The Board News

Damen Financial Services (DFS) and Siemens Financial Services (SFS) have joined forces to establish a new facility for vessel financing solutions under the name of Damen Ship Lease (DSL).The DSL facility is now one of the funds of Damen Ship Lease Cooperation which is managed by DFS. It is designed to provide current and prospective ship owners with the ability to expand their fleets by enabling them to acquire state-of-the-art vessels using flexible financing options. This strategic…

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean Group is in discussions with new and existing markets around the world to recruit thousands of workers to staff its ships and private destinations to keep up with record cruise demand.The number of people taking cruises hit a record in 2023, and with the surge in demand and larger vessels, labor needs are growing. Tourism boards and port operators from around the world said Royal Caribbean is looking to hire worldwide and the company confirmed it will hire around 10…

A Valaris jack-up drilling rig is using an AI-enabled intelligent detection and tracking solution to provide automated person overboard detection and alerts, marking the first time the cutting-edge technology has been deployed in the offshore oil and gas sector.Zelim's ZOE software was installed on board the Valaris Stavanger in February after the Edinburgh-based technology company worked with the drilling contractor to customize the solution for the specific requirements of jack-up vessels.

Retired Adm. Craig Faller has assumed the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Surface Navy Association (SNA), a nonprofit promoting coordination and communication among military, business and academic communities with an interest in naval surface warfare and forces.Faller succeeds retired Adm. Vern Clark, who has been chairman since 2020.In addition to numerous ashore assignments including Chief of Naval Legislative Affairs; senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense…

The developer of an innovative towboat engineered to run on hydrogen generator technology has signed a Design Basis Agreement (DBA) with the U.S. Coast Guard, helping to clear the regulatory path toward the vessel's eventual entry into service.The first-of-its-kind vessel, Hydrogen One, is being produced by Maritime Partners, the Metairie, La.-based maritime financing company that unveiled plans for the groundbreaking towboat in 2021.Designed by Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group…

Esgian reports an eventful week with contract confirmations, terminations and suspensions in its Week 18 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsBurullus Gas Company, the self-operated joint venture between Shell Egypt, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Petronas, has agreed to move forward with the development of Phase 11 in Egypt's Nile Delta in the Mediterranean Sea.QatarEnergy has exercised a one-year option for Borr Drilling 400-ft jackup Groa…

The White House has nominated Matt Kaplan to serve as the first federal co-chair of the Great Lakes Authority (GLA).The GLA was authorized by Congress in 2022 and will be governed by a nine-member board, with one member appointed by the President, and one appointed by each of the Governors of the eight Great Lakes states. The new federal agency will promote regional economic development. Earlier this year, Congress appropriated $5 million to begin the process of standing up the organization.

In 2018, convicted cocaine trafficker Slobodan Kostovski fled a Brazilian prison and made his way back to Europe with a fake passport.The Serbian senior quickly fell into old habits, police allege. Last August, Kostovski was arrested in Belgrade, accused of shipping 2.7 metric tonnes of cocaine from Brazil aboard a 22-meter vessel apprehended near Spain’s Canary Islands.Nicknamed “the General” by his associates, he had been trafficking “large amounts” of powder to “Europe for a long period of time,” Serbian police wrote in a 2022 intelligence report obtained exclusively by Reuters.

Commodities trader Trafigura has placed an order to HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard for the construction of four Medium Gas Carriers (MGC) that will be capable of using low-carbon ammonia as a propulsion fuel.The vessels will carry LPG or ammonia will be built at HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, South Korea.The first ship will be delivered in 2027. Each vessel, when delivered, will be equipped with a dual-fuel low-carbon ammonia engine, supporting Trafigura’s commitment to reduce the…

Shares of Viking Holdings rose 9% in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, giving the travel and cruising company a valuation of $11 billion.Viking opened at $26.15 compared with its initial public offering (IPO) price of $24 in a stellar debut, amid a rebound in stock market listings and at a time when cruise stocks have delivered outsized returns.Founded in 1997, Viking provides destination-focused itineraries including a shore excursion at every port and an onboard and onshore program through performances of music and art, cooking demonstrations, port talks and guest lect

Sunil Krishnakumar, Senior Technical Manager at the International Chamber of Shipping, provides his key insights on the newly released Engine Room Procedures Guide, Second Edition, by ICS.The shipping industry has embarked on a transformative journey, actively working towards a sustainable future and a safer environment. With a strong commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the industry is actively seeking the uptake and safe use of new low-GHG technologies and alternatives…

Ferry operator Scandlines announced changes to its executive management team, hiring Eric Gregoire and Mikael Koch Jensen to join the company as CEO and CFO respectively.Gregoire will start in July 2024 and comes from a position as CEO of Goodpack Pte Ltd. in Singapore. He has previously held positions at several international companies such as General Electric and DuPont.“Scandlines is strongly positioned for the future as an innovative and competitive provider of maritime transport between Germany and Denmark.

