Vessel Owners News

Gregory Darling and Applied Satellite Technology (AST) works with shipowners to help them use their bandwidth more efficiently for ship business and crew needs.When Gregory Darling, Group MD, AST, worked in the marine industry in the 1980s with a marine survey company, he needed to get word to one of his ships off of West Africa to recalibrate its course and head off to a new job. But the ship had left port, and radio calls to the ship went unanswered, resulting in two days of lost time and revenue.“That was frustrating and costly…

The International WorkBoat Show has become the latest maritime industry event to be canceled due to health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the tradeshow's organizers announced on Thursday.“After extensive consultation with the WorkBoat community, it is clear there are too many uncertainties about the impact COVID-19 will have on travel and mass gatherings this December. Accordingly, it is impossible to hold a live event that would provide an experience that our community would find valuable…

Two Venezuela-owned oil tankers are crossing the Atlantic Ocean jointly carrying about 1.2 million barrels of heavy crude, vessel tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon showed on Tuesday, as the South American nation turns to its own fleet in the face of U.S. sanctions.Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA is resorting to using its own tankers to deliver exports as tightening sanctions by Washington deter shipowners and managers from visiting the South American nation's oil ports.The tankers Colon—previously known as Arita—and Parnaso set sail in September from PDVSA's terminals…

When Søren Andersen took the helm at StormGeo in September 2019, it was the self-confessed “dream job” for the 23-year shipping industry veteran. Andersen came with leadership experience from the likes of A.P. Møller – Maersk, APL, and Rickmers, among others, bringing to StormGeo inside experience on how ship owners can modernize practices and procedures to quantifiably cut emissions and fuel costs.“What I saw in StormGeo was a company with the opportunity to enrich the shipping industry…

A new service operations vessel (SOV) was launched at the Cemre Shipyard in Turkey for French vessel owners Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA).Upon delivery in 2021, the 84-meter SOV Wind of Hope will go to work for Danish wind energy giant Ørsted servicing its Hornsea Two offshore wind farm, with accommodations for up to 64 technicians who will service and maintain the wind turbines and an additional vessel crew. The ship is expected to arrive at Ørsted’s east coast operations and maintenance facility at the U.K.

Fast-growing offshore windfarms expect low carbon service operations by support vessels, but supplying and handling biofuels is a challenge and the development of ammonia and hydrogen-powered vessels still has a long way to go, ship fuel broker and trader LQM Petroleum Services said.The global offshore wind industry continues to balloon, adding 6.1 GW capacity in 2019 and has continued to grow through the Covid-19 pandemic, the company reminded."In Europe the sector has now reached…

When will the first fully digitized, autonomous and environmentally friendly ship be ready to sail? The answer is uncertain but the Danish Maritime Authority’s ShippingLab project aims to have most of the technical and managerial challenges solved in as little as two years from now. Tom Mulligan reports.Denmark’s ShippingLab project is a three-year initiative that commenced its work in March 2019 with the aim of developing the first fully commercially operational, fully digital, autonomous and environmentally friendly ship.

A cooperation agreement between Kongsberg Digital and ABB Turbocharging on edge data collection and ship engine performance analysis will see the two companies work toward a common data infrastructure and accelerate the development of digital applications and services.The pact will enable ABB Turbocharging to use Kongsberg Digital’s data infrastructure solution for vessels, Vessel Insight – which runs on Kongsberg Digital’s Kognifai ecosystem – as an additional data infrastructure service for ABB Turbocharging’s digital solutions.

Norwegian maritime equipment and technology giant Kongsberg Maritime has received Approval in Principle from Bureau Veritas for its Dynamic Positioning Digital Survey (DPDS) application.Kongsberg says that its DPDS application digitizes all the data derived from the DP Annual tests, carried out in accordance with IMO MSC Circ 1580 guidelines and IMCA M 190, to verify the performance and redundancy of the vessel-specific DP system. This encompasses the complete installation necessary for dynamically positioning a vessel…

The global heavy lift vessel market is a difficult place to be. Utilization for the fleet has remained depressingly low since the first oil and gas downturn in 2014, currently hovering around 33% for the global fleet with a lift capacity of over 800 tonnes, according to IHS Markit’s ConstructionVesselBase. Fixed platform installation work, the traditional market driver for the heavy-lift fleet in oil and gas, has seen demand fall significantly. According to global figures from IHS Markit’s FieldsBase, 190 fixed platforms were installed in both 2013 and 2014, rising to 219 in 2015.

United States Department of Justice’s steadfast protection of U.S. waters equates to criminal charges and massive finesThe United States has a long history of holding companies and individuals accountable for violating environmental laws and regulations, including the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). With the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), which implements MARPOL, United States government agencies continue to prioritize the protection of oceans and waterways from pollution.

