Bulgaria Nabs Heroin Haul on Containership from Dubai
Bulgarian authorities have seized 401 kilograms of heroin hidden in containers on a ship that arrived at the Black Sea port of Varna from Dubai, the prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.Customs officers found the heroin divided among nearly 500 packages stashed inside bitumen roofing rolls from Iran, which arrived on February 7, prosecutors said in a statement.
DNV GL Sees 'Safety Gaps' on Path to Digitalization, Decarbonization
A new approach to safety is necessary along the maritime industry's rapid transition to a decarbonized, digitally smart future, says classification society DNV GL in a new white paper released Tuesday.The white paper, “Closing the safety gap in an era of transformation”, identifies a looming “safety gap” between shipping’s existing approach to safety risks and its ambitions for greater digitalization and the adoption of alternative fuels.
Iran, Russia Navies Start Exercises in Indian Ocean
Iran and Russia on Tuesday embarked on joint naval exercises in the Indian Ocean which will include thwarting a mock pirate attack on a merchant ship, Iranian state media reported.Iran has recently conducted several military exercises as it tries to push the United States to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement.Admiral Gholamreza Tahani told state television that night and day time firing was practiced.The…
Cold Snap Shuts Houston Ship Channel
A deep freeze that hit Texas over the weekend wrought more havoc on the U.S. energy sector on Tuesday, curbing output in the largest U.S. oil field, knocking out a fifth of the nation's refining capacity, and shutting a key shipping channel in Houston.Historic cold has knocked out roughly 4 million barrels per day of refining capacity, more than one-fifth of national capacity, according to Reuters calculations.
Goh Tapped as PIL's General Manager, Fleet Division
Pacific International Lines (PIL) appointed Goh Chung Hun as General Manager, Fleet Division, effective from February 1, 2021, succeeding Captain R.S. Minhas from 15th February 2021. Goh will be overseeing the management of PIL's fleet, including technical, marine operations, safety and crewing at PIL.Goh brings nearly 30 years of fleet management, technical, marine operations and seafaring experience.
AIDA Cruises to Open Cruise Season on March 20. Earlier Trips Cancelled
AIDA Cruises said Tuesday it would open its 2021 cruise season starting March 20 with AIDAperla ship sailing around the Canary Islands, "a favorite "fly and cruise" vacation for German travelers looking to enjoy the region's "eternal spring" weather and unique destinations." However, trips planned for earlier in March will not be taking place.The German federal government has extended the lockdown to contain the pandemic until March 2021.
Australia's South Needs LNG Import Terminal to Avoid Gas Shortfall in 2024
Australia's southern states will need to import natural gas to fill a looming shortfall by 2024, as last year's COVID-19 induced oil and gas price slump has slowed investment in new fields, the country's competition watchdog said on Tuesday.Regulators have warned of a potential gas shortfall since 2016 as the market's mainstay gas source off the south coast is drying up, but the supply crunch is now rapidly approaching…
Atlantic Wind Transfers Launches Jones Act CTV Atlantic Endeavor
U.S. offshore wind crew transfer company Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT) said its second Jones Act crew transfer vessel (CTV) Atlantic Endeavor was launched at the end of December.Designed by U.K. firm Chartwell Marine and built by Blount Boats in Warren, R.I., the new aluminum catamaran spent three days undergoing sea trials and U.S. Coast Guard inspections prior to deliver to Dominion Energy to support…
Kidnapped Sailors Return to Turkey, Describe Death Threats and Forest Captivity
Fifteen Turkish sailors kidnapped by pirates last month in the Gulf of Guinea arrived back in Turkey on Sunday and the ship’s captain described how they faced death…
AYRO Wind Assist Propulsion System Gets AIP from DNV GL
Classification society DNV GL said it has awarded AYRO an approval in principle (AIP) for its Oceanwings 3.6.3 wind assisted propulsion system for ships.As incoming maritime regulations are ramping up the pressure to improve sustainability and reduce emissions, maritime stakeholders are looking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and improve their EEDI or EEXI efficiency index, as part of efforts to comply with the IMO 2030 GHG strategy.
