“Just-In-Time” (JIT) operations have the potential to cut the time ships spend idling outside ports and help reduce harmful emissions as well as save on fuel costs. This can be achieved by communicating in advance the relevant information to the ship about the requested time of arrival – allowing the ship to adjust to optimum speed. A desktop trial in Just-In-Time ship operations has yielded positive results, showing emissions can be cut considerably. The trial was conducted by members of the IMO-led Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Shipping ...

MABUX World Bunker Index (consists of a range of prices for 380 HSFO, 180 HSFO and MGO (Gasoil) in the main world hubs) did not have firm trend and changed irregular on July 15: 380 HSFO – USD/MT – 448.05(-4.55) 180 HSFO – USD/MT – 482.20(-5.16) MGO – USD/MT – 673.69(+1.81) Meantime, world oil indexes decreased slightly on Jul.15 on signs that the impact of a tropical storm on U.S. Gulf Coast production and refining would be short-lived, while Chinese economic data dimmed the crude demand outlook. Brent for September ...

Leading ship classification society ClassNK has confirmed type approval certification for SMARTShip™, the patented digital shipping solution developed by Alpha Ori Technologies (AOT) which is now enjoying rapid uptake across the maritime sector. SMARTShip, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that enables the onboard operation of multiple systems with varying degrees of autonomy, has already been installed on more than 30 vessels. Another 60 ships are at various stages of the set-up process. ClassNK’s certification for SMARTShip approves the solution as a ‘Computer Based System’ which conforms to the Class ...

Beginning on 1 January 2020, all vessels worldwide will only be able to refuel using fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.5 percent – this is the requirement of the global fuel guideline known as IMO2020. As of 1 March, no vessel will be permitted to have on board any fuel with a high sulphur content. Only ships with exhaust gas cleaning systems will be excluded. In order to be compliant at the turn of the year and to consume their remaining heavy fuel oil in time, shipping companies ...

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index hit a five-and-a-half-year high on Monday on the back of strong demand for capesize vessels shipping iron ore. * The Baltic index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, rose 3.4%, or 63 points, to 1,928, its highest since January 2014. The index has tripled since February. * The index rose 7.2% last week for a fourth straight week, mainly driven by strong demand for vessels that ship iron ore from Brazil. * A restart of Vale SA’s Brucutu mine in ...

On 20 June 2019 the US narrowly pulled back from retaliatory military strikes on Iranian targets. This was a move planned in response to Iran’s targeting of a US drone allegedly operating in Iranian airspace. These events follow a series of attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Oman area, most recently on the Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous. This comes closely after the Joint War Committee’s recent addition of Oman, the UAE and the “Persian or Arabian Gulf and adjacent waters including the Gulf of Oman west of ...

On July 11 MAN Energy Solutions, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and HSD Engine (HSD) have signed a strategic agreement to cooperate in the field of marine engine systems digitization. The signing took place in Copenhagen. Continuing a long relationship, the companies now aim to define a framework for a future long-term strategic digital cooperation. “MAN Energy Solutions is determined to drive the digital transition of the marine industry”, says Brian Østergaard Sørensen, Head of R&D 2-Stroke Business at MAN Energy Solutions. “We strongly believe that this transition can ...

The Container Owners Association, the international organisation representing the common interests of freight container owners, has published a “Guide to Container Tracking and Telematics Technology”, providing container operators, leasing companies and other relevant stakeholders with an overview of the technology issues that they might face, and the choices that are available to them. Commencing with a glossary of many of the different industry terms and acronyms that are frequently used, the Guidelines go on to provide a background of the way that the industry has developed over the past decade. ...

ABS and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on up to 14 new gas carriers. The agreement covers seven new-build Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLEC) and up to seven new-build Liquefied Natural Gas Carriers (LNGC) designed to carry gas from the U.S. to China and other global markets. “ABS is a world leader in gas and the classification of gas carriers, with a track record of supporting some of the most innovative and technically demanding projects in the world,” said Tony Nassif, ...

AXSMarine, a pioneer and market leader in the provision of advanced solutions for shipping professionals, has revealed AXSMarine API Hub – a software-to-software interface enabling applications to communicate quickly and securely with each other, without the need of one’s supervision. This latest addition to the company’s extensive portfolio provides a seamless API integration, allowing companies to capitalize on several core benefits. AXSMarine API Hub provides users with full interoperability, advanced integration, data security, analysis customization and workflow optimization. AXSMarine API Hub is an entirely online solution that allows access to ...

White paint doesn’t look clean for long. Yet ship coatings of a darker hue absorb more heat, increase the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) requirement and, consequently, electrical load, resulting in higher fuel consumption and emissions. So, what the industry needs is a darker coating that fails to absorb the heat, right? A coating like Nippon Paint Marine’s Ever Cool. Introduced to the market following extensive shipboard trials, Ever Cool is specially formulated to reduce the effect of the Sun’s infrared rays on ship operations. The temperature difference between, ...

The decarbonisation drive is gearing up to be the defining issue faced by the shipping sector in the coming decades and the industry is searching for low carbon and zero emissions technologies that will deliver on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) initial strategy of reducing emissions by at least 50% by 2050. One family of technologies that is seeing an upsurge of interest in the industry is wind-assist and primary wind propulsion solutions. Today the Paris headquartered classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) announced that it is joining the International Windship ...

Users of LuminUltra’s 2nd Generation® Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)-based test kits have been able to rapidly verify the effectiveness and compliance of their water treatment systems by monitoring total microbiological content, saving significant time and money. But imagine the benefits of being able to zoom in on the actual type of organisms lurking in the water system. That’s the premise behind GeneCount®, a new suite of DNA-based monitoring tools from Canadian microbiology specialist LuminUltra Technologies. Using technology developed in-house and through the acquisition last year of InstantLabs, a developer of DNA-based ...

Arun Sharma, Executive Chairman of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), has been elected as the new Chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) in a recent Council meeting held in Busan, Korea. Mr Sharma took over as Chair on 1st July and has outlined his key priorities during his year long tenure which includes IACS to take a larger role in industry matters with a view to provide value added services to owners on the implementation of regulatory requirements. He stressed on the need to continuously strengthen ...

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has received a clearance decision from the Chinese competition regulator, SAMR, for the company’s acquisition of the marine and offshore businesses of TTS Group ASA. Based on revised estimates, potential cost synergies are estimated to be around EUR 25-30 million on annual level. MacGregor now has all the regulatory approvals needed to be able to complete the transaction, which was announced on 8 February 2018. Closing of the transaction is expected to take place 31 July 2019. MacGregor previously announced approval from the German regulator on ...