Primary News

Venezuela's loss of a key U.S. license that allowed it to freely export and increase investment in its oil sector will hit the volume and quality of its crude and fuel sales while prompting a flurry of requests for individual U.S deal authorizations.U.S. officials had warned that absent progress by President Nicolas Maduro on implementing an electoral roadmap agreed last year, the U.S. would not renew license 44, which since October had eased oil sanctions in place for the last five years.On Wednesday…

The Biden administration said it would not renew a license set to expire early on Thursday that had broadly eased Venezuela oil sanctions, moving to reimpose punitive measures in response to President Nicolas Maduro’s failure to meet his election commitments.Just hours before the deadline, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on its website that it had issued a replacement license giving companies 45 days to “wind down” their business and transactions in the OPEC country's oil…

EST-Floattech will be providing the battery system for the purpose-built electric-landing utility vessel (E-LUV) to be built at Coastal Workboats’ new yard Stornoway. The company will also provide the shore-based power supply system.The collaboration with Coastal Workboats Scotland is realized due to Coastal Workboats receiving a £6 million (€7 million) grant to demonstrate the UK's first commercial electric workboat and charging station from the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.The BV-classed E-LUV is set to be the UK's first commercial electric workboat.

Russia's seaborne oil product exports fell 4.2% in March from the previous month to 10.178 million metric tons due to unplanned maintenance at refineries and a uel export ban, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed.Russia's daily offline primary oil refining capacity has jumped by around a third in March to 4.079 million metric tons from February due to drone attacks, Reuters calculations based on data from industry sources showed.Last month, a fire broke out after a Ukrainian drone attack at the Norsi refinery…

Norwegian power solutions provider Bergen Engines has secured DNV’s approval of its methanol-ready statement for marine engines.According to Bergen Engines, methanol will be an important fuel option for marine applications and is currently adapting research accordingly, with the maritime industry in focus.Methanol, a versatile and sustainable fuel when produced from renewables, offers numerous advantages for Bergen medium-speed engines, the company said, adding that its efficient…

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…

U.S. automakers General Motors and Ford will reroute affected shipments after a bridge collapse in the U.S. shuttered the Port of Baltimore, but the companies said on Tuesday the impact will be minimal."We expect the situation to have minimal impact to our operations. We are working to re-route any vehicle shipments to other ports," GM said in a statement.The Port of Baltimore is the busiest U.S. port for car shipments, handling at least 750,000 vehicles in 2023, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration.

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…

Esgian reports fresh finds confirmed in Guyana, China and Norway in its Week 12 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report Outline:ContractsDolphin Drilling has announced the award of a $154 million drilling contract from India's exploration and production company, Oil India Limited (Oil India), to the 6,000-ft semisub Blackford Dolphin.Malaysian offshore drilling firm Velesto confirmed Friday it had recently secured long-term contract extensions for three of its jackup rigs with Petronas Carigali…

Green Ships Invest has signed a contract to purchase of Amogy’s carbon-free ammonia-to-electrical power systems for a fleet of new environmentally friendly platform supply vessels (PSV). Green Ships, which is designing/procuring so-called ePSVs (electrical PSVs), had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Amogy in October 2023.Under the newly signed contract, Green Ships Invest will design the ePSV to be equipped with 2 megawatts (MW) of clean energy capacity through the integration of ten of Amogy’s pioneering 200 kilowatt (kW) ammonia-to-electrical power systems.

Mohammad “Ali” Usman has been hired as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Federal Maritime Commission and appointed to be a member of the Senior Executive Service.Usman will serve as director in all areas of information technology (IT) and as the primary IT technical advisor to the Managing Director.He assumes his new duties effective immediately.“Well functioning, publicly accessible, and secured information systems are vital to being able to meet the mission of a government agency in the 21st Century. Mr.

