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Natalie News

02 Apr 2024

Brent Oil Hits Highest Price This Year on Fresh Supply Threats

© Sodel Vladyslav / Adobe Stock

Global oil benchmark Brent on Tuesday rose above $89 a barrel for the first time since October, albeit briefly, as oil supplies faced fresh threats from Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities and escalating conflict in the Middle East.Brent futures for June delivery were up $1.35, or 1.5%, at $88.76 a barrel by 11:40 a.m. EDT (1540 GMT) after touching a peak of $89.08.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for May rose $1.27, or about 1.5%, to $84.98 after touching a peak of $85.46…

22 Feb 2024

Houthis Vow to Step Up Ship Attacks in the Red Sea

(Photo: Indian Navy)

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a UK-owned cargo ship and a drone assault on an American destroyer on Thursday, and they targeted Israel's port and resort city of Eilat with ballistic missiles and drones.The statement by a Houthi representative on social media site X came shortly after the group's leader said it was ramping up attacks on ships in the Red Sea and other waters - including with new "submarine weapons" -to mirror Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip.Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea…

01 Feb 2024

Russian Oil Flows Through Red Sea Face Lower Risks

© Carabay / Adobe Stock

Tankers carrying Russian oil have continued sailing through the Red Sea largely uninterrupted by Houthi attacks on shipping and face lower risks than competitors, according to shipping executives, analysts and flows data.Russia has become more dependent on trade through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea since it invaded Ukraine, which led to Europe imposing sanctions on Russian imports and forced Moscow to export most of its crude to China and India. Before the war, Russia exported…

17 Jan 2024

US Lists Houthis as Terrorists, Business Fears Lengthy Red Sea Disruption

© aerial-drone / Adobe Stock

The United States on Wednesday returned the Yemen-based Houthi rebels to a list of terrorist groups, while business chiefs warned that disruption to shipping in the Red Sea caused by their attacks could affect supply chains for months.Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on ships in the region since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers - an escalation of Israel's more than three-month-old war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza.The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and have threatened to expand attacks to include U.S.

16 Jan 2024

Another Ship Hit in the Red Sea

© ID1974 / Adobe Stock

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.

16 Jan 2024

NYK Line Stops Vessel Transits in Red Sea

© angeldibilio / Adobe Stock

Japan's Nippon Yusen, the country's biggest shipper by sales, on Tuesday suspended navigation through the Red Sea for all the vessels it operates, a spokesperson told Reuters.The company, also known as NYK Line, has also instructed its vessels navigating near the Red Sea to wait in safe waters and is considering route changes, the spokesperson said.It is the latest operator to cease traversing the key shipping corridor following an advisory from the Combined Maritime Forces to stay clear of the region after the launch of U.S.

15 Jan 2024

Houthis Say They Will Target US Ships

© Andrea Izzotti / Adobe Stock

Yemen's Houthi movement will expand its targets in the Red Sea region to include U.S. ships, an official from the Iran-allied group said on Monday, as it vowed to keep up attacks after U.S. and British strikes on its sites in Yemen.Attacks by the Houthis on ships in area since November have impacted companies and alarmed major powers in an escalation of Israel's more than three-month war with Hamas militants in Gaza. The group says it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians.British…

14 Jan 2024

Australian Court Lets Santos Build Barossa Pipeline

Source: Santos

Australia's Santos can proceed with construction of an undersea pipeline vital to its $4.3 billion Barossa gas project after a court on Monday ruled in favor of the oil and gas firm in a dispute with an Indigenous man looking to pause the work.Work on the pipeline, which will connect the Barossa gas field to a processing plant in the northern Australian city of Darwin, was paused by court order in November after a suit by a member of an Indigenous group regarded as traditional…

12 Jan 2024

Stena Bulk Halts Tanker Transits in Red Sea

(Photo: Stena Bulk)

Tanker company Stena Bulk halted transits in the Red Sea early on Friday Central European Time, its CEO Erik Hannel told Reuters.It is the latest tanker operator to cease traversing the key shipping corridor following an advisory from the Combined Maritime Forces to stay clear of the region after the launch of U.S. and British air strikes on Houthi forces in Yemen.(Reuter - Reporting by Natalie Grover; editing by Mark Heinrich)

19 Dec 2023

How Could Red Sea Attacks Affect Oil and Gas Shipping?

