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Fairplay articles on tanker markets, drybulk players, and ship finance
June 2009
Tanker Market report from a weak market, another report with VLCC's getting frisky, late June tanker report, a flight of Greek flyers- Genco Shipping and Trading, then Safebulkers/ Euroseas, and then a trio of finance articles- on private equity, ATM offerings, and bank financing- the ship finance flight!!!
The Funding, Pumping, and Smoking section
June 2009
A group of articles from Janes Transport Finance; about the potential for more private equity and mezzanine debt (clip), about capital programme at Petrobras (clip),+ one about shipping's looming carbon trading issues (clip) and here's one about privatizing of airports, air traffic control (clip)
Fairplay Norwegian article
May 2009
A nice article about the Norwegian community in the States which allowed me to interview top executives from Imarex, and from Wallenius Wilhelmsen in the States.
Asset Values - NPV, last done or guess???
May 2009
Janes article on asset valuation for ships and planes. This is an enormously important topic. Thanks for Basil Karaztas at Compass Maritime for execellent guidance on this subject.
Fairplay Seanergy and Commodities
April 2009
Seanergy has navigated financial straits. Commodities articles for Fairplay on Oil Sands, Offshore Oil, Grain, Newsprint/Woodulp
Janes Economic Stimulus articles
March  and April 2009
Stimulus Package- Bonus Depreciation and Next Gen Air Traffic Control- clip here  An article about High Speed Rail plans (clip is here) with a close look at California High Speed Rail.  Port privatization in Oakland and in Virginia clip here.
Fairplay Market Reports
March 2009
Tanker and Dry
Fairplay article about "DSX" : Diana Shipping- Darling of Investors
Perfect Storms and Ship Finance
March 2009
The clip from Janes of the banking covenants article (mark to market, ATM, impairments). Article submitted to Janes Transport Finance re Eagle, RBS, DNB and private equity efforts at Seabury, new DVB vehicles Clip is here.
Tankers and Polar Ice Class Drillships ($1 Billion +)
Feb 2009
Market Report Introduction- Fairplay, where we discuss impacts (or not) of Obama energy policy on the tanker market. Read a Fairplay tanker market report (did we say "contango"? again?). On the deal front, read Janes submission re structured finance of Drill-Max IX for Stena. Article clip here.
Aircraft Finance- ILFC
Feb 2009
Article submitted to Janes Transport Finance, and actual clip, of an article about International Lease Finance Corporation.
Shipping Stocks
late 2008/ early 2009
So much to write about from Lloyds Shipping Economists. Two submissions- one in Dec 2008 and the next one a month later, in Jan 2009
Bankers and Lawyers
Jan 2009
For Janes Transport Finance, we wrote (2008)  end of year review of shipping banking (pdf) (submission here) and then, a few weeks later, a piece about the top maritime lawyers (clip) (submission here).
Infrastructure Finance in Obama's New Era
Jan. 2009
At the dawn of the new Administration, see this article from Janes Transport Finance looking at transportation financiers being bailed out and governors getting their shovels out for new projects to be funded. From Port Strategy, read an article about the Port of Jacksonville.
Drybulk Forecast
Jan. 2009
Market forecast article done for Fairplay. Some technical analysis, melanged in with FFA computations and good old supply and demand.
Dassault Systemes
Dec 2008
An article for Maritime Executive all about new ways of managing the shipbuilding process- borrowed from designers of Boeing aircraft. PLM vendors have failed for years to communicate their message. Until now!!!
Tanker Market Report
Dec 2008
In Dec  2008, tankers were the only sector worth saying good things about- see this report from Fairplay
FFA Netting Article from Janes
Dec 2008
Imarex and Fortescue Metals in all their glory- contains a special interview with Fortis (Netherlands) commodity/ shipping banker Harris Antoniou
Fuel for Transport
various 2008
This is "thematic"; two articles from Janes, on fuel prices going up, and then going down- including  the impact on Southwest Airlines and K-Sea.
Post Credit Crisis
4Q 2008
Well, well...after a while, I wanted to find some upbeat stuff to write about, the Panama Canal $2.3 Billion funding article for Janes, including an interview with the Canal Administrator, funds flow to good projects. Extra clip of the article with cool pix.
Credit Crisis Articles
Autumn 2008
Well, as you might imagine, the news in September and October 2008 prompted some crying in our beer. Articles for Janes on credit difficulties for shipping deals,
Advertorials blending business with topical company information
various 2008
Expert writing for the Journal of Commerce family of publications on topics of interest to the maritime business world. International Union of Maritime Underwriters, Maritime Security, Warehousing in Port of New York / New Jersey, and Project Cargo
SWFs and Dividends
Sept 2008
Two articles that appeared in Janes Transport Finance, on the impacts of Sovereign Wealth Funds and on how the need to pay dividends impacts company strategy (ask the guys at Arlington Tankers).
Fairplay Market Reports
Sept 2008
The drybulk market comes to life with these reports, appearing Sept 11 and Sept 18th. The Sept 18 tanker report captures some Hurrican Ike action.
No Summer Doldrums at bdp1 Consulting
Aug 2008
Read various Fairplay articles, on Drydock accounting, Transocean ("RIG"), and Drybulk market report before the Olympics and after the Olympics
And, for PORT STRATEGY, read about East Coast ports, an article written earlier in the summer.
Read Fairplay article about Paragon- a visibility minded company.
Index Mania- new indices running wild
Summer 2008
Two articles from Lloyds Shipping Economists about indices of all stripes. First submission here, second submission here.
Shipyard savviness
June 2008
Maritime Executive article re shipyards competing in a resource constrained world. See also our article on the U.S. East Coast for PORT STRATEGY.
