Maritime World News

Former Deputy Director General of the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), Mrs. Birgit Sølling Olsen, is set to receive the 2017 International Maritime Prize. This was decided by the governing body of the International Maritime Organization, the IMO Council, which was convened this week in London. The Prize is given once a year to a person or an organization, who has made a significant contribution to the work and function of the IMO. The IMO’s Member States had nominated three candidates in total this year.

Late last year, the Transportation Research Board released a major study that was undertaken “in response to the rapid development of domestic sources of energy and questions about the safest ways to move these products.” The Study Committee examined the operational responses of the three primary modes impacted by the fracking revolution – rail, pipeline and maritime. A primary observation of this work was that that the “Marine Transportation System Offers a Model for Robust Safety…

At today’s opening press conference of the international maritime trade fair in Hamburg, political and business leaders discussed current challenges facing the shipping industry. The focus of the debate was on the 0.5 percent sulphur limit for ship fuels which will take effect on January 1,  2020, and the industry's goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping in half by the year 2050. Roughly 2,300 exhibitors and the extensive conference program accompanying the trade fair will deliver answers to the industry's complex questions. Roughly 50,000 visitors are expected to attend.

Said bin Homoud Al Maawali, CEO, Oman Drydock Company (ODC) means business when he aims to triple revenue by 2021, but it’s anything but business-as-usual at ODC. A neophyte to the shipyard world, he is a veteran business man with a long resume in multiple industries, a turnaround specialist. He sees potential at ODC, but bigger picture, he sees the shipyard as a means to help Oman broaden its business and revenues outside of the traditional energy industry.As the global shipbuilding community shakes off a historic slump, new thinking is creeping into a space steeped in tradition.

The shipping industry is set on a serious decarbonization course and the search is on for credible, viable and cost-effective solutions to meet the IMO’s initial strategy challenge to peak GHG emissions from international shipping as soon as possible and to reduce the total annual GHG emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2008.Wind propulsion technologies can help cut fuel costs significantly, make vessels compliant with existing and impending emission regulations…

This month we caught up with Jeong-kie Lee, Chairman and CEO of the Korean Register and also the Chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), for his insights on the dominant trends moving the maritime industry into the future.The maritime industry has been challenged, to say the least. Today, where do you see challenge? Where do you see opportunity?The maritime industry is in a state of extreme upheaval, with private and public organizations having to deal with a wide range of ever changing…

Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, who will hand over the reins of  International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) in July, examined how the association had evolved during his time as Chairman, while speaking at the Posidonia trade fair in Athens. In an industry undergoing rapid change, the IACS Chairman identified the need for classification societies and IACS itself to be adaptable and prepared for change, while staying true to the core purpose of classification. Ørbeck-Nilssen…

As the maritime world rapidly evolves to incorporate increasingly clean and efficient power sources onboard ships at sea, the cruise industry is emerging as a clear leader in the sector, driven by the high-profile nature of its ships and the often pristine environments to which they traverse. With that, ABB announced that it will deliver the first fuel cell system to Royal Caribbean, a pilot program in which the RCL ship will be the world's first fuel cell system on a luxury cruise ship.

Together with Danish Shipping, Danish Maritime and IDA Maritime, the Danish Maritime Authority will be hosting an international conference on autonomous ships on Tuesday (14 November 2017) in Copenhagen. All over the world, great efforts are being made these years to develop new ship technologies. Research is already far progressed and, at the same time, the Danish Maritime Authority is striving to clarify how the authorities can ensure, insofar as possible, that regulation does not present a barrier to the future use of technological solutions in shipping.

The maritime world is in the middle of a period of rapid change, with increasing digitalization, new regulations and shifting markets. Classification societies can help to remove barriers, speed up the process, and assist stakeholders make the most of the new landscape, IACS Chairman Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen said at DNV GL’s press conference at Marintec China today. “One of the major contributions of class in current times of transformation is to bring familiar assurance processes to new and unfamiliar technologies…

Port of Antwerp International (PAI), the consultancy and investment subsidiary of Antwerp Port Authority, has been appointed by the Council of Ministers of the West African country of Benin to modernise the port of Cotonou. This port is the economic heart of Benin, handling an annual freight volume of around 12 million tonnes. In the longer term, the port authority wants the port to grow further, but both the infrastructure and the organization are outdated. The government therefore decided to temporarily outsource the management of the port.

A fundraising campaign to build a international memorial dedicated to the estimated 100,000 people who lost their lives during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II, as well as those who served and survived, is being launched in Liverpool. The Battle of the Atlantic Memorial (BOAM), the charity leading the campaign, will stage a press call with war veterans on the Liverpool’s iconic waterfront to launch the fundraising effort to build the 28 meter monument in the shape of a merchant ship split in two.

