Maritime Industry Top News
BHP in Talks with for LNG Bunker Supply Contract
BHP Group is in talks with three companies for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel five ships it plans to use to transport iron ore between western Australia and China, a senior company executive told Reuters.A contract is expected to be awarded next month after an initial 8 to 10 firms vied for delivery of the super-chilled fuel to the miner over 2022 to 2027, Rashpal Bhatti, BHP's vice…
Ferry Carrying Around 300 People Runs Aground in Finland
A ferry carrying almost 300 people between Finland and Sweden ran aground off an island in the Baltic Sea on Sunday but nobody was hurt, said Viking Line, the company which operates the ship.“The situation is stable.
Seacat Services Orders Two Low-Emission Crew Transfer Vessels for Offshore Wind Ops
UK-based offshore crew transfer specialist Seacat Services has ordered two multi-hull crew transfer vessels (CTVs) from naval architects, BAR Technologies, designed in partnership with Chartwell Marine.The first vessel, to be built in the UK, is scheduled for delivered in Q1 2022. The new vessels will be named Seacat Columbia and Seacat Cambria.According to Chartwell, the vessels' design will make…
US, Guyana to Launch Joint Maritime Patrols Near Venezuela
The United States and Guyana will begin joint maritime patrols aimed at drug interdiction near the South American country’s disputed border with crisis-stricken Venezuela, the U.S. secretary of state and Guyana’s new president said on Friday.The agreement comes as U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil Corp, as part of a consortium with Hess Corp and China’s CNOOC Ltd, ramps up crude output from Guyana’s massive offshore Stabroek block…
World’s Largest LNG Bunkering Vessel Named in Rotterdam
The world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel was officially named during a ceremony held Friday in Rotterdam. The 135.5-meter-long, 18,600-cubic-meter-capacity GTT Mark III Flex membrane vessel has been named Gas Agility.The first LNG bunker vessel owned by Emerald Green Maritime Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), she is chartered by Total’s affiliate Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions (TMFGS).In February 2018…
Finnlines' Newbuild Program Continues as Planned
Finnlines' newbuilding program is progressing as planned despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with first steel cut Wednesday for its second new hybrid ro-ro vessel at the Chinese Nanjing Jinling shipyard.Finnlines’ ongoing €500 million ($593 million) newbuilding program includes three green hybrid ro-ro vessels as well as two eco-friendly Superstar ro-pax vessels. The ro-ro vessels are expected to be delivered…
Austal Delivers Palau Patrol Boat
Shipbuilder Austal Australia has delivered the seventh Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, PSS President H.I. Remeliik II, was gifted by the Government of Australia to the Government of Palau during a handover ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard.Austal Chief Executive David Singleton said this Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivery was unique…
Baltic Index Posts Weekly Gain
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index inched up on Friday helped by an uptick in panamax and supramax rates, and posted its first weekly gain in three due to robust capesize rates.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities and reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, was up by 2 points at 1,296 points.The index rose 2.3% this week.The capesize index fell 14 points, or 0.7%, to 1,900 points, even as it gained 3.3% for the week.Average
Japan’s First LNG Bunkering Vessel Named at Sakaide Works
A naming ceremony was held for Japan’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel at Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Sakaide Works shipyard, on Wednesday.The ship, named Kaguyais, the first LNG bunkering vessel to be operated in Japan. Kaguya will be operated by Central LNG Marine Fuel Japan Corporation and will be based at JERA's Kawagoe Thermal Power Station. Kaguya will begin supplying LNG fuel…
Glencore Extends Charter for 'Bulk Shanghai' Bulk Carrier
Mining giant and commodity trader Glencore has via its subsidiary ST Shipping extended the charter for the 2020 Bulkers' 'Bulk Shanghai' bulk carriers.2020 Bulkers said Friday that the charter would be extended for a period of 6-8 months from October 4, 2020. According to the 2020 Bulkers, the vessel will from October 4, 2020, earn a fixed rate of $18,000 per day, gross, as well as a share of the fuel savings generated from the scrubber fitted on the vessel.According to AIS data…
Japan Sending Team to Mauritius to Investigate Wakashio Grounding
Japan said on Friday it will send a five-person team to Mauritius to investigate the grounding of a Japanese-owned ship off the country's coast that led to an environmental crisis.A bulk carrier owned by Japan's Nagashiki Shipping and chartered by Mitsui OSK ran aground on a reef off Mauritius on July 25 and later began leaking oil into the pristine waters around the Indian Ocean island.The Japanese government said in a statement that it would send a team of five people to Mauritius on Sept.
