Stranded at Sea, Coronavirus Takes a Toll on Seafarers' Mental Health
When Ritesh Mehra, 43, enlisted for a four-month stint as captain on a liquid gas tanker last July, he never expected to be stranded at sea until spring.“Twice it has happened that the ports are not allowing crew change,” Mehra told Reuters via Zoom from the bridge of the 80,000 tonne ship docked outside the Indian port of Haldia.“My family won’t trust me anymore. I have been giving them dates when I would come home from December.”Mehra…
Svitzer Australia Adds Third New Tug
Svitzer Australia has taken delivery of its third and final new tug, Svitzer Wilu, welcomed to the Port of Geraldton on March 22, joining Svitzer North and Svitzer Abrolhos to form the new fleet.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the RAstar 3000-W series ASD tug Svitzer Wilu is 30 meters long, has 70 tonnes of bollard pull and increased safety capabilities with advanced firefighting capabilities on board.Main propulsion comprises of a pair of Caterpillar 3516C…
Suez Crisis Adds to Pandemic Supply Worries
A stranded container ship blocking the Suez Canal threatens to make it even more difficult for European and U.S. retailers to keep products in stock during the coronavirus pandemic.The Suez Canal saga that began on Tuesday and could go on for weeks, is just the latest crisis to strike the global supply chain that was upended when coronavirus shutdowns spurred house-bound consumers to upgrade appliances…
Suez Canal Considering Discounts for Ships Affected by Blockage
The Suez Canal Authority is considering discounts for vessels affected by the blockage caused by a stranded container ship, its chairman said on Sunday.Osama Rabie also told Al Arabiya TV that the canal was losing $13-14 million in revenue daily after halting traffic due to the grounded ship and that 369 vessels were waiting to transit the canal.(Reporting by Omar Fahmy and Mahmoud Mourad; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Alex Richardson)
New Tug Joins Effort to Float Ship Stranded in Suez Canal
A newly arrived specialist tug ALP Guard has joined efforts on Sunday night to float the giant containership Ever Given stranded in the Suez Canal, the ship’s technical…
Egypt's President Orders Preparations for Lightening Ever Given Cargo
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered preparations for lightening the cargo of the giant container ship grounded in the Suez Canal, the head of the canal’s authority told Egypt’s Extra News on Sunday.The Ever Given containership has been blocking the waterway since Tuesday and salvage teams have been hoping to free it with dredgers and tugs without unloading any of its cargo.(Reporting by Omar Fahmy Writing by Aidan Lewis)
Ship Blocking Suez Canal Moves Slightly, Unclear When it Will Refloat
Efforts to dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal have allowed its stern and rudder to move, but it remains unclear when the vessel will be refloated, the head of the canal authority said on Saturday.The 400 metre (430 yard) long Ever Given became wedged diagonally across a southern section of the canal amid high winds early on Tuesday, blocking one of the world’s busiest waterways.A…
TECH FILE: Acoustic Tech Used to Understand Climate Change in the Arctic
Major changes are occurring in the ocean. Climate change and subsequent melting sea ice are not necessarily good changes. Why are acoustic Doppler current profilers an invaluable tool to get a complete picture of the Arctic’s changing wave conditions in the context of climate change?In the Arctic, the end-of-summer sea ice extent in 2020 was the second-lowest in the last 42 years.“The ice used to melt out in June or July. Now it melts out in May. It used to come back in September or October.
TECH FILE: Software Helps Merchant Mariners with USCG Credentials
MM-SEAS is the reportedly the first software that automates the manual task of obtaining, tracking and renewing U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) credentials, helping to eliminate paperwork processing errors while delivering merchant mariner career guidance.Civilian mariners are required to have valid USCG Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC) to be onboard any commercial or federal ship in the United States. Credentialing is a complex and vague process.
