Houthi Attack on MSC Ship in Indian Ocean Indicates Further Range

China Coast Guard Damages Two Philippine Vessels With Water Cannon

Published Apr 30, 2024 1:52 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Tuesday, Chinese forces water-cannoned two Philippine patrol vessels near Scarborough Shoal, a longtime flash point in the South China Sea. It is the latest in a string of near-conflict encounters between China's "gray zone" government ships and the Philippine military, driven by China's ownership claim to a large section of the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the cutter BRP Bagacay and the fishery patrol vessel BRP Bankaw were under way near Scarborough Shoal when...

Report: Sovcomflot is Renaming and Transferring Flags on More Tankers

Published Apr 30, 2024 12:58 PM by The Maritime Executive

Russian shipping company Sovcomflot has reportedly resumed the practice of shuffling around sanctioned tankers in an effort to protect the business. According to a new analysis by Bloomberg, at least four of the tankers have changed names and flags as part of the effort after the recent U.S. sanctions in the enforcement effort of the G7 Price Cap on Russian oil. Sovcomflot has regularly used overseas holding companies that make it difficult to track its fleet. The

Report: US Navy May be Overstating Crew Qualification Data

Published Apr 29, 2024 11:05 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. Navy has a growing problem with manning, and is on track to miss recruitment targets for the second year running. At the deckplate level, the challenge may be slightly greater than it looks, according to the Government Accountability Office. For counting purposes, the service has been treating some personnel as fully qualified to "fit" a position aboard ship when they do not have the corresponding experience level. The effect varies by ship class and department, but overall, GAO...

BYD Explorer No. 1 departs on its maiden voyage (BYD)

From EVs to Wind Turbines, China is Winning the Clean-Energy War

Published Apr 29, 2024 10:40 PM by G. Allen Brooks

The EPA has finalized its tailpipe emissions rules for light-duty vehicles beginning in 2027. When initially proposed, the rule sparked pushback from the automobile industry, among others. As the EPA noted, the rule would require electric vehicles to make up 67 percent of new vehicle sales by 2032. For perspective, EV sales in the U.S. last year reached a record of 1.2 million vehicles, a 7.6 percent market share, up from 5.9 percent in 2022. To achieve the Biden...

Shipping

Dutch Settle Decades Old Scrapping Case Over Sale of Toxic Refer Vessels

The Netherlands’ Public Prosecution Service has reached a $6 million settlement in a long-running case involving the scrapping of four refer cargo ships more than a decade ago. The case which started in 2018 marked the first time in Europe that a shipowner and its executives were brought up on criminal charges of exporting ships with toxic materials for scrapping overseas. The case stemmed from the 2012 sale of four retired refer vessels, Spring Bear, Spring Bob,...

Tugs & Salvage

Shoaling and Bank Effect Caused Ship to Hit Navy Fuel Pier

The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded an investigation into a serious allision involving a tanker and a Navy fuel pier at a base in South Carolina, and has determined that bank effect was the primary cause. On the afternoon of September 5, 2022, the product tanker Bow Triumph got under way from a private petroleum terminal on the Cooper River, upstream of Joint Base Charleston. The river is a winding tidal waterway, with sharp bends and branching tributaries. With...

Government

China Coast Guard Damages Two Philippine Vessels With Water Cannon

Corporate News

Fuel Efficiency of Wärtsilä Engine 31 is Key for Canadian Polar Icebreaker

[By: Wärtsilä] Technology group Wärtsilä will supply the engines for a new Canadian Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker. The ship is being designed and built at Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards and will be the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet. Because of the long operational range required for the vessel’s employment in arctic waters, fuel efficiency was a prime design consideration in the selection of the Wärtsilä 31 engine. The Wärtsilä 31 engine has been recognised by Guinness World Records as...

Cruise Ships

Report: Tug Saved Cruise Ship Norwegian Prima From a Potential Grounding

Brave efforts by the crew of a tugboat prevented the grounding of the cruise ship Norwegian Prima at the port of Reykjavík in Iceland in May last year, an investigation has revealed. The Icelandic Transportation Accident Investigation found that the ship could have grounded after encountering a sudden increase in wind speed as it departed the port, but the actions of the crew of the tug Magni prevented a disaster. On the night of May 26, 2023, the Bahamas-flagged cruise ship...

