China Says Coal Imports Failed Environment Standards
Some coal imported into China had failed to meet environmental standards, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday in response to reports of dozens of shipments of Australian coal stalled in Chinese ports."In recent years Chinese customs have conducted risk monitoring assessments on the safety and quality of imported coal, and we found that many coal imports have failed to meet environmental standards…
Houthis Approve UN Plan to Assess Decaying Oil Tanker off Yemen
Houthi authorities in Yemen have given long-awaited approval for a United Nations plan to visit and assess a deteriorating oil tanker off Yemen's coast that is threatening to spill 1.1 million barrels of crude oil into the Red Sea.Staff and equipment could be expected to arrive at the tanker by late January or early February, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday.Hussein al-Azzi…
Russia to Build $2.2B Metal Plant to Feed Shipbuilding
Russia plans to build a metals plant in the Far East at an estimated cost of $2.2 billion and supply steel sheet to the Zvezda shipbuilding yard as part of a push to develop the Arctic, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said.The head of the oil producer said during a televised meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the planned facility on Sukhodol Bay would produce 1.5 million tonnes of steel sheet…
Oil Tanker Hit by Explosion at Saudi Terminal
An explosion damaged a Greek-managed tanker at a Saudi Arabian terminal on the Red Sea just north of the Yemeni border, the ship's manager said on Wednesday, in…
Eight Dead, More Missing as Boat Capsizes Off Canary Islands
At least eight people were drowned after a boat carrying more than 35 migrants from the Maghreb region of North Africa and heading towards the Canary Islands capsized on Tuesday, emergency services said on Wednesday.Four people were found dead late on Tuesday and another four bodies were rescued on Wednesday morning. The emergency services said they were searching for any more missing persons.One of…
BIMCO on Tanker Shipping; The Worst is Not Over
While the tanker market had a strong run at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released this morning by BIMCO, tanker shipping will not benefit this year from the usual strong winter seasonal effect. Though the new lockdowns being introduced in many countries are less strict than in the spring, the effect on tanker shipping will be worse, given the supply glut of Q2. The news of an effective vaccine offers some hope of a global oil demand recovery but…
Wallem Inks Deal with Navigate Response
Wallem Shipmanagement appointed Navigate Response to enhance its global media response capability, tasked to deliver crisis communications support and training to its global operations on shore and at sea.“Wallem Shipmanagement is committed to investing in technology that primarily enhances the safety of our seafarers and improves security, productivity and efficiency. In Navigate Response we recognize…
BAE Systems Wins $197 Million Contract for USS Wasp Modernization
BAE Systems said Tuesday it has received a $197.4 million contract from the U.S. Navy to drydock and perform maintenance and modernization work aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). This is the second time in four years that the company has performed significant work on board the Wasp to sustain its warfighting capability.Under the new contract, BAE Systems’ Norfolk, Va. shipyard will begin working aboard the 843-foot-long USS Wasp in February 2021…
EGR Offered for Dual-fuel ME-GA Engine
MAN Energy Solutions announced that it will offer its proprietary EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system as an emissions solution for its new, low-speed ME-GA engine, the Otto-cycle variant of its established ME-GI dual-fuel engine. EGR is a NOx-emissions-reduction technique that ensures IMO Tier III-compliance in both diesel and gas mode.The company has long experience with the emission-reduction…
ABS Awards Smart Notation to AET’s Eagle Passos
Classification society ABS said it has awarded AET the SMART (INF) Notation for the 152,700 DWT DP2 shuttle tanker Eagle Passos, which was built and delivered by South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (SHI).The first shuttle tanker to be granted an ABS Smart Notation, which recognizes the vessel’s data communication and network infrastructure, Eagle Passos will also be granted…
Australia's New Icebreaker Starts Sea Trials
Australia’s newly completed icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, has left the Netherlands port of Vlissingen to commence trials in the North Sea.The start of the month-long sea trials, which had been pushed back due to delays stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, will be followed by additional weeks of deepwater trials involving the Australian Antarctic Division, ship managers Serco and shipbuilder Damen. Testing of the ship’s speed…
Fincantieri to Open Ship Repair Yard in Mexico
Fincantieri is teaming up with the Mexican government to open a new shipyard that will provide repair, conversions and maintenance cruise ships, large cargo vessels and oil and gas vessels.The Italian shipbuilding giant revealed Tuesday that it has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Ministry of Economic Development and Labor of the Yucatán State (Mexico) to participate in the design and construction of the new facility…
Herman Sr. to Use Sea Machines' Remote-helm Control System
Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and remote-helm control systems, announced today that Herman Sr. BV, a Netherlands-based tug and workboat company, will add a Sea Machines’ SM200 wireless, remote-helm control system to one of its Shoalbuster tugboats, the 23.35-meter Teddy, for the purposes of increasing productivity and operational safety during offshore operations.
Emission Reduction Tech: RightShip Debuts Maritime Emissions Portal
As the maritime community collectively fights to reduce emissions, RightShip and Pilbara Ports Authority have developed a pilot program that allows ports around the world to review their emissions profiles and develop management strategies. After partnering with The Australian Marine Environment Protection Association (AUSMEPA), and winning a $250,000 Google Impact grant in 2016, RightShip and AUSMEPA have developed a Maritime Emissions Portal (MEP)…
Interferry GHG Data Survey Bids for Fair Application of IMO Proposals
Trade association Interferry is conducting an energy efficiency data survey among members to ensure that existing ferries can comply with short-term greenhouse gas emissions measures agreed in principle at last week’s meeting of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).Subject to final approval at next June’s MEPC meeting, by 2023 existing ships…
New Product: WhisperPower Launches New Battery Charger
WhisperPower is ready to start shipping its new range of Supreme Pro Battery Chargers. Available in four models – 40, 60, 80 and 100 amps – the chargers/power supplies have been built to exceed the most stringent requirements of the global shipping industry.The Supreme Pro range is touted by the manufacture as the smallest 24V battery charger of its type in the world, able to run silently and keep…
EU Green Finance Rules Leaky for Ships
Months of EU deliberation to decide which business activities can be marketed as green investments have produced a set of draft standards some finance officials and NGOs say are lax for the polluting shipping sector and challenging for buildings.In other cases, they strike a fair balance, they say.As the European Union pursues regulation to try to deliver the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change…
Newport News Shipbuilding to Build Columbia Class Submarine Modules
America’s largest military shipbuilder announced Tuesday that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has been awarded a contract modification from General Dynamics Electric Boat in support of construction on the first two Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.The contract modification, valued at approximately $2.2 billion, provides continued design support efforts, as well as the construction and delivery of six module sections for each of the first two Columbia-class submarines…
Vard Electro Canada Expands Into USA
Marine electrical systems provider Vard Electro Canada’s said it is setting up new operations in Houston to serve the North American maritime industry. Vard Electro US Inc. will offer the same marine electrical engineering, procurement solutions, and vessel system integration as Vard Electro, a subsidiary in the Vard Group majority-owned by shipbuilding giant Fincantieri.Andrea Qualizza, general manager for Vard Electro…
Deal Struck to Deliver Maritime Biofuel in Fujairah
Uniper Energy DMCC (UED) and Neutral Fuels will collaborate to provide maritime biofuel in Fujairah, UAE.The companies will blend UED’s VLSFO and Neutral Fuels biofuel, creating a maritime fuel that meets IMO standard under their ISO8217:2010 RMG380 specification, cutting emissions of carbon dioxide.“The collaboration is aimed to address climate protection, the predominant social issue in the world today," said Lars Liebig, Managing Director of UED.
