Seascape News

Offshore wind energy planners are giving close review to fixed-tower systems in order to extend lessons learned to floating wind towers, under development now. In the U.S., floating towers have been most closely associated with plans for new wind energy areas (WEA) in the Pacific, off of California and maybe Oregon and Washington. But important research is also taking place in Maine, at the University of Maine, because of deep ocean Atlantic areas there, and floating towers may also be used in the Gulf of Mexico.As most readers likely know…

MSC Group’s Cruise Division on Wednesday officially took delivery from shipbuilding group Fincantieri of its new flagship MSC Seascape, said to be the largest and most technologically advanced cruise ship ever built in Italy.The vessel is the 21st to join the MSC Cruises fleet and the fourth to have been built by Fincantieri as part of a €7 billion investment package for 10 ships. The shipyard will also build six new vessels for MSC’s luxury travel brand, Explora Journeys.The 170…

Wärtsilä Voyage will deliver the next generation navigational simulator for Singapore’s Center of Excellence in Maritime Safety (CEMS) to prepare seafarers for shore-based remote management of vessels and autonomous ship operations. CEMS is a collaboration between the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) and Singapore Polytechnic, supported by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The next generation simulation platform will be based on the Wärtsilä NTPRO (Navi-Trainer Professional…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has said it has delivered the MSC Seashore - the largest cruise ship to be built in Italy - to the cruise division of MSC GroupAlso, Fincantieri said Monday that MSC Seashore's sister ship MSC Seascape was under construction at the Monfalcone shipyard. MSC Seascape is expected to enter service in the winter of 2022.Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, said the construction of MSC Seashore is an investment that generates an impact on the Italian economy of almost 5 billion euros and the employment of up to 4…

A coin ceremony for MSC Cruises’ second Seaside EVO class ship was held on Thursday at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy where the keel was laid. The name of the new ship was revealed – MSC Seascape.The newbuild, like her sister ship MSC Seashore, is further evolution of the Seaside class – the Seaside EVO ships are enhanced and extended with a variety of brand-new features, spaces and experiences for guests. Scheduled to enter service in November 2022 the 169,400 GT ship will be able to accommodate 5…

Italian company Somec has secured new orders worth 100 million euros (~$121,8 million) from Fincantieri to equip nine newbuild cruise ships.The contract, secured by Somec's Seascape division – Marine Glazing and Marine Public Area segment - is for turn-key glass enclosures and public areas projects in the Italian shipyards of Marghera, Monfalcone, and Ancona for nine new-build ships to be delivered between 2022 and 2028. The contract includes additional options worth 40 million euros (~$48…

Maritime security risk management firm Dryad Global announced Tuesday it has appointed Teresa Peacock as its first non-executive director.Peacock is currently managing director at maritime staffing and recruitment firm Spinnaker Global and a member of the Maritime UK’s Diversity Taskforce, a board member of the Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA UK) and a part of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women and Work. Her experience spans a career in recruitment of over 30 years…

The U.S Coast Guard said it issued type approval to one ballast water management system manufacturer this week and added it is reviewing another system after receiving a type approval application from another.The USCG's Marine Safety Center (MSC) issued a Ballast Water Management System Type Approval Certificate to Japanese-based Kuraray Co., Ltd., after a detailed review of the manufacturer’s type approval application determined the system met the requirements of 46 CFR 162.060.The…

In 1941, geologist Orval Lester Brace stated “it may be tentatively assumed that the Gulf of Mexico is a potential source of salt-dome oil. Whether or not it will be economically feasible to explore these waters for the domes that must exist is a question for the future to answer.”  The future hypothesized by Mr. Brace was not nearly as far off as it seemed. Less than six years after his proclamation, Kerr-McGee Oil Industries, along with Phillips Petroleum, Stanolind Oil and Gas Co…

Wärtsilä asks: is shipping able to cope?2018 can be viewed as the year of pivotal climate action when the world started demanding change. The global warming debate intensified when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that surpassing the 1.5 degrees rise in global temperature carries huge risks for humans and nature alike. Global emissions need to be lowered dramatically and the maritime industry has a significant stake in making it happen. This is a call…

California Dreamin': In CA, offshore wind has unlimited potentialWhen it comes to States promoting renewable, non-fossil electricity generation, California surely leads the list, from utility-scale regional grids to individual rooftop solar panels.In fact, a December 2018 update from the California Energy Commission (CEC) estimates the state may already have exceeded an initial renewable generation goal of 33% by 2020. CEC estimates that in 2018 that generation number was already 34%.

The greening of America’s energy signature will not come without the usual discussions, regulatory oversight – and opposition from a raft of special interests.Amidst an atmosphere of possible resurgence in the domestic offshore oil energy, maritime stakeholders are also reminded that there is more than one kind of energy available for development off the four collective coasts of the United States. That process is underway in the Great Lakes; it has already happened off of New England.

