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Tuesday, April 30, 2024
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Detection News

25 Apr 2024

Dredge Sunk by Undetected Flooding from a Through-hull Pipe

WB Wood (Photo: Wood Resources)

A companyā€™s lack of requirements for crew to regularly check below-deck compartments led to undetected flooding and the eventual capsizing of a dredging vessel last year on the Mississippi River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.Wood Resources' owned and operated non-propelled dredging vessel WB Wood capsized on the early morning of Jan. 16, 2023, during dredging operations. Before the capsizing, the dredge had been in the same location for nine days, pumping sand from the riverbed to a pit on the west bank.

24 Apr 2024

Simulators Track our Changing Relationship with Technology

Kongsberg Digital has integrated NORBITā€™s oil spill detection system with its K-Pos DP system for simulation-based training of offshore professionals at Equinor.
Image courtesy Kongsberg Digital

Simulation-based training has its whole-of-ship/whole-of-team scenarios, but zooming in, the industry is now working on more specific targets.We have a close relationship with technology, evidenced by, for example, the phones we are estimated to unlock around 50-80 times a day. It has changed us. Half the people surveyed in a 2022 Kingā€™s College London study said that they feel like their attention span is shorter than it used to be. They are wrong, though, if they think that the average attention span of adults today is just eight seconds, one second less than goldfish.

23 Apr 2024

Muddy Water Dredging Christens Marlin Class Dredge

Photo by DSC Dredge

On April 19th, 2024, Muddy Water Dredging, LP, held the christening ceremony of its Marlin Class dredge at the Port of New Orleans. The event was attended by many esteemed business leaders, media personnel, and distinguished dignitaries. "We are happy to unveil the Vaneta Marie dredge. After many hours of collaboration between Muddy Water and DSC what we have before us is a dredge that was crafted with precision and ingenuity," said Michael Kerns, President, and CEO of Muddy Water.

23 Apr 2024

Obstructed Valve Sinks Towboat

Joanne Marie listing at the shipyard on the morning of June 25, 2023. (Source: U.S. Coast Guard)

An obstructed check valve on a bilge pump led to the flooding and partial sinking of a towing vessel last year while moored at a shipyard near New Orleans, the National Transportation Safety Board reports.Marquette Transportation's vessel Joanne Marie was found partially submerged a day and a half after being moored and deactivated at the Bollinger Quick Repair Shipyard on the Harvey Canal. The vessel was unattended at the time. No injuries were reported and damage to the vessel was over $176ā€¦

19 Apr 2024

Simulators Track our Changing Relationship with Technology

Kongsberg Digital has integrated NORBITā€™s oil spill detection system with its K-Pos DP system for simu-lation-based training of offshore professionals at Equinor.
Image courtesy Kongsberg Digital

Simulation-based training has its whole-of-ship/whole-of-team scenarios, but zooming in, the industry is now working on more specific targets.We have a close relationship with technology, evidenced by, for example, the phones we are estimated to unlock around 50-80 times a day. It has changed us. Half the people surveyed in a 2022 Kingā€™s College London study said that they feel like their attention span is shorter than it used to be. They are wrong, though, if they think that the average attention span of adults today is just eight seconds, one second less than goldfish.

17 Apr 2024

Maritime Risk Symposium 2024 ā€“ Great Power Competition and Gray Zone Engagement

Copyright Grispb/AdobeStock

For 15 years the Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), an annual three-day event, has brought together government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, international and domestic researchers and solution providers to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. World events highlight that maritime security is increasingly at risk during the current period of great-power competition and ongoing conflicts. The active competition between nations who are notā€¦

09 Apr 2024

Carnival Signs LTSA with MAN PrimeServ

(Image: MAN Energy Solutions)

MAN Energy Solutions, MAN Energy Solutions USA and Carnival Corporation & plc, the worldā€™s largest cruise company, have signed a service agreement (LTSA) for five of Carnivalā€™s Vista Class cruise ships powered by MAN 48/60CR type engines. The scope of the agreement covers the management of all maintenance, including planning, parts, technical advisory service, training and remote monitoring support. MAN Energy Solutions will manage the agreement via MAN PrimeServ, its after-sales brand.Riccardo Cordaraā€¦

05 Apr 2024

On Board the eWolf: The First Electric Tugboat in the US

(Photo: Eric Haun)

