Japan Kills First Fin Whale in Commercial Whaling Program
Japan’s state-owned whaling company, Kyodo Senpaku, has killed a fin whale off Iwate Prefecture.The 19.6 meter, 55-tonne male was caught using Kyodo Senpaku’s new whaling ship, the 9,300-ton Kangei Maru, which entered operation in March.Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture has added 59 fin whales to its existing quotas for minke whales, Bryde’s whales and sei whales.Fin whales are the second largest of…
Esgian Week 31 Report: Busy Week for Borr Drilling, Valaris, Transocean and Noble
Esgian provides an update on what has been a busy week in the offshore drilling market in its Week 31 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryContractsBorr Drilling has confirmed new contracts for several of its 400-ft jackups, including work for the Arabia I in Brazil, Gunnlod in Malaysia, and Norve in Gabon. Borr stated that these new commitments cover a total 1,779 days and $332 million in contract revenue…
Singapore Oil Spill Clean-Up Ahead of Schedule
Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) has announced that Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong Beach will reopen for swimming and all sea activities in August, with Siloso Beach being the first to reopen, with immediate effect after an extensive oil spill cleanup operation.The milestone comes one and a half months after the oil spill on June 14, 2024, when the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour…
Conrad Shipyard Hosts Ceremony for First-of-class US Navy Barge
Conrad Shipyard held a ceremony at its shipyard in Amelia, La. recognizing the first-of-class yard, repair, berthing, messing vessel (YRBM) it is building for the U.S. Navy.Scheduled for delivery to the Navy in San Diego later this year, YRBM-57 will serve as pierside living accommodations for U.S. Navy sailors. It is capable of berthing 199 mixed gender personnel, messing for 300 personnel and includes spaces for medical offices…
Houthis Claim First Attack on Shipping in Two Weeks
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Sunday that it targeted a Liberia-flagged container vessel in the Gulf of Aden, claiming its first attack on shipping lanes since Israel carried out a retaliatory airstrike in Hodeidah port on July 20.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement that the MV Groton was attacked by ballistic missiles.British maritime agency UKMTO…
Fuel Removed from Yacht that Struck a Reef in Puerto Rico
Salvors have lightered bulk diesel fuel from a luxury yacht that grounded on a reef just off Flamenco Beach in Culebra, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The 72-foot sailing catamaran Obsession was reportedly traveling with four people on board from Puerto Rico to the British Virgin Islands when it struck a reef during a stop in Culebra on July 21. No injuries were reported.The fuel removal was conducted by Resolve Marine and Clean Harbors…
Biagio Mazzotta Takes Over as Fincantieri Chairman
Italian state-controlled shipbuilding giant Fincantieri announced public finance expert Biagio Mazzotta has been appointed as chairman of its board of directors. The move follows the untimely death of General Claudio Graziano, who had been appointed in May 2022.Mazzotta's appointment comes at the recommendation of shareholder CDP Equity S.p.A., which submitted Mazzotta's candidacy for independent evaluation in a letter dated August 1…
US Navy Opens Upgraded Berth at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
U.S. Navy leadership held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 30 to celebrate the modernization of Berth 6 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The $35 million project marks a milestone in the ongoing Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), aimed at upgrading facilities to support the Virginia and Los Angeles-class submarines.Originally constructed in 1903, Berth 6 has undergone extensive repairs and upgrades to its dockside utility services.
Two Canadian Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships Named
Two new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) under construction for the Canadian Coast Guard were named during a ceremony at Irving Shipbuilding's Halifax Shipyard. The July 31 event also marked the official keel laying for AOPS 7, and celebrated construction start of AOPS 8.AOPS 7, the first AOPS for the Canadian Coast Guard, will be named CCGS Donjek Glacier after the Donjek Glacier located in Kluane National Park in Yukon.
Washington State Ferries Crew Rescues Boaters in Distress
Crewmembers aboard a Washington State Ferries vessel helped to rescue three boaters and a dog after their small vessel capsized near Bremerton, Wash.The crew aboard Jumbo-class ferry Walla Walla rescued a person and a dog near the Bremerton terminal Tuesday evening, according to WSF.The ferry crew treated the victim for hypothermia and chest pains before transferring care to emergency medical technicians on shore, the operator said.Two additional victims were saved by the U.S.
