Commercial Ship Still Hijacked off Somali Coast
A commercial vessel hijacked by unknown assailants remains off the coast of Somalia raising fears of further instability for global shipping as attacks escalate in the Red Sea, maritime security sources said on Monday.A Spanish navy ship was dispatched at full speed on Friday towards the Maltese-flagged Ruen vessel, which sources said had been hijacked.British maritime security company Ambrey said the vessel had reached nine miles offshore from Bander Murcaayo in Puntland, Somalia on Dec.
Warship Rushes in to Investigate Suspected Pirate Attack off Somalia
A Spanish navy ship is sailing at full speed towards a Maltese-flagged commercial vessel that may have been hijacked by pirates off Somalia, the European Union's Somali counter piracy force said on Friday.If confirmed, it would be the first successful hijacking involving Somali pirates since 2017 when a crackdown by international navies stopped a rash of seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.EUNAVFOR's joint operations centre in Spain said it received an alert on Thursday about the "alleged pirate-hijacked vessel" Ruen, which was approximately 500 nautical miles east of Socotra Isl
SUNY Maritime President to Retire in 2024
RADM Michael Alfultis announced he will retire in 2024 after nearly a decade as president of SUNY Maritime College and more than 30 years in higher education.When RADM Alfultis was appointed Maritime College president in 2014, he immediately focused on two priorities for the college: the replacement of the training ship Empire State and the formal reconciliation with the Fort Schuyler Maritime Alumni Association. Within three years, a formal SUNY-approved Memorandum of Agreement was signed between Maritime College and the Maritime College Alumni Association.
CII – Time for a Rethink?
Without a radical new approach, BIMCO’s CII Operations Clause will remain a worthy but vain attempt to reconcile shipping’s environmental and commercial imperatives,Legal and contractual disputes lie ahead for shipping unless it finds a better compromise between owners and charterers to sustain the International Maritime Organization’s Carbon Intensity Index (CII).Entering into force on 1 January 2023, the CII relates primarily to the way in which ships are operated and the resulting CO2 emissions.
Birdon Announces Subcontracts for Waterways Commerce Cutter Builds
Birdon America, Inc. on Tuesday announced it has awarded the first wave of major subcontracts in support of its $1.187 billion contract to design and build 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters (WCC) for the U.S. Coast Guard. This announcement follows a successful initial Program Management Review (PMR), the first major milestone of the WCC program.The subcontracts range in value from $10 million to $50 million and are firm-fixed price (FFP), indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) for design, development, manufacturing and delivery.
Ardmore Shipping Builds a Better Fleet
Garry Noonan, Director, Innovation, Ardmore Shipping is candid in discussing emerging technologies and their impact on ship fuel and emissions reductions. With a fleet of product and chemical tankers under his guise, Noonan gives insights on technologies that he has seen work, as well as his thoughts on the fuel transition, which he believes won’t become mainstream until we’re well into the 2030s.While Cork, Ireland-based Ardmore Shipping, founded in 2010, is relatively new in shipping circles…
Cluster of Chinese Vessels Spotted Near Russian Rig Off Vietnam
A Chinese research vessel flanked by coast guard and nearly a dozen boats on Wednesday entered a gas block operated by Russian and Vietnamese state firms, two monitoring groups said, another potential flashpoint in the South China Sea.It follows a pattern of assertive moves of late by Beijing in its neighbors' exclusive economic zones (EEZ), as it presses its claim to sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, testing the United States and its allies at a time of heightened regional tension.Strong relations between Russia and China are a major factor supporting global stability…
Italy Coastguard Launches Multiple Rescues, Over 1,000 Migrants 'In Danger'
