Nigeria to Bar Unlicensed Vessels from Operating in Its Waters
Nigeria plans to bar vessels without a valid license to operate in Nigerian waters and has given shipping companies that trade in its coastal and inland waters three months to register, the maritime regulator said on Sunday.The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it will notify international oil companies to bar vessels without valid certificates after the three months expire.Most of the vessels that use Nigerian waters are owned by foreign companies.
Museum Acquires 80-year-old Bottle of Whisky from 'Whisky Galore!' Shipwreck
The Scottish Maritime Museum has successfully bid for an 80-year-old bottle of whisky salvaged from one of Scotland’s most famous shipwrecks and the inspiration for the Ealing Studio comedy Whisky Galore!The unlabelled bottle of blended whisky from the 1923 SS Politician, which ran aground off the Isle of Eriskay in 1941, was acquired by the Scottish Maritime Museum with the support of the National…
Pangaea Logistics Expands Use of Voyage Optimization System
Pangaea Logistics Solutions Ltd., a bulk carrier and ice class vessel owner/operator headquartered in Newport, R.I., expanded its partnership with Nautilus Labs to include a large part of Pangaea’s fleet of bulk carriers.Pangaea and Nautilus began their initial collaboration in October 2018 and have since committed to expanding it to 12 vessels in Pangaea’s fleet, as Pangaea seeks a solution that allows reliable capture of high frequency vessel data…
Baltic Index Rises to Over One-year High
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose to over one-year high on Friday as rates for capesize vessels surged on higher iron-ore demand.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, was up 151 points, or 8.1%, at 2,020 points, rising to its highest level since Sept.
Grounded Bulker Refloated Near Norfolk
A 738-foot bulk carrier that ran aground near Sewell’s Point in Norfolk, Va. was refloated during high tide on Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said.It took seven tugs to refloat the Panamanian flagged Hong Dai, which grounded late Wednesday night with 22 crewmembers aboard. The ship was said to be carrying a cargo of coal, as well as 188,000 gallons of low sulfur fuel oil, diesel and lube oil, collectively.
Cruise Shipbreaking Booms in Turkey
Business is booming at a sea dock in western Turkey, where five hulking cruise ships are being dismantled for scrap metal sales after the COVID-19 pandemic all but destroyed the industry, the head of a ship recyclers’ group said on Friday.Cruise ships were home to the some of the earliest clusters of COVID-19 as the pandemic spread globally early this year.In March, U.S. authorities issued a no-sail order for all cruise ships that remains in place.On Friday…
USCG National Security Cutter Stone Passes Acceptance Trials
The U.S. Coast Guard’s ninth national security cutter, Stone (WMSL 758), has completed acceptance sea trials, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced Friday.Having recently spent two days in the Gulf of Mexico proving its systems, Stone is scheduled to deliver later this year and will be homeported in Charleston, S.C.Ingalls in Pascagoula, Miss. has delivered eight…
Ulstein Designs "Zero-Emission" Offshore Wind Turbine Installation Vessel
Norwegian shipbuilding and design company Ulstein has launched the design for a "zero-emission" hydrogen-powered offshore wind turbine installation vessel."Ulstein's second hydrogen hybrid design for the offshore wind industry, the ULSTEIN J102 zero-emission wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), can operate 75% of the time in zero-emission mode. Using readily available technology, the additional cost is limited to less than 5% of the total CAPEX…
DNV GL’s Ørbeck-Nilssen Calls for Action Now on the Seafarer Issue
The plight of the seafarer during the COVID-19 pandemic has garnered global attention, but according to Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL – Maritime, more action is needed.“This is quite remarkable. After all of the attention, from public addresses by the Secretary General of the IMO and even having the Pope engaged to have the seafarer crisis resolved, and still we are in the very unfortunate situation with more than 300…
Founder of Singapore's Marine Fuel Supplier Charged in Shell Oil Theft Case
The founder of one of Singapore's biggest marine fuel suppliers has been charged for his involvement in a large-scale oil theft from Shell's refinery in the city-state…
Swire Bulk Taps Norborg as CEO
