Maritime Law & Regulations News

Russia warned Britain on Thursday that it would bomb British naval vessels in the Black Sea if there were any further provocative actions by the British navy off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea.Russia summoned the British ambassador in Moscow for a formal diplomatic scolding after the warship breached what the Kremlin says are its territorial waters but which Britain and most of the world say belong to Ukraine.Britain said Russia was giving an inaccurate account of the incident.

The operator of a giant cargo ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March said on Thursday that it would take more time for the vessel to be released from detainment while a final agreement with Egyptian authorities was being concluded.The Japanese owners and insurers of the ship were locked in a compensation dispute with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), but announced on Wednesday that an agreement in principle had been reached."It may take some further time for the agreement to be concluded…

Brunswick Corporation entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Navico for $1.05 billion, bringing to Brunswick's Advanced Systems Group (ASG) well-known marine electronics brands such as Lowrance, Simrad, B&G and C-MAP."The acquisition of Navico and its award-winning brands will immediately accelerate Brunswick’s ACES (Autonomy, Connectivity, Electrification and Shared-Access) strategy, and support our vision to deliver distinctive new products and technology-enabled experiences,” said Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Corporation CEO.

Russia said on Wednesday it had fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of a British warship to chase it out of waters Moscow claims in the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimea peninsula.Britain rejected Russia’s account of the incident, saying it believed any shots fired were a pre-announced Russian “gunnery exercise”, and that no bombs had been dropped. But it confirmed that its destroyer, HMS Defender, had sailed through what it described as waters belonging to Ukraine.The…

A representative for the owners and insurers of a giant cargo ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March on Wednesday said that an agreement in principle had been reached in a compensation dispute with the canal authority.Work was under way to finalize a signed settlement agreement as soon as possible and arrangements for the release of the Ever Given vessel would be made after formalities had been dealt with, Faz Peermohamed of Stann Marine said in a statement.The Ever Given container ship has been anchored in a lake between two stretches of the canal since it was dislodged on March 29.

Iran said on Wednesday the United States had agreed to remove all sanctions on Iran's oil and shipping but Washington said "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed" in talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.The remarks by outgoing President Hassan Rouhani's chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi echoed previous assertions by officials in Rouhani's pragmatist camp that Washington is ready to make major concessions at the nuclear talks in Vienna that began in April.The indirect talks adjourned on Sunday for consultations in capitals…

MPC Container Ships ASA (MPCC) announced it has reached a deal to acquire fellow Norwegian-based container shipping company Songa Container AS for $210.25 million on a debt and cash free basis. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of July 2021.Upon closing, MPCC will acquire Songa’s fleet of 11 container vessels, with an average size of 2,250 TEU and an average age of 11.9 years , creating a combined fleet of 75 ships and a total capacity of roughly 158,000 TEU.

U.S. terminal and logistics company Enstructure announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Patriot Port Holdings LLC. Patriot Ports, the ports division of Patriot Rail & Ports and a sister company of Patriot Rail Company LLC, works in breakbulk, specialty cargo and cold storage, operating six terminals in Jacksonville, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; Mobile, Ala.; and Sunny Point, N.C. with approximately 1.2 million square feet of industrial warehouse capacity, including 10.2 million cubic feet of cold storage.Following the acquisition…

A Federal court in Tampa on Friday granted Florida a preliminary injunction against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) decision to prevent an immediate resumption of cruise operations.The order will prevent the agency from enforcing against a cruise ship arriving in, within, or departing from Florida.The lawsuit was filed in April by Republican Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and the state had sought a quick lifting of a "nationwide lockdown" on the cruise industry that has been in place since March 2020.Early in the pandemic…

Forto has raised $240 million from investors led by Softbank (9984.T), the freight technology startup said on Monday, and will invest in expanding its platform for organizing trade shipments between China and Europe.The five-year-old Berlin firm offers a single platform for managing the journey of a shipping container from origin to destination - a task long handled with pen, paper and post-it notes, said Forto CEO and co-founder Michael Wax.“A shipment from Shanghai to a warehouse in Berlin should not be more difficult than a payment via Paypal or Stripe today…

The owners of a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March have made a new offer in a compensation dispute with the canal authority, and a court ruling on the case was postponed for two weeks on Sunday to allow more time for negotiations.The giant Ever Given container ship has been anchored in a lake between two stretches of the canal since it was dislodged on March 29. It had been grounded across the canal for six days, blocking hundreds of ships and disrupting global trade.The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) demanded $916 million in compensation to cover salvage efforts…

The United Nations shipping agency on Thursday adopted a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic region while green groups said the regulations contained loopholes which will allow many vessels to keep sailing without enough regulatory control.Antarctic waters are protected by stringent regulations, including a ban on heavy oil fuel (HFO) adopted in 2011, even though no cargo moves through the turbulent southern waters. For the Arctic, the rules have been looser.In a virtual…

The Port of Corpus Christi Authority (PCCA) has added a new patrol boat to its security force.The new 44-foot port security boat was purchased using a combination of Port Security Grant Program funds from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as matching funds from the PCCA. The new boat replaces one existing police vessel that has been in operation for more than a decade and had limitations when operating in severe sea states.

