New Tug Delivered to Rimorchiatori Riuniti
Genoa, Italy based Rimorchiatori Riuniti Group took delivery in February of a modified version of Robert Allan Ltd.'s TRAktor 2500-SX standard design from Turkih builder Sanmar Shipyards.The addition of Italia, a modern Z-drive tractor to their fleet could potentially signal a renewed interest in Z-drive tractor tugs for the group.Robert Allan Ltd. and Sanmar Shipyards worked with Rimorchiatori Riuniti to modify the design to suit the owner's requirements.
Coronavirus Disrupts Supply of Ships and Demand -BIMCO
The coronavirus outbreak has affected all aspects of the shipping industry, lowering, if not wiping out, demand growth prospects for the year across all segments. The outbreak has also affected fleet development, says shipping association BIMCO.Contracting activity has fallen, demolition activity, which had been high, is now being limited by restrictions around the world and deliveries of new vessels…
Tanker Rates Fall Ahead of OPEC+ Meeting
Supertanker freight rates have fallen after last week's highs as industry participants await the outcome of a meeting of oil producers on Thursday before making further bookings, industry sources said.Freight rates could drop further if the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other producers decide to cut output sharply, reducing transport and storage demand for oil, they said.
Italy Closes Ports to Migrant Ships Due to Coronavirus
Italian ports cannot be considered safe because of the coronavirus epidemic and will not let migrant boats operated by charities dock, the government has ruled.The decision was taken late on Tuesday after a ship operated by the German non-governmental group Sea-Eye picked up some 150 people off Libya and headed towards Italy."For the entire duration of the national health emergency caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus…
ABB Boosts Remote Support for Ships Amid COVID-19
Responding to global COVID-19 travel restrictions, many firms are offering increased remote assistance to vessels where on-site visits are not an option.Technology company ABB said Wednesday it has increased the remote availability of technical service teams to help crews from shore at the time when many countries close borders and impose travel restrictions to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.With a network of 800 service engineers in 40 locations worldwide…
ABS Publishes Marine Autonomy Guidance
Classification society ABS published guidance on the journey to autonomy, including a goal-based framework for autonomous requirements. The ABS Advisory on Autonomous Functionality addresses the application of autonomous functions in the maritime and offshore industries, the infrastructure enabling these functions and key regulatory developments.“Autonomous technology is gradually reshaping the maritime industry…
COVID-19: Your LMS Can Help You Now More Than Ever
It is clear that we are living in unprecedented times. Equally clear is that we will get through this pandemic, but that it is going to take some strength, stamina and especially some innovation to come through as unscathed as possible. It is the innovation part that I wish to address here with some tips that go beyond training; tips I am observing our customers innovate and implement. Tips that help us solve some of the problems created by the impacts of this pandemic.
Allseas' Pioneering Spirit Vessel to Remove Valhall Platforms
Offshore installation and decommissioning firm Allseas has won a contract to remove three complete offshore platforms and two jackets in Norway for Aker BP.The company said on Wednesday that Aker BP had awarded it a deal for the removal and disposal of multiple topsides and jackets from the Valhall area in the Norwegian North Sea. Allseas will use its flagship Pioneering Spirit heavy lift vessel for the job.Work comprises removal and disposal of the Drilling Platform (DP) 5…
Pentagon Chief Accepts Acting Navy Secretary's Resignation
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday that he had accepted Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly’s resignation.“This morning I accepted Secretary Modly’s resignation.
