United Kingdom News

France on Wednesday said it was imperative that negotiations over a future trade relationship between Britain and the European Union included customs checks in the Irish Sea.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson struck a divorce deal with the EU last October that leaves the United Kingdom's province of Northern Ireland inside the UK customs area but all EU procedures will apply to goods arriving there."There must be controls in the Irish Sea", France's junior minister for European…

French electricity giant Électricité de France (EDF) is moving into the Irish energy market.EDF Renewables, a subsidiary of the French energy utility, has acquired a 50% stake in the Codling offshore wind project from Hazel Shore, a company linked to the property developer, Johnny Ronan.EDF Renewables will develop and build the project alongside Fred Olsen Renewables, which owns the other 50% stake in 1100MW Codling Wind ParkIt is the first investment by the international energy player in the Republic.The Codling project is located south of Dublin…

United Kingdom-based maritime company  Silverstream Technologies has entered into a framework agreement with  European ship design consultancy International Contract Engineering (ICE) group for worldwide installation design services for retrofitting of the Silverstream System.Silverstream System is a patented air lubrication system designed for reduction of friction between ships’ hulls and seawater. The company claimed that it the system has been proven to deliver substantial…

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates are "working to put out a fire that broke out aboard an oil tanker 21 miles off the coast of Sharjah after receiving a distress message. A proper investigation is in progress," an official at the UAE National Media Council said on Wednesday, citing the UAE Federal Transport Authority – Land & Maritime (FTA).The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said earlier on Wednesday that it had received reports of a vessel on fire northwest of the UAE emirate of Sharjah.(Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous and Alaa Swilam; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

The British Queen, in her speech to both houses of  United Kingdom (UK) parliament, revealed that the UK’s target for installed offshore wind energy has been raised to 40 GW by 2030, and that the UK government will support the development of floating wind turbines.The announcement follows a pledge by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his pre-election campaign to boost offshore wind ambitions from the previously set target of 30 GW by 2030 in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.This commitment…

Offshore vessel provider Esvagt has been awarded a new contract with the United Kingdom-based petroleum exploration and production company EnQuest for the provision of emergency response and rescue vessels (ERRV).According to the provider of safety and support at sea, under this contract, four ESVAGT vessels will support EnQuest Heather Ltd’s operation in the UK.The contract includes a continued support on the Kraken oil field and Kittiwake and, since December 2019, ERRV duties…

Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding, the classic Maine boat designer and builder will build to Baltic Workboats design for the domestic workboat market.Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding, the classic Maine boat designer and builder will announce at this year’s International WorkBoat Show that it has entered into the domestic workboat market as the Jones Act builder for the Estonian, Baltic Workboats wave piercing pilot boat, currently popular with Danish and Belgian pilots.How do you feel about taking on something as unusual as building a pilot boat designed and built in Estonia…

The offshore wind giant Ørsted has introduced a new operating model for the Offshore business, to support the execution of its project pipeline and future growth."The global market opportunities in renewables continue to expand and present significant opportunities for growth. In 2019, Ørsted expanded into Taiwan and the US with the award of significant projects," the largest energy company in Denmark said.The new operating model creates a more scalable organisation for Ørsted’s…

Condor Ferries, an operator of passenger and freight ferry services between UK and France, has been sold to a consortium including the French shipping company Brittany Ferries.Brittany Ferries, in consortium with the Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (ESIF), has reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Condor Ferries from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA).Contracts have been signed and the deal is expected to be executed following scrutiny by relevant regulatory authorities.

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, benefiting from rapid technology improvements and about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world.Europe in particular has fostered the technology’s development, led by the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018, says 'Offshore Wind Outlook 2019',  a report funded by the governments of Denmark and Germany.Yet…

The US Central Command announced the opening of operations from its Bahrain headquarters to protect shipping in the troubled waters of the Gulf, after a string of attacks that Washington and its allies blamed on Iran.The new mission, dubbed Operation Sentinel, is designed to “ensure freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce in international waters” throughout the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Oman, US Central Command said in a release“Today…

During the cruise season that ended on 22 October, a total of 603,500 cruise passengers arrived in Helsinki. This was 16 per cent more than the previous year.There were a total of 303 ship visits to Helsinki. This was the first time the number exceeded 300. This translates to a 6-percent growth from last year (2018:285).The largest percentages of cruise passengers came from Germany (32%), the United States (21%) and the United Kingdom (10%). The top three nationalities remained the same as the previous year, although the proportion of German visitors grew slightly.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has again put its preparatory measures for a No-Deal Brexit on hold following recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The largest port in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands, said in a press note attributed the reason to the agreement reached yesterday by member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom on a Brexit extension until 31 January 2020."In concrete terms, this means that, effective from today, the buffer parking locations for trucks will again be dismantled.