The U.N. shipping agency approved further measures on Thursday to boost the energy efficiency of commercial vessels although critics said the move fell short of what was needed to cut the industry's carbon footprint.The International Maritime Organization (IMO) formally adopted the rules to reduce the carbon intensity of existing ships after member states reached agreement on the plans at a virtual meeting this week.The measures add to already adopted energy efficiency regulations…

Spain has detained a tanker ship for illegally dumping fuel in waters off the Canary Islands and creating a 55-square km (21 square miles) oil spill, the Transport Ministry said.Spanish maritime authorities ordered the Liberia-flagged Aldan to dock in the southern port of Almeria last Sunday after the European Union's Maritime Safety Agency detected the spill through satellite imagery.Refinitiv shipping data showed the Aldan, which had been heading eastwards through the Mediterranean to Greece, diverted to Almeria on Sunday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eased its warnings for cruise ships from level 4, the highest, to 3 as operators prepare for summer trips from U.S.

Hong Kong providers of shipping services are breathing a sigh of relief after authorities announced they would ease strict quarantine restrictions imposed last July on vessels calling at the Asian shipping hub, trade sources said.From Tuesday, crew of non-cargo goods vessels visiting Hong Kong for shipping services, including bunkering and provision supplies, will be exempt from the curbs, subject to conditions, the Marine Department told shipping firms in a letter.“This is a long overdue relaxation as the trade had already demonstrated to the health authority here in Hong Kong that there is n

Deutsche Bank is on course to make up to $1 billion on a long-shot bet on Israeli shipping firm Zim after it surged in value on the back of record-high global freight rates, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.Citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, the report said that Mark Spehn, a distressed debt trader at the German bank, had wagered less than $100 million over the past five years on building a position in the company through bond and bank loans as shipping rates fell. Zim recovered to float on the stock market on Jan.

Oil and gas services company Proserv Controls, has acquired the Middle Eastern operations of Dron & Dickson Electromechanical Contracting (DDEC) LLC, for an undisclosed fee. DDEC is a UK-based specialist in the supply, assembly, and maintenance of hazardous areas and industrial electrical equipment."The deal reinforces and expands the breadth of offering and capability that Proserv delivers in the Middle East and North Africa, where it has multiple sites including in Abu Dhabi…

Global commodities trader Trafigura on Thursday posted its highest-ever first-half net profit and core earnings, largely driven by the economic recovery.The Geneva-based trader's net profit rose to $2.1 billion for the period ending March 31, from 500 million the previous year. The company's financial year ends on Sept. 30.Revenue rose 19% to $98 billion while core earnings were $3.7 billion, up over 50% from a year before. Gross profit rose similarly to $4.3 billion from $2.8 billion…

De Nora said it has acquired Calgon Carbon Corporation's UV Technologies Division (CCUV), including the products, brands and assets of UV ballast water management systems (BWMS) manufacturer Hyde Marine as well as municipal and industrial water treatment brands RAYOX, SENTINEL and C3 SERIES UV.The acquisition was signed on June 7 and is expected to close on July 1, De Nora said.By combining De Nora BALPURE electrolytic disinfection (EC) BWMS and the Hyde Marine ultra-violet (UV) Hyde GUARDIAN BWMS, De Nora will offer both UV and EC BWMS over a full range of flows.

When Dutch boat captain and engineer Ernst-Jan de Groot applied to continue working in Britain after Brexit, he became ensnared in a bureaucratic nightmare because of an online glitch and says he is now likely to lose his job.Under new immigration rules coming into force, de Groot faces the prospect of losing the right to come to Britain to work unless he can successfully apply for a visa through a government website by the end of June.Following its departure from the European Union’s orbit at the end of December…

Shipbroker McQuilling Partners Inc. and emissions trader Vertis Environmental Finance have partnered to offer carbon offsetting and advisory (CO&A) services to the shipping industry.The agreement will provide ship-owners, oil companies, refiners and traders with direct access to carbon offsetting and advisory solutions to address their environmental sustainability and carbon-neutral shipping needs, as well as their future environmental compliance requirements.With carbon market experience in similar sectors like aviation…

After it in recent months acquired MMT and Abyssal, marine robotics and offshore survey company Ocean Infinity has now acquired maritime services company, Ambrey for an undisclosed fee.UK-based Ambrey offers offshore services including, security, crisis and risk management, intelligence, insurance, fleet operation, and vessel design and build.With a management team of over 150 full-time staff globally together with over 1350 contractors and crew, Ambrey operates a fleet of over 40 patrol…

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it is accepting applications from qualified members of the international trade community wishing to serve on its newly formed National Shipper Advisory Committee (NSAC).The federal advisory committee will provide information, insight and expertise pertaining to conditions in the ocean freight delivery system to the Commission. Specifically, the committee will meet at least once a year and will advise the Commission on policies relating to the competitiveness…