Marine Money Madness June 2008
Indexes  such as the Blue Sea Index, Ship Finance (features the top bankers) articles both from Fairplay. Janes article about all the capital needed for shipping. It's never been as good- right as the bubble burst. A bubble indicator was the article for Lloyds Shipping Economist re Dryships.
Market Reports Galore from Fairplay
June 2008
Sale and Purchase Report, where we capture the heights- and also the Drybulk Market June 5 and then the anti-climatic Drybulk June 26 report
Posidonia Madness
June 2008
New York Greek article, IPO Fever, Stock trading article, SafeBulkers article- all from Fairplay's Posidonia issue.
Gulf of Mexico- offshore oil E & P
April 2008
Clip of Fairplay article on deeper, deeper, ultradeep in the US Gulf and the implications for Jones Act shuttle tankers. Article on Bourbon's involvement in the US Gulf.
Railroads and Hedgies
Spring, 2008
Did I tell you the time I called TCI fund in London, and asked for a quote? Read this article from Janes about the hedgies buying into CSX.
Higher hires, the market's on fire!!!
Spring, 2008
All about private equity investment in shipping- and then about the shipping bubble expanding- two articles for Janes. Another article written for Janes looks at the landscape for debt in shipping- including high yield.
Advertorials
First half 2008
Writing for the Journal of Commerce on Refrigerated Transportation and Port Expansion (with infrastructure finance overtones). Martime Executive article on satellite communications for the maritime industry.
Fairplay CMA issue- year of Freddy
March 2008
See a clip here of "SEASICK" article, describing the drybulk panel, with guest quotes from Norm Barouch and Tom Lowndes.
Ships on Order- A Financial Drag? Just convert them!
March 2008
Article from Janes Transport Finance about the intersection of credit issues and the big ship orderbook- will orders get cancelled, can they gain financing? Maritime Executive article about CONVERSIONS to ore carriers.
Infrastructure and the US election
March 2008
This article appeared in Janes on Hillary, Obama (but not McCain) plans for Infrastructure finance in the U.S. Good quotes in here from Deutsche Bank.
Spilled aquavit article
Feb 2008
Janes Trans finance article about taxation considerations in ship finance. The tonnage tax situation in Norway has caused some well known traditional owners to exit the Norwegian tri-color.
Surface Transport Tension
Jan 2008
Suppose the US Department of Transportation lined Panel created a blueprint for surface transport thru 2050 and the Commish disagreed? Read the Janes article on this subject.
Tankers and LPG Markets for 2008
Jan 2008
Barry Parker's tanker market forecast and the LPG shipping forecast were both published in Fairplay's prestigious annual markets issue.
Greeks & refinancing
Jan 2008
Frangos family history, all about Good Faith Shipping, Navios Maritime Holdings, Navios Partners, Angeliki Frangou, from Fairplay. A separate article, from Lloyds Shipping Economist- about refinancing.
Teekay Tankers
Dec 2007
An article about the long awaited offspring of  Teekay Corp.
Leasing and structuring
Nov 2007
A fresh look at ship leasing for JanesTransport Finance, along with a peek at how shipping and airline guys are finding value through spinoffs. Hedging against currency abrasions is now a concern for the maritime sector.
Fairplay articles
Nov 2007
Market overview late November, and commodity special on petcoke. Drybulk market reports for mid November and late November.
Infrastructure Investments
Nov 2007
A wave of new IPOs, including Dubai Ports World, and Novorossisyk Port, are described in this submission to Lloyds Shipping Economist.
Security and Insurance
Nov 2007
Two advertorials that appeared in the Journal of Commerce, surrounding events: annual meeting of The American Institute of Marine Underwriters and the yearly Maritime Security Show, at New York's Javitz Center
More Janes Transport Finance
Oct 2007
Seacastle- another type of Fortress. And, the Hamish Norton interview- rocket scientist turned banker rocks on...(including some of the secondaries mentioned below). Sneak peek at a November article about KeyBanc Capital Markets, heavily involved in KSP deal.
Going back to the well.
Oct 2007
Secondary share offerings (KSP, EGLE, EXM, DSX, GNK)- high prices, debt to repay, what's a CFO to do? Dilution, what's that? Article for Lloyds Shipping Economist.
Fairplay market reports
Oct 2007
Late October Tanker Submission. mid/late October drybulk Submission.    Submissions for mid October Tankers, Drybulk, S & P.
No rocks down to 50 feet, no bridge
Oct 2007
EXTRA- Rick Larrabee interview for Port Strategy- discussing PANYNJ's infrastructure deals, dredging and the Bayonne Bridge.
Bourbon and no rocks
Sept 2007
Company profile of Bourbon Group (interview with CEO) submitted to Fairplay, as well as NYMAR Ship Finance Seminar report- no rocks since Port of New York is dredging to 50 feet.
Environmental initiatives at US ports
Sept 2007
Look at an Advertorial written for Pacific Shipper and see how ports are controlling the environmental agenda.
Locking in revenues
Sept 2007
Article from Janes about Seacurus and Royal Bank of Scotland- diffferent approaches to protecting revenue streams. Submisssion is here-  protecting the downside and immunizing against losses.
Still more funding sources
Sept 2007
Private equity is playing a big role in maritime finance. Companies are now unlocking value through spinoffs, as these articles submitted to Lloyds Shipping Economist show. Also see a selection of news items submitted to LSE (Genco / Eagle, Apollo/ NCL, and  OSG's new MLP).
New ways of funding maritime companies
Aug 2007
TMM securitization (as it appeared Janes website) in Mexico. TMM submission here. In the Norwegian market, Glitnir is building a business around sale/leasebacks (also from Janes website). Submission is here.
Fairplay Aug 30
Aug 2007
Read our overall market report and container market report  (submission) and read our big article about the credit markets- shipping finance is alive and well!
