09 may 2019 In the early hours of Friday morning, the Trump administration raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent, the latest shot in an escalating transpacific trade war. “Tariffs will make our Country MUCH STRONGER, not weaker. Just sit back and …

10 may 2019 In a report released Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the fatal explosion and fire aboard the barge Bouchard No. 255 was the result of a lack of effective maintenance and safety management by the Bouchard Transportation Company. According to the NTSB’s brief, the explosion aboard the …

07 MAY 2019 The Boskalis semi-submersible heavy lift vessel Blue Marlin was ransacked by pirates offshore West Africa on Sunday (05th May), causing damage that has left the ship inoperable.  All 20 crew members are reported safe and in good health. Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. confirmed Tuesday that the vessel …

06 MAY 2019 The staid maritime industry now boasts several technology accelerators, with more likely to follow. The accelerator name is self-effacing. These technology “hot houses” are designed to force feed promising start-up firms that offer the promise of highly-sought, cutting-edge, industry-specific software and hardware. Ironically, some of this technology …

05 may 2019 “Do you know what you are doing?” asked the Harbor Pilot in a loud and irritated voice. “Maybe I should take over, or maybe you have someone else who can do this?” he added, with emphasis. His last statement about someone else onboard who can do this caused me …

04 may 2019 Both the vessel Master and operator company previously admitted to lying to U.S. Coast Guard investigators. Two Greek shipping companies have been sentenced to pay a $4 million and serve probations related to charges stemming from multiple illegal discharges of oil into Texas waters by the oil tanker Nicos …

03 MAY 2019 Seafarers and dock workers are still dying while working in enclosed spaces onboard vessels because there is not enough understanding throughout the shipping industry of the risks faced by today’s seafarers, says to the shipmanagement trade association InterManager in releasing a broad survey on the issue of enclosed spaces. …

02 MAY 2019 Pavilion Energy has performed the first commercial ship-to-ship (STS) liquefied natural gas (LNG) refuelling operation in the port of Singapore, the company said. The operation included loading 2,000 cubic metres of LNG onto a small-scale tanker at the Singapore LNG (SLNG) Terminal, followed by an STS transfer …

01 MAY 2019 An open letter signed by more than 100 shipping companies and environmental organizations is urging the International Maritime Organization to impose mandatory speed limits for ships as a way to reduce harmful emissions from shipping. The letter states that effectively addressing climate change is quite possibly the greatest challenge …

30 APRIL 2019 The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) is calling attention to the hazards of confined space entry after a “shocking spike” in the number of deaths associated with the known hazard. Confined space fatalities are all too familiar to the shipping industry. According to the ITF, since January …