Greek headquartered ballast water equipment manufacturer ERMA FIRST said it has acquired German marine water treatment specialist RWO GmbH.RWO provides water and wastewater treatment systems for ships, ports and offshore installations. Its product portfolio includes the treatment of drinking and process water, oily waters, ballast, wastewater as well as sales spare parts and services..“This is a win for ERMA FIRST and a win for RWO’s customers and staff. We have acquired a world leader in water treatment systems for the shipping industry with a strong customer base and a reputation for excellence and reliability,” said ERMA FIRST managing…

The below e-mail recently received by the author paints the picture we are seeing a thousand fold in the current ocean shipping marketplace in the inbound/outbound Asia trade lanes which underscores the serious disconnect currently between ocean common carriers and shippers in these U.S trade lanes:“Carlos:We are seeing examples where there was a rate agreed upon and the cargo was tendered to the carrier. In many cases the freight gets rolled and sits at the original terminal for an additional 1-2-3 weeks.

CMA CGM, one of the world's largest container shipping groups, on Friday posted a jump in first-quarter earnings and said it expected strong demand for transporting consumer goods to continue for the rest of the year.French-based CMA CGM's net profit rose to $2.1 billion in the first quarter from $48 million in the same period last year, while core EBITDA earnings rose to $3.2 billion from $973 million, the group said in a statement.Container lines such as market leader Maersk have seen a boom in demand as the COVID-19 crisis has stoked buying of packaged goods by locked-down consumers, while

Maersk Tankers Singapore Pte Ltd and Scorpio LR2 Pool Ltd have filed separate claims in the Singapore High Court against Winson Oil Trading Pte Ltd for failing to fulfil its contractual obligations, court documents show.The filings are the latest fallout in the unravelling of Hin Leong—once one of Asia's top oil traders—which has left creditors scrambling to recoup about $3.5 billion in debt.Hin Leong's collapse has triggered competing claims for cargoes and assets and ensnared…

The speed of a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March was controlled by the Egyptian waterway’s operator before it ran aground, the vessel’s insurer said on Thursday.The statement from UK Club came after the head of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said the ship was sailing too fast when it became grounded, but that the canal bore no responsibility.The Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships, is still being held in the canal while both sides continue compensation talks.

Singapore authorities said that they have started their own investigation into a stricken cargo ship carrying tonnes of chemicals that caught fire off Sri Lanka's west coast.The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid along with other chemicals and cosmetics, was anchored off Sri Lanka's west coast when a fire erupted onboard after an explosion on May 20.Tonnes of plastic pellets have fouled the country's rich fishing waters in one of its worst-ever marine disasters.Singapore's Marine and Port Authority said it understood that the sh

TotalEnergies has signed a sale and purchase agreement with Novatek to acquire 10% of Arctic Transshipment LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Novatek, which owns and will operate two liquefied natural gas (LNG) transshipment terminals being built in the Murmansk and Kamchatka regions of Russia.These terminals will provide export logistics services, including to the Arctic LNG 2 project under construction, and will each initially include a 360,000 m3 floating storage unit (FSU) and two ship-to-ship transfer kits (STS).

Volvo Penta has announced an exciting new acquisition of ZEM – a company with 12 years of market experience as a supplier of both marine battery systems and complete electric drivelines and a strong track record in Norway.ZEM’s core team has a background in electromobility that dates back to 1993. In 2009, ZEM was founded as an advisor to the maritime and offshore sector to design battery and hybrid solutions. Today, the company has delivered battery solutions to many different applications…

A landmark lawsuit filed against Guyana's government, arguing that oil production fuels climate change, could bolster legal action as court cases involving energy companies and state authorities surge, according to lawyers and environmentalists.The constitutional claim - the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean - asserts that oil exploration and production led by U.S. oil major ExxonMobil off the South American country's coast is unconstitutional, said the case's lead lawyer Melinda Janki.Filed by two Guyanese citizens in late May before the tiny nation's constitutional court…

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has launched a full line of marine insurance products in France and appointed Muriel Birre Julvécourt as Head of Marine. The company said that the new marine offerings included Inland Marine, Ocean Cargo, Stock & Transit, Project Cargo, Freight Forwarders Liability, Ports & Terminals, and Subsea Insurance.Muriel Birre Julvécourtcomes to BHSI with more than 25 years of marine underwriting experience. She was most recently Head of Marine at RSA Group. Before that, she held various management roles in Marine at Groupama Transport.

A cargo ship carrying tonnes of chemicals sank off Sri Lanka's west coast, its navy said on Wednesday, and tonnes of plastic pellets have fouled the country's rich fishing waters in one of its worst-ever marine disasters.The government on Wednesday suspended fishing along an 80-km (50-mile) stretch of the island's coastline, affecting 5,600 fishing boats, and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to clean affected beaches.The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, carrying 1…

Swedish-based equipment manufacturer Alfa Laval announced Tuesday it has completed its acquisition of Norwegian weather intelligence and decision support services provider StormGeo.Alfa Laval, which announced the deal in May, said the acquisition is part of a strategy to boost its digital services offering and support the maritime industry’s operational efficiency efforts. StormGeo will become a part of Alfa Laval's marine division.The purchase price is fully financed via cash and amounts to MNOK 3,630 (approximately MSEK 3,700) on a debt and cash free basis.