PGS Kicks Off 3D Seismic Survey Off Angola
Norwegian marine seismic data firm PGS, in partnership with Angola's ANPG, has started a new MultiClient 3D survey in the Lower Congo Basin, near the river plume of the Congo in Angola Block 1/14. The acquisition phase will continue until April and fast-track data is expected in October 2021, the company said Monday. PGS said the survey was fully prefunded.As part ot the survey, the Ramform Atlas vessel is acquiring high-density 3D GeoStreamer data using a 10 x 8 025 m streamer spread.
Iran Accuses U.S. of Piracy Over Oil Cargo Seizure
Iran said on Monday that a U.S. move this month to seize a cargo of oil on the grounds that it came from Tehran was an act of piracy, adding that the shipment did…
Ship Repair: A Financial Balancing Act
Shipowners have limited options to access financing for ship repair, given the capital-intensive nature of vessel repairs also represents a financial risk for shipyards, according to ship finance expert Ingmar Loges of UK-based ship repair group Newport Shipping.Loges, who joined Newport in early 2020 as Managing Director for the Hamburg office, has a 25-year track record in ship finance having served…
Subsea Defense: Navy Deepens Commitment to Underwater Vehicles
The U.S. Navy uses unmanned and robotic underwater vehicles for a multitude of functions, including environmental sensing, mine hunting, and salvage. The Navy plans to evolve an unmanned systems operating concept that is platform agnostic and capable of operating in highly complex contested environments with minimal operator interaction.The most recent edition of the Navy’s Unmanned Systems (UxS) Roadmap was issued in 2018, and a new version is expected in the near future.
Autonomy: Inside the Building of Ocean Infinity’s Armada Fleet
Back in 2017, Ocean Infinity made a novel move; deploying six autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), instead of just one, from a single vessel, vastly increasing the ground that could be covered in a single survey. Now the firm is taking the use of remote, robotic systems a significant step further.Back in 2017, Ocean Infinity made a novel move; deploying six autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), instead of just one…
Government Update: Coast Guard Authorization Act
On January 1, 2021, in an unusual New Year’s Day session, the Senate (following similar action by the House) overrode President Trump’s veto and enacted into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (H.R. 6395). In addition to the provisions relating to the Department of Defense, the bill contains numerous maritime sections, including Authorization Acts for the Coast Guard (USCG), the Maritime Administration (MARAD)…
Market Report: FPSOs ... Charting the Path Ahead
COVID-19 will continue to skew the floating production systems market for the coming 24 months, while buying power for a large portion of FPSO contracts will be centered in Brazil and Guyana/Suriname. These two areas are expected to account for more than 60% of the FPSO contracts awarded between 2021 and 2025.These are the findings shared in a recent floating production outlook report produced by International…
New Compact VSAT from Intellian
Intellian announced the v45C, the smallest antenna the company has yet developed for the maritime satellite communications market. The C in the product name represents its compact form factor: this new 45cm unit will bring VSAT to new markets where there is limited space available for communications equipment, such as workboats, leisure craft, fishing boats, small commercial and government vessels.Intellian's…
Flash Rush Meets its Match, Jumbo CO Innovates
Jumbo developed in-house an innovation that has promise to help solve the issue of persistent flash rust caused by the removal of temporary welded securings on board its fleet of heavy lift vessels. Jumbo Chief Officer and part-time Master’s student Bob Heikoop developed the prototype, and according to the company iintial results show that the device is not only faster than existing methods of removing temporary weldings…
Petronas' Floating LNG Facility PFLNG Dua Produces First LNG
Malaysian oil and gas giant Petronas said Monday that its PFLNG Dua floating LNG facility has recently produced its first LNG. This is the company's second FLNG Unit, and its first deepwater FLNG facility.The PFLNG Dua is located at the Rotan gas field, 140km off Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. "In collaboration with its upstream Production Sharing Contract partner, PTT Exploration and Production…
