Unit News

30 Injured in US Navy At-sea Training Mishap

An at-sea training mishap off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla. caused injuries to 30 Sailors and Marines, the U.S. Navy said.The incident, which occurred on the evening of May 1, involved two landing craft, air cushions (LCAC) from USS Wasp (LHD 1) and USS New York (LPD 21).Five Sailors were medically evacuated for further care at Savannah Memorial University Medical Center, officials said. Four of the five Sailors have been released from the hospital after treatment, while one…

Höegh LNG Strikes Deal to Deploy FSRU Hoegh Galleon in Egypt

Norway-based Höegh LNG has made an agreement with Australian Industrial Energy (AIE) and Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) for the deployment of the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Hoegh Galleon. The aim of the deployment is to support energy security in Egypt, Höegh LNG said.Hoegh Galleon will be located in Ain Sokhna in Red Sea for a likely period of 19-20 months, after which it is expected to be deployed to AIE’s LNG terminal currently under construction at Port Kembla, Australia.

Lloyd's Insurers Expect Moderate Baltimore Bridge Claims

Lloyd's of London insurers Hiscox and Lancashire do not expect large insurance claims from the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March that caused widespread disruption, they said on Thursday.Some estimates for the total insured losses from the bridge collapse run into billions of dollars, given the loss of lives, bridge repair costs and traffic re-routing.The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday insurer Chubb was preparing to make a $350 million payout to the state of Maryland.Hiscox does not have direct exposure to the business interruption policy of the port…

Fifth Victim Recovered from Key Bridge Collapse Site

The Unified Command recovered the body of another missing victim at the Key Bridge incident site on May 1, 2024.The victim is identified as Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, of Glen Burnie, Maryland.Unified Command salvage teams located one of the missing construction vehicles and promptly notified the Maryland Department of State Police. Police investigators along with officers from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police and the FBI then recovered the body of a fifth construction worker inside a red truck.

US Issues Hundreds of Sanctions Targeting Russia, Takes Aim at Chinese Companies

The United States on Wednesday issued hundreds of fresh sanctions targeting Russia over the war in Ukraine in action that took aim at Moscow's circumvention of Western measures, including through China.The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nearly 200 targets and the State Department designated more than 80 in one of the most wide-ranging actions against Chinese companies so far in Washington's sanctions aimed at Russia.The U.S. imposed sanctions on 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong…

Union In Talks with Carlyle on Majority Stake in Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems

Germany's IG Metall union on Tuesday said it had preliminary talks with Carlyle on the investment firm taking a majority stake in Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and agreed to push for an agreement as quickly as possible.In a newsletter seen by Reuters, the union however insisted that a stake sale to private equity investors could only happen if the state stepped in as well to secure the conglomerate's naval shipbuilding activities.The economy ministry was not immediately available for comment."A first round of negotiations in a small group is scheduled for the beginning of May…

Greece Drops Criminal Charges Against Aid Workers Who Rescued Migrants at Sea

Greece has dropped criminal charges against dozens of international aid workers, ranging from spying to facilitating what authorities had called illegal entry into the country through the island of Lesbos, court documents showed on Tuesday.Most of the 35 people, accused in 2020 of setting up a criminal organization and providing support to traffickers ferrying migrants, were German nationals. The rest included people from Norway, Austria, France, Spain, Switzerland and Bulgaria.

Ammonia Cracking Technology Receives LR Approval in Principle

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…

Situational Awareness System Battles Cognitive Fatigue in Watchkeepers

Today’s evolving maritime security risks pose all-too-familiar threats to international shipping, and as just one of the many causes of fatigue, they add to the cognitive burden already faced by watchkeepers. But Groke Technologies can boost safety onboard, says co-founder and CEO Juha Rokka.Life at sea is already physically and mentally demanding. Crewing levels are tight, work hours are long and irregular, watchkeepers are required to perform administrative tasks while on the bridge…

Philly Shipyard Exploring Collaboration Opportunities with Hyundai Heavy Industries

U.S. shipbuilder Philly Shipyard announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the world's largest shipbuilding group, South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), to explore a potential business relationship relating to future U.S. government shipbuilding projects as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects.The MOU was signed during a visit from HHI to Philly Shipyard on April 12, 2024 and was attended by officials from both companies, including Dr. Won ho Joo, Chief Executive of Naval and Special Ship Business Unit of HHI, and Mr.

MOL and Gaz-System Sing Long-Term FSRU Charter for New Polish LNG Terminal

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a long-term time charter party agreement for one floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) with the Polish gas transmission system operator Gaz-System, which is the developer and operator behind the future LNG terminal.The FSRU will be constructed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard and is expected to be completed in 2027. Thereafter, the FSRU will be managed by the MOL group.The FSRU is being built for the project that involves the…

China's Imports of Russian Oil Near Record High

Russia remained China's top oil supplier in March, data showed on Saturday, as refiners snapped up stranded Sokol shipments.China's imports from Russia, including supplies via pipelines and sea-borne shipments, jumped 12.5% on the year to 10.81 million metric tons, or 2.55 million barrels per day (bpd) last month, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.That was quite close to the previous monthly record of 2.56 million bpd in June 2023.Seven Russian tankers under sanctions offloaded Sokol cargoes in Chinese ports in March…

MOL Orders Value Maritime’s Carbon Capture Unit for Tanker

Dutch company Value Maritime and Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) have signed a contract for the supply an Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS) and carbon capture feature for an LR1 product tanker.With a deadweight (DWT) of 75,000, this is the largest vessel, in terms of DWT, and the first LR1 tanker that will sail with a Value Maritime’s 15 MW EGSC Filtree and carbon capture unit.The installation is expected to take place before the end of the year, according to…

NOIA Appoints New Executives

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) has appointed and approved the 2024-2025 term of the NOIA Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Jon Landes, President, Subsea of TechnipFMC has been elected as the NOIA Chair and Joe Leimkuhler, Chief Operating Officer of Beacon Offshore Energy, as the incoming NOIA Vice Chair.NOIA President Erik Milito said, “We are at a critical juncture where it's imperative to ensure that energy policy from Washington, D.C. does not hinder American energy production.

