Sea Service News

At the Maritime Risk Symposium 2024, scheduled for June 11-13 at Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, RADM Matt Bell, USCG (Ret.) facilitates a panel entitled: Multi-Service and Maritime Industry Collaboration in the Arctic, to better understand how the changing dynamics in the Arctic region will necessitate increased collaboration between the maritime services and industry to mitigate the risks of Arctic maritime operations. Joining RADM Bell on the panel are:RADM Megan Dean, Commander, U.S.

Catherine Gianelloni sailed with the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (IOMM&P) for about 10 years after graduating from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 2009. But in between times at sea, she would help out at the MITAGS (Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies). Operating simulators evolved into teaching opportunities, and Gianelloni took a full-time position in 2012. “Because we are the union school, I was allowed to take breaks—leave of absences—to go out and sail.

Aiming to attract more women into the maritime sector, ship management and maritime services company Columbia Group has launched a mentoring program aimed at female cadets.“We need to change the culture in the industry surrounding women and make it more viable for them to have a career in maritime, so that we can attract and widen the pool of talent that we draw from,” said program leader Claudia Paschkewitz, Columbia Group’s Managing Director of Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion.“We…

Ferry operator Stena Line announced it is building two new freight vessels for its expanding Belfast-Heysham freight service.Each of the two new 147-meter NewMax vessels has been designed to maximize freight volumes and will provide 2,800 lane meters of capacity which is an 80% increase on current ship capacities. The new vessels will be equipped to carry 12 passengers and 26 crew.The vessels will be able to operate on methanol fuel. Stena Line is currently working closely with…

Euronav Ship Management (Hellas) Ltd. and the Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the aim to open up opportunities for Panamanian seafarers on board Euronav vessels.The MOU signed on December 5, 2022 has two main objectives. Firstly, to promote an integral cooperation framework aimed at increasing job opportunities for Panamanian officers, cadets and junior personnel on board Euronav vessels. Secondly, the establishment of specialized…

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) reached the North Pole Friday after traversing the frozen Arctic Ocean, marking only the second time a U.S. ship has reached the location unaccompanied, the first being Healy in 2015.Healy, a medium icebreaker, and crew departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Sept. 4, beginning their journey to reach latitude 90 degrees north. The cutter and crew supported oceanographic research in collaboration with National Science Foundation-funded scientists…

California State University Maritime Academy appointed Samaro Bannister-Schneider as interim captain of Training Ship Golden Bear (TSGB). Captain Bannister will serve as Cal Maritime’s first female TSGB captain. She is a 2000 graduate of Cal Maritime’s Marine Transportation (MT) program, and began her career on a fleet of Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) research vessels conducting survey operations. Soon after, she moved up to a larger fleet of vessels, the Watson Class LMSR RO-RO’s where she found her home.

The U.S. Navy needs more ships. And that means the Navy has to build more ships than it is decommissioning.The sea service has a stated a goal of 355 ships, and as many as 500 and more when unmanned platforms are counted. There are 298 ships in the fleet today. For surface ships, this number includes a high-low mix of highly capable large surface combatants, and smaller ships such as littoral combat ships LCS).The Navy’s smallest combatants are the 330-ton, 197-foot coastal patrol boats (PCs). Up until recently, ten of them have been serving in the Middle East with the U.S.

The crew of the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant conducted a formal change of command ceremony in Port Canaveral, Thursday.During the ceremony, Cmdr. Jay Guyer relieved Cmdr. Fred Bertsch of the duties of commanding officer of the vessel.Bertsch served as Vigilant’s commanding officer since 2019 and led the crew through six patrols.According to the U.S. Coast Guard, under Bertsch’s leadership, Vigilant interdicted 10 drug smuggling vessels seizing over 30,952 kilograms of cocaine and detaining 30 suspected smugglers.

Finnlines’ first of three new hybrid ro-ro vessels was launched at the Nanjing Jinling Shipyard in China on Monday. The vessel, Finneco I, will start sailing on the Finnish shipping company’s Biscay–North Sea–Baltic Sea service at the turn of the year. The series’ second and third vessels, Finneco II and Finneco III, will be delivered in 2022.The new vessels are 238 meters long with a cargo capacity of 5,800 lane meters. Additionally, car decks have a capacity of 5,800 square meters and about 520 TEU on the weather deck.

Global mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat plans to extend its Fleet LTE coverage for offshore service vessels to the Gulf of Mexico.Inmarsat said that the decision to expand in the Gulf of Mexico followed successful trials with V.Ships Offshore in the North Sea area in early 2020."In conjunction with Inmarsat’s service provider One Net, the North Sea trials were undertaken with ship management company V.Ships Offshore at the beginning of 2020, delivering hybrid connectivity via 4G cellular plus satellite coverage on VSAT Ka-band and L-band…

ABB will provide a hybrid power and propulsion solution with integral energy storage for the under-construction Færøysund live fish carrier.This will be the first live fish carrier to feature ABB hybrid power and propulsion solution with integral energy storage.The 77m-long diesel-electric vessel is being built at the Aas Mek. Verksted AS shipyard in Vestnes, Norway, for Nova Sea Service AS, one of Norway’s largest producers of Atlantic farmed salmon. Due delivery in September 2021, Færøysund is Aas Mek.

The Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry (SDM) formally announced it has adopted a new process to facilitate crew changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Crew changes for vessels are possible in Cyprus provided certain conditions are met. The relevant decrees issued by the Ministry of Health also permit the long-term stay in anchorage of vessels, including cruise ships (warm lay-up).Cyprus is actively supporting and implementing such measures, in support of recommendations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO)…

The Liberian Registry continues its efforts toward the recognition of seafarers as “key workers” and for much needed crew-exchange to be allowed at key ports globally during the global COVID-19 pandemic, and is looking to enlist the help of other flag States in this mission. The Liberian Registry, already working with industry bodies such as the IMO, ICS, and ITF, calls for other major flag States to join in the continued effort to push for a global plan allowing for seafarers…

According to the latest Manning Annual Review and Forecast report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry, the manning costs have risen moderately over the past 12 months, checked by easing officer supply shortage, and are forecast to rise at a similar pace over the next five years.Manning costs rose for a second successive year in 2019 but the pace of growth remains moderate and well below the prevailing rate of price inflation. Meanwhile, the shortfall in available officer numbers relative to demand has declined close to equilibrium and is expected to reach a small surplus by 2024, but ratings remain in surplus and are expected to remain so.

Marijuana use remains incompatible with sea service despite changes in state laws.Every year, dangerous drug use disrupts or destroys the careers of hundreds of professional mariners, threatening safety throughout the maritime transportation system at the same time. The ravages of addiction and accidental overdose make headlines daily, yet drug use among both the general population and safety-sensitive workforce continues to increase. Much of the rise is attributable to the growing use of marijuana…

The United States Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding a contract for two aircraft carriers, the first of its kind since the 1980s.A notification from the office of the navy chief of information said that the contract for the construction of CVN 80 and CVN 81 was awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS).The contract modification is worth $14.9 billion to cover remaining ship design and construction costs of CVNs 80 and 81.Once government-furnished equipment is added in – including systems such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and the Advanced Arresting Gear – the Navy will spend about $24 billion on the two aircraft carriers…

A.P. Moller - Maersk, an integrated container logistics company, announced that it is moving its  North-East England coverage from Immingham to Hull.The existing connection between Immingham and continental Europe, will change to Hull, enabling better accessibility for local shippers and offering convenient connection with mainline services."Starting January 12th, 2019, the short sea service, operated by BG Freight and currently calling Immingham, will be moved to Hull Container Terminal in East Yorkshire, also operated by Associated British Ports," said a press release from the Danish shipper.“We are very pleased with the feedback received from our customers…

Samskip is launching a new shortsea service connecting Antwerp and Hull, in an expansion of its continent-UK multimodal network that also sees it debut at Belgium’s largest port.The intermodal logistics company  said in a press release that the initial schedule offers a twice weekly short sea container service, with its first departure from Antwerp on the 12th October.The service will be operated by a 508TEU capacity vessel, sailing from ATO's multimodal terminal on Tuesday and Saturday and ABP Port of Hull on Thursday and Monday.This new connection is in addition to Samskip's existing shortsea services connecting Rotterdam with Tilbury, Hull and Grangemouth (eight per week) and the recent three times weekly Amsterdam-Hull service.

111 years of success by designWhen Georg Abeking and Henry Rasmussen from Denmark established their boat and yacht yard 111 years ago, it is likely that neither of them suspected at that time that their small shipyard, headquartered in Lemwerder next to Bremen, would one day evolve into a world-renowned company known for building first class vessels.Today the company, which has been transferred into a European Company (Societas Europaea, SE), is a company that designs and manufactures, among other things. Included in this mix are some of the world’s most luxurious yachts.

NSSLGlobal has signed a Service Provider agreement with Iridium Communications Inc. that will see NSSLGlobal offer the new Iridium Certus L-Band service as part of its portfolio of maritime satcom offerings to its extensive customer base. Iridium Certus will be offered both as a standalone L-Band service and in conjunction with NSSLGlobal’s premier VSAT IP@SEA service as its preferred service assurance offering. The Iridium Certus service is suitable for vessels across the maritime spectrum, from recreational yachts and workboats to commercial fishing trawlers and merchant vessels.Iridium Certus will initially offer speeds of up to 352kbits but by early 2019 this will double to 704kbits ensuring that the service will be the most global and fastest L-Band satellite solution available.

Iridium Communications Inc. announced today that KDDI Corporation, Navarino and NSSLGlobal Ltd., are the newest Iridium Certus service providers for the maritime industry. Iridium Certus will offer a L-band satellite broadband connectivity solution.With higher speeds, state-of-the-art small form factor terminals and competitive pricing options, Iridium Certus will offer a complete communications platform for all mariners and can serve as a primary service or VSAT companion solution.

Following the drawdown at the end of the Cold War, the Navy finds itself trying to build up again. The expansion of Russian and Chinese naval power has changed the calculus. While there will always be a debate about the final number of ships to build, we can all agree on one thing: the Navy must get bigger and the demand signal is to start building now,” said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, in testimony before Congress regarding the sea service’s 2019 budget request.