MarEx

Articles posted by the international team of staff writers at The Maritime Executive.

Wanhua Picks Port of South Louisiana for $1.25B Chemical Complex

By MarEx 2018-11-19 21:24:00

Today, Governor John Bel Edwards and Wanhua Chemical Group Co. Ltd. executive Weiqi Hua announced the company will develop a $1.25 billion chemical manufacturing complex in the St. James Parish community of Convent, Louisiana. The 250-acre manufacturing site will be developed at the northwest corner of the intersection of Louisiana Highways 3125 and 3214, on the east bank of the Mississippi River with deep-draft river access and available rail service. The project will create 170 new direct jobs with an...

Saipem 7000 Semi-Sub Visits Damen Verolme Rotterdam for DPS Upgrade

By MarEx 2018-11-19 18:20:46

The Saipem 7000, one of the largest semi-submersible crane and pipelaying vessels in the world, has arrived at Damen Verolme Rotterdam (DVR) for a major upgrade of its current DP3 system to meet the new closed ring DP3 configuration and ABS EHS-P notation. Under DP3 EHS-P notation, the vessel will achieve an exceptional level of redundancy with 4 independent redundancy groups systems. The project will include the upgrade and modification of the vessel’s power system for load sharing, the installation...

Turkey Warns Exxon Not to Drill in Cypriot Waters

By MarEx 2018-11-19 18:12:53

On Sunday, Turkey's government warned ExxonMobil that its ongoing exploration activity in Cyprus' EEZ could affect regional stability, and it asserted that Turkey will soon begin its own drilling campaign in waters claimed by Turkish Cyprus. “We have warned the Greek Cypriot administration to stop the unilateral exploration for hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean," Ankara warned in a statement. “We reiterate our warning to the companies involved in these unilateral exploration and drilling. We remind them that sharing the natural...

Memorial Erected to Honor Australian Wharfie Defiance

By MarEx 2018-11-19 17:58:16

A new monument to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Dalfram Dispute was unveiled at a ceremony in Wollongong, Australia, this week. Australia's Waterside Workers' Federation had begun a nationwide campaign of militant action in response to Japan's invasion of China in 1937. Workers argued that scrap metal being sent to Japan was being used for war purposes against the Chinese and in particular, against the civilian population. Melbourne wharfies refused to load scrap iron on to a German ship...

Hurtigruten to Use Biogas to Power Cruise Ships

By MarEx 2018-11-19 16:39:53

Cruise line Hurtigruten has announced that it will power its ships with liquified biogas - a fossil-free, renewable fuel produced from dead fish and other organic waste. This will be a first for the cruise industry. Hurtigruten has 17 ships, making it the world’s largest expedition cruise line, and by 2021, the company plans to operate at least six of its ships on a combination of biogas, LNG and large battery packs. This year, Hurtigruten was the first cruise line...

Greenpeace Protesters Board Palm Oil Tanker Under Way

By MarEx 2018-11-19 16:37:55

On Saturday, the captain of the palm oil tanker Stolt Tenacity allegedly detained six Greenpeace activists after they conducted an unauthorized boarding of his vessel while under way. At dawn, a boarding team from the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza used a daughter craft to approach the Tenacity as she transited the Gulf of Cadiz. While maintaining position alongside the Tenacity's starboard side, the team hooked a boarding ladder onto her rail. Six Greenpeace activists were on board before the crew was on deck...

VIKING’s LifeCraft Passes Toughest Ever Test at Sea

By MarEx 2018-11-19 15:49:09

Rough seas with wave heights up to 50 percent above the stipulated heavy weather testing requirements proved no obstacle for VIKING’s innovative LifeCraft™ system, paving the way for cruise ship operators worldwide to benefit from all the advantages that this new hybrid - intended to replace lifeboats/liferafts - has to offer. It is considered to be the most exciting innovation in passenger evacuation systems in decades – and now, despite unusually challenging test conditions, the VIKING LifeCraft...

Allseas Completes TurkStream's Pipeline Sections

By MarEx 2018-11-19 15:39:21

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Istanbul to give the order for the final joint of the TurkStream pipeline to be welded into place. The pipelaying / decommissioning vessel Pioneering Spirit has now finished the subsea portions of the twin pipeline, one month ahead of schedule. According to GazProm, the pipeline's shoreside infrastructure will be completed and the line will enter into operation by the end of next year. It will have...

Integrated Telemedicine Solution Supports Genavir Crew

By MarEx 2018-11-19 15:39:01

Genavir, the vessel operating arm of the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (a.k.a. Ifremer) is using Marlink’s sophisticated crew health and safety management service, XChange Telemed, to minimize the impact of illness and injury on five ocean-going research vessels; Alis, Antea, L’Atalante, Pourquoi Pas? and Thalassa. All five vessels are part of the French Oceanographic Fleet and were already equipped with Marlink’s customized Sealink VSAT. Now with XChange Telemed fully integrated, crew and scientists aboard benefit from...

Griffon Hoverwork Launches Latest Hovercraft Model in Chile

By MarEx 2018-11-19 15:23:05

The world’s leading hovercraft builder Southampton, UK-based Griffon Hoverwork will stage the official global launch of its new 995ED model, at Latin America’s premier naval and maritime exhibition Exponaval in Valparaiso, Chile running from December 4-7. The Griffon delegation led by sales and marketing director Nick MacLeod-Ash will join the Society of Maritime Industries UK stand (N-164) at the fair. MacLeod-Ash said Griffon will stage the launch just weeks after delivering the first ever 995ED model to the Malaysian Marine...