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Uk Department Of Transport News

16 Aug 2023

Artemis Technologies Unveils 'Revitalized' Crew Transfer Vessel

Credit: Artemis Technologies

Artemis Technologies on Thursday announced what it described as "the latest evolution" of the Artemis EF-12 Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) and daughter craft, featuring a revitalized design that, the company says, raises the bar for crew comfort and operational excellence during offshore missions."The Artemis EF-12 CTV has been designed for everyday crew transfer operations, providing seamless transportation for personnel between port or vessel and offshore installations," Artemis Technologies said.Key Enhancements of the Revitalised Artemis EF-12 CTV…

06 Sep 2019

Over 40% of Maritime Firms Fail to Fund Training

Global research recently conducted by Lloyd’s Maritime Academy has revealed that over 41% of people surveyed still receive no funding from within their business for training, with a mere 20% stating that they receive 75-100% funding. Following over 500 responses from professionals around the world and from different sectors of the maritime industry, the research also highlighted that there is still an alarmingly high percentage of companies experiencing a retention problem. Ted Bailey, Head of Digital Learning at Lloyd’s Maritime Academy states: “Given the funding figures it comes as no surprise that we had 40% of our respondents answer yes to the question: ‘Is retention a challenge for your business?’.

07 Jan 2019

DFDS Gets Brexit Contract by the UK

Danish shipping and logistics company DFDS has been awarded a contract by the UK government to provide additional ferry capacity in the North Sea.Maria Anagnostou, Fleet Management, will be responsible for handling DFDS’ contract about additional ferry capacity in the North Sea with UK Department for Transport.The  UK Department for Transport announced that it had signed a contract with DFDS to provide additional ferry capacity to prepare for “the possibility of severe congestion at and around UK ports from 29.3.2019, caused by increased border checks by European Union Member States”.As a no-deal Brexit scenario could ‘cause disruption at the Dover-Calais crossing to the supply of vital goods,’ the Department of Transport has awarded DFDS a contract of €47 million.

26 Jul 2018

Women in Shipping: 21st Century Workforce

In an industry facing significant skill shortages many organizations are ready to take a fresh approach to recruiting and retaining women in the shipping workplace. According to Lee Clarke, Regional Director – Northern Hemisphere at Dynama, the first place to start is establishing an accurate gender profile of your organization using workforce management technology.Of the estimated 1.25 million seafarers in the world, fewer than 2% of them are thought to be women. For example, in the UK the maritime minister Nusrat Ghani MP – who herself is only the second woman to hold the UK Department for Transport portfolio for the country’s maritime sector – has praised the establishment of the ‘Women in Maritime Taskforce’.Set up by Maritime UK…

12 May 2017

UK Chamber Shipping Upbeat after US abandoning Jones Act Amendments

US authorities have abandoned plans to tighten Jones Act coastal shipping rules – and it’s all thanks to the coordinated efforts of international government administrations, US energy firms and shipping bodies, in which the UK Chamber played its part. A statement from UK Chamber of Shipping said that America’s Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) on January 18 announced a plan to revoke past US CBP rulings that allow non-US flagged offshore vessels to carry out specialised services in specific circumstances for US offshore energy projects. Under the Jones Act, vessels carrying cargo between American ports must be US-built, owned by US citizens and crewed by US seafarers.

13 Jan 2017

Europort Tackles Shipping’s big issues

Shipping’s data revolution, its environmental responsibilities and its continuing reliance on ‘the human factor’ will be the focus of attention as the eyes of the maritime world turn once more to Rotterdam between 7th-10th November 2017, for the staging of the long-established, and always well-supported Europort event. Organised by Rotterdam Ahoy, Europort is the highlight of the maritime exhibition calendar in 2017, with a finely crafted programme expected to attract an estimated 30,000 visitors and 1,100 exhibitors. The Europort exhibition team has chosen three highly topical themes for the event this year. These are: Big Data; The New Environmental Age; and The Human Factor.

02 Sep 2016

How Can the Marine Industry Counteract Its Aging Workforce?

File photo: Brian Cronk

It’s been widely reported over recent years that the maritime industry is facing a workforce crisis. A lack of newly trained candidates to fill the gaps caused by retirement of an aging workforce, now compounded even further by the oil price crash, means marine companies are beginning to feel the pressure of staff shortages. The U.K. Department for Transport (DFT) predicts a shortfall of around 3,500 deck and engineering officers by 2021 in the U.K. alone, and the BIMCO / ICS Manpower Report predicts the global shortfall of 147,500 officers by 2025.

