Alma News

SunStone Maritime Group has announced the long-term summer charter of the Infinity vessel, Ocean Victory, with a new client.From April 2025, the Ocean Victory will be trading in the Mediterranean Sea during northern hemisphere summer seasons for Spanish luxury cruise operator, Alma Cruceros.Alma Cruceros is a Spanish operator planning itineraries covering Spanish destinations in the Mediterranean, as well as Northern and Western Africa and the Canary Islands. The cruise product will be designed for Spanish speaking passengers in all areas from music…

The 2023 navigation season has drawn to a close on the Upper Mississippi River.A 15-barge tow pushed by the towboat Thomas Erickson, the last of the season, departed Lock and Dam 10, near Guttenberg, Iowa, December 3, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District said.The 2023 season commence March 12, when the towboat Phillip M Pfeffer broke its way through the ice of Lake Pepin to travel to St. Paul, Minnesota.With the 2023 navigation season in the rearview, St. Paul District staff will remain busy this coming winter with maintenance projects at Lock and Dam 2…

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued its third ban from Australian waters to a Briese Heavylift GmbH & Co ship this year.AMSA issued the 90-day ban to the Antigua & Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship BBC Jade, after inspectors in Port Alma found 57 tons of explosive substances had been incorrectly stowed on board the vessel during transit.The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code outlines the minimum international standards for the maritime transport of dangerous goods…

Alma Clean Power, Odfjell, and DNV have this week announced a new milestone in the development of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system.The fuel cell system will be installed on a chemical tanker by the end of 2024, aiming to demonstrate the potential for significantly lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for deep-sea shipping, the trio said at an event in Singapore."As the maritime industry faces major challenges adjusting to zero emissions over the next decades, fuel cells demonstrate a promising potential for scalable use for longer distances and larger energy needs in shipping.

Captain Morgan McManus will serve as the Ship’s Master on the Empire State VII, the first in a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), which at press time was getting its post-sea trial finishing touches at Philly Shipyard. The project to design, build and deliver the NSMV series is one of the most exciting shipbuilding programs in the U.S. – a government shipbuilding project leveraging commercial shipbuilding efficiencies. For insights, we visited with Captain McManus to discuss the ship, it’s technology suite and its role in helping to educate a new generation of U.S.

Norway-based Alma Clean Power announced it has successfully tested the world's first 6 kW direct ammonia fuel cell system.Alma Clean Power is working to develop modularized Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) systems for applications in the ocean space, and it says the the 6-kW unit is the first building block of a complete 100-kW SOFC module. The test validates the company’s design of a direct ammonia fuel cell (DAFC) system, delivering electrical efficiency of 61-67%.“I am very proud of the Alma team and their remarkable achievements in just over a year of system development.

A trio of companies -- Alma Clean Power, Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies and Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime -- announced a joint development agreement to engineer a fully integrated LOHC-SOFC (Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) power system for the Enova supported project HyNjord, focusing on a 100-kW pilot powertrain to be demonstrated on board the Østensjø Rederi operated offshore supply vessel Edda Ferd. The agreements also open up for hydrogen-powered vessels on megawatt-scale later.

Norway-based Alma Clean Power announced its design of a 1 MW ammonia fueled marine solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society DNV.The SOFC system design has been evaluated for compliance with DNV class rules and IMO guidelines for fuel cell installations. The AIP is granted for a containerized module that includes safety systems to handle ammonia as fuel.“We’re excited that our design has received approval according to the highest standards in the maritime industry.

Tom Perrine, Austal USA vice president of engineering, was recognized by the University of Michigan as the 2022 Rosenblatt-Michigan Award recipient. The award is presented annually by the University of Michigan College of Engineering’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in recognition of outstanding professional achievement, integrity and devotion to excellence and innovation in ship design.The award honors the name of its first recipient, Lester Rosenblatt…

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Eidesvik Offshore has named Helga Cotgrove as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Cotgrove will join Eidesvik Offshore October 1, 2022 at the latest. She has more than 20 years of energy sector finance experience in various roles within M&A, strategy, tax, finance, accounting, and auditing. She comes from the position as CFO in Norsk Solar AS. Cotgrove previously worked as Halliburton's director of corporate development in Houston, where she was in charge…

Maine Maritime Academy’s Board of Trustees announced that Jerald S. “Jerry” Paul has been named as the college’s 15th President. Paul, current President of Capitol Access and a 1989 graduate of the institution, will take office this spring.Paul will succeed President William J. Brennan, who steps down from the position at the end of April following 12 years of transformative leadership at MMA. “I am gratified that the Board has selected such a fine individual to lead this wonderful college when I step down next spring,” says President Brennan.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is preparing for major repairs at six of its Mississippi River locks this winter to ensure they continue working as designed.Maintenance is scheduled at Lock and Dam 4, Alma, Wisconsin; Lock and Dam 5A, near Fountain City, Wisconsin; Lock and Dam 6, Trempealeau, Wisconsin; Lock and Dam 7, near La Crescent, Minnesota; Lock and Dam 8, near Genoa, Wisconsin; and Lock and Dam 10, Guttenberg, Iowa.The locks will be closed from Nov.

