IACS Adopts New Unified Requirement on Ammonia Releases
The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has developed a Unified Requirement (URH1) covering the release of ammonia from the onboard systems for bunkering, storing, preparing and using ammonia as fuel.IACS URH1 aligns with the Recommendations from U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and establishes that an ammonia concentration of 300 ppm or more is immediately dangerous…
US Says Houthis Launch Missiles at Tanker
Iran-allied Houthi militia launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a U.S.-owned tanker ship on Thursday night that hit the water near the vessel, causing no injuries or damage, U.S. Central Command said.The incident, the latest amid growing tensions in the Red Sea that has disrupted global trade and raised fears of supply bottlenecks, took place at around 9 p.m. Yemen local time (1800 GMT), according to the post on X…
China’s Ministry of Commerce Offers Foreign Trade Support
China's Ministry of Commerce said it was closely tracking developments in the Red Sea in response to the escalating situation there and the country would provide support and assistance to foreign trade enterprises."It is hoped that all parties concerned will restore and ensure the security of shipping lanes in the Red Sea waters," a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement late Thursday.The ministry said it hopes all parties jointly safeguard the smooth flow of global production and sup
Three New England States Extend Offshore Wind Solicitation Due Date
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island extended on Thursday the date bids are due in the states' next offshore wind solicitations from Jan. 31 to March 27.Offshore wind is expected to play a critical role in U.S. President Joe Biden's and several states' plans to decarbonize the power grid and combat climate change.But offshore wind industry had a tough time in 2023 with some developers cancelling…
Diesel and Engine Oil Removed from Sunken Tug in California
Petroleum product and hazardous material have been removed from a 1940s era military tugboat that sunk in California, the U.S. Coast Guard said.A Unified Command and its contractors completed lightering efforts from the tug Mazapeta, Wednesday.The Mazapeta sunk September 4, 2023, in Little Potato Slough within the San Joaquin Delta, northwest of Stockton, with approximately 1,600 gallons of diesel…
Bahri Charters Methanol-fueled Tanker Pair
Bahri business unit Bahri Chemicals will charter two newbuild methanol-powered tankers under a five-year agreement with methanol producer Proman. The vessels, which were officially named during a ceremony hosted at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China in November 2023 where both ships were built, will be deployed to transport various products globally.The vessels are the final two of an…
US-owned Bulk Carrier Approached by Drones off Yemen
British maritime security firm Ambrey on Thursday said that a Marshall Islands-flagged US-owned bulk carrier reported that four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) approached and circled the vessel approximately 87 miles southeast of Yemen's city of Mukalla."One of the UAVs reportedly fell into the water. No damage or injuries were reported. The bulker was not impacted and continued its voyage," Ambrey…
US Plugs in First Large Offshore Wind Farm as Developers Play Catch-up
The U.S. offshore wind industry reached an important milestone on January 2 when Vineyard Wind 1, the country’s first large scale project, supplied first power to the Massachusetts grid.“As the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm this is a fairly momentous event,” Ken Kimmell, Chief Development Officer for Avangrid, the Iberdrola subsidiary co-developing the project with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP)…
Mawai Shipyard Building New Multipurpose Carriers for COSCO
China''s Mawai Shipyard has started building the first in a series of 22 new multipurpose cargo carriers for COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers (Southeast Asia) Pte. Ltd.The 85,000 DWT series vessel will measure 225 meters long with a breadth of 36 meters, a depth of 21.05 meters, a designed draft of 10 meters, and a designed speed of 15.5 knots.According to the construction plan, all 22 vessels in…
Colebrook Rebrands As CSO Shipbrokers
Chartering, sale and purchase, and market intelligence brokerage Colebrook Offshore has changed its name to CSO Shipbrokers in a strategic rebrand.“We have achieved significant growth over the past two years, more than doubling the size of our team and consistently developing our client base and list of active projects” said Tony Colebrook, Chief Executive Officer of CSO Marine Group.“Colebrook Offshore has served us well up to this point…
Longitude Engineering to Design Bibby Marine's New Electric SOV
