Issues First News

Shipping giant Maersk said it has launched its Green Finance Framework designed to allow the company to issue a variety of sustainable financing instruments which may include bonds, loans, project finance and other instruments.“Issuing Green Financing Instruments is a further step to integrating sustainability into our financing operations as it is an effective tool for channeling investments to projects with positive environmental impact and thereby contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.

The Canadian government has removed the 10 percent retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-built recreational boats that resulted from President Trump’s 10 percent tariff on aluminum and 25 percent tariff on steel imported from that country to the United States.According industry obersers, removal of retaliatory tariffs seen as a critical first step toward elimination of US section 232 tariffs and ratification of USMCA trade agreement.A joint statement from NMMA Canada and NMMA said this marks the most positive development for the industry since the tariff issues first emerged."As such, we have been informed that all boats imported on or after April 30, 2019, are no longer subject to retaliatory tariffs (on a forward basis).

As the competitive and economic pressure on the shipping and offshore industries continues to grow, owners, operators and yards are searching for every efficiency. To support its customers, DNV GL has developed the first type approval scheme for the use of aluminum cables and connectors on board vessels.“This type approval represents another first for the DNV GL rule set and demonstrates our commitment to moving classification forward to help our customers,” said Geir Dugstad, Senior Vice President, Director of Ship Classification & Technical Director at DNV GL - Maritime.

ABS announced it has awarded the world’s first Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) – Ready Notation to Ocean Rig for the ABS-classed Corcovado and Mykonos deep water drillships.The ABS MPD-Ready notation demonstrates drilling units have the necessary provisions in place to integrate equipment needed for MPD operations.“Offshore operations in deeper water continue to lead back to a need for reliable and cost-effective technologies” said ABS Executive Vice President – Global Offshore, Kenneth Richardson. “The ABS MPD-Ready notation provides an increased level of confidence that the system meets certain industry standards related to integration of MPD equipment to aid in drilling difficult wells.

ABS said it has issued its first notation for the ABS Guide for Cybersecurity Implementation for the marine and offshore Industries. “The focus on cyber safety is increasing, and that is changing the expectations industry has for classification services,” explained ABS Chairman, President and CEO, Christopher J. The ABS CyberSafety program is aimed at mitigating the risk of cybersecurity-related conditions or incidents that could negatively affect operations. Awarding the CS1 notation (Asset…

The first Polar Ship Certificate was issued by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS). The document was released by Murmansk Branch on 22 December, 2016 in the port of Murmansk to the tanker Shturman Albanov, owned by SCF Group. In connection with the Polar Code entering into force, the compliance with the requirements thereof is a precondition for ships operated in the Barents Sea, Cara Sea water area south of 60 S and in other seas included in the polar water. The Polar Ship Certificate confirms the ship's compliance with the Code requirements related the safe navigation - for instance, the of the ship's hull to withstand severe temperature and ice conditions…

The guideline enables shipowners and managers to demonstrate that their vessel is laid up in a responsible manner, taking into account noise, emission and environmental concerns, while fulfilling all safety requirements. Bluewater’s Munin FPSO, laid up in Labuan, Malaysia, recently received the first declaration of this kind. “As a result of the tight business climate, we are seeing an increasing number of enquiries from owners and managers who need to put their vessel into lay-up, but want to do this in a way that respects the local environment and the communities around these sites,” says Richard Tao, Discipline Leader of DNV GL’s Maritime Advisory and Project Manager for the new lay-up guideline.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has executed a wind energy research lease with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME), BOEM announced today. This is BOEM’s first executed wind energy research lease, coming as part of the Obama Administration’s Climate Action Plan to create American jobs, develop domestic clean energy resources and cut carbon pollution. Under this lease, DMME proposes to design, develop and demonstrate a grid-connected, 12-megawatt (MW) offshore wind test facility on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) off the coast of Virginia – adjacent to the Virginia Wind Energy Area (WEA).

