O Ring News

On January 4, 2025, while moored in the Port of Mobile, Alabama, a foreign-flagged cargo vessel equipped with a SAACKE Monoblock Rotary Cup Burner SKVJ-M 14 Mark I burner system on a marine boiler experienced a significant engine room fire. The incident began with a high-pressure fuel leak from the oil fittings block, which caused atomized marine diesel oil to ignite on the hot surface of a nearby auxiliary generator exhaust stack. The fire rapidly spread from the boiler flat through two upper deck levels…

Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to most commercial shipping in late February 2026, an estimated 1,550 vessels, carrying approximately 20,000 seafarers, have been unable to transit, or have chosen to remain at anchor in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and approaches. Traffic through the Strait, which normally averages around 138 vessels per day, has fallen to near-zero on most days. The conflict began on February 28, 2026, resulting in vessels being idle for approximately 90 days.

Pakistan plans to boost domestic storage for crude oil and refined products to increase its energy security, according to a government document that was shared with oil producers and some of the world's leading trading firms.Despite depending on supplies through the Strait of Hormuz for up to 90% of its oil and liquefied natural gas imports, Pakistan has no strategic petroleum reserves.That has left it exposed to supply shocks provoked by the Iran war even as its lending programme…

A common concern of maritime chief engineers, regarding vessel engine damages, is the presence of highly abrasive “catfines” within marine fuel. To fully understand the seriousness of this issue, we first need to understand the source of the problem.Oil refineries use catalysts in their Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units (FCCU) or “Cat Plants” to process crude oils in the production of numerous products from the source crude. These catalysts are high in aluminum silicate (Al+Si) content and over time and repeated use, can breakdown and fragment into smaller particles, or catalytic fines.

Cal Poly Maritime Academy (formerly the CSU Maritime Academy) will award 150 bachelor’s degrees and 20 master’s degrees at its commencement ceremony Saturday, May 2, at Bodnar Field.The university will also award an Honorary Doctor of Science degree to Capt. Kate McCue, who graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is the inaugural captain of Four Seasons. McCue is an internationally recognized maritime leader whose career spans nearly three decades at sea.

Antarctica is the only continent without a fiber-optic connection.The technology required to get one there is available, but the creation of such infrastructure raises geopolitical questions, including its potential military use, say researchers from Germany.The US National Science Foundation has plans to build a subsea data cable link from New Zealand or Australia to its McMurdo research base in Antarctica. There’s been no update on the project under the current administration…

US Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center watchstanders and the crew of the Horten Liberian-flagged tanker rescued a capsized rower in the Atlantic Ocean east of Puerto Rico, Wednesday night.Benoit Bourguet, 47, was in his single-man rowing vessel, City of Liverpool, which was reportedly struck by two rogue waves and capsized in 13 to 15-foot seas which forced Bourguet to deploy and board his life raft.Bourguet and the City of Liverpool vessel were competing in the World’s Toughest Row Race, a 3,000-mile rowing race from San Sebastian de la Gomera, Spain, to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua.

The recent rejection of around 2,900 dairy cattle on the Spiridon II raises animal welfare and pollution concerns when, after a long sea voyage, the laden vessel has again had to return to sea.The 52-year-old livestock carrier has left Turkey after its cargo was rejected by local authorities. Court transcripts translated by Animal Welfare Foundation indicate that 58 cows died in transit to Turkey, 140 cows had miscarriages in transit, 50 newborn calves were present on board, but another 90 are unaccounted for.Having departed from Montevideo…

By Captain Bobbie Scolley, U.S. Navy (ret.) and Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, U.S. Navy (ret.)For more than six decades, spanning from 1905 to the late 1970s, the U.S. Navy’s diving apparatus for deep ocean operations and salvage remained fundamentally unchanged. During this period, the demographic of navy divers also saw little alteration. However, beginning in the mid-1970s and continuing to the present day, a series of developments initiated a gradual transformation in both areas with significant implications for contemporary Navy diving.Donna Tobias…

A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami waves of up to 5 metres (16 feet) and sparked evacuation orders in Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday.The shallow earthquake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan's eastern seaboard - devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 - was ordered to evacuate.In Hawaii, coastal residents were told to get to high ground or the fourth floor or above of buildings, and the U.S.

Greek police have dismantled a gang that had been hiding cocaine in sheets of leather that were smuggled from Bolivia to Greece on container ships, police officials said on Friday.They said the method used by the gang signalled a shift in methods for smuggling the drug from South America to Europe.Eleven people have been arrested so far, including nationals form Bolivia and Spain, after police monitored the suspects for months following a tip-off by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration…

Turkish shipowner Susesea has streamlined its vessels operation by upgraded the cylinder lubrication strategy across its fleet of six bulk carriers with Chevron’s Taro Ultra Advanced 40 (TUA 40).Working with Chevron Marine Lubricants and its regional distributor, Petrol Ofisi, Susesea has reduced cylinder oil feed rates by approximately 33%, delivering both technical and commercial benefits.The six Japanese- and Chinese-built vessels, each with an average deadweight of 64,000 tons…

A steering system failure led to a bulk carrier’s contact with a navigational aid in the St. Marys River near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.The bulk carrier American Mariner struck the Munuscong Channel Junction Light on March 28, 2024, as it was transiting upbound in the St. Marys River. The Munuscong Channel Junction Light is comprised of a navigational light and signal mounted on a concrete, fixed structure.After the contact the vessel began taking on water but was stabilized using pumps.

