United Kingdom (UK) News

In Zurich, industry pioneers from across the global maritime value chain came together to launch the All Aboard Alliance, which will provide a platform for collaborative action to make the maritime industry more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Global seaborne trade The backdrop for setting up the All Aboard Alliance is the fact that global seaborne trade relies on millions of people working in the maritime sector on shore and at sea. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and in light o...

Babcock LGE, the pioneer in liquefied gas solutions, is delighted to have a number of its customers’ ships featured on the Royal Institute of Naval Architects' (RINA) annual ‘Significant Ship of 2021’ list.  Making the prestigious list, which includes some of the very best in current ship design and construction, is the world’s first Chinese-built 99,000m3 Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC) – the Pacific Ineos Belstaff.  LGE supplied the fully integrated...

Crowley, the longest-serving U.S. supply chain company with a nearly 70-year history in Puerto Rico inaugurated its state-of-the-art LNG Loading Terminal in the southern town of Peñuelas. Sustainable energy solutions The liquefied natural gas facility marks a major milestone and supports the island’s economy with full-service, sustainable energy solutions to industrial and commercial operators in Puerto Rico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The inaugural event hosted by C...

IMO’s Facilitation Committee has adopted amendments to the Facilitation (FAL) Convention, which will make the single window for data exchange mandatory in ports around the world, marking a significant step in the acceleration of digitalisation in shipping. Other amendments adopted include lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and add new and amended Recommended Practices to prevent corruption and illicit activities in the maritime sector. Facilitation (FAL) Convention The Facilitati...

Satcom Global AuraNow is the only maritime VSAT solution that allows vessel managers and owners to perform an instant upgrade to their bandwidth via an online portal. By simply clicking the ‘Perform and immediate upgrade’ button in the AuraNow customer portal, vessel and fleet managers can give their vessels access to greater bandwidth within minutes. AuraNow portal A one-stop-shop solution that gives direct access to manage to the vessel and fleet communications The easy-to-use...

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim has urged further financial support for a UN-coordinated operational plan to address the threat of a major oil spill from the FSO Safer, moored off Yemen, after a pledging event in The Hague saw donors pledging US$33 million in new funding. Contingency planning efforts "In the face of an impending environmental disaster, we must do all we can to prevent it. We must act now," Mr. Lim said. "The time is now. The risks are hig...

In May 2022 Managing Director Caroline Levey attended the Smart Digital Ports of the Future event in Rotterdam. Below she gives her insights from what she felt was an ‘excellent conference on Digitalisation in Ports which highlighted the need for better data sharing and interoperability.’ “Refreshingly the first two panel sessions kicking the conference off were focused on data standards, data sharing and the need for interoperability. It struck me how fitting it was to see th...

Fires are among the biggest threats to seagoing vessels, despite the irony of the vessels being surrounded by water. Fire threats are especially serious given that receiving outside assistance is impossible, or at least very time-consuming. Evacuation is also problematic in the middle of the ocean. Not surprisingly, electrical fires make up around half of the incidences of combustion onboard ships – electrical systems and water are a dangerous combination. Other fires come from flammable...

The International Transport Forum (ITF) announces the winners of its inaugural Decarbonising Transport Award. The ITF Decarbonising Transport Award winner in the innovation category is Wanyama Autosafety Initiatives for its efforts at reducing air pollution from vehicle emissions. The Kampala-based start-up mobilises a network of over 400 local mechanics to improve the environmental performance of the Ugandan capital's most polluting vehicles. Born of an urgency to halt the detrimental ef...

An expert welder from Rolls-Royce Submarines Ltd will fly the flag for the UK and the East Midlands at the internationally respected WorldSkills 2022 competition in China later this year. Will Hunt, who works at the Raynesway site in Derby, was selected after excelling in national welding competitions. He is now part of the 39-strong Team UK and will face off against rivals from 80 countries to bring home gold in their field. On hearing the news, Will said: “The welding competitions ha...

  The first four CV90 Combat Support Vehicles were delivered to the Norwegian Armed Forces during a ceremony hosted by local industry partner Ritek AS in Levanger, Norway. The four vehicles are the first of 20 modernized CV90 engineering vehicles BAE Systems will deliver, in partnership with Ritek and the Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency. “While rebuilding these vehicles, it has been important for the government that Norwegian jobs are supported", said Bent Joacim Bentze...

Siemens has agreed to sell its Commercial Vehicles business to Meritor. The move is another step in the company’s rigorous implementation of its previously announced plan to sharpen its portfolio as a focused technology company. Commercial Vehicles is part of Siemens’ Portfolio Companies. The purchase price totals around €190 million, subject to working capital adjustments. Closing is expected, subject to regulatory approvals, by the end of this calendar year.   &ldqu...

DNV’s new Mobile Inspection App helps ship owners and managers digitalise and streamline the workflow, recording and follow-up of their onboard safety inspections. The app also provides onshore staff with instant access to the results. Many shipping companies are aware of the possibility of inconsistent or incomplete safety reporting and limited possibilities for gaining useful analytics, if inspectors are using non-digitalised reporting methods. ShipManager’s new solution The sol...

The first International Day for Women in Maritime on 18 May 2022 provides a platform to highlight and celebrate the achievements of women in maritime and identify areas of improvement for gender balance. IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said: “There is still a gender imbalance in maritime – but times are changing. It is recognised that diversity in maritime benefits the entire sector. Women in maritime are working everywhere to support the transition to a decarbonised, digitalised a...

As a member of the Smart Ports Alliance they are excited to share their upcoming webinar all about how they are working with the SPEED Portal (Smart Ports Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development). Improving operational efficiency These two independent organisations to ‘support the journey of ports and terminals, individually and collectively, to apply technology effectively to improve operational efficiency, enhance financial performance and address serious global challenges.’ They...

