Digital transformation - News

At MEPC 80, IMO member nations met the shipping industry’s call for action on climate, setting a target of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 and interim targets for 2030 and 2040. Most importantly, the updated GHG strategy now sets a clear timeline for the development of the lifecycle-based global fuel standard and economic instrument, to be agreed by 2025 and ready for implementation in 2027. Robust regulatory framework “This marks a new beginning for shipping’s energy transi...

After a rigorous and competitive process KOTUG Canada has selected Türkiye’s Sanmar Shipyards to build two RAsalvor 4400-DFM dual fuel methanol escort tugs – Robert Allan Ltd. design – to service the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP). These tugs will escort tankers from the harbour limits of the Port of Vancouver to the open Pacific Ocean through the commercial shipping lanes of the Salish Sea. To provide this service, KOTUG Canada has partnered with Sc’ianew...

In 2013, PD Ports introduced Safety Champions across their sites with the aim of maintaining an excellent health and safety culture, and to keep their working environments as safe as possible at all times. This initiative involves teams from across the business working together to keep their respective areas safe, as well as sharing ideas and possibilities for improvement. For them, involving their employees in health and safety is of the upmost importance, and it’s an integral part of co...

In the presence of H.E. Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, the Minister of Hydrocarbons for the Republic of Congo, Wison (Wison Marine & Offshore) and Eni held the ‘Marine XIl Offshore FLNG Project Topsides’ ceremony at the Zhoushan yard in China, on July 3, 2023. This ceremony marks the start of the topsides fabrication, a major milestone in the construction of the Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG). ‘Marine XIl Offshore FLNG Project Topsides’ ceremony More than 200 peo...

International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopts revised strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping. Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), meeting at the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80), have adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, with enhanced targets to tackle harmful emissions. Revised IMO GHG Strategy The revised IMO GHG Strategy includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net...

Bernhard Schulte Offshore returns to Ulstein Verft for the design and construction of two Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) of the ULSTEIN SX222 design. The contract includes options for four additional vessels.  The vessels, which utilise the TWIN X-STERN design, feature two sterns and main propellers located at both fore and aft, making them an ideal choice for dynamic positioning (DP) operations. Regardless of whether the vessels are facing towards or away from the we...

MPC Container Ships ASA (‘MPCC’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the sale of two joint venture-owned vessels, Cimbria and Cardonia, for a total price of USD 42.5 million. The vessels, with a capacity of 2,800 TEU, were built in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Both vessels are currently on time-charter contracts, expiring at the earliest in July 2025 (Cardonia) and in October 2025 (Cimbria). MPC Container Ships sells its two JV-owned vessels This sale represents th...

MAN Energy Solutions has signed a Conversion Commitment Agreement with Seaspan Corporation (Seaspan), a globally renowned company in containership ownership and management, in collaboration with Hapag-Lloyd, one of the major global liner shipping companies. Under the terms of the Agreement, MAN PrimeServ, MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division, will deliver 15 engine retrofit solutions for conversion of vessels powered by individual MAN B&W S90-type fuel-oil-powered engines from t...

ERMA FIRST, a pioneer sustainable maritime solutions provider, has launched a new energy saving device (ESD) that promises reduced fuel consumption and emissions in line with CII and EEXI requirements. With ship owners seeking practical and cost-effective tools to facilitate compliance with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Carbon Intensity Index (CII) and Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI), a new solution from ERMA FIRST promises to boost CII and EEXI performance...

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, will connect Wärtsilä ANCS’s new floating laboratory, AHTI, and its shore operations, to support the data exchange for advanced technology testing and the ship’s day-to-day operations. Inmarsat Maritime’s award-winning Fleet Xpress connectivity will be packaged with unlimited backup from FleetBroadband to meet all the demonstrator’s needs. High-speed and reliable connectivity AHTI uses seamless, high-speed, and relia...

NSSLGlobal, the independent satcom and IT solutions provider, has won a 36-month contract to support Dutch-owned, worldwide shipping expert Vertom Bereederungs as it strives to meet the need for ever higher data demands brought on by the maritime industry’s ongoing digitalisation alongside the need for crew retention. The agreement sees NSSLGlobal provide its renowned VSAT IP@SEA service to 28 Vertom ships including 13 new diesel-electric propelled vessels, as well as providing Vertom wit...

Maritime technology company Yara Marine Technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) application developers Molflow, and the Chalmers University of Technology and social science specialists from Halmstad University and Gothenburg University have collaborated for over 3 years to develop and trial an AI-based semi-autonomous voyage planning system. Initiated in August 2020, the Via Kaizen project explores how AI and machine learning can enable more energy-efficient voyage planning for ship operator...

Babcock has successfully completed maintenance works for the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Sir David Attenborough at their Rosyth facilities. They welcomed the RRS Sir David Attenborough (SDA) to Rosyth in early June with works to the ship including upgrades to the vessel’s gas detection system, helideck netting, draft sensor vent pipework as well as assistance with planned maintenance, defect rectification and general logistics support. Maintenance works on RRS Sir David Attenborough The m...

Crowley has acquired Tamarind Consolidated, a logistics services company serving the U.S. to the British Virgin Islands in a merger enhancing end-to-end supply chain capabilities for the Caribbean region. The acquisition will transition Tamarind’s operations and services, including warehousing and non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) services, to Crowley. Crowley acquires Tamarind Consolidated The expansion complements U.S.-based Crowley’s existing maritime and logistics so...

Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) have agreed to perform engineering of conventional vessels other than LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers on consignment from Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd. at MI LNG Company, Ltd. (MI LNG), their jointly operated LNG carrier engineering firm, augmenting MI LNG’s earlier business relating to LNG carriers. The new business arrangement will get underway starting in July. The agreed engineering business is to include funct...

ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for an ammonia and liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier which has been jointly developed by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line). Ammonia is projected to be widely used as a source of clean energy for decarbonisation since it does not emit CO2 when combusted, and is expected to be increasingly transported by sea. On the other hand, efforts toward carbon dioxide capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), a pro...

The beleaguered carrier industry took another major hit in June, with the latest data from Xeneta’s Shipping Index (XSI®) showing a decline of 9.4% in global long-term shipping rates. Following on the heels of a 27.5% collapse in May, and a 10.3% fall in April, contracted rates have now shed 47.2% of their value in the last three months alone, and 51.7% over the course of 2023. Xeneta’s real-time data, crowd-sourced from pioneering global shippers, shows falls in the prices of...

ClassNK has received approval from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) to accept HermAce developed by FURUNO ELECTRIC CO., LTD (FURUNO) as an alternative for the onboard Annual Performance Test (APT) of the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR). It is now possible to conduct VDR APT remotely for Panamanian-flagged vessels registered with ClassNK.  Checking remote diagnosis SOLAS requires a VDR to have an APT with a qualified engineer visiting the vessel annually to check the operation and record vo...

Åkerblå Group provides clients with knowledge-based advice and verification through interdisciplinary expertise in fish health, biodiversity and technical services, to use for sustainable practices and operations in the ocean. The Group has offices and laboratories in Norway, UK, Iceland and Lithuania. Author's quote “This deal is a major vote of confidence by DNV in the future of aquaculture, and specifically in knowledge-driven solutions that balance ocean wealth with ocean...

Babcock International Group (Babcock) is delighted to have launched their new Shadow Executive Committee (Shadow ExCo), bringing together a group of non-executive employees from across the business to work together on key strategic initiatives, alongside their Executive Committee (ExCo). Not only will their Shadow ExCo bring more diverse and new ways of thinking to their ExCo, it will also enable them to elevate talent and empower their employees to spark change from the top. Shadow Executive...

Major international ship owners and charterers will play a significant role in the Headline Conference at this year’s London International Shipping Week 2023 (LISW23), which takes place at the Thames-side headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in London, United Kingdom (UK), on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. Environmental matters will be central to discussions, particularly following next week’s pivotal IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting (MEP...

RGB Spectrum’s video wall processor drives the Terminal Pacífico Sur Valparaíso massive video wall for 24/7 monitoring of operations. RGB Spectrum, an industry pioneer in mission-critical video for real-time decision support, announced that its video wall processor has been installed for the command and control centre at the Port of Valparaiso, Chile’s second busiest port. Technical AV services of Convergint An upsurge in cruise and freight activity made it imperative that the...

Resolve Marine, a pioneer in ship and vessel salvage, rescue, emergency response, and specialised marine services, announces two executive appointments: Randy Moreau joins the company as Chief Financial Officer and Patrick Porter, Chief Human Resources Officer. Mr. Moreau oversees approximately 30 employees across financial planning and analysis, accounting, tax, purchasing, legal and project coordination. Mr. Porter leads a team of seven across talent development, recruiting, human resource b...

Babcock announced that Andrew Cridland has been appointed as Babcock Australasia Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective 1 July, 2023. He succeeds David Ruff who is retiring at the end of July with the Group. Mr. Cridland is currently Babcock Australasia’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and enters the top job in the region, following an extensive internal and external recruitment process. Having joined Babcock in 2015, his career spans more than 20 years in Australia and the United Kingdo...

Technological innovation driven by a skilled workforce that is ‘fit for the future’ is critical to the future growth of the UK’s £116 billion maritime sector. That was the overall message delivered by speakers at the fifth annual Mersey Maritime Exchange conference in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Organised by Mersey Maritime, the event brought together industry and Government leaders in the industry. Mersey Maritime Exchange 2023 The Exchange used the Government’s...

The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (the Hong Kong Convention) is set to enter into force within 24 months, after Bangladesh and Liberia became Contracting States to the Convention. The Hong Kong Convention is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety and to the environment. Combined merchant shipping The Hong Kong Co...

Under a contract with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, the sensor solutions provider HENSOLDT will equip submarines of the Norwegian 'Ula' class with new periscopes and optronic mast systems. The contract value is more than EUR 40 million.  With the upgrade order, HENSOLDT is ensuring an extension of the service life of the boats, which are more than 30 years old.  First-class vision systems "HENSOLDT equipped all Ula-class boats in the late 1980s and early 1990s with optics t...

ClassNK has released 'Guidelines for Direct Load Analysis and Strength Assessment (Edition 3.0)'. Following the revision of IACS Recommendation No. 34, these guidelines specify the requirements for conducting hull strength assessments based on the latest wave data. Strength assessments ClassNK’s Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships and IACS CSR stipulate that hull strength assessments based on finite element analysis should be conducted as part of the classi...

Damen, DNV, and NAPA are taking a major step forward in ship design processes by using the new Open Class 3D Exchange (OCX) standard to streamline classification involvement in the early phase of a project. 3D model exchange and approval With increasing pressure to deliver vessel designs quickly, the early engagement of classification societies can increase designer and owner confidence in the concept design and ensure smooth project execution. Responding to market expectations, Damen Engineer...

The urgent need to protect the world’s oceans and the habitats within them is, nowadays, well understood. So, too, is the need for a sustainable shipping industry to ensure the essential transportation of goods and commodities across the globe, and of passengers. Hundreds of thousands of seafarers bear witness every day to changes in the marine environment due to human activity – including from shipping. Seafarers’ contribution in marine environment security Seafarers’...