Html News

ClassNK has released the latest version 2.0.0 of “PrimeShip-PSC Intelligence”, a mobile app to assist the improvement of Port State Control (PSC) performance and ship management systems, provided free of charge."Based on the database of PSC reports inputted by ship managers, shipowners, and ClassNK, “PrimeShip-PSC Intelligence” provides various functions helping improve ship management systems, including the indication of trends of the PSC findings pointed out by each country or port and output of checklists according to the trends…

“Freedom” – the absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic governmentIt has been decades since international relations in the world order dictated true competition for sea control, sea lines of communication, access to world markets, and diplomatic partnerships. However, it is becoming increasingly alarming that nations such as Iran, China and Russia seek to accumulate/consolidate power and re-define international maritime norms, potentially at the peril of diplomatic…

The Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy has published an update March 16, 2020 to MSIB: Novel Coronavirus – Update (Change 2)An outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) may affect mariners and maritime commerce. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated their Interim Guidance for Ships on Managing Suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (see https://go.usa.gov/xdfyG) and Cruise Ship Travel (see https://go.usa.gov/xdfVP).Illness…

The 2020 Maritime Training Insights Database (MarTID) survey has just been launched. The industry needs you to take 20 minutes to complete the survey at www.MarTID.org before it closes. Your contribution will enable the creation of 2020’s comprehensive, freely distributed, global maritime training practices report that members of our industry rely on more heavily each year.Take the SurveyVessel Operator survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020MarTIDOperatorMETI survey…

Plunging into the deep, dark abyss of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard heard a loud cracking sound in their vessel—the bathyscaphe Trieste, which the Office of Naval Research (ONR) purchased for scientific observations.Already 30,000 feet below sea level, Walsh and Piccard faced the ultimate decision—risk their lives to become the first people to travel to the deepest part of the ocean, the Challenger Deep, or return to safety.The crack had scarred one of Trieste’s outer plexiglass panels.

ClassNK released its “Guidelines for Automated/Autonomous Operation of ships ~Design development, Installation and Operation of Automated Operation Systems/Remote Operation Systems”.In the field of ships, research and development of technology related to maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) has been actively carried out with the aim of improving safety by preventing human error and improving working conditions by reducing the work load on crew members, and demonstration experiments…

At one time the most powerful lighthouse in the United States was Twin Lights in Highlands New Jersey. Today it is a wonderful little museum and right now it has a very interesting show of paintings by Maarten Platje on the War of 1812. One painting is called the Great Chase and it tells this amazing story of the US Frigate Constitution being becalmed off the New Jersey coast and becoming engaged in a rowing race to keep out of range of a powerful British Squadron. The Constitution escaped and went on to have her amazing victories that year…

– The Simple Secret to Making Randomized Exams Fair  – In last month’s Training Tips for Ships, we made the important point that we must never give different people the same exam. If we use an exam over and over, our trainees will very quickly learn what questions are on the exam and share the answers with their friends. Suddenly exam scores begin going up, and time spent learning goes down – both for the wrong reasons. There are few better ways to destroy a training program.The remedy is to always provide different exams.

Recently I was attending the United Nations Science Technology and Innovation conference (STI Forum). While I attended to present on Wave Energy Conversion, the main subject at the conference was STEM education and STEM gender inequality. Almost every country in the world reports a lack of available STEM educated workers, and also reports that they have had problems engaging the non-male population in STEM professions.The discussions were extremely far and wide ranging, but when all was said and done…

Sea States, a new documentary film on the importance of the shipping industry is currently under production by Third Wave Films. Endorsed by the Connecticut Maritime Association, and the Marine Industry Foundation, the film is being funded by key stakeholders in the maritime community.Sea States will show how shipping is the life blood of our global economy. Despite the fact 90% of all consumables arrive by ship, the public remains unaware of the value of this hidden, yet massive industry.

By Michael Manuel, Associate Professor, Head - Maritime, Education and Training (World Maritime University);Murray Goldberg, President and CEO (Marine Learning Systems); and Greg Trauthwein, Editor & Associate Publisher (New Wave Media)The second annual global Maritime Training Insights Database survey examines the impact of the autonomy trend in maritime operations on the training of future “seafarers”The Maritime Training Insights Database (MarTID) steering group is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the 2019 MarTID survey…

BIMCO has launched the first of a range of updated eLearning courses tailored to meet shipping professionals’ needs, using the very latest content authoring technology and platform. The first short documentary course is NYPE 2015, which is based on one of the most popular individual contracts available through BIMCO, only takes an hour! The other two courses, one covers Time chartering and the other Voyage chartering, provides the latest details in depth. They are for anyone wanting to go to the next level in their specialist chartering knowledge by tapping into BIMCO’s expert knowledge and advice. The courses will be available on BIMCO’s new look and feel eLearning platform Docebo…

Old photos show mid-nineteenth century sailing ships abandoned in the San Francisco Bay area by crews who caught gold fever. Some of these abandoned hulls lie under the modern day city of San Francisco. Over in Sausalito, just to the north of the famous Golden Gate Bridge, what may well be the spirit of one of those buried vessels has taken shape under the direction of Captain Alan Olson, who has several decades of experience building and restoring and sailing classic wooden ships.

