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Thursday, February 13, 2025
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10 Feb 2025

Alewijnse Advances Autonomous Vessel Tech

Image courtesy Alewijnse

While the advent of full autonomy in the maritime space is still a generation or more in the future, companies like Alewijnse are determined to take step changes toward increased automation, and in fact claim that "autonomous sailing is coming soon."Alewijnse is a key player in the Fieldlab Autonomous Sailing Technology (F.A.S.T.) project, an initiative designed to revolutionize ship automation. The project centers around the Damen Stan Patrol 900, a 1990-built patrol boat currently…

06 Feb 2025

Maritime Insurers to Keep Facilitating Free Trade as Trump's Tariffs Loom

(Credit: IUMI)

The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) has restated their intention to facilitate free maritime trade, as the protectionist measures were not in the interests of the marine insurance community. In an interconnected global economy, protectionism in the form of trade tariffs was said to run counter to IUMI’s values of securing free trade and maintaining and growing the global economy, the organization said at an executive meeting held earlier in February.Tension and conflict continue to impact free trade in the Black, Red, and Baltic areas.

31 Jan 2025

Germany: Heinrich Rönner and Lürssen Place Their Bids for FSG and Nobiskrug Shipyards

Nobiskrug shipyards (Credit: Nobiskrug)

The future of the two insolvent German shipyards, Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) and Nobiskrug, looks brighter as Lürssen Group moves to place a formal bid to take over the facilities of the Nobiskrug shipyard, while Heinrich Rönner Group agrees to buy the FSG.The insolvency administrators, Christoph Morgen of Brinkmann & Partner and Hendrik Gittermann of REIMER, said they would accept the offers in the week following the official opening of insolvency proceedings.Lürssen…

23 Jan 2025

US Stands by Philippines, Rubio Classifies China's Actions 'Dangerous'

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors assigned to the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and Philippine Air Force FA-50PH light jet fighters conduct joint combined exchange training, above Basa Air Force Base, Phillipines, on Aug. 9, 2024. Joint combined exchange training is critical to enhancing U.S. and Philippine Air Force interoperability in a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mitchell Corley)

New U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed China's "dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea" with his Philippine counterpart on Wednesday and underscored the "ironclad" U.S. defense commitment to Manila."Secretary Rubio conveyed that (China's) behavior undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law," the U.S. State Department said in a statement on the call with Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo.The Philippines has been…

22 Jan 2025

Four Rescued from Life Raft in Atlantic Ocean

Source: US Coast Guard

US Coast Guard aircrew, the crew of the Crowley container ship El Coquí and fishermen from the fishing vessel Bonanza rescued four men from a life raft in Atlantic Ocean’s Silver Bank waters north of the Dominican Republic on Tuesday.The men were forced to abandon the sailing vessel Mariposa after the vessel reportedly struck a submerged rock and was then overtaken by a wave which caused the vessel to roll on its port side. The vessel struck another rock which breached the vessel’s hull and started taking on water while additional waves flooded the vessel before sinking.

21 Jan 2025

NOAA Satellites Helped in Rescue of 411 People in 2024

U.S. Coast Guard rescued six people who activated an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) after their 48-foot fishing vessel began to sink off the coast of Oak Island, North Carolina, on December 8, 2024.  (Image credit: USCG)

The same NOAA satellites that followed the moon’s shadow along the path of the Total Solar Eclipse and tracked Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, also helped rescue 411 people from life-threatening situations in the U.S. and its surrounding waters last year.NOAA’s polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites are part of the global Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system, or COSPAS-SARSAT. The system uses a network of U.S. and international spacecraft to detect and locate distress signals sent from 406MHz emergency beacons onboard aircraft…

16 Jan 2025

Persistent Tracking: Vital to Safeguard Shipping in Dark Seas

Captain Steve Bomgardner, VP – Shipping & Offshore, Pole Star Global

The ever-worsening geopolitical situation is creating unprecedented challenges for the shipping sector and wider supply chain.An expanding shadow fleet, openly undertaking illegal Ship-To-Ship (STS) transfers of Russian oil and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), has compounded the longer-standing dark shipping problem that has emerged as a result of illegal activity (people, arms, drugs, contraband and fish smuggling), which not only threatens national security, but also the safety of vessels and heightens concerns regarding environmental disaster and supply chain disruption.In response…

16 Jan 2025

OP/ED: When it Comes to Offshore Energy, Be Careful What You Wish For

©HC FOTOSTUDIO/AdobeStock

You just might get it.In the waning days of the Biden administration, the executive orders and such that get announced seemingly on a daily basis signal countless victories for that side of the equation. And, no matter which side of that great divide that you reside on, it is likely that some of those edicts will be quickly reversed by the incoming President. Of course, much of this is likely irreversible. No where is that more apparent than Biden's order to withdraw 625 million acres of ocean from new offshore oil and gas development.U.S.

