Malaysia

Palm Beach Motor Yachts Uses Propspeed

Underwater foul-release coatings company Propspeed announced it has received an endorsement from Palm Beach Motor Yachts. The luxury yacht manufacturer applies Propspeed as part of the commissioning of all new models, and recommends the use of Propspeed for existing owners as protection against fouling and corrosion of running gear and underwater metals.“We have been very pleased with the performance of the Propspeed lineup,” said Mark Richards, CEO, GB Marine Group. “Our motto is ‘To simply build the absolute best yachts on the water, with no equivocation.

Global Piracy Up in 2018, Gulf of Guinea Leads

Piracy increased on the world’s seas in 2018, with a marked rise in attacks against ships and crews around West Africa, the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latest annual piracy report reveals.Worldwide, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) recorded 201 incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery in 2018, up from 180 in 2017.The Gulf of Guinea remains increasingly dangerous for seafarers. Reports of attacks in waters between the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo more than doubled in 2018…

Seized Superyacht Linked to 1MDB Probe Arrives in Malaysia

A $250 million superyacht, impounded as part of a hunt for assets linked to the multi-billion dollar investigation into 1Malaysia Development Bhd, arrived at a port in Malaysia on Tuesday about six months after it was seized.The Cayman Islands-flagged Equanimity was first seized in the Indonesian holiday venue of Bali in February at the request of U.S. authorities investigating 1MDB.The Malaysian state fund is at the center of money-laundering probes in at least six countries, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.

Luxury Yacht Seized in Money Laundering Probe

Indonesian police on Thursday questioned the captain and crew of a luxury yacht in Bali at the request of U.S. authorities, probing alleged money laundering at a Malaysian state fund, they said. The yacht was impounded in Bali on Wednesday amid a multi-billion dollar corruption investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and tied to Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Police seized the yacht, Equanimity, after receiving a letter on Feb. 21 from the U.S.

Asia Pacific Leads in Global Yacht Charter Market

Transparency Market Research (TMR) forecasts the global market for yacht charter to register a 7.2% CAGR during the period between 2017 and 2025 to attain a value of $14.987 bn by 2025 from $8.123 bn in 2016. Volume-wise, it predicts the market to grow to 7,684 units from 6,054 units in 2016 by clocking a healthy 7.2% CAGR. Reporting on the TMR report, titled, “Yachts Charter Market”, Scott Walker, co-founder of Asia Pacific Superyachts and director of Asia Pacific Superyachts Singapore…

Mercury Marine Ties-up with Supratechnic

Mercury Marine that it has entered in to an exclusive distribution agreement with Supratechnic Pte Ltd, one of the largest marine distributors in Asia, based out of Singapore. This partnership will allow Mercury to expand and build a regional distribution channel in Southeast Asia that will include all of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. "This new relationship will allow Mercury to further penetrate the commercial market in Asia, giving us the opportunity to grow both in product range and territorial expansion," said John Pfeifer, Mercury Marine president.

Young American Sailors Call for Action on Marine Pollution

Leading offshore sailors Charlie Enright and Mark Towill are sounding the alarm about the danger posed by marine debris and pollution, after recent research from the Ocean Conservancy estimated a staggering eight million tons of plastic trash is entering the ocean every year. The duo spent much of last year in the most remote waters of the globe during the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race - and observed an eye-opening amount of debris littering the ocean all over the planet. Enright, 32…

China Launches First Maritime Silk Road Cruise Liner

China has launched its first cruise liner to sail via its ambitious transcontinental initiative Maritime Silk Road (MSR) on its maiden voyage during which it will visit three South-East Asian nations. The liner has scheduled stops in Vietnam, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia before eventually reaches Kuantan Port in Malaysia. The cruise liner set off from the Beihai port in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The 135-m-long 20-m-wide modern cruise ship can accommodate about 400 people and is equipped with wireless Internet access.

Abu Dhabi: Volvo Ocean Race fleet departs for China

Abu Dhabi, one of the most spectacular stopovers, after hosting  Volvo Ocean Race for the second time from December 12, 2014 until January 3, 2015, waved farewell to the Race fleet as they set sail for the third leg to China. They were pursued by Dongfeng Race Team (China) and Team SCA (Sweden), the all-female crew who won the Abu Dhabi in-port race. Officials, business leaders, public figures, residents and tourists gathered at Abu Dhabi Corniche breakwater to bid farewell at the official departure ceremony of the toughest round-the-world sailing event.

