China's Oil Port Congestion to Stretch On Well into August
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Congestion at China's east coast oil ports that is adding to costs for shippers and importers is likely to run well into August, with crude shipments set to hit another record high this month, according to analysts and Refinitiv data.The massive inflows are straining offloading facilities, while refiners and port operators in Shandong province -- home to a quarter of China's refining capacity -- are…
Salvors Outline Plan to Recover Titanic's Telegraph System
![A view of the bow of the Titanic (Photo: NOAA and the Russian Academy of Sciences)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/a-view-of-the-bow-114935.jpg)
Marine salvors on Wednesday outlined plans to recover the Marconi wireless telegraph from inside the RMS Titanic after being cleared by a U.S. judge in May to retrieve a piece of history from the world's most famous shipwreck.Originally scheduled to embark on the mission to recover the system this summer, the private company with exclusive rights to salvage artifacts from the ship announced it has…
Asian Piracy Incidents Double in H1 2020
![Of the 51 piracy incidents reported through the first six months of 2020, 31 (61%) occurred to ships at anchor/berth and 20 (39%) to ships underway. (© hit1912 / Adobe Stock)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/of-the-51-piracy-incidents-114932.jpeg)
The number of reported attacks against ships has doubled in Asia over the first half of 2020, elevating security concerns for mariners across the region.A total of 51 cases of piracy and armed robbery against ships (including 50 actual incidents and one attempted incident) were reported in Asia from January through June 2020, up from 28 incidents (25 actual and three attempted) during the same period for 2019…
Jones Act Does Not Raise Cost of Living in Hawaii -Study
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The Jones Act has no significant impact on the cost of living in Hawaii, according to a recent report produced by economists from Boston based Reeve & Associates (Reeve) and Hawaii based TZ Economics.“The Impact of the Jones Act on Hawaii” also found that freight rates in the U.S. mainland-Hawaii trade lane have declined in real terms over the last 10 years, while the Jones Act has delivered positive and substantial economic contributions…
Congress Lines Up COVID-19 Relief for the Maritime Industry
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New legislation passed through Congress aims to provide relief to the U.S. maritime industry during national emergencies such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or natural disasters.Introduced July 9 by the Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Chair of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.)…
TDI-Brooks' New Vessel Completes Its First Projects
![Miss Emma McCall (Photo: TDI-Brooks)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/miss-emma-mccall-photo-tdibrooks-114920.png)
TDI-Brooks’ newest vessel R/V Miss Emma McCall has recently completed its first projects for the U.S.-based marine data acquisition services company on behalf of Total and Cairn Energy offshore Mexico. TDI-Brooks has the vessel on a long-term bare-boat charter from Cameron Offshore Boats.The 2003-built Miss Emma is a multi-use oceanographic research vessel outfitted for a wide variety of oceanographic research duties for operations in the Northern/Southern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), U.S.
Paranaguá Port Resumes Grain Loading After Fire
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The Port of Paranaguá, Brazil's second busiest for soybean and sugar cargoes, is gradually resuming grain export operations after a fire that affected conveyor belts at two terminals, according to a statement from the port authority on Wednesday.Operations remain halted at the two affected terminals, connected to berths 212, 213 and 214, which form part of an export corridor comprising 11 terminals…
ABS to Class First NA West Coast LNG Bunker Barge
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The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge on North America’s west coast, which is expected to serve shipping from 2023, is to be built to ABS class.Cryopeak LNG Solutions Corporation and Island Tug & Barge Ltd. (ITB) have developed a design for a 4,000 cubic meter capacity articulated tug and barge (ATB). The design utilizes one of ITB’s tugs to deliver LNG as a fuel to shipping companies…
Shipowners Struggle to Bring Home Crews Amid Coronavirus Chaos
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Shipping companies are still struggling to get hundreds of thousands of crew members back home after many months at sea despite pledges by countries to ease transit restrictions for seafarers, industry officials say.Countries including the UK, the United States, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines pledged this month to boost efforts to help seafarers, many of whom have been on ships longer than the 11-month limit laid out in a maritime labor convention.Other countries…
Stowage Issues Cited in Ever Smart Container Loss
![(Photo: MAIB)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-maib-114924.jpg)
A combination of factors including stowage deficiencies likely led to the loss of containers from the U.K.-flagged containership Ever Smart off the coast if Japan in 2017, according to U.K. investigators.On October 30, 2017, the 300-meter, 7,024 TEU-capacity containership suffered a container stow collapse during a period of heavy pitching and hull vibration while on passage between Taipei, Taiwan and Los Angeles, U.S.
