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Ship Operator News

25 Oct 2023

Australian Court Finds Carnival Misled About Cruise's COVID Risks in Landmark Luling

© NAN / Adobe Stock

Carnival Corp's Australian unit has been ordered to pay the medical expenses of a woman who contracted COVID-19, with a judge ruling that the cruise ship operator misled passengers about safety risks in a landmark class action ruling.The decision from Australia's Federal Court is the first class action win against a cruise ship operator in the world, according to Shine Lawyers, who represent about 1,000 Australian plaintiffs in the suit.Justice Angus Stewart found Carnival Australia…

18 Oct 2023

1993-built Passenger Vessel Sees 23% CO2 Emission Reduction after Eco-Makeover by Kongsberg

Credit: Kongsberg Maritime

Kongsberg Maritime, a Norwegian maritime equipment and technology specialist, announced a 23% reduction in CO2 emissions on the 121-meter passenger vessel MS Richard With, which is owned by Hurtigruten, a coastal ship operator and adventure travel company.The vessel finished an extensive refit last summer using Kongsberg Maritime engineering and technology and has now completed its first year back in service.Last year, Kongsberg Maritime partnered with Myklebust Verft shipyard to convert three Hurtigruten ships to hybrid technology, promising reduced emissions and quieter operations.

03 Oct 2023

Enclosed Spaces: Engineering Solutions

The use of drones could reduce the need for enclosed space entry. Image courtesy of ScoutDI

If you think the human element is the only cause of enclosed space deaths, think again.Enclosed space incidents are cited as the largest cause of on-duty fatalities in commercial shipping. The risks can’t simply be engineered out, but there’s a powerful coalition wanting action nonetheless.There’s a tendency to blame failure to follow procedures, they say. Investigations seldom focus on the practicality of those procedures or the influence of the operating environment and vessel design, they say.

10 Jul 2023

Coast Guard and Local Authorities Join Forces in Response to Port Newark Vessel Fire

The Coast Guard, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark Fire Department, and multiple state and area agencies respond to a fire in Port Newark on the vehicle carrier ship, Grande Costa D’Avorio. Fire fighting crews are working to extinguish the fire both from the pier and from FDNY fireboats. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Dan Henry)

A Unified Command has been established to continue response to the fire aboard Grimaldi cargo vessel Grande Costa D’Avorio, which caught fire Wednesday night around 9:30 PM at the Port of Newark, an incident in which two firefighters died Thursday.The U.S. Coast Guard, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark Fire Department, and Gallagher Marine Systems (as representative of the ship operator) have established a Unified Command in Port Newark, supported by a host of federal…

28 Jun 2023

UECC Trials Biofuels

Source: GoodFuels

Ship operator United European Car Carriers (UECC) has bunkered sustainable biofuel for the first time in collaboration with GoodFuels and vessel owner NYK.GoodFuels delivered the B30 blend, 470 tonnes of VLSFO and sustainable biofuel, to time-chartered Emerald Leader in the port of Vlissingen in May. NYK, joint owner of UECC, is working closely with UECC to monitor the biofuel's performance.The use of sustainable biofuel on the Emerald Leader, which operates on UECC's North South Trade connecting the Eastern Mediterranean with Northern Europe…

24 May 2023

Tall Ship Topples Over in Drydock

(Photo: Bark EUROPA)

A 112-year-old tall ship has toppled over during a drydock maintenance period in South Africa.The Netherlands-registered Europa fell over during an attempt to transfer the steel-hulled barque back into the water from drydock at a Cape Town ship repair facility, leaving one crewmember with minor injuries."The injured sailor is receiving the necessary medical care and is doing well, given the circumstances," the ship's operator Bark Europa said. "He is currently in stable condition…

28 Feb 2023

Australia Bans MSC Containership Over Safety Deficiencies

A Liberian-flagged containership operated by MSC Shipmanagement Ltd (MSC) has been banned from Australian ports for 90 days over a long list of safety failures and deficiencies, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.AMSA said it issued a refusal of access direction notice to the MSC Kymea II following months of sub-standard performance from the ship’s operator, including critical maintenance issues.The agency's inspection of the vessel found 21 deficiencies in total, including a defective free fall lifeboat steering system, defective fire safety systems, dangerously-stored flammable materials, and multiple wasted or missing…

29 Nov 2022

Nigeria Stowaways Who Survived 11 Days on Ship Rudder Must Return Home - Spanish Police

©Spanish Coast Guard/Twitter

Three migrants rescued in Spain's Canary Islands, after apparently enduring an 11-day journey from Nigeria crouched on the rudder of a fuel tanker, should now be returned home under stowaway laws, a police spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday. In a photograph distributed on Twitter by the Spanish coast guard on Monday, the three stowaways are shown crouching on the rudder under the hull, just above the waterline of the Alithini II.The 183-metre ship, sailing under a Maltese flag, arrived in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria after setting out from Lagos in Nigeria on Nov.

