Regulations - News

Maritime UK’s Chair Robin Mortimer and Chief Executive Chris Shirling-Rooke met with the new Maritime Minister, Mike Kane MP and the Department for Transport team at Great Minster House in Westminster. Following the Minister’s recent appointment, the meeting provided an excellent opportunity for Maritime UK to discuss key priorities for the industry and raise the importance of focusing on growth and prosperity throughout the sector and in their coastal communities. Thriving marit...

ClassNK has released ‘Guidelines for Cyber resilience of ships’. The guidelines expound new IACS Unified Requirements (UR) to support the consideration of measures to ensure the cyber security of ships. IACS has established UR E26 for ships and UR E27 for on-board systems and equipment as URs setting minimum requirements for cyber resilience, which is the capability to reduce the occurrence and mitigate the effects of cyber incidents due to cyber-attacks or other threats. The URs ha...

The state-of-the-art 'Olympic Boreas' CSOV has been delivered to Olympic by Ulstein Verft on 25.07.2024. The vessel is the first of two sister vessels, based on the ULSTEIN SX222 design by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS. 'Olympic Boreas' CSOV Olympic Boreas has been designed with the TWIN X-STERN solution and comes with a unique hybrid power integration. Further, she has a large gangway system installed, high-capacity, delicately furnished accommodation, including offices, lounges, day roo...

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply a hybrid-electric propulsion system for an 11,000 dwt Limestone Carrier. The vessel was contracted by Montreal-based CSL Group (“CSL”) with CCCC Shanghai Equipment Engineering and Jingjiang Nanyang Shipbuilding. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in Q1 2024. The order reflects CSL’s focus on reducing its emissions profile via a comprehensive decarbonisation strategy. Wärtsilä has been closely involved in devel...

ABS awarded approval in principle (AIP) to CLS Wind for its innovative wind turbine assembly system.  The patented elevator-style assembly system promises easier, safer and faster wind turbine and nacelle installation and maintenance, without the use of large cranes and heavy-lift barges or vessels. ABS completed design reviews based on class and statutory requirements. “This is an exciting milestone for CLS Wind and domestic renewable energy production. ABS is committed to supportin...

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the United States Coast Guard Research and Development Centre (USCG-RDC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that opens the door to collaborative research and development on top-of-mind technologies impacting the maritime industry. ABS and the USCG-RDC each have robust portfolios of maritime innovation projects that will benefit from cooperative efforts in areas of mutual interest. Fuels in the maritime domain Activity under the MOU can include dev...

Thordon Bearings’ brake cups are being supplied to Hydro-Québec, the largest hydropower company in Canada, as part of a decade-long turbine brake system overhaul program. The Burlington-based bearing and seal specialist is providing the brake cups to its Canadian distributor RMH Industries, an integrated company specialising in mechanical and hydraulic repair and machining of oversized parts. RMH Industries has been manufacturing and repairing brake blocks for Hydro-Québec s...

In Rotterdam, the Eco Maestro was christened, the first dual-fuel container vessel to sail on methanol. Rotterdam will be the home port to all fourteen vessels of the Singapore X-Press Feeders. X-press Feeders aims to have these ‘green vessels’ sail mainly on routes in Europe, which means there will be a first network of feeders sailing on green methanol in Europe. The Taiwan container shipping company Evergreen Feeders has signed a contract to that end with the Singapore feeder shi...

National Maritime, in partnership with the University of Greenwich, will host a two-day conference and exhibition exploring sustainable practices and business opportunities in the maritime realm. The 4th Society & the Sea International Conference 2024 will take place on the 9th and 10th of September 2024 in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Maritime Greenwich. The theme of the conference is ‘To be truly blue, we must also think green: developing a sustainable blue economy needs b...

