Hull Fouling Spoils Australia-New Zealand Cruise
Viking Cruises will compensate hundreds of passengers on its Orion cruise ship after cruisers were forced to stay on board and miss multiple stops because officials…
US Poised to Regain Crown as World's Top LNG Exporter
The United States is on track to become the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) this year - ahead of current market leader Australia - once a fire-idled Texas plant is restarted, according to Reuters data.A June fire sidelined Freeport LNG, the second biggest U.S. export facility, and cut U.S. exports of the fuel by about 2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd). That outage dropped the United States behind top exporter Australia as global demand for the fuel boomed.In 2022, U.S.
American Cruise Lines Installs Starlink Satellite Internet
American Cruise Lines announced on Wednesday that it has added Starlink satellite internet to its 2023 fleet of riverboats and small cruise ships. The new high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi will be complimentary on all 2023 cruises, ensuring seamless connectivity and faster upload speeds nearly everywhere the company’s small ships are cruising throughout the country—from Glacier Bay Alaska to the sunny Florida Keys…
Christoffersen Appointed MD of Semco Maritime Norway
Semco Maritime has appointed Tor Erik Christoffersen Managing Director of the Group’s Norwegian business. He took up the position on 1 January 2023 and will work from the offices in Bergen and Stavanger, leading Semco Maritime’s 400 colleagues in Norway as well as the activities at the Hanøytangen facilities and offshore in the North Sea.
KR Unveils Port State Control Mobile App
Classification society Korean Register (KR) has launched the 'KR PSC ADVISER' mobile app to help customers prepare for Port State Control (PSC) inspections. The new service is designed to reduce the risk of PSC detentions by providing the latest PSC information in real-time and allowing seafarers to easily keep abreast of PSC checklists with a single app.Available for both iOS and Android devices and downloadable from Google Play and the App Store…
Ukraine Sees Speeding Up Inspections as Key to Black Sea Grain Deal
Ukraine's efforts to increase exports under the Black Sea grain deal with Russia are currently focused on securing faster inspections of ships rather than including more ports in the initiative, a senior Ukrainian official said on Wednesday.Ukraine is a major global grain producer and exporter, but production and exports have fallen since Russia invaded the country last February and started blockading…
Putin Sends Frigate Armed with Hypersonic Missiles to Atlantic Ocean
President Vladimir Putin sent a frigate to the Atlantic Ocean armed with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles on Wednesday, a signal to the West that Russia will not back down over the war in Ukraine.Russia, China, and the United States are in a race to develop hypersonic weapons, which are seen as a way to gain an edge over any adversary because of their speeds - above five times the speed of…
Baltic Index Hits Over 1-month Low as Vessel Demand Falters
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index extended its decline to hit an over one-month low on Wednesday, weighed by weaker demand across vessel segments. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, and supramax shipping vessels carrying dry bulk commodities, lost 74 points, or 5.9%, to 1,176, a day after posting its biggest daily percentage loss in decades.The capesize index dropped 119 points…
Future Fuels: 275 Altenative Fuel Ships Ordered in 2022
The total number of ships with alternative fuels ordered in 2022 was 275 (excluding battery operated vessels), according to numbers released today from DNV viat its Alternative Fuels Insight report.In addition, more than 50 LPG carriers have been ordered with LPG dual fuel systems. Predictably, LNG led the way with 222 ships or 81 % of total orders. Seventy-four percent of these orders were for container vessels and Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs)…
States Joins Blue Sky Maritime Coalition as VP/CSO
The Blue Sky Maritime Coalition (BSMC) appointed Jennifer States, a renewable energy and clean technology leader, to serve as Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. States brings 20 years of industry experience in renewable energy and clean technology, non-profit, government and research environments. She most recently served as Vice President for Projects and Strategy for Washington Maritime Blue.
China Shipowners’ Association Joins ICS
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) welcomed the China Shipowners’ Association (CSA) as a Full Member from January 1, 2023. The CSA will join the ICS Board, which oversees the policy positions ICS presents on behalf of shipowners’ worldwide with the shipping industry’s global regulators, including the UN International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization. Established in 1993…
Chinese Export Container Rates Plunge 27%
The bad news for liner operators appears to have no end. In a normal year, the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year (CNY) bring an increase in volumes and freight rates. So far, however, the lead-up to CNY in 2023 has been the worst in 13 years. Spot rates for containers loading in Shanghai will normally be 12% higher just before CNY than 10 weeks earlier. Similarly, average rates for all containers loading in China will normally end 4% higher.
New System Reduces Underwater Radiated Noise from Ship Propellers
Oscar Propulsion Limited and the University of Strathclyde have come up with a way to reduce underwater radiated noise from ship propellers.According to Oscar Propulsion, its patented PressurePores system reduces propeller tip vortex cavitation by applying a small number of strategically placed holes in the propeller blades. The addition of these pressure-relieving holes allows ships to operate with a more silent propeller.Lars Eikeland…
China Ready to Resume Oil & Gas and Maritime Talks with the Philippines
China is ready to resume oil and gas talks and manage maritime issues "cordially" with the Philippines, China President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, according to Chinese state television.Xi was speaking to his Philippines counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who was on a three-day visit to Beijing.Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea, which is rich in oil, gas, and fish and where about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually…
Equinor, BP JV Hires DEME for Offshore Wind Cable Installation in U.S.
Offshore installation services company DEME Offshore has won a "substantial" contract for the transportation and installation of the inter-array cables for the Empire Wind 1 and 2 offshore wind farms being developed in the U.S. by Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP.For DEME, a substantial contract represents a value of EUR 150–300 million.Under the contract, DEME Offshore US will be responsible for the transport and installation of the inter-array cables…
