Baltic Index Falls as Lower Vessel Rates Bite
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The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index fell on Wednesday, weighed by capesize rates hitting their lowest level in nearly a month and lower earnings at the panamax segment.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities and reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, fell 46 points, or about 2.6%, to 1,696.The Baltic capesize index dropped 141 points, or 4.6%, to 2,941, touching its lowest level since June 17.Average daily earnings for capesiz
Seven Ships Catch Fire at Iranian Port
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At least seven ships have caught fire at Iran’s Bushehr port, the Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday, in what appeared to be the latest in a series of fires and explosions around the country, some of which have hit sensitive sites.No casualties have been reported, the agency said.Plumes of dense black smoke billowed into the air, in a photograph of the incident published by the official IRNA news agency.
Disabled Log Carrier Towed into NZ Port for Repairs
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A log carrier that lost power and went adrift while leaving New Zealand's Port of Tauranga last week has been towed into port for repair and further inspection, local maritime authorities said.The Singapore-flagged Funing was outbound for Lanshan, China when it suffered engine failure and began drifting amid 30 knot winds and significant swells between Mount Manganui and Matakana Island last Monday.Powerless and adrift…
Total Shipping Losses Are Declining, But Challenges Persist -Report
![The car carrier Golden Ray sits capsized in St. Simons Sound, Ga. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Brian McCrum)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/the-car-carrier-golden-ray-114723.jpg)
The record low 41 large shipping losses worldwide in 2019 represents a 20% improvement year-on-year and almost 70% over a decade, but the coronavirus crisis could endanger the long-term safety improvements in the shipping industry for 2020 and beyond, as difficult operating conditions and a sharp economic downturn present a unique set of challenges, according to recent report from marine insurer Allianz…
Crew Kidnappings Soar in West Africa
Crew kidnappings and violent attacks on vessels in the oil-rich West Africa region have soared in 2020, with 77 seafarers taken hostage or kidnapped for ransom since January…
American Club Managers Promote Ioannou, McCafferty
![Dorothea Ioannou takes on the role of Deputy Chief Operating Officer](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/dorothea-ioannou-takes-on-the-114719.jpg)
Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc. (SCB), the Managers of the American Club, has announced senior appointments to its management team in New York. Dorothea Ioannou takes on the role of Deputy Chief Operating Officer (DCOO) with immediate effect, and Mary (Molly) McCafferty becomes Senior Vice President and Director of Claims for the Americas as from the beginning of September.
Seafarer Welfare App to Launch by Isle of Man Ship Registry
![Isle of Man Ship Registry Director Cameron Mitchell](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/isle-of-man-ship-registry-114717.jpg)
The Isle of Man Ship Registry is set to launch what is reported to be the first seafarer welfare app designed by a ship registry. Set to launch in July 2020, the app will be free to around 11,000 seafarers sailing on more than 400 vessels under the Isle of Man flag.“Safety is a fundamental pillar of our ethos as a high-quality flag state,” said Isle of Man Ship Registry director Cameron Mitchell. “Even…
Keppel to Deliver Components for Two MODEC FPSOs
![Keppel Tuas Shipyard - Credit: Keppel Corp.](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/keppel-tuas-shipyard-credit-keppel-114706.jpg)
Singapore's Keppel O&M has received orders from Japan's FPSO leasing company MODEC to deliver components for two FPSO units. The orders are worth S$73 million (USD52,5 million) in total.In Singapore, Keppel Shipyard will fabricate, complete, and integrate the topside modules and mooring support structure for a Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO).Components for the modules and mooring…
Crew on Two US-flagged Boxships Test Positive for COVID-19
German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd said in a notice to customers Monday that positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed among crew on board two of its U.S.-flagged containerships.
Chinese Ships Intruded into Malaysian Waters 89 Times in Four Years -Report
![File photo Chinese seismic vessel Haiyang Dizhi 8 (Credit: China Geologic Survey)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/file-photo-chinese-seismic-vessel-114698.jpg)
Chinese coastguard and navy ships intruded into Malaysian waters in the disputed South China Sea 89 times between 2016 to 2019, and often remained in the area even after being turned away by the Malaysian navy, the government said in a report on Tuesday.The report comes amid escalating tension between the United States and China over Beijing’s claims to most of the resource-rich South China Sea, which is also a major trade route.The Philippines…
USMI’s Family Recipe
![Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen conduct a Maritime External Air Transportation System training evolution in Moses Lake, Wash. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Prows)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/-warfare-combatantcraft-crewmen-conduct-114696.jpg)
Barry Dreyfus Jr., CEO of United States Marine Inc. (USMI), doesn’t keep the recipe to his company’s success a secret. In fact, it’s displayed plainly for all to see on the homepage of USMI’s website: family, integrity and quality. These have been cornerstones of the 36-year-old firm, today regarded as one of the nation’s premier military small craft builders.Headquartered in Gulfport, Miss., with a maintenance/repair facility in Chesapeake…
i911: Tapping Cellphone Location Data to Save Lives
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In recent years the U.S. Coast Guard has identified an increasing trend in the use of cellular phones by the maritime public when communicating distress. In 2018, leadership in the Office of Search and Rescue (SAR) at Coast Guard Headquarters asked the Research and Development Center (RDC) to investigate available technologies that could assist Coast Guard responders in adapting to this trend by leveraging the cellphone’s internal GPS.
