March News

Venezuela's loss of a key U.S. license that allowed it to freely export and increase investment in its oil sector will hit the volume and quality of its crude and fuel sales while prompting a flurry of requests for individual U.S deal authorizations.U.S. officials had warned that absent progress by President Nicolas Maduro on implementing an electoral roadmap agreed last year, the U.S. would not renew license 44, which since October had eased oil sanctions in place for the last five years.On Wednesday…

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, will supply cargo handling and fuel supply systems for three new large sized ethane gas carrier (VLEC) vessels being built for Purus.The ships are under construction at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) yard in South Korea.In line with the Purus’ emphasis on achieving net zero carbon emissions for its fleet by 2030, the new vessels are designed to be as efficient as possible in all respects.The Wärtsilä cargo handling…

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…

UK-based offshore vessel designer Chartwell Marine has started the construction of its new Brevity Class crew transfer vessel (CTV) at the Diverse Marine shipyard, becoming the latest in its growing pipeline of new vessel builds to supply the global offshore wind market.Chartwell Marine’s current new build pipeline now exceeds 15 vessels across six local shipyards – with 14 offshore wind vessels launched and operational at major offshore wind farms, including two in U.S. waters.The company’s latest CTV entered build in March 2024…

The FBI said on Monday it opened a criminal probe into the collapse of a Baltimore bridge in March when a ship crashed into a bridge support, while local officials confirmed the recovery of a fourth body from the incident.FBI agents boarded the cargo ship Dali to conduct court-authorized law enforcement activity regarding the crash, an FBI spokesperson said. The spokesperson said there was no other public information available and the bureau will have no further comment.The body…

Russia's seaborne oil product exports fell 4.2% in March from the previous month to 10.178 million metric tons due to unplanned maintenance at refineries and a uel export ban, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed.Russia's daily offline primary oil refining capacity has jumped by around a third in March to 4.079 million metric tons from February due to drone attacks, Reuters calculations based on data from industry sources showed.Last month, a fire broke out after a Ukrainian drone attack at the Norsi refinery…

The Coastal Sustainability Alliance (CSA), an industry collaborative effort led by Kuok Maritime Group (KMG), has announced the start of construction of its first fully electric PXO-series tug (e-tug) and supply boat (e-supply boat) by PaxOcean Group.The zero-emissions vessels are among the first and largest local electric harbour craft designed for operation in Singapore’s coastal waters. They are targeted for deployment in 2025, ahead of the nation’s goal for all new coastal…

Somali pirates released a hijacked ship, MV Abdullah, and its crew of 23 early on Sunday after a $5 million ransom was paid, according to two pirates."The money was brought to us two nights ago as usual... we checked whether the money was fake or not. Then we divided the money into groups and left, avoiding the government forces," Abdirashiid Yusuf, one of the pirates, told Reuters.He added the ship had been released with all its crew.Somalia government officials did not respond to a request for comment.The MV Abdullah…

A fabricated image of characters from the animated television series The Simpsons viewing a collapsed bridge and a large ship has been widely shared on social media with the false suggestion that the show predicted the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.The image shows signs of having been made with AI and an executive producer for the series told Reuters that the image is fake as the show never had an episode where a container ship hits a bridge.The Francis Key Scott bridge…

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division has delivered the amphibious transport dock Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) to the U.S. Navy.Richard M. McCool Jr. is the 13th San Antonio-class ship delivered by Ingalls and is the final Flight I transition ship before Ingalls moves into production of the LPD Flight II line.“The LPD 29 delivery demonstrates how our shipbuilders are enabling our combined Navy and Marine Corps team,” said Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. “It is the most recent example of what U.S.

On 11 March, MV Svenja discharged her cargo of nine modules, marking the completion of the JSI Alliance’s scope of work in the Basrah Refinery Upgrading Project in Iraq for JGC Corporation.The Alliance dedicated two vessels to the project: the Jumbo Kinetic with her two 1,500t cranes, and the MV Svenja with two 1,000t cranes. Together, the vessels undertook transport of 84 modules using JCG's specially designed lifting frame. The two vessels were selected due to their having the required capabilities for lifting and transporting the modules…

U.S. National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said at a Senate hearing Wednesday that investigators had conducted interviews with key cargo ship personnel in the investigation of the March 26 Baltimore bridge collapse.The Dali cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, sending it crashing into the harbor and killing six people. Work to clear the wreckage and restore traffic through the Mid-Atlantic state's shipping channel is ongoing.Homendy said investigators remained on site and had interviewed the pilots…

On March 28, NYK received approval for 3D drawing (3D Model-Based Approval) from ClassNK of the basic design of a new multi-purpose container vessel.This is the first time that the entire basic design process, including classification approval, using only 3D drawings, has occurred for an ocean-going vessel, according to NYK and ClassNK.Currently, 2D drawings of the structural design of new ships are commonly shared between shipowners, shipyards, shipping companies and classification societies.

