General News

Japanese shipyards received another blow at the end of February when Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) chose to order a series of five 6,200 TEU post-panamax container ships from Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI)…

A bridge simulator developed by British Maritime Technology (BMT) is helping senior officers from cruise companies in the use of joystick control systems to manoeuvre their vessels. The joystick enables the captain…

Recently the market for waterjets has undergone something of a depression. The uncertainty in the ferry market caused by the abolition of duty-free sales, and the recovery lag following the economic downturn…

Dredging and Maritime Management, a subsidiary of the Jan De Nul Group of Companies in Belgium, has ordered the construction of a new trailing suction hopper dredger at AESA?s Sestao shipyard.With a…

BT has announced a three-month promotion to introduce its Mobiq Global Service which, it says, provides more flexible and cost-effective price packages for mini-M satellite phones. BT has expanded the service with…

The announcement on March 10 that Chantiers de l?Atlantique had received a letter of intent from Carnival for the Queen Mary 2 contract dealt a severe blow to Harland & Wolff?s yard…

Operators wanting ?smokeless? medium-speed diesel engines, can have them now, says MAN B&W. Its 48/60IS and 58/64IS (Invisible Smoke) engines uses 15% water mixed into the fuel to reduce smoke emissions to…

Consilium Selesmar says its new NavBat ATA radar complies fully with the new SOLAS Chapter V carriage requirements for ships of 3,000g and above. The unit features modular architecture and comes with…

In the fall out from the loss of Erika, the EU has proposed a ban on older, single-skinned tankers in line with OPA 90. In addition, it wants to ban any vessel…

Wartsila NSD has secured its first order for a Sulzer RT-flex ?intelligent? engine from Hyundai Mipo. The 6RT-flex58T-B will be built at Hyundai, with the RT-flex parts being delivered directly from Wartsila…

The Maritime Data Network, owned and operated by Globe Wireless, has commissioned a new terrestrial digital node in Darwin, Australia. ITS Communications will handle maintenance and facilitation of the node which increases…

Tokyo MOU members have agreed to increase inspections on ships calling at their ports from 50% to 75%. The 17 members include Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand,…

MAN B&W has added cylinder liners to the list of NOx-effecting items on its MC engines. In effect this means that operators will only be able to purchase replacement liners from the…

Inmarsat and navtec have launched the navtec global-3, an Inmarsat-E emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). The float-free L-band unit measures 210mm diameter by 210mm high and weighs less than 1,200g.In the…

In opening MEPC 44 IMO secretary General William O?Neil said the IMO should be regarded as the only forum for setting safety and pollution prevention standards on international shipping. He said regional…

GE Marine has secured an order for four LM2500 gas turbines from Fincantieri as part of the power system for a series of cruise ships for Holland America Line. Each 84,000g vessel…

KonMap Maritime Systems says its system for chart presentation overlaid with DXF-data uses the latest IMO/IHO standards. It supports S57-edition3 and C-Map CM93e3 nautical chart data, and presentations are made according to…

The North Sea has joined The Baltic in being designated a SOx Emission Control Area. Once MARPOL annex VI has entered into force, ships in these waters will have to use fuel…

German engineering conglomerate MAN (parent company of MAN B&W) has bought Alstom Engines which comprises the UK-based manufacturers Ruston, Paxman and Mirrlees Blackstone. In general the UK-produced range fits well between the…

Maritime Information Systems is offering a web-based supply chain management service via the e-commerce portal site Maritime Global Net. The service offers 24-hour transactions and allows web browser users to transact business…

The Canepa & Campi Artica lifejackets, which had type approval withdrawn following the sinking of the fast ferry Sleipner, have been given the all-clear by RINa?s laboratory. Witnessed by the Italian government,…

British Gypsum has had its glass-reinforced gypsum boards listed in the Lloyds Register. Gyproc Multi-Board and Glasroc `S` have both been listed as suitable for marine use due to their non-combustibility. These…

Mincom has updated its electronic maintenance documentation system LinkOne to version 4.0. The publishing, viewing and distribution system allows users to consult electronic manuals on screen to carry out repairs, order new…