A pilot maneuvering a vessel too close to a bank, before a turn on the Cooper River led to the collapse of a 300-foot section of pier at Joint Base Charleston’s Naval Weapons Station in South Carolina, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The 600-foot-long tanker Bow Triumph—owned by Goldex Fortune Ltd. and operated by Odfjell Management AS— struck Naval Weapons Station Pier B while transiting the Joint Base Charleston Channel on Sept. 5, 2022, A Charleston Branch Pilots Association pilot was navigating the vessel, which sustained significant damage to the bow.

Matson Navigation Company’s new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered containerships will feature a comprehensive range of integrated technologies from Kongsberg Maritime to optimize energy use and reduce emissions.The Norwegian company announced Tuesday that it will supply hybrid electrical systems, controlled and operated by its Energy Management System, for a series of three 3,600 TEU vessels that are being built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.-based shipowner. The Kongsberg Maritime scope of supply includes a Shaft Generator System…

The IMO's Legal Committee met in person for its 111th session at IMO Headquarters in London from April 22 to 26 April 2024, and finalized guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing crimes.These are to be applied where seafarers may be detained in a jurisdiction other than that of the seafarers' nationality on suspicion of committing crimes during the course of their employment on board a ship.The objective is to ensure that seafarers are treated fairly during any investigation and detention by public authorities…

The New Zealand government may restart the live export trade which has been banned since May 1, 2023.The ban was imposed in response to veterinarians, animal welfare advocates and the New Zealand public decrying conditions and outcomes for the animals. There have also been multiple disasters for the industry.Animal welfare group SPCA says politicians claiming to be champions of farming and business do not have the support of all farmers or a business case for it.“Government would have the public believe that any opposition to their plan is anti-farming…

A ship under the management of Wallem Group rescued a man who had been adrift in the Java Sea for two days last week after he had jumped from a fishing vessel, reportedly in preference to continuing to work without pay.The man was picked up by Angleviken as the LR2 tanker approached anchorage at Balongan, Indonesia on 20th April, after Capt. Bhanu Kundi sighted a floating object approx. 20 degrees port, at approx. 2.5 nm ahead of the vessel and distance from nearest land approx. 12 nm from the ship at 12.30 local time.

A humanitarian aid flotilla destined for Gaza was halted after Guinea Bissau decided to remove its flag from two vessels, activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition said on Saturday."The Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR), in a blatantly political move, informed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla's ships, one of which is our cargo ship," the activists said.The three-strong flotilla had been due to sail on Friday from ports in Turkey with more than 5…

The Austal USA Board of Directors has elected Michelle Kruger as Austal USA President. She has been serving as interim president since August 2023.Kruger joined Austal USA in 2022 as the vice president of global services and support. In that role she led Austal USA’s ship repair and warranty efforts including the development of business strategy and strategic alliances. She also oversaw the stand up of Austal USA’s San Diego repair yard including the delivery of a purpose-built 9000-tonne capacity dry dock.

Three missiles were sighted approximately 15 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's Mokha, British security firm Ambrey said on Friday, and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that one vessel was damaged."The Master has reported two attacks.

Paris 2024 Olympics organizers on Friday, April 26, received the Games' flame in a handover ceremony in Athens ahead of a 68-day torch relay that will end with the opening ceremony on July 26.The flame arrived at the central Athens' Panathenaic stadium, site of the first modern Olympics in 1896, after an 11-day relay across Greece and following the lighting in ancient Olympia last week.Several thousand fans and tourists sat in the stands of the horse-shaped marble stadium on a sun-drenched afternoon as the head of the Paris Games…

Today’s evolving maritime security risks pose all-too-familiar threats to international shipping, and as just one of the many causes of fatigue, they add to the cognitive burden already faced by watchkeepers. But Groke Technologies can boost safety onboard, says co-founder and CEO Juha Rokka.Life at sea is already physically and mentally demanding. Crewing levels are tight, work hours are long and irregular, watchkeepers are required to perform administrative tasks while on the bridge…

A company’s lack of requirements for crew to regularly check below-deck compartments led to undetected flooding and the eventual capsizing of a dredging vessel last year on the Mississippi River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.Wood Resources' owned and operated non-propelled dredging vessel WB Wood capsized on the early morning of Jan. 16, 2023, during dredging operations. Before the capsizing, the dredge had been in the same location for nine days, pumping sand from the riverbed to a pit on the west bank.