Northern Mariana Islands News

DNV has released a competence standard (ST) for methanol and a recommended practice (RP) for ammonia, to enable crew and shipowners to tackle the safety risks and challenges posed by the introduction of new alternative fuels and technologies through shipping’s decarbonisation. While new fuels and technologies are key to achieving maritime decarbonisation, their adoption necessitates robust safety and competence frameworks. DNV’s Insights platform The number of vessels typed with a...

ABS has awarded Hanwha Ocean Approval in Principle (AIP) for its Pre-FEED Standard FPSO Design intended to create an asset optimised for deployment in the deep waters of West Africa. The FPSO design is 340 m long and capable of storing approximately 2.38 million barrels of crude oil, with a daily crude oil production capacity of 190,000 barrels. Developed to accommodate topsides for crude oil and or gas production facilities, the hull is designed to operate for up to 20 years without the need f...

Guy Hindley has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Baltic Exchange Council, with effect from 1 January 2025, following the leadership of Lord Jeffrey Mountevans who has held the position for the past two years. Guy Hindley, who has served on the Baltic Exchange Council since January 2019, has a long and distinguished career in the maritime sector, including his role as Managing Partner of Dry Cargo division at Howe Robinson, where he has been a key figure since for nearly four decades.&n...

Ulstein Verft is pleased to welcome BS Offshore back at the shipyard. This will be their first ULSTEIN SX222 CSOV. The hull arrival marks a significant milestone in constructing this state-of-the-art vessel, designed to support the growing offshore wind industry.  The SX222 design, known for its superior operational performance and seakeeping abilities, will ensure the vessel meets the highest efficiency and safety standards. New innovative offshore vessels The vessel is now po...

ABS Wavesight™, the ABS-affiliated Software-as-a-Service company, is pleased to announce that UNI-FLEET SDN BHD, a specialised shipping company operating tanker vessels primarily focused on the transportation of ammonia across Asia, has chosen to implement Nautical Systems (NS) Maintenance Manager and Purchasing Manager modules to revolutionise their maintenance and inventory processes. Integration of NS Maintenance “We’re excited for the opportunity to support UNI-FLEET with...

Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) has undertaken the certification of indigenously developed marine components for defence projects, marking a significant milestone in enhancing defence and maritime manufacturing capabilities within the country. The product certifications were conducted in compliance with national and international standards/specifications. A fouling-release coating Among the projects validated and certified is a fouling-release coating, developed by DRDO’s Naval Materi...

Ocean Network Express (“ONE”) is pleased to announce three North Europe Transatlantic services, effective from February 2025, which will be operated together with CMA CGM (“CMA CGM”), COSCO Shipping Lines (“COSCO”), Oriental Overseas Container Line (“OOCL”) and Evergreen Line (“EMC”) as part of a Vessel Sharing cooperation. Key TA market sectors Jeremy Nixon, CEO of ONE, commented, “AS ONE, we look forward to our new collab...

Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised Höegh Evi Ltd. (Höegh Evi) on the acquisition of a 50% stake in its shareholder Larus Holding (Larus) by funds managed by Igneo Infrastructure Partners (Igneo). Transaction details Larus, which is the 100% owner of Höegh Evi, is currently jointly 50/50 owned by Aequitas Limited (a holding company of the Høegh Family who will retain their existing stake) and funds managed by Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners.  The trans...

ClassNK has released guidance to assist in the safe evacuation of crew members from vehicle carriers in the event of a cargo hold fire. Additionally, the world’s first notation, ‘AMEVC(EV),’ has been established to indicate vessels equipped with additional measures to facilitate safe evacuation. Evacuation challenges Vehicle carriers often have accommodation areas and life-saving equipment, such as lifeboats Vehicle carriers often have accommodation areas and life-saving eq...

Fincantieri, a global pioneer in shipbuilding and marine technologies, is proud to announce its newly signed Memorandum of Understanding with Sparkle, Italy’s foremost international service operator and a top global player in telecommunications. This strategic partnership focuses on developing innovative technological solutions to enhance the surveillance and protection of submarine telecommunications cables, vital infrastructures that underpin global connectivity, and digital security....

