Caribbean News

Boys are coaxed into cleanliness at bath time playing with boats. But it was never a game for Joseph Farrell, III, instinctively realizing he was ballasting and salvaging ships, unlike the typical Mr. Bubbles kid. The scion of Resolve Marine Group may have been born to lead the global emergency response company founded by his father with a single tug 38 years ago, but he’s never taken dangerous wreck removal lightly.Before turning 15, Joey had two close calls on and around ships that guide him today, at 34.

Africa's Blue Economy, job opportunities, mentorship, marine environmental protection and addressing gender-based violence, were at the core of the 9th regional conference of the Association of Women Managers in the Maritime Sector in Eastern and Southern Africa (WOMESA) held recently in Antananarivo, Madagascar.Under the theme "Opportunities and challenges facing African women in advancing the maritime sector", some 60 participants from the region discussed and exchanged ideas on the empowerment of women in the African maritime sector…

An amendment to support consistent implementation of the forthcoming 0.50% limit on sulphur in ships fuel oil was adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Friday (26 October), during the current session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 73).The new 0.50% limit (reduced from 3.50% currently) on sulphur in ships' fuel oil will be in force from 1 January 2020, under IMO's MARPOL treaty, with benefits for the environment and human health.The complementary…

Spanish shipping and logistics company Pérez y Cía has agreed to acquire CFS Caribbean Feeder Services from the German shipping company Harren & Partner.A press release from CFS quoted Peter Harren, Founder and Managing Director of Harren & Partner as saying: "“I am very proud and pleased that we have reached this agreement. Pérez y Cía is a highly respected company known for its quality, expertise and experienced employees. It is the reliable long-term partner we were looking for. We believe that this acquisition will give CFS a very strong position for the future.

Hapag-Lloyd's 15,000 TEU ship "Al Jmeliyah" was officially christened in Rotterdam. Naming patron is Inge Sijbesma, the wife of Feike Sijbesma, CEO of the corporation DSM – one of Hapag-Lloyd’s biggest customers in the Netherlands.The name “Al Jmeliyah” is Arabic for “the beautiful one.” With its ten sister vessels, the “Al Jmeliyah” numbers among the so-called “Ultra Large Container Vessels” in Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet.However, this was not the first time that Hapag-Lloyd has christened a ship in Rotterdam. The most recent one was the christening of the “Rotterdam Express” in 2000.

Extensions, type approvals and next steps were all prominent on the agenda.September’s Ballast Water Management and Technology North America conference saw USCG staff from the Office of Operating and Environmental Standards and the Marine Safety Center giving conference attendees an update on various aspects of the Coast Guard’s ballast water program. Following is a recap of those presentations for our readers who were unable to attend:Ms. Regina Bergner and Mr. Matthew Reudelhuber with the Office of Operating and Environmental Standards, and Lt.

Port Everglades' largest tenant is urging the Florida Board of Pilot Commissioners to reject a proposed fee increase for harbor pilot services that it says would unfairly raise average pilotage costs more than 100 percent for shipping lines that call frequently at the port.While the proposed fee structure would decrease fees for cruise ships, it would hike the costs for companies that operate frequent-call feeder vessels that sail in and out of Port Everglades, Crowley Maritime Corporation said in a statement.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Silversea Cruises announced agreements to build three new ships for Silversea Cruises, including two luxury vessels as well as a single expedition ship for the Galapagos.Silversea, the luxury and expedition cruise brand that recently joined the RCL family, signed a memorandum of understanding with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft to build two new vessels in its new Evolution Class. The first Evolution Class ship is expected to deliver in 2022.Silversea also signed a contract with Dutch shipbuilder Shipyard De Hoop to construct a new expedition vessel…

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has so far resisted pressure to soften or postpone the implementation of new regulations requiring ships to use bunker fuels with a lower sulphur content from the start of 2020.That has prompted warnings from some analysts that the regulations will squeeze the availability of low-sulphur diesel and jet kerosene required by trucks, trains, aircraft, farmers and industry, resulting in big price increases.The regulations and any associated rise in fuel prices will occur in the run up to the next U.S.

Tall Ship Lady Washington will be docked at Jack London Square at the foot of Broadway, Saturday and Sunday, informed a press release from Port of Oakland.Visitors can experience maritime history by taking a vessel tour for a small donation to the floating museum. There are also ticketed sailing trips on San Francisco Bay.Lady Washington was built in Aberdeen, Washington, by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority and launched in 1989. She is a full-scale replica of the…

Wärtsilä and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. have extended their long-term service agreement to 2028, as the marine and cruise industry is moving more and more toward long-term partnerships.Under the agreement, Wärtsilä is optimizing maintenance efficiency through improved turbocharger maintenance, providing OEM spare parts, workshop services and preferred technical assistance for 46 Royal Caribbean Cruises’ ships. The original agreement, signed in 2013, spanned 10 years.The partnership…

