Maritime Industry News

Japanese utility Toho Gas and shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) carried out a demonstration test to supply liquified natural gas (LNG)  to the to the tugboat Ishin at the Japanese port of  Nagoya.This marked the first LNG bunkering in the Port of Nagoya, and the test confirmed that LNG can be safely supplied to vessels at the port.LNG was transported via truck from the Toho Gas Chita-Midorihama LNG Terminal (Chita-shi, Aichi Prefecture), and supplied with a truck-to-ship system to Ishin…

The discussion of the ‘future of class’ seems more relevant today than ever, as the maritime industry navigates a transcendent period, with digitalization, decarbonization and a long list of related safety and risk concerns occupying the attention and budgets of shipowners globally.“There are many things going on in the industry, and in fact the world, and looking ahead I think we’re looking at a ‘new norm’,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO. “It’s…

The technology group Wärtsilä, in collaboration with PSA Marine, has achieved a breakthrough in its IntelliTug project.Following the successful installation of a first-of-its-kind Dynamic Positioning (DP) system onboard the harbor tug ‘PSA Polaris’, trials are now being carried out in the Port of Singapore under real-world conditions. This phase of the project implementation, which has been approved by Lloyd’s Register, moves the bar higher on safety standards for vessel automation and autonomy.

The launch of Europort 2019 at the Rotterdam Ahoy yesterday (November 05) saw well-known journalist Geert Maarse bring four of the leading owners in Europe’s special ship segments to grips with the key challenges facing the maritime industries today and tomorrow. Now in its 39th edition, Europort continues to hold its own as one of the most significant events in the maritime calendar, with registered visitors this year reaching 27,000. In 2020, a new convention center will open alongside the existing site, expanding overall space by 50%.

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that the Society of Naval Architect and Marine Engineers (SNAME) awarded HII President and CEO Mike Petters the 2019 Vice Admiral Emory S. “Jerry” Land Medal. Petters received the Land Medal on Thursday during the Annual SNAME Banquet, held in Tacoma, WA.Mike Petters Accepts Land AwardHII President and CEO Mike Petters, center, accepts the 2019 Vice Admiral Emory S. “Jerry” Land Medal from, at left, Fred Harris, former president of General Dynamics NASSCO and Bath Iron Works…

The Panama Canal is a strategic crossroads for maritime traffic, and is arguably one of the most important maritime developments in the past century. Here we take a deeper dive into the history behind that famous strip of waterway.The present canal, which saw its first vessel transits in 1914, along with possible alternatives through Nicaragua and Mexico, had actually been on the minds of merchants, explorers and military/political strategists since the Age of Exploration in early 1500’s.

New report from the Mission to Seafarers paints optimistic picture across the shipping industry and  shows increased positivity and satisfaction among those working at sea.After concerning reports earlier in the year, the latest Seafarers Happiness Index, a gauge for measuring the feelings and experiences of seafarers across the global maritime industry, report has shown a marked improvement in happiness levels amongst seafarers across all sectors of the industry.The latest report…

ABB signs a landmark contract with Singaporean shipyard Keppel Offshore & Marine to enable autonomous tug operation in 2020.ABB, in collaboration with Keppel O&M’s technology arm, Keppel Marine and Deepwater Technology (KMDTech), will jointly develop the technology for autonomous vessels and retrofit a 32-meter harbor tugboat with leading-edge digital solutions, enabling autonomous vessel operations in the Port of Singapore at the end of 2020. Upon project completion, the vessel is anticipated to be South Asia’s first autonomous tug.During the initial phase of the project…

Setting new standards in the maritime industry with its fouling release film, the film manufacturer RENOLIT will be exhibiting and presenting its innovative films at Europort in Rotterdam.In a few days, the fair, the business hub for the maritime sector, will start. From November 5-9, manufacturers and suppliers in shipbuilding, repair and conversion, ship owners, shipyard manager and ship designer from all over the world will visit the fair for networking and more.The demand for alternative biocide-free antifouling coatings is constantly increasing…

Europe’s fastest growing port, the Port of Gdansk, has outlined huge expansion plans designed to double its cargo volumes to 100m tonnes a year, during a high-level maritime and business delegation from Poland to Singapore.The delegation marks 50-years of diplomatic ties between the countries and is being organized with PSA International, the Singapore based global ports group. In May this year PSA International formally acquired DCT Gdansk, the largest container terminal in Poland…

ChartCo and Marine Press, both leaders in global digital navigation solutions, have announced their merger. The move will result in the creation of a new company called OneOcean which will offer the largest range of navigation and compliance solutions into the maritime sector.Martin Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of ChartCo, announced the merger, saying: “Following the success of three recent acquisitions, we have been looking to further expand our business. We identified Marine…

