Marine News

Former IIMS member Kelly Tolhurst is appointed as new UK Maritime Minister

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Kelly Tolhurst MP is pictured with Prime Minister, Boris Johnson
Kelly Tolhurst MP is pictured with Prime Minister, Boris Johnson

IIMS is delighted at the news that Kelly Tolhurst, an Institute member for ten years when a practicing marine surveyor, was appointed as the new UK Maritime Minister on 13 February 2020. Kelly who has been the Conservative member of parliament (MP) for Rochester and Strood since 2015, relinquished her membership only last year. She takes up this key role at an interesting time with the huge political upheaval currently underway in the UK post Brexit and IIMS would like to congratulate Kelly and wish her much success in her new role.

Prior to being appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, Kelly Tolhurst was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 19 July 2018.

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Oil companies asked to explain how their new super pollutant shipping fuels have come to market

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Responding to the discovery that some of the new blended low sulphur shipping fuels developed and marketed by oil companies to comply with IMO 2020 air pollution standards will actually lead to a surge in the emissions of a super pollutant known as Black Carbon, the Clean Arctic Alliance is calling for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to support an immediate switch to distillate fuels for ships in the Arctic and develop a global rule prohibiting fuels with high Black Carbon emissions.

“If immediate action isn’t taken by the International Maritime Organization, the shipping industry’s use of very low sulphur fuel oil – introduced to comply with the 2020 sulphur cap – will lead to a massive increase in Black Carbon emissions, and this will both accelerate Continue reading “Oil companies asked to explain how their new super pollutant shipping fuels have come to market”

Netherlands Maritime Technology provides new home for Dutch yards after the collapse of HISWA

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Following the collapse of HISWA, Netherlands Maritime Technology provides new home for Dutch yards
Following the collapse of HISWA, Netherlands Maritime Technology provides new home for Dutch yards

Netherlands Maritime Technology (NMT), a grouping of 400-plus expert maritime companies, showed Dutch superyacht builders and their suppliers a new home last week following the collapse of their HISWA Holland Yachting Group.

NMT has created Dutch Yachting Society (DYS), a stand-alone NMT unit to handle the global branding and export promotion of Dutch superyacht makers and their supply chain.

Around 60 companies have already registered to join DYS. Businesses have until 1st February to make up their minds. NMT officials said they expect 40 to 50 to actually join. They wooed them at a meeting this week by briefing them on NMT house rules and explaining the Continue reading “Netherlands Maritime Technology provides new home for Dutch yards after the collapse of HISWA”

Report on the IIMS Baltimore 2020 Conference

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Capt Bill Weyant and Bob Kissinger discussing surveyor ethics
Capt Bill Weyant and Bob Kissinger discussing surveyor ethics

Held in Baltimore during late January, the Maritime Institute (MITAGS) once again played host to IIMS for its annual conference visit to the US. The conference has grown in popularity and this one, the first marine surveying conference of the new decade, was the largest so far attracting forty plus delegates, most of whom joined in a real time capacity.

James Renn FIIMS had arranged a first class line up of speakers who presented on a wide range of topics, much appreciated by those who participated.

Having welcomed delegates, James handed over to Mike Schwarz, IIMS CEO, who gave an overview of the main activities of the Institute. He gave way to Van Macomb, who delivered a succinct presentation on surface coatings for non-skid surfaces. James came back to the Continue reading “Report on the IIMS Baltimore 2020 Conference”

Seed cake guidelines published for safe carriage in containers

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Guidelines published for the carriage of seed cake in containers
Guidelines published for the carriage of seed cake in containers

CINS, together with the International Group of P&I Clubs, has published guidelines for the carriage of seed cake (s.c.) in containers. The practices set out in this document are intended to improve knowledge and the safety during the carriage of such cargo and to ensure that it is properly declared, packaged and carried.

In these Guidelines, seed cake includes any type of pulp, meals, cake, pellets, expellers or other cargo where oil has been removed from oil-bearing seeds, cereals or commodities with similar properties.

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What news of the world’s largest electric ferry six months on from its first commercial voyage?

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Image courtesy of Adrienne Murray
Image courtesy of Adrienne Murray

In August 2019, Leclanché (battery system provider) announced the world’s largest electric ferry had completed its first commercial voyage when Ellen connected the ports of Søby and Fynshav in Denmark.

Six months on, Halfdan Abrahamsen, an information officer from Ærø EnergyLab, tells the BBC: “Ferry shipping in general is very dirty business.” Ships usually use marine diesel or heavy fuel oil, “which is just about the bottom of the food chain when it comes to product from refineries”. But he says, the only oil onboard Ellen is for the gearbox and in the kitchen for making French fries.

