Iran's Guards Seize Foreign Ship in Gulf
![© Andrea Izzotti / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/andrea-izzotti-adobe-stock-127649.jpeg)
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday they had seized a foreign ship in Gulf waters loaded with what they described as smuggled diesel.Guards commander Ahmad Hajian said the ship's 11 crew had been detained, but did not give details on their nationality or identify the ship."After inspection, more than 150,000 liters of smuggled diesel were discovered," Iran's state broadcaster quoted Hajian as saying.The semi-official Fars news agency…
US Patrol Boats Sent to Beef Up Ukrainian Navy Near Black Sea
![Ukrainian naval personnel and their American trainers pose in front of Sumy in the summer of 2021. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/ukrainian-naval-personnel-and-their-127646.jpg)
A ship carrying two refitted former U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats designed to beef up the Ukrainian Navy transited the Dardanelles strait on Saturday days after Ukraine said it feared Russia might be preparing an attack on it.The ship carrying the two Island-class patrol boats departed Baltimore for the Ukrainian port of Odessa on November 8. Ukrainian sailors have already undergone extensive training on the vessels in the United States.
ADNOC Weighs IPO of Logistics, Marine Services, and Shipping Unit
![](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/-127642.jpg)
State oil firm Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is weighing an initial public offering (IPO) of its marine services, logistics and shipping arm next year, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) has been selected for a potential float in Abu Dhabi in 2022, said the sources, declining to be named as the matter is not public.A deal could follow after testing investor appetite and market conditions…
Van Oord's Aeolus Tests Seaqualize's Offshore Lifting Tool
![Credit: Seaqualize](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/credit-seaqualize-127636.jpg)
Offshore industry tech scale-up Seaqualize has said it has completed offshore trials for its inline Active Heave Compensator (iAHC), the ‘Delta600’ in cooperation with Van Oord."Together with testing partners Van Oord and nautical research institute MARIN, the offshore lifting tool was tested for fixed-to-floating, floating-to-fixed, and floating-to-floating transfers of 300mT loads. The Delta600 is DNV certified and ready for work…
Tech File: Wärtsilä Launches Smaller, Lighter Scrubber Series
![The new scrubber from Wärtsilä is lighter, smaller and less voluminous, to respond to requests from the new generation container vessels. Compared to previous scrubbers with similar capacity it is 30% smaller. © Wärtsilä](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/the-new-scrubber-from-wrtsil-127638.jpg)
When scrubbers were first discussed as a mainstream solution for shipowners to meet strict new emission targets demanded IMO2020, chief concerns centered on size and weight of the new units. Wärtsilä launched its new IQ Series exhaust gas treatment system, designed by its Exhaust Treatment business unit in Moss, Norway, and touted as smaller and lighter.The IQ Series is the latest advancement in maritime exhaust gas treatment technologies…
NYK Bulk Carrier Completes Another Run on Biofuel
![Image courtesy NYK](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-courtesy-nyk-127633.jpg)
NYK conducts third successful biofuel trial on ship carrying Tata Steel cargoThe bulk carrier Frontier Sky, which is owned by NYK and operated by Tata NYK Shipping Pte. Ltd., conducted a trial use of biofuel to transport cargo provided by Tata Steel Limited, the major steel manufacturer in India. According to the company, this is the third successful trial use of biofuel by an NYK vessel.In this test voyage, the vessel was fueled with biofuel by Toyota Tsusho Petroleum Pte. Ltd.
Ship Recycling: What Goes Up, Must Come Down
![Photo courtesy GMS/Leela Green Yards](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-courtesy-gmsleela-green-yards-127632.jpg)
The recent noteworthy drop in the Indian ship recycling market seems to have reverberated across the sub-continent recycling sector this week, as competing markets start to reverse their vessel offerings in near unison, according to GMS.Bangladesh has remained largely quiet for much of the week as they observe the ongoing price reductions, whilst local Recyclers expect further falls ahead.Indian steel plate prices have declined by nearly $45/LDT over recent weeks…
First RAstar 2800-CL ASD Escort Tug Delivered
![(Photo: Robert Allan Ltd.)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-robert-allan-ltd-127625.jpg)
Svitzer Suez 1, the first RAstar 2800-CL ASD escort tug, has been delivered to Svitzer Egypt LLC by Cheoy Lee Shipyards and will soon commence operations in the Suez Canal. Svitzer are the first owners of this new escort tug design and a further nine tugs to this design have already been ordered with Cheoy Lee.The RAstar 2800-CL design started with a “blank sheet of paper”, according to naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd.…
Great Lakes Towing Expands Services to Sturgeon Bay
![(Photo: The Great Lakes Towing Company)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-the-great-lakes-towing-127623.jpg)
The Great Lakes Towing Company said it is expanding its harbor towing and ice breaking services to Sturgeon Bay, Wis.The Towing Company has undertaken a fleet renewal program that began with the laying of 10 keels in August 2016. Since that time, the company has added five new Damen Stan 1907 ICE design tugs to its fleet, with the sixth new tug being delivered next month, and the seventh in Spring 2022.There will now be two Towing Company tugs stationed in Sturgeon Bay full-time…
Maersk Issues First Green Bond to Fund Methanol Vessels
![© Björn Wylezich / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/bjrn-wylezich-adobe-stock-127621.jpeg)