Sanmar to Build Two Tugs for Turkiye's Directorate General of Coastal Safety
Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar announced it has secured contract to construct two powerful ASD tugboats for Turkiye's Directorate General of Coastal Safety.Sanmar, which has previously delivered four tugs to the directorate’s fleet, said the new Boğaçay class tugboats are based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAmparts 2400 SX MKII design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd. The vessels will measure 24m…
Austal Delivers Latest Australian Navy Patrol Vessel
Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced it has delivered the seventh of 10 Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (ECCPB’s) it is building under contract to the Royal Australian Navy.Officially handed over at Austal’s Henderson, Western Australia shipyard, ADV Cape Solander is the first of two Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats scheduled for delivery to the Royal Australian Navy in CY2024.“The Austal Australia team are continuing to demonstrate outstanding capability…
CalMac to Retire 40-year-old Ferry in Fleet Modernization Push
One of the oldest ferries in the CalMac fleet will be retired later this year after almost four decades of operation, as the Scottish operator phases out older tonnage and modernizes its service with new vessels.The Hebridean Isles, built by Cochrane Shipbuilders in the mid-1980s, will retire in November, having served Scotland's west coast communities since her maiden voyage in December 1985. Affectionally known as the Heb Isles…
Australia Busts Indonesian Fishermen for Shark-finning
Australian authorities last month located, intercepted and apprehended an Indonesian vessel illegally fishing and shark finning inside the Australian Territorial Sea near New Year Island, approximately 294 kilometers north-east of Darwin.Australian authorities seized the vessel along with 50 kilograms of shark fin, 80 kilograms of bait fish and a substantial quantity of fishing equipment. The crew was detained and transported to Darwin…
World’s Largest Car Carrier Höegh Aurora Set for Maiden Voyage
Höegh Autoliners' Höegh Aurora, the world's largest pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) vessel, will soon embark on its maiden voyage and commence commercial operations following delivery at a naming ceremony next week.The newbuild is the first of 12 Aurora Class vessels being built by China Merchants Heavy Industry, in China. Featuring 14 decks—including five liftable decks—the ship can carry up to 9,100 CEU.
Vard to Build Energy Construction Vessel for Norwegian Firm
Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has signed a contract with Wind Energy Construction for the design and construction of a new energy construction vessel (ECV), securing also an option for one additional vessel.Wind Energy Construction is a Norwegian company partly owned by the founders and owners of Norwind Offshore. The most recent order marks the sixth vessel the owners of Norwind Offshore have contracted with Vard since October 2021.
Iranian Oil Link Could Complicate Insurance Claims After Tankers Collide off Singapore
A collision between two tankers off Singapore in July raises questions over insurance claims, as one of the vessels previously shipped Iranian oil, potentially complicating payments due to Western sanctions, ship-trackers and industry sources say.What happened?The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged Ceres I collided and caught fire about 55 km (35 miles) northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca on July 19.No oil spill has been detected…
$540 Million Worth of Meth Seized in Port Botany
Australian authorities have made a major drug bust in Port Botany, uncovering a large shipment of methamphetamine in an inbound shipping container arriving from the United States.The discovery was made on July 22 when Australian Border Force (ABF) examining the container discovered about 896kg of the illicit powdered substance hidden inside packages tucked away in two separate computer numerical control (CNC) machines.The drugs were removed…
MOL Secures ‘World’s First’ AiP for LNG Carrier with Wind-Assisted Propulsion
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has been awarded an approval in principle (AiP) by ClassNK for the design of a membrane LNG Carrier with Wind Challenger wind-assisted propulsion system.The AiP marks the world's first approval for an LNG carrier with a wind-assisted propulsion system, according to MOL, which developed the design of the system together with Hanwha Ocean.The LNG carrier that has obtained this AiP is capable of entering LNG terminals worldwide.
Report Predicts Need for Over 400 Hydrogen Carriers
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has launched a new report identifying that heavy Industry sector are expected to dominate global hydrogen demand to 2050, with South Korea, Japan and Europe being the first markets for hydrogen.The report titled “Turning hydrogen demand into reality: Which sectors come first?” highlights that to meet just 30 million tonnes of annual global green hydrogen demand…
