Bureau Veritas Expands Marine and Offshore Services in N. America
Testing, inspection and verification services firm Bureau Veritas (BV) said it has taken a number of steps to broaden and deepen its marine and offshore services in North America.The opening of a new remote survey center in Miami is the latest step in the delivery of digital services across the Bureau Veritas network, providing yet further global coverage for remote surveys.Florida-based Tropical Shipping’s…
Bottlenecks and Inefficiencies Are Key Upside Risks for Dry Bulk Market -MSI
Port days and diverted voyages are having an unusually strong impact on market balances and will play a key role in the short term outlook.Summer may be drawing to close in the northern hemisphere but for dry bulk shipowners, the positive tone could continue into early autumn as port delays and diversions provide continued upside, says Maritime Strategies International.July was another positive month for the dry bulk sector…
Wakashio Spill Highlights Importance of Adopting Latest International Legal Instruments
The ongoing oil pollution incident from the grounded 203,000 DWT bulk carrier MV Wakashio is threatening an ecological catastrophe around the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, endangering corals, fish and other marine life already under threat from climate change (IPCC 2018).In addition, it risks bringing devastating consequences for the economy, food security, health and tourism industry. Tourism…
US Looks to End Exemptions on Venezuela Oil Sanctions
The United States is considering an October deadline for ending exemptions to Venezuelan sanctions that allow some companies and refiners to still receive the South American producer's oil, two sources said, as Washington seeks to raise the heat on President Nicolas Maduro.U.S. President Donald Trump has ramped up sanctions on Venezuela's state-run PDVSA, its key foreign partners and customers since it first imposed measures against the company in early 2019…
MarTID 2020: Maritime Training Budgets Continue to Rise
Training budgets for seafarers continue to rise around the world, and seafarers themselves increasingly are paying the price, according to the MarTID 2020 Training Practices Report.Responses (278) to the 2020 MarTID report, the third in the series, rose 60% versus 2019, and again included insights from seafarers (accounting for 53% of the response), vessel operators (24%) and METIs (23%).The survey for MarTID 2020 was concluding just as COVID-19 was starting to spread rapidly…
Maersk Tanker Caught at Sea After Rescuing Migrants off Malta
A Maersk oil tanker has been anchored off the coast of Malta for two weeks after rescuing 27 migrants, including a child and a pregnant woman, with authorities in Malta and Tunisia denying the vessel entry, the company said on Wednesday.The crew of Maersk Etienne, an oil tanker owned by Denmark's Maersk Tankers, rescued the migrants following a request from Maltese officials on August 4, the company…
Mauritius to Scuttle Stricken Bulk Carrier Wakashio
Mauritius said on Wednesday it planned to scuttle the Japanese-owned bulk carrier that ran aground off its shores and spilled oil over pristine waters and fragile coral reefs.Earlier on Wednesday Nagashiki Shipping, owner of the MV Wakashio, apologized for the incident. Two of the ship's officers were arrested overnight on charges of endangering safe navigation.The MV Wakashio struck a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on July 25 and began spilling oil on August 6…
Port of Baltimore Sets Cargo Moves Record
The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal topped its record for most container moves from a single ship.The 5,536 container moves conducted by longshore workers handling the Maersk Edinburgh over three days was the largest number of moves for a single ship in the port’s 314-year history, surging past the previous record of 5,181 moves set last year.“This record container…
Britain to Lead Training Program for Ukrainian Navy
Britain will lead a multinational program to help train the Ukrainian navy, the Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday, seeking to bolster security in the region and improve Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia.Ukraine and Russia have been foes since 2014, when Moscow seized Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and backed a rebellion in the east.
