Maritime Industry Top News
GAO: Coast Guard Should Address Workforce Recruitment and Retention Challenges
The Coast Guard has struggled for years to recruit and retain a sufficient workforce. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the non-partisan, fact-based arm of the Congress, has published multiple reports related to the Coast Guard’s workforce including recruitment and retention challenges. Three of these reports published in 2022 and 2023 have resulted in 17 GAO recommendations to address these issues, but as of today, 16 remain open and need to be addressed.
Congo’s First LNG Cargo to Set Sail in Coming Days
The first LNG cargo from Eni's Congo LNG project is currently being loaded and will sail to Piombino’s regasification terminal in Italy in the coming days.With the first cargo, the Republic of the Congo enters the group of LNG exporting countries, opening up opportunities for economic growth while contributing to global energy balance.The Congo LNG project, sanctioned in December 2022, came on stream after just one year…
NYK Receives ClassNK Certification for Offshore Wind CTV Training
NYK has secured certification from ClassNK for Japan’s first training program for crew members of offshore wind industry crew transfer vessels (CTVs).The training is scheduled to be conducted at the Akita School of Wind and Sea training center in Oga City, Akita Prefecture, from April - offering three programs in total.The certification from Class NK is for simulator-based training for operating CTVs…
Red Sea Ship Attacks Hit Regional Economies
“During the first seven weeks of 2024, cargo volumes to and from ports in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea declined 21% y/y. The number of ships arriving in these ports significantly declined as merchant shipping increasingly avoided transiting through the region due to concerns over attacks on ships by the Houthis,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Since November 2023, Houthi forces have attacked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Constucution Starts on 10 Incat Crowther Ferries for Majestic Fleet
Singapore’s Majestic Fast Ferry Pte Ltd has commissioned Incat Crowther to design a new second generation 39-m passenger ferry as the basis of its future fleet. Incat Crowther’s range with PT Cahaya Samudra covers four vessels lengths; 29-, 32-, 39- and 42-m.
Damen, Portuguese Navy Co-Develop Multi-Purpose Support Ship (MPSS)
Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled a new ship design based on modern defense and security requirements. The Multi-Purpose Support Ship (MPSS) has been co-developed with the Portuguese Navy, the vessel’s launching customer. It is a solution for the increasing use of drone technology in combat and surveillance. In addition to its primary function, the MPSS is designed to fulfil a wide range of additional tasks…
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Orders Four More Dual-Fuel Carrier Vessels
Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the world’s largest RoRo vessel operator, has declared options to build four additional next-generation Shaper Class pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) vessels. The 9,300 CEU methanol dual fuel vessels can utilize alternative fuel sources, such as methanol, upon delivery.They will also be ammonia-ready and able to be converted as soon as ammonia becomes available in a safe and…
New Fuel Supply System Set to Ease Ammonia Adoption by Shipping Industry
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, has introduced a new ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS) for ships able to operate with ammonia fuel.The system is available for both liquid and gaseous fuel, enabling the use of ammonia as a marine fuel, according to Wärtsilä.In line with shipping’s transition to decarbonized fuels, ammonia is widely seen as one of the most promising new fuel candidates.
