01 AUG 2023 Dutch authorities are leading the response after a car carrier caught fire off the northern coast of The Netherlands around midnight on July 25. As the fire continued to spread, the decision was made to evacuate the ship. One crewmember was killed and several others injured at …
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SHIPBUILDING ORDERS FOR PRODUCT TANKERS INCREASE DRAMATICALLY IN 2023
31 JULY 2023 After a prolonged drought in the order of new tankers and particularly product tankers, BIMCO is reporting a strong spike in orders for new product tankers in the first half of 2023. The trade group calculates that more product tankers have been ordered in the first half …
Read More »NATO STEPPING UP BLACK SEA SURVEILLANCE
30 JULY 2023 NATO said on Wednesday it was stepping up surveillance of the Black Sea region as it condemned Russia’s exit from a deal assuring the safe passage of ships carrying Ukrainian grain. The announcement came after a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a body established earlier this month …
Read More »MAJOR ALZHEIMER’S TRIAL SHOWS NEW DRUG CAN SLOW DISEASE PROGRESSION
29 JULY 2023 Results of an 18-month trial led by US pharmaceutical producer Eli Lilly have shown its new Alzheimer’s drug can delay the progression of the disease by up to 35.1 percent. That means across the trial certain patients had their decline slowed down by 4.4 to 7.5 months. It’s expected that …
Read More »SELF-NAVIGATING AUTONOMOUS WATER TAXIS TO LAUNCH IN SOUTH KOREA
28 JULY 2023 The autonomous navigation startup company Avikus, a division of South Korea’s HD Hyundai, signed an agreement to launch autonomous water taxis operating in Busan. A partnership between the City of Busan, Korea Marine Consulting and Project Management Company, and Avikus, they report the service will launch in …
Read More »WHY THE NEW PACKAGE OF SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA IS A GAME-CHANGER FOR EUROPE
27 JULY 2023 On June 25, in the wake of the Russian oil price cap and the failed Wagner Group revolt, the EU announced its new “11th sanctions package.” As the war rages on, it is clear that the EU has decided to intensify reactionary efforts, specifically focusing on shipping and transport as key areas …
Read More »CONTAINERSHIP SINKS IN TAIWAN ANCHORAGE
26 JULY 2023 Efforts to stabilize a containership anchored near the entrance to Taiwan’s Kaohsiung port failed overnight. The feeder ship which had been abandoned on Thursday continued to take on water and sunk early Friday, July 21, with empty boxes scattered into the busy waterway. Port officials had suspended …
Read More »BIDEN NOMINATES FIRST WOMAN, ADMIRAL FRANCHETTI, TO LEAD US NAVY
25 JULY 2023 President Joe Biden on Friday announced his nominations for four of the top posts in the U.S. Navy including his selection of the Admiral Lisa Franchetti as nominee for Chief of Naval Operations, the senior most position in the U.S. Navy. If confirmed, Franchetti will be not …
Read More »MAERSK LINE LTD ORDERED TO REHIRE CHIEF MATE WHO TIPPED OFF COAST GUARD
24 JULY 2023 The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ordered Maersk’s American division to pay an officer more than $700,000 after it dismissed him for telling the U.S. Coast Guard about alleged deficiencies aboard the boxship Maersk Tennessee (ex name Safmarine Mafadi). On December 29, 2020, after a disagreement with …
Read More »HOW MARINE HEAT WAVES AFFECT THE OCEAN – AND WHAT CAN BE DONE
23 JULY 2023 As we enter El Niño, periods of surging temperatures at sea are predicted to grow more frequent and intense. On 4 July 2023, the World Meteorological Organization declared the beginning of an El Niño phase, a climate pattern that drives up temperatures across land and sea. Past weather events provide …
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