Information Centre News

Incat Crowther has been commissioned by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation to design a new 300-passenger, high-speed catamaran for US operator Yankee Freedom.The new vessel, Yankee Freedom IV, will replace the 250-passenger Yankee Freedom III, which was also designed by Incat Crowther. Like its predecessor, Yankee Freedom IV will provide service on the 70-mile route between Key West in Florida and the Dry Tortugas National Park.The commissioning of Yankee Freedom IV reinforces Incat Crowther’s position as one of the most trusted passenger ferry designers in North America.

Belfast Harbour, the maritime hub in Northern Ireland, said that it has opened the first dedicated cruise terminal on the island of Ireland to cater for Belfast’s growing popularity as a cruise destination.Christened as Cruise Belfast, it is a partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast.Belfast Harbour has invested more than GBP500,000 on upgrading the quayside facility which now includes a Visitor Information Centre, part funded by Tourism NI and managed by Visit Belfast. This investment represents an important step in the development of the city’s cruise tourism infrastructure.The new terminal is staffed by Visit Belfast’s…

Response plans are essential to ensure reliable national and sub-regional systems for preparedness and response, trained personnel, basic equipment and contingency plans for combating marine pollution incidents.The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) , the International Maritime Organization (IMO) -administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean, facilitated the organization of a meeting of national authorities involved in the contingency plan for the Western Mediterraean.The Fifth Meeting of the competent national authorities in charge of the implementation of the Sub-Regional Contingency Plan between Algeria…

Nitin Gadkari, India's Union Minister of Shipping will be on an official visit to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) from today (9 April 2018). During the 4 day visit, Shri Gadkari will focus on taking forward the bilateral cooperation between India andKorea in shipping, ports, inland waterways, highways, river interlinking and infrastructure sectors. An Undertaking on Mutual Recognition of Certificate of Competency of sea-farers will be signed during the visit. Known for maritime technology prowess, Republic of Korea (RoK) had partnered with the Ministry of Shipping in the Maritime India Summit held in Mumbai during April 2016. This visit will further promote the bilateral cooperation.

Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of Infrastructure and Water Management and Ronald Paul (COO Port of Rotterdam Authority) gave the official go-ahead for the deepening of the Nieuwe Waterweg and the Botlek. Rijkswaterstaat and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have joined forces to ensure that sea-going vessels with a draught of 15 metres can also reach the Botlek port. The initiation of the project took place in FutureLand, the information centre about the port of Rotterdam on the Maasvlakte. There, an exhibition will also be inaugurated today on this sizeable project, which represents an important improvement for the accessibility of the Botlek and the competitive position of the port of Rotterdam.

​Practical training on board ships for port State control officers, supported by class-based lectures, has boosted knowledge amongst participants from eight countries during a training course in Muscat and Sohar, Oman (19 February -2 March). The course was hosted by the Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Gulf Region (Riyadh MoU) and  jointly organized by International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Tokyo MoU, the Riyadh MoU and the Ministry of Transport of Oman. The focus of the course was on port State control procedures and the latest revisions to relevant IMO conventions, specifically the SOLAS, MARPOL, Load Lines and STCW treaties.

Concerns about UK coastal security are to be raised with Government Ministers following a meeting of an influential Parliamentary maritime group. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Maritime and Ports is to seek assurances from Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill MP about measures to bolster Great Britain’s inshore borders in the fight against such threats as people traffickers, organised crime, illegal fishing, terrorists and drugs smugglers. It is also to copy the letter to Shipping Minister John Hayes MP. A centralised command and control structure, multi-agency operations and co-ordinated intelligence gathering were among the issues raised at the meeting at Westminster.

The captain and first officer of an ocean going tug boat have been found guilty of drug trafficking following the biggest ever U.K. seizure of class A drugs, the country’s National Crime Agency (NCA) announced. The cocaine, worth an estimated potential street value of £512 million once adulterated, was found hidden aboard the Tanzanian flagged MV Hamal in April 2015. The vessel had been intercepted by the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Somerset and Border Force cutter HMC Valiant in the North Sea approximately 100 miles off the coast of Aberdeenshire.

SpeedCast International Limited, a global satellite communications and network service provider, and Beijing Marine Communications and Navigation Co. Ltd (MCN), a subsidiary of the China Transport Telecommunications & Information Centre (CTTIC), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Strategic Cooperation (MOU). Under the MOU, MCN and SpeedCast will form a strategic partnership by integrating MCN’s VSAT network in Asia Pacific and SpeedCast’s global VSAT networks to provide global connectivity to the maritime industry. This partnership aims to provide seamless connectivity for both MCN and SpeedCast customers wherever they are, as well as providing a wide portfolio of applications enhancing productivity, crew welfare and safety.

Abu Dhabi Ports─the master developer, operator and manager of ports and industrial zones in the Emirate―has started welcoming cruise liners at Sir Bani Yas Island, the Arabian Gulf’s first cruise beach stopover in Abu Dhabi. Two prominent luxury cruise vessels made their maiden calls at the Island last week as part of their international itinerary. Sir Bani Yas Island, an award-winning nature and wildlife island reserve, has long been a popular leisure destination. One of the largest natural islands in the UAE, Sir Bani Yas features three luxury Anantara resorts as well as a wide range of activities for guests of all ages. These include archery, horseback riding, land sailing, pearl diving, kayaking and more.