Executives at some of the world's top shipping groups are advocating a levy on carbon emissions on shipping in an effort to shape tightening rules on greenhouse gas emissions while providing a means to fund development of cleaner fuel sources."To meet international shipping's decarbonization challenge, the maritime industry needs a carbon levy, it is coming, and we should shape it," said Andreas Sohmen-Pao, chairman of BW Group at the Global Maritime Forum in Singapore this week.The…

Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Heng Swee Keat, DPM Heng announced the launch of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) ‘digitalPORT@SG’, a digital Portal for One-stop Regulatory Transactions, which is Singapore’s maritime single window system that will serve as a one-stop portal for maritime regulatory and port services transactions.It will be developed in two phases: Phase 1 – users can obtain approval for all arriving and departing ships from three public agencies – MPA…

Russia is advocating expansion of ports and shipping along the Northern Sea Route (NSR).The  existing excellent contacts between Port of Hamburg Marketing and Russian ports as well as the Hamburg maritime industry’s second most important trading partner in seaborne freight traffic provided the occasion for an expert session on the use of the Northern Sea Route – NSR - and development of transit freight traffic between Europe and Asia.At a meeting in Hamburg, members of a delegation…

Survey respondents from 46 different countries around the world highlight ‘decarbonization of shipping’, ‘new environmental regulation’, ‘societal demands for sustainability’, and ‘failure of climate-change mitigation and adoption’ as four of the top 10 issues in terms of potential impact on the maritime industry.The Global Maritime Issues Monitor 2019, which surveyed respondents from 46 countries, ranked only the “global economic crisis” ahead of “decarbonisation of shipping”…

Lloyd's of London report stated that the cyber-attack on major ports across the Asia-Pacific could cost losses of up to $110 billion would occur in an extreme scenario in which a computer virus infects 15 ports.Despite the high costs to business and international trade, the report showed that the global economy is under-prepared for such an attack with 92% of the total economic costs uninsured, leaving an insurance gap of $101bn.An attack via a computer virus carried by ships could scramble the cargo database records at major ports and lead to severe disruption…

ExxonMobil is supplying Mobilgard ADL 40 engine oil for Color Hybrid, Color Line’s latest addition to its fleet of ferries. The vessel is the world’s largest plug-in battery hybrid ship and was recently named ‘ship of the year 2019’ by Nor-Shipping.The vessel, which is already in service between Sandefjord, Norway, and Strömstad, Sweden, is capable of carrying 2,000 passengers and 500 cars. It combines four conventional Rolls-Royce Bergen B33:45L in-line diesel engines with electric…

Viva Energy Australia announced the launch of its new very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), developed to meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) new regulations on fuel sulphur content.The new regulations will limit the sulphur content in marine fuels to 0.5% from the current level of 3.5%, in a move to reduce sulphur oxide emissions globally. Vessels worldwide will be required to comply by January 1, 2020.The introduction of the IMO’s new sulphur cap on fuels is one…

The evolution of marine design is increasingly influenced by three drivers: New three-dimensional design tools, the increasing complexity of power systems, and new access to high-latitude shipping routes. While new digital design tools are a natural progression of the current Information Age, new propulsion energy requirements and Polar shipping routes are reactions to the legacy of the ebbing Industrial Age. Three-Dimensional Design WorkflowsA young naval architect recently stated…

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) held the first joint symposium on  extreme maritime weather: Towards safety of life at sea and a sustainable blue economy.The symposium has highlighted the need for the gap to be closed between met-ocean (meteorology and oceanography) information providers and the users of this information in the maritime industry.The October 23-25 event at IMO headquarters in London brought together about 200 stakeholders from shipping (including freight…

Niels Aalund was elected at the 93rd International Convention and Conference in New Orleans on October 17th.New Orleans, LA: Prominent maritime industry stakeholder Niels Aalund has been elected President of the International Propeller Club. Mr. Aalund will serve a two-year term, commencing from October 17th. Aalund, a well-known maritime subject matter expert and executive, currently serves as an Officer and as Senior Vice-President of the West Gulf Maritime Association (WGMA).

A top hostage negotiator, the CEO of a company which supplies environmental products to ship owners and operators and the heads of two maritime technology firms are all part of an impressive line-up of speakers scheduled to speak at the 2019 Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) AGM & Conference which takes place next week from Tuesday, October 29, to Friday, November 1. The four-day event is being hosted by WISTA Cayman Islands and is expected to bring over 200 maritime experts from 30-plus countries.

As the offshore industry recovers, choosing the right hull coating for those newly activated assets will be equally important.The global offshore support vessel (OSV) market is still recovering from a protracted slump, but thankfully momentum is now returning with predictions for significant activity for OSV’s ahead. As summarized in a report by market analysts Grand View Research, projections are for the OSV market to exceed USD 71 billion by 2022 on the back of a significant increase in projects reaching final investment decision (FID) status, and a rising demand for oil and gas worldwide.