Inmarsat Says Its 'Fleet Xpress Enhanced' Enables Digitalization, Decarbonization, and Crew Wellfare
Maritime satellite communications company Inmarsat now offers a service called 'Fleet Xpress Enhanced', which it says enables digitalization, decarbonization, and crew wellfare for the global shipping sector,."Fleet Xpress, enhanced by Fleet Edge, brings together the best of Inmarsat connectivity solutions to help global shipping companies harness the full power of a connected maritime ecosystem,"…
Steeprop to Ferry Owners: Focus on TCO Instead of kW-power to Optimize Costs
Companies planning a new ferry build should focus on the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) instead of kW-power, in order to optimize costs, Steeprop, a designer and manufacturer of azimuth propulsion systems, said.Choosing the propulsion unit based mainly on Capex, for example, will most likely increase costs in the long run, adding that a ferry owner can save more than two million euros over a 15-year…
Suez Canal Sees Record Monthly Revenue in April on Higher Traffic
Egypt's Suez Canal recorded its highest monthly revenue to date in April, reaping $629 million in ship transit fees, the authority managing the waterway said, as traffic rebounded from the impact of the pandemic.The monthly revenue in April was 13.6% higher than a year ago, canal authority chairman Osama Rabie said in a statement.The total number of ships that passed through the 193 km (120 miles) waterway that links the Red and the Mediterranean seas increased by 6.3% from a year ago to 1,929 v
DEME Offshore, Barge Master Develop Feeder Solution for U.S. Offshore Wind Farms
Belgian offshore installation firm Deme Offshore and Dutch company Barge Master, which specializes in offshore motion compensation systems, have partnered up to further develop a U.S. Jones Act-compliant feeder solution for the upcoming offshore wind projects in the U.S.Last year, DEME Offshore was selected by wind farm developer Vineyard Vind to provide the offshore transport and installation of 62 GE Haliade offshore wind turbines for the Vineyard Wind 1 project…
Cadeler in Talks to Order Offshore Wind Foundation Installation Vessel
Danish wind turbine installation company Cadeler is contemplating a private placement of shares to raise funds to pay for a portion of a planned order for a newbuild offshore wind foundation installation vessel (F-Class) vessel.The company, which owns two offshore wind turbine installation vessels, with another two (X-class) on order, said Wednesday it planned to raise between $70 – 90 million through…
Baltic Index Nears 6-week High on Capesize, Panamax Gains
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index rose to a near six-week high on Wednesday, helped by higher rates for capesize and panamax segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, rose 73 points, or 3%, to 2,485 points, the highest since March 25.The capesize index rose 172 points, or 8%, to 2,319 points. Average daily earnings for capesizes…
Navios Maritime Partners Buys Four Tankers. Signs Charters for Two
Navios Maritime Partners, an owner and operator of dry cargo and tanker vessels, said Wednesday it had agreed to buy purchase four 115,000 dwt LR2 (Long-range 2) newbuilding tankers, for a purchase price of $58.5 million each plus $4.2 million in additional features/improvements."The vessels have been designed with the latest technology to optimize efficiency. They are expected to be delivered into Navios Partners’ fleet during 2024 and first quarter of 2025.
Tackling Shipping Emissions: e1 Marine's Methanol to Hydrogen Generator Gets LR AiP
e1 Marine M-series methanol to hydrogen generator has received Approval in Principle (AiP) for marine applications from class society Lloyd’s Register.The AiP represents an important landmark for demonstrating the compliance of e1 Marine’s technology with all applicable regulations, codes, and standards. This will act as a springboard for enabling the demonstration of the generator across different maritime sectors, from ports and towboats to offshore and deepsea vessels.
