Baltic Dry Index Rises Above 11-year Peak
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rallied to its highest in more than 11 years on Friday, fuelled by strong demand across vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, jumped to 3,566, up about 2% or 63 points, at its highest level since mid 2010.The main index also registered a 5.8% gain for the week…
Maritime NZ Files Charges for Auckland Port Worker Death
Maritime NZ has filed charges against Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL) and an individual in relation to the death of a port worker almost a year ago.Pala’amo (Amo) Kalati was killed on August 30, 2020 after being crushed when a container was dropped during a lifting operation.The following charges have been filed in the Auckland District Court:POAL has been charged under sections 47, 48 and 90 of the Health…
Seacor Power Public Hearing Concludes
The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board on Friday wrapped up the formal public hearing proceedings into the sinking of the liftboat Seacor Power and the death of 13 of its 19 crewmembers in the Gulf of Mexico.The Seacor Power capsized in heavy winds and seas on April 13, 2021, about seven miles south of Port Fourchon, La. Six crewmembers were initially rescued, and six were recovered…
Indonesian Ferry Turns Floating Isolation Center for COVID-19 patients
A vehicle with a flashing siren and "Makassar COVID Hunter" written on the side pulls up to a ship docked at a jetty in the Indonesian port city of Makassar, and…
Bulk Carrier Crewman Medevaced Near Alaska
An ailing mariner was medevaced from a bulk carrier near Cold Bay, Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard said.At approximately 1 p.m. on Wednesday, the 17th District Command…
Brexit Has 'Significantly Altered' Irish-British Freight Traffic
Post-Brexit trade frictions have "significantly altered" freight traffic between Ireland and Britain and sparked a steep rise in volumes to and from Ireland and other European Union members, an Irish government agency report said on Thursday.The introduction of checks on some goods since neighboring Britain left the EU's trading orbit on Dec. 31 cut imports from Britain by 35% in the first five months…
Port, Shipping Firms Divert Vessels After a Ningbo Terminal Shuts
Ports and shipping companies are diverting vessels from a container terminal in China's busiest marine transportation hub which was forced to close after a coronavirus case emerged, as the pandemic strains global supply amid rising retail orders.Meidong container terminal in eastern Ningbo suspended operations on Wednesday after a COVID-19 case was detected, while nearby Shanghai also recorded the worst congestion in at least three years.On Friday…
Burns to Lead Mass. Maritime's Work in Renewable Energy
The Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) announced Capt. Michael R. Burns Jr. as the first Executive Director of the Academy’s Maritime Center for Responsible Energy (MCRE). In this new role, Capt. Burns will oversee the MCRE that was established in August 2021 to deliver training to the renewable energy industry, develop robust, collaborative relationships with renewable energy stakeholders, and coordinate all the Academy's renewable energy efforts. Capt.
Wärtsilä Upgrades Its 20DF Dual-fuel Engine
Wärtsilä introduced an upgraded version of its Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engine that delivers increased power output, has a reduced environmental impact, and will feature a lower fuel consumption. It will also further increase the engine’s fuel flexibility by allowing a much wider gas quality span, down to methane number (MN) 65, while still delivering full output.The engine’s power per cylinder is increased from 185 to 195 kW…
VIDEO: Norwegian Cruise Line's New Ship Floated Out in Italy
Norwegian Cruise Line’s new cruise ship Norwegian Prima was floated out at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera (Venice) this week.The Norwegian Prima is the first of six vessels of the Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) new Prima Class of ships. NCL is part of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.Along with her sister-ships, “Norwegian Prima” will form the backbone of the future NCL fleet, being more than 142,500-tons, almost 300 meters long, and accommodating 3,215 guests, Fincantieri said Friday.
Congestion Worsens Near China's Top Container Ports
Congestion off China's top two container ports Shanghai and Ningbo is worsening following the shutdown of a container terminal in Ningbo where a COVID-19 case was detected this week.Tighter restrictions to fight China's latest coronavirus outbreak are starting to hit more parts of the economy. The highly transmissible Delta variant has been detected in more than a dozen cities since late July.Forty container vessels were waiting at the outer Zhoushan anchorage on Thursday, up from 30 on Aug.
