Tech File: Hybrid-Electric Propulsion for Crew-less Vessels
The move to autonomy on the world's waterways is undeniable, with the direction clear, the pace hazy. What is clear is the need for reliable, fuel efficient propulsion, and last month Torqueedo announced a deal to provide hybrid-electric propulsion systems to power XOCEAN’s XO-450 USV, a custom-designed composite wave-piercing catamaran about the length of a typical automobile.XOCEAN is embarked on a mission to to transform the way subsea data is collected…
Maersk to Stop Taking Solid Waste Shipments to China
Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk, the world's top container shipping firm, said on Wednesday it would stop accepting solid waste shipments bound for China and Hong Kong from September."We sent out a customer advisory on July 20th, telling customers that solid waste acceptance will be stopped by Maersk into the destinations of Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, effective September 1st, 2020," the company said…
Turkey Slams Greek Claim Over Mediterranean Seismic Survey
The eastern Mediterranean region where a Turkish ship will carry out a seismic survey is part of Turkey's continental shelf, Ankara said on Wednesday, rejecting Greece's accusation that the ship is encroaching on its own shelf.Long-standing tensions between the NATO allies escalated after Turkey's navy on Tuesday issued an advisory known as a Navtex for seismic surveys in waters between Cyprus and Crete.Athens and Ankara are at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources…
HII Forms Defense and Federal Solutions Business Group
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Technical Solutions division on Tuesday announced changes to the organization and alignment of its business groups following an organizational review and series of strategic acquisitions and major contract awards.The previous Fleet Support group and Mission Driven Innovative Solutions (MDIS) group were combined to form the Defense and Federal Solutions group, to be led by Garry Schwartz…
Webinar: Floating Production Forecasts & Analysis
A free webinar will deliver latest forecasts and market intelligence for the global floating production industry, offering insider access to business and investment opportunities in the deepwater sector.Floating Production Systems: 2020 Forecasts & Analysis, presented by ABS and World Energy Reports, will be held July 29, 2020, 11 a.m. (EDT). REGISTER HERE.The effects of the COVID-19 crisis and oil supply glut continue to seriously dampen investment appetite in the oil and gas sector…
TT Line Puts RoPax Orders on Hold as it Looks to Build Locally
Australian ferry operator TT Line has withdrawn from a memorandum of understanding with Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions for the construction of two new car and passenger ferries as it investigates options to build the vessels domestically.The Tasmanian government-owned operator, also known as Spirit of Tasmania, signed the MOU with RMC after canceling an initial contract with German shipyard Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft in February.
Wilhelmsen Ship Management Acquires 50% Stake in Ahrenkiel Steamship
Wilhelmsen Ship Management, a provider of third-party ship management services headquartered in Singapore, and the Hamburg-based asset and investment manager MPC Capital AG have agreed to combine their activities in the technical management of containerships. To this end, Wilhelmsen Ship Management acquires a 50% stake in Ahrenkiel Steamship GmbH & Co KG, the technical containership manager within…
Video: Bulk Carrier Crew Member Medevaced in the Gulf of Mexico
An ailing crew member has been medevaced from a bulk carrier 230 nautical miles south of New Orleans, Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Coast Guard District Eight watchstanders received a request at 4:05 a.m. for the medevac of a 53-year-old man showing signs of a possible heart attack.District watchstanders directed the launch of a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans to medevac the man.The aircrew arrived on scene…
Marine Lubricant Choice 'More Critical than Ever'
The technological evolution of new marine fuels and engines places increased demands on cylinder oils, says lubricants supplier Castrol.More efficient engines, new and varied fuels, and recent changes to leading OEM cylinder oil strategies are making lubricant choice a more important and complex decision.Castrol’s survey of marine owners, operators and managers, earlier this year, revealed that 30%…
Bureau Veritas Launches Online Maritime Training Courses
Bureau Veritas (BV) says it has launched the BVS eAcademy to provide online learning for marine and offshore energy markets across the globe.Led by BV Solutions Marine & Offshore (BVS M&O), BVS eAcademy offering more than 25 maritime courses developed from BV’s own internal training academy which, since 2016, has delivered more than 20,000 training sessions to more than 1,500 BV staff.Delivered online and on-demand…
