Drama News

Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Thursday it will spin off its towage and marine services activities and plans to list the new company on the Nasdaq Copenhagen stock exchange.Maersk has sought to streamline its business in recent years, spinning off oil rigs and other units that did not fit with its core shipping and logistics operations.The anticipated first day of trading for the shares of the new company, to be called Svitzer Group, is on April 30, Maersk said as it reported…

U.S. officials have begun informal talks to prepare for new negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), David Cohen, the country's ambassador to Canada, told CBC News in an interview published Saturday."On the U.S.

Pope Francis said on Friday that migrants who risk drowning at sea "must be rescued" because doing so was "a duty of humanity" and that those who impede rescues commit "a gesture of hate".Francis, 86, spoke at an inter-religious prayer service before a monument dedicated to those lost at sea. Earlier, the city's archbishop, Cardinal Jean Marc Aveline, an Algerian-born Frenchman, criticized politicians who block NGOs and their ships from saving drowning people."We cannot be resigned to seeing human beings treated as bargaining chips, imprisoned and tortured in atrocious ways," Francis said.

China's first domestically-built large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, has departed from Shanghai for sea trials.The 135,500 gross tonne vessel was built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding. It is being classified by Lloyd’s Register and China Classification Society.The vessel has 2,125 guest rooms and can accommodate up to 5,246 passengers. The public entertainment area is over 40,000 square meters (nearly six standard football fields) over 16 floors.

While drama in the container shipping sector has calmed a bit, container carriers still wrestle with unexpected drops in demand. Peter Sand, Xeneta, discusses vessel capacity moves and their likely impact on rates, as well as the first containership sent to the ship scrap yard in more than 18 months.Q: Peter, the last time that we spoke, you were succinct in saying that this market is a mess, with spot rates plunging in what traditionally is the busiest shipping season in the US. Has that picture changed in the last few weeks?Peter Sand, XenetaHas it changed from being a mess? Not really.

On Thursday October 6, Captain Richard Phillips, author of A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, will discuss his encounter, his remarkable rescue and lessons learned, in an Ed Fouhy Speaker Series program presented by the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center. The program will begin at 7:00 PM at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Admirals Hall, 101 Academy Drive, Buzzards Bay, MA.The now-famous hostage standoff began on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 when a small band of Somali pirates swung a ladder from their skiff onto the MV Maersk Alabama…

The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index edged higher on Thursday, buoyed by an uptick in capesize and panamax vessel rates.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, gained 7 points to 2,296The capesize index rose 55 points, or 2.4%, to 2,356Average daily earnings for capesizes, which transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, rose by $451 to $19,535Iron ore futures rose on Thursday, on expectations of a recovery in Chinese demand for the steelmaking raw material and steel products after the Beijing 2022 Olympics next monthThe

On any given day, the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman can be found off the Atlantic coast of the United States, probably somewhere between Virginia and Florida. Its crew would love to come home to their families. But they can’t. They’re just too valuable right now.That’s because the Truman is a “clean” ship, free from the coronavirus thanks to a longer-than-expected deployment at sea that started in November. The deployment has kept its battle-ready 4,500 crew out of reach…

The ongoing trend of downward pressure on long-term contracted ocean freight rates appears to have been broken, or at least temporarily derailed, with marginal increases seen across the board in November.According to the latest XSI Public Indices report from Xeneta, which provides unique business intelligence based on real-time crowd-sourced data from the world’s leading shippers, global rates climbed by 0.9% over the last month. This disrupts a long-term pattern of decline that, with the exception of a sizable and unexpected rise in May, has been ongoing since Summer 2018.Oslo-based Xeneta’s XSI Public Indices report utilities over 110 million data points, covering over 160,000 port-to-port pairings, to provide unparalleled insight into the very latest market moves.

The results of a recent survey conducted by financial services company Bankrate, LLC show that naval architecture and marine engineering take the top spot as the most valuable college degrees in which to major.A total of 162 degrees were covered in the company’s research. Drama and theater arts, on the other hand, were shown to be the least valuable degrees in terms of earning power after graduation. The survey revealed that the overall median income for those trained to build, design and maintain maritime vessels was $90,000 and that less than 2 percent of degree holders were unemployed.

Four magnificent tall ships  will come to Hamburg for the 830th Hamburg Port Anniversary from 10 to 12 May – Alexander von Humboldt II, Kruzenshtern, Sedov and Mir.The Queens of the oceans will participate in the grand arrival and departure parades in the heart of the city, on the Friday and Sunday respectively, and invite visitors to look around on board, said a press release from Germany's largest port.Alongside these amazing tall ships, the Hamburg Port Anniversary will be a meeting place for some 300 vessels of all kinds, including many classic sailing vessels that will also be open to visitors.The Alexander von Humboldt II is currently Germany’s largest operational sail training ship, with length overall 66 metres.

