Cobham Satcom Secures Contract with China TranTech
Cobham Satcom and China TranTech Technologies have signed a contract which includes the largest delivery of SAILOR XTR Ku VSAT antennas to the Chinese market so far, supported by an extensive training and global service program.China TranTech is a subsidiary of China Transport Telecommunication Information Group Company Limited (CTTIC) and the only maritime satellite safety communication provider in China.SAILOR 1000 XTR Ku antennas deliver dependable…
IACS Publishes New BWMS Recommendation
IACS has published a new recommendation, Rec. 180, for Conducting Commissioning Testing of Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS).Efforts to streamline the implementation of BWM Convention took a significant step forward with IMO’s approval of the “2020 Guidance for the commissioning testing of BWMS" and IACS has now further bolstered these efforts with the development of a comprehensive Recommendation (Rec.
Dry Bulk Supply/Demand Balance Predicted to Strengthen
BIMCO has released its Dry Bulk Shipping Market Overview & Outlook for April 2024, predicting that the supply/demand balance should strengthen in 2024, but weaken in 2025.This would be the result of ships returning to the Red Sea and Panama Canal, shortening sailing distances.Supply is forecast to grow 2.5% in 2024 and 2.0% in 2025. Growth is slowing due to lower deliveries, reports, Niels Rasmussen…
European Shipowners Welcome 40% Production Benchmark for Clean Fuels
The last plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg has adopted a new law which aims to scale up industrial capacity for green technologies in Europe.European shipowners strongly welcome the inclusion of clean fuels for shipping, including advanced biofuels and e-fuels, in the list of net-zero technologies adopted under the Net-Zero Industry Act. The new law introduces a benchmark for the Commission…
Equinor Upbeat About Investor Interest in US Offshore Wind Farm
Norway's Equinor is confident of finding an investor for its planned Empire Wind 1 offshore wind farm in New York after a new power off-take agreement improved the project's economics, the company said on Thursday.New York State authorities in February awarded the project a new conditional power purchase contract, replacing a previous deal that was no longer competitive due to rising construction costs, higher interest rates and supply chain snags.Equinor was glad to have received the new contra
US Military Starts Pier Construction off Gaza
U.S. troops have begun construction of a maritime pier off the coast of Gaza that aims to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave when it becomes operational in May, the Pentagon said on Thursday.President Joe Biden announced the pier in March as aid officials implored Israel to ease access for relief supplies into Gaza over land routes. Whether the pier will ultimately succeed in boosting humanitarian aid is unclear…
Houthis Target MSC Ship in Gulf of Aden
Yemen's Houthis said they targeted the MSC Darwin ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, as the Iran-aligned group resumed attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea region in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in the Gaza war.The Houthis also fired a number of ballistic and winged missiles at several targets in Israel's port city of Eilat, the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in…
US Navy Announces First Mine Countermeasures Mission Package Embarked on USS Canberra
The U.S. Navy embarked the first Mine Countermeasures Mission Package (MCM MP) aboard USS Canberra (LCS 30), April 18, service officials announced. With the MCM mission package now onboard LCS 30, the Navy anticipates the first MCM Mission Package deployment in Fiscal Year 2025.As part of the embark process, the Navy installed sensors, unmanned vehicles, support containers and the software that enables Sailors to execute MCM operations from an Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship.
First Ship Departs Baltimore Through Limited Access Channel
The first commercial vessel transited through a newly opened channel in the Port of Baltimore following the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.The Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel (LAC) was opened as a temporary solution to provide passage for a limited number of commercial vessels into the Port of Baltimore and a departure opportunity for some deep draft vessels currently unable to…
Dredge Sunk by Undetected Flooding from a Through-hull Pipe
A company’s lack of requirements for crew to regularly check below-deck compartments led to undetected flooding and the eventual capsizing of a dredging vessel last year on the Mississippi River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.Wood Resources' owned and operated non-propelled dredging vessel WB Wood capsized on the early morning of Jan. 16, 2023, during dredging operations.
