SafeNav To Improve Ship Collision-Avoidance
The collision between the MV Stena Immaculate and the feeder containership MV Solong off Grimsby in the UK last week highlights the continuation of maritime accidents, with human error often as the cause. The response to maritime safety concerns is often to invest in better sensors—more advanced Radars, AIS, ECDIS, LIDAR and, more recently, high-resolution computer-vision for enhanced situational awareness. "These tools are absolutely essential, but they only provide fragmented information.
Mulino Dismisses Claims of U.S. Evaluating Panama Canal Access
Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said on Thursday that he didn't place any value on reports the U.S. military is looking into options for ensuring full U.S. access to the Panama Canal, since these reports came from unnamed sources."If no one puts their name to such an assertion, I don't ascribe any value to it," he told a press conference.Two U.S. officials, speaking anonymously, told Reuters last week that the Pentagon had been instructed to evaluate options…
Russia and US: Black Sea Shipping Discussion on Monday
Russian and U.S. experts will discuss ways to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea at talks on a possible Ukrainian peace settlement in Riyadh on Monday, the Kremlin said.After Russian forces made gains in 2024, President Donald Trump reversed U.S. policy on the war, launching bilateral talks with Moscow and suspending military assistance to Ukraine, demanding that it take steps to end the…
U.S. Imposes Iran-related Sanctions on Oil Tankers
The U.S. on Thursday issued new Iran-related sanctions, targeting entities including for the first time a Chinese "teapot", or independent refinery, and vessels that supplied crude oil to such processing plants.It was Washington's fourth round of sanctions on Iran's oil sales since President Donald Trump said in February he was re-imposing a "maximum pressure" campaign including efforts to drive down the country's exports to zero.
Philippines Mulls Conversion of Former US Naval Base Into Military Reservation
The Philippines is exploring the possibility of converting two islands that were once part of a U.S. navy base into a military reservation, its defence department said on Thursday, a move to bolster its presence in waters facing the South China Sea.Grande and Chiquita islands are located in Subic Bay, which was once a sprawling U.S. base until the Philippines rejected a lease extension in 1991. The U.S.
CK Hutchison Reports 11% Profit Drop in 2024
CK Hutchison on Thursday reported an 11% drop in underlying profit for 2024, as one of Hong Kong's most powerful conglomerates becomes increasingly embroiled in a political row over the sale of its ports business to a BlackRock-led consortium.The telecoms-to-retail conglomerate, owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing, said this month it had agreed to sell most of its global ports business, including assets near the strategically important Panama Canal…
Wood Mackenzie: LNG for Power Generation Emits 'Significantly' Less Than Coal
Wood Mackenzie has published a new report comparing the life cycle emissions of LNG with those of coal for power generation, finding the combustion of coal is related to significantly higher emissions.Wood Mackenzie’s analysis in the report titled 'Shining a light on the ‘coal versus LNG emissions’ debate' reveals the lifecycle emissions of U.S. LNG are typically around 48% of the coal equivalent.
