United Kingdom (UK) News

Global satellite communications provider, Satcom Global is delighted to share that renowned international subsea and offshore services company, Mermaid Maritime, has installed AuraNow VSAT on board an accommodation vessel to enable flexible bandwidth for business efficiency and crew communications. AuraNow VSAT The innovative maritime satellite communications solution, AuraNow VSAT, enables unlimited bandwidth changes, with no hidden fees or penalties, making it the ideal solution for offshore...

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company based in Yokohama, has received orders from Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. for 12 units of its Fuel Gas Supply System (FGSS), a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel gas supply system for high-pressure dual-fuel marine engines. The equipment for 9 LNG-fuelled car carriers and 3 LNG-fuelled bulk carriers to be built by Imabari Shipbuilding Group will be continuously delivered from spring 2024. Fuel Gas Supply System...

Crowley has appointed Eric Cunningham to be the Vice President of Shared Services, where he will focus on growing the company’s business relationships and capabilities for customers across the U.S., Central America and strategic markets. “We are excited to welcome Eric as he joins our leadership team to help strengthen the services that Crowley brings to our valued customers, improve process efficiencies and propel the growth and success of our people,” said Dan Warner, Crowle...

When a 9,280hp workboat returned to service following extensive repairs at the James Marine Paducah River Service yard in Kentucky, U.S.A., it marked the first application of Thordon’s new seal-embedded bearing to an articulating rudder. Articulating rudders Articulating rudders are unlike conventional rudders and can be more costly to repair, when things go wrong. They are more susceptible to wear and tear, due to the higher operating pressures and abrasives, and as a result, require a...

School pupils across Inverclyde are to be given the chance to name two new £17m ship-to-shore cranes ahead of their arrival at Greenock Ocean Terminal later this year. Clydeport – part of the Peel Ports Group – is launching a competition in partnership with Inverclyde Council to find the most imaginative and creative names for the two cranes, which will become a vital piece of city infrastructure. Pupils from schools across the area are being invited to enter the competition a...

The UK government announces a substantial commitment of £34 million in funding to support the maritime sector's development of innovative solutions and new technologies. The funding forms part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC), a vital initiative that aims to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and low-carbon maritime sector while promoting economic growth. With the launch of this fourth round of funding, the total investment through the CMDC programme has now...

At MEPC 80, IMO member nations met the shipping industry’s call for action on climate, setting a target of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 and interim targets for 2030 and 2040. Most importantly, the updated GHG strategy now sets a clear timeline for the development of the lifecycle-based global fuel standard and economic instrument, to be agreed by 2025 and ready for implementation in 2027. Robust regulatory framework “This marks a new beginning for shipping’s energy transi...

In 2013, PD Ports introduced Safety Champions across their sites with the aim of maintaining an excellent health and safety culture, and to keep their working environments as safe as possible at all times. This initiative involves teams from across the business working together to keep their respective areas safe, as well as sharing ideas and possibilities for improvement. For them, involving their employees in health and safety is of the upmost importance, and it’s an integral part of co...

In the presence of H.E. Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, the Minister of Hydrocarbons for the Republic of Congo, Wison (Wison Marine & Offshore) and Eni held the ‘Marine XIl Offshore FLNG Project Topsides’ ceremony at the Zhoushan yard in China, on July 3, 2023. This ceremony marks the start of the topsides fabrication, a major milestone in the construction of the Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG). ‘Marine XIl Offshore FLNG Project Topsides’ ceremony More than 200 peo...

International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopts revised strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping. Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), meeting at the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80), have adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, with enhanced targets to tackle harmful emissions. Revised IMO GHG Strategy The revised IMO GHG Strategy includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net...

Bernhard Schulte Offshore returns to Ulstein Verft for the design and construction of two Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) of the ULSTEIN SX222 design. The contract includes options for four additional vessels.  The vessels, which utilise the TWIN X-STERN design, feature two sterns and main propellers located at both fore and aft, making them an ideal choice for dynamic positioning (DP) operations. Regardless of whether the vessels are facing towards or away from the we...

MPC Container Ships ASA (‘MPCC’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the sale of two joint venture-owned vessels, Cimbria and Cardonia, for a total price of USD 42.5 million. The vessels, with a capacity of 2,800 TEU, were built in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Both vessels are currently on time-charter contracts, expiring at the earliest in July 2025 (Cardonia) and in October 2025 (Cimbria). MPC Container Ships sells its two JV-owned vessels This sale represents th...

MAN Energy Solutions has signed a Conversion Commitment Agreement with Seaspan Corporation (Seaspan), a globally renowned company in containership ownership and management, in collaboration with Hapag-Lloyd, one of the major global liner shipping companies. Under the terms of the Agreement, MAN PrimeServ, MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division, will deliver 15 engine retrofit solutions for conversion of vessels powered by individual MAN B&W S90-type fuel-oil-powered engines from t...

ERMA FIRST, a pioneer sustainable maritime solutions provider, has launched a new energy saving device (ESD) that promises reduced fuel consumption and emissions in line with CII and EEXI requirements. With ship owners seeking practical and cost-effective tools to facilitate compliance with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Carbon Intensity Index (CII) and Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI), a new solution from ERMA FIRST promises to boost CII and EEXI performance...

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, will connect Wärtsilä ANCS’s new floating laboratory, AHTI, and its shore operations, to support the data exchange for advanced technology testing and the ship’s day-to-day operations. Inmarsat Maritime’s award-winning Fleet Xpress connectivity will be packaged with unlimited backup from FleetBroadband to meet all the demonstrator’s needs. High-speed and reliable connectivity AHTI uses seamless, high-speed, and relia...

