US Maritime Industry Seeks $3.5 Billion in COVID-19 Relief
In a joint plea to Congressional leadership and Treasury Secretary Steven Munchin this week a host of maritime transportation entities asked that $3.5 billion in COVID-19 relief funding be made available for the U.S. maritime transportation sector, citing “significant hardships” and “unique and unexpected challenges” posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.The letters ask Congress and the Administration to…
Austal USA Delivers the Future USS Mobile
Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA said Wednesday it has delivered the future USS Mobile, the 13th Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) for the U.S. Navy.Mobile (LCS 26) is one of 16 ships Austal has delivered to the Navy over the last five years, including four deliveries in 2020.“We’re especially excited for Mobile to join the fleet to pay tribute to a great community which has contributed to our success in so many ways over the years,” Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle said.
Relieved Passengers Leave Singapore Cruise After COVID-19 Scare
A Royal Caribbean “cruise-to-nowhere” from Singapore began disembarking its nearly 1,700 passengers who were confined to their cabins for more than 16 hours on Wednesday after a COVID-19 case was detected onboard, forcing the ship back to port.All passengers aboard the Quantum of the Seas had cleared a mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the virus up to three days before the four-day cruise began on Monday.Authorities said close contacts of the COVID-19 patient among the 1…
Top Maritime Trends of 2020: Tackling the Scourge of Containership Fires
The proliferation of serious fires onboard container ships in recent years has shocked the shipping industry. Here we examine the causes and impact of such fires and the urgent efforts being made by a wide variety of stakeholders to solve this seemingly intractable problem.Over the last decade there has been a 70% fall in ship total losses[1]. This has been widely credited to long term improvements in ship safety management and loss prevention programs.
Crowley Awards Scholarships to Four Maine Maritime Cadets
Crowley Maritime Corp. has awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships to four cadets at the Maine Maritime Academy in recognition of their achievements, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based shipping company announced Wednesday.The honorees earned the scholarships based on their academic performance, financial need and interest in pursuing a career at sea. The scholarship recipients are:Megan Doucette, a senior from Bangor, Maine, is majoring in marine transport operations.
EnTrust Raises $2.1 Bln for Its Blue Ocean Funds
Alternative asset management firm EnTrust Global said Wednesday that it has completed fundraising for its EnTrust Global Blue Ocean Funds for investment in the global maritime industry. The Funds closed at $2.1 billion after raising $925 million since April of 2020.Part of EnTrust Global’s private debt and real asset division, the Blue Ocean Funds engage in direct lending and similar financing opportunities…
New Book: Steaming to Djibouti…My First Hitch on an Underway Replenishment Ship
The following excerpts are from the new travelogue by Captain Sean P. Tortora, titled, “Steaming to Djibouti…My First Hitch on an Underway Replenishment Ship.” Join a motivated young merchant marine officer on his first journey onboard a venerable navy auxiliary steamship. Accompany him through the convoluted reporting for duty process through his truly surreal first tour onboard. Meet the oddball characters in the crew and follow their outlandish daily routine.
Hapag-Lloyd Sees Some Transport Volume Recovery in 2020
German container liner Hapag-Lloyd expects transport volumes in the fourth quarter to pare sharp losses seen earlier this year as a demand recovery in Asia lifts seaborne shipments.Fourth quarter volumes should show a low single-digit gain year-on-year after they fell by 3.5% in the January-September period, Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen said at a virtual meeting with journalists late on Tuesday.He…
Ships Make Record Number of Arctic Sailings in 2020
Ships sailing through the Arctic region’s busiest lane along the Siberian coast made the highest number of trips on record this year as a quicker-than-expected melting of ice enabled more traffic, data showed.The Arctic has warmed at least twice as quickly as the rest of the world over the last three decades and shipping activity has picked up.Analysis by the Centre for High North Logistics (CHNL)…
Passengers Stuck on 'Cruise to Nowhere' After Onboard COVID-19 Case
Nearly 1,700 passengers on a Royal Caribbean ‘cruise-to-nowhere’ from Singapore remained confined in their cabins for more than 14 hours on Wednesday after a COVID-19 case was detected on board, forcing the ship back to port.All passengers aboard the Quantum of the Seas vessel had cleared a mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the virus up to three days before the four-day cruise started on Monday.Authorities said close contacts of the patient among the 1…
Petrobras Takes DOF AHTS on a Three-year Charter
Brazilian oil and gas company Petrobras has awarded a contract for DOF Group's AHTS vessel Skandi Rio.DOF said Thursday that the vessel would support Petrobras'…
Wallenius Bets on Wind-powered Cargo Ships
Two centuries after the first coal-powered steamships crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a Swedish company is designing a futuristic throwback: a huge, wind-driven cargo ship that could help end the fossil fuel era and limit climate change.Shipping accounted for 2.9% of man-made greenhouse gas in 2018, and the industry’s share of planet-heating emissions has been rising in recent years, according to the U.N.’s…
Report: EU to Toughen Sanctions on Turkish Offshore Drilling in Contested Waters
The European Union will impose sanctions on more Turkish individuals and companies responsible for drilling in contested waters in the Mediterranean, according to a draft statement prepared for EU lea
Seafarers Are Key Workers: It’s “All Hands on Deck” @ WMU to Solve the Seafarer Crisis
Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President, World Maritime University, discussed the ongoing seafarer crisis plus the new report from WMU, A Culture of Adjustment, which outlines systemic failures in the implementation of the regulatory regime for seafarers’ work and rest hours.Search as you like, but you will be hard-pressed to find anyone as passionate about all matters surrounding maritime and seafarers than Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry.
U.S. Blacklists Companies, Ships Linked to North Korean Coal Exports
The United States has blacklisted six companies, including several based in China, and four ships accused of illicit exports of North Korean coal, the Treasury Department…
Sonardyne's Sensors for Ocean Infinity's Armada USV Fleet
Ocean Infinity, a U.S. based marine survey firm developing the world's largest fleet of unmanned surface vessels - Armada - has ordered Sonardyne sensors for its robotic vessels.As reported previously, Ocean Infinity in February launched Armada, a marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Sonardyne said Wednesday it would provide the…