GENERAL Archives - Page 6 of 68

Holland America Line is bringing back its Grand Australia and New Zealand Voyage in 2024 for the first time in more than ten years, according to a press release.

The 94-day sailing aboard the Volendam is scheduled to depart on January 3, 2024, sailing roundtrip from San Diego, California, as Holland America Line continues to add longer voyages departing from a North America homeport, according to the company.

“It’s been more than 10 years since we’ve offered this Grand Voyage itinerary, and we listened to our guests who requested that we bring it back. The San Diego departure makes it easy for our North American guests to explore this region and make it a memorable journey along the way,” said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer, Holland America Line.

Guests on this Australia expedition will experience the Great Barrier Reef, the wonders of Hawaii and the South Pacific, and the landscapes of New Zealand, all without air travel from the United States or Canada involved.

“Australia continues to be a sought-after cruising destination, and by offering it as a Grand Voyage we’re able to take our time and feature other beautiful locales like the islands of the South Pacific, New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef,” added Bodensteiner.

Highlights of the 2024 Grand Australia and New Zealand Voyage include 43 ports of call, four overnight stays in Fremantle (Perth), Sydney, Auckland, and Papeete, two days of scenic cruising in the Great Barrier Reef, explorations of the Ribbon Reef and Far North regions, a stop at Komodo Island, as well as cruising through the Torres Strait and Milford Sound.

The company also offers two shorter segments of the sailing: 58 days from San Diego to Sydney and 36 days from Sydney to San Diego.

Source: https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28252-holland-america-line-brings-back-grand-australia-and-new-zealand-voyage.html

ClassNK has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Maersk Training regarding training education for alternative fuel ship crews.

The MoU also includes training for offshore wind farm operators.

With the signing of the MoU, the two parties will cooperate proactively towards enabling high-quality training which satisfies the international standards to be provided and thus a competent local labor force to be supplied to the growing offshore wind industry in Japan as well as in APAC region.

Based on its expertise and experience in ships’ survey and certification, ClassNK will work with Maersk Training to develop a set of guidelines including the safety of boat transfer, which is one of the most frequent HSE risks across the offshore wind sector. Furthermore, research will be carried out on seafarer training for ammonia-fuelled vessels jointly.

Source: https://thedigitalship.com/news/maritime-software/item/8063-classnk-and-maersk-training-sign-mou-to-fuel-seafarer-education

The Georgia Ports Authority reported that Savannah set a new record for the number of containers handled during August. It was the third record in the past four months as carriers and shippers continue to increase volumes to U.S. east coast ports.

As the contract expiration neared for dockworkers on the U.S. West Coast analysts had forecast that volumes were expected to increase for ports along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts. Savannah has been one of the primary ports experiencing a further surge in volumes beyond the record pace the port reported in FY 2021. Starting in May, Savannah reported a new all-time high of more than 519,000 TEU. After a slight decline to 494,000 TEU in June the port has continued to see a steady increase in volumes. July reached 530,800 TEU and August experienced a further 18.5 percent increase to 575,513 TEU.

“The Port of Savannah’s geographic and capacity advantages remain a driving force behind current and new customers deciding to move cargo through Georgia,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “Our central location, and service through the largest container terminal in the Western Hemisphere offers speed to market and unmatched room to grow.”

The Georgia Ports Authority began its new fiscal year in July and highlights that they are currently operating at a pace exceeding 6 million TEU annually. Last fiscal year, the port authority reported a record of 5.76 million TEU. Combined July and August exceeded 1 million TEU, becoming the fastest pace for the port to reach that level in its history.

“The investments we have made in our operating infrastructure have been paying off in our ability to handle the sustained influx of business that began two years ago,” said GPA Chairman Joel Wooten. “Combined with a deeper harbor, our improved rail capabilities and expanded container yard space have allowed GPA to maintain fluid cargo management.”