Fairplay Aug 23
Aug 2007
Markets overview on drooping commodity prices, and the weekly tanker report all about seasonality- because OPEC increased liftings won't save it.  Overview-submission and tanker submission here.
Fairplay Aug 16
Aug 2007
Tanker market report before the market went on the move. Submission.
Janes
Aug 2007
Jones Act and Short Sea Shipping- finally something?
Seatrade articles
July 2007
Clips of Marine Money 2007 coverage where more investors than shipping people showed up- as well as Germanischer Lloyd's 140th Anniversary party at the New York Yacht Club.
Fairplay Shipbrokers of New York
July 2007
Read the actual clip from Fairplay and find out which broker is in the Lipstick Building, on Third Avenue near PJ Clark's.
Fairplay Ship Finance - MM Week, "It's all about the money"
June 2007
Capitalism is alive and well in Stamford, Connecticut: IPOs (clip), Tax Leases (clip), Private Equity (clip),  Cover story: OMI Corporation acquisition by Torm and Teekay (clip). Special feature- report on 2007 Marine Money Conference submitted to Janes Transport Finance.
Fairplay Market Reports- with a financial slant
May and June 2007
May 31 tankers, May 31 S&P, June 7 tankers, June 7 S & P
clip May 31 S & P, clipMay 31 tankers, clipJune 7 tankers, clipJune 7 S&P  
June 21 S & P S&P clip June 21 tankers  tank clip June 21 dry cargo dry clip
Top Tankers and Kirby Corporation
June 2007
Tale of two tanker companies, Submission to Janes Transport Finance about Top's buyout of leases. Submission to Fairplay on Kirby Corporation.
Not your same old market reports
May 2007
Sale and purchase, and dry vessel chartering- both are corporate activities, and it's about time market reports were written that way. The actual clips (big files) are here for sale and purchase and for dry cargo chartering.
Big huge TEUs
May 2007
Seaspan and Danaos - Containership finance. Big bank credits. Leasing unplugged! Port finance with private finance article submit to Port Strategy
Trimming Hedgies along the RR tracks
May 2007
Hedge funds TCI and Atticus buying railroad stocks like CSX and BNSF.Let's not forget Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffett) buying BNSF, NS and KCS.
Italian Ship Finance
May 2007
Submission to Janes that will appear prior to Mare Forum and 48 Ore conferences. Tanker Operator submission re D'Amico offering.
Viva Morten and Lois
April 2007
CMA Roundup- OMI rumours, Lois Zabrocky article.
Aegean Marine- new paradigm re bunkers
April 2007
Another Tanker Operator finance article, and an article re Aegean Marine Petroleum (submission here).
A tale of two banks
April 2007
Janes Transport Finance submisson re Fortis Bank (Oceanfreight) and BNP Paribas (CSAV) and how they bring much needed flexibility to loans. Here is  the submission to Janes.
Ammonium Nitrate  Liberty Ships, and old Esso & Shell tankers
April 2007
Shoes and Ships article from Fairplay commemorating 60th anniversary of horrible Texas City explosion of April 1947. Read another Shoes and Ships submission about old tankers of the Shell and Esso fleets. The clip is here
More Market Reports
April 2007
Fairplay dry cargo report April 5 (do I hear "$100K per day"?). Simeon and Diana starring in Fairplay Dry report + Sale & Purchase report for April 12th
Ports and Infrastructure, Port Security, DP World and all that stuff..
April 2007
Port Strategy Port Finance in two parts- Private finance and Infrastructure Funds- and then International Financial Institutions. Submission is here. We also did a port security article, "The World is Flat" (or is it?) for HS Today, a top publication in the Homeland Security niche.
Investing in Shipping Conference
Mar 2007
In the tony Metropolitan Club- an excellent conference brought investors and companies together. bdp1 Consulting was part of it with two articles:
Capital-Link FFA and  Investing in Shipping
Dividends and Drams
Mar 2007
Ship Management and Tanker Operator articles about companies' varying payout and outsourcing/ in-housing of tech management dynamics. Here's the followup from April Tanker Operator re dividends.
Germans and French
Mar 2007
From Janes Transport Finance, more German funds from Koenig and HCI, followed by French tax leasing  and  Cross-border  leasing. Janes submissions here for Germans (Marenave) and here for the French article.
Commodore Morten
from Fairplay cover
Mar 2007
Congratulations to CMA 2007 Commodore, Mr. Morten Arntzen, of Overseas Shipholding Group. Also read about why Wall Street aims to kick the UK's butt, and about CMA President Peter Drakos, also from Fairplay.
Resurgent Red Hook
Mar 2007
Shoes and Ships from Fairplay- Actual clip here. All about tanker MARY A WHALEN, built 1938, an iconic symbol of NY waterfront past, present and future. Retirement party for Inchcape's Dan Fox- another Brooklyn boy.
The $100 Million Caper and other thrillers
Feb 2007
Fairplay market reports about the rising S&P market and boiling drycargo rates. S & P(clip)     S & P(clip)     Dryfixtures(clip)     Dryfixtures(clip)
New markets: Gone cruisin' and Heavy liftin' in Oslo
Feb 2007
Janes Transport Finance on RCCL's Eurobond and on Oceania Cruises going to private equity shop Apollo (a week before Fincantieri announcement). The submissions are here (RCCL and Oceania/ Apollo). Janes Transport Finance submission about the front of the wave in FPSO's, Heavy lift, and Drillships
Gravlax and Taramasalata
Feb 2007
Reports on excellent New York conference organized by Norwegian American and Hellenic American Chambers of Commerce, from Tanker Operator . Submission to Tanker Operator re Aegean Marine. A compendium of submissions to Tanker Operator on "Earnings Visibility."
The old and the new!
