Dryad: Heavily Armed Men Attack Cargo Ship off Benin. Kidnap 5 Crew Members
The maritime security intelligence group Dryad has reported that general cargo vessel KOTA BUDI was boarded by heavily armed men resulting in the kidnap of 5 crew."The…
US Lifts Some Venezuela-related Sanctions
The United States on Thursday lifted sanctions on Marshall Islands-based Delos Voyager Shipping Ltd and Greece-based Romina Maritime Co Inc that had been imposed…
Grant Awards Target Safer Shipbreaking
Engineering X – an international collaboration founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation – has awarded nearly £1 million ($1.2 million) in grants to six projects in the U.K. and overseas aimed at tackling the complex social, environmental and engineering challenges of decommissioning ships and offshore structures.From training to improve worker safety in ship recycling facilities in Bangladesh…
Nautical Institute's New President Outlines Top Goals
The newly elected President of The Nautical Institute, Jillian Carson-Jackson has vowed to help the Institute and wider maritime community meet three important challenges – those of diversity and inclusion, branch engagement and managing the impact of technology.Speaking at today’s Nautical Institute Annual General Meeting she announced a pledge from the Institute on diversity and inclusion saying: “There has been a concerted effort over the past years to raise visibility of not just women…
Will Container Shipping Woes of the 2010s Repeat?
Reduced volumes are currently posing a major challenge to container shipping due to the COVID-19 crisis. So far, freight rates have been held up by the massive blanking of sailings that carriers have put in place.However, even before this crisis, the container shipping industry was saddled with overcapacity carried over from the previous decade, a problem that will rise again due to the demand fallout…
Coast Guard Discontinues Differential GPS Broadcast
On June 30, 2020 the Coast Guard switched off the last Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) signals after more than 25 years of service.With the improved accuracy and integrity of un-augmented GPS over the last several years, and with the introduction of the U.S. operated satellite-based augmentation system known as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the maritime community no longer has a mission requirement for DGPS.
Obituary: Detyens Shipyard Chairman Loy Stewart
David Loy Stewart Sr, former owner and Chairman of the Board at ship repair yard Detyens Shipyards, Inc. in North Charleston, S.C. passed away on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, at the age of 72.Loy, husband of the late Judy Ann Detyens Stewart, was born September 15, 1947 in Abbeville, S.C., son of the late John David Stewart and the late Ruby Gillespie Stewart. He graduated from Furman University with a…
MN100 Application Deadline Extended
The deadline to apply for inclusion in Marine News magazine's annual MN100 awards edition has been extended to July 10.Each year, the publication's August issue profiles 100 of the top firms in the shallow-draft, brown water, workboat space. Is your company one of the best? Apply now.The 100 companies selected will be featured in the largest BPA-audited b-to-b publication in this genre. OEMs, service providers, shipyards, operators and the full gamut of marine-related businesses are eligible.
GTT Inks Licensing Deal with Zvezda Shipbuilding
French engineering firm GTT announced Thursday it has signed a Technical Assistance and License Agreement (TALA) with the Russian shipyard Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex for the construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers using GTT membrane tank solutions.Zvezda obtained its GTT license after a qualification process that began in September 2017, including the construction of a Mark III technology…
LNG-fueled RoPax Ferry Completes Sea Trials
The first of two new 70-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled RoPax ferries for Dutch operator Rederij Doeksen has completed sea trials in the Netherlands.The BMT-designed Willem Barentsz, and sister vessel Willem de Vlamingh, were built by Strategic Marine Shipyard in Vietnam while final outfitting and commissioning were completed by Rederij Doeksen.With an operating area within the Wadden Sea…
AIDA Cruises Extends Operational Pause Through August
Carnival Corp announced Thursday its AIDA Cruises brand has extended its global pause on operations through the end of August due to health concerns surrounding the conronavirus pandemic."Given the gradual easing in intra-European travel, AIDA Cruises believes it will resume its cruise operation later this summer. However, the conditions for safe travel do not yet exist in many destinations worldwide…
US Files Suit to Seize Iranian Gasoline on Tankers Headed to Venezuela
U.S. prosecutors late on Wednesday filed a lawsuit to seize the gasoline aboard four tankers that Iran is shipping to Venezuela, the latest attempt by the Trump…
iXblue Nav Systems Chosen for Gowind Warships
iXblue said it has been selected by Naval Group to supply navigation systems for two Gowind corvettes intended for the international market. These two future combat corvettes will be fitted with Marins navigation systems and Netans data distribution and processing units.Based on fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) technology, iXblue navigation solutions already equip more than 650 surface ships and underwater platforms in 40 navies and coast guards…
Spring Oil Flood Causes Summer Queues in Chinese Ports
Chinese ports are struggling to unload record volumes of crude with storage tanks full after the country rushed to buy extra barrels during April's oil price crash, according to traders and shipping data seen by Reuters.More than 80 million barrels of crude oil are currently waiting to be discharged from tankers in Chinese ports, Refinitiv Eikon data showed.Half of those are at the Qingdao port area in Shandong province…
Turkey Wants French Apology Over Mediterranean Warships Incident
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey expects France to apologize after an incident between Turkish and French warships in the Mediterranean prompted Paris to request a NATO investigation.Relations between the NATO members have soured over the Libya conflict, where Turkey supports the internationally recognized government and accuses Paris of backing the eastern-based forces of…
Kongsberg Unveils Holistic Vessel Monitoring Tool
Kongsberg Maritime has introduced Health Management to its Vessel Insight portfolio of applications, marking another step toward the Norwegian company's drive to deliver a wide range smart technologies for the maritime sector.With Health Management, ship owners can monitor onboard equipment via one unified interface and predict failures through early detection of abnormal behavior, both for Kongsberg and third-party equipment.Due for launch in August…
Fincantieri Acquires Comms Equipment Supplier
Fincantieri said it has acquired a majority share in communications equipment supplier Support Logistic Services (SLS) as the Italian shipbuilding group continues its push to diversify and expand its product and service portfolio.Rome-based SLS, which produces, installs and maintens radar, satellite and radio communications systems for military and civil applications, will be added under Fincantieri's information technology and electronics subsidiary INSIS…
MAN Compressors for Yinson's Brazil-bound FPSO
MAN Energy Solutions will deliver six compressor trains for Yinson's FPSO being built for deployment in Brazil.For the FPSO named Anna Nery, MAN Energy Solutions will deliver four RB-type centrifugal-compressor trains for gas production and export, as well as two screw-compressor trains, which will be put into operation as vapor-recovery units.The FPSO will be located at Petrobras' Marlim and Voador field of the Campos basin…
Thai Project Turns Fishing Nets into Virus Protection Gear
Thai fisherman Anan Jaitang used to pile tattered nylon fishing nets on the beach after hauls of wriggling crabs tore them beyond repair, but most of the nets wound up in the sea, threatening to entangle turtles and choke coral reefs.Now, Anan and others have an alternative that's not only lucrative and environmentally friendly but will help Thailand battle the coronavirus pandemic.A new community-based project is paying small-scale fishermen 10 baht (32 cents) per kilogram of discarded nets…
Huisman to Deliver Cranes for First Taiwan-built Offshore Installation Vessel
Dutch industrial equipment provider Huisman will deliver cranes for the first Taiwan-built offshore installation vessel.The vessel - to be named Green Jade - will be owned by CDWE, a joint venture company between Taiwanese company CSBC and Belgian offshore contractor DEME.The JV has recently taken the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the construction of ‘Green Jade’, which is the first DP3 heavy…
