Skills - News

Inmarsat, the pioneer in global, mobile satellite communications, announces that Ben Palmer OBE will be joining the company as President of its Maritime Business Unit on 8 November 2021. Most recently head of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems division across Europe, Ben brings 25 years’ experience of driving transformational change in technology-heavy industries, including maritime, with a strong customer-centric focus and a track record of delivering results. Maritime sat...

Following in the footsteps of A.P. Moller - Maersk’s Ocean ECO Delivery product launched in 2019, Maersk Japan will be launching a pilot to offer customers sustainable drayage in Japan. It will utilise renewable diesel to provide immediate carbon emission reductions. This will be the first permanently fixed green solution for container drayage in Japan and promises to reduce carbon emissions for container drayage operations by up to 80% based on lifecycle analysis. Ground-breaking seri...

CMA CGM informs its customers that its AMERIGO service (connecting West Med to the US East Coast) will temporarily stop calling Savannah due to severe congestion in this port (8-10 days) and in order to protect schedule integrity & weekly sailing frequency. Impacting first sailing A new call at Charleston will be inserted in the rotation and Savannah shipments will be directed to Charleston. The first sailing impact will be m/v CMA CGM LA TRAVIATA voy. 0MR9TW1MA, ETA Algeciras on October 3...

Currently, women represent only two per cent of the maritime industry, while only eight percent of employees in engineering are women. This is in stark contrast to the UK workforce as a whole, of which women make up 47%. For many women, entering a sector that’s perceived as a ‘boy’s club’ isn’t always appealing. If a sector looks unwelcoming to women from the outside, it’s unlikely to attract female employees in any role. But this means these workers are pote...

Inmarsat, the pioneer in global, mobile satellite communications, publishes a new report pinpointing the impact of COVID-19 in accelerating global shipping’s digital journey. Written by maritime innovation consultancy Thetius and sponsored by the Inmarsat Research Programme, ‘A Changed World: The state of digital transformation in a post-COVID-19 maritime industry’ captures a sector fast-tracking IoT-based solutions from November 2019. It characterises COVID-19 as a 'univers...

To companies like Fibertex, a reliable and multimodal transport setup, timing and precision are essential. That is why it was with humbleness Blue Water in the spring of 2021 entered into an agreement with the company to take over more of their global transport. The new cooperation involved Fibertex assigning the majority of their road traffic to Blue Water along with their oversea freight, and consequently also the responsibility for the company’s biggest and most critical markets. Prec...

MAN Energy Solutions has signed a cooperation agreement with DP World (Drydocks World), the globally renowned provider of smart logistics solutions. Effective immediately, the agreement targets common progress in the field of decarbonisation and is scheduled to run for five years, with an option to extend thereafter.   Wayne Jones OBE – Chief Sales Officer, and Gaby Hanna – Senior Vice President and Head of Region – Middle East & Africa, acted as signatories for MAN...

The UK government has selected eight new freeports in England, as a means to boost trade, jobs and investment, across the country. The special taxation and customs rules for the freeports will help businesses develop new facilities and operations, to trade and manufacture goods more cost-effectively, countering the effects of other complications, such as Brexit and COVID-19 pandemic.  Early deliverability of opportunities for new businesses is the key, with Solent Gateway Ltd, at Marchwood...

Inmarsat is delighted to return as Official Communications Partner to The Maiden Factor, the round-the-world sailing campaign promoting equal access to education for girls from all backgrounds and countries. Spearheaded by iconic sailing legend Tracy Edwards, Maiden’s campaign began in 2018, which saw a rotating all-female crew sail over 33,000 miles around the globe, visiting over 23 destinations in 12 countries. However, they were forced to put their voyage on hold in 2020 becau...

Following the launch of Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ on the Belgian market in July 2021, Neste has entered a partnership with Q8 to offer the product on seven Q8 stations during the year. Neste MY Renewable Diesel is a premium diesel made entirely from renewable raw materials. It helps reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 90% when emissions over the fuel's life cycle are compared with fossil diesel. Renewable diesel is a “drop-in” fuel, fully compatible with all d...

