Maritime Industry Top News
Russian Strikes on Ukraine's Ports Push Insurance Rates Up
A series of Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian Black Sea port infrastructure and commercial vessels has led to a jump in insurance costs and forced some shipowners to cancel bookings, insurance sources and a broker said on Thursday.Russian ballistic missiles attacked the port infrastructure of Ukraine's southern Odesa region on Wednesday, becoming the third such attack in the past four days."Russia is deliberately intensifying its attacks on the port infrastructure of the Ukrainian south.
Drought Blocks Shipping in Northern Brazil Grains Corridor
Brazilian port terminal group Amport said on Thursday that grains transport through the Tapajos waterway has come to a halt as a severe drought hit northern Brazil and lowered the river's water levels.Tapajos, which links Brazil's central and north regions, is a key corridor to transport grains from agricultural heartlands in states, including Mato Grosso, Brazil's top soy producer, to ports in the Amazon region.Amport, which represents firms such as Cargill and Louis Dreyfus, told Reuters that
KPI OceanConnect targets more ports for marine biofuel sales
Marine fuel trading house KPI OceanConnect is looking to offer biofuel for bunkering at more ports, in view of higher demand as FuelEU regulations kick in next year, a senior executive said on the sidelines of SIBCON 2024 this week.The company is expanding its marine biofuel trade to 120 ports, up from about 70 ports previously, said Jesper Sorensen, global head of alternative fuels and carbon markets.The company has delivered more than 300 biofuel stems to over 80 clients to date…
Two More 'Project Blue' Vessels Under Construction for American Cruise Lines
American Cruise Lines announced the construction of American Maverick and American Ranger, the seventh and eighth vessels in the company’s Project Blue series of small ships for the U.S. market. Both vessels are slated to begin cruising in 2026, directly following the 2025 debuts of American Patriot, American Pioneer and new riverboat American Encore (2026).American’s Project Blue series began with four 100-passenger Coastal Cats introduced in 2023 and 2024.
Can a Cruise Vessel Really Be Zero Emission? Hurtigruten Says 'Yes'
Hurtigruten released updated plans for its Sea Zero project, a zero-emission ship scheduled to debut in 2030 which is now in its R&D phase. The ship, as designed today, will lean on large batteries, sails, and other solutions to sail emission-free during normal operation, while energy consumption could be reduced by 40-50%.Hurtigruten announced its Sea Zero project in October 2022, and unveiled its first set of renderings in summer 2023.
OMV Petrom Orders Field Support Vessel for Black Sea Gas Field
Romanian integrated energy company OMV Petrom has signed a shipbuilding contract with Green Yard Kleven for the construction of a Field Support Vessel that will operate for the Neptun Deep project.Neptun Deep is the largest natural gas project in the Romanian Black Sea and the first deepwater offshore project in Romania, under development, with expected contribution to the country’s security of energy supply.The assignment starts immediately…
EV Car Carrying Vessel sports AI-Powered Anomaly Detection
ClassNK granted its ‘AFVC(FD)(EV)’*1 notation to Positive Challenger, a car carrier operated by Eastern Car Liner Ltd., and managed by ECL Shipmanagement Limited, for vessels equipped with additional firefighting measures for transporting electric vehicles (EVs).Shipping companies are implementing various measures to address EV fires, which raise concerns due to difficulties in extinguishing and the risk of re-ignition.
