Designate News

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of 32 Centers of Excellence (COE) for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education. The designated COEs consist of 50 maritime training locations across 17 states and Guam. The designation recognizes and promotes support to post-secondary maritime training programs that prepare students for careers in the maritime industry.“Our country depends on a highly-skilled mariner workforce to strengthen both our economy and our national security,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The president of Cyprus outlined a proposal on Thursday to open a maritime corridor to help deliver more aid to Gaza, a plan which he said could be operational quickly but which diplomats said faced challenges.Under the plan presented by President Nikos Christodoulides at a humanitarian conference in Paris, aid would be sent by sea to Gaza from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, the closet European Union member state about 370 km (230 miles) away."We hope immediately to implement it…

With a lame-duck CNO, a divided Congress and the impending launch of the next Presidential election cycle, America’s naval market is locked into something of a fragile and fearful autopilot, cruising inexorably towards whatever excitement 2024 might bring.Materially, don’t expect much change: The demand for naval platforms will continue to outstrip available funding, meaning there will be little movement or growth in America’s major shipbuilding programs of record. The procurement outlines are already set.

The IMO’s MEPC 80 session adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships and advanced other environmental initiatives.The revised IMO GHG Strategy includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping close to 2050, a commitment to ensure an uptake of alternative zero and near-zero GHG fuels by 2030, as well as indicative check-points for 2030 and 2040:1. to reduce the total annual GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 20%, striving for 30%, by 2030, compared to 2008; and2.

The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) - 80th session will meet at IMO Headquarters in London from July 3-7, and amongst key agenda items, the MEPC 80 session is expected to adopt an upgraded IMO greenhouse gas strategy.The revised IMO GHG Strategy will contain concrete greenhouse gas reduction targets for the sector and is expected to outline a range of technical and economic measures. Negotiations have been ongoing and will continue during the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 15)…

BIMCO, the world’s largest shipping association, has elected Nikolaus H. Schües, CEO and owner of Reederei F. Laeisz as President at the organization's general meeting in Hong Kong on Thursday.Schües takes over as the 46th President of BIMCO and the first German national holding the position since 2011. He takes over from Sabrina Chao of Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited, who has completed her two-year term.“I am honoured to be elected President of an organization…

The U.S. Department of the Interior said Monday that President Biden would take action to designate about 2.8 million acres in the Arctic Ocean nearshore the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) as indefinitely off-limits for future oil and gas leasing. This action will complete protections for the entire Beaufort Sea Planning Area, building upon President Obama’s 2016 withdrawal under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect the Chukchi Sea Planning Area and the majority of the Beaufort Sea…

The United States' Federal Maritime Commission said it is asking the top 20 shipping lines calling the U.S. to provide information on how they are complying with the new prohibitions on retaliation established by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA).The added protections against retaliation were created by Section 5 of OSRA and became effective immediately upon the law’s enactment in June. The prohibitions apply to common carriers, marine terminal operators (MTO), and…

Singapore's Ministry of Transport announced that Teo Eng Dih will take over as chief executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), succeeding Quah Ley Hoon, who will step down on September 5, 2022.Teo Eng Dih, currently Deputy Secretary (Policy) of the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF), is responsible for MINDEF’s defense policy and diplomacy, strategic and public communications, and Total Defense. He oversaw the expansion of defense cooperation with international partners and strengthening of collaborations at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) platform.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced Tuesday that it is accepting applications for Centers of Excellence (CoE) designations to recognize and support community or technical colleges and maritime training centers that prepare Americans for careers in the maritime industry.The effort, which comes amid challenges presented by supply chain disruptions and climate change, aims to expand equitable opportunities for good paying jobs and prepares workers for successful future careers in the maritime industry…

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) last Friday designated offshore wind vessels as vessels of national interest making them eligible for financial support through the Title XI Federal Ship Financing Program (Title XI). The Federal Ship Financing Program - commonly referred to as "Title XI" based on the part of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 that established the program - provides for a full faith and credit guarantee by the United States Government to promote the growth and modernization of the U.S. merchant marine and U.S.

