United Kingdom (UK) News

Maritime UK today announces its plans to promote the maritime sector during National Careers Week (NCW). The annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships runs from 8 to 14 February 2021. NCW is a celebration of careers guidance and free resources in education across the UK. The aim is to provide a focus for careers guidance activity at an important stage in the academic calendar to help support young people leaving education. Maritime UK’s Careers and Outreach Programme exists to ra...

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company based in Yokohama held a christening and launch ceremony for the SUNFLOWER KURENAI, the first of two large LNG-fueled ferries being built for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL). The ceremony took place at the Enoura Plant at MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The handover is scheduled for December 2022, following the completion of interior work and sea trials. The new v...

Unifeeder is proud to launch a new Track & Trace tool, which allows you to always stay close to your cargo. You can follow your cargo inland and overseas from door to door. The tool is available on myUnifeeder, which is a digital platform for cargo management in Europe. With myUnifeeder, it is faster and more efficient to quote and book. myUnifeeder provides customers with instant quotes and a variety of options to select between different sailing schedules and prices. Supply chain visib...

Babcock International Group (Babcock), the defence, security and aerospace company has successfully delivered conceptual engineering support to provide a design for a combined condensate and LPG gas floating storage and offloading feasibility study for Twinza Oil Limited. Utilising Babcock’s experience in ship design, construction management, mooring and motion analysis, asset support and naval architecture the team undertook the 8-week concept study for new field development in Papua N...

Pollution from microplastics poses a threat to the marine environment and synthetic ropes used by maritime vessels are a source of the contamination. Research is ongoing into the specific impact of pollution. Meanwhile, the development of biodegradable fishing gear is one solution, but greater awareness is needed to tackle the problem holistically. The impact of ropes on the ocean The University of Plymouth’s International Marine Litter Research Unit is studying the impact of ropes on ma...

Kiilto, one of The Nordic countries’ renowned manufacturer of hygiene and cleaning products, pays great attention to limiting CO2 emissions in own production and from transports. With weekly transports from the factory in Assens, Denmark to the warehouse in Oslo, Norway, their solution called for optimisation of truck loads. Each truck was usually loaded with a maximum of 33 pallets, which took up the entire trailer floor. It was not possible to load pallets on top of each other, which le...

DNV has supported Hapag-Lloyd in obtaining financing for six of its highly efficient containership newbuildings according to the Green Loan Principles of the Loan Market Association (LMA). DNV has verified that the transactions fulfil the requirements of the programme. Sustainable fleets The decarbonisation of the world economy is the grand challenge of the coming decades. Shipping is no exception and pressure is escalating from regulators, financiers, customers, and the general public for shi...

As TPM22 came to a close, our representatives had the newfound opportunity to network and engage in person at what is commonly regarded as the premier conference for the trans-Pacific and global container shipping and logistics community.   Meeting with existing customers and partners, and exploring new business opportunities, our specialists conducted one-to-one meetings to review how MSC’s solutions might be best adapted to answer their most immediate business needs.  St...

Organisers note that “a hunger to meet up again” is driving interest, bookings and excitement for what is being seen as the first major, post-pandemic, international maritime and ocean industry event week. The last Nor-Shipping took place in summer 2019, attracting over 50,000 participants to Oslo and Lillestrøm, with exhibitors drawn from over 60 nations. With the recent removal of all coronavirus restrictions in Norway, in addition to freer international travel, organis...

Prysmian Group, the pioneer in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, has been awarded a contract worth around €1.2 billion by NeuConnect Britain Limited and NeuConnect Deutschland GmbH for the turn-key design, manufacturing, installation, testing, and commissioning of a 725 kilometre submarine interconnector that will directly link the German and UK electricity grids for the first time. This 1400 MW submarine and land cable system will connect two of Europe’s largest energy...

