Ukraine Wants to Deepen Danube to Expand Grain Export Routes
Ukraine wants to begin work to make its Danube shipping canal deeper as early as this year to expand its alternative routes to export grain, Deputy Minister of Renovation and Infrastructure Yuriy Vaskov said on Tuesday.Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia last year, has already increased the depth of its southwestern Bystre Canal on the Danube River to 6.5 meters from 3.9 meters with the aim of increasing food exports from its river ports.The push for alternative export routes has taken on urgen
Retaining Gen Z in the Marine Industry
While people in all generations measured themselves against eternal factorsāfellow employees, family, their industry, etc.āGeneration Z is fixated on measuring themselves against the world as seen through social media. Coaching them will help them begin to turn inward and measure success against their own goals. One of the keys to retaining your Gen Z workers will be in positively coaching them.Coaching should provide positive feedback about employee contributions.
USCG's Keeper Class Buoy Tenders Set for Navigation Upgrade
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has tapped Exail to replace obsolete gyrocompass systems on the 175-foot WLM Keeper Class Buoy Tenders. The $2,244,009 contract awarded to Exail includes Octans gyrocompasses and Netans Navigation Data Distribution Systems (NDDS) and covers a base year and nine options over a 10-year performance period.This upgrade will provide the USCG Keeper Class Buoy Tenders with more precise and dependable navigation capabilities.
Repsol Extends Energy Swan PSV Charter
Norwegian offshore vessel operator Golden Energy Offshore Services AS (GEOS) has secured a contract extension with Repsol for its Enegy Swan platform supply vessel.The contract extension is in direct continuation of the current charter contract which started in 2021 when the large platform supplier was chartered. The extension kicks off in early July and will run until September 1, 2023.Repsol Norgeā¦
Four San Francisco Ferries Refit with Cleaner Engines
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) and Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) announced that WETAās Gemini Class Clean Air Conversion Project has been completed, resulting in a substantial decrease in air pollution emissions from four San Francisco Bay Ferry vessels serving Oakland, Alameda and Richmond.In September 2021, WETA's Board of Directorsā¦
New Hybrid RoRo Ships Ordered for Stena Line
On behalf of Stena Line, Stena RoRo has designed and ordered two hybrid cargo ships from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling in Weihai. The ships can be powered by methanol or conventional fuel and have been developed in line with future environmental requirements, for example by using batteries as a future means of propulsion. Major emphasis has been placed on optimizing the cargo capacity, which hasā¦
QatarEnergy to Sign Long-term Asian LNG Supply Deal on Thursday - Source
QatarEnergy will sign a long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deal with an Asian entity on Thursday, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.The deal will be one of many to come this year as the major LNG producer secures sales for its North Field expansion project, the source said on Tuesday. Competition for LNG ramped up last year after the Ukraine war, with Europe in particularā¦
China Merchants Shipping Orders Methanol-Ready Crude Oil Tankers
Shipowner China Merchants Shipping has signed a construction contract for two methanol-ready crude oil tankers to be delivered by China State Shipbuilding Trading, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Group.The two 115,000-ton crude oil tankers will have selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to reduce NOx emissions and a scrubber to reduce SOx emissions.On deliveryā¦
Methanol Institute Publishes Guide to Methanol as a Marine Fuel
The Methanol Institute (MI) has published the first comprehensive guide to methanol as a marine fuel.āMarine Methanol Future-Proof Shipping Fuelā includes sections that address regulatory drivers, environmental performance, engines and fuel systems, bunkering, handling and safety characteristics, costs and pricing, availability and feedstocks for conventional and renewable product. Also included are case studies on first movers including AP Moller-Maerskā¦
Cruise Ship Balcony Fire Extinguished
Thousands of cruise passengers were mustered to lifeboat stations at around 0300 on May 28 after a fire broke out on the Pacific Adventure.The vessel was sailingā¦
IBIA Wants IMO to Improve New Flashpoint Regulations
The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) has submitted proposals to the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 107) which will be meeting later this week in a bid to improve understanding and workability of new flashpoint regulations for fuel oil.MSC 107 will meet from 31 May to 9 June and will continue discussion on an agenda item for the development of further measures to enhance the safety of ships relating to the use of fuel oil.