Jan 2007
From Fairplay (clips), a reminiscence of the Admiralty Finance Forum (interviews w/ Clay Maitland and Emery Harper- and 2007 tanker forecast (pictures of Frontline vessel and Papachristidis (Hellespont) vessel. From Seatrade (clip), first ISMA boss Guy Morel comes back as top man at Intermanager
Forward tankers, and forward drilling.
Jan 2007
Clear-Port tanker derivatives article about FFA market and clearing- from NYMEX. Also, in the energy world, read the Fairplay article re deepwater drilling in the US Gulf!
Greeks (TNP and ONAV), Canadians and others on ice!
Jan 2007
TNP/ ONAV financial review published in Tanker Operator. Meantime seee the Janes submission re Canadian Income Trusts such as Halterm and WestShore Terminal- and Janes SPAC article re Great Lakes Dredge & Dock.
Bank Debt Roundup
Jan 2007
Published in Lloyds Shipping Economist
Navios High Yield
Dec 2006
Head on clash of high yield bonds (did we say "trend"?) and FFAs. What is the magic of $15 Million? Longer version of Janes Trans Finance article. Read  the actual article here.
Britannia Bulk High Yield
November 2006
A niche player comes to market with a High Yield bond offering. This article appeared in Fairplay.
Sovcomflot/ HSH Nordbank
November 2006 The world's leading shipping bank talks to Barry Parker about the Sovcomflot deal and its strategic objectives in ship finance- includes a map of the Barents Sea and its ice-class ports.  Read the actual clip (no map) here.
Danaos IPO
November 2006
Submitted to Janes Transport Finance. Talk about earnings visibility and borrowing power- these guys have got both! Clip of actual article is here.
GE Energy, Aircraft + more. Structured finance at its best October 2006
Infrastructure Funds are consuming transport assets Janes hardcopy clip here, from airports to  baggage carts. Article for Port Strategy on a similar subject and an article about FPSO funding from GE Energy Finance   + Clip.
Tanker Market Outlook- review
October 2006
We recognize excellence elsewhere among the forecasting fraternity. These McQuilling guys (and lady) know their stuff. Appeared in Fairplay.
Optmising the Eagle
October 2006
Article submission (Janes Transport Finance) regarding Eagle Bulk Shipping and Overseas Shipholding/ Maritrans deal and Capital Construction Funds
Captain Kidd, Andreas, Freddy, Peter and other Pirates
October 2006
Book review, sort of, submitted to Fairplay regarding Captain William Kidd, and "The Pirate Hunter"- written by my Horace Mann buddy Richard Zacks.  Speaking of pirates and hunting, read about Andreas, Freddy and Peter G.- aka BW International Shipping acquires GMR shares from Frontline (8-2006)
Lessons from the Energy Front
Sept 2006
FPSO's, platforms and cool assets financed in ways that might inspire shipping companies. Submission to Janes Transport Finance.
Transformative Finance
Sept 2006
Article submitted to Janes Transport Finance about a US flag tanker company that organized its entire capital program in one massive deal. Clip.
Maritime Security Redux
Sept 2006
Another advertorial in the Journal of Commerce- timed to coincide with the annual Maritime Security event at the Javits Center
Navigation Finance Funds Feature
August 2006
Private equity with a maritime slant, for JTF an examination of the highly successful group of funds from Navigation Finance Corporation (NFC), a jv of  DVB  NNI. Hardcopy clip here of NFC article. See a related article on various approaches to private equity in shipping (including Tufton's unique approach), also including NNI. Hardcopy here
Shipping and Environment
August 2006 An advertorial for the Journal of Commerce featuring comments from Exec Directors of Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Tanker Market Report
August 2006
All that hype about Prudhoe Bay- the crisis that wasn't. But a great week to be writing a guest market report (hardcopy) for Fairplay
Factoring In Risk
August 2006
A submission on FFAs and screens submitted to Risk Factor. Clip is here.
Norton Rose/ Nordea and RBS
July 2006
For JTF, I travelled to London (UK) to interview some of the top practioners of shipping finance- concentrating on the lenders' thought process. Hardcopy
Myles Itkin Interview
July 2006
The CFO of Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) talked to me (for JTF) about how finance is intertwined with company strategy and market leadership. Hardcopy from Janes.
Maritime Lawyers Advertorial
July 2006
Maritime lawyers cover a vast and fascinating waterfront. Read an advertorial written by bdp1 Consulting appearing in the Journal of Commerce.
Seatrade Navios and Dahlman Rose
May- June
2006
These articles appeared in Seatrade, all about Navios and Angeliki Frangou and a nice little piece about Simon Rose, Quintana and the incredible deal.
Fairplay Finance
June 2006
Submissions to Fairplay about the new dawn for the IPO Boom (sigh!!!), those snoopy analysts, and what it's like being listed.
Fairplay Posidonia
June 2006
A classic IPO window opened for Greek owners, who placed in excess of $1Billon of equity. Read about a new I- Bank, Dahlman Rose and a banker from Cantor Fitzgerald, Anthony Argyropoulos, who were part of the activity.
SFL on the Horizon
June 2006
Another big leasing deal, Ship Finance Ltd does five US flag box ships to HRZ. We got exclusive quotes from Fortis and from top leasing lawyers for our article submitted to Janes Transport Finance.
Top Tankers and Omega Navigation
May 2006
Various articles from Janes Transport Finance. Top Tankers was the first non Korean company to enter a Korean sale/ leaseback deal.
Quintana deal
May 2006
All about the cool deal where 17 ships were bought- from Janes, including exclusive quotes from the bankers at Dahlman Rose and Fortis. Bonus points: read our Fairplay story about Dahlman Rose.
Shipping company rating game
May 2006
We talked with Standard and Poors about the art and science of rating unsecured debt; amazingly some shipping companies are "investment grade"
New Breed of Companies April 2006 Articles about GFI Group and Navios, from Janes Transport Finance. An article about GFI Group appearing in Fairplay.
