
Tech File: COBRA Battery System Receives Class Certification
With DNV GL certification obtained in February 2021, the COBRA battery system from Becker Marine Systems can be used for a wide range of inland waterway and maritime shipping applications, and due to demand, Becker is expanding COBRA production at its Winsen (Luhe) location.Tailor-made for maritime, the COBRA system now has full certification including IEC 62619 and IEC 62620 and can now be installed on board inland waterway and ocean-going vessels. “We have achieved the highest…

Inside Cruise Shipping's Fight for Survival
In early 2021, the somber news from the cruise sector continued. For some cruise brands, their own version of “lockdowns” will have spanned an entire year. By late January, 2021, Carnival and others were hesitantly pegging their restarts for April/May 2021, and for some markets, late summer, under a Conditional Sail Order promulgated late last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).What else to do but look ahead?In preliminary earnings guidance, Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL)…

DNV GL Advises ‘Mind the (Safety) Gap’ as Maritime Transforms
A new approach to safety is necessary along the maritime industry's rapid transition to a decarbonized, digitally smart future, says classification society DNV GL in a new white paper released this week, and as discussed on Maritime Reporter TV with Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL - Maritime and Fenna van de Merwe, Principal Consultant at DNV GL, the report’s author.The white paper entitled “Closing the Safety Gap in an Era of Transformation”, identifies a looming “safety gap”…

DNV GL Sees 'Safety Gaps' on Path to Digitalization, Decarbonization
A new approach to safety is necessary along the maritime industry's rapid transition to a decarbonized, digitally smart future, says classification society DNV GL in a new white paper released Tuesday.The white paper, “Closing the safety gap in an era of transformation”, identifies a looming “safety gap” between shipping’s existing approach to safety risks and its ambitions for greater digitalization and the adoption of alternative fuels. According to DNV GL, the new technologies…

Hapag-Lloyd Secures 'Green Financing' for LNG-powered Newbuilds
German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has joined the shift to green financing, securing funds for six liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered, 23,500 TEU containerships it ordered in December 2020.The firm said it concluded two transactions according to the Green Loan Principles of the Loan Market Association (LMA), as verified by independent secondary party DNV GL, as the shipping industry increasingly turns toward financing linked to measurable sustainability targets."Our first green financings are a major milestone for us…

Managing Risk: Shipowners Not Meeting Emission Regs Face a Big Business Risk
There is increasing pressure for shipowners to sharpen their environmental performance, driven by an IMO target to halve greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by 2050, regional regulations and market pull from charterers, banks and investors.“This represents a whole new ball game for the industry. Optimization of ship operations has traditionally been dictated by the efficiency of delivery around the globe that has typically meant being able to sail at full speed, thereby burning more fuel, to minimize costs for the charterer.

Nor-Shipping Postponed to January 2022
Nor-Shipping has postponed its planned exhibition and activity program for June 2021, pushing the event back to January 10-13, 2022, organizers announced. The maritime trade fair is the latest in a string of international shipping events to be postponed or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Nor-Shipping 2019 was the most successful event week in the initiative’s over 50 year history. It saw more than 50,000 participants (a 34% increase over 2017), gathering from over 85 nations, at the main exhibition halls in Lillestrøm and across venues throughout nearby Oslo.

SOCP Releases Ballast Water Management Systems User Guide
BWMS User Guide lays out path to compliance over lifetime of installationThe Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) has released the Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) User Guide. Developed by Glosten in cooperation with the SOCP Members and support from the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD), the guide simplifies the complex regulatory framework around ballast water management and provides step-by-step methods for integrating and operating a compliant BWMS.The guide is geared primarily toward U.S.

