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Parks News

11 Mar 2024

OpEd: Focusing on Green Fuels Takes the Focus Off Shipping's Major Problems

Morten Brandborg, CEO of Green Instruments (Credit: Green Instruments)

Shipyard order books show that more and more ships are being built that can run on methanol or liquified natural gas (LNG). Major shipping companies are investing in green fuels for their fleets, and researchers around the world are working intensely to find new solutions that can make the shipping industry greener.This is all good news that strengthens the belief that shipping is reducing its emissions of greenhouse gases, among others. While there is reason for some optimism, as shipping is becoming more sustainable, there is no doubt that we are still very far from the goal.

26 Feb 2024

Oil Spotted at Bonaire's East Coast

© Val Traveller / Adobe Stock

Oil stains possibly coming from neighboring Tobago have reached the island of Bonaire, local media said on Monday, prompting authorities to begin organizing protection to beaches and mangrove areas.Since an oil spill from a capsized vessel was first spotted by Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard on Feb. 7, it has blackened the Caribbean nation's beaches and is threatening other countries, including Grenada and Bonaire, whose main source of revenue is tourism.Part of Bonaire's East coast…

30 Dec 2023

Australia Apprehends Illegal Fishers

Source: Australian Border Force

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has apprehended 30 illegal foreign fishers and seized and destroyed three fishing vessels as part of an ongoing operation targeting illegal fishing off the coast of Western Australia.ABF's Maritime Border Command in partnership with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) detected and apprehended the vessels found to be fishing illegally in the Kimberley Marine Park between December 23 and 26, 2023.The illegal fishing crews have been…

03 Nov 2023

New High-speed Landing Craft Delivered in Australia

(Photo: Incat Crowther)

A new high-speed low-draft landing craft Island Guardian has been delivered to the Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program in Australia.The new 21-meter vessel has been custom-designed by Incat Crowther and built by Norman Wright & Sons to enhance island protected area management, research, incident response and facilitate more efficient management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.The Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program is delivered jointly by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service…

02 Nov 2023

SCHOTTEL to Propel Windcat Offshore's Latest Walk-to-Work CSOVs

Credit: SCHOTTEL

The first three new Walk-to-Work Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) built by the Dutch Damen Group for Windcat Offshore will be powered by full propulsion packages from SCHOTTEL. With vessel sizes of 87 metres by 20 metres, each CSOV will come with high-comfort accommodation for 120 passengers, and will provide a large warehouse and deck as well as various recreational areas and a hospital. The vessels will be powered by hydrogen and use a DP-2 control system. The…

23 Oct 2023

Offshore Wind: Newly Formed Consortium Orders Two CSOVs from VARD

Credit: VARD

The Windward Offshore consortium said Monday it had ordered two state-of-the-art Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOV) from VARD to "establish a sturdy basis for its maritime asset services focusing on bolstering the burgeoning offshore wind industry."Winward Offshore is a consortium currently under establishment and is led by SeaRenergy Group in collaboration with Blue Star Group, Diana Shipping Inc., and SeraVerse GmbH."Windward Offshore will play a key role in the energy transition by providing integrated offshore wind service solutions.

06 Sep 2023

Car Carrier Rescues Sailors from Shark-bit Russian Yacht

(Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority)

A Panamanian-flagged vehicle carrier vessel rescued three sailors from a Russian yacht that was mauled by sharks in the Coral Sea. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it coordinated the rescue after the Russian-registered Tion activated its emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) at 1:30 a.m. (AEST) on Wednesday.The distressed vessel, a 9-meter inflatable catamaran with three people on board, including two Russian and one French citizen, was sailing…

31 Jul 2023

Greening the U.S. Federal Fleet

(Credit: U.S. Navy)

The international shipping industry as a whole is responsible for 2% to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and if nothing changes, those will increase by 250% by 2050, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Sobering numbers like these have made reducing emissions across the sector a focus for governments, shipbuilders, environmentalists, vessel owners and technology suppliers alike.The United States federal ship fleet, excluding combat ships, consists of various types of vessels utilized for civilian purposes. This fleet of vessels makes the U.S.

