United Kingdom News

Signatory States to an agreement aimed at repressing piracy, armed robbery and illicit maritime activity in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden Area have agreed that building response capability and information sharing are vital steps towards achieving a more safe and secure maritime environment. The signatories to the revised Code of Conduct concerning the repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden Area…

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, and DP World London Gateway are celebrating the successful introduction into service of an electrically powered Kalmar FastCharge(TM) shuttle carrier, as part of a joint pilot project that will run for approximately six to 12 months. Kalmar has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with DP World, a leading global operator of marine and inland terminals. A semi-automated facility, DP World London Gateway is one of the most advanced deep-sea terminals in the world and is strategically located close to the United Kingdom's biggest consumption centre.

The Humber Electrical Engineering Company (HEECO) in the United Kingdom has consolidated its marine presence and developed into new oil and gas markets.The Hull-based electrical manufacturing business is known for the design and build of switchboards, motor control centers (MCCs) and control panels for the marine and energy sectors as well as the programming of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and the provision of electrical design solutions.Celebrating its 110th anniversary this year…

Wilhelmsen Ship Management (WSM) adds another ship management office in Southampton, England, to increase their global footprint in the region. “Southampton is a city with one of the longest histories in the maritime industry. It has an established maritime cluster of infrastructure and human resources that we can tap into immediately to support growth,” said Carl Schou, President of WSM. WSM’s Southampton office has an initial staff of five and 11 vessels in management for now.

Verifavia, an environmental verification, certification and auditing body for aviation and maritime transport and will work with Palau International Ship Registry (PISR) to provide IMO Data Collection System (DCS) verification services to Palau-flagged vessels. The DCS reporting process uses the method of reporting of fuel oil consumption. Verifavia will provide PISR vessels with a complete reviewed Data Collection Plan (DCP). They will be built-into the SEEMP Part II by December 31, 2018, allowing PISR to issue a Confirmation of Compliance to its fleet by May 31, 2020.

Britain and the European Union's response to the imposition of U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs must be measured and proportionate, British trade minister Liam Fox said on Monday."It is right to seek to defend our domestic industries from both the direct and indirect impacts of these U.S. tariffs. The response must be measured, and proportionate, and it's important that the United Kingdom and the EU work within the boundaries of the rules-based international trading system," Fox told parliament. Reporting by William James

Verifavia, the world’s leading emissions verification company for the transport sector (aviation and shipping), announced that it has become the first independent verifier authorised by the Panama Maritime Authority to conduct the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Data Collection System (DCS) verification services for vessels registered in Panama. Through this authorisation granted by Panama, Verifavia will offer its IMO DCS and EU MRV verification services to the world’s largest ship registry – with over 8…

Portugal’s Blue Atlantic has released new plans for an 800 meter quay to berth two Panamax vessels showcasing its maritime trade potential. The 96-hectare site for sale in one of Europe’s leading maritime industrial zones is being primed for maritime, ports and logistics investors targeting the Iberian Peninsula and mainland Europe. Blue Atlantic project lead Fernando Fernandes said it offers one of the fastest and most efficient routes in and out of Europe, bypassing the congested Mediterranean.

​Sixty-eight countries have now signed up to International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Ballast Water Management Convention, with Qatar being the latest to accede to the treaty helping to protect the marine environment. The signatories now represent more than 75% of the world's merchant fleet tonnage. Under the treaty, ships are required to manage their ballast water, which can contain thousands of aquatic or marine microbes, plants and organisms, which are then carried across the globe. H.E. Mr.

The renovated Stena Line Terminal at Europoort is officially taken into operation. As well as upgrading the existing berth, the terminal was expanded with a second berth to handle roll-on/roll-off vessels. The expansion means that Stena Line is prepared for the anticipated further increase in freight volumes between Rotterdam and the United Kingdom. The renovated quay with two berths comprises a total of 212 metres. “We are delighted with the new quay and the doubling of the berths,” said Annika Hult, Trade Director of Stena Line Noordzee.

Samskip has announced a major enhancement in its shortsea and multimodal services between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, with the addition of direct connections between Amsterdam and Hull three times a week. The value proposition to customers will also include barge and rail systems connecting the European hinterland to Amsterdam. With effect from mid-March, and departing from Amsterdam on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, the new calls and the port's European hinterland…

Maersk has reported an active fire in a cargo hold on its liner vessel Maersk Honam en route from Singapore toward Suez around 900 nautical miles southeast of Salalah, Oman. After firefighting efforts were unsuccessful, the crew sent out a distress signal and a total of 23 crew members were evacuated to the nearby vessel ALS Ceres, which arrived at the scene around 18:30 GMT. Four crew members remain missing. The fire on board the Maersk Honam continues and the situation of the vessel is very critical, Maersk said. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

A crew member died and four others went missing after fire broke out on a new Maersk Line container vessel in the Arabian Sea, the company said. The vessel caught fire at around 1520 GMT on Tuesday, about 900 nautical miles southeast of Salalah, Oman, the world's biggest container shipping company said in a statement. Twenty-three crew members were rescued but one of them, a Thai national, died on Wednesday, added Maersk. "His health condition drastically deteriorated ... due to the injuries sustained in connection to the fire," said Maersk, a unit of Danish shipping firm A.P.

