Television Network News

The construction of the Penguins FPSO for Shell's namesake field in the UK North Sea has reportedly been completed in China.CGTN, the China Global Television Network website, on Thursday, shared a video of the completed Penguins FPSO, and said the 118-meter-tall cylindrical FPSO, constructed by the Chinese Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. company in Qingdao, had been delivered to "a British client."In January 2018, Shell made a decision to redevelop the Penguins field in the northern North Sea…

A Briton and a Romanian were killed when an Israeli-managed petroleum product tanker came under attack on Thursday off the coast of Oman, the company said on Friday, in an incident that Israel's foreign minister blamed on Iran and said deserved a harsh response.There were varying explanations for what happened to the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned ship, with Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime describing the incident as "suspected piracy" and a source at the Oman…

Is neo-colonialism in the Gulf of Guinea the answer to West Africa’s maritime crime crisis?In October 2020, China’s transport ministry established an ad hoc workgroup to lay down precautionary measures for ships and seafarers passing through high piracy risk West African waters.The move came as China told its vessels to up vigilance and implement a series of precautionary measures to ensure the security of ocea-going vessels and seafarers amid rising attacks and a surge in kidnaps in the Gulf of Guinea.Plans outlined by Wu Chungeng…

Mauritius has arrested the captain of a Japanese bulk carrier that ran aground off its coast, causing a devastating oil spill in one of the world's most pristine maritime environments, police said on Tuesday.The MV Wakashio struck a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on July 25 and began spilling oil on August 6, prompting the government to announce a state of environmental emergency.Mauritius' National Crisis Committee said two companies, International Tankers Owners Pollution Federation Ltd and Le Floch Depollution…

Forrest Lucas is a proverbial ‘rags-to-riches’ story, emerging from rural Indiana to build a corporate empire. From truck driver to truck fleet owner to oil and media magnate – including naming rights to an NFL stadium – Lucas is the ‘every man’ tycoon with eyes on the commercial maritime market. Talk to Forrest Lucas for five minutes and it is easy to see that his claims to be a ‘regular guy’ – placing honesty and integrity at the forefront of all dealings – is earnest. Rising from modest means, early on Lucas combined an entrepreneurial spirit, a hard work ethic and an inventive mind.

Wind and rain from Hurricane Hermine toppled trees and power lines along Florida's northern Gulf Coast, inundating coastal areas with storm surges before it weakened to a tropical storm over land and plowed toward the Atlantic Coast on Friday. Hermine made landfall early on Friday near St. Marks, Florida, 20 miles south of the capital of Tallahassee, dumping heavy rains and packing winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), leaving tens of thousands of households without power along Florida's Gulf Coast. No injuries were immediately reported. It was the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma more than a decade ago. A weakening Hermine moved across southern Georgia, blowing winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km) at 8 a.m. EDT, (noon GMT), according to the National Hurricane Center.

Five Britons were killed when a Canadian whale-watching boat sank on Sunday, and authorities were still searching on Monday for a sixth person feared drowned in the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of British Columbia. The boat, carrying 24 passengers and three crew, sank on Sunday afternoon, sparking a rescue effort by the Canadian military, Coast Guard, fishermen and mariners from a nearby Aboriginal community. Five people were confirmed dead and one was missing, while 21 were rescued.

Five Britons were killed when a Canadian whale-watching boat sank on Sunday, the British foreign secretary said on Monday. The boat, carrying 27 passengers, sank off the coast of British Columbia on Sunday afternoon, sparking a rescue effort by the Coast Guard, fisherman and private mariners. Five people were confirmed dead and one was missing, while 21 were rescued. "My thoughts are with the family and friends of all those affected by this terrible accident," U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in a statement.

Filipino fishermen found several buoys with Chinese markings near the disputed Scarborough Shoal and towed the devices back to shore northwest of the capital, Manila, Philippines officials said on Sunday. China seized control of the rocky outcrop in the South China Sea in 2012 after a three-month stand-off with Philippine coast guard ships, preventing Filipino fishermen from getting near their traditional fishing grounds. The shoal is about 125 nautical miles (230 km) west of the Philippines. "Yes, there are buoys there," said Desiree Edora, mayor of Masinloc town, which has jurisdiction over Scarborough Shoal. "I already sent the chief of police to investigate the buoys," she told Reuters.

New England Burials At Sea LLC (NEBAS) enters Japanese USA Market with “high in demand” sea burials. NEBAS founder, Captain Brad White reports that Japan has a new and genuine interest in New England, and it is not related to Blue Fin Tuna, but burials at sea. Kenji McCulley, Associate Producer General Bureau for America of NHK, Japan’s national television network, Japan Broadcasting Corp., stated, “This burial at sea topic is of great interest to our audience as Japan is facing an increasing scarcity of land for cemeteries.

Russia’s second Mistral-class, amphibious assault ship will be complete in October 2014. A deputy prime minister in charge of the defense industry confirmed construction to be on schedule, adding that the first Mistral would enter the nation’s fleet in October 2013. Speaking live on national television network NTV, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin added that construction of the stern for the first such helicopter-carrying warship would finish at St. Petersburg’s Baltiisky shipyard within two or three days, refuting suggestions that the deadline might not be met. Source: Russian Navy

UK's Oceans TV announce that Royal Caribbean International has extended satellite TV channel agreements for two of the cruise line's ships. The first agreement covers the provision of a wide package of satellite TV channels for Serenade of the Seas whilst it cruises in European and Middle Eastern waters in Winter and Spring 2013. Channels include BBC World News, BBC Entertainment and CNBC Europe for English speaking passengers. Italian cruise lovers can watch Rai News, Rai 1 and Mediaset Italia; TF1 and AB1 are available for French passengers whilst TVE Internacional and RTL Schweiz can be viewed by Spanish and German speakers respectively. The second agreement is for the supply of the TV Globo International satellite TV channel onboard Splendour of the Seas.

Norwegian Cruise Line President and CEO Kevin Sheehan has his cover blown while working on the frontlines during the company’s episode of the Emmy-nominated hit reality series "Undercover Boss" airing on Sunday, January 2, 2011 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. In the Jan. 2 Norwegian Cruise Line episode, Sheehan is recognized by Silvia, a waitress in the Manhattan Room restaurant on Norwegian Epic. During his undercover journey, Sheehan also hosts the line’s signature White Hot Party where he’s forced to step out of his comfort zone to lead a crowd of more than 1,000 guests in a line dance. Sheehan also spent time on Pride of America in Hawaii, where he worked alongside a deck repairman, John, a fellow New Yorker, who was quite critical of Sheehan’s performance.

Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN), of Miramar, Fla., a provider of satellite-based communications, networking and other services to the cruise and offshore oil and gas industries, announced completion of its acquisition by an affiliate of Perseus, L.L.C. Perseus is a merchant bank and private equity fund management company with offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Over the past year, MTN has significantly expanded in its core markets and made significant inroads in its military business. In March 2004, MTN launched a joint venture with Cingular Wireless (formerly AT&T Wireless) to give passengers on North American cruises the ability to use their own mobile phones at sea for the first time.

SeaMobile, Inc. has acquired Maritime Telecommunications Network, Inc. (MTN), a provider of satellite-based broadband communications and networking services for the maritime industry. The acquisition has been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. “SeaMobile saw a strategic opportunity to combine the wireless and satellite expertise of the world’s leading maritime communications companies to completely change the way travelers communicate at sea,” said William D. Marks, Chief Executive Officer of SeaMobile. “Cruise travelers can take their own cell phones, Blackberry devices and laptops, read their hometown newspaper, watch live TV, access bank accounts through onboard ATMs and much more.