Maritime Industry Top News
Migrants Disembark Maersk Tanker After 38 Days on Board
A group of 27 migrants who had been stuck onboard the Maersk Etienne tanker for more than a month have been transferred safely to a ship operated by the NGO Mediterranea, Maersk Tankers said on Friday.The tanker’s crew rescued the migrants, including a pregnant woman, on August 4 near Malta from a wooden dinghy that had been at sea for days and sank immediately after the rescue operation.Neither the Maltese…
Shipbuilder Austal Grows Its US Footprint
Shipbuilder Austal's U.S. subsidiary Austal USA announced Friday it has completed the purchase of waterfront land, buildings and an existing dry dock along the Mobile River to enhance its new construction and service business lines.“As we’ve consistently done over the course of our history, we’re adding capability to meet the growing demand from our customers,” Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle said.
IMO Head Urges Governments to Resolve Crew Change Crisis
International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim is urging governments to take swift action to resolve the crew change crisis that has left several hundred thousand seafarers stranded at sea and unable to be repatriated despite the expiry of their contracts.It is estimated that more than 300,000 mariners are stuck at sea, and a similar number of seafarers have been unable to join…
Hornbeck Offshore Services Emerges from Bankruptcy
U.S.-based offshore support vessel provider Hornbeck Offshore Services said Friday it had completed its reorganization and emerged from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.The company had in April struck a comprehensive balance sheet restructuring support agreement with its lenders, to be implemented through a prepackaged chapter 11 filing in May in the Southern District of Texas.Hornbeck, which provides offshore services in the Gulf of Mexico and Latin America…
PHOTO: Construction of Nexans Aurora 'Well Underway,' Ulstein Says
Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein has shared the progress update on the construction of the next-gen cable layer the Nexans Aurora. According to Ulstein, the construction is "well underway.""During a time span of a few days in September 2020, the cable capstan has been installed, the painting process is ongoing and the thrusters are about to be installed," Ulstein said. The hull of the vessel was built…
Sri Lanka Working to Stop Fuel Leak from Fire-hit Oil Tanker
A salvage team is still trying to plug a fuel leak from the fire-stricken New Diamond oil supertanker, Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Indika de Silva said on Friday.The tanker, which is carrying the about 2 million barrels of oil, caught fire on Sept. 3 and is currently 45 nautical miles (83 km), off Sri Lanka's east coast.The fire has been extinguished but the New Diamond has left two long trails of fuel…
Greenpeace Blocks Oil Tanker from Delivering Oil to Refinery in Sweden
Greenpeace's flagship Rainbow Warrior blocked a tanker on Thursday from delivering crude oil from Norway to Sweden's Lysekil refinery in a protest against plans to expand it, the advocacy group said.The 850-tonne sailboat decorated in rainbow colors dropped anchor in a fjord near the installation owned by Sweden's largest refiner Preem to block passage for the Grena Knutsen carrying crude from Norway's Gullfaks oilfield."We will not let any crude oil to the refinery until Preem stops its plans t
MOL to Spend $9.4 Mln on Mauritius Oil Spill Clean-up
Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd said on Friday it would spend about 1 billion yen ($9.42 million) on measures to help Mauritius, including the clean-up of the island's mangrove forests and contribution to an environmental recovery fund.A bulk carrier owned by Japan's Nagashiki Shipping and chartered by Mitsui OSK ran aground on a reef in Mauritius on July 25 and later began leaking oil, causing a marine…
New LNG ATB Bunker Vessel is a US First
Bunkering ports around the world have long used a variety of small tankers or tug and barge combinations to deliver fuel to visiting ships. Mostly this was heavy oil, but recently a new breed of bunkering vessels is emerging to deliver clean burning liquefied natural gas (LNG) to modern ships with dual-fuel capabilities.The fall of 2020 will see a new addition to this fleet servicing ships in Florida and the Caribbean.
New Zealand to Review Livestock Shipping After Capsizing
New Zealand on Friday launched a review of its livestock exports by sea, after a ship that left its shores with nearly 6,000 cows and 43 crew members capsized off Japan last week.Gulf Livestock 1, which left Napier Port last month bound for China sank after Typhoon Maysak lashed the area with strong winds and heavy seas.Japan's coastguards have suspended search operations, after two crewmen were rescued while another died after being found unconscious.