19 Apr 2016

UK MCA Contract Award to PDMS

PDMS Maritime is delighted to announce a significant new contract with the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to provide a new integrated system to incorporate seafarer management and approved doctor records, delivering process efficiency improvements and enhanced customer services, in line with the MCA's Digital Strategy. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport. Its responsibilities include UK ship registration and seafarer certification and it is widely recognised for its operational and technical ability. This investment in cutting edge digital technology is strategically aligned with the IMO's recent recommendations to reduce registry administrative burden through electronic record keeping.

24 Feb 2015

UK flag fleet Size Declines

According to UK's Department of Transport (DFT) the UK fleet size fell in 2014 from 16th place to 20th place, in terms of deadweight tonnage, decreasing by 17 per cent. Ships registered in the Crown Dependencies (primarily the Isle of Man) remained at 12th place despite tonnage decreasing by 4% over the same period. The deadweight tonnage of the UK-registered trading fleet has decreased by 27% since 2009, while the combined deadweight tonnage of the world trading fleet has increased by 34%. The total number of ships in the world trading fleet has increased by 5% from 54,125 ships to 56,759, but the number of vessels registered in the UK decreased by 36%, from 712 to 453 during the same period. In 2013, 66 ships left the UK flag, with Singapore and China being among the key beneficiaries.

03 Sep 2014

Moore Stephens Welcomes UK Tonnage Tax Training Initiative

Sue Bill

International accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens has welcomed an initiative by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) which it says will encourage the training of ratings. The DfT is to pilot a change to the tonnage tax training commitment which will allow three ratings to be trained in place of one officer-cadet. It will gather evidence regarding this proposed change with a view to making it permanent. The intention is that the pilot scheme will start in October 2015, but this is subject to the DfT receiving regulatory clearance in time.

14 Aug 2014

SW England Gets £10-M Port Transport Boost

UK's Department of Transport informs that Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced a £10 million package to improve sea links between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, upgrade roads on the island and carry out ports repairs. The new funding includes £7.3 million towards a £12.8 million scheme to improve harbour infrastructure at both St Mary’s and Penzance and £1.8 million to repair and resurface public roads on the island. "This funding will make a huge difference to the people of Scilly and also to visitors to the island, so vital to the local economy. Good transport links and high quality infrastructure are key for the island.

26 Mar 2014

UK Transport Dept. Extends Contract with BMT

BMT Reliability Consultants (BMT)  has announced a one year contract extension with the UK Department for Transport (DfT). BMT will continue working with the DfT to provide maritime statistics support, as part of the statutory legislative requirements set out in the Maritime Statistics Directive. BMT has been working with the DfT for the past nine years collating information on all maritime freight traffic and ship movements in and out of UK ports. DfT commented, “We have a statutory requirement to provide detailed and accurate maritime statistics to the EU in a timely manner.

27 Nov 2013

What About Maritime Safety if Scotland Chooses Independence?

Scots flag: Image couresy of Maritime UK

In response to the Scottish Government's release of the 2014 pre-referrendum White Paper 'Scotland Future', shipping organization Maritime UK members suggest that the publication raises as many questions as it does answers. Maritime UK members have had constructive engagement with the Scottish Government in recent months, but today’s White Paper provides some interesting nuggets – raising as many questions as it does answers. In particular, they note this extract hidden away on page 418.

22 Jul 2013

Odyssey Recovers 1.8 Million Ounces of Silver From Shipwreck

Gairsoppa - Silver

The latest recovery from SS Gairsoppa reportedly set the world record for deepest, largest precious metal recovery. Odyssey Marine Exploration said it has recovered more than 61 tons of silver bullion this month from a depth of nearly three miles. This recovery of bullion from the SS Gairsoppa, a 412-foot steel-hulled British cargo ship that sank in February 1941, consists of 1,574 silver ingots weighing about 1,100 ounces each or almost 1.8 million troy ounces in total, sets a new record for the deepest and largest precious metal recovery from a shipwreck.

13 Nov 2012

UK FTA Sulphur Directive Marine Fuel Survey

UK's Freight Transport Association (FTA) conducts survey on whether Sulphur Directive could cause modal shift from sea to road freight. The FTA is asking short sea users for feedback on how the directive could affect them. A five-minute FTA survey has been set up which will gauge the impact the directive will have across the industry. The survey is confidential and only asks for estimates based on respondents' understanding. Christopher Snelling, FTA - head of supply chain policy said: “The UK Department for Transport have said to us they need evidence about what impact cost increases or reductions in service would have on the use of short-sea shipping.

