Alfa Laval Inks Deal for Ammonia Fuel Supply System

Alfa Laval has signed its first contract for the ammonia fuel supply system, FCM Ammonia.The FCM Ammonia will be installed on a CSSC Huangpu Wenchong shipyard in China for ship owner Tianjin Southwest Maritime (TSM). The installation will commence with three 25,000-cu. m. vessels, followed by four 41,000 cu. m. vessels.The FCM Ammonia contract follows testing and development conducted in close collaboration with WinGD. In December 2024, testing of the full fuel supply system, fuel valve train…
Sanctions Bite, Drive Cost of Russian Oil Shipments Soaring

The trade of Russian oil for March-loading in Asia has slowed significantly as a growing gap between buyer and seller expectations in China has emerged. This disconnect comes amid rising costs for chartering non-sanctioned tankers following new U.S. sanctions, according to traders and shipping data.Fresh sanctions imposed by Washington on January 10 targeting Russia's oil supply chain have caused tanker freight rates to surge. Many buyers and ports in China and India are avoiding ships affected by the sanctions…
Singapore Achieved Record Growth in 2024

Singapore’s annual vessel arrival tonnage, total tonnage of ships under the Singapore flag, container throughput, total bunker sales and sales of alternative bunker fuels, reached new highs in 2024. Cargo throughput handled at the port of Singapore also increased in 2024.The annual vessel arrival tonnage in the port of Singapore grew by 0.6%, reaching a new record of 3.11 billion gross tonnage (GT), up from 3.09 billion GT in 2023. The key shipping categories - bulk carriers, container ships and tankers - each accounting for close to a third…
Engine Maker Banks Ammonia Engine Orders for Chinese Gas Carriers

WinGD won additional orders for its ammonia-fuelled X-DF-A engine design in the growing ammonia carrier market. The engines, to be built at Yuchai Marine Power Co, will be delivered for a total of seven 25,000 cu. m. and 41,000 cu. m. LPG/ammonia carriers ordered by Tianjin Southwest Shipping. The vessels will deploy 5- and 6-cylinder versions of the 52-bore X-DF-A engines and are scheduled to enter service from Q3 2026.The orders will be built by Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, a shipyard with strong experience in the construction of small- and medium-sized gas carriers.
Azerbaijan-managed Vessel Is First to Head to China Via Northern Sea Route

An oil tanker managed by an Azerbaijan-based firm is travelling the Northern Sea Route to China for the first time, taking a route so far dominated by vessels managed by Russian shipping giant Sovcomflot, according to LSEG data and two traders.The vessel Prisma is managed by a private company Vista Vvave Shipmanagement based in Azerbaijan, one of the traders said, citing the vessel's documents.Moscow wants to increase traffic via the Northern Sea Route (NSR), which runs from Murmansk near Russia's border with Norway eastwards to the Bering Strait near Alaska…
China’s Largest Ports Suited to Green Shipping Corridors

A new study from the International Council on Clean Transportation has investigated the feasibility of establishing green shipping corridors for China’s coastal shipping.The researchers assessed whether the ships could be powered by renewable hydrogen, methanol, ammonia or batteries without the need to refuel en route. They concluded that the technological feasibility of applying renewable marine fuels on China’s coastal shipping routes is high, and three routes were identified as potential first mover candidates for green shipping corridors.These routes were two interregional routes…
United Heavy Lift Names New Vessel UHL Fable

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…
China Starts Regular Sea Ice Forecasts for Northeast Passage

A Chinese radio station on Monday started broadcasts on Arctic sea ice conditions off Russia's coast for vessels sailing the Northeast Passage, as China seeks to further utilise the world's northernmost routes as alternatives to the Suez Canal.Arctic sea routes are increasingly being used as an alternative global trade route connecting the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean to major economies as global warming shrinks ice packs and also allows for longer ice-free periods for vessels.China…
Estonia Says China Has Not Responded to Subsea Cables Probe Request

Estonia's state prosecutor said China has not responded to a six-month-old request for help with an investigation into a Chinese ship which Estonia suspects cut two of its subsea telecoms cables.The two cables connecting Estonia to Finland and Sweden were damaged on Oct 7-8, and an Estonia-Finland gas pipeline was broken the same night, hurting energy security and raising alarm bells in the wider region.Both Estonia, which is investigating the cables damage, and Finland, which is looking into the Balticconnector gas pipeline…
Second Generation Intelligent Tugs Delivered to Tianjin Port

Tianjin Port has held a naming ceremony for its two latest RAmparts 3500 ASD tugs, Jingang Lun 36 and Jingang Lun 37, designed by Robert Allan Ltd.During a six-day extensive sea trial, Jingang Lun 36 and Jingang Lun 37 completed comprehensive self-control auto navigation tests which included automatic searching, approaching, and accompanying a target vessel at sea.The tugs were designed and constructed to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of CCS. This is reportedly…
Tianjin Port Adds Two New 'Intelligent' Tugs

China's Tianjin Port last month held a naming ceremony for its two latest "intelligent" tugs, Jingang Lun 36 and Jingang Lun 37.The new RAmparts 3500 ASD tugs were designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built by Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard, and their delivery makr sthe culmination of a project initiated between the designer and the port technical department back in 2022.The 34.6-meter-long (LOA) vessels are the second generation of intelligent tugs for the port as part of the ambitious plan to create an intelligent port.
2023 a Record Setting Year for Singapore

Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Transport, announced a record year in 2023 at a Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations event.The annual vessel arrival tonnage in the Port of Singapore crossed three billion gross tonnage (GT) for the first time, increasing by 9.4% over 2022 and setting a high of 3.09 billion GT in 2023. This reflects growth in all segments, including container ships, dry bulk carriers, liquid bulk and chemical tankers, ferries and specialised vessels…
LNG Carrier Loses Power, Unable to Leave Terminal