Mazda Motor will probably have to temporarily move shipments to another port from Baltimore to avoid delays, the automaker's CEO said in a CNBC interview.The Port of Baltimore ranks first in the U.S. for volume of autos and light trucks and farm and construction machinery handled and a cargo ship crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March has restricted shipments.However, CEO Masahiro Moro said Mazda does not currently expect a big impact from the port shutdown.U.S. automakers…

The cargo ship Dali knocked down three main truss spans, constructed with connected steel elements forming triangles, on the Francis Scott Key Bridge just seconds after crashing into one of the bridge piers early on Tuesday morning, March 26, 2024.The bridge collapse happened so fast that it left little time for the work crews on the bridge to escape. Civil engineers like me have been paying attention to this disaster, because we want to find ways to make infrastructure like these large bridges more resilient. For a bridge this large to collapse would require a catastrophic collision force.

Bureau Veritas announced it has granted an approval in principle (AIP) to Sasaki Shipbuilding Co., Ltd for its methanol dual fuel (DF) system applied in a 9,000 DWT general cargo ship.The integration of the methanol DF system into a 9,000 DWT ship demonstrates its feasibility for smaller-scale ships, highlighting its adaptability and efficiency as a marine fuel.For the purpose of the AIP, Bureau Veritas conducted a comprehensive review of Sasaki's methanol dual-fuel system, assessing its compliance with the requirements outlined in BV’s Rule Note NR 670 - Methanol & Ethanol Fueled Ships.

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has caused supply chain disruption on the US East Coast but, so far, it has not seen an increase in ocean freight container shipping rates.Data released Monday by Xeneta reveals average spot rates from the Far East into the US North East Coast (including Baltimore) have fallen slightly (-1%) since the bridge collapse on March 26 to stand at USD 5,421 per FEU (40ft shipping container).When including other US East Coast ports such as New York / New Jersey…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has launched the first pilot trial for electric harbor craft charging point at the Marina South Pier (MSP).The charging point was awarded to the Pyxis Energy, Pyxis Maritime, and SP Mobility partnership. Pyxis’s fleet of electric harbor craft operating at MSP will serve as the base offtake to ensure optimization of the charging infrastructure.The Pyxis and SP Mobility partnership has deployed a 150kW land-based direct current fast charger with a Combined Charging System 2 connector at MSP.

Lockport, La. based Bordelon Marine announced it has renewed the charter agreement with Oceaneering International for the Brandon Bordelon; 260-foot-long DP2 Jones Act compliant ultra-light intervention vessel for an additional two-year firm term plus one-year additional option. The charter agreement renewal commenced in March 2024.The 2015-built vessel is mobilized with two Oceaneering Millennium Plus work class remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and Oceaneering survey equipment and technology.

Norwegian offshore-wind focused vessel owner Norwind Offshore has placed an order for a stand-alone fully electric crane from Seaonics for its newbuild vessel Norwind Helm.The order is for an ECMC 7t-3D crane, and follows the delivery of Seaonics' first electric gangway system to Norwind Hurricane commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) in March 2024.The crane is to be installed in connection with the delivery of the newbuild from Vard Brattvaag end of November 2024 and…

According to the latest figures from DNV’s AFI platform, five new orders for alternative fueled vessels were confirmed in March 2024: two methanol, two ammonia and one LNG.Although this was a quiet month for the ordering of alternative fueled vessels, the overall trend remains strong, says DNV. For the first three months of 2024, 68 orders for alternative fueled vessels were made, compared to 44 in the first three months of 2023, representing year-on-year growth of over 50%.Jason Stefanatos…

Unified Command dive teams have recovered the body of a missing person at the Key Bridge incident site in Baltimore.The recovered individual was identified as 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval.Unified Command salvage dive teams located what they believed to be the missing construction worker and notified the Maryland Department of State Police. Maryland State Police Underwater Recovery Team deployed in coordination with dive teams from allied law enforcement partners and recovered Suazo-Sandoval.Maryland State Police investigators…

The U.S. Transportation Department on Friday said it reached an agreement with Baltimore County to revise an $8.26 million grant agreement to enable Tradepoint Atlantic (TPA) to accommodate more cargo.Repurposing the funds will allow a boost in cargo to Sparrows Point at the Port of Baltimore, which is outside the area affected by last week’s collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and continues to move cargo.The changes will enable Baltimore County and TPA to speed paving at least 10 acres that will be used for an additional cargo laydown area by the end of April…