Industry news
Iran to introduce shipping line to Latin America and South Africa
22 February | Routes
Iran has announced its plans to introduce a direct shipping line to the Latin America region and South Africa in the upcoming months.
The new shipping line will be launched with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and will support the development of Iran’s non-oil trade with the nations in the stated regions.
Iranian Chamber of Cooperatives non-oil trade and export development committee head Babak Afghahi said that the line will link southern Iranian ports to the ports of South Africa and then to Latin American countries, including Brazil.
Afghahi said: “With the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, considering the capacity of Iran’s cargo export to the mentioned destinations, the chambers of commerce across the country, the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, and other export bodies have been informed about the new development.”
According to IRNA, in the first six months of the past Iranian calendar year from 21 March to 22 September 2019, the Islamic Republic’s dealings with South Africa reached nearly $43m.
In the same period of the preceding year, the numbers stood at $27m.
Over the past few years, Iran has been introducing a number of direct shipping lines to its main trade destinations to expand non-oil trade.
Earlier this month, Iran-Syria Joint Chamber of Commerce head Keyvan Kashefi declared the launch of a direct shipping line between Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas and Syria’s Mediterranean port of Latakia.
Iran has also established five direct shipping lines to Oman and is currently preparing to launch direct routes to Qatar, Russia, India and Turkmenistan.
19 February | Technology
Ecospray and relayr to develop AI-powered solutions
Ecospray has chosen to collaborate with relayr, an industrial internet of things (IoT) company, to develop new IoT-based desulphurisation solutions for the maritime industry.
Ecospray specialises in the research and development of systems for regulating air and gas emissions in industrial applications for the maritime industry.
As part of the partnership, the two companies will develop smart scrubbers, a new generation of emission control equipment, using AI.
Integrated technologies delivered by Ecospray aim to cut down emissions and save fuel, which would enable shipowners to decarbonise shipping and use clean energy.
Ecospray CEO Stefano Di Santo said: “Being part of Carnival Corporation has given us the opportunity to implement high-performance and reliable technological solutions in record time.
"We were enabled to gain experience across the entire fleet and unparalleled sailing experience, which has allowed us to build robust and use case-specific innovations at speed.”
The combination of relayr’s device-customised IoT and AI offering will ensure constant compliance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations for controlling air pollution.
In addition, it will enable substantial savings in terms of maintenance and performance via distant monitoring and advanced life cycle analysis.
By constantly monitoring and evaluating the scrubbers’ performance, pumping operations can be optimised to ensure longer equipment life, fuel savings and a reduction in operating expenses.
Relayr CEO Josef Brunner said: “This partnership allows us to enter a new market, bringing high added value with IIoT solutions, helping to exploit the full potential of the control systems machines and ultimately, contributing to the reduction of harmful gas emissions.”
18 February | Environment
Wallenius Wilhelmsen to launch first full-scale wind-powered RoRo ship
Shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen has announced its plans to build a full-size wind-powered pure car and truck carrier, named Orcelle Wind, that will be capable of achieving up to 90% reduced emissions compared to contemporary vessels.
The company said that the design of the vessel will be ready for contracting with a shipyard by mid-2022 with the vessel expected to set sail by 2025, subject to a detailed feasibility evaluation.
Orcelle Wind will be tested to see if it complies with the mandatory regulatory standards, relating to safety and technical performance.
Operational needs of the vessel will also be checked, such as the aptness for deployment on several global trade lanes and the ability to manoeuvre in bad weather in port.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen CEO Craig Jasienski said: “Since 2008, we have been able to reduce CO₂ intensity by 33%, which is a significant step. But the journey towards zero emissions requires great strides forward. We believe Orcelle Wind is one of them.
“It will take the dedicated collaboration of our world-class customers, partners and employees to make such a bold initiative as Orcelle Wind succeed. More than just evaluating the concept, we are committed to making this a success.”
Once built, Orcelle Wind will have the capacity to transmit approximately 7,000 vehicles at speeds of 10k-12k under sail.
With a length of 220m and a beam width of 40m, the wind-powered vessel will also be able to carry heavy machinery, breakbulk cargo and cars.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen shipping services EVP and COO Erik Noeklebye said: “Orcelle Wind will be our technical and operational testbed for zero-emission innovation, where we can assess and develop various zero-emission fuels and technology.”
18 February | environment
Maersk aims to run world’s first carbon-neutral feeder by 2023
AP Moller-Maersk, an integrated container logistics company, has announced its plans to launch the world’s first carbon-neutral liner vessel in 2023.
The new vessel will be introduced seven years ahead of the initial 2030 plan.
With a capacity of approximately 2,000TEU, the methanol feeder vessel will be deployed in one of Maersk’s intra-regional networks.
Although the vessel will be able to run on standard very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), the company is planning to operate the ship on sustainable bio-methanol or carbon-neutral e-methanol from day one.
