Operation Atalanta Continues to Keep the Coast of Somalia Safe

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) welcomes the European Council’s decision of 25 November to extend the mandate of Atalanta, the European Union’s counter-piracy operation along the East African coast. “The two-year mandate extension comes at the right moment”, said ECSA Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven, “Pirate attacks on merchant ships have been significantly reduced over the years compared to when the operation started in 2008…
Task Group Sails to Bass Strait

Warships, submarines and aircraft from all over the country are converging on Bass Strait for the final week of Exercise OCEAN RAIDER, one of the Royal Australian Navy’s largest maritime warfare activities. HMAS Adelaide lead six ships south from Sydney, while HMAS Warramunga and two submarines sailed from Western Australia. HMAS Darwin is also en route after completing her disaster relief duties in New Zealand.
Arunta Exercises with Indian Navy

The crew of HMAS Arunta recently took the opportunity to conduct exercises with their Indian Navy counterparts after a port visit to Goa, India. After a short period alongside that included games of cricket and volleyball, Arunta sailed from Goa in company with the Indian Navy Ship Teg for a series of exercises in the Northern Indian Ocean. Arunta’s Officer of the Watch, Lieutenant Pat Velu, enjoyed…
Carriers Playing Poker with Ports

Container shipping lines are in danger of putting future port investment at risk in their demands for terminal handling cost reductions, according to the recently launched Ports and Terminals Insight report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. Terminal operators face a “perfect storm” of rising costs due to bigger ships, greater business risks from larger liner alliances, softening global demand growth and pressure on terminal handling prices from cash-strapped carriers.
DNV GL On Regulatory Developments and Tanker Market

DNV GL’s Tanker Working Group looked at the latest trends in the tanker segment with a special focus on the impact of upcoming emissions regulations at its 31st meeting in Hamburg recently. Some 25 representatives from the tanker industry met with DNV GL experts in the classification society’s maritime headquarters to hear presentations and participate in informal discussions. “The Tanker Working Group…
India's Sagarmala for Sustainable Growth of Coastal Community

The Ministry of Shipping, India has sanctioned Rs. 30 Crore ($4.37 mln) for capacity building and providing safety training of 20,000 workers engaged in ship recycling activities at Alang-Sosiya recycling yard in Gujarat. In addition, Rs. 13.77 Crore has also been sanctioned for skill training in 27 coastal districts in convergence with Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY). In addition to this…
Jordan Workshop Focuses on Dumping of Wastes at Sea

Regulations covering the dumping of wastes at sea are the focus of a national workshop in Aqaba, Jordan (28-30 November). The event is raising awareness of the London Protocol, which entered into force ten years ago and modernized the original London Convention dumping treaty (ratified by Jordan). Under the Protocol, all dumping at sea is prohibited - with the exception of wastes commonly agreed by Governments and then put on an approved list.
CMA CGM on APL Integration

APL improved its performance in the first three months under the ownership of CMA CGM Group in a challenging market. APL’s 3Q 2016 volume rose almost 9.9% to 1.3 million TEUs (vs. 3Q 2015). This organic growth was driven by more than 20 co-operations on new and enhanced services with CMA CGM. APL has expanded its global network to better serve its customers, and increased its book of business. In 3Q 2016…
ZF Marine Grows Presence in Louisiana

ZF Marine, the marine business unit of the global ZF Group, said it has secured a new location for its Gulf of Mexico/Inland Waterway sales and service operations. The company opened its wholly owned location in the greater New Orleans area in late 1996, the first satellite location outside of ZF’s North American marine headquarters. The location was established to provide close support for the commercial vessel industry in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oscar B: Power in the River Currants

Since 1925 there has been some form of car ferry crossing of the lower Columbia River from Puget Island on the Washington side to Westport Slough on the Oregon side. In 1959 Wahkiakum County took over operation of the ferry and in 1962 had a steel-hulled ferry, named for the county, built by Nichols Boat Works at Hood River Oregon. This 12-car ferry served until 2015 when the county took delivery of a larger 23-car ferry.
Hatteland's Maritime Display, Panel Computers at IWBS 2016

Hatteland Display will highlight its diverse portfolio of maritime displays and panel computers at the International Workboat Show 2016 (IWBS 2016) this week. Headquartered in Norway and with its US office in Vista, California, Hatteland Display is a developer of displays and computers for workboats, ships and offshore vessel bridge and automation systems. The company is expecting a busy IWBS 2016…
GE Showcases Innovative and Efficient Solutions for International Workboat Show

New global emissions standards reduce emissions by more than 70 percent. Engine technology had to advance to meet the new standard. Many turned to aftertreatment; adding chemicals and operating cost. GE kept it simple and built it right into the engine. GE’s Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system needs no aftertreatment, no messy chemicals, no change to operating processes and no ongoing urea cost.
New Satellite Communications System For Workboats

McMurdo has announced a new global satellite communications system, McMurdo OmniCom, the first in a family of products that will be rolled out over the next six months to provide complete worldwide fleet management and vessel monitoring solutions for the workboat, commercial fishing and artisanal fishing industries. McMurdo OmniCom is an integrated solution for commercial fleet operations that combines…
SpeedCast Introduces SIGMA Net
Satellite communications and network service provider SpeedCast International Limited has announced the official release of SIGMA Net shipping and remote site network…
Miraejet Launches Damen Fast Ferry in Busan

Miraejet Co. Ltd. named its Damen Fast Ferry 4010 JET MV Nina at an official launching ceremony held at the Busan International Ferry Terminal in the Republic of Korea on October 6th. Nina was named after one of the ships deployed on Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the West Indies. The order for the 440-passenger, Damen Fast Ferry 4010 JET was fulfilled in just four months. Miraejet Co. Ltd.…
Bahri Signs $350 mln Islamic Finance Deal for Oil Tankers
National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri), the exclusive oil-shipper for Saudi Aramco, said on Wednesday it had signed a $350 million Islamic 10-year financing…
NYK Procures 4,700 Refrigerated Containers

NYK has placed an order for 4,700 additional brand-new 40-foot refrigerated (reefer) containers, and the delivery of the new containers commenced in November. NYK procured 5,500 of the same type of containers last year, and the average age of company’s fleet of over 40,000 reefer containers has now fallen to four years. The new order includes 600 Controlled Atmosphere (CA) containers. The advanced technology of these CA units ensures the freshness of perishable agricultural products…
MOL Sets up Smart Shipping Office

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced establishment of the Smart Shipping Office (the Office), effective December 1. WhileICT(*1) has rapidly been growing and potential applications at sea and between sea and shore are expanding, the Office will not only contribute to more advanced vessel operation and ship management by combining MOL Group’s expertise and the underlying seed technologies of ICT, but also make shipping services more convenient for customers by adding new value to shipping.
Aker/DNV GL Ink Frame Agreement

Aker BP has awarded a new frame agreement to DNV GL, covering a wide range of safety, verification, inspection and classification services across its installations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The five-year contract, which includes options for extension, will see DNV GL experts integrated into Aker BP’s organization to provide decision-making support and stand-alone assessments. “This contract…
Volvo Penta for Virginia Pilots Boats

The new boat being built for the Virginia Pilots Association joins the increasing number of pilot boats powered by Volvo Penta IPS. The 55-ft. vessel, designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates and built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, will run on twin D13 900 hp U.S. EPA Tier 3 engines with IPS3 drives. “Stability, reliability, support, speed and efficiency – these are the five criteria that we used to select the engine for the new pilot boat…