Japan's First LNG Bunkering Vessel Launched
![(Photo: "K" Line)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-k-line-112869.jpg)
Japan’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel has been launched at Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Sakaide Works shipyard ahead of planned delivery at the end of September 2020.The 3,500-cubic-meter-capacity vessel is scheduled to begin ship-to-ship bunkering for LNG-fueled vessels at at JERA’s Kawagoe Thermal Power Station starting this autumn. It will be the first LNG bunker ship to be operated in JapanIn 2018, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (“K” Line), JERA Co.
CMA CGM Takes $1.1 Bln Loan
![© Marek Slusarczyk / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/marek-slusarczyk-adobe-stock-112874.jpeg)
Shipping group CMA CGM has obtained a 1.05 billion euro ($1.1 billion) loan to be 70% guaranteed by the French government as it seeks to bolster its cash position during the coronavirus pandemic, which has hammered international trade.The loan, secured from a consortium of banks comprising BNP Paribas, HSBC and Société Générale, has an initial one-year maturity and an extension option of up to five years, Marseille-based CMA CGM said in a statement on Wednesday.France is offering guarantees to s
Digital lift-off
![(Photo: Inmarsat)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-inmarsat-112870.jpg)
Better connectivity, easier data sharing and a thriving IoT start-up scene demonstrate that maritime digitalization is flourishing according to satellite service provider Inmarsat.For many, the lasting consequence of COVID-19 may be the upheaval it brought to the familiar rhythms of daily life. Thankfully the internet enabled a semblance of routine activity to continue, as they worked from home while…
Maersk Profits Up 23%, Demand Slowdown Expected
![(File photo: Maersk)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/file-photo-maersk-112868.jpg)
Shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk warned of a sharp drop in global container volumes due to the coronavirus pandemic, with weaker retail sales and depressed car production dampening demand.The crisis has thrown the container shipping trade off balance as supply chains have been upended and businesses and factory activity in China and later across the world was disrupted.Maersk, which also reported a 23% rise in first-quarter core profits on Wednesday…
MacGregor's Gangways and Cranes for Edda Wind SOVs
![Image Credit: MacGregor](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-credit-macgregor-112866.png)
Cargotec's MacGregor has secured orders to equip Edda Wind's new offshore wind service vessels, ordered from Spanish shipyards.Two of the equipment packages were awarded by the shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán in Asturias for Edda Wind's Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOV), the first of which will enter into a firm charter period of 11 years starting Q1 2022.Each of these vessels will be equipped with a Horizon all-electric walk-to-work gangway…
Chartwell, BAR Working on Next-Gen Offshore Crew Transfer Vessels
![Image Credit: Chartwell Marine](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-credit-chartwell-marine-112859.jpg)
Vessel designer Chartwell Marine has partnered up with naval architects BAR Technologies, to support in the delivery of what it says will be the next generation of offshore wind crew transfer vessels (CTVs)."The partnership will drive forward the development of new vessel designs ranging from 30m CTVs through to 60m service accommodation and transfer vessels (SATVs), making use of BAR’s patented foil optimization and stabilization system (FOSS)…
Rem Offshore Clinches Platform Supply Vessel Deal
Norwegian offshore vessel owner Rem Offshore has said it has secured a new contract for the Rem Insula platform supply vessel.In a social media post on Tuesday,…
Vestdavit Supplies New Davit for HMS Protector
![The Royal Navy polar research vessel HMS Protector is equipped with seven davits from Vestdavit. Photo: Courtesy of the Royal Navy.](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/the-royal-navy-polar-research-112845.png)
Vestdavit is bringing new fast craft handling capability to HMS Protector, the only Royal Navy ship dedicated to Antarctic patrol and survey duties.The advanced icebreaker, which provides a UK presence in the Antarctic and meets treaty obligations on inspections, hydrographical charting and in support of scientific research, is to be equipped with a specially-enhanced PLR-5000 davit from Vestdavit.
