Maritime Industry News

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha has said that the Federal Government has successfully worked hard through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to reposition the Nigerian maritime industry for the nation’s economic growth.Mustapha said such development had also made the maritime sector a new attraction for investors.The SGF pointed out the nation was beginning to see another opportunity through which it could harness its vast resources.Mustapha…

Washington State partnered with DNV GL in late 2017 to develop the “Washington Maritime Blue” strategy for the sustainable development of the state’s $38 billion maritime industry. With that strategy now complete, the State unveils how it plans to achieve the vision of being home to a world-class, thriving, and sustainable maritime industry by 2050.At an event in Seattle, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s Maritime Innovation Advisory Council unveiled the results of their…

Passenger Vessel Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting education and safety in the passenger vessel industry, received a $25,000 Challenge Grant from Hornblower Cruises & Events, a San Francisco-based passenger vessel operator with operations in California, New York and Canada to name a few.“We are very pleased to receive this generous Challenge Grant from Hornblower Cruises & Events,” said Rob McMahon, President of the Passenger Vessel Foundation (PVF). “Hornblower…

Satellite communications specialist Marlink has been awarded a contract renewal to expand its Sealink VSAT service to international ship owner Transpetrol.The provider of satellite communications services for the maritime industry claimed that the higher levels of guaranteed bandwidth ensure global connectivity for 14 strong tanker fleet.The renewal secures access to Marlink’s global network and specially-chosen business critical VSAT solutions for the entire tanker fleet and…

The Methanol Institute (MI) is backing a project at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore which will be the first evaluation of Methanol as a marine fuel in Asia.The project consists of two phases, with the first consisting of desktop and bench-testing the Methanol-powered engine employed in the GreenPilot evaluation program in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the second phase, the engine will be shipped to Singapore for installation onboard a harbor craft vessel for service within a fleet for a six-month sea trial…

The Australian government decided to increase cooperation with Tehran in marine industries and shipbuilding irrespective of the US sanctions, reports Mehr News Agency, quoting the deputy head of Iran's Industrial Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO).After meeting  Australian Ambassador Ian Biggs, Mohammad Nouri Amiri, deputy head of  IDRO said that in spite of the US sanctions, Australia will cooperate with Iran in newly-developed marine industries and shipbuilding know…

Korean shipbuilder, Daehan Shipbuilding (DHSC), has been given approval in principle (AiP)  from International accredited registrar DNV GL for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled 115,000 dwt Aframax tanker.As the maritime industry continues to build on its efforts to reduce emissions to air, LNG as a ship fuel is attracting a great deal of attention across many ship sizes and types. The new joint development project (JDP) undertaken by DHSC and DNV GL focussed on producing…

The Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that the calendar year 2019 minimum random drug testing rate is set at 50 percent of covered crewmembers. This rate is effective January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019.The Coast Guard has increased the minimum random drug testing rate for 2019 as a result of Drug and Alcohol Management Information System (MIS) data for the most recent reporting year indicating that the positive rate is greater than one percent. 46 CFR part 16.230(f)(2)…

The International Propeller Club of the United States is looking for a new Executive Vice President to lead its Fairfax, Virginia office in early 2019.The International Propeller Club is an international business network dedicated to the promotion of the maritime industry, commerce, and global trade. It has 5,000 members in more than 75 ports around the world who represent a cross-section of the maritime industry. The Propeller Club is ninety-one years old and serves as the premier…

... one year after the commandant’s Final Action Memo on the El Faro sinking.“… the Coast Guard is ultimately responsible to monitor the performance of third parties that perform delegated functions and also to guarantee the effectiveness of vessel inspections and surveys. Yet the Coast Guard failed to adequately oversee the third party in this case, and the investigation reveals that the Coast Guard has not sustained the proficiency and policy framework to do so in general. The…

The end of 2018 provides an excellent opportunity to highlight some of the measures that have been taken by the maritime industry over the past year to develop a better understanding of autonomous shipping. A drive towards autonomous shipping has been embraced by many major players such as Rolls Royce and Wärtsilä, and this has led to numerous new strategies, visions, and projects that are pushing the boundaries of technological innovation. It’s no longer a matter of whether technology can achieve this next step…

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced an industry commitment to reduce the rate of the global fleet's carbon emissions 40% by 2030, from a 2008 baseline."We aspire to the International Maritime Organization’s vision of a carbon-free shipping industry by the end of the century," said Arnold Donald, global CLIA chairman and president and CEO, Carnival Corp. & plc. "Our commitment to a 40 percent reduction in the rate of emissions by 2030 is a strong first step…

