With roots dating back to 1885, Crosby is a leading global provider of highly engineered solutions for lifting and rigging applications across the oil and gas, construction, mining and industrial sectors. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Crosby has over 1,300 employees globally and is known for its iconic brands, including Crosby, McKissick, National and Lebus.

Based in Henderson, Fendercare Marine Australia’s Lifting, Rigging and Testing Services division provide a full range of lifting and safety equipment from world renowned brands including Crosby, Van Beest, DAESAN, Samson, Gunnebo, PWB Anchor, Kiswire and RUD to support the offshore oil and gas, renewable and commercial marine markets.

The Fendercare Marine Lifting and Testing Services division also incorporates a wire and synthetic rope supply and testing centre. Their wide range of facilities include a 600t and 300t wire rope swaging machine, full onsite NDT/MPI inspection and certification service and a 300t proof load testing machine. The Henderson base also recently received accreditation for several of its Lifting Services from the prestigious National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA).

Since its inception in 1988, Fendercare Marine has rapidly expanded to become one of the world’s foremost suppliers of marine products and services. In 2005, Fendercare Marine became a part of James Fisher and Sons plc, a leading provider of marine services with extensive experience in the marine and offshore industries worldwide.

In 2010, Fendercare Marine opened its first base in Australia and created their Lifting and Testing Services Division in 2013 to further support their position as one of Australia’s leading suppliers to the offshore oil & gas industry.

The ICS (International Chamber of Shipping), IMEC (International Maritime Employers’ Council), and the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) urgently advise that on all such vessels:

The Master should ensure that the crew are aware of the risks, how the virus can be spread and how to reduce the risk.

The ISPS requirements on ensuring that unauthorised personnel do not board the vessel should be strictly enforced throughout the duration of the vessel being in port.

The Master should give careful consideration to granting any shore leave whilst in impacted ports.

The shipowner/operator should avoid making crew changes in the ports of an affected country.

After departure the crew should be aware of the symptoms and report any occurring symptoms immediately to the person in charge of medical care.

The advice is supplemented with information from the World Health Organization on the virus (available here www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en)

A spokesperson for the three organisations commented: “Everyone is deeply concerned for those suffering from the Ebola epidemic and supportive of a coordinated world response to help them. We particularly applaud all those medical staff who are risking their lives to help. In the meantime we want to make sure that those in the world shipping industry play our part in ensuring the safety of crews visiting the affected countries, and minimising the risk of the virus spreading further.”

In July China announced it had lifted the embargo on Brazilian beef that had been in place for 18 months.

Brazilian meat sales to china totalled US$37.7 million in 2012.

As exports to the whole of China open up, exports to Hong Kong, Brazil’s biggest market in China make fall. Hong Kong imported 192,000 tons of beef in the first half of this year worth US$794.5 million.

China has approved meat exports from eight Brazilian abattoirs and another nine are expected to be approved this year. Source(macauhub/CN/BR)

The bespoke construction has towered over the Port since November 2013. In a complex operation lasting over 24 hours the tower was loaded aboard the Meri heavy load vessel which will deliver the tower to Rotterdam to be installed onto a pipe lay vessel designed and constructed by IHC group.

The pipe-lay tower was constructed at IHC EB based at the Port of Tyne over a 7 month period and represents the state-of-the-art in pipe-laying technology. It is a very visible testament to the booming offshore industry present on the Tyne.

Steven Harrison, Port of Tyne Chief Operating Officer, said: “The Port has built a close customer relationship with IHC EB since they relocated to our Tyne Dock Estate in 2010. This is one of many construction projects which IHC EB has loaded from the Port’s Riverside Quay and we hope there will be many more in the future as the river sees more demand from the emerging oil and gas fabrication sector.”

IHC EB has been a designer, manufacturer and installer of bespoke equipment for the offshore industries since 1997.

Alan Conway, IHC Engineering Business Construction Manager, said: “The 700 tonne tower was constructed for a joint venture between Sapura Kencana and Seadrill. It will eventually be used in the laying of underwater deep-sea flexible pipe and umbilicals essential for oil production in Brazil.

“The project has been challenging but exciting and the load out went as planned with the support of the Port of Tyne’s excellent operations team.”