ABS Awards AIP for Infection Mitigating Design to SHI
Classification society ABS said it has awarded South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) Approval in Principle (AIP) for crew accommodation and ventilation systems designed to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.The AIP, which is said to be an an industry first, is the product of a joint development project (JDP) between ABS and SHI that applied the principles…
Groundbreaking Tech Unlocks Optimal Routing and Usability
End-users trialing the VoyOpt voyage optimization service say it beats the competition in terms of the number of data sources it aggregates, ease of use and bottom-line benefits.Fuel consumption is the leading cost driver in shipping and remains the top fiscal concern of shipowners amid uncertainty surrounding bunker costs and availability. “Managing fuel consumption effectively means owners need increasingly to adopt new performance tools that leverage cutting-edge technology…
Drew Marine Launches Cargo Hold Solutions Lineup
Maritime servies firm Drew Marine announced it will launch a new cargo hold solution product segment, and that Alexandros Strigkos has been named as the Global Market Manager of the product segment.With its recent acquisition of CHEMO Hellas, a Greece-based company, Drew Marine added a number of products, including notably its cargo hold cleaning chemistry and related equipment.Strigkos had long been an important part of CHEMO’s cargo hold business.
Out-casting and Outlasting the Competition
A captain claims victory at the end of a popular high-stakes fishing competition thanks to help from a new electronic boat control system.When the Summer to Fall bluefin tuna season ends in Gloucester, Mass., it’s only just beginning in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It’s in these rough waters that commercial fishermen compete on the TV show, “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks.” A spin-off of the original “Wicked Tuna…
GTT Wins Tank Design Orders for Four LNG Carriers
France-based GTT said it has received an order from South Korean shipyards Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI) to design the tanks of four newbuild liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.Three of the LNG carriers will be built by HHI, two on behalf of an Asian shipowner and one on behalf of a European shipowner. The last LNG carrier will be built by HSHI on behalf of a European shipowner.Each vessel will offer a capacity of 174,000 cubic meters.
Stena Line Considering Doubling Ireland-France Freight Services
Ferry firm Stena Line has brought forward a planned doubling of its direct Ireland to France freight service in response to “huge demand” from Irish hauliers hit by the closure of the French border to arrivals from Britain.While freight services were exempt from Ireland’s ban on Sunday on travel to Britain over fears of a new coronavirus strain, around 3,000 lorries take the shorter route to mainland…
Costa Rican Hybrid Sailboat Aims to Reduce Shipping's Carbon Footprint
Some 200 workers from 27 nations are building a hybrid sailboat on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica designed to carry 350 tons of goods, hoping to demonstrate that in the 21st century it is possible to transport cargo without polluting the environment.Inspired by the historic Finnish trading schooner Ingrid of the Aland Islands, the firm Sailcargo Inc says it designed the vessel named Ceiba “to be the…
Fincantieri Marine Systems Tallies MSC Contract
Military Sealift Command (MSC) has awarded Fincantieri Marine Systems N.A. (FMSNA) an IDIQ contract to support the maintenance of the Ship Service Diesel Generators (SSDG) on the Expeditionary Fast Transport Vessels (EPF). The current contract is for a base year plus four option years, and should the options be exercised, will run through October of 2025.The Expeditionary Fast Transport Fleet consists of high-speed…
US Coast Guard Kicks Off Northeast Icebreaking Season
The U.S. Coast Guard has launched its icebreaking season, helping to maintain the flow of essential maritime commerce as as winter’s cold temperatures are anticipated to impact every port, waterway and harbor in the Northeast throughout the coming months.Operation Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters (RENEW) is the Coast Guard's region-wide effort to ensure Northeast communities have the security, supplies, energy and emergency resources they need throughout the winter.
Thordon Expresses Concern Over New VIDA Proposals
Thordon Bearings has added to the growing concern over proposed changes to Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance (VIDA) requirements, citing far reaching environmental consequences if clauses in the existing document are removed.In a statement submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on November 20, 2020, the Canada-based bearings and seals pioneer “strongly questions the removal of some text” in the proposed amendments…
China Says It Tailed a US Warship in the Taiwan Strait
China’s military tailed a U.S. warship as it passed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Saturday, the Chinese military said, denouncing such missions as sending “flirtatious glances” to supporters of Taiwan independence.China, which claims democratically-run Taiwan as its own territory, has been angered by stepped-up U.S. support for the island, including arms sales and sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait, further souring Beijing-Washington relations.The U.S.
