EU Blocks Korean Shipbuilding Merger
Hyundai Heavy Industries' proposed takeover of rival Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd to create the world's biggest shipbuilder was hit with an EU veto on Thursday on concerns that the deal would hurt competition.Hyundai, one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, announced the deal in 2019 in part to tackle overcapacity in the sector.The shipyard, which sought EU antitrust approval for the takeover in November 2019…
China 2021 Iron Ore Imports Retreat from Record on Steel Curbs
China's iron ore imports dropped in 2021, down 4.3% from the previous year's record annual high, as steel production curbs imposed to combat pollution dented demand and pulled prices of the key steelmaking material off historical highs.The world's top iron ore consumer brought in 1.12 billion tonnes of the commodity last year, compared with 1.17 billion tonnes imported in 2020, data from the General Administration showed on Friday.For December…
Is Baltic Sea Special Area for Passenger Ships Really Special?
The persistent eutrophication (being too rich in nutrients) of the Baltic Sea prompted the IMO’s Baltic Member States to tackle shipping’s < 0.1% contribution by designating the Baltic Sea as the first Special Area under Annex IV of IMO’s MARPOL Convention [1]. Passenger ships must give sewage to wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) ashore via the port reception facilities (PRFs) or operate a nutrient removal sewage treatment plant (STP) on board prior to discharge.
Course Correction for DDG 1000, Navy Will Replace Main Battery for Guided Missile Destroyer
The U.S. Navy’s controversial USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) class of guided missile destroyers raises the legitimate question of whether a ship is too transformational, or not transformational enough.While the Navy Fact File states that DDG 1000 is the “largest and most technologically advanced surface combatant in the world,” it’s a program that has been in existence for many years. It began as the SC-21 (Surface Combatant for the 21st century) research and development program in 1994…
Singapore Remains World's Top Maritime Hub
Singapore has held onto its spot atop the list of the world's best maritime cities, according to a recent report from classification society DNV and Menon Economics.The 2022 edition of the Leading Maritime Cities (LMC) report launched Thursday provides fresh insights into which global hubs offer the best infrastructure, technology, finance, and world-class talent, to help the maritime community connect…
McLean Contracting Company Acquires Shugart Manufacturing
Maryland-headquartered heavy civil and marine contractor McLean Contracting Company announced it has acquired South Carolina-based Shugart Manufacturing, designer and builder of sectional barges, barge propulsion units and accessories, screeds, barge ramps, bridge steel, concrete forms, and other miscellaneous equipment and materials for marine and construction use.The asset purchase agreement is effective as of December 30…
Dutch Windship Company Opens Funding Round
EcoClipper, a shipping company which has developed a wind-driven, emission-free cargo ship, has started to raise capital in cooperation with blockchain partner Bondex, to fit out a sustainable fleet.Founded in 2018, EcoClipper plans to launch retrofitted and purpose-built sailing vessels capable of carrying cargo and passengers on a variety of international routes. The company has developed a series of shipping lines: Trans-Atlantic, Eastern, Trans-Pacific and Global.
New Guidance Aims to Curb Maritime Pilot Transfer Fatalities
A guide to maritime pilot transfer safety has been updated amid industry concerns about poorly rigged ladders causing severe injuries or fatalities.The ‘Shipping Industry Guidance on Pilot Transfer Arrangements’, produced by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in partnership with the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA), features a new section with the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s guidance on combination embarkation platform arrangements.
