Maritime Industry Top News
Highway Construction and Engineering Ethics
Recently I came across an article that commented on the fact that many state highway departments are still promoting increased road construction. Their motivation is reduced congestion and reduced CO2 emissions due to reduced idling during congestion periods. Even tree-hugging, CO2-hating states like California are promoting increased capacity at major arteries that suffer from congestion.The article…
Boluda Grows Northern European Presence with New Acquisition
Boluda Towage has acquired Finnish harbor towage and icebreaker company Yxpila Hinaus-Bogsering (YHB), consolidating its presence in Northern Europe.The acquisitions mark another step forward in Boluda’s expansion plans as well as the entry into the Scandinavian countries by providing coverage to its clients in the Gulf of Bothnia.Operating in the ports of Kokkola, Vaasa, Raahe and Kemi, the company will add six vessels to its fleet…
High Frequency Tracking System Developed for Workboat Fleets
Nebo Global is launching its NeboFleet tracking solution for workboat fleets at the International Workboat Show, November 12, 2024.Already in operation with selected businesses in the United States and Australia, NeboFleet provides fleet managers and operational staff with a clear view of fleet and vessel status and an accurate track of where each vessel has been.Nebo Fleet is accessed via a secure online portal and app, with a self-contained, waterproof GPS tracker installed on each vessel.
Advanced Notation Awarded For Green Steel Use
ClassNK has granted the class notation ‘a-EA (GRS)’ to Bright Queen, the bulk carrier operated by NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers, certifying the use of green steel in its construction.This is the world’s first case of a notation being affixed for using green steel in a ship.For Bright Queen, built by Higaki Shipbuilding, ClassNK confirmed the use of JFE Steel Corporation’s green steel JGreeX, for which…
CORSICA linea Adopts AI Voyage Optimization Tool
Since April 2024, CORSICA linea has deployed the voyage optimization solution from French start-up Spinergie, a maritime technology company specializing in monitoring ship performance using big data and artificial intelligence (AI).CORSICA linea plans to achieve a 40% reduction in its CO2 emissions by 2030.The Voyage Optimizer is a decision-support tool that helps choose the most fuel-efficient and CO2-reducing voyage plan.
Insurer Releases Heavy Weather Alert Tool
Maritime insurance specialist The Swedish Club reports that it registered claims exceeding $25million attributable to heavy weather over the past five years. In response, it has developed a Heavy Weather Alert tool as an addition to its existing loss prevention tool.Heavy weather can cause structural damage, shifted cargo, broken mooring lines, wet damage, lost cargo overboard, and more. The Club says…
Port Milwaukee Expands Cruise Business
After a seven-year hiatus, Port Milwaukee has announced the return of Victory Cruise Lines in 2025. The cruise line will call on Milwaukee once again with the vessel Victory I which has a passenger capacity of approximately 200 people. Over 13,500 global cruise passengers visited the City of Milwaukee this year, marking another successful season for the city’s growing cruising industry.The season saw…
New Tug Delivered in Brazil
A new RAmparts 2300 series tug designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built at Estaleiro Rio Maguari (ERM) in Belém, Brazil was delivered to Sulnorte Serviços Maritimos in August 2024. SN Cariri is the seventh RAmparts 2300 built by ERM in recent months.The RAmparts 2300 series features compact yet powerful Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugboats measuring around 23 meters in length. Despite their small size…
NAT Fixes Tanker on Five-year Charter
Nordic American Tankers (NAT) announced it has secured a five-year time charter contract for one of its vessels.The NYSE-listed company did not disclose the names of the vessel and charterer, but said the contract was with a "major international energy company". The contract is expected to commence in November 2024.The charter rate is in the mid to high $30,000s, NAT said.
Ukraine Asks IMO to Monitor Odesa Ports Amid Russian Attacks
Ukraine has asked the International Maritime Organization to send a monitoring mission to ports in the southern Odesa region amid intensified Russian attacks, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday.In recent weeks, Russian troops have ramped up missile strikes on Ukraine's southern port infrastructure and damaged a total of four foreign-flagged civilian vessels since Oct. 6."Amid increased Russian terror…
NSMV Patriot State Delivered to Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) officially took custody of its new training ship Patriot State during a handover ceremony on October 11.The vessel is the second of five being built by Philly Shipyard under the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program, designed to provide a purpose-built, state-of-the-art training ships for the nation's state maritime academies.During the handover ceremony…
Offshore: Feedering for the Win(d)
With clean energy projects maturing in U.S. waters, the nation’s offshore wind industry is poised to grow substantially, requiring a robust industrial base. A feedering model using domestic tugs and barges to transport turbines to offshore wind sites, is positioned at the heart of this emerging growth.Currently, the entire global fleet of wind turbine installation vessels (WTIV)—except for Dominion Energy’s Charybdis currently under construction at the Seatrium AmFELS yard in Brownsville…
Guilty Plea in Hudson River Tragedy: Vessel Owner Admits Negligence Leading to Fatal Capsizing
Richard Cruz, owner and captain of the motor vessel Stimulus Money, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death. This plea stems from a tragic incident in July 2022 that claimed the lives of a seven-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman when the vessel capsized in the Hudson River.The announcement was made by Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Cruz appeared before U.S.
German Warship Shoots Downs Drone Off Lebanon
A German warship operating as part of the United Nations' UNIFIL peacekeeping mission shot down a drone off the coast of Lebanon on Thursday, the German defense ministry told Reuters, as unease builds over the safety of the U.N. troops in the country.UNIFIL positions have come under fire in Lebanon since Israel launched a ground operation against Hezbollah militants on Oct. 1, raising alarm among European…
Leidos Wins $248 Million Contract to Enhance US Navy Unmanned Systems
Leidos has been awarded a follow-on contract by the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC PAC) to bolster unmanned and automated systems aimed at improving maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. Valued at approximately $248 million, the contract spans five years and underscores the growing emphasis on advanced technology in naval operations."This award…
LNG Carriers Shift Away from Arctic Routes as Winter Nears
Ships carrying Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asia are returning to the longer routes around Africa's Cape of Good Hope rather than those along the Arctic shore as the winter season begins, LSEG data showed on Thursday.Russia's new Arctic LNG 2 project also lacks enough ice-class gas carriers to continue navigation along the Northern Sea Route, although some such tankers still sail it.According to LSEG data, the conventional gas tanker LNG Megrez loaded at Yamal LNG plant on Oct.
Mobro Marine Orders Spud Barges at St. Johns Ship Building
Palatka, Fla. shipbuilder St. Johns Ship Building announced it has signed a contract to construct a pair of 80 x 54 x 12 spud barges for marine equipment company Mobro Marine, based in Green Cove Springs, Fla.The spud barges, built to support various marine construction and operations, will join Mobro Marine's fleet serving across the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.“Having St. Johns Ship Building partner with us to build these barges was only natural.
NSU and Vale to Install Anemoi’s Wind-Assisted Propulsion on Ore Carrier
NS United Kaiun Kaisha (NSU) and Vale have reached an agreement to install rotor sails from Anemoi Marine Technologies on 400,000dwt-type very large ore carrier (VLOC).The VLOC NSU TUBARAO has been engaged in a long-term transportation contract between NSU and Vale since its delivery in September 2020.A rotor sail is a device for obtaining propulsion by using the pressure difference generated around a cylinder by rotating a cylindrical sail installed on the deck.
Machine Learning & Maritime: Meet Xeneta's Market Rate Outlook
'Ocean container shipping must harness the power of machine learning to protect supply chains' was an overriding message at the Xeneta Summit in Amsterdam.“While nobody can predict Covid-19 or the Red Sea Crisis, procurement professionals are constantly making decisions based on their outlook for the next few quarters," said Fabio Brocca, Chief Product Officer, Xeneta." When there is so much volatility and uncertainty across global supply chains…
UK Introduces Sanctions on Russian Oil and LNG vessels
Britain has imposed sanctions on 18 further Russian oil tankers and four liquefied natural gas vessels, the largest batch of sanctions to date against the country's so-called "shadow fleet," the government said on Thursday.Britain says the 'shadow fleet' uses illicit practices to avoid Western restrictions on Russian oil.The government said it was working with maritime authorities to demand that Russian vessels with suspected dubious insurance provide details of their insurance status as they pa
