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17 Jan 2024

OPINON: Tackling the Houthi Drone Threat with AI

OrcaAI CTO Dor Raviv. Photo: OrcaAI

Houthi rebel drone attacks on vessels traversing the Red Sea and Suez Canal route, accounting for 10% of global trade, have exposed the shortcomings of current ship alert systems.The unpredictability and increased frequency of these attacks have created a challenging security environment for ships passing the area via the Bab el Mandeb strait, posing a substantial risk to seafarers and maritime trade by endangering the safety of the crew and cargo.Initially focused on Israel-related ships in solidarity with Hamas…

25 Aug 2022

Port Canaveral to Add New Patrol and Pilot Boats

Photo of a security rapid response boat, similar to the vessel that will be  custom built for the Canaveral Port Authority (Photo: Life Proof Boats)

Port Canaveral will add a new security patrol vessel and a pilot boat after receiving federal grant funding for several projects to protect against terrorism and other security threats.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded $472,500 in Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) funding to allow the Canaveral Port Authority (CPA) to purchase a new Security Rapid Response Boat. The vessel will be a 33-ft. “Life Proof” boat operated…

18 Aug 2022

Denmark to Invest $5.5 Billion in New Warships

Denmark expects to invest 40 billion Danish crowns ($5.47 billion) in new warships as the NATO member seeks to bolster its maritime security in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the defense ministry said on Thursday.As part of the investments due over the next 20 to 25 years, a partnership with the country's maritime industry was launched, aiming to develop and build the new warships in Denmark, Defense Minister Morten Bodskov said in a statement."With Russia's attack on Ukraine and the new security situation in Europe…

23 Mar 2021

Norway Blocks Rolls-Royce's Plan to Sell Bergen Engines to Russian Firm

(File image: Rolls-Royce)

Norway will block Rolls-Royce from selling a Norwegian maritime engine maker to a Russian company on national security grounds, its justice minister told parliament on Tuesday.Based on Norway’s west coast, and owned by Britain’s Rolls-Royce for more than 20 years, Bergen Engines supplies NATO member Norway’s navy as well as the global shipping industry.The blocking of the sale is a blow for Rolls-Royce, which is aiming to raise 2 billion pounds ($2.76 billion) from disposals by…

09 Mar 2021

Norway Suspends Rolls-Royce Asset Sale on Security Grounds

Bergen Engines plant in Hordvikneset near Bergen, Norway (Photo: Rolls-Royce)

Norway has suspended the sale of a Norwegian engine maker owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings to a Russian-controlled company while it assesses the security implications for the country’s navy and the civilian sector, the government said on Tuesday.Norway’s NSM security agency is assessing the 150 million-euro ($178 million) sale announced on Feb. 4 of Bergen Engines to a company controlled by Russia’s TMH Group, NSM and the justice ministry said.Britain’s Rolls-Royce said it was selling…

29 May 2020

Flurry of US Crude Export Fixtures Offers Slimmer of Hope

© nevskyphoto / Adobe Stock

A flurry of tentative bookings to export U.S. crude oil from the Gulf Coast suggests demand is edging up after the coronavirus slammed energy consumption worldwide.BP, Trafigura and Equinor have all tentatively fixed vessels this past week to carry U.S. crude to global destinations over the coming month, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and shipping sources.Commodities merchant Trafigura and Occidental Petroleum are among companies looking to book vessels to ship crude from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Asia, one shipbroker said. The U.S.

18 Jun 2021

Staten Island Ferries: A "New York State of Mind"

The OLLIS Class: is a new class of vessels being built for Staten Island Ferries by Eastern Shipbuilding Group. Photos: Staten Island Ferries/ESG

It takes a thick skin to live in New York City, let alone to run its Staten Island Ferry service. James C. DeSimone, Deputy Commissioner, Ferry Division, New York City Department of Transportation, has been charged with running the ferry service for the last 16 years. We met with him for his insights on the challenges of keeping the iconic ferry running safely and efficiently.Jim DeSimone has led a maritime life, with his time equally split between the private and public sectors. His maritime affiliation is literally in his blood, as his father Guy J.