© Vallehr / Adobe Stock

Several shipping companies and a few liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers have decided to avoid the world's main East-West trade route, following attacks launched by Yemen's Houthi group on commercial ships at the southern end of the Red Sea.The attacks raised the specter of another bout of disruption to international commerce following the upheaval of the COVID pandemic, and prompted a U.S.-led international force to patrol waters near Yemen.IS THE RED SEA ROUTE IMPORTANT FOR…

26 Oct 2023

World's Ghost Fleet in Focus Over US Russian Price Cap Crackdown

Credit: komi$ar/AdobeStock

U.S. penalties on shippers transporting Russian oil in breach of the G7's price cap could push more Russian cargoes onto vessels referred to as the ghost fleet and away from mainstream tankers, shipping sources and analysts told Reuters.The cap bans Western companies from providing maritime services for Russian seaborne oil exports sold above $60 a barrel.It was designed to keep oil flowing to markets while reducing Russia's energy earnings that it can use to finance its war on Ukraine…

27 Jun 2023

Global Campaign Launched to Boost Seafarer Recruitment

Nirmalesh Chandra Nirmal, 2nd Officer, Fleet Management Ltd, Hong Kong, SAR, who features in the film

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has launched a video titled ‘An Adventurous Spirit’, signifying the start of a global campaign to address the seafarer shortage.‘An Adventurous Spirit’ is the result of collaboration between ICS and its network of members to produce a resource that the shipping industry can use in its recruitment efforts. The 10-minute video was produced using first-party testimonials gathered from current seafarers who shared insight into what their roles entail…

21 Jun 2023

Search for Missing Titanic Sub Focuses on Area Where Sounds Detected

(File photo: OceanGate Expeditions)

Rescuers searching for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic on Wednesday concentrated their efforts on a remote area of the North Atlantic where a series of undersea noises have been detected, though officials cautioned the sounds may not have originated from the vessel.With estimates suggesting the air supply on board the submersible could run out by Thursday morning, an international coalition of rescue teams has swept a vast expanse of the ocean for signs of the Titan…

21 Jun 2023

Missing Titanic Submersible Update: Searchers Detect Subsea Sounds

Copyright chocolatefather/AdobeStock

Search teams detected underwater sounds while scanning the North Atlantic for a tourist submersible that vanished with five people aboard during a deep-sea voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said early on Wednesday.The detection of the sounds by Canadian aircraft on Tuesday, day three of the search, was reported by the Coast Guard as the clock ticked down to the last 24 hours of the missing craft's presumed oxygen supply.Robotic undersea search operations were diverted to the area where the sounds seemed to originate…

20 Jun 2023

Titanic Tourist Sub Still Missing as Rescuers Race Against Time

File photo: OceanGate Expeditions

Rescuers were in a race against time to find a missing submersible on Tuesday, two days after it lost communication while taking wealthy tourists to see the wreckage of the Titanic in deep waters off Canada's coast.One pilot and four passengers were on board the submersible that disappeared on Sunday. The operating company said it had the capacity to stay underwater for up to 96 hours - giving those aboard until early on Thursday before air ran out.U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral…

07 Sep 2022

Ukraine Sailor Permits Crucial for Grain Exports, Global Shipping

© soleg / Adobe Stock

Ukraine's decision to allow its seafarers to leave the country despite wartime restrictions will free up vital manpower for both Ukrainian grain exports and the wider global shipping industry, industry figures told Reuters.The move, officially confirmed this week, is part of efforts by Ukraine to maximize its grain shipments via a UN-brokered corridor through the Black Sea, which lifted a Russian blockade of Ukraine's south coast when came into effect in early August."We understand…

29 Apr 2022

Shipping Industry Pushes to Rescue Remaining Seafarers Trapped in Ukraine

© andrii_lutsyk / Adobe Stock

Just under 500 seafarers remain stuck onboard 109 ships at Ukrainian ports - skeleton crews who were left on board to enable their crew mates to be evacuated amid the conflict with Russia, shipping officials said on Friday.Those remaining should be allowed safe passage out too, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) association said.Two seafarers have been killed and six merchant vessels have been hit by projectiles - which sank two of them - around Ukraine's coast since the start of Russia's invasion on Feb.

