Michelin News

A ship carrying tonnes of food for Gaza remained docked in a Cyprus port on Sunday as preparations were underway to launch a yet untested maritime aid route to the enclave, where the United Nations estimates a quarter of the population faces starvation.The Open Arms, a salvage vessel, plans to tow a barge with 200 tonnes of food, mostly funded by the UAE. The supplies were sourced by charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), which is working with Spanish non-governmental organisation Proactiva Open Arms.WCK said it has another 500 tonnes of supplies in Cyprus…

Disruptions to Red Sea shipping caused by Houthi attacks will push up prices of consumer goods, an executive from port and freight operator DP World said on Tuesday as a missile struck another vessel in the region.The Iran-allied Houthi militia has threatened to expand its attacks to include U.S. ships in response to American and British strikes on its sites in Yemen.Attacks by the Houthis on ships in the region since November have impacted companies and alarmed major powers - an escalation of Israel's more than three-month-old war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza.

DNV has awarded an approval in principle for Michelin's WISAMO wing sail system, which is the first AiP to have been awarded to an inflatable wing sail design. The WISAMO wing sail system is currently being installed for testing on the DNV-classed MN Pelican ro-ro cargo vessel.An Approval in Principle is an independent assessment of a concept within an agreed framework, confirming that the design is feasible, and no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept from being realized.

Climate change advocates and seafarers recently gathered for a small conference at the Hudson Valley Maritime Museum in Kingston, N.Y., to discuss the shipping industry’s struggle to achieve sustainability and environmental compliance.The setting, the hamlet of Rondout, N.Y. (within Kingston), holds significance as it was, ironically, a Hudson River port once considered the largest coal port in the world (yes, the world). In 1828, the opening of the Delaware and Hudson Canal enabled coal to be delivered from Pennsylvania to New York City.

French tire maker Michelin and Compagnie Maritime Nantaise said on Thursday they will jointly test Michelin's inflatable wing sail this year on a merchant ship for the first time, in a move that may help the shipping industry cut its emissions.The Wing Sail Mobility (WISAMO) project is centered on an inflatable, retractable and automated wing that can be fitted on commercial vessels and pleasure boats, the statement said.Using wind propulsion, it could help save up to 20% of the fuel used per ship…

When Chinese billionaire Jack Ma took a trip to Spain's Mallorca island last month, much was made of it being his first foreign foray since a 2020 fallout with regulators had clipped his wings.However, Ma's sunny sojourn on his newly-built 88-metre (289 ft) cruise boat Zen - estimated to be worth $200 million - also put a spotlight on a global trend: the return of the superyacht.As the number of billionaires grows and COVID-19 has added to incentives for avoiding crowds, the multi…

Amazon.com Inc and IKEA are among commercial users of container shipping that will opt for zero-carbon marine fuels by 2040 in a new initiative aimed at speeding up decarbonization in the maritime sector, executives said on Tuesday.With about 90% of world trade transported by sea, global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world's CO2 emissions and the sector is under growing scrutiny to become cleaner.The initiative, which was organized by the non-profit Aspen Institute and has nine signatories so far also including Unilever and Michelin…

French shipping startup NEOLINE confirmed it has chosen NEOPOLIA Mobility and signed an LOI for the construction of its first 136-meter sailing cargo ship following a new international tender.The project is now in the financial closure phase with the objective of starting construction this Summer, aiming for a commissioning in the first half of 2024, NEOLINE said.NEOLINE's decision to select the offer of the Loire-based company Neopolia Mobility comes at the end of a second international…

The Michelin Group said it signed a deal with French startup NEOLINE to transport its tires across the Atlantic aboard sailing cargo ships. The move aims to reduce CO2 emissions from the manufacturer's logistics operations.The partners expect to begin containerized tire shipments aboard NEOLINE's "wind-powered" vessels on a pilot line from Halifax (Canada) to Saint-Nazaire - Montoir de Bretagne (France) by 2023.NEOLINE, which already has transport agreements with companies such as Jas Hennessy & Co.…

The world's largest privately held cruise company MSC Cruises has today announced a new partnership with renowned German chef Harald Wohlfahrt.Voted one of the Top 10 Chefs in the World, and the only German chef to hold a three Michelin Star rating for 25 years in a row, Chef Wohlfahrt represents the best of Germany’s cuisine and embodies MSC Cruises’ commitment to offering new and exciting food options for its guests. Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises Chief Executive Officer, commented: “The world-class expertise of Chef Wohlfahrt brings an exciting new chapter to our onboard dining experience. Working with partners who embody excellence and innovation…

Seabourn Cruise Line's newest ultra-luxury vessel, Seabourn Ovation, achieved another important maritime milestone with the completion of its final round of sea trials in the Mediterranean off the coast of Italy. Seabourn Ovation departed the Fincantieri shipyard on March 14 for four days at sea, where a team of officers and engineers tested the ship's technical and mechanical systems. Seabourn Ovation returned to the shipyard in Genoa on March 18, and staff and workers are putting the final touches on the ship. The delivery ceremony of the ship is on schedule to take place on April 27, 2018. "We're now weeks away from delivery, and I'm very pleased with the progress and preparedness of the ship now that sea trials are complete," said Richard Meadows, president of Seabourn.