Freight rates for dry-bulk and container ships, carriers of most of the world's raw materials and finished goods, have plunged over the last six months in the latest sign the global economy is slowing significantly.The Baltic Dry Index, measure of ship transport costs for materials like iron ore and coal, has fallen by 47 percent since mid-2018, when a trade dispute between the United States and China resulted in the world's two biggest economies slapping import tariffs on each other's goods.Dry-bulk commodities are taken as a leading economic indicator…

Nieuw Statendam, the new cruise ship of Holland America Line, was presented at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice. Holland America Line is a brand under Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator.The vessel is the 16th Holland America Line ship built by Fincantieri and is the line’s second Pinnacle-class ship after Koningsdam, delivered in 2016.The 99,902-ton vessel accommodates 2,666 guests and is the ultimate expression of the Holland America Line brand. The ship features purpose-built staterooms for families and solo travelers among its 1,377 guest accommodations.While much of the ship's design will be similar to Koningsdam…

The UK Chamber of Shipping said that the UK Government’s plans to charter in ships to bring in supplies in an event of a No-Deal Brexit would not help.Responding to reports that Government may charter ships in the event of a No-Deal Brexit, UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Bob Sanguinetti said: “It is not clear how Government chartering ships would really help. I don’t see how Government itself can move goods faster or more efficiently than the private sector, particularly as those goods will still need to go through the same customs procedures in ports – which is where the real problem would be."“We must not sensationalise. We are a flexible industry and the shipping market can adapt to meet the needs of our national economy just as it always has done…

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul F. Zukunft will be relieved by U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz on June 1, 2018, at 1100 hours at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced the nomination by President Donald Trump of Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz to be the 26th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard in March. Vice Adm. Schultz, the commander of the Coast Guard's Atlantic Area, previously served as the operational commander for all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf, spanning across five Coast Guard Districts and 40 states. Zukunft will retire following the change of command. "Vice Adm.

Plucked from the headlines, the top stories of 2017 were compelling, and each provided impact to the domestic waterfront and in particular – the workboat sector. Follow along as Marine News recaps the highlights, drama and significant events that shaped the past 12 months. When Elaine Chao was sworn in to be the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, the Washington veteran brought a welcome burst of competence to the position. Her wide-ranging experience across the maritime sector and prior service at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, and the Federal Maritime Commission uniquely positions her to understand the critical role that the waterfront plays in the intermodal equation. Soon after taking her chair, she was joined by another familiar face at Marad. Rear Adm.

U.S. Maritime Adminstrator Mark Buzby issues statement on ‘full accreditation’ from third party auditors. The U.S. Maritime Administrator last week issued a statement announcing full accreditation of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The news brings (at least part of) the drama being experienced by the nation’s only federal maritime academy to an end. The school had been found to be delinquent in at least 5 of 14 necessary benchmarks last year. In a prepared statement, Buzby announced, “I learned today that my alma mater – Kings Point - has once again received full accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

More than 400 stranded guests and staff have been rescued from Daydream Island off Queensland, ravaged by Tropical Cyclone Debbie, thanks to the actions of HMAS Melville. The hydrographic ship was operating near Townsville when the cyclone hit the Whitsunday Islands, and followed the tail end of the system through rough seas as Debbie headed south. Melville’s Commanding Officer, Commander Neil Cheverton said his crew had worked with local authorities to coordinate ferry access to Thursday Island, to evacuate the resort.

Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ:ENT) has expanded its portfolio of live programming delivered by satellite to cruise ships with the addition of new channels for crew members from India and the Philippines. Global Eagle is now delivering TV programs from Viacom 18 Colors and the ABS-CBN Filipino channels. Known for its popular drama series and blockbuster reality TV programs, Colors has become a Hindi-language cultural touchstone. It is a part of Viacom 18 Media, one of India’s fastest-growing entertainment networks. The Filipino Channel (TFC) features a broad range of drama, comedy, reality TV shows, entertainment news, game shows, current affairs, feature films and talk shows from the Philippines’ leading channel ABS-CBN.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) completed its review of the draft final rule entitled Inspection of Towing Vessels, also known as "Subchapter M." The document has been returned to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the US Coast Guard for final preparation prior to promulgation in the Federal Register. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, this rulemaking would implement a program of inspection for certification of towing vessels, which were previously uninspected. It would prescribe standards for safety management systems and third-party auditors and surveyors, along with standards for construction, operation, vessel systems, safety equipment, and recordkeeping.

Jack Fusco was named chief executive and chairman of Cheniere Energy Monday, ending a leadership search that began after activist investor Carl Icahn ousted the company’s founder. Fusco's installation as Cheniere’s new chief comes after a messy boardroom drama led to the December ouster of founder Charif Souki, who raced ahead of competitors to build plants that could cool natural gas into liquid form in order to export it. Fusco will take the reins at Cheniere energy little more than two months after the first train at the Houston company’s massive liquefaction plant at Sabine Pass rumbled to life, generating both the lower 48’s first liquefied natural gas and significant cash for Cheniere.

A.P. Moller-Maersk will continue to invest in its shipping unit to retain its leading market share in the industry, which has experienced a prolonged slump, Chief Executive Nils Smedegaard Andersen said on Friday. Andersen referred to Maersk's decision, announced earlier this week, that it would not take order options on six of its flagship mega-vessels. "There's absolutely no drama on this -- when you take options it's because you want to be flexible. We will continue to invest to retain our market share," Andersen told analysts during a conference call. Reporting by Sabina Zawadzki

The launch of drones from the air and from the sea heralded the start of an innovative series of demonstrations at Fleet Base East in Sydney. The lunchtime displays are the brainchild of the naval engineering community. Marketed as a ‘launch pad’, the displays provide opportunity to challenge and innovate through a series of cutting edge demonstrations where industry and innovators can showcase their technologies and ideas. Navy combined with the Defence Capability and Sustainment Group work with BAE Systems and Thales Australia to deliver seaworthy guided missile frigates and the group is committed to embracing new ways of thinking and new technologies.