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01 Feb 2022
Great Lakes' First Diesel-electric Bulker Starts Maiden Voyage
The first diesel-electric bulk carrier built to operate on the Great Lakes has set sail on its six-week maiden voyage from Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China to Halifax, Canada.Canada Steamship Lines' new 26,000 dwt self-unloader Nukumi is scheduled to enter service at the start of the 2022 navigation season. The purpose-designed vessel will be used to ship deicing salt from Windsor Salt’s Mines Seleine…
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31 Jan 2022
Green Ferry Refit is First of Its Kind in Canada
A newly retrofitted electric ferry is the first in Canada to be powered completely by a zero-emissions, lithium-ion power and propulsion system containing no diesel fuel components.In 2018, PortsToronto issued a request for expression of interest (RFEOI) to reduce air and noise emissions from its 96-foot Marilyn Bell I, used for transporting passengers, vehicles and supplies the very short distance (90-second trips) to and from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on Toronto Island.St.
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28 Jan 2022
Diana Shipping Lines Up Time Charter for Astarte
Greek dry bulk shipping company Diana Shipping announced on Friday it has secured a time charter contract for one of its Kamsarmax vessels.Singapore-based Tongli Shipping will charter the 81…
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25 Jan 2022
Eastern Pacific Says It Won't Carry Coal
Ship management firm Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) announced it will no longer carry coal cargos on its bulk carrier vessels as a matter of company policy aimed at supporting the global transition away from the fossil fuel.EPS' commercially managed dry bulk fleet hasn't carried coal since April 2020, and the Singapore-based tonnage provider made its commitment official this month, outlining its "no coal cargo policy" within its 2022 environmental…
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21 Jan 2022
Pete Davidson and Colin Jost Buy Decommissioned Staten Island Ferry
An out-of-service Staten Island Ferry vessel has reportedly been purchased by Saturday Night Live stars Pete Davidson and Colin Jost.The Staten Island natives bought the decommissioned 277-foot ferry John F. Kennedy at auction in partnership with Manhattan real estate broker and comedy club owner Paul Italia, the New York Post reported.“The idea is to turn the space into a live entertainment event space…
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29 Dec 2021
World's First All-electric Tanker Launched
An all-electric, battery-powered tanker—said to be the world's first—has been launched at the Koa Sangyo Co., Ltd. shipyard in Japan.The new vessel, named Asahi, was built for Japanese shipping company Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd. and is scheduled to enter service in Tokyo Bay as a bunker fuel supply ship following completion and delivery in late March 2022. The 62-meter-long vessel has a tank capacity of 1…
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27 Dec 2021
Building a New Fleet: CTVs for US Offshore Wind
The U.S. has big plans for its offshore wind industry, and shipbuilders like Blount Boats and others are ramping up to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunity.Earlier this year, the Biden Administration unveiled its goal to have 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power installed and in development in the U.S. by 2030. The announcement, which included plans to open new areas to development, accelerate permits and boost public financing for projects…
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23 Dec 2021
New Device Aims to Improve Docking Safety
A new innovative device has been engineered to improve docking safety.Designed to be installed on quay walls, the Dynamic Protective Barrier features a novel mechanism to dissipate energy for short duration impact caused by docking vessels.Matthew Czerniatewicz, founder of Dynamic Protective Barriers (DPB), said other solutions available on the market today typically absorb and accumulate the kinetic energy at the point of docking…
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23 Dec 2021
Shell Charters Avenir LNG Bunker Vessel
Avenir LNG announced it has entered into a time charter party (TCP) with Shell for the newbuild 20,000-cubic-meter capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering supply vessel Avenir Achievement.Avenir LNG, a joint venture between Stolt-Nielsen, Hoegh LNG and Golar LNG, said the time charter is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2023 and will run for a period of three years with an option to…
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23 Dec 2021
USCG Concludes Investigation into Auger Lifeboat Accident
A U.S. Coast Guard investigation into a fatal lifeboat drill accident has resulted in 10 safety and eight administrative recommendations, the agency announced.In July 2019, two people were killed and another was injured while testing lifeboats at Shell's Auger tension leg platform (TLP) in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico, about 210 miles southwest of New Orleans. The incident occurred during a routine…
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21 Dec 2021
New Fully-electric Towboats Will be the First in the US
A series of four fully-electric, zero-emissions towboats announced this week are set to become the first built in North America as vessel owners and operators continue to explore new avenues to decarbonize.The new towboats, designed to support cleaner container transport in America's ports and inland waterways, will be built for New York-based Zeeboat and available for charter from 2025. Notably, they'll run entirely on battery power…
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20 Dec 2021
Canada’s First All-electric, Zero-emissions Ferry Enters Service
A newly retrofitted electric ferry is the first in Canada to enter service powered by a zero-emissions, lithium-ion power and propulsion system containing no diesel fuel components.PortsToronto’s 96-foot Marilyn Bell I, used for transporting passengers, vehicles and supplies the short distance to and from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on Toronto Island, returned to operations last week following a 20-week conversion, and is now sailing 100% emissions free.St.