05 Mar 2020

First Vessel Receives Cybersecurity Verification

(Photo: ABB)

A large passenger vessel has become the industry’s first to achieve system compliance under classification society DNV GL’s framework for integrated cybersecurity.Today's vessels are increasingly fitted with integrated automation systems and digital solutions. And as vessels’ systems gorw more connected than ever before, new security threats areise, driving the need for closer and earlier collaboration on cybersecurity between all key stakeholders in the newbuilding process.ABB…

22 Jul 2019

Pirates Rob Korean Bulk Carrier

Pirates attacked a South Korean-flagged cargo ship in the South China Sea early on Monday, stealing thousands of dollars in cash and even the sailors' shoes, South Korean authorities said.Two people sustained minor injuries when seven pirates boarded the CK Bluebell and made off with $13,000 and belongings including mobile phones, clothes and shoes from the 22-strong crew, officials from the oceans and fisheries ministry said.Tougher policing has made piracy less frequent on the strategic shipping route in recent years.The dry bulk vessel CK Bluebell had set sail from its anchorage off Singapore on Saturday afternoon, heading northeast for South Korea's port of Incheon, Refinitiv Eikon ship tracking data showed.Korean officials said the ship was sailing normally after the robbery.The incid

03 Jul 2019

China Sets Top Security Level for Malacca Strait Traffic

File Image: A chinese warship heads to sea. CREDIT: AdobeStock / © VanderWolf

China's Ministry of Transport has raised its security recommendation for Chinese vessels in the Malacca Strait, a major potential bottleneck for global oil, to the highest level, according to a notice dated July 2 sent to shipping companies.The level for Chinese vessels passing through and going to the strait was raised to "3" as of 10 p.m. on July 2 (1400 GMT), according to the notice, whose authenticity was confirmed by an official at the ministry.It said shipping firms "should…

29 Jan 2019

NSSLGlobal, Teekay Sign Four-Year Satcom Contract

The global satcom provider NSSLGlobal has announced a four year, multi-million enhanced contract for communication and entertainment services with Teekay Shipping Corporation, the marine energy transportation, storage and production company.According to a release, the latest contract will provide an upgraded bandwidth capability across the Teekay fleet alongside the installation of NSSLGlobal’s new virtualised Cruise Control+ appliance and the rollout of CrewVision, its crew entertainment service.The new contract cements the longstanding relationship between NSSLGlobal and Teekay dating back to 2004. The winning formula stems from NSSLGlobal’s…

03 Jan 2019

Naples Mayor Offers to Welcome in Stranded NGO Migrant Boat

Naples is ready to defy Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and let in a charity-run ship carrying 32 migrants that is blocked in the stormy Mediterranean, the city mayor said on Thursday.His offer adds to a growing challenge from opposition politicians to Salvini's far-right League, which has vowed to bar migrants and make life difficult for those already here.Both Italy and Malta are refusing to let the Sea-Watch 3, a ship operated by a German non-governmental organisation (NGO), dock and set down the migrants who were rescued off Libya on Dec. 22.Both countries say they have taken in too many migrants and accuse NGO rescue ships…

24 Jan 2018

Yemen Conflict Forces New Security Recommendations

In response to the threats arising from the conflict in Yemen, BIMCO, ICS and INTERTANKO have published interim guidance on maritime security in the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb. Shipowners and operators should be aware of new threat patterns in the area. The European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) and the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) have advised that a range of threats other than piracy, such as sea mines and water-borne improvised explosive devices (WBIEDs), are potential risks in the area. “We’ve been advised that these threats are real, and therefore decided to provide guidance for ships operating in the area. We have seen two incidents in January…

02 Nov 2017

Kongsberg Earns First DNV GL Cyber Security Type Approval

Knut Omberg, Principal Engineer at DNV GL – Maritime (left), presents Roar Simensen, Product Adviser - Connected Vessels & Information management at Kongsberg Maritime (right), with the new type approval. (Photo: DNV GL)

More and more, vessels are becoming sophisticated hubs of connected systems and sensors that generate and exchange data both onboard and back to shore. As the shipping industry continues to digitalize, increased connectivity amplifies the need for cyber security and for ways of verifying the cyber safety of installed systems. For the past year, DNV GL and Kongsberg have combined their efforts to develop a new type approval program for the cyber security assessment of control system components: “Security Assessment of Control System Components, DNVGL-CP-0231”.

12 Jun 2017

Maritime Cyber Security: Good, Better & Best

© the_lightwriter / Adobe Stock

As an industry that spends a great amount of its resources procuring and sending data in order to operate, the maritime industry is an attractive target for cyber criminals. Due to the remote locations of vessels and limited staff aboard ships and rigs, organizations and their offshore vessels and platforms are often ill equipped to ward off cyber threats. The cost and repercussions of a breach can be extensive in terms of both money and crew safety. According to a recent study, the cost of cybercrime has even surpassed that of drug crime.

