Surveillance & Maritime News for October 2021

Swedish freight technology company Einride and GE Appliances, a Haier company announced a partnership for the implementation of electric and autonomous transport at scale. It will be the first time in history an autonomous and electric truck is live and operating on U.S. soil. The partnership will represent Einride’s first installation with its renowned Pods in the U.S., which will operate on GE Appliances’ 750-acre Appliance Park campus in Louisville, Kentucky. The new fleet s...

DC Global Freight Management has chartered vessels directly from China to the UK, while the majority of shipping service operators will stop at several ports along the route to load and unload cargo. Many also stop in Rotterdam and Antwerp on the way and move containers to the UK with smaller vessels. Direct Freight Shipping Service There have been global issues around ports being overly congested due to the pandemic, a national shortage of lorry drivers, soaring consumer appetite for good...

The Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) will be held in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, in June 2023, where tech innovators will participate to seek marine safety and security solutions to take home more than US$3 million in prize money. Organised by ASPIRE, the dedicated technology program management pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), the overarching advanced technology research body in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the MBZI...

Inmarsat, the globally renowned company in mobile satellite communications, has confirmed that its strategic partner, BSNL has received the necessary licences to deliver Inmarsat’s widely popular Global Xpress (GX) mobile broadband services in India. IFMC licence Under BSNL’s Inflight and Maritime Connectivity (IFMC) licence from the Department of Telecommunications, GX will be available to Indian customers across government, aviation and maritime. The announcement means t...

As part of the UK’s upcoming Carrier Strike Group tour, Rolls-Royce is all set to showcase to Indian Navy customers its capabilities to design, build and deliver customised power and propulsion solutions for India’s naval modernisation requirements. The company also expressed its keenness to explore opportunities for partnering the Navy with end-to-end solutions for the electrification of India’s future warships. Developing electric warships Speaking about the upcoming t...

MAN Energy Solutions has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mitsui E&S Machinery Co., Ltd. (MES-M) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) regarding the low-speed, ammonia-fueled main engine that MAN Energy Solutions is currently developing.   The MoU provides for keeping MOL and MES-M updated on MAN Energy Solutions’ progress in this regard, with the ultimate intention of creating the basis for a more detailed LoI (Letter of Intent) leading to an actual purchasing contract f...

The OceanGate Expeditions 2021 Titanic Survey Expedition was connected by Inmarsat’s critical satellite communications. Inmarsat, the global front-runner in mobile satellite communications, kept the OceanGate Expeditions crew connected with team members and support services during the six-week expedition to document the important maritime heritage site located over 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Satisfactory customer service “The OceanGate Exp...

A.P. Moller - Maersk has announced the signing of a global end-to-end logistics agreement with Danish Crown from 2021. The three-year end-to-end agreement covers all Danish Crown’s business units, delivering solutions on ocean services, inland logistics and cold chain logistics.   Access to the digital supply chain platform, Tradelens, which is underpinned by blockchain technology, is also a core part of the agreement between A.P. Moller - Maersk and Danish Crown. A.P. Moller - M...

Rolls-Royce is further developing its mtu gas engine portfolio for power generation and cogeneration to run on hydrogen as a fuel and thus enable a climate-neutral energy supply. Already today, gensets powered by mtu Series 500 and Series 4000 gas engines can be operated with a gas blending of 10 percent hydrogen. Beginning in 2022, an operation with a hydrogen content of 25 percent will be possible. “After intensive tests on test benches and pilot installations at customers in 2022, Roll...

Inmarsat, the pioneer in global, mobile satellite communications, announces that Ben Palmer OBE will be joining the company as President of its Maritime Business Unit on 8 November 2021. Most recently head of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems division across Europe, Ben brings 25 years’ experience of driving transformational change in technology-heavy industries, including maritime, with a strong customer-centric focus and a track record of delivering results. Maritime sat...

