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06 Jul 2023

NGO Shipbreaking Platform Pushes for Safe Recycling of FSO Safer

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform has called for the safe and environmentally friendly recycling of the FSO Safer, currently being salvaged off the coast of Yemen.The UNDP is looking for a destination for the FSO’s recycling, and the Platform is calling on the Dutch government, one of the biggest donors to the Stop Red Sea Oil Pollution operation, to assist UNDP in identifying a suitable recycling facility. The Netherlands has shown leadership in preventing the environmental disaster an oil spill from the FSO Safer would have caused, says the Platform, along with Dutch company Boskalis, via its subsidiary SMIT Salvage, which has been tasked with the removal of the oil from the FSO.Referring to Dutch involvement in the Stop Red Sea Oil Pollution operation…

24 Feb 2023

Marine Power - CEO in Focus: Chris-Marine’s Jens Groth

Jens Groth, CEO, Chris-Marine. Photo courtesy Chris-Marine

Malmö, Sweden-based Chris-Marine is long-tenured in the business of keeping engines running smoothly, efficiently. Led by its energetic young CEO Jens Groth, this 60-year-old- company finds itself in transition: firmly rooted in its traditional business of creating the tools and technique to keep commercial ship engines running smoothly, but at the same time transitioning its revenue to include services, particularly as ships at sea increasingly run with fewer, less experienced crew.

15 Jun 2021

Bodies Wash up on Yemen Coast after Migrant Boat Reportedly Sinks

Illustration only - Migrant boat/ Credit;giannis/AdobeStock

A number of bodies washed up at Ras al-Arah on Yemen's Red Sea coast on Monday from a suspected migrant boat that sank offshore, a local official said.The stretch of coast is notorious for the smuggling of migrants from the Horn of Africa into Yemen.Residents in Ras al-Arah said bodies had washed up at dawn on Monday. A boat sank around 18 nautical miles off the coast of al-Mokha, the local official said.The perilous sea journey from Horn of Africa countries including Ethiopia…

04 Nov 2020

New Report Examines Offshore Hydrogen Embrittlement Issues

(Photo: William Hackett)

Offshore lifting hoists and chains solutions provider William Hackett has published an industry report aiming to help minimize the risk of Hydrogen Embrittlement (HE) and Stress Induced Corrosion Cracking (SICC). The report includes guidance on material choices used in topside and subsea lifts.Ben Burgess, Director of William Hackett Lifting Products, said, “There is a real concern across industry regarding the impact of HE and SICC on chains and links used in lift and hoist projects across offshore environments.”Peer-reviewed by a number of organizations and authorities…

23 Mar 2020

US Supreme Court Maroons Filmmaker in Blackbeard Video Piracy Fight

© Florian Kittemann / Adobe Stock

The U.S.

12 Nov 2019

For Ship Recycling, Grieg (Goes) Green

A vessel placed in dry-dock in preparation for recycling. Photo credit: Grieg Green.

In May 2014 National Geographic wrote an in-depth article on shipbreaking operations in Bangladesh where they listed shipbreaking as one of the deadliest professions in the world. The images from these shipyards are well circulated among professionals in the shipping industry. Individuals without personal protective equipment cutting and grinding into a ship that was haphazardly beached and torn asunder by unskilled laborers. Pollution swirl in the nearby tidal area and soot belches into the air. Large sections of ships come careening off endless rows of vessels that litter the beach.

30 Oct 2019

First Feedback From First X-BOW Expedition Cruise Vessel

Photo: Ulstein Group

The first ULSTEIN X-BOW polar cruise vessel, ‘Greg Mortimer’ is about to set off for her first Antarctica expedition, and will cross the notorious Drake Passage on November 1. The X-BOW feature reduces the slamming in head seas. This was proven on the vessel’s transit from China to Argentina, when she entered 10m high waves and very strong winds.The vessel is a true globetrotter from birth, having been developed on four continents: The ship owner SunStone Ships is based in the U.S.…

27 Jun 2019

INSIGHTS: Joel Reid, Global Sales Director, COX Powertrain

oel Reid, Global Sales Director, COX Powertrain

Joel Reid joined Cox Powertrain in April 2015. He holds an EMBA in Business from the University of Chicago, a Master’s Degree in Marine Surveying and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Reid has been instrumental in bringing Cox’s ground-breaking 300hp diesel outboard to market and has worked tirelessly over the last three years to create an enviable global distributor network. Reid is currently focuses his efforts on sales, distribution and support in the US market, which it is predicted to account for approximately 50% of Cox’s diesel outboard sales globally.