Houlder Joins COMLink Project for More Efficient Vessel Designs
Houlder, a design and engineering consultancy, has entered into collaboration with Siem Shipping UK and the University of Southampton on the COMLink Design Tool project, which aims to improve predictions of wave resistance in early-stage ship design to deliver more efficient vessel operations. The Conceptual, Operational, Modelling Linked (COMLink) Design Tool project has been established to tackle…
Ferguson Marine Appoints New CEO
Scottish shipbuilder Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) has appointed a Graeme Thomson as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).Graeme will officially take up the position on May 1, 2025, following on from former interim CEO, John Petticrew.Graeme joins Ferguson Marine from international aerospace, defense and nuclear engineering services business, Babcock, where he has been Programme Director since 2019…
Production of e-Ammonia in Developing Countries Bears Double Costs, Study Shows
A new study released by UMAS and UCL Energy Institute Shipping and Oceans Research Group shows that poor access to funding and higher costs of capital in developing countries could almost double the prices of e-fuels they produce, compared to developed economies, even when renewable energy resources such as onshore wind and solar are superior. The report, "The Cost of Capital Challenge in Delivering a Just and Equitable Transition for Shipping…
Ferry Shipping Execs Call for Broader Shore Power Funding
Ferry shipping executives have called for broader shore power funding at Interferry’s European Shipping Summit Seminar.Access to onshore power supply for ferries and ships is crucial for the further development and implementation of sustainable battery-based propulsion, and ultimately the decarbonization of the maritime sector. Shipping executives at the European Shipping Summit's side seminar, 'Shore Power offers promising carbon cuts – are we on track?'…
Industry Partners Launch New Project for Shipboard Power Generation
HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), HD Hydrogen, and DNV signed a Joint Industry Project (JIP) agreement to develop and validate Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology for carbon capture in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC).SOFCs are high-efficiency fuel cells that generate electricity using natural gas, ammonia, or hydrogen as fuel.HD KSOE and its subsidiary HD Hydrogen will…
GBM Works' New Tech Challenges Noise Pollution in Wind Turbine Installation
GBM Works has made progress with the development of its Vibrojet technology, designed to address noise pollution affecting marine life during the installation of foundation piles by using vibrations and water jetting, instead of traditional piling methods.In collaboration with MSA-Service and their data acquisition platform, multiped, the first large-scale tests of the technology are currently underway.
JAMSTEC Launches Japan’s First Arctic Research Vessel
The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has launched Japan’s first Arctic research vessel, named Mirai II.The construction of the Mirai II vessel began in 2021, at Japan Marine United Corporation’s shipyard.The vessel is 128 meters long, with the with of 23 meters, and draft spanning 8 meters.The vessel’s tonnage stands at 13,000 tons, and is said to be capable of continuously…
Weak Demand Drives China Coal Imports Down 15%
“We estimate that coal shipments to China will show a 15% fall y/y during the first quarter of 2025, reaching a three-year-low. Seaborne cargoes have slowed due to weaker domestic demand and higher competition from domestic supplies and overland imports. Thermal coal cargoes have been particularly affected, though coking coal shipments have also decreased,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.During the first two months of 2025…
Norden Sells Five Vessels to Streamline Asset Portfolio
Danish shipping company Norden has sold five vessels since, retaining 20 owned vessels and 79 long-term leases with purchase options in its fleet.Out of the five sold vessels, three of them were declared purchase options and comprised of two Kamsarmaxes and one Ultramax vessel.In addition to the declared purchase options, we have also sold one MR tanker vessel from the active owned fleet, as well as…
Six DOF Vessels Set to Sail to Africa for Multi-Million Dollar Subsea Job
Norwegian offshore supply vessel operator DOF Group has secured a ‘very large’ subsea umbilical, riser, and flowline (SURF) project for an undisclosed energy company offshore Africa.Under the contract, DOF will deliver its full suite of project management, engineering, logistical and execution services to install flexible flowlines, risers, cables and associated subsea structures.DOF will also install a floating production unit on behalf of the client…
Report: EU ETS Not Being Circumvented
The European Commission has adopted a report on the implementation of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) for shipping that indicates there is no evidence of major changes in the market that might indicate it is being circumvented.The EU ETS was extended to include maritime transport from January 1, 2024. The report provides an initial analysis of the impacts of this recent policy development that covers around 12…
Australian Green Hydrogen Project Receives Government Funding
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced the first recipient from its Hydrogen Headstart Program, with $814 million in funding allocated under round 1 to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ (CIP) 1,500 MW Murchison Green Hydrogen Project in Western Australia.The Murchison Green Hydrogen project is being developed by CIP. Murchison involves large-scale production of renewable hydrogen and ammonia in Western Australia.
EU Shipowners Want Maritime Included in Sustainable Transport Investment Plan
European Shipowners (ECSA) and Sea Europe have issued a joint statement calling on the European Commission to include the maritime sector in the European Industrial Maritime Strategy as well as in the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP).“Both initiatives should ensure the international competitiveness of European shipping which is a prerequisite for a strong and competitive European maritime industrial cluster.
