Cargo Ship Sinks Off Japan, Leaving Two Dead, Nine Missing
Two people died and nine were missing after a cargo ship sank off southwestern Japan early on Wednesday amid fierce winter winds, the coast guard said, as it continued to search for survivors.Six people who were rescued remained unconscious, while five had revived as of 8:30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT), the Japan Coast Guard said, partly citing information from its South Korean counterpart.The 6,651…
Offshore Wind: IWS Fleet Orders Two More CSOVs from Chinese Shipbuilder
IWS Fleet AS has ordered two more Walk-to-Work commissioning service operations vessels (“CSOV”) from China Merchants Industry Holdings Co., Ltd.The company said Tuesday that the two newbuilds would be delivered in the second quarter of 2025. Following the delivery, the offshore wind vessel owner will have a fleet of six identical Skywalker class vessels designed specifically to support commissioning works during the construction of wind farms…
Armach Robotics Promotes John Dunn to COO
Armach Robotics announced it has promoted its operations VP John Dunn to chief operating officer.Armach, which uses small autonomous robots to keep ships clean and collect hull data that can inform future maintenance and operations, hired Dunn when the company was launched in late 2021, as a spin-off company by marine software company Greensea Systems.In his new role, Dunn continues to play a central role in further developing and overseeing Armach’s ongoing business operations.
Socatra to Install Rotor Sails on Its MR Tanker Alcyone
French ship owner and operator Socatra has signed a contract with auxiliary wind propulsion systems manufacturer Norsepower for the retrofit installation of two Norsepower Rotor Sails️ on the medium range (MR) tanker Alcyone.The 50,000 dwt, 2022 built, French flag tanker - chartered by global energy company TotalEnergies – will be retrofitted with two 35 m x 5 m Norsepower Rotor Sails. The units will be delivered in December 2023 from Norsepower’s new production hub in China…
Onshore Funding for US Offshore Wind
Most of the media coverage of offshore wind development in the United States focuses on the leases of the offshore areas where the wind turbines will be located. However, equally important is the landside dimension of these projects, including the manufacture, installation, maintenance and operation of the turbines. Several awards made in the last two rounds of funding under the Port Infrastructure…
Cromarty Firth Port Wins Monopile Marshalling Deal for Moray West Offshore Wind Farm
Developers of the Moray West offshore wind farm in the UK have selected Invergordon port in the Cromarty Firth, Scotland, as the location for marshalling all 62 monopiles prior to installation as part of the Moray West offshore wind farm. The wind farm is being developed by Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture owned by EDP Renewables and ENGIE."Moray West has signed a multi-million pound contract with…
Container Shipping Giants Maersk, MSC to End Alliance from 2025
Container shipping firms MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Maersk have mutually agreed to terminate, effective in January 2025, their 2M alliance.2M is a container shipping line vessel sharing agreement (VSA) introduced in 2015 " with the aim of ensuring competitive and cost-efficient operations on the Asia-Europe, Transatlantic and Transpacific trades."In a joint statement on Wednesday, CEO Vincent Clerc of A.
Iron Ore Shipments Drop 13.1% to Start 2023
2023 has so far been a disappointment for the dry bulk shipping sector, despite hopes that a quick economic recovery in China would boost iron ore demand,. During the first three weeks of the year, iron ore shipments fell 13.1% year on year, the lowest volume since at least 2019, worsening conditions for capesizes. In this period, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) declined by almost 500 points to 763 on 20 January…
Norwegian Marine Seismic Player Enters Offshore Wind Market
Norwegian company PGS, best known for its seismic survey services in the offshore oil and gas sector, said Wednesday it had scored its first offshore wind contract. The company said it had secured its first ultra-high resolution offshore wind farm site characterization project, marking its debut in "a strategically important new energy market.""PGS New Energy offers solutions to the ongoing energy…
Investment Firm Arroyo Buys Into LNG Bunkering
Houston-based investment manager Arroyo Investors announced it has closed an investment in Seaside LNG and its affiliated entities, an integrated shore-side liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction and bunkering platform in the U.S. Financial details were not disclosed.Seaside LNG owns interests in two separate operating businesses, including a 50% ownership interest in JAX LNG, a small-scale (360…
FMD Wins Support Contract for US Navy's Freedom-class LCS Engines
Power and propulsion systems provider Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) announced it has been awarded a five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) requirements contract by the U.S. Navy that makes the Beloit, Wis.-based company the sole source for engineering and technical support of the main propulsion diesel engines on the Navy’s Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program.FMD said…
Subsea Mining Plans Pit Renewable Energy Demand Against Ocean Life
As companies race to expand renewable energy and the batteries to store it, finding sufficient amounts of rare earth metals to build the technology is no easy feat. That’s leading mining companies to take a closer look at a largely unexplored frontier – the deep ocean seabed.A wealth of these metals can be found in manganese nodules that look like cobblestones scattered across wide areas of deep ocean seabed.
