Maritime Industry News

A record 400 tertiary students attended  annual Singapore Maritime Dialogue (SMD), organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).This is the first time MPA has teamed up with students from the National University of Singapore to engage and encourage their peers to participate in the SMD.Centred on the theme “Building a Future-Ready Maritime Singapore”, the panel comprising Guest-of-Honour, Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Transport and Health, Dr Lam Pin Min…

Project partners Eidesvik Offshore, Wärtsilä Norway and DNV GL have announced the closure of the FellowSHIP research project. The cooperation has explored the use of battery, hybrid and fuel cell technology in the maritime industry for over 15 years.“FellowSHIP has been a flagship research project,” states Bjørn-Johan Vartdal, Maritime Programme Director for Technology and Research in DNV GL Group. “The results from FellowSHIP have shaped our knowledge of battery and hybrid power…

Viega, manufacturer of mechanically attached pipe fittings (MAFs) for the maritime industry, recently obtained a type approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and an acceptance letter from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for its Viega MegaPress Stainless and MegaPress CuNi piping systems. These join  Viega’s previously approved MegaPress and MegaPressG systems for use with carbon steel and galvanized pipe, providing a full line of materials—carbon steel, galvanized, stainless and copper nickel.With the new approvals…

Will your vessel be honored as a “Great Workboat of 2018” in the December 2018 edition of Marine News?Every year, Marine News profiles the most outstanding vessels built in shipyards in North America, recognizing builders, owners and designers as leaders in their field. This edition — the much anticipated end-of-the-year edition — generates much excitement, as your work is profiled and delivered to the largest audited b2b maritime industry audience in this genre.The only way to…

Today, the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) at Kings Point issued its new strategic plan providing guidance and direction for the near-term future of the Academy.The plan, entitled The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Strategic Plan 2018-2023: Navigating Towards the Future Together, describes strategic priorities that will guide the institution for the next five years and beyond, including enriching educational programs; improving institutional culture; infrastructure planning…

The maritime industry has been challenged, to say the least. Today, where do you see challenge? Where do you see opportunity?It’s clear our business environment continues to change and we have a new definition of what normal means: nothing is normal. We are in era of rapid, disruptive and impactful change.The coming years will bring further turbulence, shaking out our industry and setting the course for the next 20 years and beyond. Market cycles will continue to evolve and will be impacted differently than they are today.For example…

Wilhelmsen Ships Service has been selected to help develop the future Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) regulatory framework for Singapore and will receive dedicated funding for their shore-to-ship delivery project.Wilhelmsen Ships Service is one of only four companies to have received the funding, following a Call-For-Proposal (CFP) by CAAS and the Ministry of Transport. The CFP aims to support the development of systems and technologies to enable innovations within the wide-ranging use of UAS.

Remi Eriksen, Group President and CEO of DNV GL, has been on the job for nearly three years, taking over at arguably one of the more challenging and pivotal times in maritime history. We met with Eriksen recently in Athens, Greece, for his insights on the markets and DNV GL’s position going forward.While Remi Eriksen’s tenure at the top of DNV GL has coincided almost perfectly with one of the maritime industry’s deepest and longest slumps, he said that there is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, with a small pick up in shipbuilding year-on-year since 2016.

Weeks Marine, Inc. visited Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC) in Lacombe, La. on July 18 to announce major contributions, totaling $500,000, to support the college’s maritime training program and scholarship fund.Richard “Dick” Weeks, Chairman of Weeks Marine, travelled from the company’s headquarters in Cranford, N.J. to view progress on the construction of NTCC’s second building at the Lacombe Campus. A longtime supporter of higher education and workforce training, Mr.

Tokyo-based Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, or ClassNK as it is more commonly known, is one of the world's leading classification societies with 9,104 ships representing 250 million gt under register, as of June 2018. We spoke with Koichi Fujiwara, Chairman, ClassNK, earlier this year in Tokyo for his overview of the market today, and the path forward on technological trends.While Koichi Fujiwara, like many of his colleagues, sees challenging times in the maritime market, he does note that conditions are improving…

Merseyside shipyard and engineering services company Cammell Laird has won a £1.5 million tender with Innovate UK to develop electron beam welding technology in the shipbuilding, offshore and nuclear sectors.Cammell Laird will act as primary contractor to test the equipment at its Birkenhead site using its team of welders and engineers, together with partners TWI Limited which will provide research, and support in welding codes and standards. The third partner, Cambridge Vacuum Engineering will manufacture the electron beam machine.John Eldridge…

KVH Industries, Inc. announced that it recently shipped its 8,000th mini-VSAT Broadbandsm system. The TracPhone V-series satellite communications antenna systems utilize advanced satellite technology, including the latest high throughput satellites (HTS), to meet the growing demand for more onboard broadband connectivity.“Our newest HTS systems are in high demand throughout the maritime industry, and build on the strength and reputation of our entire product line,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s chief executive officer.

