Photo: Jörgen Språng

The evolution of weather routing
The weather has always been important and fascinated humanity. Especially in the Nordic countries, the weather is the ultimate topic when making small talk. The long tradition of observing and trying to predict the weather goes back over 250 years when the Stockholm observatory, as one of the oldest weather institutes in the world, started its data collection. The governmental agency known today as SMHI, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, was established as early as 1873.

StatoilHydro in Shtokman –
a step into the unknown
Government-controlled Norwegian oil and gas major StatoilHydro takes a step into the unknown, both financially, technically and politically, by committing itself to the giant gas field Shtokman in the Barents Sea. It is perhaps symptomatic for future dealings with the Russian state gas giant Gazprom that first the French major Total and now Statoil­Hydro has obtained 25 per cent and 24 per cent respectively in what is named Shtokman Development Company (SDC), also called the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

The Beltsupply is purpose built to serve the “supermarket” Wrist Group. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen

Lifeline for Danish
ship supply shop
The supply ship Beltsupply may not be the biggest one delivered from a Danish shipyard, but despite the size of the ship it will play an important role in the ship supply group Wrist of Aalborg.
The ship will be stationed at Kalundborg, which is one of the major hubs in the Danish supply chain, selling consumer goods to ships from many nations. In fact Kalundborg fjord, with its water depth of up to 15 metres and easy access from the Great Belt traffic lanes, has made the fjord a one-stop shop for ships heading from the Baltic area to the rest of the world.

Painting by Håkan Sjöström

Happy ending for Anny
For some old veteran ships there are happy endings. One such ship is the German three-masted gaff schooner Anny von Hamburg. Built as the Anny in June 1914 by the Conrad Luhring Schiffswerft in Brake at the River Weser, she was a true sailing vessel. During her first voyage the WWI broke out while she was docked at St Petersburg. Due to the hostilities between Germany and Russia the Anny was taken over by the Russian navy and used at the Lake Ladoga as a troop carrier.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Maritime Denmark

Pupils from Skive HTX on a visit to a Maersk container vessel. Photo: Danmarks Rederiforening

Confidence in the future
Tax, Talent and Technology are the key words in the ambitious plan of making Denmark the leading European maritime nation by 2015. As of today, Danish shipping income has never been larger, and the same goes for the order book.

Photo: Fredrik Davidsson

Göteborg – home away from home for three large Danes
Göteborg is, as we all know, not part of Denmark. Yet three large Danish companies have set up large offices in the city with the largest port in the Nordic countries. Maersk Lines and Svitzer have their regional offices for Scandinavia and the Baltic region there and DFDS Tor Line AB is one of the largest business units within DFDS. To all of them Göteborg is the natural location in the region.

“It is interesting for an organization to build for another customer than usual”, says Finn Buus Nielsen, CEO of Odense Steel Shipyard. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen

Two years with no Maersk ships from Odense
The A. P. Møller-Mærsk owned shipyard Odense Steel Shipyard has made the headlines as the first European shipyard in decades to build capesize bulk carriers. The shipyard signed up with the Greek Carras Hellas Group for six units (according to reports) of the new capesize segment of 180,000 DWT. It is rather sensational that the contracts landed at a European shipyard that has not built that size of bulkcarriers for a long time.

Engine giant with new name
MAN B&W Diesel is no longer MAN B&W Diesel. During the last year the brand has been altered and sized down to MAN Diesel for the brand of diesel engines known worldwide.
“It was decided to make the brand simpler in terms of speaking, and the B&W part of the old brand was a little complicated”, explains Peter Sunn Pedersen, Executive Vice President. “It was only natural that the largest part of the group took over the brand. MAN Diesel in Augsburg is by far the largest part of the group”, says Peter Sunn Pedersen.


J. Lauritzen is back in the offshore segment with the former cable layer Kraka, which presently is being converted into an offshore-support vessel. Photo: J. Lauritzen

J. Lauritzen: New business started and old sold off
J Lauritzen have again placed themselves in the driving seat in the market. After years of consolidation the company is now again ready and fit for expansion. This shows in the present order book, which has never been larger in terms of new tonnage for the future.

Reverend Asger Mørck in his usual working clothes on the quayside in Algeciras, Spain. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen

In the service of seafarer souls
Reverend Asger Mørck of the Danish Seaman’s Church in Algeciras in Southern Spain wears his usual working outfit this sunny Monday: not the ordinary black cassock and white collar, but practical jeans, a t-shirt and – most important – a safety vest. Dressed like this he is ready for the daily visit to the Maersk Terminal at Algeciras and to serve seafarers in all possible ways.