'Valeport in Action' Contest Winners Announced
Bringing home the prize for Valeport’s first product in action competition were an image of a Weddell Seal in the Antarctica carrying a Valeport CTD sensor and a hands-on video showing the pilot deployment of a Valeport Midas directional wave recorder at the mouth of the U.K.’s Humber Estuary. U.K.-based Valeport, a designer and manufacturer instrumentation for the oceanographic, hydrographic and hydrometric communities…
Cruise Ships Prohibited from Calling Crimea Peninsula
A general prohibition has been introduced against services related to tourism activities in Crimea and Sevastopol, the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) noted in a press release. The prohibition, which applies only to cruise ships associated with an EU Member State, including ships flying the flag of an EU Member State, ships owned and operated by an EU shipowner and ships under the overall responsibility of an EU operator…
BOEM, Geologists Partner for OCS Information Sharing
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Association of American State Geologists (AASG) have signed an agreement to foster interaction, cooperation…
US, EU, China Maritime Reps Meet in Brussels
Maritime summit between European Union, U.S. Representatives from the maritime regulatory authorities of the European Union, the People’s Republic of China and the…
American Club: Solid Progress despite Challenging Market
The American Club reported solid progress during 2014 at the annual meeting of its members held in New York today. Despite a challenging economic climate, the club’s business had developed favorably, and 2015 had started on a positive note. Tonnage and revenue grew strongly at the outset of 2014, but faded slightly later in the year as freight markets struggled. However, premium pricing remained firm…
VT Halter Marine President Skinner Retires
VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VTHM), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), announced a change of senior leadership. After more than 46 years in the shipbuilding business, including nearly two decades at VT Halter Marine, President and CEO Bill Skinner has announced his retirement. Skinner previously served as President, CEO and Director of ADDSCO Industries (1985-1989), the parent company of Alabama Maritime Corporation…
Russian Arctic Offshore Drilling Postponed
Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday that Arctic offshore drilling planned for this year will be postponed until 2016 or later. "Drilling of…
Navios to Sell Two VLCCs
Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation, an owner and operator of tanker vessels, has announced that it has agreed to sell the C. Dream, a 2000-built VLCC of 298…
Panama Canal Expansion Could Shift US Container Traffic
Following the Panama Canal expansion in 2016, up to 10 percent of container traffic to the U.S. from East Asia could shift from West Coast ports to East Coast ports by 2020, according to new research conducted by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and C.H. Robinson. Rerouting that volume is equivalent to building a port roughly double the size of the ports in Savannah and Charleston. The research -- which involved extensive scenario analyses based on differing levels of demand…
Equipment Donation Solve Hospital Ship’s Heat Problem
When Mercy Ships decided to increase the airflow in the CAT scanner room on board its hospital ship, Africa Mercy, the international charity turned to Elta Fans’ Applied Technology division for help. The Africa Mercy operates in hot and humid climates in Africa making it challenging to keep the medical spaces cool, this is particularly difficult in the CAT scanner room. Adding to this problem, in 2013 Mercy Ships installed a new CT scanner which produces a lot more heat than the older model.
GNS Expands its Voyager Suite
Maritime services group Global Navigation Solutions (GNS) will unveil its new Voyager suite of products that for the first time connects ship and shore through one e-navigation solution.
Megayacht Launched from Cargo Ship in Turkey
Cargo ship HHL Valparaiso’s two 700 ton cranes have lifted a new luxury yacht built by Sunrise Yachts from the dock to the sea for its world premiere in Antalya, Turkey. HANSA HEAVY LIFT has used two of its on-board cranes, which have a combined lifting capacity of up to 1,400 metric tons to maneuver the 900 metric ton and 63.1 meter long megayacht M/Y Irimari into the sea. “This was a very sensitive heavy lift operation that required special engineering expertise at each stage…
Kongsberg Releases GeoSwath Plus Survey Software
Released to selected trial customers earlier this year, the next generation software for Kongsberg Maritime’s GeoSwath Plus shallow water multibeam echo sounder has already been put through its paces on the river Douro in Northern Portugal by one of the country’s survey companies, Lagoa do Ruivo Survey (LRS). The new GS4 all-in-one survey package is a completely reworked version of the GS+ software, providing higher performance and a contemporary look and feel.
Drydocks World Highlights Capabilities at Nor-Shipping
Drydocks World, provider of maritime and offshore services to the shipping, oil, gas and energy sectors, showcased its global services, projects and infrastructure to an international audience at the 50th Nor-Shipping Exhibition in Oslo from June 2-5, 2015. Drydocks World highlighted the UAE’s maritime position, disseminating information on the company’s capabilities and exploring future prospects in the Scandinavian market.
ZF Appoints Pleasure Craft Product Manager
Federico Decio has assumed the role of product line manager for the pleasure craft business of ZF Marine Propulsion Systems, effective June 1, 2015. He is based out of ZF Marine’s headquarters in Padova, Italy. Decio joined ZF in 2014 as operations manager for the ZF Padova srl plants in Padova and Arco. With a Bachelor’s degree in engineering management, Decio began his career as a consultant, gaining experience in project management and business processes.
SafeTOW Guards Anchor Handling and Towing Safety
A recent accident near Busan, South Korea resulted in the sinking of a tugboat after one of the towing cables snapped and recoiled, striking one side of the tug boat. The crew members were found unconscious and were later pronounced dead in a nearby hospital. An investigation will start to find the exact cause of the accident. Noting the importance of safety in maritime transports, and building from its experience in transport engineering as well as maritime operations…
CTruk Delivers First Colchester-built Workboat
CTruk Boats formally handed over the first new craft built at its River Colne production facility in Colchester when the latest MPC22 offshore wind farm service vessel (WFSV) was officially named by owner CWind at the Seawork show in Southampton. Utilizing the CTruk flexible pod system that allows the vessel’s payload to be reconfigured in a matter of hours, the MPC22 is based on a proven workboat design.
Call for Increased VDR Testing Awareness
The London P&I Club has called for greater familiarization by ships’ officers and crews with the testing requirements relating to Voyage Data Recorders after two recent claims incidents investigated by the club’s loss prevention team revealed VDR malfunctions. In both claims, when the VDR data had been retrieved and analyzed, it was apparent that certain required sensors were not feeding data to the VDR unit at the material time.
Harkand Secures Decommissioning Work in UKCS
Global inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) company Harkand, has commenced decommissioning work in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf supporting Maersk Oil UK’s work in the Leadon field. Earlier this year, the IRM firm secured a multi-million pound 12-month frame agreement with Maersk Oil in the region for the provision of its two dive support vessels (DSVs), the Harkand Da Vinci and Harkand Atlantis as well as supporting onshore and offshore personnel.
Malaysian Navy Negotiating with Tanker Hijackers
Orkim Harmony located with crew, cargo safe; Malaysian navy negotiating with pirates onboard. A Malaysian naval vessel has made contact with the pirates onboard…