Matson Takes Delivery of New Con-ro Matsonia
Matson has taken delivery of Matsonia, the second of two new Kanaloa Class combination container / roll-on, roll-off (con-ro) ships built for the U.S. carrier at General Dynamics NASSCO's San Diego shipyard. Weighing in at over 50,000 metric tons, Matsonia and Lurline are each 870 feet long, with 114 feet beam and a deep draft of 38 feet. The sister ships have an enclosed garage with room for approximately 500 vehicles, plus ample space for rolling stock and breakbulk cargo.
Nakilat Takes Over Management of FSRU Exquisite
Qatar-based energy shipping company Nakilat said Monday it had assumed the technical ship management and operations of the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) Exquisite from Excelerate.The FSRU is jointly owned by Nakilat and Excelerate through a joint venture established in 2018. This is the first FSRU to be managed in-house by Nakilat, bringing the company's managed fleet to 27 vessels…
BW Opts to Outfilt Trio of VLGCs with new LPG Fuel Supply System
Oslo-listed BW LPG, the world’s largest LPG shipping company, ordered Wärtsilä LPG Fuel Supply System (LFSS) for retrofit to three very large gas carrier (VLGC) vessels. BW LPG had previously ordered four Wärtsilä LFSS’ in 2018, and an additional eight systems in February 2020. The initial order was placed following Wärtsilä’s successful full-scale testing of the system in 2018 with a full-sized two-stroke marine engine operating on LPG fuel, which was the world’s first such testing protocol.
Scorpio Bulkers to Exit Dry Bulk Sector in 2021 to Focus on Offshore Wind Vessels
Following a string of bulk carrier vessel sales and a plan to order an offshore wind installation vessel, dry bulk carrier operator Scorpio Bulkers on Sunday said its Board of Directors had authorized the company, as part of its transition to a sustainable future, to sell its remaining dry bulk vessels and exit the dry bulk sector during 2021. "As a result of this decision, the company expects to record…
As the Seafarer Crisis Continues, MSC Calls for Bulk Carrier Anastasia Resolution
The bulk carrier Anastasia, stuck off the coast of China with crew change request unheeded since mid-2020, has become a rallying point for MSC in urging governments to work together to find a solution.MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is calling for an urgent crew change solution for the bulk carrier Anastasia, which is stuck off the coast of northern China, and is among dozens of ships in a waiting line near the port of Caofeidian.According to the company…
Safeway Wins W2W Deal with Heerema to Support Huge Taiwan Offshore Wind Farm
Safeway won a contract from Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) to supply a Safeway Seagull type motion compensated gangway system for installation on the CSV Normand Baltic.The contract is significant for Safeway as it is the first contract for HMC, and it is also the first time the Safeway Seagull system with 3D crane function will be deployed to transfer personnel and cargo during an offshore wind…
Indonesia Inaugurates $3B 'Strategic' Port
Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated the Patimban sea port in West Java on Sunday, saying the new gateway would have a "strategic" role in boosting the nation's pandemic-hit economy.The 43.2 trillion rupiah ($3.07 billion) port in the town of Subang, 140 km (90 miles) east of the capital Jakarta, is one of the government’s priority infrastructure projects, designed to boost Southeast Asia's…
Great Ships of 2020: MOL Gas Agility, The world’s largest LNG Bunkering Vessel
Gas Agility is the world largest LNG bunkering vessel with 18,600 cu. m. MARKIII-flex type membrane tanks built at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. in China. The vessel is equipped with four sets of 8L20DF engines for electric propulsion and two sets of azimuth thrusters and a bow thruster for navigation. A Harmonized Control system for the thrusters is a key technlolgy for maneuvering safely and efficiently for berthing…
Great Ships [ of 2020 ]: Island Victory, the Most Powerful (& green) Multi-Purpose OSV Ever
Norway’s Island Offshore broke free from the enforced conservatism of the E&P sector, adding not just a new ship to its fleet, but one that re-writes the rulebook in capabilities, technology and despite its size and power, environmental credentials.Simply put, Island Offshore’s new deep water installation Vessel ‘Island Victory’ is the most powerful multi-purpose offshore vessel ever built; a point…