IMO’s PPR11 Agrees Guidance on Key Environmental Issues
The IMO’s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) agreed new guidance on several key environmental issues.Meeting from February 19 to 23, 2024, the following guidance will now be submitted to the Marine Environment Protection Committee for approval this March (MEPC 81) and October (MEPC 82):• the safe transport of plastic pellets by sea• best practices for cutting black carbon emissions…
Pelagus 3D and Doosan Enerbility Forge Additive Manufacturing Alliance
Pelagus 3D, a joint venture company of thyssenkrupp and Wilhelmsen, and Doosan Enerbility signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the adoption of on-demand additive manufacturing (AM) in Korea’s maritime and offshore industries.The MOU was signed by Kenlip Ong, Chief Executive Officer of Pelagus 3D, and Yongjin Song, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Innovation of Doosan Enerbility…
Svitzer Reports 2023 Revenue Growth of 6%
Towage and marine services company Svitzer has published its 2023 annual report, showing that total revenue grew 6% to DKK 5,786 million driven by, among other things, a record number of harbour towage tug jobs of more than 150,000.Adjusted for foreign exchange impact, total revenue grew 9.5%. Operating profit (EBITDA) was up 4% to DKK 1,690 million, corresponding to an EBITDA margin of 29.2%. In the past five years…
Oil Spotted at Bonaire's East Coast
Oil stains possibly coming from neighboring Tobago have reached the island of Bonaire, local media said on Monday, prompting authorities to begin organizing protection to beaches and mangrove areas.Since an oil spill from a capsized vessel was first spotted by Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard on Feb. 7, it has blackened the Caribbean nation's beaches and is threatening other countries, including Grenada and Bonaire…
Greek Frigate Departs to Join EU Red Sea Mission
Greece's frigate Hydra departed for the Red Sea on Monday to participate in a mission to protect merchant ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia, a defense ministry official said.Earlier on Monday, the Greek government approved the country's participation in the European Union naval mission dubbed Eunavfor Aspides in the Red Sea.Many commercial shippers have diverted vessels following attacks by the Houthis who control much of Yemen and say they are acting in solidarity with th
US Coast Guard Announces New Merchant Mariner Credential
The U.S. Coast Guard announced a new merchant mariner credential (MMC) set to launch on March 1, 2024, marking the first comprehensive revision of the mariner credential in nearly a decade.The Coast Guard is the exclusive source of U.S. MMCs, which are required for U.S. mariners who serve on commercially operated vessels such as passenger boats, tug and barges, offshore supply vessels, and deep draft…
Herculaneum Port Site Cleared for Redevelopment as Intermodal Hub
A 300-acre property along the Mississippi River in Herculaneum, Missouri recently received Port District zoning making way for redevelopment as an intermodal transportation hub and industrial park.Located on the shipping lanes of the Mississippi River, the site has been utilized since the 1700s as a port. With its easy access for barge loading and offloading and the site’s proximity to early lead mines in adjacent Washington County…
Spain's Ports See Goods Traffic Rise as Red Sea Crisis Continues
The volume of goods moving through Spain's top ports rose by as much as 25% in January as attacks on shipping in the Red Sea caused companies to divert Europe-bound vessels around southern Africa instead.Spain's northern ports have also seen volumes in transit jump by up to triple as traders opt to avoid moving goods by truck through Europe because of widespread blockades by farmers, Spanish retail…
Will 2024 Settle the Turbulence of US Offshore Wind?
There is no denying that 2023 was a challenging year for the U.S. offshore wind market. Citing macroeconomic factors including high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks, Ørsted announced on October 31 that they were ceasing the development of the Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects, which were scheduled for construction off the coast of New Jersey. Unfortunately, the troubling news has continued into the new year…
Eighth 24,188 TEU Ship Joins OOCL's Fleet
Hong Kong based ocean carrier Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) announced it has taken delivery of its eighth 24,188 TEU containership, OOCL Abu Dhabi.The vessel is the fourth in a series of six 24,188 TEU newbuilds to be delivered to OOCL by the Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. (DACKS) shipyard in China. The ultra large containership is 400 meters long and 61.3 meters wide.OOCL Abu Dhabi was officially named during a ceremony at the shipyard on February 25.
Officials Urge EPA to Remove Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' from the Hudson River
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand earlier this month stood with local leaders and environmental advocates at Albany City Hall to demand that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) take additional action to clean up polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) “forever chemicals” in the Hudson River.PCBs are toxic manmade chemicals that can linger in water and soil for decades. Exposure is associated with a variety of serious health conditions…
USS Hershel “Woody” Williams Maintenance Completed in Croatia
The Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) completed its routine planned maintenance in Rijeka, Croatia Feb. 8, 2024 at Viktor Lenac Shipyard.Military Sealift Command, Europe and Africa (MSCEURAF) and Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) executed the ship’s planned Mid-Term Availability (MTA), a depot-level maintenance period, to maintain safety…