Oversight News

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.

Siemens is bringing immersive visualization powered by new NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud APIs to the Siemens Xcelerator platform, driving increased use of AI-driven digital twin technology and creating an industrial metaverse.“We will revolutionize how products and experiences are designed, manufactured and serviced. On the path to the industrial metaverse, this next generation of industrial software enables customers to experience products as they would in the real world: in context…

As dusk descends upon our nation's ports, casting shadows over the waterfront, another shadow looms in the digital landscape — the threat of cyber warfare. In an era where connectivity reigns supreme, our maritime infrastructure stands at a critical juncture, balancing vulnerability and resilience. The recent White House announcement of a Presidential Executive Order, and a hefty $20 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding proposal to fortify our ports, underscores the gravity of the situation.It is a fact that at this time China has manufactured 80% of our nation’s ship-to-shore cranes…

Panama's maritime authority said on Monday it has no knowledge of ships owned by Iranians being in its registry, following concerns from U.S.

The United States has asked Panama to ban Iranian vessels sanctioned by Washington from using its flag, U.S. State Department special envoy Abram Paley said on Wednesday.Paley said the request aims to prevent ships from being used for illegal actions such as supporting groups designated as Iranian terrorist organizations with oil sales.In January 2023, Panama's maritime authority said it had withdrawn its flag from 136 ships linked to Iran's state oil company in the last four years.

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has opened a West Asia Regional Headquarters in Dubai. The move aims to expand ONE's growth in the rapidly developing markets of the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and East Africa.The West Asia Regional Headquarters office will serve as ONE’s central hub across the region, encompassing functions such as commercial activities, customer service, and digitization. It will also house a team dedicated to developing regional trade partnerships and exploring…

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.

Hede (HONGKONG) International Shipping Limited has been classified by the US Federal Maritime Commission as a controlled carrier of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and added to the agency’s Controlled Carrier List.The Controlled Carrier List was further revised by removing COSCO Shipping Lines (Europe) GmbH, which has ceased serving the US trades and has cancelled its tariff. Other COSCO entities remain on the list.Controlled Carriers are ocean common carriers operating in the US-foreign trades that are…

Advanced water treatment systems are just the start of the cruise industry’s circular waste processing ambitions.Advanced wastewater treatment systems (AWTS) were revolutionary in their day. Indeed, they still are today, but with 77% of the CLIA fleet (202 ships) already using them, and another 40 specified for vessels on order, even more ambitious waste management is coming.Martin Shutler, Principal Engineer, Product Development, at Wärtsilä Water and Waste, notes that in recent…

Oil prices were little changed on Tuesday as investors eyed the impact on oil supply after attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea disrupted maritime trade and forced companies to reroute vessels.Brent crude futures rose 6 cents to $78.01 a barrel at 0726 GMT. The front-month U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures contract , which expires on Tuesday, fell 18 cents to $72.29 a barrel. The more active second-month contract dropped 10 cents, or 0.1%…

This article examines 10 structural safeguards in Coast Guard Suspension and Revocation (S&R) Proceedings that ensure Coast Guard Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) decisional independence. These safeguards separate potential agency influences from the ALJ decision making process and are critical to mariner due process and fundamental fairness. We will start with an overview of Coast Guard S&R proceedings, followed by brief discussions of the Administrative Procedure Act, Administrative Law Judges, and U.S. Office of Personnel Management oversight.

AUKUS defense ministers have reaffirmed their resolve to bolster security and stability and ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains a region free from coercion and aggression.A statement was released after Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia, and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom, at the Defense Innovation Unit Headquarters in California on December 1.AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

Robotics company Greensea IQ has launched its most advanced EverClean service robot to date.The company says the improvements represent a significant leap forward in the realm of supervised reliable autonomy with over-the-horizon operational capability for underwater hull maintenance.OPENSEA is Greensea IQ’s extensively refined and modified software system that provides the robot's capability to deliver fast and efficient hull cleaning. The new EverClean robot features depth aided navigation, smarter obstacle avoidance, improved manoeuvring and enhanced user interaction capabilities.