Britain Says Its Navy Shot Down Houthi Missile Targeting Merchant Ship
The U.K. on Thursday said its Royal Navy had shot down a missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis from Yemen targeting a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden."The UK continues to be at the forefront of the international response to the Iranian-backed Houthis’ dangerous attacks on commercial vessels, which have claimed the lives of international mariners," British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said…
Cruise Boom: Royal Caribbean Lifts Profit View Again
Royal Caribbean Group raised its annual profit forecast for a second time and beat expectations for first-quarter profit and revenue on Thursday, with half of its growth coming from higher ticket pricing.Soaring demand for vacations at sea has given cruise operators ample room to raise ticket prices as the industry looks to close the pricing gap with land-based vacations and give their profits a lift."What…
New Cranes & Offshore Wind Efficiency
The end may be in sight, but the race for bigger cranes is still having an impact on offshore wind project efficiency.The industry has already felt the need for upgrading crane lifting capacity on existing offshore wind installation vessels: NOV is upgrading the cranes on Cadeler’s existing O-class wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs), and a gantry crane extension will soon make Van Oord’s Svanen one of the largest floating heavy-lift installation vessels.It’s a newbuild phenomenon too.
Russia Reinsurer Backs Firms to get India Marine Insurance Permit
Russia's state-owned reinsurer has given financial backing to three Russian insurance firms, allowing them to get Indian approval to provide marine insurance cover to tankers, two sources said, as Moscow seeks to facilitate trade with India amid Western sanctions.A raft of sanctions by the U.S. and allies against Moscow over its Ukraine invasion, along with tighter scrutiny of Russian oil trade, has…
Philly Shipyard Exploring Collaboration Opportunities with Hyundai Heavy Industries
U.S. shipbuilder Philly Shipyard announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the world's largest shipbuilding group, South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), to explore a potential business relationship relating to future U.S. government shipbuilding projects as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects.The MOU was signed during a visit from HHI to Philly Shipyard on April 12, 2024 and was attended by officials from both companies, including Dr.
King to Open MARIN's Seven Oceans Simulator Center
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands will open the Seven Oceans Simulator center (SOSc) of MARIN, the Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.The opening program takes place in the Shallow Water Basin, one of MARIN's test facilities for ship models. Experts from the maritime research institute, the NL Coast Guard, Search & Rescue Institution KNRM and maritime service providers talk about shipping safety…
New Spill Response Barge Delivered to Alaskan Operator
Anacortes, Wash. shipbuilder Dakota Creek Industries (DCI) has delivered a new state-of-the-art oil spill response barge to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company for operation in the coastal waters of Alaska.The barge, named Allison Creek, is specifically designed by Elliot Bay Design Group (EBDG) to meet the rigorous requirements in Prince William Sound. Allison Creek has a capacity of 13,600 barrels, an overall length of 200'…
US Offshore Wind: Outlook Strong Despite Construction Productivity Issues
While construction productivity issues continue to present immediate challenges for the U.S. offshore wind industry, the long-term outlook remains strong for the nascent sector, according to a recent report from business intelligence and consulting firm Intelatus Global Partners. Intelatus' most recent monthly report on the U.S. offshore wind industry identifies a number of factors hindering offshore…
Seeing the Ship as a System Changes Everything
Shipping must engage with the decarbonization realities that lie ahead by changing the way it crafts maritime legislation to reflect its place in the interconnected, interdependent world economy, says Eero Lehtovaara, Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, ABB Marine & Ports.ABB Marine & Ports Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, Eero Lehtovaara has carved out an unusual - and possibly unique - role in the maritime industry over recent years…
Bourbon Orders Exail Tech to Streamline Subsea Fleet’s Services for Offshore Energy
UK-based Exail has secured a contract with French maritime services provider Bourbon to supply several units of its Octans Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS) for integration into Bourbon Subsea Services’s fleet.These units will be installed on multiple Bourbon Evolution 800 Series multi-purpose support vessels (MPSVs) dedicated to subsea operations at depths down to 3,000 meters.IMO-HSC certified…