Dubai Ports April 2006 Read about how politics and the emotion that goes with it trumps reality from an article in HSToday written as the Dubai Ports mess was unfolding.
Stealthgas articles March 2006 Articles about Harry Vafias, and NASDAQ listed company Stealthgas from Fairplay and from Janes Transport Finance.
Commodore Jensen March 2006 This article appeared in the special CMA issue of Fairplay, along with articles describing the CMA, the stock markets, and the local cluster of companies.
Shipping stocks and energy stocks
Jan. 2006
Why do operators of links in the oil chain gain better valuations than tanker companies? See this article submitted to Janes Transport Finance.
Tanker Market Twin Peeks (no, not peaks)
Jan. 2006
US tanker trades- this article concentrated on the US tanker market. It followed up a pair of articles (one on "Chokepoints", and one on "What if") apearing in Fairplay's annual markets review, provides quantitative meat on the bones of "what if" scenarios?
Morgan Stanley bear roaring
Feb 2006 We attended a virtual conference hosted by Morgan Stanley, detailing downgrade after downgrade. A buy signal, perhaps?
Morten Arntzen interview
Feb 2006
The CEO of Overseas Shipholding Group shares his views with Barry Parker, for Janes Transport Finance.
Securitization of Shipping Loans
Jan. 2006
An insightful finance article including interviewers with important players from HSH Nordbank (Ocean Star 2004 and 2005), NIB Bank (Latitude Synthetic) and DVB Bank (expected to join the Shipping Securitization Club during 2006)
Battle of the Titans
Dec. 2005
Peter Georgiopoulos versus Fredriksen in Fairplay. Barry Parker wrote the part about Peter G. (but the Editors forgot about his recent wedding).
Earnings under the Microscope
Dec. 2005
Reading the fineprint of income statements and balance sheets of listed shipping companies. Or, how do rising scrap prices help current earnings?
Notices and Tracking
Jan. 2006
A followup, in Digital Ship, about some of the nifty uses of technology for advanced notices of arrival and tracking.
Excel MaritimeGreek Carriers Interview
Dec. 2005
Well, once in a while, we are able to go one on one with a company CEO. In this interview- we talked with Mr. Chris Georgakis- the CEO of Excel Maritime.
DryShips interview
Dec. 2005
The CEO of DryShipsGreek, Mr. George Economou, sat down with Barry Parker recently, at New York's Harvard Club, to discuss his company and trends.
Risk Management and Hedging of Fuel Costs
Dec. 2005
FASB 133 accounting has made it nearly impossible for those Public School accented boffins to sell "exotics" to shipping companies. Costless collars and plain vanilla swaps, however, are alive and well.
Earnings Visibility
Nov. 2005
How far out in the future can analysts see? Read our take on visibility in this article submitted to Janes Transport Finance.
When Men Were Men, Ships were Ships
Nov. 2005 A sign of age? Barry scores a monster hit in Fairplay's "Shoes and Ships"- profiling China Navigation- an oldie within the still older Swire Group. Of special interest is their internet linked alumni association site.
Too Much $ - Ship Prices Too HighGreek Nov. 2005
Article in Janes all about 3Q 2005 Conference calls and the $ Hundreds of Millions funding share buybacks and dividends instead of vessel purchases. Meantime, here's an analytical piece looking at Dryships (NASDAQ: DRYS) and Diana Shipping (NYSE: DSX) two drybulk players that launched 2005 IPO's.
Taking Notice of Tracking Trends
Nov. 2005
Security and supply chains are supposed to mesh, right? For Fairplay Solutions, we looked at LRIT projects underway at the Panama Canal and worldwide sponsored by the Marshall Islands shipping registry.
Container Tracking or TREC-ing
Oct. 2005
Blue Ships and Big Blue Boxes. IBM and Maersk have teamed up to track containers in realtime. This was sent to the Digital Ship- which saw IBM's entry into the market as newsworthy in its own right.
Double Hull Tankers
Oct. 2005
OSG spinning off seven vessels into a new company. Could their LNG and Jones Act fleets be too far behind? Oh, Morten, what about that old Stelmar franchise that's now worth more than you bought it for? Blow it out!!!
LNG Finance
Oct. 2005
Now that Bergesen has pulled off their offering, it was time for a fresh look at the market. See our article in Janes Transport Finance with comments, including from a UK lawyer who helped draft the new LNG spot charter party.
Issues Facing KG's
Sept 2005
This market continues to raise capital for shipping. See what we wrote for Janes, with quotes from an expert at Norton Rose's Munich office.
Post Summer IPO's
Sept 2005
Back in action for Janes Transport Finance following a month with only one shipping IPO (Seaspan)! Here is another one from Janes on the whole consolidation thing- concentrating on the watershed Maersk - P&O deal, with some excellent commentary from a top UK lawyer on EU Competition issues.
Aries and Hybrids
August 2005
These articles appeared in Fairplay. Aries is in product tankers and small containerships. Two strong cards- portfolio diversification?
Post Katrina Refinery Situation
Sept 2005
Written for Fairplay in conjunction with excellent post Katrina coverage. Provides some explanation of the surge in the product tanker markets.
Clearing of FFA's
Sept 2005
Imarex, NYMEX, LCH-Clearnet; why are all these guys chasing the freight markets around? Lloyds Shipping Economist article about the new clearing alternatives- enhancing the credit of freight swaps (FFAs).
Coal and Freight Arbitrages
Sept 2005
Proof from Energy Risk Management on this emerging subject at intersection of chartering, energy and corporate finance/ trading.
Fuel Price Risk Management
July 2005
Submission to Janes Transport Finance all about fuel hedging practices of listed shipping companies. When is a bunker surcharge a profit generator?
