Greener News

Simulation-based training has its whole-of-ship/whole-of-team scenarios, but zooming in, the industry is now working on more specific targets.We have a close relationship with technology, evidenced by, for example, the phones we are estimated to unlock around 50-80 times a day. It has changed us. Half the people surveyed in a 2022 King’s College London study said that they feel like their attention span is shorter than it used to be. They are wrong, though, if they think that the average attention span of adults today is just eight seconds, one second less than goldfish.

Simulation-based training has its whole-of-ship/whole-of-team scenarios, but zooming in, the industry is now working on more specific targets.We have a close relationship with technology, evidenced by, for example, the phones we are estimated to unlock around 50-80 times a day. It has changed us. Half the people surveyed in a 2022 King’s College London study said that they feel like their attention span is shorter than it used to be. They are wrong, though, if they think that the average attention span of adults today is just eight seconds, one second less than goldfish.

My brother and I had a discussion about methanol where we concluded that methanol is a promising sustainable liquid fuel for transportation devices when batteries cannot do the job. While Methanol is initially not carbon zero, as long as we focus on developing zero carbon electrical energy, eventually we can produce zero carbon green methanol. Once there is plentiful green methanol, existing methanol vehicles will automatically become zero carbon transportation.The core argument…

Uzmar Shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey has launched a first-of-its-kind tractor tug for Turkish operator BOTAS.The vessel, named the Sultanhani, was launched on February 27 as the world’s first Voith propelled tractor tug with liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel propulsion. It is the first of two hulls being built for BOTAS to Robert Allan Ltd.’s TRAktor V3900-DF design.The TRAktor V3900-DF builds on Robert Allan Ltd.’s experience designing both Voith tractor tugs and LNG dual fuel tugs.

Ammonia-to-power solutions provider Amogy announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan-based global trading and import/export company ITOCHU Corporation to explore the potential application of Amogy’s technology on ITOCHU’s maritime vessels.Amogy has developed a modularized system that transforms liquid ammonia into electrical power. This innovative technology involves “cracking” liquid ammonia into its base elements of hydrogen and nitrogen. The hydrogen is then funneled into a fuel cell for efficient generation of electricity onboard a vessel.

A new fire safety study by survival technology solutions provider Survitec finds that existing fire-fighting methods used to extinguish machinery space spray and pool fires on conventionally fueled vessels are inadequate when dealing with methanol-based fires.This follows extensive comparative fire tests on dual-fuel marine engines using diesel oil and methanol.“Our tests confirm that traditional water mist fire suppression mechanisms do not perform as expected on methanol pool fires and methanol spray fires.

A new environmentally friendly electric ferry service is planned to launch in Halifax, Canada.The province of Nova Scotia, along with the federal government and Halifax Regional Municipality, announced on March 4 a joint investment to build the Mill Cove Ferry Service, which will include five fully electric ferries, two terminals and a maintenance facility. All-electric propulsion, which slashes vessel emissions, noise and vibration, has been taking off in the ferry industry as the operational profile for these vessels—often including frequent…

German shipowners' group VDR on Tuesday urged the Berlin government to provide legislation implementing European Union requirements to include the sector in the bloc's carbon trading system.The government is behind in transforming an EU agreement late in 2022 to require shipowners to buy EU carbon permits to trigger investment in greener technologies, into national legislation, VDR said at its annual press conference."For us, the cornerstone of our operations is not only planning certainty but also the assurance of uniform competitive conditions on an international scale…

Shipyard order books show that more and more ships are being built that can run on methanol or liquified natural gas (LNG). Major shipping companies are investing in green fuels for their fleets, and researchers around the world are working intensely to find new solutions that can make the shipping industry greener.This is all good news that strengthens the belief that shipping is reducing its emissions of greenhouse gases, among others. While there is reason for some optimism, as shipping is becoming more sustainable, there is no doubt that we are still very far from the goal.

Candela, manufacturer of zero-emission, electric hydrofoil boats, and Al Seer Marine, a global maritime organization headquartered in Abu Dhabi, announced a partnership to revolutionize waterborne public transportation within the emirate.The partners will work together to introduce Candela's electric hydrofoil boats for public transport use. They will also establish a sales and service network within Abu Dhabi and explore further collaboration opportunities to develop and implement innovative and sustainable public waterborne transport solutions for Abu Dhabi's needs."At Al Seer Marine…

Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1 has ordered a series of four autonomous zero-emission ferries to operate the Lavik-Oppedal crossing on the northwest coast of Norway.The newbuilds were designed by Norway-based HAV Design and will be built by Tersan Shipyard in Turkey.According to HAV Design, which will deliver ship design and an engineering package for all four vessels, said the design is based on a future-oriented operating concept developed alongside Fjord1. The ferries will…

As the offshore oil and gas industry transitions to more sustainable practices, drilling rig operators are faced with demands to implement greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement measures as part of their workload. Being the owner of the first ever drillship that secured DNV’s Abate(P) notation, Scotland-based offshore drilling contractor Stena Drilling discusses everything the company is doing to make its drill-ships ‘greener’.The first step to reducing its carbon footprint for Stena…

Hong Kong based ocean carrier Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) announced it has taken delivery of its eighth 24,188 TEU containership, OOCL Abu Dhabi.The vessel is the fourth in a series of six 24,188 TEU newbuilds to be delivered to OOCL by the Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. (DACKS) shipyard in China. The ultra large containership is 400 meters long and 61.3 meters wide.OOCL Abu Dhabi was officially named during a ceremony at the shipyard on February 25.

