FuelEU Pooling Could Accelerate Biofuel Adoption
![Albrecht Grell, Managing Director of OceanScore (Source: OceanScore)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/albrecht-grell-managing-director-of-152777.jpg)
The FuelEU pooling mechanism introduces a new economic incentive to accelerate adoption of biofuels, according to OceanScore.The company has identified tangible savings on the cost of compliance with FuelEU Maritime that can be made through burning biofuels to generate surpluses for vessel pooling.This enables companies to capture financial gains from overcompliance with carbon intensity reduction targets.Albrecht Grell, Managing Director of OceanScore, says FuelEU can understandably be seen as annoyingly complex and just another cost burden for shippingâŠ
Operational Study: Methane Slip Varies with Engine Load
![Source: Green Ray project](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/source-green-ray-project-152772.png)
The Transport Emission Control Team at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has released a study of methane slip and other emissions from an LNG-powered marine engine operating under real-life conditions.The now published study âMethane slip and other emissions from newbuild LNG engine under real-world operation of a state-of-the art cruise ship' details the results of a study conducted on the newbuild cruise ship MSC World Europa. One of its five engines, a Wartsila 46DFâŠ
MMMCZCS Calls for Early Regulation of Methane Slip
![© NAN / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/nan-adobe-stock-151108.jpeg)
The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) has released a new report: Tackling methane slip in shipping.Past research at the MMMCZCS has demonstrated that current regulations that include methane, such as CO2-equivalent fuel standards (e.g., FuelEU Maritime), will have a limited effect on reducing onboard methane emissions in the short- to mid-term. Furthermore, the default methane slip value concept does not provide a direct incentive to engine makersâŠ
FuelEU Regulations Leave DoC Holder with Fuel Liabilities Risk
![© Carabay / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/carabay-adobe-stock-150217.jpeg)
Implementation of the FuelEU Maritime regulation from 2025 presents an accountability dilemma for shipping as it is currently the Document of Compliance (DoC) holder that will be held responsible for fuel selection and could therefore face penalties - contrary to the âpolluter paysâ principle, according to OceanScore.Shipping companies must start preparing now for the regulation as they face an August 31 deadline to submit a monitoring plan to track the fuel type and consumption for each EU voyage for each vessel as required by FuelEUâŠ
Marlink Upgrades Simon Møkster Shippingâs Network
![Source: Marlink](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/source-marlink-149876.png)
Marlink has completed a fleet-wide upgrade of its hybrid network solution for long-time client Simon Møkster Shipping.The upgrade to Marlinkâs Sealink Nextgen solution, which includes the Starlink LEO service, enables the company to use standard office software applications including MS-TEAMS as its default collaboration platform and primary voice channel.Simon Møkster Shipping sought a hybrid solution that would optimize its operations around high throughput connectivity and managed networksâŠ
Advanced Digitalization Discussed at Singapore Maritime Week
![Source: MPA](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/source-mpa-149428.png)
The Maritime International Advisory Panel (IAP) held its third annual meeting on April 16, 2024, during the Singapore Maritime Week 2024. This year, the Maritime IAP held in-depth discussions on the key developments in the maritime sector, including decarbonization, green financing, digitalization and cybersecurity.Established in 2022 by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Maritime IAP aims to seek international perspectives on key long-term trends and developments that will shape the maritime industry.
BIMCO Publishes Quiet Enjoyment Letters
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BIMCO has published two standard Quiet Enjoyment Letters (QELs), the first standard form QELs available to the industry, to offer a tool that can ensure the charterersâ uninterrupted use of a ship if the owner defaults under the financing facility. The QELs will be provided by the lender to the charterer to ensure that the charterer, who does not have a contractual relationship with the lender but only with the owner, can continue to âquietly enjoyâ the ship in case of the ownerâs default.
InterManager Urges European Commission to Employ Polluter Pays Principle
![Captain Kuba Szymanski courtesy of InterManager](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/captain-kuba-szymanski-courtesy-of-141252.jpg)
Ship management association InterManager is urging the European Commission to follow the polluter pays approach when finalising legislation intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping in European waters.Shipowners are concerned that proposed EU-ETS legislation could miss its mark if it holds ship management firms accountable for emissions reductions rather than target the parties who control key pollution-related aspects of ship operation such as fuel, machinery and vessel speed.In a submission to the CommissionâŠ
A Proposal for a Small Change in Lloyds Open Form
![Beached Schooner. No Cure No Pay offered and signed. Schooner refloated within two hours. All costs and award settled in three days. Photos courtesy Rik van Hemmen](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/beached-schooner-no-cure-no-140151.jpg)
In February Gard published the results of its review of Lloyds Open Form (LOF). Their review indicated a disturbing reduction in the number of LOF contracts, and noted some other concerns with regard to loss of use of LOF in salvage situations.Lloyds Open Form is a classic and, in my mind, cherished, example of the core beauty of maritime. It combines a large number of maritime concepts into a simple device that solves a complex problem.It reminds me of a few of the lines in the song âWooden Shipsâ by Crosby, Still, Nash and Young.
