Ups News

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a basic contract for the marine transport of offshore wind components with JFE Engineering Corporation, while also agreeing to build a new module carrier vessel with Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering.This will be first coastal module carrier in Japan to transport components for offshore wind turbine foundation components, according to MOL. MOL DrybulkThe vessel is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2026, and will then engage in the coastal transport of offshore wind turbine foundations from JFE Engineering's manufacturing base in Kasaoka-shi…

A ship transporting almost 200 tons of food to Gaza left a port in Cyprus early on Tuesday in a pilot project to open a new sea route for aid to a population on the brink of famine.The charity ship Open Arms sailed out of Larnaca port in Cyprus, towing a barge containing flour, rice and protein.The 200-mile (320 km) voyage across the eastern Mediterranean to Gaza with a heavy tow barge could take up to 2 days, Cypriot officials have said.The mission, funded mostly by the United Arab Emirates, is organised by U.S.

A ship carrying tonnes of food for Gaza remained docked in a Cyprus port on Sunday as preparations were underway to launch a yet untested maritime aid route to the enclave, where the United Nations estimates a quarter of the population faces starvation.The Open Arms, a salvage vessel, plans to tow a barge with 200 tonnes of food, mostly funded by the UAE. The supplies were sourced by charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), which is working with Spanish non-governmental organisation Proactiva Open Arms.WCK said it has another 500 tonnes of supplies in Cyprus…

The Philippines' coast guard (PCG) on Sunday accused China of "dangerous and blocking" manoeuvres while its vessel patrolled near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea this month.Manila's coast guard said in a statement that on a nine-day patrol near the shoal by its 97-meter (318-foot) vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua, four Chinese coast guard (CCG) vessels had shadowed the boat more than 40 times.Four Chinese maritime militia vessels were also present near the shoal, the PCG said.Located within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ)…

Italian shipowner Fratelli Cosulich and PETCO Trading Labuan Company Limited (PTLCL), a trading arm of Malaysian energy company Petronas, have signed a two-year charter agreement for Paolina Cosulich LNG bunker barge.Operating under PTLCL, a global energy solutions provider in key bunker hubs with network in Southeast Asia, Japan, Middle East and South Africa, Paolina Cosulich will cater to the increasing demand for LNG as bunker fuel in the Straits.Fratelli Cosulich’s latest LNG bunger barge features a cargo capacity of 8…

Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Transport, announced a record year in 2023 at a Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations event.The annual vessel arrival tonnage in the Port of Singapore crossed three billion gross tonnage (GT) for the first time, increasing by 9.4% over 2022 and setting a high of 3.09 billion GT in 2023. This reflects growth in all segments, including container ships, dry bulk carriers, liquid bulk and chemical tankers, ferries and specialised vessels…

This is the dawning of the age of AI and Big Data, huge agglomerations of new and transformative energy; almost self-generating, always strengthening and pulling at the reins, seeking to break free and run, a prospect both exciting and terrifying. That image can imply a human is holding the reins. How quaint: these days, AI itself may be holding the reins.In a review of innovation in 2023 – across any industrial or economic sector, not just maritime – AI looms large, a game-changer equivalent to IBM’s programming advances in the 1940s.

The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers has officially welcomed its new senior officers at a Controlling Council meeting held in Athens, Greece.Taking over from Glenn Murphy as International Chair of the Institute is Luis Bernat. Prior to his election as Chair, Bernat has held the position of Vice Chair since 2021. He brings to the role extensive experience gained over almost 50 years in the industry. This includes, most recently, his role as Chartering Manager for TSL Shipping & Trading.

As 2023 is drawing to a close we would once again invite the readers of Offshore Engineer Magazine to gaze into our crystal ball to see what 2024 might have in store for the offshore support vessel industry. Before diving straight into our forward-looking sentiments however, it is important to address some of the main trends in the year that past as these lay the foundation for the year to come.Continuing the market development from the year before, 2023 very much advanced the ongoing recovery for offshore support vessels further.

Canceled offshore wind projects, imperiled solar factories, and fading demand for electric vehiclesA year after the passage of the largest climate change legislation in U.S. history, meant to touch off a boom in American clean energy development, economic realities are fraying President Joe Biden’s agenda.Soaring financing and materials costs, unreliable supply chains, delayed rulemaking in Washington and sluggish permitting have wrought havoc ranging from offshore wind developer Orsted’s project cancellations in the U.S.

Orca AI, headquartered in Israel and founded in 2018, has a simple yet complex premise: develop and deliver an intelligent safety platform for the maritime industry to prevent collisions. To date it has attracted attention and business globally, working with SeaSpan, NYK, MSC, Shell Shipping and Marubeni amongst others. Maritime Reporter TV recently caught up Orca AI CEO and co-founder Yarden Gross for insights on the reality today, and the promising potential for AI in the maritime sector.Yarden…

Maritime accelerator PortXL and containment system specialist GTT have formed a strategic partnership to drive transformative advancements in the maritime industry.The Rotterdam-based maritime start-up accelerator and GTT believe this collaboration sets the stage for an entrepreneurial journey towards transforming the maritime industry through innovation.PortXL has established itself as a maritime industry innovator, who bridges the gap between start-ups and scale-ups and established industry players.