The future is painted bright for companies dealing in hybrid and electric marine propulsion, as vessel owners and operators pursue cleaner technologies to comply with ever-stricter environmental regulations while also seeking ways to improve their bottom line.Case in point is Germany-based electric drives manufacturer Torqeedo, which has to date delivered more than 100,000 electric propulsion products for a wide range of recreational and commercial customers.The hybrid/electric market is one that’s ripe for growth, says Dr. Ralf Plieninger, COO and CTO, Torqeedo.

As one of the largest, most widely known naval architecture and marine engineering firms in the world—celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2020—Robert Allan Ltd. is no stranger to being approached by marine engine manufacturers seeking input on their products. But no one’s ever come to the Vancouver, Canada-based company as early in the process as Caterpillar did during the development of its U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 4 Final solutions.Like many in the industry, the team at Robert Allan Ltd.

Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA has begun offering to ship its own oil, figuring in the costs in crude supply deals to help customers who have struggled to hire vessels to carry the country’s oil due to U.S. sanctions, according to company documents seen by Reuters.The United States has blacklisted vessel owners, shipping operators and threatened to sanction any tanker facilitating the country’s oil exports as it tightens restrictions on trade with the South American country.Washington has been trying to weaken socialist President Nicolas Maduro by choking the OPEC member’s oil exports…

Ecochlor said it has received Type Approval from the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) for the IMO BWMS Code (MEPC.300(72) / revised 2016 G8) standards. The new certification applies to the entire range of Ecochlor ballast water management systems (BWMS), with flow rates of between 500 m3/hr. and 16,200 m3/hr., meaning that vessel owners may continue to install Ecochlor’s BWMS after the IMO BWMS Code October 28, 2020 deadline.Ecochlor's BWMS uses a two-step treatment process to treat ballast water; filtration and chlorine dioxide.

Maritime electrical and automation systems integrator RH Marine reports it is performing an increasing number of its services remotely amid travel restrictions and other challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.The engineers and people from RH Marine that normally go on board vessels to solve malfunctions, update software or for sea trials and other testing have not always been able to do so due to various COVID-19 measures due to reduced airline availability, government…

Good maritime training provides much more than the certifications, licenses and documentation needed to qualify for the job. It goes beyond preparing crews to carry out onboard functions safely and efficiently day in and day out. Well-trained mariners have the skills and knowledge to handle almost anything thrown their way – even when confronting the unexpected. But what happens when the unexpected is a pandemic?COVID-19’s effects on industries across the world have been widespread and diverse, forcing businesses to adjust to an entirely new set of global circumstances.

A new information paper on assurance of dynamic positioning (DP) system failure mode and effects analysis (FMEAs) seeks to improve the process of identifying all possible consequences and failures of DP systems.Entitled ‘Dynamic Positioning Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Assurance Framework, Risk-based Guidance’, the new information paper has been published by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), a global voluntary association, providing expertise in the safe…

One of Puget Sound's oldest surviving wooden tugs is being restored after sinking in Hood Canal in the summer of 2017.Built in 1906 by James Hall, the tugboat Parthia had a long-life servicing ships that called to Washington's Capital City, Olympia. Beyond working, she is also a five-time winner of the Olympia Harbor Days vintage tugboat races - a true icon of the city's waterfront.After the vessel sank while under private ownership, several members of the Puget Sound Maritime…

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA, often called the Clean Water Act), as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), provides:If a discharge, or a substantial threat of a discharge, of oil or a hazardous substance from a vessel, offshore facility, or onshore facility is of such a size or character as to be a substantial threat to the public health or welfare of the United States (including but not limited to fish, shellfish, wildlife, other natural resources…

Norwegian offshore vessel owners Golden Energy Offshore has secured a contract extension for its IMR Despina vessel.The charter extension will take effect in direct continuation of the current contract with Fugro. Golden Energy Offshore did not provide info on the length of the new contract.According to available info, Fugro is currently using the 2011-built IMR Despina for a geotechnical site investigation at the Borkum Offshore Wind Farm in Germany.Golden Energy Offshore info…

A group comprising five offshore energy industry associations has called for the UK Government to exempt all offshore energy sector workers from the 14-day quarantine restrictions introduced on June 8.The group that calls itself the global Offshore Industry Group, comprises  International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC), International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), International Association of Oil…

Classification society ABS has published the ABS Advisory on NOx Tier III Compliance to provide best practice for IMO Tier III compliance for new build vessels and retrofitted ships.The advisory includes an overview of available technologies, evaluates considerations for the selection of compliance options and outlines the process for statutory and class approval. It also details best practices for installation and integration of exhaust emission control systems and challenges typically encountered during their operation.ABS has also launched two supporting notations.