Surveillance & Maritime News for March 2022

In response to President Biden’s planned attack on ocean carriers during Tuesday’s State of the Union Address, the World Shipping Council released the following statement: “It is unfortunate that the President is demonizing 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.” Container shipping industry “Allegations that the...

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...

Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Soren Toft has highlighted the importance of working together, in order to achieve net decarbonisation goals, in a keynote digital speech delivered at DNV’s ‘Fuel of the Future Conference’, on January, 11, 2022, as part of the annual Nor-Shipping convention. In his speech, Soren Toft explained MSC’s views on the status of decarbonisation in the container shipping sector, summarised how the compan...

Leading Classification Society ClassNK granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (hereinafter referred to as NYK Line) and MTI Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as MTI) for their joint project on the concept design of an autonomous ship framework (development code “APExS”). Guidelines The AiP was granted upon confirming the feasibility of the framework through safety evaluation in line with the guidelines ClassNK is involved in various demonstrati...

A.P. Moller - Maersk. had a financially strong start to the year. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s profound impact on global trade the company kept the momentum in its strategic transformation and demonstrated robustness to weather the crisis.  First-quarter results  “In the first quarter of the year, A.P. Moller - Maersk again delivered profitable growth. Operating earnings increased by 23% year-on-year, and cash return on invested capital increased by 3.5 percentage po...

Kongsberg Maritime is pleased to report that its K-CAT (KONGSBERG Competence Assessment Tool) is receiving positive reports from the global oil & gas fleet supplier Siem Offshore, consolidating a deal between the two companies worth in the region of 700,000NOK. Innovative digital tool An innovative digital tool that enables personnel assessments to be carried out online, K-CAT’s abilities range from pre-employment evaluation through to crew competence verification. It is availabl...

SEARCH, Inc. (SEARCH), the largest underwater and terrestrial archaeology firm in the United States, and Ocean Infinity, the marine robotics company, are pleased to announce the discovery of USS Nevada (BB-36), one of the U.S. Navy’s longest-serving battleships, and viewed as the epitome of American resilience and perseverance. Deep-water search capability USS Nevada was located 65 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbor at a depth of over 15,400 feet. The discovery is the result of a...

The order backlog remained high and the cash flow was solid as a result of both a strong positive contribution from the operations and the sale of underwater technology company Hydroid. The financial effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was limited in the first quarter. However, the situation is creating increased market uncertainty going forward, especially in the maritime industry. WEBCAST: Recording of online presentation of KONGSBERG's 1st quarter 2020  Key figures: The order intak...

The recruitment company Universum conducts an annual student survey at 26 Norwegian educational institutions. More than 13,000 students have been asked to rank different companies by attractiveness. KONGSBERG is ranked on second place among engineering students, beaten only by Equinor who has topped the list for a number of years. When female engineering students are asked to pitch their preferred employers, KONGSBERG comes in 10th place, up two places from last year. Increasing support among...

Reliable oxygen compressor solutions for the medical sector and health care are needed like never before. In order to be able to meet this increased demand even in the high-pressure range, Sauer Compressors has developed a system that can compress pure oxygen up to 300 barg. The compact solution consisting of an oil-free and dry-running HAUG compressor and a pneumatic gas booster meets the highest requirements for efficiency and safety. It is ideally suited for medical oxygen in hospitals and m...

Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (‘Imabari’), MAN Energy Solutions (hereinafter ‘MAN’), Mitsui E&S Machinery Co., Ltd. (‘Mitsui E&S Machinery’), ClassNK (‘ClassNK’), ITOCHU ENEX Co. Ltd. (‘ITOCHU ENEX’) and ITOCHU Corporation (‘ITOCHU’) have agreed to jointly develop ships equipped with the main engine using ammonia as its main fuel (‘Ammonia-fuelled Engine’). With international momentum towards the transi...

To offset the scarcity of reefer containers in South Africa, ahead of the upcoming citrus season and to support the nation’s agricultural sector, A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk), the world’s renowned integrated container logistics company, has brought 1,800 empty refrigerated 40-foot containers from the Middle East, as additional stock to serve customers. Refrigerated containers delivery There is additional supply to come and this will complement the refrigerated containers tha...

Tokyo – Leading Classification Society, ClassNK has granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., for their concept design of a 180,000 DWT LPG dual fuelled bulk carrier, developed in cooperation with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Approval in Principle (AiP) The AiP was granted to the concept design, based on ClassNK’s Guidelines for Ships Using Low-Flashpoint Fuels and its Rule Part GF (regulation for ships using low-flashpoint fuels), incorporating...

In this webinar on ‘Improving inventory availability in a volatile supply chain’ hosted by MIT University and delivered by Dr. Erez Agmoni, Head of Supply Chain Warehousing and Distribution, North America at Maersk, on 7 April 2020, we discussed how Maersk and its customers can ensure their supply chains are kept moving and improving even during volatile times. Webinar Agenda Reasons for supply chain volatility How to prepare for supply chain disruptions Innovational approaches...

