US' Sole Heavy Icebreaker Arrives in Antarctica
The 157 crewmembers of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) arrived at McMurdo Station in Antarctica Monday following an 86-day transit from the United States and the cutter’s departure from its Seattle homeport Nov. 13.This deployment marks the Polar Star’s 25th journey to Antarctica supporting Operation Deep Freeze, an annual joint military service mission to resupply the United States Antarctic stations in support of the National Science Foundation…
US Posts Record Trade Deficit in 2021
The U.S. trade deficit surged to a record high in 2021 as imports increased sharply amid the restocking of shelves by businesses to meet robust domestic demand.The sharp widening in the trade gap reported by the Commerce Department on Tuesday mostly reflected a shift in spending towards goods from services during the COVID-19 pandemic. With businesses eager to rebuild depleted inventories against the backdrop of stretched global supply chains…
Hapag-Lloyd Sees Freight Pressure Easing from Q2
German shipping company Hapag Lloyd expects delivery bottlenecks and high prices for container freight to start easing in the second quarter, its chief executive said.Assuming the current wave of the coronavirus pandemic is over, the loading and unloading of ships should function more smoothly, helping to reduce the lines of vessels waiting off the west coast of the United States, he said.“As soon as we have the current Omicron wave behind us…
STQ Inks Maintenance Deal with Wärtsilä for Two Vessels
Technology group Wärtsilä reports it has signed an Optimized Maintenance Agreement with the Canadian ferry operator Societé des Traversiers du Quebec (STQ). The five year long-term agreement covers two vessels, the Jos Deschenes II and the Armand Imbeau II, each of which operates with Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines. A similar agreement was signed earlier covering another STQ ferry, the F.A. Gauthier.
Johnson Joins The Shearer Group, Inc.
Houston-based naval architecture, marine engineering and marine surveying firm The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) announced it has hired mechanical engineer Ethan Johnson.Johnson graduated from the University of Houston with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in Continuum Mechanics, Fluid Dynamics, Convection Heat Transfer, and Nonlinear Controls. For his undergraduate research project…
Shell and GTT Partner on LH2 Carrier Design
Energy giant Shell is partnering with French engineering firm GTT with the aim to develop "breakthrough, cutting-edge technologies" to enable maritime transport of liquid hydrogen (LH2).The cooperation agreement between Shell International Trading and Shipping Company and GTT is part of Shell's strategy to develop a hydrogen energy supply chain by creating scalable and safe liquefied hydrogen shipping technologies.
Maersk Vessels Transmit Live Weather Data to Meteorologists
Container shipping giant A.P. Moller - Maersk said it has teamed up with National Meteorological Service of Germany, Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) to install automated weather stations enabling a portion of its fleet to transmit live data to help forecast weather and climate.In the largest project of its kind, A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) has installed automated weather stations (AWS) on 50 of its vessels creating a pulsating oceanic web of weather and climate observations.
Six Russian Warships Transiting to Black Sea for Drills
Six Russian warships are heading to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean for naval drills, the Interfax news agency cited Russia's Defence Ministry as saying on Tuesday, in what it said was a pre-planned movement of military resources.Russia announced last month its navy would stage a sweeping set of exercises involving all its fleets in January and February, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, in the…
Viking Supply Ships Wins Work for Four AHTS Vessels
Offshore vessel operator Viking Supply Ships said Tuesday it had secured a seasonal contract with "a major construction company" for its four anchor handling tug…
US Navy Commissions USS Savannah (LCS 28)
The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28) Feb. 5, 2022, in Brunswick, Ga.Built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., The 418-foot-long LCS 28 is the 14th Independence-variant LCS and 28th in its class. The LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments while capable of open-ocean tasking. The LCS can support forward presence…
First LNG Tanker Arrives Near Venture Global's Louisiana Calcasieu Plant
A tanker, the Yiannis, arrived near Venture Global LNG's Calcasieu Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Louisiana on Monday and could be first vessel to pick up a cargo at the facility…
Rodriguez Appointed Interim Director of MITAGS
The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) announced it has appointed Mike Rodriguez as interim director."I am pleased that Mike Rodriguez has agreed to take on the day-to-day administration of MITAGS' academic programs and courses as we begin the process of bringing onboard a new director,” said Eric Friend, MITAGS executive director. “Mike brings a wide range of experience…
Shipbuilding Merger: Wight Shipyard and OCEA Reach All-share Deal
British aluminum shipbuilder The Wight Shipyard Co. on Tuesday announced an all-share merger with France-based shipbuilder OCEA to create a combined group aiming to capitalize on the fast ferry and offshore renewable energy markets opportunities. The deal is scheduled to complete by March 2022 and will see The Wight Shipyard Co. nearly double in size.Peter Morton, CEO of The Wight Shipyard Co., said, “This is a transformational deal for The Wight Shipyard Co.