A cargo of 1.033 million barrels of Iranian crude oil landed on U.S. shores in March, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed, the second shipment of Iranian oil to be imported into the United States since 1991.The cargo was registered in EIA data released late last week for the month following the seizure by U.S. authorities of the Liberian-flagged tanker Achilleas, which was transporting Iranian crude.The EIA gave no other details on the Iranian cargo, and the agency could not be reached for comment outside of U.S. office hours.

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) recently launched its Recommended Code of Practice on Environmental Sustainability (IMCA ES 001). This Code was developed by its Members through IMCA’s committee governance structure and sets expectations for the marine contracting industry in managing key environmental and climate topics associated with offshore marine construction.“IMCA started its environmental sustainability journey with its members four years ago," said IMCA’s CEO Allen Leatt.

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku announced its financial figures for 2020, noting that while the group has had two difficult years, it is slowly moving toward a more positive path.Meyer Turku, part of the German-based Meyer Group, primarily builds cruise ships and large capacity ferries, two sectors where newbuild orders have been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But with many parts of the world now reopening to passenger ships, Meyer Turku is targeting a rebound. “Last year has been in several aspects an extraordinary difficult year…

An Iranian-flagged tanker seized by Indonesia in January over the suspected illegal transfer of oil has been released, an Indonesian official and Iranian state media said on Saturday.Wisnu Pramandita, a spokesman for the Indonesian coastguard, said the Iranian-flagged tanker, the MT Horse, was released on Friday after a court decision earlier in the week.The court ruled the vessel could leave Indonesia, while the captain would be subject to a two-year probation without any fine…

The maiden voyage of a new British aircraft carrier will seek to show allies that post-Brexit Britain is ready to defend Western interests and eager to see China respect international rules, the vessel’s commander said.HMS Queen Elizabeth took part in NATO exercises in the Mediterranean this week, ahead of the eight-month voyage that will cross through the South China Sea in a signal to Beijing that sea lanes must remain open.The carrier is “a hugely powerful statement,” Commodore Steve Moorhouse…

Chinese shipping group COSCO hopes to reach a deal with the Greek government to complete the purchase of an extra stake in Piraeus, despite running out of time to fulfil a key condition, a top official at the port said.Under a 2016 Greek privatization agreement, COSCO Shipping bought a 51% holding in Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) for 280 million euros ($341 million) and committed to mandatory investments worth about 300 million euros over five years to acquire an additional 16%…

U.S. commercial fishing practices must change to prevent the extinction of North Atlantic right whales, the administration of President Joe Biden said on Thursday, as it prepares a list of new regulations to prevent whale entanglements in lobster and crab gear.The scientific assessment from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries unit is a milestone in finalizing a handful of proposed reforms of commercial fishermen mainly intended to reduce the amount of vertical rope in whale habitat.The lobster industry…

A senior Russian security official said on Thursday that Moscow had used its navy and air force to expel a British warship, HMS Dragon, from what he described as Russian territorial waters near Russian-annexed Crimea last October.Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, drawing sanctions and condemnation from the West. Kyiv wants the territory back.Vladimir Kulishov, first deputy head of the FSB security service, said Russia had told the vessel not to enter its waters, but that it had crossed what he said was the border on Oct.

The container ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal in March was struggling to steer because of its high speed and the size of its rudder, and could have chosen not to enter the waterway in bad weather, the canal authority's head told Reuters.The comments by Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie on Thursday come amid a dispute over compensation with the owner and insurers of the Ever Given container ship, which is detained by court order in the canal nearly two months after it was dislodged.The Ever Given became jammed across the canal in high winds on March 23…

Danish Parliament on Tuesday approved plans to send a naval warship to boost maritime security in one of the world's top piracy hot spots. In the fall of 2021 the European country will deploy its frigate Esbern Snare to the Gulf of Guinea off Africa's west coast where it will contribute to international efforts to curb rampant piracy.As the world’s fifth largest marine nation Denmark said on average 30-40 Danish operated ships sail through the Gulf of Guinea daily, carrying some $1.6 billion in goods annually.In March…

Hempel announced an ambitious strategy to double its revenue by 2025, with a focus on innovation, digitalization and sustainability. Michael Hansen, EVP & Chief Commercial Officer and Dorthe Scherling Nielsen, Head of Sustainability & Government Affairs discuss the path ahead.The year 2020 defined by COVID-19 presented historic challenges for many industries, and even companies such as Hempel – with a 105-year history – were not exempt. While the pandemic was (and continues to be for some) all consuming, it is far from the sole challenge for maritime companies today.

As the maritime industry continues to develop and test the technologies required for safe autonomous vessel operations, many regulatory questions have remained.Setting out to help answer some of these questions, the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has recently completed a regulatory scoping exercise to analyze relevant ship safety treaties, in order to assess how maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) could be regulated.The scoping exercise was initiated in 2017 to determine how safe…

The Biden administration will seek to approve more than a dozen offshore wind projects in the next four years and open new areas for leasing off the coast of California as it seeks to supercharge development of the nascent U.S. industry, an Interior Department official said on Tuesday.The effort is part of the administration’s broader plan to fight climate change by decarbonizing the U.S. power sector by 2035 and the entire economy by 2050.Amanda Lefton, director of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, told the Reuters U.S.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden will sign the Alaska tourism bill on Monday, allowing cruise ships to return to the state this year."This law will allow large cruise ships to visit Alaska this year, a critical step toward returning to normal in a state where one in 10 jobs is in the tourism industry," Psaki said.