Slipping Rates Drag Baltic Dry Index to Fresh 2.5-year Low
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index extended losses to a sixth straight session on Tuesday to touch a fresh 2-1/2-year low, dragged down by a dip in capesize and panamax rates.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, fell 19 points, or about 2.6%, to 721, its lowest since early-June 2020.The capesize index lost 50 points, or 6.8%, to 685, its lowest since mid-September 2022.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transp
NY Waterway to Upgrade Ferries with Hybrid Propulsion
NY Waterway announced plans to repower four more of its older ferries, transitioning from traditionally diesel driven units to hybrid technology before eventually operating on pure electric.The private company, which runs ferry and bus service in the Port of New York and New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley, was awarded $7.298 million in grant funding for the project through the Federal Transit Administration…
Damen, BV Pilot 3D Model-based Class Approval
Classification society Bureau Veritas has successfully reviewed a 3D design of a 2500 m³ hopper dredger from Damen Shipyards, being a step to granting it approval in principle. The pilot project for 3D model-based class approval is meant to pave the way toward using three dimensional computer designs as standard procedure to achieve class notation for seagoing vessels.Vessel steel hull Design evaluation…
Montrose Port Takes Delivery of its First Newbuild Pilot Boat
Montrose Port Authority at the end of 2022 welcomed into service its first ever purpose-built pilot boat, South Esk.The new £800,000 vessel was constructed by Safehaven Marine, in Youghal, Ireland and completed its sea trials at the Port of Cork before making its way to Montrose by traveling across the Irish Sea to Oban, around the top of Scotland and down the East coast.The Interceptor 48 model launch is the first newbuild pilot boat in Montrose’s 200-year trust port history…
Atlantica Shipping Adds Fourth PSV to Fleet
Oslo-based offshore vessel owner Atlantica Shipping has taken delivery of its fourth platform supply vessel.The company said in a social media post that it had expanded its fleet with the 2005 built U
Jørgen Wisborg Named Blue Water Chairman
Jørgen Wisborg has been named chairman at Danish-headquartered transport and logistics group Blue Water, taking over from the company's founder and longtime head Kurt Skov.In September last year, Skov announced plans to find his successor, making it possible for him to slow down his work activities.Wisborg joins Blue Water after 17 years as managing director for the Danish energy company OK, where he stepped down last year to focus entirely on board positions.
In Memoriam: E. John Michel, MRCM (DV) USN (Ret), Chief-of-the-Boat, Bathyscaph Trieste
REMEMBERING MY SHIPMATE JOHN MICHELWe met in January 1959 when I became the first Officer in Charge of the Navy’s newly acquired Bathyscaph Trieste and John was the first USN enlisted man to be assigned to the project. We were based at the Naval Electronics Laboratory in San Diego. Trieste was unique as there were only two deep diving manned submersibles in the world. The French Navy had the other.
Alfa Laval Debuts Biofuel-ready Separator
Biofuels are a current and accessible fuel option that can help maritime decarbonize, and Alfa Laval becomes the first to offer biofuel-optimized separators and separator upgrades.Biofuels like HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) and FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) can be used by diesel engines without major engine modifications. They can be a carbon-neutral alternative if produced from the right biomass…
