Advisory Services News

Ammonia-to-power solutions provider Amogy announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan-based global trading and import/export company ITOCHU Corporation to explore the potential application of Amogy’s technology on ITOCHU’s maritime vessels.Amogy has developed a modularized system that transforms liquid ammonia into electrical power. This innovative technology involves “cracking” liquid ammonia into its base elements of hydrogen and nitrogen. The hydrogen is then funneled into a fuel cell for efficient generation of electricity onboard a vessel.

Cereal and oilseed imports to China, the world's biggest buyer of farm goods, will remain near record highs this year despite a recent spate of cancellations as lower global prices and a domestic output shortfall prompt purchases.China's wheat imports from Australia in January and February this year have nearly quadrupled from the same time last year, the latest customs data show. That trend should continue even after Beijing cancelled or postponed 1 million metric tons of Australian wheat last week.The cancellations, along with those for about 500,000 tons of U.S.

ABS joined Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Seatech Solutions International and Shift Clean Energy in signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop electric tugboats, part of an initiative to achieve India’s goal of becoming the ‘Global Hub for Green Shipbuilding’ by 2030.The proposed E-VOLT 50 tug aims to reduce carbon emissions, improve operational efficiency and set new benchmarks for performance and environmental sustainability in the tugboat industry.GRSE will build the platform based on the design from Seatech, and Shift will provide energy storage solutions.

Kongsberg Maritime, a Norwegian maritime equipment and technology specialist, announced a 23% reduction in CO2 emissions on the 121-meter passenger vessel MS Richard With, which is owned by Hurtigruten, a coastal ship operator and adventure travel company.The vessel finished an extensive refit last summer using Kongsberg Maritime engineering and technology and has now completed its first year back in service.Last year, Kongsberg Maritime partnered with Myklebust Verft shipyard to convert three Hurtigruten ships to hybrid technology, promising reduced emissions and quieter operations.

As technology feasibility continues to grow for methanol as a marine fuel, the main challenges for the industry’s adoption of it are investment and community readiness, according to a new report from Lloyd’s Register (LR).The report, "Fuel for Thought: Methanol", found that technology for methanol usage as a marine fuel is feasible, available and mature in certain cases. Most engine makers will have dual fuel engine models in the near term, and there is significant evidence of interest from shipowners.

LR (Lloyd’s Register) has appointed Richard de Vries (pictured right) as Area Manager for South Asia, the Middle East and Africa (SAMEA).In his new role, de Vries will lead LR’s operation across SAMEA and will be responsible for developing the business in current and emerging markets as well as identifying growth opportunities in the region including key gas, naval and offshore projects.De Vries' remit will also include LR’s traditional portfolio such as classification, compliance…

Alfa Laval has signed an agreement to acquire BunkerMetric, a Scandinavian software company that develops advanced decision support tools for the marine bunker segment. The company will be merged into weather intelligence software and decision support services frim StormGeo, now part of Alfa Laval.Headquartered in Denmark, BunkerMetric helps ship operators and bunker procurement departments find the best bunker procurement plan and improve voyage margins. Using sophisticated algorithms…

KVH Industries, Inc., announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Brent C. Bruun as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board. The Board also appointed two seasoned industry executives, David Kagan and David Tolley, as directors of KVH.Bruun first joined KVH in 2008 and has served as KVH’s Interim President and Chief Executive Officer since March 2022. He also served as Chief Operating Officer of KVH beginning in 2016, as well as Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

Online valuation and data provider, VesselsValue, said Friday it had acquired the Norwegian shipping research and advisory company, ViaMar.ViaMar, based in Oslo, is becoming part of VesselsValue which has over 200 employees across eight offices worldwide in the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, and Manila.The Norwegian company provides market research and advisory services in shipping, energy and financial markets, and, according to VV, has particularly strong relationships with major banks…

Brunswick Corporation entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Navico for $1.05 billion, bringing to Brunswick's Advanced Systems Group (ASG) well-known marine electronics brands such as Lowrance, Simrad, B&G and C-MAP."The acquisition of Navico and its award-winning brands will immediately accelerate Brunswick’s ACES (Autonomy, Connectivity, Electrification and Shared-Access) strategy, and support our vision to deliver distinctive new products and technology-enabled experiences,” said Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Corporation CEO.

Northeast Technical Services Co., Inc. (NETSCo) and Lloyd’s Register North America, Inc. (LR) are working to design and develop a Jones Act compliant wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) capable of serving the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind sector.The current pipeline of state procurement targets along the U.S. East Coast calls for 12 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity installed by 2030 and 29.1 gigawatts total installed by 2035, but the Jones Act WTIVs needed to build these wind farms do not exist.The Jones Act…

Treasury bonds are issued for the Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. (PGA) to secure funds for the Outer Port Gdynia construction project, funding to be invested in building the access infrastructure in the form of breakwaters.The Port of Gdynia Authority S.A. formally launched a procedure to select a private partner for the “Construction of the Outer Port in the Port of Gdynia” project. The deadline for submitting applications for admission to the qualification procedure is scheduled for January 15…

The Port of Gdynia Authority (PGA) in Poland has recently launched a formal procedure to select a private partner for the construction of the outer port in the Port of Gdynia.The project is a strategic investment of the Port of Gdynia Authority S.A., and is enlisted in the Polish government’s Seaports Development Program. The outer port development project, which is being prepared as a public-private partnership, consists of the construction of a new deep-water container terminal with an annual transshipment capacity of 2.5 million TEU.

