US Grants LNG Shipping Waiver for Puerto Rico after Hurricane
The Biden administration late on Sunday approved a waiver of U.S. shipping rules to address Puerto Rico's urgent need for liquefied natural gas (LNG) after Hurricane Fiona. The Homeland Security Department (DHS) issued a waiver of the Jones Act, a century-old law that requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by U.S.-flagged ships "to address Puerto Rico’s needs as recovery efforts from Hurricane Fiona continue," the department said.
Lebanon Claims Israeli Gunboats Violated Its Territorial Waters
The Lebanese army said on Sunday that Israeli gunboats violated Lebanese territorial waters several times on Saturday in an area opposite Ras Naqura near the border between the two countries, an accusation Israel denied.The statement said there were four violations where gunboats entered several hundred meters inside Lebanese waters and that authorities were discussing the violations with a United…
Suez Canal to Offer Ships Bunkering and Catering Services
Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone will offer new services to ships including fueling and catering from the first quarter of 2023, state media quoted a Suez Canal official as saying on Friday.The new services will be offered at Port Said and Suez in the northern and southern regions of the canal respectively, the official was quoted as saying, while as many as 20 to 25 services will be available for ships transiting Sokhna Port, including medical evacuation and marine supplies.(Reuters - Reporting
Missing Engine Parts Lead to Ohio River Towboat Fire -NTSB
A missing retaining ring and mounting bracket on the port main diesel engine led to an engine-room fire on a towing vessel near Belleview, Ky., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.Florida Marine Transporters' (FMT) towing vessel Capt. Kirby Dupuis was pushing loaded dry cargo barges on the Ohio River when a fire broke out on its portside engine on November 9, 2021. The crewmembers…
Shipping Industry Working to Reduce Harm to Whales
The shipping industry has been taking steps to reduce its impact on endangered whale populations globally."This is an issue that the shipping industry takes seriously, and has resulted in the implementation of measures that aim to prevent collisions between whales and ships, from reducing vessel speed and rerouting to engaging stakeholders to raise further awareness," trade association the International…
VIDEO: Topside Module Construction Starts for Giant ONE Guyana FPSO
The Dutch FPSO leasing specialist SBM Offshore said Friday the construction of the topside modules had kicked off in Singapore for one of the company's largest-ever FPSO units, the One Guyana FPSO."During September this year, two steel strike ceremonies were held in both Keppel FELS and DynaMac yards. This marks a key milestone, which is the start of the fabrication of the marine structures and the topside modules…
Norwegian Police Investigate Drone Sighting Over Gas Plant
Norway police on Friday investigated reports of a drone flying over the Kaarstoe [Kårstø] gas plant in southwest Norway on Thursday, while in Arctic Norway a Russian-Israeli citizen was arrested when police found two drones in his car.The Norwegian military Home Guard has been posted at Kaarstoe and other major energy export facilities since authorities boosted security at Norwegian oil and gas installations after the Sept.
