Christmas Island News

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has advised the Blue Ocean maritime strategy managed by EnTrust Global (EnTrust) on its acquisition of Norwegian alternative investment fund manager - Offshore Merchant Partners (OMP) from HitecVision. EnTrust EnTrust is a major global alternative asset management firm. Co-founded in 1997 by Chairman and CEO - Gregg S. Hymowitz, EnTrust offers a diverse range of alternative investment opportunities across strategies, including private debt and real asset...

Classification society - DNV announced at OTC Houston that its new rules and standards for the offshore industry will be published in July, after receiving industry feedback. The new DNV rules cover several segments, including underwater systems and installations, offshore units, diving systems, structural design, and drilling systems. The DNV rules and standards undergo an extensive external hearing process, before their publication and entry into force.    Rules and standardised pr...

ClassNK has released the report – ‘ClassNK Alternative Fuels Insight’, which summarises the characteristics and latest trends of alternative fuels to support their customers’ future fuel selection. Amidst the pressing need for society-wide reduction of GHG emissions, regulations aimed at further promoting GHG emission reductions in international shipping are being introduced. This heralds the arrival of an era where GHG emissions from ships will incur costs. Adoption of...

NorthStandard announces the departure of James Bean, a senior executive team member, following his decision to accept a role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The London P&I Club. NorthStandard will not be replacing him as one of two Chiefs of geographical sectors. Steve Cockburn who currently shares the position with James, will assume sole responsibility. Jeremy's comments “It is with mixed feelings that we share this news,” said Jeremy Grose, Co-Managing Director of North...

Ricardo is working to support clients in the maritime sector, developing innovations and exploring new hydrogen activities to help decarbonise the industry.    Ricardo, a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, is expanding its capabilities in the global maritime sector, supporting clients with the design, development, and testing of large-scale propulsion systems, including multi-stack fuel cell technology.   Hydrogen test facility In Jan...

The London P&I Club has announced that Ian Gooch will be stepping down during the year from the role of Chief Executive Officer after 15 years as CEO and 21 years as a Director of A. Bilbrough & Co., the Company that manages The London P&I Club.  Subject to regulatory approval, Ian Gooch will be succeeded by James Bean, from NorthStandard P&I Club. NorthStandard’s senior leadership A qualified Solicitor, James Bean has worked within the marine insurance industry sin...

ABS awarded approval in principle (AIP) to two critical autonomous functions on a proposed offshore platform in the latest phase of its pioneering collaboration with HD Hyundai Group. The artificial intelligence-based Autonomous Machinery Health Management Function (HiCBM) and the Autonomous Safety Management Function (HiCAMS) both received AIP from ABS at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. Latest stage in ABS and HD group The certificates are just the latest stage in ABS and HD H...

South African Nouum Engineering, a provider of diesel engine services for marine, power, locomotive, and generators globally, and Mauritius-based ship repair and conversion yard - Taylor Smith Shipyard have signed a cooperation agreement, expanding both companies’ commercial and operational scopes.  Engineering work Willy van Niekerk, General Manager of TSS is very pleased, stating “This cooperation provides Taylor Smith Shipyard with the opportunity to accept more and signifi...

BG Freight Line has unveiled its greenest ships yet with four new vessels that will help its customers significantly reduce their carbon emissions. State-of-the-art scrubber The new ships will use a state-of-the-art scrubber to catch CO2 and sulphur particles, as well as have increased cargo capacity which will result in a lower carbon footprint per container. They are also equipped to handle biomethanol, allowing them to be powered by this sustainable fuel source as it becomes increasingly...

NAVTOR is calling on hydrographic offices and other industry stakeholders to help urgently “bridge the divide” between vessels and management teams with the widescale roll-out of onshore ENCs. Without a joined-up, global approach to the issue, the Norwegian maritime technology company says important development areas such as autonomous shipping, route planning, optimisation, and effective emergency response measures could be held back. NAVTOR’s Paul Elgar describes the current...

