Beluga News

Off the coast of Spain and Portugal, killer whales have been biting boats. And the famous beluga whale nicknamed “Hvaldimir” has popped up again – this time in Sweden. When first spotted in Norway in 2019, wearing a suspicious harness, some suggested he could be a Russian spy.These unusual human-wildlife interactions raise questions about managing risk. Both situations present a maritime safety concern. And the whales are at risk of being injured or killed by the boat.What’s more…

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit filed by environmental groups challenging federal approvals needed to construct a $39 billion project that would move natural gas from Alaska’s North Slope across the state.A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's review of plans for the state-run Alaska Gasline Development Corp's project satisfied the National Environmental Policy Act requirements to take a hard look at environmental impacts of major proposals…

The U.S. government on Friday received just a single bid, from Hilcorp Alaska, for oil and gas drilling rights off the coast of Alaska the first federal auction in the region in more than five years.The offer of nearly 1 million acres in the Cook Inlet was among the concessions to the oil and gas sector included in President Joe Biden's signature climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).Under the law, the Interior Department is required to hold the sale by Dec. 31.

A walrus was spotted in the northern French port of Dieppe in Normandy, miles away from its natural habitat around the arctic circle, local French authorities said on Saturday.The sea mammal, usually found in Greenland, Russia or Alaska, did not show any sign of ill health, the local prefecture said in a statement. Local authorities cordonned off the area on Friday evening to protect the tusked animal, which was resting onshore, according to a picture tweeted by the prefecture. It dived down on Saturday morning and disappeared.

The Biden administration on Wednesday revealed plans to hold an auction of oil and gas drilling rights for up to 1 million acres in the Cook Inlet off the coast of Alaska in December.The sale is among the concessions to the oil and gas sector included in U.S. President Joe Biden's new climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).Biden paused drilling auctions on federal lands and waters shortly after taking office as part of an agenda to fight climate change. But Senator Joe Manchin…

Dozens of Greenpeace activists in Rotterdam port used a ship, buoys and a small flotilla of kayaks on Monday to block traffic around Shell’s Pernis refinery, Europe’s largest, as part of a campaign seeking a ban on fossil fuel advertising.Police ended the blockade after several hours and the port’s authority said economic disruption to the wider harbor was minimal.The action comes as Greenpeace and more than 20 other environmental groups began seeking a million signatures for a European Union-wide ban on adverts and sponsorships by oil and gas companies…

All summer long, a crimson and white boat moves back and forth through the waters near the Port of Alaska collecting silt, sand and gravel off the seafloor to allow vessels to navigate the harbor in Anchorage. The boat is a dredging vessel called the Westport, operated by Manson Construction of Seattle, Wash., which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District contracted to maintain the mooring areas for the past three years.An estimated 2,400 to 2,600 cargo containers arrive…

A humpback whale measuring at least 5 meters (16 feet) has been spotted in the River Thames just east of London almost exactly a year since a beluga whale was first sighted in the British capital."We are 99.9999 percent sure it is a humpback whale - there have been multiple sightings," said a spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which oversees the river.A beluga whale named as "Benny the Beluga" spent over three months in the River Thames last year."It is not Benny, it is not a beluga…

Canada’s Arctic warming at three times the global rate, permafrost melting 70 years ahead of predictions, the worst polar wildfire season on record.To counter bad news on northern climate-change,  plans have now moved forward to protect Tuvaijuittuq. Meaning “the ice never melts” in Inuktitut, it’s a globally important area in the Canadian High Arctic almost the size of Germany.The Qikiqtani Inuit Association, working with the governments of Canada and Nunavut, has led the charge to make Tuvaijuittuq a 322,000 sq. km interim Marine Protected Area with an impact benefit agreement that delivers on their promise of a conservation economy…

Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that the Beluga Ace, the first ship of its "FLEXIE series" next-generation car carriers, and both the Sunflower Satsuma and Sunflower Kirishima ferries, which are operated by its group company, Ferry Sunflower Limited, have received the "Ship of the Year 2018," and "Large Passenger Ship Sector Award," respectively.It marks double awarding for the group companies, said a press note."This is MOL's sixth Ship of the Year Award, and marks the second year in a row that MOL has received honor; its 20,000 TEU containership MOL Truth won for 2017," it added.The Ship of the Year Award…

Acentech, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based noise, vibration and acoustical consulting firm, has issued its final report to Transport Canada concerning the Quiet Ship Workshop held at the International Maritime Headquarters (IMO) in London.For Canada, this issue is part of a broader concern with the health of the oceans and waterways that surround the country and its marine eco-systems.Canada’s oceans are home to 42 distinct populations of whales, in particular, the Southern Resident Killer whale, the St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga and the North Atlantic Right whale, one of the most endangered of all large whale species.Over 140 subject-matter experts from around the world gathered at this event for two and a half days.

Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced its intention to install a navigation system using augmented reality (AR) technology jointly developed by Furuno Electric and MOL Techno-Trade on 21 MOL Group-operated very large crude oil carriers (VLCCs).The system displays information on other vessels sailing on a vessel's planned route and surrounding sea areas and other ocean conditions, such as shallow waters, on tablets and screens. It integrates information from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and radar with real-time video images from the bridge camera in collaboration with Furuno Electric's cutting-edge Electric…

Beluga Ace: New Design Car Carrier with Six Liftable DecksBeluga Ace, the first vessel of next-generation FLEXIE series car carrier built by the Minaminippon Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., was delivered to Japanese shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) in March 2018. The space onboard was rearchitected using the design concept. The six liftable decks, compared with two on conventional car carriers, allow loading of vehicles with different heights. As a result, loading efficiency was improved by 6.25% from the conventional type of car carrier…

Japanese logistics major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced the introduction of the Vessel View VR, a virtual reality system that allows for virtual visits on the VLCC Suzukasan (delivered on October 12, 2018).This is the second vessel, following the car carrier Beluga Ace (Note 1) to feature this innovative technology. "Vessel View VR" combines "VR Solution," developed by NURVE, with 360oC degree photos and videos taken at various areas onboard.The Suzukasan can transport about 300,000 tons of crude oil in a single voyage. It takes a long time to visit every area on this huge vessel-339.5m long and 60m wide.As a vessel carrying dangerous goods, safety rules are strict, particularly on deck, where any open flame and even electronic devices are prohibited.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced plans to launch the experimental use of a system that supports ship operation during voyages using augmented reality (AR) technology, jointly developed by Furuno Electric and MOL Techno-Trade on a very large crude carrier (VLCC) subsequently to car carrier.In this project, information, such as other ships sailing around the vessel and landmarks like buoys at sea, can be shown on tablets and other displays, based on data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS).Images of landscapes taken from the bridge can also be shown on the same tablets, and these images will overlap with AR to provide visual…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that on Marine Day, Monday, July 16, it hosted a tour of the cutting-edge car carrier Beluga Ace at Harumi Pier, in cooperation with the Japanese Shipowners' Association (JSA).The company welcomed about 360 elementary and junior high school students and their family members, who were selected in an online application process.The participants boarded the huge vessel – measuring about 200m long and 50m-high –and made their first stop in the engine room, where they listened to a presentation about the equipment, and a select few got to experience the start-up of the power generator. Then, participants observed a demonstration of high-precision loading of vehicles…

Algoma Central Corporation, the largest fleet of dry and liquid bulk carriers on the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Waterway, is adding the crews from 27 of its vessels to an expanding network of whale watchers. For the first time, the crews on Algoma’s self-unloaders, bulkers, tankers and cement carriers will collect data about the whales they see on their journeys this summer."Algoma is committed to providing sustainable and environmentally responsible marine transportation,” said Gregg Ruhl, Algoma’s Chief Operating Officer.

Hartmann Reederei, the German ship-management company, has confirmed that two of its vessels – the 36,000 m3 LEG (liquefied ethylene gas) carriers Gaschem Beluga and Gaschem Orca – powered by the world’s first ME-GIE (-Gas Injection Ethane) two-stroke engines have collectively accumulated 10,000 hours of operations since entering operation at the end of 2017.The carriers were ordered by Hartmann and Ocean Yield of Norway, and constructed at Sinopacific Offshore Engineering (SOE)…

Compared to new technologies, conventional engineering in shipping is a relatively simple science: computable and generally predictable. However, heavy lift shipping presents challenges that go far beyond what is required with standard unitized cargoes. The transportation of project cargoes - often highly valuable components of multi-billion-dollar projects - requires expert planning to ensure they are loaded and transported safely and efficiently. Last year AAL shipped two giant cyclone vessels (22m x 11m x 10m and weighing over 500mt each) to Petronas’ $27 billion RAPID project in Malaysia.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. has taken delivery of the first car carrier of the next-generation “FLEXIE” series, the Beluga Ace, which was built at the Minaminippon Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.  The vessel features six liftable decks, compared with two on conventional car carriers. This allows the Beluga Ace to more effectively meet demand for more diversified vehicle and high and heavy cargo transport, MOL said. The hull design is a complete departure from current car carriers, MOL said. A rounded bow shape will minimize wind resistance and is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by about 2 percent compared to today's car carriers. The new shape is the result of joint research by MOL, MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd. and Akishima Laboratories (Mitsui Zosen) Inc.

The first of two new 18-meter catamaran dive support vessels built for Paris-based Stapem Offshore has been delivered by South African shipbuilder Legacy Marine Group. The Marshal Island-flagged vessel, Stapem Beluga, will operate in the coastal waters of Angola in support of oil and gas exploration and production. The vessel, designed by Incat Crowther, has been customized to suit Stapem’s specific operational requirements. The aft exterior deck utilizes available space by combining deck lockers and racks for diving equipment storage with a covered dive prepping area.

Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, published since 1939, annually prints details on the world’s “Great Ships of the Year.” Here we rank from those selected in the December 2017 edition the top 10 ships of the year, according to the editors. Builder: Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. Builder: Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. USS Gerald R. Ford: first-of-class aircraft carrier for the U.S. Owner: U.S. Christoph de Margerie: the world’s first icebreaking LNG carrier. Builder: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co.

A new liquefied ethylene gas carrier (LEG) was named on Teesside today. Operated by German shipping company Hartmann Reederei and GasChem Services, the new eco-friendly sea vessel GasChem Beluga will carry shipments of ethane gas from Houston to SABIC’s cracker at Wilton on Teesside under a long-term time charter. SABIC recently converted its Teesside cracker during a major investment to enable it to take ethane gas alongside other feedstocks, to make it one of the most flexible and competitive crackers in Europe.