Fire Breaks Out on Offshore Vessel Near Rig in Canada
A fire broke out earlier this week on a fast rescue craft aboard the Siem Diamond offshore support vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, east of St. John's Canada.According to the C-NLOPB…
Opportunities Gust Off US Shores
Throughout the world, offshore wind is on a growth trajectory. With green energy mandates from states in New England and the mid-Atlantic, the U.S. is joining the fray. Consultants Wood MacKenzie, in its U.S. Offshore Wind Outlook 2020-2029, suggested that as much as 25 gigawatts (GW) of capacity could be deployed in the U.S. by 2030 (though estimates range from 14 GW to as much as 34 GW), accounting…
Asian Gypsy Moth Eggs Found on Vehicle Carriers in Baltimore
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists in Baltimore recently uncovered egg masses of the highly invasive Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) and a live Khapra beetle larvae, one of the world’s most destructive insect pests, aboard ships in one the nation’s busiest ports for vehicle imports.The suspected AGM egg masses were found from August 21 to September 4 affixed to various parts of the four vehicle carriers Graceful Leader (four)…
AI- and Solar-powered Autonomous Ship Mayflower Launched
A new Mayflower has been launched in Plymouth, 400 years after its historic namesake set sail from southwest England to America.The new vessel won't be carrying pilgrim settlers across the Atlantic. In fact, it won't hold any crew or passengers at all. The sleek AI- and solar-powered trimaran is autonomy level five, meaning it can operate independently with no human intervention. Next year, it will embark on the famous ocean voyage from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Mass.
NZ Fines Master for Leaving Port with Known Engine Problems
A cargo ship master and chief engineer have been sentenced and fined after admitting to charges relating known engine problems that led to their ship to lose power and run aground at the Port of Tauranga in July.The Singapore-registered log-carrier MV Funing lost power and passed over a channel marker with the propeller becoming caught in the markerchain, before making contact with a sand bar in the…
Singapore Holds Key Role in Maritime Decarbonization
Singapore, which counts decarbonization among its top priorities, holds a key role in the maritime industry's push toward environmental sustainability, the nation's transport minister Ong Ye Kung said Thursday during the Future of Shipping Webinar on Decarbonization.One-third of world trade funnels through the narrow Straits of Malacca and Singapore, giving the small city state prominence and influence…
Damen Launches Dredger for Hanson
On September 11, Damen Shipyards Group launched a Marine Aggregate Dredger (MAD) 3500 at its Galati yard in Romania. Damen is building the MAD for UK-based Hanson, who will use the vessel to conduct offshore aggregate extraction in water depths up to -55 metres in the North Sea and English Channel.Following the launch, Damen will complete work on the vessel, to be named Hanson Thames, and afterwards undertake commissioning…
Arctic Sea Ice Lows Mark a New Polar Climate Regime
At the edge of the ice blanketing part of the Arctic Ocean, the ice looked sickly. Where thick sheets of ice once sat atop the water, now a layer of soft, spongey slush slid and bobbed atop the waves.From the deck of a research ship under a bright, clear sky, “ice pilot” Paul Ruzycki mused over how quickly the region was changing since he began helping ships spot and navigate between icebergs in 1996.“Not so long ago…
ABS to Class STL's New Very Large Ethane Carriers
Maritime classification society ABS will class four new 98,000 cbm Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs) ordered by China's Zhejiang Satellite Petrochemical (STL)These ethane-fueled VLECs are part of a Phase-2 order from STL and South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries will build two VLECs each.ABS, which was the classification society of choice for the first order of the six dedicated VLECs by Reliance Industries in 2014…
