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Thursday, April 25, 2024
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24 Apr 2024

Hess Sets Date for Shareholder Vote on Chevron Merger

© Koonsiri / Adobe Stock

Hess Corp on Wednesday said its board has set April 12 as the record date for the determination of the stockholders entitled to vote on the proposed merger with Chevron Corp.Shareholders will vote on the proposed deal in a meeting whose date is yet to be set, the company said in a U.S. securities filing. Neither Chevron nor Hess can predict the actual date on which the transaction will be completed, it said in the filing.Exxon Mobil and CNOOC Ltd filed cases before the International Chamber of Commerce last month…

23 Apr 2024

Subsea Vessel Market is Full Steam Ahead

Rig move of Equinor oil platform Njord Alpha with AHTS vessels Magne Viking and Normand Prosper towing the platform.

Since our last market update in the subsea space about a year ago both our current market view and forecasts have strengthened significantly.While the demand picture is looking solid and arguing for a strong multi-year upcycle, the supply side has also started to wake from its slumber albeit ever so slightly at the time of writing. Moreover, we register an interesting dynamic on the shipowner side, where everyone is trying to position themselves for the impeding market boom.Please note that vessel definitions and abbreviations in this part of our industry can vary…

23 Apr 2024

At Least Five People Drown Trying to Cross English Channel

© pichitstocker / Adobe Stock

At least five people, including a child, died in an attempt to cross the English Channel from France, hours after Britain passed a bill to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda to try to deter the dangerous crossings.The deaths of one child, a woman and three men occurred on an overcrowded small boat carrying around 110 people attempting to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The French coastguard was still searching for survivors."After becoming initially stranded on the shore, the boat set out to sea again.

22 Apr 2024

Navigation and Wind Farms: Competing Ocean Uses Raise Existential Questions

(Photo: Ryan L. Noel / U.S. Coast Guard)

“Wind Turbines: The Bigger, the Better” -USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, August 24, 2023Last December the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a proposed sale notice regarding new development areas for utility scale wind projects in the central Atlantic Ocean. The notice includes an upfront issue: the need to mitigate conflicts with U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) activities. BOEM explains that in certain areas the Air Force has set an airspace floor of 1,000 feet above sea level and the Air Force asked BOEM to keep structures below that height.

15 Apr 2024

Iran Says MSC Aries Vessel Seized for 'Violating Maritime Laws'

Screenshot from video filmed by a seafarer on board the MSC Aries as Iranian forces seized the vessel. (Courtesy ITF)

A Portuguese-flagged container ship, the MSC Aries, was seized by Iran on April 13 for "violating maritime laws", Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday, adding that there was no doubt the vessel was linked to Israel.Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1. Iran had said it could close the crucial shipping route."The vessel was diverted…

12 Apr 2024

Ten Years After South Korean Ferry Disaster, Mothers Express Their Grief On Stage

File photo courtesy South Korea Coastguard

For Lee Mi-kyung, whose son was one of the 250 children who died in South Korea's Sewol ferry disaster 10 years ago, coping with the grief and anger has been incredibly hard. She works through her pain on stage."I will no longer hide in darkness, nor be defeated by sorrow, nor cry in despair," Lee, 58, declares in a play in which seven mothers of children who died in the tragedy portray their journey of mourning.The play is one of five that Lee and other mothers have performed over the past eight years…

26 Mar 2024

Cargo Ship Lost Power Before Slamming Bridge in Baltimore

Collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore (Credit: Screenshot/StreamTime Live)

A massive cargo ship smashed into a bridge while sailing out of Baltimore early on Tuesday, sending cars and people into the river below and closing one of the busiest ports on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one of whom was hospitalized, and searched for more in the Patapsco River after huge metal spans of the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the icy water around 1:30 a.m. (0530 GMT).The ship reported a power issue before impact…

18 Mar 2024

Liquid Hydrogen SOV Concept Unveiled

(Image: Louis Dreyfus Armateurs)

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) has unveiled a concept for a first-of-its kind service operations vessel (SOV) that runs on liquid hydrogen.The French-headquartered company said it has been working alongside Norwegian naval architecture firm Salt Ship Design as well as main equipment suppliers, fuel providers, class and flag authorities, and others to produce the concept—with support from the European Commission.The groundbreaking SOV, currently in the concept design phase, would be able to operate 95% of the time with zero carbon emissions, only releasing water during standard operations.