Inmarsat welcomed the President of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping to its London headquarters, as part of the President’s historic State Visit to the UK. The visit reflects the close working relationship between Inmarsat and China. China was one of the eighty-six countries that came together to found Inmarsat with a maritime safety mandate and over thirty five years later Inmarsat continues to contribute to safety and security in Maritime and Aviation and more recently during disaster situations in China. President Xi, accompanied by HRH The Duke of York, the Chinese Ambassador to London, Mr Liu Xiaoming, The Right Honourable Greg Hands and Inmarsat executives…

Sif Group, Verbrugge International and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have signed an agreement in principle for the construction of a production and storage/handling terminal in Rotterdam. Sif Group and Verbrugge are planning to set up a joint venture to bring the storage and logistics of the foundations, so-called monopiles, under one roof. At the terminal, which covers around 42 hectares, Sif Group will produce steel foundations for offshore wind farms and the oil and gas industry. It is the market leader in the production of monopiles for the offshore wind market in the North Sea.

Brent on track for biggest annual drop since 2008; stimulus measures from Japan, China lend some support. Brent crude oil rose to $60 per barrel on Monday, supported by concerns about disruption to exports from Libya, but a global supply glut kept prices nearly 50 percent off their peak for the year. A fire at one of Libya's main export terminals has destroyed 800,000 barrels of crude - more than two days of the country's output - officials said, as clashes escalated between factions battling for control of the nation.. Libya currently produces around 385,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil - down from peak production of over 1 million bpd - but this is a small fraction of the global supply glut, analysts said.

General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics, announced today that it will continue to support and expand the analytic engine and reporting system for the Arkansas Health Care Payment Improvement Initiative (AHCPII). Arkansas was the first state to implement this type of statewide payment reform initiative that rewards service providers for providing high-quality, cost-effective care under the Medicaid program. Since its inception in 2012, the AHCPII has resulted in healthcare costs being reduced or stabilized in certain cases, along with improvements in appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing and perinatal screenings.

With the ocean moving more than 90% of world commerce, keeping it secure is of vital importance – yet our ability to monitor activity at sea is somewhat more challenging than on land given the vastness of the oceans. Also many maritime monitoring systems rely on ships to ‘opt-in’, that can leave potentially risky blind spots in our picture of maritime traffic. This article, derived from a presentation that David Beard of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory gave at the recent DMC and NovaSAR International Conference…

Chinese single-handed sailor Guo Chuan starts 2013 tackling strong winds & towering waves of the Southern Ocean’s Roaring Forties. The Chinese yachtsman is attempting to set a new world record for solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. No sailor has ever attempted this in a boat as small as his 40-foot (12-metre) vessel Qingdao. Guo cast off from Qingdao in Shandong province, eastern China, in November on the 21,600-nautical-mile journey, which is expected to take about 125 days.

Atlas Elektronik completed the delivery of the coastal surveillance sys-tem, which has been ordered by the Bulgarian Ministry of Finance regarding the completion of the Bulgarian obligations towards the Schengen agreement of the European Union. The Sys-tem, operated by the Border Police (Ministry of Interior), covers the entire Bulgarian coastline of more than 350 km. The contract includes the delivery of the complete coastal surveillance system, whereby already existing radar sites were integrated.

"Today I met with Secretary Chu, Marcia McNutt and other scientists and geologists as well as officials from BP and other industry representatives as we continue to prepare and review protocols for the well integrity test - including the seismic mapping run that was made around the well site this morning. As a result of these discussions, we decided that the process may benefit from additional analysis that will be performed tonight and tomorrow. “Both the Helix Producer and the…

The Federal On-Site Coordinator in US has accepted yesterday night an oil cleaning device to combat the environmental consequences of the oil spill that is polluting the waters of the since the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling well on 20 April. The has accepted a high capacity, high speed off-shore skimmer offered by the European Union through the European Maritime Safety Agency and currently located in (). The Framo Transrec 150 skimmer is an off-shore device that separates oil from water. Contacts are ongoing in order to arrange details for the delivery. The US Coast Guard has also accepted last night 1200 metres of off-shore booms offered by . "Europe is ready to continue the excellent cooperation on emergency response that we have with our friends.

Vice Adm. Robert J. Papp, Jr. Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, and Rear Adm. Paul Maddison, Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic and Maritime Forces Atlantic, signed a memorandum of understanding on board the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Spencer in Boston, Friday, July 24, 2009. The MOU is to facilitate the exchange of personnel to enhance maritime domain awareness, promote the exchange of professional knowledge in operational matters, and improve tactical level interoperability in the maritime environment. Under the MOU, U.S.

With deep regret, by late Friday night, IMC had formally accepted that the six seafarers who remain missing following the crash of a United States Coast Guard’s rescue helicopter must now be presumed dead. Peter Chew, Group Managing Director of IMC made a statement through the Joint Command Information Centre following the Coast Guard’s announcement that the Search and Rescue operation was halted by nightfall on Friday. IMC continues to mourn its missing men and is doing all it can for their families and loved ones. Frederick Chavalit Tsao, the IMC Chairman, arrived in Alaska on Saturday morning to see the crew of the Selendang Ayu and meet all involved in the emergency operations. On Sunday he was in Juneau to meet Admiral James C.