Columbia Shipmanagement News

The transition towards digitalisation and automation is speeding up in the maritime industry, and a comprehensive strategy is emerging to turbo-charge efficiency, safety and sustainability. Yet key questions remain about the adoption of technologies and solutions to enhance operational performance, future-proof fleets while remaining commercially competitive, and ultimately realise the zero-emission goal. At Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) 2026, held from 25–27 March 2026 at Marina Bay Sands…

Deutsche Offshore Schifffahrt (DO) has started construction of a new fleet of construction commissioning service operation vessels (C-CSOVs), with the first steel cut for the lead vessel DO Joule at CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou, China.The vessel is the first in a series of four ships ordered by Schoeller Holdings, with all vessels to be built to identical specifications.Columbia Shipmanagement will provide technical management of the vessels, while DO will act as developer…

The crew of an oil products tanker are safe and the vessel is anchored off Iran's Bandar Abbas port, its manager said on Monday, after Tehran said it seized the ship in open Gulf waters last week.Iran confirmed on Saturday that its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) had seized the Talara, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, over alleged cargo violations, Iranian state media reported.It was the first seizure of a tanker by Tehran since Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran in June and has raised…

Iran confirmed on Saturday that its Revolutionary Guards had seized a tanker in Gulf waters carrying a cargo of petrochemicals bound for Singapore over alleged violations, Iranian state media reported.A U.S. official and maritime security sources had said on Friday that Iranian forces intercepted the oil products tanker and diverted it into Iranian territorial waters. It was the first report of Tehran seizing a tanker since Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran in June.Iranian state-run…

A joint venture between Schoeller Holdings and Deutsche Offshore Schifffahrt has ordered four construction commissioning service operation vessels (C-CSOVs) from the Chinese shipyard for offshore wind and wider offshore energy sector.The construction commissioning service operation vessels (C-CSOVs) have been ordered from CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, a member of the China State Shipbuilding Group, for delivery beginning in early 2027.The vessels will be able accommodate on board up to 100 technicians…

Technology provider for the air transport industry, SITA, has launched its SmartSea IT system through an initial agreement with Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM).With 75 years of experience, SITA serves 95% of international destinations in the air travel industry, and over 2,500 airlines, airports, ground handlers and governments all working closely with the company. More than 70 governments and all G20 nations trust SITA solutions, and 85% of international air passengers globally…

Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM), member of Columbia Group, is stepping up its presence in the Middle East with the launch of a new office in Dubai.Building on its 45 years of shipmanagement expertise, the strategic expansion will complement CSM’s existing operations in Saudi Arabia, aimed at strengthening the shipping industry and fostering partnerships across the region.The new office will offer the full spectrum of the Columbia Group integrated maritime services with diverse support…

Columbia Shipmanagement has agreed to install Oceanly Performance solution on board of its ships."Oceanly is a perfect fit for the services that Columbia wants to provide to its customers. The software will allow our technical managers to have a very intimate control of all technical aspects of our managed vessels, while at the same time ensuring complete compliance on all the emission and reporting regulations" says Mark O'Neil, Columbia Group CEO, who was visiting Norshipping and passed by Oceanly’s stand to seal the deal with the company Managing Director, Giampiero Soncini.

AAL Shipping has released a short film highlighting the design of its mega size 32,000dwt Super B-Class heavy lift vessels. The first, the AAL Limassol, is expected to be launched next year.The Super B-Class design was a collaboration between AAL’s engineering and commercial teams and sister company, Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM). The vessels were designed to be the most efficient and competent multi-purpose vessels (MPVs) available, built on the engineering team’s expertise in handling heavy lift…

Greenpeace protesters have blocked the entry of a Greek tanker into a southern English port due to its Russian fuel cargo with police making arrests, the green group said on Monday.Britain and the EU have separately banned Russian-flagged vessels from their ports, with exemptions, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in what the Kremlin describes as a "special military operation."The UK has said it will phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year, which has meant that foreign-flagged vessels carrying Russian cargoes are still able to call at ports for the time being.Greenpeace said 12 activists occupied a jetty on Sunday evening in Navigator Terminals' Thames site in Essex…

Singapore-based heavy lift and bulk shipping company AAL Shipping announced it has increased the number of vessels in its latest newbuild series from four to six.In November 2021, AAL announced the launch of its third-generation newbuilding plan with the initial order of four 32,000 deadweight (DWT) Super B-Class multipurpose vessels from China’s Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard. The carrier, which already operates a fleet of 25 heavy lift multipurpose vessels (MPV) globally, has now…

Beaming someone’s hologram to people thousands of miles away is no longer a fantasy, with OneLearn Global revolutionizing the world of maritime training by turning science fiction into reality. The digital eLearning training provider will soon offer live courses run by holographic tutors from the company’s headquarters in Limassol, Cyprus, to audiences around the globe.“This next-generation technology gives people the means to project themselves as life-size holograms when running live courses for mariners on shore or at sea…

Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM) said it is furthering its efforts to promote crew positive mental health and wellbeing with an exciting new initiative for crew welfare.CSM will be presenting courses prepared and delivered in partnership with Mission to Seafarers, a non-profit organization providing support to shipping crews. The courses will focus on assisting crew members with their financial and social wellbeing.CSM Group’s Director of Crewing and Training, Captain Faouzi Fradi, said, “CSM is passionate about the wellbeing of seafarers, as they are the beating heart of our industry.