Shipbuilding: Austal USA Breaks Ground on Steel Manufacturing Line
Austal USA broke ground on its steel manufacturing line Friday, March 26, 2021, positioning the company to start steel production in April 2022.“This world-class steel manufacturing line is a treasure for the Gulf Coast, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard that will provide a much needed boost to the defense industrial base and our Nation’s defense,” said Jerry Carl, Congressman for Alabama’s first district.“As demand for the greater and larger Navy and Coast Guard fleets grows…
LNG and Electric Tugs Ordered to Service the LNG Canada Project
A unique partnership formed between the Haisla Nation and North Vancouver-based Seaspan ULC will produce battery-powered and low emissions liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel tugboats to serve the $40 billion LNG Canada project in Kitimat, B.C.Majority-owned by the Haisla Nation, the new venture is called HaiSea Marine, which has a major contract with LNG Canada to build and operate escort tugs and harbor tugs required for the largescale LNG export facility.
Coast Guard Investigating Mysterious Sheen in Brunswick, Ga.
Authorities are working to track down the source of a recurring mystery sheen emanating from the bank of the East River in Brunswick, Ga.The U.S. Coast Guard said…
All American Marine Sold to Bryton Marine Group
U.S. shipbuilder All American Marine (AAM) has been sold to family-owned Bryton Marine Group, the company announced on Friday.The aluminum vessel designer and builder will continue to operate in Bellingham, Wash. Bryton CEO Byron Bolton will assume the role of AAM CEO, and AAM's former CEO and owner Matt Mullett will serve in an advisory role. Ron Wille, AAM’s president, together with his management team will lead the business.
IMO Issues Statement on Ever Given Grounding
The head of the United Nations' maritime agency issued a statement Friday following the grounding of containership Ever Given and the resulting closure of the Suez Canal.International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim offered encouragement for local authorities and the teams working to dislodge the 400-meter-long vessel from the banks of one of the world's most important shipping chokepoints.
LNG Shipping Costs: A Roller Coaster in Early 2021
For most of 2020, the liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping market was in a depressed state like many other segments of the global gas industry. LNG export cargoes fell by 0.2% y-o-y in 2020 to reach 5,682 shipments, driven by a slowdown in LNG demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The commissioning of various LNG carriers around the world exacerbated that trend. Between the period 2018 and 2020, the market witnessed the record commissioning of LNG carriers…
The Suez Canal: A Vital Transit Route With an Ancient History
The Suez Canal, blocked by a giant container ship that ran aground on Tuesday, is the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe and about 15% of global shipping traffic moves through it.The 193-km (120-mile) waterway, run by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority, is a vital source of foreign currency for Egypt.How much oil goes through the canal?Of the 39.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil imported by seaborne methods in 2020…
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Reactivates Three Laid Up Vessels as Demand, Rates Increase
Norwegian/Swedish ro-ro shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen will reactivate the last three of its vessels that were placed in cold layup in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing rising rates and demand."Reactivation will take place in Q3, and the intention is that reactivated vessels will replace capacity sourced through short-term charters," Wallenius Wilhelmsen said.Earlier this…
Ever Given Salvors Weigh Time and Tide with Risk of Tip or Tear
The Dutch emergency response team hired to free the vast ship blocking the Suez canal has pulled off some dramatic recoveries, including lifting Russia’s Kursk nuclear submarine from the Barents Sea floor, but says this is one of the trickiest.Weighing 200,000 tonnes without cargo, the Ever Given is the heaviest vessel that Smit Salvage, a subsidiary of the Dutch marine services company Boskalis contracted in the rescue…
UN Urges Prioritization of Seafarer Vaccinations
Unite Nations organizations this week issued a joint call for the world's seafarers to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination, stressing their key role in supporting global trade.The heads of five UN organizations have called for maritime and air transport workers to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination.Seafarers and aircrew are key workers, required to travel across borders, which may—though contrary…
Tokyo Port to Waive Entry Fee for Ships Powered by LNG, Hydrogen
Japan’s port of Tokyo will waive an entry fee from next month for ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen, as well as LNG bunkering ships, in a bid to promote the use of cleaner marine fuels, authorities said on Friday.The exemption runs for five years from April 1, and an official of the Tokyo metropolitan government said the neighboring ports of Yokohama and Kawasaki would also apply it to LNG-powered and LNG bunkering ships.“The waiver is aimed at contributing to global effo