Robotic Hull-cleaning Firm Armach Announces Key Appointment
Following its public launch in March 2022, Armach Robotics, the robotic hull-cleaning subscription service has now promoted Karl Lander to Director, Regulatory Compliance and Outreach.Lander is a 25-year maritime veteran including 20 years in the US Coast Guard. He joined Armach as Senior Program Manager from sister company Greensea Systems where he served as Director, Hull Robotics. In his new role…
Intellian to Launch New Factory in South Korea
Satellite communications solutions company Intellian is set to launch another factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, marking an expansion of the company’s HQ base. The new factory, expected to be operational from August 2022, is located 4 km from the existing factory."The new facility and existing factory will run simultaneously, providing unparalleled production capacity of all existing product lines across maritime and land sectors…
United States Can Seize Russian Superyacht, Fiji Court Rules
Fiji court ruled on Tuesday that the United States can seize a Russian-owned superyacht, 21 days after it arrived and was impounded by police, as the United States…
China Lockdowns May Worsen Container Congestion, Maersk Says
Bottlenecks in global container shipping could worsen later this year as a result of new COVID-19 lockdown measures in China, shipping group Maersk warned on Wednesday.Maersk, often seen as a barometer for global trade, said a surge in consumer demand, pandemic-related congestion in major ports and more recently an airspace closure following Russia's invasion of Ukraine have slowed down container shipments…
Ukraine Tells Grain Transshipment Firms in Danube Ports to Reduce Prices
Ukraine on Wednesday called on Danube ports' grain transshipment companies to reduce prices or else the state will be forced to restrict them administratively, the agriculture ministry quoted deputy minister Taras Vysotskiy as saying.An interior ministry official said on Tuesday that with Ukraine's Black Sea ports blocked by Russia, grain exporters looking to use Danube ports had faced a rapid and unjustified increase in tariffs.
Snarled-up Ports Point to Worsening Global Supply Chain Woes
Global supply chain problems look to set to worsen, a new report published on Tuesday said, as China's COVID-19 lockdowns, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and other strains cause even longer delays at ports and drive up costs.The study by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) found that one-fifth of the global container ship fleet was currently stuck in congestion at various major ports.In China, ships awaiting berth at the Port of Shanghai now tally 344…
Maersk Makes Last Cargo Shipment to a Russian Port
Shipping group Maersk made its last cargo shipment to a Russian port this week and took impairment losses and writedowns of $718 because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Danish firm said on Wednesday.Maersk, which has decided to withdraw completely from Russia, carried out its last cargo operation in a Russian port on Monday, but still has 20,000 containers stranded in Russia.Maersk said in March it would sell all its assets in Russia…
Vopak, Gasunie Team Up to Build Hydrogen Import Infrastructure in Dutch, German Ports
Vopak, a Dutch natural gas infrastructure and transportation company operating in the Netherlands and Germany, has teamed up with the tank storage firm Gasunie to jointly develop future terminal infrastructure projects for hydrogen import into Northwest Europe via Dutch and German ports. The two companies have collaborated in the Gate LNG terminal in the Port of Rotterdam that came into operation in 2011."Alongside domestic production of hydrogen…
Vitol Sends Rare Shipment of Russian ESPO Crude to UAE
The world's largest independent oil trader, Vitol, loaded a cargo of Russian ESPO Blend crude for the United Arab Emirates this week, the first such voyage for the grade, data from several analytics firms showed.Suezmax tanker Kriti Breeze loaded the 740,000-barrel cargo on May 3, and is heading to the port of Fujairah, data from Refinitiv, Kpler and Vortexa showed.Vitol could not immediately be reached for comment.(Reporting by Florence Tan and Chen Aizhu; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Kongsberg Digital to Digitalize Over 100 Ships for Tanker Operator
Kongsberg Digital (KDI) said Wednesday recently signed a fleet agreement to provide its vessel-to-cloud infrastructure, Vessel Insight to over 100 vessels. Kongsberg did not say who the client was exactly, apart from saying it was a large industrial shipowner in the tanker segment."We are very proud to announce that we recently signed a major deal to digitalize a large industrial shipowner in the tanker segment, with a fleet agreement exceeding one hundred vessels.
HII Taps BlueZone for REMUS AUV Services in Australia
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the U.S. naval shipbuilder and unmanned systems manufacturer, said Tuesday it had selected its Australian sales partner, BlueZone Group, as an authorized REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) service center. The Newcastle-based company will provide local support to REMUS AUVs for the Royal Australian Navy and other regional customers.HII and BlueZone Group will host an official agreement signing on May 10…
Austal Bags $230.5M Deal to Design and Build Expeditionary Fast Transport Ship for U.S. Navy
Austal USA has won a $230.5 million contract for the detailed design and construction of EPF 16, the Navy’s newest Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship.Austal USA has so far delivered 12 EPFs. Three additional EPFs are currently under construction. "EPFs have demonstrated their operational capability to conduct a variety of missions to include humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, maritime security, surveillance, command and control, and counter-narcotic missions around the globe.
