Renewals News

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. based maritime and industrial mechanical service repair specialist Advanced Mechanical Enterprises (AME) announced it has appointed Paul Savage as its new Operations Manager.With over 30 years of leadership and project management experience, Savage joins the AME management team from Veolia North America, where he served as Vice President, managing complex industrial and government contracts. At Veolia, Savage was at the helm of commercial, state, and federal contracts…

2023 was the first year of real recovery for owners in the offshore supply market and yet we have barely skimmed the surface of what’s to come.The market is still on an upward trajectory with charter rates accelerating month-by-month, availability changing day-by-day, leading to earnings doubling and, in some segments, tripling since the lows of 2020. Current rates will remind many of the glory days of pre-2014 with the demand for OSVs projected to remain elevated for years to come.In general…

The very first Brunvoll BruCon DP2 dynamic positioning system has passed third party verification onboard the offshore vessel Stril Mar.The BruCon DP2 installation was part of a larger power and energy management system upgrade onboard Stril Mar, delivered by SEAM AS. The upgrade and sea trial took place at Westcon Yards AS, in Ølensvåg. Through supplier SEAM AS, Simon Møkster Shipping AS ordered all batteries, a power management system upgrade, a retrofit to Brunvoll’s BruCon DP2 system…

Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) reports that it has cut 20% emissions on 75% of its fleet using a multi-prong approach of equipment technology and operational technique.A central aspect of the program involved a re-design of ESL’s vessels' propellers. In collaboration with designers from Mecklenburger Metallguss GmbH (MMG), ESL and the Peter Döhle group jointly developed and installed upgraded propellers on each ship. The use of these propellers reportedly yielded a significant improvement in overall flow and efficiency.

Stolt-Nielsen Limited has reported unaudited results for the third quarter ending August 31, 2023 including a net profit of $90.1 million with revenue of $694.4 million.This compares with a net profit of $8.3 million, with revenue of $721.9 million, in the second quarter of 2023. The second quarter included an incremental loss provision of $155.0 million (net profit impact of $105 million) related to the loss of the MSC Flaminia after a fire onboard in 2012.The net profit for the nine months of 2023 was $198.2 million with revenue of $2…

Bollinger Shipyards has begun fabrication at its newly acquired Mississippi repair facility, Bollinger Mississippi Repair, in preparation to refit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) Ship Ronald H. Brown, the largest ship in NOAA’s fleet. The overhaul is expected to extend the vessel's life, first launched in 1996, by an additional 15 years. Work is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2024.“Here on the Gulf Coast, we’re intimately familiar with the breadth and importance of NOAA’s mission…

Jennifer Carpenter has been president and CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO) in January 2020, but her time with the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry dates back to 1990. This month, she weighs in on top challenges and opportunities currently present in the industry, from difficult regulatory changes to the uptake of cleaner vessel technologies.What are some of the biggest and most important issues facing the tug, towboat and barge industry?Big picture, I feel like our industry has never been more relevant.

Satellite communications technology solutions provider Intellian announced a multimillion-dollar, multi-year partnership agreement with satellite communications service provider Speedcast, enabling the companies to collaborate in serving multiple markets with satellite connectivity, including the maritime and energy sectors.As part of the agreement, Intellian will continue to provide equipment to Speedcast as a preferred supplier, ensuring delivery to meet customer needs, despite volatile supply chain constraints.

Mariners and other transport workers seeking to renew their Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) will now be able to do so online following recent changes enacted by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).Starting August 11, 2022, current TWIC holders are able to renew their credentials online, which eliminates the need to go to an enrollment center for most applicants, including U.S. citizens, nationals and lawful permanent residents, and makes…

Norwegian chemical tanker owner Stolt-Nielsen on Thursday reported a second-quarter net profit attributable to shareholders of $58.6 million, with revenue of $689.1 million. This is an increased compared with a net profit of $52.3 million, with revenue of $606.2 million, in the first quarter.Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen, Chief Executive Officer of Stolt-Nielsen Limited, said the second quarter net profit was the company’s highest since 2007."The second quarter continued where the first quarter ended with growing demand and a shrinking orderbook for new ships…

Samson has launched ICARIA for Workboat, a full suite of digital services dedicated to tug line management. ICARIA for Workboat includes a new Inspection App designed to ease usage and condition data collection, an online portal CONNECT designed for trend and data analysis, and the company's online CLASSROOM, which includes courses designed to build crew competencies.ICARIA for Workboat will help users track line usage and maintenance, document damage, and provide the data to make line retirement decisions.The new Samson app available for iOS…

