Maritime Industry Top News
After Brexit, Ireland and France cut Out the Middleman: Britain
From his office overlooking Cherbourg docks, general manager Yannick Millet points to trailers destined for Ireland that belong to Amazon and FedEx, new customers and a signal of a potential big shift in post-Brexit trade.Confronted by red tape and delays after Britain’s messy exit from the European Union, Irish traders are shipping goods directly to and from European ports, shunning the once-speedier route through Britain.“You see the shift in supply chains right here…
Russian Pipelaying Vessels En Route to Nord Stream 2 Work Site
Russian pipe-laying and other vessels are heading to Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction sites in the Baltic Sea, ship tracking data showed on Friday, amid U.S.
Biden's Transportation Secretary Pick Buttigieg Supports the Jones Act
Pete Buttigieg, President Joe Biden's nominee to head the U.S. Department of Transportation, has voiced his support for the Jones Act, a federal law that regulates maritime commerce in the United States.Buttigieg's comments came in response to questioning by Sen. Maria Cantwell (Dem.-Wash.) during a nearly three-hour confirmation hearing held by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Thursday."I am a big Jones Act supporter…
Biden Administration Suspends Federal Oil and Gas Permitting
The Biden administration has temporarily suspended oil and gas leasing and permitting on federal lands and waters while it evaluates the legal and policy implications of the program, according to a Department of Interior memo.The move appears to be a first step in delivering on newly sworn-in President Joe Biden's campaign promise to ban all new federal drilling permits, part of his wider agenda to…
New Tug Built for Port of Shanghai
China's Sanlin Shipyard has built and delivered a new harbor tug for the Port of Shanghai.The Robert Allan Ltd.-designed workboat Hai Gang 501 will be used by Shanghai Harbor Fuxing Shipping Service Company for berthing and unberthing in harbor as well as coastal towing services and firefighting duties in China’s busiest port.The 498 gt tug is 32 meters long with a 12-meter molded beam and 5.29-meter maximum draft.
Greensea Receives US Navy Award
Greensea's open architecture technology on Remotely Operated Vehicles furthered by Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grantGreensea Systems, Inc. creator of OPENSEA, an open architecture robotics platform for the marine industry, won a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) ASAP grant totaling $1,100,000, with option for additional funding, for the continued development of Standoff Command and Control of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).
Expedition Cruise Ship Ocean Victory Ready for Sea Trials
Expedition cruise vessel Ocean Victory, under construction at the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China, is slated to commence sea trials by the end of the week, Norwegian designer Ulstein revealed Thursday.The newbuild is the third in the Ulstein-designed CX103 INFINITY series for U.S.-based owner SunStone Ships.The 104.4-meter-long vessel offers capacity for 200 passengers in 93 suites, 68 with balconies, nine with French balconies and 16 with panoramic windows.
Stolt Tankers Develops Unique Shallow-draft Tanker for BASF
Stolt Tankers said it has been commissioned by chemicals company BASF to help design and build a unique new tanker capable of operating when extremely low water levels hamper river shipping on the Rhine.The Rhine, which starts in Switzerland and flows through Germany and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea, is a key waterway for transportation in Europe. During dry weather, barges are often unable to fully load…
Cashman to Expand Its Fleet with New Hopper Dredge
Cashman Dredging and Marine Contracting Co., LLC said it has signed a design contract with IHC America Inc. for a new 6,500 cubic yard trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD).The new vessel will join Cashman Dredging’s current fleet of specialized dredging equipment and will primarily service the coastal protection and navigation maintenance markets when it enters service in 2024, the company said. Cashman has not yet determined which shipyard will build the new dredge…
Biden Administration Names Lessley as MARAD Deputy Administrator
Lucinda Lessley has been named Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), the Biden Administration announced Thursday among a number of key appointments to its Department of Transportation (DOT) leadership team.Lessley will lead MARAD until an Administrator is nominated by the Biden Administration and confirmed by the Senate. She takes over from Doug Burnett, MARAD's Chief Counsel…
Sovcomflot, Total Ink Timecharter Deal on LNG Transport
PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) and Total have concluded a time charter agreement for up to seven years for a newbuild 174,000-cubic-meter-capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, scheduled to be delivered Q3 2023 and to be owned and operated by SCF, with options for up to two additional vessels.The new vessel will be the latest in a series of SCF’s new-generation conventional Atlanticmax LNG carriers…
Boluda Towage Acquires Iskes Towage & Salvage
Boluda Towage SL on Thursday signed an agreement to acquire Iskes Towage & Salvage's port towage activities in Eemshaven, the Netherlands; Lubeck, Germany; and Lisbon, Portugal, as well as its offshore activities, together with the management and office staff in the head office in IJmuiden, the Netherlands.Iskes will remain a separate entity under Boluda's headquarters in Valencia, Spain, and it will continue to manage the aforementioned harbor towage activities.
