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Friday, April 19, 2024
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17 Apr 2024

US to Reimpose Oil Sanctions on Venezuela

© Nmomentscatcher / Adobe Stock

The Biden administration said it would not renew a license set to expire early on Thursday that had broadly eased Venezuela oil sanctions, moving to reimpose punitive measures in response to President Nicolas Maduro’s failure to meet his election commitments.Just hours before the deadline, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on its website that it had issued a replacement license giving companies 45 days to “wind down” their business and transactions in the OPEC country's oil…

04 Apr 2024

CIMAC Congress: Call for Papers Launched

More than 700 experts from all over the world attended over 200 presentations given during the CIMAC Congress in 2023. Now, the call for papers for the CIMAC Congress 2025 to take place from May 19-23, 2025, in Zurich has been launched. The organizers of this 31st CIMAC World Congress invite everyone to submit proposals in the fields of power, drives, and propulsion technology.The topic streams are “digitalization”, “towards net zero”, “engine optimization & retrofits”, “basic research and advanced engineering” and “operators perspective”. “For the 2023 congress, we received almost 800 abstracts”, said Jonas Åkermann, one of the two Vice-Presidents Technical Program, “and for 2025, we expect a similarly high number. About 200 will be approved for full presentations.

25 Mar 2024

US Dredging: Plenty of Issues, New WRDA on the Way

(Photo: Janet Meredith / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

2024 marks another year for development of a biennial WRDA bill—Water Resources Development Act, critical legislation for the Nation’s waterways, ports and harbors. WRDA encompasses a range of issues, from environmental regs to energy use to agriculture and, of course, a focus on projects critical for economic growth.Because these are dynamic and timely issues, Congress and the maritime sector like to keep WRDA on a two-year reauthorization timeline. Indeed, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, December and January, held three WRDA information hearings.

21 Mar 2024

Inland Waterways Focus: The Pacific Northwest Columbia-Snake River System

© Rich / Adobe Stock

"The Columbia River and its tributaries, wetlands, and estuaries are the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, providing abundant water, power, recreation, agriculture, transportation and natural resources that have supported livelihoods, cultural and spiritual practices, commerce and economic growth.” - President Biden, Memorandum of September 27, 2023.Those abundant benefits directly impact about 13 million people in the Pacific Northwest. Hydropower extends that plentitude to millions more, powering cities and industry from Idaho to California.

18 Mar 2024

Pressure Builds for Charge on Shipping Sector's CO2 Emissions

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The European Union, Canada, Japan and climate-vulnerable Pacific Island states are among 47 countries rallying support for a charge on the international shipping sector's greenhouse gas emissions, documents reviewed by Reuters showed.The documents, being discussed at an International Maritime Organization (IMO) meeting now entering a second week, outline four proposals with a combined 47 backers for imposing a fee on each tonne of greenhouse gas the industry produces.Support for…

11 Mar 2024

Coast Guard Will Not Enforce New California Rule, Citing 'Safety Concerns'

© Jill Clardy / Adobe Stock

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Coast Guard says it “will not enforce” a new California Air Resources Board regulation, citing “safety concerns.”The Coast Guard and business organizations oppose CARB's requirement that commercial harbor craft install diesel particulate filters (DPF) linked to a number of fires. Seventeen states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for giving an exemption to California alone to enact its own air standards that, by power of its market size…

10 Mar 2024

Norway Offers $193 Million Funding to Arctic Floating Wind Farm Project

© Marc Dyck / Adobe Stock

A floating offshore wind farm planned in Arctic waters on Friday received 2 billion Norwegian crowns ($193 million) in state funding, with Norway viewing the still costly technology as a key contributor for industry development and emission cuts.The GoliatVind project in the Barents Sea, consisting of five 15 megawatts turbines and seeking to supply power to the Arctic town of Hammerfest, beat out six other applicants in a tender by government agency Enova.Norway hopes that floating offshore wind will provide an industrial future for its offshore supply industry as well as a means of cutting e

