Management Tools News

The UN’s 193 Member States have adopted a legally binding marine biodiversity agreement, the High Seas Treaty, following nearly two decades of fierce negotiations.Adopted by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), the “high seas” treaty aims at taking stewardship of the ocean on behalf of present and future generations, in line with the Convention on the Law of the Sea.The new agreement contains 75 articles that aim at protecting…

Palo Alto, Calif. based AI shipping optimization company Bearing announced it has appointed Jim Daly as chief operating officer.“We’re excited to have Jim on board as we steer the maritime shipping industry toward more sustainable operations with our AI-driven solutions,” said Dylan Keil, CEO and co-founder of Bearing. “He understands the importance of our mission and he’ll be an integral part of our leadership team, helping us scale and create impactful technology to make maritime…

ABS Wavesight, an ABS-affiliated software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, today announced a new alliance with ActZero, a managed detection and response (MDR) service provider, to help safeguard fleets from the growing threat of cyberattacks.ActZero will provide cybersecurity protection to ABS Wavesight clients alongside ABS Wavesight’s portfolio of vessel and voyage management tools. “Offering ABS Wavesight users a cyber solution is not just a natural next step; it’s a necessary one,” said Paul Sells, CEO of ABS Wavesight.

Dutch offshore crew transfer equipment specialist Ampelmann said Tuesday it had signed six new contracts in the offshore wind market in the United States for 2023, 2024, and 2025.The contracts set for 2023 have been secured for work on two new offshore wind farms being built off New England's coast."In the coming year, Ampelmann’s motion compensated gangways will assist with the hook-up, cabling and commissioning of turbines on Vineyard and Southfork wind farms, two of the first commercial offshore wind farms in the USA that will provide clean energy to the region…

Maritime satellite communications services firm Marlink is equipping Solstad Offshore vessels with Starlink connectivity integrated with the Sealink VSAT, L-band backup, and 4G services."Solstad Offshore is the first offshore vessel operator on the Marlink network to trial Starlink testing the network in harsh weather conditions. In September 2022, the company completed the migration of its fleet connectivity to Marlink, including Sealink VSAT and 4G connectivity, and is now evaluating if this should be further extended with Starlink integration…

Berlin-based zero44 signed a partnership with MPC Container Ships, which will use zero44's digital CO2 management solution for its fleet.Spun off by company builder Flagship Founders in May 2022, zero44 has developed a CO2 management software for commercial vessels. The software focuses on the implications of the CII and the EU ETS regulation.

Maritime satellite communications company Marlink said Thursday that it had secured overall responsibility for the provision of hybrid network connectivity to the Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore. In January 2020, Solstad Offshore renewed its connectivity contract with Marlink, committing 65 offshore vessels to Marlink’s high-throughput  Ku-band VSAT service. The remaining 25 ships will now be migrated to Marlink’s smart hybrid network, with an upgrade to bandwidth…

Inmarsat, the mobile satellite communications provider, has extended its Fleet Xpress service agreement with offshore vessel owner Maersk Supply Service. The extension includes fleet-wide IoT-based ship management connectivity on separate, dedicated bandwidths. The extension has also enabled Maersk Supply Service to evaluate new vessel performance tools for selection, available through Inmarsat’s Certified Application Provider (CAP) program.Operating off Europe, the Americas, West Africa…

The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) is currently developing an updated and enhanced version of its Ship Inspection Report Program (SIRE) tanker risk assessment tool, the ship inspection regime that has become central to supporting safety and best practice in the marine industry. The new regime, SIRE 2.0, will replace the current system from Q2 2022, delivering a more comprehensive inspection regime with enhanced tools, strengthened governance processes and more in-depth reporting outcomes…

Classification society ClassNK said it has conducted a third-party verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the entire value chain—including Scope 3 emissions—of shipping company NS United Kaiun Kaisha (NSU) and issued a GHG verification statement.While efforts to build a decarbonized society are being accelerated such as through strengthened GHG reduction targets in various countries and with the progress of sustainable finance, a framework for assessing GHG emissions has also been introduced to International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations.

Classification society RINA said it has opened its Fleet Operating Center (FOC) in newly expanded offices in Piraeus. The move, together with the relocation of the Deputy EVP for the Marine Business, Massimo Volta, to Athens, is part of the company’s long-term strategy to further strengthen its presence in Greece.The new center will make it possible to integrate, in real time and on a single platform, ship records and certificates, ship plans, manuals and calculations, with data from the shipboard automation and meteo-marine information…

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Finnish software firm CADMATIC signed a technical cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of next-generation design systems.Through the MOU signed in April, the two companies will carry out cooperation while maintaining the technology partnership to develop next-generation design systems that will be applied to the latest technologies, such as AI, Big Data analysis, advanced modeling and drawing automation.