Maersk Growth, the corporate venture arm of A.P. Moller - Maersk, invests in Vertoro – a Dutch start-up focused on developing liquid lignin technology which can be used as a marine fuel.   Maersk’s investment will be used to further develop and commercialise Vertoro’s patented liquid lignin technology, and it will enable Vertoro to build a demo plant, which will become operational in 2022. The output of this plant will be used to develop marine fuels in partnership wit...

Following in the footsteps of A.P. Moller - Maersk’s Ocean ECO Delivery product launched in 2019, Maersk Japan will be launching a pilot to offer customers sustainable drayage in Japan. It will utilise renewable diesel to provide immediate carbon emission reductions. This will be the first permanently fixed green solution for container drayage in Japan and promises to reduce carbon emissions for container drayage operations by up to 80% based on lifecycle analysis. Ground-breaking seri...

Maersk is donating the services of its Special Project Logistics (SPL) unit and charging a symbolic nominal freight cost of $1 per 40’ container for urgently needed medical supplies to be distributed to medical facilities in India in response to COVID-19 related shortages. "Several donors and organisations had donated supplies worth millions of dollars; however, they all were struggling with the shipment process disrupted by Covid. We thank Maersk and the Government of India profusely f...

CMA CGM informs its customers that its AMERIGO service (connecting West Med to the US East Coast) will temporarily stop calling Savannah due to severe congestion in this port (8-10 days) and in order to protect schedule integrity & weekly sailing frequency. Impacting first sailing A new call at Charleston will be inserted in the rotation and Savannah shipments will be directed to Charleston. The first sailing impact will be m/v CMA CGM LA TRAVIATA voy. 0MR9TW1MA, ETA Algeciras on October 3...

Currently, women represent only two per cent of the maritime industry, while only eight percent of employees in engineering are women. This is in stark contrast to the UK workforce as a whole, of which women make up 47%. For many women, entering a sector that’s perceived as a ‘boy’s club’ isn’t always appealing. If a sector looks unwelcoming to women from the outside, it’s unlikely to attract female employees in any role. But this means these workers are pote...

Inmarsat, the pioneer in global, mobile satellite communications, publishes a new report pinpointing the impact of COVID-19 in accelerating global shipping’s digital journey. Written by maritime innovation consultancy Thetius and sponsored by the Inmarsat Research Programme, ‘A Changed World: The state of digital transformation in a post-COVID-19 maritime industry’ captures a sector fast-tracking IoT-based solutions from November 2019. It characterises COVID-19 as a 'univers...

The firm’s X30 prototype is now fully assembled in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, ready for installation. Fitted with a specially adapted V29 Vestas turbine, the unique ‘downwind’ system is able to ‘weathervane’ and orientate passively with the wind to maximise energy yields. The novel tripod-like platform also features greater structural efficiency, with a lighter and more scalable design, while minimising environmental impact on the ocean. Demonstrating downwind desi...

Raloy Lubricantes, one of the top four lubricant manufacturers and main suppliers for automotive OEMs in Mexico, has selected the new mtu Series 500 generator set from the Power Systems business unit of Rolls-Royce to provide combined heat and power for its manufacturing operations in Santiago Tianguistenco, Mexico. The electricity will be used to power operations, while the heat from the exhaust will be used to warm up thermal oil for mixing processes. Thermal energy from jacket heat will be r...

Danfoss Editron, part of Danfoss, has been chosen by Damen Shipyards to provide the electric drivetrain system, powering the shipyard’s newest Fast Crew Supply (FCS) vessel. Known as the FCS 7011, the vessel will represent a leap forward, in terms of speed, comfort and efficiency of FCS vessels. The FCS 7011 vessel, which recently completed sea trials in Turkey, will be used by the offshore energy market, for the high-speed transit of personnel and light cargo, to and from offshore locati...

The maritime industry is not covered by the Paris climate agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. However, carbon emissions from maritime activities account for 2 to 3% of total global warming potential (GWP) worldwide, and the share is likely to increase in coming years, approaching 17% of CO2 emissions by 2050. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is tasked...

