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26 Mar 2024

Baltimore Bridge Collapse Could Disrupt Supply Chain -Xeneta

Collapsed Key Bridge in Baltimore (Credit: Screeshot/StreamTime Live)

The containership allision that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore could cause "significant disruption" to shipping supply chains, according to industry analyst Xeneta.The 10,000 TEU Singapore-flagged Dali was operating on a 2M alliance service between Baltimore and the Far East when it struck the bridge around 1:35 a.m. on Tuesday, sending cars and people plunging into the river below."The immediate focus is the rescue operation, but there will clearly…

14 Apr 2023

What Happens if Russia Abandons UN-backed Grain Corridor?

The Kremlin has said the outlook is "not so great" for extending beyond May 18 a deal that allows the safe wartime export of grain from some Ukrainian Black Sea ports, raising concerns over what happens next with the U.N.-backed sea corridor.The deal has helped to tackle a global food crisis that U.N. officials said had been worsened by the most deadly war in Europe since World War Two.Reached in July last year, it created a protected transit corridor to enable exports to resume from three ports in Ukraine…

10 Jan 2023

Tech File: Repower After Layup at the Thai Marine Department

One of the new engines is lowered into the engine room. Image courtesy Cummins/Thai Marine Department

A well-built, modern vessel can be expected to outlive her original engines. The challenge for those representing the owners, is to choose new engines that match or exceed the capabilities of the original power. Consideration will be given to replicas of the original engines. However, availability and suitability may limit this.These were some of the considerations confronting the Thai Marine Department when they decided to put their 41.85 by 3.9-meter oil response vessel back into service.

07 Oct 2022

Shippers Focus on LNG, Biofuels, Methanol to Meet Emissions Targets

Credit: A.P. Moller - Maersk

Shipping and commodities firms will commission more ships partly powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) next year while ramping up trials for biofuel bunkering as they seek to cut emissions from ship operations, senior executives said this week.The shipping industry is seeking to reduce its reliance on oil as it tries to meet carbon emission reduction targets set out by the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization.These include the shipping industry cutting carbon emissions by 40% from 2008 levels by 2030…

25 Jul 2022

Oil Falls Anticipating Fed Hike will Dent Demand

Copyright Sodel Vladyslav/AdobeStock

Oil fell on Monday, reversing earlier gains but continuing a recent losing streak, on concerns that an expected increase in interest rates in the U.S., the world's biggest oil user, may limit fuel demand growth.Brent crude LCOc1 futures for September settlement dropped 48 cents, or 0.5%, to $102.72 a barrel at 0205 GMT, down for a fourth day.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures for September delivery fell 65 cents, or 0.7%, to $94.05 a barrel, also down for a…

26 Jul 2021

Iron Ore Stumbles as Rising Supply Runs into China Steel Discipline

Credit;masterskuz55/AdobeStock

Iron ore prices have suffered their worst week for nearly 18 months amid signs that the two factors needed for a sustained correction may be coming into play - Chinese steel producer discipline and a recovery in supply of ore.The main Chinese domestic iron ore benchmark, the Dalian Commodity Exchange contract, dropped around 10% in the week to July 23, the worst weekly performance since February last year.The contract ended the week at 1,126 yuan ($173.77) a tonne, and has now slid about 17% from its record high in May.Benchmark spot 62% iron ore for delivery to north China , as assessed by co

29 Apr 2020

China to Issue VLSFO Quotas in Move to Grow Bunker Market Share

© masterskuz55 / Adobe Stock

China is set to release its first-ever quotas to export very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) with total volumes of 10 million tonnes for this year, six industry officials with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.The quotas, which came in the wake of Beijing’s policy in January to offer tax sweeteners to boost local production of the fuel, paves the way for Chinese refiners to almost fully cover the demand from its coastal bonded marine fuel market of 12-14 million tonnes annually.The quotas will be issued to four state-run firms - Sinopec Group, CNPC, China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOO

07 Feb 2020

Are OSVs Fit for Refit for Offshore Wind?

BEFORE: Island Clipper: Island Offshore of Ulsteinvik, Norway, has had success with conversions.  “before” and “after”.  Photos: Island Offshore

While it is generally agreed that the nascent offshore wind energy market in the U.S. will be a newbuild market, there is a repair and conversion possibility for some stacked OSVs.Though estimates on the pace of the offshore wind energy market in the U.S. vary widely, the direction is clear: offshore wind will be a huge marketplace for construction and support vessels to be deployed in U.S. waters over the next decade. The starting point for estimated vessel demand is the raft of projects along the U.S. East Coast, and to a lesser extent, in the Pacific waters, now in the pipeline.

