Surveillance & Maritime News for March 2023

In close coordination with the UfM EU (DG MARE) and Jordan Co-Presidency, on March 28, 2023, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the World Ocean Council (WOC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at UfM Headquarters in Barcelona, Spain, in the framework of the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy and Roadmap for its implementation, and of the WestMED Initiative, supported by the UfM and by the European Commission. Based on the experience with sea basin and ma...

The Port of Valencia has trained 2,600 hauliers operating in the Valencian precinct on the ValenciaportPCS App for mobile devices. The aim has been to promote the use of this application, to actively listen to lorry professionals, to improve the operability of the logistics chain, to promote environmental sustainability and to reduce the number of incidents that drivers may encounter when accessing the site. This training has been carried out by ValenciaportPCS technicians at the entrance and...

Ulstein started to develop vessels for the offshore oil & gas industry in the 1970s, and dedicated vessels for the offshore wind industry after 2000. The next-generation offshore energy vessels must be flexible and able to work year-round, and there will be several crossover vessels for these two markets. Crossover vessel The ocean has been and will be a substantial source of energy. Whether it is offshore oil & gas, offshore wind, or wave energy generation, these energy markets will...

Global satellite communications provider, Satcom Global has announced that Arklow Shipping has signed a new fleetwide, long-term agreement for AuraNow VSAT, and committed its new build vessels to install the groundbreaking solution offering unlimited data with truly flexible bandwidth. From their new state of the art headquarters in Arklow, the Irish ship owner and charterer has signed significant contract extensions and new agreements with their long-standing satellite communications provider,...

Kristian Ackeby has been appointed CFO of the Ahlsell Group. He will assume his new position no later than 1 October 2023 and will be part of Ahlsell’s Group management. Experience Kristian previously served as CFO at Loomis Group. Prior to that, he worked as CFO at Lindab Group and in other leading positions within Autoliv. “I am very happy to welcome Kristian to Ahlsell. His solid experience and well-documented leadership qualities will be a good addition to our team on the jour...

Mersey Maritime is set to secure significant Government backing to fund its mission to take its successful ‘cluster’ model to ‘level up’ other coastal regions of the UK. Mersey Maritime has helped transform the Liverpool city region maritime sector into a £5bn powerhouse and is being tasked by Government with doing the same across the UK. In recent months Chris Shirling-Rooke, Mersey Maritime's chief executive, and its head of partnerships and policy, Simon Eardl...

The Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has agreed to work closely with relevant stakeholders, as NIMASA inches closer to developing a regulatory framework to provide operational guidelines for Submarine Cable and Pipeline Operators in Nigeria. Officials of both organs of the Government in Lagos, Nigeria, reached this agreement at a pre-Audit meeting on submarine cable regulation. NIMASA, NCC develop su...

Tokyo – Leading Classification Society, ClassNK granted the Class C Innovation Endorsement Provider Certification to Yusen Logistics Co., Ltd. ClassNK offers its third-party Innovation Endorsement ‘Provider Certification’, which supports innovative initiatives, to companies and organisations. As companies pursue ESG-oriented management and SDGs, ClassNK conducts third-party certification on the initiatives to transform their own business methods and organisations to establish...

SAFE Boats International announces the introduction of a revolutionary, autonomous hydrographic survey vessel: Merlin. This innovative, 23-metre semi-displacement monohull design was developed in collaboration with Mythos AI, Echo81, and World Marine Design. SAFE Boats International has exclusive rights to build the design at their Tacoma, Washington large-craft production facility. Autonomous hydrographic survey vessel: Merlin Merlin will be a Jones Act-compliant all-aluminum hull power...

Every year, 241 million containers are transported across the seas with over 7 trillion dollars’ worth of food, clothes, electronics and other goods that the world needs. While crucial for the smooth functioning of the global supply chain, containers and their cargoes can also harbour and transfer contaminating pests. All parties in the supply chain have a shared responsibility for stopping the spread of pests, by keeping cargo and containers clean, when in their custody. Joint Indu...

