A Well-to-Wake-Up Call
This week at MarineLink…An Australian Prime Minister once famously (infamously) said: “Life wasn’t meant to be easy.”He could have been talking about the maze of IMO and EU regulations relating to new fuels, especially the concept of well-to-wake emissions.It’s not enough to have a clean-burning engine or even an onboard carbon capture system. Well-to-take emissions, upstream and out of the control of ship operators…
How Digital Tech Aims to Make Commercial Vessels Safer, Cleaner, More Efficient
The maritime industry is witnessing a technological revolution that is fundamentally changing how ships operate, improving safe and efficient performance and reducing emissions, all to meet increasingly restrictive environmental standards. Adopting cutting-edge digital technologies enables ship owners and operators to optimize fleets, boost safe and efficient performance and reduce emissions while satisfying ever-developing environmentally beneficial requirements.
Has U.S. Shipbuilding Reached an ‘Atlas Shrugged’ Moment?
Each year, as we prepare for the largest U.S. based maritime industry conference in New Orleans, we tend to look back on the state of the industry and initiatives that were announced from the conference that took place the year before. 2023 provided us with plenty to talk about. In September of 2023, while the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the global shipbuilding industry were fixated on “emissions” and alternative fuels, U.S.
Konecranes Banks $47M US Navy Order
Konecranes has received its fifth portal jib order from the US Navy, part of an agreement initially announced in December 2019. This latest process crane order, worth $46.8 million…
Japan Steps Up with Maritime Security Aid for the Philippines
Japan and the Philippines signed a 1.6 billion yen ($10.65 million) security assistance deal on Thursday to boost the Southeast Asian nation's maritime security and surveillance abilities amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea.Both the Philippines and Japan, two of the United States' closest Asian allies, have taken a strong line against what they see as aggressive behavior by Chinese vessels amid…
Panama Steps Up to Lead the 'Fair Treatment of Seafarers' Discussion
Reaffirming its dedication to upholding the labor and human rights of seafarers, Panama assumed the role of Vice Chair and governmental spokesperson during the Third Meeting of the Joint Tripartite Working Group of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).The meeting, held at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, focused on adopting international…
US to Provide Security Boats to Vietnam
The United States will provide $12.5 million to Vietnam to enhance its maritime law enforcement capabilities and combat illegal fishing, the U.S. embassy in Hanoi said on Thursday.The assistance package includes support for Vietnamese maritime law enforcement agencies, the donation of small boats and the development of training facilities, it said.Vietnam's neighbors and trade partners have urged it for years to take greater action against illegal fishing practices…
Pirates Take Control of Chinese Fishing Vessel Off Somalia
A Chinese fishing vessel is under the control of alleged pirates in Somalia's waters in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, the European Union's anti-piracy naval force said on Thursday.The anti-piracy force said the vessel with up to 18 crew members on board had been taken over by pirates, some armed with AK-47s and machine guns. It classified the incident as a robbery at sea.No crew members were injured in the incident…
Bergen Engines Adds ioCurrents’ Marine Data Platform to Its Offer
Seattle-based maritime data analytics company ioCurrents has signed a strategic agreement with engine supplier Bergen Engine, expanding the reach of its MarineInsight data analytics platform.The partnership will enable Bergen Engines to offer ioCurrents’ MarineInsight platform as a value-added solution to customers in new builds, repowers, and overhauls, leveraging real-time data analytics to optimize…
ABL Expands Its FPSO Expertise with Latest Acquisition
ABL Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Brazil-based naval architecture and engineering consultancy Proper Marine, increasing its expertise in floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) sector.Proper Marine will be merged with ABL’s design and engineering arm Longitude.The company will expand ABL’s design and engineering capabilities with a team of over 90 professionals and a track-record of more than 1…
MPA and MISC Partner Up for Maritime Ops Digitalization
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Malaysia’s MISC have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in innovation, research and development (R&D) and test-bedding activities, to advance digital transformation in the maritime industry.As part of the three-year arrangement, both parties will focus on integrating sustainable digital technologies into marine operations…
Europe's First Electric Tugboats Arrive in Antwerp
Six new electric tugboats, including the groundbreaking Volta 1, have arrived in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, with t e Volta 1, Europe’s first fully electric RSD tugboat, serving as the poster child for the port’s ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.The electric tugboat Volta 1 is a European first. With a bollard pull of 70 tons and powerful batteries that can fully recharge in just two hours via a 1.5 MW charging station, this tugboat is completely emission-free.
Damen Delivers New Tug to Maltese Operator
The operator Tug Malta has held a naming ceremony for its latest tug, Med Aldebaran, following its delivery from Damen’s shipyard in Vietnam.With more than 80 tonnes of bollard pull at its disposal, the tug of Damen RSD Tug 2513 type will add significant strength to the company’s operations in Malta’s Port of Marsaxlokk.The tug is a compact, maneuverable vessel combining elements of ASD and tractor tugs.The Med Aldebaran tug has been outfitted with a Damen Marine NOX Reduction System.
Authorities Launch Rescue Operation for Cargo Vessel's Crew in Red Sea
A rescue operation is under way for the crew of a Panama-flagged cargo vessel that was abandoned off the port of Hodeidah in the Red Sea, three maritime security sources said on Thursday.The cause of the incident remained unclear and the number of crew on board was not known.The crew were forced to abandon the vessel, one of the sources told Reuters, adding that the ship experienced engine problems.
US to Release LNG Study by Mid-December
The U.S. plans to issue a study on the environmental and economic effects of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports by the middle of this month, a Department of Energy official said on Wednesday."We expect to release the final study ... by mid-December for a 60-day public comment period," Brad Crabtree, an assistant secretary at the DOE, told lawmakers at a House of Representatives hearing.The administration…