European Commission to Co-Finance Port of Algeciras LNG-Bunkering Vessel
The European Commission will co-finance the construction of the first vessel to be fully dedicated to liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering at the Port of Algeciras, Spain.The grant agreement was signed with Enagás and the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay on Tuesday.Enagás said the project is "boosted" by the Enagás start-up that specializes in small-scale LNG supply infrastructure, Scale Gas, and the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay (APBA).The initiative, coordinated by Enagás…

Atlas Incinerators Debuts X10 Titan Range
The new X10 Titan range from Atlas Incinerators is designed to save shipowners and shipyards money while shrinking their environmental footprint.For decades it has been customary to use steam, electricity or thermal oil to heat sludge oil prior to its incineration. ATLAS Incinerators’ new X10 TITAN range, has been designed to incinerate sludge oil and simultaneously burn solid waste while consuming an absolute minimum of energy onboard ship.While there is a significant improvement in the X10 Titan’s combustion specifications…

AIP to Daehan Shipbuilding for Small LPG Carriers
DNV GL has awarded an Approval in Principle (AIP) to Daehan Shipbuilding (DHSC) for a new design of small-size LPG carriers in the range of 5,000-7,000 DWT. The AIP handover ceremony took place recently at the DHSC headquarters in Mokpo. Dae-Seong Jeong, DHSC President & CEO, and Vidar Dolonen, Regional Manager Korea & Japan at DNV GL - Maritime, attended the presentation. Prior to the AIP, DHSC and DNV GL had teamed up in a joint development project (JDP) on small-size LPG carriers using LPG as dual fuel.

Sperry Marine, DNV GL Strike Deal on Digitalization
Sperry Marine and DNV GL signed a strategic agreement to enable vessels to securely share their navigation data for use in DNV GL's digital classification services and obtain real-time class status of the navigation systems.The agreement seeks to improve process efficiency for class surveys covering the core elements of vessel navigation, through co-operation on new digital solutions. It will help to streamline the class survey inspection process by giving DNV GL access to data from the ship’s bridge…

New Guidance Issues on Bulk Carrier Ventilation
Proper ventilation is essential to preventing damage to the cargo and to ensure the safety of the crew and vessel in bulk carriers. To provide ship’s masters and crew with an understanding of different ventilation requirements for bulk cargoes, INTERCARGO, The Standard Club and DNV GL, the world’s leading classification society, have launched a new ventilation guide.The guide covers the main aspects on how and when to ventilate to control of humidity and to remove flammable and toxic gases released from cargoes.

New Product: WhisperPower Launches New Battery Charger
WhisperPower is ready to start shipping its new range of Supreme Pro Battery Chargers. Available in four models – 40, 60, 80 and 100 amps – the chargers/power supplies have been built to exceed the most stringent requirements of the global shipping industry.The Supreme Pro range is touted by the manufacture as the smallest 24V battery charger of its type in the world, able to run silently and keep itself cool in hot areas such as engine rooms that may otherwise compromise performance.Each…

Wilhelmsen Gets DNV GL Type Approval for the Digi Boiler
Alongside the unique Type Approval for the Digi Boiler automated dosing system, Wilhelmsen have also been certified as reportedly the first and only approved service supplier for DNV GL’s BMON+ class notation.“Our system is tried, tested and proven at sea, but we understood that Type Approval was an absolute necessity, and so we initiated this process with DNV GL," said Rune Nygaard, Business Manager Ventures in Wilhelmsen Marine Products’ recently established Open Innovation division.

Maersk Names Zero Carbon Shipping Center's Management Team
The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping on Tuesday announced its management team. to join CEO Bo Cerup-Simonsen in building an organization capable of facilitating the transition to a carbon free global shipping industry.Made possible by a DKK 400 million ($63.5 million) donation by the A.P. Møller Foundation, the Center was formed in June by a group of global shipping entities committing themselves to decarbonizing the maritime industry. The Center, which recently revealed its Board of Directors and a location at the heart of the Danish Shipping cluster in Copenhagen…

BSM Gains DNV GL Approval for Remote Training Course
Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) said Wednesday it has received DNV GL class approval to offer the Liquified Cargo Operations (LICOS) training course remotely via its Maritime Training Centre (MTC) in Cyprus. The maritime solutions provider is now one of the few organizations within the industry with this capability that meet the standards of the Society of International Gas Tanker & Terminal Operators (SIGTTO).With current restrictions on travel, BSM guarantees steady training delivery to its internal gas fleet as well as to external customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SMM Goes Digital: World's Largest Shipbuilding, Ship Tech Expo Scuttles Plans for Hybrid Event
Citing a spike in second-wave COVID-19 infection numbers SMM, where the world meets in Hamburg every two years for the latest updates on shipbuilding and ship machinery technology, has opted to take the event planned for February 2021 digital.SMM 2020 was originally scheduled to be held live in September 2020, initially postponed to early 2021 as a hybrid live and digital event. But in the face of a rampant second wave of COVID-19 infections and the decision by several governments…

