Black Carbon and Biofouling Guidance to be Advanced by IMO
The IMO Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR) Sub-Committee held its 10th session from April 24 to 28, 2023, discussing a range of topics including black carbon regulation and an update to biofouling guidance.ABS has provided a summary of the session, noting that after extensive discussion, the Sub-Committee agreed to establish a Correspondence Group that will seek to finalize draft guidelines on black carbon emission data collection and reporting.
US Coast Guard Medevacs Five Passengers Off Cruise Ships Within 24 Hours
US Coast Guard helicopter aircrews medically evacuated four separate passengers off three different cruise ships, off the southern California coast, during a 24-hour period beginning Friday night.A 47-year-old woman, reportedly suffering from a progressive acute illness, was hoisted off the cruise ship Carnival Panorama, which was 100 miles south of San Diego. The cruise ship and an MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Coast Guard Sector San Diego rendezvoused 100 miles south of San Diego.
Philly Shipyard Lays Keel for Third NSMV
Philly Shipyard held a keel laying ceremony on Monday for the third vessel in a series of new purpose-built, state-of-the-art training ships for America’s state maritime academies.The newbuild is the third of five new National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) being built under a program for the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), which owns and operates training ships for the nation's state maritime academies.
Shipbuilding Contributes to Higher Costs in US Offshore Wind
Higher shipbuilding costs are contributing to greater overall project costs in the U.S. offshore wind industry, according to maritime and offshore consultancy Intelatus Global Partners.The United States will rely on a large fleet of foreign and domestic vessels as it builds up toward the Biden Administration's target of 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 110 GW by 2050. This fleet will consist of both existing and newbuild tonnage…
Venezuelan Oil Gets More US Buyers as Chevron Steps Up Loadings
Chevron Corp has stepped up sales of Venezuelan crude oil to rival U.S. refiners, adding PBF Energy Inc and Marathon Petroleum Corp to its list of customers for the crude, vessel tracking and loading schedules showed.U.S. Gulf Coast refiners, which historically processed Venezuelan oil, have shown a renewed appetite for the heavy sour crude grade after Chevron late last year received authorization from the U.S.
US Gulf Coast’s First Barge-to-ship Methanol Bunkering Completed
Proman Stena Bulk, the joint venture between tanker company Stena Bulk and methanol producer Proman, announced the successful completion of the first ever barge-to-ship methanol bunkering on the U.S. Gulf Coast.The JV tankers Stena Pro Marine and Stena Prosperous were refueled with methanol via barge while discharging clean petroleum products at a terminal in the Port of Houston in the first week of April.Stena Pro Marine was bunkered with 1…
ABS Publishes Guide for Offshore Spaceports
Classification society ABS announced it has launched a new set of requirements to guide the burgeoning maritime aspects of the space flight industry in the safe design and construction of offshore assets.The new requirements, launched this week at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston amid growing global demand for offshore spacecraft launch and recovery, are said to be the first of their…
Boston Ship Repair Awarded Contract for USNS Patuxent Overhaul
Boston Ship Repair has been awarded a contract for the the regular overhaul/dry docking of Military Sealift Command’s fleet replenishment oiler USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201).The $14,759,604 firm-fixed-price contract includes a base period and four options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $15,853,866. This contract was a small business set-aside with proposals solicited…
US LNG Exports Go Full Steam Ahead
U.S. producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported at top capacity in April for a second consecutive month, with over two-thirds of shipments bound for Europe and rising volumes to Latin America, Refinitiv Eikon data showed on Monday.Following the full restart of a key Texas export facility in February, U.S. LNG producers are taking advantage of firm prices overseas and increasing demand in some markets.A total of 107 cargoes departed from U.S.
Three Crew Missing After Tanker Catches Fire off Malaysia
Three crew members of a Gabon-registered tanker were missing after the vessel caught fire on Monday in waters off Malaysia's southern coast, Malaysian maritime authorities…
US Navy Sends Ship to Evacuate Americans from Sudan
The United States has sent a Navy ship to Sudan to help evacuate American citizens who have been stranded in the country since fighting broke out earlier this month, two U.S. officials told Reuters.The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the USNS Brunswick, a fast-transport vessel, was in Port Sudan temporarily. One of the officials said hundreds of citizens are likely to be evacuated on the vessel.(Reuters - Reporting by Idrees Ali, Editing by Nick Zieminski)
Crimea Oil Terminal Set Ablaze by Drone Attack
A Ukrainian drone strike set ablaze a Russian fuel storage facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol early on Saturday, sending a vast column of black smoke into the sky in the latest attack on the Russia-occupied peninsula.The city's Moscow-installed governor blamed Ukraine and later said the fire had been put out before a disaster occurred.A Ukrainian military intelligence official said more than 10 tanks of oil products with a capacity of about 40…
US Says Chinese Coast Guard Harassing Philippine Vessels
The United States urged China on Saturday to stop harassing Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, pledging to stand with the Philippines after another maritime confrontation between the two Asian countries."We call upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.The Philippines on Friday accused China's coast guard of "aggressive tactics"…
Ship Traffic Resumes in Bosphorus Strait After Suspension
Ship traffic in Turkey's Bosphorus Strait is set to resume for southbound vessels as of 1840 GMT on Sunday, after a suspension due to an engine failure on one ship, the Tribeca shipping agency said.According to a report shared by the agency earlier on Sunday, the Turkish-flagged ship Ilyas Konan had an engine failure during its passage through the strait and dropped anchor.(Reuters - Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Alex Richardson and Hugh Lawson)
Job Role Redesign Aims to Attract Talent to Shipping
The Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) has launched a Maritime Workforce Transformation Guidebook which offers a practical approach for companies in the maritime sector to embark on job redesign to better attract talent to the industry.The Guidebook is distilled from key findings of a job redesign pilot conducted in 2022 by SMF in partnership with Pacific Carriers Limited (PCL) Pacific International Lines (PIL).
Texas A&M Takes Over MMA Training Ship
Texas A&M University at Galveston has taken over a new training ship, the TS Kennedy.The 540-foot vessel will enhance year-round training for Texas A&M Maritime Academy cadets in ship navigation and marine engineering systems, maintenance, safety and security.State maritime academy training ships are federally owned vessels operated by the six state maritime academies to serve cadet-training purposes. Successful legislative efforts in Washington, D.C.
Brazil Bans Live Animal Exports
Brazil has banned the export of live cattle from all its ports.Reuters reports that federal judge Djalma Gomes’s ruling states: "Animals are not things. They are sentient living beings, that is, individuals who feel hunger, thirst, pain, cold, anguish, fear."The verdict was handed down after the National Forum for the Protection and Defense of Animals filed a law suit in 2017.The case, still subject to appeal, comes as New Zealand also banned the export of cattle from its shores from April 30.
US Confiscates Iran Oil Cargo on Tanker Amid Tehran Tensions
The U.S. confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days in a sanctions enforcement operation, three sources said, and days later Iran seized another oil-laden tanker in retaliation…
Baltic Dry Index Logs Third Straight Monthly Rise
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index slipped on Friday, but posted its third straight monthly gain, supported by increasing demand for the capesize vessel segment.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, fell 5 points to 1,576. The index was, however, up 13.5% for the month, as well as registered a weekly rise.The capesize index rose 25 points…
Alabama Shipyard Awarded MSC Overhaul Work
Mobile, Ala. based Alabama Shipyard has been awarded a contract for the dry docking of the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2).The $21,955,104‬ firm-fixed-price contract for the 123-calendar day shipyard availability includes a base period and options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $22,163,078‬.Work will begin June 15…