AAL Shipping has claimed a first for becoming the first project heavy lift carrier to publish a carbon surcharge guidance to help its customers prepare for the increased costs related to forthcoming European Union regulations on carbon emissions.The move comes ahead of the extension of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to cover the maritime industry, affecting shipping lanes between Europe and the rest of the world from January 1, 2024 with fixed charges for every ton of CO2 emitted.With these additional costs directly attributed to multipurpose cargo operations…

A 36-meter custom built passenger ferry has been delivered to Guadeloupe-based operator CTM Deher by Incat Crowther.The new 316-seat passenger ferry has been designed to safely and efficiently service CTM Deher’s passenger and tourism routes in the French West Indies and is expected to begin operating in late 2023.The new ferry, named Miss Outre-Mer, was designed using Incat Crowther's digital shipbuilding process. This meant CTM Deher and Incat Crowther worked closely together to deliver the complete digital ship design before physical construction began at PT Kim Seah Shipyard in Indonesia.

When asked about the top issues facing shipbuilders, executives at the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) listed a number of topics and concerns. SCA is the only national trade association representing U.S. shipyards engaged in the building and repairing of military and other government and commercial vessels, and companies providing goods and services to the shipbuilding industry.Shutdowns have consequencesMatthew Paxton and Paula Zorensky are, respectively, SCA President and Vice President. Their top federal concern at the end of September? A U.S.

Naval architecture firm Glosten announced it has completed the design for the R/V Thuwal II, KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)’s new research vessel optimized for generalized oceanography and tailored to the Middle East’s hot climate.Once built, it will be the largest and most specialized research vessel based in the Red Sea, supporting everything from biology to geology.The new vessel will replace the existing Thuwal, which is more than 20 years old and has served KAUST scientists for as many as 220 days at sea per year since 2013.

A new white paper published by maritime performance management company Opsealog sets out five practical steps that OSV operators can take to secure improvements in fuel efficiency through better data analytics.Existing data that companies are already collecting, for example in mandatory logbooks, can enable significant vessel and fleet efficiency gains, says Opsealog.With case studies drawn from Opsealog’s eight years of experience across the world’s offshore markets, the research highlights how having detailed digital monitoring in place helps owners…

Dutch shipbuilding conglomerate Damen announced it has secured approval from classification society Bureau Veritas as well as the Dutch and Belgian flag authorities for its designs of methanol-powered workboats.The shipbuilder said it can now offer designs for a wide range of methanol-powered compact vessels, ranging from tugs, stationary dredgers and high-speed vessels to fast crew suppliers, pilot boats, stan patrols and fast ferries, as and when the engines for these types…

The maritime industry has seen a very long sequence of environmental regulations since the first implementation of MARPOL in the early 1970’s. All of these regulations have very much benefitted the ocean environment and also our industry to some degree. One of those regulations, OPA90, has had an outsized effect to an extent that it may no longer be as effective as it was in recent years due to its own success.Tanker oil spills in the United States have become so rare that people with actual U.S.

New York State Canal Corporation has donated one of its retired workboats to be displayed as part of a new educational exhibit set to open in Amsterdam, N.Y. in spring 2024.The vessel, Tender 4, was built in 1926 by American Boiler Works in Erie, Pa., and went on to serve nearly a century for the Canal Corporation, a New York State public-benefit corporation responsible for the oversight, administration and maintenance of the state's canal system.One of nine tenders built for the Canal Corporation in the 1920s…

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has enhanced it cyber safety unified requirements (URs) to reflect new survey requirements, industry feedback and applicability.To address the need to enhance the cyber resilience of ships, last year IACS published UR E26 “Cyber Resilience of Ships”, and UR E27, “Cyber Resilience of On-Board Systems and Equipment”, which applied to new ships from January 1, 2024.Since the publication of these requirements, and as experience of cyber security oversight in the maritime sector grows…