Furetank to Sell Two Dual-fuel Tankers to Neste
Furetank Rederi AB said it has signed an agreement to sell two 17,999 dwt dual-fuel product tankers Fure Valö and Fure Ven to the Finnish company Neste, a producer of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel. The vessels will be delivered in October and December 2023, when the first of the seven new-buildings already ordered by Furetank and partners are scheduled to be delivered from the shipyard…
Russia Needs Permission for Its Ships to Inspect Nord Stream Damage - Novak
Russia needs permission for its vessels to conduct investigations into explosions that damaged Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday. He did not specify who should grant the permission, but Nord Stream AG, the operator of the older Nord Stream 1 pipeline, said last week that the owner of a survey vessel it chartered did not have the greenlight…
Equinor Awards $235,6M in Offshore Vessel Deals
Equinor, a Norwegian oil company, said on Friday that it had recently awarded six offshore vessel contracts to five shipowners. The total value of the contracts, including options, is estimated to be more than NOK 2.5 billion ($235,6 million). The six platform supply vessels will be managed by Simon Møkster Shipping AS (Stril Luna & Stril Mar vessels), Island Offshore Management AS (Island Crusader vessel)…
MST Launches First in a Series of 18 New Patrol Boats
Marine Specialised Technology Group has launched the first in a series of new Police Patrol Craft being built for the UK Ministry of Defense Police (MDP) and the Gibraltar Ministry of Defense Police (GDP)Awarded in March 2021, The Police Patrol Craft (PPC) contract is a six-year program that will see delivery of 18 patrol craft to various Police units around the UK and Gibraltar. The Patrol Craft will be used to ensure protection of major Royal Naval Assets…
Diana Bulker to Start Time Charter with Cargill
Diana Shipping Inc. announced it has taken delivery of a newly acquired secondhand bulker that is due to commence a time charter contract with Cargill.The 2018-built…
Carnival Cruise Line Partners with Philippine Schools
Carnival Cruise Line is partnering with Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) and STI, one of the largest networks of colleges and schools in the Philippines, to assist Filipinos in taking up maritime studies and working on board the line's fleet of 24 cruise ships.Carnival Cruise Line SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer Bettina Deynes and Vice President for Crew and Travel Operations Richard Brearley were recently in Manila…
Grandweld Delivers Four New Tugs for Shuwaikh Port
Grandweld Shipyard in Dubai has delivered four new tractor tugs for operations in Kuwait’s Shuwaikh Port.The four TRAktor 2700-Z vessels Ghanim-1, Ghanim-2, Ghanim-3 and Ghanim-4 were designed by Robert Allan Ltd., who worked closely with the Grandweld Shipyard to develop the customized design of the previously built 27-meter TRAktor tug series. The tugs were engineered to perform multiple tasks including ship assist…
SAAM Towage Orders Electric Tug Pair for Its Canadian Operations
SAAM Towage announced it has closed an agreement with Teck & Neptune Terminals that will allow the deployment of the first two electric tugs to its fleet.The ElectRA 2300SX tugs are designed by Vancouver-based Robert Allan Ltd. and will be built at Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey.Scheduled for delivery during the second half of 2023, the new tugs will each be powered by two separate battery lithium-ion energy storage systems, making them 100% electric and zero-emissions ships.
Tidewater to Expand Columbia River Barge Service
Tidewater Barge Lines, Inc will expand its regional barge service on the Columbia River after being awarded grant funding from the U.S. Department Maritime Administration (MARAD).The $4,168,759 from MARAD, combined with nearly $2 million in matching funds from Tidewater, will provide two new low and zero emission cranes that will enable the loading of additional solid waste containers on barges for…
Supply Chain Snarls Loosen, But Problems Remain
John Ehresmann loves that the cost of shipping an ocean container from Asia to a U.S. port or buying a load of lumber has fallen back to earth.If only that were true for everything he buys — but it’s not.Some parts of his supply chain have clearly improved, said the vice president of global supply for Graco Inc, the Minneapolis-based maker of fluid handling equipment such as paint sprayers. But the complex nature of global supply chains means that companies like Graco are still struggling…
Theochari Named Chair of Belfast Maritime Consortium
Shipping and asset finance lawyer, Harry Theochari OBE, has been appointed as the new Chair of the Belfast Maritime Consortium.Theochari holds the position of Senior Consultant at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. He is also current Chair Emeritus of Maritime UK, Chair of Maritime London, and esteemed member of the Institute of Maritime Law Advisory Board at the University of Southampton,…
Transnet Strike Costing Miners $44 Million a Day
South African miners are losing 815 million rand ($44 million) in export revenue per day due to an ongoing strike at state-owned logistics firm Transnet which has hit commodity exports, an industry body said on Thursday.Transnet's freight rail and port workers earlier said they had rejected a revised pay offer and vowed to continue the strike which started a week ago.The Minerals Council of South Africa…
US and Micronesia Expand Shiprider Agreement
The United States and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) on Thursday signed a remote shiprider agreement enabling the U.S. to act on behalf of the country to combat illicit maritime activity when an FSM law enforcement officer is not present.FSM is a nation with over six hundred islands in the Pacific, and the agreement provides a coordinating mechanism and process for U.S. law enforcement personnel…