A Singapore court has approved a freeze on up to $3.5 billion of assets of the family behind collapsed Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd, boosting the prospect of debt recovery from the former oil trading empire that counts some of the world's biggest banks among its creditors.Hin Leong was wound up in March after failing in a year-long effort to restructure more than $3 billion in debts after the COVID-19-led oil crash laid bare huge losses. Founder Lim Oon Kuin admitted in a court document…

An Egyptian court on Sunday rejected a complaint by the Japanese owner of a container ship that blocked traffic in the Suez Canal for six days in March against the vessel's continued detention by canal authorities, a lawyer said.The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, became jammed across the canal in high winds on March 23, halting traffic in both directions and disrupting global trade.The complaint was attached to a case at the economic court in Ismailia in which the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) sought $916 million in compensation from the Ever Given's owner Shoei Kisen.Als

The owner of a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March says the canal authority was at fault over its grounding as it disputes the vessel's detention and a compensation claim, a lawyer representing the owner said on Saturday.The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, became jammed across the canal in high winds on March 23, and remained grounded for six days, blocking traffic in both directions and disrupting global trade.The vessel has since been held in a lake between two stretches of the canal as the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) pursues a $916.5 million claim agai

Russian vessel Fortuna has started laying pipes for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in German waters, the gas project said on Sunday, citing Germany's Waterway and Shipping Authority.Nord Stream 2, which runs on the bed of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine, has faced criticism from the United States, which claims it will increase European reliance on Russian gas.Fortuna and other vessels taking part in the project have been added to a U.S. sanctions list."All works are performed in accordance with the available permits…

Estonia's Port of Tallinn has implemented new rules requiring the collection of residue from underwater hull cleaning operations while in port.Ellen Kaasik, the port's environmental manager, said the measures are part of a major activity plan to decrease the environmental impact of the port and ships, and that the decision to collect all hull cleaning residue was made to help tackle eutrophication.Hull cleaning service in the Port of Tallinn can only be provided with permission from the Vessel Traffic Shift Manager…

The White House said on Friday it had pared down its infrastructure bill to $1.7 trillion from $2.25 trillion, with cuts to investments in broadband as well as roads and bridges, in an effort to find common ground with Republican lawmakers.The effort represented a desire by President Joe Biden's team to engage with the opposition party on an issue that the Democratic president has made a priority in his early days in office.But the two sides still remained far apart, and one person…

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority said on Thursday its revenues in April were $552 million compared with $476 million in the same month last year.The canal's authority said 1,814 ships transited in April, up from 1,731 ships in the same month last year.A massive container ship blocked the waterway in late March causing a huge backlog of vessels waiting for passage in what is the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia.(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Chris Reese)

Australia's national transport safety investigator is calling out inadequate international vessel fire safety standards and regulations in the wake of a 2018 bulk carrier fire that took five days to contain and extinguish.The 202 meter, Australian flagged self-unloading bulk carrier Iron Chieftain was discharging its cargo of dolomite at Port Kembla, New South Wales in the early hours of June 18, 2018 when friction, probably from a failed bearing, generated enough heat to ignite a rubber conveyor belt in the C-Loop internal cargo handling space.

As many maritime markets were challenged by COVID-19, Royal IHC, a Dutch maritime conglomerate and bellwether for the industry, reported its annual numbers indicated the smoke is clearing and a recovery is in sight.2020 will surely go down as a year many inside and out of the maritime industry will want to soon forget, and in releasing its annual figures Royal IHC noted that the first half of 2020 was dominated by refinancing and recapitalization, with COVID-19 having a "major impact" on order intakes throughout 2020.

China accused the United States on Wednesday of threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait after a U.S. warship again sailed through the sensitive waterway that separates Taiwan from its giant neighbor.The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur conducted a "routine Taiwan Strait transit" on Tuesday in accordance with international law."The ship's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday criticized Russia's activities in the Arctic region, describing them as 'unlawful maritime claims' and repeated calls to avoid the militarization of the region, days before a gathering of Arctic nations.Blinken made the warning ahead of a planned meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the first such high-level in-person talks between Washington and Moscow since President Joe Biden took office in January.The United…

The art of drawing lines on maps is fraught with contention. Sir Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot are likely unfamiliar to many, but their names and actions live on. Their role in carving up the Ottoman Empire toward the end of the of World War I created artificial borders in the Middle East—determined arbitrarily with a ruler and with no regard to ethnic or sectarian characteristics—highlights the unintended cartographic consequences that can arise when applying rigid models of expression to inherently dynamic areas.Designated areas of maritime risk…

