Norsepower Secures Its First Newbuild Order
Wind propulsion systems provider Norsepower said it has secured a contract to install five tilting rotor sails on board a large bulk carrier for an anonymous shipowner, marking the Finnish company's first installation aboard a newbuild vessel. Preparations are currently underway with the installation scheduled to take place in 2021.Norsepower’s fuel-saving rotor sail auxiliary propulsion solution, which can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships…
Eagle Bulk Acquires Secondhand Ultramax
Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. has purchased a 2015-built bulk carrier for a purchase price of $16 million, the U.S.-based dry bulk owner-operator announced Wednesday.The ship…
Bucher Named CEO at Victaulic
Victaulic appointed Rick Bucher as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding John F. Malloy, effective January 31, 2021. Dr. Bucher was named President of Victaulic in April of 2020, following a June 2019 appointment as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Victaulic in 2009 as Vice President of Engineering, Dr. Bucher worked for 15 years for W.L. Gore, a manufacturer of technologically advanced composite materials. Dr. Bucher received a B.S. and M.S.
Iran Says It Opposes All Maritime Sabotage, Days After Tanker Blast
Iran said on Wednesday it was against any act that threatened maritime safety and trade, two days after a fuel transport ship was attacked near the Saudi port of Jeddah."Iran rejects any act of sabotage against maritime safety and security and the freedom of international trade" ISNA news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying when asked about the attack.(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
DNV GL Scores Work at BHP's Trion FPU
Australian oil and gas company BHP, working to develop the Trion field offshore Mexico, has hired DNV GL to verify that the new infrastructure built for the Trion project is compliant with local and global safety, as well as other requirements. BHP acquired the Trion asset in Mexico’s first-ever Deepwater Bid Round in 2016. The Trion field encompasses an area of 1,285 square kilometers and is located in the deep waters of the Perdido belt.
Great Ships of 2020: NYK's Sakura Leader
The world’s first Digital Smart Ship (DSS)On October 28, 2020, NYK took delivery of Sakura Leader, a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) capable of navigating oceans with only LNG as the ship’s main fuel. This delivery marks a step toward achieving NYK’s environment management target, which is to reduce CO2 emissions per ton-kilometer of transport by 50% by 2050. The vessel was built at the Shin Kurushima Dockyard of Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding Co.
BIMCO Number of the Week: Europe-bound Container spot rates Exceed $6,000
As spot container freight rates entered December, they also entered record-braking territory, climbing from $3,076 per FEU on the last day of November to $4,858 per FEU on first day of December. This was a milestone in its own way.Since then, all stars aligned for a continued climb that has seen spot rates break through the $6,000 per FEU mark on 15 December, now quoted at $6,102 per FEU (on December 16, 2020).
Venezuela: PDVSA Starts Oil Transfer from Troubled Offshore Facility to Barge
Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela has begun transferring crude off of an offshore oil facility where governments in two neighboring countries have voiced concerns about a potential spill, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.The company this week began the first of several transfers from the Nabarima floating storage and offloading facility (FSO), anchored in the Corocoro oilfield off Venezuela's eastern coast…
Keppel Delivers Fifth Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger to Jan De Nul
Keppel Offshore & Marine has delivered another Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) to Jan De Nul Group.Named Ortelius, the 6000m3 Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger, is the fifth dredger that Keppel O&M has delivered to Jan De Nul Group, following the delivery of three 3500m3 TSHDs and one 6000m3 TSHD last year. According to the shipbuilder, all five dredgers are Ultra-Low Emission vessels (ULEv) and…
Busiest US Seaport, Buried in Imports, Plucks out Toys to Load Santa's Sleigh
Workers at the busiest U.S. seaport are plucking containers of toys off ships and out of massive stacks of cargo swamping docks at the Southern California trade gateway to get holiday gifts under trees in time for Christmas.“We’ve never had this much cargo,” Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said on Tuesday, when the port announced that imports spiked 25% during the month of November.With so much cargo flooding in ahead of Christmas…
Ship Finance Lenders Fall Short of Sector's Carbon Targets
Many of the world’s biggest lenders to shipping companies fell short of carbon-cutting targets last year in the first analysis of CO2 goals for the sector by financiers, a report showed on Wednesday.Global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions and the industry is under pressure to reduce those emissions and other pollution. About 90% of world trade is transported by sea.Last year…
ABB Marine & Ports Opens Cyber Security Lab
ABB Marine & Ports has opened a new shipping cyber security laboratory ahead of stricter maritime cyber security rules due to enter force on January 1, 2021.In line with the guidelines set out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the new laboratory features hardware and software systems developed to help shipowners and operators combat the maritime industry’s growing cyber security risks, ABB said.
