26 MAR 2020  Seven Ukrainian seafarers were kidnapped from the container ship MSC Talia F on Sunday. The 957-TEU vessel was en-route from Lomé, Togo, to Port Libreville, Gabon, and is now at anchor in Gabon. The remaining 10 crewmembers are believed to have taken refuge in the vessel’s citadel. Dryad Global …

25 MAR 2020 The proliferation of fake news about the COVID-19 pandemic has been labelled a dangerous “infodemic“. Fake news spreads faster and more easily today through the internet, social media and instant messaging. These messages may contain useless, incorrect or even harmful information and advice, which can hamper the …

24 MAR 2020  The National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE) is calling on the Trump Administration to provide emergency support for ports and terminal operators, including priority access to testing and protective gear for waterfront workers. NAWE believes that the port workforce – including terminal operators, longshore workers, federal and …

23 MAR 2020 SafeLearn, a product line of Safebridge, launches a new online training called “Mastering Daily Navigation.” The course is designed to educate and refresh the knowledge of all watchkeeping ranks on how to combine traditional navigation with modern-day technology. While the rapid advancement of navigational equipment continuously improves …

22 MAR 2020  Despite the disruption and uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak, Chinese conglomerate Yangzijiang Shipbuilding has secured a giant $1.15 billion order for up to ten dual-fuel containerships with a capacity of 14,000 TEU each. The firm order is for two vessels, with eight more available as …

21 MAR 2020  Since December 2019, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread throughout the world. The outbreak and the public health response have had a serious impact on every sector of the maritime industry: global cruise lines have halted operations, container carriers have had to blank dozens of sailings, and offshore …

16 MAR 2020  Jotun and Kongsberg Maritime have jointly developed a robotic hull cleaning device called the HullSkater, designed to be carried with the vessel and deployed regularly to remove early-stage fouling.  The HullSkater removes bacteria and biofilm from the hull before macro-fouling like weeds and barnacles can take hold. …

20 MAR 2020 A pandemic-driven global recession is becoming more likely by the day as the flow of goods, services and people face ever-increasing restrictions and financial markets slump. In just the past day or so, President Donald Trump curbed travel to the U.S. from Europe, Italy’s government ordered almost every shop …

19 MAR 2020  An editorial appearing in China Daily states that after the Coronavirus epidemic is curbed, the consumption that has been constrained will be rapidly released, and there will be explosive growth in imports and exports. Liu Ying, a researcher at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of …

18 MAR 2020 One of the easiest to use and most cost-effective ballast water treatment systems has been awarded Type Approval by the U.S. Coast Guard. The system, from Danish company Bawat, is the only treatment system available to shipowners that relies on heat pasteurization to kill off potentially dangerous …