Weather Closes Terminals at Port of NY/NJ
The Port of NY/NY said that due to the severity of the predicted storm tonight through tomorrow, all container terminals in the port will be closed Thursday, February 13.
National Strike at French Ports
Workers at French ports embarked on a national strike starting at 6 a.m. local time today, February 12. The strike, which affects most public terminals but not private ones, will likely last 24 hours.
Webcast to Address China VAT Reform Announced
![FMC Commissioner William P. Doyle](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/fmc-commissioner-william-p-doyle-23263.jpg)
Chinaās Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation released Circular 106 last December, expanding its value-added tax (VAT) pilot program to additional industries. The circular also made significant updates to the VAT treatment of services related to the international transportation of goods. During the week of January 20, 2014, China provided further clarifications for freight forwarding agent companies in China with regard to Circular 106.
Second Damen StanTug for Smit Lamnalco
![Photo: Damen](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-damen-23261.jpg)
Smit Lamnalco has taken delivery of, and will soon deploy, the SL Kiwi. Itās their second tug of the Damen STu 2208 type. The 39.4-metric-ton bollard pull tug will join the sister ship SL Kittiwake, delivered late 2012, to support Single Point Mooring operations. Built at Damenās facilities in Gorinchem, the Netherlands, the SL Kiwi left Rotterdam on board a Heavy Lift vessel by Christmas 2013. From Smit Lamnalcoās perspective the short lead time was important.
International Cooperation will Streamline Maritime Transport
Sweden, South Korea and Denmark have initiated a global partnership on the development of e-navigation solutions. Modern technology will lead to higher safety and more efficient transports at sea.
EPA Revises Hydraulic Fracturing Guidance
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released revised underground injection control (UIC) program permitting guidance for wells that use dieselā¦
NAO Contracts Two Vessels from ULSTEIN
![Image: ULSTEIN](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-ulstein-23260.jpg)
The offshore shipping company Nordic American Offshore (NAO) has contracted two platform supply vessels (PSVs) of ULSTEINās PX121 design. These vessels will be number seven and eight which NAO buys from ULSTEIN. In December 2013, NAO invested in six vessels of the PX121 design, which had been constructed at Ulstein Verft. The two new vessels are planned for delivery from Ulstein Verft in January 2015. The total value of these eight vessels exceeds NOK 2 billion.
EnSolve Launches Scrubber Water Treatment System
EnSolve Biosystems announced today that it has developed a new product called EnScrub which treats particulates and petroleum hydrocarbons from the effluent of shipboardā¦
Piracy Shifts to Western Africa
![Photo: EnGarde](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-engarde-23259.jpg)
As international cooperation brings increasing pressure on more the traditional pirate trade in east Africa, there is mounting evidence that Western Africa, from Guinea-Bissau south to the Congo has become a new hotspot for the pirate trade. While the movie āCaptain Phillipsā, a story about Somali pirates hijacking the Captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama, played in theaters around the worldā¦
New Diesel Fuel Quality Sensor from CMR
![NIRIS (Photo: CMR Group)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/niris-photo-cmr-group-23257.jpg)
According to engine control and instrumentation specialists CMR Group, significant fuel savings can be achieved by diesel engine owners and marine vessel operators using the worldās first commercial high horsepower diesel fuel quality sensor. The new Near Infrared Intelligent Sensor (NIRISTM) has been developed to detect fuel parameters through advanced hydro carbon profiling which measures the molecular structure of fuel.
Coast Guard Foundation Creates New Scholarship
![The Douglas Munro Commemorative Challenge Coin Set](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/he-douglas-munro-commemorative-challenge-23256.jpg)
The Coast Guard Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to the education and welfare of Coast Guard members and their families, announced today it has established the Douglas Munro Scholarship Fund. Named for the only Coast Guard member to be awarded the Medal of Honor, the new scholarship will help children of Coast Guard members achieve their goals of a college education. To establish the fundā¦
Today in U.S. Naval History: February 12
![USS Batfish (U.S. Navy photo)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/uss-batfish-us-navy-photo-23255.jpg)
Today in U.S. Naval History: February 12 1945 - USS Batfish (SS-310) sinks second Japanese submarine within three days 1947 - First launching of guided missile (Loon) from a submarine, USS Cusk For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.
KT Vessels to Support Shellās Prelude FLNG
![](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/-23242.jpg)
Shell Australia has awarded a major contract for the design, construction and operation of three Infield Support Vessels (ISVs), which will create approximately 80 local jobs and support its Prelude FLNG Project, located 475km north-north east of Broome, in Western Australia. Perth-based KT Maritime Services Australia Pty Ltd, a joint venture partnership with KOTUG International B.V and Teekay Shipping Australia Pty Ltdā¦
OW Bunker Installs Coriolis Flow Meters
![](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/-23237.jpg)
Company continues roll-out of measurement technology across global fleet to provide customers with accuracy in supply. OW Bunker hasannounced that it has installed a Coriolis Flow Meter on one of its refueling barges in Rotterdam. OW Bunker is the first independent physical fuel distributor to use the technology when supplying customers in the region, as it looks to ensure increased accuracy in measuring the quantity of product delivered.
RS Assesses Risk of Submarine Transit
![](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/-23231.jpg)
Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) under the cooperation with ŠŠŠ SOGAZ has carried out a risk safety appraisal of the submarine Ho Chi Minh for the Vietnamese Navy during its sea transit from the port of St Petersburg to the port of Kaliningrad. The scope of the survey included an assessment of activities accomplished to prepare the submarine for sea towing as well as check of compliance with the requirements stipulated by the transit project.
CMA CGM Targets Expansion in Africa
![Image: CMA CGM](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-cma-cgm-23250.jpg)
The CMA CGM Group said 2014 will be the year of African ambition. At this occasion, the CMA CGM Group announced the launch of its new advertisement campaign in Africa thus reaffirming its ambition to expand further on this continent. This new campaign, uses a CMA CGM AFRICAMAX vessel specially built to optimize operations in African ports, reasserts the Groupās position as leader in the transport market through a global offer of both maritime and inland services.
SMM Conference Returns to Istanbul
SMM Istanbul will open its gates on February 26, welcoming its exhibitors and industry visitors with an entirely new concept. The countdown is on; On February 26 and 27ā¦
BMT Nigel Gee is Actively Hiring
![Photo: BMT Nigel Gee](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-bmt-nigel-gee-23225.jpg)
BMT Nigel Gee, a subsidiary of BMT Group, an international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has announced expansion activity at its offices in Southampton to meet a large increase in design work. Operating across four principal market sectors, the naval architectural practice delivers design and engineering services for specialized vessels in the large yacht, commercial, defense and offshore energy markets.
ISS Supports Offshore Operations for PGS
![The ISS South Africa operations team will support PGS, a leading geophysical services company.](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/the-iss-south-africa-operations-23222.jpg)
Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) has secured a further nomination from one of their key accounts to support their operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Building on other recent successes in the region, ISS announced commencement last month of an offshore logistics and support contract for Norwegian-based Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS). Under the five-month contract, ISS will support a seismic survey project to map oil and gas deposits off the East African coast.
Unmanned Shipping a Topic at Seagoing Conference
![MUNIN](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/munin-23221.jpg)
Experts from the maritime industry met on the M/S Pearl Seaways from January 28-30 for the e-Navigation Underway 2014 international conference. One topic of the talks and discussions was unmanned shipping, which Fraunhofer CML is examining and advancing as part of the research project MUNIN (Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks). e-navigation ā in other words the collectionā¦