Shipping's Switch to Cleaner Fuel Has Been Smooth Sailing -ING Bank
Seven months after the United Nations' shipping agency brought in hotly anticipated new rules to curb emissions, the raft of technical issues and leap in fuel prices that were expected to result have failed to materialize, ING Bank said on Tuesday.Global shipping and oil firms had flagged major concerns over potential disruptions from International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules implemented at the start of 2020, which capped marine fuels' sulphur content at 0.5% against 3.5% previously.Howeve
India's Deepwater Gas Output Pressured by Low Spot LNG Prices
India’s new deepwater gas production could be under pressure from low spot LNG prices, says Wood Mackenzie.Deepwater is expected to drive India’s gas production growth, adding over 1 billion cubic foot per day (bcfd) of new supply by 2023. However, only 15% or 200 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of this supply has been contracted to date. With market demand impacted by Covid-19, and low spot LNG prices expected to persist at least until 2022…
US Holds Naval Exercises with Allies in Asia amid China Tension
The United States is conducting two military exercises in Asian waters this week involving allies Japan, Australia and India, the U.S. navy said on Tuesday.The exercises come as military rivalry between the United States and China is intensifying and days after the United States said China’s claims of sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea were illegal.The United States has long opposed China’s expansive territorial claims on the South China Sea…
Video: 'Hawk' Brings In Moray East Offshore Wind Farm Jackets
OHT’s heavy transport vessel Hawk arrived on Tuesday at Global Energy’s facility at the Port of Nigg, carrying 10 offshore wind jackets destined for the Moray East offshore wind farm, off the Aberdeenshire coast in Scotland.The vessel arrived with nine wind turbine jackets and one offshore substation substructure, each standing 75m – 80m high.The jackets will be offloaded at Nigg, where they will…
Isle of Man Ship Registry’s QUALSHIP 21 Status Confirmed by USCG
The Isle of Man Ship Registry has retained its place within the United States Coast Guard’s QUALSHIP 21 program, designed to recognize foreign-flagged vessels that maintain the highest safety and quality standards.Isle of Man Ship Registry director Cameron Mitchell said continued inclusion in the scheme through to July 2021 was great news for the registry and its clients, representing further independent…
Marine Scrubbers: Yara Marine Plots the Path Forward, Post-COVID-19
Yara Marine Technologies COO Ina Reksten and Research and Development Manager Shyam Bahadur Thapa reflect on the effects of the coronavirus crisis and share their vision for a future beyond the pandemic.2020 will go down in history as the year that changed everything for many industries, not least the marine exhaust gas cleaning segment. “The coronavirus turned our world upside down virtually overnight,” confirms Ina Reksten, Yara Marine Technologies COO.
Canada: Hibernia Oil Platform Shuts Output after Leak
The Hibernia oil platform in Canada was shut after a leakage of drilling and production fluids, the Hibernia Management and Development Co (HMDC) said late Monday.Hibernia sits roughly 315 km (200 miles) east of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. ExxonMobil owns the largest stake in the oil platform, followed by Chevron Canada and Suncor Energy Inc."Water sampling late on July 19, during drill well flow back operations…
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mellon Completes Final Patrol
One the U.S. Coast Guard's last remaining 378-foot high endurance cutters recently wrapped up its final patrol before its scheduled decomissioning in August.A 150-person crew on Coast Guard Cutter Mellon (WHEC 717) left Seattle April 17 to conduct missions throughout the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea and returned to homeport July 7.During the patrol the crew conducted 38 law enforcement boardings…
Delivery of World's Largest Cruise Ship Delayed Due to COVID-19
Delivery of the world's largest cruise ship Wonder of the Seas has been delayed due to coronavirus impacts at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The shipyard delays mean Royal Caribbean's new record-breaking cruise ship will not enter service from Shanghai in spring 2021 as planned, a spokesperson for the cruise line confirmed to MarineLink after the news was announced on Royal Caribbean's Chinese website. A new delivery has not been specified.
Supporting the Future of Greener Shipping
Environmental concerns are influencing a greater need for renewable and sustainable energy across the world with specialist technologies being at the forefront of new designs and solutions. As maritime industries begin to tackle the climate change issues, ports and shipping companies are looking for carbon-free alternatives by testing potential solutions for vessels. The requirement to make a move toward greener shipping is imminent.