Synergy, Norden Launch Tanker JV
Synergy Group and D.S. Norden have formed a new 50/50 joint venture to handle the technical management of Norden’s owned tanker vessels. Norden Synergy Ship Management (NSSM) will be headed by Henrik Christensen who previously managed Norden’s Technical Department.“We see great alignment when we have partnered previously and we expect that to lead to more mutual wins in the future through NSSM,” said Captain Rajesh Unni…
Many Chinese Fishing Vessels Near Galapagos Cut Off AIS, Ecuador Says
Ecuador's armed forces said on Tuesday that dozens of vessels from a predominantly Chinese fishing fleet that is operating near the Galapagos Islands have turned off tracking systems to prevent monitoring of their activities.Of around 325 ships still fishing in the waters near the ecologically sensitive Galapagos, 149 have at some point in recent months cut off communications, Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Darwin Jarrin told reporters.Some had also changed the vessels' names to avoid supervision…
Stored Crude, Condensate Could be Shipped from Shuttered Libyan Ports
A limited reopening of Libyan oil terminals could allow the export of some crude oil and condensate stored at Es Sider, Brega, Zueitina and Hariga, but leaves a months-long blockade of the ports in place, oil engineers say.East Libyan authorities said on Wednesday they would permit exports of the stored products in an effort to ease an electricity supply crisis that has resulted in increasingly lengthy…
CCGS John Cabot Starts Sea Trials
The Canadian Coast Guard’s third Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV) has begun sea trials just six weeks after being launched by Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver, B.C.The future Coast Guard vessel the CCGS John Cabot cruised out of English Bay on Wednesday to begin sea trials, marking another major milestone for this third OFSV built under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).Over the next…
LISCR Expands Its Leadership Team
The Liberian Registry said it has augmented its leadership team to help keep pace with nearly 12% over the last 12 months. The Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR) has added to its ranks Thomas Klenum as Senior Vice President of Maritime Operations, and Reynaldo Garibaldi as Senior Vice President of Maritime Operations and South America.Klenum, based at the Registry’s headquarters…
Odfjell Names Jensen as Chief Sustainability Officer
Norwegian tanker shipping company Odfjell SE said it has appointed Øistein Jensen to fill the newly created Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) executive position. Jensen, currently Odfjell’s Chief of Staff, takes on the new role and will lead Odfjell SE’s company-wide work on environmental, social and governance matters (ESG).“Our appointment of a Chief Sustainability Officer reflects our firm commitment to ESG and the responsibility we take as a global operator.
Project Cargo and Heavy Lifts in the COVID-19 Environment
The year 2020 has presented a litany of challenges to the safe movement of global project cargo. While heavy lifts and engineered cargo movements always present challenges from a rigging and execution standpoint, we have also faced exceptional challenges on other fronts. These have included cancelled vessel bookings, port facilities as well as prefabrication/modulization yard closures, lack of vessel and facility access as well as travel restrictions.
Ocean Influencer: Graham Hawkes, HAWX Open Ocean
The July/August edition of Marine Technology Reporter, the 15th Annual "MTR100", recognizes Graham Hawkes a subsea innovator, explorer, inventor and pusher of boundaries. A pioneer in the realm of ocean engineering, he’s designed and built more than 60 manned submersibles—everything from atmospheric dive suits to flying subs. As a test pilot, he’s maintained the deepest solo dive record for more than 20 years.
Maersk Expects Pre-COVID Container Demand in 2021
Shipping group Maersk on Wednesday issued full-year earnings guidance above its forecast at the beginning of the year and said it expects demand for moving containers at sea to return to pre-COVID levels in the first half of next year.The company's share price jumped more than 7% in early trade to an eight-month high, and has doubled in value since March, as cost cuts and the prospect of a global economic…
K Line, Airseas Get AiP for Seawing Kite System
Classification society ClassNK has granted an Approval in Principle (AIP) for the Seawing system, an automated wind-powered kite capable of towing commercial ships and improving a vessel's fuel economy by 20%.ClassNK granted the approval to the shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K Line) and Airseas, the developer of the Seawing system.Seawing is a kite system that assists vessel propulsion by towing commercial ships using wind power…
Wakashio Owner Apologizes, Says it Supports Crew after Arrests over Mauritius Oil Spill
Japan's Nagashiki Shipping, the owner of a bulk carrier that ran aground in Mauritius, causing an oil spill in one of the world's most pristine environments, said Wednesday it awaited judicial decisions after two of the ship's officers were arrested.Nagashiki issued a statement on Wednesday after the arrest overnight in Mauritius of the captain and of the bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, and another of the ship's officers on charges of endangering safe navigation.