06 Sep 2022

Wärtsilä, Maersk Developing Solution to Prevent Scrubber Discharge Pipe Corrosion

Wärtsilä Underwater Services’ diver performing a scrubber overboard repair on a container vessel. (Photo: Wärtsilä)

The technology group Wärtsilä and Danish ship operator A.P. Moller - Maersk have provided a means for preventing corrosion in scrubber discharge pipes. The permanent in-pipe solution is designed to solve corrosion problems associated with open-loop scrubber washwater discharge.The majority of the estimated 5,000 scrubber systems installed across the global fleet are of open-loop configuration. With this system, seawater is used to scrub SOx from the exhaust gas, with the used water then being discharged back to the sea after cleaning.Under IMO Guidelines…

31 Aug 2022

Royal Caribbean Will Be Industry's First to Use SpaceX’s Starlink High-speed Internet

Royal Caribbean first trialed SpaceX’s Starlink on board Freedom of the Seas. (Photo: Royal Caribbean Group)

Royal Caribbean Group this week revealed it will be the industry's first cruise ship operator to implement SpaceX’s Starlink for onboard broadband internet service for guests and crew fleetwide.The cruise giant said on Tuesday it will immediately begin installing Starlink high-speed, low-latency connectivity on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of its brands going forward. Initial installations…

31 Oct 2022

TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff 6 Connects to Shore Power in Kiel

(Photo: TUI Cruises)

TUI Cruises said a second vessel in its cruise ship fleet has successfully tested the use of shore power in port.Earlier this week, the German cruise ship operator's Mein Schiff 6 received shore power for the first time in SEEHAFEN KIEL Cruise GmbH & Co. KG (Port of Kiel), making it the second TUI Cruises ship behind Mein Schiff 4 to have made a shore power connection.Technicians and engineers carried out various tests of the shore power system before connecting the plugs of the Kiel shore power system to the sockets of Mein Schiff 6.

22 Jun 2022

First Steel Cut for TUI Cruises' LNG-powered Cruise Ship

Credit: Fincantieri

The first steel cutting ceremony was held for the first of two LNG-powered ships for the cruise ship operator TUI Cruises.Shipbuilder Fincantieri said Wednesday that the construction start-up ceremony had taken place in the presence of Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI, and Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager Merchant Ship Division of Fincantieri, in San Giorgio di Nogaro (Udine) at Centro Servizi Navali, a company specialized in logistics and production of sheet metal for the Fincantieri yards located in northeastern Italy.

21 Jun 2022

Old is Gold: Sky-high Cost of Ageing Containerships Sounds Inflation SOS

© STOCKSTUDIO / Adobe Stock

Shipping companies are transforming rust buckets into gold mines in a modern-day alchemy that could fuel already rampant inflation for years to come.The disruption to world trade caused by pandemic lockdowns and a shortage of new cargo vessels has pushed freight rates for ageing containerships to record highs.Cashing in on the boom, shipping firms are locking in long-term leases lasting three to four years, which means consumers could carry on paying the price for the surge in costs until hundreds of new ships on order come into service.Take the Synergy Oakland…

06 Jun 2022

DNV Approves Maritime Digital Infrastructure Projects

(Image: DNV)

Classification society DNV said it has recently approved several projects for digital infrastructure solutions developed by COSCO, Kongsberg Digital and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI).According to DNV, digitalization of the maritime industry is set to radically enhance the operational efficiency, safety and environmental performance of ships, but right now is taking place in a fragmented way, with no pan-industry alignment on data infrastructure reliability and data quality in compliance with global standards.As ships get smarter and increasingly packed with sensors…

03 May 2022

Euroseas Buys Two 4,250 TEU Container Ships for $37M

Container ship operator Euroseas said Tuesday it had agreed to buy  M/V Seaspan Manila and M/V Seaspan Melbourne intermediate size container vessels with a capacity of 4,250 TEU each, built in 2007 and 2005, respectively.The vessels are being acquired for a combined price of $37 million. Euroseas will also assume the existing charter arrangements of the vessels. Both acquisitions will be initially financed with the company’s own funds.Aristides Pittas, Chairman and CEO of Euroseas said:"We are pleased to announce the acquisition of M/V Seaspan Manila and M/V Seaspan Melbourne, two intermediate containerships built in 2007 and 2005, respectively, along with their existing approximately two years and three quarters long charters.