China Low-sulphur Marine Fuel Exports Hit New Heights
China's exports of clean marine fuels rose in December to a record since shipments began a year ago, taking 2020 exports of the ship fuel to 15.45 million tonnes, customs data showed on January 20, 2021.Chinese oil refineries began exporting very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) in January to comply with emission rules set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), after Beijing granted tax incentives to boost production and help create a regional bunkering hub.
ABS Grants AIP for DSME’s Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Technology
Classification society ABS informs it has granted approval in principle (AIP) to solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology developed by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME).Granting of AIP follows two joint development projects between ABS and DSME, the latest to develop SOFC technology to replace at least one of three diesel generators typically on board a very large…
Permitting for Big US Offshore Wind Farm to Resume 'Very, Very Soon' -Avangrid CEO
The developer of the first major U.S. offshore wind farm said on Wednesday it will soon apply for a federal permit from President Joe Biden's administration, after former President Donald Trump's government abruptly canceled its initial application last month.Vineyard Wind will resubmit its construction plan to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management "very very soon," Avangrid Inc CEO Dennis Arriola said in an interview, without specifying an exact date.
Swift COVID-19 Vaccines Urged for Largest US Ports Amid Cargo Backlogs
Members of Congress have joined state and local leaders in urging California officials to hasten COVID-19 vaccinations for workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation's two busiest, hit hard by pandemic workforce disruptions and surging imports.As of Wednesday, 27 arriving container ships stood anchored off the twin ports complex waiting for berths to clear at terminals piled high with cargo from previous shipments…
Wärtsilä, Carnival Ink Waste Treatment Systems Deal
Finnish marine equipment manufacturer Wärtsilä said it signed a framework agreement with Carnival Corporation covering the supply and installation of Wärtsilä’s waste water and dry waste treatment systems for up to 32 vessels across many of global cruise ship operator’s brands. Wärtsilä said its Membrane Bioreactor waste water treatment plants for handling of black and grey waste water surpass the…
Biden Announces Return to Global Climate Accord, New Curbs on US Oil Industry
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced America's return to the international Paris Agreement to fight climate change, the centerpiece of a raft of day-one executive orders aimed at restoring U.S. leadership in combating global warming.The announcements also included a sweeping order to review all of former President Donald Trump's actions weakening climate change protections, the revocation of a vital permit for TC Energy's Keystone XL oil pipeline project from Canada…
MARAD to Award $19.6 Million in Small Shipyard Grants
The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) said it will award $19.6 million in federal funding to support efficiency improvements and modernizations at America’s small shipyards.The investments awarded annually by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s MARAD through the Small Shipyard Grant Program help U.S. shipyards and their workers to reap the benefits of increased production capabilities, and boost yards’ competitiveness in the global marketplace.Since its inception in 2008…
US Coast Guard 'Alarmed' By Mariners Turning Off AIS
The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday issued a warning to mariners and commercial fisherman about the dangers and legal consequences of switching off their Automated Identification Systems (AIS), citing concern over a growing number of vessels operating with the tracking equipment disabled.The Coast Guard said it has been alarmed in particular by the increase of commercial fishing and crabbing vessels disabling their AIS…
