Maritime Industry Top News
Houthis Keep Up Pressure with Near Miss on US-flagged Tanker
Yemen's Houthis fired a missile that likely targeted the Torm Thor in the Gulf of Aden on Feb. 24 but missed the U.S.-flagged oil tanker, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday, as the Iran-aligned militia steps up attacks on ships.Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated Houthi drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait since November in support of Palestinians in Gaza. U.S.
Great Eastern Buys MR Tanker
The Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited announced it has contracted to buy a medium range (MR) product tanker of about 49,999 dwt on February 14, 2024. The 2010-built vessel is expected to join the company’s fleet by Q1 FY25.The proposed ship will be financed entirely from internal accruals, the Mumbai-based company said, noting that the purchase is part of a wider effort to modernize and expand its fleet.Excluding the newly acquired vessel…
UK Chamber of Shipping names Hatcher Chief Executive
The UK Chamber of Shipping announced the appointment of Rhett Hatcher as its next chief executive, replacing Sarah Treseder.Hatcher has recently retired from the Royal Navy. He brings with him a broad wealth of experience. His last role was as the UK National Hydrographer and Deputy Chief Executive at the UK Hydrographic Office. He gained a thorough understanding of Whitehall while in senior appointments at the Ministry of Defense…
Mauritius Stops Norwegian Cruise Line Ship from Docking, Cites Health Risk
Mauritius stopped a ship belonging to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings from docking at its ports due to what it said was a health risk and took samples from about 15 passengers who were in isolation on board, its port authority said on Sunday.The Norwegian Dawn had been scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday, but since it had not gone to Reunion Island, it arrived in Port Louis a day earlier, the…
US Coast Guard Boards Chinese Fishing Boats Near Kiribati
The U.S. Coast Guard and Kiribati police boarded two Chinese fishing boats during a patrol against illegal fishing in the Pacific Islands nation's vast exclusive economic zone this month but found no issues aboard, a coast guard official said.The United States is seeking a bigger role for its coast guard in helping remote Pacific Islands nations monitor millions of kilometres of ocean - a rich tuna…
Caribbean Officials Search for Missing Couple After Yacht Hijacking
Police from two countries in the eastern Caribbean are investigating the possible murder of two people believed to be U.S. citizens who owned a catamaran that was hijacked by three fugitives in the waters off the island of Grenada.The yacht's alleged owners, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, were last seen Sunday night, when three men escaped from the custody of Grenadian authorities. Police in St. Vincent…
Ignazio Messina & C Adds Secondhand Containership to Its Fleet
Ignazio Messina & C announced it has taken delivery of a secondhand 4,400 TEU containership, now renamed Jolly Clivia.Built in 2010 at the South Korea's Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, the vessel measures 262 meters in length by 32 meters in width, and was previously owned by a German company.The ship will now set sail from Singapore toward Europe with scheduled calls at Mundra (India), Jebel Ali Dubai (United Arab Emirates)…
New Agreement to Kickstart Salem Offshore Wind Terminal
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Crowley Wind Services and the City of Salem announced the transfer of ownership and an agreement for site improvements and ongoing operations for the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal.The agreement will kickstart the transformation of the site into the second port built specifically to support the construction of offshore wind farms in Massachusetts. The…
Many Different Vessels but One Goal – Passenger Safety
Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly…
Swire Shipping Opens Branch Office in Japan
Swire Shipping commemorated the opening of its new Japan branch office in Tokyo on February 21,2024 with an event at The Palace Hotel in Tokyo, marking Swire Shipping’s official return to Japan with a physical presence.A highlight of the evening was the Kagami-biraki ceremony – the customary breaking open of a sake barrel – a tradition steeped in respect and appreciation. Esteemed long-serving former employees of Swire…
Roll Group Adds Two Ships
Roll Group will add two vessels from the global logistics company, KMC Line, commencing in the second half of 2025. The vessels will be renamed Bigroll KMC Beaumont and Bigroll KMC Busan, giving the heavy cargo carrier a larger fleet of 10 heavy transport project vessels. KMC Line, founded in 1989 and based in Korea, specializes in steel shipping, bulk carriers, heavy cargo shipping industries, and agency work.