TotalEnergies and Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore various collaborative opportunities to foster energy transition, especially in transportation, with a focus on shipping.The parties are developing in partnership a lube oil monitoring, optimization and supply platform utilizing the existing capabilities of CSM’s Performance Optimization Control Room (POCR). These developments aim at bringing value to final customers.In addition…

"I've seen grown men cry," says Captain Tejinder Singh, who hasn't set foot on dry land in more than seven months and isn't sure when he'll go home."We are forgotten and taken for granted," he says of the plight facing tens of thousands of seafarers like him, stranded at sea as the Delta variant of the coronavirus wreaks havoc on shore."People don't know how their supermarkets are stocked up."Singh and most of his 20-strong crew have criss-crossed the globe on an exhausting odyssey: from India to the United States then on to China…

"I've seen grown men cry," says Captain Tejinder Singh, who hasn't set foot on dry land in more than seven months and isn't sure when he'll go home."We are forgotten and taken for granted," he says of the plight facing tens of thousands of seafarers like him, stranded at sea as the Delta variant of the coronavirus wreaks havoc on shore."People don't know how their supermarkets are stocked up."Singh and most of his 20-strong crew have criss-crossed the globe on an exhausting odyssey: from India to the United States then on to China…

The crew change crisis that has been plaguing the maritime industry for more than a year and a half is raging on and only getting worse, data from 10 of the world's top ship managers suggests.The number of seafarers onboard vessels beyond the expiry of their contract has continued rising from 7.2% to 8.8% in the last month, and the number of seafarers onboard vessels for over 11 months has risen from 0.4% to 1%, according to the latest monthly Neptune Declaration Crew Change Indicator.The…

Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM) announced it has partnered with Norwegian ship owner and operator Seatrans AS to form a ship management joint venture.The company will be named Stödig Ship Management AS will become operational from the beginning of May 2021, operating out of Seatrans’ offices in Bergen, Norway. All Seatrans’ staff will remain employed in the company.Mark O’Neil, president and CEO of CSM, said, “In Columbia Shipmanagement we recognize the particular expertise and skill sets associated with managing ships in the hard chemical trades and other special tonnage markets.

Ship assessors are resorting to virtual inspections of oil tankers to keep vessels afloat, as the coronavirus pandemic makes physical visits to check for seaworthiness tougher and a slump in fuel demand increases the need for ships as storage.Oil tankers require rigorous inspections twice a year to reduce the risk of oil spills or mechanical collapse with polluting cargoes onboard.But the global pandemic has disrupted international trade, leaving merchant seafarers stuck on ships…

The Baltic Exchange, the a membership organisation for the maritime industry, and freight market information provider for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts, has launched a new assessment to track the cost of operating vessels.Initially covering a range of dry bulk vessels, the service will also be expanded to tankers and other sectors.The Baltic Operating Expense Index (BOI) will be published quarterly and based on assessments from three leading independent third-party ship management companies: Anglo-Eastern, Columbia Shipmanagement and Fleet Management.Collectively they manage a fleet of over 1,800 vessels.

Seafarers employed on Tsakos-owned vessels operated under its management arrangement with Columbia Shipmanagement will now be paid electronically as opposed to by ‘Cash-by-Master’, under an agreement signed with ShipMoney.The deal means crew members will have control and access to their wages while onboard ship, including the timing and currency of remittances sent home. It will  reduce the need for large amounts of cash to be delivered to ships and eliminate the need for Tsakos to administer individual crew wire payments sent to home bank accounts. The latest contract with the Greece-based shipmanagement company will see ShipMoney’s products being rolled out to its fleet of 90 vessels consisting of tanker…

Columbia Shipmanagement, an organization with over 40 years of experience providing world-class ship management and maritime services to our clients and partners,  announced the launch of its own eLearning Management System (LMS) in partnership with Adobe Systems."For the first time in shipping, a Web and App-based eLearning platform enables seafarers to access and complete their training assingments at their own pace, whereever they are and even withouth having network connectivty," claimed a press release from the company."This has become a reality thanks to the ambitious schemes to embrace a digital transformation which has led Columbia…

The Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) and Columbia Shipmanagement will create a joint venture, the ASCO said in a press release.Rauf Valiyev, the Chairman of ASCO and Heinrich Schuller, the Chairman of Columbia Shipmanagement  signed a memorandum of cooperation in this regard, it said.The new joint venture will further enhance bilateral cooperation. Thus, the company will create a solid basis for the exchange of experience on the operation of large tankers in international waters, training of seafarers and office staff of ASCO, and ensuring the participation of the Shipping Company in new foreign projects.The parties reached…