23 NOV 2021 Eight additional current and former merchant mariners have been indicted related to a test score-fixing scheme at a United States Coast Guard exam center in Louisiana. U.S Attorney Duane A. Evans announced the latest indictment on November 18, 2021. The defendants are each charged with obtaining, and intending to use, officer-level …
Read More »IMO KICKS OFF MEPC 77 MEETING TO CONSIDER SHIPPING’S PATH TOWARDS DECARBONIZATION
22 NOV 2021 The long-anticipated IMO MEPC 77 meeting (more officially the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Environmental Protection Committee 77th meeting) kicked off on Monday, November 22nd. Though the meeting was held virtually, a number of delegates were physically at IMO’s headquarters on the Thames, in contrast to the MEPC26 confab, …
Read More »NEW LIE DETECTOR CAN READ FACIAL MUSCLES YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW YOU’RE USING
23 NOV 2021 Humans are notoriously woeful lie detectors, even when staring liars straight in the face. A machine learning tool trained to detect tell-tale signs of lying has been found to do better than the average person, using little more than data from wearable sensors that pick up teensy flickers in …
Read More »MOON’S SURFACE HAS ENOUGH OXYGEN TO KEEP BILLIONS ALIVE FOR 100,000 YEARS
22 NOV 2021 Alongside advances in space exploration, we’ve recently seen much time and money invested into technologies that could allow effective space resource utilization. And at the forefront of these efforts has been a laser-sharp focus on finding the best way to produce oxygen on the Moon. In October, the Australian Space Agency …
Read More »IRAN RELEASES VIETNAMESE TANKER AT CENTER OF INCIDENT WITH U.S.
21 NOV 2021 Iranian officials confirmed reports that the Vietnamese tanker Sothys that they had been detaining was released. Associated Press first reported that the tanker’s AIS data was showing it underway departing from the Iranian southern port of Bandar Abbas on November 9. TankerTrackers is reporting that the vessel appeared to …
Read More »SHELL DROPS “ROYAL DUTCH” FROM ITS NAME AND MOVES TO BRITAIN
18 NOV 2021 Oil supermajor Shell has decided to move its headquarters from the Netherlands to the UK, ending its dual-listing structure and removing “Royal Dutch” from its full name. The move has significant tax advantages for Shell, Europe’s largest energy company. By relocating its tax residence to the United …
Read More »TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM THE COP26 CLIMATE SUMMIT
17 NOV 2021 The staff of The Conversation asked experts from around the world for their reaction to the outcomes of this year’s UN climate summit, COP26, including the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed by all 197 countries attending the talks. Here’s what they had to say about the deals that …
Read More »RECORD NUMBER OF CRUISE SHIPS SCRAPPED AT ALANG IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS
16 NOV 2021 The demolition yards at Alang, India received a record number of cruise and passenger ships in the past 12 months. While none of the major cruise brands have sent one of their ships directly to the ship breaking operations in India, several notable ships have arrived since …
Read More »JUMBO: HEAVY-LIFT KING
20 NOV 2021 With a new CEO and a landmark alliance with long-time rival SAL, Jumbo is well-positioned for a future full of opportunity. Want to install an offshore facility in deep water? How about shipping three fully assembled, 137m high cranes from China to Italy, or installing a new …
Read More »SATCOM MEGA-MERGER: VIASAT BUYS INMARSAT FOR $7.3 BILLION
19 NOV 2021 American communications company Viasat has purchased the longest-running satcom company in the maritime industry, Inmarsat, for a total value of about $7.3 billion in cash, stock and debt. Viasat intends to integrate Inmarsat’s radio frequency spectrum, satellite fleet and ground-based assets into its global network. The combination …
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