15 NOV 2019 On October 23, the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane intercepted a suspected semi-submersible smuggling vessel in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean and seized more than two tonnes of cocaine. The crew of a maritime patrol aircraft alerted the Harriet Lane to the suspect vessel’s presence, …
Read More »NOAA PLANS TO STOP PRODUCING TRADITIONAL PAPER CHARTS
14 NOV 2019 On Friday, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Coast Survey announced plans to phase out the production of all traditional paper nautical charts. Over the next five years, NOAA says that it plans to transition to electronic chart (ENC) products with a focus on improving data …
Read More »SPIKE IN OIL-TANKER RATES MAY BE OVER, BUT A BOOM IS COMING
13 NOV 2019 A surge in the cost of hiring oil tankers last month may already seem like a distant memory, but the rally was enough to convince analysts monitoring the industry’s fortunes that a couple of boom years are on the way. Daily earnings for very large crude carriers, …
Read More »ITF CALLS FOR ACTION ON GULF OF GUINEA PIRACY
12 nov 2019 Following back-to-back attacks on two vessels in the Gulf of Guinea last week, the International Transport Worker’ Federation has called for urgent global and regional cooperation to fight piracy off West Africa. On November 2, pirates kidnapped nine crewmembers from the Norwegian-flagged MV Bonita while the vessel …
Read More »IMO RELEASES HARMONIZED DATA STRUCTURE
11 nov 2019 The IMO has made its compendium of data structures available as a tool for software developers to create systems for exchanging data electronically. The aim is to facilitate the streamlining of the many administrative procedures necessary when ships enter or leave port. The IMO Compendium is a …
Read More »CLIMATE-DRIVEN SPEED LIMITS WOULD ALSO BENEFIT WHALES
10 nov 2019 A new report commissioned by the NGOs Seas at Risk and Transport & Environment suggests that a modest reduction in vessel speed would greatly reduce shipping’s impact on human health, the climate and the marine environment. Ship speed reduction is one of the largest single interventions available …
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