The Cook Islands and Sao Tome and Principe have become the latest States to become Party to the Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety.These small nations deposited their instruments of accession during the Torremolinos Ministerial Conference on Fishing Vessel Safety and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing (21-23 October).At the same time, they joined 44 other countries (46 in total) signing the Torremolinos Declaration, a non-legally binding political instrument.By signing the Declaration…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s rules and regulations for suppressing unlawful acts against the safety of navigation can be seen in the wider context of the global fight against terrorism.The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UNCTED) carries out assessment visits to countries to assess their compliance with various international security instruments and UN Security Council resolutions.IMO took part in a follow-up visit to the United Kingdom (7-11 October) together with experts from Interpol…

All partners including Customs, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the Port of Amsterdam Authority, PortBase and the involved municipalities are working hard on preparations for a possible no-deal Brexit on 31 October 2019.The aim of the coordinated action is to minimize any delays resulting from additional customs formalities at Rotterdam en Vlaardingen ferry terminals, said a press release from the Port of Rotterdam Authority.So-called traffic circulation plans have been designed…

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday called on the European Union to condemn Iran and hold Tehran accountable after he said oil from Iranian tanker Adrian Darya had been offloaded in Syria."Oil from the #AdrianDarya1 has been offloaded in Syria, proving that Iran lied to the UK and Gibraltar ... EU members should condemn this action, uphold the rule of law, and hold Iran accountable," Pompeo wrote in a post on Twitter.The United Kingdom seized the tanker in July off the coast of Gibraltar in July.

It is now only weeks left until the UK leaves the EU. According to the current timetable, this will take place on 31 October. The question of Brexit is raised in the Port of Gothenburg.Although the road leading to this point has been long and at times rocky, the date of the UK's withdrawal from the EU is approaching relentlessly. A 'soft' or 'hard' Brexit does not matter – the UK will be classed as a ‘third country’ in relation to EU countries such as Sweden, as it will be outside the single market.

North Sea Port and Lineas are joining forces to increase efficiency with 12 new rail connections to the European hinterland.According to a press note from the cross-border port that consolidates the port areas of Vlissingen, Terneuzen and Ghent, this is a significant expansion of the volume of rail transport from the port.A new rail connection between Interface Terminal Ghent and the Lineas Main Hub in Antwerp allows goods to be shipped via the international rail network of Lineas.The 12 new destinations are Madrid…

The detained British-flagged tanker Stena Impero is "free to leave," Iran's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hamid Baeidinejad, said on Twitter on Monday."The British-flagged tanker 'Stena Impero', pursuant to the completion of the judicial and legal process, is now free to leave," he wrote.The seizure on July 19 of the ship, two weeks after Britain detained an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar, ratcheted up tensions in the region in the wake of attacks on other merchant vessels that Washington blamed on Tehran.Iran denied responsibility for those attacks…

Dutch dredging and heavylift company Royal Boskalis Westminster  has been awarded two contracts worth 85 million euro ($93.7 million) combined for strengthening and protecting a stretch of seafront coastline from erosion in Romania and the United Kingdom.The global services provider operating in the dredging, maritime infrastructure and maritime services sectors said that has been awarded a contract by Portsmouth City Council to construct new sea defenses in Southsea near Portsmouth…

Ports are essential for the global supply chain - but do they need more international regulation?High-level speakers engaged in a lively debate at a joint Hutchison Ports, International Maritime Organization (IMO) and IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) seminar (9 September), to address the question: "Do ports need international regulation?"IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim reminded the audience that the IMO Convention does give the Organization a mandate to regulate…

L3Harris Technologies delivered a new class of Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) with advanced capabilities to serve the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy.The Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST) 13 is a 13-meter (41-ft.) long high-speed system capable of fully autonomous navigation. The ASV uses L3Harris’ ASView proprietary autonomous control system and advanced algorithms developed for the U.K.’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).Designed, built and commissioned by L3Harris’ Unmanned Maritime Systems team based on the south coast of the UK…