Roxtec Introduces GK Firestop Sealing Kit
![The GK Firestop sealing kit is a cable penetration seal designed
for marine and offshore applications. (Photo: Roxtec)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/the-gk-firestop-sealing-kit-112846.png)
Roxtec has introduced the new GK Firestop sealing kit. The new kit makes it quick and easy to ensure certified fire protection above the waterline on rigs, platforms, ships and vessels, the manufacturer said.“Shipyards all over the world have asked for firestops that can help them seal cables and entire cable bundles in deck and bulkhead entries above the waterline. We can now meet this huge demand and solve the problem with high cable density thanks to a certified product that is easy to use…
Coronavirus Slows Global Commercial Fishing
![© Alexey Vasiliev / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/alexey-vasiliev-adobe-stock-112851.jpeg)
Global commercial fishing activity for 2020 fell by around 1 million hours as of end-April, a 6.5% decline over the two previous years, the result of plummeting demand caused by coronavirus lockdowns, according to Global Fishing Watch.Fishing fleets spent 14.4 million hours on the water for the year so far to April 28, a decline from an average of 15.4 million hours for the same year-to-date periods of 2018 and 2019…
Uruguay to Evacuate Crew of Coronavirus-hit Cruise Ship
The 86 crew members of the Greg Mortimer cruise ship, stranded in Uruguayan waters since March 27, began their evacuation to Montevideo on Tuesday following an outbreak…
Ocean Tankers Placed Under Court-appointed Supervisor
Two EY executives in Singapore have been appointed interim judicial managers of Ocean Tankers, the accounting firm said on Tuesday, following a Singapore court hearing…
Three Cruise Ships Dock in Oakland
![File photo: The coronavirus-hit Grand Princess arrives to the Port of Oakland in March (Photo: Port of Oakland)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/file-photo-the-coronavirushit-grand-112848.jpg)
Three cruise ships will idle at the Port of Oakland without passengers while cruise operations are suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, the port said Friday. The .Two Norwegian Cruise Line vessels, Regatta and Norwegian Jewel, have tied up at Oakland’s Outer Harbor Terminal, which is currently not in use for the port’s container shipping business. Another, Seven Seas Mariner, is docked at Howard Terminal on the Oakland Estuary, no longer considered large enough for container operations.
RIBCRAFT Wins Multiple Contracts
![(Photo: RIBCRAFT)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-ribcraft-112836.jpg)
Having recently taken delivery of two new RIBCRAFT 5.85 rigid inflatable boats (RIB), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife awarded the Massacusetts-based builder another contract, to supply and deliver shipboard RIBs for its fleet of long range fisheries patrol boats.The RIBs already delivered will be used by the agency's Southern District, which covers all of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
Seatronx Launches Digital Matrix SCC
![Photo: Seatronx](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-seatronx-112839.png)
Seatronx announced the launch of the Seatronx Digital Matrix Switching Command Control system (SCC).The Seatronx SCC takes bridge control to a new level. The system not only allows operators to control individual or multiple displays including power on/off, input selection, brightening, dimming and night mode view, it is also fully customizable with optional modules for added functionality. These accessory modules let users incorporate KVM mouse…
Port of Oakland Expects Cargo Volume Downturn
![MSC Anna calls the Port of Oaklnd in April 2020 (Photo: Port of Oakland)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/msc-anna-calls-the-port-112847.jpg)
The Port of Oakland reported "better than expected" cargo volumes in April, but port officials say they are expecting volumes to decline in the months ahead as ships cancel visits due to reduced demand brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.The port reported April loaded container volume were up .4% compared to the same month last year. Export loads rose 3.6%, the port said, while imports dipped 0.9%.The port said its total cargo volume – imports…
Royal IHC to Build Its First Jones Act Dredger
![(Image: Royal IHC)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-royal-ihc-112843.jpg)
The Netherlands based Royal IHC said it has been awarded a contract to design and build a Jones Act compliant dredger for the North Carolina State Ports Authority (NCSPA) for delivery in 2021.The water injection dredger will be built at a partner shipyard in the U.S.“The construction, procurement of the main components, assembly and testing will be performed in the United States (following the Jones Act regulations) and is being managed by the local IHC operations team based in Houston…
Incus Investor Becomes Scana
![Styrk Bekkenes (Photo: Scana)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/styrk-bekkenes-photo-scana-112834.jpg)
Investment company Incus Investor has changed its name to Scana ASA and embarked on a new course as parent company for a group of equipment and service suppliers to the maritime industry. The head office will move from Stavanger to Bergen.Through its subsidiaries, Incus Investor has managed a broad Nordic industrial history that stretches back hundreds of years. As part of the company's new strategy, the board is planning an offensive maritime venture.Many probably recognize the new Scana name.
SMA Selects Teledyne CARIS
![SMA Team Photo (Photo courtesy of Teledyne)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/sma-team-photo-photo-courtesy-112835.jpg)
Teledyne CARIS has announced that the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) has selected Teledyne CARIS to provide tools for generalization of bathymetric data in nautical charts.Through a competitive tender process, SMA has chosen Teledyne CARIS to provide CARIS BASE Editor as the solution for the generalization of bathymetric data in nautical charts. The software platform will provide the tools needed…
Cruise Ship Europa 2 Using Cold Ironing in Hamburg
![File photo: Europa 2 in Hamburg (Photo: Hapag-Lloyd Cruises)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/file-photo-europa-2-in-112841.jpg)
Luxury cruise ship Europa 2, idled by travel restrictions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, is now using cold ironing at the Cruise Center Altona in Hamburg, Germany. The process provides shoreside electrical power to a ship at berth while its main and auxiliary engines are turned off.In this test phase, the undisrupted use and compatibility had been comprehensively tested and prepared when the Europa 2 was moored in its berth in Altona.