The Obama administration released on Tuesday a long-awaited explanation of what petroleum is allowed to be shipped under the contentious 40-year ban on exports of most domestic crude. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released the guidance in the form of frequently asked questions, or FAQ, in the first effort by the administration to clarify an issue that has caused confusion and consternation in energy markets for more than a year. The BIS guidance said energy companies must use distillation towers to produce lightly treated oil called condensate to export it and not simply treat it with flash drums that have so- called heater treaters.

New Zealand's Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) published its final report into the grounding of containership Rena in October 2011. The TAIC’s investigation found that the grounding was a result of improper crew practices, and that equipment/machinery malfunction played no part in the incident. According to the report, the Liberian-registered containership Rena had left the New Zealand port of Napier at 10:20 a.m. on October 4, 2011 bound for the New Zealand port of Tauranga. The master had given an estimated time of arrival at the Tauranga pilot station of 3 a.m.

Today in U.S. 1863 - U.S. Squadron bombards Fort Wagner, N.C. 1866 - Rank of Admiral created. David G. Farragut is appointed the first Admiral in the U.S. 1898 - Landing party from armed yacht Gloucester occupies Guanica, Puerto Rico. 1912 - First specifications for naval aircraft published. 1934 - First President to visit Hawaii, Franklin D. 1941 - Bureau of Ordnance issues first Navy "E"certificates (for excellence) for industry. 1943 - Launching of USS Harmon (DE-72), first ship named for African-American. 1990 - USS Cimarron rescues 25 refugees adrift southeast of Subic Bay, Philippines.

Today in U.S. 1958 - Commissioning of USS Grayback, first submarine built from keel up with guided missile capability, to fire Regulus II missile. 1960 - USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) rescues four Russian soldiers from their landing craft 1,000 miles from Midway Island, which was drifting several weeks after their engine failed off Kamchatka Peninsula. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

Today in U.S. 1863 - U.S. Squadron bombards Fort Wagner, N.C. 1866 - Rank of Admiral created. David G. Farragut is appointed the first Admiral in the U.S. 1898 - Landing party from armed yacht Gloucester occupies Guanica, Puerto Rico. 1912 - First specifications for naval aircraft published. 1934 - First President to visit Hawaii, Franklin D. 1941 - Bureau of Ordnance issues first Navy "E"certificates (for excellence) for industry. 1943 - Launching of USS Harmon (DE-72), first ship named for African-American. 1990 - USS Cimarron rescues 25 refugees adrift southeast of Subic Bay, Philippines.

1779 - Amphibious expedition against British in Penobscot Bay, Me. 1863 - U.S. Squadron bombards Fort Wagner, N.C. 1866 - Rank of Admiral created. David G. Farragut is appointed the first Admiral in the U.S. Navy. 1898 - Landing party from armed yacht Gloucester occupies Guanica, Puerto Rico. 1912 - First specifications for naval aircraft published. 1934 - First President to visit Hawaii, Franklin D. Roosevelt, reaches Hilo on board USS Houston (CA 30). 1941 - Bureau of Ordnance issues first Navy "E"certificates (for excellence) for industry. 1943 - Launching of USS Harmon (DE 72), first ship named for an African-American. 1990 - USS Cimarron (AO 177) rescues 25 refugees adrift southeast of Subic Bay, Philippines.

Leading international classification society Bureau Veritas has issued its first EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) certificate to the ultramax geared bulk carrier JS Amazon, the lead ship in a new generation of ‘CROWN63’ vessels developed by China’s  Sinopacific Shipbuilding Group with bulk carrier expert Setaf-Saget. The 63,300 dwt vessel is designed for the carriage of bulk cargoes, including coal, iron ore, grain and cement, as well as a range of dangerous cargoes. Its GHG (Green House Gas) performance when measured in accordance with IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index is twenty per cent better than the requirement under MARPOL Annex VI and already reaches the Phase II requirement normally set for the years 2020/2024.

ClassNK Issues World’s First Approval for Alternative Coating System for Ballast Tanks under PSPC. ClassNK announced today that it had awarded type approval for the world’s first alternative coating system under PSPC (Performance Standard for Protective Coatings) for ballast tanks to a single coating system manufactured by Nippon Paint Marine Coatings Co., Ltd. This approval is the first to be issued by any classification society anywhere in the world. Under PSPC, conventional epoxy coating systems are required to comprise two coatings.