Biden: Nord Stream 2 Will Be Halted if Russia Invades Ukraine
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would be halted if Russia invades Ukraine and stressed unity with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as the West rallies to avert a war in Europe.At a White House press conference with the new German leader, Biden, a longtime opponent of the decade-old pipeline project to Germany from Russia, said Russian forces crossing into Ukraine would trigger a shutdown."If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the ...
Japan Suspends Shipment of Black Rockfish over Radiation Concerns
Japan's health ministry said on Tuesday it had ordered the suspension of shipments of black rockfish caught off Fukushima prefecture after radiation exceeding an upper limit was detected in a catch late last month.The development comes on the heels of an announcement by Taiwan that it would relax a ban on food imports from Japan put in place after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.The suspension means the targetted fish would not be shipped…
BMT to Design Three Crew Transfer Vessels for US Offshore Wind Operations
BMT has won a design contract for three new Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) to be operated at east coast wind farms in the US. The three vessels will be built by Senesco in the USA under ABS classification meeting USCG subchapter L regulations.The 88ft (27m) CTV design is suited for operating conditions on the US’ east coast and features a lightweight Z-bow hull form to improve seakeeping characteristics…
Royal Wagenborg renews contract with Castor Marine
Royal Wagenborg renewed and extended Castor Marine’s Global Ku VSAT connection for multiple years.Since 1898 the Dutch family-owned shipping company has been crossing the oceans, evolving to a fleet operator with about 200 vessels. Besides the extension of 52 Global Ku VSAT contracts, Castor Marine will equip an additional 15 Wagenborg vessels, currently on 4G, with VSAT. For more than eight years the company has provided VSAT, Iridium, Inmarsat FBB, and IT services to the Wagenborg fleet.
The Path to Zero: FPS Moves Forward on Emission-Free Inland Shipping
Future Proof Shipping (FPS) joined FLAGSHIPS, a European innovation project, to bring the shipping company’s second zero-emissions inland container vessel, the FPS Waal, to Europe’s waterways.FPS will strengthen the FLAGSHIPS consortium and expand its green hydrogen-fueled fleet with the addition of the FPS Waal to the project. The FLAGSHIPS consortium aims to raise the readiness of zero-emission waterborne…
Concordia Explores Converting Tankers to Container Carriers
As the tanker market languishes and the containershipping sector drives full speed ahead, Concordia Maritime announced it has embarked on a technical design study on the feasibility of converting several of its tankers to container carriers.Concordia Maritime launched the study together with Stena Teknik and a German consulting company specializing in ship design. The aim is to investigate the feasibility of converting and adapting a P-MAX vessel for container transportation.
Technip Energies Acquires 16.3% Stake in Floating Wind Tech Start-up X1 Wind
Engineering and technology group, Technip Energies has acquired a 16.3% stake in X1 Wind, a startup that has designed "an innovative and disruptive" offshore wind turbine floater.Technip Energies is the lead investor in this funding round, which also counts with the participation of the European Commission-owned European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, advised by the European Investment Bank (EIB), and some of X1 Wind’s previous shareholders.
