Austal Launches High-speed Ferry for French Polynesia's Degage Group
Shipbuilder Austal Vietnam announced Wednesday that it has launched a new high-speed catamaran built at the company’s shipyard in Vung Tau for the Degage Group of French Polynesia.The 66-meter Apetahi Express is undergoing final fit-out, prior to sea trials which are due to commence in May. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in June 2023. The new ferry is anticipated to commence operations between…
Concordia Maritime Sells 13-year-old Product Tanker
Concordia Maritime announced Wednesday it has entered into an agreement to sell its 13-year-old product tanker Stena Penguin to an unnamed European buyer.The 65,200 dwt Stena Penguin is scheduled to be delivered to its new owner during the second quarter of 2023.Overall, the sale is expected to have a positive liquidity effect of approximately SEK 215 million (about $20.9 million) after repayment of the remaining bank debt to Svenska Skeppshypotek…
MARAD Awards $20.8 Million in Grants to Small Shipyards
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Wednesday announced $20.8 million in grant awards to 27 small shipyards in 20 states through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. The funds will help shipyards modernize, increase productivity, and expand local job opportunities while competing in the global marketplace.“Small shipyards strengthen America’s commercial fleet, bolster our economic security, and generate good jobs,” said U.S.
Kongsberg Digital's 'Vessel Insight' Receives Double Certification from ABS
Kongsberg Digital's cloud infrastructure Vessel Insight has received the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Product Design Assessment Certificate for SMART (INF) for data infrastructure in accordance with the ABS Smart Functions Guide, in addition to ABS CyberSafety PDA certification. This is the first time ABS has awarded this combination of endorsements to a single product.According to Kongsberg Digital…
Second Oil Tanker in a Week Seized by Iran in Gulf - U.S. Navy
A second oil tanker in a week was seized by Iran on Wednesday in Gulf waters, the U.S. Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial…
Austal USA Hires New Chief Compliance Officer
Austal USA has hired Adam Overstreet as vice president of legal affairs and chief compliance officer.Overstreet will manage a broad spectrum of legal issues, including employment and labor law matters, commercial transactions, and litigation. As the company’s chief compliance officer, Overstreet will oversee and strengthen the execution of compliance activities throughout the organization.“Austal USA takes compliance with all laws and government regulations seriously…
Zinus Awarded Contract to Supply Shore Power to Port of Oslo
Zinus has won a contract with PowerCon to supply the Port of Oslo with a shore power solution.The aim of the project is to make shore power available for all cruise ships that visit the Port of Oslo.Zinus’s CRU500 is an all-in-one cable management system that integrates with PowerCon’s shoreside electro distribution station and the cruise vessel. The CRU500 can be moved and operated as one unit with cables and cable management system…
MMA Honors Thomas B. Crowley, Jr.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) has honored Thomas B. Crowley, Jr., CEO and Chairman of the Crowley Corporation, as Person of the Year.The Academy has an established tradition of honoring a civilian or military leader with a distinguished career of excellence, innovation, and service to the maritime industries and other related industries with the Emery Rice Medal, named for an 1897 Academy graduate and WWI hero.
Chart Industries Expands its Partnership with TECO 2030
TECO 2030 and Chart Industries have expanded their existing cooperation agreement on Chart’s Cryogenic Carbon Capture™ process technology (CCC), to include Chart’s offer of liquid cryogenic fuel storage and supply systems, as well as Howden’s hydrogen solutions.Under the expanded agreement, Chart, Howden (a Chart Industries Group company) and TECO 2030 will combine their expertise to offer improved ship efficiencies and reductions in carbon emissions.Chart…
Shell Aims to Harness the Power of the Lower Mississippi
ORPC, an marine renewable energy developer whose power systems harness the energy of free-flowing rivers and tides, has signed a contract with Shell Technology – Marine Renewable Program to initiate a Modular RivGen Power System demonstration project in the Lower Mississippi River.The collaborative project represents an opportunity to showcase how the next generation of ORPC’s hydrokinetic technology can provide predictable baseload electricity to help decarbonize onshore assets.
