Efficiency - News

Zero-emission ferries and vessels are one step closer to being a reality, as Maritime Minister Robert Courts on 24 May 2022 confirmed £12 million funding to accelerate the research and development of zero-emission maritime technologies. Now in its second round, the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) was born out of the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan to tackle carbon emissions. The latest funding cements the UK’s position as pioneers in clean maritime technologies...

MTU Yuchai Power Company Ltd, a joint venture between Rolls-Royce plc and Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group Co Ltd, recently celebrated a major milestone as the 1,000th MTU Series 4000 engine rolled off the production line at the factory in Yulin. Internationalisation Qiwei Wu, President of Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group, said, “Six years ago, Rolls-Royce decided to cooperate with Yuchai and located the joint venture company at Yuchai’s headquarters, which further underlined Yuchai&...

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has been selected to supply comprehensive packages of RoRo equipment for three pro-ecological, low-emission vessels powered by four LNG engines of dual-fuel type with battery assistance (hybrid). These RoPax ferries will be built at Remontowa Shiprepair Yard S.A, the largest shipyard of Poland’s shipbuilding group Remontowa Holding, for the Polish ferry company Polskie Promy, part of Polska Żegluga Morska (PŻM). Folding frame solution The order has been book...

International Maritime Organization’s GHG Working Group finalises guidelines to support implementation of carbon intensity measures and agrees to further develop a ‘basket of candidate mid-term measures’, including technical and carbon-pricing elements Draft guidelines to support implementation of ship carbon intensity measures coming into effect in 2023 have been finalised by an International Maritime Organization (IMO) Working Group.  12th session of the ISWG-GHG 12 T...

Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh has restated the Agency’s commitment to ensuring effective pollution prevention and control in the Nigerian Maritime domain, in order to continue to create an enabling environment for the sector to thrive. Dr. Bashir Jamoh who made this assertion while speaking at the 7th meeting of the National Standing Committee on International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund implementation in N...

Satcom Direct, the business aviation solutions provider, announces at EBACE 2022, a new three-way partnership agreement with OneWeb, the global communications company powered from space, and QEST, Quantenelektronische Systeme GmbH, a worldwide market pioneer in innovative aeronautical antennas. Inflight broadband services The collaboration is to progress the development of an Electronic Phased Array antenna to support OneWeb’s advancing mobility services. The agreement also covers a long...

Babcock LGE, the pioneer in liquefied gas solutions, is delighted to have a number of its customers’ ships featured on the Royal Institute of Naval Architects' (RINA) annual ‘Significant Ship of 2021’ list.  Making the prestigious list, which includes some of the very best in current ship design and construction, is the world’s first Chinese-built 99,000m3 Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC) – the Pacific Ineos Belstaff.  LGE supplied the fully integrated...

IMO’s Facilitation Committee has adopted amendments to the Facilitation (FAL) Convention, which will make the single window for data exchange mandatory in ports around the world, marking a significant step in the acceleration of digitalisation in shipping. Other amendments adopted include lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and add new and amended Recommended Practices to prevent corruption and illicit activities in the maritime sector. Facilitation (FAL) Convention The Facilitati...

Satcom Global AuraNow is the only maritime VSAT solution that allows vessel managers and owners to perform an instant upgrade to their bandwidth via an online portal. By simply clicking the ‘Perform and immediate upgrade’ button in the AuraNow customer portal, vessel and fleet managers can give their vessels access to greater bandwidth within minutes. AuraNow portal A one-stop-shop solution that gives direct access to manage to the vessel and fleet communications The easy-to-use...

NYK Line, IHI Power Systems Co., Ltd., and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) (i.e., ‘the Parties’) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with City of Yokohama for the acceptance of an ammonia-fuelled tugboat (A-Tug) at the port of Yokohama. The conclusion of this MoU is part of the Green Innovation Fund project within Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for the development of vessels equipped with a domestically produced ammonia-f...

In May 2022 Managing Director Caroline Levey attended the Smart Digital Ports of the Future event in Rotterdam. Below she gives her insights from what she felt was an ‘excellent conference on Digitalisation in Ports which highlighted the need for better data sharing and interoperability.’ “Refreshingly the first two panel sessions kicking the conference off were focused on data standards, data sharing and the need for interoperability. It struck me how fitting it was to see th...

The International Transport Forum (ITF) announces the winners of its inaugural Decarbonising Transport Award. The ITF Decarbonising Transport Award winner in the innovation category is Wanyama Autosafety Initiatives for its efforts at reducing air pollution from vehicle emissions. The Kampala-based start-up mobilises a network of over 400 local mechanics to improve the environmental performance of the Ugandan capital's most polluting vehicles. Born of an urgency to halt the detrimental ef...

Siemens has agreed to sell its Commercial Vehicles business to Meritor. The move is another step in the company’s rigorous implementation of its previously announced plan to sharpen its portfolio as a focused technology company. Commercial Vehicles is part of Siemens’ Portfolio Companies. The purchase price totals around €190 million, subject to working capital adjustments. Closing is expected, subject to regulatory approvals, by the end of this calendar year.   &ldqu...

Classification Society ClassNK has certified NAPA Fleet Intelligence and NAPA Performance Monitoring and Optimisation, developed by NAPA, as its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions, after the solutions demonstrated examination support for at saving fuel and optimising voyages for the fleet of Japanese shipowner Nissen Kaiun. Following the certification, the society has upgraded notations for all the Nissen Kaiun vessels in its fleet using the solutions, which has marked the firs...

