Maritime Industry News

The United States Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 06-19 (USCG MSA 06-19) outlines a February 2019 incident aboard a deep draft commercial vessel that called on the Port of New York / New Jersey after experiencing a significant cyber incident that impacted their shipboard network. The Safety Alert stated in part:“An interagency team of cyber experts, led by the Coast Guard, responded and conducted an analysis of the vessel’s network and essential control systems. The team concluded that although the malware significantly degraded the functionality of the onboard computer system…

Grandweld, a fully integrated shipyard providing shipbuilding, ship repair, and engineering solutions to serve the offshore and marine industry, has celebrated its 35th anniversary, which marked their continued excellence since its inception in 1984.The ceremony was attended by major industry key players, who have trust in the company’s outstanding deliveries and designs. Grandweld owns the most selling vessels, selling more than 60 Crew Boats of its GW42M design.In addition, the company employs over 800 professional engineers and technicians in shipbuilding and maintenance…

Sea Machines Robotics CEO & President.Michael Gordon Johnson is a marine engineer, an accomplished entrepreneur and sector leader with a primary goal of building progressive and sustainable innovation for modern society. He is the founder of Sea Machines, a Boston-based tech company that is a leading provider of autonomous control and intelligent perception systems for marine vessels. Johnson earned a marine engineering degree from Texas A&M University before starting a career focused on complex projects in offshore oil and gas, marine transportation and salvage.

The global shipping industry is facing requirements for substantial reductions in emissions and for creating a more sustainable transport in order to meet UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. At Kormarine 2019, 15 Danish suppliers of marine technology and services will be exhibiting their solutions that can help shipowners accelerate the move towards sustainability. According to Mark Lerche, Head of Marine, Danish Export Association, organizer of the Pavilion of Denmark at Kormarine 2019…

Taiwan’s maritime industry leaders met to debate decarbonization, digital technologies and the future of safety at the annual ABS Taiwan National Committee meeting.“As the leading class organization in Taiwan, ABS is able to call on the expertise of leaders to inform our approach to meeting industry challenges such as meeting IMO 2030 and 2050 objectives while ensuring safety standards are not compromised and keep pace with technological challenges,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO, who actively participated in the Committee program.

Nduna Maritime, a subsidiary of the Mnambithi Group, and the integrated chemicals and energy company Sasol have invested in South Africa's first locally-owned chemical tanker with a funding agreement made through the Sasol Siyakha Trust.The Bow Cecil is claimed to be the first South Africa flagged vessel to transport chemicals to international markets. "We are particularly proud of this landmark agreement, as it is a significant investment into localizing and diversifying our supply chain.

America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) said that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday for its new Shipbuilder Academy site in Gulfport.Shipbuilder Academy was established in 2016 at Ingalls’ Maritime Training Academy with a mission to provide enrolled students with a strong foundation in the maritime industry and fill the current industry skills gap.Through a partnership with the Gulfport School District…

Maritime autonomous surface ship (“MASS”) technology continues to advance at a rapid pace around the globe. Although it’s not being embraced as quickly in the United States commercial market as other parts of the world, U.S. industry professionals and regulators look forward to continued development and implementation as a means to improve efficiency and safety.OpportunitiesThe U.S. Maritime Administration (“MARAD”) hosted “Achieving Critical MASS: Spotlight on the U.S. Vessel Automation Industry” July 22 and 23, 2019, encouraging discussion between U.S.

Classification Society ClassNK is participating in the “Getting to Zero Coalition”, an international corporate coalition that promotes the de-carbonization of the maritime industry.The Getting to Zero Coalition is an alliance that aims to have commercially viable zero emission vessels powered by zero emission fuels operating along international trade routes by 2030 in order to accomplish the IMO’s goal of reducing GHG emissions from international shipping in half by 2050 compared…

KOTUG International B.V. and Canada-based offshore vessels operator Horizon Maritime Horizon Maritime Services have formed KOTUG Canada, a joint venture company which will offer terminal and harbor towage services across Canada.The joint venture looks forward to developing a strong presence within the Canadian terminal and harbour towing market.The strategic partnership brings complimentary skills from each partner and the sharing of joint experience, expertise, and best practices…

Cargill, Maersk Tankers and Mitsui & Co. have established a strategic collaboration to accelerate the reduction of global greenhouse gases (GHGs) within shipping. All three parties recognize the urgency required to tackle the global issue of climate change and are continually driving progress in their respective lines of business. Today, they are joining forces to accelerate these efforts and propel the maritime industry towards a more sustainable future.Together, the companies…

A set of complicated lock-and-dam projects on the Illinois Waterway, from Chicago to the Mississippi, has yellow lights flashing throughout the Midwest freight industry. In effect, the entire Waterway will be shut down next summer as the Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island Division, starts some hefty replacement and maintenance projects, from LaGrange to Brandon Road locks and dams.Officials advise maritime, freight and agricultural businesses to look ahead now, to prepare a logistics scenario that will be ready by July 1, 2020.