Bibby Marine announced it has tapped Longitude Engineering to design its first-of-kind zero-emission electric service operation vessel (SOV).The "eSOV" project, as the project partners are calling it, was first announced in September 2023 and recently awarded £20 million under the U.K.'s Zero Emission Vessel and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition as stakeholders across the marine and offshore industries strive for cleaner vessel operations.Nigel Quinn…
N-O-S First to Adopt Volvo Penta's New IPS Professional Platform
Volvo Penta announced Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) will be the first to deploy its new IPS Professional Platform, lining up installs on newbuild crew transfer vessels (CTV) slated to set sail in the second half of 2024.Volvo Penta's newly launched propulsion offering, an evolution of its proven Inboard Performance System (IPS) solution, is designed with a dual power input concept that enables…
Not All Underwater Reefs are Made of Coral
When people hear about underwater reefs, they usually picture colorful gardens created from coral. But some reefs are anchored to much more unusual foundations.For more than a century, people have placed a wide assortment of objects on the seafloor off the U.S. coast to provide habitat for marine life and recreational opportunities for fishing and diving. Artificial reefs have been created from decommissioned ships…
USCG Approves ABS Wavesight eLogs for US-flagged Vessels
ABS Wavesight on Thursday announced its eLogs software has received formal approval from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for use by U.S.-flagged ships. The ABS-affiliated software-as-a-service company is now one of three maritime software providers to receive such approval on the basis of the USCG’s guidance under USCG NVIC 01-23."The maritime industry is entering an era of rapid digitalization,” said Gurinder Singh, Director of Solutions Engineering at ABS Wavesight.
Baltic Dry Index Snaps Eight-day Losing Streak
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index snapped an eight-day losing streak on Thursday as rates increased across larger vessel segments.The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax and supramax shipping vessels, gained 49 points, or 3.8%, to 1,357.The capesize index rose by 120 points, or 6.9%, to 1,853.Average daily earnings for capesize vessels, which typically transports 150,000-ton cargoes such as iron ore and coal, increased by $990 to $15,365.Iron ore futures pr
Indian Navy Rescues Crew from US-Owned Ship After Attack Off Yemen
The Indian Navy said on Thursday it had rescued the crew of a U.S.-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemen's Houthi movement as tensions in the region's sea lanes disrupted global trade.Following the attack on the U.S. Genco Picardy late on Wednesday, the U.S. military said its forces had conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S.
GTT Gets Tank Design Order for Three VLECs
French engineering company GTT has received two orders for the tank design of three new Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC) newbuilds.The order is from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries on behalf of an Asian shipowner, GTT informed.The French company will design the tanks for these three vessels, which will each offer a total capacity of 98,000 m3.The tanks will be fitted with the Mark III membrane containment system developed by GTT.
Brunvoll to Deliver Propulsion System for Toyo’s Hybrid Cable Layer
Brunvoll has signed a contract with Vard for the delivery of propulsion and maneuvering system for Toyo Construction’s new cable laying vessel.Toyo Construction’s new vessel will have three azimuth propulsion thrusters in the aft of the vessel. The foreship of the vessel will have two tunnel thrusters and a retractable azimuth thruster.Furthermore, the vessel will feature Brunvoll’s control system for propulsion and maneuvering…
Saudi Arabia Unveils Oil Platform-Inspired Adventure Tourism Rig
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has launched the masterplan for THE RIG – a world-first adventure tourism destination to be built on an offshore platform in the Arabian Gulf.The vision for THE RIG project is to redefine the sea sports and leisure experience while celebrating the legacy of Saudi Arabia's rich oil and gas heritage.The project will be developed by PIF’s subsidiary the Oil Park Development Company (OPDC), under its CEO Raed N.
US Conducts Strikes on 14 Houthi Missiles
The U.S. military said on Wednesday that its forces conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired from Yemen.U.S. Central Command said on social media platform X that the Houthi missiles presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region.(Reuters - Reporting by Eric Beech and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Caitlin Webber)
