Maritime Industry Top News
Canada Steamship Lines to Test Biodiesel
Montreal-based shipping company Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) said it will test second generation biodiesel on half of its fleet over the course of the 2021 navigation season—a first for the Great Lakes shipping industry.These tests, which follow the trials of B100 biodiesel fuel on the main engines of two CSL ships last year, come as CSL explores the use of green fuels and technologies to reduce its vessel emissions and overall environmental footprint.Elsewhere…
Chinese State Shipping Giant COSCO Holds Stake in Bank of Kunlun
Chinese state-run shipping giant COSCO Shipping Development Co said on Tuesday that it holds a 3.74% stake in Bank of Kunlun, which has acted as a key official channel for money flows between China and Iran.The statement was made by the shipping firm on the e-interview platform of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, in response to an investor question on whether it held a stake in the bank.COSCO did not elaborate on when it acquired its holding…
Pakistan's Port Qasim Orders Four Tugs and Two Pilot Boats
Turkey's Sanmar Shipyards said it has won contracts worth $33.46 million to supply four new tugs and two new pilot boats for the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) in Pakistan. The tugs are scheduled to be delivered in 12 months and the pilot boats in 10.The contracts were awarded following an international tendering process during which Sanmar championed its new Kocacay range of escort and harbor tugs, based…
Investigator Boards Ever Given in Suez Canal Blockage Probe
Divers inspected the hull of the Ever Given on Wednesday as the man tasked with investigating how the giant container ship ran aground, choking off international trade through the Suez Canal for almost a week, boarded the vessel.Lead investigator Captain Sayed Sheasha, who boarded the Ever Given on Wednesday afternoon, told Reuters that the investigation would include examining the seaworthiness of…
Lloyd's of London Sees 'Large Loss' Due to Suez Canal Blockage
The blockage of the Suez Canal for nearly a week will result in a “large loss” for Lloyd’s of London, its chairman said on Wednesday, as the insurance market recorded a 900 million pound ($1.2 billion) pretax loss in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Canal is working to clear the backlog after the refloating this week of a stranded giant container ship. The blockage threw global supply chains into disarray.Bruce Carnegie-Brown told Reuters it was too early to estimate the exact loss…
Portland Port Welcomes New Tug
Portland Port in the U.K. said it has taken delivery of new tug Rupert Best.Built in Turkey in 2019 to a Robert Allan Ltd. design, the Sanmar Sirapinar class ‘RAmparts 2200’ azimuth stern drive tug will increase and help support the port’s ability to welcome larger vessels. The tug has a bollard pull of 50t and her two Caterpillar engines deliver a total of 3,000 kw. The port's harbor master and general manager – marine…
US Jobs from US Offshore Energy: A Goal 44 Years in the Making
I have a good friend named John Guste. He and his wife grew up in the same neighborhood as my wife, they all went to college together, and now our kids are friends. As a doctor, I’m sure he has little concern with the messy, yet mundane, intricacies of offshore energy and maritime policy. You can imagine my surprise then when one night while I was reading the Congressional Record from 1977—I’m a blast at parties—to see John’s grandfather testifying before the U.S.
Video: USNS Charlton Arrives at Philly Shipyard for Repairs
The Watson-class vehicle cargo ship USNS Charlton (T-AKR-314) has arrived at Philly Shipyard for a scheduled repair program. The work scope is expected to be completed by the third quarter of this year.The USNS Charlton is one of Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ships. With a displacement of 69,000 tons and a length of 950 feet, the vessel carries prepositioned U.S.
