Technical News

The CIMAC Digitalization Strategy Group has published a new Position Paper titled: On enabling the implementation of a ship-wide data ecosystem. CIMAC is a global non-profit association promoting the development of ship propulsion, train drive and power generationThe position paper aims to identify ways in which the potential of digitalization can be fully exploited for process optimization, develops a vision, and provides recommendations.“The full technical potential of highly integrated…

Sensor solutions provider Hensoldt UK has been selected by Navantia UK to provide key systems to the UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s (RFA) three new Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships. The new vessels will incorporate Quadome Naval 3D Air and Surface Surveillance Radar, Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems and Kelvin Hughes Integrated Navigation Bridge Systems (INBS).Hensoldt will supply its new-generation Quadome 3D Air and Surface Surveillance radar, which features the latest software…

Sunil Krishnakumar, Senior Technical Manager at the International Chamber of Shipping, provides his key insights on the newly released Engine Room Procedures Guide, Second Edition, by ICS.The shipping industry has embarked on a transformative journey, actively working towards a sustainable future and a safer environment. With a strong commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the industry is actively seeking the uptake and safe use of new low-GHG technologies and alternatives…

H2SITE’s AMMONIA to H2POWER technology for ammonia cracking onboard has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Lloyd’s Register (LR).The technology is an onboard containerized solution that produces fuel-cell-quality hydrogen using ammonia. This hydrogen can then be used by hydrogen fuel cells that can contribute to the vessel’s electrical power, or the hydrogen could be consumed directly in an internal combustion engine.Ammonia cracking is gaining momentum as a potential hydrogen…

The IMO's Legal Committee met in person for its 111th session at IMO Headquarters in London from April 22 to 26 April 2024, and finalized guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing crimes.These are to be applied where seafarers may be detained in a jurisdiction other than that of the seafarers' nationality on suspicion of committing crimes during the course of their employment on board a ship.The objective is to ensure that seafarers are treated fairly during any investigation and detention by public authorities…

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has published its 2023 IACS Annual Review which includes a broad range of articles highlighting IACS’ work in 2023, with a strong emphasis on the significant advancements made in alternative fuels.This includes the development of a new Unified Requirement on the release of ammonia from ammonia fuelled vessels, and the newly established Safe Digital Transformation Panel that focuses on the safety implications of increasingly digitised ships…

While construction productivity issues continue to present immediate challenges for the U.S. offshore wind industry, the long-term outlook remains strong for the nascent sector, according to a recent report from business intelligence and consulting firm Intelatus Global Partners. Intelatus' most recent monthly report on the U.S. offshore wind industry identifies a number of factors hindering offshore construction activities--from weather delays to the scheduling and availability of necessary vessels."Construction vessel productivity to date has been below expectation…

Shipping must engage with the decarbonization realities that lie ahead by changing the way it crafts maritime legislation to reflect its place in the interconnected, interdependent world economy, says Eero Lehtovaara, Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, ABB Marine & Ports.ABB Marine & Ports Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, Eero Lehtovaara has carved out an unusual - and possibly unique - role in the maritime industry over recent years, as a ‘stakeholder’ simultaneously mindful of the perspectives of owners…

Babcock has been awarded the contract to manage the Type 23 class frigate Refit Support Group, allowing the company to take end-to-end responsibility for vessel upkeep and regeneration in preparation for handover to the ship’s crew.This innovative change follows more than five years of close working between the Royal Navy-led Refit Support Group and Babcock.It frees up UK Royal Navy personnel for front line operations and creates new and exciting roles for 40 Babcock engineering technicians and managers at its Devonport facility…

BMT has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DNV that will accelerate BMT’s development of an Australian version of our CAIMEN® Large Design for the future Landing Craft – Heavy (LC-H) program for the Australian Army.Under this MoU, DNV will work with BMT throughout the process of tailoring the CAIMEN Large, to meet the Australian Army’s future requirements. DNV’s insights will ensure that BMT are able to identify and manage technical risk, minimizing schedule impacts…

Suez Canal Authority rescue teams prevented Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship Labatros from sinking before passing through the waterway, the canal's authority said on Tuesday.The ship's 12 crew members were safe and work is currently underway to inspect the technical condition of the ship, the statement added.(Reuters - Reporting by Yousri Mohamed, Writing by Nayera Abdallah, Editing by Louise Heavens)