NSSLGlobal, the independent satcom and IT solutions provider, has won a 36-month contract to support Dutch-owned, worldwide shipping expert Vertom Bereederungs as it strives to meet the need for ever higher data demands brought on by the maritime industry’s ongoing digitalisation alongside the need for crew retention. The agreement sees NSSLGlobal provide its renowned VSAT IP@SEA service to 28 Vertom ships including 13 new diesel-electric propelled vessels, as well as providing Vertom wit...

Maritime technology company Yara Marine Technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) application developers Molflow, and the Chalmers University of Technology and social science specialists from Halmstad University and Gothenburg University have collaborated for over 3 years to develop and trial an AI-based semi-autonomous voyage planning system. Initiated in August 2020, the Via Kaizen project explores how AI and machine learning can enable more energy-efficient voyage planning for ship operator...

Babcock has successfully completed maintenance works for the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Sir David Attenborough at their Rosyth facilities. They welcomed the RRS Sir David Attenborough (SDA) to Rosyth in early June with works to the ship including upgrades to the vessel’s gas detection system, helideck netting, draft sensor vent pipework as well as assistance with planned maintenance, defect rectification and general logistics support. Maintenance works on RRS Sir David Attenborough The m...

Joan Calabuig, president of the Port Authority of Valencia has inaugurated the conference ‘Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies in the Port Industry’. The event, organised by the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain in collaboration with the València Port Authority (PAV), aims to explain to German companies and institutions the different initiatives implemented within the framework of the Valenciaport Decarbonisation Plan to make the Valencian docks 100% green. Address...

The signatories of the joint statement – Aspen Shipping Decarbonization Initiative, DHL Global Forwarding, Hapag Lloyd, Kuehne + Nagel, NORDEN, Oldendorff Carriers, ONE, Torvald Klaveness, and Yara Clean Ammonia represent key parts of the value chain for decarbonised shipping. The companies belong to the Getting to Zero coalition, which has been exploring book and claim chain of custody approaches as part of its mission to fully decarbonise the shipping indus...

DNV is the first class society to introduce new class rules for electrical shore connections specifically tailored for tankers, contributing to setting sector norms. The need for new rules on shore power for tankers emerged following amendments to the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) Ocean-Going Vessels At-Berth Regulation, requiring tankers to have emission control strategies in place at specific ports from January 2025. As a response to these regulatory changes, DNV, on behalf of the W...

Savvy shipowners are treating their vessels like super athletes-making marginal gains that increase commercial performance to the tune of £38 million over a five-year docking cycle. The shipping industry has seen huge technological changes in the past 10 years to help cut costs, including shark-skin coatings, air lubrication and self-cleaning vessels. But now shipowners, like Olympic athletes, are fine-tuning in a bid to shave off 0.25 percent to help improve performance, say industry exp...

AkzoNobel is supporting the marine industry to mitigate emissions and help shipowners navigate upcoming additional costs, or risk facing an additional six-figure levy annually once new EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) legislation comes into force from 2024. The EU ETS carbon levy will affect all CO2 emissions on shipping journeys to and from an EU port, including when the vessel is docked. Emissions on voyages in and out of the EU will be ‘taxed’ at 50% unless the journey is less t...

ClassNK has released amendments to its Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships dated 30 June 2023. ClassNK is constantly revising its Rules and Guidance to reflect the latest results from relevant research and development projects, feedback from damage investigations, requests from industry as well as changes made to relevant international conventions, IACS unified requirements (UR), etc. Amendments More specifically, some of the amendments made this time are as...

Crowley has acquired Tamarind Consolidated, a logistics services company serving the U.S. to the British Virgin Islands in a merger enhancing end-to-end supply chain capabilities for the Caribbean region. The acquisition will transition Tamarind’s operations and services, including warehousing and non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) services, to Crowley. Crowley acquires Tamarind Consolidated The expansion complements U.S.-based Crowley’s existing maritime and logistics so...

Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) have agreed to perform engineering of conventional vessels other than LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers on consignment from Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd. at MI LNG Company, Ltd. (MI LNG), their jointly operated LNG carrier engineering firm, augmenting MI LNG’s earlier business relating to LNG carriers. The new business arrangement will get underway starting in July. The agreed engineering business is to include funct...

ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for an ammonia and liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier which has been jointly developed by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line). Ammonia is projected to be widely used as a source of clean energy for decarbonisation since it does not emit CO2 when combusted, and is expected to be increasingly transported by sea. On the other hand, efforts toward carbon dioxide capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), a pro...

The beleaguered carrier industry took another major hit in June, with the latest data from Xeneta’s Shipping Index (XSI®) showing a decline of 9.4% in global long-term shipping rates. Following on the heels of a 27.5% collapse in May, and a 10.3% fall in April, contracted rates have now shed 47.2% of their value in the last three months alone, and 51.7% over the course of 2023. Xeneta’s real-time data, crowd-sourced from pioneering global shippers, shows falls in the prices of...

ClassNK has received approval from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) to accept HermAce developed by FURUNO ELECTRIC CO., LTD (FURUNO) as an alternative for the onboard Annual Performance Test (APT) of the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR). It is now possible to conduct VDR APT remotely for Panamanian-flagged vessels registered with ClassNK.  Checking remote diagnosis SOLAS requires a VDR to have an APT with a qualified engineer visiting the vessel annually to check the operation and record vo...

Åkerblå Group provides clients with knowledge-based advice and verification through interdisciplinary expertise in fish health, biodiversity and technical services, to use for sustainable practices and operations in the ocean. The Group has offices and laboratories in Norway, UK, Iceland and Lithuania. Author's quote “This deal is a major vote of confidence by DNV in the future of aquaculture, and specifically in knowledge-driven solutions that balance ocean wealth with ocean...