UK Bill Banning Live Animal Export Ready for Royal Assent
The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill had its third reading in UK Parliament on May 14 and now awaits Royal Assent to become law. The bill seeks to end the export of cattle, horses, sheep, goats and pigs for fattening and slaughter from and through England, Wales and Scotland.A speech made by UK King Charles on November 7, 2023, set out the government's agenda for the coming political year which included the bill.The legislation follows a 2020 consultation on ending live…
Port of Los Angeles Nets $58 Million for Harbor Maintenance
The Port of Los Angeles will receive an estimated $58 million in federal funding this year for maintaining its harbor channels and repairing its wharves, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced. According to the port, the record amount—a nearly tenfold increase compared with $6 million it received in 2023—reflects the federal government's commitment to fully implementing long sought reforms to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF).“The San Pedro Bay ports move 40% of the nation’s container imports, transporting the goods that power our economy,” said California Sen. Alex Padilla.
Second Generation Intelligent Tugs Delivered to Tianjin Port
Tianjin Port has held a naming ceremony for its two latest RAmparts 3500 ASD tugs, Jingang Lun 36 and Jingang Lun 37, designed by Robert Allan Ltd.During a six-day extensive sea trial, Jingang Lun 36 and Jingang Lun 37 completed comprehensive self-control auto navigation tests which included automatic searching, approaching, and accompanying a target vessel at sea.The tugs were designed and constructed to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of CCS. This is reportedly…
Port of New Orleans CEO Brandy Christian to Step Down
The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) announced that its President and CEO Brandy D. Christian will step down mid-June 2024 to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. Christian has served as the President and CEO of Port NOLA since January 1, 2017, and as the CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) since its acquisition by Port NOLA on February 1, 2018, during which time Port NOLA increased operating revenues by 70% and NOPB increased operating income by 300%."We cannot overstate the exemplary leadership that Brandy Christian has provided throughout her tenure…
Methanol-Fueled Tugboat Launched
Today, a 'world first' was unveiled in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges: the Methatug, a tugboat which runs on methanol, part of a 'greening program' for the port's fleet. The project is financed by the European research program Horizon 2020 and is part of the FASTWATER project, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of methanol as a sustainable fuel for the shipping industry.The 30-m-long tugboat has a traction force of 50 tons and can store 12,000 liters of methanol, enough for two weeks of tug work.
Worker Dies in Accident at Peru's Chancay Megaport Project
Hong Kong-based Cosco Shipping Ports said on Saturday that a worker died in an early-morning accident at a megaport it is building on Peru's Pacific coast.The worker was doing sanding and painting work at the deepwater Chancay Port Terminal when the accident occurred, the company said in a statement.The company said it was investigating the circumstances of the incident and was coordinating with authorities.Cosco, which began developing Chancay port in 2019 as a hub in the South American Pacific…
Building the Next-Gen Maritime Prepositioning Ship & Auxiliary Crane Ship
The Military Sealift Command’s Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS) and Auxiliary Crane Ships (ACS) were built 50 years ago to pre-position vehicles and supplies in forward locations and load or unload them in undeveloped or damaged port facilities. I serve with MSC’s Taluga Group, charged with finding innovative solutions to pressing problems. One of those challenges is meeting the MPS and ACS mission as the current ships continue to serve past their expected service lines.To…
Conflict Heating Up Over Cosco's Megaport in Peru
The Chinese state-owned company at the center of a dispute over operations of a megaport it is building on Peru's Pacific coast insisted on Tuesday on terms agreed with the government, as some local officials have sought to backtrack on the deal.Hong Kong-based Cosco Shipping Ports will defend its legal rights to provide services as the exclusive operator of the deepwater Chancay Port Terminal under "terms that were agreed at the beginning of this investment," the firm said in…
McDermott’s Subsidiary Grabs Marsa LNG Job Worth Up To $250M
CB&I, a wholly owned subsidiary of McDermott, has been awarded a significant contract by TotalEnergies and OQ joint venture for the engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) of a full containment concrete liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank, located in Oman's Port of Sohar.Under the contract, awarded by Marsa Liquefied Natural Gas, CB&I will provide turnkey EPC services for a 165,000m3 full containment concrete LNG storage tank and associated piping to grade.Project delivery will be executed in Oman…
Container Ship Deliveries Hit YTD Record
“In 2023, 2.3 million TEU of container ship capacity was delivered, beating the former all-time high by 37%. Year-to-date another record has been set as more than 1 million TEU has already been delivered during the first four months of the year, an increase of nearly 80% compared to the previous record,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.As ship recycling has so far only retired 19 smaller ships, the fleet has expanded by nearly 1 million TEU, a 3.5% increase compared to the beginning of the year.
Adversarial Seas: AI and the Evolving Cyber Threat in Maritime
The maritime transportation system, the lifeblood of global trade, is undergoing a digital revolution. Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming how ships operate and cargo moves. However, this increased reliance on technology creates a double-edged sword: while AI offers powerful tools for cybersecurity, it also presents new vulnerabilities to exploit. This article explores the growing threat of adversarial AI (AAI) in maritime cyber security and how the industry…
Saudi Red Sea Authority and NEOM Sign Tourism MoU
Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NEOM to collaborate on the development of legislation, regulations and technology in marine tourism.The partnership will facilitate the sharing of expertise with the aim of delivering innovation and improving the visitor experience for tourists in Saudi Arabia’s existing, emerging and future Red Sea coastal destinations.NEOM is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea being built from the ground up as a living laboratory.
