Royal Caribbean Cancels New Cruise Line from Israel Over Unrest
Cruise operator Royal Caribbean is cancelling a new line that had been scheduled to run from Israel to Greece and Cyprus from next month, citing regional security concerns.The sailings out of Haifa port would have been the first for Royal Caribbean's new ship Odyssey of the Seas and were intended to exploit a travel corridor being set up among the three countries for travelers vaccinated against COVID-19."Due to the unrest in Israel and region, Odyssey has not been able to complete the preparati
WE Tech Tapped to Help Power Finnish Corvettes
WE Tech Solutions Oy in Vaasa, Finland won an order for its WE Drives to control the RENK Advanced Electric Drive (AED) onboard the Pohjanmaa-class Corvettes for The Finnish Defence Forces. The WE Drives are essential for smooth operation in the different operating modes of the Combined Diesel-Electric and Gas (CODELAG) Propulsion system. The WE Drives are supplied to RENK Augsburg, Germany, who is…
Stena RoRo E-Flexer Côte d'Opale Delivered to DFDS
The RoPax vessel Côte d'Opale – Stena's fifth E-Flexer vessel from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai) – was delivered May 17, 2021 in a ceremony with representatives from Stena RoRo, DFDS and the shipyard.The ship, at 214m long will become the longest ferry operating in the English Channe will enter service during the summer.“Our focus is to adapt the design to our customers' specific wishes…
BSM Debuts Digital Pay Platform for Seafarers
Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) launched BSM NiumPay, a digital payment platform for its seafarers and their families to manage finances. The new payment platform provides seafarers with a multi-currency eWallet and a complimentary VISA card. In addition, a supplementary VISA card is available for the seafarer’s family.With BSM NiumPay, seafarers can receive and send funds home in real-time, exchange money at best trading rates as well as withdraw cash at most ATMs worldwide.
EU to Toughen Rules on Offshore Platform, Ship Recycling
The European Union on Monday said it would toughen its rules on ship recycling and decommissioning offshore oil and gas sites, and set new targets to restore damaged marine ecosystems.Sectors linked to seas and oceans, such as shipping, fishing and offshore electricity generation, employ more than 4 million people in the EU. They are also facing a clutch of challenges, from climate change's disruption of fish habitats…
Wind Power: 'Trade Wings' Containership Design Gets BV AIP
Bureau Veritas has granted approval in principle (AIP) for the Trade Wings 2,500 design, a wind- and LNG/electric-powered containership concept designed jointly by VPLP Design, Alwena Shipping, SDARI and AYRO.As the maritime industry moves toward designs and technologies that minimize emissions, the 197- by 32-meter, 2,500-TEU Trade Winds ship design combines six Oceanwings wind-assisted propulsion sails with liquefied natural gas (LNG)-electric propulsion with pods.
Fire-Stricken Containership Starts Transit to Port of Oakland
The Unified Command, consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, the State of California, Resolve Marine and Witt O'Briens said Sunday it was coordinating the safe transit of a containership 80 miles southwest of Big Sur to the Port of Oakland, Calif. after the ship had reported an engine fire on Friday."The NYK Delphinus crew reported a continuous decrease in the temperature of the engine room’s surrounding bulkheads Sunday morning.
