Trump Picks Duffy to be DOT Chief
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that he is nominating former Wisconsin Representative and Fox Business News host Sean Duffy to be transportation secretary.If confirmed, Duffy will oversee aviation, automotive, rail, transit and other transportation policies at the department with about a $110 billion budget as well as significant funding that remains under the Biden administration's 2021 $1 trillion infrastructure law and EV charging stations."Iâm eager to help you usher in a new golden age of transportation," Duffy wrote on social media.Trump has vowed to reverse the Biden administration's vehicle emissions rules. HeâŠ
VPS to Establish New Lab in China
Bunker fuel testing company VPS has joins forces with Lingang New Area in Shanghai to launch a new fuel testing lab and digital decarbonization platform.The partnership brings VPS to the Lingang New Area where it will establish a new facility to support the growth of sustainable fuel solutions including green methanol and LNG. It will provide testing, inspection and certification services.The aim is to drive environmental sustainability by leveraging advanced technology and data insightsâŠ
Demand for New Car Carriers Surges on China's EV Export Boom
Chinese automakers and shippers are ordering a record number of car-carrying vessels to support a boom in EV exports, data showed, putting China on course to amass the world's fourth-largest fleet by 2028.China currently has the world's eighth-largest fleet with 33 car-carrying ships, showed data from shipping consultancy Veson Nautical. Japan has the world's largest with 283 ships, followed by Norway's 102, South Korea's 72 and Isle of Man's 61.But Chinese companies have 47 ships on order, accounting for a quarter of all orders globally.
On Board the eWolf: The First Electric Tugboat in the US
Crowley Maritime Corporation has owned and operated a lot of vessels since its founding in 1892. But the latest vessel to join its fleet is unlike any other that has come before it.Crowleyâs new harbor tug, eWolf, is unique in that it runs 100% powered by batteries, not diesel engines, meaning it produces zero emissions and nearly no noise. Not only is the vessel the first fully electric tug in the Crowley fleet, but it is also the first of its kind in the United States.Faced with stricter regulations and commercial pressure to prioritize environmentalâŠ
Red Sea Ship Attacks Not Driving Inflation, Moody's Says
Attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea have delayed cargo and sent shipping costs higher, but soft demand and ample ship availability are muting the impact on inflation, analysts from Moody's Investor Service said on Thursday.Ships carrying everything from furniture and apparel to food and fuel are being diverted away from the nearby Suez Canal trade shortcut to the longer and more expensive route around Africa. Rerouting takes vessels and crew out of danger from drone andâŠ
TAI Engineers Names Kalla Director of Production Design
Naval architecture and marine engineering firm TAI Engineers, owned by S&B, announced it has appointed Amer Kalla as director of production design, based in Houston."We are excited to have Amer Kalla join the TAI team. His wealth of experience and expertise will play a crucial role in advancing our production design capabilities and contributing to the success of our projects,â said Kris Karri, senior vice president of operations and chief engineer at TAI Engineers. âKalla will be responsible for TAIâs global production design team in the U.S.
What Does Red Sea Disruption Mean for Europe's Economy?
