Philippine President Skips COP28, Focuses on Seafarers
Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has skipped COP28 in Dubai to personally address “important developments” in the hostage situation involving 17 Filipino seafarers.He is convening a meeting to facilitate the dispatch of a high-level delegation to Tehran, Iran, with the aim of providing necessary assistance to the seafarers.Marcos has assured the Filipino people that the government is doing…
Maintenance Error Led to Chemical Tanker Engine Room Fire
A maintenance error caused an engine room fire aboard the Endo Breeze last year, resulting in $1.2 million in damages, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) analysis has shown.On April 29, 2022, the Endo Breeze was transiting outbound through the Raritan Bay West Reach channel near Staten Island, New York, when oil spray from a fuel injector pump on the starboard main engine ignited off nearby hot surfaces, causing a fire.
Japan Urged to Scale up Offshore Wind Auctions
International energy companies, from Germany's RWE to Spain's Iberdrola, are urging Japan to beef up offshore wind power auctions and make investments more attractive, amid soaring installation costs as competition for suppliers grows worldwide.Although desperate to ease its heavy dependence on energy imports from the Middle East and Russia, Japan is coming late to offshore wind, but some industry…
Report: Options for Retrofitting Ro-Pax with Hydrogen Propulsion Analyzed
BMT and PA Consulting have explored the feasibility of retrofitting medium-sized Ro-Pax ferries with hydrogen propulsion and storage technology.The resulting white paper assesses the economic and technical feasibility of retrofitting existing vessels with hydrogen propulsion systems, presenting three retrofit alternatives with varying complexity, hydrogen demand and costs. These options involve dual-fuel engines with compressed gaseous hydrogen storage…
BMT Introduces Full Electric Ferry Design
BMT has unveiled its new 140ft (42m) 100% electric EF-500 passenger ferry design at the International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans.Featuring a 500-passenger and four-crew capacity, the zero-emission vessel is tailored to meet the rising demand for hybrid or all-electric ferry options in the region.The newly unveiled all-electric ferry boasts a low wake hull, featuring a simple, easily constructible design with a lightweight and durable aluminum structure.
Vestas Secures 203MW Order in the US
Vestas has received a 203MW order to power an undisclosed wind project in the US. The order consists of 45 V163-4.5MW wind turbines.The orders include supply, delivery, and commissioning of the turbines, as well as a multi-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement, designed to ensure optimized performance of the asset.Turbine delivery begins in the fourth quarter of 2024 with…
Viking Vela Floated Out
Viking Vela, the first of a new series of cruise ships that Fincantieri is building for the shipowner Viking, has been floated out at the shipyard in Ancona. The delivery is scheduled for late 2024.The vessel will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. She will have a gross tonnage of about 54,300 tons, will be equipped with 499 cabins and will be able to accommodate 998 passengers on board.Viking…
OPEC+ Prepares for 2024 Demand Uncertainty
Speaking after the November 30 OPEC+ meeting, Ann-Louise Hittle, vice president, Macro Oils, at Wood Mackenzie, said: “The decision by OPEC+ to continue with its previously announced production cuts and Saudi/Russia to extend their voluntary production cuts to the end of Q1 2024 is not a surprise, given current pricing and the uncertainty in the market over the strength of the global economy and oil demand growth.
ABS Supports Edison Chouest with Sustainability Reporting
ABS is working with offshore support vessel operator Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) on its decarbonization journey with greenhouse gas inventory and sustainability reporting services. ECO has nearly 300 vessels.ABS specialists have been working with the ECO team since 2022 providing a gap analysis for the ECO environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Framework.This led to a full sustainability reporting project in 2023…
McAllister Towing Releases Its First Sustainability Report
McAllister Towing has released its inaugural sustainability report.ABS specialists worked with McAllister’s team to provide greenhouse gas inventory and sustainability reporting services, calculating the operational carbon intensity and benchmarking the performance of the McAllister fleet of more than 60 vessels, including tugboats, passenger ferries, offshore supply vessels, crew boats and barges in over 13 locations along the U.S.