Transporting special cargo around the world doesn’t come without its complications. Unlike traditional container shipping, special cargo comes in unpredictable shapes and sizes and requires custom-made loading solutions, and given the typically high-value and sensitive nature of these items, these solutions must be faultless. Special cargo complexities If cargo isn’t loaded correctly and damages occur, the ripple effects can be devastating. For example, whether it’s a 118-t...

Inmarsat, the pioneer in global, mobile satellite communications, has completed the first phases of testing of innovative technology developments for Orchestra, the company’s forthcoming dynamic network of the future. Deliver additional capacity The tests proved the ability to deliver additional capacity at hotspots via unique, shore-based terrestrial networks. Continued growth in demand in key ports and shipping lanes as well as airports and busy flightpaths will lead to signal con...

Maritime UK is joining the global maritime sector, in order to celebrate the inaugural International Day for Women in Maritime. The theme is ‘Training-Visibility-Recognition: Supporting a barrier-free working environment’. The day celebrates women in the industry. It is intended to promote the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the maritime sector, raise the profile of women in maritime, strengthen International Maritime Organization’s commitment to th...

CMA CGM and Air France-KLM have announced that they are joining forces and signing a major long-term strategic partnership deal in global air cargo delivery services. CMA CGM - Air France-KLM This industrial cooperation combines Air France-KLM’s air transport experience and know-how with CMA CGM’s global supply chain expertise and assets. Air France-KLM and CMA CGM will jointly sell their air freight capacity, in order to provide customers with more options for their transportatio...

Forto, a provider of digitised freight forwarding and supply chain solutions, announces the appointment of Thomas Eisenblätter as Vice President of Global Sea Freight Management, FCL. In his new role, Eisenblätter will oversee the procurement and business development of the Forto offerings for international Sea Freight. Eisenblätter brings more than 30 years of operational, business development and partner management experience to Forto. He joins the company after most recently s...

Gender diversity in maritime is extremely fragmented by sector, according to data from the newly- published 2021 IMO-WISTA (Women's International Shipping & Trading Association) Women in Maritime Survey Report. IMO-WISTA report findings The report, launched on the first IMO International Day for Women in Maritime, contains information about the proportion and distribution of women working in the maritime sector from the IMO Member States and the maritime industry. The data...

On the occasion of the first International Day for Women in Maritime, A.P. Moller – Maersk’s (Maersk) announced India’s first seafarers’ cadet programme dedicated to women. Eligibility to apply Young women who wish to choose a seafaring career can enroll in the programme facilitated by AMET, Chennai, after completing their high school (10+2) and choose between the three-year Bachelors in Nautical Science or the four-year Bachelors in Engineering degree courses. By...

Satcom Direct, the business aviation solutions provider, has ramped up its support for military and government customers by unifying COMSAT and SD Communications, under a new brand, SD Government. The rebrand brings its military and government services and support under one umbrella to deliver customers streamlined access to the entire SD ecosystem of services for an even stronger connectivity and support experience. Reliable, consistent connectivity Integration of SD Government with the coll...

The Seafarers’ Charity has been shocked at the findings of new research published by the University Of Nottingham Rights Lab which reveals evidence of poor treatment and lack of decent working conditions for some migrant workers on UK fishing vessels. The research report 'Letting Exploitation off the Hook? Evidencing Labour Abuses in UK Fishing' has been published this week by the University of Nottingham Rights Lab. The researchers sought out views of fishing crew and heard directly fro...

Together with its partner Nordic Marine Oil, Neste is piloting a new Neste Marine™ 0.1 Co-processed marine fuel in Scandinavia – a solution helping the maritime sector to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The ISCC PLUS certified marine fuel enables up to 80% GHG emission reduction over the lifecycle compared to fossil fuels without compromising product quality and performance. Accounting for 90% of world trade and 13% of global transport emissions, the shipping industry needs s...

Babcock, the international defence, aerospace and security company has been awarded a 10-year contract to provide dry-dock maintenance for the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers. The new £30m contract follows a previous maintenance period where Babcock completed the first docking for HMS Queen Elizabeth at the Rosyth site in 2019 and includes all routine maintenance and repairs that cannot be done when the vessel is afloat. In addition to the scheduled dockin...

After the recent success of Nor-Shipping 2022, the clock is already ticking for the next outing of ‘Your Arena for Ocean Solutions. Instead of the usual two-year gap, Nor-Shipping is aiming to get back on schedule after the pandemic, with the next event week set for its original date of 6-9 June 2023. As such, organisational wheels are in motion, and allocating stands in exhibition halls is top of the agenda. Early bird offer “We have an ‘early bird’ offer that ends on...

In 2021, Wrist further consolidated its position and increased operating profit as the supplier of marine provisions, stores, and spare parts logistics to the ship and offshore industry not least through a strategic transition and substantial investments in the development of customised digital solutions. Increasing business and revenue  Wrist succeeded in increasing business volume and revenue, improving the underlying operating profit. Several major, global customer frame agreements we...

KONGSBERG has decided to move to Horten Industrial Park (HIP), in Horten, Norway, in 2025. A completely new building will be built there that can bring together the group’s operations in the city, which is currently spread over six addresses. “We are growing in Horten and today, we can rejoice that the board of KONGSBERG has chosen to invest further for the future here. A new sustainable building, at the water's edge and designed for our business is becoming a reality”, said E...

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) have been granted Approval in Principle (AiP)(Note) from the Japanese classification society ClassNK for the joint development of CO2 transport technology for liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carriers. LCO2 carriers transport liquefied CO2 at low temperature and high pressure, which is contained in the cargo tank system. Compliance with regulations Since the design of cargo c...