The Arctic: Scientists Aim to Improve Sea Ice Predictions' Accuracy, Access
Sea ice predictions have improved markedly since the founding of an international forecasting and monitoring network 14 years ago.“These forecasts are quite encouraging in their increasing accuracy,” said Uma Bhatt, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Bhatt spoke about the Sea Ice Prediction Network at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting last month.As the amount of sea ice in the Arctic declines…
Friede and Goldman's WTIV Integrated Feeder Barge Gets ABS AiP
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted its Approval in Principle (AIP) to a coordinated design for a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) in conjunction with the BargeRack feeder barge system by Friede and Goldman (F&G).The design enables the Jones Act-compliant barge in a lifting system that F&G says reduces motion and increases the window of operational time. The design was reviewed in accordance with the ABS 2017 Guidance Notes on Review and Approval of Novel Concepts…
Getting to the Bottom of the Navies' Mine Warfare Challenges
To find the mine warfare challenge with the highest degree of difficulty, start at the bottom.Lurking unseen below the surface, naval mines pose a serious problem. They’re cheap, relatively easy to deploy and can inflict heavy damage against even the most sophisticated warships. They can be hard to detect and difficult to counter. What you can’t see can hurt you. And the most difficult mines to find and eliminate are bottom and buried mines.
U.S. Offshore Wind Forecast: 45 Projects, $136B CapEx
As of the end of January 2022, there were over 45 projects in development representing a $136 billion capital expenditure and $4.4 billion annual OPEX opportunity that are forecast to be brought on stream within this and early in the next decade.What a difference a year makes. This time last year there was still some uncertainty around the federal offshore wind permitting process, the timing of offshore…
VIDEO: Cleanup Underway after Oil Spills Offshore Thailand
Thailand mobilized its navy and other agencies on Wednesday to contain an oil spill after an estimated 160,000 liters (35,195 gallons) leaked from an undersea pipeline about 20 km (12.4 miles) off its industrialized eastern seaboard.The leak at the pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited started late on Tuesday, southeast of the Map Ta Phut Industrial estate, a major petrochemical complex…
Stolt-Nielsen CEO to Step Down after More Than Two Decades in Position
Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen has decided to step down from his role as Chief Executive Officer of chemical tanker operator Stolt-Nielsen Limited.The company said Wednesday he'd continue as CEO and as a Director on the Board until the appointment process for a successor has been completed. Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen has served as Chief Executive Officer of Stolt-Nielsen Limited since November 2000 and has been a Director since 1996."The intention is that once a suitable replacement is found, Mr. Niels G.
Svitzer to Deploy Two More Tugs in the Suez Canal
Maersk's towage arm Svitzer announced another extension of its current contract with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) to include two additional tugs to service the vital trade artery.Turkish tugboat builder Med Marine will deliver the two new vessels, both RAstar 2800 75tonnes bollard pull tugs with firefighting capabilities and escort notation, designed by Robert Allan Ltd.Svitzer started operating in the Suez Canal in late 2019 with the two tugs Svitzer Port Said 1 and Svitzer Port Said 2…
Eastern Pacific Says It Won't Carry Coal
Ship management firm Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) announced it will no longer carry coal cargos on its bulk carrier vessels as a matter of company policy aimed at supporting the global transition away from the fossil fuel.EPS' commercially managed dry bulk fleet hasn't carried coal since April 2020, and the Singapore-based tonnage provider made its commitment official this month, outlining its "no coal cargo policy" within its 2022 environmental…
Floating Wind Project Gains Funding for Pilot
The U.K.’s Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has granted £10 million for the design and construction of a new floating wind turbine demonstrator off the coast of Scotland.The SENSE PelaStar project will feature SENSEWind’s turbine self-installation system, the PelaStar tension leg platform (TLP) floating foundation from Glosten and Subsea Micropile anchors. The SENSE concept…
Rolls-Royce to Deliver Automation Solutions for New German Navy Frigates
Rolls-Royce's Power Systems business unit, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will deliver the automation solutions (in German FüSAS – Führungssystem Automation Schiffstechnik) for the four new F126 frigates for the German Navy.Damen Naval is building the four F126 class frigates together with its partners Blohm+Voss and Thales, after the partners were selected as successful bidders in 2020 following a European tender process spanning several years.
