Commercial News

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released its latest report in the Pathways to Commercial Liftoff series, describing how the U.S. offshore wind sector is adapting to challenges and poised for continued progress, with a path to deploying over 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2050.The Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Offshore Wind report finds that the sector today is poised for liftoff, enabled by continued efforts to adapt to recent market challenges. The projects that move forward in the next several years will lay the foundation for consistent long-term deployment…

US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) have finalized updated regulations for renewable energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The final rule increases certainty and reduces the costs associated with the deployment of offshore wind projects by modernizing regulations, streamlining overly complex processes and removing unnecessary ones…

A coalition vessel successfully engaged one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched from the Iranian-backed Houthi "terrorist-controlled areas" in Yemen over the Gulf of Aden, the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) said on Thursday.The ASBM was likely targeting the MV Yorktown, a U.S.-flagged, owned, and operated vessel with 18 U.S. and four Greek crew members, USCENTCOM said in a statement."There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships," it added.Separately…

As the U.S. offshore wind industry endures a predictable number of stops and starts during its adolescence, common mantras are ‘learn from the established European model’ and ‘embrace technology transfer from the offshore oil and gas sector.’ In Robert Langford, the American Bureau of Shipping has all of that and more bundled in one neat package.Rob Langford has worked in the offshore industry for more than three decades, ‘cutting his teeth’ in a UK design firm working in the North Sea oil and gas platforms, the holy grail of rigorous conditions in offshore energy production.

Damen Shipyards Group has launched a pilot project in which a small tug will be dismantled in a circular way and fully in line with the EU regulations.The project will serve as a trial, after which this approach of ‘green’ ship dismantling and recycling will be made available commercially, and also for larger vessels, according to Damen.The 15.4-meter-long tug named Jan, which was built in 1927, will be dismantled at Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam’s Botlek site in line with the regulations…

As U.S. shale oil boomed last decade, an oil pipeline company pitched an ambitious multi-billion-dollar export port off the Texas coast to ship domestic crude to buyers in Europe and Asia.In April, Enterprise Products Partners' SPOT became the first project to receive a license from the U.S. maritime regulator for a deepwater port that could load two supertankers, each of which can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil at a time.But multi-year regulatory delays, a loss of commercial backers and slowing U.S.

“Wind Turbines: The Bigger, the Better” -USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, August 24, 2023Last December the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a proposed sale notice regarding new development areas for utility scale wind projects in the central Atlantic Ocean. The notice includes an upfront issue: the need to mitigate conflicts with U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) activities. BOEM explains that in certain areas the Air Force has set an airspace floor of 1,000 feet above sea level and the Air Force asked BOEM to keep structures below that height.

The Captain of the Port (COTP) has established the Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel, which is on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and will provide limited access for commercially essential vessels.The channel has a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 135 feet, and will facilitate additional commercially essential vessel traffic through the port of Baltimore.“This additional channel increases the types of vessels able to transit inbound and outbound the port of Baltimore…

The Legal Committee of the IMO will meet for its 111th session at IMO Headquarters in London from April 22 to 26, 2024. The Committee deals with any legal matters within the scope of the IMO, including issues relating to liability and compensation, fair treatment of seafarers and the registration of ships. This meeting will discuss:1. Abandonment of seafarersSeafarer abandonment happens when shipowners fail to fulfil obligations to seafarers related to timely repatriation, payment of outstanding wages or salary…

New York State on Friday stalled three major offshore wind-energy projects after General Electric Vernova GE.N changed the turbine design, which the state said "materially altered" the plans.New York provisionally approved the projects in October 2023. They are Attentive Energy One being developed by TotalEnergies, Rise Light & Power and Corio Generation; Community Offshore Wind, which is backed by RWE and National Grid Ventures; and Vineyard Offshore's Excelsior Wind.But since then…

British security firm Ambrey said on Friday merchant vessels transiting the Gulf and Western Indian Ocean were advised to stay alert in case of increased uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) activity in the region.Ambrey said it had received information that indicated an "Israeli military strike" was conducted on Isfahan, Iran.Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it had seen similar reports but that there were no indications commercial maritime vessels…

The United States has launched an investigation into alleged unfair practices within China's shipbuilding and maritime industries, drawing ire from Chinese officials.The probe was launched Wednesday by U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai in response to a petition filed by five national labor unions accusing China of using "non-market policies that are far more aggressive and interventionist than any other country" to obtain dominance over the global shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sector."The American commercial shipbuilding industry is a shell of its former self. . .

