Diana Shipping Orders Dry Bulk Vessel for 2016
Diana Shipping Inc., a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, signed, through a separate wholly owned subsidiary, a shipbuilding…
Hammerfest LNG Production Resumes After Leak

Production at Hammerfest LNG Production from the Hammerfest LNG plant has been resumed after a gas leak Sunday night. "We started run-up of the Hammerfest LNG plant Tuesday night, and the plant has now reached stable operation. All necessary repairs on the plant have been completed to ensure a safe and efficient start-up," says Knut Gjertsen, head of Snøhvit operations. The Hammerfest LNG plant was shut down Sunday night due to a gas leak in the processing facility.
MOL Adjusts Intra-Asia Service Network
MOL Liner Ltd. (MOL) announced an enhancement of its Intra-Asia service network with new rotation of “HS3” and new Japan-Strait service “HS4,” offering competitive…
NDSQ Lays Keels for Two Stan Tugs

Qatari shipbuilder Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ) has laid the keels for two 16m-long Stan Tugs, part of a seven-vessel order for marine services provider Nakilat Svitzer Wijsmuller (NSW). A small ceremony to mark this important step in the shipbuilding process was held at NDSQ’s facilities at Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in Qatar’s Port of RasLaffan. The two twin-screw Stan Tugs have a bollard pull of 15 tons and will be used for mooring vessels visiting the Port of RasLaffan.
Engineered Ventilation Systems Keep Engine Rooms Humming

Circulation of dry, cool air is critical for engine performance, longevity and safety. Delta "T" Systems said it offers a single comprehensive source for all the components that make up an engineered system. Effective marine ventilation requires more than just fans to promote air flow. Equally important in maintaining an optimal engine room environment, moisture eliminators maintain the dry conditions that motors demand, while dampers provide an all-important safety mechanism.
Russian, Chinese Vessels Freed from Arctic Ice

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star was released by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority from search and rescue duties Jan. 7, following confirmation the Russian-Flagged Akademik Shokalskiy and Chinese-Flagged Xue Long are free from the Antarctic ice due to a favorable change in wind conditions. The Coast Guard Pacific Area command center received confirmation from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority at 2 p.m.
Diana Shipping Inks Contract for Bulk Vessel
Diana Shipping Inc., a shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, has announced that it has signed, through a separate wholly owned subsidiary…
KR and Busan Port Ink Cooperative Agreement

The Korean Register of Shipping (KR) (an IACS member classification society) and the Busan Port Authority (BPA) (the fifth largest container port in the world) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on environmental initiatives and other maritime activities. The MoU allows both parties to cooperate and consult on the development of an evaluation index for eco-friendly ships and green ship verification services.
DNV GL Debuts New Explosion Hazard Software

Consequence and risk analysis experts evaluating explosion hazards have historically had to undertake time-consuming analyses, and have been unable to show all the combined influences in different scenarios. DNV GL’s new Phast 3D Explosions software module enables advanced 3D modeling, increasing both the accuracy and detail of the evaluations as well as information about the speed of vapor cloud explosion (VCE) analyses.
New Patrol Boats for SEA

Taiwanese boat builder Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (LTS) has recently won the contract to deliver a series of patrol boats to an unspecified government in South East Asia. The first boat in the series will be delivered early 2015. The boats have 19 m long aluminum hulls equipped with twin MJP DRB 400 waterjets coupled to MAN 1,650 hp engines and will reach speed of about 50 knots. They also have beaching capability.
Alert! Issue No. 34: Improved Conditions and Safer Ships
The need for seafarers to have decent living conditions is enshrined in the new Maritime Labor Convention (MLC), but the latest issue of the International Maritime Human Element Bulletin Alert!
BIMCO Reflections 2014
BIMCO has published its Reflections 2014, a short and accessible analysis including its clear views on the critical issues faced by the shipping industry today and in the coming years.
Marine Fouling: Surface Texture Investigations May Provide Solution

Investigating surface texture could offer a non-toxic solution to marine fouling. Engineering and marine biology experts at The University of Nottingham Ningbo China are using innovative approaches to develop non-toxic solutions to the global problem of marine fouling, in the hope of reducing its environmental and economic costs. Marine industries have long sought chemical solutions to the problem…
Coast Guard Searches for Missing Tanker Crewman
The Coast Guard is searching for a an Indian crewman reported missing from a tanker vessel anchored fives miles south of Southwest Pass, Tuesday. Missing is Ram Mohan Singh, 25.
Shipping Confidence Trending Higher Into 2014, Finds Survey

The shipping world appears to be entering 2014 with a higher level of confidence than it has the past three years, according to the latest Shipping Confidence Survey from international accountant and Maritime London member Moore Stephens. The firm noted encouraging news on freight rates. According to London’s Baltic Exchange its headline Baltic Dry Index, which tracks dry bulk freight rates, stood at an average of 1205 points over the whole of 2013 against 929 the previous year.
Big Ship Iron Ore Freight Rates Fall

Capesize iron ore freight rates in the Pacific and Atlantic fell further Tuesday, driven by lower-priced fixtures out of South Africa in the absence of Brazilian and West Australian charterers, reports Platts. Platts say they assessed the Capesize iron ore freight rate at $15.50/wmt on the Saldanha Bay to Qingdao route Tuesday, down $1.50/wmt from the previous day. A Japanese shipowner estimated there were presently about 30 Capesize vessels chasing cargoes in the Pacific.
Texas LNG Makes Strides on US LNG Export Project

Texas LNG LLC says it has as filed an application to the United States Department of Energy (DOE) seeking authorization to export up to 2 MTA (million tonnes per annum) of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to FTA (Free Trade Agreement) and non-FTA markets following the execution of its exclusive lease option agreement with the Port of Brownsville in South Texas, USA. The company explains it will employ a…
Inmarsat Complete Globe Wireless Acquisition

Inmarsat inform that the US$45-million deal to buy Globe Wireless, the Florida-based provider of value-added maritime communications services to the shipping market, has been finalised. Inmarsat has confirmed that it has completed regulatory and other approvals in relation to its purchase of Globe Wireless, which included the business and substantially all of the assets of Globe Wireless, which in the twelve months ended June 30…
Front Street Shipyard Contracted to Build Hi-speed Patrol Boats

Maine's Front Street Shipyard says it is beginning immediate construction on high-performance multi-hulls for Trefoil Marine which will be used primarily for military, police patrol, fire and rescue services. The shipbuilders inform that these patrol boats are a catamaran design by Donald L. Blount and Associates (DLBA) of Chesapeake, VA, with superior stability, predictable handling and a smooth ride.
BAE Systems Inc. Appoint DeMuro President & CEO

Jerry DeMuro, formerly executive vice-president and corporate vice president of the Information Systems and Technology group at General Dynamics, has been appointed as president and CEO of BAE Systems, Inc., effective February 1, 2014 to succeed Linda P. Hudson, who had announced last year her intention to retire from the company in 2014. DeMuro will be appointed as an executive director of BAE Systems plc and will serve on BAE Systems’ Executive Committee…