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Shiptech 2020 report reveals the scale of venture funding invested in maritime last year

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The Shiptech 2020 report shows an annual year on year investment decline once the Flexport project is removed
The Shiptech 2020 report shows an annual year on year investment decline once the Flexport project is removed

According to the Shiptech 2020 report, over $1bn was invested in technology companies working in the maritime sector in 2019.

The Shiptech 2020 report, published by technology research and innovation consultancy Thetius, found that 2019 was a record year for venture capital investment in the maritime sector. However, the headline figure is distorted by the massive $1bn investment in Flexport, led by Softbank’s Vision Fund. If Flexport’s contribution is removed from the figures, venture funding in the industry actually declined by 24%, from $190m in 2018 to $144m in 2019. Overall, 8% fewer deals were made through the year compared with 2018, though the average size of deals has increased by 18% Continue reading “Shiptech 2020 report reveals the scale of venture funding invested in maritime last year”

Wireless engine kill switch OLAS Guardian App released by Exposure Lights

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OLAS Guardian fitted inside a console. Photo © Exposure Lights
OLAS Guardian fitted inside a console. Photo © Exposure Lights

OLAS Guardian is a new wireless engine kill switch released by Exposure Lights. It acts as a virtual ‘kill cord’ by stopping an engine within two seconds of a person going overboard. For RIB and powerboat drivers OLAS Guardian means their boat will stop in an instant should the skipper, or a crew member, get separated from the boat.

OLAS Guardian works by wirelessly logging up to 15 crew members to an engine’s kill switch via small, wearable transmitters, the OLAS wrist Tags or OLAS Float-On light.

If the transmitter is submerged overboard, or is separated by distance, it instantly breaks the connection, cuts the engine and triggers an Continue reading “Wireless engine kill switch OLAS Guardian App released by Exposure Lights”

ClassNK amends its rules and guidance for the survey and construction of steel ships

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Classification society ClassNK amends its survey and construction of steel ships rules and guidance
Classification society ClassNK amends its survey and construction of steel ships rules and guidance

Leading classification society ClassNK has announced that it has released amendments to its Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships. ClassNK is constantly revising its Rules and Guidance in order to reflect the latest results from relevant research and development projects, feedback from damage investigations, requests from the industry as well as changes made to relevant international conventions, IACS unified requirements (UR), national regulations and so on.

More specifically, some of the requirements amended this time are as follows:

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New joint industry report gives recommendations for enhanced battery safety on vessels

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DNV GL’s large battery destructive test chamber in Rochester
DNV GL’s large battery destructive test chamber in Rochester

In collaboration with the Norwegian, Danish and US maritime authorities, battery manufacturers, system integrators, suppliers of fire extinguishing systems, shipyards and shipowners, DNV GL has released a new report on battery safety in ships. The report assesses explosion and fire risks in maritime battery installations and the effectiveness of fire extinguishing systems in the event of a battery fire.

“Batteries onboard ships are both environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions that we wish to see more of in the future. This project has been important in learning the risks of these systems and using the new insight to improve safety requirements,” says Lars Alvestad, Acting Director of the Norwegian Maritime Authority.

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Boyan Slat is one to watch in the 2020s as his Interceptor vessel and ambitious project to clean the rivers takes shape

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Boyan Slat, CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit organization developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, late last year unveiled his invention to prevent the unrelenting flow of plastic pollution into the world’s oceans. The Interceptor™, under development by Boyan Slat’s The Ocean Cleanup since 2015, complements the organization’s founding mission by attacking the flow of plastic garbage at its source, the world’s vast network of rivers.

“To truly rid the oceans of plastic, we need to both clean up the legacy and close the tap, preventing more plastic from reaching the oceans in the first place. Combining our ocean cleanup technology with the Interceptor™, the solutions now exist to address both sides of the Continue reading “Boyan Slat is one to watch in the 2020s as his Interceptor vessel and ambitious project to clean the rivers takes shape”

Changes to SOLAS and MARPOL shipping and maritime regulations from January 2020

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The new and far reaching IMO Sulphur Cap regulations have captured media attention in recent months for obvious reasons, but as well as this significant change, January 2020 beckons in with it a raft of new regulations and amendments too – in total more than 30. Additionally, other new regulations are set to come into force later in the year. But for now, here is what you need to know about the new regulations and amendment effective 1 January 2020.

SOLAS amendments

• Protection against noise (Amendments to SOLAS II-1/3-12)
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