The first call of the service was made by the 176-metre long Ro-Ro vessel Dresden on 25 May 2014.  The vessel has the versatility to handle a wide variety of cargoes through quarter and side ramps which allow cargo to be loaded and discharged directly onto the quay. It has the capacity to hold some 4,000 + cars and Ro-Ro units on various fully enclosed decks.

RMR Shipping offers a fortnightly service carrying a variety of general and wheeled cargoes to Lagos (Nigeria), Dakar (Senegal) and Abidjan (Ivory Coast). Project and conventional cargoes are also accepted utilising the lines own Mafi trailers.

RMR are represented in the UK by general agent AB Global Logistics Limited.

Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, owners and operators of London Thamesport, said:

“We welcome RMR Shipping to the Port with this new North West Europe – West Africa Ro-Ro service. London Thamesport has the flexibility and the workforce to meet a huge range of customer needs and we are confident in our ability to provide an excellent service to RMR Shipping and their customers. Additionally, we believe that the decision taken by RMR Shipping to move to London Thamesport will prove to be a positive move for the Line and their customers.”

Martin Fleet, Director of AB Global Logistics Limited, said:

“We are very excited at the move to London Thamesport, with our bi-monthly service and the introduction of the stern quarter ramp vessels. The port facilities are of a very high standard and the cooperation with all the staff within the port has been exceptional. We feel the location of Thamesport will be a positive move for all the clients and their cargoes. We look forward to this new and positive relationship.”

London Thamesport can handle a variety of deep and shallow-drafted vessels carrying a broad range of cargoes including Containers, Break-bulk, Ro-Ro and Project Cargoes, without the inconvenience of a sea lock and with a substantial secure land-side storage area. The efficient shipside operation, fast turn-around time of vessels and road vehicles allows London Thamesport to provide its customers with a cost-efficient service in the heart of south-east England. 

AIRSIS’ revenue for 2013 was approximately $7 million, and its future financial results will be included in Oceaneering’s Subsea Projects segment.

This acquisition is expected to enhance Oceaneering’s current asset tracking service offered on offshore drilling rigs and vessels engaged in subsea activities. Asset tracking information is utilized by customers to establish a common operating picture, which improves operational efficiency and enables incident and emergency response collaboration and reporting. This picture collects and displays real-time data associated with an offshore operation, including rig or vessel position, metocean conditions, remotely operated vehicle video, and subsea survey information.

AIRSIS’ signature service, PortVision(R) , provides web-based location reporting on commercial vessels. Oceaneering is committed to servicing AIRSIS’ existing customers, including its 3,000 PortVision(R) (www.portvision.com) users, and growing its presence internationally by leveraging Oceaneering’s global footprint.

In accordance with the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Oceaneering International, Inc. cautions that statements in this press release that are forward-looking involve risks and uncertainties that may impact Oceaneering’s actual results. The forward-looking statements in this press release concern Oceaneering’s: intent to include AIRSIS’ future financial results in its Subsea Projects segment; expectation that the AIRSIS acquisition will enhance its asset tracking service offered on offshore drilling rigs and vessels engaged in subsea activities; and commitments to service AIRSIS’ existing customers and growing AIRSIS’ presence internationally. Although Oceaneering’s management believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, Oceaneering can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements are made based on various underlying assumptions and are subject to numerous uncertainties and risks. If one or more of these risks materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected. For a more complete discussion of these and other risk factors, please see Oceaneering’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Oceaneering is a global oilfield provider of engineered services and products, primarily to the offshore oil and gas industry, with a focus on deepwater applications. Through the use of its advanced applied technology expertise, Oceaneering also serves the defense, entertainment, and aerospace industries.

Although market conditions have been challenging, BMT secured revenues of £163.3m, an increase of 5% year on year, with underlying operating profits of £11.3m, a proportion of which has been distributed to the staff through the company’s profit share schemes. 

David McSweeney, BMT’s Finance Director explains: “BMT now earns more than two-thirds of its income from non-UK customers, illustrating the truly global nature of our operations.  The year has seen some of our markets, particularly in the defence and mining sectors, cool and the highly complex, technically demanding nature of certain projects has required additional investment. Moving forward, our order book is higher than last year’s notably strong level. This suggests that recovery is continuing in most of our markets and gives us confidence that BMT can continue to prosper in the niche, high-value markets in which we operate.”

Comprising 25 operating companies, involved in activity across 10 markets in over 25 countries, the BMT group continues to concentrate on its core maritime-focussed offering. Highlights for the year include the acquisition of Verweij & Hoebee, a leading provider of both blue water (coastal) and brown water (inland) Hull & Machinery (H&M) surveys in Europe and the opening of new offices across a number of regions. 