Eidesvik Offshore, a Norwegian offshore support vessel owner, has signed a deal with oil firm Aker BP and Alma to investigate the possibility of using Alma's fuel cell technology to accelerate the transition to zero-emission shipping.Alma is a venture under establishment by Aker Group's recently formed platform for venture capital in industrial technology Clara Venture Labs. Under the agreement, the companies will explore retrofit installation of Alma’s ammonia fuel cell technology…

Iceland-based shipping and logistics firm Eimskip has appointed María Björk Einarsdóttir as CFO, to take over from Egill Örn Petersen, who has decided to resign due to personal reasons. Egill Örn Petersen, who has been the CFO of Eimskip since the beginning of 2019, will take another position within the finance department.María Björk Einarsdóttir has, for the last seven years, been the Managing Director of Alma íbúðafélag (previously Almenna leigufélagið) one of the largest real-estate companies in Iceland which she has led from its foundation. She has a B.Sc. degree in Engineering Management, majoring in finance, from Reykjavík University and she is a licensed securities broker.

Samskip has responded to growing demand for its recently launched weekly container service between Dublin and Amsterdam by introducing a larger, faster ship and adding a call at Port of Waterford. The expansion comes less than five months after the debut of Amsterdam as a service separate from Samskip’s Rotterdam-Ireland links. “We have experienced strong uptake for the direct route into Amsterdam’s network of rail, road and barge connections to major EU markets,” said Thijs Goumans, Head of Ireland Trade, Samskip.

Captain Andrew Kinsey, Senior Marine Risk Consultant, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, recently discussed some of the trends that will shape 2021 for the maritime, ports and logistics world.MR TV: As we come to the end of 2020, talk now turns not simply to COVID-19 and a potential vaccine, but to the supply chain logistics and challenges that come with distributing those vaccines. How does the picture look from where you sit?Andrew Kinsey:  The picture looks complicated. It's a global demand. It's a global logistics problem.

Australian officials have ordered the repatriation of nine Chinese and Filipino seafarers who have been working on board the bulk carrier Brio Faith for nearly two years without relief. The Panama-flagged bulker was inspected Monday in Port Alma, Queensland, where Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) personnel verified that three crew had been on board for over 12 months, four crew had been on board for over 16 months and two crew had been on board for over 20 months.During the inspection the operator Tianjin Shun Xin Yuan Shipping Co LTD assured AMSA, and provided evidence, that crew would be repatriated the following day.On Tuesday, the operator informed AMSA that those repatriation plans had fallen through.

America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) said that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday for its new Shipbuilder Academy site in Gulfport.Shipbuilder Academy was established in 2016 at Ingalls’ Maritime Training Academy with a mission to provide enrolled students with a strong foundation in the maritime industry and fill the current industry skills gap.Through a partnership with the Gulfport School District, Ingalls is expanding the program to a new site inside the repurposed Gaston Point Elementary School.“Ingalls has been a cornerstone of the Gulf Coast for more than 80 years, and we want to provide paths for hiring local talent,” said Brian Cuccias, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding.

A new film from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) shows how IMO's Women in Maritime program is helping to support gender diversity in the maritime sectorThe maritime world is changing - and for the better. With help from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), exciting and rewarding career opportunities are opening up for women and a new generation of strong and talented women are responding.They are proving that, in today's world, the maritime industries are for everyone. It's not about your gender, it's about what you can do."We see more women involved in different departments within the maritime industry, we don't see them in the conventional roles anymore…

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the third-largest cruise line in the world, controlling approximately 8.7% of the total worldwide share of the cruise market by passengers, celebrated its first season of cruises from the Netherlands, Amsterdam with the European debut of Norwegian Pearl.The international cruise liner said that with this maiden call it is growing the brand’s presence to six ships in the region for the first time.On Saturday, 8 June, Norwegian Pearl’s Captain, Paul von Knorring, and the ship’s officers were honored with a plaque and key to the city of Amsterdam from local officials from the Port of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Cruise Port and Passenger Terminal Amsterdam…

The newest cruise ship in the Holland America Line fleet, the Nieuw Statendam, made its maiden call to the port of Amsterdam on Sunday, 5 May 2019.The second Pinnacle Class ship moored at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) and was welcomed with a water salute by Port of Amsterdam. Amsterdam will be the ship’s home port during the upcoming summer season.This was the maiden call for the ship that was christened by Oprah Winfrey in Ft. Lauderdale last February. A cruise ship’s maiden call to a port is traditionally accompanied by a plaque & key ceremony.Alma Prins-Droog, Commercial Manager Cruise at Port of Amsterdam, presented Captain Sybe de Boer with the port of Amsterdam coat of arms.

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted a signing day ceremony on Tuesday for the 2019 graduates of its Shipbuilder Academy program. Twenty-six high school seniors were offered full-time positions at Ingalls after successfully completing the specialized career technical education (CTE) program.“For more than 80 years, Ingalls has provided the families of our communities the opportunity to learn relevant job skills and build successful careers,” said George S. Jones, Ingalls’ vice president of operations. “Signing day is a continuation of that legacy.

The Galveston Bay Foundation recently honored the volunteer efforts of Aramco Services Company (ASC) with its “Guardian of the Bay” award. This award recognizes ASC’s “leadership, work, and commitment for the betterment of Galveston Bay.”According to a press note  the director of Public Affairs Abdulrahman A. Bayounis and Strategic Communications supervisor Alma S. Kombargi accepted the award on behalf of ASC.“ASC is proud to partner with the Galveston Bay Foundation to revitalize such a precious resource,” said Bayounis. “I would like to recognize the efforts of our ASC volunteers who come out year-after-year to give their time and…