OSM Maritime Group, the provider of full service solutions to the Offshore and Maritime Industry, announced that it has appointed Tommy Olofsen as the Chairman.Tommy will in his new role, in addition to his current responsibilities, be responsible for strategic development, business relations and have a special focus on preserving and developing the OSM DNA and our core values, it said. Tommy will continue to be based in Arendal, Norway, the ship management company said.Bjoern Sprotte will be appointed CEO of OSM Maritime and be overall in charge of all day-to-day operations of the Group.

Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) has joined the Getting to Zero Coalition, a partnership among the Global Maritime Forum, the Friends of Ocean action, and the World Economic Forum that builds on the Call to Action in Support of Decarbonization launched and signed by more than 70 leaders from across the maritime industry and financial institutions.The Coalition is committed to getting commercially viable deep-sea zero-emission vessels powered by zero-emission fuels into operation by 2030 to realize the IMO’s ambition to reduce GHG emissions…

Ammonia, the same pungent solution used in fertilizers and cleaning agents, may one day be the key to transporting renewable energy around the world. There are currently a number of government and corporate projects assessing the feasibility of converting excess renewable energy from sources like wind, solar, tidal and nuclear into ammonia and then back into usable energy.In its purist form, ammonia or NH3 is composed of one nitrogen and three hydrogen atoms making it an ideal candidate to chemically bind excess renewable energy.

Connecticut-based maritime finance company FDX Offshore has acquired Singapore’s tanker pool operator Womar Logistics. Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised FDX Offshore on its acquisition.The partnership intends to expand its chemical tanker pools as well as initiate and grow independent pools in other classes of ships.FDX is led by Managing Partner Jake Scott and Partner Andy Tuchman who will both become Womar board members. Formed in 2013, FDX has been providing financial advice and capital sourcing to maritime and energy projects.Incorporated in early 2009…

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…

DNV GL and Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), a sub-holding company of Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipbuilding and offshore business, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate on the development of low- and zero-carbon ship technology. The signing took place at the recent Gastech trade fair in Houston, Texa, US and was attended by Ki-Sun Chung, Senior Executive Vice President, and Won-Ho Joo, Director of the Advanced Research Center from KSOE, as well as Conn Fagan…

The maritime classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) celebrated International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) World Maritime Day with a month of activity putting women in the spotlight to inspire current employees as well as future generations of mariners. The theme for 2019’s World Maritime Day, an official United Nations day, is “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community.”“I am proud that ABS has strong women leaders across all areas of the organization who are recognized and accomplished professional trailblazers as well as mentors for the next generation of leaders…

ABS has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) to a conceptual design for carbon fibre LNG fuel tanks, in what it describes as a ‘milestone’ for a project to adapt space industry technology to small-scale LNG fueling.SpaceTech4Sea project sees ABS, OceanFinance and Cimarron Composites joining forces to adapt composite technologies developed for the space industry to LNG shipping.Backed by EUR1m funding from the European Union, the project explores whether composite technology, which is lighter and more cost-effective…

UAE maritime industry, yesterday (Tuesday 24th September) saw the UAE Shipping Association (UAESA) becoming a full member of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).The signing, which took place on Day 2 of Seatrade Shiptech at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE, will provide a framework for closer collaboration between the two associations. The event is a part of the UAE Maritime Week taking place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum…

In a cautious yet upbeat message at the close of the Climate Action Summit in New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the progress made by shipping in the race against the climate crisis, describing it as a "huge step up".He referred to efforts being made by key players in the maritime industry to chart a course for carbon neutrality by 2050 in order to implement International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s initial greenhouse gas reduction strategy. The strategy…

More than 300 executives from the maritime industry, government and academia filled the conference hall at SUNY Maritime as the State University of New York Maritime College and the Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler jointly hosted "Offshore Wind Power: Planning For America’s Ocean Energy" today in New York.I was pleased to facilitate the lead panel entitled "East Coast Wind Farm Overview – Status of Industry,” a panel which featured executives from four of the leading companies which are investing and working to make offshore wind power a reality in the U.S.…