VT Halter Marine, Inc.

Marine News magazine is now accepting entries for its annual MN100 awards edition. Each year, the publication's August issue profiles 100 of the top firms in the shallow-draft, brown water, workboat space. Is your company one of the best? Apply now.The 100 companies selected will be featured in the largest BPA-audited b-to-b publication in this genre. OEMs, service providers, shipyards, operators and the full gamut of marine-related businesses are eligible. But, only those who apply before July 1, 2020 will be considered for inclusion.Click here to apply.Let us know if you have questions. Reach editor Eric Haun at haun@marinelink.com.

Shares in South Korean shipbuilders rallied more than 20% on Tuesday following $19 billion worth of deals to build vessels for Qatar Petroleum (QP).QP said on Monday it has signed agreements with South Korea's "Big 3" shipyards to secure more than 100 ships costing over 70 billion Qatari riyals ($18.65 billion), describing the deals as "the largest LNG shipbuilding in history."The agreements signed with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd, Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Co Ltd and Samsung Heavy Industries Co Ltd will occupy much of the three companies' liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship construction capacity through 2027.QP did not announce breakdown orders for each company.

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) announced that Senior Engineer, John Reeves has been promoted to Director of Business Development to oversee business development, generate leads and provide leadership to the sales and marketing team.Reeves joined EBDG in 2015 bringing field experience gained through 23 years of operating and maintaining some of the most complex vessels in the U.S. Coast Guard fleet. His background includes five years as port engineer and manager of four industrial repair facilities, serving as an Associate Professor at the U.S.

Shipbuilder PT. Graha Trisaka Industri, in Batam, Indonesia is building a pair of new TRAktor V-3200 tugs for China Petroleum Corporation (CPC), of Taiwan.The shipyard, with support from Robert Allan Ltd., was awarded the construction contract by CPC following an international bid process. A steel cutting ceremony was held for the newbuilds on April 15.Upon delivery, the custom designed tugboats will operate at the CPC liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Shenao in Taiwan.The TRAktor V design by Robert Allan Ltd. applies to Voith-propelled tugs designed for harbor, offshore terminal, or tanker escort duties.

A U.K. startup tracking fuel-use performance in aviation will look to apply its product in the maritime sector in an effort to improve the environmental record of the shipping industry.One of 10 winners of MarRI-UK funding, Signol and its academic partners at University College London’s Energy Institute have been awarded a total of £130,000 ($162,200) for STEAM (Sustainability Through Efficient Actions in Maritime), a project looking to directly change the behavior of ships’ crews with the aim of improving energy efficiency.