This will be my last monthly article for Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. I started writing these articles in early 2002, just over 19 years ago and during that time I have written over 228 articles, missing only one month when my grandson was hospitalized. (I have also written about 6,200 of my (almost) daily newsletters.) Early articles were focused on maritime security, which was still in evolution following the horrific terrorist incidents in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte barred his cabinet from talking about the South China Sea in public on Monday after weeks of strong rebukes by his ministers against China’s conduct in the contested waters.Tensions between the Philippines and its giant neighbor have escalated since March, with Manila filing daily diplomatic protests over the presence of hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels in disputed portions of the South China Sea.“This is my order now to the cabinet, and to all and sundry talking for the government…

Industrial conglomerate Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY) said it has completed its acquisition of thermal imaging cameras and sensors company FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLIR). FLIR will now be included in Teledyne’s Digital Imaging segment and operate under the name Teledyne FLIR.Under the terms of the cash-and-stock deal announced in January, FLIR stockholders received $28.00 per share in cash and 0.0718 shares of Teledyne common stock for each FLIR share, which implies a total purchase price of approximately $57.40 per FLIR share based on Teledyne’s closing price on May 13.

The future could be bright for small island nations. Cheap sustainable energy is the core component of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.Engineers like making things, but rarely think of the social impact that flows from their creations. Today, while we are standing at the threshold of sustainable energy, we should take a moment to reflect on the social impact of sustainable energy. Access to sustainable energy puts us at the threshold of massive social change and…

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean is cancelling a new line that had been scheduled to run from Israel to Greece and Cyprus from next month, citing regional security concerns.The sailings out of Haifa port would have been the first for Royal Caribbean's new ship Odyssey of the Seas and were intended to exploit a travel corridor being set up among the three countries for travelers vaccinated against COVID-19."Due to the unrest in Israel and region, Odyssey has not been able to complete the preparations required," the company said late on Saturday in what appeared to be a reference to fighting over

The Biden administration granted oil refiner Citgo Petroleum a maritime shipping waiver allowing it to move fuel between U.S. ports on a foreign flagged vessel, two sources told Reuters on Friday, making it the second company to secure one this week.The waivers are intended to help ease distribution of fuel after a major pipeline serving the U.S. East Coast was forced shut by a cyberattack last week, triggering widespread shortages of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.The Department of Homeland Security had announced the second waiver on Friday…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri on Thursday reported a 27.3% rise in first-quarter core profit to 101 million euros ($122.06 million) and confirmed its guidance for the full year.Revenue stood at 1.43 billion euros, a 9.1% increase compared to the first quarter last year when production at the group's Italian shipyards was suspended in March due to a national lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.The order intake stood at 300 million euros in the January-March period.Net debt rose to 1.62 billion euros from 1.06 billion euros at the end of December due to ship delivery deferrals ag

The U.S. government relaxed a long-standing maritime law protecting domestic shipping commerce to allow an undisclosed company to transport gasoline and diesel to ports in the East Coast after a cyberattack crippled the nation's largest fuel pipeline network.The Jones Act, implemented in 1920, requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by ships built domestically and staffed by U.S. crews. The waiver will allow foreign vessels to ship petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel to the country from the Gulf Coast to U.S.

The U.S. Transportation Department has completed its assessment of what ships are available to carry petroleum products from the Gulf to the Eastern Seaboard and is ready to review any Jones Act waiver requests, the White House said on Wednesday after a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline disrupted supplies.The Jones Act requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by ships built domestically and staffed by U.S. crews.The Department of Homeland Security must issue…

Environmental groups urged the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on Tuesday to establish a year-round speed limit for ships in areas of the Gulf of Mexico, home to one of the most endangered whales worldwide, to prevent deadly collisions.The Natural Resource Defense Council and other groups asked the NMFS in a petition to limit the speed of vessels that navigate Gulf waters off the Florida panhandle to 10 knots. The area is home to the endangered Gulf of Mexico whale of which only about 50 survive.

Shares in Dutch marine services provider Boskalis jumped on Wednesday, a day after the Suez Canal unveiled a project to expand the southern stretch of the waterway.The Suez Canal Authority plans to expand and deepen its southern section, where a container ship became jammed and blocked traffic for six days in March, throwing international supply chains into disarray.Back in 2014, Egypt signed contracts with six international firms to carry out dredging of the Suez Canal, including…

NovAtel, part of technology company Hexagon, has unveiled a new GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) device amid heightened interference and jamming in marine environments worldwide. The low size, weight and power (SWaP) GAJT-410MS is designed to protect civil and military operations from interference and jamming, with jammer direction-finding capabilities for enhanced situation awareness in the marine environment.Interference, both benign and malicious, is a challenge facing civilian and military operations.