'Crimson Polaris' Carried Almost 1700 MT of Oil Before Grounding, Splitting Up off Japan
The Crimson Polaris wood-chip carrier that ran aground and split up off Japan Thursday, spilling oil into the ocean, carried about 1,550 MT of heavy oil and about 130 MT of diesel oil for fuel at the time of the grounding, NYK, the charterer of the ship, said Friday.As previously reported, the 199.9-meter vessel, chartered by NYK from MI-DAS Line ran aground off Hachinohe on August 11. On August 12 at 4:15 a.m. the vessel’s hull split into two pieces and began spilling oil.
Report: PDVSA Set to Restart Production from Corocoro Offshore Oil Field
Venezuela's national oil company PDVSA is reportedly preparing to resume production from the Corocoro offshore oil field.Reuters said Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter, that PDVSA would use the Cororoco oil to feed its refineries.The Corocoro oil field, in which the Italian oil firm Eni is a partner as part of the Petrosucre consortium with PDVSA, is located in the Gulf of Paria.The offshore site caught media attention last year when the FSO (floating…
HST Marine Takes Delivery of Hybrid CTV
UK-based offshore crew transfer vessel operator HST Marine has taken delivery of HST Ella, a hybrid crew transfer vessel (CTV).The vessel, designed by naval architects from Chartwell Marine, is the first hybrid Chartwell 24 vessel to hit the water, following its completion at the local Isle of Wight shipyard Diverse Marine.Tom Nevin, Chief Executive Officer, HST said:"“Rapidly maturing hybrid technology means that environmental consciousness can sit hand in hand with operational excellence…
Russian Investigators Search CPC After Black Sea Oil Spill
Russian investigators were conducting searches at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) after Saturday's oil spill near the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, the regional…
Robosys Testing Advanced Navigation Systems on the Solent
Robosys’ latest product, Voyager 100, is aimed at commercial and workboat vessels and is currently going through a vigorous system-verification series of tests to check and verify that the system is avoiding collisions by making safe and COLREGS compliant decisions – autonomously.For more than a decade, Robosys has been providing Advanced Navigation Systems for manned and unmanned vessels, offering…
Ingalls Names Norris Director of Government Affairs
America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on Thursday that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has named Jack Norris as director of state and local government affairs.Norris will lead all state and local government relations efforts in support of the Pascagoula, Miss. shipbuilder’s strategic goals and will collaborate with community and economic development partners…
Are We Looking at the Next Dry Bulk Super Cycle? Is It Even a Cycle?
Throughout the first half of the year, talk of a new dry bulk super cycle has been on many lips as commodity prices have soared to multi-year highs. Freight rates and ship values have also risen but although they exceed prices seen during most of the 2010s, they are still far below super cycle levels.“Commodity prices have staged a comeback and are hovering around or above 2007 and 2008 levels. This has fuelled talk of a commodity super cycle.
Belgium's Euronav Posts 2Q Loss on Low Oil Tanker Demand
Belgium's Euronav, which provides shipping and storage services for crude oil, swung to a second-quarter loss, it said on Thursday, as recovering demand for oil and easing production cuts had yet to lead to better shipping rates.The Antwerp-based group posted a loss of $89.7 million for the period compared to a $259.6 million profit a year earlier."Improving crude demand and the tapering of OPEC+ production cuts have yet to translate into freight rate recovery…
Wilhelmsen, NorSea Acquire Stake in Norwegian Deep-sea Mining Firm
Global maritime group Wilhelmsen and the Norwegian offshore supply base firm NorSea have together acquired an 18% stake in the Norwegian deep-sea mining company Loke Marine Minerals."As the energy transition continues to gather pace, we are actively looking at new projects and business areas, outside of the oil and gas industry, where NorSea’s unique port infrastructure and proven service and supply know-how can continue to be a key driver of success.