DNV’s new Mobile Inspection App helps ship owners and managers digitalise and streamline the workflow, recording and follow-up of their onboard safety inspections. The app also provides onshore staff with instant access to the results. Many shipping companies are aware of the possibility of inconsistent or incomplete safety reporting and limited possibilities for gaining useful analytics, if inspectors are using non-digitalised reporting methods. ShipManager’s new solution The sol...

The first International Day for Women in Maritime on 18 May 2022 provides a platform to highlight and celebrate the achievements of women in maritime and identify areas of improvement for gender balance. IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said: “There is still a gender imbalance in maritime – but times are changing. It is recognised that diversity in maritime benefits the entire sector. Women in maritime are working everywhere to support the transition to a decarbonised, digitalised a...

As a member of the Smart Ports Alliance they are excited to share their upcoming webinar all about how they are working with the SPEED Portal (Smart Ports Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development). Improving operational efficiency These two independent organisations to ‘support the journey of ports and terminals, individually and collectively, to apply technology effectively to improve operational efficiency, enhance financial performance and address serious global challenges.’ They...

Inmarsat, the pioneer in global, mobile satellite communications, has completed the first phases of testing of innovative technology developments for Orchestra, the company’s forthcoming dynamic network of the future. Deliver additional capacity The tests proved the ability to deliver additional capacity at hotspots via unique, shore-based terrestrial networks. Continued growth in demand in key ports and shipping lanes as well as airports and busy flightpaths will lead to signal con...

Maritime UK is joining the global maritime sector, in order to celebrate the inaugural International Day for Women in Maritime. The theme is ‘Training-Visibility-Recognition: Supporting a barrier-free working environment’. The day celebrates women in the industry. It is intended to promote the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the maritime sector, raise the profile of women in maritime, strengthen International Maritime Organization’s commitment to th...

Danelec Marine is preparing to roll-out out a digital upgrade across a fleet of 100+ vessels, following an order placed in March 2022. The ships will be connected to the DanelecConnect Cloud platform where a carefully selected package of performance monitoring applications will unlock operational insight to reduce fuel consumption and enable the customer’s extensive decarbonisation strategy. As one of the largest single DanelecConnect projects undertaken by the Danish marine safety and di...

Iridium Communications Inc. announces that Kay Sears has been elected to the Iridium Board of Directors, effective May 17, 2022. As a director on the Iridium Board, Sears will play a role in helping shape the strategic direction of Iridium's business. Sears currently serves as Vice President and General Manager of Autonomous Systems for the Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS) unit of The Boeing Company, which she joined in February 2022. At BDS, Sears oversees the development of cutting-ed...

CMA CGM and Air France-KLM have announced that they are joining forces and signing a major long-term strategic partnership deal in global air cargo delivery services. CMA CGM - Air France-KLM This industrial cooperation combines Air France-KLM’s air transport experience and know-how with CMA CGM’s global supply chain expertise and assets. Air France-KLM and CMA CGM will jointly sell their air freight capacity, in order to provide customers with more options for their transportatio...

Satcom Direct, the business aviation solutions provider, has ramped up its support for military and government customers by unifying COMSAT and SD Communications, under a new brand, SD Government. The rebrand brings its military and government services and support under one umbrella to deliver customers streamlined access to the entire SD ecosystem of services for an even stronger connectivity and support experience. Reliable, consistent connectivity Integration of SD Government with the coll...

Together with its partner Nordic Marine Oil, Neste is piloting a new Neste Marine™ 0.1 Co-processed marine fuel in Scandinavia – a solution helping the maritime sector to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The ISCC PLUS certified marine fuel enables up to 80% GHG emission reduction over the lifecycle compared to fossil fuels without compromising product quality and performance. Accounting for 90% of world trade and 13% of global transport emissions, the shipping industry needs s...

Babcock, the international defence, aerospace and security company has been awarded a 10-year contract to provide dry-dock maintenance for the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers. The new £30m contract follows a previous maintenance period where Babcock completed the first docking for HMS Queen Elizabeth at the Rosyth site in 2019 and includes all routine maintenance and repairs that cannot be done when the vessel is afloat. In addition to the scheduled dockin...

KONGSBERG has decided to move to Horten Industrial Park (HIP), in Horten, Norway, in 2025. A completely new building will be built there that can bring together the group’s operations in the city, which is currently spread over six addresses. “We are growing in Horten and today, we can rejoice that the board of KONGSBERG has chosen to invest further for the future here. A new sustainable building, at the water's edge and designed for our business is becoming a reality”, said E...

Tokyo Classification Society ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carriers developed by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line). Carbon dioxide capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) is attracting global attention as an effective mean for realising a carbon-neutral society. Underground geological formation It is a process that captures CO2 released from thermal pow...

Gard announces that Lars Lislegard-Bækken is appointed Gard’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO) with Ingvild Høgenes Nilsen taking over as General Counsel. Lislegard-Bækken has served as Gard’s Chief Legal Counsel since 2018. “Gard is growing and evolving. We have created this new COO role to make sure we are well-positioned and continuously able to deliver on our long-term strategy and goals. It’s about being fit for the future,” said Gard CEO,...

In recent years, the protection of the marine environment has been gaining momentum. Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (Yang Ming) has also been attentive to the issue and dedicated efforts to safeguarding marine ecology. Protector of the ecosystem In 2016, Yang Ming began participating in the VSR (Vessel Speed Reduction) incentive program, “Protecting Blue Whales & Blue Skies”, led by The Blue Whales and Blue Skies partners, and in 2020 and 2021 the Company was awarded the high...

Maritime industry can achieve vast majority of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target through digital technologies, according to a major new report into decarbonising shipping. The maritime industry, which carries over 90 per cent of world trade, accounts for 2.5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally. To hit the target of a 50 per cent reduction in global shipping CO2 emissions by 2050, as set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), it is estimated that the sector...