Shipments of LNG from Australia Pacific LNG have come to a halt after a loaded tanker docked at the site lost power, operator ConocoPhillips and co-owner Origin Energy said on Tuesday.So far two LNG cargoes have been delayed, and Origin warned "it expected that more LNG cargoes will be deferred", as the stricken vessel was blocking other tankers from entering the facility on Curtis Island off Australia's east coast.APLNG, which has a capacity of 9 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG…
ASGARD: Developing an Anti-Spoofing Weapon

Saab and GMV are collaborating in ASGARD, an EU-funded project that aims to improve maritime security when using GNSS and OSNMA. The project addresses the growing threat of GNSS spoofing and other cyberattacks on navigation systems used in the maritime industry.The ASGARD project, run by Saab and GMV, is an ambitious European Union (EU) initiative that aims to develop advanced technologies to improve Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) security in maritime environments.
LPG: Dual-Fuel Engines Prove Their Worth

BW LPG has demonstrated the value of dual-fuel LPG operations beyond the company’s initial aim of meeting IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap regulations.In October 2020, the LPG carrier BW Gemini became the first very large gas carrier (VLGC) to have its low-speed main engine converted to an LPG dual-fuel engine. The project started several years earlier, sparked by Oslo-listed BW LPG’s preparations for the IMO’s 2020 Sulphur Cap regulations.Compared to heavy fuel oil, LPG reduces Sox emissions by approximately 97%…
BV Grants AiP for Bulk Carrier Carbon Capture Project

Bureau Veritas (BV) has delivered an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings, a Hong Kong shipowner, for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project onboard two of its vessels.Partnering in the project is Qiyao Environmental Technology, a subsidiary of Shanghai Marine Diesel Engine Research Institute.The AiP follows a joint study which validated the technical feasibility of using CCS technology on existing vessels. Wah Kwong provided two vessels from its fleet for the study: a 53…
CIMAC World Congress Elects New President, Board
At the 30th CIMAC World Congress, the new president and the new board have been elected. New President is Rick Boom. He follows to Prof. Jin, Donghan who, as past president, remains member of the Board. In a brief inaugural statement, the new president-elect Rick Boom thanked his predecessor Donghan Jin for leading the organization through the difficult period of the pandemic and congratulated him on his successful leadership. Climate change and the associated challenges posed enormous challenges for the large engine industry, which must be met, Rick Boom said.
US Calls on Iran to Release Tanker Seized in Gulf of Oman

Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in sensitive Gulf waters since 2019.Iran's army said it had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat, injuring several crewmen, Iranian state media reported."Two members of the boat's crew are missing and several were injured due to the collision of the ship with the boat," an army statement said.The U.S.
Tankers Face Delays at China's Shandong as Customs Hold Up Mislabelled Cargoes

Tankers delivering to ports in China's Shandong province are facing delays discharging their oil due to orders for tighter customs inspection checks after several Iranian cargoes were declared as diluted bitumen, traders said.Crude oil, unlike bitumen, is subject to strict import quotas and dozens of oil tankers were being inspected since last week, after customs authorities were given instructions in late March to step up checks. The delays at the terminals could cause further reductions in already low operating rates among the independent refiners in Shandong…
Tianjin Southwest Maritime to Convert LPG Carrier Pair for Dual-fuel Operations

MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division, MAN PrimeServ, has announced the signing of a contract to retrofit two LPG carriers for Tianjin Southwest Maritime Ltd. – the Chinese liquefied-gas carrier operator. The COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Guangdong) yard will host the respective conversions of the individual MAN B&W 6G60ME-C engines aboard the ‘Gas Gemini’ and ‘Gas Aquarius’ to dual-fuel MAN B&W 6G60ME-LGIP units capable of running on LPG. The two vessels will be retrofitted in parallel, beginning May 30, 2023.PrimeServ will jointly carry out the work with CMS (CSSC Marine Service Co.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen's New RoRo Vessel Nabucco Named in Sweden

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has recently celebrated the naming ceremony of the RoRo vessel MV Nabucco at the Port of Gothenburg.The ceremony was live-streamed from Gothenburg, with only a select group attending due to the recent increase in Covid cases. MV Nabucco is the last in a line of four HERO class sister ships, Wallenius Wilhelmsen said.To signify the vessel’s sustainable features, and the company’s ambitious sustainability agenda, a bottle-shaped ice sculpture was smashed against the hull…
Wallenius Wilhelmsen's Final HERO Car Carrier Delivered

Norwegian shipowner Wallenius Wilhelmsen said it has taken delivery of Nabucco, the fourth and final vessel in a series of new high-efficiency RoRo (HERO) car carriers.The highly efficient post-Panamax vessels, built by China's Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding, are each 200 meters long, with capacity of a LCTC and capability similar to a Mark IV. Nabucco and sister ships Tannhauser, Titus and Traviatahas each have capacity to carry 7,700 vehicles.The newly-delivered Nabucco has started…
Ship of the Month: Mercy Ships and the Quest to Build Global Mercy

Mercy Ships is known globally for its charitable work performing medical procedures in developing countries. For the first time, the organization has a new ship, Global Mercy, recently delivered from a shipyard in China. Jim Paterson, Marine Executive Consultant, Mercy Ships takes Maritime Reporter & Engineering News inside the construction of the world’s largest civilian hospital ship.Jim Paterson already had a career and Chief Engineer’s Certificate when he joined Mercy Ships nearly 34 years ago, in search of a life change to make a difference.