Greece to Quarantine all Arrivals from Abroad
Greece announced on Monday it will shut all shops apart from supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, petrol stations and food delivery services, and put anyone arriving from abroad into quarantine for two weeks, to fight the coronavirus.Greece had already cancelled mass gatherings and closed bars, restaurants, playgrounds and gyms. So far the country has reported 331 confirmed cases of infections and four fatalities.
Business Picks up Pace in China, Global Recovery Pace Uncertain
China's business and travel activities are steadily recovering after being disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, but rapidly rising infections globally will pose a challenge to the country's broader economic resumption.Nomura estimated in a research report on Monday about 61.6% of the firms hardest hit by the health crisis in China have resumed work as of March 8, and 74.1% in the broader economy.China…
Forth Ports Orders Harbor Tug
Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Forth Ports Limited for an ASD Tug 2312. The new vessel will operate as part of the Forth Estuary Towage operation, conducting towage work at various Forth Ports locations as well as providing towage services to other external customers in Scotland.Forth Ports has a range of existing operations in the Forth and Tay Estuaries that will benefit from the acquisition of this new vessel…
Autonomous Ships or Better Decision Making?
Looking back through articles on autonomous shipping, one could be forgiven for thinking that it’s becoming the nuclear fusion of maritime; always seemingly five or 10 years away but never quite arriving. In 2018, numerous commentators predicted that by 2030, autonomous vessels would be commonplace. With the lifecycle of most ships making this very difficult, barring a massive program of scrappage and new building, this is now looking less likely.
TechnipFMC Shelves Spin-off Due to Market Turmoil
Franco-American oil services firm TechnipFMC Plc is putting on hold plans to split itself into two due to turbulence in financial markets linked to the coronavirus outbreak, it said on Sunday.The group, created three years ago via the merger of Technip and FMC, had been planning to separate its engineering and construction activities from its upstream oil services business in the first half of this year."Market conditions have changed materially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sharp decline in
US Navy Sailor Tests Positive for Coronavirus
A U.S. sailor aboard a warship ship tested positive for the coronavirus for the first time, the U.S. Navy said on Sunday, as it disclosed the case of a person assigned to an amphibious assault ship at port in San Diego.The Navy said the sailor was quarantined at home and that personnel who had been in close contact with the sailor have been notified and are in self-isolation at their homes."None of them is aboard the ship currently. U.S.
Port Canaveral Maintains Normal Operations
The world’s second busiest cruise port is maintaining normal operations as it continues to monitor the COVID-19 developing situation, the Canaveral Port Authority announced.The port said it will be profoundly impacted by Friday's decision by major cruise lines to voluntarily suspend operations from all U.S. ports for at leas 30 days, and that it is working with cruise line partners to coordinate efforts and help meet their operational and berthing needs.
Mississippi River Closed After Bridge Allision
The U.S. Coast Guard has closed the Mississippi River near Luling, La., between mile markers 115 and 122, after a towing vessel allided with the Hale Memorial Boggs Bridge…
Fed Funds Could Aid Battered Cruise Lines
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday officials will have a better idea this week of the total cost of a coronavirus aid package, but predicted it will likely be "significant but not huge."Mnuchin told "Fox News Sunday" he also planned to talk to lawmakers about critical aid to airlines, as well as the hotel and cruise ship industries."It's hard to model some of these things because you don't know how many workers are going to be home.
Trump Says Cruise Lines Suspend Departures for 30 Days
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that major cruise lines would suspend cruises for 30 days, following a series of industry announcements that came after repeated transmission of coronavirus among passengers at sea.“At my request, effective midnight tonight, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC have all agreed to suspend outbound cruises for thirty days,” Trump said on Twitter.“It…
Shipbuilder Fincantieri Suspends Operations for Two Weeks
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced it has suspended production activities at its in-country sites from March 16 to March 29 due to the coronavirus pandemic.Fincantieri's full statement is below: Following the Coronavirus emergency and in order to apply the measures that the Italian Government has gradually determined, Fincantieri has promptly carried out a series of actions aimed at preventing and countering the chance of infections in its shipyards.In line with this…
Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2020 Postponed
Offshore Technology Conference 2020, one of the world's largest conferences and exhibitions dedicated to the offshore energy industry, will be postponed this year due to the coronavirus outbreak.The OTC 2020 organizers said on Friday that the conference, originally scheduled for May 4-7, 2020, would be delayed.“The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) recognizes the unprecedented global challenge associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
A Raft of Cruise Lines Have Suspended Operations
Several major cruise operators have voluntarily suspended operations in response to the developing coronavirus pandemic. For most, the reason given has been "an abundance of caution".On Wednesday, Viking became the first major cruise line to temporarily suspend operations, canceling all river and ocean cruises scheduled to embark between March 12 to April 30. It said it expected to resume sailings on May 1.Princess Cruises…
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank Joins the 'Poseidon Principles'
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank (SMTB) joined the Poseidon Principles. The Principles were developed by international shipping banks, in collaboration with leading maritime industry players, to promote greener global shipping. They establish a common, global baseline to quantitatively assess and disclose whether financial institutions’ ship lending portfolios are in line with decarbonization targets.With SMTB’s commitment…
Marine Tech: Marine Evacuation Systems from Survitec
As the cruise industry continues to prosper, so too does Survitec, a specialist in marine evacuation systems (MES). Survitec has a history of more than 160 years, with 2020 marking the centenary since RFD, now part of Survitec, was founded.The story of RFD’s technology dates back to 1920 with the introduction of an aircraft flotation product, essentially an inflatable ring, to prevent planes sinking when ditched.
FMC Commissioner Sees Some Normalcy Returning to Shipping
A U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner said he sees some normalcy returning to trans-Pacific shipping amid widespread upheaval brought on by the coronavirus outbreak.Many Chinese manufacturing and logistics services have been severely hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, in some cases forcing ocean carriers to cancel services to and from China and the U.S.The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it has…
SAAM Towage Azimuth Tug Pair Ready to Work
The azimuth tugs SAAM Huasteca and SAAM Valparaíso, both owned by SAAM Towage, reached the ports of Veracruz and Colón, respectively, and will soon complete the process of registering and being licensed to operate.SAAM Huasteca is designed to perform escort functions, as required for large container ships to best enter the recently inaugurated northern area at the port of Veracruz, Mexico. It was built in Vietnam at the DAMEN SONGCAM shipyard…
Maryland Pilots Order Launch from Gladding-Hearn
Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation announced Friday it has secured an order to build a fourth Chesapeake Class launch for the Association of Maryland Pilots, scheduled for delivery in December 2020.Since the Chesapeake Class pilot boat was introduced by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in 2003, 21 have been delivered to 11 pilot associations throughout the U.S.With a deep-V hull designed by Ray Hunt Design…
China's Port Jam Eases, But Reefer Rates Soar
Severe congestion at Chinese ports is easing, say officials and industry participants, although a logjam of refrigerated containers has disrupted supplies of fresh and frozen food and pushed up freight rates outside China.Thousands of refrigerated containers carrying meat, seafood and fruit from around the world to China have been stuck for weeks at the country's ports after Beijing extended its Lunar…
Baltic Index Down on Lower Panamax Rates
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index edged down on Friday, as lower rates for panamax vessels more than offset a rise in the capesize and supramax segments.The Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels that ferry dry bulk commodities, fell 2 points, or 0.3%, to 631.However, the index gained 2.3% this week, marking its fifth straight weekly gain.The capesize index rose 44 points to -311.Average daily earnings for capesizes…