The Seafarers’ Charity has worked with Seafish, The Money Charity and other stakeholders to develop a new training course on money management for new entrants to fishing. The training will set new recruits on the right financial path and enable an understanding of how to manage fluctuations in income, the complexities of budgeting and making credit choices as well as the range of free resources which can help with money management. The charity’s ‘Fishing Without A Safety Net&...

This acquisition strengthens A.P. Moller - Maersk’s e-commerce Logistics products suite in line with its strategic business transformation. "With B2C Europe, we are closing the circle around our e-commerce logistics expansion. Our logistics product line-up growth continues to support our long-term plans to help customers sell through any sales channel, deliver in any way, and manage their supply chains seamlessly." "This year, by adding Visible SCM, HUUB and now B2C Europe´s capabi...

Today, BAE Systems marks its first day as part of the team that will deliver the five-year Future Maritime Support Programme (FMSP) alongside the Ministry of Defense (MOD) for the Royal Navy.   In March, BAE Systems was selected by the MOD to deliver the Ship Engineering Delivery & Management contract at Portsmouth Naval Base. A joint venture between BAE Systems and KBR, named KBS Maritime, was awarded the Hard Facilities Management (FM) & Alongside Services contract at Portsmou...

In a world-first for the maritime sector, the containership, ‘ElbBLUE’ – owned by German shipowner Elbdeich Reederei and operated by charterer Unifeeder – has bunkered some 20 tons of green SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas) at the Elbe port in Brunsbüttel, Germany. MAN Energy Solutions held a ceremony to mark the event, which marks the first time ever that synthetic fuel – generated from 100% renewable energy via power-to-X technology – has been employed i...

Inmarsat, the pioneer in global, mobile satellite communications, is enabling an acceleration in the digitalisation plans of long-term client Navigazione Montanari, after an agreement for the chemical and crude oil tanker owner to extend its use of Fleet Xpress to its entire fleet. The new agreement renews and extends Navmont’s use of Fleet Xpress services across 13 ships and envisages the transfer of five more tankers from competitor services to Inmarsat’s maritime broadband se...

Rolls-Royce's new mtu engines, new mtu ship automation system, and new mtu Go! tool for remote service has well and truly future-proofed the high-speed catamaran Avemar Dos run by Spanish operator Balearia. Four new-generation mtu 20V1163 M84 units replaced the previous 1163 units, taking the vessel to a new level of ecological soundness. Fuel consumption – and with it CO2 emissions – are 8% lower than with the previous propulsion system. Furthermore, the new Series 1163 units deliv...

Women and male allies from across rail, aviation international, transport, and maritime have joined forces to learn from each other and drive progress on diversity and inclusion. Following their first summit during London International Shipping Week (15th September), the industries have agreed to regular dialogue and yearly meetings on gender equality focusing on progression and retention, careers, mental health, and ethnicity and race. Led by Maritime UK, this marks the UK’s first cross-...

As part of London International Shipping Week 2021, The Seafarers’ Charity, alongside The Mission to Seafarers, Sailors’ Society and Stella Maris organised a conference on 13 September, to explore seafarers’ wellbeing in a digital age. Hosted by satellite communications firm, Inmarsat and admirably chaired by John Adams, Managing Director, V. Ships UK, the event had 250 participants, joining both virtually and in person and a panel of experts from across the industry who explo...

Xeneta’s Long-Term XSI Public Indices has revealed yet another monthly hike in long-term ocean freight rates, with global container prices climbing by 3.2%. The development follows a 2.2% increase in August 2021 and an unprecedented 28.1% jump in July 2021, leaving rates now standing 91.5% up year-on-year. What’s more, Oslo-based Xeneta reports there is little evidence to suggest a weakening of market fundamentals – meaning there could be more pain in store for shippers, with...

Maersk Kanoo, UAE (part of A.P. Moller - Maersk) has partnered with Danish Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai that opens its gates next month. Maersk will be present at the Danish Pavilion, throughout the six months of Expo 2020 Dubai, to welcome and interact with the visiting customers, and businesses that are curious to know more on how Maersk transports goods around the world. Expo 2020 Dubai Expo 2020 Dubai revolves around three key themes – mobility, sustainability and opportunity. Maersk...

