Maritime Industry Top News
DNV-led Consortium to Conduct Ammonia Bunkering Safety Study in Singapore
The Global Center for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD) has awarded its ammonia bunkering safety study in Singapore to a DNV-led consortium aimed at accelerating the shipping industry's decarbonization efforts, the Center said in a statement on Wednesday."A precursor to the demonstration of ammonia bunkering in Singapore, the intent of this study is to define a robust set of safety guidelines and operational envelopes that will establish the basis of a regulatory sandbox for trials at two local bu
Seacat's New Offshore Wind Support Vessel Sporting Yacht Racing Tech
Offshore vessel designer Chartwell Marine on Wednesday announced the launch of its "market-first" offshore energy support vessel (OESV) with hydrofoils, in partnership with marine design & engineering consultancy, BAR Technologies (BAR Tech). Seacat Sceptre, built at the Diverse Marine yard in Cowes, Isle of Wight, for OESV operator, Seacat Services, will now undergo sea trials prior to its handover."Hydrofoils…
Peru Investigating Possibility of Second Repsol Offshore Oil Spill
Peru's environmental regulatory agency said on Wednesday it was investigating the possibility that Spanish energy company Repsol SA was responsible for a second oil spill in as many weeks off the country's central Pacific coast.The suspected new spill may have occurred on Tuesday as Repsol's La Pampilla refinery was withdrawing oil reception and dispatch equipment as part of an investigation into what caused the initial spill blamed on unusually strong waves triggered by a volcanic eruption in T
Safe Bulkers Buys Secondhand Capesize
Dry bulk shipping company Safe Bulkers announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire a secondhand Capesize bulk carrier for $33.8 million.The 181,000 dwt vessel was built in Japan in 2014.
The Arctic: Scientists Aim to Improve Sea Ice Predictions' Accuracy, Access
Sea ice predictions have improved markedly since the founding of an international forecasting and monitoring network 14 years ago.“These forecasts are quite encouraging in their increasing accuracy,” said Uma Bhatt, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Bhatt spoke about the Sea Ice Prediction Network at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting last month.As the amount of sea ice in the Arctic declines…
Friede and Goldman's WTIV Integrated Feeder Barge Gets ABS AiP
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted its Approval in Principle (AIP) to a coordinated design for a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) in conjunction with the BargeRack feeder barge system by Friede and Goldman (F&G).The design enables the Jones Act-compliant barge in a lifting system that F&G says reduces motion and increases the window of operational time. The design was reviewed in accordance with the ABS 2017 Guidance Notes on Review and Approval of Novel Concepts…
Getting to the Bottom of the Navies' Mine Warfare Challenges
To find the mine warfare challenge with the highest degree of difficulty, start at the bottom.Lurking unseen below the surface, naval mines pose a serious problem. They’re cheap, relatively easy to deploy and can inflict heavy damage against even the most sophisticated warships. They can be hard to detect and difficult to counter. What you can’t see can hurt you. And the most difficult mines to find and eliminate are bottom and buried mines.
U.S. Offshore Wind Forecast: 45 Projects, $136B CapEx
As of the end of January 2022, there were over 45 projects in development representing a $136 billion capital expenditure and $4.4 billion annual OPEX opportunity that are forecast to be brought on stream within this and early in the next decade.What a difference a year makes. This time last year there was still some uncertainty around the federal offshore wind permitting process, the timing of offshore…
VIDEO: Cleanup Underway after Oil Spills Offshore Thailand
Thailand mobilized its navy and other agencies on Wednesday to contain an oil spill after an estimated 160,000 liters (35,195 gallons) leaked from an undersea pipeline about 20 km (12.4 miles) off its industrialized eastern seaboard.The leak at the pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited started late on Tuesday, southeast of the Map Ta Phut Industrial estate, a major petrochemical complex…
Stolt-Nielsen CEO to Step Down after More Than Two Decades in Position
Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen has decided to step down from his role as Chief Executive Officer of chemical tanker operator Stolt-Nielsen Limited.The company said Wednesday he'd continue as CEO and as a Director on the Board until the appointment process for a successor has been completed. Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen has served as Chief Executive Officer of Stolt-Nielsen Limited since November 2000 and has been a Director since 1996."The intention is that once a suitable replacement is found, Mr. Niels G.
