January-February 2023 – Page 2 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

The Next Challenge

The last three years have been difficult. The pandemic crashed cargo volumes, then cargo volumes surged. It scrambled supply chains and tested the ability of the logistics industry to keep our economy moving. All of that happened with the pandemic sickening our communities and decimating our labor force. Through all of that, the supply chain was largely successful. Strangely, while the next few years are likely to be less difficult, I expect that as an industry we are also less likely to be successful. In times of crisis, it is almost easy to focus on what is necessary to keep…

Seaspan Shipyards Holds Keel Laying Ceremony for Science Research Ship

Seaspan Shipyards, Canada’s long-term, shipbuilding partner for large non-combat vessels under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, and the Canadian Coast Guard on Nov. 25 reached an important milestone in the construction of the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV). The OOSV is expected to be delivered in 2025 and would be able to respond to the Government of Canada’s oceanographic scientific research requirements for the next 30 years. Over the next three years, more than 700 Seaspan employees and hundreds more in the company’s cross-Canada supply chain are expected to work on the 88-meter-long (288.7-foot) vessel. The Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV)…

Cyberspace Impacts and Ships and Seaports—U.S. Coast Guard Response

Maritime cyber security risks are increasing for both ships and seaports. These risks and their consequences negatively impact national economies, shipping companies and seaports. There is increased attention on this by national governments, national coast guards and agencies abroad such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO). We also need a sense of how the U.S. Coast Guard is reacting to these threats. About a year ago, the Coast Guard published its Cyber Strategic Outlook to raise awareness and reemphasize the agency’s role in cyber security. Admiral Karl L. Schultz, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, observed in his introduction to…

Maersk, Carbon Sink Sign Partnership to Accelerate Green Marine Fuels Production

As part of a strategy to decarbonize its customers’ supply chains, Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk has entered a green marine fuels partnership with Annapolis, Md.-based project developer Carbon Sink. The parties have signed a letter of intent covering the development by Carbon Sink of green methanol production facilities in the U.S. The first facility is to be co-located with the Red River Energy existing bioethanol plant in Rosholt, South Dakota, with a production capacity of about 100,000 tons per year. The commercial start is anticipated in 2027. Maersk has said that it intends to purchase the full volume produced…

Seapeak Orders 5 LNG Carrier Newbuilds

Bermuda-based LNG gas carrier owner and operator Seapeak LLC has entered into shipbuilding contracts for the construction of five, 174,000-cubic meter M-type, Electronically Controlled, Gas Admission (MEGA) propulsion LNG carrier newbuilds, the company confirmed in late November. The LNG carriers are to be built by Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. for a total fully built-up cost of about $1.1 billion. They’re scheduled for delivery in 2027. “Upon their deliveries, the five LNG carriers will each operate under a fixed-rate time-charter contract with an international energy major for a firm period of 10 years, each of which can be extended at…

Code of Safety Adopted for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel

A new mandatory safety code for ships carrying industrial personnel—aimed at ensuring the safety of people transported to work on offshore facilities including windfarms—was adopted by the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) during its November meeting. The new Chapter XV of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the associated new International Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel (IP Code) were developed by the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction. The aim is to provide minimum safety standards for ships that carry industrial personnel, as well as for the personnel…

Intermarine Joins with WeShip Projects, Launches Intermarine Asia

U.S.-based ocean carrier Intermarine has joined forces with Thai project and breakbulk cargo specialist WeShip Projects to launch Intermarine Asia and strengthen Intermarine’s position in Europe. As part of the deal, WeShip partners Torben Reinhard and Lars Steen Rasmussen have joined Intermarine’s commercial team. “Intermarine and WeShip have already partnered successfully for over a year now in the Asia-Pacific trade, and we are very excited to combine our organizations to jointly grow the Intermarine presence in Asia and Europe,” Intermarine CEO Svend Andersen said. Since its relaunch in 2020, Intermarine has successfully developed its business within breakbulk and multipurpose shipping,…

UWL Opens First China Office

U.S.-based global third-party logistics solutions provider UWL has expanded its global footprint with the opening of its first office in China in Shanghai’s Bund area. UWL began servicing customers on Dec. 1. “2021 and 2022 were years of tremendous challenge for UWL and our customer base, who to this day, remain heavily invested in China and Asia for their manufacturing needs,” UWL President Duncan Wright said. “This expansion is part of our strategy to be physically closer to our customers’ factories and our ocean network and carrier partners. The better we can collaborate on solutions and have more direct control…

Kongberg Maritime Awarded Vessel Design Contract

Kongsberg Maritime announced in mid-November that it has won a NOK 300 million ($30 million USD) contract with Pelagic Wind Services to supply advanced vessel design and equipment for two new commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) to be built at Cochin Shipyard in India. The CSOVs are to be built to Kongsberg Maritime’s UT 5519 HL design. “We’re delighted to work with Kongsberg Maritime to develop this next-generation vessel, which is firmly focused on sustainable operation, safety and efficiency,” Pelagic Wind Services CEO Andre Groeneveld said. The equipment package includes a complete hybrid propulsion system driving highly efficient, permanent magnet…

Long Beach Port Opens 1st Charging Stations for Heavy-Duty Trucks

Heavy-duty electric trucks servicing San Pedro Bay port terminals can now charge for free at the Port of Long Beach, which on Nov. 18 announced that it has opened the first two public charging stations in the nation for such vehicles. The port is partnering with EV Connect, a Los Angeles area-based provider of charge-management solutions for electric vehicles, to provide the stations at the Clean Truck Program Terminal Access Center, 1265 Harbor Ave., Long Beach. “Southern California will need a network of thousands of heavy-duty charging stations, not only at the ports but all around the region, as society…