Heroic Idun Released from Nigeria
The Nigerian Navy announced the release of the VLCC Heroic Idun on Saturday, and the crew and vessel are now reportedly sailing for South Africa.The navy said the āgrave infractionsā of the vessel were prosecuted by the Federal Government of Nigeria at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on January,10 2023. The 26 foreign crew pleaded guilty and elected voluntarily to enter into a plea bargain thatā¦
South Africa to Investigate U.S. Allegations of Arms Shipment to Russia
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a panel to investigate U.S. allegations that a Russian ship had collected weapons from a naval base near Cape Town last year, the presidency said in a statement on Sunday.The U.S. ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said on May 11 that he was confident that a Russian ship, which docked at a naval base in Simonstown in the Western Cape in December last year, took aboard weapons from South Africa.
Malaysia Detains Chinese Ship Linked to Suspected Illegal Salvage of British WW2 Wrecks
Malaysia's maritime authorities on Monday said cannon shells believed to be from World War Two have been found on a China-registered bulk carrier ship detained at the weekend for anchoring in its waters without permission.The discovery comes amid reports this month that scavengers have targeted two British World War Two wrecks off the coast of Malaysia - the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse - which were sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1941ā¦
PowerX Unveils 'First-ever' Battery Tanker
Japan-based company PowerX has unveiled the detailed design of the first-ever āBattery Tankerā at an exhibition in Imabari City, Japan. The inaugural ship āXā aims for completion by 2025, with domestic and international field testing planned to start in 2026. This electric propulsion vessel will be 140 meters long and will be equipped with 96 containerized marine batteries, providing a total capacity of 241MWh.
RINA and Eni Set Sail on a Journey to Decarbonize Maritime Operations
RINA, an international company specializing in inspection, certification, and engineering consultancy, and Italian energy company Eni have signed an agreement to jointly develop initiatives that can contribute to the energy transition and decarbonization of their respective operations and particularly maritime transport.The agreement focuses on the use of HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) biofuel produced by Eni in its Venice and Gela bio-refineriesā¦
Cyprus Wants Shipping Corridor to Export Mediterranean Gas to Europe
Cyprus wants to establish itself as a gateway from east Mediterranean gas resources to Europe via a shipping corridor of LNG carriers, its president said on Monday. Cyprus's new centrist government, which came to power in February, has cooled to the idea championed by its predecessors of an "EastMed" pipeline transferring gas to Europe.Instead, authorities now want to transport, via pipeline, naturalā¦
Four Bidders Vie For Stake in Exxon LNG Terminal Offshore Italy - Sources
Four international groups are competing to buy Exxon Mobil Corp's majority stake in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal offshore Italy, two sources familiar with the matter said. The deal could value the entire LNG terminal at around 800 million euros ($881 million), the sources said. Exxon said in March it was considering selling its majority stake in Adriatic LNG, Italy's main regasification terminal, as part of a wider strategy to divest non-core assets. The U.S.
Ocean Yield Firms Up Newcastlemax Order
Norwegian shipowner Ocean Yield on Friday announced it has finalized order details for a series of new Newcastlemax bulk carriers.The company announced in December 2022 that it had agreed to acquire a minimum of five and a maximum of 10 vessels with expected delivery dates between Q1 2025 and Q2 2026.Ocean Yield now revealed it has agreed with the charterer that the final transaction scope will be eight or nine vesselsā¦
Asian Spot LNG Prices Slide for Fifth Straight Week
Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices have weakened for the fifth consecutive week on muted demand due to healthy stocks, remaining at their lowest level in two years.The average LNG price for July delivery into north-east Asia was down 3% from the previous week at $9.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), the lowest since early May 2021, industry sources estimated."North Asia remains largely void of demand.
