UK's Felixstowe Port: Disappointed Strike Action Will Go Ahead
The company that operates Britain's biggest container port, Felixstowe, said on Friday it believed its pay offer to workers was fair and it was disappointed strike action due to begin on Sunday had not been called off.More than 1,900 workers at Felixstowe represented by the Unite union plan eight days of strikes from Aug. 21 in a dispute over pay."The company is disappointed that Unite has not taken…
US Advances Plans for Offshore Wind in Maine
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced next steps to bring offshore wind energy to the Gulf of Maine. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has made available a Request for Interest (RFI) and Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) in the Federal Register for public comment.“President Biden has set ambitious goals to address the climate crisis, and in response the Interior Department is taking historic steps to develop a robust and sustainable clean energy future…
Next 10 Grain Ships Set to Leave Ukraine's Sea Ports
A further ten cargo ships are being loaded with grain in Ukrainian Black Sea ports and being prepared for shipment under a food export agreement brokered last month, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Friday.Ukraine’s grain exports have slumped since the start of the war because its Black Sea ports - a vital route for shipments - were closed, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East.At the end of July…
Oil Tanker Detained After Nigerian Navy Says It 'Resisted Arrest'
Equatorial Guinea has detained an oil tanker capable of carrying 2 million barrels after it attempted to load in Nigeria without proper paperwork, both countries said this week.The Nigerian navy said in a statement that the Heroic Idun, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was attempting to load oil at the Akpo SBM on Aug. 8 without due clearance from state oil company NNPC, and that it "resisted arrest" when ordered to stop.It was not immediately clear who was the vessel's owner or operator.
AET Awards Maritime Scholarships
Tanker shipping company AET said it has awarded 10 scholarships in partnership with the Texas A&M Foundation at the Texas A&M University Galveston Campus.The university is home to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, one of seven maritime academies in the United States, offering a specialized maritime training and education program.The scholarship initiative supports undergraduate students majoring in Maritime Transportation for their bachelor’s degree program…
Royal IHC and KSBL Sign Deal for CSD Builds in Bangladesh
Royal IHC and Karnafuly Ship Builders Ltd (KSBL) in Bangladesh have signed contracts for the design, engineering and hardware of four cutter suction dredgers (CSD). The four mono-pontoon custom-built CSDs (2x 700 mm and 2x 600 mm) will be built in Bangladesh by KSBL for Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) for maintenance dredging in Bangladesh. Royal IHC will provide yard assistance for the installation…
France Favors Gas Terminals Over New Pipeline to Tackle Crisis
A third gas pipeline between Spain and France would cost at least 3 billion euros ($3 billion) and take years to complete, making it a less attractive option to address Europe's supply worries than new terminals to receive fuel by boat, France's energy transition ministry said.The European Union is bracing for any further fall in gas flows from Russia, which had been the 27-nation bloc's biggest supplier…
Rhine Water Too Low Even for Some Empty Vessels
Water levels on Germany's Rhine river are so low that some vessels cannot sail even when empty, a shipping cooperative said on Friday, although long-awaited rain has begun to ease bottlenecks on one of the country's main commercial routes.Weeks of drought across Europe and beyond have added to supply chain problems as vessels have had to lighten their loads to ensure they can travel along depleted water channels."Empty ships can no longer sail in some cases…
New Buoys Aim to Help Protect Whales from Ship Strikes
A network of acoustic monitoring buoys aims to help protect North Atlantic right whales—one of the world’s most critically endangered species—from ship strikes along the U.S. East Coast.Although North Atlantic right whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, serious threats to their survival abound with only approximately 336 of these great whales remaining on the planet.
Energy Efficiency Indices: What You Need to Know
Decarbonization is the greatest challenge facing the shipping industry today.The effort to reduce emissions and environmental impact extends to all sectors and players and will leave no one in the industry unaffected.The IMO’s effort to decarbonise shipping is a numbers game. The goal, as stipulated in the Initial IMO GHG Strategy, is to reduce the average CO2 emissions per transport work by at least 40% by 2030…
Navigating a Minefield: Why UXO Could Hamper the UK’s Offshore Wind Ambitions
The UK’s plans to significantly increase offshore wind capacity to 50GW by 2030 risks being hindered by an array of undiscovered unexploded ordnance (UXO) in our coastal waters. It is estimated that up to 500,000 legacy items/targets of UXO could still be present in UK waters. These require safe removal or disposal to clear the way for accelerated offshore wind development. The current practice of…
Rollercoaster Containershipping Rates Continue, says Xeneta
South American spot rate gap set to narrow as shippers take advantage of lower Far East to West Coast ratesThe latest ocean freight rate data from Xeneta reveals that spot rates are currently $3,700 more expensive for shipping 40-ft. containers from the Far East to the South American East Coast, compared to the West Coast corridor. This huge gap – the norm is usually around a $55 East Coast premium – has opened up since 1 July.
Kongsberg Inks Deal for 32 Thrusters to Med Marine in Turkey
Kongsberg Maritime’s US Series thrusters will be installed on 16 new ASD tugboats to be built in Turkey by Med Marine ShipyardKongsberg Maritime (KM) reports that it has signed "a sizeable contract" with Med Marine in Turkey to deliver 32 US series thrusters for installation on new Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugboats.KM’s US series thrusters now offer project-specific Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling capabilities…
Jurong Port, MHI and JERA Explore Plan to Build Ammonia Power Plant in Singapore
A consortium of Singapore and Japanese companies have signed an initial agreement to build a power plant fuelled only by ammonia in the city state.Singapore's Jurong Port, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific (MHI-AP) and JERA plan to build the 60 megawatt (MW) gas turbine combined cycle plant on Singapore's Jurong Island, they said in a joint statement on Friday.Jurong Port and MHI-AP in August 2021 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a pre-feasibility study on ammonia direct com
Sunken WW2 German Warships Exposed by Low water Levels on Danube
Europe's worst drought in years has pushed the mighty river Danube to one of its lowest levels in almost a century, exposing the hulks of dozens of explosives-laden German warships sunk during World War Two near Serbia's river port town of Prahovo.The vessels were among hundreds scuttled along the Danube by Nazi Germany's Black Sea fleet in 1944 as they retreated from advancing Soviet forces, and still hamper river traffic during low water levels.However…