03 Mar 2024

Esgian Week 9 Report: Dolphin, Diamond and Seadrill Updates

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Esgian reports rig-related updates from Dolphin Drilling, Diamond Offshore, and Seadrill in its Week 9 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report Outline:ContractsDespite Tullow Oil’s recent announcement that it would take a break from drilling offshore Ghana, Noble Corp. has stated that there has been no contract termination announcement and that its 12,000-ft drillship Noble Venturer is currently still contracted to Tullow into March 2025.Masirah Oil Ltd has signed a rig contract with…

01 Mar 2024

Venezuela Oil Exports Rising, but Shipping Delays Persist

© Vladimir / Adobe Stock

Venezuela's oil exports slightly increased in February to some 670,000 barrels per day (bpd), but ongoing shipping delays worsened a bottleneck of tankers waiting to load, according to documents and vessel monitoring data.State-run oil firm PDVSA's customers have rushed to send tankers to Venezuela in recent months to pick up crude and fuel before the United States potentially reimposes oil sanctions.Restrictions could resume on April 18 when an existing license expires, the U.S.

08 Mar 2024

US Invests Another $3 Billion into Clean Ports

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The Biden-Harris Administration has unveiled a $3 billion initiative to fund clean ports, aimed at reducing emissions and advancing environmental justice. Announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Clean Ports Program will support the transition to zero-emission operations at ports across the country.The program, part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, includes two grant competitions. The first, the Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition, will allocate nearly $2.8 billion to fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure.

25 Jan 2024

Equinor and BP Part Ways on US Offshore Wind Projects

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Norway's Equinor said on Thursday it had entered an agreement with BP BP.L to independently pursue separate wind projects under its bid for New York's offshore wind auctions.As part of the agreement, BP would take over full control of the Beacon Wind project, while Equinor takes over the Empire Wind project, the Norwegian firm said."The agreement provides Equinor and BP with the flexibility to pursue their respective priorities under their corporate strategies," Equinor said.New…

26 Jan 2024

New York Offshore Wind Power Auction Set for Big Turnout

© Photocreo Bednarek / Adobe Stock

Several offshore wind developers will likely bid in New York's fourth offshore wind solicitation by the Thursday deadline, including units of European energy firms Orsted, Equinor and BP.The development of the U.S. offshore wind industry took a major blow last year when companies working in several states said they could no longer complete projects profitably because of rocketing construction costs, higher interest rates and supply chain snags. The problems also hit the wind industry in other countries.The development of the industry is key to meeting both U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S.

16 Jan 2024

"Port of the Future" Announces Comms Awards

The Borders, Trade, and Immigration Institute, a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, led by the University of Houston, announced the creation of the annual Port of the Future Award for “Excellence in Port Communications and Community Relations.”  Each year, this award will be presented at the annual Port of the Future Conference, held the first week of April, in Houston, Texas. Finalists may be invited to participate on the Conference panel “Port Communications and Community Relations.”  This year’s Port of the Future Conference will be held April 2-4…

28 Dec 2023

Red Sea Shipping Workarounds Add Costs, Delays for Suppliers

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Toymaker Basic Fun's team that oversees ocean shipments of Tonka trucks and Care Bears for Walmart and other retailers is racing to reroute cargo away from the Suez Canal following militant attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.Suppliers for the likes of IKEA, Home Depot, Amazon and retailers around the world are doing the same as businesses grapple with the biggest shipping upheaval since the COVID-19 pandemic threw global supply chains into disarray, sources in the logistics industry said.Florida-based Basic Fun usually ships all Europe-bound toys from its China factories via the Suez Canal…

21 Dec 2023

As Shipping Preps to Meet Carbon Targets, Will fuels be Available?

Chart courtesy BIMCO / Source: Clarksons Research

“The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) targets for the use of zero or near-zero fuels in 2030 can be met using sustainable biofuels. Many different sectors will compete for those fuels, so shipping is focusing on transitioning to alternative green and blue fuels. Today, only 1% of bulk, container, and tanker ships are prepared for using these fuels and fuel availability is low,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.The IMO targets that near-zero greenhouse gas emission fuels shall represent at least 5% of the energy used by shipping in 2030…

16 Nov 2023

DNV Awards Cyber Security Type Approval for Corvus Energy's Orca ESS

Corvus Energy improves safety and increases the value of marine battery systems by using machine learning and data analytics.  - Credit: Corvus Energy