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has launched a reduced emissions shipping service ONE LEAF+ which offers customers the opportunity to proactively manage their own emissions and minimize environmental impact across the value chain.ONE LEAF+ offers:• Reduced Carbon Footprint: ONE will deploy regulation-compliant alternative fuels on designated vessels, allowing customers to reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions on their shipments with ONE.• Added Transparency: With ONE LEAF+, customers will…

The 25 crew members of the MSC Aries, which was seized by Iran on April 13, are safe, shipping firm MSC said on Wednesday, adding that discussions with Iranian authorities are in progress to secure their earliest release."We are also working with the Iranian authorities to have the cargo discharged," the Swiss headquartered company said in a statement.Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the container vessel in the Strait of Hormuz days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1.

Global industry leaders from North America, Asia and Europe have announced the formation of the North Pacific Green Corridor Consortium (NPGCC) whose members and partners will work together to decarbonize the value chain for commodities between North America and Asia.The NPGCC will apply its collective expertise to develop a corridor for the decarbonized transportation of multiple commodities, including agricultural products, metal concentrates and steelmaking coal.The members of the NPGCC are committed to establishing the consortium as a catalyst for decarbonization efforts…

Daphne Technology has been selected by Trafigura for its first commercial deployment of PureMetrics™ emissions measuring system, scheduled for the summer of 2024.The system will be deployed aboard an LNG carrier chartered by Trafigura and managed by Latsco LNG LLC.PureMetrics directly measures and accurately reports real-time tonnes of GHG emissions to the environment, eliminating inaccurate reporting based on fuel consumption estimates. The system features a combination of an array of sensors…

Marine technology company Sea Machines Robotics has unveiled a new uncrewed surface vessel (USV) geared for industries ranging from hydrographic surveying, offshore asset inspection, and persistent on water operations such as security and environmental studies.The first model, SELKIE 7, is a 7-meter USV built on a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) hull and powered by the company's flagship SM300 Autonomous Command and Control system, unlocking autonomous capabilities for any task…

The Coastal Sustainability Alliance (CSA), an industry collaborative effort led by Kuok Maritime Group (KMG), has announced the start of construction of its first fully electric PXO-series tug (e-tug) and supply boat (e-supply boat) by PaxOcean Group.The zero-emissions vessels are among the first and largest local electric harbour craft designed for operation in Singapore’s coastal waters. They are targeted for deployment in 2025, ahead of the nation’s goal for all new coastal…

EST-Floattech will be providing the battery system for the purpose-built electric-landing utility vessel (E-LUV) to be built at Coastal Workboats’ new yard Stornoway. The company will also provide the shore-based power supply system.The collaboration with Coastal Workboats Scotland is realized due to Coastal Workboats receiving a £6 million (€7 million) grant to demonstrate the UK's first commercial electric workboat and charging station from the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.The BV-classed E-LUV is set to be the UK's first commercial electric workboat.

U.S. sanctions are limiting tanker activity for Russia's top shipping group, Sovcomflot, the company's head said on Tuesday, as Washington tightens the screws on Moscow.The U.S. imposed sanctions on Sovcomflot on Feb. 23 as Washington seeks to reduce Russia's revenues from oil sales that it can use to support its military actions in Ukraine.Sanctions have impacted the company's operations, "limiting our geography and commercial prospects", Sovcomflot CEO Igor Tonkovidov told reporters.He added that as sanctions are a relatively new instrument to the shipping market…

Shipping company Maersk has not made any deployment changes after a Portuguese-flagged container ship was seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the Danish company said on Monday."We find recent events in the Gulf of Hormuz and the hijacking of a commercial container ship deeply concerning," a spokesperson said in an emailed comment.While the company will monitor the situation and available intelligence to assess the risk level in the region, it has so far made no deployment changes, the spokesperson added.Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday it had seized the vessel for violati

Royal Caribbean Group announced to has tapped Bert Hernandez to succeed Barbara Muckermann as president of its Silversea brand.Most recently serving as senior vice president, international, Hernandez has been with the Royal Caribbean Group for the past 20 years. He previously served as president of China operations for Royal Caribbean International and was chief operating officer for the group’s former luxury cruise line, Azamara.Muckermann is departing Royal Caribbean Group after 14 years with Silversea to pursue other opportunities…