedding, the storage, the entertainment system with a huge array of options, excellent screen and headphones. While most planes now have some form of in seat power, these vary, especially by current, and Qatar’s powerful 60-watt system allows for fast charging, while the airline recently added complimentary inflight Starlink Wi-Fi as a standard offering (in all classes), a huge benefit. Bathrooms are clean and stocked with toothbrush kits, amenity kits are first rate (Diptyque), and it’s one of the only Business Class products that provides sleeping wear (pajamas). Acclaimed aviation journalist and industry expert Ramsey Qubein, who knows more about the minute luxury differences between airlines than anyone I know, told me that it’s not even fair to compare Qatar to other Business Class because it’s more like what passes for First, and noted that “When it comes to food quality and presentation, Qatar and Turkish are outliers in Business. I really like the Doha airport, and Istanbul has an incredible array of lounges, restaurants and shopping. Qatar’s Business class is so nice, even the pajamas—very few carriers offer this outside of First.” Transiting in Doha is pretty easy, but even easier for Qatar premium class passengers who can access a special VIP immigration checkpoint that no one else qualifies for. The three lounges in Doha are stunning, which is why Qatar won three awards just for these: World’s Best Business Class Lounge, Best Business Class Lounge Middle East and Best First Class Lounge Middle East. I visited two of the Business class lounges in Doha, which are huge, and finding a quiet, comfortable and private (one of Qatar’s specialties) spot is no problem. Just a couple of months earlier I flew Business class on Qatar’s prime Middle Eastern competitor, known for its premium products, but in comparison found the lounge disappointing, having to take a seat surrounded by other people because it was so crowded, with food, service and amenities that were much less impressive, including lines at the bars as opposed to strolling staffers constantly trying to get you something, the Qatar approach. The Doha longes have something for every taste, with sit down restaurant service, sushi, grab and go buffets and in between counter service, plus tons of staff, lots of shower suites, quiet rooms for napping, even a gym and spa. The latest upgrade is the world's first-ever Louis Vuitton Lounge by Yannick Alléno, the ultra-acclaimed French chef second in the world in Michelin Stars (15). Like the luxury hotel within the hotel concept I’ve written about a lot in Las Vegas, this swank enclave is inside the Qatar Al Mourjan Business Lounge-The Garden, and accessible only to those who typically get lounge access (Business and First international passenger and Qatar Gold and Platinum members). It is a la carte, you pay for whatever you get, more a fancy restaurant that’s private than a typical lounge (like a high-brow version of United’s “secret” invitation-only Classified restaurant in Newark). It’s not my thing, as Qatar’s lounge is more than good enough (Best in the World winner) but I see how if you go through Doha regularly and money is no object you might want to try something different, so it’s another option. In a very simar vein, at one end of the lounge is a portal into the Dior Luxury Beauty Retreat, a branded Dior Spa you can spurge on—that’s in addition to the separate spa inside the lounge, about a 45-second walk away. One other big plus Qatar offers that few rivals can match (again only Turkish really comes close in this category) is its Doha stopover packages where you can add one to four nights in a 5-Star (Qatar rating not Forbes) hotel for $24 a night. Yes you read that right. Of course, if that’s too rich for your blood you can go 4-Star for $14, There are also lots of heavily discounted tours and activities. These kinds of airline stopovers are so good—two vacations in one trip—and so unknown to most travelers, thatI recently did a feature on the subject here atForbes, rounding up all the best programs of which Qatar is near the top. The Skytrax World Airline Awards are the most prestigious, but they are hardly the only honors airlines compete for. The next most important authority is generally considered to be AirlineRatings.com, which rates for both safety, and in its World’s Best Awards, focuses “solely on the inflight product and passenger experience.” By excluding its award-winning lounges, its award-winning hub airport, and its exemplary staff and service off the plane, this is a potential competitive disadvantage for Qatar—but nonetheless, they were ranked the World’s Best Full Service Airline 2026. Sharon Petersen, CEO of AirlineRatings.com, said, “It was a tight competition at the top, but Qatar’s value proposition, combined with a superior economy product and award-winning business class, secured that top position once again.” Another high-profile rating comes from international publicationBusiness TravellerMagazine, and in its most recent contest, Qatar made the headline:“Qatar Airways Wins Big At The Business Traveller Awards 2025.”How big? They were theoretically eligible for seven categories, but that includes Premium Economy, which they don’t have. Of the remaining six, the only one they didn’t win was Best Airport, which went to Singapore’s Changi—with Doha (where Qatar has 81% share of the flight market) coming in second. The five wins included Best Business Class, Best Lounges, Best Economy Class, and