Damen Unveils New Compact Tugboat
Dutch shipbuilder Damen has presented the latest vessel in its Compact Tugs product platform – the ASD Tug 1810.Just over 18 meters long, the ASD Tug 1810 is capable of 30 tonnes of bollard pull ahead and 28 tonnes bollard pull astern.Like the other vessels in the range, the ASD Tug 1810 features clutter free decks.The ASD Tug 1810 also boasts the patented Damen Twin Fin skeg. Originally installed on the RSD Tug 2513…
Red Sea: Far East-US Spiraling Ocean Freight Rates Set for Decline
Spiraling ocean freight rates from the Far East to the United States, caused by the Red Sea crisis, may have peaked, with some relief on the horizon emerging for the shippers, according to the latest analysis from Xeneta, and ocean and air freight rate benchmarking and market analytics platform.The latest data released by Xeneta indicates a peak may have been reached after spot rates from the Far East…
World’s First Ammonia-powered Containership Ordered
Partners behind a project to develop the world’s first ammonia-powered containership have placed an order to build the groundbreaking vessel at Qingdao Yangfan Shipbuilding, in China.Expected to be delivered by mid-2026, the 1,400 TEU ice-class containership Yara Eyde will run on ammonia as fuel, serving routes between Norway and Germany.The vessel will be owned by Delphis, the container division of CMB.TECH…
N-O-S Consolidates Ops in UK
Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S), part of Northern Offshore Group (N-O-G), has integrated Mareel within the company as N-O-S Ltd, simultaneously adding its 16 crew transfer vessels (CTV) to the fleet.The move marks an important step toward optimizing synergies within the organization and pave the way for a unified market approach.The initiative is set to reinforce N-O-S’ business, providing a cohesive…
ONE Announces Asia Pacific 1 Service
Ocean Network Express (ONE) has launched a new route connecting Asia and the US West Coast: Asia Pacific 1 (AP1) as a result of sustained growth of US import volumes from Asia to the US.The AP1 service introduces direct routes from Taipei and Shekou to the U.S. West Coast. The return leg of this service boasts a rapid transit from the U.S. West Coast back to Vietnam, with an expected transit time of 19 days to Haiphong and 22 days to Cai Mep.Subject to applicable regulatory clearance…
Stena Line Commences Dublin-Liverpool Freight Route
Swedish ferry operator, Stena Line has officially commenced its new Dublin – Liverpool (Birkenhead) freight service. The addition of the new route is expected to further boost the company’s freight volumes following a record year on its Irish Sea services in 2023.The return service will operate daily from Dublin in the morning, making the evening return journey from 12 Quays terminal in Birkenhead.The…
US Conducts Cyberattack on Suspected Iranian Spy Ship - Report
The United States conducted a cyberattack recently against an Iranian military ship in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that had been collecting intelligence on cargo vessels, NBC News reported on Thursday, citing three U.S. officials.The cyberattack took place a week ago as part of a government response to a drone attack by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan late last month and wounded dozens of others…
US Issues Clean Air Permit to Empire Offshore Wind Project
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday, granted a Clean Air Act permit to New York's Empire Offshore Wind owned by Equinor.The permit was given after an air quality analysis showed federal air quality standards would not be compromised during construction and operation of the project, the agency said."When built, this project is expected to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of electrical power for New York State – enough to power as many as a million homes…
Tobago Oil Spill Spreading to Grenada
An oil spill that has stained Tobago's coastline in the Caribbean is entering into Grenada's waters and could impact neighboring Venezuela, Tobago's Chief Secretary Farley Augustine told Reuters on Thursday.Eight days after Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard first spotted the oil from a capsized vessel whose owner and origin have not been confirmed, portions of the stain have moved about 144 km (89 miles) into the Caribbean Sea at a rate of 14 km per hour…
Seatrium Secures World-First CCS Retrofit
Seatrium has secured the world’s first full-scale, turnkey carbon capture and storage (CCS) retrofit from Solvang ASA, Norway.The retrofit of a 7MW Wärtsilä CCS system will be carried out on Solvang’s 21,289 cubic meter ethylene carrier, Clipper Eris, and is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of this year. The project will use amine cleaning technology to capture 70% of the CO2 in the exhaust gas from the main engine.Seatrium’s scope of work includes basic design…
WSC Proposes Green Balance Mechanism
As the IMO prepares for negotiations on regulations to support net-zero by 2050 at MEPC 81 in March, the World Shipping Council (WSC) has proposed a greenhouse gas pricing mechanism it calls the Green Balance Mechanism.The aim is to provide a new approach to greenhouse gas pricing which makes it possible to close the price gap between fossil fuels and green fuels, at the lowest possible overall cost:• Through the Green Balance Mechanism…
#SARyouOK? Initiative Launches Best Practice Framework
The International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) has launched its #SARyouOK? Guidance and Best Practice Framework.The #SARyouOK? initiative is supported by the Trinity House DFT Maritime Safety Fund and aims to promote awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues and break down the attached stigma for those working in the maritime search and rescue (SAR) sector.This initiative provides comprehensive guidance on mental health and wellbeing for maritime SAR services.
