Maritime Business News

Representatives of the British and Hong Kong maritime business sectors have agreed to forge a closer working relationship. Under the terms of a new Memorandum of Understanding, Maritime London and the Hong Kong Maritime & Port Board (HKMPB) will cooperate in a range of areas including promotional activity, training and sharing of best practice for maritime business services. The agreement was signed in London during London International Shipping Week by Chan Fan, Frank, JP, Secretary for Transport & Housing…

Massachusetts Maritime University(MMA)and SpecTec have entered into a Cooperation Agreement in which SpecTec has agreed to donate AMOS licenses for MMA's Teaching & Training courses. This is the first license donation partnership with a Maritime Academy in the US for SpecTec. International partners include Dalian Maritime University, National Taiwan Ocean University and Italian Maritime Academy. MMA has extended an invitation to SpecTec CEO, Giampiero Soncini to visit the campus in 2009 for a formal signing event. Massachusetts Maritime Academy's programs include Marine Transportation, Marine Engineering, International Maritime Business, Facilities Engineering, Marine Safety and Environmental Protection, and Emergency Management.

DNV GL Group has appointed Tor Svensen as Group Executive Vice President. Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen will succeed Tor Svensen as Chief Executive Officer of its Maritime business area. Both will report to the incoming Group President & CEO Remi Eriksen, starting August 1, 2015. Ørbeck-Nilssen has served as COO and Senior Vice President of DNV GL’s Maritime business area since 2013. He will now take on the new role as CEO and continue to operate out of the maritime headquarter in Hamburg, Germany. Tor E. Svensen has been the CEO and President of DNV GL - Maritime since 2003.

To enhance the maritime business group’s presence in Latin America, Guillaume Lucci has been named regional manager for this region. In his new role, Lucci will be responsible for Halcrow's maritime business development and operations throughout Mexico, Central and South America, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. He will act as the firm's single-point of contact for all maritime related activities in Latin America and he and his team will provide local support for the maritime business group's growing list of clients in this region. Lucci will be able to expand Halcrow’s maritime practice in the region by building on the firm’s strong regional presence.

A bipartisan coalition urge Congress to pass a Defense Appropriation Bill to avoid another Continuing Resolution (CR) & Sequestration. A bipartisan coalition of labor unions and maritime business owners affiliated with the Shipbuilding Council of America have jointly sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to pass a defense appropriations bill and avoid sequestration cuts before the Navy begins widespread lay-offs and cancellation of ship maintenance on February 15, 2013. •    Up to 46,000 Department of Defense civilian employees will be immediately laid off. •    Another 800,000 workers will face furlough days resulting in a 20 percent pay cut. •    More than 100,000 people could lose jobs in the shipbuilding and repair industry and our supply chain.

Redmond, Wash. based MobileOps, Inc., a software company specializing in the design and development of maritime software applications (dispatch, safety, compliance, vessel maintenance, timecards and analytics), has recently reformed and is now pursuing further business development within the tug and barge, towboat and fishing industries.

WR Systems Ltd. has announced Mark Mahoney as the new Director of Domestic Maritime Business. Mahoney comes to WR from Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine, where he spent almost 25 years honing his technical maritime expertise in a variety of roles, including  marketing, contracts and compliance. His most recent position was Service Manager for the Americas region.

Tor E. Svensen, Group Executive Vice President at DNV GL, has decided to retire effective from August 1, 2016. Svensen is a ubiquitous figure in maritime circles, and he will continue to work in the maritime industry and will, amongst other things, take up a role as professor at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, focusing on education and research related to safety at sea. Svensen’s career at DNV GL spanned more than 20years and saw him lead the Maritime Business for more than a decade.

Advances in communication services for ships and boats is expanding rapidly, keeping pace with development cycles of landside installations. Last autumn, Inmarsat unveiled Fleet F55 and Fleet F33, the two new members of the Fleet family designed to meet the communication needs of small to medium-sized vessels. Earlier this year, EMS SATCOM, a division of EMS Technologies, Inc., entered the maritime market with it pedigree of land-based communication solution expertise. At NorShipping in Oslo, the company announced that it has received full Inmarsat type-approval for its new Fleet 55 Maritime satellite terminal. EMS Technologies is a $310 million company with 1,800 employees worldwide. In 1968, Dr. John E.

W R Systems, Ltd. (WRSystems) announces two key appointments in its Maritime Technologies Division: Mr Arthur Thomas Senior joins as Vice President – Maritime Business and Mr Mike Kellner joins as Director – Maritime Business. WRSystems’ Maritime Technologies Division supplies Radar, ECDIS and Inertial Navigation Technology as part of a full suite of navigational products. Art Thomas leads the expansion of the Maritime Technologies Division within WRSystems. Mr Thomas’ team at WR Systems builds on the company’s extensive experience in design, supply, installation and through-life support of navigational and communications equipment. Mr Thomas has extensive experience in the commercial maritime electronics sector.