The U.S. government has not received any requests to waive the Jones Act in response to the shutdown since Friday of the Colonial Pipeline due to a ransomware attack, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Monday.Washington has only rarely waived the Jones Act to help relieve fuel supply constraints. The Jones Act requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by ships built domestically and staffed by U.S. crews.(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Leslie Adler)

A U.S. Coast Guard ship fired about 30 warning shots after 13 vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came close to it and other American Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon said on Monday.This is the second time within the last month that U.S. military vessels have had to fire warning shots because of what they said was unsafe behavior by Iranian vessels in the region, after a relative lull in such interactions over the past year.Pentagon…

The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet said its guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) seized an illicit shipment of weapons from a stateless dhow in international waters of the North Arabian Sea on May 6-7.USS Monterey and its embarked U.S. Coast Guard Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) discovered the illicit cargo during a routine flag verification boarding. The vessel was apparently sailing from Iran bound for Yemen to support the country’s Houthi rebels."The cache of weapons included dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles…

UK Club, an insurer of the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March, said on Monday a reduced compensation claim made by the Egyptian authorities for almost $600 million to free the vessel and cover related losses was still "exceptionally large".The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) adjusted its claim from an initial $916 million in an effort to settle out of court, SCA head Osama Rabie told private TV network MBC Masr on Saturday.The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships…

New legislation introduced in the wake of the fatal Seacor Power tragedy would require commercial vessel owners to provide timely notifications to crew members’ families throughout search and rescue operations.The Vessel Response Plan Improvement Act was introduced by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) after the 234-foot lift boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico with 19 crewmembers on board last month. Six crew members were saved, and the bodies of six deceased personnel were recovered in the days following.

The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV is being revised to confirm the lifetime performance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). This may finally bring about grey water regulation – a necessity that is long overdue.Black Water and Grey WaterA ship’s sewage (black water) is collected from toilets, urinals and hospitals. The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV prohibits its discharge, except when treated by an STP or discharged at > 12nm from the nearest land. A ship’s grey water, collected from showers, wash basins…

Swedish Alfa Laval has struck a deal to acquire weather intelligence and decision support services provider StormGeo.Alfa Lava, specializing in heat transfer, centrifugal separation, and fluid handling, said the acquisition would accelerate its digital services offering and to add an important tool to the decarbonizing toolbox offering. StormGeo provides weather-centric services to more than 2,200 customers globally in a variety of industries, including shipping, energy, and onshore industries such as healthcare…

Defense, engineering and IT conglomerate Leidos announced on Friday it has completed its $380 million cash acquisition of marine engineering and naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox.The deal, announced in February, will see Gibbs & Cox operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary combined with Leidos' maritime systems division.Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Gibbs & Cox is the largest independent ship design firm focused on naval architecture and marine engineering. The acquisition positions Leidos to provide a broad set of engineering solutions to the U.S.

DCT Gdańsk S.A. has started a prequalification process to tender for the Baltic Hub 3 Project. DCT invites firms and joint ventures to prequalify to tender for Baltic Hub 3 General Contractor. The project in-cludes:Site establishment and demolition of existing disused Terminal T1 marine structures;Construction of the BH3 quay together with all ancillary works and edge protection structures;Dredging associated with the BH3 reclamation and vessel access, reclamation and earthworks…

In 1875, the General Moultrie was the first suction dredge built in the United States and was used in the Charleston River — until it sank within a year. During the same era, the city of Houston and other port towns formed companies like the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company to build special-purpose vessels to clear and connect waterways for commercial vessel traffic. Toward the end of the 19th century, the cutter suction dredge made its appearance and effectively dug and maintained water channels.

Viking Life-Saving Equipment has acquired HydroPen, the company behind the unique HydroPen container firefighting solution. HydroPen, attached to a ship’s hose and raised on a telescopic arm by a single crew member, uses water pressure alone to power its ‘drill and spray’ nozzle to penetrate a container door before switching to spray mode to extinguish a fire with water, foam or CO2 – directly at its source.HydroPen was founded in 2016 by Martin Winkel, CEO and Jesper Rosenfeldt Hansen…

An Egyptian court on Tuesday ruled that the containership which blocked the Suez Canal in March could continue to be held in the waterway, rejecting an appeal by its Japanese owner against its detention, a judicial source said.The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, got jammed across the canal on March 23 and remained stuck for six days, stopping traffic in both directions.It has been held in a lake between two stretches of the canal since being dislodged on March 29…

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday called off its search for more survivors from a boat that capsized off a rocky shoal near San Diego in what authorities said was an ill-fated migrant-smuggling operation that left three dead and five hospitalized.The 40-foot trawler-style vessel with 32 people aboard overturned and broke apart on Sunday near the Point Loma Tide Pools, part of a federal marine national monument about 20 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said.Officials on Sunday said four people aboard the boat had perished…

Houston-based engineering company S&B Infrastructure, Ltd. (S&B) on Monday announced it has acquired naval architecture and marine engineering firm Technology Associates, Inc. (TAI). TAI will continue its operations as TAI Engineers, LLC.“This acquisition strengthens our capabilities to design and build even larger government and commercial maritime projects,” said Daniel Rios, S&B Infrastructure President. “We acquired TAI because of our clients’ ever-evolving needs and the organization’s focus on safety, integrity, and client trust—all key values of S&B.