Crowley Maritime Corporation has owned and operated a lot of vessels since its founding in 1892. But the latest vessel to join its fleet is unlike any other that has come before it.Crowleyā€™s new harbor tug, eWolf, is unique in that it runs 100% powered by batteries, not diesel engines, meaning it produces zero emissions and nearly no noise. Not only is the vessel the first fully electric tug in the Crowley fleet, but it is also the first of its kind in the United States.Faced with stricter regulations and commercial pressure to prioritize environmentalā€¦

04 Apr 2024

Bridge Salvage Operations Continue Despite Inclement Weather

(Photo: Alejandro Rivera / U.S. Coast Guard)

The Unified Command continues to coordinate response operations to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse despite the challenging weather conditions which included severe thunderstorms and high winds on Wednesday.Trained crews, in conjunction with the Unified Command, are conducting routine salvage assessments. Divers are on scene to conduct underwater surveys along with mapping out plans for future wreckage removal. ā€œOur operations continue but will be adjusted as necessary in response to any adverse weather conditions,ā€ said U.S.

19 Mar 2024

US Coast Guard Clarifies Fire Safety Rules for Small Passenger Vessels

(Photo: Edward Wargo / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard published an interim rule on December 27, 2021, to implement Congressionally-mandated requirements for fire safety on ā€œcovered small passenger vesselsā€ (CSPVs), as defined by 46 U.S.C. 3306(n). Congress adopted the statutory mandate in response to the fire and loss of 34 lives onboard the dive boat CONCEPTION off the California coast on 02 September 2019.The USCG has identified a need to clarify the reference in 46 CFR 175.110(c) with respect to fire detectionā€¦

28 Feb 2024

Kraken Robotics Delivers Minehunting Systems to Royal Danish Navy

Kraken KATFISH on MSF drone vessels (Credit: Kraken Robotics)

Canadian company Kraken Robotics has completed deliveries and sea acceptance tests of all systems for its minehunting sonar equipment under the contract with Royal Danish Navy.The contract was signed in September 2020, following a competitive bidding process. Under the contract with the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO), Kraken has delivered four complete turnkey minehunting systems.Each system consists of a KATFISH towed Synthetic Aperture Sonarā€¦

26 Feb 2024

IMOā€™s PPR11 Agrees Guidance on Key Environmental Issues

Source: IMO

The IMOā€™s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) agreed new guidance on several key environmental issues.Meeting from February 19 to 23, 2024, the following guidance will now be submitted to the Marine Environment Protection Committee for approval this March (MEPC 81) and October (MEPC 82):ā€¢ the safe transport of plastic pellets by seaā€¢ best practices for cutting black carbon emissions from ships operating in or near the Arcticā€¢ reducing risks of use and carriageā€¦

26 Feb 2024

Many Different Vessels but One Goal ā€“ Passenger Safety

Ā© Olivier / Adobe Stock

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

23 Feb 2024

Singapore Picks 11 Proposals to Advance Electric Harbor Craft Designs

(Credit: MPA)

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has shortlisted 11 proposals, submitted by seven companies and consortia, to advance designs and promote adoption of full electric harbor craft (e-HC) in Singapore.The announcement follows call for the expressions of interest (EOI), launched by MPA) in 2023, which yielded 55 proposals from 32 international and local companies and consortia.The results signal high interest and strong confidence by global and local participants in the development of e-HC in Singapore.Of the 11 e-HC designsā€¦

19 Feb 2024

African Union Bans Donkey Skin Trade

Source: The Donkey Sanctuary

African Heads of State have agreed a landmark moratorium on the donkey skin trade. The agreement was reached on February 18 during the 37th African Union Summit in Ethiopia.Over the last decade, Africa has seen its donkey population decimated due to Chinese demand for ejiao, a gelatine used in traditional Chinese medicine that is made from boiling down donkey skins. Believed to have unsubstantiated health benefits, demand for ejiao has obliterated Chinaā€™s own donkey populationā€¦

12 Feb 2024

Spanish Police Seize Eight Tonnes of Cocaine

Ā© Jezper / Adobe Stock

Spanish police seized eight tonnes of cocaine from Suriname hidden in a container disguised as a power generator in the southern port of Algeciras, tax authorities said on Monday.The haul of cocaine, one of the largest ever intercepted in Spain, was inside a metal structure designed to escape detection from scanners.But customs agents detected a large quantity of stacked goods that practically filled the container, so they forced it open.The drug smugglers had planned a route designed to make the discovery of the cargo's true contents as difficult as possible.