11 Oct 2012

UK Marine Safety Agency Releases Digest 2012

The Annual Digest of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) informs of lessons learned from recent accident & incident investigations. MAIB examines and investigates all types of marine accidents to or on board UK vessels worldwide, and other vessels in UK territorial waters. This Safety Digest draws the attention of the marine community to some of the lessons arising from investigations into recent accidents and incidents. It contains information which has been determined up to the time of issue. This information is published to inform the shipping and fishing industries, the pleasure craft community and the public of the general circumstances of marine accidents and to draw out the lessons to be learned.

12 Sep 2012

Sunken Treasure Hunters Latest on 'SS Gairsoppa' Project

Seabed Worker: Photo credit Swire Seabed

Odyssey Marine Exploration inform the 'Seabed Worker', will cease salvage operations to make a scheduled port call in Cork, Ireland. After taking on fuel, supplies and changing personnel, the Seabed Worker will immediately return to the site to continue recovery operations under an extension of the charter agreement. No materials recovered from the shipwreck site will be landed during this port call in Ireland. Pursuant to Odyssey's agreement with the UK Government, the company…

18 Jul 2012

Odyssey: First Load of Silver Cargo From Three Miles Deep

Odyssey Marine Exploration (Nasdaq:OMEX), announced it has successfully recovered approximately 48 tons of silver bullion from a depth of approximately three miles. This initial recovery of bullion from the SS Gairsoppa, a 412-foot steel-hulled British cargo ship that sank in February 1941, totals 1,203 silver bars or approximately 1.4 million troy ounces of silver and has been transported to a secure facility in the United Kingdom. After unloading the cargo, taking on fuel and changing  personnel, recovery operations will continue and are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2012.This record-breaking operation has so far produced the heaviest and deepest recovery of precious metals from a shipwreck.

12 Jun 2012

Treasure Hunters Contract Bullion Processors

Odyssey Marine Exploration, pioneers in the field of deep-ocean exploration, announce their contract with JBR Recovery Limited to support the logistics, refining and monetization of the anticipated silver cargoes from SS Gairsoppa and SS Mantola when recovered. Both the Gairsoppa and Mantola projects are being conducted under contract with the UK Department for Transport. Under these contracts, which follow standard commercial practices, Odyssey will retain 80% of the net salved value of the cargoes after recovery of expenses. Both merchant ships were torpedoed by German submarines, the Gairsoppa during WWII and the Mantola during WWI. During those wars, the UK government insured privately owned cargo under their War Risk Insurance program.

01 Jun 2012

Sunken Treasure Recovery Operation Mounted by Odyssey

Photo courtesy of Swire Seabed

Historical records indicate the Gairsoppa was carrying up to seven million ounces of silver and the Mantola was carrying approximately 600,000 ounces of silver when each sank. Odyssey discovered both shipwrecks in Q3 2011 and conducted a series of reconnaissance dives to both sites in March and April 2012. Both the Gairsoppa and Mantola projects are being conducted under contract with the UK Department for Transport. Under these contracts, which follow standard commercial practices, Odyssey will retain 80% of the net salved value of the cargoes after recovery of expenses.

30 Apr 2012

Shipwreck Explorers Funded for Excavations of Historic Ships

Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. deep-ocean shipwreck explorers, announce  it has delivered an additional closing notice for the Second Tranche of the financing that was previously announced in November 2011. The Company and the investor have agreed to a Second Tranche amount of $8 million. Odyssey is planning to conduct the archaeological excavation of HMS Victory (1744) under contract with the Maritime Heritage Foundation and cargo recovery operations on SS Gairsoppa and SS Mantola under contract with the UK Department for Transport in 2012. The Company has several other projects and government agreements in various stages of development throughout the world.

21 Sep 2010

European Global Navigation Satellite System

The UK Department for Transport summarized the Department’s work on the European Global Navigation Satellite System programs Galileo and EGNOS. Galileo is the European Union’s global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and will be fully interoperable with the US GPS system. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is the first pan-European satellite navigation system. It augments GPS, making it more suitable for safety-critical applications, such as navigating ships through narrow channels. (9/16/10). (Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)

17 Nov 2008

Waterborne Freight in the UK

•    Traffic on UK domestic waters accounted for 5 per cent (126 million tonnes) of all goods lifted in the UK, and 20 per cent (51 billion tonne-kilometres) of all goods moved in 2007. •    Over the decade to 2007, goods lifted on UK waters fell by 11 per cent, and goods moved increased by 6 per cent, but there have been fluctuations during the period. In 2007, goods lifted on UK waters were at the same level as 2006 and goods moved fell by 2 per cent. •    Of the total goods moved on UK domestic waters in 2007, 68 per cent was traffic around the coast; 30 per cent was one-port traffic (to or from offshore installations, or dredged materials); and 3 per cent was inland waters traffic (including both non-seagoing traffic and seagoing traffic crossing into inland waters).