Terminal operating systems (TOS) solutions provider Tideworks Technology has entered into a joint venture with software applications and consulting services company Brenock Technology to deliver tech solutions aimed at helping the cruise industry rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.Cruise lines and marine terminals are facing unprecedented disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, with widespread suspension of services and concerns about the safety of workers and cruise passengers.Through the new joint venture…

Make a Profit with a Safety Management System (SMS).Organizations in the maritime industry act no differently than any other successful global business unit. Major decisions are made with a certain underlying commitment – a commitment to customers, stakeholders and employees. That commitment can be oversimplified by stating the obvious, to generate revenue, but more specifically generate profits. Without profits, the company will not only fail to thrive, but will fail to survive.

Intercontinental Exchange, operator of global exchanges and clearing houses and provider of data and listings services,  reported new milestones in the trading of the TTF natural gas and JKM LNG (Platts) contracts.In September, TTF Futures and Options hit an all-time monthly volume record of more than two million lots (2,023,848), equivalent to 1,484 TWh. TTF Futures set a new daily volume record on September 10 of 193,695 lots, equivalent to 142.1 TWh.TTF is the most liquid European natural gas benchmark, followed by ICE’s UK Natural Gas Futures (NBP).Europe’s interconnected natural gas infrastructure allows it to absorb LNG arriving…

Fleet Data from Inmarsat has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from leading classification society Bureau Veritas.This is a major milestone for the maritime industry’s leading secure sensor data and Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Conditions of approval by Bureau Veritas verify that Fleet Data can be installed safely on board without its operation affecting existing navigation, safety and radio communication systems.The bandwidth-inclusive platform allows ship owners and managers to take control of sensor data collected on board, pre-process, extract and aggregate it in cloud-based storage to be exploited by the operator’s own decision-making software or third party applications.

A naval architect and graduate of the Webb Institute, Co-Owner/CEO Chris Allard introduced the engineering-centric approach that has fueled Metal Shark’s growth; driving innovation and transforming the company from a regional builder to a globally recognized industry leader.Under Allard’s direction, Metal Shark has successfully captured over $500 million in government and military contracts while expanding into the commercial sector and becoming one of the largest suppliers of high speed ferries.Today…

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretariat is attending the latest in a series of conferences to develop a legally binding international instrument, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction - known as 'BBNJ'.According to the UN body, the 3rd Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) is being held at UN Headquarters in New York, United States (19-30 August). The current Conference session is the third in a series, with the fourth (final session) set to take place in the first half of 2020.The current conference session is discussing the draft treaty text.

A naval architect and graduate of the Webb Institute, Co-Owner/CEO Chris Allard introduced the engineering-centric approach that has fueled Metal Shark’s growth; driving innovation and transforming the company from a regional builder to a globally recognized industry leader.A member of the ownership team since 2005, Mr. Allard has overseen the expansion of Metal Shark from several employees to over 350. Under Mr. Allard’s direction, Metal Shark has successfully captured over $500…

The HR, competence and training specialist Mintra Group said it has acquired Aberdeen headquartered learning technology services firm Atlas Knowledge.The move will bring both Aberdeen operations together to offer learning and competency systems and services to customers in the oil and gas, maritime, aviation, construction and energy sectors.With a turnover of around £15 million, Mintra employs more than 100 people globally and is backed by investor The Riverside Company. Atlas delivers digital learning solutions to safety critical industries…

International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is representing shipowners at the start of a major negotiation to agree a new legal instrument for the protection of the ocean under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – which will apply to ‘high seas’ areas ‘beyond national jurisdiction’.Addressing government negotiators in New York today (5 September), ICS Chairman, Esben Poulsson, highlighted the need to ensure that this UN initiative will not “unwittingly” impact on the effective future governance of global shipping, potentially interfering with principles such as freedom of navigation, or otherwise cutting across the work of shipping’s global regulator…

C-MAP has announced a new version of its Integrated Maritime Suite (IMS) 2.0 – a flexible, streamlined tool for navigational planning and voyage execution.Significant customer collaboration was included in the development of IMS 2.0, integrating C-MAP’s chart and publication management to further enhance bridge planning capability and drive efficient workflows.IMS 2.0 brings a new level of integrated tools to the onboard planning station by combining modules for chart and publication management…

Construction of the U.S. Navy’s second Gerald Ford class aircraft carrier has reached its midway point following the installation of one of the ship’s largest units.Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding said it has installed one of the heaviest of the planned steel structures, known as superlifts, that will be joined together to make up nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). The superlift of the aft section between the hangar bay and flight deck weighs approximately 905 metric tons…