Vessel Owners News

A new utility automates feature extraction from 3D CAD data.Marine propellers can last a long time – it is not uncommon to find a vessel running on its original set of propellers. Sometimes, these propellers even outlive the companies that produced them. For example, some large volume propeller manufacturers have permanently closed their doors and patterns, molds, and design data have been scattered to unknown corners of the globe. It’s fair to say that while the propeller manufacturing industry has seen growth…

Global consulting firm AlixPartners, in a new paper entitled, “Too many ships, too few rigs: why recovery is still a distant dream for the OSV sector,” warns that companies counting on a quick return to stability in the OSV sector are in for a rude awakening.The September report goes on to say that OSV companies continue to face pressure due to a radically changed oil industry and must take quick and decisive action in order to survive in what should be considered the ‘new normal.’Separately…

Industry leaders from across North America met to discuss global challenges facing the maritime sector at the annual ABS North American Regional Committee.The group heard strategies to meet the IMO’s 2020 Sulfur Cap, as well as a look ahead to 2030 when vessel data will play a significant role in compliance management.“Thanks to our deep links with industry across North America, ABS continues to leverage technology to develop new ways of supporting our partners and members. As the leading classification organization in North America…

Regulatory reform is one of President Trump’s priority agenda items. Upon taking office, the President issued a number of Executive Orders focusing attention and demanding action on the myriad of regulations impacting American businesses.Last May, the reform spotlight fell on maritime regulations when the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), published a Request for Information (RFI) on how the government should “prudently manage regulatory costs imposed on the maritime sector.” OMB…

The shipping industry risks investing billions of dollars on vessel optimization services that fail to deliver on overall operational efficiency and performance due to a lack of understanding and appreciation of weather which accounts for 80 percent of the impact on vessel performance warns voyage intelligence and insight specialist StratumFive.As vessel performance optimization becomes increasingly more sophisticated, ship owners and operators have access to a far broader range of technologies, datasets and potential avenues for optimization than ever before.

Stonehaven-based marine technology company MarineMTS has struck an equity funding deal with SRH Marine SAIT (trading as SRH Marine Electronics). The deal will see the North-east business benefit from a multimillion dollar funding package, and through SRH Marine’s existing customer base, unlock access to approximately 15,000 vessels which could benefit from MarineMTS’ latest ‘Silverbox’ technology. The resultant trade could net the business in the region of $16 million in licensing…

Long a staple for offshore service providers, a more compact and carefully designed version of the diesel electric option is now available for inland pushboats. For budget conscious operators (and who isn’t, in this environment?), the stars may finally be aligned.For many years, electric propulsion has proven to be a viable propulsion solution for many different types of vessels. Most familiar to workboat stakeholders would be the advent of the ‘diesel electric’ offshore serve providers (OSV) that became commonplace during the offshore boom era.

While the ship owners and ship managers historically have eschewed the push to increase connectivity at sea, the path to efficiency in the digital age is paved with a robust, high speed and affordable connection. KVH and Intelsat are cooperating to provide all that and more.According to the Crew Connectivity 2018 Survey Report, based on a survey of 6,000 serving seafarers and sponsored by KVH Industries and Intelsat, approximately 75% of seafarers can no use the internet at sea, a 32% jump in three years.

Following a period of improving industry metrics during 2017, the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has recognized that member companies could now consider reactivating their owned and managed DP vessels following a period of layup, and has issued a focused information note on this.IMCA’s Technical Adviser – Marine, Captain Andy Goldsmith, said, “In the right circumstances there is no reason why a reactivated DP vessel should not re-enter service in a better condition than when it was laid up, and with increased cyber security measures implemented.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has so far resisted pressure to soften or postpone the implementation of new regulations requiring ships to use bunker fuels with a lower sulphur content from the start of 2020.That has prompted warnings from some analysts that the regulations will squeeze the availability of low-sulphur diesel and jet kerosene required by trucks, trains, aircraft, farmers and industry, resulting in big price increases.The regulations and any associated rise in fuel prices will occur in the run up to the next U.S.

Initial reports show that the towing industry is adjusting well to the new normal on inland rivers. In fact, it is business as usual for most.July 20, 2018 was a critical date for tow boat operators. That was the deadline for all U.S.-flag towing vessels – over 26 feet, or less if used to assist with transport of oil or hazardous materials – to be in compliance with Subchapter M, the U.S. Coast Guard’s towing vessel safety regulations. It’s been a long time coming. As a regulatory program…

A tanker vessel with 19 crew members on board, most of them Georgians, has gone missing in pirate-plagued waters off Gabon in West Africa and no word has been heard from it for a week, the ship's managers and the crew agency said on Wednesday.Communication was lost with the Panama-registered Pantelena at about 2 a.m. local time on Aug. 14, at which time it was about 17 miles from the port of Libreville, in Gabon, Athens-based Lotus Shipping said in a statement.The head of the Georgian crew agency Ialkani, Anzhela Oganesyan, said two Russian nationals and 17 Georgians were aboard the tanker.