27 Dec 2021

NOAA Using Sailing Vessel for Ocean Research

The 82- foot long S/V Iris tied up at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dock, moored next to WHOI’s R/V Armstrong. The Iris departed Woods Hole on December 14, and will spend the next two months deploying approximately 78 Argo floats in the South Atlantic, before finishing its epic voyage back in Brest, France. (Courtesy of Blue Observer)

NOAA and partners have joined together to launch approximately 100 new Argo floats across the Atlantic ocean to collect data that supports ocean, weather and climate research and prediction. These will bolster the international Argo Program, which maintains a global array of about 3,800 floats that measure pressure, temperature and salinity of the upper 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) of the ocean.The French sailing vessel Iris recently arrived in Woods Hole, Mass., after deploying the initial batch of 17 Argo floats across the Atlantic.

08 Mar 2021

Greenbrier Launches Crowley's New Alaska Fuel Barge

(Photo: Crowley)

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. announced today the launch of Qamun, a 55,000-barrel shallow draft double hull petroleum tank barge built by Greenbrier Marine, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Greenbrier. Crowley Engineering Services provided on-site construction management using an Alaska-specific design by Jensen Maritime, its recently integrated naval architecture and marine engineering firm.The 350-foot barge, which will form part of an articulated tug-barge (ATB) unit, will be paired with the tug Aurora being constructed by Master Boat Builders Inc., Coden, Ala.

17 Sep 2020

Arctic Sea Ice Lows Mark a New Polar Climate Regime

© Kertu / Adobe Stock

At the edge of the ice blanketing part of the Arctic Ocean, the ice looked sickly. Where thick sheets of ice once sat atop the water, now a layer of soft, spongey slush slid and bobbed atop the waves.From the deck of a research ship under a bright, clear sky, “ice pilot” Paul Ruzycki mused over how quickly the region was changing since he began helping ships spot and navigate between icebergs in 1996.“Not so long ago, I heard that we had 100 years before the Arctic would be ice free in the summer,” he said. “Then I heard 75 years, 25 years, and just recently I heard 15 years.

03 Jun 2021

Salvage of Indonesian Submarine Ends but Questions Loom

The Indonesian Navy is building a monument in honor of KRI Nanggala-402 and its sailors who were lost. (Photo: Indonesian Navy)

Indonesia ended salvage efforts on Wednesday to retrieve a disaster-stricken submarine that cost 53 lives and prompted questions over the maintenance of military equipment in the world's fourth most populous nation.The 44-year-old submarine lost contact with the Indonesian navy on April 21 while preparing for a torpedo drill in the Bali Sea, triggering a desperate international search and rescue effort to find it before oxygen supplies ran out.When the vessel was discovered days later in three parts…

01 Oct 2021

Academia’s Climate Change Challenge is Far from Academic

Mesobot, an underwater robot capable of tracking and recording high-resolution images of slow-moving and fragile zooplankton, gelatinous animals, and particles, is providing researchers with deeper insight into the vast mid-ocean region known as the twilight zone. © Evan Kovacs/©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Highlighted in Marine Technology Reporter's MTR100 is the work and technology ongoing in the halls of academia. The most recent report released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasized our warming planet, an expected announcement for many in the scientific community. Faced with the confirmation that human activities have caused an increase in global temperatures, research has turned to seeking answers in the planet’s natural systems. How does each part of the global carbon cycle work and how may it be impacted by the changing climate?

23 Apr 2021

Time Running Out for Missing Indonesian Submarine as US Joins Search

(Photo: Indonesian Navy)

Rescue teams were battling against time on Friday to find a missing Indonesian Navy submarine lost in the Bali Sea with 53 crew, which would be rapidly running out of oxygen if not already crushed by water pressure.Search helicopters and more ships left Bali and a naval base in Java heading to the area where contact was lost with the 44-year-old KRI Nanggala-402 on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill, with the head of the Indonesian submarine fleet aboard.If the submarine was still intact…