11 Mar 2024

OpEd: Focusing on Green Fuels Takes the Focus Off Shipping's Major Problems

Morten Brandborg, CEO of Green Instruments (Credit: Green Instruments)

Shipyard order books show that more and more ships are being built that can run on methanol or liquified natural gas (LNG). Major shipping companies are investing in green fuels for their fleets, and researchers around the world are working intensely to find new solutions that can make the shipping industry greener.This is all good news that strengthens the belief that shipping is reducing its emissions of greenhouse gases, among others. While there is reason for some optimism, as shipping is becoming more sustainable, there is no doubt that we are still very far from the goal.

05 Mar 2024

Ukraine Says it Sunk a Russian Patrol Ship Near Crimea

(Photo: Ukraine Defense)

Ukrainian sea drones hit and sank a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship off occupied Crimea in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday.Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency said a special unit called Group 13 had fired Magura V5 maritime drones at the Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.It said on the Telegram messaging app that the vessel had sustained damage to the stern, starboard and port sides, at an estimated cost of $65 million."Right now this ship is on the seabed as a result of fire damage by unmanned boats…

26 Feb 2024

Houthis Keep Up Pressure with Near Miss on US-flagged Tanker

FILE PHOTO: Torm Thor (Photo: Torm)

Yemen's Houthis fired a missile that likely targeted the Torm Thor in the Gulf of Aden on Feb. 24 but missed the U.S.-flagged oil tanker, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday, as the Iran-aligned militia steps up attacks on ships.Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated Houthi drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait since November in support of Palestinians in Gaza. U.S. and British forces have responded with several strikes on Houthi…

24 Feb 2024

Houthis Target Torm Tanker

Source: Torm

Yemen's Houthis targeted MV Torm Thor, a U.S.-flagged, owned, and operated oil tanker, in the Gulf of Aden, the Iran-aligned group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Sunday, as the militants continue to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.The group targeted the tanker with "a number of appropriate naval missiles," Sarea added in a televised speech.The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the USS Mason, a guided missile destroyer, on Saturday shot…

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…

21 Feb 2024

UK's Trident Nuclear-deterrent Missile System Misfires During Test

FILE PHOTO: Nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard at HM Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, Scotland. (Photo: Tam McDonald / U.K. Ministry of Defense)

Britain's Trident nuclear-deterrent system misfired during a test last month, sending a missile crashing into the ocean off the Florida coast near the submarine that launched it, The Sun newspaper reported on Wednesday.The Ministry of Defense confirmed that an "anomaly" had occurred during the test but said Britain's "nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective".With Defense Secretary Grant Shapps on board the HMS Vanguard to witness the test, The Sun said, the first…

21 Feb 2024

Maine Selects Sears Island as Preferred Site for Floating Wind Port Facility

© creativenature.nl / Adobe Stock

The government of Maine has selected a section of state-owned area on Sears Island as its preferred site for a port facility development that will support the floating offshore wind industry.The selection of the site, announced by the Governor of Maine Janet Mills, follows an extensive public stakeholder process led by the Maine Department of Transportation and Maine Port Authority to consider the state’s primary port development options, including multiple potential sites in the Port of Searsport…

20 Feb 2024

Greek Ship Attacked in Red Sea by Houthis Arrives in Aden

© Faraways / Adobe Stock

The Greek-flagged bulk cargo vessel Sea Champion arrived in the southern Yemeni port of Aden on Tuesday after being attacked in the Red Sea in what appeared to have been a mistaken missile strike by Houthi militia, shipping and military sources said.Shipping risks are escalating due to repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait by the Iran-aligned Houthis since November. U.S. and British forces have responded with several strikes on Houthi facilities but have so far failed to halt the attacks.The Sea Champion…