The MSC Foundation, the MSC Group and Mercy Ships International have joined forces to build a new hospital ship.On 8 April, the chairman of MSC Group and MSC Foundation, Capt. Gianluigi Aponte, MSC Group President and Member of the MSC Foundation Board, Diego Aponte, and Mercy Ships Founder, Don Stephens, finalized an agreement to kickstart the new project with a generous anchor donation from MSC Foundation.The new purpose-built hospital ship will expand the impact of Mercy Ships’ life-changing surgeries…

“Wind Turbines: The Bigger, the Better” -USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, August 24, 2023Last December the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a proposed sale notice regarding new development areas for utility scale wind projects in the central Atlantic Ocean. The notice includes an upfront issue: the need to mitigate conflicts with U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) activities. BOEM explains that in certain areas the Air Force has set an airspace floor of 1,000 feet above sea level and the Air Force asked BOEM to keep structures below that height.

The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority on Monday revealed details of a program to slash carbon emissions to net zero by 2040 in an effort to improve air quality and the health of residents.Working with technical experts from sustainability consultancy Tunley Environmental, and thanks to funding from the State of Michigan, it established that operations across the port region were responsible for 27,869 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and that urgent action was needed.“The maritime industry is responsible for 3% of global emissions, and it’s growing.

Australia's BHP Group is planning to receive its first ammonia-fueled bulk carrier in 2026 as part of the company's plans to cut shipping emissions, a senior executive said.The global mining giant has shortlisted eight companies for the building, operation and fuel supply for at least one such vessel, Rashpal Singh Bhatti, vice president of maritime and supply chain excellence at BHP told Reuters late last week.However, it has not yet decided on the total number of vessels that it will order and is also assessing costs…

Classification society ABS has published what it says is the industry's first advisory on methanol bunkering as the cleaner-burning fuel continues to gain interest among shipowners seeking to reduce their environmental footprint.A key component of the methanol value chain and the overall scalability of the fuel will be the ability to bunker methanol, either by truck-to-ship, ship-to-ship or land storage tank/terminal-to-ship, ABS said.The new ABS Methanol Bunkering: Technical…

Hong Kong-based shipping company Wah Kwong is finalizing a deal later this month to double the number of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers that it has ordered to four, as it eyes growing global trade in the superchilled fuel, its chairman said.The ships would be delivered from 2027 onwards, Wah Kwong's Executive Chairman Hing Chao told Reuters on the sidelines of the Singapore Maritime Week ShipZERO28 event late last week."We have always been very optimistic about the outlook of LNG as a global energy," said Chao, adding that a lot of supply will have to come from the U.S.

The Maritime International Advisory Panel (IAP) held its third annual meeting on April 16, 2024, during the Singapore Maritime Week 2024. This year, the Maritime IAP held in-depth discussions on the key developments in the maritime sector, including decarbonization, green financing, digitalization and cybersecurity.Established in 2022 by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Maritime IAP aims to seek international perspectives on key long-term trends and developments that will shape the maritime industry.

New York State on Friday stalled three major offshore wind-energy projects after General Electric Vernova GE.N changed the turbine design, which the state said "materially altered" the plans.New York provisionally approved the projects in October 2023. They are Attentive Energy One being developed by TotalEnergies, Rise Light & Power and Corio Generation; Community Offshore Wind, which is backed by RWE and National Grid Ventures; and Vineyard Offshore's Excelsior Wind.But since then…

My brother and I had a discussion about methanol where we concluded that methanol is a promising sustainable liquid fuel for transportation devices when batteries cannot do the job. While Methanol is initially not carbon zero, as long as we focus on developing zero carbon electrical energy, eventually we can produce zero carbon green methanol. Once there is plentiful green methanol, existing methanol vehicles will automatically become zero carbon transportation.The core argument…

ABS and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are to collaborate on clean energy development in the maritime domain and decarbonization of maritime operations after signing a new memorandum of understanding (MOU).The agreement between the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and ABS is designed to leverage experience and capabilities from both organizations to support emissions reduction initiatives that benefit the maritime industry.“This new agreement allows…

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

Over the past year, H2 Energy and DFDS have worked together on a project to analyze the feasibility of retrofitting large ferries with a hydrogen propulsion system.The project, supported by the Danish Maritime Fund, has led to the publication of a hydrogen propulsion feasibility study.With support from the Danish Maritime Fund, DFDS, H2 Energy and Lloyds set out to uncover the technical and operational feasibility of hydrogen propulsion systems by analyzing the main aspects of…