Ocean freight container carriers are treading a fine line between risk and reward during new contract negotiations as the market remains gripped by uncertainty in the Red Sea, according to new data on the Xeneta Shipping Index (XSI®). The latest data released by Xeneta, on Thursday, shows the Global XSI® (the average rate of all valid long-term contracts in the market) remained fairly flat in April at 154.3 points, up by just 1.7% from March. However, looking at sub-indices within this...

Optimarin is expanding its position in the market for ballast water treatment systems with a deal to acquire peer player Hyde Marine from De Nora Marine Technologies that will significantly boost its installed base of BWTSs and give Hyde customers access to its global aftersales network. The Norwegian ballast water treatment specialist has entered into a definitive Asset Purchase Agreement with Italy’s De Nora whereby it will acquire Hyde Marine’s UV BWTS technology, produc...

Global law firm - Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Bibby Marine on a shipbuilding contract to deliver the world’s first truly zero-emission, electric Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (eCSOV). The eCSOV, which will be built at Astilleros Gondán’s shipyard in Asturias, Spain, is expected to be delivered in 2026. Designed in collaboration with UK-based ship designers Longitude, it will feature a powerful battery system, complemented by dual-fuel methanol engines for emiss...

Sensor solutions provider - HENSOLDT UK has been selected by Navantia UK to provide key systems to the UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s (RFA) three new Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships. The new vessels will incorporate Quadome Naval 3D Air and Surface Surveillance Radar, Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems, and Kelvin Hughes Integrated Navigation Bridge Systems (INBS). The FSS ships will play a crucial role in supporting the replenishment operations of the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth Class air...

The technology group - Wärtsilä’s unique Decarbonisation Services have been chosen to support Tristar Eships, the maritime logistics division of the Dubai-based Tristar Group, in decarbonising its operations. Wärtsilä’s Decarbonisation Services Wärtsilä’s Decarbonisation Services will initially be applied to two tankers in the company’s fleet and is tailored to create a significant reduction in their carbon emissions. “We are committ...

Crowley has named Phil Shook as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Land Transportation Services to lead the company’s newly created business unit. The formal creation of the business unit reflects Crowley’s growth strategy and opportunity in the sectors. Serving as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, Shook will be responsible for commercial business in North America, including all land-based transportation, such as brokerage solutions, intermodal services, trucking and...

Despite an Indiana University study showing a luxury superyacht produces around 7,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, the vessels are exempt from many maritime emissions regulations. While efforts to reduce their environmental impact have progressed in recent years, the industry is still far from sustainable. Mike Torbitt, Managing Director of marine resistor manufacturer - Cressall, explores the progress the yachting industry has made, and what more can be done to improve its environmental...

Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd – a global major in wind-assisted propulsion technology for commercial vessels – has announced the appointment of Claes Horndahl as their new Commercial Director. With a career spanning more than 20 years supporting gas carriers and tankers, Claes brings a wealth of expertise in maritime consultancy, commercial strategy, and operational efficiency to Anemoi, as the company ramps up production of its award-winning Rotor Sail systems owing to growing dem...

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has advised Jiangsu Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (JSFL) on the US$75 million financing for 10 chemical/oil products tankers and four general cargo vessels owned by the Yildirim Group (Yildirim). The transaction was not a pure sale and leaseback as the closing mechanism was complex as it involved the prepayment of outstanding exposure from a previous transaction, discharging securities promptly, and multiple transfers on the closing date. Structured loan-to-val...

More than 70 managers from 26 Spanish Port Authorities and Puertos del Estado (State Ports) concluded on Friday the conference ‘The culture of control, ethics and integrity in the Spanish Port System’, which Valenciaport hosted on 25 and 26 April, 2024, in the Clock Building. For two days, experts in Internal Control and Auditing debated the best formulas for tackling the challenges of the Spanish Port System from a model of Governance based on control, integrity and ethics. Their o...