18 Jul 2023

China's First Home-Grown Large Cruise Ship Starts Sea Trials

Source: CSSC

China's first domestically-built large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, has departed from Shanghai for sea trials.The 135,500 gross tonne vessel was built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding. It is being classified by Lloyd’s Register and China Classification Society.The vessel has 2,125 guest rooms and can accommodate up to 5,246 passengers. The public entertainment area is over 40,000 square meters (nearly six standard football fields) over 16 floors.

31 May 2023

Career Moves: US Offshore Wind Powering Up

(Photo: STAR Center)

In addition to wind, offshore wind demands human energy, individuals with knowledge and skills first to build and then operate and maintain the dozens of projects required to meet President Biden’s 2030 goal of 30 GW of offshore generation. In an October 2022 National Renewable Energy Laboratory report – “U.S. Offshore Wind Workforce Assessment” – the authors estimate that it will require, on average, between 15,000 and 58,000 employees annually, depending on domestic content scenarios, to build out a huge new wind machine.Mariners and mariner training are integral to offshore wind.

02 May 2023

Floating Offshore Wind and the Need for High-end AHTS

© Arild / Adobe Stock

As the world continues to scramble for renewable energy, floating offshore wind has emerged as a key capacity enabler in the coming decades. With no major commercial scale projects currently in operations, the segment is largely based on governments and developers ambitious project plans for the future. Nonetheless, this market segment can offer vast opportunities to the world of offshore support vessels in both near- and long-term prospects.In this piece, we will discuss the key opportunities and challenges related to offshore floating wind…

22 Feb 2023

Russia Targets Dutch North Sea Infrastructure, MIVD Says

© familie-eisenlohr.de/AdobeStock

Russia has in recent months tried to gain intelligence to sabotage critical infrastructure in the Dutch part of the North Sea, Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD said on Monday.A Russian ship has been detected at an offshore wind farm in the North Sea as it tried to map out energy infrastructure, MIVD head General Jan Swillens said at a news conference.The vessel was escorted out of the North Sea by Dutch marine and coast guard ships before any sabotage effort could become successful…

16 Feb 2023

Dutch Project to Grow Seaweed in Offshore Wind Farms Gets $1.6M from Amazon

©North Sea Farmers

Amazon.com has granted 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) to a Dutch project testing the viability of commercially growing seaweed in between turbines of offshore wind farms, the company and organizers said on Thursday. The project, led by the non-profit group North Sea Farmers, will also research the potential of using seaweed for carbon capture. Hundreds of thousands of hectares (acres) of the Dutch North Sea have been earmarked for wind parks as the government seeks to build 21 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030 and will be closed for shipping.

06 Dec 2022

VARD Gets Funding to Develop Digitalized HVAC for Offshore Wind SOVs

©Vard

Shipbuilder VARD has received 4,95 million Norwegian crowns (currently around $2,66 million) from the Norwegian Research Council to research the possibility of digitalized heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. These systems will contribute to obtain zero-emissons for Service Operation Vessels at offshore wind farms."The urgent demand for renewable energy production has resulted in many offshore wind projects. To build and operate offshore wind parks in a sustainable way…

18 Nov 2022

All American Marine to Build Patrol Boat for Calif. Fish and Wildlife

(Image: All American Marine)

Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM) announced it has been awarded a contract to build an new 74’ patrol vessel for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).CDFW manages California's diverse fish, wildlife and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, and its Law Enforcement Division protects California natural resources and provides public safety. The agency will use the new aluminum catamaran for patrolling state and international waters along the California Coast.The 74’ x 27.5’ (OAL) twin engine…

30 Sep 2022

Foreign Tanker Delivers US Fuel to Puerto Rico Following Jones Act Waiver

A ship carrying a cargo of diesel fuel initially barred from hurricane-hit Puerto Rico anchored at the island's Guayanilla port on Friday to unload under a Biden administration waiver, the Refinitiv Eikon vessel tracking service showed.The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker GH Parks, which loaded in Texas this month, was stopped from discharging four days ago by the Jones Act, a maritime law that requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by U.S.-flagged ships.BP Plc, which chartered the vessel, said it submitted a waiver request with the U.S. customs service on Sept. 20 to allow for the diesel to be diverted from its original destination to Puerto Rico to assist with hurricane relief efforts.GH Parks was carrying about 308…