The surge in volume, however, has also resulted in a renewed vessel backlog with a record number of containerships waiting at anchor. Last week, AIS data indicates that more than 40 containerships were riding anchor outside Savannah which exceeds the backlog experienced a year ago when approximately 30 containerships were waiting. As the delays mounted, last October CMA CGM and Hapag began dropping calls at the port. CMA CGM shifted north to Charleston, South Carolina while Hapag substituted Jacksonville, Florida on its route.

GPA Executive Director Lynch commented that the port is focusing on reducing its backlog. He noted that imports were trending down from 265,000 TEU destined for the port in July to the current 223,460 TEU. Today’s AIS data shows at least 35 containerships waiting outside Savannah, but Lynch forecast that they would be able to work down the number further over the next six weeks.

Work to realign the berth for Container Berth 1 at Garden City Terminal is now more than 60 percent complete he noted with the project scheduled to be completed by June 2023. The improvement will provide space for another big ship berth, allowing the Port of Savannah to simultaneously serve four 16,000-TEU vessels, as well as three additional ships.

“This is a rare project for a U.S. port,” Wooten said. “By this time next year, an additional big ship berth in Savannah will have increased our ability to move containers on and off vessels by 1.4 million TEUs per year.”

Other projects underway to increase the port’s handling capacity include orders for eight new ship-to-shore cranes, set to be commissioned in December 2023. Another project will add 90 acres of container storage space that will add 1 million TEU of annual container handling capacity, coming online in phases in 2023 and 2024.

Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/savannah-sets-third-monthly-all-time-record-as-teu-volume-surges

Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of a tanker that reportedly ran aground in 1989 off Alaska and resulted in one of the worst oil spills in history, has passed away at 75 after a battle with cancer.

Hazelwood’s family informed The Washington Post and The New York Times that the former captain passed away in July 2022 after his fight with COVID-19 and cancer.

An experienced sailor, Hazelwood navigated the Exxon Valdez when the vessel abruptly ran aground in Prince William Sound off Alaska on 24 March 1989.

The accident reportedly tore open the vessel and spilt about 11 million gallons of crude oil.

The spill devastated the area, killing wildlife that lived there, especially those that inhabited Prince William Sound.

It impaired approximately 1,500 miles of the Gulf of Alaska Coastline, killing almost 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbour seals, nearly two dozen bald eagles, and many killer whales.

Hazelwood was initially under suspicion of being intoxicated when the spill happened. Still, he was cleared in a trial that took place in 1990 in which eyewitnesses mentioned that he appeared to be sober when the ship ran aground.

Following the colossal spill, Exxon’s chairman said that the firm had made a “bad judgment” by allowing Hazelwood, who had been treated for alcoholism, to become the captain of the Valdez.

The chairman said someone in management should’ve been informed at that time. The policy wouldn’t have allowed the person to be back on the vessel.

The Exxon Valdez mishap led to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which strengthened the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to respond to and prevent oil spills.

Had a spill of an extent as the Exxon Valdez disaster has taken place off the US East Coast, the devastation would have stretched to the Chesapeake Bay from Cape Cod, Walter Parker, Alaska Oil Spill Commission’s head, wrote following the spill.

At that time, Hazlewood was acquitted of a felony charge for operating a ship when intoxicated but was reportedly convicted of his negligence. The court asked him to do 1,000 hours of community service and pay $50,000 as a restitute.

Thousands of plaintiffs later sued Exxon and claimed they were massively affected by this disaster.

Five years following the spill, an Alaska jury rewarded them with about $5 billion as punitive damages. The amount was, later on, cut in half.

The US Supreme Court again reduced the award to about $507 million in 2008.

Hazelwood was not on the bridge as the vessel ran aground, as he had left the third mate in charge.

The National Transportation Safety Board discovered that the third mate had failed to manoeuvre the ship owing to fatigue and extreme workload.

Investigators also said that Hazelwood was unsuccessful in offering proper navigation. Hazelwood was the only individual who was charged for the disaster criminally.

