Rhine Water Too Low Even for Some Empty Vessels
Water levels on Germany's Rhine river are so low that some vessels cannot sail even when empty, a shipping cooperative said on Friday, although long-awaited rain has begun to ease bottlenecks on one of the country's main commercial routes.Weeks of drought across Europe and beyond have added to supply chain problems as vessels have had to lighten their loads to ensure they can travel along depleted water channels."Empty ships can no longer sail in some cases…
New Buoys Aim to Help Protect Whales from Ship Strikes
A network of acoustic monitoring buoys aims to help protect North Atlantic right whales—one of the world’s most critically endangered species—from ship strikes along the U.S. East Coast.Although North Atlantic right whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, serious threats to their survival abound with only approximately 336 of these great whales remaining on the planet.
Energy Efficiency Indices: What You Need to Know
Decarbonization is the greatest challenge facing the shipping industry today.The effort to reduce emissions and environmental impact extends to all sectors and players and will leave no one in the industry unaffected.The IMO’s effort to decarbonise shipping is a numbers game. The goal, as stipulated in the Initial IMO GHG Strategy, is to reduce the average CO2 emissions per transport work by at least 40% by 2030…
Navigating a Minefield: Why UXO Could Hamper the UK’s Offshore Wind Ambitions
The UK’s plans to significantly increase offshore wind capacity to 50GW by 2030 risks being hindered by an array of undiscovered unexploded ordnance (UXO) in our coastal waters. It is estimated that up to 500,000 legacy items/targets of UXO could still be present in UK waters. These require safe removal or disposal to clear the way for accelerated offshore wind development. The current practice of…
Rollercoaster Containershipping Rates Continue, says Xeneta
South American spot rate gap set to narrow as shippers take advantage of lower Far East to West Coast ratesThe latest ocean freight rate data from Xeneta reveals that spot rates are currently $3,700 more expensive for shipping 40-ft. containers from the Far East to the South American East Coast, compared to the West Coast corridor. This huge gap – the norm is usually around a $55 East Coast premium – has opened up since 1 July.
Kongsberg Inks Deal for 32 Thrusters to Med Marine in Turkey
Kongsberg Maritime’s US Series thrusters will be installed on 16 new ASD tugboats to be built in Turkey by Med Marine ShipyardKongsberg Maritime (KM) reports that it has signed "a sizeable contract" with Med Marine in Turkey to deliver 32 US series thrusters for installation on new Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugboats.KM’s US series thrusters now offer project-specific Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling capabilities…
Jurong Port, MHI and JERA Explore Plan to Build Ammonia Power Plant in Singapore
A consortium of Singapore and Japanese companies have signed an initial agreement to build a power plant fuelled only by ammonia in the city state.Singapore's Jurong Port, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific (MHI-AP) and JERA plan to build the 60 megawatt (MW) gas turbine combined cycle plant on Singapore's Jurong Island, they said in a joint statement on Friday.Jurong Port and MHI-AP in August 2021 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a pre-feasibility study on ammonia direct com
Sunken WW2 German Warships Exposed by Low water Levels on Danube
Europe's worst drought in years has pushed the mighty river Danube to one of its lowest levels in almost a century, exposing the hulks of dozens of explosives-laden German warships sunk during World War Two near Serbia's river port town of Prahovo.The vessels were among hundreds scuttled along the Danube by Nazi Germany's Black Sea fleet in 1944 as they retreated from advancing Soviet forces, and still hamper river traffic during low water levels.However…
Bigger, Better Charity Ship Makes Its First Migrant Rescue
Four times the tonnage of the original Open Arms rescue tugboat and with a capacity to carry up to 1,000 people, the Open Arms Uno made its first rescue on Wednesday, picking up 101 migrants stranded on a wooden boat off the Tunisian coast."Sit down, if you don't sit down we don't continue," a crew member shouted to the excited migrants from a speed boat launched from the vessel operated by the Spanish…
Denmark to Invest $5.5 Billion in New Warships
Denmark expects to invest 40 billion Danish crowns ($5.47 billion) in new warships as the NATO member seeks to bolster its maritime security in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the defense ministry said on Thursday.As part of the investments due over the next 20 to 25 years, a partnership with the country's maritime industry was launched, aiming to develop and build the new warships in Denmark…
ABS Rules Guide New Greener OSV
Classification society ABS reports it is supporting the first offshore supply vessel (OSV) in Malaysia to feature an innovative vessel design and battery system to support more sustainable operations.The new generation OSV will be designed to ABS Rules, and ABS New Technology Qualification (NTQ) procedures will evaluate the Blue G Battery System, a power source that can be charged by generator sets onboard as well as any sustainable solutions from the shore.
