Baltimore Bridge Collapse Highlights Need to Protect Critical Foundations
The collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge has highlighted what engineers say is an urgent need to better protect the piers holding up spans over shipping channels as the size of cargo ships has grown in recent decades.Federal authorities continue an investigation into why a massive cargo ship lost power and crashed into a pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, bringing down the structure and killing six workers who had been filling potholes atop it.The Maryland Transportation Authority did not respond to questions about what…
Insights: Cherrie Felder, VP, Channel Shipyard Companies
For Cheryl “Cherrie” Felder, the path to the maritime industry was both untraditional and seemingly meant to be. After studying African art, she began her career working in a museum in New Orleans before landing a role directing professional rodeo in the Big Easy.“It was a lot of fun, and I learned a whole lot,” Felder said. “But as you may imagine, New Orleans is not a rodeo town. After the third year, the board of directors decided, okay, that's it. No more rodeo.”And that’s when Felder’s doorway to the maritime industry swung open…
Ocean Infinity Inks Deal with Shell for Subsea Data Capture Services
Ocean Infinity signed a global framework agreement (GFA) with Shell to provide its robotic fleet for servicing the offshore energy sector.The GFA marks a significant milestone in the provision of lean-crewed and robotic seabed geomatics, spanning geophysical and geotechnical services, within the offshore energy sector.It covers a 5-year period, encompassing all countries where Shell is currently active or plans to operate in the future.Services governed by the GFA include the Armada fleet of uncrewed and lean-crewed vessels."This agreement enables new…
Recruiter to Cooperate in Deal with Workers Suing Major US Shipbuilders
A maritime industry recruiter has agreed to work with plaintiffs and share worker compensation data in a lawsuit accusing major U.S. shipbuilders of limiting employee mobility, marking the first settlement in the case.Attorneys for a proposed class of engineers and architects suing General Dynamics, Huntington Ingalls Industries and other companies disclosed the settlement with Faststream Recruitment on Tuesday in Alexandria, Virginia federal court.The October lawsuit said the shipbuilders violated U.S.
New England Offshore Wind Auction Draws Multiple Bidders
Several offshore wind developers bid in a combined Connecticut-Massachusetts-Rhode Island offshore wind solicitation on Wednesday, including units of European energy firms Iberdrola and Orsted.The U.S. offshore wind industry is booming so far this year, with several projects in various stages of development and construction, after a disastrous 2023 of developers cancelling contracts and taking roughly $9.1 billion in write-offs and impairments on U.S. projects.So far, Avangrid…
Cadeler Signs Wind Turbine Installation Contract Worth Up to $150M
Danish offshore wind installation firm Cadeler has signed a contract to provide its vessel Wind Scylla for the installation of offshore wind turbines for an undisclosed client.The contract is valued between $75 million and $150 million, including both the firm period and potential options.The installation work is set to start in 2025 with Wind Scylla vessel, according to Cadeler.During the project duration, spanning between 300 and 550 days, the client will utilize Cadeler’s team…
US Approves Orsted's Sunrise Wind Offshore Wind Farm
The Biden administration on Tuesday gave final approval to Orsted and Eversource's Sunrise Wind offshore wind facility, which is expected to provide power to more than 320,000 homes in New York.The announcement was the latest positive development for the project, which Denmark's Orsted warned just months ago could fail without a new contract that would cover soaring costs for equipment and financing.Orsted and Eversource said separately that they had taken a final investment decision…
Shipping Industry Faces Fuel Dilemma in Bid to Cut Emissions
The shipping industry is under increasing pressure to decarbonize, but unclear regulatory guidelines, including around what sorts of cleaner fuels large vessels should run, is complicating that path to net zero, according to executives.Global shipping firms are looking for ways to lower their carbon footprints, particularly as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which regulates the global shipping industry, is being pushed to implement a charge on the sector's greenhouse gas emissions.The IMO's Maritime Environment Protection Committee concluded its 81st meeting last week…
Leadership Profile: Tor Svanes and NAVTOR's Quest to Transform Shipping
Compliance, performance, profitability, sustainability; take the biggest ‘pain points’ for almost any shipping company and watch NAVTOR’s digital ecosystem work wonders. Here Tor Svanes, Founder and CEO, explains how NAVTOR has grown to lead the smart shipping world, why the recent merger with Voyager Worldwide was so critical, and how he hopes to help steer the industry towards brighter, simpler, and more intelligent horizons.“The morning of the announcement I got a text from the boss of one of our biggest competitors…
Van Oord Doubles Profit, Announces New CEO
Van Oord concluded 2023 with revenue reaching record high and profits more than doubled.The company saw revenue growth across both its Dredging & Infra and Offshore Energy business units, which resulted in a significantly revenue increase of 42% to EUR 2.9 billion from EUR 2.0 billion in 2022.Net profit doubled to EUR 127 million from EUR 60 million in 2022. High fleet utilisation and the continued sharp focus on risk and contract management contributed to the improved results.The order book increased by 3% to EUR 4…
Svitzer Targets Methanol-Fuelled MAN 175DF-M Engine
MAN Energy Solutions and Svitzer have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on the development of a methanol-fuelled version of the MAN 175D engine. Designated 175DF-M (Dual Fuel-Methanol), the MoU targets the finalisation of a field-test agreement based on which a dual-fuel engine and plant equipment will be installed on board one of Svitzer’s newbuild tugs.Svitzer has a long-standing relationship with MAN Energy Solutions, especially recently with the MAN 175D engine.