Manta Marine Technologies, formerly known as Yara Marine Technologies (YMT), unveiled its new brand and leadership team, following its recent acquisition by Geneva-based Okapi Supply Trading Advisory SA.The Manta Marine Technologies team will now be led by CEO Ina Reksten, who previously served as Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer. Outgoing CEO Dr Thomas Koniordos has been appointed as Chair of the Board, while former Chief Sales Officer, Aleksander Askeland will be the new CFO and Richard Engelhart Bjercke will be the new CCO.“I am confident that Manta Marine Technologies…

Retrofit specialist GLO Marine and expert in propulsion systems VMS Group have teamed up to expand their collaboration into comprehensive retrofits and vessel modifications, with a primary focus on decarbonization initiatives.In a strategic move towards advancing sustainable maritime practices, the GLO Marine-VMS Group partnership will prioritize retrofit projects and vessel modifications that align with the latest green technologies.The partnership stems from a series of ‘seamlessly executed’ retrofit project installations…

Belgian tanker operator Euronav has concluded the acquisition of 100% shares in cleantech maritime group CMB.TECH for $1.15 billion in cash.The transaction is part of Euronav’s renewed strategy of diversification, decarbonization and accelerated optimization of the its current crude oil tanker fleet, driven by CMB.TECH’s ‘future-proof’ fleet of 106 low carbon vessels, of which 46 are under construction.It was first announced in December 2023, and also entails Euronav’s proposal change its corporate name to CMB.TECH following completion of the transaction and the offer.

Smyril Line announced it has signed a contract with the CIMC Raffles shipyard in China for the construction of two new vehicle carrier vessels.The ro-ro ships will each be 190 meters in length with 3,300 lane meters for trailers. They have been designed in close cooperation with naval architects Knud E. Hansen for year-round seaworthiness in the North Atlantic. Smyril Line plans to place the vessels into service on its current network, operating a route between Europe, the Faroe Islands and Iceland from 2026.Compared to the company's existing fleet…

ClassNK has awarded an approval in principle (AiP) for the design of a prismatic ammonia fuel tank (IMO Type B independent tank) for containerships developed by Planning and Design Center for Greener Ships (GSC).The Type B tank developed by GSC has been designed to ensure safe storage of ammonia and to minimize the reduction in the number of cargo containers due to the placement of fuel tanks in consideration of operational needs.Furthermore, the shape of the storage space for the tank has been simplified from the typical bench corners for container carriers…

Turkish tug builder Sanmar at the close of 2023 delivered a fifth tug to Mersin International Port, Turkey’s largest container port.Known as BOĞAÇAY LIX while under construction at Sanmar’s purpose-built eco-friendly shipyard, the newbuild multi-purpose Boğaçay Class tugboat, renamed MIP-5 by its new owners, is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAmparts 2400-SX MKll design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.Measuring 24.4m LOA, with a molded beam of 12m, least molded depth of 4.48m and overall maximum draft of 5.5m…

AET, a member of the MISC Group, held a naming ceremony in Singapore for its latest liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel very large crude carrier (VLCC), Eagle Veracruz.The Singapore-flagged 300,000 dwt tanker was named by Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) Grace Fu, who is also the Lady Sponsor of the vessel. The ceremony, which was held at the PSA Keppel Terminal, also saw attendance by Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and senior officials from MSE…

The first of two methanol-ready newbuild Construction Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) for the Norwegian shipowner Olympic has arrived at the outfitting yard of Ulstein Verft in Norway.The contract between Olympic and Ulstein was signed in 2022 and includes the construction of two CSOVs for offshore wind at Ulstein Verft.The vessels are based on the ULSTEIN SX222 design, and have a length of 89.6 meters with a beam of 19.2 meters. The CSOVs are able to accommodate 126 people in 91 cabins.

Japanese shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) has signed shipbuilding contracts with Jiangnan Shipyard and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding for the construction of 12 13,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel containerships.Each shipyard will build six vessels and are all scheduled to be delivered from 2027. The order represents ONE’s inaugural fleet of methanol-dual fuel vessels and plays a key role in reaching ONE’s sustainable goals as part of its green strategy."Our decision to invest in methanol-dual fuel vessels aligns with ONE's Green Strategy as part of our key initiatives.

The Singapore Registry of Ships (SRS) surpassed the 100 million gross tonnage (GT) milestone, with the registration of AET’s Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), Eagle Veracruz, on January 23, 2024.SRS is administered by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Established in 1966 and administering about 4,000 vessels aggregating over 100 million gross tonnage, the SRS is among the world’s largest ship registries with one of the youngest quality fleets.Eagle Veracruz, is a dual-fuelled LNG VLCC named after the Mexican state of Veracruz where one of the oldest ports in Mexico is located…