Maritime Industry Top News
Maersk Names Charles van der Steene President for North America
A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) announced it has appointed Charles van der Steene as the new Regional President for North America, effective February 1, 2024. With the move, van der Steene will join the company’s Executive Leadership Team.A logistics industry veteran, van der Steene joined Maersk in 2011 with deep global experience in commercial leadership, operations and general management. He previously…
ABB and Norwegian Cruise Line Solidify Long-Term Partnership
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) has signed a partnership agreement with ABB to accelerate the decarbonization and digitalization of the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet.Targeting increased safety and efficiency, the agreement covers 14 existing ships and a further four vessels due for delivery from 2025 to 2028.The first phase of the partnership includes a 10-year Azipod propulsion service agreement for the fleet…
Seatrium Delivers Singapore’s First Membrane LNG Bunker Vessel
Seatrium has delivered Brassavola, Singapore’s first membrane LNG bunker vessel built locally by the group, to owner Indah Singa Maritime, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL).Following delivery, Brassavola will be chartered by Pavilion Energy to supply LNG bunker in the Port of Singapore.The vessel, which is expected to start operations in February 2024, will also be deployed by TotalEnergies…
Trafigura Assesses Red Sea Risks after Tanker Attack by Houthis
Commodities trader Trafigura said on Saturday it was assessing the security risks of further Red Sea voyages after firefighters put out a blaze on a tanker attacked by Yemen's Houthi group a day earlier.The U.S. military said a U.S. Navy ship and other vessels provided assistance after the Marlin Luanda was hit by a Houthi anti-ship missile."No further vessels operating on behalf of Trafigura are currently…
First Low-Carbon Floating Wind Installation Vessel Gets UK Funding
The UK government has awarded funding to a consortium led by Morek Engineering to design a new class of low-carbon installation vessel for the floating offshore wind market.The consortium, which includes Morek Engineering, Solis Marine Engineering, Tope Ocean, First Marine Solutions and Celtic Sea Power, won the funding through the UK Government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.The outline…
ONE Secures AiP for 3500 TEU Ammonia Dual-Fueled Vessel
Japanese container shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) has secured the Approval in Principle (AiP) for an ammonia dual-fueled vessel.The newly AiP-awarded 3,500 TEU vessel was jointly developed by ONE, Nihon Shipyard (NSY) and classification society DNV, as part of a joint development project established in late 2022 among the three parties.Along with recent investment in 12 methanol dual-fueled vessels…
Tanker Ablaze After Being Struck by Houthis in the Red Sea
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Friday stepped up attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea, including a hit on a fuel tanker operated on behalf of trading firm Trafigura that sparked a fire.Trafigura said that the fuel tanker Marlin Luanda, which was operating on its behalf, was struck by a missile as it transited the Red Sea.Firefighting equipment on board is being deployed to suppress and control the fire caused in one cargo tank on the starboard side…
Freeport LNG Unit Faces Month-long Outage
U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Freeport LNG said on Friday it expects one of three liquefaction units at its Texas plant will be out of service for about a month after it faced a technical issue during last week's Arctic freeze.This shutdown was the latest in a series of incidents at the plant since it exited an eight-month outage from June 2022 to February 2023 following a fire and explosion.Since April…
Congressmen Urge FMC to Finalize OSRA Provisions
Two U.S. Congressmen are urging the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to finalize the rule on demurrage and detention billing requirements required in their Ocean Shipping Reform Act that became law in 2022.The Ocean Shipping Reform Act was signed into law on June 16, 2022 and provides authority to the FMC to investigate ocean carriers’ business practices and apply enforcement measures following the unreasonable refusal of American exports throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.In January 2023, U.S.