27 Dec 2024

Medvedev Hurls Accusations at Norwegian Vessel; Photos Suggest Otherwise

Image courtesy Bulkship Management website: https://bulkship.no/737-2/

A Norwegian shipping company rejected an accusation from Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, that it refused to rescue sailors from a sinking Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea.Medvedev accused the Norwegian-flagged Oslo Carrier 3 of not coming to the aid of sailors on board the Ursa Major cargo ship, which carries out missions for the Russian Defence Ministry's military construction arm. The Ursa Major ran into trouble on Monday and then sank…

26 Dec 2024

‘Act of Terrorism’ Sinks Russian Cargo Ship Off Spanish Coast, Vessel Owner Claims

Ursa Major cargo ship (Credit: Oboronlogistika)

A Russian cargo ship that ran into trouble on Monday in the Mediterranean Sea and later sank was rocked by a series of three explosions in "an act of terrorism," state news agency RIA cited the vessel's owner as saying on Wednesday.Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the "Ursa Major," built in 2009, sank after an explosion ripped through its engine room and that two of its 16 crew were missing.RIA cited Oboronlogistika, the ship's ultimate owner and a company that is part of the Russian Defence Ministry's military construction operations…

24 Dec 2024

Russian Cargo Ship Sinks in Mediterranean, Two Crew Missing

Ursa Major cargo ship (Credit: Oboronlogistika)

A Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion ripped through its engine room and two of its crew are still missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.The vessel, built in 2009, was controlled by Oboronlogistika, a company that is part of the Russian Defence Ministry's military construction operations, which had previously said it was en route to the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok with two giant port cranes lashed to…

17 Dec 2024

Third Russian Tanker Issues Distress Signal as Oil Washes Up on Black Sea Coast

© Yellow Boat / Adobe Stock

Spilled oil has washed up along "tens of kilometres" of the Russian Black Sea coast after two tankers were badly damaged in a storm at the weekend, a regional official said on Tuesday, and state media said a third vessel was now in trouble.TASS news agency said the third ship, also a tanker, had issued a distress signal off the port of Kavkaz, but its hull was still intact, there was no oil spillage and the crew was safe.The first ship, the Volgoneft 212, split in half on Sunday in the Kerch Strait, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

06 Dec 2024

Cargo Ship’s Crew Rescued in Red Sea

© Alexey Seafarer / Adobe Stock

The crew of Panama-flagged cargo ship MV ISA STAR have been rescued in the Red Sea after sending a distress signal, the EU's Aspides naval mission said."All crew members aboard the MV ISA STAR have been rescued and will be transported to Djibouti, the nearest safe port of call," Aspides said in a statement posted on Facebook.The vessel had reported flooding in the engine room and the master requested assistance, it said, as its crew of 20 were forced to abandon it.One maritime…

02 Dec 2024

Glamox Inks Deal for Suez Canal Salvage Vessels

The Suez Canal Salvage Tugs are based on Kongsberg Maritime’s UT 722 CDT design. Photo: Kongsberg Maritime

Glamox won a contract from Alexandria Shipyard in Egypt to light two new salvage tugs being built for the Suez Canal Authority. The two new tugs will sport Glamox LED floodlights and searchlights, helping to enable the vessels to work around the clock, as well as navigation lights, and indoor lighting. The design specification and equipment for the powerful tugs are provided by Kongsberg Maritime.The 71.6m vessels will be built to Kongsberg’s UT 722 CDT design, and each will be equipped with approximately 780 marine-certified lights from Glamox.

04 Nov 2024

Java Sea Naval Drills a First for Indonesia, Russia Navies

Copyright Peter Hermes Furian/AdobeStock

Naval forces of Indonesia and Russia began their first joint military training drills in the Java Sea on Monday, the Indonesian navy said, which analysts say shows the Southeast Asian country's willingness to befriend any country.The joint exercise comes as Indonesia's newly-inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto has pledged closer ties with Russia on defence, in his bid to forge ties with any country as part of his country's long-held non-alignment foreign policy.The drills will take place in the Java Sea near Indonesia's Surabaya city, east of the capital Jakarta, from Nov.