World’s Best Airline. So how does an airline that already wins all the most important accolades get even better? The main event is the coming rollout of “Qsuite Next Gen.” The display sample was introduced to the world at the United Kingdom’s high profile Farnborough International Airshow in mid-2024 and is expected to start flying later this year (though the Iran conflict has slowed many Middle Eastern timetables). For the upgrade, Qatar doubled down on its signature connectivity of seats in various configurations, and the “Quad Suite,” four interconnected pods, has been redesigned with large 4K Panaosnic OLED monitors that are movable in an aviation first so they can be stowed out of the way, creating a large social or workspace for four people, co-workers or family, in what is essentially a giant airborne living room. The Quads also have enhanced design for dining together, extending the plane as hotel concept for families. The new moveable screens will also increase space in the popular two unit couples seats, the “Companion” suites, making them even more comfortable. In the current Qsuites Companion doubles are only in the middle, but Next Gen includes window Companion Suites, and many fliers strongly prefer the window. Technology on planes is always fast evolving, and Next Gen has enhanced lighting options and upgraded touchscreen passenger controls. But a big win is that the suites are even bigger, the walls are higher, the sliding doors now automated, and the seats themselves wider and more comfortable. In a recent very detailed deep dive into Next Gen,frequent flier site Simpleflying.com describes Next Genas “a product designed to silence those who believed the original 2017 design was the apex of wide-body luxury,” which it has remained. Of the redesign they note “Qsuite Next Gen expands upon the idea that true luxury is measured in the cubic inches of personal space. Carriers globally have been tightening their cabin layouts to squeeze in extra rows, but Qatar Airways has opted for the opposite, pushing the boundaries of the wide-body fuselage. Every single detail, from the aircraft type to the placement of charging ports, has helped make Qsuite as spacious as possible.” “When transitioned into a lie-flat environment, the gains are even more pronounced, with the bed mode offering an additional four inches (10.2 centimeters) of lateral space at the hip and shoulder levels. This prevents the coffin-like sensation often associated with high-walled suites, providing a sleeping surface much closer to a standard bed. For these especially long flights, this growth can allow passengers to truly feel rested. The most startling metric, however, is the 100-inch (254-centimeter) total pitch, a figure that looks straight out of a first class product. This massive longitudinal footprint allows for a deeper recline and more generous storage cubbies, ensuring that even with a laptop, a meal, and a selection of amenities, the passenger never feels claustrophobic. Where every inch is a battleground for airlines, these measurements represent a decisive victory for those who value the freedom to stretch out.” The new higher walls and doors exceed the new business class being rolled out by just about everyone else, and Simpleflying thinks it’s a big enough difference to prevent passersbys gazing at you or not and for Qatar will “ensure they maintain a psychological barrier of privacy that rivals can only match in their much smaller first-class cabins.” What else is coming for travelers? Qatar is moving at JFK from Terminal Eight to the new Terminal One, and in the process, opening a new flagship lounge—its first in the United States. Even without the lounge, this is great news for New York area passengers. The main international terminal, Eight is older, crowded and hectic, and when I flew Qatar recently, the security and TSA lines were the worst I’ve seen in this country in recent years, an unsupervised free for all where anyone who wanted to jumped into “priority lane” and ahead of the dedicated business/first lanes, which in turn were much slower than the regular economy lanes. Had Qatar opened a new lounge in Eight, by the time I finally cleared security it would have been hard to even experience it. I did however take a quick peak into the British Airways premium lounge Qatar currently uses for Business class passengers (they are part of One World alliance with BA and American) and while nicer than a United, American or Delta lounge, with some interesting features, it is definitely not comparable to Qatar. Terminal One, on the other hand, is state the art and will only serve international carriers, with just 23 gates (once filled, it’s starting with less). The Port Authority, which runs the city’s three airports, has revamped terminals at La Guardia and Newark to widespread acclaim (La Guardia’s B won Skytrax Best New Airport Terminal in The World), and they bring these recent years of expertise and practice to JFK. The move in date has not been finalized but is scheduled for the second half of 2026 and will include the new 15,000-square foot Qatar lounge, which will feature the luxury of direct lounge to plane boarding, along with relaxation areas, prayer room, children’s play areas, elevated dining, and more. Very little detail has been released, but it’s hard to imagine it will not be a big luxury upgrade, and in a more manageable terminal. After all, to be the world’s best business class you have to standout on and off the plane.