The Italian coastguard launched multiple rescue operations on Friday to save hundreds of migrants packed aboard several boats off the toe of Italy, less than two weeks after at least 73 drowned in a shipwreck."More than 1,000 people are in danger," the coastguard said in a statement.The president of the southern Calabria region, Roberto Occhiuto, said a total of around 1,300 migrants were aboard boats which the European Union's border force Frontex had warned could run into problems.Three…
MAN ES: Moving Forward on Ammonia Engines
As shipowners ponder future fuels, MAN Energy Solutions is sailing full speed ahead optimizing dual fuel marine powerplants while preparing to start testing ammonia fueled engines in early 2023. Bjarne Foldager, Senior Vice President, head of two stroke business at MAN ES hosted Maritime Reporter & Engineering News in Copenhagen for a look behind the scenes at a cornerstone of its mandate to ‘Move big things to Zero.’Just 10 years ago, in December 2012, word came that General Dynamics NASSCO finalized a contract with TOTE…
Eye on Design: Flipping Small High-Speed Powerboats
Naval Architects can predict many things with great certainty. But the sea is an unpredictable task master and there are still a number of areas where it is difficult to get a technical handle on the problem.High speed planing boat stability is one of those areas.Planing hull design is incredibly complicated and dynamic behavior is actually more difficult to predict than the dynamic behavior of airplanes. (Let me say it again: Aerospace engineering (I am one) is sandlot compared to Naval Architecture).Meanwhile thousands…
Ahead Sanitation Systems: Full Speed Ahead
Ahead Sanitation Systems, Inc. is fast becoming a leading manufacturer and distributor of marine sanitation systems, products and supplies after more than two decades serving the industry. Those looking can find an Ahead Tank somewhere across all seven seas and most major rivers and lakes in between.Winton I. Rebouche, Jr., known to friends and customers as Boo Boo, is the founder and sole owner of the Broussard, La.-based company. In the late ’80s, Boo Boo worked selling pipe…
Samskip, Ocean Infinity Secure ENOVA Funds for Hydrogen-fuelled SeaShuttle Containership Pair
Norwegian state enterprise ENOVA has awarded NOK150 million (€15M) in funding for SeaShuttle, a project for the construction of two hydrogen-powered, remotely controlled, and autonomous-ready containerships for delivery by 2025.The project, led by multimodal transport and logistics group Samskip and marine robotics specialist Ocean Infinity, envisages two SeaShuttle ships operating emissions-free between Oslo Fjord and Rotterdam, with each powered by a 3.2MW hydrogen fuel cell.The…
Strategic Marine's New Fast Crew Boat Can Carry 80 Passengers
Singapore's Strategic Marine has announced its latest offshore fast crew boat, a 38-meter extra fast crew transfer catamaran vessel (FCTV). "The new vessel has been designed in collaboration with One2Three naval architects in Sydney Australia, incorporating direct feedback from customers," Strategic Marine said.Greg Daniel, Technical Manager of Strategic Marine, said: “Our offshore customers are increasingly asking for faster transfers but still want to reduce their costs. Often helicopters are used but this is expensive and limited to small numbers (only about 10 crew at any one time).
US Navy Sets Up Unmanned Surface Vessel Division
The U.S. Navy is moving full speed ahead toward wider adoption of autonomous unmanned surface vessels, having recently established a dedicated Unmanned Surface Vessel Division (USVDIV).Cmdr. Jeremiah Daley assumed command of the newly established USVDIV One during a ceremony on May 13. “To meet the challenges of the 21st Century, we must continue to innovate the surface force,” Daley said. “USVDIV One will accelerate the delivery of credible and reliable unmanned systems in conjunction…
Floating LNG Terminal to Enter Operation in Early 2023 in Germany -Welt
A floating liquefied natural (LNG) gas terminal will enter operation at the start of 2023 in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, newspaper Die Welt reported on Tuesday, citing state premier Daniel Guenther."We are working at full speed on this ... Our goal is to get it done by the beginning of 2023.
