Maritime Intelligence News

Maritime intelligence and inspection services company Idwal announced it has launched a new vessel-level Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report.The report, Idwal said, is intended to offer visibility into the ESG performance of an individual asset, including how corporate principles translate into onboard understanding and adherence, establishing a new industry standard for assessing and monitoring ESG strategies at a granular level.The company said it has developed the ESG standard over the last year…

BlackSky Technology and Spire Global have teamed up to create a real-time, commercially available Maritime Custody Service that can automatically detect, identify and track more than 270 thousand vessels worldwide in open water, along rivers and canals, and while docked at port.The system uses data from Spire’s radio frequency-monitoring satellite constellation to detect emissions from maritime targets, including the ability to detect and locate dark vessels that manipulate their reported position in order to conceal nefarious activities.

U.K.-based Horizon Technologies is teaming up with Richard Branson's launch and space solutions company Virgin Orbit, the companies announced on Tuesday.Horizon, which provides space-based maritime domain awareness through signals intelligence, has tapped U.S.-based Virgin Orbit to become its preferred launch partner. Horizon will use Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne’s for at least five launches.Also under the deal, Virgin Orbit will take an equity stake in the company, and will appoint…

Ships in Chinese waters are disappearing from tracking systems following the introduction of a new data law in China, frustrating efforts to ease bottlenecks that are snarling the global economy, according to three shipping sources directly impacted.China's Personal Information Protection Law, which came into effect on Nov. 1, has added to a raft of new rules designed to increase government control over how domestic and foreign organizations collect and export China's data.Although…

Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Supervisory Air Interdiction Officer Ali Baig recognized for promoting regional maritime securityThe National  Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Executive Steering Committee annual national level “MDA ESC Excellence Award for 2021 for law enforcement was presented to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Supervisory Air Interdiction Officer Ali Baig of the Jacksonville Air and Marine Branch. The recognition…

It is widely expected that cuts in defense and security budgets are coming as governments across the world grapple with the fiscal fallout from the COVID-19 crisis. To ensure that these cuts do not undermine global security, policymakers should approach their defense budgets with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.In navigating the tough choices that lay ahead, government decision-makers should pursue spending reforms that enable states to operate both leaner and smarter, without sacrificing their vital security interests.The maritime security domain offers an exemplary case study.

Mutual P&I insurer The Standard Club said it has enhanced its data and insight capabilities as part of a two-year upgrade program."We have looked hard at how we can use technology and data to better serve our members, with a particular focus on supporting risk selection and pricing, and on delivering new member services," said Dipo Oyewole, the Standard Club’s Performance and Strategy Director.The data upgrade program has enabled the club to improve its modeling of risk through application of advanced modeling techniques and new data sources, it said.

On Aug. 21, a tanker called the Otoman docked at the Jose oil terminal on Venezuela’s coast in the Caribbean to load 1.82 million barrels of heavy crude, according to the state oil company’s internal documents.Yet no tanker with that name is registered in major global shipping databases.Muddying the situation further, the unique identifier for the Otoman listed in the documents - a number used by the International Maritime Organization to identify ships - was assigned to another tanker called the Rubyni, according to the databases.The Rubyni was broken up two years ago, they record. Satellite images provided by TankerTrackers.com, an independent vessel tracking service…

Ship tracking and maritime information service MarineTraffic has extended its contract through the end of 2023 for ORBCOMM’s satellite Automatic Identification System (AIS) data.MarineTraffic, which has been an ORBCOMM partner since 2013, uses ORBCOMM’s satellite AIS data to track real-time and historical movements of ships as well as their arrivals and departures in harbors and ports around the world. MarineTraffic combines ORBCOMM’s AIS data with positional data from its network of land-based receiving stations to provide actionable maritime intelligence solutions and improve the maritime ecosystem. In addition, MarineTraffic will explore ORBCOMM’s other monitoring solutions as part of efforts to expand its offering.Greg Flessate…

Predictive Maritime Intelligence company Windward said it has partnered with The Maritime Analysis and Operations Center-Narcotics (MAOC (N)), an EU Law Enforcement unit created to respond to the threat of illicit drug trafficking by maritime and air conveyances. With air traffic down due to COVID-19, drug smugglers are relying heavily on maritime shipping to transport illegal contraband around the world, and Windward said its maritime intelligence platform will give MAOC(N) and…

Predictive maritime intelligence company Windward announced the release of its next-generation Maritime Predictive Intelligence solution powered by Maritime Artificial Intelligence Analytics (MAIA️). Consisting of 10 billion datapoints and 300 behavioral analysis models, MAIA️ is designed to empower organizations to make smarter and faster decisions and optimize operations.According to Windward, recent sanction advisories from both the OFSI in the U.K. and OFAC in the U.S. highlight the need for a new global standard in maritime operations…

Maritime security intelligence agencies have reported that the Water Phoenix reefer vessel was boarded Tuesday morning off Nigeria by an unknown number of persons and that two Russian nationals have been kidnapped.Per Praesidium International, a risk consultancy and maritime security company, the incident happened at 5:50 a.m. UTC Tuesday, approximately 34 nautical miles south of Lagos."According to the initial reports, the perpetrators managed to board the vessel and kidnap the master and another crew member, both Russian," Praesidium said, adding that the crew includes 18 seafarers, of which seven Russians and 11 Filipinos. Apart from the two crewmembers who have…

Oceaneering International launched a new business aiming to eliminate waste and increase transparency within the bulk commodity cargo logistics industry, the Houston-based company announced Wednesday.OceanSMART Cargo Logistics and Maritime Technology will be led by Managing Director Bryan Phillips, who comes to the team with over 25 years’ experience in the marine shipping and cargo logistics industry, most recently as chief innovation officer at Inchcape Shipping Services. He is joined by another maritime industry stalwart with over 30 years’ experience…

A total of 302 of 2,693 containership sailings, or 11%, have been canceled in May on all the main line trades, according to the latest data from maritime intelligence company eeSea, revealing the extent of the impact of COVID-19 on global shipping.In the first six months of 2020, a total of 1,675 sailings have been canceled, or 11%; which comes out at 13% for 2M, 17% for Ocean Alliance and 17% for THE Alliance, while only 8% of non-alliance sailings have been canceled.However, the number of sailings alone only tells part of the story.