TradeLens announced the Costa Rican Customs Authority will integrate with their blockchain underpinned platform to review containerised shipment events and transportation documents, including bills of lading. Important information recorded within specific data fields in transportation documents will be used in risk assessments trials with TradeLens making trade easier for compliant companies doing business in the country while assisting in the identification of fraudulent activities. Access to...

ClassNK has upgraded the data linkage system between its design support software “PrimeShip-HULL” and NAPA’s 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software “NAPA Designer”. As 3D CAD software’s capability improves, the shipbuilding industry has recently been accelerating a transformation of the design process using 3D technology. Application Programming Interface ClassNK has accordingly enhanced the data linkage system between its design support software, PrimeShip...

CMA CGM continues to monitor the situation in Ukraine and the Black Sea region. The utmost priorities remain to protect the employees and ensure as much as possible the continuity of the supply chain. In the interest of safety, the Group has decided to suspend all bookings to and from Russia until further notice.  Update from Ukraine All the employees in Ukraine are reported safe and working from home. CMA CGM continues to ensure constant contact with them. It is also taking all necess...

The Seafarers’ Charity has awarded £5,000 to provide a hardship fund, administered by the Fishermen's Mission, for North East fishers, who are experiencing hardship because of the mysterious impact on inshore crab and lobster stocks in North East England coastal waters. Since October 2021 dead crabs and lobsters have been washed up on the North East England shoreline, consequently, many local fishers in the area have had their livelihoods seriously impacted and are experiencing ongo...

VERIPOS is proud to expand its proven inertial solution SPAN GNSS+INS technology from NovAtel, also part of Hexagon, to Dynamic Positioning (DP) applications and vessels. SPAN technology delivers a deeply coupled GNSS and Inertial Navigation System (INS) that provides robust, reliable, and continuous centimetre-level positioning for operators to maintain safety and maximise uptime. With a GNSS+INS solution, DP vessels can bridge outages in GNSS tracking through short periods of radio frequenc...

The removal of all national coronavirus restrictions in Norway added to easier international travel, is set to deliver a long-awaited gathering point for top industry leaders at Nor-Shipping’s Ocean Leadership Conference on 4 April. The event, which kickstarts four days of networking, knowledge-sharing, and showcasing innovation at Nor-Shipping 2022, will bring together over 900 executives for the first major ‘post pandemic’ summit of C-level maritime heads. Organisers say tha...

Serco, the international provider of services to Governments and the company’s partner, Strömma Turism & Sjöfart AB (Stromma Group) have been awarded a new contract to continue to operate the Djurgårdsfärjerna in Stockholm, for a further four years. The contract is managed by the company, Djurgårdens Färjetrafik AB, which is jointly owned by Serco and Strömma Turism & Sjöfart AB. Contract for Stockholm’s Djurgårdsfärjerna...

The technology group Wärtsilä will provide technical management for a broad scope of solutions installed on Viking Line’s new climate-smart vessel Viking Glory under a three-year contract. The agreement was signed in December 2021. Minimising climate impact and optimising emissions Viking Glory currently begins its first commercial sailing. It features many cutting-edge technologies intended to minimise climate impact and air pollution. The new agreement covers s...

The UK has shut its borders to Russian ships as part of the ‘unprecedented’ package of sanctions it is developing with international allies. The Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps issued a statement to all UK ports on Monday, February 28 saying the Department for Transport deemed it ‘inappropriate’ for Russian vessels to continue to enter UK ports. Denying ship access UK ports are asked not to provide access to any ship which they have reason to believe is:...

The European business community has been united in condemning the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Neste has a common concern about the situation. Due to the current situation and the uncertainty in the market, Neste has mostly replaced  Russian crude oil with another crude, such as North Sea oil. Neste will closely monitor the situation and the development of sanctions and potential counter-sanctions and prepare for various options in procurement, production, and logistics. Neste’s re...