29 Apr 2019

LNG Headed for $200B Capex Boom

Announcing that the “boom is back” for liquefied natural gas (LNG), Wood Mackenzie says that over the next two years, almost 90 million tonnes per annum (mmtpa) of LNG is expected to take final investment decision (FID) and start construction.The capital expenditure – for both LNG plant and upstream infrastructure – will total more than US$200 billion between 2019 and 2025.This is a major boon for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors and other providers along the supply chain.However, the LNG industry is notorious for cost overruns and project delays – only 10% of all LNG projects have been constructed under budget – while 60% have experienced delays.

12 Feb 2019

IMO 2020, IoT & the Enviro Agenda

Environmental Monitoring is seen by 46% of shipping participants as one of the most important drivers for deploying IoT-based solutions. Photo: © @nt/AdobeStock

While conservatism is a hallmark of maritime, research from Inmarsat finds that IoT may be helping turn the tech tide by delivering new solutions that ease rather than complicate compliance.With environmental imperatives mounting, shipping’s hesitation concerning new technology has been laid bare in an Inmarsat Research Program report that includes data on how far the industry sees IoT-based solutions as a gateway to sustainability. Directly out the porthole is the IMO 2020 fuel sulfur cap, but further along is 2050 the target to cut GHG ship emissions by 2050.

10 Jan 2017

Sulu Sea Kidnappings a Threat to Shipping - IMB

The Sulu Sea between eastern Malaysia and the Philippines has become dangerous for merchant shipping due to rising threat of kidnappings, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Tuesday. The Sulu archipelago is a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaeda linked group notorious for kidnappings and, increasingly, piracy. The IMB report was released just hours after armed men attacked a fishing boat, killing eight fishermen, in what appeared to be a pirate attack off the southern Philippines. IMB said global sea kidnappings rose three-fold in 2016, even as global piracy hit its lowest level in nearly 20 years. Pirates kidnapped 62 people for ransom in 15 separate incidents in 2016.

14 Dec 2016

Islamist Group Targets Commercial Vessels in Sulu, Celebes

The Philippines-based Islamist group ASG has conducted tens of attacks against vessels in the Sulu and Celebes seas since March 2016, although since October it has increasingly targeted larger commercial vessels, heightening the risk to global shipping in the region, says a report from Protection Vessels International Ltd. Previously, the group had only been able to abduct seafarers from slower-moving tugs and fishing boats and has kidnapped tens of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors since they first started targeting vessels in March. ASG has not officially claimed the attacks, but the location and violent nature of the kidnappings strongly indicates the group, which is notorious for conducting kidnap for ransom attacks in the region, is responsible.

11 Feb 2017

Royal Navy's HMS Dragon Rescues Yacht Crew

Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon rescues 14 stricken sailors from damaged British racing yacht. "The crew of Dragon have rescued 14 sailors in treacherous weather conditions today after a racing yacht suffered damage in the Atlantic ocean," says a statement from Royal Navy. HMS Dragon was diverted 500 miles away from a routine tasking to provide life-saving assistance to the crew of the 60ft Clyde Challenger racing yacht. The yacht had left the Azores on 5 February 2017 and was bound for the UK when it suffered significant damage following days of strong winds and heavy seas. Working with UK and US aircraft as well as merchant shipping vessels, the Portsmouth-based HMS Dragon was tasked to locate and rescue those on the stricken yacht.

02 Mar 2016

Great Lakes Freighters Getting Underway Again

The Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) announced that the 2016 shipping season on the Great Lakes began on March 2 when the tug/barge unit Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder loaded 4,600 tons of iron ore at Cleveland Bulk Terminal for delivery to ArcelorMittal Cleveland at the end of the navigable portion of the Cuyahoga River. That much iron ore will keep the mill in operation for about one day. The vessel could have delivered another 4,100 tons, but the Cuyahoga River is notorious for silting up over the winter, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not dredge the river again until mid-May. The next vessel to get underway will be the cement carrier G. L. Ostander/Integrity on March 7, LCA said.

12 Apr 2017

Hudson River: A Battle for Anchorage Grounds Goes Viral

Bruno Bernier / Adobe Stock

Where commercial marine and safety considerations allide with recreational and other peripheral agendas, the discussion can sometimes be contentious. One such example of this reality is now playing out on the Hudson River in New York. On June 9, 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard published a three-page Federal Register notice, seeking public comments on a proposal suggesting new anchorage grounds in the Hudson River, from Yonkers to Kingston, N.Y. Officially, this was an advance notice of proposed rulemaking…

20 Apr 2016

Ship Owner to Pay Ransom for Indonesian Hostages

Indonesian government said that the company that owns the hijacked tugboat Brahma 12 has agreed to pay the 50-million-peso ($1 million) ransom demanded by the Philippine rebel group Abu Sayyaf for the release of 10 Indonesian crewmembers who have been held hostage since March 26. Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan confirmed this, saying the company and the militants, believed to be linked to Abu Sayyaf, may next communicate today. Negotiations for the handover of the money and the captives are still ongoing, said Luhut. "They've already agreed that the 50 million pesos will be handed over at a specific location," he said, according to Indonesian newspaper Republika.

