BV Opens Remote Survey Center in Singapore
Bureau Veritas (BV) has opened a new remote survey center in Singapore, with more new locations to follow, as the testing, inspection and certification (TIC) services provider continues its digital transformation and push to prove remote class services amid travel restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. The newest site joins existing BV remote survey centers in Rotterdam, Piraeus, Istanbul…
Gibdock Repairs Shearwater Duo
Mediterranean shiprepair facility Gibdock reports it completed a two-vessel drydocking and maintenance and repair project for Shearwater GeoServices.The Gibraltar-based repair and conversion specialist worked on the seismic research vessels Oceanic Sirius, drydocked for 14 days in Dock 1, and SW Empress, which remained in Dock 2 for 26 days before being moved to South Mole for testing and sea trials.Built in 2011 and sailing under the Norwegian flag…
American P&I Club, ABS Consulting Partner on Cyber Awareness
Collaboration between risk management and insurance sectors will focus on education, training and guidance to reduce maritime cyber riskABSG Consulting Inc. (ABS Consulting), a subsidiary of ABS focused on safety and risk management, and American Steamship Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association, Inc. (the American Club) have joined forces to provide education, training and insurance guidance…
Desperate Times for Sailors Stranded by Pandemic
Jens Boysen disembarked one of the world’s largest container ships on Thursday after 167 days at sea when he has acted not only as captain but also as doctor, dentist, mental coach and entertainment director for his stressed-out crew.Almost 200,000 seafarers like Boysen are stuck onboard merchant ships, some for more than a year, because coronavirus travel restrictions make it almost impossible to rotate crews…
Royal Caribbean Takes Full Ownership of Silversea Cruises
Royal Caribbean Group has acquired the remaining shares of Silversea Cruises, a specialist in the ultra-luxury and expedition cruising, after previously buying a two-thirds share of the cruise line in July 2018.The remaining one-third stake held by Heritage Cruise Holding Ltd. was paid for in the form of 5.2 million shares of Royal Caribbean Group common stock, which represents about 2.5% of the total common stock."Silversea has been a great fit for our company from the very first day…
Libya's NOC Lifts Force Majeure on Exports. First Tanker Loaded at Es Sider
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) lifted force majeure on all oil exports on Friday as a first tanker loaded at Es Sider after a half-year blockade by eastern forces…
GTT to Design Tanks for COSCO LNG Tanker Trio
French GTT has received an order from the Chinese shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding for the tank design for three new LNG carriers. The carriers will be delivered to the Chinese ship-owner COSCO Shipping. Each vessel will offer a capacity of 174,000 m3. GTT will design the tanks of the vessels, which will be fitted with the NO96 L03+ membrane containment system, a technology developed by GTT. Philippe Berterottière…
Ocean Tankers' Supervisor to Start Restructuring Talks with Owners
EY, the court-appointed supervisor for Ocean Tankers Pte Ltd (OTPL), has proposed two restructuring options to the shipping company's owners and could meet with…
Keel Laid for Ports of Auckland's New E-Tug
In Vietnam, Damen Song Cam Shipyard, together with joint venture partner Song Cam Shipyard hosted a keel-laying ceremony Tuesday for the electric RSD-E Tug 2513 that Damen is building for the Ports of Auckland, New Zealand.A fully electric version of Damen’s standard RSD Tug 2513, the new RSD-E Tug 2513 is the world’s first fully electric tug with 70 metric tons bollard pull. It will contribute toward meeting Ports of Auckland’s goal of being a zero emissions operation by 2040.
In the Dock with Selective Electroplating
Surface plating is widely used to repair or salvage critical components in the marine industry. As many components need disassembly, the repair process is typically carried out when the ship is in dry dock. Due to the nature of the plating process, this work is usually performed by plating or machine shops off-site. In a quest to add value through reduced downtime and labor costs, many shipyards are looking to bring this service in-house.
Wave of N. American Oil and Gas Bankruptcies to Continue at $40 Oil
A wave of oil and gas bankruptcies in North America is likely to continue this year as oil prices remain depressed and a new surge of COVID-19 cases threaten to stall any recovery in fuel demand, law firm Haynes and Boone said in a report released this week.Bankruptcies surged in the second quarter, including from major shale independents Chesapeake Energy and Whiting Petroleum, as oil prices collapsed due to the pandemic and a brief…
Governments Pledge Crew Change Action
A dozen countries have have committed to facilitate crew changes and achieve key worker designation for seafarers, following a virtual ministerial summit hosted by the U.K. government on Thursday, marking progress to help resolve a growing crisis facing the maritime industry, and enable hundreds of thousands of stranded seafarers to go home or join ships.“The inability of ship operators worldwide to…
Wabtec to Supply Engines for Marad's NSMV Fleet
Wabtec Corporation said it has been awarded a contract worth more than $10 million to supply engines for the first two of the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs) being built at Philly Shipyard.In April Philly Shipyard was selected to build up to five NSMVs that will enable at-sea training for America’s future mariners and support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Zvezda Begins Building World’s Most Powerful Nuclear Icebreaker
Russia's Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex has cut first steel for the Leader project's flagship nuclear icebreaker Russia, said to be the world's most powerful.The Zvezda shipyard, owned by a consortium led by oil giant Rosneft, is working with Atomflot, a subsidiary of Russian nuclear group Rosatom, to build the icebreaker, which will help boost year-round commercial vessel traffic on the Northern Sea…
LISCR Hires Former USCG LNG Expert
The Liberian Registry announced Dallas Smith has been hired as the Director of LNG and Offshore Technology, and as General Manager of the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry’s (LISCR) new Houston Office.Smith brings to his new role at LISCR over 20 years of experience as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. Before his retirement last month, Smith was head of the USCG Liquefied Gas National…
Second Oil Tanker Heads to Recently Reopened Es Sider Port
The Kriti Bastion oil tanker is making its way to Libya’s recently re-opened Es Sider oil port, two shipping sources said and ship tracking data showed on Thursday.The…
Italy Seizes Charity Rescue Vessel
Italian authorities have seized a boat operated by a German NGO that last month rescued more than 200 people stranded at sea, because it did not comply with safety rules, the Coast Guard said on Thursday.In April, Italy banned migrant rescue ships from docking in its ports until July 31 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Port of Rotterdam to Trial PIN-free Container Handling
This week, various parties in Rotterdam will be launching a new pilot project, in which containers are handled and released without a PIN code: a widely used verification method in this transport segment. The project revolves around a new application, Secure Container Release, which replaces the PIN code with a digital signal: a solution that is significantly less susceptible to fraud. It is not only intended to make container handling more efficient, but also safer.
Northern Offshore Services Adds Two More Vessels to Its Fleet
Crew transfer vessel specialist Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) has expanded its fleet with two vessels SURE Diamond and SURE Dynamic from Sure Wind Marine Limited. The company's offshore support vessel fleet now stands at 41 vessels. The two vessels are being renamed to M/V Master and M/V Mariner and will be part of the M-Class series, now four vessels in the series.They will continue their current operations on offshore wind farms in Germany…
Uni-Tankers Begins VDR Upgrade Program
Danish shipping company Uni-Tankers is upgrade aging and obsolete voyage data recorders (VDR) on more than 10 of its vessels. Some of the VDRs are 10 or more years old and are nearing the end of their service life.Uni-Tankers has chosen Danelec Marine to implement an upgrade program ensuring that it ships are equipped with the latest VDR technology, which will also help boost efficiency and the proactive use of ships’ data.A required piece of equipment on large vessels…