Uncrewed Ships Set to Bring Diversity Boost
![(Image: Icean Infinity)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/image-icean-infinity-139054.jpg)
The maritime industryâs movement toward remote vessel operations will not only build a more diverse workforce, it will benefit from it, argues marine robotics company Ocean Infinity.Greater workforce diversity, whether it be considered along lines of ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, age, socioeconomic status, neurotype, physical ability or any other parameter, has shifted over the course of the last decade from a ânice to haveâ to a fundamental value. The modern view of society that the thought leaders at Ocean Infinity subscribe to, is often characterized as âintersectionalityâ.
Pacific Basin Chooses Methanol as Preferred Fuel
Hong-Kong-headquartered dry bulk shipowner Pacific Basin Shipping said it sees methanol as its best option as it pursues commercially viable zero-emissions vessels.In May 2022, the company entered into a memorandum of understanding with Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd and Mitsui & Co., Ltd to cooperate on the development of zero-emission vessels and potential investment in related green fuel bunkering infrastructure."We have collectively now completed our feasibility assessment of the various potential green fuels (covering fuel characteristics, availability and scalability, technical pros and cons, lifetime operating and capital costs, etc.)âŠ
NTSB Reports on Collision Between Mississippi River Barge and Train
![Aerial photo of the derailment of the two locomotives and eight hopper cars. Two additional hopper cars are submerged in the river. (Source: BNSF)â](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/aerial-photo-of-the-derailment-135183.jpg)
The National Transportation Board said Thursday that a Mississippi River towing vesselâs pilot and its captain pushed its tow up against a riverbank too close to a railroad track, leading to a collision and train derailment near Galland, Iowa.Marine Investigation Report 22/22 details the NTSBâs investigation into the Nov. 13, 2021, collision between the towing vessel Baxter Southern and a BNSF coal train transiting the track along the shoreline of the Upper Mississippi River. The train struck a barge that was overhanging the railroad track.
Superyacht Linked to Sanctioned Russian Oligarch Auctioned in Gibraltar
A $75-million superyacht linked to a sanctioned Russian steel billionaire was auctioned on Tuesday in Gibraltar, court sources said, in what is understood to be the first sale of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.The Axioma was granted entry into Gibraltarian waters and then impounded by the authorities in March after U.S. bank JP Morgan said its alleged owner Dmitry Pumpyansky had reneged on the terms of a $20 million loan.The 72.5-metre vessel is being auctioned by the Gibraltar Admiralty Court. It was listed for one day, with closed bids to be sent electronically by midday on Tuesday, a court spokesman said.Nigel HollyerâŠ
Maritime Communications: Easier, Faster, Cheaper
![(Photo: David Clark Company)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-david-clark-company-133465.jpg)
In November 2021, GTMaritime published a white paper: âMaritime Communications - A look over the horizon.â The report, available here, is built around three broad Sections â 1. âBasics of marine Communications;â 2. âThe connected ship;â and 3. âSpecial services.âThen, each Section presents a closer look at various topics. The âBasicsâ section, for example, covers regulatory issues established by IMO treaties and national agencies. It presents the terms and concepts that define satellite systems and networksâŠ
Armach Robotics Set to Take the Pole Position on Ship Hull Maintenance, Intelligence
![Image courtesy Armach Robotics](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/image-courtesy-armach-robotics-130687.jpg)
Melding advanced software, intelligence, robotics and navigation, Armach Robotics â a spinoff of Greensea Systems â leads a step change in ship hull cleaning and maintenance with its Robotics as a Service model. Ben Kinnaman, the CEO of Greensea Systems, explains.Ben, to start us off, please give us a background on Armach Robotics? Where did the idea come from and where are we today?Greensea Systems is a software company, well-known for our software platform on ocean robotics. We're also well-known for our unique navigation and autonomy solutions.