Keel Laid for Finnlines’ Second Hybrid RoRo Ship
The Nanjing Jinling shipyard in China has laid the keel for the second of three new hybrid ro-ro vessels it is building for Finnlines.The construction of MS Finneco II is proceeding, and the keel laying ceremony was held on May 12, Finnlines said.The vessel is part of Finnlines’ €500 million ($607 million) newbuilding program which includes two eco-sustainable ro-pax vessels in addition to the three…
Second Jones Act Waiver Granted to Citgo After Colonial Outage
The Biden administration granted oil refiner Citgo Petroleum a maritime shipping waiver allowing it to move fuel between U.S. ports on a foreign flagged vessel, two sources told Reuters on Friday, making it the second company to secure one this week.The waivers are intended to help ease distribution of fuel after a major pipeline serving the U.S. East Coast was forced shut by a cyberattack last week…
A Newbuild VLOC is the First Wind-powered Bulk Carrier
Brazilian miner Vale expects to soon put into service the first-ever bulk carrier propelled partially sails, the company said on Thursday.The rotor sail-equipped newbuild, a very large ore carrier (VLOC) named Sea Zhoushan, is being built in China for owner by Pan Ocean Ship Management and will be chartered by Vale upon delivery in the coming days. Not only is Sea Zhoushan the first bulk carrier to be fitted with rotor sails…
Barge Operations Cleared to Resume on the Lower Mississippi
The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday lifted its marine traffic restrictions on a section of the lower Mississippi River that has been closed since Tuesday, clearing towboats…
More Than 1,000 Barges Backed Up on Lower Mississippi River
More than 1,000 barges were backed up on the lower Mississippi River on Friday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, while traders anxiously awaited an update on the…
Tanker Owners Ask to Switch Ports for Israel Oil Shipments
At least two tanker owners delivering crude oil to Israel have asked to divert from Ashkelon to the port of Haifa because of fighting, shipping sources said on Friday.The most serious fighting between Israel and Gaza militants since 2014 began on Monday after the enclave's ruling Hamas group fired rockets at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in retaliation for Israeli police clashes with Palestinians near al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.On Tuesday…
Austal Delivers Two Patrol Boats to Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard
Austal has delivered two 58-meter Cape-class Patrol Boats to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG). The patrol boats, TTS Port of Spain (CG41) and TTS Scarborough (CG42), were delivered at a handover ceremony held at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard Friday. These are the first vessels of the type Austal Australia has delivered to an export market.Austal has so far delivered twelve Cape-class…
Jones Act Waiver Granted to Valero After Colonial Shutdown
U.S. refiner Valero Energy Corp was granted a Jones Act waiver, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, after a cyberattack shut the Colonial Pipeline late last week, creating a fuel crunch in several parts of the U.S. Southeast and Northeast.Jones Act waivers are a key way to ensure fuel supplies reach some of the hardest hit areas as pump prices continue to surge while Colonial begins…
Baltic Dry Index Hits Near Two-week Low
The Baltic exchange's main sea freight index fell to a near two-week low on Thursday pressured by a decline in capesize and panamax vessel rates.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels ferrying dry bulk commodities, fell 62 points, or 2%, to 3,077, the lowest since April 30.The capesize index fell 160 points, or 3.4%, to 4,549, its lowest since April 27.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes of coal and st
Profiles in Training: Dr. Michael Ekow MANUEL, Professor, World Maritime University
The global seafarers crisis takes center stage at the World Maritime University (WMU), as Dr. Michael Ekow Manuel discusses the importance of seafarers, seafarer training and the MarTID 2021 survey.While many maritime professionals have the theoretical ‘salt in their veins’, a career at sea seemingly predestined by family ties and/or geographic proximity, that is not the case for Dr. Michael Manuel, Professor, WMU. Hailing from Ghana, Dr.
Hapag-Lloyd Reports Strong First Quarter
German container shipper Hapag-Lloyd said on Wednesday it increased its net profit in the first quarter to 1.2 billion euros ($1.45 billion) and kept up its guidance for "clearly higher" full year earnings."We concluded the first quarter with a very positive financial result and look back overall on a solid start to the year," said Rolf Habben Jansen, chief executive of Hapag-Lloyd, the world's number five container liner.Its net profit had slumped to 25 million euros a year ago as the coronavir
ABB Rolls Out Blended Learning Program for Azipod Users
ABB Marine & Ports said it has developed a new Blended Learning program for Azipod propulsion in response to customers’ requests for safe and efficient training of crews during global travel restrictions.The new program combines traditional classroom training with instructor-led lessons via conference call, assignments and e-learning available on the ABB Marine Academy digital learning platform; remote…
Fincantieri Q1 Profit Jumps 27%
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri on Thursday reported a 27.3% rise in first-quarter core profit to 101 million euros ($122.06 million) and confirmed its guidance for the full year.Revenue stood at 1.43 billion euros, a 9.1% increase compared to the first quarter last year when production at the group's Italian shipyards was suspended in March due to a national lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.The order intake stood at 300 million euros in the January-March period.Net debt rose to