26 Jul 2017

Shaver Transportation Selects Rapp Marine Winch Package

Photo: Rapp Marine

Shaver Transportation of Portland, OR, operating vessels within the Columbia River region of the Pacific Northwest for over a hundred years, has selected Rapp Marine as the supplier of the two heavy-duty load handling winches on their latest tugboat. Rapp Marine has almost two decades of experience of designing and delivering rugged winches for workboat market, and has been around as a company for over a hundred years as well. The latest tugboat to the Shaver Transportation fleet is designed by Jensen Maritime of Seattle, WA and is under construction at Diversified Marine of Portland, OR.

20 Jun 2016

Southeast Asian Nations Designate Safe Shipping Corridor

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines on Monday agreed to designate a transit corridor for commercial vessels crossing a maritime zone hit by a spate of hijackings by Islamist militants in the southern Philippines. Nearly 20 Indonesian and Malaysian tugboat crew have been kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf militants this year, with Jakarta airing fears that the problem could reach levels seen off the coast of Somalia. Alarmed at the frequency of attacks, port authorities in some areas of Indonesia, particularly Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, have stopped issuing permits to ships taking coal to the southern Philippines. Indonesia is the world's largest thermal coal exporter and supplies 70 percent of the Philippines' coal imports.

25 Aug 2017

Brazil to Stop Beaching Ships in South Asia

Brazilian authorities plan to implement legislation to help prevent that vessels owned by exporters such as Petrobras and Vale wind up on South Asia's beaching yards, Bloomberg reported. The report said that earlier this month, authorities decided to develop a legal framework to ensure former Brazilian ships don’t end up with recyclers notorious for using dirty and dangerous methods, federal environmental watchdog Ibama said by email. Brazilian companies could face fines of as much as 10 million reais ($3.2 million) if Ibama finds they violate international standards by letting their vessels end up in substandard shipbreaking facilities in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

14 Sep 2017

Transas Survival Craft Simulator Eliminates Drill Risks

Photo: Transas

Transas has introduced a new Survival Craft Simulator (SCS) to prepare crew for the multitude of possible scenarios that can occur during lifeboat drills, aiming to address one of the most notorious sources of accidents in shipping without exposing personnel to physical danger. Effective survival craft training is essential to prepare crew for a disaster at sea but practical lifeboat drills have a troubling track record for causing fatalities. By shifting some elements of training to a simulated environment…

05 Dec 2017

Five Trends in Onboard Cruise Ship Technology

Cruise ships are becoming increasingly high-tech as cruise lines look to improve the onboard experience (©Darryl Brooks / Adobe Stock)

Cruise lines are increasingly using technology to attract and entertain passengers. Whether it’s media content to help travelers wind down at the end of the day or smart tech meant to improve the overall cruise experience, cruise ships are becoming more high-tech. Being out on the ocean creates some challenges to accessing technology, which has put cruise ships behind land-based attractions in terms of digital attractions. Recently, however, cruise lines have dedicated more resources to increasing the connectedness of their vessels.

28 Jan 2018

5 Ways to Plan a Trip Full of History and Culture

If you're tired of seeing the same four walls every day or get sick of the set of surroundings you're currently used to, a journey to an area defined by a different history and culture may just be the solution to your cravings for newness and variation. No two places in the world are the same, which makes exploration an even more exciting and thrilling event. From magnificent museums to world-renown and flourishing musical scenes, remember to get the most out of your historical and cultural-rich trip by following these five simple tips.

12 Mar 2018

North Carolina Ferries Change Course for the Future

Shoaling shifts NCDOT’s propulsion needs, prompting a sea change. Thrustmaster waterjets step in to carry the day. In Swansboro, N.C., boatbuilder U.S. Workboats (formerly Armstrong Marine) is assembling the linchpin of the North Carolina Department of Transport’s (NCDOT) business plan for its future Outer Banks ferry services. Separately, in both Hatteras and Ocracoke, crews are preparing to break ground on new parking additions and visitor facilities. The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry project – made necessary by the shifting and unpredictable shoaling on North Carolina’s Outer Banks – will, starting this summer, change forever the way tourists and visitors get to and from these national treasures.

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