Weeks of attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants on vessels in the Red Sea have disrupted shipping in the Suez Canal, the fastest sea route between Asia and Europe, carrying around 15% of global sea trade.For the European economy, already skirting a mild recession as it tries to shake off high inflation, prolonged trade disruption could derail plans by central banks to start cutting interest rates this year.Here are some factors policymakers are considering as they assess the implications of the disruptions.WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT ON THE EUROPEAN ECONOMY SO FAR?In macroeconomic termsâŠ
Tesla, Volvo Car Pause Output as Red Sea Shipping Crisis Deepens
Automakers Tesla and Geely-owned Volvo Car said they were suspending some production in Europe due to a shortage of components, the first clear sign that attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are hitting manufacturers in the region.The United States and Britain launched a series of strikes on Yemen on Thursday, aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi militia whose attacks on international shipping have disrupted one of the world's most important shipping routes.Container shipping rates jumpedâŠ
Container Rates Soar on Concerns of Prolonged Red Sea Disruption
Container shipping rates for key global routes have soared this week, with U.S. and UK air strikes on Yemen stirring concerns of a prolonged disruption to global trade in Red Sea, one of the world's busiest routes, industry officials said on Friday.U.S. and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of strikes across Yemen overnight in retaliation against Iran-backed Houthi forces for attacks on Red Sea shipping, widening regional conflict stemming from Israel's warâŠ
Biden's Clean Energy Agenda Faces Mounting Headwinds
Canceled offshore wind projects, imperiled solar factories, and fading demand for electric vehiclesA year after the passage of the largest climate change legislation in U.S. history, meant to touch off a boom in American clean energy development, economic realities are fraying President Joe Bidenâs agenda.Soaring financing and materials costs, unreliable supply chains, delayed rulemaking in Washington and sluggish permitting have wrought havoc ranging from offshore wind developer Orstedâs project cancellations in the U.S.
Maritime Safety Finds a Future in the Cloud
Orca AI, headquartered in Israel and founded in 2018, has a simple yet complex premise: develop and deliver an intelligent safety platform for the maritime industry to prevent collisions. To date it has attracted attention and business globally, working with SeaSpan, NYK, MSC, Shell Shipping and Marubeni amongst others. Maritime Reporter TV recently caught up Orca AI CEO and co-founder Yarden Gross for insights on the reality today, and the promising potential for AI in the maritime sector.YardenâŠ
Maritime Propulsion: The NSMV Power Play
The quest to build a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), which will serve as training ships for five U.S. maritime academies, has drawn a broad cadre of suppliers. The powerplant was a main focus, helping to evolve the schools from steam power plants to a modern propulsion package.NSMVs being built for the maritime academies is widely lauded as a âwinâ for U.S. shipbuilding, an example of commercial shipbuilding practices applied to a government shipbuilding project.
As Shanghai Reopens, California Ports Prepare for Cargo Surge
California port leaders expect imports to rise as Shanghai, home to the world's busiest seaport, emerges from a two-month COVID-19 lockdown.The question is whether that release of pent-up goods will again swamp West Coast ports that have recently emerged from the pandemic's massive cargo wave, they and other experts said.The Port of Shanghai was open during the city's shutdown, but cargo flows still slowed. Area factories that make everything from Tesla electric vehicles to Apple laptops ran out of components and quarantines idled some truckers.As the city returns to normalâŠ
Worldâs Biggest Port is Returning to Normal, but Supply Chains Will Get Worse Before They Get Better
Shanghai is slowly emerging from a grueling COVID lockdown that has all but immobilized the city since March. Although Shanghaiâs port, which handles one-fifth of Chinaâs shipping volumes, has been operating throughout, it has been running at severely reduced capacity. Many shipments have either been canceled, postponed, or rerouted to other Chinese mega-ports such as Ningbo-Zhousan.With the city due to fully reopen on June 1, the port is going to be in overdrive as manufacturers try to fulfil backlogs, with serious knock-on effects around the world.
New Zealand's First Fully Electric Ship is a Zero Polluter Down Under
The southern hemisphereâs first fully electric, carbon fiber commuter ferry has successfully completed its inaugural round trip with a Thordon seawater lubricated propeller shaft arrangement supplied by New Zealandâs Henley Engineering.Ika Rere , Mãori for flying fish, joined the East by West fleet in December operating the companyâs Wellington to Eastbourne route.Commenting on the ferryâs first trip, between West Queenâs Wharf and Days Bay, Henley Engineering Managing Director, Mark Power, said: âIka Rere runs like a Tesla Model S! Itâs fast, efficient, smooth and quiet.