26 Jan 2024

BOEM and NOAA Release North Atlantic Right Whale and Offshore Wind Strategy

Ā© Tony / Adobe Stock

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries have released a final joint strategy to protect and promote the recovery of endangered North Atlantic right whales while responsibly developing offshore wind energy.The strategy builds on existing mitigation measures to protect North Atlantic right whales from the potential impacts of offshore wind development and was developed to support the Biden-Harris administration's goal of deploying 30GW of offshore wind by 2030.North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction.

24 Jan 2024

Aurora Botnia - RoPax Ferry + Greentech Proving Ground

Photo: Wasaline

Built by Rauma Marine Constructions, in Rauma, Finland, and launched in 2021, the 150-meter-long Aurora Botnia boasts a long list of onboard equipment that help it to earn its ā€œgreenā€ designation, a label that is confirmed via a Clean Design notation from classification society DNV. The ship is also compliant with the International Maritime Organizationā€™s (IMO) 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target.Wasaline CEO Peter Ståhlberg describes Aurora Botnia as ā€œa masterpiece of cooperationā€ and noted that the vessel is over 80% domestic made."I'm really proud of the Aurora Botnia.

17 Jan 2024

EDF Backed EUROGUARD Project Sets Sail in Estonia

(Photo: Baltic Workboats)

The European Defense Fund (EDF)backed EUROGUARD project has officially kicked off in Estonia as Europe seeks to bolter its sea defense capabilities.The project's primary objective is to develop a modular and semi-autonomous surface vessel platform equipped with a remote control system. The initiative aims to enhance Europe's maritime defense capabilities while promoting cooperation and innovation in the field.The collaborative venture involves 23 companies and research institutions from 10 EU member statesā€¦

17 Jan 2024

Esvagt to Build New SOV to Service Dutch Offshore Wind Farm

(Credit: Esvagt)

Danish vessel owner Esvagt has secured a service contract with Vestas for Ecowendeā€™s Hollandse Kust (west) offshore wind farm in the Netherlands, and started the process of designing and building the new service operation vessel (SOV).The newbuild will be the sixth purpose-built SOV for Vestas, reaffirming the partnership between the two companies that have been cooperating since 2010.The Hollandse Kust (west), developed by Ecowende - a joint venture between Shell and Eneco, will consist of 52 offshore wind turbines with a combined capacity of over 760MW.

17 Jan 2024

OPINON: Tackling the Houthi Drone Threat with AI

OrcaAI CTO Dor Raviv. Photo: OrcaAI

Houthi rebel drone attacks on vessels traversing the Red Sea and Suez Canal route, accounting for 10% of global trade, have exposed the shortcomings of current ship alert systems.The unpredictability and increased frequency of these attacks have created a challenging security environment for ships passing the area via the Bab el Mandeb strait, posing a substantial risk to seafarers and maritime trade by endangering the safety of the crew and cargo.Initially focused on Israel-related ships in solidarity with Hamasā€¦

15 Jan 2024

Exploring 'Future Fuels' - Methanolā€™s Superstorage Solution

Image courtesy SRC

Technical inquiries to SRC Group ramped up after it received Approval in Principle (AIP) for a concept which ā€˜reinvented methanol fuel storageā€™ on board ships. Delivering the answers has seen technical talk converting into project discussions        ā€˜Greenā€™ methanol has the ability to one day run vessels almost emission-free, and commercial shipping increasingly investigates. Derived today principally from natural gas, methanol is nonetheless available, relatively easy to handle and predictable.

19 Dec 2023

Shippers Mask Positions, Weigh Options Amid Red Sea Attacks

Ā© Image'in / Adobe Stock

A number of container ships are anchored in the Red Sea and others have turned off tracking systems as traders adjust routes and prices in response to maritime attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on the world's main East-West trade route.Attacks in recent days on ships in the major Red Sea shipping route have raised the spectre of another bout of disruption to international commerce following the upheaval of the COVID pandemic, and prompted a U.S.-led international force to patrol waters near Yemen.The Red Sea is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canalā€¦