Maritime Transportation Industry News

Echandia, a developer of heavy-duty energy storage solutions (ESS) for maritime and industrial applications, has received an initial order for battery systems in the naval segment. The order, which comes from major system supplier in the maritime sector, amounts to €5 million and is Echandia’s first foray into military applications.As the maritime transportation industry shipping continues its energy transition, the defense sector is also starting its transition toward renewable energy sources and increasing its focus on energy efficiency it needs to find solutions that live up to the highest possible quality requirements and safety demands.

A 180,000-square-meter-capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier is said to be the world's first large cargo ship to cross the Pacific using autonomous navigation.Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2021 and delivered to SK Shipping in South Korea, the vessel Prism Courage is equipped with HiNAS 2.0, Level 2 autonomous navigation solution developed by Avikus, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai (former Hyundai Heavy Industries Group).According to Avikus, HiNAS 2.0 creates optimal routes and speeds based on Hyundai Global Service's Integrated Smartship Solution.

A newly formed dredging company has placed an order for what will be one of the largest dredges of its kind in the U.S. On October 12, Michael Kerns, President and CEO of Muddy Water Dredging, LP and Bob Wetta, President and CEO of DSC Dredge LLC, launched the project to build the custom 24” dual pump Marlin Class dredge to maintain U.S. navigable waterways.Muddy Water Dredging, LP (MWD) was established in late 2021 with corporate headquarters located in Orange, Texas. Co-owners Michael J. Kerns and Matthew B.

Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine has been awarded Digital Safe Security certification from classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) for its latest 12,000 TEU containership, Ever Forward, which was built by South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and delivered on Monday.SHI used its smart ship solution, SVESSEL, to develop the digital ship system onboard Ever Forward. This solution provides operators and shore-based staff with instant access to operating data from onboard systems for monitoring and diagnostics through the cloud…

“Freedom” – the absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic governmentIt has been decades since international relations in the world order dictated true competition for sea control, sea lines of communication, access to world markets, and diplomatic partnerships. However, it is becoming increasingly alarming that nations such as Iran, China and Russia seek to accumulate/consolidate power and re-define international maritime norms, potentially at the peril of diplomatic…

“The First Steps in Mitigating Contemporary Risks to our Strategic Sea Lines of Communication”It is indisputable that the world’s economy floats on seawater. It is equally indisputable that international maritime transportation is the tool that keeps the global economy moving. The world economy has surged over the last half century, and that growth has been largely driven by globalization and the consequent reduction in barriers to trade. Any operational disruptions in maritime transportation have wider consequences for society…

40 years ago, on September 13th, 1978, Jacques R. Saadé launched the first maritime line between Marseilles and Beirut, with only one ship and 4 employees. The day marked the beginning of an extraordinary humane and entrepreneurial adventure, said a press release.According to the statement, 40 years later, CMA CGM has become a recognized world leader, with 34,000 employees and a presence in more than 160 countries. History: It is amid the Lebanese war that Jacques R. Saadé decided to settle in Marseilles to protect his family. As a visionary man, he anticipated the evolutions of international trade and was convinced of the crucial role containerization was about to play.

Transmetrics’ digital solution optimizes marine logistics using AI technologies and Marlink’s global multi-band networkMarlink has signed an agreement with Transmetrics to establish a strategic business partnership aimed at predictive logistics optimization for maritime customers. The agreement will enable Transmetrics, a Forbes-awarded start-up, to leverage Marlink’s broadband satellite communications network, digital solutions and contacts to further develop maritime logistics innovations.

The death of Jacques R. Saadé, Founding President of the CMA CGM Group, roused an emotional response within the Group, in the entire maritime transportation industry and beyond. An exceptional tribute was paid to him on Friday, June 29, during his funeral. Jacques R. Saadé dedicated his life to CMA CGM. All the Group’s employees based in Marseilles were invited to attend the religious ceremony celebrated at La Major Cathedral. Attendees included Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Elisabeth Borne, Minister of Transports, and numerous local, national and international officials. Lebanese Minister Michel Pharaon, representing Lebanese President General Michel Aoun, posthumously awarded Jacques R.

Chembulk Tankers named Steve Laino its Chief Commercial Officer, based out of the Southport office and responsible for all facets of our commercial strategy worldwide, including chartering, projects and client relations. Laino comes to Chembulk with more than two decades of diverse experience in the maritime transportation industry, with experience in the chemical tanker sector. Laino has held roles in operations both at sea and ashore, in commercial capacities as a tanker broker, projects broker and shipowner. Most recently, Laino held the role of Chief Operating Officer of Chemical Transportation Group (CTG), which he founded together with two partners and a group of investors in 2014.

The Public Transport Authority (PTA) has raised the Saudi flag on Shaden, a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) owned and operated by Bahri, a global leader in transportation and logistics. At a ceremony held on Thursday, November 23 at Port of Ras Tanura in the presence of senior officials from PTA and Bahri, the new vessel joined the country’s national maritime fleet and became Bahri’s fifth VLCC to raise the Kingdom’s flag in 2017. Bahri is the world’s largest owner and operator of VLCCs with a fleet of 88 multi-purpose vessels. Built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI), the world’s largest shipbuilding company based in South Korea, the new vessel has 300,000-deadweight-ton capacity and it brought the total number of VLCCs owned and operated by Bahri to 41. Dr.