On January 15, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for Safety Management System (SMS) requirements in the domestic passenger vessel industry (Docket No. USCG-2020-0123). This requirement will have the largest implications on the domestic passenger vessel industry since the revisions of 46 CFR Subchapter T & K in the mid-90s. However, the question remains, is it necessary?Over the last three decades, the effectiveness and need for…

Four people were killed and more than two dozen injured on Sunday when a boat suspected of attempting to smuggle migrants into California broke apart off Cabrillo National Monument at San Diego's rugged Point Loma, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The initial call arrived just before 10 a.m. (1700 GMT) and prompted a large emergency response, including the U.S. Coast Guard and state and local agencies, as the magnitude of the incident became clear.The 40-foot (12-m) cabin cruiser had been pummeled to pieces by the surf by the time rescue boats arrived…

A Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier has been banned from Australian ports over "appalling" working and living conditions on board, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.The 235-meter Movers 3, operated by Qatari-based Aswan Shipping, was detained at anchor off Weipa in far north Queensland on March 4, 2021 due to several mechanical and survey issues, and for the poor conditions on board. Outstanding issues, namely the replacement of poorly maintained ballast tank head vents and the updated ship surveys…

Maritime connectivity and IT solutions provider Marlink Group has completed the acquisition of ITC Global from Panasonic."The acquisition, backed by Apax Partners sas, marks another milestone in the company’s M&A strategy. Within the Marlink Group, ITC Global will focus on Energy and high-end customers who need specific and complex managed network solutions. ITC Global is also further extending the Group’s global footprint with its strong presence in the US, the UK, and Australia…

Cargill, one of the world's biggest charterers of ships, has cut nearly 1.5 million tonnes of gross carbon emissions from its fleet since 2017, a top company executive said, as it steps up efforts to go green.With about 90% of world trade transported by sea, global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world's CO2 emissions.The United Nations aims to reduce the industry's greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050. This target will require the swift development…

A Singapore prosecutor filed 23 additional forgery-related charges on Friday against Lim Oon Kuin, the founder of collapsed oil trading firm Hin Leong Trading Pte Ltd.Last year, police had charged the 79-year-old former oil tycoon, better known as O K Lim, with two counts of abetment of forgery for the purpose of cheating.Friday's charges accuse Lim of instigating a Hin Leong employee to forge documents supposedly issued by UT Singapore Services Pte Ltd.The paperwork stated that…

Three crew members aboard the cargo vessel that blocked global shipping in the Suez Canal last month will be allowed to return home, the ship’s manager said on Thursday.The Ever Given has been anchored in a lake between two sections of the canal since being dislodged on March 29 and is caught in a legal dispute linked to a $916 compensation claim made by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) against the ship’s Japanese owner.“Our utmost priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our crew.

Indonesia will stop both liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and fuel imports by 2030 and plans big changes to its energy infrastructure to meet that target, a top energy official said on Thursday.President Joko Widodo has tasked the National Energy Council, a board made up of seven ministries and other stakeholders that plans energy policy, to devise a strategy to allow for a halt on LPG and fuel imports, said the council's secretary general, Djoko Siswanto.Once a former OPEC member, maturing fields and investment lags has turned Indonesia to a net importer of oil and gas.

The U.S.

A U.S. military ship fired warning shots after three vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came close to it and another American patrol boat in the Gulf, the United States military said on Tuesday.Such incidents have occurred occasionally over the past five years, though there has been a relative lull over the past year.While officials said it was too early to discern the exact motivation of the Iranian forces, they have said that generally in the past such incidents are carried out by local commanders rather than directed by senior Iranian leaders.“The U.S.

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it had intercepted an explosive-laden boat off the Red Sea port of Yanbu after maritime security firms cited "unconfirmed reports" of an attack on a vessel in the area.A Saudi defense ministry statement on state media did not say whether there had been any damage as a result of the operation by the Saudi navy to intercept and destroy the remote-controlled boat.Security firm Dryad Global had earlier said it received "unconfirmed reports" that a vessel…

The Panama Canal has set out to decarbonize its operations, with a target to become carbon neutral by 2030.“We at the Panama Canal are committed to sustainability, and therefore are laying the foundation, creating the tools and identifying the changes needed to achieve efficiencies that will allow us as an organization to reach carbon neutrality. This is a fundamental strategy for the waterway's long-term operation and sustainability,” said Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez Morales.

Syria's oil ministry said firefighters on Saturday put out a fire on an oil tanker off the Baniyas refinery after a suspected attack by a drone coming from the direction of Lebanese waters.The identity of the vessel was unclear, with Iran's al-Alam TV saying it was one of three Iranian oil tankers that had recently arrived at the Syrian oil terminal, while the semi-official news agency Tasnim denied it was Iranian.TankerTrackers said in a tweet that "the tanker seen burning today off the coast of Baniyas is not an Iranian vessel"…

If you and your crew are facing questions about ballast water management (BWM) and related regulatory deadlines, it would be worth your while to download a new (January 2021) “Ballast Water Management Systems User Guide,” an extensive, in-depth look at evaluating, selecting and installing a BWM system. The guide was published by MARAD and Glosten for the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP). It is geared primarily toward U.S.-flag operators in domestic and international trade.As most mariners know, BWM, overseen federally by U.S. EPA and the Coast Guard, includes a number of activities.