Offshore vessel provider Telford Offshore's offshore accommodation and hook-up unit Telford 28 was attacked earlier this week while anchored in Mexico. One crew member was injured.In an email sent to Offshore Engineer, Telford Offshore said: "We can confirm that the Telford 28 came under attack while anchored at Cuidad Del Carmen, Mexico on the evening of 14th April.""Mexican Navy responded quickly and attended vessel. All personnel are now safe, although one Telford crew member suffered injuries in the attack," Telford Offshore said.According to Telford Offshore, the injured crewmember was quickly transferred to hospital ashore and is recovering well. "Our main concern and always will be is ensuring the continued safety and wellbeing of all personnel onboard our vessels.

Pirates have abducted seven crew members from an anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel offshore Equatorial Guinea, the vessel's owner Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO) said.The Singaporean-flagged Pacific Warden was attacked on November 20, 2019 at approximately 5 a.m. local time, while supporting offshore field operations in Equatorial Guinea, SPO confirmed on Sunday.Seven of the 15 crew members on board have been taken by the attackers and are presently missing, while the other eight are safely ashore and unharmed, according to SPO.Maritime intelligence group Dryad said local reports indicate that the 68.9-meter Pacific Warden was attacked by two speed boats while traveling from Luba, Boiko island to Serpentina/Zafiro field complex.

Offshore marine logistics company, Topaz Energy and Marine has entered into a long-term agreement with the GE company Baker Hughes (BHGE) for its proprietary lubricant condition monitoring system, VitalyX.The two firms will collaborate on boosting the maintenance and upkeep of Topaz’s fleet of vessels and increase the field time for each vessel.VitalyX is expected to be deployed on the entire module carrying vessel (MCV) fleet for Topaz in late 2019 and is the largest single collaboration with the technology since being first unveiled at BHGE’s Annual Meeting in January.Utilising the Internet of Things (IoT) by combining the latest sensor hardware with condition monitoring software…

Dryad Maritime is calling on the maritime industry to develop a Standardisation Agreement (STANAG) setting minimum standards for the production of intelligence. "The threat is changing. Ship owners and operators no longer simply face a sporadic pirate threat in the Indian Ocean but are routinely deploying armed security teams to counter the threat of Water Bourne IED in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa," it said in a statement. Without up to-date practical research and development supported by the expert collation of intelligence the industry will be blindsided by asymmetric threats at sea.

There has been little reaction by way of statements or position papers from marine fuel lubricant manufacturers to the IMO MEPC70 proposals for a global fuel sulfur content cap of 0.5 percent by 2020 but they are fully aware of the implications of the proposed regulations and are taking what could be termed a ‘pragmatic approach’ to fuel regulation compliance. Marine lubricant suppliers have avoided getting involved in the debate as to whether the IMO MEPC70 proposals to reduce permissible marine fuel sulfur content to 0.5 percent or less is good…

Somali pirates are suspected of hijacking a bulk carrier ship on one of the world's crucial trade routes, Reuters reported. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations piracy watchdog said on its website it had received a report from a vessel under attack and possibly boarded off the coast of war-ravaged Yemen. It gave no further details. However, a security source working at the Puntland Marine Police Force said the vessel was Tuvalu-flagged and is known as OS35. Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the head of private company Dryad Maritime Intelligence, said industry sources had confirmed the hijacking. "Vessels transiting the area are advised to exercise extreme caution," UKMTO said, without giving more details.

Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan crew on board, Somali authorities said on Tuesday, the first time a commercial ship has been seized in the region since 2012. Security forces have been sent to free the Aris 13, a regional police official said late on Tuesday. "We are determined to rescue the ship and its crew. Our forces have set off to Alula. It is our duty to rescue ships hijacked by pirates and we shall rescue it," Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, director general of Puntland’s marine police forces, told Reuters by phone. Puntland is a semi-autonomous northern region of Somalia. Alula is a port town there where pirates have taken the tanker. Experts said the ship was an easy target and ship owners were becoming lax after a long period of calm.

Pirates have attacked the Liberian-flagged 4,360 TEU CMA CGM Turquoise, kidnapping two crew members off the coast of Nigeria, with the remainder of the crew said to be safe. Turquoise, managed by Dioryx Maritime Corp. in Greece, was stormed late on Monday as it travelled between Nigeria's commercial hub Lagos and Douala in Cameroon. According to Ghana-based antipiracy agency Maritime Trade Information Sharing Centre (MTISC-GOG), the ship  was boarded in waters about 30 nm off the coast of the Niger Delta. The captain activated the SSAS and the crew retreated to the citadel, but two were captured and kidnapped before they could enter.

Today, Dryad Maritime release the Dryad Maritime Country Risk Map, an online risk portal that has been specifically designed to help commercial teams, CSOs, ship owners and managers optimise their maritime security strategies and identify new trading opportunities through enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness. With a simple interface and concise intelligence, the portal is curated, reviewed and updated on a daily basis by Dryad’s specialist team of analysts. Dryad’s Country Risk Map goes beyond the simple aggregation of data seen in other similar products, with multi-source filtering and verification prior to being enriched with the analysis and insight of Dryad’s professional intelligence specialists.