The supervisor of Singaporean shipping group Xihe Holdings Pte Ltd has put seven oil tankers controlled by the company up for sale as part of efforts to recoup funds owed to creditors, three sources said on Wednesday. Xihe Holdings is part of the Lim family business empire, which also includes oil trader Hin Leong Trading and fleet manager Ocean Tankers (Pte) Ltd, both of which were placed under court-appointed supervisors earlier this year.The sale includes three crude oil supertankers and is expected to get fully underway in the coming days, the sources said.The ships were valued at a total of just over $196 million, according to vessel…

As stakeholders across the maritime industry assess future fuel options in support of the International Maritime Organisation’s 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas reduction ambitions, Lloyd’s Register (LR) and the Methanol Institute (MI) have produced a Bunkering Technical Reference on Methanol, which is among the future fuels receiving close attention.The new guidance outlines the procedures required for the safe bunkering of methanol and incorporates dedicated checklists to assist shipowners/operators…

A group of public and private partners in Washington have come together to accelerate the design of a fast foil ferry to provide zero-emissions, high-speed passenger ferry service in the Evergreen State.Participants in the Joint Innovation Project include three Washington ports that have joined forces to support the effort: Port of Anacortes, Port of Bellingham and Port of Skagit. The vessel is under design by Glosten, a naval architecture and marine engineering firm, and Bieker Boats, a performance marine craft designer.

LR has appointed Mike Holliday as Marine & Offshore president for South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa (SAMEA).In his new role, Holliday will lead LR’s Marine and Offshore operations across SAMEA, primarily based in Singapore, and be responsible for developing the business in current and emerging markets as well as identifying growth opportunities in the region including key gas, naval and offshore projects.Holliday’s remit will also include LR’s traditional portfolio such as classification…

The Hepburn and Sons LLC team welcomed David Rice, CAPT David Bauer, USN (Ret), and Gary Loberg as their newest members. David Rice serves as Senior Consultant, Material Science. David Bauer will serve as the Senior Manager, Material Science. Gary Loberg serves as Senior Manager, Advisory Services.David Rice comes to Hepburn and Sons, LLC after a career spanning 45 years at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS). During his time at NNS he served as the Manager of Contracted Research & Development and was responsible for Research & Development Programs funded by ONR/ManTech…

Matt Tremblay, SVP, Global Offshore, ABS, discusses the next hot growth market ... offshore wind. While the market grows, the question begs: Is the U.S. marine industry ready to meet demand?The American Bureau of Shipping convened a conference to discuss the pace and direction of the U.S. offshore wind market, including challenges and opportunities for maritime, offshore, subsea and logistics markets. Matt Tremblay, SVP, Global Offshore, ABS, moderated the event and shares some of its findings here.Where do you see opportunities today for growth in the U.S.

ABS, a global provider of classification and technical advisory services to the marine and offshore industries, has granted Approval in Principle (AIP) to Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI) for its LPG as Fuel system design.According to a press release, a dual-fuel engine capable of using both marine diesel oil and LPG as fuel, KHI claims the system simultaneously reduces fuel consumption and enables the engine to meet NOx Tier 3 regulations.“Using LPG as a fuel can lower emissions to air compared to conventional fuels, both in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. We are proud to work with innovative partners such as KHI…

Lithuanian company AB Klaipedos Nafta (KN) has been appointed as the operator of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Brazilian Port of Açu.To execute the contract, KN has established a company in Brazil and plans to form a team of up to 30 local specialists in 2020.KN, KN Açu Serviços de Terminal de GNL Ltda. (Brazilian SPV) and Gas Natural Açu (GNA), which is a joint venture among Prumo Logistica, BP and Siemens, signed an operation and maintenance services agreement for the provision of the relevant services.Following the signing of the agreement, KN assumes the responsibility for the provision of safe, reliable and efficient operations…

Greece-based shipping company Arista Shipping has signed an ocean data agreement with the global provider of classification and technical advisory services ABS to drive smart shipping operations.The global provider of shipping transportation services and specializes in managing the worldwide transportation of dry bulk cargoes will processed data from the ABS Metocean Hindcast Data application to guide operational decision making for its fleet and managed vessels.Advanced ABS data processing is applied to over a decade of Metocean Hindcast model data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine the wind speed, wind direction, wave height, wave period, and wave direction corresponding to a specified vessel’s route.

ABS, a global provider of classification and technical advisory services, and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME) have signed a joint development project (JDP) agreement to explore decarbonization and digitalization strategies for Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) and Ultra Large Container Ships (ULCS).A press release from ABS quoted Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Engineering and Technology as saying: "ABS is assisting leading shipping lines with evaluation of their decarbonization and digital strategies all over the world. This JDP will help us harness the potential of digitalization and drive forward decarbonization goals for the industry.”The JDP aims for DSME to develop ABS approved VLCC and ULCS vessel designs…