25 Sep 2018

Maritime Response Services & Non-Tank Vessel Response Plans

The Author, Richard Paine Jr.

Avoiding Potential Pitfalls and HeadachesThe summer of Sub M may be over, but the heat remains for the tugboat and towing vessel industry operating under the July 20th regulations. Owner & Operators are faced with daily challenges to continually sustain and build their businesses. As with any new regulation, there is a period of learn-ing and, even more so, interpretation by industry and by those enforcing regulations. One of the more significant matters related to this situation revolves around vessels in response services and those required to hold Non-Tank Vessel Response Plans (NT-VRP).

03 Aug 2018

​​​​Chinese Tariffs on LNG, Oil May Threaten US Energy Dominance

© Igor Groshev / Abobe Stock

China's targeting of U.S. liquefied natural gas and crude oil exports opens a new front in the trade war between the two countries, at a time when the White House is trumpeting growing U.S. energy export prowess.China included LNG for the first time in its list of proposed tariffs on Friday, the same day that its biggest U.S. crude oil buyer, Sinopec, suspended U.S. crude oil imports due to the dispute, according to three sources familiar with the situation.On Friday, China announced retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S.

06 Mar 2017

China's Steel, Coal Curbs a Double-edged Sword for Imports

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

China's determination to tackle its choking pollution by cutting steel and coal capacity should be a long-term negative for exporters of iron ore and coal to the world's biggest commodity importer, but the reality is likely to be far more nuanced. "We will make our skies blue again," Premier Li Keqiang told the opening of parliament on Sunday. That's an unequivocal statement that gives political impetus to Beijing's plans to shutter more excess steel and coal capacity. The policy…

23 Dec 2015

Tankers, Bulkers & the Increased Need for Software Solutions

Hendrik Bruhns

IMO/adopted guidelines for the mandatory carriage of damage stability verification instruments (software, computers, etc.) onboard all (new and existing) tankers beginning in January 2016. IMO has adopted guidelines and applicable IMO Code amendments for the mandatory carriage of damage stability verification instruments onboard new and existing tankers. Amendments to MARPOL Annex I, BCH Code, IBC Code, IGC Code and to the Survey Guidelines under HSSC to mandate the provision of a computer program capable of calculating the applicable damage stability requirements were agreed.

25 Nov 2014

The Legal Consequences of 46 CFR Subchapter “M”

Daniel J. Fitzgerald

As the holiday season and the end of another year quickly approaches, the towing industry patiently waits for the Coast Guard to finalize the long-awaited towing vessel inspection rule. More than 10 years ago, Congress passed the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004, requiring more stringent regulation of uninspected towing vessels (UTVs). Since that time, the Coast Guard and several industry groups (including the Towing Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC), American…

28 Jan 2014

USCG to Establish Security Zone for Republican Conference

The U.S. Coast Guard will establish a temporary security zone Wednesday to Friday in designated waters of the Choptank River for the Republican Issues Conference. The security zone will be in effect from 3 a.m. Wednesday until 1 p.m. Friday, which may limit or prohibit navigation by commercial and recreational waterway users. The security zone will include a 500-yard perimeter surrounding the waterfront of the Hyatt Regency Hotel on the Choptank River in Cambridge. The security zone will also impact waterway traffic under the Route 50 Bridge for various periods of time. Entering or operating in the security zone is prohibited unless authorized by the captain of the port of Coast Guard Sector Baltimore.

24 Jan 2014

USCG to Establish Security Zone for State of the Union Address

The Coast Guard will establish a temporary security zone Tuesday in designated waters in the National Capital Region for the State of the Union address. The security zone will be in effect from 4 p.m. Tuesday until 2 a.m. Wednesday, which may limit or prohibit navigation by commercial and recreational waterway users. The security zone will include the Potomac River from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, south to approximately two miles north of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The security zone will also include the Georgetown Channel Tidal Basin as well as the Anacostia River from the 11th Street Bridge to its confluence with the Potomac River. Entering or operating in the security zone is prohibited unless authorized by the captain of the port of Baltimore.

08 Jan 2014

Naval Architecture Students Target Safety and Innovation

Marine Engineering and naval architecture students provide a fresh perspective on design, safety and innovation, too. When most of us board a passenger ferry, thinking about the safety and stability of the vessel will rarely cross our minds. Typically, those thoughts are obscured by other “more important” things, along with the distractions of electronic devices that keep us so pre-occupied that we even tune out the essential safety briefing that occurs during departure. While the record of U.S.

