Great Ships of 2024: Ane Mærsk - World’s First Large Methanol-Fueled Containership
When talk turns to fuel transition in the maritime sector, the conversation usually starts with: ‘yes, change is happening, but the majority of the world fleet continues to operate as it always has; with diesel fuel’ and ends with ‘change is being driven by a handful of pioneers: the big companies.’Enter Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller - Mærsk, one of the biggest and most innovative companies operating ships globally today, and its world’s first large methanol-enabled container vessel dubbed Ane Mærsk…
Greener Fuels, Cleaner Fuels?
This week at MarineLink…The IMO 2020 Sulfur Cap essentially ushered in a new type of fuel - VLSFO. With it came the engine problems caused by off-spec or incompatible fuels as producers grappled with the requirement for providing a sulfur content not exceeding 0.05%. As pointed out in Lloyd’s Register’s 2024 Fuel Quality Report, persistent issues involving cat fines, stability, sulfur content and flash point continue, and isolated incidents of chemical contamination are still occurring.If new…
When it Comes to Workboat Engines, the Future is Flexible
Vessel owners are making new fuel choices, but increasingly, they have options to help reduce the risk of doing so.The latest engine developments aim to make it easier for owners to avoid the chicken-and-egg fuel price and availability risks of new fuels.As Roger Holm, President of Wärtsilä Marine and Executive Vice President at Wärtsilä Corporation recently pointed out, the challenge is that owners won’t commit to a fuel today that is expensive, only produced in small quantities and may be usurped by another fuel that scales faster and more affordably.
Great Lakes Bags $342.3 Million in New Dredging Contracts
Dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has received several dredging awards totaling $342.3 million.The awarded work includes:Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement, Contract 6 Project (Capital, Texas, $219.1 million)The Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement, Contract Project 6 involves the deepening of the channel to accommodate larger vessels, reduce transportation costs, enhance channel efficiency and improve safety for local port stakeholders. This project has approximately $16 million of options pending. The client on this project is the U.S.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Reports $256.2 Million in New Contracts
Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, on Monday announced the receipt of several dredging awards totaling $256.2 million.The awarded work includes:Mobile Harbor, Alabama Deepening and Widening – Phase 2A Dredging Project (Capital, Alabama, $65.9 million)The Mobile Harbor, Alabama Deepening and Widening Dredging Project 2A, involves deepening the channel by six feet to improve channel navigation to allow deeper draft vessels use of the port and to reuse material for beneficial use in the Sand Island Beneficial Use Area. The client on this project is the U.S.
Port Dwellers Hope Cruise Ships' Switch to Shore Power Will Ease Their Pain
Residents near the port of Lisbon and elsewhere hope plug-in infrastructure can take some of the pain out of sharing their cities with cruise ships that belch out fumes while pleasure-seeking passengers see the sights.European Union rules designed to reduce carbon emissions have focused attention on the issue by setting a 2030 deadline for maritime ports to have installed the infrastructure ships need to use electricity rather than highly-polluting marine fuel when they are moored.Residents say switching to electricity could be a boon."It is as if a giant car had its engines on in front of us…
ENOVA Awards Grant for Ammonia-powered Gas Carriers
Amon Maritime has launched a new venture Amon Gas with a NOK 180 million investment grant from ENOVA to build ammonia-powered medium gas carriers (MGC).The grant was awarded at a ceremony hosted by the Norwegian minister of climate and the environment together with ENOVA at DNV headquarters at Høvik.“This is a significant milestone towards realizing carbon free transportation systems within the gas carrier segment. Amon Gas will provide the market with low-emission vessels while simultaneously meeting customer demands with innovative solutions…
Green Shipping Corridors Planned Between UK and Ireland
NatPower Marine and Peel Ports Group have announced plans to establish the first “green shipping corridors” between Ireland and the UK.The proposed project would see NatPower Marine develop the UK’s first commercial electric ship (e-ship) charging network to support electric propulsion and shoreside power as part of a global network.The network – which would require an estimated £100m investment from NatPower Marine – would see this dedicated e-ship charging infrastructure delivered across all eight UK and Irish ports operated by Peel Ports Group.
Interview: Caroline Yang, CEO, Hong Lam Marine & President, SSA
Caroline Yang, by anyone’s standard, is a busy woman. She is the CEO of Hong Lam Marine, a Singapore ship owner, which owns, operates and manages its own fleet of 33 vessels. She also is the president of the Singapore Shipping Association [SSA], a national trade association in one of the world’s most important and dynamic maritime hubs. She shares insight on her dual positions and the many challenges facing shipowners today.Hong Lam Marine started in 1981 with two steel tankers and today it owns about 33 vessels…
Classification and Building the New Fuels Pathway
Long-term initiatives led by classification societies are building the foundation for future fuels uptake.About this time last year, ABS CEO Chris Wiernicki said: “When you look at where we are and the steepness of the curve ahead, the biggest risk is the unintended safety consequences of change.” Class, he says, is built for the intersection between technology, safety and regulations and must be prepared.Work is underway. China Classification Society (CCS), for example, has released…
Report: Sustainable Shipping Fuels Can Reach Cost Parity by 2035
Sustainable shipping fuels could reach cost parity with fossil fuels as early as 2035 with the help of decisive emissions policy such as carbon taxes and emissions limits, according to a new report launched by Wärtsilä.The report, titled ‘Sustainable fuels for shipping by 2050 – the 3 key elements of success’, states that the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and FuelEU Maritime Initiative will see the cost of using fossil fuels more than double by 2030. By 2035, they will close the price gap between fossil fuels and sustainable fuels for the very first time.Existing decarbonisation solutions…
Ports Not Ready for Offloading of CO2 Captured Onboard
A study commissioned by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register and ARUP, has identified low port readiness as a major hurdle bottlenecking the adoption of onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) systems as a practicable decarbonization solution.Whilst the technologies required for offloading onboard captured CO2 exist at high levels of maturity, safe operationalisation of captured CO2 transfer by trained personnel has not been demonstrated.The report…
US Offshore Wind: Down but Not Out
“The winds of change are blowing wild and free.” – Bob DylanIn the U.S. offshore wind industry, developments over recent months have placed an exclamation point on the word “wild”. Yes, the wind still blows “free”, but mounting challenges have proven that harnessing its power offshore is anything but. In fact, far from it, as rising materials costs, high interest rates, labor shortages and supply chain delays, among other issues, have delivered heavy blows to the commercial viability of several projects.
