California Pilots Announce Training Program Exam
The Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun (BOPC) announced that its next Pilot Trainee Training Program Selection Examination will be held in June 2022 at the California State University Maritime Academy in Vallejo, Calif. Applications are due no later than April 15, 2022.The BOPC typically conducts maritime pilot trainee training program selection examinations every two to three years, or when there is a need for licensed pilots.
Senior Surveyor Sean Murphy Joins ABL Boston
AqualisBraemar LOC ASA Group's (ABL Group) operations in the USA announced the new appointment of Sean Murphy as Senior Surveyor based in Boston, adding to ABL’s strengths in both the local maritime and offshore renewables industries.Murphy is a chartered naval architect and marine engineer, and a graduate of Webb Institute with a masters in engineering management from Duke University.He has extensive experience in marine casualty investigations for various interests…
Passenger Vessel Sector Faces Winding Path Back to ‘Normal’
The year just ended, 2021, might be described as being about “trying to get back to normal”, across the entire transportation spectrum, two years into the pandemic. During this time, the decarbonization and electrification waves have swept across maritime passenger transport. The passenger side of the business is dependent on multiple funding sources; increasingly, this money will be driven by environmental and social considerations.The long-awaited funding of “infrastructure”-related projects…
Vikand Launches Infection Control Officer Training Course
Maritime medical and public health specialist Vikand Solutions has launched an online infection control officer training course for the cruise and commercial shipping industries.The course equips crew from differing environments with an opportunity to learn more about infectious disease epidemiology and its application within the maritime sector.Taking approximately 30 hours to complete and consisting of nine modules with a final exam…
Venezuela's Oil Exports Fall to Lowest Since September
Venezuela's oil exports plummeted in January to the lowest level since September amid loading bottlenecks caused by returned and rescheduled crude cargoes, according to internal documents from state-run PDVSA and tanker tracking data.Even as the company and its joint ventures are receiving a stable supply of diluents from Iran that has allow it to increase production, they have struggled to export…
SCHOTTEL Unveils New Digital Products and Services
German propulsion specialist SCHOTTEL announced it is rolling out new digital products and services for optimizing ship operations. “Basically, we are creating a virtual image of the propulsion system on land, thus providing insights into the propulsion system. This information can then be used to plan operational and strategic deployments better,” said Alexander Neideck, Product Manager Automation & Digital Products at SCHOTTEL.A hub for data collection…
Europe Remains Top Destination for US LNG
Europe last month remained the top destination for shipments of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to Refinitiv data, outpacing exports to Asia for the second month in a row.About two-thirds of U.S. LNG volumes went to Europe last month, compared to around 61% in December when sky-high European prices and demand drove U.S. LNG exports to a record, Refinitiv data showed.In both months, a lack of supply drove demand and led to cargoes being re-routed from other destinations.
Demand for Vessels Capable of Installing Giant Offshore Wind Turbines to Outpace Supply by 2024, Rystad Says
Offshore wind turbine makers have been working to build increasingly bigger turbines, and the likes of GE, Siemens Gamesa, Vestas, and MingYang have in the past two years or so unveiled designs for giant 14-16MW rated units.It has been said that larger turbines, while more expensive per unit, reduce the overall cost of large-scale offshore wind farm development due to their being more modern and efficient…
British Navy Rejects Plan to Push Back Channel Migrant Boats
Britain's navy has rejected a plan to turn away boats illegally carrying migrants to its shores when it takes over responsibility for trying to stop people crossing the English Channel in small dinghies.The government said last month that it will hand the navy responsibility for policing small boats crossing between France to England, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.Home Secretary Priti Patel approved plans last year for border officials, who have been dealing with the crossings, to be
GTT Wins Tank Design Order from Hudong-Zhonghua
French engineering firm GTT announced it has received an order from Chinese shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. Ltd., for the tank design of six new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.
Lack of Icebreaking Hampers Great Lakes Shipping
A lack of Coast Guard icebreaking assets is hampering U.S.-flag shipping on the Great Lakes, according to industry coalition the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force.“The inefficiency introduced into the Great Lakes Navigation System by inadequate Coast Guard icebreaking resources impacts the carriers, their customers and the entire North American Manufacturing supply chain,” said Jim Weakley, President of Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, and the Lake Carriers’ Association.
Hyundai Inks Licensing Deal for MAN's TCT Turbochargers
MAN Energy Solutions announced it has signed a license agreement with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI-EMD) for MAN’s new TCT axial-turbocharger series. The deal, signed in late-December 2021, is due to run for 10 years and is the first turbocharger license agreement MAN Energy Solutions has ever signed with HHI-EMD.Generally acknowledged as the largest marine two-stroke engine builder in the world, HHI-EMD has been a low-speed licensee of MAN Energy Solutions for decades.
First of Four FPSOs Deployed at Petrobras' Mero Field
The Guanabara FPSO has arrived at the Mero field in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil, the Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras has informed.The FPSO, also known as Mero 1, will be the first 'definitive' oil production system at the Mero field, the third largest pre-salt field behind Búzios and Tupi. MODEC is responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, mobilization, installation and operation of the FPSO…
NAT Sells Another Suezmax
Tanker shipping company Nordic American Tankers (NAT) announced on Wednesday it has sold the 164,236 dwt Suezmax Nordic Mistral.New York-listed NAT did not reveal the buyer…
Global Container Flows Struggle to Pick Up Speed, Data Shows
Efforts to speed up the movement of goods around the world have yet to solve the supply chain bottlenecks caused by surging demand for retail goods and pandemic-related lockdowns, the latest shipping data shows.Delays at U.S. major ports have been particularly severe, but knock-on effects have also been felt around the world.This week's Lunar New Year holiday in China and across Asia is also expected…
Installed on OSV, Survitec's Seahaven Evacuation System Passes Heavy Weather Trials
Seahaven Advanced Evacuation System , developed by the UK-based marine safety and survival solutions provider Survitec, has successfully passed heavy weather sea trials (HWST), deployed from the offshore support vessel EDT Jane.According to Survitec, the test was carried out in line with the SOLAS requirements for Novel Appliances which requires the test to be performed in conditions that do not drop…
Golden Energy Offshore Signs Up for Inmarsat's Fleet LTE
Mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat has secured a contract with the Norwegian offshore support vessel owner Golden Energy Offshore to provide its three-in-one network service Fleet LTE, to meet the needs of vessel charterers, crew, and operators.Using Fleet LTE, three Golden Energy Offshore support vessels will be able to switch between Fleet Xpress (Ka-band), FleetBroadband (L-band)…