Tanker Bottleneck Emerges in Venezuela as Crude Stocks Run Low
More than a dozen large tankers were waiting on Wednesday at Venezuela's main oil port and nearby anchorage zones for state-run PDVSA to assign them slots to load crude, as an outage and low inventories caused delays, according to documents and sources.Venezuela's crude output declined in April to 445,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to secondary sources consulted by OPEC, down 81,000 bpd from March levels.
UK Reveals the Names of Its New Inspiration Class Warships
The names of the British Royal Navy's five next-generation Type-31 frigates have been announced by the First Sea Lord, Admiral Tony Radakin. Approved by HM The Queen, the vessels will be named HMS Active, HMS Bulldog, HMS Campbeltown, HMS Formidable and HMS Venturer.Grouped together as the Inspiration Class, the names of the new vessels are drawn from former warships and submarines whose missions and history will inspire Royal Navy operations.
Moose Boats Hires Ken Royal as Sales VP
Califronia-based boat builder Moose Boats said it has hired Ken Royal as vice president of sales.Royal has extensive experience operating Moose Boats as a firefighter with the Tiburon Fire Protection District, and training other operators on Moose Boats, and will bring these skills and knowledge to help grow the Moose Boats brand. “Having logged over 15 years serving his district aboard two Moose Boats catamarans…
Sailors’ Society Expands Seafarer Wellness Campaign
Shipping companies are being invited to sign up to a free mental health and wellbeing campaign offering support not just to crews, but also their families and shore staff.International maritime charity Sailors’ Society said it has expanded its Wellness at Sea Awareness Campaign to include families and shore staff. The 27-week campaign, which starts in June, will help seafarers, their families and shore…
China Says US Threatening Peace as Warship Transits Taiwan Strait
China accused the United States on Wednesday of threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait after a U.S. warship again sailed through the sensitive waterway that separates Taiwan from its giant neighbor.The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur conducted a "routine Taiwan Strait transit" on Tuesday in accordance with international law."The ship's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S.
Salvors Remove Diesel Fuel from Capsized Liftboat Seacor Power
Salvage crews have removed all diesel fuel from the tanks of capsized liftboat Seacor Power in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.Salvors removed approximately 20,363 gallons of diesel fuel from the overturned vessel using the hot tapping method, which involves drilling into the fuel tanks, making a hose connection, and transferring the fuel to portable tanks, the Coast Guard said.Approximately 4…
MARAD Announces Maritime Training Centers of Excellence
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Wednesday announced the designation of 27 Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE), recognizing community colleges and training institutions that prepare students for careers in the U.S. maritime industry.“Our collaboration with these institutions represents an important expansion of…
Bumi Armada, Shapoorji Pallonji JV to Set Up FSRU in Mumbai Harbour
Through a joint venture firm with Shapoorji Pallonji, Malaysian floating production vessel company Bumi Armada has struck a deal to set up and operate a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) in Mumbai Harbour.SP Armada Clean Energy Ventures Private Limited (SPACEVPL), Bumi Armada's joint venture with Shapoorji Pallonji entered into a license agreement on May 18, 2021, with the Board of Trustees for the Port of Mumbai to set up…
MOL to Step Up Hydrogen and Ammonia Business
Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) said on Wednesday it will accelerate efforts to build a global supply chain of cleaner marine energy using fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia as the world heads toward carbon neutrality by 2050."Decarbonizing ship fuel is one of our main goals," Kenta Matsuzaka, senior managing executive officer at MOL, told a news conference."We also want to contribute…
SCHOTTEL Equips Brevik Fergeselskap's New Electric Ferry
German propulsion specialist SCHOTTEL said it has delivered main propulsion units for a 42-meter ferry being built by the Netherlands-based Holland Shipyards Group. The recently launched Sandøy is the first fully electric ferry for the Norwegian operator Brevik Fergeselskap, and is equipped with two SCHOTTEL RudderPropellers.The 42-meter-long and 11-meter-wide vessel will be able to accommodate up to 98 pedestrians as well as 16 cars.