Maritime Piracy: Attacks Down, SE Asia Remains Problematic

While the issue of maritime piracy has largely fallen from the public eye, with the rapid evolution of the 24/7/365 news cycle and a never-ending list of new and globally interesting headlines, such as Ebola, there remains concerns of piracy’s effects on the broader maritime market, particularly in SE Asia. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latest piracy report, maritime pirate attacks globally are down for three years running, but there is a worrisome trend of small tanker hijacks by armed gangs escalating in Southeast Asia.

Quantum of the Seas to Embark on World Tour in 2015

World Travelers will not need to trek out to New York City to catch Quantum of the Seas, the most anticipated cruise ship to-date. The ship will come to them. Royal Caribbean International has announced the details of the Quantum Global Odyssey, a 53-night epic journey, departing May 2, 2015, from the New York-metropolitan area to its new home in Shanghai (Baoshan), China. Quantum of the Seas will take its never-before-seen-at-sea experience globally to savvy vacationers after the ship’s inaugural winter season in New York from Nov. 2014 through Apr. 2015.

Gibdock Prepares Five-Star Floating Hotel

The 189-room five-star floating hotel Sunborn Gibraltar is due to welcome its first guests in February 2014, after Gibraltar shipyard Gibdock drew on its extensive cruise ship expertise to undertake hull blasting and coating work. Despite its role as a tourist and business travel destination Gibraltar does not have a five-star hotel. The 142m long, seven deck Sunborn Gibraltar resembles a sophisticated high-end cruise ship or mega yacht. However, while the vessel can move under its own power, it has been designed for sustained mooring alongside, and features its own heavy-duty mooring arms.

RINA and Drydocks World Team Up

The RINA Group has entered a framework agreement to supply certification and engineering services to UAE-based Drydocks World - Dubai (LLC). Under an MOU signed in Rome (Italy) today Drydocks World will draw on RINA Group's field of expertise to deliver assistance on project management and ship’s classification and certification for a number of projects including floating hotels, mega yachts, special project vessels, underwater units and warships. The MoU was signed in the presence of H.E. Ms. Datin Paduka Halimah Abdullah, Ambassador of Malaysia to Rome, Mr.

'Home is the Sailor,' via Maersk

Troels Kløvedal has sailed the seven seas in his yacht Nordkaperen since 1967, but now returns to his native Denmark with his boat. This summer, Troels will be travelling by sea around his home country, filming for a TV show on the new TV2 FRI channel, launching in Denmark in May. In order to stay clear of the piracy in the Indian Ocean, Troels opted for having the Nordkaperen moved on a container vessel, and of course, Maersk Line were ready to assist and the yacht was loaded on Estelle Maersk in Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia for a final destination in Aarhus, a direct move on the AE10 service.

New Title Sponsor For Berntsson Sailing Team

Global brand STENA backs Swedish match racer Johnie Berntsson in his bid to win the 2013 Alpari World Match Racing Tour. The international brand STENA, one of Sweden’s biggest family-owned companies with businesses worldwide, has announced their title sponsorship of the Stena Sailing Team skippered by Swedish match racer Johnie Berntsson. The sponsorship marks an expansion of Stena’s involvement in sailing and match racing adding to the company’s current title sponsorship of the Stena Match Cup Sweden, an official stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour.

Stena Sets Sail for Match Racing World Championship

The Stena Sphere recently announced its continued support for the competition Swedish Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand for the next three years. Stena is now expanding its involvement still further prior to this summer’s match races by taking on the role of title sponsor for Johnie Berntsson and his team, who will compete under the name of Stena Sailing Team. Berntsson Sailing Team, all of whose members come from the Gothenburg area, finished in sixth place in last year’s Stena Match Cup Sweden.

Yacht Racing World Match Title for Team GAC Pindar

GAC Pindar skipper Ian Williams has clinched his fourth International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Match Racing title. Racing Tour. The team arrived in Malaysia only two and a half points behind the Tour leader Bjorn Hansen with all to play for. and come back with a vengeance. Williams made history in 2007 as the first British sailor to win the ISAF world title and won another two times in 2008 and 2011. His record four titles now equal that of the match racing legend, Australian skipper Peter Gilmour who announced his retirement only days ago.

Ocean Trade Lines to Deliver 2 LRV's

Ocean Trade Lines, one of the world’s leading boat transportation companies, has orchestrated the transport of 2 of Zyvex Marine’s LRV-17’s from Seattle, Washington to Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia this month. The vessels are scheduled to arrive in Tanjung Pelepas on December 8. Last month the eminent marine transportation company operating out of South Florida, USA, announced that their cargo-yacht-boat shipping services would expand to now service most of the Far East ports of call.