Leaders Push Brexit Trade Talks Beyond Sunday Deadline
London and Brussels agreed on Sunday to âgo the extra mileâ in coming days to try to reach an elusive trade agreement despite missing their latest deadline to avert a turbulent exit for Britain from the European Unionâs orbit at the end of the month.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the president of the EUâs executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen had given negotiators a Sunday deadline toâŠ
Low Water Hindering Rhine River Shipping
Low water after dry weather in past weeks continues to prevent cargo vessels from sailing fully loaded on the river Rhine in Germany, traders said on Monday.Low water is hampering shipping in the northern and central sections of the river, especially around Cologne and Kaub, traders said. But recent rain has returned some southern sections to normal levels.Shallow water means vessel operators impose surcharges on freight ratesâŠ
Hurtigruten Struck By Cyberattack
Norwegian cruise company Hurtigruten sustained a cyberattack earlier on Monday and several key systems are currently down, the company said in a statement.The company, which operates ferries along the Norwegian coast as well as cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic in normal times, said it did not expect the attack to lead to a âmaterial financial effectâ, it said.âThis is a serious attack.
Navy Ends Search for Man Overboard from USS Theodore Roosevelt
The U.S. Navy called off its search for a sailor missing from aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) after the crewmember reportedly fell overboard off the coast of Southern California.Search and rescue efforts ended at sunset Saturday after Theodore Roosevelt, USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), USS Russell (DDG 59), USS Howard (DDG 83), USS Charleston (LCS 18), USS Portland (LPD 27) the U.S. CoastâŠ
Worldâs First LPG-Fueled VLGC Completes Transpacific Voyage, Loads Cargo in Houston
BW LPG's BW Gemini, the worldâs first Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) to be retrofitted with LPG dual-fuel propulsion, completed loading at Enterprise Terminal in Houston Monday. BW LPG, part of BW Group, said Monday that the VLGC had completed its "historic" crossing of the Pacific Ocean on LPG propulsion on December 5."BW Gemini is carrying a record load of 49,000 metric tons of LPG on a single keel.
Solstad Nets Charters for Platform Supply Vessels in Norway
Norwegian company Solstad Offshore has won charters for two of its platform supply vessels in Norway.The offshore vessel owner said Monday that its platform supplier "Normand Serenade" has won a medium-term contract with Wintershall Dea to support the Deepsea Aberdeen rig's drilling operations in Norway.Wintershall recently hired Odfjell's harsh environment semi-submersible drilling rig to drill explorationâŠ
Fourteen Migrants Found Dead Off Venezuela Coast
Fourteen people believed to have traveled from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago were found dead in waters near the South American nation's coast, Venezuelan authorities said on Sunday, hours after Trinidad and Tobago confirmed the first bodies being found.At least 40,000 Venezuelans live in Trinidad and Tobago, the majority fleeing their country's economic crisis, unemployment, and lack of basic public servicesâŠ
Top Maritime Trends of 2020: Captain Andrew Kinsey, Allianz, Examines Logistics Challenges
Captain Andrew Kinsey, Senior Marine Risk Consultant, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, recently discussed some of the trends that will shape 2021 for the maritime, ports and logistics world.MR TV: As we come to the end of 2020, talk now turns not simply to COVID-19 and a potential vaccine, but to the supply chain logistics and challenges that come with distributing those vaccines. How does the picture look from where you sit?Andrew Kinsey: The picture looks complicated.
Dr. Ibrahim Named CEO of OSC, ODC
As ASYAD Group continues the integration of Oman Shipping Company (OSC) and Oman Drydock Company (ODC), it has appointed Dr. Ibrahim Al-Nadhairi as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Shipping and Drydock business units.Prior to his role, Dr. Ibrahim was Chief Operating Officer of Oman Shipping Company and in charge of the ship management segment looking after the technical management of the fleet and overseeing the running of the companyâs asset.
Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Construction Works Resume Despite U.S. sanctions
Russia has resumed construction of the politically-charged Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, laying pipes after a one-year hiatus prompted by U.S. sanctionsâŠ
Wärtsilä Hybrid Upgrade for Østensjø Rederi Offshore Construction Vessels
Finnish maritime equipment specialist Wärtsilä has won a contract to provide its Hybrid Upgrade solution for retrofitting two offshore construction vessels owned by Norwegian operator Østensjø Rederi. The two ships, the âEdda Faunaâ and âEdda Floraâ, were built in 2008. Østensjø Rederi opted for the Wärtsilä Hybrid Upgrade solution in order to give the ships a more attractive environmental profile for potential charterers.