China Presses Iran to Rein in Houthi Attacks in Red Sea
Chinese officials have asked their Iranian counterparts to help rein in attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis, or risk harming business relations with Beijing, four Iranian sources and a diplomat familiar with the matter said.The discussions about the attacks and trade between China and Iran took place at several recent meetings in Beijing and Tehran, the Iranian sources said, declining to provide details about when they took place or who attended."Basically…
AET Names New LNG Dual-fuel VLCC
AET, a member of the MISC Group, held a naming ceremony in Singapore for its latest liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel very large crude carrier (VLCC), Eagle Veracruz.The Singapore-flagged 300,000 dwt tanker was named by Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) Grace Fu, who is also the Lady Sponsor of the vessel. The ceremony, which was held at the PSA Keppel Terminal, also saw attendance by Teo Eng Dih…
Carnival Flags Impact to Operations Amid Red Sea Tensions
Cruise operator Carnival on Friday joined the growing list of companies flagging a potential hit to their operations following attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis."We believe that the instability in the Red Sea region currently impacting shipping could have an impact on our results of operations," Carnival said in a regulatory filing.The company's U.S.-listed shares fell nearly 2% in morning trade.The attacks…
Moran Tug Crew Honored for Rescue Efforts
The crew of Moran Towing's tug Lynne Moran has been honored for its courageous response and rescue of two stranded boaters near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on the evening of October 25, 2023.The crew has received the U.S. Coast Guard Public Service Commendation, presented by Captain O’Connell, as well as the American Waterways Operators (AWO) Honor and Excellence in Rescue Operations (HERO) Award…
Boluda Towage Starts Operations in Egypt
In January 2024, Boluda Towage commenced towage operations in the Egyptian Abu Qir’s container terminal with three tugs.Vicente Boluda Fos, President of Boluda Corporación Marítima, said, “Abu Qir is a port in full motion, and the port developments perfectly fit with the ambitions of the Boluda Towage Division. The presence in Egypt and the Middle East is a further step towards strengthening and expanding our global activities.
Østensjø Rederi Sells Multipurpose Vessel Edda Fjord
Norwegian offshore vessel operator Østensjø Rederi announced it has sold the multipurpose vessel Edda Fjord to an undisclosed buyer.The vessel was delivered to its new owners in Haugesund, Norway on January 24, 2024 and is now en route to embark on new projects in Brazil.Edda Fjord, built in 2002 by Flekkefjord Slipp og Maskinfabrikk, has operated in a number of different segments through the years and is considered the predecessor to Edda Fides and the Edda Accommodation concept…
Headway Hosts Low Carbon Solutions Themed Seminar in Singapore
Headway Technology Group, a leader in green shipping technology, hosted a seminar on January 23, 2024, at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Singapore. The event, themed "Innovation for better low carbon solution" drew more than100 delegates, including representatives from Singaporean ship owners, shipyards, designing institutes, and alternative fuel associations. The focus of the seminar was to engage…
Freight Through Suez Canal Down 45% Amid Houthi Attacks
Freight going through the Suez Canal has dropped by 45% in the two months since attacks by Yemen's Houthis led shipping groups to divert freight, disrupting already strained maritime trading routes, according to UN agency UNCTAD.UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which supports developing countries in global trade, warned of risks of higher inflation, uncertainty of food…
UKMTO: Explosions Heard and Missiles Sighted Off Yemen
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Friday a vessel positioned approximately 60 nautical miles (nm) from Yemen's city of Al Hudaydah reported an explosion heard and missiles sighted a few miles from its position.UKMTO added a further explosion at sea was sighted approximately 0.5 nm from the reporting vessel.The crew and the vessel are safe, UKMTO said.(Reuters - Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan;Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Biden Pauses New LNG Export Projects
President Joe Biden paused pending approvals of exports from new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects on Friday, a move cheered by climate activists that could delay decisions on new plants until after the November 5 election.The Department of Energy (DOE) will conduct a review during the pause that will look at the economic and environmental impacts of projects seeking approval to export LNG to Europe…
ABC Engines to Equip Jan De Nul’s Largest Cable Layer Yet
Offshore installation services company Jan De Nul has ordered methanol marine engines from ABC Engines for its new cable-laying vessel Fleeming Jenkin with ‘unrivalled cable-carrying capacity’.The order includes four 7,200 kW engines and one 1,800 kW engine that can run on (bio)diesel, HVO and methanol.Using green methanol, the engines are also climate neutral and due to the unique combination with…