Bangladesh bought two liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes for delivery in October at record prices, two industry sources said on Friday, as low inventory in Europe boosts competition with Asia for supplies ahead of winter.The south Asian nation bought one cargo from trader Vitol for delivery in mid-Oct. at $35.89 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) and another from Gunvor for late Oct. delivery at $36.95 per mmBtu, said an official of state-run Petrobangla."Winter is yet to come but prices have gone crazy…

MPC Container Ships ASA (MPCC) announced it has reached a deal to acquire fellow Norwegian-based container shipping company Songa Container AS for $210.25 million on a debt and cash free basis. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of July 2021.Upon closing, MPCC will acquire Songa’s fleet of 11 container vessels, with an average size of 2,250 TEU and an average age of 11.9 years , creating a combined fleet of 75 ships and a total capacity of roughly 158,000 TEU. Nine of the acquired ships are fitted with scrubbers while three are equipped with the highest ice-class.Constantin Baack, MPC Container Ships CEO, said, “This…

Kongsberg Digital (KDI) and the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) are partnering to develop cloud-based simulation exercises for the international maritime education market.As a developer of cloud-based simulation software, KDI is aiming to drive the evolution of cloud simulation technology as a sustainable and immersive supplementary tool for building competencies within the maritime industry, the company said, adding its partnership agreement with USN will seek to scale up the scope of maritime training.

The blockage of the Suez Canal is likely to lead to large reinsurance claims, adding to upward pressure on marine reinsurance rates, James Vickers, chair of reinsurance broker Willis Re International, told Reuters.Formal investigations began this week into how the giant container ship Ever Given ran aground in the canal, shutting down shipping in the major global waterway for almost a week.The incident and its impact on hundreds of ships delayed in the canal would be a “large loss” for insurance market Lloyd’s of London…

A rapid escalation in pool claims and unsustainable premium rates have led North P&I Club to declare its intention to seek a 10% General Increase in P&I rates for the 2021/22 policy year.In its 2020 Pre-Renewal Report, North says its retained claims so far this year declined, with claims over $1 million slightly down. The Club also achieved a positive return on investments of 2.16% (around $20 million) by its August mid-year point, despite market volatility experienced as a result…

Classification society ABS launched a new suite of fleet management and vessel compliance services powered by its smart functionality and advanced analytics which will also be available through a new mobile app.An enhancement to the ABS MyFreedom client portal, the new portal and digital tools are designed to simplify access to operational, technical and compliance fleet intelligence and all ABS Class services to manage fleet operating health and performance.New smart functionality launched today includes:The ABS Smart Scheduler…

The shipping industry will face bottlenecks and increasing prices at ship repair yards globally once activities begin to return toward normalcy following the conronavirus health crisis, says Trusteddocks, a shipyards matchmaking platform for shipping companies and dock operators.“Our Ship Repair Index (SRI) predicts a very competitive market once activities fully resume,” says Carsten Bullemer, Trusteddocks founder and CEO. “A backlog demand has resulted from the dramatic fall in shipyard activities over the first half of the year…

The U.S. maritime industry takes great pride in our motto: “In Peace and War.” It sums what we’re all about. From colonial times, through the Revolution, the Civil War, two World Wars, several regional conflicts, and many natural and humanitarian disasters, we got the cargo delivered because our economic security and our national security depend on it.Today, we confront a new kind of enemy: an invisible, debilitating, and too often deadly disease. Yet, just as the courageous merchant…

Charleston, S.C. repair yard Detyens Shipyards has been awarded a $24,235,291 firm-fixed-price contract for a 120-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul dry-docking of the U.S. Navy oiler USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201). Work is expected to be complete by October 2020.The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $27,416,444. The Military Sealift Command is the contracting activity.Work will include main and emergency switchboard cleaning…

Fleet management software provider ABS Nautical Systems (ABS NS) and maritime SaaS technology company Q88 LLC have joined forces to automate compliance management for ship owners and operators. The systems are now fully integrated to streamline the management of compliance information from ship to shore so that data quality and reliability are improved, and compliance objectives are consistently met.The ABS NS compliance management solution combined with the Q88 tanker information…

Remote vessel and equipment surveys have been available in the maritime world for years, but classification societies are seeing increased demand for these services as more firms turn to digital solutions to continue business during the coronavirus outbreak.Using real-time video communication tools, and even drones and robotics when applicable, surveyors are able to work with stakeholders to perform inspections without having to be on site, which is especially beneficial amid current COVID-19 travel restrictions.ABS…

As the novel coronavirus and its impacts continue to spread across America, U.S. shipbuilders, by and large, continue to build. While most yards have been deemed essential to marine transportation and/or national security and have been able to maintain operations, the situation at and around every shipyard is different, and there are several builders across the country that have had to temporarily suspend activity. In either scenario, it’s far from business as usual for America’s…