Devices News

It’s trite (but true) to say that in the maritime industry’s quest to cut emissions, there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution, rather a series of small step changes that cumulatively add up over time. Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, recently hosted Giuseppe Gargiulo, Head of Newbuildings, MSC and Daniel Bischofberger, CEO, Accelleron, to specifically discuss the development and delivery of Accelleron’s FITS2 technology, and automation technology built with MSC and premised on Accelleron’s cumulative 100+ years of turbocharger experience.

Almost A$9 million ($6 million) worth of cocaine hidden inside a refrigerated shipping container (reefer) has been seized after Australian authorities intercepted the cargo on its arrival into Port Botany in New South Wales.Australian Border Force officers identified the consignment and conducted an x-ray examination which identified anomalies in the rear of the container.Further examination located 22 individually wrapped plastic blocks, with an estimated total weight of 27kg. Presumptive testing of the consignment returned a positive reading for cocaine.

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), AIM Horizon Investments, and their partners have announced the successful closing of the Fund for Energy Efficiency Technologies (FEET), securing total commitments of up to $35 million, exceeding its initial target.As the world’s first fund for vessel retrofits leveraging a pay-as-you-save repayment mechanism, FEET directly addresses the long-standing financial barriers hindering the sector’s uptake of vessel retrofits.The fund has drawn strong interest from across the maritime value chain…

Timo Alho's doctoral dissertation at the University of Vaasa, Finland, introduces a pioneering power management strategy that prevents ship blackouts.In Alho's management principle, the vessel's electrical equipment is capable of independently supporting the ship's grid without centralized commands. This makes the vessel's power systems significantly more fault-tolerant than before.The maritime industry's green transition is driving vessels towards modern direct current (DC) networks, but the control strategies for them have lagged behind.

FLIR, global leader in marine thermal-imaging systems, has announced that the Ocean Scout Pro handheld thermal imaging camera has been awarded top honors in the “Personal Equipment” category at the 2025 DAME Design Awards.The DAME Design Awards, held annually at Metstrade in Amsterdam, celebrate excellence in marine equipment design, innovation, and functionality. Winning in the category highlights the Ocean Scout Pro’s contribution to enhancing safety and performance for both…

ABS issued an approval in principle (AIP) to Petrobras for its safety-enhancing “sandwich hull” design concept for floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) tanks.The design uses parts of longitudinal and transverse elements constructed with steel-concrete-steel sandwich structures that allow tanks to remain free of internal obstructions, promising to improve operational efficiency during tank inspections and enabling activities to be performed using remotely operated tools and automated devices such as robots.ABS completed design reviews based on class requirements.

Accelleron has signed an agreement with Hyundai Marine Solution (HMS), the aftermarket and digital division of shipbuilder HD Hyundai Group, to enter a strategic cooperation on digital solutions. Two Accelleron solutions will cover engine and turbocharger monitoring and optimization. Under the partnership, the companies will seek closer integration and further efficiencies across digital tools. These include HD Hyundai Marine Solution's ship management system, Integrated Smart Ship Solution ISS 2.0 and AI-based emissions monitoring solution OceanWise…

Finland-based Bluetech has partnered with NYSE-listed INSW to develop Bluetech’s new ‘SeaWasp’ tanker vessel design, purpose-designed for wind but still practical for INSW MR fleet operations.With the support of wind-propulsion specialist Norsepower, Bluetech modified its BT50 design to extract maximum forward thrust from two 35-metre Rotor Sails. This resulted in a total savings of up to 876kW of propulsion power on one representative INSW MR tanker route from San Francisco to…

Iridium Communications Inc., a provider of global voice, data, and PNT satellite communications, unveiled a miniature application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the Iridium PNT ASIC. Engineered for integration into a wide range of electronic devices, the Iridium PNT ASIC will deliver authenticated, pole-to-pole positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) data. It will provide a resilient alternative to traditional GNSS, offering protection against spoofing and jamming for consumer…

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has awarded an approval in principle (AIP) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for its novel design of a wireless fire and gas detection system that advances safety in maritime operations.Conventional detection systems use power cables to transmit signals to a control panel. The new design from SHI uses a vessel’s metal structure as the low-voltage power transmission medium.Similarly, signals from the fire detection and alarm devices are converted…

The maritime industry is charting a new course toward decarbonization, yet this time round it is not only traditional shipowners at the helm. Major energy and commodity traders, whose shipping operations often carry large carbon footprints, are now investing in cleaner and more efficient shipping. With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) calling for a 40% reduction in shipping’s carbon intensity by 2030 from 2008 levels, these players are now deploying new methods to cut emissions at sea.

iNav4U, creators of Zora The Operational System for Yachts, has announced a new collaboration with Aqua Map, a  leader in digital marinenavigation. iNav4U is delivering the first fully integrated, end-to-end platform that unifies yacht management, operations, and navigation in one system. By embedding Aqua Map’s advanced marine charts directly into Zora, captains and yacht owners gain real-time situational awareness and advanced vessel management tools, without juggling multiple apps and devices.

