Germany maritime industry review

In a major push toward decarbonising maritime logistics, President Jae-young Byeon of the Ulsan Port Authority (UPA) and Chief Executive Sun-bae Hong of the Korea Maritime Cooperation Centre (KMC) jointly announced the successful conclusion of the “2nd Forum on the Commercialisation of Biofuels for Maritime Vessels,” held on 23 April at the Caradium Hall of the PJ Hotel in Seoul. The forum, hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and co-organised by UPA and KMC, drew around 3...

Marinetrans, a global pioneer in logistics solutions for the maritime and offshore industries, has been awarded the project logistics contract for two Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) vessel construction projects. The contracts, spanning from 2025 to 2027, have been awarded by  Black & Veatch, a Kansas (USA)-based renowned engineering and construction company specialising in energy infrastructure.  Under the agreement, Marinetrans will provide comprehensive project logistics servi...

Motion control technology giant Nabtesco Corporation has achieved a breakthrough success in marine fuel efficiency optimisation following the deployment of its new Telegraph Agent™ automatic speed control system on the car carrier Malaysia Grace, owned by Eastern Car Liner Co Ltd (ECL). The system was combined with group company DeepSea Technologies' AI-driven optimisation tool Cassandra, delivering a 3.4% reduction in fuel consumption by automatically controlling vessel sp...

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group - Wärtsilä, and Höegh Evi, a pioneer in marine energy infrastructure, have successfully completed development of the world’s first floating ammonia-to-hydrogen cracker. This breakthrough technology enables floating import terminals to produce hydrogen at industrial-scale volumes from transported ammonia, marking a major step in the energy transition. The project was announced in April 2023 and is part of Norway&rsqu...

ABS presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. James S. C. Chao, Founder and Chairman of the Foremost Group. The first ABS award of its kind, the honour was presented by ABS Chairman and CEO - Christopher J. Wiernicki at the 163rd ABS Annual Members Meeting recognising Dr. Chao’s contributions to shipping and his legacy of honour, integrity and dedication to the maritime industry. Legacy of achievement Dr. Chao, who founded Foremost Group with Ruth Mulan Chu Chao in 1964, accepted hi...

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has launched the first Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) immersion suit in the world designed for women working in offshore wind energy, using guidance on diversity and inclusivity from industry majors - Ørsted, Siemens and Vestas. The VIKING YouSafe™ Cyclone suit joins a growing portfolio of VIKING PPE whose fit and features reflect the safety needs of female seafarers, pilots and technicians in the marine and offshore industries. Equity and inclusivity stra...

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, has signed an agreement with Sallaum Lines, a pioneering Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) cargo shipping company, to upgrade to Inmarsat Maritime’s NexusWave fully managed bonded connectivity service, making it an early adopter in region. As Sallaum Lines expands its global presence, NexusWave will provide secure, ultra-fast connectivity with unlimited data, complemented by Inmarsat’s Care Premium programme for 24/7 support and maintenance. IoT sensors a...

On April 17, 2025, the Office of the US Trade Representative (“USTR”) published a notice of action (the “USTR Notice”) implementing its port fee proposal, first announced on February 21, 2025. The rules differ substantially from the February proposal. The calculation of the fees has changed to a net tonnage-based fee (or for certain vessels, based on containers discharged or Car Equivalent Units). LNG transportation and vehicle carriers Specialised rules apply to LNG t...

Alfa Laval, a pioneer in heat transfer & centrifugal separation, is pleased to announce the appointment of ESI Process (UK) Ltd as its new distribution partner for the industrial sector and process industries within the United Kingdom, explicitly for Alfa Laval’s Energy Division. Effective immediately, ESI Process (UK) Ltd will be responsible for the distribution of Alfa Laval's extensive range of products and solutions, including Gasketed, Spiral & Compabloc heat exchangers. This...

When the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention came into force in 2004, it was in response to a crisis we couldn’t afford to ignore—one where invasive aquatic species, carried silently in ships’ ballast tanks, were devastating marine ecosystems. Now, two decades later, compliance with this environmental safeguard is no longer optional—and yet, as recent industry findings reveal, record-keeping failures account for 58% of compliance issues. That’s not a technol...

Ammonia is gaining traction as a future fuel in the maritime industry, primarily due to its potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A key driver for ammonia's interest is that it can be carbon-free when combusted, which aligns with the maritime industry's increasing pressure to meet emissions regulations. However, most ammonia production currently relies on fossil fuels. Transitioning to "green ammonia" production is crucial for sustainability. If "green ammonia" is produced...

President Donald Trump has already made plenty of headlines since taking up his second term in the White House, including with the announcement of numerous new tariffs on imports. The 47th United States President issued three executive orders on February 1st 2025, just days after his inauguration, which directed the US to impose an additional 25 percent ad valorem rate of duty on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as ten percent on imports from China. How Trump’s 2nd term...

The shipping industry is currently navigating a profound transformation driven by environmental concerns, new emissions targets, and evolving regulations. As vessel owners and operators seek to reduce emissions while remaining competitive, determining the right strategy has become increasingly complex. Factors such as alternative fuel availability, fluctuating prices, and an ever-expanding range of technological solutions have made decision-making anything but straightforward. Lack of motivat...

The Dark Fleet refers to a network of vessels that operate outside of standard maritime regulations, often used to transport sanctioned goods such as oil. These shadowy vessels are also referred to by terms such as Parallel Fleet and/or Shadow, Gray or Ghost fleet. The terms are all manifestations of the same thing – ships that are owned, structured, and operated to avoid exposure to sanctions. Fleet of ships “In fact I would prefer that we use the term Parallel Fleet because it m...

More than almost any trend, decarbonisation is driving the future of maritime. That reality alone makes decarbonisation the perfect topic for our first-ever Expert Panel Roundtable column. Traditional maritime fuels, like heavy fuel oil, release harmful pollutants that contribute to air pollution and have adverse health effects. We have to do better, and discussions in the maritime industry centre on which combination of alternative fuels and other technologies can solve the shorter- and longer-...