Wrsit's logistics branch in Copenhagen has launched its new and groundbreaking forwarding platform. It is based on the latest within Cloud Technology, setting new standards for the future of forwarding business in Wrist. The online portal is developed to meet the current and future needs of customers, supporting the demand for a higher level of digitalisation. Automatic real-time tracking and complete transparency Log on to Wrist's logistics customer portal, where users can follow orders with...

Globally renowned container logistics company, A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) signed an agreement, on Monday, September 27, 2021, to sell its reefer manufacturer, Maersk Container Industry (MCI), to China International Marine Containers Ltd. (CIMC), which is headquartered in Shenzhen, China and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Maersk Container Industry (MCI) will become part of a market renowned company in the container equipment industry. CIMC will take over...

BAE Systems. has successfully completed the management and delivery of planned overseas support for the UK’s Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21). The carrier group sailed from the UK in May and has been supported by BAE Systems throughout its deployment. BAE Systems engineers and technicians have overseen the maintenance of aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elisabeth, Type 45 destroyers HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, and Type 23 frigates HMS Kent and HMS Richmond, in a number of countries a...

FPSO owner and operator - BW Offshore has selected VIKING Norsafe Free-fall Lifeboats, Daughter Craft and Davits for a large FPSO project, which will operate off northern Australia. Primary means of evacuation will be three VIKING Norsafe GES-50 Mk. III Free-fall Lifeboats - each able to carry 70 people - with secondary launch and recovery achieved by corresponding HD-50 Davits. Discussion of safety requirements Also part of the package is a VIKING Norsafe Munin-1000 Daughter Craft with capac...

Stena Line is to continue its expansion on the Baltic Sea during 2022, increasing both freight- and passenger capacity. The Swedish family-owned ferry company announces that they will deploy their two new 240-metre-long fuel-efficient E-Flexer ferries, on the Nynäshamn-Ventspils in 2022. Stena Line also announces plans to increase the capacity on the Karlskrona-Gdynia route with the deployment of the two large and modern ferries Stena Scandica and Stena Baltica. Freight and passenger capa...

IMCO Group, a defence provider of comprehensive solutions for air, ground, and naval applications announced the acquisition of the assets and activities of Innocon Ltd., an innovative Israeli developer and manufacturer of Micro, Mini and Tactical unmanned aerial systems as well as mission systems for manned light airplanes. IMCO Group acquires Innocon’s assets and activities through one of its subsidiaries who, among other activities, provides unprecedented aerial and aviation capabilitie...

A near-record backlog of cargo ships in Southern California could have serious ramifications for the US economy. The build-up of cargo ships carrying key exports from China, including electronics, furniture, and toys, threatens to increase shortages and price hikes in the US ahead of the holiday season. The dozens of hulking cargo ships wait an average of nearly 10 days to dock and unload, according to data from the Port of Los Angeles. Container vessels Los Angeles a...

Sustainable transport solutions will open up a greener Blue Water. That is why BWS has welcomed Per Jakobsen, who will contribute to the green transition through innovative solutions, internal development, and close collaboration with external climate partners. Creating green solutions “I am looking forward to creating green solutions which are both easily available as well as easier to see through, making the value visible for our clients and their clients," says Per Jakobsen, who...

Signatories of the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonisation urge pioneers to align shipping with the Paris Agreement temperature goal. The private sector is already taking important steps to decarbonise global supply chains. Now governments must deliver the policies that will supercharge the transition and make zero-emission shipping the default choice by 2030. Full decarbonisation of international shipping is urgent and achievable. This is the clear message from Unifeeder and more than...

Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has secured a significant new commitment to its Fleet Hotspot internet portal service, following an extension of its Fleet Xpress service agreement with leading liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) transport group Petredec. Fleet Hotspot has been designed by Inmarsat to give crew onboard access to high-speed connectivity with the freedom to use their own devices. As the owner of one of the most modern fleets of specialized...