The Exxon Valdez spill was the worst in US history for over 20 years until it was surpassed by the disaster of Deepwater Horizon that took place in 2010, which again spilt nearly 170 million gallons of crude oil into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico — over 15 times the amount the Valdez spilt off 21 years ago off Alaska.

References: LA Times, UPI, NewYork Post

The slide in spot earnings on the transpacific has been dramatic over the past month, and lines are redeploying ships to more profitable tradelanes.

Alphaliner has crunched the numbers to work out the revenues per nautical mile on the main east-west tradelanes with the transatlantic coming out on top by some distance.

Shanghai to California spot rates have slumped below $3,500 per feu as of last Friday, which works out at 60 cents per nautical mile, a figure that has more than halved since July. For both the Shanghai to New York and Shanghai to Rotterdam routes, revenues are now at 73 cents per nautical mile according to Alphaliner, while for the transatlantic from Rotterdam to New York the figure stands at 217.9 cents per nautical mile.

“Shifting extra tonnage to the North Europe – USEC trade can therefore be very rewarding,” Alphaliner noted in its most recent weekly report, suggesting that this might explain COSCO’s decision to replace the 8,063 OOCL Shekou with the much larger 13,092 teu COSCO Harmony on the Ocean Alliance’s TAT2 loop, although extra capacity is also needed on this tradelane to cope with the effects of port congestion.

The crash in spot rates on the transpacific is a “major concern” for the newcomers on this trade, Alphaliner reported. The route had previously been the most lucrative during most of the pandemic.

While average revenue of 60 cents per nautical mile on the transpacific is still more than double compared to pre-pandemic levels, the rapidly falling spot rates will hurt newcomers and non-alliance carriers which have fixed very expensive tonnage on the charter market, Alphaliner warned. These carriers are typically very dependent on the spot market.

Alphaliner data looking at the top 30 carriers shows Unifeeder and Sea Lead Shipping rely on chartered in tonnage for 100% of their needs, while Emirates Shipping Line has a fleet made up of 96% chartered in vessels, ZIM stands at 94%, with China United Lines (CU Lines) on 87%.

“Several of the new entrants to the Asia-Europe and Transpacific markets have significant tonnage commitments that will not allow them to easily remove their vessels in the short term,” a report from Linerlytica pointed out earlier this week.

Alphaliner has previously suggested the industry will experience a widening two-tier market differentiated by those carriers who have signed long-term contracts at elevated rates, and those relying on the softening spot market.

New analysis released this week by BIMCO forecasts headhaul and regional volume growth dropping 1-2% in 2022 with 3-4% growth in 2023 as best case.

“The fleet supply/demand balance is predicted to worsen, and although carriers can maintain a tight cargo supply/demand balance by adjusting deployment, we predict that freight rates will continue to fall. At the very least, contract rates must be expected to again move below spot rates,” the BIMCO container analysis reported.

Source: https://splash247.com/transatlantic-becomes-most-lucrative-east-west-trade/

As part of its ambitious strategy for instant and frictionless transactions, SWIFT September 1 announces a new capability that uses its global intelligence on past cross-border flows to predict potential problems before new international payments are sent.

The new service analyses previous flows on the SWIFT network to identify accounts that have been credited successfully and uses this information to detect potential errors in payee information – the most common cause of cross-border delays.

This centralized verification, based on aggregated and anonymized data from nine billion transaction messages between four billion accounts each year, provides a level of insight no single financial institution has on its own. It also gives real-time confidence that a payment will go through, regardless of whether the parties or banks in a transaction have transacted with each other before.

“Think of it as the ultimate payment pre-check” said Thomas Zschach, Chief Innovation Officer, SWIFT. “When someone wants to make an international payment, we can instantly predict the likelihood of success based on whether the account has been credited successfully in the past, and then present this information directly to the customer so that they can fix any errors or typos before the payment even starts its processing.”

