India maritime industry review

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply the Cargo Handling and Fuel Gas Supply systems for five new Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC) vessels. The order has been placed by Jiangnan Shipyard, and the ships are being built for Chinese owners. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in Q3, 2024. Cargo Handling and Fuel Gas Supply The order follows a similar order for Cargo Handling and Fuel Gas Supply systems placed by the yard in 2023 for four VLECs. The new 99,000 m3 capaci...

The industry’s first comprehensive rules for floating nuclear power plants have been unveiled by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) at a forum for nuclear industry pioneers held jointly with Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Held at ABS’ world headquarters in Texas, the event saw presentations on the latest reactor technologies from companies and the publication of a detailed study from ABS and Herbert Engineering modeling the design, operation, and emissions of a floating nuclear...

The delivery of the fourth Multipurpose Combat ship (PPA) “Giovanni delle Bande Nere” took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia). The ceremony was attended, among others, by Vice Admiral Andrea Gueglio, Director of the Italian Navy Military Personnel Directorate, by Admiral Chief Inspector Giuseppe Abbamonte, Director of the Naval Armaments Directorate - NAVARM, and Mr. Joachim Sucker, OCCAR Director, welcomed by Attilio Dapelo, Senior Vice President Oper...

Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) advised MET Group (“MET”) on its investment, by way of a partnership agreement with Celsius Group (“Celsius”), in one modern LNG carrier to be constructed by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu). The LNG carrier is scheduled to be delivered in 2027 and will support MET’s growing LNG activities. The purchase supports MET’s strategy to enhance its ability to supply its customers with LNG from various sources...

In late April this year, the OCCS system installed on Evergreen's neopanamax container vessel successfully captured CO2 from its exhaust gas emissions. The captured CO2 was offloaded to a shore facility and was recycled. ClassNK confirmed an amount of the offloaded CO2, and deducted the amount from the ship's annual CO2 emissions in CII assessment under the direction of the Flag Administration of the Panama Maritime Authority. This series of initiatives anticipates practical operations that ma...

ABS presented an approval in principle (AIP) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for its new design of an ammonia floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit. Called Samsung Ammonia Blue, the concept features advanced safety components with an expected production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum of ammonia. Class and statutory requirements ABS completed design reviews on the topside process, interface system and layout based on class and statutory requirements. “With o...

ABS issued an approval in principle (AIP) to pioneering Japanese companies at Gastech 2024 for two liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) carrier designs with Type-C cargo tanks that do not require performing post-weld-heat-treatment based on the demonstration of an engineering critical assessment (ECA). ABS reviewed the drawings based on class and statutory requirements for the two designs, a 50K cubic metre carrier and a 23K cubic metre carrier, featuring Type-C cylindrical tanks made of carbon ma...

KR (Korean Register) has granted Approval in Principle (AIP) for the Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV), a passenger and cargo transport vessel dedicated to offshore wind farms, developed by MARCON, a Korean maritime service company. CTVs are widely used in Europe for transporting workers and equipment necessary for offshore wind farm construction and maintenance. However, the use of diesel engines has raised concerns about carbon emissions. Hybrid electric propulsion system The CTV that received AIP...

The International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX), North America’s premier technical trade event for the recreational marine industry announced that it has hired Aaron Porter as Editorial Director. Porter is a Maine-based maritime journalist and sailor who was the editor of Professional BoatBuilder magazine for the last 14 years. Facets of the marine trades With a background reporting on fisheries and the boatbuilding industry in Maine and Maritime Canada, and sail...

As the maritime industry accelerates its journey toward decarbonisation, the focus on alternative fuels has intensified. E-methane E-methane, a synthetic gas produced using renewable electricity and carbon capture, is emerging as a promising substitute for conventional natural gas. This innovative fuel offers a way to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while leveraging existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. For maritime professionals, the potential benefits of e-metha...

The maritime industry, steeped in tradition, is now riding the wave of digital transformation, with big data playing a pivotal role in driving innovation and efficiency. For maritime professionals, the question isn’t whether to embrace big data, but how to maximise its practical benefits. Whether it’s a ship owner, port operator, or related to supply chain logistics, big data has the potential to streamline operations, enhance safety, reduce costs, and bolster profitability. This a...

Aiming to establish minimum requirements for the cyber-resilience of newbuild vessels and their connected systems, IACS unified requirements (URs) E26 and E27 provide a new benchmark for shipping’s response to its growing exposure to cyber-attacks. Officially in force from 1 July 2024 and broadly welcomed by industry, the new URs represent another step forward in strengthening Maritime's resilience to the evolving cyber threat. However, according to a thought-provoking discussion recently...

Demand for ammonia is being transformed by the energy transition. Until recently used as an input for fertiliser and chemical products, new markets for green and blue ammonia are emerging, replacing fossil energy in power generation, steel production and marine fuel. Today some 200m tonnes per annum of ammonia is produced worldwide with 20m tpa transported in LPG carriers. The scale of the emerging and potential demand will see these figures rise; how quickly this can be achieved will determine...

FuelEU Maritime regulations, which will take effect in 2025, will help to encourage investment in research and development (R&D) for the maritime industry. The European Union initiative is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships operating within EU waters.  Adopting cleaner alternative fuels By setting increasingly stringent limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, FuelEU Maritime makes it clear to the industry that traditional high-emission fuels are not sustainable...

Offshore wind farms are a major component of the future of clean energy, and the share of electricity generated by offshore wind turbines will increase as the global community works to minimise carbon emissions to achieve net zero by 2050. Current expectations for the vast expansion of energy production from offshore wind farms may lead to environmental impacts and ecological risks to marine ecosystems. Maritime consequences The increase in offshore wind farms will also have broad conse...