Webinar: Floating Production Forecasts & Analysis
A free webinar will deliver latest forecasts and market intelligence for the global floating production industry, offering insider access to business and investment opportunities in the deepwater sector.Floating Production Systems: 2020 Forecasts & Analysis, presented by ABS and World Energy Reports, will be held July 29, 2020, 11 a.m. (EDT). REGISTER HERE.The effects of the COVID-19 crisis and oil supply glut continue to seriously dampen investment appetite in the oil and gas sector…
Damen Ramping Up Composites Shipbuilding
The Realization and Demonstration of Advanced Material Solutions for Sustainable and Efficient Ships (RAMSSES) project recently reached a key milestone. On July 18, at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding’s (DSNS) location in Vlissingen-East, the Netherlands, the project’s partners unveiled the recently assembled full scale composite ship’s hull section they have been developing these past three years.
US Ports Seek COVID-19 Relief
America’s port authorities are advocating for relief to manage the “extremely negative impacts” on the seaport industry brought on by the coronavirus pandemic as U.S. policymakers begin negotiations on the next COVID-19 aid package.Among the port leaders’ advocacy efforts are letters sent Friday to U.S. House, Senate and Administration leaders, urging them to provide $1.5 billion for seaports to cover business-critical expenses that ports have incurred due to COVID-19.
Kenya Planning National Maritime Security Strategy
Kenya is working to create a National Maritime Security Strategy aiming to bring opportunities for social-economic growth, by safeguarding and promoting the blue economy and by providing a safe and secure operating environment for international maritime transportation.The roadmap to develop the strategy was agreed following an inaugural virtual meeting (21 July) organized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and attended by 16 participants…
Aerial Drone Sniffs Out Ship Emissions in Denmark
A new aerial drone is being tested to monitor vessel emissions in the Great Belt, a busy shipping lane between the islands of Zealand and Funen in Denmark.Having previously been used for various surveillance tasks, the drone is being provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency to operate over the next four months in a specific area north of the Great Belt, which connects the Baltic Sea to the Kattegat…
TAS Terminates Shipbuilding Deals for 16 Offshore Vessels
Malaysian offshore vessel operator TAS Offshore has canceled shipbuilding contracts for 16 offshore support vessels.The company had signed the contracts in the 2013-2015 period with two Chinese shipbuilders Guangzhou Hangtong Shipbuilding and Shipping Co. Ltd. (“HangTong”) and Jiangmen Hangtong Shipbuilding Co.The contracts were for 16 offshore support vessels with values ranging from $10.38 million…
Ecuador Monitoring Fleet of Fishing Vessels Near Galapagos
Ecuador is monitoring a large fleet of fishing vessels, many of them Chinese, off the Galapagos Islands and has increased patrolling to ensure the ships do not enter the area of the ecologically sensitive islands, the defense minister said on Thursday.Chinese fishing vessels appear each year near the Galapagos, attracted by marine species such as the hammerhead shark, which is in danger of extinction.A Chinese vessel in 2017 was captured in the Galapagos Marine Reserve carrying 300 tons of marin
VIKING Wins Greek Patrol Boat Order
VIKING Life-Saving Equipment reports it has won a tender to supply the Hellenic Army Special Forces with its Munin S1200 daughter craft, continuing a series of agreements that support patrol, defense and search and rescue capability of Hellenic seaborne forcesDesigned to operate for extended periods of time away from land or its mother ship, the 12m length by 3.5m deep-V hull boat will support Special Forces in tactical maneuvers, patrol and search and rescue operations.