Anemoi Marine Technologies completed the installation of five Rotor Sails onboard the 400,000 dwt Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC), Sohar Max, making it the largest vessel to receive wind propulsion technology to date. Sohar Max is a first-generation Valemax, built in 2012 in China’s Rongsheng shipyard. Rotor Sails The project showcased the global collaboration between Brazilian mining giant Vale S.A., Omani shipowner Asyad, and UK-based Rotor Sail provider Anemoi. The five 35 m tall, 5 m...

The UK government has confirmed that Australia will equip its Hunter-class frigates with the Thales 2087 sonar system, a move set to contribute around £45 million to the UK economy, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Array sonar system The Sonar 2087, manufactured in the United Kingdom by Thales Underwater Systems, is a towed array sonar system that replaces the older Sonar 2031 in the Royal Navy. It equips several Type 23 frigates and is also set to feature on the Roya...

To support its 2025 aims, Hendrik Veder Group UK has appointed two key positions in strategic locations across the UK. Ahead of the new year, Hendrik Veder Group UK’s management team has explored options to strengthen its position within critical growth markets nationally and become an all-in-one service provider encompassing lifting, rigging, and towing. Through these two new appointments, the firm will optimise the support it provides its clientele in each service line while bolstering...

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) from Teledyne RD Instruments (RDI) has been chosen for a 63-foot hybrid catamaran for the Orange County Sanitation District (OC San.gov) built by All American Marine (AAM), a pioneer in constructing vessels with hybrid and electric propulsion systems. The vessel, designed to support ocean sampling and scientific research, will be an innovative hybrid-powered boat, contributing to environmental sustainability in marine operations. Utility optim...

ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to a remote monitoring system for machines, ‘MAREWA-SYSTEM’ developed by KAGOO DOCKYARD Co., Ltd. ClassNK-registered vessels equipped with the product can be given the ‘DSS’ notations (MM, CNS, SM), which indicate ships with advanced digital technology. Deployment of products In order to promote the spread and development of innovative technologies, ClassNK has offered Innovation Endorsement fo...

Kongsberg Digital is proud to announce an important new simulator contract with Noble Corporation, one of the world’s pioneering offshore drilling companies, headquartered in Houston, Texas USA. DP simulators The contract includes the delivery of state-of-the-art navigation, engine, and dynamic positioning (DP) simulators based on Kongsberg Maritime’s market-pioneering K-Pos DP system. The simulators will be tailored and integrated with Kongsberg Maritime’s Riser Monitoring...

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of the technology group Wärtsilä, will supply the cargo handling systems for three new 93,000 m3 capacity Very Large Ammonia Carriers (VLACs).  The ships are being built at the Korean shipyard Hanwha Ocean Co, formerly known as DSME. Two vessels are for a Greek ship owner and one for a Japanese owner. These two orders, both booked by Wärtsilä in Q4 2024, further strengthen Wärtsilä’s position as a market-pioneering...

OrbitMI CEO Ali Riaz has been named among the Top 10 Technology Leaders of 2024 in Lloyd’s List Intelligence’s prestigious annual rankings of the 100 most influential people in shipping, underscoring the NYC-based maritime software company’s major role in the digital transformation of the industry. Riaz, who retained his sixth ranking from 2023, represents the only pure software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm on the keenly watched list of pioneering players “driving real digit...

Metis, a pioneer in digital solutions for fleet performance management, and Nereus Digital Bunkers, a maritime software company specialising in marine fuels have entered into a strategic cooperation that aims to revolutionise bunkering operations through data-driven insights and streamlined processes. By combining the strengths of both companies, this collaboration leverages cloud-to-cloud integration for seamless data exchange, delivering two unique services to support the optimal management a...

NorthStandard and NIORD have announced a new strategic partnership to build their offshore renewable energy underwriting business.    Under an agreement that comes into effect on 1 January 2025, global marine insurer NorthStandard will provide US$30M in additional capacity to insure fixed and floating wind farms as well as renewable devices. Risk management partnership The facility is part of a risk management partnership between renewables-focused NIORD and NorthStandard that...