19 Dec 2016

Australia, France to Ink DCNS Sub Deal

Australia and France are to sign a deal on Tuesday allowing French naval contractor DCNS to build a new fleet of submarines for Australia, said Australia's defence minister, in a deal worth 50 billion Australian dollars ($36.4 billion). "The contract will set out the legal framework under which Australia and France will partner on the future submarine programme over the coming decades." Australian defence minister Marise Payne told reporters in Sydney on Monday. Earlier this year, DCNS had been left reeling after details from more than 22,000 pages of documents relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper, sparking concerns about the company's ability to protect sensitive data.

03 Nov 2016

Will Naval Operations Heat up in the Arctic?

U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams

As diminishing sea ice in the Arctic Ocean expands navigable waters, scientists sponsored by the Office of Naval Research have traveled to the region to study the changing environment and provide new tools to help the U.S. Navy operate in a once-inaccessible area. "This changing environment is opening the Arctic for expanded maritime and naval activity," said Rear Adm. Mat Winter, chief of naval research. A recent announcement from the National Snow and Ice Data Center revealed…

14 Oct 2016

Germany Orders Five More Navy Ships

Germany has agreed to spend 1.5 billion euros to buy five more corvettes for the navy, the navy said on Friday, and Die Welt newspaper quoted lawmakers as citing the need for greater security in the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. Die Welt said lawmakers planned to introduce the funding proposal in parliament in mid-November. "To meet new security needs in the Baltic Sea, in the Mediterranean Sea, and globally, the coalition plans to buy five new corvettes for 1.5 billion euros for the German Navy," the paper quoted Social Democrat Johannes Kahrs and Christian Democrat Eckhard Rehberg as saying. In April two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic, and Finland has accused Russia of several breaches of its airspace.

22 Apr 2015

Synergi Plant gets New Dashboard

Synergi Plant version 5.2, the latest DNV GL plant integrity software solution, has now been released. It includes a brand new user interface and several new modules including a flexible and powerful KPI and graphics dashboard. “The industry is looking for transparency of asset integrity conditions. With the new Synergi Plant dashboard this has become reality,” says Tommy Tang, Product Manager Plant Integrity Software at DNV GL. “Our brand new dashboard gives unprecedented flexibility and makes Synergi Plant unique in the market. It allows you to build KPIs, data grids, graphics and activity status. You can have individually tailored views, where you can monitor and track your asset integrity status and see the big picture.

23 Feb 2015

MARAD Certifying Cruise Security, Safety Training

Photo: Antonio Ferrer

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) informs it has begun certifying cruise vessel security and safety training program providers. As part of the voluntary certification, MARAD will review training plans and supporting information for consistency with training standards established under the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) of 2010, which imposes new security and safety standards on cruise ships. MARAD will issue certifications effective for five years to successful training provider applicants, and will list certified training organizations on its website.

16 Jan 2015

British Security Initiative Targets Marine Theft

(L) Howard Pridding, Chief Executive, British Marine Federation and (R) Kevin Howells, Managing Director of Datatag (Photo courtesy: British Marine Federation)

The British Marine Federation has partnered with security experts Datatag to help owners avoid theft of marine outboards. At the CWM FX London Boat Show today, the two organizations announced a new security initiative called COMPASS; the Combined Official Marine Property and Security System as a technological answer to the issue of theft addressing one of the key weak areas the marine market has which criminals are exploiting – identity. Using technologies supplied by security specialists Datatag ID Ltd…

10 Aug 2014

DHS Selects Stevens Institute for Maritime Research

Stevens Institute of Technology has been selected as the lead institution for a new Center of Excellence for Maritime Research (CMR). The selection, announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate will provide Stevens with $2 million per year for 5 years. The Center will also include the following partner institutions: MIT, University of Miami, Rutgers University, University of Puerto Rico and Elizabeth City State University. Stevens also has new partners with which it will collaborate on research projects, including LSU, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Connecticut.

08 Aug 2014

Stevens Selected as Maritime Research Center of Excellence

Photo: Stevens Institute of Technology

Stevens Institute of Technology announced it has been selected as the lead institution for a new Center of Excellence for Maritime Research (CMR). The selection, announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate will provide Stevens with $2 million per year for five years. The Center will also include the following partner institutions: MIT, University of Miami, Rutgers University, University of Puerto Rico and Elizabeth City State University.

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