Italy's Prysmian has adopted a net zero carbon target by 2050 and slightly upped its emission reduction targets for the near term, the world's largest cable maker said on Wednesday.Prysmian - which supplies cables for industries including high voltage power transmission, offshore wind farms and telecoms - said in a statement it was committed to reducing all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the value chain by 2050.As part of this plan, the company will cut so-called Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 90% by 2035…

AD Ports Group and Premier Marine Engineering Services LLC formed a new joint venture, SAFEEN Drydocks, owned 51% by AD Ports Group, 49% by Premier Marine.The new enterprise will offer a broad range of vital services including drydocking, afloat repairs, ship building and refurbishment. The hub of SAFEEN Drydocks’ operations will be located at Khalifa Port and encompass a 45,000 sq. m. shipyard and repair facility, 350m quay wall for vessel afloat repair, and a floating dry dock for vessel maintenance and refurbishment.

The oxygen supply of the missing Titan submersible is expected to run out today around 10am GMT, or 8pm AEST.A frantic search continues for the Titan and its five occupants, with sonar buoys having recorded “banging” noises in the search area on Tuesday and Wednesday.With the vessel’s fate yet to be determined, the general public is asking questions about the safety of such touristic endeavours.The contextThe context in which the Titan has disappeared is disturbing. Reports have come out detailing court documents from a 2018 case that show OceanGate…

Clean fuels supplier Titan announced it has signed a long-term time charter agreement with Italian maritime transportation group Fratelli Cosulich for the new 8,200Cbm capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel Alice Cosulich.Alice Cosulich will join Titan's fleet in the fourth quarter of this year and will operate in Europe. The vessel, which has an LNG and liquified biomethane (LBM) bunkering capacity of 8,200 m3, as well as smaller parcels of biodiesel going forward…

Maritime Reporter & Engineering News recently caught up with Karl Lander, Director of Regulatory Compliance and Outreach at maritime tech startup Armach Robotics, to hear the latest progress on its unique, small platform, intelligence-driven hull cleaning solution.Companies like Plymouth, MA, headquartered Armach Robotics (Armach) are justifiably convinced that cleaning hulls is set for wider adoption in the coming years, as the principle of coating hulls with substances designed to be noxious to marine life becomes increasingly problematic.

As container shipping demand continues to fall into the New Year, Xeneta Chief Analyst Peter Sand weigh in with his insights on the pace and direction of spot and contract rates; the likelihood of ship lay-ups and scrapping in 2023; plus the impact that West Coast port labor strife will have on the industry as a whole, as the East Coast U.S. emerges as the dominant player.To start us off, what do you see as far as falling demand and the blank sailings of container ships leading up to the Chinese New Year.Peter SandWhat I see in the market right now is quite dramatic, almost unprecedented.

U.S. inland marine transportation and logistics solutions company American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) announce it has hired Joel Gard as senior vice president of its newly established Interchange & Logistics business unit.With the associated realignment, ACBL is now comprised of three uniquely integrated strategic business units (SBU): Dry Cargo, Liquid Cargo and Interchange & Logistics.A veteran of the transportation and supply chain sector, Gard brings extensive experience in building and deploying technology to enhance traditional transportation models.

NOV has signed a new contract with China's CIMC Raffles to supply another GustoMSC™ NG-20000X self-propelled wind turbine installation jack-up vessel design for Havfram, an offshore wind services company based in Norway, which recently ordered its second wind turbine installation vessel from CIMC.According to NOV, the NG-20000X-HF vessels are among the largest wind installation jack-ups in the industry. They feature a 3,250-ton heavy lift crane and can install foundations up to 3,000 tons and wind turbines with tip heights over 300 m in water depths up to 70 m.

Libra Group's shipping subsidiary Lomar Shipping announced the appointment of Marius Bujor as its new Technical Director. Based in the company’s Bremen office, he succeeds Stylianos Papageorgiou who has been promoted to the position of Managing Director of lomarlabs, a new venture to collaborate with deep-tech start-ups.Bujor has been with Lomar for eight years, having joined in 2014 as a Technical Superintendent. He became a Fleet Manager four years later, and was promoted to Deputy Technical Director in late 2022, as Lomar prepared for the launch of lomarlabs.

Since the ballast water management system discussion started nearly two decades ago, a clear concern was the ability to fit new equipment on existing ships, placing a strain on both space and power. Last month we caught up with a few key suppliers to for their insights on market development.How many BWMS have you sold and installed to date?Maxime Dedeurwaerder, BIO-UV GroupLast year has proven to be the best on record, with roughly 200 BIO-Sea units delivered. All told, since we entered the ballast water market, we have about 700 units in service or pending commissioning.