As maritime industries accelerate toward electrification, the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) has issued a warning: lithium-ion batteries—the same technology powering the global shift to hybrid and all-electric vessels—pose a unique and evolving threat when things go wrong. The April 2025 white paper, Lithium Battery Fire Hazards in the Maritime Environment, lays out the risks, firefighting challenges, and post-incident dangers associated with lithium battery fires at sea…

In the October update of "Global Trade Outlook and Statistics", WTO economists provide new analysis on the build-up in inventories in 2025 and the robust trade in artificial intelligence-related goods such as semiconductors, servers, and telecommunications equipment.They note however that trade growth will likely slow in 2026 as the impact of the cooling global economy and new tariffs set in.Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: "Countries' measured response to tariff changes in general…

In a large-scale program involving 50 different shipowners, A.P. Moller - Maersk is retrofitting around 200 vessels in its time-chartered fleet. The main aim of the program is to reduce the slot cost by improving fuel efficiency and cargo-carrying capacity leading to a decrease in both cost and greenhouse gas emissions.“Our medium- and long-term chartered fleet makes up a significant proportion of our operations as well as of our total fuel consumption. By working closely with our partners…

Trafag, a manufacturer of measurement devices, highlights the NAT 8252 Industrial Pressure Transmitter, designed to meet the demands of industrial monitoring and control systems.Engineered with Trafag’s thin-film-on-steel sensing technology, the NAT 8252 ensures stable and precise pressure measurement over time, even in harsh environments. Its long-term stability reduces the need for recalibration, lowering operational costs and maintenance burdens. Its measuring range, from 0 to 700 bar (0 to 10…

A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk), in close collaboration with the owners, is retrofitting around 200 vessels in its time-chartered fleet as part of a large-scale program involving 50 different shipowners.The main aim of the program is to reduce the slot cost by improving fuel efficiency and cargo-carrying capacity leading to a decrease in both cost and greenhouse gas emissions.Maersk has set the target of a 35% absolute reduction in its scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to the 2022 baseline year.In total…

Sallaum Lines has launched its first LNG dual-fuel pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) newbuilding, the Ocean Breeze, with a landmark ceremony in the port of Antwerp.The Ocean Breeze has capacity for 7,500 CEU and is powered by dual-fuel LNG engines. The vessel delivers substantial reductions in CO2, NOx, and particulate emissions compared to conventional tonnage.An optimized hull design and energy-saving devices further increase efficiency, according Sallaum.To accommodate its growing fleet…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report on the investigation of a fatal man overboard from the fishing vessel Kingfisher (DH 110), approximately 30 nautical miles east-north-east of Wick, Scotland.On July 12, 2024, as the crew were engaged in manually shooting a string of creels, a deckhand became entangled in a creel’s leg rope and was pulled overboard. His personal flotation device (PFD) inflated on immersion, but he was pulled underwater by the weight of the fishing gear.

ClassNK has issued an approval in principle (AiP) for an ammonia-fueled LPG/NH3 carrier, applied for jointly by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and MITSUI E&S.The certification demonstrates its feasibility from regulatory and safety perspectives.Ammonia, which does not emit CO2 during combustion, is expected to see wider use as a zero-carbon fuel for ships. At present, various studies and development efforts are underway to bring ammonia fuelled ships into practical use.In 2021, prior to the establishment of specific international standards for the use of ammonia as fuel for ships…

A Ukrainian man was arrested at a holiday bungalow in Italy on suspicion of coordinating attacks on three Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, officials said on Thursday, a breakthrough in an episode that sharpened tensions between Russia and the West.Described by both Moscow and the West as an act of sabotage, the explosions largely severed Russian gas supplies to Europe, prompting a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict and squeezing energy supplies on the continent. No one…

China’s share of the tanker orderbook rose from 32.4% in 2022, to 62.6% in 2023 and then 71.2% in 2024. Its share of the container ship orderbook has shown a similar growth trajectory. The nation has ranked first in the world for new orders since 2012. Labor costs are about half of what they are in Korea and Japan, and China is the world’s cheapest steel manufacturer.Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO, says that during the past five years Chinese shipyards have built 50% of the ship capacity delivered, and Chinese shipyards now hold 66% of the ship capacity in the orderbook.

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised a consortium of lenders on an ECA-backed JOLCO financing for Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE) to finance four newbuild container vessels. The consortium comprised BNP PARIBAS (acting through its Tokyo Branch and as ECA Coordinator), The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Tokyo Branch and Citibank, N.A., Tokyo Branch (as mandated lead arrangers) as well as Japanese export credit agencies Japan Bank for International Cooperation…