COVID Cases Reported on Australian Aid Vessel Sailing to Virus-free Tonga
About two dozen cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among the crew of an Australian warship expected to arrive in coronavirus-free Tonga on Wednesday to deliver humanitarian aid, Australian authorities said on Tuesday.Tonga, hit by a massive volcanic eruption and a tsunami on Jan. 15, has asked for aid to be delivered without human contact amid concerns a COVID outbreak would be devastating for the…
Monaco Fire/Rescue Boat Features Smartgyro Stabilization
Italian boat builder High Tech Marine (HTM) is constructing a new firefighting and rescue patrol boat for operation in the harbor waters and along the Monaco coastline.Commissioned by the Monaco Government, the vessel will be delivered by September 2022 and enter service immediately, enabling the region’s Corps des Sapeurs-Pompiers to provide firefighting and rescue services in the Principality's ports…
Pandemic Setback Strengthens Resolve to Remain Positive
Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan looks beyond the latest COVID-19 complications to explain why the global trade association has reasons to believe the industry’s future is ultimately secure.If I had been writing this column just a few weeks earlier than late December, my opening remarks would have been decidedly upbeat. After two devastating years under the cloud of COVID-19, the pandemic seemed to be…
Paramount Group Names Griessel CEO
Paramount Group, the global aerospace and technology company, announced today that it has appointed Steve Griessel as its Group Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.South African-born Griessel, a global business executive who served as CEO of several companies in South Africa and the United States, including two public companies, brings more than 30 years of business leadership and senior management experience to the group.Ivor Ichikowitz…
Dry Bulk Shipping: Vessel Demand Waning
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index fell for a 13th straight session on Tuesday, dragged lower by weaker rates across all vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, fell 48 points, or 3.5%, to 1,343, its lowest since mid-February 2021.The capesize index dropped 91 points, or 10.9%, to 745, its lowest since June 2020.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, dropped
Malyszko Named Plant Operations VP at Newport News Shipbuilding
America's largest military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on Tuesday that Karey Malyszko has been promoted to vice president of Plant Operations at its Newport News Shipbuilding division in Newport News, Va. Malyszko succeeds Dru Branche who retired in December.Effective immediately, Malyszko assumes overall responsibility for waterfront support services, facilities, environmental health and safety, and security.
PALFINGER to Build RHIBs for the Netherlands' KNRM
PALFINGER announced it has been awarded a contract by the Dutch rescue organization Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij (KNRM) for 12 custom-built rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs), which will assist the organization during future rescue operations. The official contract signing took place on January 20 at PALFINGER's production facility in Harderwijk, the Netherlands, where the boats will be manufactured.The KNRM helps people in distress at sea…
Nord Stream 2 - Russian Gas Pipeline's Long Wait for Approval
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that Germany may consider halting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia attacks Ukraine, reflecting growing political pressure on the Gazprom-led project.Russia has massed troops on the Ukrainian border but denies it is planning an attack, while the United States and Europe have promised to impose sanctions on Moscow should it invade, with Nord Stream 2 one of the possible targets.Europe's most divisive energy project…
Q88 Unveils Styrene Monomer Temperature Log and Inhibitor Depletion Tool
Q88 LLC, a provider of software as a service (SaaS) technology to the maritime industry, has launched a new Styrene Monomer Temperature Log and Inhibitor Depletion Tool, available to Milbros Premium Subscribers with ships having Milbros Onboard subscriptions.Styrene Monomer needs to be stowed away from sources of heat during voyages to prevent it from polymerizing. However, during transport on chemical tankers…
Stena RoRo's Ro-Pax Vessel Trio to Sport Broad Range of Wärtsilä Solutions
Finland-based marine technology and equipment specialist Wärtsilä will provide a broad scope of its solutions for three new LNG-fuelled Ro-Pax vessels being built in China for Swedish ferry operator Stena RoRo.China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard is building the vessels. They will operate with Wärtsilä engines and propulsion machinery when delivered in 2024 and 2025. The vessels, each around 200 meters long…