In a statement submitted to the Special Tripartite Committee (STC) meeting held last week, SRI, the international pan-industry body researching maritime and seafarers’ law, called for more States to ratify the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) to ensure a level playing field in the shipping industry.At the meeting, Deirdre Fitzpatrick, executive director of SRI said, “More ratifications are needed to bring the Convention on a par with SOLAS, MARPOL and the STCW, the other three…

“Until every employee, and every midshipman, and cadet, and every trainee trusts the system and until all allegations are handled properly, abuse will continue to occur, it will continue to go unreported, and people will continue to suffer alone—and that is simply intolerable,” said Lucinda Lessley, Acting Maritime Administrator, presenting at the Connecticut Maritime Association Shipping Expo and Conference, in February.On March 30, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) released…

SUNY Maritime College on Monday announced three major construction projects totaling $24.8 million that will enhance and build on the campus’s state-of-the-art facilities for students pursuing the global marine transportation industry. Ground-breaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies today with state and local leaders celebrated Maritime College’s new Student Learning Center and its fully renovated Marine Engineering Systems Laboratory, made possible through significant New York…

The Biden administration on Tuesday said it was taking steps to designate a national marine sanctuary off the coast of central California. President Joe Biden has set a goal of safeguarding 30% of U.S. land and water over the next decade. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said the proposal would protect a 7,000-square-mile area. The waters are important to the heritage of the Native American Chumash people who once lived in coastal villages that are now submerged.

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…

The international shipping industry continued its long-term positive safety trend over the past year. The number of large vessels lost remained at record low levels in 2020, while reported incidents declined year-on-year, according to Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE’s  (AGCS) Safety & Shipping Review 2021.The AGCS report notes that the shipping sector has shown great resilience through the coronavirus pandemic, as evidenced by strong trade volumes and the recovery seen in several parts of the industry today.

Even after concerted efforts from leaders in the maritime community and some improvement in the numbers, the crew change crisis caused by COVID-19 restrictions continues to create challenges, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization has warned.In a statement, IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim said that based on industry analysis, the numbers of seafarers requiring repatriation after finishing their contracts had declined—from a high of around 400,000 in September 2020, to around 200,000 as of March 2021, with a similar number waiting to join ships.

Sabrina Chao has been named the 45th president of international shipping association BIMCO, taking over from Şadan Kaptanoğlu, managing director of Kaptanoglu Shipping, who has completed her two-year term.Chao has been in the shipping industry since 2001 and joined the family business Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited in 2002. Chao held the position as chairman of the group from 2013 until August 2019 and from 2016, she served a two-year term as chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.

Unite Nations organizations this week issued a joint call for the world's seafarers to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, stressing their key role in supporting global trade.The heads of five UN organizations have called for maritime and air transport workers to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination.Seafarers and aircrew are key workers, required to travel across borders, which may—though contrary to WHO recommendations—result in the need for them to present proof of a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition for entry in some countries.

Over 300 leading companies said on Tuesday they would work together to help hundreds of thousands of merchant sailors stuck on ships for many months due to COVID-19 in a crisis that risks creating more dangers at sea.About 90% of world trade is transported by sea, and coronavirus restrictions in many jurisdictions are affecting supply chains.In December the U.N. General Assembly urged all countries to designate seafarers and other maritime personnel as key workers. Nevertheless…

Germany will next week present a multi-billion-dollar proposal to Lebanese authorities to rebuild the Port of Beirut as part of efforts to entice the country’s politicians to form a government capable of warding off financial collapse, two sources said.A chemical explosion at the port last August killed 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed entire neighborhoods in Lebanon’s capital, plunging the country deeper into its worst political and economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.According to two diplomatic sources with knowledge of the plans…

As the maritime world laments the treatment of seafarers during the COVID pandemic, and the general public generally ignores the call to designate seafarers as "key workers" to help facilitate efficient crew changes globally, one British seafarer recently trained onboard his ship for months to prepare for the London Marathon, a race he recently completed to aid maritime welfare charity, Sailors’ Society. George Belcher is a third engineer who has served as a mariner for more than seven years.