Maritime World News

Damen Shipyards Group said it has secured a contract to build a new workboat for the Ports of Jersey following a tender procedure.The newbuild, a Shoalbuster 2711, is the second vessel of its kind ever to be built, and it will be the second Damen vessel to be operated by the Ports of Jersey, which has operated a Damen Shoalbuster 2709, named Duke of Normandy, for the past fifteen yearsPorts of Jersey was looking for a vessel offering versatility, as Donford Nicholas, operations and commercial manager…

Ship data consumption is booming, and as digitalization and data trends increasingly drive the maritime world, Inmarsat celebrated a pair of milestones, hitting the 10,000 vessel mark on Fleet Xpress installations and launching its "Fleet Data Academy."Traffic DoublesAccording to Inmarsat, the growth in Fleet Xpress now includes the world’s leading container ship and tanker owners, such as MOL, K-Line and Hapag-Lloyd, offshore support giants like Bourbon, Tidewater and Maersk Supply, as well as growing numbers of yachts, passenger ships and fishing boats.

The town of Haugesund, Norway, home to busy waterways dotted with fishing and shipping vessels, was home to a maritime 'world first', with the announcement of the world’s first commercial Iridium GMDSS installation.The Norwegian trawler Trygvason has put to sea following installation of two Lars Thrane LT-3100S GMDSS terminals by local marine services company Brommeland Elektronikk A/S, with Iridium GMDSS service provided by remote communications solutions provider, Applied Satellite Technology (AST).

Captain Andrew Kinsey, Senior Marine Risk Consultant, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, recently discussed some of the trends that will shape 2021 for the maritime, ports and logistics world.MR TV: As we come to the end of 2020, talk now turns not simply to COVID-19 and a potential vaccine, but to the supply chain logistics and challenges that come with distributing those vaccines. How does the picture look from where you sit?Andrew Kinsey:  The picture looks complicated. It's a global demand. It's a global logistics problem.

Our COVID-19 maritime world continues to change as our perspectives on education and training with the availability of online learning and conferencing, an increased use of webinars, and the use of simulation technology must evolve if we are to be able to continue to train and maintain skill sets as we navigate the current and predicted restrictions on movement. Changes made now may eventually become fully integrated in to future iterations of training in many industries.An increasing…

The future of shipping is here, and it will not surprise industry observers to see Norway in the pole position as autonomous vessels enter commercial operations. Norway has long been on the bleeding edge of shipping innovation. In 2015, the world’s first battery electric car ferry entered operation in Norway’s deepest and longest fjord, Sognefjord.The ferry, MV Ampere, resulted from a government initiative and was a catalyst for innovation in the industry. Now, Norway is expected to equip some 200 additional berths with zero emission technologies before 2025.

The American shipbuilding scene, filled with participants constructing all manner of vessels, has been navigating through stormy times (lately, yards along the Gulf Coast have literally been dealing with storms). The orders for newbuild, repair and conversion projects continue to flow in—albeit at a reduced pace—and the boats and ships go down the ways into the water, but the overall panorama has seen tremendous sea changes as the business has shifted.Maritime businesses worldwide have been grappling with currents both internal and external.

Two Maltese maritime training and contingency management training organizations will be offering a new set of integrated courses from 2021 after agreeing a memorandum of understanding earlier this month.The Mediterranean Maritime Research and Training Center (MaritimeMT) and the International Safety Training College (ISTC) will create a new set of courses covering both maritime training and the oil and gas sectors offering some of the highest training standards in these industry sectors from January 2021.MaritimeMT…

Today would have been the day that SMM 2020 opened its doors if it hadn't been for the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, organizers of the maritime industry's largest trade fair are preparing for the rescheduled date in February 2021."Of course, the entire SMM team is a bit sad the fair isn't starting today. But increasingly, this regret is giving way to a sense of anticipation of a rather unique SMM in February 2021," says Claus Ulrich Selbach, Business Unit Director – Maritime and Technology Fairs & Exhibitions at Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already being applied in both ship and yacht building by a number of maritime companies that are currently using it successfully. AI technology makes a completely new way of working possible. It helps companies to operate competitively in a highly competitive maritime world.I believe in this way of working, and we have adjusted our software accordingly. I’m convinced that any software which cannot deal with AI has no future. So don't lose track, and work toward knowledge-driven operations with the help of AI.

As the maritime world collectively feels its way forward in a time now defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers of the SMM in Hamburg, traditionally the world's largest and most influential maritime and shipbuilding trade event, share market overview insights on the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic throughout the the shipping industry.The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world economy on its head. “The recession this year will likely be more severe, and recovery in 2021 will be slower than we anticipated two months ago…

As the maritime world continues to turn to digital technologies to help maintain business operations amid the coronavirus pandemic, Kongsberg Maritime is planning to digital platforms to ramp up remote delivery of targeted training.The Norwegian tech company says it is now offering basic Dynamic Positioning Operator (DPO) courses fully remotely from start to finish, including the practical part of the training.Using virtual machines, students can engage in practical exercises with a remote K-Pos trainer, in addition to completing theory and assessment modules online.

