600 Med Migrants Rescued
A Norwegian ship rescued more than 600 migrants from two wooden boats on Monday in the southern part of the Mediterranean, the Norwegian police said on Twitter.
Marine Casualty Reporting: Addressing the Coast Guard's Processes
The United States marine casualty reporting and investigation processes as administered by the U.S. Coast Guard are seriously flawed and in need of major overhaul. These processes have been broken for years, yet minimal efforts have been made to address the root causes. The Coast Guard is drowning in marine casualty reports. The majority of its informal investigations are never closed. Those that are closed are seldom read again.
Driving Innovation: the Unmanned FLNG
DNV GL developed a new unmanned floating LNG concept that it claims overcomes many of the challenges faced by operators looking to unlock the potential of remote offshore gas fields. Called Solitude, DNV GL said the concept demonstrates how technological advances can be combined into a solution that offers an estimated 20% reduction in annual OPEX, only adding a few percent increase in CAPEX and at the same time increasing overall safety.
Argentine Grain Worker Union in Wage Talks
Port workers who run Argentina's Rosario grains hub met on Monday with export companies for wage talks aimed at avoiding an open-ended strike that labor leaders had announced for Tuesday…
Brazil Tarriff Hike to Impede U.S. Ethanol Exports
Brazil was due to publish a tariff increase of 11.75 percent on imported ethanol on Monday, and the traders in U.S. ethanol, which makes up the bulk of imports to Brazil…
WFW Advises on MSC Cruise Ship Financing
Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) has advised long-time client MSC Cruises (“MSC”) on the €1.2 billion (US$1.35bn), export credit agency (ECA) supported financing…
Maritime Partner Reaches Vessel Landmark
Norway's Maritime Partner is set to reach a landmark in its history as it completes the construction of its 2000th vessel since founding in 1994. Maritime Partner CEO Peder Myklebust said the Aalesund based company is ‘immensely proud’ that its 2000th boat will be delivered to its long standing client and fellow Norwegian company the shipbuilder Kleven. The 2000th boat is part an order Kleven placed in December 2014 for six Seabear 23 MkIIIs and six Macgregor AC38 davits.
MAST, WESMAR Partner on Maritime Security
A new partnership between maritime security company MAST and marine sonar systems provider WESMAR has been established to protect super yachts and the maritime industry from security risks. Phil Cable, CEO of MAST, said: “Global threats to assets and personnel operating in the maritime environment are complex and continually evolving. WESMAR President Bruce Blakey said: “Our sonar technology is used as a navigational tool for obstacle avoidance and other underwater threats.
Rolls-Royce Wins Trawler Equipment Deal
The shipbuilding company Kleven in Norway has announced a contract for two fishing stern trawlers to be designed and equipped by Rolls-Royce. The fishing vessels have been ordered by the German company DFFU, which is fully owned by the Icelandic seafood company Samherji. The contract is worth in excess of $17million to Rolls-Royce. Samherhji is among the world’s largest investors in the fishing industry…
TransAtlantic Speed Record: Will it Ever be Broken Again?
Will the prestigious TransAtlantic speed and endurance record ever be broken? Should it? Twenty five years ago headlines around the world announced a new world record, the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, by a ship built in Australia. Incat Tasmania reports that June 23, 2015, marks 25 continuous years that Incat built fast ships have held the record for the fastest Transatlantic Crossing. On 23 June 1990 Hoverspeed Great Britain…
Online at Sea: Cruise Company Debuts Social Media Flat Fee
The advent of broadband at sea continues to expand, as German cruis brand AIDA introduces a flat-fee for social media networks onboard its ships. AIDA Cruises is introducing an Internet flat fee for social media networks on board its ships. For 4 euros per day, or 19 euros per week, passengers will be able to share their experiences on board with friends in popular social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or WhatsApp. “The use of mobile devices is continuously growing.
PureNOx Approved for MAN Diesel & Turbo EGR system
Alfa Laval has become the first company in the world to be approved by MAN Diesel & Turbo to supply a water treatment system, PureNOx, for MAN’s exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) scrubber. The approval comes with less than a year to go before the IMO Tier III NOx standards take effect on January 1, 2016. A comprehensive NOx abatement technology, the EGR will be used with the MAN’s two-stroke marine engines to reduce NOx emissions.
Offshore O&G Lease Sale: Continued Interest in Deepwater
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed its required evaluation of bids to ensure that the public receives fair market value for tracts leased as part of the Gulf of Mexico Central Planning Area Oil and Gas Lease Sale 235. The sale held on March 18, 2015, made 7,788 unleased blocks covering about 41.2 million acres offshore Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama available for lease. After extensive economic analysis…
Best May for U.S.-Flag Lakers in 7 Years
U.S.-flag Great Lakes freighters (lakers) moved 10.8 million tons of dry-bulk cargo in May, their highest total for that month since 2008. The surge is at least partially attributable to the fact that no ice delays were experienced this May. Comparisons with May 2014 illustrate how ice slowed shipping a year ago. Iron ore cargos were up more than 17 percent, but that increase somewhat reflects that in May 2014 three 1…
Bizzarro Named President of WRI
Effective June 1, 2015, Stasu C. Bizzarro has been appointed President of Weather Routing, Inc. (WRI, LTD), a leader in the world-wide maritime weather forecasting field for more than 50 years. Bizzarro is an AMS certified maritime meteorologist with close to 20 years experience in the maritime industry. Prior to his appointment to President, Mr. Bizzarro served as Vice-President at WRI for over a decade; supervising the cargo, cruise, and yacht divisions as well as product development.
Kvichak to Build 48 ft. Foil Research Cat
Kvichak Marine Industries, a Vigor Company, was recently awarded a contract to design and build a 48’ all-aluminum foil assisted research catamaran for the King County Environmental Laboratory. The vessel will operate in Puget Sound, the Straits of Juan de Fuca and adjoining inland waterways. The vessel will be conducting water sampling research along with marine buoy calibration, maintenance and retrieval, tours and shoreline surveys, dive and ROV operations.
RINA Launches Open-sea Crane Standards
RINA has launched new standards for cranes which will be used for transhipment of bulk cargoes at sea and has completely revised and rebased its rules for offshore cranes used in offshore construction, service and demolition. Under the new rules for lifting appliances, RINA has split the requirements for specific crane types (ship, offshore and transhipping) into free-standing sections to make the rules more user-friendly.
Maritime Piracy: Distinguishing Piracy vs. Robbery
It is important to distinguish between armed robbery and piracy when reporting incidents in South East Asia waters says the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) which has commissioned a study to determine the scale of threat posed to seafarers in the area. The findings reveal that in the first quarter of this year the vast majority of incidents in this region fall under the category of armed robbery…
Aliança Christens 2nd Cabotage Boxship
With the christening of the new container ship “Vicente Pinzón”, the Hamburg Süd subsidiary Alianҫa has momentarily completed the expansion and modernisation of its cabotage fleet.
G6 Alliance Enhances Asia-Europe Service
In response to market demand, members of the G6 Alliance today announced Asia–Europe service enhancements to improve product transit times and coverage. The Loop…