As vessel fires have become more prevalent in the car/ro-ro passenger segment, the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) examines these occurrences as the group voices its concerns and puts forward recommendations to mitigate the risks. The deadly fires aboard the ferries Norman Atlantic just before New Year 2014 and the Sorrento in April 2015 prompted an international response from the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) in May 2015. The number of fire incidents…

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper announced the bureau will offer more than 48 million acres offshore Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama for oil and gas exploration and development, in a lease sale that will include all available unleased areas in the Central Planning Area (CPA). “As one of the most productive basins in the world, the Gulf of Mexico remains an important component of our domestic energy strategy to create jobs, foster economic opportunities, and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil,” Hopper said. BOEM will livestream Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 247 on March 22, 2017. Livestreaming the sale enables BOEM to deliver pertinent bid information immediately to a much broader national and international audience.

The Panama Canal will hold a draw on Friday, April 29, to select the first vessel which will transit through the Expanded Canal when it is inaugurated on Sunday, June 26. The draw will take place at the Panama Canal Administration Building and a Notary Public to serve as witness. The Panama Canal invited its top 15 customers to participate in the draw for the inaugural transit. Of the invited customers, those interested in participating were required to indicate the Neopanamax vessel’s name, type and dimensions that it plans to deploy on the inauguration day of the Expanded Canal. The Executive Vice Presidency for Operations will verify that each vessel complies with the Panama Canal’s requirements.

The Nautical Institute and CIRM (the principal international association for marine electronics companies) today launched a joint initiative to improve the usability of navigation and communication technology on board ships. Speaking at the International e-Navigation Underway Conference today, David Patraiko, Director of Projects for The Nautical Institute, and Richard Doherty, Chief Technical Officer for CIRM, announced the development of the CIRM User Feedback Forum. The best way to achieve usability in a system, product or service is to ask users what they think at each stage of the design. This is the principle that underlies the concept of human-centred design (HCD). Applying HCD is a key goal of the International Maritime Organization’s eNavigation strategy.

The Panama Canal Authority has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for companies interesting in competing to design, develop, finance, construct, operate and maintain the Corozal Container Terminal. This follows the expression of interested by 13 of the world’s largest port operators in developing and operating the port. The Corozal Container Terminal will be located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, and is intended to be a common user container transshipment terminal to distribute cargo the region, including the west coast of South America, Central America and the Caribbean. It will provide services to reposition empty containers and handle local cargo, and is the first of several planned projects to enhance Panama’s logistics capacity.

The Hong Kong SAR Marine Department has advised that on 1 July the existing Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage) Regulation (Cap 413J) was replaced by a new Regulation, namely, the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage) Regulation (Cap 413O) giving effect to the latest requirements of the MARPOL Annex V -- Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships. This new regulation applies to ships within Hong Kong waters and Hong Kong registered ships wherever they are. Details of Cap 413O can be found from the website - www.legislation.gov.hk/eng/home.htm. 2.2 a ship of 12 metres or more in length overall must display a Garbage Discharge Placard (GDP) onboard to notify crew and passengers of the garbage discharge requirements.

An updated version of the “Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Selection Guide” is now available, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced today. Developed by the Ship Operations Cooperative Program with funding from MARAD’s Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance (META) Program, the guide provides ship owners and operators information on scrubber technology to assist the industry in meeting new sulfur emissions standards. Now in its fourth edition, the latest version includes guidance on regulatory requirements and compliance options…

McMurdo informs it has launched an online resource center at to help impacted vessel operators comply with the requirements of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Automatic Identification System (AIS) Mandate, which becomes effective March 1, 2016. “Many vessel operators are still learning about AIS and there is still a fair amount of confusion about how it works, as well as which AIS device is appropriate for their vessel,” said Randel Maestre, McMurdo Chief Marketing Officer. The resource center, located at info.mcmurdogroup.com/AIS-US-Coast-Guard-Mandate.html, features frequently asked questions and answers about the USCG Mandate, information about McMurdo compliant products, special offers and a McMurdo AIS dealer locator.

WAGO’s new software development environment e!COCKPIT supports automation tasks, from hardware configuration, programming, networking and simulation to visualization – in one easy-to-use, intuitive package. e!COCKPIT offers a seamless synchronized platform for automation development, allowing engineers to develop applications quickly and conveniently, slashing their time-to-market. Optimized to work with the PFC200, e!COCKPIT  helps users leverage the multiple fieldbus compatibility…

Caterpillar Inc. Group President of Energy & Transportation Jim Umpleby and Director of Investor Relations Rich Moore will speak at the Baird 2015 Industrial Conference on Wednesday, November 11. They are scheduled to speak at 11 a.m. Central Time. The presentation materials will be available at http://www.caterpillar.com/en/investors/events-and-presentations.html. The event will be webcast in real-time and available to the public at http://wsw.com/webcast/baird44/cat. Listeners should go to the website at least 30 minutes before the live event to register and to download and install any necessary audio software. The webcast will be available for replay for 90 days; no transcripts from the presentation will be made available.