19 Feb 2024

Houthis Say Ship Attacked in Gulf of Aden May Sink

© Eugene / Adobe Stock

Yemen's Houthi militants said on Monday they had attacked another cargo vessel in the Gulf of Aden which was at risk of sinking, raising the stakes in their campaign to disrupt global shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.The Iran-aligned Houthis have made repeated drone and missile strikes since November in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, drawing U.S. and British bombing against them.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement that the Rubymar's crew was safe but that the ship was badly damaged and at risk of sinking.

29 Jan 2024

Russian Oil Facilities Hit by Drone Attacks, Fires

© evannovostro / Adobe Stock

Russia energy infrastructure has been hit by drone attacks and fires in the past month, adding to uncertainty in global oil and gas markets already rocked by the conflict in the Middle East.Russia and Ukraine have targeted each other's energy infrastructure in strikes designed to disrupt supply lines and logistics and to demoralise their opponent as they try to get the edge in a nearly two-year-old war that shows no sign of ending.Following are recent major incidents at Russian oil facilities in the past month:* A Russian appointed official said on Jan.

13 Dec 2023

Why the Indian Ocean Could be China's Achilles' Heel in a Taiwan War

© Igor / Adobe Stock

Every day, nearly 60 fully loaded very large crude-oil carriers sail between the Persian Gulf and Chinese ports, carrying about half of the oil that powers the world's second-largest economy.As the vessels enter the South China Sea, they ply waters increasingly controlled by China's growing military, from the missile batteries and airfields at its bases on disputed islands to its stealthy Type 055 destroyers.But when crossing the Indian Ocean, joined by others headed to China from Africa and Brazil…

01 Dec 2023

Russia Fails to Get Re-elected to the IMO

© Kekyalyaynen / Adobe Stock

Russia on Friday failed to win enough votes for re-election to the United Nation's shipping agency's governing council after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had urged countries not to allow Moscow to be part of the UN body's executive arm.The outcome is another blow for Russia after it failed in its bid to return to the UN's top human rights body in October, in an election seen as a key test of Western efforts to keep Moscow isolated.Last year Moscow also failed to win…

26 Nov 2023

Engine Room Fire Investigation Highlights Due Diligence Failings

Source: ATSB

A fire on board a multi-purpose vessel chartered by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) while transiting the Southern Ocean highlights the risks and challenges of operating in harsh, remote conditions.On April 5, 2021, the 145 meter MPV Everest was en route from Antarctica to Hobart with 37 crew and 72 Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) staff on board when a fire broke out in its port engine room.The fire was contained and eventually extinguished using the engine room water mist fixed fire-extinguishing system after about 2.5 hours…

15 Nov 2023

Wärtsilä Launches 'World's First' 4-stroke Engine-based Ammonia Solution

Credit: Wartsila

Finland-based marine technology and equipment maker Wärtsilä has introduced the marine sector’s "first commercially available 4-stroke engine-based solution for ammonia fuel."According to Wärtsilä, the new solution enables a significant advance in sustainable shipping operations – during a time in which ship owners are seeking viable options among green fuels. The ammonia solution is now commercially available as part of the Wärtsilä 25 engine platform, which was launched in September 2022.Viridis Bulk Carriers…

28 Nov 2023

Damen Introduces Fully Electric SOV with Offshore Charging

Source: Damen

Damen Shipyards Group has officially launched a fully electric service operations vessel (SOV), 70 meters x 17 meters, with its offshore charging capabilities.To achieve offshore charging, Damen has partnered with UK-based MJR Power & Automation – a company that has previously developed an offshore charging system for a crew transfer vessel.The charging system uses the motion-compensated gangway to create a connection between the vessel and a turbine or substation offshore, in much the same way a personnel transfer is undertaken.