“We are able to do this because of the unique perspective SWIFT has at the heart of the financial community, and our strategic commitment to make international payments as seamless as the fastest domestic ones,” he added.

The new capability is an expanded feature of SWIFT’s Payment Pre-validation service and is available to banks via an API, meaning their customers can immediately benefit to send and receive international payments around the world even faster.

It marks another bold step forward as SWIFT evolves its platform to enable banks to drive a new era of instant, frictionless and interoperable cross-border transactions to create new value for their customers. As part of this commitment, SWIFT is also significantly expanding its capabilities in areas including low value payments through SWIFT Go and is partnering with industry players to explore the capabilities and potential use of CBDCs, tokenization and AI.

Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/predictive-data-intelligence-removes-hurdles-to-instant-cross-border-transactions-over-swift/

Korean Register (KR) and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) will be developing a new 40,000 m3 LCO2 carrier featuring a next generation cargo handling system. The two Korean firms signed an MOU at Gastech 2022 in Milan, Italy 7 September to help meet the growing demand for vessels capable of transporting carbon dioxide at scale from emissions sources to storage sites.

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technologies are fast growing as the world seeks to achieve carbon neutrality and build an international carbon capture infrastructure.

However, carbon dioxide is a complex cargo to handle, having a triple point which is higher than atmospheric pressure, meaning that it can liquefy only at low temperatures and high pressures.

Even a small environmental change can see CO2 transform into a gas, liquid or solid state. The new design will feature a reliable Ship and Cargo Containment System (CCS) using its accumulated technologies in the field of liquefied gas carriers, such as LNG and LPG carriers.

DSME will also develop a Cargo Handling System (CHS) using the latest technology to prevent CO2 emissions and ensure navigational stability.

KR plans to verify compliance with its own Rules and The International Code of the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code) for the cargo containment and handling systems developed by DSME.

Jun-Lyoung Seo, CTO of DSME, said: “Responding to climate change will be a new opportunity for the shipbuilding industry. To further enhance our competitiveness in the future green shipbuilding market, we will develop an efficient and safe LCO2 carrier through this collaboration and hope to obtain an Approval in Principle from KR within this year.”

Kyu-jin Yeon, Head of KR’s Plan Approval Center, said: “This collaboration with DSME is significant at a time when the demand for safer LCO2 carrier technology is increasing. Through this joint development project, we will continue to support DSME’s CO2-related technology and decarbonization projects.”

According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2020, up to 40 million tons of CO2 is captured annually, and most of which is permanently stored in geological formations or re-injected into oil wells to promote oil recovery.

In particular, as CCUS technology is expected to contribute a significant portion of the global total carbon dioxide reduction, the demand for LCO2 carriers to transport CO2 to storage facilities is expected to increase.

Source: https://maritimefairtrade.org/korean-register-daewoo-shipbuilding-collaborate-on-large-scale-liquefied-co2-carrier-technology/

GF Piping Systems presented solutions to make the maritime industry more sustainable through the use of plastic piping systems at the SMM 2022 in Hamburg recently, according to a press release.

The company introduced metal alternatives such as the Butterfly Valve 565, HEAT-FIT, and COOL-FIT, all of which aim to make maritime piping applications more intelligent, efficient, and sustainable, under the motto “Future Horizons,” according to a statement.

“With more than 30 years of experience in this industry, we are very aware of the current challenges. We believe that complete piping solutions consisting of corrosion-free, long-lasting, and cost-effective plastic components can be part of a holistic strategy that makes the maritime sector more sustainable. Therefore, we will continue to focus on future horizons,” said Roberto Chiesa, head of business development marine, GF Piping Systems.

The Butterfly Valve 565 with digital functionality, which was recently certified by DNV and Bureau Veritas, is a new addition to the company’s portfolio. It includes a fiber-reinforced polyamide housing, a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) valve disc, and is pressure and temperature resistant, allowing it to easily replace metal alternatives.