New Zealand Water Ship Unloads in Tonga
Life-saving water supplies from a New Zealand navy ship were distributed across Tonga's main island on Friday, as other countries battled the logistics of delivering aid to one of the world's remotest communities.Six days after the South Pacific archipelago was devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami that deposited a blanket of ash and polluted its water sources, the HMNZS Aotearoa docked in the capital, Nukuâalofa.The ship carried 250,000 liters of water and desalination equipment able to produce 70,000 litres more per day, New Zealand's High Commission said."Trucks ...
Leading the Charge
Alternatives to fossil fuels are emerging throughout the maritime universe, and vessels working in U.S. rivers, waterways and harbors are at the cusp on this trend. While the alternative fuels spectrum is wide, battery power and electrificationâa technology that has seen a decade of shipboard applications alreadyâis particularly suited for smaller vessels.Crowley Maritime Corp will be taking delivery of a completely electric tugboat, dubbed eWolf; the boat- which will include kit for advanced vessel control tied to an electric propulsion system from ABBâŠ
Tech File: Engineered Cooling Solutions Help Improve Environmental Footprint
As owners and operators work to achieve dramatic new emission reductions, vesselsâ cooling solutions should not be overlooked.A wave of green initiatives is sweeping through the maritime market as owners and operators seek ways to reduce emissions from their vessels. One company supporting this drive is R.W. Fernstrum, a global leader in engineering and manufacturing keel cooling technologies.Sean Fernstrum, the companyâs president, sees a mix of power and propulsion solutionsâeach with its own list of pros and consâcombining to help reduce the industryâs environmental footprint. And R.W.
Marine News' Top Boats of 2020
This year, despite innumerable challenges and setbacks, a great number of new U.S.-flagged vessels made their way into service. In addition to Maid of the Mist's new electric tour boats James V. Glynn and Nikola Tesla featured Wednesday, the newbuilds highlighted below are some of the most noteworthy to come out of U.S. shipyards in 2020.DredgerU.S. dredging contractors have been adding tonnage in a big way. This Spring, Callan Marine added a significant piece to the U.S. fleet with its new Jones Act cutterhead suction dredge (CSD) General MacArthur.
Marine News' Top Boats of 2020: James V. Glynn and Nikola Tesla
Christopher Glynn had known for some time that he wanted to build all-electric vessels for his Niagara Falls tour boat company Maid of the Mist. In January 2018 he decided in earnest that he was going to make it happen.But where to begin? Fully electric ferries had never been built in North America, so Maid of the Mist would be plying uncharted waters. Glynn, the companyâs president, said he and his team started by doing their researchâa lot of researchâand by hiring a team of consultants to help weigh their options.Inspired by the worldâs first all-electric ferryâŠ
Top Maritime Trends of 2020: Autonomy
While work on maritime autonomy has proceeded at speed globally, a pair of U.S. companies â Metal Shark and Sea Machines â have jumped to the fore in delivering solutions that have evolved from the research & development department to work on the waterways.When talk turns to âautonomyâ in the maritime sector there are more questions than answers. It is generally agreed that the technology is ahead of both legislation and business concerns, such as insurance. It is also generally agreed that shortâŠ
Interview: John Batten, CEO, Twin Disc
How have major events such as the U.S./China trade war, oil price fall and COVID-19 impacted Twin Discâs commercial marine business to date, and what adjustments have you made in response?These are the three things that Iâve been highlighting in employee communications and with investors over the last few months. For us, COVID was just the third punch after the other two. China is typically our second largest market after the U.S., and we lost lots of orders to our competitors as the trade war started to affect us. Itâs rebounding a little, but it definitely impacted our sales into China.
New All-electric Niagara Falls Tour Ferries Enter Service
A pair of first-of-their-kind passenger vessels installed with all-electric propulsion will bring Niagara Falls sightseers to experience one of the wonders of the natural world undisturbed by exhaust fumes, engine noise or vibrations.The zero-emissions ferries, named the James V. Glynn and the Nikola Tesla, respectively in honor of the Maid of the Mist chairman and the renowned energy pioneer â are the first all-electric vessels built in the U.S., with power drawn from a high-capacity battery pack supplied and integrated by ABB.