Is Hands-free Bluetooth Communication Right for Your Vessel?
How do you handle communication on your vessel? If you are like many others, you probably use handheld two-way marine VHF radios. That, or simply yelling.There are several inherent issues with using handheld radios for marine communication. Having to push a button to talk means that you cannot use that hand for important work activities, like winching a line or turning the wheel. Since you have to wait to push the button…
China is Paying a High Price for Its Ban on Australian Coal
China is paying a high price for its unofficial ban on coal imports from Australia, with the cost of domestic and alternative foreign supplies rising for both thermal and coking grades of the fuel.China, the world’s biggest importer, producer and consumer of coal, has effectively ended imports from Australia, the biggest shipper of coking coal used to make steel and number two in thermal coal used to produce electricity…
Iran Frees South Korean Ship, Captain After Promise to Help With Frozen Funds
Iran released on Friday a South Korean ship and its captain detained since January after South Korea promised to try to secure the release of Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks under U.S.
Kelvin Hughes SharpEye Radar for pair of Polish Navy Minehunters
Hensoldt UK announcde the supply of Kelvin Hughes Mk11 X Band SharpEye navigation radars to two Polish Navy Kormoran II-class minehunters. ORP Albatros and ORP Mewa were built by Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland.Installed in conjunction with an OSI Maritime Systems integrated navigation bridge system, the radar will be tasked with navigation and surface surveillance functionality…
Hjelland Tapped to Take the Helm at Servogear
Servogear announced it has seen record sales during the first quarter of 2021, and has established an order back-log of $14 million for delivery in 2021, compared to total sales of $9.1 million for the whole of 2020, driven by orders for zero emission propulsion systems for high-speed passenger ferries and cruise & sightseeing vessels for tourism.The company is also a provider of propulsion systems…
Stena Livia Joins the Baltic Sea Fleet
The 186-meter Visentini RoPax vessel Stena Livia will initially join sister vessel Stena Flavia on the Nynäshamn-Ventspils route from mid-April, Stena Line announced. Later this year the pair will replace the existing tonnage on the ferry route between Travemünde and Liepaja, adding 40% freight capacity and shorten the crossing time substantially.During 2021 Stena Line is expanding its Baltic Sea operations…
Panama Canal Authority Taps Kongsberg for New Navigation Simulators
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP), which manages the 82 kilometers long Panama Canal that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, has awarded Kongsberg Digital a contract to upgrade and extend the K-Sim Navigation simulators based in SIDMAR; the Center for Simulation, Research and Maritime Development of the Panama Canal Authority. Equipped with the new technology, the Panama City-based…
Acta Marine Wraps Maintenance Campaign on Bard Offshore 1 Wind Farm
Acta Marine has this week completed its three-year maintenance campaign for Ocean Breeze on the Bard Offshore 1 wind farm, the first commercial offshore wind farm in Germany.Acta Marine's Acta Auriga walk-to-work support vessel - which offers comfortable accommodation and workspace to 120 passengers - started the O&M works on the Bard Offshore 1 wind farm in April 2018 just weeks after vessel delivery…
Venezuela: FSO Nabarima Finally Offloads Crude, Paving Way for Offshore Field Output Restart
A floating facility off the Venezuelan coast has finished offloading crude stored in it for the past two years due to U.S. sanctions, paving the way for output to resume in an oilfield, an official of the facility's operator said on Thursday.Operations to remove crude from the Nabarima floating storage and offloading facility (FSO), anchored in the eastern Gulf of Paria near the maritime border with Trinidad and Tobago, started in December.