Last week in Hamburg, Germany, SMM 2018 was held, the single biggest and arguably best exhibition on the maritime calendar globally. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News/MarineLink.com had a crew of seven on scene in Hamburg covering multiple, simultaneous conferences and meetings, a full schedule of social events and, of course, the signature four-day exhibition which saw nearly 2,300 exhibitors and more than 50,000 visitors.The Maritime Reporter & Engineering booth in hall A1.410 was also home to the Maritime Reporter TV 'studio'…

Germany is located on the divide between the South flowing Danube system and the north flowing Mainz River which is a tributary of the Rhine. Since 1992 the remarkable Rhine-Mainz-Danube canal and locks have connected the two systems allowing cargos to travel from the North Sea to the Mediterranean via the Black Sea. This allows inland river cargo vessels access to thousands of kilometers or inland waters. Even if a boat lays up at night, it can still rack up a lot of hours on its engine.As a result, repowers are a necessary but important decision for vessel owners.

Mr. John Rynd graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President, and as a director of Hercules Offshore from 2008 through 2016. Prior to his time with Hercules, Mr. Rynd spent 11 years with Noble Drilling Services, Inc., where he served in a variety of management roles. Earlier in his career, he served in various roles of increasing levels of responsibility with Chiles Offshore and Rowan Companies. Beyond this, Mr.

Build it and they will come mentality serves TOTE well on ‘world first’ LNG ContainershipsAs the marine industry collectively struggles to find solutions to the mounting mandates to cut emissions, U.S. owner TOTE, which broke ground three years ago with the world’s first LNG-fueled containership, has more than 36 months experience operating almost exclusively on LNG. To date it has been a rousing success.As environmental mandates for ships continue to get stricter, particularly…

Seaspan’s Vancouver Drydock (Seaspan) announced the completion of work on the Silver Explorer for Silversea Expeditions.This spectacular vessel has an ice strengthened hull and is designed to safely bring guests to some of the world’s most remote locations where she often needs to push through treacherous ice floes.The Silver Explorer begins her next cruise having received significant investment to further enhance the experience of passengers aboard this ultra-luxury vessel.One of the key considerations for the vessel’s owners was ensuring that the chosen shipyard…

Damen will present its new vessel leasing fund, which is specifically designed for African shipowners, at the first Damen Fishing Seminar being held in Cape Town, South Africa on November 22.Damen Finance Manager, Francesco Verschuren, who will speak at the Seminar and is a specialist in financing in Africa, comments: “The new fund is particularly interesting for smaller, private fishing vessel owners. We are using our years of experience to support them with their vessel financing based on a leasing agreement.” Damen has delivered more than 1…

With advances in technology, increased regulatory requirements for training, and an industry that has been committed to improving working conditions, especially those associated with confined space entry and fire prevention, why are we still seeing maritime related fires and explosions that often include serious injury or loss of life? HistoryFollowing the First World War, as cargo vessels, particularly tank ships, were being converted to carry larger cargos, the incident rate of fires and explosions during shipbuilding, repair, and conversion began to rise.

Will a rising tide in the offshore oil markets float all the boats? In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, that remains to be seen.Offshore services, exploration and production are on a roll. In early October, yet another business combination of big drillers was announced. In a sign of optimism, Ensco announced its plan for an all-stock acquisition of Rowan Offshore, worth around $2.4 billion. The new company will be domiciled in the United Kingdom, but will have a large presence in Houston.

Epoxyamine Coating Extends Tank Maintenance Intervals: A Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings Case Study.A commercial fishing vessel that shows up at a seafood processing facility with its catch housed in rusty fish hold tanks is flirting with potential disaster. The processor may refuse the vessel’s entire haul if it sees rusty water or floating paint chips inside the holds. And when your vessel can hold more than $3 million of value at dock prices, you certainly don’t want to run the risk of corrosion eating away at your profits.“If we don’t have good fish holds…

Rules regarding 'Employment of Non-U.S. Credentialed Personnel On board Certain U.S.-Documented Vessels' defined.An analysis of recent arrival notifications has revealed several cases of U.S.-documented vessels calling on U.S. ports with non-U.S. credentialed personnel in lieu of U.S. citizens. The intent of this MSIB is to provide information and guidance regarding the provisions for employment of non-U.S. credentialed personnel on board certain U.S. documented vessels. Please…

PitPoint.LNG, a joint venture between PitPoint clean fuels and Primagaz Nederland BV, received the official permit for the construction of Europe’s first shore-to-ship (STS) bunkering station for LNG in the Port of Cologne.With this important milestone now in place, the civil engineering work can start for the LNG bunkering station, which is scheduled to be operational by the second quarter of 2019.Since the plan for the new bunkering station was announced in June last year, PitPoint.LNG has been working hard to complete the thorough and substantial permit application process.The permit…