Holland America Line Extends Pause on Operations
Carnival-owned Holland America Line, owner and operator of the coronavirus-stricken MS Zaandam, announced it will extend its pause of global cruise operations for an additional 30 days, cancelling sailings scheduled to depart through May 14, amid continued port closures and travel restrictions surrounding global health concerns."As the world addresses global health concerns, travel has come to a temporary standstill as communities take necessary precautions to protect themselves…
Guidelines for Non-destructive Inspection by Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing
Classification Society ClassNK has released its “Guidelines for Non-destructive Inspection by Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing”.Phased array ultrasonic testing is an advanced non-destructive inspection technology that enables the visualizing of flaw detection results and the digitizing of the record-keeping process. It has higher detection performance for defects in materials and welded joints compared to conventional ultrasonic testing.In recent years…
Remote Training with Vessel-specific Software
Kongsberg Maritime announced an integrated strategy to deliver remote, targeted training for its customers. Providing this service through digital platforms reduces travel, cost, time away from home and climate footprint. Three products – Remote Training, e-Learning and K-CAT (Kongsberg Competence Assessment Tool) – combine to ensure that vessel crews can fully benefit from Kongsberg’s expertise from…
ABS Helps Ensure Readiness of US Hospital Ships
ABS made a key contribution to the nation’s COVID-19 response effort, helping ensure the readiness of two ABS-classed U.S. Navy hospital ships.ABS surveyors on the U.S. East and West coast helped the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort sail to provide urgently needed hospital beds in New York and Los Angeles.USNS Mercy was in her home port in San Diego making preparations for a large shipyard repair package scheduled to begin in April.
New CEO Takes Over at Pan Ocean
South Korean shipping company Pan Ocean announced that Joong Ho Ahn is newly appointed as a Chief Executive Officer with effect from the date of the Board of Directors Meeting on March 30…
Opinion: COVID-19, Climate Change ... & Changing the World, Together
Our planet is facing its greatest challenge, and it’s not coronavirus. Asbjørn Halsebakke, Product Manager, Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch, ponders how greater political action could help the maritime industry meet its most ambitious environmental goals.Why hasn’t the climate crisis elicited the same urgent response from global governments as the corona pandemic? When confronted with the terrible threat of viral spread…
Laden LNG Tanker Bound for China is First from US Since March 2019
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker which loaded a cargo from the United States is currently heading to China, the first shipment since March 2019, according to…
Shell to Exit Lake Charles LNG Project
Royal Dutch Shell said on Monday it will exit the Lake Charles liquefied natural gas export project in Louisiana, citing the plunge in oil prices due to the coronavirus…
Oil Tanker Rates Double
Supertanker freight rates are on the rise for a second time this month as producers, refiners and traders scramble to secure ships to transport crude or store a fast-growing global glut of oil, industry sources said.Freight rates for very large crude-oil carriers (VLCC) along the Middle East Gulf to China route were assessed at about $180,000 a day on Monday, up from some $125,000 on Friday and a weekly low of about $90…
Cunard Extends Suspension of Cruises to May 15
Carnival Corp’s luxury cruise ships operator Cunard said on Monday it would extend the suspension of all voyages by a month to May 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.Carnival, also the operator of two coronavirus-stricken Princess cruises, has already temporarily suspended several of its ships due to concerns over the rapidly spreading COVID-19 crisis earlier this month.“The impact of COVID-19 is affecting personal routines and businesses as well as placing significant travel restrictions around
Yamal LNG Resumes Loading Operations in Norway
Yamal LNG, controlled by Russia's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer Novatek, is resuming ship-to-ship transfers in Norway, Novatek said on Monday, after plans to shift the operations to Russia fell through due to coronavirus.Novatek suspended transfers in Norway in June last year due to what it termed "pressure from the West".According to Refinitiv Eikon data, the Arc7 tanker Vladimir Vize is due to arrive at the Norwegian Arctic port of Honningsvag on April 1…
Incat Crowther to Design Patrol Vessel for Queensland
Incat Crowther reports it has been chosen to design an aluminum patrol vessel for Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science. The design was put to construction tender and Norman R Wright and Sons has been selected to build the vessel.The Incat Crowther 17 design was selected for the project based on specific criteria to deliver a high service delivery capacity for the operation, the designer said.
Improving Oily Water Separators
Oily water separators (OWS) have been a common fixture of a ship’s machinery space for many decades. With the amount of experience, research and legislation that has gone into them, it would be easy to think that their use would almost be hassle free. However, going by the amount of OWS violations still being recorded by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) it is evident that many seafarers are still encountering problems while operating them.
What Will COVID-19 Mean for US Offshore Wind?
What will COVID-19 mean for the offshore wind industry? An industry not yet spinning on its own.Epitomized by the roller coaster ride that defined the stock market over the last few weeks, unpredictability has emerged as one of the few certainties of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. Every industry has seen the effects of the pandemic, from hospitality, to travel, and even to the renewable energy sector.
Wärtsilä Adds Gate Rudders to Its Propulsion Lineup
Wärtsilä announced it will include Japanese-designed gate rudders as part of it propulsion offering for newbuild vessels and retrofit.The Finnish-based firm said it signed a license and cooperation agreement with Kuribayashi Steamship Co for future development, sales and servicing of the gate rudders. As an authorized license holder and partner, Wärtsilä intends to fully integrate gate rudders within its propulsion product designs for all vessel classes and focus on global markets outside Japan.
Ukraine Traders Agree Wheat Export Curb to Protect Bread Prices
Ukraine's biggest grain traders agreed on Monday to an economy ministry proposal to limit wheat exports to 20.2 million tonnes in the 2019/20 season to avoid a rise in domestic bread prices.Although Ukraine is a major grain exporter and its harvest largely exceeds domestic consumption, the coronavirus pandemic has led some countries to consider feed export restrictions.Ukrainian bakers and millers…
Coronavirus-hit Ship Approved to Pass Through Panama Canal
A cruise ship stuck off Panama’s Pacific coast after four passengers died and more than 130 others developed influenza-like symptoms, including at least two with the coronavirus, will be allowed to proceed through the Panama Canal, the government said on Saturday.Holland America Line’s 238-meter (781-foot) MS Zaandam vessel can now continue its trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but Panama’s government…
USNS Comfort Departs for New York
U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) departed Norfolk, Va. Saturday for New York City in support of the COVID-19 response efforts.The Military Sealift Command ship will serve as a referral hospital for patients not infected with COVID-19, providing a full spectrum of medical care to include general surgeries, critical care and ward care for adults, while allowing shore-based civilian hospitals…
Nigeria Bans Ships Without Thermal Screening Facilities
As the world grapples with best practices to contain the spread of the current coronavirus, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, said the agency has developed guidance to support ships that operate in the Nigerian maritime domain, including banning all vessels without thermal screening facilities from operating in Nigerian waters.“These…
Nigeria Announces Offshore Oil Worker Restrictions to Battle Coronavirus
Nigeria's petroleum regulator has ordered oil and gas companies to reduce their offshore workforce and move to 28-day staff rotations as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to a circular seen by Reuters.Health experts fear a widespread outbreak in Africa's most populous country, which has about 200 million inhabitants, and the country is keen to protect oil production…