US Dredging: Plenty of Issues, New WRDA on the Way
2024 marks another year for development of a biennial WRDA bill—Water Resources Development Act, critical legislation for the Nation’s waterways, ports and harbors. WRDA encompasses a range of issues, from environmental regs to energy use to agriculture and, of course, a focus on projects critical for economic growth.Because these are dynamic and timely issues, Congress and the maritime sector like to keep WRDA on a two-year reauthorization timeline. Indeed, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, December and January, held three WRDA information hearings.
Demopolis: A Cautionary Tale for Increased Infrastructure Investment
Demopolis Lock—which suffered a recent catastrophic failure—is a cautionary tale for other locks and those in Congress and the White House who may fail to see the urgency and importance of investing in the inland waterways system.The nation’s inland waterways lock and dam infrastructure, largely constructed in the 1930s, has seen modernization and rehabilitation across the system, albeit very slowly. Despite those efforts, lock failures continue, and the risk of failure persists.While…
ABS Head Wiernicki Sees Global Carbon Tax on Shipping on the Horizon
ABS chairman and CEO, Christopher J. Wiernicki, said he sees a universal, global carbon tax on shipping on the horizon, as alternative blue fuels made with carbon capture emerge as a growing part of the maritime industry's ongoing energy transition.“We need to recognize that there is an intermediate step in the energy transition,” Wiernicki said during an appearance at the CERAWeek energy conference. “Last year the conversations were focused on going from oil to a green fuel economy.
Eni, Fincantieri, RINA Team for Decarb Initiatives
Eni, Fincantieri and RINA signed an agreement to develop joint initiatives for the energy transition. The partnership formalizes the commitment to develop joint projects, in line with the partners' strategies, to decarbonize the maritime sector in the medium to long term with the goal of Net Zero by 2050. Additionally, the establishment of a permanent global observatory regarding future technological, regulatory, and market developments will be evaluated.The three companies will…
Norway Approves Ammonia Bunkering Terminal
The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection gave their approval to the construction of the planned ammonia bunkering facility at Fjord Base in Florø, Norway.The planned terminal consists of a floating stationary barge with a capacity of 1,000 cu. m. (650 tons) of ammonia. The permit allows for up to 416 operations annually, many of these expected to be bunkering operations for offshore supply vessels that regularly call at Fjord Base in Florø.The planned terminal is part of Yara Clean Ammonia and Azane’s efforts to make low-emission ammonia a common fuel for shipping.
Fugro Pioneer Converts to Green Methanol
Fugro Pioneer is ready to be equipped with methanol engines after successfully converting the main components on board, the company reports, a plank in its path to reach Net-Zero operations by 2035.The geophysical vessel was converted in the Netherlands as part of the Fugro-led consortium MENENS (Methanol as Energy Step Towards Emission-free Dutch Shipping) with a grant from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).The vessel adjustments to the Fugro Pioneer allow two of its four original engines to be replaced by methanol engines…
QatarEnergy Inks Nakilat Deal for Operation of 25 LNG Ships
QatarEnergy signed time-charter party (TCP) agreements with Qatar Gas Transport Company Limited (Nakilat) for the operation of 25, 174,000 cubic meter LNG vessels as part of the second ship-owner tender under QatarEnergy’s historic LNG Fleet Expansion Program.The agreements were signed by His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy and Mr. Abdullah Al Sulaiti, the CEO of Nakilat, in a special ceremony held at QatarEnergy’s headquarters in Doha…
Surface Effect Ship Designed for Crew Transfer Vessels
ESNA and Strategic Marine have signed an agreement to develop a SES CTV (Surface Effect Ship Crew Transfer Vessel) for offshore wind applications.According to Wikipedia, a surface effect ship or sidewall hovercraft is a watercraft that has both an air cushion, like a hovercraft, and twin hulls, like a catamaran.The vessel type offers the combination of higher speed, increased operational wave height and reduced fuel oil consumption.The plan is to start building the first offshore…
Provaris Energy Begins Fabrication of Prototype Compressed Hydrogen Tank
Provaris Energy's prototype compressed hydrogen tank is now under construction, and final class approval is on track for completion in the June 2024 quarter.The proprietary tank design, which utilizes carbon steel plates and an inner liner, is part of the company’s hydrogen carrying vessel design.Awarded to Prodtex and partnered with SINTEF, the tank production project is designed for hydrogen storage and transportation. “The optimized design of the full-scale H2Neo carrier and containment tanks delivers substantial CAPEX and OPEX savings.
Esgian Week 12 Report: New Finds in Guyana, China and Norway
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…
BOEM Announces Review of Proposed Vineyard Northeast Project
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will initiate an environmental review of Vineyard Northeast’s proposed offshore wind energy project, located 29 miles offshore Nantucket, Massachusetts at its closest point. BOEM estimates the proposed project would generate up to 2,600MW of electricity, enough to power more than 900,000 homes with clean renewable energy. The approximately 132,370-acre Lease Area is located some 29 miles (mi) from Nantucket and approximately 39 mi offshore Martha’s Vineyard…
IMO Progresses MARPOL GHG Chapter
The IMO’s MEPC 81 meeting, concluded on March 22 with progress made on several fronts but the door left open to a number of risks, including that of architecture, timing, scope of emissions, compliance and enforcement, says consultancy UMAS.A new draft for a chapter in the Annex VI of MARPOL has been initiated titled “Regulations on the IMO net-zero framework”.Whilst, this new chapter is just a framework of subheadings for now, it includes all the elements needed to adopt any of the GHG policy options currently under consideration.