Historical News

“Wind Turbines: The Bigger, the Better” -USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, August 24, 2023Last December the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a proposed sale notice regarding new development areas for utility scale wind projects in the central Atlantic Ocean. The notice includes an upfront issue: the need to mitigate conflicts with U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) activities. BOEM explains that in certain areas the Air Force has set an airspace floor of 1,000 feet above sea level and the Air Force asked BOEM to keep structures below that height.

For 15 years the Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), an annual three-day event, has brought together government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, international and domestic researchers and solution providers to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. World events highlight that maritime security is increasingly at risk during the current period of great-power competition and ongoing conflicts. The active competition between nations who are not…

Carnival Corporation has released its 14th annual sustainability report detailing how it achieved several 2030 environmental goals well in advance.The company is producing 10+% less absolute GHG emissions today than in 2011, its peak historical year, despite increasing capacity by roughly 30% since that time. Tracking toward its 2030 goal four years ahead of schedule, the company formally committed to reducing its GHG intensity by at least 20% by 2026 (versus 2019 levels; measured on a lower berth capacity basis).

Groke Technologies, the Finnish technology company behind the Groke Pro Situational Awareness System, has introduced a new solution designed to give ship managers shoreside an unparalleled view of the surrounding area of all the vessels in their fleet.Groke Fleet gives ship management teams more detailed information on which to better evaluate, enhance and control the navigational safety and efficiency of their vessels.Unlike traditional fleet awareness solutions, which tend to be based only on periodically updated AIS data…

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has finalized its designation of a Wind Energy Area (WEA) in the Gulf of Maine. The Final WEA has the potential to support generation of 32GW of clean energy, surpassing current state goals for offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine: 10GW for Massachusetts and 3GW for Maine. The WEA totals about two million acres offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, ranging from approximately 23 – 92 miles off the coast.BOEM finalized the WEA after extensive engagement with the states of Maine…

Contracting activity for for crude tanker newbuilding has risen sharply to start 2024, driven by a steep rise in orders for very large crude carriers (VLCC), according to shipping organization BIMCO.In the first two months of 2024, crude tanker newbuild contracting surged to 7.4 m DWT, a 490% leap y/y. Notably, the 19 VLCCs ordered in January and February is more than was ordered for the entirety of 2023.Freight rates for crude tankers spiked at the start of the war in Ukraine, and they have largely stayed strong since, said Filipe Gouveia, shipping analyst at BIMCO.

The maritime industry, often viewed as conservative and measured in its approach to technological integration, is on the cusp of a transformative era with artificial intelligence (AI) emerging as a prominent player. Insights from key exhibitors at the upcoming Posidonia Shipping Εxhibition reveal a new landscape, where industry leaders strategically align with the inexorable rise of AI and consider adopting it already.According to Theodore Vokos, Managing Director, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A.…

The wreck of a World War II-era freighter has been discovered in over 600 feet of water around 35 miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.Over the last 7 years, shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain has been studying remote sensing data in the search for shipwrecks in Lake Superior. After coming across a particularly deep anomaly, he reached out to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) for help in identifying the potential wreck. In 2023 GLSHS Director of Marine Operations…

Despite the Pakistani & Bangladeshi markets stabilizing and displaying a far greater aggression at the bidding tables over the last five weeks, it has been a remarkably quieter start to 2024 for ship recycling than many had anticipated, says cash buyer GMS.With Houthi attacks, trading markets have remained unseasonably firmer, thereby delaying the historical ‘post-New Year aggression’ from the sub-continent ship recycling markets that the industry has become accustomed to over…

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has released the 2024 edition of its Blue Book.The IACS Blue Book is an electronic library of all technical resolutions adopted by IACS as a result of its technical work and remains the core reference work for the Association. It contains all previous revisions of IACS publications and historical data. It is updated and published once a year.It contains:• IACS Unified Requirements which IACS members incorporate into…

In a climate of increasing complexity, with new regulations, environmental concerns and commercial considerations, how can owners and operators control their fleets, and futures, from dry land? NAVTOR’s Tor Håkon Svanes believes the answer lies in innovation and integration – developing solutions that evolve in line with the needs of a dynamic global industry.“There are smarter ways to do things.”Tor Håkon Svanes, the NavFleet Product Manager at NAVTOR, is referring to a recent chat with a new customer.The unnamed fleet manager…

Greek shipowner Performance Shipping Inc. announced it has signed two shipbuilding contracts with China Shipbuilding Trading Co. Ltd. (CSTC) and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (SWS) for the construction of two 114,000 DWT LNG-ready LR2 Aframax product/crude oil tanker vessels.The newbuilds, expected to be delivered in January and April of 2026, were ordered at a purchase price of US$64,845,000 per vessel, net of third-party commission. 15% of the purchase price is payable upon receipt of a refund guarantee…

Hapag-Lloyd reports it has initiated a conceptual study for a 4,500 TEU ship featuring a wind-assisted propulsion system.The German shipping company, which aims to be carbon neutral by 2045, is exploring the use of wind-assisted propulsion systems among a number of options to make its shipping operations sustainableThe company said its recent wind-assisted propulsion research is supported by Boris Herrmann and TEAM MALIZIA from the professional sailing sector and have now outlined a potential containership design. The vessel's design includes eight sails totaling 3,000 square meters.