20 Apr 2012

Maritime Claims – Limits Increased by IMO

Amendments to increase the limits of liability in the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims were adopted by the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), when the Committee met for its 99th session in London. The LLMC Convention sets specified limits of liability for two types of claims against shipowners - claims for loss of life or personal injury, and property claims (such as damage to other ships, property or harbour works). Taking into account the experience of incidents, as well as inflation rates, the limits set in the 1996 Protocol have, in recent years, been seen to be inadequate to cover the costs of claims, especially those arising from incidents involving bunker fuel spills.

05 Dec 2011

Limitation of Liability in the Workboat Industry

The owners of tugs and other workboats are entitled to limit their liability under the Shipowner’s Limitation of Liability Act, 46 U.S.C. §30501 et seq. (“Limitation Act”), to the same extent as the owners of ocean-going ships. Thus, if a workboat is involved in a maritime casualty, the workboat’s owner or bareboat charterer may be entitled to limit its liability to the value of the workboat after the incident, plus any towing charges, hire, or freight still owed for the job. This limitation right obviously can be a great benefit to a workboat’s owner and insurers when the damages from a marine casualty are substantial. A vessel owner’s limitation rights…

27 Jul 2010

China’s Oil Pollution Laws Worth Watching

The UK P&I Club offered the following briefing on Chinese marine pollution law. Ship owners and operators trading in Chinese waters face an extensive set of new legal and regulatory requirements governing their roles and responsibilities in oil pollution incidents. China’s Prevention and Control of Marine Pollution from Ships Regulation was implemented on 1st March 2010. It dovetails with the Marine Environment Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, laying down the principles and outlining the country’s marine pollution legal system. However, the detailed requirements under the Regulation have yet to be revealed. Chinese ministries have other supplementary regulations in the pipeline, such as the management and funding of a ship oil pollution compensation fund.

18 Aug 2003

Changing Russian Export Patterns

Russia has the seventh largest oil reserves in the world (6% of total), after 5 Middle East Countries (totalling 63%) and Venezuela (7%). The other Former Soviet Union (FSU) republics Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have together less than 2% of the total world reserves, estimated by BP to be some 1048 thousand million barrels. The Russian reserves are spread over a huge area: West Siberia, Volga-Urals, North Caucasus, the Caspian area, the Far East regions, and Eastern Siberia. The last region is estimated to be 90% unexplored, and also the Caspian area and the Far East regions were said by the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Ivan Glumov, to be to a great extent unexplored, according to INTERFAX.

17 Mar 2004

Owner May Limit Liability for Master’s Negligence

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that the owner of a tug may limit its liability for damages resulting from negligent navigation of the tug by its master. In the instant case, plaintiff’s new gaming vessel was proceeding up the Mississippi River to its homeport. It was not far behind a large towboat, also headed upstream. Defendant’s towboat was headed downstream pushing concrete barges. The master on defendant’s towboat arranged for a two-whistle passing of the other towboat. The master of plaintiff’s casino boat then called the master of defendant’s towboat to also arrange for a two-whistle passing. The master of defendant’s towboat became confused and did not realize that he was communicating with two separate vessels.

13 Apr 2004

Little USV, Big Applications

Air dropable, ship deployable and multi-mission configurable, big things do come in little packages. Northwind Marine’s unmanned surface vehicle (USV); the “SeaFox” is a little package delivering multiple capabilities for the expanding requirements of fleet and port security. Originally commissioned through the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Tech Solutions Program for towing air gunnery training targets at 40 knots, the 16-ft x 5-ft Northwind Marine Inc. engineered, alternative fuels USV, is compact and capable of carrying relatively large payloads.

10 Nov 2005

Shipping Lines Estimate Costs to Rise

Bloomberg reported that Neptune Orient Lines Ltd. and 11 of the largest shipping companies plying the Pacific Ocean said costs of moving cargo to the U.S. in 2006 will rise 7 percent on higher fuel prices, which may spur them to raise freight rates. The cost of transporting containers by trucks and railways will increase as much as 25 percent, the 12-line Transpacific Stabilization Agreement, whose members ship about 70 percent of trans-Pacific trade, said in a statement today. Neptune Orient, Evergreen Marine Corp. and other Asian shipping companies are struggling with rising costs from higher fuel prices and port fees, amid increased demand for freight to the U.S. and Europe. Concern of a surplus of vessels may limit shipping lines in raising freight rates in 2006 for the fifth year.