SMS Towage Buys Tug from Sanmar
Sanmar Shipyards said it has reached a deal to sell one of its 2020-built tugboats to SMS Towage, the UK’s largest family-owned towage company.The contract is for the purchase of Sirapinar XV, a vessel based on the RAmparts 2200 design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, which is currently operating as part of Sanmar’s fleet.Designed for maximum efficiency in the performance of ship-handling duties for seagoing ships…
More Shuttle Tankers Needed, Rystad Says
More shuttle tankers will be needed in the years ahead to keep pace with a projected rise in oil volumes needing transport, Rystad Energy said.Produced volumes requiring transport key shuttle tanker markets Brazil, Canada, Norway, the U.K. and Russia are expected to rise to 3.3 billion barrels per year before the end of the decade, jumping 35% from 2.5 billion in 2021, according to a recent report…
Fincantieri Floats Out Viking Neptune
Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri said Thursday it has floated out the newest ocean cruise ship it is building for shipowner Viking.The new ship, Viking Neptune, was floated out at Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard. The vessel is the eight in a series of ships built for the small cruise ship segment. As its sister ships, she is about 47,800 tons, 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers.Viking Neptune has been designed by experienced naval architects and engineers…
Chevron Oil Gains Unique Approval for MAN Engines
Chevron Marine Lubricants announced its low sulphated ash trunk piston engine oil Chevron HDAX 9700 has become the first lubricant to gain time-unrestricted approval for use with MAN Energy Solutions’ four-stroke engines running on either liquefied natural gas (LNG) or distillate fuels (with a sulphur content of up to 0.10%).Chevron said the first-of-its-kind approval offers simplicity for operators switching between the two fuels…
Final Zulmwalt-class Destroyer Departs Bath Iron Works
The third and final Zulmwalt-class destroyer built for the U.S. Navy sailed away from General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard in Bath, Maine on Wednesday.Crewed by BIW shipbuilders, the warship Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002) is heading to Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding in in Pascagoula, Miss. for final outfitting, combat systems installation, testing and activation.At 610 feet long with an 80.7-foot beam and 15…
Bourbon Partners with MariApps to Transform Fleet Management Process
MariApps Marine Solutions said Thursday it would provide its flagship product smartPAL to BOURBON Marine & Logistics to support the company in its digitalization efforts.The French offshore vessel owner Bourbon offers support services to the offshore industry. MariApps said Bourbon had been looking for a solution that would help it optimize its fleet management process including its day-to-day operations in crewing…
ABS to Class First Jones Act-compliant Subsea Rock Installation Vessel
The Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company's new Jones Act-compliant Subsea Rock Installation Vessel, the first such ship to enter the U.S. market, is to be built to ABS Class by Philly Shipyard, Inc, ABS said Thursday.The vessel will transport and strategically deposit loads of up to 20,000 MT of rock on the seabed, laying scour protection for offshore wind farm foundations, cables, and other structures.
New Product: MESPAS Goes Mobile
One of the most difficult and time-consuming issues when carrying out inspections or maintenance jobs on vessels is recording information on the job, with crews working on machinery, taking notes and going back to their computers in the office and type in all the information. MESPAS claims to offer a solution with the launch of a maritime app for QHSE and maintenance tasks.With the MESPAS mobile app, data can be viewed or entered on the job.
Italian LNG Bunker Ship Gets Schottel Propulsion
Schottel was selected to supply main and auxiliary propulsion systems for an 8,000 cbm LNG bunkering vessel. Currently under construction at Chinese Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore and Engineering shipyard, it is the first LNG bunkering vessel ordered by Italy-based shipping group Fratelli Cosulich. After its delivery in summer 2023, the 5,300-dwt-vessel is intended to serve customers in the Mediterranean region.“Developing the LNG infrastructure is a key area for us…
Ten Years on, Costa Concordia Shipwreck Still Haunts Survivors, Islanders
Ester Percossi can still hear the screams, feel the cold and see the terror in people's eyes.She is one of the survivors of the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia, the luxury cruise liner that capsized after hitting rocks just off the coast of the small Italian island of Giglio on Jan. 13, 2012, killing 32 people in one of Europe's worst maritime disasters.Percossi and other survivors have returned to the island to pay tribute to the dead and again thank the islanders who…
U.S. Senate Set to Vote on Cruz's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Sanctions Bill
The U.S. Senate will vote on Thursday on a bill being pushed by Republican Ted Cruz to slap sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline in Europe, although it is not expected to garner enough support to pass.The bill is scheduled for a vote at around 2:45 p.m. ET (1945 GMT), according to Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.Cruz struck a deal with Democrats last month to get a vote before Jan. 14…
Partners Group to Buy UK-based Offshore Vessel Firm North Star
Partners Group, a global private markets firm, has agreed, on behalf of its clients, to buy North Star, a UK-based operator of emergency response and rescue vessels, which has recently also dived into the offshore wind sector with several orders made for essential offshore wind maintenance services vessels, from Basalt Infrastructure Partners for an undisclosed price.Aberdeen-based North Star has a…
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