Classification society DNV GL and technology group ABB have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to accelerate digitalization in the maritime industry. The agreement was signed remotely by DNV GL – Maritime CEO Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen and ABB Marine & Ports Managing Director Juha Koskela in an online ceremony.The MOU will see ABB and DNV GL work together on a “Digitalization Roadmap”, to examine how the maritime industry can benefit from the greater availability of data…

Several companies within Japan's NYK Group have partnered to test the remote navigation of a tugboat in Tokyo Bay.The tugboat, operated by NYK's Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha Corporation, was equipped with a manned remotely controlled system and put to the test by NYK and its group companies MTI Co. Ltd., Keihin Dock Co. Ltd., and Japan Marine Science Inc. (JMS).During the trials, the tug was operated remotely from an operation center in the city of Nishinomiya, approximately 400 kilometers away.

As COVID-19 and a historically weak energy market wreaks havoc on maritime, Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO Maritime, DNV GL, tells Maritime Reporter & Engineering News in its May 2020 edition that this could be the beginning of a Renaissance period for the industry. "Everything will be looked at with new eyes, it’s going to be a renaissance for the maritime world and I think we’ll have a lot of innovation and new ideas," said Ørbeck-Nilssen. "Things that we’ve traditionally done for years simply will not hold up…

Lance Camarena recognized from a young age that he wanted to work in the learning and development arena. But his plans changed while studying in college to become a public school music teacher and a job working a swing shift at Intel led to a new path of study and a career in the IT world.Still, after graduating and securing full-time employment with another IT firm, he knew training was still his calling. “I managed to switch roles and became one of the first people in the U.S. to start training this new software package that was just hitting the market called Microsoft Word.

Remote vessel and equipment surveys have been available in the maritime world for years, but classification societies are seeing increased demand for these services as more firms turn to digital solutions to continue business during the coronavirus outbreak.Using real-time video communication tools, and even drones and robotics when applicable, surveyors are able to work with stakeholders to perform inspections without having to be on site, which is especially beneficial amid current COVID-19 travel restrictions.ABS…

Last year Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) – one of the world’s largest and most influential ship owners with 478 ships comprising 40.5 million DWT and more than 6,000 employees – celebrated its 100th anniversary. Toyohisa Nakano, Executive Officer, in charge of Ship Technical and Environmental Affairs for “K” Line, is a 30+ year veteran of the company. He discusses with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News the ship owner’s strategy to meet ever-tightening ship emission regulations.Please provide an overview of the ships you have on order today.We placed an order for 210…

As sometimes happens with boats in the maritime world, the recent repower of a tug shone a light on a pair of well known independent companies. The tug Gretchen H. (ex Harry Olsen, Polar Breeze) was built by Rodriguez Shipbuilding of Coden Alabama in 1997 and is currently owned, since 2005, by Boyer Towing.The Gretchen H is a good solid boat and her owners decided she was well worth a new set of engines. At 80 by 30 feet she has an eleven foot depth. As with many tugs out of the Rodriguez yard she has triple propellers and triple engines. She had an older set of engines rated at 700 HP each.

The Nordic energy company Gasum said its LNG bunkering vessel Coralius has successfully performed its 200th ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation.The vessel receiving the LNG fuel was Fjord Line’s MS Stavangerfjord. The bunkering took place while Stavangerfjord underwent periodical maintenance at the Fayard yard in Odense, Denmark.“We normally supply LNG to Stavangerfjord by a loading arm on a regular basis directly from our LNG plant in Risavika,” said Gunnar Helmen, Sales Manager at Gasum.“It’s great to get this opportunity to supply the cruise ferry with LNG in dock in Denmark. Having been fueled with fresh LNG, Stavangerfjord will return to her regular Stavanger-Bergen-Hirtshals route.

While Norway ranks 120th among countries globally in terms of population size (5.3 million), it packs a powerful punch in the maritime world, as Norwegians rank near the top as maritime and offshore industry innovators.As the global maritime markets enters a transcendent period – with decarbonization, digitalization and autonomy on the horizon – innovation from Norway stands strong as the Norwegian university of science and technology (NTNU) has established a new firm, Zeabuz…

The global trade association for shipowners and operators, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) opened its China Liaison Office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Tuesday, 21 November, during a reception hosted by the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.Liu Xiaoming, the Deputy Minister of Transport from the People’s Republic of China, Huang Liuquan, the Deputy Director of Hong Kong, Macau Affairs Office of State Council of the People’s Republic of China, and Frank Chan, Secretary for Transport and Housing Bureau of Hong Kong SAR were present to help oversee proceedings.On 20 November 2019, Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief…

When the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 2019, the maritime world enters a bold new era of emission reduction. With its growing fleet of methanol fueled ship and more than 60,000 hours of operating experience under its belt, Waterfront Shipping Company has a five-year headstart.As a general rule, shipowners are remiss to share insights on their operations, lest their competitors catch wind and leverage the same technology and savings. The case of Waterfront Shipping Company Ltd.