A project to evaluate methanol as a marine fuel in Asia will involve the installation of a methanol-powered engine in a vessel to test its fuel efficiency and low emission viability at the Port of Singapore. The first phase of the project consists of desktop and bench-testing the engine employed in the GreenPilot evaluation programme in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the second phase, the engine will be shipped to Singapore for installation onboard a harbour craft vessel, likely a pilot boat, for service within a fleet for a six-month sea trial, followed by an engine ‘teardown’ to test clearances and material compatibility. “For maritime players in Singapore, the project will be a useful demonstration of the benefits of Methan...

Samskip has been named lead partner in a project seeking to bring to market emissions-free, autonomous container ships that also operate at a profit. The multimodal operator’s involvement in the ‘Seashuttle’ project comes as the Norwegian government has awarded €6m to the project to take forward development of two all-electric ships designed to connect Poland, Swedish west coast ports a...

Sabella’s 1MW D10 turbine was initially commissioned in 2015 in the Fromveur Passage, a strait that lies between Ushant Island and the Molène archipelago, off the coast of Brittany. After undergoing upgrades, the tidal turbine was redeployed for the second time in October 2018 at a depth of 55 metres and now has more than 100 sensors gathering data every 5 minutes. Jean-François Daviau, ...

European shipowners have welcomed the EU’s decision to extended the Operation Atalanta until the end of 2020. On July 30, the European Council decided to extent the mandate of EU NAVFOR Somalia’s operation until December 31, 2020. The objectives of the Operation Atalanta are deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast and the protection ...

Dutch coastal shipping company Thun Tankers has reached an agreement to strengthen its fleet with the 2011-built tanker Wisby Teak. Under the deal, the company will add the 7,000 dwt vessel to the Gothia Tanker Alliance with immediate effect. The unit, which is owned by Swedish shipping company Wisby Tankers, will be commercially managed by Thun Tankers. The highly manouverable tanker has be...

A container terminal has been planned for Australian Port of Newcastle, the world’s largest coal export port which is now ready to diversify. The new CEO of the port, Craig Carmody, has committed the Port of Newcastle to developing “a world-class container terminal” to boost jobs and business opportunities in the Hunter region and reduce the number of trucks on Sydney’s roads through ex...

74.3m eco-friendly hybrid Ro-Ro ferry ordered in Hamburg will complete a trio of acclaimed, double-ended ships for shallow water island service in the German Bight, reports Tom Todd. The new car/passenger ship will operate between the north German mainland and the East Frisian island of Norderney and is for delivery in May 2020 to AG Reederei Norden-Frisia. Being built by Hamburg shipyard Pe...