US Navy Awards Unmanned Surface Vehicle Prototype Contract
![File photo: The U.S. Navy tests a fully autonomous unmanned surface vehicle in 2009 (U.S. Navy photo)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/file-photo-the-us-navy-114692.jpg)
The U.S. Navy on Monday awarded a $34,999,948 to L3 Technologies, Inc. for the development of a single medium unmanned surface vehicle (MUSV) prototype, with options to procure up to eight additional MUSVs. The award follows a full and open competitive procurement process.Funding is in place on this contract for the initial prototype. With all options exercised, the contract is valued at $294,508,976…
Baltic Index Slides on Lower Capesize Rates
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The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index fell on Tuesday weighed by falling rates for capesize vessels, while the panamax segment was flat following eight straight sessions of gains.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities and reflects rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, fell 50 points, or about 2.8%, to 1,742.The Baltic capesize index lost 169 points, or 5.2%, to 3,082, its lowest since June 17.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which
Phillips Joins WQIS as Senior Underwriter
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The Water Quality Insurance Syndicate (WQIS) appointed John P. Phillips as Senior Underwriter based in Houston, TX. Phillips will report to Justin A. Mongello in New York, NY."We are very excited to have John join the WQIS team as he brings a wealth of experience, expertise, and first-hand knowledge of WQIS' customers and our broker partners. For certain a great addition to our team," said Justin.Phillips was most recently Head of Marine Programs at Aspen Insurance U.S.-based in Houston…
House Appropriations Committee Approves FY21 Funding for USACE
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The House Appropriations Committee on Monday approved FY21 funding for Energy and Water Development (E&WD) that funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by a party line vote of 30 to 21.Overall proposed funding for the Corps is $7.63 billion, a decrease of $21 million below FY20’s record-setting appropriated level, but $1.7 billion above the President’s FY21 budget request.The House bill also provides…
Video: USS Bonhomme Richard Blaze Continues
![A helicopter provides aerial firefighting support alongside sailors and civilian fire crews on the ground to fight the fire aboard amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). (U.S. Navy photo by Mar'Queon A. D. Tramble)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/helicopter-provides-aerial-firefighting-114683.jpg)
Hundreds of firefighters battled through a second day from the air, land and water on Monday to save a U.S. war vessel swept by flames while moored at a San Diego shipyard, as the number of sailors and civilians injured in the blaze rose to nearly 60.The USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship whose size ranks second in the U.S. Navy fleet to that of an aircraft carrier, remained largely shrouded in thick…
Monjasa Expands Bunkering Capacity in Houston
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Marine fuels supplier Monjasa says it is further developing its services in America’s top bunkering hub.The Houston Greater Area welcomes 1,375 vessel arrivals monthly and sees marine fuels demand of an estimated 4.5-5 million metric tons yearly. To further cater for an increasing demand, Monjasa now extends local supply capacity and product loading options.The company said it will add an additional barge on time charter as of July 2020.
Gladding-Hearn Delivers Sixth Launch to Delta Pilots
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Delta Launch Services, the operating company for the Associated Branch pilots on the SW Pass of the Mississippi, has taken delivery of a new pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. This is the sixth St. John’s Class launch built for the Delta pilots by the Somerset, Mass. shipyard.The new launch, a sister-ship to the Assistant delivered in 2018, measures of 52.6’ overall, with a beam of 16.11’ and a draft of 4.8’.
Widow of Bangladeshi Shipbreaking Worker Free to Sue Maran
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A Bangladeshi woman whose husband died while dismantling an oil tanker at a shipbreaking yard in 2018 can file a negligence claim against a British company involved in the vessel’s sale, London’s High Court ruled this week.Khalil Mollah, 32, fell to his death while working on a tanker called the EKTA in the port city of Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh, where scores of end-of-life ships are sent to be scrapped each year.British lawyers representing his widow, Hamida Begum, took her case to