Industry Executives: Red Sea too risky even after Gaza ceasefire
Companies transporting their products around the world are not ready to return to the Red Sea trade route in the wake of a Gaza ceasefire deal because of uncertainty over whether Yemen's Houthis will continue to attack shipping, industry executives said.The leader of Yemen's Houthis said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned group would monitor the implementation of a ceasefire deal between Israel and…
Philippine Navy Drills Near Scarborough Shoal
The Philippine navy said on Friday its ships were holding drills near a contested shoal in the South China Sea, a day after Manila and Beijing agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite ongoing disputes.The exercise around the Scarborough shoal, one of Asia's most hotly contested areas, was aimed at enhancing the navy's capability to secure what it said were Philippine waters and the country's territorial integrity…
New Funding to Advance Hull Cleaning and Inspection Robot Deployment
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) is participating in a $940K Amphibian UWILD Remote Robotic Platform Project.The robot is expected increase the speed and accuracy of ship hull inspections and reduce the risks associated with diving crews.The project will allow Marine Thinking to develop a Launch and Recovery System (LARS) for Innvotek’s Amphibian “Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Dry-docking” (UWILD)…
Sanctioned Tanker Discharges Oil in China
A tanker subject to the new U.S. sanctions is discharging Russian oil at a port operated by Shandong Port Group in east China, shipping data on LSEG Eikon showed on Thursday.The tanker is the first since last week's sanctions announcement to discharge in Shandong province where many of China's independent refineries that have been big importers of Russian crude are based.It will be monitored closely…
Fujairah 2024 Bunker Sales Higher Than Zhoushan
Sales of marine fuel at the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah edged higher in 2024 after a downtrend in previous years, latest data showed.Volumes, excluding lubricants, totalled 7.6 million cubic metres (about 7.5 million metric tons) for 2024, up 1.9% from 2023, based on Fujairah Oil Industry Zone data published by industry information service provider S&P Global Commodity Insights this week.The port retained its position as the world's third-largest bunker hub as of 2024…
USTR Finds China's Shipbuilding Dominance is Actionable Under Law
The U.S. Trade Representative's office on Thursday said it has found China's targeted dominance of the global shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors is "unreasonable" and is "actionable" under U.S. trade law.The findings of a USTR probe, first reported by Reuters on Tuesday, did not include a specific recommendation of penalties against Beijing, leaving next steps up to President-elect Donald Trump…
A New Use for Old Jackets
Global aquaculture production has already exceeded wild fisheries production, and space constraints in coastal areas have driven interest in the viability of combining aquaculture with offshore energy installations. New ideas keep coming.An article published in Heliyon this month assessed the potential for growing high-value algae species on decommissioned oil and gas jackets.Algal aquaculture is growing at 8.9% annually and became an $22 billion industry in 2024.
BOEM Finalizes Offshore Wind Fisheries Mitigation Guidance
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has finalized guidance aimed at mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy projects on commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries.It provides a national framework for addressing social and economic impacts on the fishing industry and establishes clear processes for the offshore wind industry to address potential disruptions to fisheries. It ensures consistency and promotes fair treatment of fishermen…
Private Sector to Help Protect Subsea Cables in Europe
The US and Norway have agreed on further steps to increase the security of subsea infrastructure including better involvement of the private sector.The US and Nordic-Baltic countries, including Norway, have agreed to:• Harmonize and develop channels and procedures for sharing real-time situational awareness and incident information within national governments, across allies, and between public and private sector stakeholders…
Allseas to Electrify Launch and Recovery Systems
Allseas has commissioned MacArtney to replace existing hydraulic launch and recovery systems (LARS) with the all-electric eLARS on three vessels.The scope comprises three over-the-side 150 kN all-electric A-frames, including docking head and AHC winch, for a new fleet of electric remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) used in survey and construction tasks to water depths of 4-6 kilometers.One system is planned to be mobilized on Pioneering Spirit…
Renewable Diesel Project for Passenger Ferry Underway in California
In partnership with Catalina Express and Harbor Breeze Cruises, the Port of Los Angeles will soon begin emission-reduction technology demonstration projects for specialized harbor craft, thanks to a $31 million grant awarded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).The Los Angeles Marine Emission Reduction (LA MER) project will involve the design, construction and launch of a passenger ferry with Tier 4 engines and potentially a CARB-verified, U.S.