Ports

Hamburg Pleads With Port Workers to Say No to Drug Smugglers

Hamburg's port is one of the main gateways for cocaine smuggling into Europe, a prized market for cartels because of the popularity of the drug and the high price it fetches. While Hamburg is not as busy as Rotterdam or Antwerp, it is still a regional hub, and local authorities are trying to crack down on the illicit trade - in part, by appealing to port employees to stay out of the smuggling industry. "Stay away from this type...

Shipping

Dutch Settle Decades Old Scrapping Case Over Sale of Toxic Refer Vessels

Tugs & Salvage

Shoaling and Bank Effect Caused Ship to Hit Navy Fuel Pier

Government

China Coast Guard Damages Two Philippine Vessels With Water Cannon

Corporate News

Fuel Efficiency of Wärtsilä Engine 31 is Key for Canadian Polar Icebreaker

Cruise Ships

Report: Tug Saved Cruise Ship Norwegian Prima From a Potential Grounding

Ports

Hamburg Pleads With Port Workers to Say No to Drug Smugglers

Offshore

BOEM Proposes Offshore Wind Area Auctions in Gulf of Mexico and Oregon

The U.S. Department of the Interior took its next steps in the aggressive plans to accelerate the development of offshore wind energy in the U.S. They released proposals for two new wind areas off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine which they said combined could provide 18 GW of energy. It however includes more controversial areas especially along the Oregon coast. The Biden Administration highlights that it has already approved eight offshore sites with a...

Shipbuilding

Bibby Marine Orders First Battery and Methanol Powered eCSOV

A shipbuilding contract has been completed for what is being called the “world’s first truly zero-emission, electric Commission Service Operation Vessel,” which is being built as part of UK sponsored demonstration project. The ship is expected to enter service in the UK in 2026 using a combination of a powerful battery system along with dual-fuel methanol engines. A coalition of leading maritime companies led by Bibby Marine proposed the project as part of the UK’s Zero Emission Vessels and...

Environment

A Raben team rescues an entangled whale in the Banderas Bay, Jalisco state, Pacific Coast of Mexico. Untangling large mammals is a risky task, as rescuers could become caught in the fishing gear they are trying to cut loose. (Image: Ecobac)

Saving Whales, One Rope at a Time

[By Daniel Cressey] In 2004, a humpback whale was spotted entangled in fishing gear in Banderas Bay, a small bight on the Pacific Coast of Mexico in which the resort town of Puerto Vallarta nestles. This area is home for Astrid Frisch-Jordán, the operations manager for Ecotours de Mexico and a professional whale watcher. Concerned townspeople were soon calling her about the trapped animal. “The first day, we were like: ‘Oh, that’s very bad, but we cannot...

Business

Report: Sovcomflot is Renaming and Transferring Flags on More Tankers

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Houthi Attack on MSC Ship in Indian Ocean Indicates Further Range

China Coast Guard Damages Two Philippine Vessels With Water Cannon

Report: Sovcomflot is Renaming and Transferring Flags on More Tankers

Report: US Navy May be Overstating Crew Qualification Data

From EVs to Wind Turbines, China is Winning the Clean-Energy War

Dutch Settle Decades Old Scrapping Case Over Sale of Toxic Refer Vessels

Shoaling and Bank Effect Caused Ship to Hit Navy Fuel Pier

China Coast Guard Damages Two Philippine Vessels With Water Cannon

Fuel Efficiency of Wärtsilä Engine 31 is Key for Canadian Polar Icebreaker

Report: Tug Saved Cruise Ship Norwegian Prima From a Potential Grounding

Hamburg Pleads With Port Workers to Say No to Drug Smugglers

Visibility from the Bridge to Improve Cargo Management

Polymeric Solutions Contributing to Maritime Decarbonization

Healthy Crew, Safe Vessel: Navigating the Importance of PEME Exams

Dutch Settle Decades Old Scrapping Case Over Sale of Toxic Refer Vessels

Shoaling and Bank Effect Caused Ship to Hit Navy Fuel Pier

China Coast Guard Damages Two Philippine Vessels With Water Cannon

Fuel Efficiency of Wärtsilä Engine 31 is Key for Canadian Polar Icebreaker

Report: Tug Saved Cruise Ship Norwegian Prima From a Potential Grounding

Hamburg Pleads With Port Workers to Say No to Drug Smugglers

BOEM Proposes Offshore Wind Area Auctions in Gulf of Mexico and Oregon

Bibby Marine Orders First Battery and Methanol Powered eCSOV

Saving Whales, One Rope at a Time

Report: Sovcomflot is Renaming and Transferring Flags on More Tankers

Maritime Industry Conferences and Events

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Maritime Industry Conferences and Events