Russia plans to sharply increase fuel exports and carve out a larger share of the European market following an extensive $55 billion modernisation of its refineries, companies' plans and analysts' reports show. Russia embarked on a modernisation of its biggest refineries in 2011 following a fuel shortage crisis. It also changed its tax system to favour production of cleaner and higher-quality fuel. The modernisation, which has not been completed yet, led to a surge in output of light products and exports, which has hurt European refineries' margins.

McDermott International and Baker Hughes (BHGE), a GE company  announced the selection of front-end engineering design (FEED) studies in advance of a substantial engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for BP’s Tortue/Ahmeyim Field Development, a major gas project located on the maritime border of Mauritania and Senegal. During this initial engineering phase, McDermott will work on defining the subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) scope for the project, while BHGE will focus on the subsea production system (SPS) scope.

Cooperation amongst various government agencies can be key to achieving maximum maritime security enforcement. This was the theme running through the latest national table-top exercise on maritime security, held in Lagos, Nigeria (14-16 March). Representatives from various government agencies which form the national implementation committee for the International ship and Port Facilities Security (ISPS) Code participated in the workshop. The findings and recommendations from this exercise will help form the basis of a maritime security strategy.

National Response Corporation, a portfolio company of an investment affiliate of J.F. Lehman & Company, completed the acquisition of Cleanline Waste Water Solutions Ltd. NRC is a provider of specialty compliance and environmental services. Headquartered in Great River, NY, with regional offices throughout the U.S. and overseas, NRC has more than 1,400 employees in locations around the world. Cleanline is a leading provider of environmental, industrial and emergency response services in the United Kingdom. The company is headquartered in Liverpool, England. Paul Taveira, CEO of NRC, commented, “Cleanline is the most recent strategic addition to NRC’s unique compliance and environmental services offering and strengthens our capabilities and broadens our footprint in the United Kingdom.

A British warship “changed its deployment” and arrived in Japan on Wednesday to join efforts to police U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. The Royal Navy frigate HMS Sutherland arrived at Yokosuka, the headquarters of Japan’s Maritime Defence Force fleet and home port of the U.S. Seventh Fleet’s carrier strike group. It “will be contributing to the international efforts to monitor prohibited trade at sea by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)…

Nations meeting at the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London have adopted an initial strategy on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships, setting out a vision to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping and phase them out, as soon as possible in this century. The vision confirms IMO’s commitment to reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and, as a matter of urgency, to phasing them out as soon as possible. More specifically…

U.S. and partner nation personnel participating in Pacific Partnership 2018 aboard the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), arrived in Port Kelang, Malaysia, April 16. The Pacific Partnership mission in Malaysia will feature medical exchanges, civil engineering projects, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) preparedness seminars, and community outreach engagements in the greater Kuala Lumpur area. The secondary mission platform for Pacific Partnership, the expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) will arrive in Tawau…

Dutch-based transport company A2B-online Container B.V. has added a fourth weekly sailing on its service between Hutchison Ports London Thamesport and Moerdijk in The Netherlands. The new sailing is inaugurated today (18 April 2018) by the first call of the m.s. A2B Spirit (ex-Norfeeder), a Sietas 151 type 508 TEU container ship, the fourth of this class owned and operated by A2B. Commenting on the new sailing, Clemence Cheng, Executive Director Hutchison Ports, said:“London Thamesport offers its customers a service tailored to their specific demands.

Two ratifications to a key compensation treaty covering the transport of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) by ship have brought the instrument a step closer to entry into force. Canada and Turkey on Monday (23 April) deposited their instruments of ratification to the 2010 Protocol to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, 1996 (2010 HNS Convention). When in force, the treaty will provide a regime of liability and compensation for damage caused by HNS cargoes transported by sea…

MSC Meraviglia officially made her maiden call at the port of Hamburg today, marking the start of her new as well as the brand’s best and most accessible-ever season in Northern Europe. At the traditional exchange of crests attended by Senator Horch from the City of Hamburg as well as representatives from the Ports and other institutions, media and travel partners, MSC Cruises, the Swiss-based world’s largest privately owned cruise line and now for the third consecutive year brand market leader across the whole of Europe…