Weather Data Gathering Project Underway for US Offshore Wind
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have launched an 18-month initiative to gather extensive weather, ocean, and wildlife data near the sites of active offshore wind farms and lease areas off the coast of the Northeast United States.This effort, which is part of the third phase of the Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP3), seeks to…
Call for IMO to Resolve Inconsistencies in Ship Recycling Conventions
BIMCO, Bangladesh, India, Norway, Pakistan and the ICS have submitted a paper ahead of the 81st Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting on March 18-22 that highlights the need to resolve possible conflicts between the Hong Kong Convention and the Basel Convention.The Hong Kong Convention will enter into force on June 26, 2025, and the co-signatories of the paper ask for clarification…
Scanunit Helps Ferry Aurora in first PFAS/PFOS Conversion
Battery-powered Öresundslinjen ferry notches up an environmental first with turnkey conversion and decontamination of soon to be outlawed PFAS/PFOS fire-fighting foam to an environmentally friendly alternative.Scanunit has carried out what it believes is the world’s first replacement and decontamination of a PFAS/PFOS1 foam firefighting system on a commercial vessel. Aurora, a 1992-built ferry operated by EQT-owned Öresundslinjen (a subsidiary of Molslinjen)…
Rescuers Search for Missing Crew After Cargo Ship Sinks in the Marmara Sea
Rescue crews are searching by air and sea for six crew members missing from a Turkish-registered merchant vessel that sank in the Marmara Sea off northwest Turkey on Thursday.It was reported that the 69-meter general cargo ship Batuhan A started to sink at 6:30 a.m. local time due to bad weather and sea conditions, according to the Turkish Coast Guard. The 1,090 dwt vessel was said to be carrying dry…
Royal Caribbean Orders New Cruise Ship at Chantiers de l’Atlantique
Royal Caribbean Group announced it has entered into an agreement with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique to order a seventh Oasis Class ship for delivery to its Royal Caribbean International fleet in 2028.“While we eagerly anticipate the debut of Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas this summer, we’re already dreaming up her sister ship and the next installation in the brand’s extremely popular Oasis Class,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group.
Iran Will Reciprocate If Its Ships Are Seized, Official Says
Iran will reciprocate if its ships are seized, the legal adviser to Iran's President told state media on Thursday, in response to a statement by the United States Department of Justice.This month, the Department of Justice issued a statement announcing the seizure of more than 500,000 barrels of Iranian fuel to clamp down on the "Revolutionary Guards' financing network"."If an Iranian ship is seized…
ICCB Orders 14-meter CTV
Irish Commercial Charter Boats (ICCB) has placed an order for a new 14-meter crew transfer vessel (CTV) to support offshore wind operations in Irish and U.K. waters.The vessel, designed by Rockabill Marine Design (RMD), based in Southampton, U.K., will be built by Aluminium Marine Consultants in Isle of Wight.Th custom vessel will be capable of carrying 12 passengers and 1 tonne of deck cargo. Designed in accordance with the MSO P5 passenger boat license and the MCA workboat code 3…
NOV Bags Order for Industry's First Electric Subsea Crane
NOV reports its Lifting & Handling group has sold what is said to be the industry’s first-ever electric subsea crane. The order was booked at the end of 2023 with an undisclosed client in Europe, NOV said.The first-of-its-kind crane offers enhanced efficiency compared to electro-hydraulic cranes, helping lead to reduced vessel emissions, the manufacturer said, adding that the design allows for the recovery of potential energy from loads lowered to the seabed…