Signal's AI-Drive Forecasting Algorithm Receives US Patent
Signal Group's artificial-intelligence (AI) driven forecasting algorithm, Carrier Path Prediction Based On Dynamic Input Data, has been awarded a US patent, as it aims to deliver an advanced prediction model for the maritime community. "Receiving our first U.S patent is a tremendous milestone for the Signal Group," said Ioannis Martinos, CEO, Signal Group. "The patent powers our sophisticated voyage forecasting capabilities."Signal…
U.S. Stimulus, Consumer Spending Drives West Coast Imports to New Heights
The surge in U.S. container imports continued in April when West Coast loaded imports amounted to 1.10m TEU. Imports had never exceeded this level until August 2020, and developments in the past nine months mean that April imports are only the sixth highest on record. In the first four months of the year volumes are up by 40.3%, representing an increase of 1.2m TEU from the same period in 2020. Compared to 2019 volumes are still up by an impressive 22.8% (+793…
Yara Marine Technologies Opens Shop in Poland
Yara Marine Technologies announced it has opened a new shop in Gdańsk, Poland, as the company moves into installation services. The new site will serve turnkey deliveries as part of the company’s green tech expansion, such as shore power and WindWings, as well as onboard repairs and upgrades."When introducing new and unfamiliar technologies to the maritime industry, we experience that we need to be able to supervise and cover some of the installations ourselves…
Search Underway for 77 Offshore Workers Missing from Barge Sunk by Cyclone
Indian navy ships and aircraft scoured waters off the financial capital Mumbai on Wednesday for 77 workers missing from a barge that sank after a powerful cyclone barrelled into the country's west coast this week.Driving waves of up to 25 feet on the high seas, cyclone Tauktae rammed into the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat over the past two days, killing at least 29 people and leaving a trail of destruction…
TECH FILE: DNV Launches Mobile App for Safety Inspections
DNV’s new Mobile Inspection App is designed to assist ship owners and managers digitalize and streamline the workflow, recording and follow-up of their onboard safety inspections, while also providing onshore staff with instant access to the results. In addition, the Mobile Inspection App enables reporting online or offline on all devices, whether laptop, desktop, mobile or tablet. It is designed for all kinds of safety inspections by owners and managers…
Danish Offshore Vessel Owner Eyes Business in Norway
Danish offshore vessel owner Maersk Supply Service said Wednesday it would reflag one of its anchor handling vessels to the Norwegian flag, hire Norwegian crew and set up an office in Bergen. The plan is to have its first vessel ready for operation in Norwegian water during summer 2021, the company said."With a strong focus on the towing and installation of floating units for offshore wind and the oil and gas industry…
Fourteen Die Offshore India After Barge Sinks as Cyclone Batters West Coast
Fourteen people have died as a barge sank off India's west coast after a powerful cyclone barrelled into the country, authorities said on Wednesday, while Indian navy ships and aircraft scoured waters to locate scores of other missing personnel."We can confirm that 14 bodies have been recovered from the rescue operation of barge P305" that sank off the coast of Mumbai, Mehul Karnik, chief public relations officer…
Genco Buys Newbuild Ultramax Bulker Pair
Dry bulk shipping company Genco Shipping & Trading Limited announced on Wednesday that it has entered into agreements to acquire two 2022-built 61,000 dwt Ultramax…
Seaspan Takes Delivery of Two 8,500 TEU Vessels
Seaspan Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Corp. announced on Wednesday it has accepted delivery of two quality 8,500 TEU scrubber-fitted containerships on long-term charter with a global liner.Bing Chen, chairman, president and CEO of Seaspan, said, "Our creative customer partnership, executional expertise and operational excellence continue to drive quality growth as we provide market leading solutions to our customers.
Study Will Examine Effects of Reduced Ice Coverage on Great Lakes Shipping
A preponderance of climate studies on the Great Lakes predict a trend toward reduced ice cover. Ice is expected to form later and melt earlier. With Wisconsin Sea Grant funding, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS) are looking into how this might impact the shipping industry on the Great Lakes.Richard Stewart, director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center at UWS…