Shipping giant Maersk said it has launched its Green Finance Framework designed to allow the company to issue a variety of sustainable financing instruments which may include bonds, loans, project finance and other instruments.“Issuing Green Financing Instruments is a further step to integrating sustainability into our financing operations as it is an effective tool for channeling investments to projects…
CMA CGM's Earnings Soar on Shipping Rush
![© eyewave / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/eyewave-adobe-stock-127620.jpeg)
Shipping group CMA CGM on Friday reported a surge in third-quarter earnings and said it expected an even stronger performance for the end of the year as intense demand kept freight rates high and container capacity stretched.French-based CMA CGM, one of the world's largest container lines, said net profit rose to $5.6 billion in the third quarter from $567 million in the same period last year, while core EBITDA earnings rose to $7.1 billion from $1.7 billion.An economic rebound following a coron
Phillips 66 to Convert Alliance Refinery to Terminal Facility
![(Photo: Phillips 66)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-phillips-66-127619.jpg)
Energy manufacturing and logistics company Phillips 66 announced it plans to convert its Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse, La., to a terminal facility. The conversion is expected to take place in 2022.“We made this decision after exploring several options and considering the investment needed to repair the refinery following Hurricane Ida,” said Greg Garland, Chairman and CEO of Phillips 66. “Alliance’s existing infrastructure and Gulf Coast location make it an attractive midstream asset.
Worker Medevaced from Platform off Louisiana
![(File photo: Travis Magee / U.S. Coast Guard)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/file-photo-travis-magee-us-127618.jpg)
A worker was medevaced from a platform approximately 18 miles southeast of Grand Isle, La., the U.S. Coast Guard said on Friday.Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call at approximately 2:40 a.m. stating a worker offshore was experiencing seizure like symptoms.Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew. The helicopter crew arrived on scene…
AWO Applauds Passage of US Infrastructure Bill
![© Michael / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/michael-adobe-stock-127617.jpeg)
The American Waterways Operators, a trade group representing the U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry, said it applauds the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, H.R. 3684, signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this week.The bill contains $17 billion for ports and waterways, including $2.5 billion of 100% federal funding for inland waterways construction and major rehabilitation projects, $4 billion for U.S.
New Report Tracks Sources of Marine Litter
![(Photo: GESMAP)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-gesmap-127615.jpg)
The sources and impact of sea-based marine litter form the focus of a new report by the Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), an advisory body to the United Nations sponsored by 10 UN entities. The report outlines the various sources of marine litter and the impact and assesses the current availability of data and identifies knowledge gaps for the main categories of sea-based sources of marine plastic litter.
Pacific LNG Freight Spot Rates Hit Fresh Record High
![© vladsv / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/vladsv-adobe-stock-127614.jpeg)
Tanker rates to ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) across the Pacific hit a fresh record high on Friday as high demand for the U.S. super chilled fuel from Asia drives up the demand for vessels, industry sources told Reuters.The cost of chartering a vessel to carry a shipment of LNG from Australia to Japan jumped to a record high of $335,000 per day, according to data intelligence firm Spark Commodities.The…
Panamax Bulkers Post Worst Week Since Early 2019
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index jumped on Friday, but posted a weekly drop with the panamax index suffering its steepest weekly decline since February 2019.The overall index…
MacGregor to Equip MBARI's New Research Vessel
![(Image: Glosten / MBARI)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-glosten-mbari-127610.png)
MacGregor, part of Cargotec, said it has been taped to deliver a suite of overboard handling systems for the new oceanographic research vessel David Packard owned by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), a private, nonprofit oceanographic research center based in California. Founded in 1987 by David Packard, MBARI’s mission is to advance marine science and technology to understand a changing ocean.
Lengthening of Three Windstar Cruises Vessels Completed
![One of the vessels, Star Breeze, undergoing renovation in Palermo, with a new 25.6 meter (84 feet) section being added in the middle. (Photo: Fincantieri)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/one-of-the-vessels-star-127606.jpg)
A major project to lengthen and renovate three Windstar cruise ships has been completed.The conversions were led by the Fincantieri yard starting in 2019 with the first of the three sister vessels, the Star Breeze, being completed in 2020. This was followed by the Star Legend in mid- 2020, and finally the Star Pride in October 2021. The renovation included the ships being extended in length from 135 meters (443 feet) to 160.6 meters (527 feet).
Six Officers Acquire U.S. Marine Transport Firm Express Marine
![File Photo: Express Marine](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/file-photo-express-marine-127608.jpg)
Express Marine, Inc., a U.S.-flag marine transportation and logistics services and solutions company on Friday said that the company has been formally acquired by its officers and will continue to operate under the Express Marine name.Ownership of Express Marine has been transferred from former Chief Executive Officer Richard “Dick” Walling to six longstanding company officers who will continue in…