International News

The last gate to arrive has now completed the transfer of the eight gates to the Pacific construction side as the Panama Canal expansion gathers momentum. The transits began on October 22 to move all eight gates through the waterway aboard a barge from the Atlantic temporary dock to the Pacific, assisted by Panama Canal tugs.

Once finished, the Panama Canal expansion program will have added new locks that in total have 16 rolling gates, eight in the Pacific and eight in the Atlantic. Since August 2013, the gates have been arriving in staggered shipments from Italy on a Post-Panamax vessel to a temporary dock in the Atlantic side. The last shipment arrived in November 2014.

Continue reading “Panama Canal expansion now 84% complete as gate installation begins”

The United States Maritime Resource Center (USMRC) based in Middletown, Rhode Island and ClassNK, a leading ship classification society located in Tokyo, Japan, are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) laying out a framework for future technical cooperation to carry out joint research and development activities for the maritime industry.

This will mark the first time a major ship classification society has teamed with a prominent marine operations simulation center engaged in specialized training and research in North America.

Continue reading “USMRC and ClassNK sign MOU for future technical cooperation”

“Cook Islands aims to be a flag of choice for quality classed tonnage and superyachts,” says Glenn Armstrong of Maritime Cook Islands. He goes on to say that “We are young, ambitious and energetic and we hope to grow significantly over the coming years.”

The Flag is based in the Cook Islands in Rarotonga and is the only Small Island Developing State with a serious open register that is actually based in their home country. The advantage of this is that Maritime Cook Islands is very close to their government and has an ability to get quick and sensible answers to difficult questions that take other Flags weeks and months.

Maritime Cook Islands is the administrator of the Cook Islands Ship Register. Under an agreement with the Ministry of Transport they have delegated to them responsibility for all Flag State responsibilities under the various IMO conventions and instruments. Given this responsibility, Maritime Cook Islands has recently employed Duncan Findlay as technical director, to assist their Deputy Registrars to provide timely, sensible, technical solutions to the problems that shipowners confront on a daily basis.

Continue reading “Maritime Cook Islands seeks more tonnage”

Oil & Gas UK has published two updated sets of guidelines to help operators of Floating Production Storage and Offloading facilities (FPSOs), Floating Storage Units (FSUs) and offtake tankers to adopt advances in industry good practice.

Oil & Gas UK’s operations director, Oonagh Werngren, explains: “Issue 2 of the Mooring Integrity Guidelines provides guidance to enable operators of permanently moored offshore installations to improve the reliability of permanent mooring systems and enhance the management of mooring integrity. Issue 3 of the Tandem Loading Guidelines embodies advances in industry knowledge regarding the process of loading hydrocarbons from the stern of an FPSO to the bow of a shuttle tanker.

Continue reading “Oil & Gas UK releases new guidelines for FPSO operations”