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) has announced changes and improvements of the services between the Mediterranean and the US East Coast & Canada, ZCA and ZCI.The upgrades are planned to start in December (subject to regulatory approval), as follows:ZIM’s flagship ZIM Container Service Atlantic (ZCA), connecting main Mediterranean ports, US East Coast & Canada, will have the following rotation: Mersin – Ashdod – Haifa – Aliaga – Piraeus – Livorno – Barcelona - Valencia – Halifax – New York –  Norfolk – Savannah – Valencia – Tarragona – Mersin ZIM Container Service Italy (ZCI), in cooperat

Thirty-six hours after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the port of San Juan was back up and running, scanning the incoming relief cargo as it arrived. Now, nearly a year after the historic storm, San Juan remains one of the most secure and efficient ports in the world, scanning and adjudicating cargo shipments at an unprecedented speed, with wait times similar to pausing at a stop light. It was the first and only port in the Western Hemisphere to scan near-100 percent of incoming containerized cargo (bulk, un-containerized cargo is not scanned).

The Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Natonal Center of Expertise, industry experts provide technical training for future LNG fueled vessel inspectors.The Coast Guard’s Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center of Expertise (LGC NCOE) partnered with Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville to coordinate a four-day “LNG as Fuel Workshop” Sept. 17-20, 2018, for future inspectors of LNG fueled vessels, with support from industry experts and the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Center.Together, this team of LNG as fuel specialists provided Coast Guard marine inspectors from across the U.S.

A new mentorship scheme to encourage the next generation of women into the maritime sector has been launched at the annual conference of the Women in Maritime Association, Caribbean (WiMAC), which is being held in Belize City, Belize (October 16-19).This type of scheme is consistent with  International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Women in Maritime program, which supports the participation of women in both shore-based and sea-going posts, in line with the goals outlined under…

The Panama Canal announced that it expects to receive approximately 234 cruise ships through the Panamax and Neopanamax Locks during the upcoming 2018-2019 cruise season.The first transit was on Oct. 5 with the Seven Seas Mariner, on a northbound transit travelling from the U.S. West Coast to the U.S. East Coast."As the second full cruise season with the Expanded Canal, we aim to build off our recent milestones and success," said Panama Canal's Senior International Trade Specialist Albano G. Aguilar.

Build it and they will come mentality serves TOTE well on ‘world first’ LNG ContainershipsAs the marine industry collectively struggles to find solutions to the mounting mandates to cut emissions, U.S. owner TOTE, which broke ground three years ago with the world’s first LNG-fueled containership, has more than 36 months experience operating almost exclusively on LNG. To date it has been a rousing success.As environmental mandates for ships continue to get stricter, particularly…

The development that saw no U.S. seaborne exports of crude oil to China in August has continued into September, according to BIMCO. This is despite crude oil not being a part of the ‘official trade war’.“The trade war between the U.S. and China is now impacting trade in both tariffed and some un-tariffed goods with both countries looking elsewhere for alternative buyers and sellers,” said Peter Sand, BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst.“Ton mile demand generated by total U.S. crude oil exports has risen 17 percent from August to September…

Norwegian Cruise Line, the innovator in global cruise travel, returns to New Orleans introducing Norwegian Breakaway to the Big Easy with five to 11-day cruises to the Caribbean. At 1,068 feet and 145,655 gross register tons, the recently renovated Norwegian Breakaway is the largest cruise ship to homeport in the city of New Orleans, as well as the youngest in port this season. The namesake ship of the Breakaway class offers guests the freedom and flexibility to design their dream vacation at sea with no assigned dining and entertainment times…

Shiosai, a bulk carrier operated by NYK Bulkship (Atlantic) NV., rescued a distressed yachtsman on October 23 (local time) off the coast of Western Australia.While Shiosai was navigating in the southern Indian Ocean, the vessel received a call from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) of Australia to cooperate with a search and rescue operation for a distressed yacht.The ship immediately headed to the instructed area, and in bad weather and heavy swells rescued a man in…

As part of the United Nations family, International Maritime Organization (IMO) is actively working towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).A press release from IMO said that this Agenda calls for action by all countries to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030 world-wide.IMO is working to support this process and to ensure that the maritime sector is fully integrated into the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF)…

Corrosion starts from the inside out. The alkali that neutralizes acid water - and the acid water produced in a gas scrubbing system - are corrosive. Containment surfaces resistant to both alkali, acid water and their combination provide a safer ship with less expensive maintenance. While selecting metal alloys as more resistant to either acid or to alkali, facing all conditions simultaneously is problematic, as temperature plays an important role in pitting corrosion.Ultimately…

Practical efforts to implement ship energy-efficiency measures and promote technology transfer are an integral part of International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s initial strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships.A press release from the UN-body said that this is embodied in the global network for energy-efficient shipping under the Global MTCC Network (GMN) project, funded by the European Union and run by IMO.Representatives from the five Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs) in the GMN network recently met for their second annual meeting (22-26 October) in London…