Peel Ports Group (Peel Ports) launches UK’s first Green Automotive Hub, in order to enable sustainable manufacturing in Merseyside, United Kingdom (UK). Peel Ports Group has announced plans for a new £10million Green Automotive Hub in Merseyside, in order to help power sustainable vehicle manufacturing ambitions. Green Automotive Hub Located on Queen Elizabeth II Dock at Eastham, within Peel Port’s Mersey cluster, the project will facilitate a greener end-to-end maritime log...

As part of its service offerings in China, PIL provides river barge service for its customers who require efficient movement of their cargo from the ports into inland China. Backed by this established experience, PIL is working to integrate its barge service offering in China, as part of the newly launched PIL Intermodal Service. PIL Intermodal Service With the addition of the barge service, as well as the rail and truck services, customers in China can entrust PIL to provide them with good p...

Peel Ports Group has announced plans for a new £10million Green Automotive Hub in Merseyside to help power sustainable vehicle manufacturing ambitions. Located on Queen Elizabeth II Dock at Eastham, within Peel Port’s Mersey cluster, the project will facilitate a greener end-to-end maritime logistics service in the North West. The hub, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, will sit on a 9.5-acre site on the River Mersey, adjacent to the Manchester Ship Canal, also operated...

The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) has presented at Eco Mobility Expo, its projects to become an emission-neutral port in 2030: railways, electrification of the docks or the use of fuels such as hydrogen. The PAV is earmarking more than 131 million Euros of public investment in decarbonisation projects, with the strategic objective of becoming an emission neutral port by 2030. The services, connectivity and infrastructures of Valenciaport facilitate the attraction of industrial projects to th...

The 1st ValenciaportPCS Shippers’ Conference was held with the aim of listening to import/export companies, in order to improve the digital services offered by the technological platform – ValenciaportPCS digital platform. ValenciaportPCS ValenciaportPCS has shown itself to be an effective and efficient tool that saves costs and time for all companies linked to the port community. Valenciaport adds new actors to its commitment to the digitalisation of the logistics value chain Va...

Orbital Marine Power (Orbital), the renewable energy company focused on the commercial deployment of its innovative floating tidal turbine technology, announced it has been awarded an Option Agreement from Crown Estate Scotland for a new tidal energy project in the Westray Firth. Orkney-headquartered Orbital Marine Power also confirmed it has a grid connection in place to service the pioneering project, which is located adjacent to the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) facility, where Orbita...

Ports of Stockholm, in collaboration with several partners, has been awarded research funding from the Swedish Transport Agency for research into autonomous shipping in an urban city environment. The aim of the research project is to explore and develop the safety aspects and create new pre-conditions for maritime sustainability and mobility services, in addition to strengthening Stockholm’s position from an international perspective. Ports of Stockholm secures research funding RISE is...

The smooth flow of world trade will be a central topic at this September’s London International Shipping Week 2023 (LISW23) thanks to support from DP World, the major supplier of smart logistics solutions and a significant UK investor, which has come onboard as the event’s exclusive International Logistics Sponsor. Supply chain innovation and resilience will be central to discussions during the week-long event, particularly as the shipping industry addresses international environmen...

Brunvoll (at that time Scana Volda) delivered the first Contra Rotating Propulsion System in 2014 to the PSV ‘Juanita’ owned by Ugland Offshore AS, a project initiated by a request from Salt Ship Design to come up with a Contra Rotating Propulsion System for their PSV-design. Long story short, ‘Juanita’ was designed by Salt Ship Design, built at Kleven Shipyard and equipped with the first generation of Brunvoll Contra Rotating Propulsion System – designed and optim...

Longspur is pleased to announce the publication of its latest sector report, Attention All Shipping, which explores the use of methanol to offer both retrofit and replacement options as a shipping fuel to meet compliance requirements. Current maritime fuels look set to become more costly than low-carbon alternatives as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and EU emission regulations tighten, with this impacting the sector from as early as 2025, methanol is gaining traction as a fuel to...