ClassNK Issues First Ever Statement of Fact for Tier III NOx Emissions for an SCR-equipped Diesel Engine. ClassNK announced today that it had awarded its first ever Statement of Fact for Tier III nitrogen oxide (NOx) reductions to a marine diesel engine incorporating a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system. The document, issued on 1 November 2011, verifies that the NOx emission measurement results for the engine, fitted with a pre-turbocharger SCR system developed by Hitachi Zosen Corporation…

ClassNK Issues First MLC Seafarer Recruitment Certification to NYK-FIL Ship Management Inc. ClassNK has issued its first approval for seafarer recruitment and placement service providers in line with the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC, 2006) to Manila-based manning company NYK-FIL Ship Management Inc. (NYK-FIL). The approval confirms the company’s conformance with the standards set forth in Regulation 1.4 (Recruitment and Placement) of the MLC 2006 which was adopted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2006 to help ensure the safety and protect the rights of seafarers.

1958 - Commissioning of USS Grayback, first submarine built from keel up with guided missile capability, to fire Regulus II missile.   1960 - USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) rescues 4 Russian soldiers from their landing craft 1,000 miles from Midway Island, which was drifting several weeks after their engine failed off Kamchatka Peninsula.   1966 - Department of Navy reorganized into present structure under CNO   1967 - PBRs assists Operation Overload II in Rung Sat Zone, Vietnam   1968 - Operation Coronado XII begins in Mekong Delta, Vietnam   1994 - Navy issues first orders to women assigned aboard combat ship, USS Eisenhower   (Source: Navy News Service)

THE Liberian Registry has carried out the first ship inspection for compliance with the ILO Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC), ahead of its entry into force. The inspection was performed on board the 7,000 teu containership UASC Yanbu, owned by D Oltmann Reederei GmbH & Co KG of Bremen, Germany, and managed by Anglo Eastern Ship Management Limited, at the port of Hamburg on March 29, 2011. Commending Anglo Eastern Ship Management Limited and the ship’s master and crew for their professionalism in maintaining a high standard of working and living conditions on board the ship, the inspector, Capt Wolfgang Werner, representing the Liberian Registry, recorded no deficiencies, and the Liberian Administration will now issue the Maritime Labour Certificate accordingly.

1779 - Amphibious expedition against British in Penobscot Bay, Me. 1863 - U.S. Squadron bombards Fort Wagner, N.C. 1866 - Rank of Admiral created. David G. Farragut is appointed the first Admiral in the U.S. Navy. 1898 - Landing party from armed yacht Gloucester occupies Guanica, Puerto Rico. 1912 - First specifications for naval aircraft published. 1934 - First President to visit Hawaii, Franklin D. Roosevelt, reaches Hilo on board USS Houston (CA 30). 1941 - Bureau of Ordnance issues first Navy "E"certificates (for excellence) for industry. 1943 - Launching of USS Harmon (DE 72), first ship named for an African-American. 1990 - USS Cimarron (AO 177) rescues 25 refugees adrift southeast of Subic Bay, Philippines.

NYK Shipmanagement ECDIS course first to be recognized by top class society. ClassNK issued its first approval for maritime training programs to an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) course offered by NYK Shipmanagement Pte. Ltd. (NYKSM). The approval of the course, which certifies that the course fulfills International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards, follows ClassNK’s entry into the training program certification field as part of a broader expansion of the classification society’s activities announced earlier this year.

ClassNK Issues First Type Specific Training Course Approval for ECDIS Certification to FURUNO INS Training Center Singapore. ClassNK issued its first Type Specific Training Course approval for an ECDIS(Electronic Chart Display and Information System) Training Course offered by FURUNO INS Training Center Singapore. New requirements for the installation of ECDIS systems will be phased in from 1 July 2012, after which vessels will be required to navigate using ECDIS as their primary chart system.