UN Chief Seeks 'Spirit of Compromise' Over Ukraine Grain Initiative
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Russia and Ukraine on Thursday to show a "spirit of compromise" to ensure the continued success of a U.N. brokered deal that enabled Ukraine to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports.Guterres said after talks in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv that 21 ships had departed from Ukrainian ports under the deal in less than a month, and 15 vessels had…
Average Container Prices and Leasing Rates Decline in China
Average container prices have declined to more than half from the last year in August as China picks up containerized trade volumes more recently, according to an analysis published by Container xChange, a technology marketplace and operating platform for container logistic companies. The analysis is a part of the monthly container logistics report published by Container xChange titled ‘Where Are All…
Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Down in July
Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 5.3 million tons in July, a decrease of 6.8% compared to a year ago, according to trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA). Shipments were also 6.3% below the month’s 5-year average, LCA said.Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 19.1 million tons, a decrease of 27.8% compared to the same point in 2021, LCA said. Iron ore shipments are 25.5% below their 5-year average for the first seven months of the year.
Photos: Inside Expedition Cruise Ship National Geographic Islander ll
Lindblad Expeditions has shared images of its newest fleet addition ahead of the vessel's inaugural voyage in the Galápagos Islands.The National Geographic Islander ll is an expedition cruise ship acquired to replace Lindblad Expeditions' vessel National Geographic Islander for year-round operations in the Galápagos. Accommodating just 48 guests in 26 suites, the ship will sail for Lindblad Expeditions with a 1:1 guest-to-crew ratioThe 3…
Eagle Bulk Sells Its Oldest Vessel
U.S.-based shipowner Eagle Bulk Shipping announced it has sold its oldest vessel as part of its ongoing fleet renewal program.The company revealed in its second quarter earnings report that it sold the 55,362 DWT, 189.99-meter-long bulk carrier Cardinal for a total consideration of $15.8 million.The 2004-built geared Supramax was the final remaining ship from Eagle Bulk's original fleet at its inception in 2005.The vessel is expected to be delivered to its new owner…
The MN100 Application Deadline is August 24
Each year, Marine News magazine profiles 100 of the top firms in the North American workboat sector.From passenger vessels to towboats, tugs and barges. From dredging and offshore energy to pilot, patrol, fire and police boats. OEMs, service providers, shipyards, owners/operators and the full gamut of marine-related businesses are eligible. But, only those who apply before August 24, 2022 will be considered for inclusion.Is your company one of the best?
Crowley Names Karl SVP and GM of Wind Services
Crowley has appointed Bob Karl as senior vice president and general manager of the company’s new business unit, Crowley Wind Services. As Crowley elevates the scope of its offerings in wind energy, Karl will lead the company’s wind services team in the strategic development and expansion of services to support the emerging sector. The development of a wind service business unit will see the company…
Next US Energy Boom Could Be Wind Power in the Gulf of Mexico
With passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains US$370 billion for climate and energy programs, policy experts are forecasting a big expansion in clean electricity generation. One source that’s poised for growth is offshore wind power.Today the U.S. has just two operating offshore wind farms, off of Rhode Island and Virginia, with a combined generating capacity of 42 megawatts. For comparison…
Liebherr Expands All-electric Heavy Lift Ship Crane Series
Driven by the growth in the size of wind turbines, Liebherr's all-electric heavy lift crane series is being expanded with an 800-tons crane. "The new cranes follow on from a long tradition and decades of experience in building ship cranes. The first ship crane was delivered by Liebherr in 1958. The push into the 800 tonnes size segment does not represent new territory - Liebherr has already supplied onshore and offshore cranes in the 3000-5000 tonnes category…
