Tokyo MOU: Concentrated Inspection Campaign On Safety Of Navigation
The concentrated inspection campaign (CIC) on safety of navigation was carried out in the Tokyo MoU region from 1 September 2017 to 30 November 2017. Within the campaign…
Spill Preparedness and Response – A Collaborative Effort
International Maritime Organization (IMO) has joined leading oil spill experts and stakeholders to discuss future issues concerning oil spill preparedness, response…
UKHO releases new edition of ADMIRALTY Ocean Passages
The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has published a new edition of ADMIRALTY Ocean Passages for the World (NP136). First published in 1895, this publication is designed…
US Navy Submarines Surface in the Arctic Circle
A pair of U.S. Navy submarines recently surfaced in the Arctic Circle as part of multinational maritime exercise north of Alaska. Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine…
Warmth Brightens up La Spezia Container Terminal
Despite the grey clouds and rain that fell over the weekend in La Spezia, the YM Warmth making only her second call brought a splash of colour to the terminal when…
BP Expects 90% Compliance for Marine SOx Emissions Caps
Oil major BP Plc expects more than 90 percent of the world's shipping fleet will comply with new regulations slashing sulfur levels ships are allowed to burn starting 2020, a company executive said on Tuesday. Coming International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules will cut the amount of sulfur emissions that ships worldwide are allowed from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent by 2020. "Potential non-compliance is a significant issue that the market has been contending with…
#BTC100 History
At the end of the 1980s, the Bouchard fleet includes 19 barges, and 11 twin screw tugboats. The barges can now carry anywhere from 18,000 to 125,000 barrels, while the tugboats run at anywhere from 4,200 horsepower to 6,000 horsepower. Also, during this rapid growth period, Bouchard extends its route to include the entire eastern seaboard, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. The July 2018 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News will feature a special “Bouchard Transportation Co.
UK’s Third River Class Offshore Patrol Vessel Named
The third of five new River class offshore patrol vessels being built for the U.K. Royal Navy, HMS Trent, was officially named during a ceremony at the BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow on Tuesday. “This is another landmark moment for the River class offshore patrol vessel program and an important day that honors the traditions of the Royal Navy,” said Iain Stevenson, Managing Director of BAE Systems Naval Ships.
Cruise Ship Lengthening Underway at Fincantieri
Work to lengthen the Silversea Group’s ultra-luxury cruise ship Silver Spirit is underway at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy. The 36,000 gt, 195 m Silver Spirit, delivered in 2009 by Fincantieri in Ancona, was able to accommodate over 540 passengers in 270 sea view suites, spread over eight passenger decks. As part of the lengthening and refurbishment project, a 15-meter section is being inserted in the central part of the ship…
Australia to Stress International Law in South China Sea Dispute
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will on Tuesday hail the role of international law in settling regional conflicts, comments apparently aimed at bolstering Australian efforts to build a coalition against Chinese assertiveness. Bishop, in a speech ahead of a special meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Sydney, will not name China but will argue that international law will stabilise a region strained by rival claims in the South China Sea.
India's Oil Imports from Venezuela Hit Lowest in over 5 Years
Indian imports of oil from Venezuela have fallen to their lowest levels in over half a decade, shipping and industry data showed, as a severe economic and political crisis hits crude output in the South American OPEC member. India's oil imports from Venezuela averaged around 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) between November, 2017 and February, 2018, a drop of about 20 percent from the same period a year earlier and the lowest such level since 2012…
Somalia Bans DP World, Says Contract with Somaliland Null
Somalia has banned Dubai ports operator DP World from operating in Somalia, saying that a contract that the company signed last year with the breakaway Somaliland region to develop an economic zone is null and void. It is unclear how Somalia's federal government could enforce the ban given Somaliland's semi-autonomous status. But parliament's unanimous passing of the resolution banning DP World from…
Methanol Plant at Libyan Port Shut after Accidental Blast
A methanol plant in the Libyan oil port of Brega has stopped operations after an accidental explosion caused by a gas leak, an official said on Tuesday. The plant…
Lower Rates for Larger Vessels Drag Baltic Index Down
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, fell on Tuesday on lower rates for capesize and panamax vessels. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, was down 13 points, or 1.09 percent, at 1,179 points. The capesize index fell 63 points, or 4.42 percent, to 1,362 points, the lowest level since Aug. 1, 2017.
Man Overboard: Bulker Crewman Missing off Virginia
The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are searching for a missing crewman who fell overboard from an anchored bulk carrier near Cape Charles, Va., Tuesday. The…
Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz Enters Drydock
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) entered dry dock at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton site, March 1, as part of the ship's scheduled 15-month docking planned incremental availability (DPIA) period following a six month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleets. Nimitz will receive upgrades and renovations to a variety of systems to include steering components…
ABS Head Wiernicki Outlines Maritime’s New Normal
Addressing industry leaders at the opening session of the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) Shipping 2018 conference, ABS Chairman, President and CEO, Christopher J. Wiernicki, detailed how global megatrends and shipping industry challenges, including digitization and connectivity, cyber security, efficiency improvements and optimization gains in operational performance, and emissions reduction are redefining the current world in which we work.
BWMS with Automatic Filter Receives USCG Certificate
Technology enterprise Boll & Kirch said one of its product innovations, the Bollfilter Automatic Type 6.18.3, recently helped SunRui Marine Environment Engineering, based in Qingdao, China, qualify for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) certificate. Since the beginning of 2016, ballast water management systems (BWMS) of ships discharging ballast water at American ports have had to comply with special USCG regulations.
Migrant Influx Puts Greek Port on Edge
The migrants bolted across a street and clambered over a fence into the Greek port at Patras, scouting around for trucks to stow away in. Dozens at a time scaled a 2-km stretch of fence one afternoon last week, playing cat-and-mouse with police officers who pushed them back only for the men to try again hours later. They are part of a growing number of migrants in Greece trying daily to smuggle themselves onto ferries at Patras to get to Italy.
US Steel Import Curbs Seen Scuttling India's Rising Exports
India's ambition to become a major steel exporter could be disrupted by U.S. import curbs, Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh said, underscoring the need for free trade. "Our exports have increased substantially, about 40 percent growth during January to December (2017)," Singh told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. "What I foresee is that our exports are going to grow. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump set import tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium…
