Celebrity Edge Floats Out at STX France
Celebrity Cruises’ newest cruise liner, Celebrity Edge, was floated out of dry dock for the first time at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The ship is the brand’s first in a new class in more than 10 years. It will now undergo final outfitting before scheduled delivery in October 2018. Celebrity Edge will be homeported in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., making her first sailing November 21, 2018.
Rising Tide of Innovation at Davos to Keep Plastic out of the Sea
Technology that could avoid the equivalent of 100 garbage bags of plastic waste being created per second received a funding boost at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. The five winners of the "Circular Materials Challenge", which focuses on the 30 percent of plastic packaging that is too small or complex to be recycled and often ends up in the ocean, will share the $1 million prize to develop their solutions…
MarTID Message from WMU President Dr. Doumbia-Henry
January 31, 2018, the deadline for the first global survey for the Maritime Training Insights Database (MarTID), is quickly approaching. The mission of MarTID is to help ensure safe, efficient and sustainable maritime operations on clean oceans. It will do so by providing the maritime industry with objective and comprehensive data on how it manages and conducts training for shipboard competencies and the effects of drivers, such as technology, on this training.
Grain ships loading at Portland, Oregon -USDA
The Portland Merchant's Exchange reported a total of 16 grain ships at Portland, Oregon. Six ships were loading and 10 were waiting to load. (Reporting by Michael Hirtzer)
Cargo Vessel Runs Aground off St. Thomas
A 223-foot cargo vessel has run aground near Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders in San Juan where contacted at approximately 5 a.m. Tuesday by St. Thomas Harbor pilots who reported that the Togo-flagged cargo vessel Ocean Spirit I had run aground just off of the entrance of the harbor’s East Gregory Channel. There are no reported signs of distress or oil leaking from the vessel…
Danish Submarine-owner Charged with Abusing Journalist before Killing Her
Danish inventor Peter Madsen tied up and abused Swedish journalist Kim Wall before murdering her on board his home-built submarine, according to the indictment published on Tuesday. Madsen planned the murder by bringing items, including a saw and screwdrivers, which were used to hit, cut and stab Wall while she was alive, the prosecutors said. Wall, a 30-year-old freelance journalist who was researching a story on the entrepreneur and aerospace engineer…
Search Resumes for Malaysian Flight MH370
A U.S.-based company has begun searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, Malaysia said on Tuesday, as it tries to solve one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries. Flight MH370 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014 with 239 people, mostly Chinese, on board. Investigators believe someone may have deliberately switched off MH370's transponder before diverting it over the Indian Ocean.
Autonomous Vessels: Modern Ferries Evolve
Automated now; autonomous looms large in the center porthole. The word ‘autonomous’ is probably the maritime industry’s most frequently used term in the past year. The word, however, has a far different meaning than the similarly sounding “automated” – which means that certain processes are handled by machines, rather than by humans. Throughout 2017, industry thought leaders have been mulling over…
Assessing Skills in the Maritime Industry
Never easy, but always a critically important task. It is critically important that we assess the ability of our mariners to perform the skills required to safely and efficiently do their jobs. It happens to also be very difficult to do so objectively and at the level of detail necessary to ensure safe operations and continuous improvement. This is especially true in dynamic, team-based scenarios such as drills and complicated safety-critical activities.
State of the US Passenger Vessel Industry
PVA president Jeff Whitaker in December weighed in on his year as head of the nation’s passenger vessel advocacy group, where we are headed next, and what it will take to get there. The U.S. passenger vessel industry is looking forward to continued growth in the coming months. The past year was witness to solid economic conditions in the U.S., which added fuel to an already strong travel and tourism market, underpinning much of the U.S. passenger vessel industry.
New UK Sub Completes its First Dive
The U.K. Royal Navy’s fourth Astute class submarine, Audacious, has completed its first ever dive, marking a milestone on the path toward full sea trials later in 2018. The trim and basin dive took place over two days in early January in Devonshire Dock, at builder BAE Systems's site in Barrow-in-Furness. The operation, which saw Audacious submerge fully underwater for the first time, allowed a team from Royal Navy…
D-Day Ship Turned Ferry Repowered
As part of the June 6, 1944 Normandy landings, the USS LST-510 (landing ship for tanks) delivered 200 GIs, and 70 tanks and jeeps to Omaha Beach. She then anchored offshore to serve as an impromptu hospital ship for the over 150,000 Allied wounded. For three months following the invasion, she ferried injured soldiers back to England and supplies back to the front, evading German U-boats and dive bombers. She was awarded a Battle Star for her meritorious participation.
Baltic Index Rises on Firmer Rates for Larger Vessels
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index marked its strongest daily percentage gain in nearly three weeks on Tuesday as the capesize segment rebounded from its two weeks of declines, and the panamax rates climbed further. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels that ferry dry bulk commodities, climbed 28 points, or 2.48 percent, to 1,157 points.
C-Job Designs Amsterdam's New Ferries
C-Job Naval Architects said it has delivered the concept design of a series of five sustainable car and passenger ferries to the City of Amsterdam. The vessels will operate 100 percent on electricity, thus providing an emission-free urban transport solution. The fully electric ferries are designed to recharge their batteries during the unloading and loading of passengers and vehicles. In order to maintain efficiency of service and a quick turnaround…
NAVTOR Hires Holme as Chief Technology Officer
E-navigation specialist NAVTOR said it has appointed Anders Holme for the role of Chief Technology Officer. Holme will manage teams that work across offices in Egersund, Norway, Singapore, Japan, Sweden, Russia, the U.S. and U.K. NAVTOR’s main software development takes place at the company’s head office in Egersund and its dedicated base in St Petersburg. “There is a growing appreciation within shipping that new technology can unlock real operational advantages and business opportunities…
Update: Alaska, Canada Tsunami Alerts Lifted
Alaska and parts of western Canada braced for a possible tsunami on Tuesday after a magnitude-7.9 earthquake struck the Gulf of Alaska, sparking evacuations in coastal Alaska and a tsunami warning for California that was later lifted. In Alaska, people packed into high schools and other evacuation centers after the quake hit shortly after midnight local time (0900 GMT). Officials had warned residents as far south as San Francisco to be ready to evacuate coastal areas but by 5:15 a.m.
Inmarsat Adapts Fleet Xpress for OSVs
Inmarsat said it has launched a new set of Fleet Xpress plans designed specifically to meet the technical and commercial requirements of offshore support vessels (OSVs). According to Inmarsat , the new plan exploits high-speed connections and guaranteed performance to offer vessel operators levels of flexibility that are naturally suited to the demanding requirements of a high-end sector such as offshore support.
Wisdom Marine to Acquire 2 Bulkers
Wisdom Marine Lines Co Ltd says its board agrees to buy two bulk carriers from Imabari Shipbuilding for up to $49 million. Reuters / Beijing Headline News
Gail India Seeks to Shed 24 U.S. LNG Cargoes
Gail India launches tender to sell 24 liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes from the Cove Point export facility in the United States in 2019-2020, according to trade sources.
Magnitude 7.9 Quake off Alaska Prompts Tsunami Warning
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit the Gulf of Alaska in the early hours of Tuesday, prompting warnings of a possible tsunami down the Canadian and U.S. west coast and as far away as Hawaii.
