Recent blog posts

A brief overview of US Coast Guard navigation buoys

CVD Vale is developing a new synthetic diamond drill bit for the Brazilian pre-salt drilling operations which will soon be tested by Petrobras.

Long Beach city sets a risky precedent

Research helps ClassNK propel it on to a higher growth path

Long awaited by the global maritime industry and much feared by American educators in particular, the newly adopted additions to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) code for Seafarers are here. Last Week’s 2nd Annual International Maritime eLearning Conference brought the enhanced STCW code – and the blended, eLearning techniques that will allow it to be implemented – under the harsh glare of collective scrutiny. By week’s end, conference attendees had every reason to be cautiously optimistic. More importantly, a cogent way forward had been defined for both issues.

Petrobras is likely to anticipate by 2 or 3 months commercial O&G production at the Tupi pre-salt field.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing, but largely ineffectual

Ocean carriers could be feasting on air freight from this weekend when new rules are applied in the US.

Another product tanker joining the Shipping Corporation of India’s fleet will help strengthen the company’s core business of energy transportation

Hong Kong’s proposed Container Terminal 10 (CT10) is not needed for a long time, but little stands in the way of pouring concrete in this city.

GE O&G has been awarded a contract valued at $160 million to supply gas turbine and compressor equipment by Petrobras Neatherlands BV (PNBV).

This article discusses root and contributing causes of the accident in the Gulf and discusses the development and implement quality and risk management systems may help prevent these kind of disasters.

Inventor of the modern navigational chart

Oh no, not again. The world’s container shipping lines appear to be fast steaming towards another round of tonnage trouble.

According to major Brazilian O&G market sources, the official Brazilian pre-salt area boundaries will have to be expanded due to various pre-salt discoveries beyond presently acknowledged frontiers.

Moody's sounds a warning

Great Eastern Shipping’s Singapore subsidiary acquires another Multipurpose Platform Supply and Support Vessel

This June the Finnish based Eniram company from Helsinki, was selected as a finalist of an award for emerging European technology companies Eniram provide a number of products for on board and ashore monitoring of ship performance offering real time solutions. A product gaining wider acceptance for owners and operators of cruise ships, large freight vessels and tankers is their Dynamic Trimming Assistant (DTA). A number of data sensors, with software analyzing the ship’s trim, helps vessel crews optimize trim at all times, by presenting the solution in an easy to understand graphical display. DTA does this by balancing inter related variables such as minimizing water resistance, decreasing fuel consumption, use of stabilizers and reducing emissions. External items such as waves, wind and speed are also included in the analysis. In practice, this means startling savings may be achieved. Several fleet operators are using DTA including Royal Caribbean Lines and the Hamburg Sud Group. A separate but not unrelated product, is Hull Fouling Analysis used to optimize the maintenance and efficient operation of the submerged ship’s hull area.

MARAD Chief David Matsuda, in his July 14 2010 testimony to the House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces, outlines what is next for domestic maritime affairs. In a laundry list of as many as ten items on the plate of DOT’s maritime modal arm, shortsea shipping ranks all but dead last in terms of MARAD’s priority list.

Singapore is trying hard to appear unconcerned that it will lose the title of world’s busiest container port to Shanghai this year.

Devon Energy has informed ANP (Brazil´s National Petroleum Agency), that it has discovered indications of hydrocarbons in block CM-471 at the Campos Basin. This block is operated by Devon in a 50%/50% partnership with Brazil´s national operator Petrobras.

A common-place ship whose unusual demise resulted in a classic American novel

With no headway being made in the negotiations on the charter of demands one of the two Union viz. the Forward Seamen’s Union of India have threatened to agitate which could affect shipping

At the recent International Tug & Salvage Conference in Vancouver details of a new hybrid tug was presented with the triple propulsion modes of diesel electric, battery and fuel cell claiming to give a 67 per cent emission savings over conventional diesel operation. Aim of this particular Hybrid Electric Tug design is to provide an operating mode of zero emissions for the majority of the tug's duty profile during low power operation up to 35 per cent of full power: this includes transits at a cruising speed of about nine knots. Based on a current conventional 24-m hull design developed by Capilano Maritime Design Ltd. with 55-tonne bollard pull, a more powerful 70-tonnes bollard pull version would only require minor changes to the hull and propulsion drives with an increase in battery capacity with diesel generator and fuel cell systems remaining unchanged. Four fuel cells of the PEM type are specified giving a total continuous power output of 600kWe, representing 17 per cent of power. There is a 1,000 kW-h capacity Li-Ion battery system which allows a combined power output of 1,250 kWe. A storage capacity of 1,200 kg of hydrogen provides an endurance of about 40 hours at full power, sufficient to allow refueling intervals of about once per week.

The first person to circumnavigate the Earth

Now that money is pouring back into liner coffers, talk about carrier consolidation has been put on hold. Mostly.

Petrobras has announced it will start producing today the first oil from the pre-salt layer of the Baleia Franca field, which is located about 85 km from the city of Anchieta (state of Espírito Santo), in the Parque das Baleias area, on the north side of the Campos Basin.

The demand for more money is met by a 'Get outta here.'

There's a rift between Locks and the Towboats that pass through them. I wouldn't have known such a rift existed if it weren't for my trip on the Upper Mississippi the week before last. There is a good amount of waiting while a tow is passing through a lock and it used to be that a towboat crew could climb over the lock wall and get a drink or use a pay phone, or just stretch their legs. Not anymore.

We’ve Taken Our Eyes off the Ball. Jones Act issues are clouding the cleanup effort in the U.S. Gulf at the worst possible moment. The drama is less than helpful and the side battles meaningless.