Satellite News

China is providing moorage for a U.S.-sanctioned Russian cargo ship implicated in North Korean arms transfers to Russia, according to satellite images obtained by Reuters, as U.S. concerns grow over Beijing's support for Moscow's war in Ukraine.Britain's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank said the Russian vessel Angara, which since August 2023 has moved to Russian ports thousands of containers believed to contain North Korean munitions, has been anchored at a Chinese…

The 25 crew members of the MSC Aries, which was seized by Iran on April 13, are safe, shipping firm MSC said on Wednesday, adding that discussions with Iranian authorities are in progress to secure their earliest release."We are also working with the Iranian authorities to have the cargo discharged," the Swiss headquartered company said in a statement.Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the container vessel in the Strait of Hormuz days after Tehran vowed to retaliate for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1.

Global oil benchmark Brent on Tuesday rose above $89 a barrel for the first time since October, albeit briefly, as oil supplies faced fresh threats from Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities and escalating conflict in the Middle East.Brent futures for June delivery were up $1.35, or 1.5%, at $88.76 a barrel by 11:40 a.m. EDT (1540 GMT) after touching a peak of $89.08.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for May rose $1.27, or about 1.5%, to $84.98 after touching a peak of $85.46…

U.S.-based Chance Maritime Technologies, a startup and service provider of uncrewed vessel technology, reports it has completed long-endurance commissioning trials of its MC-29: a 29-foot-long, mission-capable USV that operates at high power with long endurance. The vehicle completed over 40 total operational days, which included 24 operational days of 24-hour operation in Vermilion Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.This new class of utility vessel offers kilowatts of continuously available payload power…

Senesco Marine held a launch and christening ceremony for WindServe Marine's new Jones-Act-compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV), WindServe Explorer.WindServe Marine, a sister company to the North Kingstown, R.I. shipbuilder—both part of the Reinauer Group—will operate the CTV to serve the U.S. offshore wind industry. The vessel is slated to enter operations at a project in the U.S. Northeast.The BMT-designed aluminum catamaran is 27 meters long with a 9-meter beam and 1.7-meter draft.

Iridium Communications has entered into an agreement to acquire Satelles, Inc., a leader in secure satellite-based time and location services that complement and protect GPS and other GNSS-reliant systems. The service, named Satellite Time and Location (STL), is designed as an easy-to-adopt, secure solution that increases the efficiency and reliability of timing systems for digital infrastructure like 5G base stations, data centers, and other critical infrastructure and protects…

The U.S. Coast Guard and Kiribati police boarded two Chinese fishing boats during a patrol against illegal fishing in the Pacific Islands nation's vast exclusive economic zone this month but found no issues aboard, a coast guard official said.The United States is seeking a bigger role for its coast guard in helping remote Pacific Islands nations monitor millions of kilometres of ocean - a rich tuna fishing ground - a move that also boosts surveillance as a rivalry with China over security ties in the region intensifies.Reuters reported on Friday that Chinese police are working in Kiribati…

Spire Global, Inc., a provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, reports it has been awarded two framework contracts by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) with a maximum overall budget of €8.4 million. Concurrent with the framework award, Spire received two specific awards that total multi-million euros under the framework contracts. Under the contracts, Spire will provide space-based automatic identification system (SAT-AIS) data services for ship tracking over a four-year period, including real-time, standard and high-density backup SAT-AIS.

Nine days after a slick was first spotted by Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard, an oil leak from a capsized barge remains unplugged, according to first responders and authorities, prompting nations across the Caribbean to coordinate a response.The spill has spread miles from Tobago's shore, the area first hit by the incident. Trinidad this week alerted neighbors Venezuela and Grenada on possible impact to their coasts.The Caribbean Disaster Management Agency, dependent on regional group Caricom…

An oil spill that has stained Tobago's coastline in the Caribbean is entering into Grenada's waters and could impact neighboring Venezuela, Tobago's Chief Secretary Farley Augustine told Reuters on Thursday.Eight days after Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard first spotted the oil from a capsized vessel whose owner and origin have not been confirmed, portions of the stain have moved about 144 km (89 miles) into the Caribbean Sea at a rate of 14 km per hour, Augustine said."It has now entered Grenada's territorial waters…

A new safety alert issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urges vessel owners and operators to provide each crewmember with a personal locator device. These devices improve a mariner’s chance of rescue during an emergency.During an emergency at sea, a mariner’s chance of survival decreases if search and rescue cannot quickly and accurately identify their location. Personal locator devices, such as personal locator beacons (PLB) or satellite emergency notification devices (SEND), can accurately pinpoint a person’s location.