BGN said it has awarded a contract to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) for 2 dual-fuel very large gas carriers (VLGCs) to support its expansion in the global liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shipping market. "The vessels, each with a cargo capacity of 93,000 cbm, will be built at HD HHI's shipyard in Korea and are scheduled for delivery by 2029", Geneva, Switzerland-based BGN said in a press release. "Designed to operate on both conventional and lower-emissions fuels, the new vessels are also capable of carrying ammonia, supporting BGN's commitment to the decarbonization of maritime transport", BGN said. On April 16 BGN awarded a contract to the same shipbuilder for 4 dual-fuel VLGCs. Each with a capacity of 90,000 cbm, the LPG carriers would also be delivered 2029. They are meant to run on both conventional and lower-emission fuels and carry ammonia. In another South Korean LPG partnership, BGN late last year launched a joint venture with South Korea's HMM. The 50-50 joint venture, based in Singapore, will operate 2 VLGCs under a 10-year contract with the option for 5 more years. The vessels are being built by HD HHI and are scheduled to be delivered in the first half of 2027, BGN said December 30, 2025. LPG Financing Recently BGN raised $450 million through syndicated bank financing to support its LPG trading and shipping operations. "The transaction represents a significant milestone for the company, featuring a uniquely structured financing package regarded as the first of its kind in the sector", BGN said in a media release April 21, 2026. "The facility is expected to deliver operational efficiencies and favorable financing terms for BGN and its suppliers. "The deal is backed by leading international commodity banks, underscoring strong lender confidence in BGN's growth strategy and trading strength". The lead banks were Coöperatieve Rabobank UA, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and Natixis CIB. Coöperatieve Rabobank, along with CA Indosuez (Switzerland) SA, also acted as an issuing bank. The other participating banks were Raiffeisen Bank International AG, Société Générale, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Bank of China and Garantibank International NV. BGN chief financial officer Rui Florencio said, "Not only is the structure of this finance facility unique, but we closed it in a challenging geopolitical and high-price environment. This again demonstrates the level of trust and confidence our financial partners place in BGN’s business model and growth strategy". LNG Expansion Also in April BGN announced a joint venture with Capital Clean Energy Carriers Corp for the long-term charter and operation of BGN's first LNG carrier. The tanker will be chartered for an initial 10 years with the option to extend for 6 years. "Scheduled for delivery in early 2027, the Amore Mio I is a modern 174,000 cbm LNG carrier equipped with advanced technologies, including onboard reliquefaction systems and IMO Tier III-compliant emissions standards", BGN said April 16. To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com What do you think? We’d love to hear from you, join the conversation on theRigzone Energy Network.TheRigzone Energy Networkis a new social experience created for you and all energy professionals to Speak Up about our industry, share knowledge, connect with peers and industry insiders and engage in a professional community that will empower your career in energy.