Baltic Exchange Launches New Service for Ship Investors
Publisher of maritime market benchmarks, the Baltic Exchange, has launched a new service for shipping investors which provides a snapshot five-year view of the financial prospects of dry bulk carriers.The Baltic Exchange Investor Indices are an easy to use online dashboard displaying data relevant to vessel investment decisions, residual value, health of earnings, spot and five-year timecharter earnings; purchase & recycling values; and running costs.
New Autonomous Navigation System Put to the Test
A rigorous sea trials program has demonstrated that a new autonomous navigation system can safely navigate unmanned vessels in real-time and in a real-life environment—without human intervention.U.K.-based tpgroup said its patent pending Northstar was successfully used on different platforms and within a range of environments that include congested waterways and in open water. This level of technological…
Shipbuilding: Former NBA Star Tony Parker's Yacht Takes Shape in Turkey
AvA Yachts is currently building M/Y Infinity Nine, the second of AvA’s Kando series being built for former NBA star Tony Parker.Parker visited the yard to witness construction firsthand, and to date the hull and superstructure are now complete with the final coating of the hull underway. All major equipment has been delivered and installed and the interior fit out has begun in earnest.An extended swim platform at the stern…
Video: Philly Shipyard Cuts Steel for First NSMV
Philly Shipyard held a steel cutting ceremony for the new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), the first of five planned purpose-built, state-of-the-art training vessel for America’s state maritime academies, marking a key milestone in one of the U.S.' most significant shipbuilding programs.“This new state-of-the-art modern school training ship will be a tremendous addition to the U. S. Flag fleet…
American Pilots’ Association Names Diamond as Executive Director
The American Pilots’ Association (APA) announced Clayton L. “Clay” Diamond will assume the duties of Executive Director and General Counsel effective January 1.Diamond succeeds Paul Kirchner, who has been APA Executive Director-General Counsel since 1992. Kirchner will continue with APA as Senior Counsel focusing on issues and projects related to State pilotage and international matters.Diamond, who has been APA’s Deputy Director-Associate General Counsel since 2008, is a graduate of the U.S.
PSC Acquires Fryoux Tankerman Service
Petroleum Service Corporation (PSC), a provider of tankerman services, product handling and site logistics for the petrochemical and refining industries, announced Tuesday that it signed an agreement to acquire certain assets from shoreside tankerman company Fryoux Tankerman Service.As part of the transaction, PSC will absorb Fryoux’s tankerman operations along the Gulf Coast. Jimmy Fryoux, President of the third-generation…
Baltic Index Rises to Highest in Six Weeks
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose to its highest since early November on Tuesday, helped by stronger rates across vessel segments.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, was up by 38 points, or about 3%, at 1,273, its highest level since Nov. 2.The capesize index rose 102 points, or 6.9%, to 1,583, its highest since Nov.
Iridium's GMDSS Service Goes Live
Satellite communications provider Iridium Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that its Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) service officially went live on Friday, December 11, ending a monopoly held by rival Inmarsat and enhancing the integrity of global safety communications for seafarers globally.GMDSS is an internationally regulated service, governed by the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention.