Thailand Emerges as an International Maritime Training Center
Since mid 2015 when MCA first approved a Thailand based seafarer training facility, that destination has experienced growth as a popular focus for both advanced seafarers and also entry level crew to complete STCW 2010 and the new updating STCW courses.Anthony Gould, CEO and major investor in Galileo Maritime Academy, said at the recent launch of their Survival Craft and Fast Rescue Boats training facility in Phuket…
Lindsay Goldberg Mulls Selling Stake in Odfjell Terminals
Odfjell SE said it has been informed by Lindsay Goldberg that they are considering a sale of its 49% shareholding in Odfjell Terminals B.V.Lindsay Goldberg has been Odfjell's joint venture partner in Odfjell Terminals's U.S. and European terminals since 2011. In 2013, the partnership was expanded to include Odfjell Terminals's global terminal operations.Odfjell said it continues to consider Odfjell Terminals as core business and emphasized its long term commitment to owning…
Fundraising Cruise Raises $100,000 to Help Save SS United States
A fundraising cruise dedicated to saving America’s Flagship has raised $100,000 for the cause.Once America’s fastest and most glamorous ocean liner, the SS United States has spent years away from her former glory in an escalating state of disrepair, at dock in Philadelphia, out of commission and relying on donations to stay afloat and out of the scrapyard.This week a group dedicated to preserving the…
PDVSA Diverts Crude Tanker from Curacao
Venezuela's state-run PDVSA ordered a tanker carrying Russian oil that was waiting to discharge at its Curacao terminal to divert to Venezuelan waters after ConocoPhillips…
Keel Laid for Second Bibby Wavemaster
Construction on Bibby Marine Services’ second service operations vessel (SOV) is underway at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania less than a year after Bibby took delivery of sister ship Bibby Wavemaster 1.Bibby ordered the new SOV in early 2018 after lining up a charter for the vessel in December 2017. The new vessel, scheduled to be delivered in 2019, will go to work under contract for Siemens Gamesa…
Bibby Offshore Bags Spirit Energy Contract
Subsea services provider Bibby Offshore said it has secured a fixed term framework agreement with independent oil and gas operator Spirit Energy.Awarded in April, the two-year agreement, which follows on from a previous five-year agreement, will see Bibby Offshore carry out inspection repair and maintenance (IRM) works, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) inspection and subsea survey operations across a number of North Sea structures and pipelines.The project will utilize Bibby Offshore’s diverse fl
Maritime Cybersecurity: A New Approach is Needed
It is time to move toward a quantitative approach that provides deeper understanding of individual risk elements observed in marine operating systems.Increasing connectivity in complex maritime operating systems is escalating the potential impact of cyber-related incidents and complicating the task of defending against them. Traditional methods for assessing cyber risk provide inadequate guidance for applying limited security resources.Currently…
Op/Ed: The Mississippi River is Boiling!
U.S.-Flag dredgers answer the call in the Mississippi River Basin.Major flooding this winter in the Mississippi River Basin has created significant increased shoaling in the Southwest Pass Channel of the Mississippi River. Shoaling is generally described as the river containing elevated levels of sand and sediment resulting in high water levels and river swelling. The Southwest Pass, spanning the lower end of the Mississippi River (Baton Rouge…
Ingalls Begins Building US' Next Destroyer
With the first 100 tons of steel cut, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has officially started fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125).DDG 125, named to honor Capt. Jack H. Lucas, the youngest Marine and the youngest service member in World War II to receive the Medal of Honor, is the fifth of five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers…
Tug Smashes Wharf in New Orleans
The wharf at New Orleans’ Mardi Gras World was heavily damage as result of a tug allision on Monday.No injuries, pollution or effects to vessel traffic in the area have been reported.The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report at approximately 6:50 p.m. that the uninspected towing vessel Steve Richoux allided with the wharf. Local media reported the vessel was pushing four barges at the time of the allision.The U.S.
DNV GL to Class Royal Caribbean’s New ICON Ships
Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku and DNV GL have signed a contract for the classification of Royal Caribbean International’s two new ICON Class cruise ships scheduled for delivery in 2022 and 2024.The final concept for the first vessel is currently being discussed, and the concept design phase is expected to start this spring. The initial building phase of the first ship will begin next year, with keel…
China'a April Exports Stronger than Expected
China's exports rebounded more strongly than expected in April after a surprise drop the previous month, suggesting global demand remains relatively resilient and providing a cushion to the economy amid a heated trade dispute with the United States.Imports in April also grew more robustly than anticipated, signalling China's domestic demand is holding up well, good news for policymakers looking to soften the blow from any trade shocks.China's April exports rose 12.9 percent from a year earlier…
Could US Sanctions Hit Iranian Crude Exports?
Oil prices are at more than three-year highs, driven by an expectation that renewed U.S. sanctions on Tehran over the country's nuclear program will disrupt Iranian crude flows.But without the Europe Union, or Iran's other big crude customers, joining the effort, as the EU did in 2012, it will be harder for Washington to hit Iran where it really hurts.U.S.
Poland Cuts Dependence on Russian Oil but at a Cost
Poland's imports of Russian oil last year fell to their lowest level since 2005, a central bank report published on Tuesday showed, though Warsaw's bid to diversify its energy imports also meant paying higher prices.Russian oil accounted for 76 percent of all oil purchases, down from 96 percent in 2012, as state-run refiners PKN Orlen and Lotos increased their purchases of oil from sources other than…
Great Lakes/Seaway Iron Ore Trade Behind 2017
Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway totaled 5.5 million tons in April, a decrease of 6.3 percent compared to a year ago but nearly 15 percent ahead of the month’s five-year average, the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) reported.Shipments from U.S. Great Lakes ports in April were down 4.5 percent at 5.1 million tons, LCA said. The mine that shipped through Escanaba, Mich. has been permanently idled, meaning all the iron ore shipped to U.S.
Shell Awards Deepwater Installation Contract in GOM
In another sign that activity in the moribund offshore sector is starting to loosen, Jumbo said that it has won the installation contract for the Shell deep-water Vito development in the US Gulf of Mexico. The Vito development is located in the Mississippi Canyon, approximately 150 miles south of New Orleans in water depth of more than 4,000 feet. Jumbo’s installation contract involves the initial pre-lay of the mooring system as well as the subsequent tow and hook-up of the FPS.
Study Calls to Reduce Ship Speed for Arctic
In the Arctic, marine mammals such as belugas and bowhead whales rely on a quiet environment to communicate and forage. But as Arctic sea ice shrinks and shipping traffic increases…
DP World to Develop Egypt Port Terminal
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed by DP World, Egypt’s Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport and the Suez Canal Authority is aiming to develop…
Port of Amsterdam Introduces Bin2Barrel
In the port of Amsterdam the construction has started of a new facility that will convert non-recyclable plastic into fuel for the transport sector, which will cut down CO₂ emission by 57…
Navios Maritime Containers Acquires Three Containerships
Navios Maritime Containers, a growth vehicle dedicated to the container sector, announced that it agreed to acquire three containerships for a total purchase price of $117.25 million.
