The COVID-19 pandemic had an indelible effect on every corner of society in 2020, and the end is only just coming into sight. The Maritime Executive had the opportunity to talk to many shipping leaders about the impact of coronavirus shutdowns, outbreaks and disruptions in every shipping sector, from port operations to cruising to salvage. […]
South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering said in a regulatory filing that it had canceled a shipbuilding contract valued at $820 million due to failures by the shipowner. The news of the cancelation came at the end of a strong recovery by the Korean shipbuilders during the second half of 2020. DSME said the […]
On Wednesday morning, three new STS cranes passed through San Francisco Bay aboard the heavy lift ship Zhen Hua 35, drawing attention of residents around the city. The new cranes will be the tallest ever at Oakland, and they rank among the largest in the U.S. Stevedoring Services of America (SSA) purchased the three […]
The supervisor of Los Angeles County has called for a second deployment of the hospital ship USNS Mercy to help the region address a new surge of COVID-19 cases. “Our [unionized] healthcare workers are exhausted and our hospitals are overwhelmed. They need backup,” LA County supervisor Janice Hahn wrote in a letter to California Governor […]
Chinese officials are reporting that a bulk carrier sank in the East China Sea south of Shanghai. Two sailors have been confirmed dead, while four were rescued, and a search was ongoing for seven others that were missing. The maritime search and rescue center in China’s Zhejiang Province received a distress call at about 3:40 […]
A suspicious object feared to be a limpet mine was found attached to the hull of a tanker in the Persian Gulf near the Iraqi city of Basra. The managers of the vessel, Dynacom Tankers of Greece, issued a brief statement confirming the incident and saying that the crew had been mustered and was safe […]
On Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard medevaced an injured fisherman from a vessel in the Bering Sea, about 80 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor. While on patrol in the Bering on Wednesday morning, the crew of the cutter Alex Haley received a VHF call reporting that a fisherman had sustained a severe leg injury. The […]
The UK’s Ministry of Defense is looking to acquire a heavy-lift drone for the Royal Navy. It has issued a request for information to inform requirements for an “autonomous maritime airborne heavy lift capability” for the service – in essence, an up-scaled version of commercial drone delivery. The RFI parameters call for solutions that are […]
The 1961-built ocean liner Funchal is up for auction again, almost exactly two years after current owner Signature Living Group acquired her with plans to start a “floating beach club” off the party destination of Ibiza. Like so many cruise startups, the endeavor had a rocky start and a swift end. After almost a year […]
South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced an ambitious ten-year plan investing more than $6 billion into the redevelopment of ports around the country. The goal is to better integrate the ports into the cities and create tourism, culture, and commerce to revitalize the ports and the surrounding areas. The Third Basic Port Redevelopment […]
The U.S.-flagged tug Proassist III went down just off Yabucoa, Puerto Rico on Christmas Eve, forcing her crew of three to abandon ship. U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan received a mayday call from the vessel, which reported that it was taking on water at a position about two miles south of Yabucoa Harbor. A […]
Despite increased precautions and protocols, ports are still challenged to control the spread of the COVID-19 from arriving ships. In the latest example, port employees in Darwin, Australia have been placed in quarantine after a potential exposure to the virus. Heath Authorities for the Northern Territory in Australia reported that a 25-year-old crew member on […]