The number one Korean national containers carrier Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and Singapore-based terminal operator PSA International have secured complete ownership of the Hyundai Pusan New-Port Terminal (Pier 4) in the Port of Busan, South Korea.The container carrier sold off its majority ownership in PSA Hyundai Pusan New-Port Terminal Co in 2016 due to liquidity trouble.According to a report in Pulse, HMM will acquire 50 percent plus one share in PSA Hyundai Pusan New-Port Terminal through a private equity fund…

Ms. Maja Markovčić Kostelac is taking over as new executive director of the European Maritime Safety Authority's (EMSA).The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has issued a statement congratulating Kostelac, for taking over.Ms Markovčić Kostelac, who has served as the Croatian State Secretary for the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, will take up her five-year term at the beginning of 2019.She has been an Administrative Board member of EMSA since January 2017. In 2008, she obtained her LL.M.

Revised Comment Period: Draft Merchant Mariner Medical Manual, Notification of Availability and Request for Comments.The Coast Guard is seeking public comment regarding the draft Merchant Mariner Medical Manual. The guidance in this manual should assist medical practitioners, the maritime industry, individual mariners, and Coast Guard personnel in evaluating mariner applicants’ physical and medical statuses to meet the requirements of the merchant mariner medical certificate. This draft commandant instruction manual incorporates and consolidates prior guidance on the medical evaluation of merchant mariners contained in several Coast Guard documents.

Danish shipping company Nordic Tankers, Dania Ship Management and Danfoss IXA have been cooperating on testing new innovative technology for monitoring emissions on an ongoing basis.The chemical tanker company hailed that the result is a front runner solution to ensure global enforcement of the IMO’s requirements for sulphur emissions way before any legislation is pushed through.“The sensor equipment from Danfoss IXA is an innovative piece of technology that enables ship owners to continuously prove compliance with the IMO’s requirements for sulphur emissions.

While there remains much debate as to what an autonomous future looks like in the maritime sector, one company, Sea Machines, is helping to pace the field with product development, partnerships and investment.Sea Machines Robotics announced today that it had closed a $10 million Series A investment led by Accomplice VC, with participation from several corporate titans including Toyota AI Ventures; Brunswick Corp., through investment partner TechNexus Venture Collaborative; Eniac Ventures…

Singapore's port operator PSA Corporation Limited (PSA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to develop a pipeline of talent for the future mega port in Tuas.The MoU is aimed at producing data science, info-communications and engineering professionals for the Tuas port, said a joint statement by PSA and SUTD.The new Tuas Port will harness big data, and leverage automation technologies and smart systems to raise terminal productivity and service quality…

The 2019 Maritime Insights Database (MarTID) survey has just been launched. This annual survey and the resulting annual reports (available freely at www.MarTID.org) provide critical data on maritime training practices and trends useful to every segment of the maritime industry. As such, it is important that every seafarer, maritime trainer and maritime administrator working at a vessel operator or training center complete the survey (also available at www.MarTID.org) and ask their colleagues to do the same.Now that the 2019 survey has been launched…

Committed to providing tugboat and towing vessel operators with a platform to meet regularity requirements and collaborate with local resources, the annual event also reminds us that Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.On September 28 2018, American Marine Associates, LLC (AMA) coordinated and hosted the 3rd annual Green Apple Spill Response Exercise in Bayonne, NJ. The Green Apple Spill Response exercise was established specifically for the tugboat and towing vessel industry operating in New York Harbor.

Industry leaders and non-profit the Sustainable Shipping Initiative announced the launch of the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative’s (SRTI) online platform - a tool for sharing information on ship recycling to drive responsible practice.According to a press release, the platform comes nine months after a group of shipping companies first announced their collective effort to use the market-drivers that transparency brings to make responsible ship recycling the norm. Demanding transparency holds the shipping industry to account…

About 80% of world trade is carried by sea, but the maritime industry handling these goods is on the frontline of climate woes, unless it adapts - fast.United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said that the transformation is needed if the world trade system is to cope with the projected impacts of climate change.“The hardest hit areas, coastlines, will affect us all since the lion’s share of trade itself is managed through international shipping and ports,” said UNCTAD’s chief of policy and legislation…

The prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2017 has been presented to Mrs. Birgit Sølling Olsen, former Deputy Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority.International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim presented the prize on Thursday (6 December) at the annual IMO Awards ceremony,“Mrs. Olsen has had a distinguished career in the maritime field and made an outstanding contribution to the objectives of IMO. Her comprehensive knowledge of maritime law is combined with a deep understanding of the business aspects and growth potential of the maritime industry…