30 Sep 2024

Philly Shipyard Begins Building New Aloha Class Vessels for Matson

(Photo: Philly Shipyard)

Philly Shipyard on Monday held a steel-cutting ceremony to signal the start of construction on the first of three new Aloha Class liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled containerships to be built for U.S. ocean carrier Matson. Matson placed the $1 billion three-ship order with Philly Shipyard in 2022 following the deliveries of Aloha-class vessels Daniel K. Inouye and Kamina Hila from the same yard in 2018 and 2019 respectively. The shipyard also delivered four containerships to Matson between 2003 and 2006.“Today we celebrate not only the beginning of production…

26 Sep 2024

EU Stakeholders Call for Tax Exception on Shore Power

(Photo: Cavotec)

The European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) and The Federation of European Private Port Companies and Terminals (FEPORT) has called for an EU wide mandatory tax exemption for shore power in the EU’s revised Energy Taxation Directive.The groups say they fully support the European Green Deal ambition and the polluter pays principle.However, considering the European Commission’s proposal and the compromise text on the table in the European Council, they fear that the new Energy Taxation…

10 Sep 2024

Jad Mouawad Responds to “Getting the Numbers Right”

Jad Mouawad

Wendy Laursen’s article Getting the Numbers Right, published in the August issue of Maritime Reporter, sparked debate from ballast water management experts. Here Jad Mouawad, CEO of Mouawad Consulting, provides his feedback on the article which outlines the challenges the industry has faced trying to reduce the occurrence of invasive marine species transferred by ballast water.We have now the vast majority of ships fitted with ballast water management systems (BWMS). I would say…

19 Aug 2024

ZIM on Track for Double-Digit Volume Growth

Credit: Don Monteaux Photography

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has announced a net income for the second quarter of 2024 of $373 million (compared to a net loss of $213 million in the second quarter of 2023).The company’s adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $766 million, a year-over-year increase of 179%. Total revenue for the second quarter was $1,933 million, a year-over-year increase of 48%.Carried volume in the second quarter was 952,000 TEUs, a year-over-year increase of 11%, and its average freight rate per TEU in the second quarter was $1…

29 Aug 2024

US Navy Eyes Risky New Waters in South China Sea

More than 200 people from 29 nations attend U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s 35th annual International Military Law and Operations Conference (MILOPS 24) in Manila, Philippines on Aug. 27, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith) Source: US Department of Defense

As two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups patrolled the Indian Ocean this week in an explicit effort to deter Iran from striking Israel and sparking a major regional conflict, a very different military messaging effort was underway in a luxury conference centre in Manila.The 35th annual Military Law and Operations Conference organised by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – running from Aug. 27-30 – is held every year in a different country in the region – but its presence in the capital of the Philippines this week was likely far from a coincidence.Since late 2023…

03 Sep 2024

Stretched US Navy Eyes Risky New Waters in South China Sea

(Photo: Jamaal Liddell / U.S. Navy)

As two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups patrolled the Indian Ocean this week in an explicit effort to deter Iran from striking Israel and sparking a major regional conflict, a very different military messaging effort was underway in a luxury conference centre in Manila.The 35th annual Military Law and Operations Conference organised by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – running from Aug. 27-30 – is held every year in a different country in the region – but its presence in the capital of the Philippines this week was likely far from a coincidence.Since late 2023…

28 Aug 2024

New Technology Offers Early, Rapid Detection of Cylinder Liner Wear

Source: CMT

Condition monitoring solutions company CM Technologies (CMT) has developed new tools to assess the condition of lubricating oils and cylinder liners.The company’s new WBS IR Analyser is an advanced all-in-one infrared-based solution designed to assess the Base Number, soot and water content of cylinder and system oils, while the new CMT Scuffing Sensor can detect sudden and severe wear of the engine’s cylinder liners and piston rings well before other systems can see it.“Modern…

22 Aug 2024

North Sea O&G Licences Trigger Oceana UK Legal Action

Copyright mirecca/AdobeStock

Britain's decision to issue dozens of new oil and gas exploration licences is being challenged in court by a marine conservation organization, which argues ministers unlawfully failed to consider the impact on marine life.Oceana UK is taking legal action over 31 licences issued under Britain's previous government in May this year as part of the North Sea Transition Authority's latest oil and gas licensing round.An exploration licence does not necessarily result in a producing field, though environmental groups argue that expansion of oil and gas production is inconsistent with the government's