The pace and quality of oil spill research in the United States typically ebbs and flows as a function of two, if not three important variables. First, after the 1989 Exxon Valdez grounding, there was a flurry of activity to ramp up oil spill research because it had been dormant for so long. The need was recognized, with plenty of money made available. Primarily, this research centered on conventional spill remediation techniques – for example, a tanker or barge spilling oil – and not much else. Predictably, when memory of the spill faded, so did interest in research and funding followed.

Italy-based cable manufacturer Novacavi reports an additional supply of special fishing tow cables for long-term customer Seascape BV. Already tested with full satisfaction, these fit for purpose cables are used onboard special equipped Dutch vessels for flat fish fishing with electric pulse system in North Sea. Cables have to be continuously pulled backward and forward over a pulley connecting winch, gear and nets on the same place for a 24 hours service six days per week. Due to their extremely harsh application…

On 1 February a European consortium launched a new Horizon 2020 project: Blue Nodules. This project addresses the challenge of creating a viable and sustainable value chain to retrieve polymetallic nodules from the ocean floor. It will develop and test new highly-automated and sustainable technologies for deep-sea mining with minimal environmental pressures. The technical side of the project is dedicated to subsea harvesting equipment in addition to the in-situ seafloor and sea surface processing of polymetallic nodules. The operational aspect focuses on sea operations and logistics, including compliance with, and development of, rules and regulations, and the business case.

Bibby Offshore announced today that its Asian Division, Bibby Offshore Singapore (‘BOS’), has secured a contract with the Moattama Gas Transportation Company (“MGTC”). MGTC, a joint venture between Total (operator), Unocal, PTT-EP and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, has appointed BOS to provide ROV pipeline inspection, remedial work and associated project management on its South East Asia asset offshore Myanmar. Bibby Offshore will supply its DP2 ROV support vessel, Bibby Spring.

Navis Engineering has completed work on its latest project involving fast-growing Singaporean offshore specialist Miclyn Express Offshore (MEO), following the commissioning of the DP2 system on board the 70m ROV and diving support vessel Resolution. After successful sea trials and a christening ceremony at the Keppel Bay Marina, Singapore, the vessel has departed for Indonesia, on a three-year charter to Seascape Surveys. For Navis, the project follows quickly after its supply of the DP2 system onboard MEO Ranger, a 65m length platform supply vessel now operating in the Persian Gulf.

This morning, the RCMP along with partners from the Toronto Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police detailed circumstances that led to the arrest of 53 year old Qing Quentin Huang of Toronto. Mr. Huang has been charged under the Security of Information Act with two counts of attempt to communicate to a foreign entity information that the Government of Canada is taking measures to safeguard. On Thursday, November 28, 2013, the RCMP was informed that Mr. Huang was taking steps to pass sensitive information to authorities from the People’s Republic of China. The information relates to certain elements of the Government of Canada National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy which includes patrol ships, frigates, naval auxiliary vessels, science research vessels and ice breakers.

Norwegian Public Service broadcaster NRK transmitted the 134 hour boat trip from Bergen to Kirkenes live and non stop, starting last Thursday June 16 at 19:45 CET. For those curious if 134 hours of television is a Guinness World Record, it's not? It can’t compete with the 8,763 hours of a Big Brother show. The live stream is available at nrk.no/hurtigruten from Thursday June 16th 2011 until the ship lands in Kirkenes Wednesday June 22nd. Info on how to download etc. can be found there as well.

Mermaid Maritime's subsidiary Subtech Ltd. has been awarded a subsea services contract with Bibby Offshore Limited for services in the North Sea. This contract will utilize the DP2 Dive Support Vessel ‘Mermaid Endurer’ for inspection, repair and maintenance services & light construction intervention. The contract is scheduled to commence in the second calendar quarter of 2014 for a term ending in the fourth calendar quarter of 2014, with options for extension subject to mutual agreement.

Regulation shapes the workboat industry perhaps more than any other single factor. This regulatory seascape includes a myriad of onerous and ever-changing rules. A ‘SITREP’ on those choppy waters is therefore in order. Last December, the Coast Guard closed the public comment period following its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) requiring nearly all towing vessels to obtain Certificates of Inspection under Subchapter M of CFR 46. The Coast Guard’s Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise (NCE) estimates that there are 5,800 U.S.

Holland America Line and Marine Conservation Institute announced the recipients of the 2012 Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grants in Marine Environmental History and Historical Marine Ecology. Funded through a partnership between Marine Conservation Institute and Holland America Line, the program supports efforts of promising young scientists and graduate students to study the history of ocean ecology to predict future impacts from human interactions. The information gathered through research studies is essential to help law-makers, regulators, and conservationists set appropriate targets for marine conservation efforts that take into account the sustained health and productivity of the world's oceans. The 2012 Mia J. •    Luis A. •    Alexis M. The grant program is a tribute to Dr.

Helping the Maritime Community adapt to strict emission regulations. What has changed during 2012 in the maritime world and how has it impacted industry? It is recent IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), changes. IMO has adopted amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). These changes will have a vast and fundamental impact on the maritime industry and the world over the next few years. With new IMO regulations pertaining to emission control areas…