The cruise industry has received a vital lifeline in its bid to safely set sail once again. Several pioneering Finnish businesses and organisations have developed new, innovative safety approaches for the sector to adopt, in response to new post-pandemic measures. These new initiatives and research projects are set to bring the industry back from the brink and ensure a safer and successful cruise experience for all. Undertaking health and safety measures Expectations surrounding cruises toda...

MAN Energy Solutions has signed a cooperation agreement with DP World (Drydocks World), the globally renowned provider of smart logistics solutions. Effective immediately, the agreement targets common progress in the field of decarbonisation and is scheduled to run for five years, with an option to extend thereafter.   Wayne Jones OBE – Chief Sales Officer, and Gaby Hanna – Senior Vice President and Head of Region – Middle East & Africa, acted as signatories for MAN...

Blue Insight provides an open, modular platform for the processing, visualisation and sharing of ocean data. The core module contains the cloud framework – which has been built to the highest cyber security standards – and an application-specific dashboard teamed with data storage and management functionalities. Additional modules can be added to this framework to tailor Blue Insight’s functionality to suit all projects, however large or small. Key to Blue Insight’s da...

The multidisciplinary Healthy Travel project, initiated by Business Finland in autumn 2020, has brought together researchers with cruise companies, shipyards, and subcontractors to improve health and safety on cruise ships and in terminal buildings. “Our initial focus was on how to ensure a safe cruise experience in the middle of the pandemic. We then explored ways to attract more passengers to the ships,” says project manager Jonas Spohr, a lecturer from the Laboratory of Industria...

DanFish International is one of the most important exhibitions in the world for equipment and services for the fishing industry. The event – which is being held for the 27th time in 2021 – is an international forum where manufacturers and other suppliers to the fishery sector have a peerless opportunity to interact with customers from all parts of the world. The exhibition is a meeting point, where both exhibitors and visitors can engage in active networking. The exhibition takes p...

Rolls-Royce’s Pearl® 700 engine programme has successfully achieved further important test milestones on its way to certification and entry into service in 2022, reaching more than 8,000 test cycles and more than 3,000 testing hours.   During the test campaigns, the Pearl 700 has proved its reliability and performance under extreme conditions, experiencing cold start temperatures, where fuel viscosity is comparable to honey. The engine has performed equally well in hot condition...

Hypercell’s IoT platform uses Bluetooth signal sensors to collect data on people volumes, dwell times, and flows in indoor and outdoor locations. The collected data is anonymous and GPDR compliant. “Our platform combines the hardware and software needed for a complete IoT solution that has proved its value across a range of industries. We see great potential in the maritime industry in terms of enhancing people flows and safety onboard and in terminals as well as helping to make shi...

KONE, a global pioneer for marine elevators and escalators, has conducted intensive research in partnership with several cruise line companies during the past three years. The aim has been to enhance the cruise experience by developing new solutions for the people and material flows on the ships while improving health and safety on board and in the terminals. The research has involved collecting data with sensors installed on the ships, timing activities, and interviews with passengers and crew...

Scientific research showing that the COVID-19 virus spreads mainly through aerosols and particles has focused attention on indoor air quality as a crucial factor for minimising infections among passengers and crew on cruise ships and other vessels. In response, ALMACO and Genano are partnering to provide the marine and offshore industry with advanced air decontamination technology that removes airborne impurities of all sizes, including microbes and the novel coronavirus. About ALAMCO Founded...

The UK government has selected eight new freeports in England, as a means to boost trade, jobs and investment, across the country. The special taxation and customs rules for the freeports will help businesses develop new facilities and operations, to trade and manufacture goods more cost-effectively, countering the effects of other complications, such as Brexit and COVID-19 pandemic.  Early deliverability of opportunities for new businesses is the key, with Solent Gateway Ltd, at Marchwood...