FEPORT, ETA, EMPA and ECASBA Raise Cargo Diversion Concerns
As risks of cargo diversion to the detriment of EU ports are becoming more and more real with the upcoming entry into force at the beginning of 2024 of EU ETS for shipping, local organizations are voicing their concerns.The Federation of European Port Companies and Private Terminals (FEPORT), European Tugowners’ Association (ETA), European Maritime Pilots’ Association (EMPA) and European Community…
Vale’s First Bulk Carrier Biofuel Trial Commences
Vale, working in partnership with Oldendorff Carriers, has just commenced its first biofuel voyage on a bulk vessel.The trial is taking place on an Oldendorff vessel performing a laden Vale voyage from Brazil to Asia, carrying a full cargo of iron ore.The Hinrich Oldendorff (209,113 deadweight built 2016) loaded the biofuel in Singapore on October 16 on the ballast voyage to Brazil. The vessel then…
Van Oord JV Awarded Dredging Project at Port of Burgas
Cosmos Van Oord, a joint venture (JV) of Cosmos Shipping and Van Oord, has been awarded a dredging project at Port of Burgas, the biggest port in Bulgaria.The project is part of the construction of a new deep-water berth at terminal Burgas-West in the Port of Burgas. This will establish a dedicated port zone for container handling and storage, and introduce eco-friendly methods for efficiently transferring…
Yara Plans World’s First Ammonia-Powered Container Ship
Yara Clean Ammonia, North Sea Container Line, and Yara International have joined forces to realize the world's first container ship that will use clean ammonia as fuel. Named Yara Eyde, the vessel will be the first to sail emission-free sea route between Norway and Germany.Yara Eyde will operate between Oslo, Porsgrunn, Hamburg and Bremerhaven, so that from 2026, Norwegian companies can trade their products emissions-free in and out of Norway. Yara International is participating as cargo-owner.
MPA and IACS Collaborate on Maritime Initiatives
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to collaborate on various maritime digitalization and decarbonization initiatives.The LOI was signed by Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, and Nick Brown, Council Chairman of IACS, at the sidelines of the 33rd session of the IMO Assembly in London this week.Under the LOI…
Arsenio Dominguez Velasco Confirmed as Next IMO Secretary-General
Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco has been confirmed as the next Secretary-General of the IMO. The IMO Assembly unanimously approved the decision of the Council at its 129th session on November 30.Dominguez Velasco will take up the office of Secretary-General on January 1, 2024, for an initial term of four years. He becomes the Organization's 10th elected Secretary-General.The outgoing Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, congratulated his successor on his appointment.
Phase II of IMO’s Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre Project Announced
The IMO and the European Commission (EC) have announced a second phase of the Global Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres Network (GMN) project, with funding from the EU.The aim of the second phase is to upscale the work of the five regional centres, with a particular emphasis on pilot demonstrations aimed at achieving quantifiable reductions in GHG emissions.The GMN Phase II project follows the successful Phase I which established the five Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs)…
EBDG Power Barge to Feature Wärtsilä Dual-fuel Methanol Engine
Wärtsilä announced it is teaming up with Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) to advance EBDG’s Clean Harbor Alternative Mobile Power (CHAMP) Barge design.This partnership introduces a cost-effective solution to reduce emissions from large vessels in situations where traditional shore power is not available and features Wärtsilä's dual fuel methanol engine technology, the partners said.The floating mobile platform offers a power range of 6 to 16 Megawatts, utilizing green methanol as its source.
Maritime Just Transition Task Force Plans Seafarer Skills Update
A new training project will prepare seafarers for zero or near-zero emission ships, helping the global shipping industry decarbonize and ensure a just transition for seafarers.Research commissioned by the Maritime Just Transition Task Force identified that 800,000 seafarers may require additional training by the mid-2030s to operate vessels run on zero or near zero emission fuels.The training framework…
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Joins the Maritime Technologies Forum
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has joined as an associate member, bringing regulatory and technological expertise to further support MTF’s objectives.Today, the Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF), whose founding members include ABS, DNV, Lloyd’s Register, ClassNK, Japan’s Maritime Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Norwegian Maritime Authority and the U.K.’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency…
