Industry Network News

Initial investigations into the Beirut port blast indicate years of inaction and negligence over the storage of highly explosive material caused the explosion that killed more than 100 people, an official source familiar with the findings said.The prime minister and presidency have said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilizers and bombs, had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures."It is negligence," the official source told Reuters, adding that the issue on storing the material safely had come before several committees and judges and "nothing was done" to order the material be removed or disposed of.The source said a fire had started at port warehouse 9 on Tuesday and spread to warehouse 12…

Leading maritime event week Nor-Shipping has announced that Mercy Ships has been selected as its new charity partner. The global organisation, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, will receive financial support and promotion throughout Nor-Shipping’s maritime and ocean industry network, supporting its vital work helping and healing those in need. Nor-Shipping 2019, taking place across a series of venues in Lillestrøm and Oslo between 04 – 07 June 2019, will help raise funds and awareness for Mercy Ship’s state-of-the-art Africa Mercy vessel. This, together with its three predecessors, has visited close to 600 ports since the charity formed, performing over 89,000 life saving operations and assisting more than 2.5 million people.

Ulstein, now a century old, has spent the last 100 years looking to the future. Since its formation on August 9, 1917 in Ulsteinvik, Norway, the family-owned shipbuilder, designer and systems supplier said it has focused on tomorrow’s opportunities today. Over the years, Ulstein has evolved through innovation and pioneered trailblazing solutions, driven by its desire to meet shifting customer demands, commercial openings and market challenges head-on. There isn’t much that remains the same in a century of operation…

Meyer Turku Oy celebrated the start of production of cruise ship Mein Schiff 5 on November 18, 2014, as the cutting machine was started by Mike Schwanke, Marketing Director of TUI Cruises at a ceremony witnessed by members of Meyer Turku, TUI Cruises and DNV GL. Mein Schiff 5 is the third Mein Schiff class cruise ship being built at Turku Shipyard. For the customer, TUI Cruises, this ship will be the fifth member of their well-being fleet. Mein Schiff 3 was delivered from Turku in May 2014 and Mein Schiff 4…

The Meyer Turku Oy yard in Turku, Finland, celebrated a historical day on October 10, 2014. Meyer Turku Oy, which officially changed ownership only three weeks earlier with the takeover by Papenburg, Germany cruise ship building power Meyer Werft, floated out the cruise ship Mein Schiff 4. Jan Meyer, the CEO of Meyer Turku Oy, and Wybcke Meier, the new CEO of TUI Cruises opened the valves to flood the dry dock. In May 2013, about 17 months ago, Turku shipyard celebrated the keel-laying of Mein Schiff 3 and start of production of Mein Schiff 4.

Nessco appointment keeps a weather eye on MetOcean opportunities. Nessco Group, a RigNet company (NASDAQ: RNET), has appointed Phil Goodall to grow the Company’s international offshore weather monitoring business. Mr Goodall, who takes up the position of business development manager for MetOcean, will oversee the globalisation of the company’s unique offering in meteorology and weather data systems. The MetOcean system gathers accurate weather information that is critical to aviation and marine operations in the oil and gas industry. The bespoke Nessco Integrated MetOcean System (NIMOS) software processes the data in real time to support weather dependent operations offshore.

John Wishart takes the helm as higher energy prices spur asset investment and demand for technical assurance. Wishart, who has assumed the role of Energy Director after joining the organisation from GL Noble Denton, will be based in London and is expected to bring a wealth of experience to the job, having spent more than 30 years in the industry before joining Lloyd's Register earlier this month. “Rising energy prices, stricter emission standards and the complexities of exploring new energy sources are increasing the technical assurance needs of companies operating in the energy supply chain…

The International Superyacht Society (ISS) announced its collaboration with Wilfred Sultana & Associates in presenting the Superyacht Industry Seminar, The Way Forward, being conducted in Malta, Friday 29 April 2011. Similar to the seminar presented in 2009, foreign and local speakers will again take the podium. While two years ago the theme was ‘The Superyacht Industry’, this year the forum focuses more on the Malta yachting scenario while underlining the demanding requisites of superyachts.

The FBI's involvement in the maritime domain is a result of existing US Law, Executive Orders, Presidential Decision Directives (PDD) 39, 62, & 63, and Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 5 to include a few. Specifically, the FBI has a lead role for operational and investigative response to a terrorist threat or incident, as well as coordinating the activities of other members of the law enforcement community to detect, prevent, pre-empt, and disrupt terrorist attacks against the United States. However, the task is monumental and the FBI’s maritime experience is limited. The FBI is currently focusing on developing liaison relationships within the commercial cruise and cargo lines…