UN Bodies Call for More Action to End Crew Change Crisis
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Four UN organizations have called for continued global collaboration to address the crew change crisis that at times during the COVID-19 pandemic has left more than 400,000 seafarers stranded at sea.In a joint statement issued on February 28, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Health Organization (WHO) say new challenges and variants of concern like Omicron threaten to worsen the plight of the worldâs seafarersâŠ
OpEd: Why We Must Assess Shippingâs Route to Decarbonization
![© nmann77 / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/nmann77-adobe-stock-127343.jpeg)
Despite transporting roughly 90% of the worldâs cargo, the shipping industry has so far been underrepresented in the global decarbonization discussion. This rhetoric is however changing. For the first time in history, shipping was officially on the agenda at the UN climate change conference, COP26. Likewise, the recent United Nations General Assembly saw leaders from the U.S., Australia, India, and Japan place shipping at the top of a list of pledges, with plans to form a âGreenâŠ
Maritime Cybersecurity: Prepare, Detect and Respond
![© pinkeyes / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/pinkeyes-adobe-stock-127148.jpg)
At a time when the world has become more aware than ever before about the vital importance of the worldâs ocean shipping fleet, which carried supplies, merchandise and much needed personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increased risk from a different threat, cyberattacks, presents a set of new challenges. According to Israeli cybersecurity specialist Naval Dome, since February 2020, there has been a 400% increase in attempted hacks on the maritime realmâŠ
Infrastrata Responds to Triumph Subsea Claims
![Credit: Triumph Subsea Services](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/credit-triumph-subsea-services-124106.jpg)
Triumph Subsea Services last week said it had cancelled a letter of intent with Infrastrata related to the proposed construction of an offshore wind development vessel, and said it wouldn't build any vessels with Infrastrata or any of its shipyards. Responding to Triumph, Infrastata said Triumph had not achieved any of the milestones required to proceed with the shipbuilding project.The two companies had signed the Letter of intent for one firm and one optional ST designed 200m x 35m Windfarm Development Vessels (WDV)âŠ
Seismic Firm Polarcus Set for Business Wind-down, Delisting from Oslo Exchange
Polarcus Limited, a seismic surveyor in liquidation, is set to be wound down and delisted from the Oslo Stock Exchange.As previously reported, in January this year, lenders took control of the company's vessels after a debt payment default, and decided to sell them and let go all the employees.On February 8, 2021, David Griffin and Andrew Morrison of FTI Cayman, and Lisa Rickelton of FTI London were appointed Joint Provisional Liquidators (JPL) of the struggling seismic services provider by an order of the Court. Liquidators were specifically authorized by the Court to take all necessary steps to develop and propose a restructuring of the companyâs financial indebtedness with a view to making a compromise or arrangement with the companyâs creditors.Since their appointmentâŠ
Stena Partners with Proman to Develop Methanol Retrofit and Supply Solution
![(Image: Stena)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/image-stena-126803.jpg)
Shipping company Stena is working with methanol producer Proman to develop a retrofit and supply solution that will allow both Stenaâs vessels as well as third party vessels to operate on cleaner-burning methanol fuel.The plan builds upon the previously announced joint venture between Stena Bulk and Proman for three methanol-ready tankers. The first of these vessels, the 49,900 DWT Stena Pro Patria will be delivered in early 2022, with a further three Proman-owned but mutuallyâŠ
Marine Biofouling in Ports: Wet Docks Acting as âHot Spotâ Biofouling Transfer Stations
![Figure 3. Ships Sea Water Cooling System Components. Source: The Author](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/figure-3-ships-sea-water-126975.jpg)
The GEF-UNDP-IMO Glofouling partnership (2017) is a global initiative to counter the environmental issue of invasive aquatic species (IAS) and the resulting harmful ecological and financial damage that can occur when such invasion events are introduced through the medium of biofouling on ships hulls and other marine structures such as those found in the oil and gas industries.One of the key objectives of the Glofouling project is to develop a Global Knowledge Hub and also identifyâŠ
Offshore Wind & Shipping â Importance of Interplay Between Shipbuilding Contracts and Charters
![Credit: benoitgrasser/AdobeStock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/credit-benoitgrasseradobestock-124460.jpg)
While 2020 proved to be a challenging year for offshore oil and gas markets, the same cannot be said about offshore renewables, which saw substantial growth."It is expected that a number of offshore support vessels (âOSVsâ) and crew boats will be redeployed from the offshore oil and gas sector to service the offshore wind industry and that existing offshore wind installation vessels will be upgraded as turbines continue to scale up."Offshore renewable projects achieved an estimated record project sanctioning of US$56bnâŠ