Peter Norborg will take over as CEO of Swire Bulk at the start of 2021, parent company the China Navigation Company Ltd (CNCo) announced Thursday.Norborg has held several top-level management positions in leading shipping companies, including his most recent role as CEO of Clipper Group, which he's held since 2016.Norborg is slated to officially take up his new role on January 1, 2021, the same day…
Seaspan Buys Two 12,000 TEU Containerships
Seaspan Corporation announced on Thursday that it has agreed to purchase two 12,000 TEU containerships from an unnamed seller for approximately $176 million in cash.The Hong Kong-headquartered owner and operator is scheduled to take delivery of the 2018-built vessels in October, subject to customary closing conditions, it said. Both ships will operate under long-term charters with leading global liners.Seaspan…
Castor Maritime Buys Secondhand Panamax Bulker
Dry bulk shipping company Castor Maritime said it reached a deal Monday to purchase a Japanese 2010-built Panamax bulk carrier.The vessel, which Castor said it acquired from an unaffiliated third party for $13.86 million, is expected to be handed over by mid-October. Castor did not reveal the name of the ship or the seller.Petros Panagiotidis, who serves as the Cyprus-based company's chairman, CEO and CFO…
Lebanon Asks Interpol to Arrest Ship Captain, Owner Over Beirut Port Blast
Lebanon has asked Interpol to issue arrest warrants for the Russian captain and owner of the ship that brought the explosive material that detonated at Beirut port in August, killing nearly 200 people, state media reported on Thursday.About two months after the explosion that injured thousands and ravaged the Lebanese capital, questions remain about why and how the cargo was abandoned in Beirut.Authorities have blamed it on the huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate…
Bulk Carrier Grounds After Losing Propulsion in the Columbia River
A 608-foot bulk carrier that suffered an engine failure and ran aground in the Columbia River Thursday has been refloated without injury or pollution, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a report at 12:50 a.m. that the Marshall Islands-flagged Genco Auvergne had run soft aground due to a loss of main engine propulsion while transiting down the Washington side of the Columbia River…
Sri Lanka Allows Fire-hit Tanker New Diamond to Sail to UAE
Sri Lanka has allowed a fire-hit supertanker to sail to the United Arab Emirates, where its oil cargo would be transferred to another ship for further supplies to Indian Oil Corp, officials said.The approval for the ship to leave Sri Lankan waters has been given by the maritime rescue coordination center and it is likely to sail towards the UAE, Captain Indika De Silva said."Two navy ships are shadowing the tanker until it leaves Sri Lanka's 200 mile exclusive economic zone…
Bulk Carrier Grounds Near Norfolk, Va.
U.S. Coast Guard and Port of Virginia personnel are assisting the crew of a bulk carrier that ran aground near Norfolk, Va. on Wednesday night.Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Virginia command center received notification from crewmembers aboard the the Panamanian-flagged Hong Dai stating the 738-foot bulk carrier ran aground on a soft sandy bottom approximately 400 meters Northwest of Sewell’s Point…
Polish Divers Hope Nazi Shipwreck Holds Key to Amber Room Treasure
Polish divers say they have found the wreck of a German World War Two ship which may help solve a decades-old mystery - the whereabouts of the Amber Room, an ornate chamber from a tsarist palace in Russia that was looted by the Nazis.Decorated with amber and gold, the Amber Room was part of the Catherine Palace near St Petersburg, but was last seen in Koenigsberg, then a Baltic port city in Germany…
'Old Tar' Designation Passed to Master Chief David B. Carter
The Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) “Old Tar” designation, honoring the U.S. Navy Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) serving on active duty with the earliest qualification date, has passed to Force Master Chief David B. Carter. Carter is currently assigned as the Force Master Chief, Naval Information Forces, Suffolk, Va.Carter relieved Command Master Chief Rodd D. Tooker, who has retired, and is now the 13th individual to receive the honor.“This award is a recognition of the leadership…
PDVSA to Install Ship-to-ship Hub Away from Shore
Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA is informing customers about a new hub for doing ship-to-ship transfers for exports in a location away from shore, a shift that could mean higher costs and less supervision, according to three sources.More than two-thirds of Venezuela's oil exports leave from the Jose terminal on the country's eastern coast, a large and heavily supervised facility with two monobuoys for exports and connected through pipelines to several crude upgraders.But with U.S.