Wison Engineering Ltd. (abbr. as Wison) signed EPC contract with Shanghai WaiGaoQiao 3# power generation Co., LTD (abbr. as 3# Power Plant) for its first CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol demo project recently, with the methanol production scale of 10 kta. This project marks the successful implementation of Wison’s first EPC project in the field of carbon neutrality by using chemical adsorption and hydrogenation of 100% carbon dioxide from flue gas of coal-fired power plants to produce bulk c...

One of Scotland’s major cruise ports is gearing up for another bumper cruise season following the launch of its new £20m visitor centre. Greenock Ocean Terminal and the River Clyde will welcome 79 cruise liners, carrying up to 115,000 passengers throughout 2024, with early bookings for 2025 already heading towards a new record for the port. Regal Princess The cruise port welcomed its first big vessel of the season on April 26, 2024, with the huge Regal Princess, capable of carryin...

SEAONICS will supply 3D Electric Controlled Motion Compensated (ECMC) cranes to two Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) under construction for the German ship-owner at Norwegian shipbuilder - VARD.  The order marks the ninth and tenth units sold since the first next-generation ECMC crane was delivered last year. Ambitious new customer The order marks SEAONICS' first equipment delivery to Windward Offshore The order marks SEAONICS' first equipment delivery to Windward Offshor...

Technology group - Wärtsilä will supply the engines for a new Canadian Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker. The ship is being designed and built at Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards and will be the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet. Because of the long operational range required for the vessel’s employment in arctic waters, fuel efficiency was a prime design consideration in the selection of the Wärtsilä 31 engine. Wärtsilä 31 engine The W&a...

Raymarine, a global major in high-performance marine electronics for the recreational boating, marine first responder and law enforcement market, has announced that its best-in-industry Pathfinder Radar system has achieved Type Approval. Issued by the TÜV SÜD BABT Certification Body, the Type Approval confirms that the IMO-compliant Pathfinder Solid State X-band radar system complies with the Marine Equipment Directive for Shipborne Radar Equipment CAT 2 and CAT 3. Commercial vessel...

Chantiers de l’Atlantique has chosen Brunvoll as the supplier of main propulsion for Orient Express Silenseas’ new cruise ships, which are going to become the world’s largest sailing ships. The order is for two vessels, with two additional as an option. The delivery from Brunvoll is a propulsion system consisting of a twin-screw configuration with a controllable pitch propeller with a diameter of 3.9 metres. Controllable pitch propellers The propellers are designed to be ful...

Sines was one of the ports invited by MPA – Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore to participate in an exercise that also brought together the ports of Hamburg, Tanger Med, Los Angeles and Seattle. Framed within the international promotion of the NEXUS Agenda, the Port of Sines participated, for the second time, in the Singapore Maritime Week, the most important venue in the ​​technological and innovation sector, focused on shipping, which took place between the 15th and 19th of April,...

Babcock has been awarded the contract to manage the Type 23 class frigate Refit Support Group, allowing the company to take end-to-end responsibility for vessel upkeep and regeneration in preparation for handover to the ship’s crew. This innovative change follows more than five years of close working between the Royal Navy-led Refit Support Group and Babcock. It frees up UK Royal Navy personnel for front-line operations and creates new and exciting roles for 40 Babcock engineering...

The Port of Las Palmas is a key strategic mid-Atlantic maritime and logistics hub serving the offshore energy sector as well as ships sailing to and from Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Lately, it has also been playing a vital role in refuelling vessels diverted around Africa from the Red Sea and Suez Canal.  Maritime Week Las Palmas Maritime Week Las Palmas - the second edition of which takes place from 17-19 June at the famous Santa Catalina Hotel in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - will...

The Shipping industry expertise and history come together for London International Shipping Week (LISW25) in the form of Lloyd’s Register which has just signed up for the 2025 running of this popular industry event. In its role as Blue Sapphire Legacy Sponsor, Lloyd’s Register brings more than 260 years of trusted worldwide professionalism and strong industry relationships to LISW25. Efficiency, and resilience Central to its input will be a strong commitment to sustainability,...