Sustainable Shipping News

The designated European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, will play a pivotal role in securing supply chains and decarbonising the shipping sector, and the World Shipping Council (WSC) welcomes the opportunity to continue its dialogue with the EU Commission.The WSC says Commissioner-designate Tzitzikostas’ list of priorities should include protecting maritime supply chains against illegal trafficking and geopolitical dangers, integrating renewable energy into the transportation system…

Amasus has signed a fresh eSAIL (suction sail) contract with Spain’s bound4blue. Under the new agreement, a 22-meter unit will be retrofitted on a 90-meter, 3,000 dwt vessel at Astander Shipyard in Santander, scheduled for mid-2025. The installation will set a new benchmark as the largest suction sail system on a general cargo vessel.Amasus sealed the deal with bound4blue after assessing the impact of its first suction sails on Eems Traveller, which has been sailing with two 17-meter eSAILs since July 2023.

Pacific International Lines (PIL) has named its first two 14,000 TEU container vessels in a ceremony at Jiangnan Shipyard in China. They are the largest vessels in PIL’s fleet as well as the first to fully run on LNG.The vessels have been named Kota Eagle and Kota Emerald, conveying PIL’s aim to be a sustainable shipping line which co-exists harmoniously with nature and the environment.The vessels will sail from the Far East to Latin America on PIL’s West Coast Central and South…

Two mechanical sails have been installed on board Jumbo's heavy lift vessel (HLV) Jumbo Jubilee. The wind assisted ship propulsion (WASP) solution is the latest in a series of innovative technologies installed to the vessel in a bid to boost fuel efficiency and cut carbon.Jumbo is committed to advancing sustainable heavy-lift shipping with innovative energy-saving and decarbonization initiatives across its fleet, said Jumbo Maritime CEO Daan Kornneef.“At Jumbo, we believe that every step towards sustainability is crucial.

Wallenius Marine has christened its newest pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) vessel, Future Way, during a ceremony in Emden, Germany on Monday.Built by CIMC Raffles in China, the new 200-meter-long ship is the first of two car carriers that will go on charter for Volkswagen between Europe and North America. The vessel's cargo capacity is equivalent to 6,500 cars, which are loaded and unloaded efficiently through a center ramp system consisting of a long ramp serving all decks.The…

Varuna Marine Services, a provider of maritime solutions, has launched of a product designed to support compliance with the FuelEU Maritime initiative at the SMM Hamburg 2024 event.Varuna Marine Services' FuelEU Maritime solution is integrated into its CyberSmart platform, offering features for optimized fuel management, real-time emissions monitoring, and advanced data analytics.The company’s flagship platform, CyberSmart, leverages AI and machine learning to streamline maritime operations…

WE Tech Solutions informs it has received an order from Sirius Shipping for a hybrid electric system for their new chemical tankers. For this order, WE Tech Solutions will provide the Solution Four for the tanker pair. This solution is based on a battery hybrid shaft generator solution. The solution makes it possible to run the main motor at variable speed, and the propulsion machinery can be operated at optimal duty points at all vessel speeds. The electrical network is also generated by the shaft generator. Therefore, there is no need to run auxiliary engines and generators when sailing.

Swiss marine power company WinGD has teamed up with global shipping line CMA CGM to test its Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) technology for dual-fuel engines onboard one of CMA CGM’s vessels.The collaboration marks the first field test for the new dual-fuel engine technology and follows successful factory tests showing significant efficiency improvements with both diesel and LNG fuel.The CMA CGM project comprises a long-term, full-scale test to confirm operability and reliability.Onboard testing is expected to begin following the dry-docking of the vessel in September…

The lead ship of Höegh Autoliners' Aurora class, Höegh Aurora, was delivered at a naming ceremony at China Merchants Heavy Industry’s (CMHI) shipyard in Jiangsu, China, on Tuesday.The newbuild is the first of 12 Aurora Class vessels being built by CMHI. Featuring 14 decks—including five liftable decks—the ship can carry up to 9,100 CEU, making it the world's largest pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) vessel. With enhanced decks and ramps, the vessel is designed to carry electric vehicles on all decks…

Shipowner Lomar, part of the Libra Group, announced it is working to develop autonomous, low- or zero-emission cargo vessels using large kite systems as the main method of propulsion.Lomar said its corporate venture lab, lomarlabs, has signed a collaboration agreement with maritime deep-tech start-up CargoKite for the project,. which aims to enable low or zero-emission transportation as the global shipping industry explores pathways to decarbonize.The CargoKite technology is a spin-off from Munich’s Technical University and will be further enhanced through the partnership…