Floating Offshore Wind and the Need for High-end AHTS
As the world continues to scramble for renewable energy, floating offshore wind has emerged as a key capacity enabler in the coming decades. With no major commercial scale projects currently in operations, the segment is largely based on governments and developers ambitious project plans for the future. Nonetheless, this market segment can offer vast opportunities to the world of offshore support vessels in both near- and long-term prospects.In this piece…
Meyer Werft Floats Out New Ship for Silversea Cruises
German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has floated out its latest newbuild for Royal Caribbean's luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises.After water had filled the drydock at Meyer Werft's shipyard in in Papenburg, tugboats maneuvered the vessel Silver Nova from one of the world’s largest enclosed construction halls into the adjacent harbor, where the fitting out phase will continue. Meyer Werft’s craftspeople cleaned the ship’s hull…
First Large Cruise Vessel Arrives in Aberdeen South Harbour
Port of Aberdeen said Tuesday it had welcomed the first cruise ship into the "transformational" £400 million Aberdeen South Harbour expansion. The 203-meter-long AIDAaura, with a capacity for more than 1,200 guests, is the longest vessel to visit the Port of Aberdeen to date. The vessel arrived from Hamburg, Germany, for a full day visit as part of a Scottish cruise. The AIDAaura berthed on Castlegate Quay…
Germany's LNG Import Terminals Tackle Challenges
Germany's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal project at Stade said it would in the coming weeks begin testing market appetite for ammonia as a way to transport hydrogen, as the country's efforts to end reliance on Russian pipeline gas gather pace.The quest for alternatives has included focusing on hydrogen, which when produced using renewable energy can help the transition to a lower carbon economy.Germany…
Baltic Index Falls on Lower Vessel Demand
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, fell on Tuesday, pressured by lower shipping rates across all vessel segments. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, dropped 24 points, or 1.5%, to 1,552 - its biggest dip in two weeks. The capesize index lost 33 points, or 1.4%, to 2,268.
Singapore Ammonia Bunkering Gets Reality Check from Port Authority, Industry
Top global ship fuelling hub Singapore is unlikely to be ready for ammonia bunkering by the end of this year, Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said, while industry players have also raised concerns about feasibility. The port authority's clarification came after the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) said on April 27 that Singapore's first transfer of ammonia for bunkering could take place by the end of 2023.
Russia Calls for Probe into Nord Stream Pipeline Blasts to Speed Up
The Kremlin on Tuesday called for the investigation into the blasts of Russia-designed Nord Stream gas pipelines to be speeded up and any results to be published. In September 2022, several unexplained underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and newly-built Nord Stream 2 pipelines that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea. The blasts occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark and both countries say the explosions were deliberate…
Bollinger Shipyards to Refit NOAA's Largest Ship "Ronald H. Brown"
Bollinger Shipyards has begun fabrication at its newly acquired Mississippi repair facility, Bollinger Mississippi Repair, in preparation to refit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) Ship Ronald H. Brown, the largest ship in NOAA’s fleet. The overhaul is expected to extend the vessel's life, first launched in 1996, by an additional 15 years. Work is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2024.“Here on the Gulf Coast…
Impasse Remains Over Russian Grain, Fertilizer Exports
There is no progress in removing obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports caused by the West's "sanction strategy", a senior Russian diplomat in Washington said on Tuesday, ahead of the expiry of a deal safeguarding Ukrainian grain exports.The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July which allows Ukrainian grain trapped by the conflict to be safely exported from the country's Black Sea ports, is set to expire on May 18.Russia has said that parts of the deal that are mea
Australia Readies New Icebreaker After Repairs
Australia’s icebreaker RSV Nuyina has been conducting sea trials in Hobart’s River Derwent as part of familiarization exercises with TasPorts pilots after returning from Singapore for repairs.The 160-meter vessel was built by Damen Shipyards in Romania and delivered in October 2021. In Singapore, issues identified with couplings that connect the propulsion shafts with the clutches were rectified under…