New DNV GL Rules Drive Smart Ship Operation and Management
The maritime industry is undergoing a massive shift as vessels transform into sophisticated sensor hubs, generating data and connecting through satellites in an expanding interconnected web. To enable the uptake of these systems and unlock the associated efficiencies, DNV GL is launching a new chapter to its rules for ship classification: Digital Features. The new chapter was launched with three new notations (D-INF, DDV, REW) on October 28 and will enter into force on January 1, 2021.

The Path to Zero: First Wave of Ships Explore Green Hydrogen
While there is no consensus on what will be the maritime 'fuel of the future', developers across the world are for the first time testing the use of hydrogen to power ships as the maritime industry races to find technologies to cut emissions and confidence grows the fuel is safe to use commercially.To reach goals for the shipping industry set by the United Nations, industry leaders say the first net-zero ships must enter the global fleet by 2030. Ships powered by green hydrogen…

Baksaas Appointed DNV GL’s Chair of the Board
Former Telenor CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas has been appointed as DNV GL’s new chair of the board, the Norwegian-headquartered classification society announced.Best known for his 13-year tenure as president and CEO of the telecoms firm, Baksaas started his career with DNV (as it was then known) and spent six years at the company before leaving in 1985. He has also served as member of the DNV Council for 12 years.“DNV GL is a company that is well positioned to take a role as a trusted voice to tackle the global transformations the world is facing.

KONGSBERG's Vessel Insight Gains DNV GL Acceptance
KONGSBERG’s ship-to-cloud data infrastructure service Vessel Insight has been qualified by technical advisor to the maritime industry DNV GL. Safety and cyber security were the critical parameters in the recently completed Technical Qualification.The subscription-based service is designed to help operators to begin standardizing their data collection and contextualization, leveraging KONGSBERG’s long history as a system integrator and provider of automation and information management systems.

DNV GL's Veracity Partners with Høglund
Høglund Marine Solutions and Veracity by DNV GL have signed a collaboration agreement to explore how the combined strengths of Høglund’s onboard integration and data capture capabilities, and Veracity’s platform architecture and eco-system can help shipowners accelerate their digital initiatives.Høglund is a well-established provider of advanced marine technology to the global shipping industry, specializing in integrated automation and energy solutions. By collaborating with the independent data platform provider Veracity…

Hodgkinson to Lead West P&I Club’s Loss Prevention Department
West of England P&I Club said that Captain Simon Hodgkinson has been appointed as Global Head of the West’s Loss Prevention Department. He joins from Polarcus, where he was Head of Marine Operations and responsible for the performance of a fleet of ultra-modern seismic vessels. In addition to his work at Polarcus, Hodgkinson served on the DNV GL Technical Committee Middle East for six years and is a member of the Honorable Company of Master Mariners and the Nautical Institute.Hodgkinson will have global responsibility for leading the West’s Loss Prevention team of former Master Mariners…

All-electric Autonomous RoRo Ships Under Development
Kongsberg Maritime and Massterly (a Kongsberg Wilhelmsen joint venture) have signed contracts with the Norwegian grocery distributor ASKO to equip two new all-electric vessels with autonomous technology, and to manage their operations at sea.ASKO, which currently transports its cargo by more than 800 trucks daily, is investing heavily in environmentally friendly technologies such as electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. At present, road transport is the single mode of transportation…

Kitsap Transit Gets Fed Funds for High-Speed, Low-Emission Ferry Project
As the global maritime community collectively is slowly pushed toward decarbonization, it is generally agreed that there is no ‘silver bullet’ technical solution and that progress will come in steps, led by public/private collaboration and funding.A recent development following that script is the awarding this week of federal funds to a Washington State team working to accelerate ferry technology, with the joint innovation project selected for funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration.