Panel Of Experts News

Russia has been quietly shipping refined petroleum to North Korea at levels that appear to violate the mandates of the United Nations Security Council, a U.S. official said on Thursday, adding the U.S. is planning new sanctions in response.The disclosure came on the first day after a U.N. panel of experts monitoring enforcement of longstanding U.N. sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear weapons and missile programs was disbanded after a Russian veto."At the same time that Moscow vetoed the panel’s mandate renewal…

The Methanol Institute has welcomed multi-disciplinary methanol consultancy GREEN MARINE as its latest member. The Denmark-headquartered company has recently finalised a specialist training program for crew onboard methanol dual-fuel vessels.A recent report commissioned by the Maritime Just Transition Task Force Secretariat predicts a rise in the number of seafarers needing training on alternative fuel technologies in the 2040s to between 310,000 and 750,000 people.The curriculum…

Singapore-based oil trader Winson Group denied on Tuesday a U.N. Security Council report alleging that it supplied fuel to North Korea in breach of international sanctions."Winson denies, in the strongest possible terms, any and all allegations and/or insinuations that it knowingly facilitated the illicit supply of oil to North Korea in breach of any United Nations Security Council resolutions, and/or that it is a 'key node' in North Korea's procurement of oil or refined petroleum products…

The U.S. offshore safety regulator BSEE has formed a panel to investigate a fatal incident that happened earlier this month at a Fieldwood Energy-operated oil platform, in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Louisiana.As previously reported, an offshore worker died on Saturday, May 15, in an incident that, according to Fieldwood, happened during a non-emergency casing pressure test on a shut-in well, at Eugene Island Block 158, Platform #14.The platform sits around 125 miles southwest of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico.Now…

Maritime security risk management firm Dryad Global announced Tuesday it has appointed Teresa Peacock as its first non-executive director.Peacock is currently managing director at maritime staffing and recruitment firm Spinnaker Global and a member of the Maritime UK’s Diversity Taskforce, a board member of the Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA UK) and a part of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women and Work. Her experience spans a career in recruitment of over 30 years…

“Dark fleets” believed to be from China have been fishing in North Korean waters, potentially netting Pyongyang millions of dollars in illicit fees and forcing smaller North Korean vessels further afield, a series of reports said this week.The South Korean coast guard as well as independent experts monitoring the implementation of United Nations sanctions have reported for years that ships of Chinese origin have been observed fishing in North Korean waters, in some cases having paid to obtain rights from North Korean authorities.In several new reports…

A panel of experts advising Japan's government on a disposal method for radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant on Friday recommended releasing it into the ocean, a move likely to alarm neighboring countries.The panel under the industry ministry came to the conclusion after narrowing the choice to either releasing the contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean or letting it evaporate - and opted for the former. Based on past practice it is likely the government…

In a year when promoting and empowering women is a dominant theme throughout the maritime community, International Maritime Organization (IMO) hosted a special event at the Nor-Shipping exhibition (6 June) to highlight the some of the challenges – and the solutions – around encouraging women to take up seafaring roles.An all-female panel of experts, with many years' combined seagoing experience, spoke of some of the issues they have faced and which still need to be tackled. Many were simple yet vital things.One panellist spoke of the absence of sanitary products on board (despite shaving equipment being readily available) or a means to dispose of them. Another mentioned the real threat of sexual harassment and even assault.

Shipping Container IoT visionary Loginno is adding another strong player, as Flemming Frost, 35-year veteran logistics manager, jumps in to assist in the creation of Contopia (a mesh of "Container" and "Utopia").Loginno is creating Contopia, the world’s Internet-of-Shipping-Containers infrastructure, by partnering with shipping companies to convert entire container fleets to IoT-enabled fleets, mining cargo, and voyage data through a patented low-cost device. This  initiative "The Contopia Factor," or TCF for short, to be revealed June 6th.A well-rounded manager with more than 35 years of business experience from the transport and logistics industry…

A Libyan coastguard commander sanctioned by the United Nations for alleged human trafficking and migrant smuggling said he hits migrants but does so for their own safety to prevent them from capsizing.Abdalrahman al-Milad, who heads a coastguard unit in Zawiya, just west of Tripoli, was one of six people sanctioned for involvement in people trafficking or smuggling in Libya on June 7, in the first move of its kind.The sanctions freeze bank accounts of those listed and ban them from travelling internationally…

P&O Cruises marked a construction milestone last week as it cut the first piece of steel for its newest ship being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg. The steel cutting ceremony was attended by P&O Cruises senior vice president, Paul Ludlow; Carnival UK president Josh Weinstein and managing director of Meyer Werft, Tim Meyer. Josh Weinstein said: “This is the first time in 20 years that P&O Cruises has had a ship built by Meyer Werft and I’d like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to get us to the first stage in the life of this ground-breaking vessel. Meyer Werft has an enviable track record of producing genuinely…

A U.N. monitoring group wants to enlist the help of the world's biggest oil trading companies to enforce sanctions that cap the amount of crude and related products North Korea can import, the coordinator said.The U.N. Security Council ramped up sanctions last year after North Korea said it had conducted missile tests that put the U.S. mainland in range of its nuclear weapons.Under the restrictions, Pyongyang is limited to importing 4 million barrels of crude and 500,000 barrels…

The Wind Propulsion Innovation Awards were created by the International Windship Association (IWSA) to honor the pioneers of technological innovation in wind propulsion striving to support the shipping industry to decarbonizes whilst maintaining commercial and operational performance. The IWSA Awards sought to spotlight both individuals and companies making a significant difference in advancing wind propulsion in the maritime sector. In July some 40 nominations were received at IWSA headquarters. These were assessed and shortlisted by a panel of experts drawn from across the shipping sector.