More than once, I have been asked to resolve a dispute in which my client was surprised to learn either that it could not force the other side into arbitration, or that arbitration was very different from its expectations. Many companies devote hours (if not weeks and months) to negotiating what they consider to be the “substantive” terms of a contract, yet they pay little attention to the dispute resolution clause often included among boilerplate terms at the end. This is a risky practice, for rights that are carefully bargained for may effectively be lost if the “right” dispute resolution procedure is not negotiated at the outset. When it comes to dispute resolution clauses, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

The American Waterways Operators (AWO) and a broad-based coalition of organizations that rely on marine vessels to transport essential cargoes said a uniform national framework for the regulation of vessel discharges is urgently needed. The coalition called upon the Senate Commerce Committee to move quickly to approve S.373, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John Thune (R-S.D.), and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). In a letter to Senators Thune and Nelson, respectively the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee, the coalition stated that vessel discharge reform legislation would rectify an untenable situation “by establishing a uniform…

The effort to establish a uniform national framework for the regulation of vessel discharges took another step forward as the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation approved S. 373, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act, with strong bipartisan support. A broad-based coalition of nearly 60 organizations joined the American Waterways Operators in urging the committee to approve VIDA. This measure would replace a patchwork of overlapping and conflicting federal and state regulations with a uniform, science-based federal framework for vessel discharge regulation.

On June 20, a diverse coalition of 58 national and regional organizations representing a wide array of leading business, maritime and labor organizations signed on to a letter to Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Ranking Member John Thune (R-SD) urging that the committee mark up and approve S. 2094, a bill that would establish a uniform, science-based national framework for the regulation of ballast water and other vessel discharges. S. 2094, introduced on March 6 by Sens.

Crowley Maritime Corp. has been honored with the 2015 Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman’s Earth Day Award in recognition of the organization’s companywide environmental stewardship initiatives. The announcement was made during a Professional Environmental Management Association luncheon held in Seal Beach, Calif., earlier this week. FMC Chairman Mario Cordero will present a plaque commemorating the award to Crowley during a future recognition ceremony in Washington D.C.

In June 2014, Sea Star Line partnered with the 11 clubs of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico in a contest to name the new liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels which will be dedicated to the Puerto Rico trade by TOTE, Sea Star Line’s parent company. The Marlin Class vessels have attracted international attention as the first cargo ships in the world to run on natural gas. In addition to their improved environmental profile, the Marlins will represent a new standard in safety and TOTE’s long-term commitment to the people of Puerto Rico.

The first ships to be classed with Lloyd’s Register’s cyber notations have been delivered to Global United in Korea. Built by Hanjin Heavy Industries, in collaboration with Alpha Ori Technology, the ships have been awarded the notation Cyber (AL-SAFE) certifying the autonomous systems onboard as safe. This is the first real example of the digital transformation in shipping – the ships will operate in an autonomous mode for selected functions using cutting edge digital technology. The new cyber-enabled features allow crew to operate ships more efficiently. This is also the first example of a ship certified to stream data into a big data platform.

The 23rd Annual International Maritime Hall of Fame reception and awards dinner took place yesterday evening in New York where five individuals were honored in front of more than 350 of their colleagues from the international maritime transportation industry. The Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey founded the Annual International Maritime Hall of Fame in 1993 to recognize maritime visionaries who, through excellence in their company, organization or services, best exemplify the qualities of futuristic thinking that guides the maritime industry.

Dennis L. Bryant retired from the U.S. Coast Guard with the rank of Captain after 27 years active duty. His billets included serving on the icebreaker NORTHWIND for several years including in 1969 when it escorted the tanker MANHATTAN through the Northwest Passage (this was back in the old days, when there was real ice in the Arctic). He also spent various tours as a law specialist, including an assignment as the Coast Guard’s Law of the Sea officer. He also served a tour in the…

Carnival Corporation & plc released the results of its multiyear Fleet Fuel Conservation Program that states by the end of 2014 the cruise company will have saved more than one billion gallons of fuel and reduced fleet carbon emissions by 12 billion kilograms over a seven year period. By the end of 2014, Carnival Corporation's Fleet Fuel Conservation Program will have improved the fleet's overall fuel efficiency by 24 percent compared to 2007, while saving approximately $2.5 billion in fuel costs, the company's single biggest expense.

Jamaica is embarking on a country-wide survey of all the commercial and domestic vessels in its waters to ensure it has accurate data on its maritime community. The Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), as Jamaica’s marine administration, has among its roles, obligations to provide for maritime safety and protection of the marine environment from potential damage caused by maritime activities which are on the increase in Jamaica’s waters. To more effectively carry out this mandate, during the months of December 2013 to May 2014, the MAJ will embark on a project to conduct island-wide surveys of all vessels domiciled in Jamaican waters in an effort to maintain an accurate account of the numbers and types of vessels using its waters for both commercial and personal purposes.

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a notice to ensure that mariners, marine employers, Medical Reviewing Officers and the public are knowledgeable of the continuing prohibition of marijuana use by those serving in safety-sensitive positions in the maritime transportation industry. The Coast Guard said it is important to note that marijuana remains a drug listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. It remains unacceptable for any safety-sensitive employee serving in the maritime…