New York Launches Up To 2,500MW Offshore Wind Solicitation
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New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday announced offshore wind solicitation aimed at developing up to 2,500 Megawatts of renewable energy and complementary multi-port infrastructure investment.The solicitation includes a multi-port strategy and requirement for offshore wind generators to partner with any of the 11 prequalified New York ports to stage, construct, manufacture key components, or…
Rolls-Royce, MAN Partner on Fleet Management Platform
![Andreas Schell (left), CEO of Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems, and Dr. Uwe Lauber (right), CEO of MAN Energy Solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on mýa, the open asset-and-fleet-management-system. (Photo: MAN Energy Systems)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/andreas-schell-left-ceo-of-114923.jpg)
Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems, and Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on mýa, the open asset-and-fleet-management-system enabling the integration of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), asset owner and operator data across the marine, power and energy industries, among others.Lauber said, “I’m…
Schottel Unveils New Azimuth Thrusters
![The Schottel Rudderpropeller (SRP), left, and the Schottel EcoPeller (SRE) (Image: Schottel)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/the-schottel-rudderpropeller-srp-left-114921.png)
Marine propulsion systems manufacturer Schottel introduced its new M-series azimuth thrusters, consisting of several medium-sized rudder propeller sizes covering a power range of 400 to 1,000 kW. The series' first propulsion units have recently been delivered and will soon be put into operation.With the M-series, Schottel says it aims to meet new challenges such as shifted engine power classes, updated ice class rules and an ever-increasing number of electric or hybrid-driven vessels.
Sea Machines Raises $15 Mln, Partners with Huntington Ingalls Industries
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Autonomous vessel technology developer Sea Machines Robotics announced Wednesday it has closed a new $15 million financing round with significant participation by America's largest military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).The Boston-based tech company said it expects the investment and associated partnership with HII will accelerate the deployment of self-piloting technologies for unmanned…
Tech File: Hybrid-Electric Propulsion for Crew-less Vessels
![Image: XOCEAN/Torqueedo](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-xoceantorqueedo-114915.jpg)
The move to autonomy on the world's waterways is undeniable, with the direction clear, the pace hazy. What is clear is the need for reliable, fuel efficient propulsion, and last month Torqueedo announced a deal to provide hybrid-electric propulsion systems to power XOCEAN’s XO-450 USV, a custom-designed composite wave-piercing catamaran about the length of a typical automobile.XOCEAN is embarked on a mission to to transform the way subsea data is collected…
Maersk to Stop Taking Solid Waste Shipments to China
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Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk, the world's top container shipping firm, said on Wednesday it would stop accepting solid waste shipments bound for China and Hong Kong from September."We sent out a customer advisory on July 20th, telling customers that solid waste acceptance will be stopped by Maersk into the destinations of Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, effective September 1st, 2020," the company said…
Turkey Slams Greek Claim Over Mediterranean Seismic Survey
![Image Credit: Cengiz Tokgoz](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-credit-cengiz-tokgoz-114910.jpg)
The eastern Mediterranean region where a Turkish ship will carry out a seismic survey is part of Turkey's continental shelf, Ankara said on Wednesday, rejecting Greece's accusation that the ship is encroaching on its own shelf.Long-standing tensions between the NATO allies escalated after Turkey's navy on Tuesday issued an advisory known as a Navtex for seismic surveys in waters between Cyprus and Crete.Athens and Ankara are at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources…
HII Forms Defense and Federal Solutions Business Group
![(File photo: HII)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/file-photo-hii-114901.jpg)
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Technical Solutions division on Tuesday announced changes to the organization and alignment of its business groups following an organizational review and series of strategic acquisitions and major contract awards.The previous Fleet Support group and Mission Driven Innovative Solutions (MDIS) group were combined to form the Defense and Federal Solutions group, to be led by Garry Schwartz…
Webinar: Floating Production Forecasts & Analysis
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A free webinar will deliver latest forecasts and market intelligence for the global floating production industry, offering insider access to business and investment opportunities in the deepwater sector.Floating Production Systems: 2020 Forecasts & Analysis, presented by ABS and World Energy Reports, will be held July 29, 2020, 11 a.m. (EDT). REGISTER HERE.The effects of the COVID-19 crisis and oil supply glut continue to seriously dampen investment appetite in the oil and gas sector…
TT Line Puts RoPax Orders on Hold as it Looks to Build Locally
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Australian ferry operator TT Line has withdrawn from a memorandum of understanding with Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions for the construction of two new car and passenger ferries as it investigates options to build the vessels domestically.The Tasmanian government-owned operator, also known as Spirit of Tasmania, signed the MOU with RMC after canceling an initial contract with German shipyard Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft in February.