Europe’s largest port is the latest to allow the GAC EnvironHull’s eco-friendly hull cleaning system to operate in its waters. The launch of HullWiper at Rotterdam, widely acknowledged as a pioneer in innovation and shipping technology, was marked by a panel discussion, webinar and live demonstration. The Port of Rotterdam’s Senior Manager, Peter Mollema, said the ground-breaking technology exactly aligns with Rotterdam’s ambition to be the most sustainable port of its kind. “In its 'The Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016' the World Economic Forum has for the fourth consecutive time declared that the Netherlands has the best port infrastructure,”  he told more than 100 industry figures from the city and beyond who gathered at the Floating Pavilion or followed the event online.

A U.N.-blacklisted North Korean shipping company continues to evade sanctions through its use of foreign-flagged ships, name changes and other means of obfuscation, according to a new report by United Nations monitors. The U.N. Security Council's Panel of Experts on North Korea, which monitors implementation of sanctions on Pyongyang, also said the reclusive communist nation has continued to export ballistic-missile technology to the Middle East and ship arms and materiel to Africa in violation of U.N. restrictions. "Given the stated intentions of (North Korea), it continued efforts to enhance the scope of its nuclear and missile programs ...

Simrad HALO Pulse Compression Radar has been awarded the Technology Award at the 2015 National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Conference and Expo in Baltimore, Md. The NMEA 2015 Technology Award is judged by an independent panel of experts recognizing exceptionally innovative consumer marine products. Simrad HALO Pulse Compression Radar is the world’s first high-performance, solid-state, open-array radar system with pulse-compression technology, suitable for recreational and light marine markets. Combining the advantages of Broadband Radar and traditional pulse radar systems, HALO Pulse Compression Radar provides navigational visibility and awareness…

The Australian Government has thrown domestic shipbuilders an A$89 billion (US$ 66 billion) lifeline. It plans to deliver a long-term plan for a strong and sustainable naval shipbuilding industry. Over the next 20 years the Government will invest the $89 billion in ships and submarines for the Navy. It's also still unclear whether local yards will benefit from a submarine program that accounts for a hefty chunk of the promised funding. This critical investment will generate significant economic growth and sustain several thousand Australian jobs over decades. It is a key part of our commitment to a safe and secure Australia. The Government will implement a continuous build of surface warships in Australia.

Trade Connect, the Port of Los Angeles’ award-winning export education outreach program, formally debuted its new website, LATradeConnect.org, at today’s Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners Meeting. “Trade Connect plays a vital role in strengthening our nation’s economy by helping U.S. companies grow their business in the global marketplace,” said Ambassador Vilma Martinez, President of the Los Angeles Harbor Commission. Established in 2007, Trade Connect is a one-stop resource for small and midsize U.S. businesses looking to learn the nuts and bolts of exporting their made-in-America goods and services. The program offers a wide variety of beginning…

A North Korea shipping company has been renaming and reflagging its vessels so it can evade an arms embargo, a UN report has said. The effort by Pyongyang-headquartered Ocean Maritime Management Company, Ltd. is detailed in the report by a panel of experts that monitors sanctions on North Korea. The report makes clear the challenge of keeping banned arms and luxury goods from a nuclear-armed country with a history of using front companies to duck detection. North Korea is under United Nations sanctions because of its nuclear tests and missile launches. In addition to arms, Pyongyang is banned from importing and exporting nuclear and missile technology and is not allowed to import luxury goods.

According to United Nations, Libyan authorities need an international maritime force to help as they are unable to halt the illicit trade in oil or the flow of weapons in and out of the country, says a Reuter's report. UN likely increase pressure on major world powers to consider intervention to stop the North African state from spinning further out of control, as per the confidential report by the U.N. Security Council's Panel of Experts on Libya. "The capacity of Libya to physically prevent (arms) transfers is almost nonexistent and there is no authorization to enforce the arms embargo on the high seas or in the air as there were during the 2011 revolution," the panel wrote in the report.

The next generation of connectivity between ship and shore will be dominated by the development of applications to help ship owners and managers reduce costs by enhancing operational efficiency, automating processes, and avoiding expensive repairs, according to one of the world’s leading suppliers of satellite communications to the maritime industry. Brent Bruun, Executive Vice President of Mobile Broadband at KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI), recently spoke at the CMA Shipping 2015 conference in Stamford…

Maritime experts are torn on how to curb the menace of overweight shipping containers, which cause severe accidents at sea and on the roads. The difficulties of resolving false declarations of the weight and content of boxes were underlined during a panel discussion at the WISTA-UK Liverpool Forum. WISTA-UK is encouraging debate on the critical question of container weight. The forum audience was informed that insurers estimate that 20% of containers crossing seas and highways are overweight…

North Korea accused Mexico on Wednesday of illegally detaining one of its ships with some 50 crew and warned it would take "necessary measures" to release the vessel, which United Nations sanctions monitors say belongs to a blacklisted shipping firm. The 6,700-tonne freighter Mu Du Bong, which had come from Cuba, ran aground in July on a reef 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Tuxpan in Mexico's Veracruz state. Mexico said the ship remains in the port of Tuxpan. North Korea's Deputy UN Ambassador An Myong Hun told a small news conference on Wednesday that the Mu Du Bong was not linked to the blacklisted firm, Ocean Maritime Management Company, and therefore not subject to U.N. sanctions.