Brazilian Farm Town Bars Shipments, Affecting Global Traders
The key Brazilian farm town of Canara has issued a decree aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus that could disrupt grain export logistics and the operations of global agriculture commodities traders, according to a municipal order.The order dated March 22 bars shipping of grains out of the city in Mato Grosso state and comes as Mayor Fábio de Faria enforces a lockdown of all non-essential services to protect the population against the spread of coronavirus.
E-Navigation is the Future of Shipping
Trading worldwide without electronic tools is no longer an option, young navigators and crew are switched on to digital technology and they want to have this new technology at their fingertips rather than the messy, slow and labour and paper-intensive methods of the past.Tor Svanes, the founder and CEO of NAVTOR, believes that electronic chart and display information systems (ECDIS) is now a must have navigational tool in the modern era.ECDIS has become the modus operandi on all ships…
Baltic Index Down on Dim Vessel Demand
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index fell on Tuesday, recording its steepest fall in over a month on lower rates across all vessel segments.The Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels that ferry dry bulk commodities, dropped 14 points, or 2.3%, to 603, its biggest daily percentage decline since Feb. 7.The panamax index declined by 28 points, or 3.6%, to 746…
Shipping Industry Urges G20 to Keep Freight Flowing
Ships and their crews must be able to trade freely with minimal port restrictions to ensure supply lines don't freeze up while the coronavirus shuts down much of the globe, shipping and port officials said on Tuesday.After draconian steps to stop the spread of the virus, China's economy is slowly coming back online but logistics chains are backing up in other parts of the world.This has been compounded…
Passenger Vessel Operator Fined for Reckless Operation
The company which owned Spirit of 1770, a passenger vessel that caught fire and burnt to the waterline with 42 paying customers and four crew members on board while…
VIKING Offering E-learning Amid Coronavirus
VIKING Safety Academy has addressed a fast-emerging seafarer training issue brought by coronavirus by delivering a unique e-learning tool that can keep seafarers STCW-compliant until restrictions on movement and social interactions come to an end.With many countries in lockdown, face to face seafarer training is also being suspended and some flag administrations have responded by granting automatic three-month extensions to the STCW Certificates seafarers must update every five years.
d’Amico to Trial Remote Ship Inspections
Shipowner d’Amico will trial remote inspection ship technology as the marine industry adjusts to the constraints placed on people’s movements imposed by national governments to limit the spread of COVID-19.Italian classification society RINA said its remote technology has been approved the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR) for the inspections of Liberian flagged vessels, and…
Modern-Day Mayflower Sets Sail Ahead of 400th Anniversary Voyage
Four hundred years after the Mayflower crossed the Atlantic from Britain to the United States, a group of engineers plan to have a crewless-ship also named the Mayflower, navigate itself along the same route.The voyage is due to begin in September and the new Mayflower could become the first full-sized, fully autonomous vessel to cross the Atlantic, organizers IBM and marine research group Promare say.The original Mayflower ship transported 102 British settlers from England to America.
Kuosa Named CEO of NAPA
Maritime software, services and data analysis provider NAPA announced the appointment of Mikko Kuosa as Chief Executive Officer. Kuosa assumes the position from Ilmo Kuutti, who served as CEO of NAPA Group for three years. Kuutti continues as an Advisor and a member of the NAPA Board of Directors.Mikko Kuosa, who joined NAPA in 1999, holds a master’s degree in Naval Architecture from Helsinki University of Technology, Finland.
P&O Maritime Orders Two Chinese Newbuilds
Dubai-based P&O Maritime Logistics (POML) said it recently secured a contract to build two vessels to support Ok Tedi Mining Limited’s (OTML) growing export requirements.The vessels, designed by Wärtsilä Ship Design, will be 5,400 DWT bulk and container carriers built at Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding Limited in China, and once completed, will operate in Papua New Guinea (PNG) principally between Kiunga in the Western Province and Port Moresby.
Two Harvey Gulf Vessels Equipped with BWMS
Two platform supply vessels operated by US-based Harvey Gulf International are due to be equipped with Evac Evolution ballast water management systems (BWMS).The Harvey Spirit and Harvey Supplier (85.4 meters overall) will each be fitted with systems with the capacity to treat ballast water at the rate of 250 cubic meters per hour (m3/hr).“We have seen a steady rise in orders and enquiries since achieving U.S.
Danica Boss Says Safer for Crews to Stay on Board
A crew specialist has urged ship operators to exercise caution when making crew changeovers while the coronavirus outbreak continues to rampage across the globe.Responding to industry calls for seafarers to be given special travel dispensation, Henrik Jensen, managing director of Danica Crewing Services, warns that crew face a bigger risk of catching the virus while they travel to and from postings using public transport networks.Better to extend contracts where possible…
31 Years Ago Today: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
On March 24. 1989, the single-hull tanker Exxon Valdez was departing the Port of Valdez, Alaska with a full load of North Slope crude oil (approximately 1.26 million barrels) destined for Long Beach when it grounded on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. The resulting oil spill (approximately 258,000 barrels), while not the largest in US history, was clearly the most important. It engendered much litigation.
Work from Home: Energy Traders Swap Shouts for Babies, Barking Dogs
SINGAPORE, March 24 -- From banks of screens and giant phones in the office, energy traders worldwide are adapting to a laptop in the bedroom -- and it's going surprisingly well.Working from home has become the new norm in the oil trading hubs of Singapore, London and New York as governments encourage physical distancing to curb the spread of coronavirus.While some energy companies have long had facilities in place to allow off-site access to trading platforms and other technology…
Teekay Offshore Changes Name
Teekay Offshore Partners L.P., a provider of offshore oil production and storage vessels for the offshore oil and gas industry, has changed its name.The company announced Tuesday its name has changed to Altera Infrastructure L.P. effective March 24, 2020. The move comes following the recent acquisition of the company by Brookfield Business Partners L.P.The group of entities comprising of the company's…
42 People Sick on Cruise Ship Zaandam
Passengers aboard the cruise ship Zaandam are being quarantined after 42 people on board exhibited "influenza-like symptoms", the ship's operator Holland America Line said.As of Sunday morning, 13 passengers and 29 crew reported to the ship’s medical center, but it is unknown whether these are coronavirus cases as there is no COVID-19 testing available on board.Holland America Line said it asked passengers to self-quarantine "out of an abundance of caution"…
Coronavirus-related Inspections Delay Venezuelan Oil Exports
At least two cargoes of Venezuelan crude have been delayed due to health inspections aboard tankers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to an internal…
HII Promotes Jones, Fuller at its Newport News Shipbuilding
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced changes to its leadership team at its Newport News Shipbuilding division, effective March 13.Julia Jones was promoted to vice president of manufacturing and facilities, where she is responsible for all manufacturing and facilities operations. She has served as the acting vice president since January. Jones has more than 22 years of shipbuilding experience…
Total Lubmarine's Talusia Universal Gains NOL from WinGD
Total Lubmarine’s Talusia Universal (BN57) has received a No Objection Letter (NOL) from WinGD for all fuels (liquid and gas) with a sulphur content 0.00%S - 1.50%S.The…
Port of Hamburg Says Containers Are In Good Supply
The Port of Hamburg, responding to reports of bottlenecks in the supply of empty containers, conducted a flash poll this week asking shipping lines about the current situation and found that shipping lines see no appreciable scarcity of equipment in Hamburg and other German seaports, with no shortages expected to arise.According to Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM), the shipping lines mentioned several factors that provide for a stable supply of empty equipment.