Aurora Botnia - RoPax Ferry + Greentech Proving Ground
Built by Rauma Marine Constructions, in Rauma, Finland, and launched in 2021, the 150-meter-long Aurora Botnia boasts a long list of onboard equipment that help it to earn its “green” designation, a label that is confirmed via a Clean Design notation from classification society DNV. The ship is also compliant with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target.Wasaline CEO Peter Ståhlberg describes Aurora Botnia as “a masterpiece of cooperation” and noted that the vessel is over 80% domestic made."I'm really proud of the Aurora Botnia.
Great Lakes Bags $173.7 Million in New Dredging Contracts
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation on Thursday announced the receipt of five dredging contracts totaling $173.7 million. The projects are in Texas, New Jersey, Florida and Louisiana.The Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement Project-Phase 1 (Capital, Texas, $62.8 million) includes dredging for channel deepening along the Sabine-Neches Waterway from Sabine Bank Channel to Sabine Pass Channel. The construction of the Sabine-Neches Waterway will generate widespread economic benefits for Southeast Texas…
Four New Partners Join Silk Alliance Singapore
The Silk Alliance continues to grow with the addition of Yara Clean Ammonia, the Methanol Institute, MPC Container Ships and the NUS Centre for Maritime Studies.The new partners join following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub for the Silk Alliance as they plan to support the proposed project aimed at the decarbonisation of a regional shipping corridor centred on the container trades.The Silk Alliance is focused on a regional fleet…
Future Fuels: Methanol
Any commentator on the maritime business decarbonization voyage will offer something along the lines of "There will be multiple fuels…" With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings of its Maritime Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) set for early July, it is likely that targets for emissions will be tightened. Whatever mileposts that the IMO actually establishes, there will be no prescriptions handed down on how to get there. By mid-2023, nearly two years after the late 2021 alternative fuels crescendo in the aftermath of the COP26 meetings in Glasgow…
Birdon Delivers Ninth and Tenth 47′ MLBs to the US Coast Guard
Last month, Birdon delivered the ninth and tenth boats for its 47’ Motor Lifeboat (MLB) Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Since the contract award in 2019, Birdon has established full-rate production facilities on both the East and West coasts to facilitate the delivery process. Birdon said it remains on schedule to complete work for up to 117 47’ MLBs by 2029.On June 9, Birdon delivered the ninth boat for the Coast Guard’s 47’ MLB SLEP. The vessel was completed in Birdon’s Bellingham, Wash.
HyBlend - Chickens and Eggs in Technology Adoption
I will readily confess that 20 years ago I was not convinced that EV’s were the answer to sustainable energy. Instead, I had long been a fan of hydrogen. I was well aware that there were technical issues associated with hydrogen, but was equally aware that, for total sustainable energy, a transportable fuel is needed and hydrogen seemed to be the way to go.I envisioned hydrogen generation from sustainable sources (wind, solar, etc) and the use of hydrogen with fuel cells in cars, ships and with gas turbines in airplanes.
Monjasa Inks Deal to Distribute Green Ammonia for Shipping
On 6 February 2023, Monjasa and HØST PtX Esbjerg have signed a Commercial Collaboration Agreement (CCA) on logistics services and offtake of green ammonia for the maritime sector. According to the CCA, Monjasa will provide logistics services that will enable distribution of green ammonia from HØST PtX Esbjerg, which is a Danish power-to-ammonia project managed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).As a maritime logistics partner, Monjasa has the possibility to provide the offtake partners of HØST PtX Esbjerg with green ammonia.
Great Ships of '22: MV George III, LNG Containership
Operating on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from day one in service, the MV George III, the first of Pasha Group’s two new ‘Ohana Class’, Jones Act-qualified containerships, features a state-of-the-art engine, an optimized hull form, and an underwater propulsion system with a high-efficiency rudder and propeller. George III is the first LNG-powered vessel to fuel on the West Coast and the first to serve Hawaii. The 774-ft. Jones Act vessel surpasses the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2030 emission standards for ocean vessels.
Great Lakes Announced $143.5 Million in Dredging Contracts
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, the largest provider of dredging services in the United States, on Wednesday announced the receipt of several major dredging awards totaling $143.5 million with open options pending award of $102.9 million.The awarded work includes:South Atlantic Division Regional Harbor Dredging 2023 Project (Maintenance, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, $26.6 million)Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point, Contract 2 Project (Coastal Protection, New York…
Ammonia Bunkering Terminal Project Gets Large Governmental Grant
Azane Fuel Solutions’ first project “Ammonia Fuel Bunkering Network”, which will build a green ammonia bunkering terminal has received confirmation that it will be granted NOK 89 million (EUR 8,600,000) through the Norwegian Green Platform Initiative. This was announced by Minister of Climate and Environment in Norway, Sveinung Rotevatn in Florø, Norway.The project partners, spanning the entire value chain for ammonia as a marine fuel, will develop and demonstrate an ammonia fuel bunkering network for ships…