Drydocks World received H.E. Cheong Ming Foong, the Consul General of Singapore along with Khalil A. Bakar, Center Director Middle East of Singapore Economic Development Board. Khamis Juma Buamim, Chairman and Dr. Markus Voege, VP – Operation and Production of Drydocks World and Maritime World, welcomed H.E. Cheong Ming Foong and Mr. Bakar to the Maritime Business Center at Dubai Maritime City for discussions on economic developments, renewal of agreements of understanding in the marine and maritime specialties…

NYMAR (New York Maritime Inc.) board members will visit the Nor-Shipping expo to promote the New York Maritime cluster. Leading the delegation is NYMAR’s newly anointed Chairman, Clay Maitland of the Marshall Islands Ship Registry. Joining him are Brian Devine, newly of Norton Rose,  Seward & Kissel partner Larry Rutkowski, AMA Capital Partners’ Kevin O’Hara, Kathy Haines of Heidmar, and Nordea’s Martin Lunder. “Nor-Shipping is an ideal opportunity for NYMAR to broadcast the attractiveness of New York as a business center”, stated delegation leader Maitland.

Ross Wilkinson has joined Survitec Group to play a role in promoting worldwide sales growth and developing and maintaining an effective sales distribution and service network for the Crewsaver Commercial and Leisure ranges. Wilkinson joins Survitec from Orolia Limited, where he was General Manager and Maritime Business Unit Manager. Ross also spent twelve years with Navimo, firstly as Director of Sales and then as General Manager of Navimo UK. survitecgroup.com  

Inmarsat has confirmed that its new FleetBroadband 150 (FB150) service is now live and passing commercial voice and data traffic on the network. According to Piers Cunningham, Director of Maritime Business for Inmarsat, FB150 was “designed specifically to handle broadband IP data, as well as high-quality voice and SMS.”  The company has begun shipping new hardware to accompany the system.

Inmarsat has appointed Mark Warner as Head of Marketing Communications for its Maritime business unit. Reporting to Inmarsat Chief Marketing Officer Chris McLaughlin, Warner will take responsibility for maritime marketing communications activities, with the objective of opening up the full potential of high-speed connectivity at sea across vertical markets including merchant shipping, small boat, fishing and leisure. With over 18 years’ experience in the maritime industry, Warner’s track record includes digital platform development and marketing program creation for ship owners…

The fullest ever study of UK shipping, ports & maritime business shows remarkable resilience in the face of continuing economic challenges. The UK shipping industry has created 7,300 UK jobs in the past two years, and 537,500 UK jobs are now supported by the shipping, ports and maritime business sectors, according to a newly-released study by Maritime UK. The healthy employment statistics are bolstered by news that the industry now contributes nearly £32bn to UK GDP and provides £8.5 billion in taxes to the Exchequer.

London’s crucial central role in the global shipping industry was highlighted when members of the international maritime community and representatives of the U.K. Government gathered to officially launch the first ever London International Shipping Week (LISW) last night. Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, spoke of the important role maritime business plays in both the U.K. and global economy as he addressed more than 100 guests gathered at the London offices of Norton Rose Fulbright, overlooking the Thames at sunset.

Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen is appointed president in DNV GL Maritime. Ørbeck-Nilssen will take on the role as president from 1 January 2014. He will be member of the Executive Committee and operate out of Hamburg. Tor E. Svensen, CEO DNV GL Maritime, says “I am really pleased to have Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen on board in this role. He has more than 20 years of experience from a variety of disciplines. “I am confident that the Maritime leadership team will ensure that we deliver high quality services to our customers and through this secure and strengthen our position in the market,” says Henrik O.

Four students from Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) have been awarded Crowley Maritime Corp.’s Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships. Chosen based on their academic achievement, financial need and plans to pursue a career in the maritime industry, the four recipients are Patrick Goldsmith, Jack McMurrer, Paige Mentuck and Christina Murphy. Goldsmith, a junior from Huntington, N.Y., is majoring in marine engineering and minoring in international maritime business. He is a Dean’s List member and has earned his USCG 50 Ton Master license with a towing endorsement.

A Maritime 2050 Call for Evidence has been launched by the UK government’s Department for Transport (DfT) to seek the views of both those within and outside the sector. "Maritime 2050 is a long term strategy to secure the future of the UK maritime sector. This call for evidence asks those involved in or who rely on the maritime sector to contribute to the development of Maritime 2050," said a statement from the government. It introduces a number of themes for respondents to consider.

UK politicians and the general public have demonstrated overwhelmingly that they recognize shipping as the biggest mover of the nation’s imports and exports, according to a new study commissioned by the UK Chamber of Shipping. Guy Platten, CEO of the UK Chamber of Shipping, said of the study: “The findings confirm that we can forget about so-called ‘seablindness’ – it just does not exist. Leading pollster Comres surveyed 2,026 members of the British public and 127 UK MPs during the first four months of this year.

The Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority Andreas Nordseth recently attended the naming ceremony of Evergas’ new gas tanker that is to carry petrochemical gas for use in the plastic industry. It is Evergas’ first vessel under the Danish flag. “By having more ships under the flag, we ensure continued ship owner activities in Denmark for the benefit of employment and Blue Denmark as a whole," said  Andreas Nordseth. "We are pleased that Evergas has chosen the Danish…

Laugfs Maritime Services, the shipping division of Sri Lanka’s Laugfs Gas,  has purchased its third Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) carrier vessel for USD 2.875 million, reports  Lanka Business Online quoting company sources. The 1998-built 3,500-cbm Lady Martine was bought from Ultragas at a price of $2.875m and will be renamed Gas Courage. It will be reflagged to Sri Lanka. Laugfs Maritime Services private limited operates with Board of Investments of Sri Lanka approval to carry out a business of sea cargo operation services.