U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to build a floating U.S. military port to speed up aid to Gaza could take up to 60 days to become a reality and involve more than 1,000 American troops, the Pentagon said on Friday.The Pentagon offered the timeline a day after Biden announced the initiative in his State of the Union speech, as he seeks to cool anger in his Democratic Party over his staunch support for Israel's offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7.The United Nations has warned that widespread famine in the Gaza Strip is "almost inevitable" without urgent action.

HII announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding division (NNS) recently began topside testing of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) on aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79).EMALS, first integrated into USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), replaces the existing steam catapults currently in use on the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.Following successful “no-load” testing on catapults one and two, known as the ‘bow cats,’ the NNS team, alongside the John F. Kennedy crew, has now started “dead-load” testing.

A 300-acre property along the Mississippi River in Herculaneum, Missouri recently received Port District zoning making way for redevelopment as an intermodal transportation hub and industrial park.Located on the shipping lanes of the Mississippi River, the site has been utilized since the 1700s as a port. With its easy access for barge loading and offloading and the site’s proximity to early lead mines in adjacent Washington County, under early French ownership the port was utilized to ship lead cannonballs and shot to Europe to support Napolean’s army.

Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled a new ship design based on modern defense and security requirements. The Multi-Purpose Support Ship (MPSS) has been co-developed with the Portuguese Navy, the vessel’s launching customer. It is a solution for the increasing use of drone technology in combat and surveillance. In addition to its primary function, the MPSS is designed to fulfil a wide range of additional tasks, including auxiliary roles.Damen has begun construction of the first vessel of this new design.

The Coast Guard has struggled for years to recruit and retain a sufficient workforce. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the non-partisan, fact-based arm of the Congress, has published multiple reports related to the Coast Guard’s workforce including recruitment and retention challenges. Three of these reports published in 2022 and 2023 have resulted in 17 GAO recommendations to address these issues, but as of today, 16 remain open and need to be addressed. Implementing…

Esgian reports rig-related updates from Dolphin Drilling, Diamond Offshore, and Seadrill in its Week 9 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report Outline:ContractsDespite Tullow Oil’s recent announcement that it would take a break from drilling offshore Ghana, Noble Corp. has stated that there has been no contract termination announcement and that its 12,000-ft drillship Noble Venturer is currently still contracted to Tullow into March 2025.Masirah Oil Ltd has signed a rig contract with…

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…

Swiss marine power company WinGD and Japanese shipbuilder and technology developer Mitsubishi Shipbuilding have completed the initial design of an ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS) for vessels powered by WinGD’s X‑DF‑A ammonia-fueled engines.The AFSS design is the first result of a wide-ranging partnership announced last year that will develop solutions for ammonia engines and fuel systems that can be applied across a range of vessel designs.The project will now proceed to the detailed design phase…

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

Qatar's planned expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production could see it control nearly 25% share of the global market by 2030 and squeeze out rival projects including in the United States where President Biden paused new export approvals, market experts say.Qatar, one of the world's top LNG exporters, plans an 85% expansion in LNG output from its North Field's current 77 million metric tons per year (mtpa) to 142 mtpa by 2030, from previously expected 126 mtpa.Some market experts said that the move will have an impact on global projects in the United States…

Dozens of oil tankers used by Russia have stopped sailing under the Liberian and Marshall Islands flags in recent weeks after the United States ramped up sanctions enforcement on ships linked to those registries, according to shipping data and interviews with industry and government officials.The shift reflects the close relationship between the U.S. and the flag administration companies of Liberia and the Marshall Islands, which are headquartered not in their home countries, but in Virginia, just miles from Washington D.C. and within the jurisdiction of U.S.

30 years ago shaft generators with PTI capability kept container ships sailing at top speed. That purpose gone, PTI/PTO is making a new comeback in more cargo shipping segments, this time for reducing emissions.Retrofitting a shaft generator is not an insignificant undertaking. Around 50 tons of equipment needs to be installed into the engineroom through a hole in the hull. A new section of shaft is usually required.That a few shipowners are undertaking such projects - Klaveness Combination Carriers on the Ballard…