ABS and the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO) are working together to advance commercial small modular reactor (SMR)-powered ships and floating SMR power generation platforms. Technology and framework ABS will provide an analysis of applicable regulatory guidelines and international standards for the design of SMR-powered ships. KRISO will develop core technologies for SMR-powered ships, including conceptual designs for the vessel and propulsion systems as well a...

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel with a 57-year history of breaking boundaries, announces its 2026 spring/summer itineraries to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, and Canada and New England, as well as a new season of voyages from the Port of Philadelphia (PhilaPort) for the first time in many years. In April 2026, NCL will launch cruises sailing from the SouthPort Marine Terminal Complex in Philadelphia. On April 16, 2026, Norwegian Jewel® will comme...

VSTEP is pleased to announce the early access release of NAUTIS Instructor Station 2.0! This updated version promises a significantly improved user experience, reduced work time, enhanced ease of use and many other crucial advancements. Less clicks, more teaching! Over the past year, VSTEP has diligently collected and analysed feedback from customers both internally and externally. Through extensive testing, numerous discussions and learning from NAUTIS Home, they have identified key areas for...

Innovative technology developed by Arkitech delivers substantial efficiency improvements to the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system onboard MSC Magnifica. Leveraging AI and machine learning, the technology analyses data from over 1,500 sensors on the MSC Cruises’ ship, enhancing chiller efficiency by up to 12% and achieving predicted annual savings of 1600MW which is equivalent to removing the 687 cars from European roads. This efficiency is realised without compromis...

OrbitMI announces the launch of its latest Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) offering, tailored specifically for maritime industry players in the dry bulk sector. This new product delivers precise and timely data to support decision-making and boost operational efficiency across the maritime industry. Vessel and Company Particulars The Vessel and Company Particulars product provides comprehensive information on various vessel characteristics, enabling ship owners and operators to leverage up-to-date da...

Olympic Subsea is proud to announce their partnership with Ulstein and Rambøll to carry out the “LCAS - Life Cycle Assessment in Shipbuilding” project. This initiative focuses on developing a maritime-oriented method to evaluate the environmental impact of new vessels throughout their entire life cycle.  In this work, Olympic Subsea is specifically looking at the two new offshore wind service vessels developed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS, both of which are...

The expansion of the offshore wind market has brought about significant changes in the cable-laying industry. More turbines mean more cables to install, which means a greater need for carousel capacity on the cable-laying vessel.  Average cable length However, the length of the installed cable is dependent not only on the number of turbines, but also on their size. The average cable length per wind farm has grown from 30 km in the 2000s to 80 km in the late 2010s and is projected t...

ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to a Ship IoT Application “i-MITEC” by MIURA CO., LTD. 'i-MITEC' uses a cloud-based environment to provide a range of services, collecting and storing operation data from equipment, such as marine boilers and ballast water management systems that are fitted with communication functionality.  The stored data can be used in combination with analysis by MIURA field engineers to provide suggestions for ef...

X1 Wind, a developer of floating wind technology, has officially opened a new office in Navarra, which will be responsible for designing and implementing electrical, communication, and control systems for floating wind platforms. The new offices will primarily host X1 Wind’s electrical department, which includes five electrical engineers led by Adrián Oliva, Electrical & SCADA Manager. Additionally, the offices will include an industrial engineer from the operations departmen...

The launch of the seventh PPA (Multipurpose Combat Ship) “Domenico Millelire” took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Riva Trigoso (Genova) on Saturday 13 July 2024. The ceremony was attended, among others, by Vice Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto, Deputy Chief of Staff of Italian Navy, and Massimo Scialpi, Deputy Director OCCAR, welcomed for Fincantieri by Dario Deste, General Manager Naval Vessels Division. The godmother of the ceremony was Ms. Franca Millelire, a relative o...

KR held the 19th KR European Committee (KREC) meeting in London, UK, on July 1st. The KREC, established in 2004, includes members from major international maritime organisations and key European KR customers as follows: Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO) International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO) In...