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries have released a final joint strategy to protect and promote the recovery of endangered North Atlantic right whales while responsibly developing offshore wind energy.The strategy builds on existing mitigation measures to protect North Atlantic right whales from the potential impacts of offshore wind development and was developed to support the Biden-Harris administration's goal of deploying 30GW of offshore wind by 2030.North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction.

Scientists aboard Britain's high-tech polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough are headed to the Weddell Sea to investigate how carbon dioxide moves and transforms in the Southern Ocean.The ship departed Tuesday from Punta Arenas, Chile for the 30-day scientific expedition.As the carbon in the seawater rises to the surface near Antarctica, it interacts with the atmosphere, ice, and microscopic plants and animals, called phytoplankton and zooplankton, near the ocean surface, before descending to the ocean depths.

Applied Satellite Technology Ltd (AST) has officially been awarded the Intellian OneWeb Certification, authorizing the company to carry out installations of Intellian parabolic antennas.The certification, issued by Intellian, a provider of satellite communication and antenna systems, makes AST authorized to install and maintain Intellian's parabolic antennas. In addition, AST will offer certified training for Intellian OneWeb solutions, covering all modules including installation…

U.S. shipping company Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) announced it will equip all vessels in its fleet with Space X’s Starlink satellite internet service in a move that aims to enhance onboard connectivity for seafarers.Since the introduction to the market of Starlink’s Global Maritime service earlier this year, OSG’s IT department has worked to substantially complete installation of Starlink equipment on every vessel in the fleet of OSG and ATC, with full installation expected by year end…

Norwegian oil company Aker BP has restored production at Alvheim field, causing an oil spill during the process of starting up the production vessel located in the central North Sea. The downtime resulted from a malfunction in new equipment installed during maintenance activities in the previous quarter, causing a deferral of approximately one month in the production from the Alvheim area, Aker BP said. The oil spill from the Alvheim production vessel on November 29 occurred in connection with starting up the field following an unplanned production shutdown, where one well was producing.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and entities, including in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as it targets Russia's sanctions evasion, future energy capabilities, banks and its metals and mining sector.The U.S. Treasury and State departments targeted more than 250 individuals and entities in Washington's latest action attempting to crack down on Russia and its evasion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over the war in…

In the vast expanse of the world’s oceans, a transformation is underway.The international shipping sector, made up of thousands of massive cargo ships laden with many of the goods we buy, emits carbon dioxide (CO₂) roughly equivalent to the entire country of Germany.Our research emphasises the need for immediate action. Reducing shipping emissions by 34% by 2030 is necessary to stay on course with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal. But with low-carbon fuel pipelines unlikely to be available at the necessary scale until at least the 2030s…

Senesco Marine on Wednesday launched a new Jones-Act-compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV), WindServe Journey.WindServe Marine, a sister company to the North Kingstown, R.I. shipbuilder—both part of the Reinauer Group—will operate the CTV to serve the U.S. offshore wind industry. The vessel is slated to enter operations at a project in the U.S. Northeast.The BMT-designed aluminum catamaran is 27 meters long with a 9-meter beam and 1.7-meter draft. It is equipped with Volvo Penta D13 main engines (515kW at 2,300 RPM) and a Volvo Penta IPS 900 propulsion system.

On October 23, NYK held its annual roundtable discussion on current conditions and issues on board vessels, highlighting the role of communications in ship safety.The meeting was held at the NYK head office in Tokyo in a hybrid format and attended by more than 150 participants, including three captains and three chief engineers on leave, the captain and chief engineer on board the car carrier Iris Leader, the captain aboard the crude oil tanker Tensho, 22 executive officers, and…

Saab and GMV are collaborating in ASGARD, an EU-funded project that aims to improve maritime security when using GNSS and OSNMA. The project addresses the growing threat of GNSS spoofing and other cyberattacks on navigation systems used in the maritime industry.The ASGARD project, run by Saab and GMV, is an ambitious European Union (EU) initiative that aims to develop advanced technologies to improve Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) security in maritime environments.

The loss of the Stellar Daisy in 2017 was a tragic reminder of the importance of wave data to ship design and operation. The vessel sank in the South Atlantic Ocean, with 22 of 24 crewmembers lost. The structural failure of the vessel was attributed to several factors including material fatigue and the forces imposed on the hull as a result of the weather conditions.Survey requirements for some vessel types have since been tightened, but even before this tragedy, work was underway to evaluate the wave data used to determine ship structural integrity requirements.

A Russian fiber optic cable under the Baltic Sea was completely severed last month when a Chinese container ship passed over it, state company Rostelecom said on Tuesday.Finnish investigators have already said they suspect the vessel, the NewNew Polar Bear, of causing serious damage to the nearby Balticconnector gas pipeline by dragging its anchor over the sea bed during the same voyage.Two other Baltic telecoms cables were damaged on the same night of Oct. 7 along the route that the ship was travelling…