Matt Kaplan to Lead New Great Lakes Authority
The White House has nominated Matt Kaplan to serve as the first federal co-chair of the Great Lakes Authority (GLA).The GLA was authorized by Congress in 2022 and will be governed by a nine-member board, with one member appointed by the President, and one appointed by each of the Governors of the eight Great Lakes states. The new federal agency will promote regional economic development. Earlier this year, Congress appropriated $5 million to begin the process of standing up the organization.
Young Brothers Is First in the US to Use Innovative Mooring System
Hawai‘i’s interisland freight company Young Brothers has become the first marine transportation company in the Unites States to install an innovative mooring system designed to improve safety and efficiency.The new $1.5 million ShoreTension mooring system was blessed in a ceremony at the Port of Kaumalapau in Lāna‘i on Monday. The technology, which keeps the barge steady against the dock during inclement weather, is already being utilized in harbors around the globe in countries like New Zealand…
Maritime Trafficking: How Balkan Gangsters Became Europe's Top Cocaine Suppliers
In 2018, convicted cocaine trafficker Slobodan Kostovski fled a Brazilian prison and made his way back to Europe with a fake passport.The Serbian senior quickly fell into old habits, police allege. Last August, Kostovski was arrested in Belgrade, accused of shipping 2.7 metric tonnes of cocaine from Brazil aboard a 22-meter vessel apprehended near Spain’s Canary Islands.Nicknamed “the General” by his associates, he had been trafficking “large amounts” of powder to “Europe for a long period of time,” Serbian police wrote in a 2022 intelligence report obtained exclusively by Reuters.
Crowley Reaches Labor Deal for Isla Grande Terminal in Puerto Rico
Crowley and Teamsters Union Local 901 have reached a new labor agreement to extend their longtime partnership into its sixth decade serving the shipping and logistics needs of Puerto Rico.The agreement, recently ratified by union members, covers the 200 employees who work at Crowley’s Isla Grande Terminal in San Juan until 2029. Employees there serve as port equipment operators, truck drivers and support operations in various other roles important to safe and reliable operations.“We have successfully worked with the Teamsters Union to provide safe…
Port Constraints for Canada's Trans Mountain Pipeline May Crimp Oil Exports
Logistical constraints at the Port of Vancouver mean waterborne oil exports from the highly anticipated Trans Mountain pipeline expansion due to start up on Wednesday may only be around half what the Canadian government-owned corporation has forecast, traders and shipping sources said.The C$34 billion ($24.82 billion) project to nearly triple the flow of crude from Alberta to Canada's Pacific Coast to 890,000 barrels per day is scheduled to start operating on May 1 after years of regulatory delays and construction setbacks.The extra 590…
Green Light for $3 Billion Oil Port off Texas Expected By Year-end
Enterprise Products Partners on Tuesday said it expects to have two contracts for its proposed deepwater oil export terminal by May 31 and reach a final investment decision before year-end.Enterprise's ambitious Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT), proposed off for a site off the coast of Texas, would be able to load two supertankers at a single time. It received a key government license this month, but is yet to sign any commercial customers.The cost of the project has soared to about $3 billion…
Skanska Set for South Brooklyn Marine Terminal Buildout
Sweden-based construction and development company Skanska has signed the final contract award, worth $612 million, for the upgrade of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) in New York, which will serve as an offshore wind hub.The project will transform the SBMT into one of the largest dedicated offshore wind ports in the United States and support Empire Wind offshore wind project, which is currently being developed by Equinor off New York.The award will facilitate the demolition of existing buildings…
Russia Reinsurer Backs Firms to get India Marine Insurance Permit
Russia's state-owned reinsurer has given financial backing to three Russian insurance firms, allowing them to get Indian approval to provide marine insurance cover to tankers, two sources said, as Moscow seeks to facilitate trade with India amid Western sanctions.A raft of sanctions by the U.S. and allies against Moscow over its Ukraine invasion, along with tighter scrutiny of Russian oil trade, has almost cut Russia off from the global network of service providers such as insurers and brokers.Russian companies Sogaz Insurance…
'24 Olympic Flame to Ride 3-Masted "Belem" to French port of Marseille
Paris 2024 Olympics organizers on Friday, April 26, received the Games' flame in a handover ceremony in Athens ahead of a 68-day torch relay that will end with the opening ceremony on July 26.The flame arrived at the central Athens' Panathenaic stadium, site of the first modern Olympics in 1896, after an 11-day relay across Greece and following the lighting in ancient Olympia last week.Several thousand fans and tourists sat in the stands of the horse-shaped marble stadium on a sun-drenched afternoon as the head of the Paris Games…
Nigeria Secures $600 Million Maersk Port Infrastructure Investment
Nigeria secured a $600 million investment in seaport infrastructure from Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk, the presidency said in a statement on Sunday.The investment was secured during a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Moller-Maersk Chairman Robert Maersk Uggla on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting in Saudi Arabia."We believe in Nigeria, and we will invest $600 million in existing facilities and make the ports accommodating for bigger ships," the Nigerian presidency quoted Uggla as saying during the meeting.Nigeria has promised to revamp its ports…
Acteon’s LDD Getsy Busy at Scottish Port's Infrastructure Upgrade
LDD, an Acteon company, has been awarded a contract by George Leslie to perform piling works on the Kennacraig Port's ferry terminal in Scotland.LDD, a marine foundations brand within Acteon, is supplying reverse circulation drilling (RCD) services to George Leslie to construct a new sheet pile quay wall at Kennacraig Port.The project is being undertaken in challenging ground conditions with hardness ranging from 90 to 150 MPa.Kennacraig is an existing operational ferry terminal, and the piling works will upgrade the port infrastructure to facilitate the use of new vessels.