Saipem’s Castorone Vessel on Its Way to Türkiye’s Largest Gas Field
Saipem’s pipelay vessel Castorone has crossed the Bosphorus Strait in Türkiye, continuing its journey toward the Black Sea for a pipeline installation job as part of the second phase of the Sakarya project for Turkish Petroleum - Offshore Technology Center (TP – OTC).In the early hours of December 26, the vessel crossed the Dardanelles Strait, covering a distance of 36 nautical miles in approximately six hours.In the afternoon, it continued its journey through the Sea of Marmara.
INSIGHTS: Timo Vesala, ABB Marine & Ports
Timo Vesala, Account Manager, Americas, at ABB Marine & Ports, is responsible for newbuild sales in the Americas market. Since joining ABB in 2018, he has gathered extensive experience in the marine industry with a focus on electrification and propulsion systems. He holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Aalto University, Finland, and has a passion for clean technology and maritime decarbonization.
War Games: Taiwan's Presidential Office Runs Tabletop Sim on a China Emergency
Taiwan's Presidential Office held its first "tabletop" exercise involving government agencies beyond the armed forces on Thursday, simulating a military escalation with China amid renewed threats from Beijing, officials said.Dozens of central and local government agencies as well as civil groups participated in the three-hour exercise, the sources said, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.China has in recent years stepped up military threats, including the large massing
Suez Canal Expands as Revenues Plunge $7B
Egypt successfully tested a new 10 km channel near the southern end of the Suez Canal, even as its revenue from the waterway has plunged since Yemen's Houthi militants began attacking vessels in the Red Sea.The Suez Canal Authority said in a statement that during a trial run two ships passed through a new stretch of the canal's two-way section without incident.Following the 2021 grounding of the container ship Ever Given that blocked the vital waterway for six days…
Vessel Targeted for Subsea Cable Damage Moved Closer to Finnish Port
Finnish authorities are moving an impounded tanker closer to port after boarding the vessel carrying Russian oil earlier this week on suspicion it had damaged an undersea power line and four telecoms cables.Baltic Sea nations have been on high alert after a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and NATO said on Friday it would boost its presence in the region.The Cook Islands-registered ship…
With CAT’s Methanol Engines, Sustainable Shipping is Possible
Recently, MarineNews sat down with Will Watson, Caterpillar Marine’s Product Manager, to discuss its rapidly emerging methanol engine development. Caterpillar Marine has already taken a considerable step forward in sustainability by planning to offer an upgrade kit for its methanol-fueled, dual-fuel Cat 3500E series engines. The immediate and long-term goal is to quicken the maritime industry transition to renewable energy.The initiative…
Maritime Law in Focus as Protecting Subsea Infrastructure Comes to the Fore
Centuries-old international maritime law has to be updated to outlaw damage to undersea infrastructure such as cables and pipelines, the Estonian justice minister told Reuters after cables connecting it to Finland were again damaged this week.Finnish authorities on Thursday seized a ship carrying Russian oil in the Baltic Sea on suspicion it caused the outage of an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia a day earlier…
Medvedev Hurls Accusations at Norwegian Vessel; Photos Suggest Otherwise
A Norwegian shipping company rejected an accusation from Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, that it refused to rescue sailors from a sinking Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea.Medvedev accused the Norwegian-flagged Oslo Carrier 3 of not coming to the aid of sailors on board the Ursa Major cargo ship, which carries out missions for the Russian Defence Ministry's military construction arm.
NATO Bolsters Baltic Sea Ops in Wake of Cable Sabotage
NATO will boost its presence in the Baltic Sea after the suspected sabotage this week of an undersea power cable and four internet lines, while alliance member Estonia launched a naval operation to guard a parallel electricity link. Finland on Thursday seized a ship carrying Russian oil on suspicion the vessel had caused an outage of the Estlink 2 undersea power cable linking it with Estonia and fibre optic lines…
SubChapter M Towboat Rules Six Years Later: "Scorecard is a Mixed Bag"
The more than half decade that has passed since the inception of the subchapter M towboat rule affords an up-close-and-personal look at how it is going. The scorecard is a mixed bag.More than six years ago, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) began inspecting towing vessels for compliance with the new towboat rules; specifically, 46 CFR Subchapter M. It has been a long road to compliance with many starts and stops, and much learning on both sides of the law.Has it been a success?
Shell Shuts Down Oil Processing Unit in Singapore Due to Suspected Leak
Shell has shut down one of its oil processing units at the Shell Energy and Chemical Parks at Pulau Bukom in Singapore, to facilitate investigation into a suspected leak in the system, Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and National Environment Agency (NEA) said.The oil processing unit is used to produce refined oil products such as diesel. Water drawn from the sea is used as part of the…
Towing Vessel Safety Today, By the Numbers
A famous racecar driver once deadpanned, “That which is in the rearview mirror is not my concern.” Here in the inland marine industry, we also like to keep our eyes on the forward horizon, but it is also instructive to look back every now then, especially with measurable metrics at our fingertips. Fortunately, the American Waterways Operators (AWO) and the U.S. Coast Guard collaborate annually to measure such important things.On August 5, 2024, AWO and the U.S.
Estonia Launches Navy to Protect Baltic Sea Power Link After Baltic Sea Outages
Estonia's armed forces have launched a naval operation to protect the Estlink 1 undersea power cable in the Baltic Sea in response to the damage this week of a parallel electricity line, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Friday.Finland on Thursday seized a ship carrying Russian oil on suspicion the vessel caused an outage of the Estlink 2 undersea power cable which, like Estlink 1, connects Finland and Estonia, and that it also damaged four internet lines.Baltic Sea nations are on high ale
First Russian Ice-Class LNG Carrier Hits Water
The first Russian-built ice-class liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier has entered sea trials, LSEG data showed on Friday, as part of Russia's efforts to raise global LNG market share despite U.S. sanctions.The tanker, named Alexey Kosygin after a Soviet statesman, was built at the Zvezda shipyard and is due to join the fleet of vessels for Russia's new Arctic LNG 2 plant, which has been delayed because of the U.S. sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine.The U.S.
USCG: Do as I Say; Not as I Do
Irony: (noun) a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. But this is anything but funny.It has been a busy news month for the nation’s fifth uniformed service; the United States Coast Guard. Of note, changes to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment (SASH) regulations for U.S.-flagged commercial vessels entered into force on December 23, 2024.
"Robust" 2025 is in the Cards for Cruise Vessels, says Carnival
Flash back to March 2020, and cruise shipping as the global poster-child for COVID, with passengers stuck on ships in ports around the wordl, unable to leave as far more questions than answers lingered regarding the mysterious illness.Less than four years later, the global cruise ship industry is booming again, led by the world's largest, Carnival Corp, which forecast strong bookings for 2025 ahead of the busy summer travel season…
Iranian Oil Prices to China Spike as Shipping Sanctions Bite
The price of Iranian crude oil sold to China has risen to the highest in years as fresh U.S. sanctions have tightened shipping capacity and driven up logistics costs…
Baltic Index Logs Worst Year since 2014
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, inched up on Tuesday but recorded its worst year since 2014…
Oil Rises on China Stimulus Hopes, US Inventory Drop
Oil rose almost 1% on Thursday in thin holiday trade driven by hopes for additional fiscal stimulus in China, the world's biggest oil importer, and supported by…
Trump names Panama Envoy, Talks Tough on Panama Canal
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has picked Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera to serve as ambassador to Panama after having threatened for the U.S.