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10 Dec 2021
Maersk Unveils Design for Methanol-fueled Containership
A.P. Moller-Maersk this week unveiled images and new design details for its series of eight 16,000 TEU containerships powered by carbon-neutral methanol.The groundbreaking vessels, ordered in August 2021 from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries for expected delivery by early 2024, will feature an innovative dual-fuel engine setup that can operate on methanol and conventional low-sulphur fuel. With 16…
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09 Dec 2021
Costamare Orders Eight New Containerships, Buys Seven Secondhand Bulkers
Shipowner Costamare Inc. announced it has ordered eight newbuild containerships and acquired seven secondhand bulk carriers.The Monaco-headquartered company said Thursday it signed contracts with an unspecified Asian shipyard for two 13,000 TEU capacity newbuilds and exercised options under a previous agreement for two more of the same capacity plus four additional 15,000 TEU capacity vessels. Each…
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08 Dec 2021
USCG Says Sexual Assault Offenders Will Be Held Accountable
The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday issued a statement expressing its commitment to crack down on sexual assault offenders in the maritime industry.The statement comes as the Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) and lawmakers grappled with a raft of new sexual assault and harassment allegations revealed online by current and former cadets at America's federal and state maritime academies. The U.S.
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17 Nov 2021
Geoquip Marine Accused of Jones Act Violations
An American offshore services trade group is accusing Swiss-headquartered Geoquip Marine of violating the Jones Act, a U.S. law requiring seaborne cargo shipped between two U.S. points to be carried by American-built, -crewed and -owned vessels.A report published by the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) alleges that Geoquip Marine's Geoquip Saentis—a Chinese-built, foreign-crewed and Bahamian-flagged vessel—transported subsoil samples from points on the U.S.
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17 Nov 2021
Asia's First Newbuild SOV Launched in Vietnam
Asia's first newbuild service operation vessel (SOV) has been launched in Vietnam.The hybrid-electric TSS Pioneer is being built by Vard Vung Tau for owner Ta San Shang Marine Co., Ltd, a joint venture between Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL) and Ta Tong Marine Co., Ltd. (TTM). It is scheduled to be delivered in early 2022.The 6,000 GT vessel will be time-chartered to Orsted Taiwan Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Denmark-based Ørsted…
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16 Nov 2021
American Offshore Services Orders Four Jones Act CTVs
American Offshore Services (A-O-S) announced Tuesday it has ordered four hybrid-ready crew transfer vessels (CTV) from Blount Boats to service the United States' emerging offshore wind industry.In the years ahead, it's expected that potentially dozens of CTVs will be built as part of a new fleet of Jones Act compliant vessels required to support the construction and long-term service of a pipeline of new offshore wind farms slated to sprout up along the U.S. East Coast.
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12 Nov 2021
Infrastructure Bill a Huge Boost for US Inland Waterways
The $1 trillion infrastructure package headed to President Joe Biden to sign into law will provide a welcome funding injection for America’s inland waterway infrastructure.The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was approved by Congress on November 6 and is expected to be signed by President Biden next week. The plan has money for everything from roads, bridges, ports and rail transit…
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11 Nov 2021
Interview: Will Roberts, President, Foss Maritime
Will Roberts joined Seattle-based Foss Maritime in 2017 as chief commercial officer, and in 2018 he was named chief operating officer. Prior to joining Foss, Roberts held a number of leadership roles for marine systems and services provider Rolls-Royce, rising to senior vice president, customer and services–Americas. A U.S. Navy veteran, Roberts served as a qualified deck and engineering officer aboard the fast attack submarine USS Honolulu. He graduated from the U.S.