SCHOTTEL RudderPropellers Selected for Four Damen ASD Tugs

SCHOTTEL said it will equip four new 1810-series ASD stock tugs from the Dutch Damen Group with the SCHOTTEL RudderPropeller type SRP 270. The new multipurpose tugs will have a bollard pull of 30 tonnes each and ensure excellent maneuverability with a compact size of just 18.25 meters in length and a beam of 10.23 meters.The power rating of the SRP 270 amounts to 1,000 kilowatts per unit, with a propeller diameter of 1.9 meters. Each tug will be equipped with two units. SCHOTTEL DuroVario LS slipping clutches will allow for smooth acceleration and improved handling of the thrusters.

Norway's Myklebust Verft to Build World's Largest Hydrogen Ferries

Norwegian shipyard Myklebust Verft has been selected to build a pair of innovative hydrogen-powered passenger ferries ordered by Norwegian transport company Torghatten Nord.The design, produced by The Norwegian Ship Design Company for operations in the challenging waters of the Vestfjordstrekninga fjord in the Arctic Circle, received approval in principle (AIP) in August 2022 from Lloyd's Register, who has signed on to class the first-of-their-kind vessels.At 117 meters long with a 120-car capacity…

Stena Bulk Sells LNG Carrier Stena Blue Sky

Tanker shipping company Stena Bulk on Thursday announced the sale of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier vessel Stena Blue Sky to an undisclosed Asian buyer.The sale of Stena Blue Sky follows the recent announcement that Stena Bulk had sold two LNG carriers to BW LNG.The successful transfer of Stena Blue Sky has already taken place. The vessel was delivered on April 18 in Singapore.Originally built in 2006 by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea, Stena Blue Sky has a carrying capacity 145…

Akastor’s Subsidiary Wins $101M Case Against Seatrium's Jurong Shipyard

MHWirth, a subsidiary of Norwegian oil services investment firm Akastor, has received an arbitration award issued by a tribunal in a dispute with Seatrium’s subsidiary Jurong Shipyard over the termination of four drilling rig unit contracts.As part of the ruling, MHW has been awarded an amount of $101 million as payment of termination fees.In addition, MHW has been made eligible for the reimbursement of legal costs and certain suspension costs (totaling about $7 million), as well as interest.Although the drilling rig unit contracts are held by MHW…

DEME Scoops ‘Most Extensive’ Cabling Contract in Its History

DEME has been awarded two contracts from cable solutions provider Prysmian for the engineering and installation works for the IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Nederwiek 1 offshore grid systems in the Netherlands, whose combined worth is over $315 million.This is the most extensive cabling award in DEME’s history and marks the company's first project involving Prysmian’s 525 kV HVDC cable technology, featuring increased transmission capacity, according to the company.The contracts encompass cable installation…

Leonardo Close to Selling Submarine Unit WASS to Fincantieri

Italian defense group Leonardo is close to finalizing a deal to sell its submarine unit Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS) to shipbuilder Fincantieri, Leonardo's chief executive said on Monday."We are talking days, not months," Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani told reporters in the port city of Genoa, in remarks confirmed by a spokesperson.The deal, expected to be worth between 200 million and 300 million euros ($213 million-$320 million), would be part of Fincantieri's broader strategy to grow through acquisitions and focus more on the fast-growing defence sector and strengthen its posit

SMM 2024 Exhibition Halls Already Nearly Fully Booked

The SMM 2024 trade show will run from September 3-6 this year, and organizers are expecting more visitors and exhibitors than last time; the exhibition halls are nearly fully booked.“We are expecting more than 2,000 international exhibitors from 70 nations,” says Claus Ulrich Selbach, Business Unit Director Maritime and Technology Fairs & Exhibitions at Hamburg Messe und Congress. “We are overwhelmed by the response. We are actually setting-up an additional hall to accommodate all requests.

DEME’s Orion Vessel Heads to US After Finishing Scottish Offshore Wind Job

DEME’s DP3 offshore installation vessel Orion has departed for the United States to prepare for the installation of 176 foundations on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, following the wrap up of works at the 882 MW Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland.DEME’s flagship Orion vessel has completed monopile installation works on Ocean Winds’ Moray West offshore wind farm project in Scotland.Despite harsh winter conditions, DEME managed to install 29 monopiles in approximately two months.Meanwhile…

Wärtsilä Launches New High-Performance Thruster and Propulsion Control Solution

Wärtsilä has introduced a new high-performance thruster and propulsion control solution, which is said to raise the level of offshore dynamic positioning for greater efficiency and operational performance of vessels.The company’s new high-performance thruster and propulsion control solution package utilizes a combination of Wärtsilä’s WST-E embedded electric steerable thruster and WST-R retractable thrusters, together with an updated remote propulsion control system featuring an enhanced user interface ProTouch…