Hamburg-based heavy lift shipping company United Heavy Lift held a naming ceremony for its newest heavy lift ship, UHL Fable.Built at the CSSC Hudong shipyard in Shanghai over a relatively short period of time, the newbuild is the 19th and final vessel in United Heavy Lift's F900 Eco-Lifter series. The construction time from keel laying in July 2023 to delivery to the German bridge crew led by Captain Karsten Strotmann and his first officer Pit Awe in April 2024 was just nine months.Measuring about 150 meters long…

Norwegian-headquartered NAVTOR announced it has acquired specialist software development company Masterloop.“Masterloop provides another piece of the digital puzzle as we continue our mission to make life easier, safer and more profitable for shipping companies worldwide,” said Tor Svanes, NAVTOR Founder and CEO. “The team’s industrial IoT strength and maritime understanding, highlighted by their Bluekey vessel efficiency application, will feed into our drive to enhance our portfolio with intelligent…

Damen Shipyards has partnered up with Atal Solutions and other parties to retrofit four bulk carriers for Bam Shipping with fuel-saving and emission reduction technologies.The industry partners will integrate eight different proven technologies, which will result in bulk carriers consuming at least 20% less fuel and reducing up to 99% greenhouse gases (GHG).The increased efficiency paves the way for these and other existing vessels to sail in compliance with recent regulations such as the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII).Additionally…

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…

International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Publications has launched the fifth edition of Shipping and the Environment: A Guide to Environmental Compliance.This latest edition offers comprehensive updates and expanded insights into the intricate relationship between shipping operations and environmental protection.The fifth edition is a definitive guide, providing a holistic introduction to companies and crew members navigating this complex subject matter. Recognising the need for accessibility…

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

Compliance, performance, profitability, sustainability; take the biggest ‘pain points’ for almost any shipping company and watch NAVTOR’s digital ecosystem work wonders. Here Tor Svanes, Founder and CEO, explains how NAVTOR has grown to lead the smart shipping world, why the recent merger with Voyager Worldwide was so critical, and how he hopes to help steer the industry towards brighter, simpler, and more intelligent horizons.“The morning of the announcement I got a text from the boss of one of our biggest competitors…

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…

Global container shipping line Evergreen Marine Corporation has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with X-Press Feeders, the world’s largest independent common carrier, to place its containers on X-Press Feeders’ new dual fuel green methanol vessels. X-Press Feeders is planning to run these vessels on green methanol and operate them within Europe.The two companies moreover will work together to launch a feeder network, which will be the first in Europe to be powered by green methanol.Initially…

Aker Arctic’s CEO Reko-Antti Suojanen announced he will leave his position in the company, while he and the Board of Aker Arctic have agreed that he will continue in his position as CEO until of January 31, 2024.Suojanen has benn CEO of Aker Arctic for 10 years, and the Board has commenced the search process to hire his successor. “We have developed and designed worldclass icebreakers and other ice going vessels and reached a position as the leading company in this segment. The company’s financial situation is excellent…

In a climate of increasing complexity, with new regulations, environmental concerns and commercial considerations, how can owners and operators control their fleets, and futures, from dry land? NAVTOR’s Tor Håkon Svanes believes the answer lies in innovation and integration – developing solutions that evolve in line with the needs of a dynamic global industry.“There are smarter ways to do things.”Tor Håkon Svanes, the NavFleet Product Manager at NAVTOR, is referring to a recent chat with a new customer.The unnamed fleet manager…

Swedish shipping company Erik Thun has ordered four new vessels, including two methanol-ready coastal tankers and two next-generation multi-purpose dry cargo vessels.The vessels will be built by Shipsveerf Ferus Smit in the Netherlands, bringing the current orderbook from Shipveerf Ferus Smit up to 14 vessels.The contracts cover two multi-purpose dry cargo vessels with 5100 mts dwt and Ice class 1B, which are next generation Lake Vanern Max fit for operating Lake Vänern in Sweden.The…

As the IMO prepares for negotiations on regulations to support net-zero by 2050 at MEPC 81 in March, the World Shipping Council (WSC) has proposed a greenhouse gas pricing mechanism it calls the Green Balance Mechanism.The aim is to provide a new approach to greenhouse gas pricing which makes it possible to close the price gap between fossil fuels and green fuels, at the lowest possible overall cost:• Through the Green Balance Mechanism, fees are taken from fossil fuels and allocated to green fuels used…