Summer has been particularly great for the Marine Logistics Department in Copenhagen, which landed a new customer in a competitive market. Door-to-deck solutions  Frank Hjorth, Manager of Wrist Marine Logistics Copenhagen, says, “This is a customer operating in complex areas of the world, where local know-how of last mile solutions is a necessity." Frank Hjorth adds, "We are proud of our ability to provide expert care to this customer, delivering complete door-to-deck solutions wit...

Peel Ports Group, one of the UK’s largest port operators, has announced that it has completed the acquisition of HES Humber Bulk Terminal for an undisclosed sum. The UK ports group has acquired the business from specialist bulk terminals operator, HES International (headquartered in Rotterdam), to expand its presence to the UK’s East Coast. UK East Coast expansion The acquisition means Peel Ports now operates across eight key locations in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland, with...

India’s major shipbuilder, Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), based in Cochin, Kerala, has received a prestigious international order from M/s. Samskip Group (Samskip) in Norway, a major global logistics solution provider, for the design and construction of two zero emission feeder container vessels with an option for two more vessels. The project is one of the world’s first zero emission feeder container vessel that will be powered using hydrogen fuel cells ultimately, with green hydro...

The Transport Select Committee has published a report on the UK Government’s Maritime 2050 strategy, little over a year after it opened an inquiry to scrutinise the progress made by the Government in delivering its recommendations. Background Maritime UK has worked with the Transport Select Committee over the course of this inquiry by submitting a written response in April 2022. Their Chief Executive - Ben Murray also appeared as a witness before the Committee in June 2022 to give eviden...

Tokyo-based Classification Society, ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to HermAce Remote Monitoring & Troubleshooting Platform, developed by FURUNO ELECTRIC CO., LTD (FURUNO) and issued a certificate to the company. In addition, for ClassNK registered ships flagged with the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the HermAce voyage data recorder (VDR) digital twin and remote service has been accepted as an alternative to the onboard VDR Annual Perfor...

Clean energy, railways, digitalisation, sustainable infrastructures or innovation are some of the actions that the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) is carrying out within the framework of its objective Valenciaport 2030, zero emissions. The aim is to position itself as the green, intelligent and innovative hub of the Mediterranean. This project will be presented at the Eco Mobility Expo, which is to be held between 21 March and 23 March, 2023, at Feria València, in Valencia, Spain, a mee...

The world’s governments have finalised an historic agreement on protecting marine biodiversity in international waters — the treaty on Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) — after nearly 10 years of negotiations. New U.N. High Seas Treaty The new U.N. High Seas Treaty, as it is now known, covers the two-thirds of the ocean that lies outside national boundaries — nearly 50% of the planet’s surface. The treaty provides a legal framework for est...

The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) was present at the International Logistics and Transport Fair ‘Logistics Spain’ - Logistics Spain 2023 held in Guadalajara, Mexico. A forum aimed at promoting brands, presenting new products and services, disseminating investment opportunities in different territories or addressing new challenges in logistics. PAV present at Logistics Spain 2023 The commercial area, represented by Rafael Romero at this fair, continues with its intense agenda of...

Mersey Maritime has welcomed the news that plans to build a world-class maritime centre of excellence, focused on innovation, engineering, R&D, entrepreneurship and training at the heart of Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters, have been approved by Wirral Council. This significant step in the project journey follows the championing of the project by the region’s cluster organisation over a number of years, including promotion of it to senior members of the government. The announcement...

A consortium led by zero-emission vessel provider - ACUA Ocean in partnership with zero-emission infrastructure provider and National Maritime UK Marine Hydrogen Working Group partner - Unitrove has won a multi-million pound UK government grant in a major push to decarbonise the maritime sector. The ‘Hydrogen Innovation – Future Infrastructure & Vessel Evaluation and Demonstration (HI-FIVED)’ consortium will receive over £3.8 million of funding to build and showcase...