29 Sep 2022

AMP President Slams Jones Act Waiver

On September 22, President Joe Biden received a briefing from FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and Region 2 Administrator David Warrington on the impact Hurricane Fiona had on Puerto Rico.  (Photo: K.C. Wilsey / FEMA)

The president of a U.S. maritime trade group has slammed a decision by the Biden administration to approve a temporary Jones Act waiver for vessels shipping oil and other essential commodities to Puerto Rico in the wake of hurricane Fiona.“Granting of this waiver rewards calculated and predatory behavior that undermines a dedicated American supply chain for Puerto Rico, and it is a harmful precedent that invites similar cynical stunts by foreign oil traders,” said Ku’uhaku Park…

28 Sep 2022

US Approves Temporary Jones Act Waiver for Storm-hit Puerto Rico

The Biden administration on Wednesday approved a waiver of U.S. shipping rules to address Puerto Rico’s immediate energy and other essential needs in the wake of a devastating hurricane.Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he approved "a temporary and targeted Jones Act Waiver" to ensure Puerto Ricans "have sufficient diesel to run generators needed for electricity and the functioning of critical facilities after Hurricane Fiona." The waiver will allow the use of often cheaper or more readily available foreign-flagged vessels.An estimated 349,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Puerto Rico on Wednesday after Hurricane Fiona hit Sept.

18 Aug 2022

Ports Giant DP World Says Outlook Uncertain after Record First-half Profit

Credit: APchanel/AdobeStock

Dubai-owned ports giant DP World reported on Thursday a record $721 million first-half profit boosted by elevated shipping rates but said it expected its profit, revenue, and container growth rates to moderate in the rest of the year.The company, one of the world's biggest port operators, said profit climbed 51.8%, up from $475 million in the same period a year ago.The shipping industry has seen record profits recently due to tight shipping supply caused by a surge in consumer demand and pandemic-linked supply chain disruptions.

16 Aug 2022

Battery-Electric Surge: ESS Scales Up in Maritime

Battery friendly: the DC set-up aboard an ESS-equipped VARD vessel. Image courtesy Vard

Ask the right government department in any G7 state and you’ll find funding to put battery power for your vessel. Beyond funds, new battery makers and system integrators are ironing out safety issues, and a growing number of giga-sized cell factories offer hope that costs will fall for marine energy storage, as ESS choice grows. Efforts are also underway to recycle rare earth elements and to augment or greenify staggeringly high plant electricity inputs. Apart from funding, the drivers of change include constraints on shipping in Emissions Free Areas like the fjords of Norway…

21 Jul 2022

US Cruise Operators' Recovery Runs Into Rough Weather

© TOimages / Adobe Stock

Andrea Mather's plans for a long-awaited summer cruise around the Hawaiian islands with her financial analyst husband unraveled after her booking with Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America was canceled due to a staffing shortage.It was the second time this year that the 55-year-old homemaker's plan to go on a cruise was scuppered.The cruise industry is sailing in choppy waters yet again as it has to deal with a storm of labor problems, red-hot inflation and recessionary threat…

18 Jul 2022

St. Charles County Port Authority Gets Grants for River Terminal Infrastructure

© Steve / Adobe Stock

The St. Charles County Port Authority said it has secured $3.5 million in funding to improve the river terminal in the City of St. Charles and at Klondike Park near Augusta, Mo.The funding comes a year and a half after formal organization of the Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners. County Councilman Mike Elam, District 3. worked for three years to convince fellow Council members to pass an ordinance to create the Port Authority.“After I learned that by not having a Port Authority…

04 Jul 2022

Ulstein: Is THOR’s Superpower Shipping’s Silver Bullet?

Credit: Ulstein

Shipbuilder and designer Ulstein is looking to take its revolutionary Thorium powered vessel concept from the drawing board to the deep blue sea. Is this the solution that industry, and society, have been searching for to enable a truly sustainable maritime future?Everything about the launch of ULSTEIN THOR was unexpected.The vessel concept, a 149m 3R (Replenishment, Research and Rescue) design with a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (MSR), took the industry, and wider society, by surprise.