RWE has deployed a bubble curtain technology in the U.K. for the first time to protect marine life from the construction noise at its Sofia offshore wind farm.RWE has been working with Hydrotechnik Offshore to introduce an innovative underwater noise-abatement technology, known as a bubble curtain, for offshore wind farm construction in the U.K.The deployment at the Sofia offshore wind farm, located 195km off the coast of England, represents a significant step in protecting marine life from underwater noise generated during piling activities.The bubble curtain…

This week at MarineLink…An Australian Prime Minister once famously (infamously) said: “Life wasn’t meant to be easy.”He could have been talking about the maze of IMO and EU regulations relating to new fuels, especially the concept of well-to-wake emissions.It’s not enough to have a clean-burning engine or even an onboard carbon capture system. Well-to-take emissions, upstream and out of the control of ship operators, will have to be factored in.This week, MarineLink reported that a CMA-CGM vessel bunkered bio-LNG in Rotterdam…

Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) has secured a contract to develop and deliver the complete energy design, an integrated automation system and its future-oriented bridge system for a Field Support Vessel, being built by Green Yard Kleven for Romania’s OMV Petrom.NES will supply frequency converters and electric motors for the propulsion system, battery system, transformers and its proprietary Quadro Master switchboard – a DC power distribution switchboard that enables the use of variable speed generators.The Quadro Master is supported by NES’ Odin’s Eye…

Kongsberg Maritime’s rim-drive azimuth thruster has achieved Silent-E notation from DNV, the first of its kind to receive this certification.Installed on the new commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) Norwind Hurricane and its sister vessels, the thruster demonstrated exceptional performance in reducing underwater noise pollution during a recent trial.To assess the noise levels of the Norwind Hurricane, an extensive underwater noise study was conducted using hydrophones placed on the seabed.

Spanish police said on Friday they had seized four metric tons of cocaine hidden in rice sacks at Barcelona's port, breaking up a crime ring that operated in Spain, Paraguay and Britain.The drug smugglers processed the drugs into powder in Asuncion, Paraguay, and then put them plastic bags which were hidden inside sacks of rice sewn by hand before shipping them to Europe, the statement said.The containers arrived at Barcelona's port earlier this year but the haul of cocaine was only discovered in July when the smugglers moved the containers, police said.Authorities in Paraguay and Britain seiz

Ring Power, a distributor of Cox Marine diesel outboards, announced the continued expansion of its North American and Caribbean dealer network. In the past few months, it's welcomed an array of new partners, including: United States Dealers: ● Heavy Duty Systems, New York, N.Y. ● Legasea Marine, Yorktown, Va. ● All Star Marine, Baltimore, Md. ● JetSki Miami, Miami Fla. Puerto Rico Dealer: ● Dalco Power Dominican Republic: ● NautimarPat Bucci, Vice President and General Manager of the Cox Marine division of Ring Power…

The end may be in sight, but the race for bigger cranes is still having an impact on offshore wind project efficiency.The industry has already felt the need for upgrading crane lifting capacity on existing offshore wind installation vessels: NOV is upgrading the cranes on Cadeler’s existing O-class wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs), and a gantry crane extension will soon make Van Oord’s Svanen one of the largest floating heavy-lift installation vessels.It’s a newbuild phenomenon too. NOV has developed a telescoping leg encircling crane for Shimizu’s GustoMSC-designed WTIV Blue Wind.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department is repowering one of its patrol boats with a new 300-horsepower variant of Cox Marine’s flagship V8 diesel outboard.The department is working with Cox Marine’s East Coast distributor, Ring Power Cox Marine, for the project.The vessel is a 33'1" Brunswick Impact 1000 built in 2018, now powered by twin Cox 300 diesel outboards. The boat has as 12' beam and capacity for up to 18 persons. Its fuel capacity is 307 gallons.“The use of diesel engines…

30 years ago shaft generators with PTI capability kept container ships sailing at top speed. That purpose gone, PTI/PTO is making a new comeback in more cargo shipping segments, this time for reducing emissions.Retrofitting a shaft generator is not an insignificant undertaking. Around 50 tons of equipment needs to be installed into the engineroom through a hole in the hull. A new section of shaft is usually required.That a few shipowners are undertaking such projects - Klaveness Combination Carriers on the Ballard…

ABB has secured an order from Norwegian shipyard Ulstein Verft to supply an advanced power and propulsion system for a new cable-laying vessel (CLV) being built for Nexans.Upon delivery in 2026, the vessel will join Nexans Skagerrak and sister ship Nexans Aurora – also equipped with ABB technology – as the third and most advanced CLV in the Nexans fleet.An integrated system comprising main power generation and distribution, energy storage, and electric propulsion will allow the new CLV to execute its cable laying…