Training Tips for Ships #14: Collect, Analyze Data to Improve Training
As I wrote in last month’s Training Tips for Ships, “If you do not measure it, you cannot manage it. This is especially true with training because the inputs (the training provided) are often far removed in time and apparent direct causality from the key output (performance). Therefore, it is important that we measure everywhere we can”.To address this problem, we discussed the value of student evaluations…
Novatek Ships First LNG Cargo to Japan via Northern Sea Route
Russian oil and gas company Novatek has said it has shipped the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) from its Yamal LNG project to Japan transported eastbound via the Northern Sea Route.The LN
Warship Escorts New Ferry through the Gulf of Aden
A new Australian-built passenger ferry bound for service in the Canary Islands was escorted by EU anti-piracy forces as it made its way through one of the world's top piracy hot spots.The first of two new ferries built by Austal Australia for operator Fred. Olsen Express, the 118-meter trimaran fast ferry Bajamar Express requested support of EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta for its along transit the International Recommended Transit Corridor through the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab Strait…
45 Rescued from Passenger Vessel Fire
All 45 passengers and crew members have been rescued from a ferry that caught fire roughly 5.5 nautical miles east off Binongkalan Point, Cebu Thursday night.The Philippine-registered RoRo / passenger ship MV Filipinas Dinagat owned by Cokaliong Shipping Lines was traveling from Cebu City for Palompon, Leyte when the fire erupted on board.By the time the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) arrived on scene to conduct rescue operations…
Gulf Island Shipyards Delivers Icebreaking Tug to SLSDC
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) announced it has taken delivery of its new 118-foot icebreaking tug, the Seaway Guardian, in Massena, N.Y. Built by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La., the vessel is the first new tug to join SLSDC since the Seaway opened 61 years ago.The new $24 million tug will primarily be used for buoy maintenance and ice management on the St.
FMC Provides Relief for Small Passenger Vessel Operators
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission voted to support a proposal put forward by Fact Finding Officer Commissioner Louis E. Sola that provides limited and temporary relief to small passenger vessel operators whose operations and business have been disrupted by the response to COVID-19.In approving the "Policy Statement on Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility", which will be published on the Commission's webpage and in the Federal Register in the near future…
Video: Navantia Launches Saudi Arabia's New Warship
Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia on Wednesday launched the first of five Avante 2200 corvettes it's building for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) for delivery through 2024.The five frigates were ordered in July 2018 for a cost of €1.8 billion ($2.1 billion), and first steel was cut for the series' first vessel in January 2019.Launched at the builder's San Fernando shipyard, the new vessel Al-Jubail has a length of 104 meters…
CMS Completes First Major WinGD X-DF Engine Overhaul
China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) equipment service subsidiary CSSC Marine Service Co (CMS) said it has completed the first ever major overhaul on two WinGD X-DF engines—in only nine days.The twin 6X62DF engines overhauled belong to the first ever X-DF powered vessel in operation, 2017-built 180,000-cbm liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier SK Audace, owned and operated by SK Shipping Co. LTD. The…
Understanding Marine Autonomy: Today’s Market and Future Concerns
Press coverage of early commercial marine autonomy projects is remarkably broad given the small number of marine industry professionals engaged in bringing these projects to market. The much larger assembly of industry stakeholders are left wondering what marine autonomy means for them. Regulatory, cost, and technical challenges stand in the way of fielding today’s autonomy technologies for most existing fleets and vessel missions. Autonomy is coming whether you’re prepared or not.
New CEO Takes the Helm at RMK Merrill-Stevens Shipyard
Industry veteran William Clewes has been appointed CEO of Miami yacht repair yard RMK Merrill-Stevens, charged with leading Florida's oldest shipyard through a period or redevelopment, reopening and beyond.“I am excited about building a team and a new facility to bring the RMK Merrill-Stevens facility back to its former glory and beyond,” said Clewes in January after accepting the position. Clewes will lead the North and South yards…
Chinese 'Dark Fleets' Fishing off North Korea Despite Sanctions Ban
“Dark fleets” believed to be from China have been fishing in North Korean waters, potentially netting Pyongyang millions of dollars in illicit fees and forcing smaller North Korean vessels further afield, a series of reports said this week.The South Korean coast guard as well as independent experts monitoring the implementation of United Nations sanctions have reported for years that ships of Chinese origin have been observed fishing in North Korean waters…
Princess Cruises Extends Pause on Voyages
Carnival Corp’s Princess Cruises said on Wednesday it would extend the suspension of select voyages through December 15 as it looks to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.Princess Cruises also said all cruises sailing in and out of Australia on select vessels have been suspended through October 31.The pandemic has forced cruise companies to raise billions in debt to stay afloat, after several ships…
