Sudden Severe Weather Sank Towing Vessel
Severe weather caused an overwhelming towline force and unrecoverable heeling that led to the capsizing and sinking of a towing vessel near Galveston, Texas, last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded.On May 13, 2024, while towing the barge Marmac 27 astern on an 800‑foot‑long wire, the towing vessel Baylor J. Tregre encountered severe weather, listed to port, capsized and sank. The four-person crew abandoned the vessel into a liferaft and were rescued by the U.S.
Survitec Tests New Alcohol-Resistant Fire Fighting Foam
Survitec has successfully completed extensive performance testing of new alcohol-resistant fluorine-free fire fighting foam concentrates.The results validate the compatibility of the new foam concentrates with marine foam mixing systems and demonstrate that a safe transition away from PFAS (Per- and PolyFluoroAlkyl Substances) based products is not only feasible and ready for operational deployment across a range of vessel types…
Wind Opponents Sue to Block Empire Wind
Fishing companies and offshore wind opponents filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging the Trump administration's decision to reverse course and allow construction to resume on Empire Wind, a $5 billion wind farm project off New York's coast.Protect Our Coast New Jersey, Clean Ocean Action, ACK for Whales and 12 fishing industry participants in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey…
Inside the Global Crisis of Seafarer Exploitation
When coast guard officers boarded junior seafarer Omkar Pawar’s ship off Trinidad and Tobago in 2020, one of them pointed a gun at his face.“They searched the ship. After two days, they found 450 kilograms of cocaine in the tank,” said Pawar.Pawar and the rest of the crew were jailed and interrogated in a Trinidadian detention center for 15 days. The ship’s captain and second officer were later prosecuted.Pawar…
Trump Hobbles NOAA Team That Reopens Ports After Hurricanes
A Florida-based federal emergency response team that reopens U.S. ports after storms and accidents is unstaffed this hurricane season largely due to widespread federal workforce reductions driven by the Trump administration, according to two sources familiar with the matter.The closure of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Navigation Response Team in Fernandina, Florida – one…
Hegseth to Rename Tanker That Honors Veteran Diver, Gay Rights Activist
The U.S. Navy will rename an oil tanker that had been named after slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday, the military's latest move under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to root out diversity, equity and inclusion.In 2016, the U.S. Navy said it would name one of its new class of oil tankers after Milk, a Navy veteran who later became one of the first openly gay people elected to public office in the U.S.The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021…
Shell Makes FID for Trinidad Offshore Gas Project
Energy producer Shell has made a positive final investment decision on its Aphrodite gas project offshore Trinidad and Tobago, the company said on Tuesday.The project is expected to produce first gas in 2027 and have a peak production of 18,400 barrels of oil equivalent per day, it added in a release.Shell is a 45% shareholder in Trinidad's Atlantic LNG plant which has a capacity to produce 12 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of the superchilled gas…
Höegh Autoliners, Nordic Circles Partner For Ship Decommissioning
An agreement between Höegh Autoliners and green industry pioneer Nordic Circles launches a national project that will change the handling of decommissioned ships. Using Norwegian technology, labor, and industry, old ships will be upcycled in Norway into certified building materials—without melting, without export, and with up to 97% lower emissions.Nordic Circles and Höegh Autoliners are announcing the agreement on the Blue Talks stage at Nor-Shipping…
TORM Acquires Full Ownership of ME Production
TORM A/S has acquired the remaining 25% ownership stake in ME Production (MEP) from founder and CEO Jens Peter Faldt. MEP is a Danish industrial engineering company with a proven record in green maritime equipment. This expansion follows TORM’s initial acquisition of a 75% ownership stake in 2022, and now TORM has full ownership of MEP.The two companies have maintained a close, productive collaboration since 2018…
Kongsberg Maritime Launches Emissions Monitoring System
Kongsberg Maritime today announced the launch of its new Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS). This advanced system lets shipowners and operators effectively monitor and control vessel emissions, ensuring compliance with increasingly stringent environmental regulations and optimizing fuel efficiency.Kongsberg CEMS uses innovative sensor technology to provide accurate and continuous measurement of key greenhouse gases, including CO₂, CH₄, SOx, NOx, and CO.
XRG Aims For Gas and LNG Capacity of 20-25 Million Tons a Year by 2035
XRG, the international investment arm of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), is aiming to have a gas and LNG business with a capacity of between 20 million and 25 million metric tons a year by 2035, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.XRG was set up last year as an investment company focused on lower-carbon energy, gas and chemicals, with assets of more than $80 billion.On Tuesday, its board…
Ukraine Hits Crimea Bridge With Underwater Explosives
Ukraine's SBU security service said on Tuesday that it had hit the road and rail bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula below the water level with explosives.In a statement, the SBU said it had used 1,100 kilograms (2,420 pounds) of explosives that were detonated early in the morning and damaged underwater pillars of the bridge, a key supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine in the past.The…
Wärtsilä to Supply Regasification Module for Egypt-Bound FSRU
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, has been contracted to supply a regasification module for Höegh Evi, which will be installed onboard the LNG carrier Hoegh Gandria to convert the vessel to a high-capacity floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).When converted, the Hoegh Gandria will be deployed in the port of Sumed, Egypt.It will supply the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company with up to 1…
Society of Marine Port Engineers Backs SL7EXPO with Seed Funding
The SL7EXPO project, which aims to preserve one of the groundbreaking SL-7 Sea-Land Container ships as a commercial maritime exposition center in support of the SHIPS for America Act, has received seed funding from the Society of Marine Port Engineers.Originally built by containerization innovator Malcolm McLean as 33 knot container ships, the eight SL-7 class ships were converted into Fast Sealift…
DNV Greenlights Hudong-Zhonghua’s Three Advanced Vessel Designs
Classification Society DNV has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) certificates to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding for three new vessel designs.The AiPs highlight the ongoing collaboration between the two organizations and reinforce their shared commitment to supporting the continued development of Chinese shipbuilding and the maritime industry’s low-carbon transition and technical advancement.The three…
Kongsberg Maritime to Supply Equipment for Sea1 Offshore’s OCVs
Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to supply a comprehensive equipment package for four new offshore construction vessels (OCVs) to be built at Cosco Nantong for Norwegian offshore services provider Sea1 Offshore.Kongsberg Maritime and Sea1 Offshore will also collaborate on a study to accurately assess emissions reductions achieved with Kongsberg’s equipment.The equipment package includes K-Pos dynamic positioning systems…