Still more IPOs
July 2005
Some concern as IPOs are getting scaled back, but that is not stopping Bill Livanos, Victor Restis Greekand some we have not heard from yet. See a related article published in Fairplay regarding diversified fleets.
More IPO's
June 2005
Liner shipping, bulk shipping, all going public. Written for Janes Transport Finance. Look at a Fairplay submission profiling American Marine Advisors.
The FFA section
Spring 2005
Janes Transport Finance article on the FFA market now, and Fairplay Shoes and Ships submission on the historical context of the market.
Jones Act Tankers
May 2005
A funny thing happened on the way to fleet obsolescence- OSG was talking about ordering 10 product tankers from the Kvaerner USA yard.
Drybulk Shipping IPOs
May 2005
Lloyds Shipping Economist rundown on all the drybulk IPO's that we could squeeze in. By mid May, these were being announced at the rate of two per week. We wrote a similar article in April for Janes Transport Finance, where we discuss companies like Diana Shipping Greekand International Shipping Enterprise. Quintana and Cavan (Wexford), discussed here, postponed their IPO's till post Summer, but GENCO Shipping and Trading  got its IPO off, albeit with a haircut on the pricing.
U.S. Tax Laws and Shipping IPO's
May 2005
Changes in the tax laws are enabling more deals to get done. Article written for Janes Transport Finance, with quotes from a top US tax lawyer.
Sale and Leasebacks
April 2005
Article for Janes Transport Finance covering KG' companies, tax leases, and other structures- with particular emphasis on the sale of tankers (old and not so old) with charters back.
Shoes and Ships: Finance
April 2005
Articles for Fairplay on Majestic Shipping, and on current crop of Shipping IPO's and their similiarities with the late 1990's harvest of high yield debt
Eagle Bulk Shipping
Apr. 2005
GreekArticles for Fairplay and Janes Transport Finance
Energy Articles
Mar. 2005
Find out little factoids like how many voyages are required to transport additional Mbbl/day of U.S. import demand, and how much LNG the U.S. might import in coming years.
Sean Day - CMA Commodore
Mar. 2005
Profile of the consumate shipping company CEO, written for Fairplay CMA issue. A Rhodes Scholar running the world's largest tanker company.
DryShips
Febr. 2005
Another Greek IPO, Greekarticle for Janes Transport Finance. Since this article was written, the fleet has been expanded to 27 ships, they have paid a dividend, and have done many things right.
Cantor Fitzgerald
Febr. 2005
Article for Fairplay on a new player in the ship finance market with four deals under its belt so far. Speaking of Greeks and Jewish New Yorkers- read about Majestic Shipping, where PapachristidisGreek meets Tisch and Rudin!
The Cash Bash
Febr. 2005
Article for Janes Transport Finance- share buybacks, convertible debt, full payout companies.
General Maritime  No Dividend to Full Payout
Febr. 2005
Article for Fairplay. GMR- from a growth outfit to a full dividend payer competing with Frontline for who can pay bigger dividends. Here is how Fairplay wrote it up (note- not my headlines!), and here is Peter G's retort.
Maritime Security Redux
Jan. 2005
Submission to Digital Ship including a host of new characters including Bernard Kerik, Tiger Woods and Superman.
Tanker Market Review- Fairplay
Jan. 2005
This is a pdf, minus the charts from IMAREX and the Baltic Exchange and Clarksons, of my article on tankers. Note that Teekay used same approach to supply demand in their 4Q 2004 Conference Call with investors.
Container Ship Finance
Jan. 2005
Article for Janes Transport Finance. If you speak Deutsch, it can help with those KG prospectuses.
LNG Shipping Finance
Dec. 2004
Article submitted to Janes Transport Finance. The new vessels exceed 200,000 m3 and exceed US $200 Million.
Yield Based Shipping Equities
Nov. 2004
Got the cash??? Read our submissions to Janes Transport Finance and to Fairplay on this important emerging trend in shipping finance.
Training and Simulation
Nov. 2004
Read our submission to The Digital Ship / Tanker Operator. A few months later I wrote an article for the Digital Ship on getting better data.
Tanker Stock Mania and Short Sea Mania
October, 2004
Fairplay submissions regarding U.S. Shipping Partners L.P. (actual clip is here), Arlington Tankers (actual clip), and Osprey Container Line.
MARAD Short Sea Shipping Conference
October, 2004
Article submitted to Fairplay covering MARAD's third annual Short Sea Shipping Conference, held in New York, which was really as much about politics and logistics as it was about operating vessels. See the actual clip here.
Ontology and all that stuff- Magenta Tech.
October, 2004
Read our submission to Digital Ship / Tanker Operator on Magenta Technology's groundbreaking scheduling program being tested at Tankers International.
The 9/11 Report
Sept, 2004
Read the submission to HSToday (Sept issue) providing a prescription for maritime security, following recommendations in the 9/11 Report.
Short Sea Shipping
August, 2004
An article that was submitted to Lloyds Shipping Economist on an oft discussed topic, showing the complexities of funding projects that may not turn self-supporting for decades.
Scrap Metal Freight
Sept, 2004
The perfect storm, the volatile cocktail....whatever you call it, shippers of scrap metal have gotten triple whammied in the freight markets. Read a draft similar to our article in SCRAP magazine, discussing freight markets and immunization strategies. Sorry boffins- no hedging examples, but some good graphics of the Baltic Handymax Index.
AIS COMES ALIVE!
August, 2004
Once a century, I review a site that is a paradigm-setter. The company described in the submission to the Digital Ship (actual pdf here), AISLIVE, embodies all the ideas from my AIS article of last summer, down to the VHF radio antenna mounted on the roof facing the harbour. CHECK OUT an Extra clip here of a similar bdp1 article appearing in Port Technology International.
First Ship Lease
July, 2004
Read the submission and the article clip that appeared in Fairplay. A great article that gives a human side to the highly complex world of ship leasing.