Co-hosted by The Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) and IALA, the conference ’e-Navigation Underway’ was held for the 8th time. 150 participants from 5 continents joined the hosts on a conference cruise departing from Denmark earlier this week. ​The debate at the conference was lively with a strong focus on applying digitalization to real world uses. President and CEO at DFDS, Niels Smedegaard, said during his speech at the conference: “We have to speed up on understanding and applying the new possibilities that new technology provides. The development is too rapid for the human mind to keep up.

As I was preparing for Thanksgiving dinner I put on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. While Indiana Jones and Doctor Elsa Schneider were being chased by the Brotherhood of the Cruciform sword through Venice and their boat was neatly shredded by the propellers of a larger vessel, it had me thinking of how much propeller technology has changed over the years. And how hopefully Indiana’s boat did not actually damage that vessel’s propeller. Recently an article passed though my news feed about the first 3D printed propeller. This is indicative of the direction the industry is taking.

Students from the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta are being introduced to key policy planning issues as part of International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s on-going work to support the future leaders of the maritime world (15-16 February). The event focused on the National Maritime Transport Policy (NMTP) formulation, which is being promoted by IMO as a good governance practice to guide planning, decision making and legislation in the maritime sector, and a key driver for a country's sustainable development.

GTT announces it has received several orders, since the beginning of the year, for the equipment of three LNG Carriers (LNGCs) and one bunkering vessel. The three LNGCs, offering capacities ranging from 174,000 to 180,000 m3, will be built at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI)’s. They will be fitted with the membrane containment system Mark III Flex. Their deliveries are expected for 2020. In addition, the latest evolution of the Mark III system…

RIMS (Robotics In Maintenance Strategies) have secured a further class approval from Korean Register of Shipping (KRS) for the use of Remote Inspection Techniques (drones) during surveys of enclosed spaces. The KRS certification for the use of Remote Inspection Techniques (drones) during surveys of enclosed spaces, adds to the now highly impressive portfolio of class approvals RIMS have achieved in such a short period of time. This further certification means that even more shipowners and managers can now reap benefits which this new technology offers during class surveys.

You know if Elon Musk was to attend a plenary session of the IMO, he could be forgiven if he thought he was watching a reenactment of the Charles Dickens book Hard Times, with Mr. Gradgrind the Headmaster. What a sad reflection of our industry. Imagine instead! Imagine a world where logistics companies and cargo owners drive ship design, innovation and demand the level of quality in ship management. Where maritime assets are operated in a global ecosystem of tracking, monitoring and safety. Imagine a world where ships are operated in a “ship as a service” or “system of systems” infrastructure.

The Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) is hosting the final conference of the EU-funded digitalisation project EfficienSea2 on the 5th and 6th of April. 32 partners from 12 different countries have been collaborating in the European project EfficienSea2 since 2015 to create a more digital maritime world. The project has focused on developing new communication platforms, international IT-standards and digital services for the maritime world. The project supports the effort recently initiated by the Danish Government through a plan for maritime growth and a digital strategy.

The year 2017 was dominated by the difficult market conditions in the dredging and oil & gas sectors, says Pieter van Oord, CEO, Van Oord, the Dutch contracting company that specializes in dredging and land reclamation. The global contractor specialising in dredging, marine engineering and offshore projects (oil, gas and wind) said that the volume of work in offshore wind was stable, and the market dynamic in the offshore wind sector will generate a lot of opportunities for years to come.

Digital nautical charts and better communication at sea are some of the concrete solutions that can boost the development of the maritime sector. Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Brian Mikkelsen, is pleased with the prospects of more digital cooperation across the EU when the results of the digitalization project are being presented at a conference in Copenhagen today and tomorrow. Representatives from the maritime sector are gathered today for the final conference of the digitalization project EfficienSea2.

Oslo Business Region (OBR) has engaged Birgit M. Liodden as Director for Sustainability, Ocean Industries and Communication, with effect of May 2018. Liodden will be responsible for OBR’s activities linked to Oslo as European Green Capital 2019, and implementation of sustainability focus throughout all activities. She will also be responsible for ocean industries – a new area for Oslo Business Region – representing vast opportunities onwards. As part of Oslo Business Region’s strategy, sustainability is a key priority area moving forward.

Quality, modernisation and transparency have been the three fundamental themes of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) during DNV GL’s Chairmanship, and this approach is widely reflected in IACS’ 2017 Annual Review which was presented in London today by IACS Chairman Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen. Looking back at IACS’ development and successes over the past year, Mr Ørbeck-Nilssen said that during these dynamic times, both IACS and its twelve Member societies need to act as a guide for the shipping industry, identifying the path for others to follow.