Today, ten days ahead of schedule, TUI Cruises took delivery of Mein Schiff 5 from the Meyer Turku shipyard. Wybcke Meier and Frank Kuhlmann, CEO and CFO of TUI Cruises, together with Dr. Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku Oy shipyard, marked the occasion with invited guests at the handing-over ceremony. In the early afternoon of June 21, 2016 the ropes will be cut. Mein Schiff 5 and her complement of approximately 1,000 crew members will then set sail for Kiel, the first German port of call where she will finally dock on June 23, 2016. “Although this is already our third new build, it’s still incredibly exciting to see a new ship grow from the first steel cutting to the finishing interior touches.

Air Liquide, Michelin, Sodexo and Total are joining forces to assist refugees being resettled in France. The initiative was driven by the solidarity felt by employees and management of these companies for the refugees, mostly coming from Africa and the Middle East, and their suffering. Air Liquide, Michelin, Sodexo and Total will, within a framework to be established by the government, assist refugees through tangible actions related to their respective businesses, expertise, capabilities and operational resources. The form this aid will take is being defined with humanitarian organizations, including the French Red Cross, and nonprofits.

Stephanie Mutz makes a living plucking sea urchins from the Santa Barbara coast and selling the prickly treasure to upscale restaurants in Southern California. Now, she needs new hunting grounds. The coast, thought to be one of the world's best places for harvesting sea urchins, suffered its worst oil spill in 46 years this week, forcing authorities to ban fishing in an area 23 miles (37 km) long by seven miles (11 km) wide. "That was one of my predominant fishing spots, so I just have to think of a Plan B," said Mutz, who supplies restaurants from Santa Barbara to Orange County, including the Michelin-starred Providence in Los Angeles.

Iconic cruise liner to be restored to the former splendor of her glory days after refurbishment into elegant five-star 500-room hotel. QE2 Dubai announced that MS Queen Elizabeth 2 - known popularly as QE2 - will be moved to Drydocks World Dubai for undertaking classification checks prior to her renovation as a luxury floating hotel. Before itsretirement to Dubai on November 11, 2008, the QE2 took regular cruises around the world as well as operating a scheduled liner service across the Atlantic Ocean between Southampton in the UK and New York.

During the past two years Drydocks World (DDW) has suffered from the restraints of a financial problem following the purchase of one shipyard in Singapore and one on the Indonesian island of Batam (both former Pan United shipyards) and two more on Batam (both former Leroy shipyards). This debt has now been restructured and the management of those yards has been taken over by China’s Paxocean, thus leaving DDW is a much better state and looking forward to a better future. The main yard of DDW is Drydocks World – Dubai (DDW-D)…

Despite claims that most containerships operate on fixed-day weekly schedules, over 40% of vessels operated in liner services arrive one or more days late, according to a ground-breaking global survey from Drewry Container Shipper Insight. Drewry Shipping Consultants carried out what it believes is the liner shipping industry’s largest schedule reliability survey, based on the tracking of 3,300 vessel arrivals on 23 different east/west and north/south trade routes. The continuous survey is an attempt to help shippers plan their supply chains with realistic expectations of delivery times and assist them in the selection of liner carriers.

Swire Oilfield Services, a provider of offshore cargo carrying units and associated services, has appointed Michael King as its new UK operations director. In his new role, Mr. King will ensure that the operational capability is fully developed, supported and resourced to provide the highest levels of service to all Swire’s customers served from the UK bases. Mr. King has a vast background in operations, starting 22 years ago when working as an aircraft engineer in the Royal Air Force.

Supermodel Eva Herzigova will be the godmother of the Costa Concordia, the new flagship of the Costa fleet, which will be christened on July 7 in the Port of Rome (Civitavecchia) under the patronage of the Latium Regional Administration, the Provincial Administration of Rome, the Municipality of Rome and AltaRoma. Costa Concordia, the largest cruise ship flying the Italian flag (112,000 gt and total guest capacity of 3,780), is set to become another Italian Made symbol: it was built in the historic Italian Fincantieri shipyards in Sestri Ponente (Genoa), while its interiors have been decorated by some of Italy’s leading designers and feature works by top Italian artists.

Costa Crociere’s new flagship will be christened on May 19 in Marseilles. The ship’s godmother will be actress Marion Cotillard, while the master of ceremonies will be Gerard Holtz, a French television journalists. The young Chef Pascal Barbot, with three Michelin stars, in a joint effort with Italian Chef Ettore Bocchia, will whip up magical delicacies during the gala dinner for about 1,200 guests. Three major French stars” will play the leading roles in the christening of the Costa Serena, the new flagship of Costa Crociere and Italian seafaring (114,000 dwt and a capacity of 3,780 passengers), undergoing the final fitting out stages at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa. Costa Crociere’s new flagship will be the first cruiser to be christened in Marseilles.