Concordia Explores Converting Tankers to Container Carriers
As the tanker market languishes and the containershipping sector drives full speed ahead, Concordia Maritime announced it has embarked on a technical design study on the feasibility of converting several of its tankers to container carriers.Concordia Maritime launched the study together with Stena Teknik and a German consulting company specializing in ship design. The aim is to investigate the feasibility of converting and adapting a P-MAX vessel for container transportation.
European Oil Shipments Delayed After Cyber Attacks
Tanker and barge shipments in and out of Europe's biggest oil hub have been delayed by up to a week as four storage companies scramble to resume operations after cyber attacks, sources familiar with the matter said.Since the end of last week, storage company Oiltanking and oil trading firm Mabanaft, both owned by Germany's Marquard & Bahls, have been hit by hackers. Belgium's SEA-TANK and Dutch fuel storage firm Evos have also been affected.The companies have had to suspend some operations, affecting oil flows in the Netherlands, Belgium and across Germany.
Strategic Marine Unveils New Fast Crew Boat Design
Shipbuilder Strategic Marine has unveiled its new Aluminium 42m Gen 4 Fast Crew Boat (FCB) design. According to the company, the vessel comes with an efficient new hull form and Z-bow which improves seakeeping, requires less power for the same speed and deadweight (DWT), reducing fuel consumption and lower emissions."The new hull form has been developed in collaboration with Southerly Designs with CFD analysis and optimization by Seaspeed Marine Consulting. It has been put through…
CIMAC World Congress: The Place Where the Large Engine Industry Meets
Every three years, the large engine industry meets for the CIMAC World Congress. Next year, after Helsinki in 2016 and Vancouver in 2019, Busan in South Korea will host the CIMAC Congress from June 13 -17, 2022. Shipbuilding is dominated by Asia with South Korea as key player for decades. So, there is good reason for the Congress to meet there.But, to first address the question that is currently being asked the most: Against the background of the pandemic, will the congress really take place? No one can know for sure, and there is certainly no guarantee.
Mackay Marine Selected as Iridium GMDSS Global Service Provider Partner
Global marine electronics and satellite communications provider, Mackay Communications, Inc., dba Mackay Marine, announced it has joined the select cadre of worldwide Iridium GMDSS Service Providers for Iridium’s new Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) service. Mackay is similarly a global partner with Lars Thrane A/S, the first, and currently the only manufacturer of an IMO-certified Iridium GMDSS terminal, the LT-3100S.Iridium’s implementation and accelerated…
Facing Maritime’s Challenges, S.M.C.'s Kozdron reasons “That's why we are here: Engineers.”
Based in Shanghai, Krzysztof Kozdron – or “KK” as he’s known to many of his Chinese colleagues, clients and friends – is the Managing Director of Schulte Marine Concept (S.M.C.). As S.M.C. passes a milestone in ship construction project management, Kozdron shares his insights on shipbuilding and repair activities throughout Asia.Starting in 1973 to today, Schulte Marine Concept has managed 600 ship construction, repair & conversion projects, starting with its own vessels and evolving into a company today that manages the majority of its projects for third-party clients.
Strategic Marine Launches Strat Cat CTV Design for Offshore Wind Market
Strategic Marine’s Strat Cat 27 (SC27) combines form with function to meet the increasing demands from the offshore wind industry and offers enhanced vessel capabilities with a reduced environmental footprint and hybrid drive options.“It is with great pleasure that we announce the SC27 following a close and collaborative approach with our design partner BMT. It is technically advanced with multiple upgrades and propulsion options providing excellent flexibility for our customers…
Fact Check: J.P. Morgan Did Not Sink the Titanic
A widely-shared meme has taken several facts about the Titanic out of context to make unsubstantiated claims that imply the ship’s sinking was a deliberate act. This is not true—experts widely agree the sinking of the Titanic was an accident. The meme was posted to Facebook on March 1 and has been shared more than 600 times (here). It consists of two images: one of the ship and a second of American financier John Pierpont (J.P.) Morgan. These sit alongside a wall of text that…