Neste Corporation has signed definitive agreements for the establishment of a 50/50 joint venture with US-based Marathon Petroleum (Marathon). The joint venture will produce renewable diesel following a conversion project of Marathon's refinery in Martinez, California (the Martinez Renewable Fuels project). The closing of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including obtaining the necessary permits, which depend upon the certification of a fina...

Golden Ocean Group Ltd announces the appointment of Mr. Jens Martin Jensen as Director. Jens Martin Arveschoug Jensen joined Seatankers Management on 1st March 2022 before that he was the CEO of Athenian Holdings. Jensen's work experience  He previously served as Head of Shipping at New Fortress Energy (USA) and before that he was a Partner at Pillarstone Europe. From May 2008 to September 2014, he was the CEO of Frontline Management AS. Mr. Jensen has served as a director of variou...

After a rare dip in long-term contracted ocean freight rates in December and January, container shipping costs are rising once again, with a 3.9% increase in February. The development, revealed in the latest Xeneta Shipping Index (XSI®) Public Indices, means rates have risen across 15 of the last 17 months. They currently stand 87.9% up year on year. Furthermore, ongoing congestion, high demand, and a new level of geopolitical angst are unlikely to reverse that trend any time soon. “I...

The International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have issued a joint statement asking stakeholders to take action to support the world’s 1.9 million seafarers from being unduly impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions. The statement comes in the wake of the Omicron COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC), which has, once again, c...

XTRAIM, which will be presented to the German public for the first time, is Thales Group’s (Thales) new weapon sight that offers day/night de-camouflage capabilities, which previously could only be achieved by using several separate pieces of equipment. XTRAIM is compatible with all shoulder-fired assault rifles and light machine guns, in order to provide users with an unparalleled precision night-firing capability. XTRAIM was designed in close collaboration with users, to guarantee that...

Maritime UK, the umbrella body for the maritime sector, is launching the first national Pride in Maritime Day. Pride in Maritime Day is an initiative driven by the Pride in Maritime Network, a network established within Maritime UK’s Diversity in Maritime programme. Its remit has been to identify barriers faced by the LGBT+ maritime community, to educate and enable colleagues to empower and support them, and to share good practice policies and toolkits that support the LGBT+ colleagues ac...

In response to President Biden’s planned attack on ocean carriers during the State of the Union Address, the World Shipping Council released the following statement: Unfortunately, the President is demonising ocean carriers, the industry that is the backbone of the U.S. and global economy and that has been working around the clock through the pandemic to move more cargo than at any time in history. Correcting the allegations  Allegations that the container shipping ind...

CULINES signed an order for 2*7,000TEU containership newbuildings with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (CSSC SWS). A signing ceremony was held at CSSC SWS. Mr. Qi WANG (Chairman of CSSC SWS), Mr. Gang CHEN (GM at CSSC SWS), Mr. Aijun WU (GM of China Shipbuilding Trading), Mr. Yu Yang (GM at Asia & Pacific Department of China Shipbuilding Trading), Mr. Lingyi MENG (GM at China Classification Society Shanghai), Mr. Zhiyong LYU (President at Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Instit...

Ocean Infinity has contracted VARD for the design and construction of a new series of six multi-purpose offshore vessels, all of which will be operated from shore and will eventually utilise green ammonia as fuel. VARD’s robotic vessels This landmark order of six, 85-metre, optionally crewed robotic vessels will take Ocean Infinity’s remote vessel fleet capacity to 23 vessels, which will be the largest in the world. With Ocean Infinity’s control infrastructure and remote con...

Motor ships of FESCO Transportation Group, FESCO Magadan, and FESCO Moneron continue their operation within the framework of marine coastal service FESCO Magadan Line connecting Vladivostok and port Vostochny with Magadan. FESCO Magadan loaded with containers and general cargo is currently en route to port Magadan. The estimated date of arrival is February 28. In its turn, FESCO Moneron is moving in the opposite direction, heading from Magadan to port Vostochny. The estimated date of arrival is...