25 Apr 2022

Inquiries Begin into Missing Japan Tourist Boat, with at Least 11 Dead

Illustration only - A Port in Shiretoko - Credit: shuttered/AdobeStock

Inquiries began into what caused the disappearance of a tour boat off Japan's northern coast as search efforts intensified on Monday to find the vessel and its missing passengers, with the confirmed death toll rising to 11.The "Kazu I" left harbor on Saturday for a sightseeing trip when it ran into trouble off the Shiretoko peninsula on the island of Hokkaido. The boat was carrying 24 passengers, including 2 children, and two crew members. Only a few orange flotation devices bearing…

24 Dec 2021

Australia’s New Antarctic Icebreaker Begins First Voyage

(Photo: Pete Harmsen / AAD)

Australia’s new Antarctic icebreaker RSV Nuyina departed Hobart Thursday on its first voyage south.There are 67 expeditioners and crew onboard for the five week voyage to refuel Casey research station and transport helicopters to Davis station.They will also undertake marine science commissioning including tests of the acoustic instruments mounted on the hull and drop keels, and deploying the CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) sampler.The CTD is the workhorse of oceanography research…

21 Dec 2021

OCIMF Overhauls Its Tanker Inspection Program

© momentscatcher / Adobe Stock

The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) is overhauling its Ship Inspection Report Program (SIRE) by introducing tablet-based inspections, a more comprehensive inspection process, and enhanced policies and procedures from Q2 2022. The new program, SIRE 2.0, will facilitate a risk-based approach to assessing the safety and quality of a vessel and its crew on an ongoing basis, but will require a “change in mindset” from industry, OCIMF has warned.Under SIRE 2.0, accredited inspectors will complete a Compiled Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (CVIC) in real-time using a tablet device.

17 Dec 2021

Carnival Opens New Dubai Cruise Terminal

(Photo: Carnival Corporation)

Cruise ship operator Carnival Corporation has officially opened its new Dubai Harbor Cruise Terminal with Shamal Holding following their strategic partnership signed in 2018 to develop the new cruise port.With the arrivals of Costa Firenze and AIDAbella from the company’s Italy-based Costa Cruises and Germany-based AIDA Cruises brands, the official opening was marked by two passenger cruise ships visiting the Dubai Harbor Cruise Terminal for the first time, coinciding with the start of the cruise season and the ships’ homeporting seasons from Dubai.

19 Oct 2021

Detyens to Overhaul US Navy Cable Layer

(Photo: U.S. Navy)

Detyens Shipyards Inc. has been awarded an $8,991,045 firm-fixed-price contract for the overhaul of U.S. Navy cable layer USNS Zeus (T-ARC 7), the Pentagon announced Friday.Work to be performed under the 90-calendar day shipyard availability includes services for the regular overhaul and dry-docking availability of the 513.5-foot vessel. The contract also contains 11 unexercised options, which if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $9,975,203.Work at the North Charleston, S.C.

17 Aug 2021

Chinese Ports Choke Over 'Zero Tolerance' COVID-19 Policy

© NicoElNino / Adobe Stock

Several Chinese ports are facing congestion as vessels due to call at Ningbo are being diverted and cargo processing is slowed partly due to stricter disinfection measures under China's "zero-tolerance" coronavirus policy.On Tuesday, more than 50 container vessels were queuing at Ningbo port, China's second largest marine center, Refinitiv data showed, up from 28 on Aug. 10 when a COVID-19 case was reported at one of its terminals.Leading international shipping groups have warned their clients of delays and route adjustments.

09 Aug 2021

Florida Can't Ban Cruise Ship's 'Vaccine Passport' Program, US Judge Says

© Mariakray / Adobe Stock

A U.S. judge has allowed Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH.N)todemand that passengers show written proof of coronavirus vaccination before they board a ship, dealing a major blow to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's effort to ban "vaccine passports."In a preliminary ruling issued on Sunday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami said Norwegian would likely prevail on its argument that the "vaccine passport" ban, signed into law by DeSantis in May, jeopardizes public…

12 Jul 2021

Orkim Tankers Fit With Thordon's COMPAC System

(Photo: Thordon Bearings)

China’s Fujian Southeast Shipyard has delivered four in a series of five new product tankers ordered by Malaysia’s Orkim Sdn Bhd.The 9000dwt Orkim Sapphire and Orkim Pearl, and 14,500dwt Orkim Diamond and Orkim Emerald represent the first vessels in the ship operator’s fleet to be fitted with a COMPAC seawater lubricated shafting system from Thordon Bearings.Working with the shipowner’s representative, Shanghai-based CY Engineering, Thordon’s authorized distributor in China, supplied…

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