Helsinghof to Take the Helm at Viking in June
Viking Life-Saving Equipment A/S appointed Henrik Helsinghof as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective from June 1, 2024.The appointment follows the death of former CEO Henrik Uhd Christensen in January following a short illness. Helsinghof had previously been identified by Christensen and the VIKING Board of Directors as a possible successor.Helsinghof began his career in VIKING in 2006 as student assistant and remained with the company for 14 years…
Glamox to Light Up PGS’ Seismic Vessels
Lighting solutions specialist Glamox has won a contract from PGS to provide marine LED lighting for eight of its vessels that undertake seismic surveys of the seabed.This first phase of the major retrofit project will involve replacing fluorescent tube lighting with around 2,500 marine-certified LED luminaires fitted on the exterior and interior of the eight vessels.PGS’s switch to energy-efficient LED lighting is being driven by its desire to comply with emission reduction targets…
DP World and Masdar Team Up to Power Port Operations with Renewables
DP World has signed a partnership agreement with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to explore and implement renewable energy systems across its global port operations in the Middle East and Africa.The agreement aims to facilitate the widespread adoption of renewable energy and battery energy storage systems (BESS) within DP World’s global supply chain.Over the course of the three-year partnership…
Solstad Scoops $7M for Two AHTS Vessels
Norwegian vessel owner Solstad Offshore has sold two anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels, securing a profit of approximately $7.1 million for the transaction.The AHTS vessels, Far Sound and Far Scimitar, have been in layup in Asia since 2016 and 2018.Fars Sound is a 2007-built AHTS, with the length of 78.1 meters and of UT 712 L design.Far Scimitar is of the same design, with 78.3 length. It was built in 2008.The sale was made through Solstad Reder…
QatarEnergy Expanding North Field LNG Development
QatarEnergy has announced that it is proceeding with a new LNG expansion project, the “North Field West” project, to raise the nation’s LNG production capacity to 142 million tons per annum (MTPA) before the end of this decade.This represents an increase of almost 85% from current production levels.Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and CEO of QatarEnergy, made the announcement during a press conference on Sunday.
Ship Recycling Market Faces Tonnage Shortage
Global ship recycling markets are now being exclusively driven by the relentless and futile shortage of tonnage that is expected to continue until Spring (at the very least), says cash buyer GMS.“The much-anticipated rebound in global recycling volumes that so many in our industry had been waiting (hoping) for before the turn of the year, has unfortunately failed to materialize.”Markets in Turkey and India remain well off the competitive pace…
IMO Finalizes Arctic Pollution Prevention Guideline Drafts
The IMO Pollution Prevention and Response Sub-Committee PPR 11 was held February 19-23, and agreement was reached on guidance for the prevention of pollution in the Arctic marine environment.The guidance will now be presented to the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).Lloyd’s Register reports the following was agreed at PPR 11:• Draft guidance on best practice for goal-based control…
Armada Technologies Wins Hull Lubrication Contract with CoolCo
Armada Technologies has secured a hull lubrication contract with LNG carrier company Cool Company Ltd (CoolCo).Under the partnership, Armada will design, engineer, procure, and provide support for the installation and commissioning of its air lubrication system on a CoolCo vessel scheduled to dry dock in 2024. Once commissioned, CoolCo will conduct sea trials and provide documentation to Armada, following ISO or ITTC guidance…
Xeneta Appoints Chief Product Officer
Fabio Brocca after being appointed Chief Product Officer at ocean and air freight rate benchmarking platform, Xeneta.Brocca was previously Head of Product for Global Transportation Technology at Amazon.“Amazon showed me the importance of working backwards from the customer and how a best-in-class tech company is run.“When you are transforming an industry, you must think long term. What we think is needed today may not be what’s needed tomorrow…