BMT secured a number of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects including cost and feasibility studies at sites in Pipavav Port, India and was subsequently selected for engineering design work and an environmental impact assessment.

The strategy to ‘internationalise’ BMT’s structural integrity monitoring business continued with further investment in Brazil, as well as increased levels of sales and contract support resources in Europe and South East Asia. Recent acquisitions in Western Australia have also proved effective, giving BMT a strong presence from which to promote further growth in oil and gas related activities; especially in the environmental services market.

Leveraging its expertise in managing complex projects from many industry sectors to support the provision of efficient, reliable and effective services across the government sector, BMT further demonstrated its success through a number of major new framework and project wins during the year in the UK, Canada and Australia.  This included the Government Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) ConsultancyONE Framework, which is becoming the de facto procurement route for the provision of business and management consultancy contracts of values between £100,000 and £2 million.

Furthermore, BMT’s careful investments in the long-term success of the business are already proving valuable. Just one example is ship design, where its increased capabilities have seen the organisation, this year, complete the detailed design of the new tankers for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and win a similar project for the Royal Norwegian Navy – both based on an innovative BMT design concept.

Peter French, BMT’s Chief Executive, comments: “As we grow, so too does the need to invest in expanding our capabilities across the group – from developing the project management expertise required to deliver larger contracts to ensuring we have the staff and offices to meet growing global demand for our expertise.  Our challenge is to maintain our commitment to innovation and research, while matching up to the requirements of running an increasingly large business. By continuing to invest in the future, we ensure that we are well positioned to continue our growth and to further enhance the quality of delivery to our customers.”

The company announced a profit of USD 215m (USD 166m). ROIC was 14.0% (12.0%).  Profit, excluding divestment gains and impairment losses, was USD 217m (USD 161m).  Container volumes showed growth of 9% compared to the same quarter last year and reached 9.4 million TEU.  Cash flow from operating activities was USD 305m (USD 242m) and cash flow used for capital expenditure was USD 120m (USD 164m).

Revenue increased by 5%. Revenue for Port Activities increased in line with volume, which was offset by a decrease in revenue for Inland Services due to the divestment of activities in North America and Asia. The EBITDA margin improved significantly to 24.3% (19.4%), supported by increased volume and operational efficiency.

APM Terminals’ commercial goal is to help customers win in the marketplace by providing the most comprehensive solutions to liner networks, supply chains, importers and exporters. Customers are demanding higher specifications and performance of the container terminal industry to handle the larger vessels being deployed on all trades and the increased network complexity associated with the alliance structures.  APM Terminals continues to invest in upgrading the facilities and improving operational processes to cater for these increased demands.

“APM Terminals’ first quarter results reflect the company’s continuing focus on creating long-term customer value.  The benefits of our continuous improvement approach to productivity, operational excellence, liner network solutions and portfolio management continue to deliver positive results for our customers and shareholders. Our ongoing efforts to optimize our portfolio through partnerships, capital efficiency, infrastructure investment and better operations underscores our confidence in our customers and the future potential of the port market” said Kim Fejfer, CEO of APM Terminals.    

Portfolio Developments

In Russia, Global Ports Investments (GPI) in which APM Terminals has a co-controlling ownership share, completed the integration of NCC, the acquired competing operator. The business impacts of the political developments in and around Russia are continuously being assessed.

In Rotterdam, the new APM Terminals Maasvlakte II terminal (pictured) passed an important milestone in March with completion of the civil works. Step-by-step integration of automated equipment, system testing and job training is progressing and will continue into the summer. The terminal remains on schedule to open late 2014.

In the Southeast Asia hub of Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia, berth 13 was inaugurated during the quarter. The berth is equipped to handle the largest container vessels in operation and served the Triple-E vessel, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller in early April.

APM Terminals announced a 50-50 joint venture with infrastructure investor Brookfield Asset Management for ownership of the APM Terminals Port Elizabeth, New Jersey container terminal at the Port of New York and New Jersey which is currently fully-owned by APM Terminals. The joint venture is subject to regulatory approvals.

Other deals include the completed sale of a 29% share in APM Terminals Callao to TIL, as well as the 24% share sale of APM Terminals Zeebrugge to China Shipping.

In Santos, Brazil, dredging to remove a high spot in the access channel has been completed and the company expects to receive permission to handle large vessels within a few weeks.

APM Terminals designs, builds and operates a Global Terminal Network of ports and inland services that now number 65 operating terminals, 16 terminals being upgraded and expanded, with 7 new terminals in development.  These port terminals are integrated with an inland service network that spans 165 locations in 47 countries that provide the critical inland movement of goods reliably and cost-effectively.