Hikawa Maru, which is owned by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK)x, has been recognized by the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers (JASNAOE) as a cargo-passenger ship that conveys the story of maritime technology in the early Showa era.On July 20, a ceremony was held at Meiji Kinenkan in Tokyo, and Norio Kanaya, the 28th captain of Hikawa Maru, received the recognition.This honor was introduced last year by JASNAOE and is given to vessels that have historical…

GEA presents innovative solutions that combine environmental protection with economy - The new GEA marine Separator increases efficiency on board.The new GEA separator for marine applications massively changes the working day on board. After a service interval of 16,000 operating hours, the compact plug-and-play exchange unit is replaced. No unplanned maintenance is required.The maintenance effort on board is reduced by up to 90% with simultaneous lower maintenance costs and maximum machine availability.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim has highlighted the Organization’s work and response to a changing maritime security landscape.Speaking at the ‘Maritime security in the 21st century’ symposium at the Brazilian Naval War College, Rio de Janeiro (20 July), he said that “threats to the port and shipping sectors are constantly evolving and so is IMO’s response” and emphasized that “IMO is addressing the digital revolution in all aspects of its work”.Autonomous vessels…

Symphony Creative Solutions (SCS) an NYK Group company, held a thank you party with Ocean Network Express (ONE) at ONE’s head office to celebrate a successful Ocean of Opportunities Challenge (O3 Challenge), a contest for startups that was conducted from April to June 2018.Partners including NUS Enterprise and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) were in attendance, and the solutions of the three O3 Challenge winners were introduced.The O3 Challenge, a worldwide contest aimed at creating new value through open innovation in the maritime industry…

Rear Adm. Michael Alfultis, president of SUNY Maritime College, today announced the establishment of the Ruth Mulan Chu Chao and James Si-Cheng Chao Endowed Scholarship Fund as a permanent, need-based scholarship. The scholarship has been funded by Dr. James S.C. Chao, Founder and Honorary Chairman of Foremost Group, and his daughter, Ms. Angela A. Chao, Chairman and CEO of Foremost Group in honor of Dr. Chao and his late wife, Mrs. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao.“The Chao Scholarship will benefit generations of students who are interested in pursuing maritime and engineering studies…

Damen Shipyards Group has signed a cooperation agreement of understanding with clean energy startup Skoon Energy to further advance the energy transition underway in the shipping industry.Skoon was founded in 2017 by Daan Geldermans and Peter Paul van Voorst, two students of the Delft University of Technology. The company focusses on the large-scale electrification of ships’ propulsion via management of a battery sharing network and strategically located charging hubs with a 100 percent clean energy supply.

Will your vessel be honored as a “Great Workboat of 2018” in the December 2018 edition of Marine News?Every year, Marine News profiles the most outstanding vessels built in shipyards in North America, recognizing builders, owners and designers as leaders in their field. This edition — the much anticipated end-of-the-year edition — generates much excitement, as your work is profiled and delivered to the largest audited b2b maritime industry audience in this genre.The only way to…

Coltraco Ultrasonics Chief Executive, Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter, has been welcomed onto the Board of Trustees at The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), an internationally renowned professional institute at the heart of surface and sub-surface ship design.Formed in 1860 and established by Royal Warrant RINA occupies a central and essential role at the heart of British and global maritime with 70% overseas members and Consultative Status at the International Maritime Organisation.Commenting on the appointment…

Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation, has successfully completed the first edition of ‘SAIFI’, a summer training program for undergraduate students in the Kingdom, launched jointly by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MOLSD) and the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF).Aimed at training and developing practical skills among the country’s youth, the four-week internship program ran from 8 July until 2 August, with the participation of 15 male and…

Offshore support vessel (OSV) operator Uniwise Offshore Limited has chosen a new high-speed broadband service to enhance the operations of its entire fleet of more than 30 vesselsUniwise Offshore will use Thaicom’s Nava enabled high-speed connectivity and solutions to focus on operational improvements, including optimized electronic document handling, as well as ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications for safer and more cost-effective operations. The company will also be able to improve its onboard communication services including crew welfare and fleet management.

Art Regan, who has been the Executive Chairman at Genco Shipping and Trading (NYSE: GNK) since October 2016, personifies the new type of shipping executive, savvy on all things maritime (he is a graduate of SUNY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler) coupled with a keen understanding of market dynamics. Regan commenced his maritime industry career at sea, rising through the shipboard officer ranks completing as a Master Mariner during a more than ten-year period sailing on oil tankers and dry bulk vessels.