The Nick Tsakos article June, 2004 Another Posidonia, another cover article! Read about Tsakos Energy Navigation. This appeared in the same issue of Fairplay with the "Greeks in Transition" article below.Greek
The EVA article July, 2004 Economic Value Added - when does "accretive" mean "black hole"? And, was the Stelmar board using an EVA model when it looked at OMI's bid? Read our submission to Lloyds Shipping Economist.
US Maritime Security on the eve of July 1 May, 2004 Article sent in to THE DIGITAL SHIP, looking at solutions to maritime security issues deployed by the US Coast Guard, Customs and Border Patrol, and the U.S. Navy
Fairplay Newswatches and Company Stories
May, June
2004
Various short company specific articles on Stelmar (Greeka Greek tragi-comedy where 5 divided by 2 equals 1.75), Ship Finance International Limited (5 divided by 2 equals 3) and on Horizon Lines (private equity scoring very big in US flag shipping). Horizon clip here.
Greeks in Transition
June, 2004 The Greek companies are more corporate in style. This is a pdf of an article that appeared in Fairplay, evaluating the impact of the seemingly increased transparency.Greek
The Big Pipe Article May, 2004 The articles on VSAT technology inspired this look, sent in to THE DIGITAL SHIP, at various onboard applications and how they may be enhanced through broader connections. View the actual clip here.
Onboard Security in The Digital Age April, 2004 This article was sent in to THE DIGITAL SHIP. If the Limburg had been properly equipped for their voyage, things might have been a little different on that October day. Link to a pdf of the actual article.
Title XI Ship Finance Debt Spring, 2004 This article was submitted to WORKBOAT for publication shortly after the first version of the FY 2005 budget attempt to zero out the program. Click here to open an actual pdf clip from the magazine (6 MB file).
The Facility Side of Maritime Security April, 2004 After all those articles about how vessels are handling the ISPS, it was time to do an article about what how facilities are coping. Some exciting new technologies are being deployed and the word "perimeter" has taken on a new meaning. This is pdf from ST&D online edition.
The MLP article April, 2004 Article sent in to Lloyds Shipping Economist all about the recent K-Sea offering and the mechanics behind Master Limited Partnerships. If you are interested in this topic, you can also read about Ship Finance International Limited- not an MLP but a mechanism for a company to distribute cash.
Short Sea Shipping March 11, 2004 Read the latest SCOOP on efforts to create a short sea shipping sector that would pull freight off the crowded interstate highways in the Northeastern US. This article was submitted to Fairplay.
Connexion By Boeing February, 2004 VSAT originally designed for airline passengers comes to the high seas. This article was submitted to The Digital Ship.
Peter G CMA Commodore biography March11 , 2004 This is a pdf of an article about General Maritime Corporation submitted to FAIRPLAY. After mods by the Editors, Peter G was pictured on the cover.Greek
The V MAX article Jan 2004 pdf submitted to DIGITAL SHIP, all about the tankers of the future- the V-MAX vessels built by Stena. They are tied nicely to a Maritime Security project that nobody wanted to talk about it (in spite of all the public hype and screenshots galore).
Vessel Security Update March 25, 2004 The Coast Guard is reviewing Vessel Security Plans on US vessels, and Flag States are reviewing plans on foreign vessels- except for non SOLAS foreign vessels. Got that? pfd submitted to Fairplay. View a pdf clip from the actual online version.
Mike Marco biography March, 2003 During the coldest Winter in recent memory, I interviewed Mike via long distance phone from his sun deck near Marco Island, Fla. This is a pdf from text sent in to DIGITAL SHIP.
Tanker Market Prognosis January, 2004 pdf of article submitted to FAIRPLAY. Even though I cautioned the Editors that my crystal ball was broken, they pressed for a forecast.
Small Boat Finance January, 2004 pdf of article submitted to WORKBOAT all about equipment finance for workboats and small craft such as ferries. Good selection of quotes here from the big players.
The Peter G biography February, 2003 The actual pdf clip file from TANKER OPERATOR where the article appeared. This is the biography of Peter Georgiopoulos, the CEO of General Maritime Corporation. It was written shortly before General Maritime purchased the assets of Metrostar.Greek
Tanker Banker July, 2002 and Jan 2003 pdf of two articles submitted to TANKER OPERATOR covering some of the trends in banking. Quite often, these centered on raising money thru Club deals (ie bank syndicates) to finance big consolidation deals.
Tanker Stocks Autumn 2001, Spring 2002, Autumn 2002 pdf of three articles submitted regarding listed stocks, in TANKER OPERATOR put in the context of where the market was at the time. Happily, the market calls here were on target, particularly as the tanker market dove in mid 2002, Greekand I said that it would come back.
Deconsolidation Oct, 2003 pdf as submitted to TANKER OPERATOR for their Piraeus Tanker Conference. Never mind that it chronicles a very un-Greek company, Frontline. The article was the first in the industry to delve deeply into the restructure.

Maritime Security Impact on listed Tanker shares.

April, 2003 A nice segue from finance into the murky realm of security assessments and plans. No other analyst had come up with these numbers, bridging Coast Guard estimates with company data! pdf as submitted to TANKER OPERATOR.
Supply chain Security June, 2003 pdf file from submission to DIGITAL SHIP. Supply chain security is something of an oxymoron. So, after 9/11, it is interesting to see how Savi and others try to deconstruct a system built for speed- without slowing it down.
Port Security- Technologies Jan. 2003 pdf file from PORT TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL. This article showcases the various technologies that ports will be using to inspect containers and to detect radiation, the last tier in a multi-tiered defense. Download the actual clip here!
