Tech

15 FEB 2021  A new and energetic U.S. administration, agreement on an EU-UK trade deal and resurgent Chinese economic growth offer room for global shipping optimism in 2021. However, market sentiment cannot be allowed to overshadow the urgent need to prioritize the vaccination of seafarers. As a business with 160 …

14 FEB 2021  The months-long standoff which has resulted in dozens of bulk carriers loaded with Australian coal becoming stranded in China appears to be easing if only for humanitarian reasons. Reports indicate that the crew standard aboard one of the ships since last September is going to be permitted …

13 FEB 2021  The UN project to assess and stabilize the deteriorating FSO Safer has been put on hold yet again by the Houthi rebels who control Yemen’s northwestern coastline. This time, the delay could be more serious. In November, a UN technical mission reached formal acceptance with the Houthis on a …

When a business manager is willing to spend $200,000 to send home five employees whose contracts have expired and bring five colleagues to replace them on the spot, later telling a reporter the cost was the least of their worries, you can be sure a crisis is involved. In this …

11 FEB 2021  A new generation of technology holds the promise of revolutionizing some of the most traditional elements of the shipping industry.  Recently, the classification society Bureau Veritas (BV), responsible for testing and inspection, certified a new-generation 3D printed propeller. The propeller, which was manufactured by the Naval Group …

One of America’s most historic merchant ships, the n/s Savannah is facing an uncertain future. Recently, the US Maritime Administration asked for the public’s input as they work to complete the decommissioning of the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship. The concept of nuclear-powered merchant ships was proposed by President Dwight Eisenhower in …

(Planetary Visions/ESA/NASA). Above: According to the European Space Agency (ESA), “one trillion tonnes of ice can be thought of as a cube of ice measuring 10x10x10 kilometres”. In this illustration, that ice cube, which the ESA says would be taller than Mount Everest, towers over New York City. 09 FEB 2021 All …

07 FEB 2021  Supertankers transport about one-fifth of the global oil demand. But, with a fall in global consumption, many of these humongous tankers are scheduled to get beached in South Asian beaches in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India to be blowtorched and sold for scrap. Even though the vessel glut …

06 FEB 2021  For close to 16 months, 11 seafarers have been stuck at Mombasa Port, depending on the kindness of well-wishers for survival after their employer abandoned them. MV Jinan – abandoned since October of 2019 – was en route from Russia when it made a stop at Mombasa Port. At …

05 FEB 2021  As part of a fleet modernization effort, Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines confirmed the retirement of one of its oldest LNG carriers. The vessel was replaced by a newly delivered ship which has a 44 percent larger carrying capacity. “We bid farewell to our first and the oldest …