Humans have sailed the world’s oceans for thousands of years, but they haven’t all reached port. Researchers estimate that there are some three million shipwrecks worldwide, resting in shallow rivers and bays, coastal waters and the deep ocean. Many sank during catastrophes – some during storms or after running aground, others in battle or collisions with other vessels.Shipwrecks like the RMS Titanic, RMS Lusitania and USS Monitor conjure tales of human courage and sacrifice, sunken treasure and unsolved mysteries.

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.

U.S. shipping company Overseas Shipholding Group announced it will upgrade all four vessels in its Alaskan Class fleet with new methanol-ready engines from MAN Energy Solutions.The vessels Alaskan Explorer, Alaskan Frontier, Alaskan Legend and Alaskan Navigator, all approaching 20 years in age, will receive significant engine and operational improvements, resulting in environmental benefits as well as extending their commercially useful life, OSG said.The lifecycle engine upgrades involve a series of technical and commercial enhancements…

The Royal Canadian Navy’s fifth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), the future HMCS Frédérick Rolette, was launched December 9, 2023, at Irving Shipbuilding's Halifax Shipyard.A full two months ahead of schedule, the 103-metre future HMCS Frédérick Rolette transitioned from Halifax Shipyard’s land level facility to a submersible barge on December 8 and launched in the Bedford Basin. The ship is now pier side at Halifax Shipyard where work continues in preparation for sea trials…

Canadian mining company Teck Resources announced it has signed a deal with German shipping company Oldendorff Carriers to use wind propulsion to further reduce CO2 emissions in Teck’s supply chain. The joint investment will see the vessel Dietrich Oldendorff, which carries shipments of Teck steelmaking coal from the Port of Vancouver, outfitted with a Norsepower Flettner Rotor system by mid-2024.The Flettner Rotors generate lift from the wind, which is translated into additional thrust, thereby reducing fuel consumption on voyages across the Pacific.

Shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk reported a steep drop in third-quarter profit and revenue on Friday and said it would cut at least 10,000 jobs in the face of overcapacity, rising costs, and weaker prices.Maersk, which controls about one-sixth of global container trade, transporting goods for a host of major retailers and consumer goods companies such as Walmart and Nike, flagged a steeper downturn in demand than analysts and investors had expected."Our industry is facing a new normal with subdued demand…

On December 8, 1953 President Dwight D. Eisenhower addressed the 470th Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. The speech he delivered is often recognized as his effort to introduce “Atoms for Peace”, a program to move nuclear fission and technology away from weapons development and into clean energy.As a result of that effort and program, the NS Savannah was built and delivered as the first nuclear-powered merchant ship. She was built in the late 1950s at a cost of $46.9 million and launched on July 21, 1959.

NAVTOR, an e-Navigation and performance technology provider to the maritime industry, said Wednesday it was aiming to simplify CII compliance with the latest release of its NavFleet ship operations platform. Featuring an advanced Emissions Simulator, designed to help shipping companies predict and optimize environmental impact and performance across entire fleets, NavFleet 1.8 delivers operational insights built on high-quality, dual-validated data, the company said.The result…

Weathernews Inc. and Dataloy Systems AS said Wednesday they had introduced an integrated solution to refine vessel voyage management based on unique weather data. The integration combines Weathernews' historical seasonal routes and sea margins with Dataloy Systems’ Voyage Management System (VMS), which, the companies say, provides "streamlined access to critical data, error reduction, increased efficiency, and a focus on enhancing voyage quality and profitability. "In the context of the companies’ strategic partnership…

bp's search for a new chief executive is set to extend into the first quarter of 2024, three sources told Reuters, while the board's probe into whether previous CEO Bernard Looney breached the code of conduct in his undisclosed personal relationships with staff drags on.The oil company has been in turmoil since Looney's resignation in September, company sources told Reuters, and the share price has underperformed rival Shell since then amid investor uncertainty over bp's future strategy.bp's shares have dropped 9% since Looney's departure, while Shell's have gained 2% over the same period.