UAE Ship Stopped on Suspicion of Arms Smuggling
A European Union naval vessel on Thursday stopped a ship that was carrying jet fuel from the United Arab Emirates to Libya on suspicion it was violating a United Nations arms embargo, EU officials said.The EU military mission, named Irini, is operating in the Mediterranean to stop arms from reach warring factions in Libya.The mission said in a statement that a German frigate, supported by an Italian frigate…
Wind Power Breezes Back into Shipping with New RoRo Concept
A Swedish consortium aims to launch commercially by 2025 a wind-driven car carrier that will emit 90% less carbon dioxide than a conventional roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo ship, it said on Thursday.The 25-meter-long carrier will have a capacity for 7,000 cars and have a maximum height of 105 meters when its four 80-meter upright "wing sails" are fully extended - bringing to mind a futuristic version…
Iranian Tanker Rounds Africa en Route to Venezuela
Two Iranian-flagged tankers transporting fuel are sailing round Africa’s Cape of Good Hope en route to the Atlantic Ocean, according to Refinitiv Eikon’s vessel…
Wight Shipyard Delivers Four Ferries Simultaneously
Wight Shipyard Co said it has built and delivered four ferries simultaneously from its yard in Cowes, Isle of Wight, for a Maltese tour operator.The order, WSC’s largest ferry export order to date, consists of two 20-meter and two 33-meter lightweight ferries, designed by One2Three Naval Architects.Jo Daly, COO, WSC, said the four ferries were produced within a year, despite the restrictions and changes…
Master Marine Delivers Towboat to Plimsoll Marine
Master Marine, Inc. (MMI) has delivered the 67- by 28-foot Iron Lady, the first of four new push boats it is building for Lower Mississippi River operator Plimsoll Marine.The four vessels are designed by Entech Designs, LLC. and are fully compliant with all U.S. Coast Guard regulatory requirements.Towboat Iron Lady is powered by two Laborde Products, Inc. Mitsubishi 803 HP Tier III diesel marine engines operating at 1,400 RPM and coupled to Twin Disc 5321 gears.
LR Awards Digital Twin Ready AiP to HHI for Gas Containment Tank
Lloyd’s Register (LR) said it has awarded Approval in Principle (AiP) to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for its Digital Health Management (DHM) System for a Type B gas containment tank, following a Joint Development Project (JDP) between the two parties launched in November 2019.The system, Hyundai Prismatic Independent IMO Type B Tank eXcellence (HiPIX), has been assessed by LR’s digital experts against LR’s ShipRight Procedure for Digital Compliance…
Chinese Demand Keeping the Dry Bulk Market Going -BIMCO
An impressive recovery in Chinese dry bulk imports has protected the industry from the effects of falling demand in the rest of the world. High deliveries and low contracting have left the orderbook at multi-year lows, but – with the poor outlook – the current influx of new dry bulk ships orders is not what is needed.Demand drivers and freight ratesThe biggest story in the dry bulk industry in recent months has been the strength of the recovery in major Chinese imports.
Second Wave of Floating Storage Triggered by Ailing Oil Market
A stalled global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is leading to a fresh build-up of global oil supplies, pushing traders including Trafigura to book tankers to store millions of barrels of crude oil and refined fuels at sea again.The use of so-called floating storage onboard tankers comes as traditional onshore storage remains close to capacity as supplies outpace demand.Trading house…
The Future of Ship Agency Sits in the Cloud
With the Coronavirus pandemic hitting many segments of the global shipping industry particularly hard, it is understandable that businesses of all sizes are reviewing their budgets for 2020 and beyond and looking for ways to reduce costs while maintaining their operations. Supply chains are being disrupted, inspections postponed or conducted remotely, crew transfers complicated, and paperwork ditched as social distancing measures are in place.
Massive Fire Breaks Out in Beirut Port
A large fire erupted on Thursday at Beirut port, sending a huge column of smoke above the city a little more than a month after a massive blast devastated the port and surrounding residential area of the Lebanese capital.The blaze erupted in the shattered duty-free zone of the port and one official said it was limited to that area. But it jangled nerves in a nation grappling with a deep economic crisis…
