Subsea Sabotage in the Baltic Sea - a Timeline for Perspective
A Finnish court today denied a request for the release of an oil tanker suspected by police of damaging an undersea power line and four telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea last week. The incident was one of several since 2022 in which underwater critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea has suffered suspicious damage. Baltic Sea nations are on high alert and NATO has said it will boost its…
Podcast: Fascinated by Shipwrecks; USS Monitor Digitally Reimagined
“With all the archival data and that real archaeological data coming together, we’ve built the most accurate virtual model ever of Monitor, and I'm not just talking just the shell of it.
PDVSA 2024 Oil Exports Climb in Choppy Year
Venezuela's oil exports rose 10.5% last year despite political instability and changes to the U.S. sanctions regime on the country, as partners of state oil company PDVSA took more cargoes under licenses granted by Washington.As President Nicolas Maduro gets ready to start his third term in office next week following disputed election results, the OPEC country's oil exports rose for a second consecutive year…
Green Technology & Alternative Fuel Uptake
Clarksons Research have today released their latest Green Technology Tracker, including full year 2024 data points, charting the progress of alternative fuel uptake and investments in energy saving technologies across the global shipping fleet.Summarizing the latest Tracker, Steve Gordon, Global Head of Clarksons Research, commented: “With overall newbuild order volumes reaching their highest level since 2007…
Wärtsilä makes Dow Jones Sustainability Index Again
Technology group Wärtsilä has been included as an index component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe (DJSI) for the ninth consecutive time.The company was assessed based on its 2023 performance and was ranked within the top four per cent of its peers in the IEQ Machinery and Electrical Equipment sector with a total score of 62/100. The results were announced on 13 December 2024.“Receiving…
Great Lakes Limestone Trade Down in 2024
Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 28.3 million tons in 2024, a decrease of 3.9 percent compared to 2023. 2024’s loadings were below the trade’s 5-year average by 2.9 percent.Loadings from U.S. quarries decreased 3.4 percent from the prior year to 22.8 million tons. Shipments from U.S. quarries were also below their 5-year average by 2.4 percent.Shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 5.4 million tons…
BOEM Advances Offshore Wind Leasing in Guam
In support of the current administration’s goals to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced the publication of a Call for Information and Nominations (Call) for possible wind energy leasing off the coast of the U.S. Pacific Territory of Guam.This Call will gather public comments to inform potential leasing areas…
Finland Court Upholds Oil Tanker Seizure; Subsea Cable Sabotage Probe Continues
A Finnish court on Friday denied a request for the release of an oil tanker suspected by police of damaging an undersea power line and four telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea last week.Finland on Dec. 26 seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil on suspicion that it damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and the telecoms cables the previous day by dragging its anchor across the seabed.A lawyer representing United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC FZ…
Vessel Control System Configuration Contributes to Ferry Accident, says USCG
A high-speed passenger ferry struck a pier in New York while docking. Numerous passengers sustained minor injuries, and the combined repairs to the vessel and pier exceeded $500,000. The Coast Guard’s subsequent investigation of the major marine casualty, which was conducted in parallel with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), revealed numerous safety issues, including concerns with the…
27 Dead as Migrant Boats Sink off Tunisia
Tunisia's coast guard has recovered the bodies of 27 African migrants after two boats they were attempting to cross the Mediterranean in sank off the coast, the national guard said on Thursday.The boats sank in waters off the city of Sfax, a departure point often used by African migrants.Last month, Tunisia's coast guard recovered the bodies of about 30 other migrants in two separate incidents, after their boat sank while they were sailing towards Europe.The national guard said on Thursday that
USCG Safety Alert: Mind Your Lifesaving Equipment Stowage
Two recent marine casualties on commercial fishing vessels (CFVs) highlighted hazardous stowage conditions that rendered onboard lifesaving equipment ineffective. During the first incident, a 41-foot CFV capsized and sank within two minutes after taking on water. The personal flotation devices (PFDs) were not stored in an easily accessible location, preventing the crew from retrieving them before exiting the vessel.
Operator Falls Asleep at the Helm, Safety System Failed says USCG
A towing vessel was pushing a barge loaded with aggregate when it allided with a bulk liquid transfer terminal pier on the Columbia River. The Coast Guard’s marine casualty investigation determined that the operator fell asleep at the helm, resulting in more than $1.5 million in property damage to the barge, handling equipment, and the facility. The incident occurred near a pipeline that could have discharged 25…
Trump to UK: Get Rid of North Sea "Windmills"
With the British government's announced plan to increase the windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers to 38% from 35% and extend the levy by one year, a move to fund renewable energy projects, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to implore the UK to "open up" the British North Sea and get rid of windmills."The U.K. is making a very big mistake. Open up the North Sea.
Dockworkers, Employer Group to Restart Talks
The International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are set to resume contract talks on Jan. 7, according to a person familiar with the matter.Talks between the ILA, which represents more than 45,000 dockworkers across the U.S. East and Gulf coast ports, and the employer group are at an impasse over issues related to automation at port terminals.Both parties signed a tentative deal in October…
Students to Demonstrate Potential of Liquified Hydrogen
The 2025 TU Delft Hydro Motion Team, a team of 25 adult students, has designed a hydrofoiling boat that will be powered by liquified hydrogen.Their project builds on the work of previous students at the Dutch university in a program dating back to 2005.The first TU Delft design was solar powered; it was changed to compressed hydrogen in 2021.The 2024 team focused on applying hydrogen fuel to a seaworthy…
Ammonia’s Future at a Turning Point in 2025
The shipping industry has been watching the dual-fuel engine choices made for newbuildings as an indicator of what many see as an uncertain fuel future.In December, DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insights platform counted 27 ammonia and 322 methanol-fueled vessels currently on the orderbooks.Methanol has raced ahead of ammonia, which currently lags in both engine and regulatory development.As the years tick by…
Lila Global Appoints Strategy and Innovation Leader
Dry cargo shipping and logistics company Lila Global has appointed Dr. Abdul Rahim as its Chief Maritime Strategy and Innovation Officer.Rahim will work closely with Lila Global's leadership to drive transformative strategies and foster innovation in the maritime industry. He will be based in Dubai.Rahim brings more than three decades of experience to this position, including a proven track record of leadership and innovation.
Watch: IMO Secretary-General Welcomes in the New Year
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has started the new year with a video message highlighting key items on the IMO agenda for 2025.“We start 2025 focusing on three main topics, as we were last year. The first one, seafarers, the second one, security around the globe, and the third one, decarbonization.“When it comes to seafarers, we need to enhance the safety and security of the key personnel on board ships.
Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System Issues Notice to Shipping
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System as amended a Planned Outage at Lock 7.Mariners are advised of a revision to the preplanned closure at Lock 7 for the replacement of Gates 1 and 2. Due to environmental conditions, the closure will begin one day later. The details are as follows:Dates: January 6, 7, 8 and 9, 2025Time: 08:00 to 18:00 each day (10-hour window)During these periods, the lock will…
FMC Updates Class Action Policies
The Federal Maritime Commission issued a policy statement today making clear it is an appropriate venue where private parties may bring class actions to resolve disputes covered by the statutes the agency administers.The guidance yields important benefits to parties that might otherwise be hesitant to initiate legal actions at the FMC for fear of retaliation or because the amount of money in dispute may be less than the cost of litigation for an individual claimant.
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