HEAT-FIT, a fire-retardant pipe jacket system that introduces efficient plastic piping systems into L3 applications, was also displayed at the fair. It employs materials from the aerospace and building technology industries and can withstand fire with a temperature of up to 1000°C for 30 minutes at 3 bar. HEAT-FIT is certified by DNV, Bureau Veritas, ABS, and Lloyds Register, and it meets IMO Res, among other safety standards.

In addition, the company displayed COOL-FIT, a pre-insulated system designed to optimize commercial and industrial refrigeration applications. It is up to 60% lighter and 30% more efficient than metal due to its design, for less energy-intensive and more cost-effective operations.

Source: https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28239-gf-piping-systems-introduces-plastic-piping-systems.html

The Port of San Diego’s new cruise season is about to start and this season is poised to be the Port’s busiest since 2010 with 140 cruises scheduled, up 45 percent from last year, with all sailings at or near full capacity, bringing approximately 460,000 passengers, according to a press release.

“The Port of San Diego’s cruise business is definitely experiencing a rebound and we expect continued growth,” said Port of San Diego Chairman Dan Malcolm. “We’re pleased to be welcoming our cruise customers back to San Diego and to share how wonderful our port is to our cruise passengers. This season’s business will be a great boost to our regional economy.”

The Port’s new cruise season officially begins September 19, 2022 with the arrival of Silversea Cruises’ Star Breeze. Star Breeze will be cruising to Papeete, Tahiti on a 13-day voyage. It will be followed by the Disney Wonder arriving on September 23. Disney Cruise Line is more than doubling its sailings from San Diego this season, moving from 16 to 24 per season to 51. Princess Cruises is also adding new business to San Diego with 13 sailings and will be homeporting here for the first time ever.

The full schedule features long-term Port of San Diego partners Holland America Line and Disney Cruise Line, as well as Princess Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Voyages from MSC Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Scenic Luxury Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and American Queen Voyages are also on the calendar.

Itineraries featured include voyages to the Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the California Coast.

The Port is making some major repairs and improvements to the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal. A project to install a new curtain wall to extend the life and long-term stability of the pier structure is underway. Additionally, shore power capacity is being doubled and the Port will begin connecting two cruise ships simultaneously this fall. Also, in 2024, the Port will begin construction on a $5 million project to make interior improvements to the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal.

Source: https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28249-port-of-san-diego-to-begin-its-busiest-cruise-season-since-2010.html

Japanese institutions are laying down new frameworks for green ship financing. Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) and ClassNK have established the Zero-Emission Accelerating Ship Finance Program to evaluate the asset value of environmentally friendly ships.

ClassNK will evaluate ships based on a comprehensive scoring model jointly developed by DBJ from the perspective of decarbonisation, environmentally friendly performance, and innovativeness, and DBJ will then provide investment and financing.

As the first project under the program, ClassNK evaluated the LPG dual-fuelled large LPG carrier, Crystal Oasis, owned by Kumiai Navigation, which DBJ then provided a loan to Kumiai to finance its acquisition of the ship which delivered from a Japanese yard three months ago.

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GENERAL Archives - Page 6 of 68 - SHIP IP LTD

Holland America Line Brings Back Grand Australia and New Zealand Voyage

ClassNK and Maersk Training sign MoU to fuel seafarer education

Savannah Sets Third Monthly All-Time Record as TEU Volume Surges

Joseph Hazelwood, The Captain Of Exxon Valdez During The Massive 1989 Oil Spill, Passes Away At 75

Transatlantic becomes most lucrative east-west trade

Predictive Data Intelligence Removes Hurdles To Instant Cross-Border Transactions Over SWIFT

Korean Register, Daewoo Shipbuilding Collaborate On Large Scale Liquefied CO2 Carrier Technology

GF Piping Systems Introduces Plastic Piping Systems

Port of San Diego to Begin its Busiest Cruise Season Since 2010

Development Bank of Japan and ClassNK develop green ship finance framework

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