French Look Into e-Methanol Produced from Green Hydrogen for Maritime Decarbonization
Green hydrogen producer Lhyfe and low-carbon molecules specialist Elyse Energy have set out plans to jointly develop the production of e-methanol from green hydrogen at Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port area in France.The project, known as Green Coast, will be developed the heart of the Loire estuary’s industrial and logistics port ecosystem, to produce e-methanol – one of the key fuels for the decarbonization of maritime transport industry.In late 2023…
Schottel to Propel World’s First Autonomous Electric Ferries
A series of four zero-emission and autonomous ferries, to be built by Turkish Tersan shipyard for Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1, will be propelled by Schottel’s EcoPellers.The double-ended vessels will be the first of their kind in the world, with Norwegian HAV Design tasked to deliver the ship design and an engineering package.Two electrically driven Schottel EcoPellers type SRE 340 will be installed…
New LNG Bunker Vessel for TotalEnergies LNG Bunkering Ops
TotalEnergies signed a charter contract with Spanish shipowner Ibaizabal for a new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunker vessel of 18,600m3 capacity.This additional vessel might be deployed in Oman, where the company is developing the Marsa LNG project with the objective to provide LNG to the shipping sector in the Gulf.The vessel, owned by Ibaizabal, will supply LNG to a wide range of vessels (containerships…
AW Shipping Places $250M Order to Chinese Shipyard for Two New VLACs
AW Shipping, a joint venture between ADNOC L&S and Wanhua Chemical Group, has awarded contracts worth $250 million to China’s Jiangnan Shipyard for two additional Very Large Ammonia Carriers (VLACs).The VLACs each have a carrying capacity of 93,000 cubic meters of ammonia, making them among the largest ammonia carriers in the world.Scheduled to be delivered between 2027 and 2028, the vessels will be…
Hurtigruten Reveals Zero-Emission Cruise Ship Design
Hurtigruten has released updated plans for its Sea Zero project, the zero-emission ship scheduled to debut in 2030.With the help of large batteries and sails, the ship will be able to sail entirely emission-free during normal operation, with energy consumption reduced by 40-50%.Hurtigruten initially announced its Sea Zero project in October 2022, and then unveiled its first set of renderings in summer 2023.
Case Study: Onboard CCS Would Result in 10% Fuel Penalty
A project assessing the technical feasibility of onboard carbon capture and storage (CCS) has concluded that the technology has the potential to reduce a tanker’s CO2 emissions by as much as 20% per year, with a fuel consumption penalty of just under 10%.The project, Realising Maritime Carbon Capture to Demonstrate the Ability to Lower Emissions (REMARCCABLE), was carried out by the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI)…
In Depth: Outcomes of MEPC 82
The IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee MEPC 82 met from 30 September to 4 October 2024 and discussed a range of environmental matters, including proposed mid-term measures for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships, enhancing energy efficiency of shipping, tackling marine litter, ballast water management and underwater noise reduction.Tackling climate change - cutting GHG…
Exxon Secures Over 271,000 Acres in Texas Waters for Offshore CO2 Capture
ExxonMobil said on Thursday it has acquired state leases for over 271,000 acres in Texas state waters for an offshore carbon dioxide (CO2) capture operation.The lease with the Texas General Land Office follows Exxon's 2021 bid for federal land off the Texas coast for CO2 capture, and its emergence as a high bidder on 69 blocks in the shallow waters of the U.S.
Port of New Orleans Awarded FEMA Port Security Grant
The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) announced it will receive $1,040,583 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through its Port Security Grant Program. This funding will be used to upgrade both physical infrastructure and technology within the Harbor Police Department’s (HPD) surveillance network, as well as to acquire essential equipment for emergency response. All upgrades must be finalized by August 31…
Maritime Industry's Fuel Quality Issues Persist
Ongoing concerns around fuel quality continue to be a critical factor and significant expense for the maritime industry, according to the Lloyd’s Register (LR) Fuel Quality Report 2024.The report, produced by LR’s Fuel Oil Bunker Analysis and Advisory Service (FOBAS), reveals the overall state of fuel quality in 2024 remains much like that of the past few years, particularly since the transition to predominantly very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) in 2020.
Liberia-flagged Tanker Struck off Yemen
A Liberia-flagged tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Red Sea causing minor damage, but no casualties, British maritime security agencies said on Thursday.The incident occurred about 73 nautical miles (135 kilometres) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, security firm Ambrey said.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said separately that it had received a report of an incident in the same area…
Montreal Port Dockworkers Begin Overtime Strike
Dockworkers at the Port of Montreal have begun an overtime strike on Thursday morning, the port authority said, as negotiations over a new contract make little progress.During this partial strike of indefinite duration, all port terminals will remain open but dockworkers will not be working overtime as part of their duties, it said.The port authority estimates the strike to slow down or disrupt the handling of around 50% of goods…
OSK Design Launches Tool to Assist Shipowners with Decarbonization Efforts
OSK Design has launched the OSK Energy Insight calculator, an innovative tool designed to assist shipowners and operators in evaluating alternative energy options and reducing their environmental footprint.The OSK Energy Insight calculator simplifies the process of evaluating different energy solutions by offering a comprehensive analysis of energy data, OSK Design said.It generates detailed reports…
