Maritime Industry Top News
Early-season Gulf of Mexico Storm Trims Some US Oil Production
The first storm to hit oil-producing regions of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico this year sent workers fleeing offshore oil platforms and cut some production.A weather disturbance in the central Gulf of Mexico was expected to become a tropical storm on Friday. It was moving north at about 14 miles per hour (22 kmh) and could bring up to 12-inches of rain to the central U.S. Gulf Coast by Saturday, the National…
Sutton Named Chief Information Officer at Newport News
America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on Friday that Jason Sutton has been promoted to chief information officer for its Newport News Shipbuilding division, effective June 21.Sutton will be responsible for all aspects of information technology to enable Newport News to establish IT priorities and meet strategic objectives. Sutton will guide the day-to-day leadership of all information systems…
Wärtsilä Inks Services Deal with Nakilat
Wärtsilä said it has signed support agreements for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers owned by Qatar-based shipping company Nakilat.Wärtsilä is the supplier of the LNG reliquefaction systems onboard all of the QFlex vessels covered by the agreements, which were signed in April and are valid for five years. Under the contract terms, Wärtsilä will provide 24/7 technical remote support for the vessels’…
Batteries Installed on Auckland's New Electric Tug
Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam recently installed the batteries aboard a fully-electric Reversed Stern Drive tug being built for New Zealand’s Ports of Auckland.In total, some 2,240 batteries, totaling 2,784 kWh, were installed. With this, the RSD-E Tug 2513, named Sparky, will carry out two or more berthing/unberthing operations with up to 70 tonnes bollard pull on a single charge. Following, it will take just two hours for the tug to recharge to its full capacity.For redundancy purposes…
Keel Laid For Future USS Cleveland (LCS 31)
Fincantieri Marinette Marine held a keel laying ceremony for the final Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to be built in Marinette, Wis., the future USS Cleveland (LCS 31).The Freedom-variant LCS will be the fourth commissioned ship in naval service, since World War I, named after Cleveland. It will be the nation’s 31st LCS.“Our team at Fincantieri Marinette Marine is proud to celebrate the keel laying of the LCS 31 with the gracious citizens of Cleveland.
Baltic Dry Index Snaps Seven-session Winning Streak
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index snapped a seven-session winning streak on Friday as capesize rates declined, but was up for the second straight week.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, fell 49 points, or 1.5% to $3,218.The main index was up more than 12% for the week.The capesize index was down 183 points, or 4.3% at $4,029, also breaking a seven-session winning streak, but gained 20.4% for the week.Average daily earnings for capesize
US Coast Guard Decommissions Two Patrol Boats
After more than 30 years of active service, U.S. Coast Guard Island-class patrol boats USCGC Aquidneck (WPB 1309) and USCGC Adak (WPB 1333) were decommissioned in a ceremony aboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Tuesday.Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, was in attendance to honor the years of service Aquidneck, Adak, and their crews, provided to the Coast Guard.“Thank you to every single crew member who has ever served aboard Aquidneck and Adak…
Siem Offshore Sells AHTS Duo to Reduce Debt
Norwegian vessel owner Siem Offshore has agreed to sell two anchor handling tug and supply vessels Siem Garnet and Siem Diamond.Siem Offshore said that the vessels…
Austal Delivers 11th Guardian-class Patrol Boat
Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced on Friday it has delivered the 11th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, the RKS Teanoai II, was then gifted by the Australian government to the government of the Republic of Kiribati during a ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard.The vessel is the first Guardian-class Patrol Boat to be delivered to Kiribati under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1)…
Stena Line Takes Delivery of RoPax Ferry Stena Scandica
Swedish ferry firm Stena Line has taken delivery of its RoPax ferry, Stena Scandica, the first of two Visentini vessels being lengthened and modernized by Stena RoRo at the Sedef Shipbuilding in Tuzla, Turkey. The Stena Scandica ferry will start operating on the Stena Lines route between Nynäshamn in Sweden and Ventspils in Latvia at the beginning of July.The conversion and lengthening of Stena Scandica…
Aker BP Awards 100-day Contract for PSV Viking Prince
Norwegian offshore vessel owner Eidesvik Offshore has secured a charter deal for its platform supply vessel Viking Prince.The 2012-built, LNG-powered platform supply…
Biden May Hinder Oil and Gas Drilling Despite Court Loss
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has the power to stymie oil and gas development on government-controlled lands and waters, industry and environmental experts said, even though a court decision ended his freeze on federal drilling auctions.Some options, they said, include offering sparse acreage or imposing more time-consuming permitting requirements."We lived through the Obama administration…
Oil Companies Evacuating U.S. Gulf of Mexico Platforms ahead of Storm
Chevron Corp and Occidental Petroleum Corp said on Thursday they were withdrawing staff and implementing storm precautions at their U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore facilities ahead of a brewing tropical storm.A weather disturbance over the Gulf of Mexico could become a tropical storm by Friday and take aim at the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, the U.S. National Weather Service said on Thursday.“All…
IMO Adopts Ban on Heavy Fuel Oil Use by Ships in Arctic
The United Nations shipping agency on Thursday adopted a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic region while green groups said the regulations contained loopholes which will allow many vessels to keep sailing without enough regulatory control.Antarctic waters are protected by stringent regulations, including a ban on heavy oil fuel (HFO) adopted in 2011, even though no cargo moves through the turbulent southern waters.
Neoline Chooses Yard to Build Sailing Cargo Ship
French shipping startup NEOLINE confirmed it has chosen NEOPOLIA Mobility and signed an LOI for the construction of its first 136-meter sailing cargo ship following a new international tender.The project is now in the financial closure phase with the objective of starting construction this Summer, aiming for a commissioning in the first half of 2024, NEOLINE said.NEOLINE's decision to select the offer…
Fincantieri Begins Building First Ship for MSC's Explora Journeys
Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri has begun building the first of four new ships on order for MSC Group's new luxury cruise brand Explora Journeys.Built at Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, the new cruise ship Explora I is scheduled to set sail in 2023, followed by its sister ships slated to be delivered in 2024, 2025 and 2026.The design incorporates provision for battery storage allowing future hybrid power generation…
IMO Adopts New Measures to Cut Ship Emissions
The U.N. shipping agency approved further measures on Thursday to boost the energy efficiency of commercial vessels although critics said the move fell short of what was needed to cut the industry's carbon footprint.The International Maritime Organization (IMO) formally adopted the rules to reduce the carbon intensity of existing ships after member states reached agreement on the plans at a virtual…
Argentine Port Unions Plan Strike Over Vaccine Access
A coalition of nine Argentine port worker unions will go on a nationwide 24-hour strike starting at midnight to press for vaccinations against the coronavirus, the labor groups said in a statement on Thursday.Workers including tugboat captains and customs officers have held similar work stoppages recently, as the South American grains powerhouse gets hit by a second wave of COVID-19 cases."We have…
Spain Detains Tanker for Dumping Oil off Canary Islands
Spain has detained a tanker ship for illegally dumping fuel in waters off the Canary Islands and creating a 55-square km (21 square miles) oil spill, the Transport…
Harren Bulkers Buys Its First Handysize
Bremen-based ship owning and ship management company Harren Bulkers announced it has acquired its first Handysize bulk carrier. The company's fleet now counts 23 ships.The 37,000 dwt Pabari (ex Western Aida) was built in 2012 at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, in South Korea. With an overall length of 186.96 meters, 28.60-meter beam and 15.6-meter depth molded, Pabari is currently the smallest ship in the Harren Bulkers fleet.