Svitzer to Deploy Two More Tugs in the Suez Canal
Maersk's towage arm Svitzer announced another extension of its current contract with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) to include two additional tugs to service the vital trade artery.Turkish tugboat builder Med Marine will deliver the two new vessels, both RAstar 2800 75tonnes bollard pull tugs with firefighting capabilities and escort notation, designed by Robert Allan Ltd.Svitzer started operating in the Suez Canal in late 2019 with the two tugs Svitzer Port Said 1 and Svitzer Port Said 2…
Eastern Pacific Says It Won't Carry Coal
Ship management firm Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) announced it will no longer carry coal cargos on its bulk carrier vessels as a matter of company policy aimed at supporting the global transition away from the fossil fuel.EPS' commercially managed dry bulk fleet hasn't carried coal since April 2020, and the Singapore-based tonnage provider made its commitment official this month, outlining its "no coal cargo policy" within its 2022 environmental…
Floating Wind Project Gains Funding for Pilot
The U.K.’s Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has granted £10 million for the design and construction of a new floating wind turbine demonstrator off the coast of Scotland.The SENSE PelaStar project will feature SENSEWind’s turbine self-installation system, the PelaStar tension leg platform (TLP) floating foundation from Glosten and Subsea Micropile anchors. The SENSE concept…
Rolls-Royce to Deliver Automation Solutions for New German Navy Frigates
Rolls-Royce's Power Systems business unit, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will deliver the automation solutions (in German FüSAS – Führungssystem Automation Schiffstechnik) for the four new F126 frigates for the German Navy.Damen Naval is building the four F126 class frigates together with its partners Blohm+Voss and Thales, after the partners were selected as successful bidders in 2020 following a European tender process spanning several years.
COVID Cases Reported on Australian Aid Vessel Sailing to Virus-free Tonga
About two dozen cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among the crew of an Australian warship expected to arrive in coronavirus-free Tonga on Wednesday to deliver humanitarian aid, Australian authorities said on Tuesday.Tonga, hit by a massive volcanic eruption and a tsunami on Jan. 15, has asked for aid to be delivered without human contact amid concerns a COVID outbreak would be devastating for the…
Pandemic Setback Strengthens Resolve to Remain Positive
Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan looks beyond the latest COVID-19 complications to explain why the global trade association has reasons to believe the industry’s future is ultimately secure.If I had been writing this column just a few weeks earlier than late December, my opening remarks would have been decidedly upbeat. After two devastating years under the cloud of COVID-19, the pandemic seemed to be…
Dry Bulk Shipping: Vessel Demand Waning
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index fell for a 13th straight session on Tuesday, dragged lower by weaker rates across all vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, fell 48 points, or 3.5%, to 1,343, its lowest since mid-February 2021.The capesize index dropped 91 points, or 10.9%, to 745, its lowest since June 2020.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, dropped
Malyszko Named Plant Operations VP at Newport News Shipbuilding
America's largest military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on Tuesday that Karey Malyszko has been promoted to vice president of Plant Operations at its Newport News Shipbuilding division in Newport News, Va. Malyszko succeeds Dru Branche who retired in December.Effective immediately, Malyszko assumes overall responsibility for waterfront support services, facilities, environmental health and safety, and security.
PALFINGER to Build RHIBs for the Netherlands' KNRM
PALFINGER announced it has been awarded a contract by the Dutch rescue organization Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij (KNRM) for 12 custom-built rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs), which will assist the organization during future rescue operations. The official contract signing took place on January 20 at PALFINGER's production facility in Harderwijk, the Netherlands, where the boats will be manufactured.The KNRM helps people in distress at sea…
Nord Stream 2 - Russian Gas Pipeline's Long Wait for Approval
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that Germany may consider halting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia attacks Ukraine, reflecting growing political pressure on the Gazprom-led project.Russia has massed troops on the Ukrainian border but denies it is planning an attack, while the United States and Europe have promised to impose sanctions on Moscow should it invade, with Nord Stream 2 one of the possible targets.Europe's most divisive energy project…