Pioneering marine and protective coatings brand International®, part of AkzoNobel, celebrated its 35th year anniversary in China during an event in Shanghai in October 2024. First registered and founded in 1989 in partnership with Shanghai Huayi Fine Chemicals and China State Shipbuilding Equipment & Materials Corporation Ltd, International Paint of Shanghai Co., Ltd. has since established three production facilities in China, 17 distribution centres, and employs over 100 technical serv...

ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to a remote monitoring system for machines, “MAREWA-SYSTEM” developed by KAGOO DOCKYARD Co., Ltd. ClassNK-registered vessels equipped with the product can be given the “DSS” notations (MM, CNS, SM), which indicate ships with advanced digital technology. Equipment and software technology In order to promote the spread and development of innovative technologies, ClassNK has offered Innovation...

LGE business has been awarded a contract to deliver six cargo handling and fuel gas supply systems for Ultra Large Ethane Carriers in China. The new supersized ships have 50% more capacity than existing Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLEC), and at 150,000 m3, are a world first of this size. Transportation of liquefied gas The ships, being built at the Jiangnan Shipyard in China, will be fitted with cascade reliquefication plants to manage the Boil Off Gas (BOG), with the contract signalling a co...

U-Boat Worx is proud to be part of the ground-breaking HEXA, a 50-metre support vessel conversion that redefines the superyacht support experience. Born from hand-drawn sketches as a floating helipad, HEXA has transformed into a striking concept that seamlessly blends robust utility with high-end sophistication, setting a new benchmark for support vessels. With its distinctive hexagonal theme, extended entertainment decks, swim platform, and bold graphics, HEXA combines form and function in a w...

Leask Marine is proud to continue its partnership with Morlais, a globally renowned tidal energy developer, in the deployment of the Marinus LiDAR buoy off the coast of Holyhead, Wales. This advanced buoy, equipped with cutting-edge sonar, acoustic monitoring, and video technology, will play a crucial role in monitoring marine wildlife and environmental conditions around the Morlais tidal energy project. Deployment of the Marinus buoy The data collected by the Marinus buoy will provide valuab...

Rolls-Royce held a successful F130 engine Critical Design Review (CDR), clearing the way for final development, test, and production efforts to proceed and taking another step towards delivering the upgraded B-52J to the United States Air Force. This milestone is the culmination of over two years of detailed design work and close collaboration between teams at Rolls-Royce, the Air Force and Boeing. The engine testing program is on track to begin altitude testing in February 2025 at the U.S. Air...

Iridium Communications Inc., a provider of global voice and data satellite communications launched the Iridium Certus™9704, its newest  IoT module, and Iridium Certus 9704 Development Kit. This transformational new module, featuring Iridium Messaging Transport® (IMT®) technology, is the smallest and most powerful created by Iridium, ideal for supporting satellite IoT applications that require real-time data analysis, analytics, and automated decision-making. Iridium Certus...

In a recent case underscoring the essential nature of precise cost estimation in maritime logistics, ITIC (International Transport Intermediaries Club) has settled a US$140,000 claim resulting from an error in calculating port charges. The incident involved a South American grain shipment where the pool manager’s use of outdated cost estimates for port fees led to a substantial financial discrepancy. A pool manager organised a ship to load a cargo of grain at a South American port. Using...

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group - Wärtsilä, continues to strengthen its market-pioneering position in small-scale LNG applications with its latest contract. A new 12,500 cbm LNG bunkering vessel is being built at the Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering shipyard in China, for global energy company - Vitol. It will feature Wärtsilä Cargo Handling and Fuel Gas Supply systems, the order for which was booked by Wärtsilä in Q4,...

Hefring Marine, a pioneer in intelligent marine technology, has been awarded a grant by the Icelandic Transport Authority (Samgöngustofa) to further critical research on injuries experienced by mariners aboard vessels. This prestigious grant underscores Hefring Marine's commitment to enhancing safety standards within the maritime industry. Building on extensive research conducted in 2023 with support from the Icelandic Student Innovation Fund, backed by Rannís (The Icelandic Centre...