Delayed Energy Transition Could Mean Higher Hydrocarbon Prices
As the risk of a delayed energy transition scenario increases, so does the possibility of a much greater pull on future oil and gas supply, but meeting this demand would require a significant increase in upstream investment, resulting in higher hydrocarbon prices, according to the latest Horizons report from Wood Mackenzie.According to the report “Taking the strain: how upstream could meet the demands of a delayed energy transition”…
Trafigura Co-Loads Ammonia and Propane
Trafigura and CF Industries, the world’s largest producer of ammonia, have completed the first co-loaded ammonia and propane shipment operation of its kind.In early January, the Green Power Medium Gas Carrier (MGC) completed a single voyage from the US to Europe loaded with ammonia from CF Industries and with LPG (propane) in separate tanks.The co-loaded vessel project was intended in part as a demonstration…
AI empowers shipowners with safety management challenges
The maritime industry is undergoing a digital transformation, and one of the key innovations making waves is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into safety management systems.The increased documentation required following the gamut of new rules and procedures place increasing demands on seafarers but companies like WiseStella are leveraging artificial intelligence to ease the cognitive…
Oil Dips on Larger US Crude Draw, Russia Sanctions
Oil prices fell back slightly on Thursday, a day after settling at multi-month highs on U.S. President Joe Biden's latest sanctions targeting Russia and a larger than forecast fall in U.S. crude stocks.Brent crude futures were down 12 cents, or 0.15%, to $81.91 per barrel at 1415 GMT, after rising 2.6% in the previous session to their highest since July 26.U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 18 cents…
Artemis Technologies Releases Sustainable Transit Report
Artemis Technologies, a world leader in commercial efoiling vessels, today released its Future of Sustainable Transit Report.Conducted by accredited third-party research firm, Censuswide, this report features insights from 2,000 Americans on their key grievances regarding public transit and the changes they are hoping to see in their cities when it comes to more sustainable modes of transportation.Data…
Persistent Tracking: Vital to Safeguard Shipping in Dark Seas
The ever-worsening geopolitical situation is creating unprecedented challenges for the shipping sector and wider supply chain.An expanding shadow fleet, openly undertaking illegal Ship-To-Ship (STS) transfers of Russian oil and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), has compounded the longer-standing dark shipping problem that has emerged as a result of illegal activity (people, arms, drugs, contraband and fish smuggling)…
AWS Foundation Accepting Applications for 2025 Welding Scholarships
The American Welding Society (AWS) Foundation is pleased to announce that it is currently accepting scholarship applications for 2025 from welding students across North America.The deadline to apply for AWS National, District, and Section Scholarships is March 1, 2025.In 2024, the AWS Foundation awarded scholarships to more than 1,200 welding students, providing financial support ranging from $1,000 to over $10,000 per recipient.
Kongsberg delivers first REACH REMOTE USV
A new era of offshore operations has begun with the successful delivery of REACH REMOTE 1, a 24-metre unmanned surface vessel (USV) designed by Kongsberg Maritime. This ground-breaking achievement marks a significant milestone through collaboration between Kongsberg Maritime, REACH SUBSEA ASA, Massterly, and Trosvik Maritime.Designed to revolutionise offshore operations, the REACH REMOTE 1 is packed with cutting-edge KONGSBERG technology.
Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd: No immediate return to Red Sea
Two of the world's top shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, said on Thursday they did not see an immediate return to Red Sea after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced.Both companies said they would be closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and would return to the Red Sea once it was safe to do so."The agreement has only just been reached. We will closely analyze the latest developments and their impact on the security situation in the Red Sea…