Patients on US Hospital Ships Test Positive for COVID-19
Some patients being treated for trauma aboard U.S. military hospital ships in New York and Los Angeles have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Pentagon said on Monday.“Have we had patients who ultimately were determined to have coronavirus on the hospital ships? Yes,” Brigadier General Paul Friedrichs, the joint staff surgeon, told a news conference.During the same news conference, Pentagon spokesman…
McAllister Takes Delivery of New Tug Eileen McAllister
McAllister Towing announced Tuesday it has taken delivery of a newly built 6,770-horsepower shipdocking tug, Eileen McAllister, slated to enter service in Port Everglades, Fla.The 34th tractor tug in McAllister’s fleet, Eileen McAllister was built by Washburn & Doughty in Maine and set sail for its new home port following delivery on Monday.The 93- by 38-foot newbuild is powered by 3516E Tier IV Caterpillar engines with twin Schottel SRP 490 Z-drive units and Markey winches…
NAVSEA's Sarkis Tatigian Passes Away
Sarkis Tatigian, who began his Navy career at the age of 19 during the Second World War, passed away earlier this week, leaving behind a nearly 78-year legacy of service to the Department of Defense.At the time of his death, Tatigian, the longest serving civil servant in the history of the DoD, was serving as Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) Small Business Advocate.“Mr. Tatigian truly lived a life dedicated to advocacy and the service of others…
USCG Interdicts Lancha Crews Illegally Fishing US Waters
Multiple Coast Guard law enforcement crews detected and interdicted three Mexican lancha boat crews engaged in illegal fishing in federal waters off the coast of southern Texas Monday.Coast Guard crews consisting of air support, a small boat crew, and a cutter stopped three lanchas approximately 50 miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line where a total of thirteen lanchamen were engaged in illegal fishing.
Reeling in the Benefits of Upgraded Boat Controls
A fisherman from a popular reality television series recently outfitted his vessel with a new electronic control system—giving him the edge in a high-stakes fishing competition.The waters of the North Atlantic Ocean can be treacherous—especially for fishermen pursuing the elusive bluefin tuna. This pursuit is the subject of the popular reality television series, “Wicked Tuna,” which chronicles the competition between commercial bluefin tuna fishermen in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Duluth Seaway Port Authority Officers Elected
During its annual meeting held March 25, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners elected officers for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2020.The…
BP Issues Force Majeure Notice for Golar FLNG Unit
Golar LNG Ltd said on Tuesday that it received a force majeure notice from a BP Plc unit seeking to delay taking delivery of a floating liquefied natural gas facility by a year.The notice is the latest force majeure claim issued in the LNG sector that is struggling with a seasonal plunge in demand as well as the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, which has further hammered the consumption of the super…
Trump Says May Jump Into Navy Furor After Captain Ridiculed in Speech
U.S. President Donald Trump said he may get involved in a deepening crisis in the Navy after its top civilian on Monday ridiculed a revered former commander whose letter pleading for help for his coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier was leaked to the public.In a surprise speech to crew members of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt that was meant to be a private address, Acting Navy Secretary…
Shipping Industry Urges Free Movement of Crews to Keep Trade Moving
Ships must be allowed to change over overworked and exhausted crews to help to keep trade flowing as coronavirus lockdowns shut many transit points across the globe, shipping industry officials said on Tuesday.About 90% of world trade is transported by sea but a deepening lockdown in many countries and suspended air travel have disrupted supply chains, especially for ship owners who rely on the free movement of crews to keep ships moving.The International Chamber of Shipping association (ICS)…
VTT Studying Bio- and Waste-based Oils for Ships
Researchers looking for an ecologically and economically sustainable way to replace fossil fuels are exploring how suitable fuel oils made from biomass and waste plastics are for power plants and ship diesel engines.Internal-combustion engine power plants use natural gas or heavy fuel oil in diesel engines. In order for large diesel engines to be environmentally sustainable both on land and at sea, it is necessary to find bio- and waste-based alternatives to fossil fuels.
As Oil Crisis Deepens, Hedge Funds Sense a Turnaround
Hedge fund managers sensed oil prices were nearing a turning point last week, and for the first time in more than two months started to add long positions in anticipation prices would bounce from an unsustainable low.Overall, hedge funds and other money managers were still net sellers of 19 million barrels of petroleum in the six most important futures and options contracts in the week ending on March…