Watson Farley & Williams advised ABN AMRO BANK N.V. and ING BANK N.V. on a US$245m term loan facility granted to Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited for the financing of a fleet of tanker vessels. WFW acted as lead counsel on the transaction and assisted ABN and ING throughout the life cycle of the transaction, from the negotiation and execution of the facility to the delivery of each vessel. Transportation services TEN is a world-pioneering tanker operator, listed on the New York...

Babcock and the Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia, Poland, have announced that they are set to collaborate on an exciting new programme of professional internships following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Cooperation Agreement. The MoU outlines the intent for Babcock to work in cooperation with the Polish Naval Academy to facilitate future academic collaboration, underpinning Babcock’s global commitment to skills development. Future academic collaboration This summe...

Seatrium announced that it has awarded the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) a Classification contract for the newbuild floating production storage and offloading vessels (FPSO) platforms P-84 and P-85 with the final delivery expected in 2029. These are the first FPSOs to be awarded following ABS and Seatrium’s Technology Collaboration Agreement (TCA), which aims to promote increased decarbonisation, digitalisation and innovation in the offshore industry. Efficient power generation Both...

EV Maritime, New Zealand’s pioneering electric ferry design and technology company, announced it has been commissioned by Angel Island Tiburon Ferry (AITF) to design an all-new hybrid electric vessel for the fleet. The progressive project, which will see the electrification of two existing vessels and the construction of a third new plug-in hybrid vessel, has been funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The hybrid vessel will be designed and engineered by EV Maritime with el...

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply a fully integrated, mechanical drive, propulsion package for new 6000 dwt LNG-fuelled tankers being built for British fleet operator, James Fisher Everard Ltd., part of the James Fisher group of companies. The ships are under construction by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Yangzhou) Dingheng Co. in cooperation with design consultant FKAB Marine Design. The integrated package includes the high-performance Wärtsilä 25DF dual-fuel main en...

Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd. and Amogy, a provider of mature, scalable, and efficient ammonia-to-power solutions, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to integrate Amogy’s advanced ammonia-cracking technology into Yanmar’s hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2ICE). This collaboration seeks to pioneer a solution for decarbonising marine power generation. The partnership will focus on combining Amogy’s technology with Yanmar’s H2ICE to provide low-cost...

ABS has issued approval in principle (AIP) to Nantong Pengrui Offshore Technology Co., Ltd and COSCO Shipping Shipyard (Nantong) Co., Ltd. for its novel design of an offshore access gangway. The motion-compensated, active and passive, gangway design offers a solution for the growing demand for efficient access for service operation vessels (SOVs) supporting wind turbines and offshore platforms. ABS completed design reviews based on class and statutory requirements. New design from Pengrui &ld...

Thordon Bearings has secured an order from French shipbuilding giant Chantiers de l'Atlantique to supply its award-winning COMPAC seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings for installation to a pair of wind-assisted passenger ships operated by luxury travel operator Accor. When the first 220m (722 ft) long, 22,300 gt vessel is delivered in 2026, Orient Express Corinthian will be the world’s largest contemporary sailship. The contract marks Thordon’s first reference aboard a Chant...

Oceania Cruises®, the world's pioneering culinary- and destination-focused cruise line is delighted to announce its new collaboration with the American Cancer Society (ACS), bringing the ACS Relay For Life at Sea program to the cruise line's esteemed guests, crew and team members, fostering a community of support and raising vital funds for cancer research, patient support services, and advocacy efforts. The program was just launched on Oceania Cruises' newest ship, Vista, as well as aboard...

Our Ocean, Our Obligation, Our Opportunity has been selected as the International Maritime Organisation's World Maritime Day theme for 2025, which will culminate in the celebration of World Maritime Day on 25 September 2025. The IMO Council, meeting for its 132nd session, endorsed the theme following a proposal by IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez. Management of ocean resources The theme reflects the ocean’s vital role in the world economy, with more than 80% of glo...