Stena Bulk Targeting Net Zero Emissions by 2050
Swedish tanker shipping company Stena Bulk on Thursday outlined its roadmap to become a net zero business by 2050, including a transiion to cleaner burning alternative fuels and eventually zero emissions shipping options.The company set five dated decarbonization targets, the first of which was achieved in 2020 when Stena Bulk began offering customers low-carbon shipping options based on the use of…
Florida Sues Biden Administration in Bid to Restart Cruise Industry
The state of Florida sued President Joe Biden's administration in federal court on Thursday seeking to block the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's decision to prevent the U.S. cruise industry from immediately resuming operations paused for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.The suit, filed by Republican Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody in Tampa, asked the court to issue an injunction…
NTSB Accident Report: Erratic Steering Led to 2019 Sabine Pass Collision
The National Transportation Safety Board found that the erratic steering of a supply vessel led to a 2019 collision resulting in more than 6,000 gallons of diesel oil being dumped into the Sabine Pass, a busy waterway between Texas and Louisiana.On Thursday, April 8, 2021, NTSB released Marine Accident Brief 21/08 detailing its investigation of the collision between offshore supply vessel Cheramie Bo Truc No 22 and the Mariya Moran/Texas on Nov.
Liberian Registry Introduces Online Services for Seafarers
The Liberian Registry has unveiled two new online platforms that aim to give seafarers easier access to apply for documents and credentials, and for taking Liberian license and upgrade examinations. The first platform is designed to allow seafarers to directly apply online for their seafarer documents necessary for sailing aboard Liberian flagged vessels at https://seafarers.liscr.com/. Further, the…
Global Supply Lines Struggle to Clear Container Backlog After Suez Chaos
A backlog of container ships carrying consumer goods has grown in some key strategic ports after a near week-long blockage in the Suez Canal, adding to ongoing disruptions to global trade, industry sources say.Dozens of container ships were stuck when the 400-metre-long (430-yard) Ever Given ran aground in the canal on March 23, with specialist rescue teams taking almost a week to free the vessel.The…
GTT Bags VLEC Tank Design Order from Hyundai Heavy Industries
French engineering firm GTT announced on Thursday it has received an order from Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to design the tanks for two newbuild…
Hybrid-electric Pilot Boat Delivered in Singapore
Singaporean shipbuilder Penguin said it has delivered Singapore’s first hybrid-powered pilot boat.Built, owned and operated by Penguin, the 15-meter vessel Penguin Tenaga is certified by Bureau Veritas with a "ZE" (zero emission) class notation and is capable of running in pure electric mode at 5 knots for more than 30 minutes. In conventional diesel mode, the vessel can reach a maximum speed of 24 knots.In addition…
CMA CGM Box Ship Sets Loaded Containers Record
French shipping company CMA CGM said its 23,000-TEU mega ship CMA CGM Jacques Saade has set a new world record for the highest number of full containers loaded on board a single vessel.The ultra-large containership (ULCS)—the world's largest powered by by liquefied natural gas (LNG)—departed the port of Singapore on Thursday carrying 21,433 full (20-foot equivalent units (TEU) on board, besting its previous record of 20…
Reinsurers Set to Bear Brunt of Costs for Suez Canal Grounding
Reinsurers are set to foot most of the bill for the grounding of the ship that halted traffic in the Suez Canal, industry sources said, with payouts expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.International supply chains were thrown into disarray when the 400 meter Ever Given ran aground in the canal on March 23, with specialist rescue teams taking almost a week to free the vessel.Around 400 vessels were affected by the canal’s closure…
Video: Intellian’s v45C Antenna Approved for Intelsat FlexMaritime Network
Intellian's newly-launched compact v45C antenna has been qualified for operation on the Intelsat FlexMaritime High Throughput Satellite (HTS) service, delivering global connectivity to customers in the smallest package available to date.Satellite communications services provider Intelsat released the smaller antenna class for its FlexMaritime network on Wednesday, stating the service is geared for leisure…
Harvey Gulf Adds Battery Power to Harvey Champion PSV
U.S.-based offshore vessel operator Harvey Gulf International Marine has said it has converted its Harvey Champion platform supply vessel into a dual-fuel vessel. The Harvey Champion is now operating on both battery power and diesel. "The Champion now boasts 754 kWh of battery power, which will reduce harmful emissions both in port and while underway, while simultaneously reducing the vessel’s fuel burn…