Video: Eastern Launches Third Staten Island Ferry
Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. launched Dorothy Day, the third of three new Staten Island Ollis Class ferries, on Friday, March 26, at its Allanton shipyard in Panama City, Fla.The three 320-foot Ollis Class double-ended 4,500 passenger ferries are being built for the City of New York Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Staten Island Ferry Division. Designed by Elliott Bay Design Group, each ferry…
Investigation Begins Into How Ever Given Got Stuck in Suez Canal
Formal investigations into how the giant container ship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal, shutting down shipping in the major global waterway for almost a week, begin on Wednesday, a canal official told Reuters.The six-day blockage threw global supply chains into disarray after the 400-metre-long (430-yard) ship became jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.Egypt’s Leth Agencies said on Wednesday that a total of 163 s
Suez Canal Says 81 Ships Transit in Both Directions on Wednesday
The Suez Canal said the total number of ships transiting the waterway in both directions on Wednesday was 81 as the waterway tries to clear a backlog caused by the grounding of a containership last week.Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie said the canal was working round the clock to deal with the build-up.(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Aidan Lewis Editing by Louise Heavens)
Royal Caribbean's New Cruise Ship Odyssey of the Seas Delivered
Royal Caribbean Group on Wednesday took delivery of its newest cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas, built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.The 169,000 GT, 347.1-meter vessel is the last of five Quantum Ultra class cruise ships started in January 2013 with the launch of Quantum of the Seas."Royal Caribbean Group commissioned us in 2011 to build the first two units of the Quantum class, which have been very popular with passengers since day one.
International Seaways to Buy Diamond S Shipping in $416 Million Deal
Tanker operator International Seaways Inc said on Wednesday it will buy Diamond S Shipping Inc for about $416 million, as it aims to expand its crude shipping capacity and create one of the largest U.
New Cruise Ship Ordered at Meyer Werft
A new cruise ship order placed at Meyer Werft this week marks the first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the German shipbuilder said.The 229-meter, 51,950 GT cruise ship is scheduled for delivery in 2025 to Asuka Cruise, a joint venture between Japanese firms NYK Group and Anchor Ship Partners. It will be fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG).The order is significant for the cruise industry and specifically for the Meyer Group…
Royal IHC Gets AIP for Hydrogen-fueled Dredge Design
Dutch shipbuilder and equipment supplier Royal IHC said it has received an approval in principle (AIP) from classification society Bureau Veritas for the design of a hydrogen-fueled trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) engineered to reduce emissions from coastal protection projects.The new dredge design, referred to as the ‘LEAF’ (low energy adaptive fuel) hopper, is the result of a partnership between…
President Biden Taps Maffei as Next FMC Chairman
Commissioner Daniel B. Maffei has been named Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, as appointed by President Joe Biden on March 29, 2021. Maffei is a sitting member of the FMC and replaces Michael A. Khouri in the role of Chairman.A native of New York, Maffei was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms. His previous professional experience includes serving in the Department of Commerce during the Obama Administration…
Excessive Speed a Factor in 2019 Houston Ship Channel Collision -NTSB
Excessive vessel speed contributed to a 2019 collision between a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker and a barge in the Houston Ship Channel that resulted in the release of 11,000 barrels of petrochemicals, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The 754-foot-long tanker Genesis River collided with the 297-foot-long tank barge 30015T on the Houston Ship Channel May 10, 2019, in Texas’ Upper Galveston Bay.
US Targets 30GW of Offshore Wind by 2030, 110GW by 2050
On Monday, March 29, the White House announced a government-wide effort to advance offshore wind, including 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030, 110GW of U.S. offshore wind by 2050 and the development of a sustainable local offshore wind supply chain.“The announcement formalizes the current situation and provides more confidence to developers and the supply chain,” said World Energy Reports' Philip Lewis.
MAN L23/30H Mk3 Engine Passes Remote Type Approval Test
MAN Energy Solutions said it recently conducted a successful Type Approval Test (TAT) for new engine L23/30H Mk3 executed on-site in Korea by STX and MAN Energy Solutions staff, with the classification team joining proceedings remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions. "TATs are an important step in the entry of every engine to the market," siad Finn Fjeldhøj, Head of Small-Bore, Four-Stroke Engineering, MAN Energy Solutions.
DSC Dredge Announces New Marlin Class Dredge Design
Reserve, La.-based cutter suction dredge manufacturer DSC Dredge has unveiled a new version of its Marlin Class dredge currently under construction and slated to become available in mid-2021.The newly designed 14-inch underwater pump mining dredge is equipped with a 1,125-horsepower EPA Tier 4-compliant diesel engine and offers 65-foot dredging depth capability. Notably, the dredge is completely transportable…