'External source' Causes Explosion, Fire on Oil Tanker in Saudi Arabia
Shipping company Hafnia said on Monday that one of its oil tankers, the BW Rhine, had been hit by an unidentified "external source" that caused an explosion and a fire while the ship was discharging at Jeddah port in Saudi Arabia.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on its website that investigations into an explosion involving a tanker were underway, and that Jeddah's port wasâŠ
Modec Nets Sangomar FPSO Operations and Maintenance Deal
Japanese FPSO contractor Modec has won a contract with Woodside for the operations and maintenance of the Sangomar FPSO in Senegal.The deal follows a contract signed in January for Modec to deliver the FPSO for Sangomar field development - Senegal's first offshore development.The operations and maintenance contract will cover all in-country installation and commissioning activities following which an initial 10-year operations and maintenance term will begin.
Top Maritime Trends of 2020: Decarbonization is Blowing in the Wind
The global shipping industry is going to face a big challenge during the coming years when regulators, investors and stakeholders demand the drastic reduction of CO2 and other GHG emissions during ship operations. But in reality, the change is already underway.Since 2013, any newbuild ship over 400GRT has been obliged to comply with a specific Energy Efficiency limits â the well-known Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI).
Via Kaizen Project Aims to Deliver AI-powered Ship Ops Support System
A group of Swedish technology entrepreneurs and academics joined forces to accelerate the research and development of an AI-based, semi-autonomous system for planning and executing more energy efficient sea voyages.Leading the effort is Lean Marine, aiming to deliver a ground-breaking R&D project to accelerate the tech development, realization, and adoption of AI-powered ship operation support technology by ship crew and management.
Wärtsilä Prop Solutions Help Optimize Yang Ming Lines Slow Steaming Ops
Wärtsilä will supply its Fixed Pitch Propeller (FPP) and EnergoProFin solutions for two container vessels owned by Yang Ming Lines, the Taiwan-based shipping company, to help the container ship operator maximize efficiency in slow steaming mode.The Wärtsilä solution is designed to enable this adjustment, allowing the speed of the two vessels to be reduced from 24 to 18 knots.The two vessels, the âYM Mobilityâ and the âYM MilestoneââŠ
Shipbuilding: Construction Starts on Massive Type 31 âFrigate Factoryâ in Rosyth
Babcock invests in technically advanced shipbuilding facilityBabcock awarded a £31.5 million contract to Robertson Construction for the development of a new Assembly Hall at its Rosyth site. The construction project will support circa 100 positions locally in Scotland and a further 100 positions nationally throughout the supply chain.At a small Covid-19 safe ceremony marking the beginning of the steel structure constructionâŠ
US Defense Bill Affirms Jones Act Applies to Offshore Wind
The U.S. Senate on Friday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021, a massive $741 billion defense bill setting policy for the Pentagon. Importantly for the U.S. offshore and maritime industries, the bill includes an amendment ensuring full enforcement of the Jones Act and other federal laws in offshore wind development.The legislation passed the Senate by a vote ofâŠ
WE Tech to Equip Knutsen LNG Carrier Duo
WE Tech Solutions said it has received an order to deliver its Solution One Economical Operations to a series of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers being built by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. in South Korea. This 174,000-cubic-meter capacity LNG carrier series is owned by Knutsen OAS Shipping and will be chartered to Polish Oil Mining and Gas Extraction S.A..WE Tech said its delivery package includes two sets of direct drive permanent magnet shaft generatorsâŠ
Brazilian Prosecutors Sue Maersk Over Alleged Corruption
Federal prosecutors in Brazil filed a civil lawsuit against Danish shipping company Maersk and former executives representing the firm for alleged corruption involving shipping contracts with state-run oil firm Petrobras, they said on Friday.The lawsuit requests that a judge freeze almost 1 billion reais ($198 million) in assets in order to make sure funds are available to pay for damages resultingâŠ