Corvus Energy, a Norway-based provider of battery energy storage solutions and fuel cell systems for the marine sector, has been awarded a Type Approval from DNV for its Cyber Security Notation on the Control and Monitoring System of Corvus Energy's Orca Energy Storage System (ESS).The Type Approval certificate signifies that Corvus Energy's control and monitoring system, along with its data collection through Lighthouse, has successfully met all the stringent safety, quality…

08 Nov 2023

US Working with Allies Over Sanctions on Russian Arctic LNG Project

© KKF / Adobe Stock

The Biden administration is working closely with partner countries over sanctions on a Russian liquefied natural gas project in the Arctic as a January deadline looms on a wind down of transactions with the plant, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.The U.S. imposed sanctions last week on the Arctic LNG-2 project in Russia as part of wide-ranging measures to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine. The Office of Foreign Assets Control, part of the Treasury Department, also issued a general license that authorizes the wind down of transactions involving Arctic LNG-2, through Jan.

16 Oct 2023

Fearing China, South Korea Targets Contractors on Taiwan Navy Submarines

Credit: Taiwan President Website

South Korean authorities cited the risk of Chinese economic retaliation when they charged marine technology firm SI Innotec last year with violating trade laws for its work on Taiwan's new military submarine program, according to a police document seen by Reuters and two people familiar with the matter.In a Feb. 17, 2022, affidavit to a judge seeking the arrest of SI Innotec executive director Park Mal-sik, police said authorities feared a repeat of the sweeping sanctions imposed by Beijing in 2016, after Seoul decided to install THAAD, a U.S. anti-missile system.

26 Sep 2023

The Real Cost of Net Zero Ports

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Zero emission is a nice idea, but who’s going to pay for it? The U.S. EPA is readying big money for zero emission ports.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working on two high-profile port initiatives that it hopes will move the needle in a big way towards U.S. ports’ zero emissions (ZE) operations and clean air goals.The first initiative started last May when EPA published a request for information and comments that would help the Agency develop Guidance it could use to evaluate funding requests for projects for zero-emission vehicles, port equipment and related infrastructure.

03 Aug 2023

CMA CGM Settles with US EPA over Alleged Dumping Violations

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France-based CMA CGM, the world’s third largest shipping container company, will pay $165,000 in penalties as part of its settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over claims of violations of EPA’s Vessel General Permit issued under the Clean Water Act. “The Vessel General Permit is a key element of the Clean Water Act. When companies and their ships don’t comply with this permit, the quality of our nation’s already-challenged waters can be seriously impacted,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman.

18 Jul 2023

Op/Ed: Technology Manufacturers’ Input More Critical than ever for Effective Maritime Regulations

Dr Stelios Kyriacou, Chief Technology Officer, ERMA FIRST

Next year marks a crucial milestone for the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, with all ships required to meet the D2 standard for ballast water management by 8 September 2024. D2 specifies the maximum number of viable organisms allowed to be discharged. In most cases, it requires the installation of a ballast water management system (BWMS) on board the vessel.2024 will be a pivotal moment for the ballast water market and while it is true that the retrofit market will diminish and leave behind only a small newbuild market…

17 Jul 2023

Last Ship Leaves Ukraine Port Under Black Sea Grain Deal

The last ship to travel under a U.N.-brokered deal that allows the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain left the port of Odesa early on Sunday ahead of a deadline to extend the agreement, according to a Reuters witness and MarineTraffic.com.Russia has not agreed to register any new ships since June 27 and the initiative will expire on Monday unless Moscow agrees to extend it.A United Nations spokesman said on Friday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was waiting for a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin on a proposal to extend the deal.Putin told South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in a phone call on Saturday that commitments to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser exports had yet to be fulfilled…

14 Jul 2023

UN Scrambles to Save Black Sea Grain Deal Ahead of Monday Deadline

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The European Commission is helping the United Nations and Turkey try to extend a deal allowing the Black Sea export of Ukraine grain and is open to "explore all solutions," a European Union spokesperson said on Thursday, ahead of the deal's possible expiration on Monday.The U.N. and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help alleviate a global food crisis worsened by Moscow's invasion and blockade of Ukrainian ports. Ukraine and…