Greek Tanker Marketplace Spring, 2002 pdf file submitted to TANKER OPERATOR. This one was so good that they were handing them out at Posidonia in June 2002. Need I say more? Written before Niarchos got out and Angelopoulos got out and in.Greek
LNG Carrier Marketplace January, 2002 pdf file from TANKER OPERATOR. Talk about my broken crystal ball. This was written as oil prices (and LNG prices) were sliding. A year later, all the surplus vessels were soaked up, and Exxon Mobil was tendering for 20 + vessels.
The Gregory H biography Summer, 2002 This is the biography of Gregory Hadjieleftheriadis, from Eletson Corporation. pdf from text sent in to TANKER OPERATOR.Greek

Tanker Pools
Autumn 2001 pdf of one of the earlier articles for TANKER OPERATOR. The big question is whether pools are market driven, ie in a strong market- who needs them? The comments about "regulators" seem amusing now!
Tanker FFA Autumn, 2002 pdf submitted to TANKER OPERATOR, about a year and half before Lloyds List is now noting that the forward market is a good indicator. What's that all about? You could have read it here first!
Vessel Emissions November, 2002 I love most forward markets, but not this one. A trading market for "right to emit" NOx and SOx from vessels will not be a workable idea until the regulators starting sniffing stacks. The pdf submitted to DIGITAL SHIP.
Shipbuilding Tankers Autumn 2001 pdf file from TANKER OPERATOR. A good article showing a treatment of the "Supply" side of the tanker equation.
Scrapping Tankers Late 2001 After you build a ship, you trade it for 20 years or so, then you scrap it. Read the article (pdf) submitted to TANKER OPERATOR.
ABS Nautical Systems Summer, 2002 Another article written just in time for Posidonia 2002, THE DIGITAL SHIP profiled Eastern Med Maritime, Greeka big Greek tanker owner and spoke to its people about the ABS NS line of management applications.
Tanker Market Transparency Summer, 2002 We are not talking about see-thru boiler suits for the officers here. This pdf was submitted to TANKER OPERATOR for a finance slot, albeit with important overtones for maritime security.
The Ship Manager article Autumn, 2003 Ship managers are using innovative web based applications for both fleet management and CRM. pdf of the article submitted to THE DIGITAL SHIP.
The ISPS article Summer, 2003 Seems that the web is having little impact on Vessel Security Assessments and Vessel Security plans. View the pdf that was submitted to THE DIGITAL SHIP.
The Data Structure article November, 2003 Napster for shipping? Not exactly, and one of the companies described here would kill me if I portrayed them that way. This pdf was submitted to THE DIGITAL SHIP.
The AIS article August, 2003 pdf from submission to DIGITAL SHIP, submitted in response to the Editor's query to me, "What would happen if AIS ran amok?"
The VTIS article March, 2003 pdf from submission to DIGITAL SHIP. Unlike the AIS article, there are no mad scientists and hackers here, this is a technical article about Vessel Traffic Information Systems.
Tanker Security Post Limburg Autumn, 2002 pdf submitted to TANKER OPERATOR on a serious topic.
Cost of Maritime Security Winter, 2003 A working paper we sent around to the media. Not as much analytical rigour as the tanker op piece, but some pointed observations directed at the whiners and crybabies. The file is in pdf format.
Post Sept. 11 article Autumn, 2001 A cargo of uranium onboard a vessel in the port? A big LNG tanker scheduled to discharge? After Sept. 11, security had not yet entered the nascent maritime information psyche. Read the pdf of the article, packed with disturbing revelations, submitted to THE DIGITAL SHIP.
Pre Sept. 11 article Summer, 2001 This is a slightly humourous article on maritime surveillance and observation technologies crafted over the Labor Day Weekend, 2001, a week prior to the 9-11 attacks. pdf of article for THE DIGITAL SHIP.
Legislative Update Spring 2002 and Autumn 2002 Two articles submitted to THE DIGITAL SHIP are combined here, a chronicle of the path towards Maritime Security legislation in 2001- 2002.
PR Flacks Running Rampant Spring, 2001 This ran in DIGITAL SHIP just as the maritime dotcoms started to flame out. Mainstream Flacks are uniquely maladapted to reach and influence a maritime audience. The social commentary is piquant, evoking Tom Wolfe, Martin Amis and all my other favourites.
IQPC Conference- Maritime Dotcoms December, 2000

Was there ever a time when I was in all my glory? Being the Chairman of this prestigious IQPC Conference, held in London, was among my top honours. This is a pdf of an article submitted to THE DIGITAL SHIP, all about the three day event.

Electronic Chartering and Shipbroker Applications various 2000-2002 From September 1999 to well into 2002, we were all wondering whether the dotcoms would replace traditional shipbrokers. This lengthy pdf file is a collection of submissions to SEATRADE and THE DIGITAL SHIP.
ITIC article Spring 2001 The International Transport Intermediaries Club, representing agents and ship brokers, asked me to do this article, w/ attachment (pdf) reflecting the submission. A better title may have been something like, "ride the wave, don't fight it".
Random Access Shipping Summer, 2002 This is a semi-autobiographical article from Johnny K's website "MaritimeWired". I was asked to write it after getting an award from JK
The Mother of All Electronic Chartering Articles July, 1999 This was my first article for COMPUSHIP which later became THE DIGITAL SHIP. Booz Allen and their brethren took all this very seriously. This article was published just as the dotcoms were taking off.
Fairplay Futures Article Dec. 1987 They laughed all the way from Greenwich to Osaka when they read this. The lighter side of trading BIFFEX freight futures. This was written during October 1987, in the weekend following the storm of the Century in London, two days prior to the big Wall Street Crash. In memory of Jim Quain from Skaarup Chartering, and Torben with the suntan.

NOTE TO EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS- ACTUAL CLIPS OF THE ABOVE ARTICLES, AS PUBLISHED, ARE AVAILABLE, BUT YOU MUST ASK US (email link here).


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