The rise in demand for bottled water in domestic and international markets provides a growing avenue for FMCG companies to expand their business. However, in a relatively seasonal market, companies require fast-moving supply solutions capable of meeting different requirements. The customer Maersk’s customer is the third largest non-alcoholic beverage company in the US and is also a part of the world’s leading bottled water company. Its product portfolio comprises various brands f...

After only 9 months post the construction began in June 2019, the chilled capabilities of A.P. Moller - Maersk’s own cold store facility in St. Petersburg, Russia, are operational, addressing the needs of a high-demand Russian market. In the near future, the St. Petersburg cold store facility will also offer freezing capabilities in a separate storage chamber for frozen produce (-25°C). Maersk’s cold store facility in St. Petersburg The first container to arrive at the new war...

Seeking logistical efficiency has been a hallmark of some of the most successful brands. They continuously search for solutions that bring the biggest impact through the smallest amount of investment. These solutions can be as broad as launching a new product line to something as focused as shifting to a new mode of logistics. Their customer, one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, chose long-term efficiency over short-term fixes. Intercontinental rail solution The customer...

Maersk’s offer of intermodal solutions for the Russian market is expanding, with the new container service launched in April, connecting the port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea with the dry port Vorsino near Moscow (Kaluga region). The new service is offered by Maersk jointly with Russian partners Ruscon group and Transcontainer JSC and offers a reliable solution for containers arriving at Novorossiysk on Maersk’s ocean services and destined for customers in Moscow and neighbourin...

Pressure on business performance due to high costs and inflation has been showing on companies in recent years. Profit expectations for firms in the United States have fallen sharply to their lowest levels since late 2016, influenced by lower consumer spending and ongoing global trade difficulties. This has pushed businesses to find new ways to improve bottom-line numbers and better align their supply chains. The customer is a leading retailer in the US, dealing primarily in high-end furnishing...

Brands have been expanding globally in search of new markets in recent years. In doing so, the demand for specialised warehouses and distribution centres has also grown. Companies require warehouses that are not only closer to production sites but also to their customers. This leads to lower costs and improved lead times. With retail companies also focusing on e-commerce to target new customers, warehouses need to transform. They must become more multi-purpose-usage facilities that can handle s...

For multinational companies dealing in baby food products, one market remains the cream of the crop: China. According to research firm Euromonitor, the Chinese baby food market stood at 128 billion yuan (USD 18 billion) in China in 2018. This figure was forecast to increase to 160 billion yuan (USD 23 billion) over the next five years, much of it driven by international brands.   Buoyed by the 2015 withdrawal of the one-child policy in China and the rising spending prowess of its middle-c...

A.P. Moller - Maersk announces that it has closed its acquisition of Performance Team, a US-based warehousing and Distribution Company, to further strengthen its capabilities as an integrated container logistics company, offering end-to-end supply chain solutions to its customers.  The addition of Performance Team’s engineered solutions and distribution center capabilities to retail, wholesale and direct to consumer services will integrate ideally with Maersk Warehousing & Distri...

ClassNK granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) to SHIN KURUSHIMA DOCKYARD CO., LTD. for their concept design of a 49,000 DWT LNG-fueled chemical tanker. The AiP was granted to the concept design based on its Rule Part GF (regulation for ships using low-flashpoint fuels) incorporating “International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code), IMO Res. MSC.391(95) and MSC.458(101)”. Design features The main features of the design announced by S...

ClassNK has established its "Rules for the Survey and Construction of Governmental and Naval Ships", technical rules that are applied to governmental ships and their onboard equipment. Overseas transfer of defense equipment ClassNK has established standards for conducting third-party certification of governmental and naval ships During the overseas transfer of defense equipment including governmental ships and their onboard machinery, the equipment may be subject to third-party quality in...

A footwear company that was using a ‘direct-to-customer’ delivery model, changed its model into a combination of ‘direct’ and ‘consolidated’ shipments, making savings over USD 200,000 annually. This case study applies to a specific low volume country and not the entire globe. How Maersk helped Maersk analysed the containers that were being shipped directly into the final delivery distribution centre and discovered an opportunity. It then designed a new solut...

In addition to helping customers do well, Maersk's passion to do good has led it to work closely and successfully with NGOs, donors, suppliers, and aid & relief organisations within the UN. The Challenge Aid and relief organisations face very difficult and often unpredictable challenges, especially in the case of natural disasters. They are increasingly looking for the support of a global network of logistics experts who can understand their challenges and offer a full range of sup...

Maersk's customer is a major US retailer with hundreds of stores across the country. They supplied their goods across these stores from 15 distribution centres (DC) located in various points.  They were purchasing merchandise from a major apparel manufacturer that imported its goods from Asia. These goods arrived through different gateways to the country and were then brought together, using a multi-modal transport system, to a DC in Jonesville, North Carolina. From there, the goods woul...