Maersk CEO Søren Skou said: “AP Moller – Maersk’s ambition is to lead the way in decarbonising global logistics.
"Our customers expect us to help them decarbonise their global supply chains, and we are embracing the challenge, working on solving the practical, technical and safety challenges inherent in the carbon-neutral fuels we need in the future.
"Our ambition to have a carbon-neutral fleet by 2050 was a moonshot when we announced in 2018. Today, we see it as a challenging yet achievable target to reach.”
The company revealed that many of its clients have set or are in the process of setting science-based or zero-carbon targets for their supply chains.
Maersk fleet and strategic brands CEO Henriette Hallberg Thygesen said: “It will be a significant challenge to source an adequate supply of carbon-neutral methanol within our timeline to pioneer this technology.
"Our success relies on customers embracing this groundbreaking product and strengthened collaboration with fuel manufacturers, technology partners and developers to ramp up production fast enough.
"We believe our aspiration to put the world’s first carbon-neutral liner vessel in operation by 2023 is the best way to kick start the rapid scaling of carbo- neutral fuels we will need.”
Maersk said that as part of its ongoing fleet replacement, all its future owned newbuilds will be fitted with dual-fuel engines.
18 February | operations
Corvus Energy and Seaspan Ferries conduct Blue Whale ESS field trial
Norway-headquartered Corvus Energy has partnered with Canadian operator Seaspan Ferries for the first field trial of Corvus’ Blue Whale ESS, a new comprehensive energy storage system.
For the purpose of a field trial, Blue Whale will be deployed on board Seaspan Reliant, a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) drop-trailer cargo ferry.
Built in 2016, the ferry provides its services between British Columbia’s Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, sailing through the Salish Sea.
The battery system has been designed for large vessels that operate on zero-emission energy such as cargo ships, cruise ships and large roll-on/roll-off passenger (RoPax) and RoRo ferries.
Corvus Energy said that the system has a rack-free design with loaded modular blocks, providing the industry’s highest volumetric battery room energy density.
The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Programme (NRC-IRAP) provided support during the research and development of the Blue Whale ESS product and its Battery Monitoring and Optimisation System.
In addition, the Salish Sea Marine Emission Reductions funding obtained from Environment & Climate Change Canada also made a contribution in the field trial.
Blue Whale ESS will increase the vessel’s energy storage capacity from 545kWh to 1,892kWh after replacing an in-service first-generation Corvus AT6500 ESS in the existing battery room.
The new Blue Whale system will be installed by the middle of 2021, while at the same time Seaspan will relocate the AT6500 system onto another vessel, Seaspan Swift.
The commissioning and trials of Blue Whale will take place while the ship is in full-service operation during the remaining months of 2021.
The battery power will enable fuel-efficient peak shaving, load balancing, and zero-emission operation.
After installation, automatically collected performance data will be examined and monitored remotely via Corvus’ Cloud-based monitoring and optimisation system, providing feedback to the R&D team.
Commercial deliveries will commence after the completion of the Blue Whale field trial and all key maritime authority certifications in the first half of 2022.
17 February | Covid-19
DSME secures order for four containerships
South Korean shipbuilding company Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) has secured an order for the construction of four containerships.
The total value of the order is approximately $441m and the vessels are expected to be delivered by September 2023.
In a regulatory filing, DSME said that the order has been placed by an unnamed European shipowner.
The order is being reported on the back of another major deal in the division, in which the company secured an order worth $1bn for six LNG-powered 23,500+TEU ultra-large box ships.
In December last year, DSME received a $2.6bn order from UAE-based ADNOC for three super-large crude carriers.
The vessels will be constructed at DSME’s Okpo Shipyard and are scheduled for delivery by Q1 2023.
The new vessels will help to meet the second phase of the Energy Efficiency Design Index, a regulation on greenhouse gas emissions introduced by the IMO in 2020.
In November last year, DSME and ABS signed a joint development project (JDP) to deploy solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology as a replacement to at least one of three diesel generators typically on board a VLCC.
It was the second JDP between ABS and DSME in connection with SOFC technology.
For 2021, DSME has set the order target of $7.7bn, Yonhap News Agency reported.
In addition, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) has extended the deadline for the acquisition of shares due to the regulatory delays.
After KSOE signed the revised contract with DSME on 22 January, the mega-merger deadline was extended from September 2020 to June 2021, Offshore Energy reported.
The anticipated tie-up will see Hyundai Heavy Industries take over DSME from Korean state lender KDB, the majority shareholder, owning a 55.7% stake in the firm.
17 February | technology
Bearing launches AI-powered optimisation platform for shipping firms
Technology company Bearing has launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven operations optimisation platform to provide actionable insights to shipping firms.
Bearing’s platform is based on precise ship performance models that are built on real-world data, enabling it to make a better prediction on fuel consumption, speed, and other performance factors.
Considering the challenges of the shipping industry, the company has developed solutions to help shippers to streamline their operations.
Bearing said that its technology outperforms the industry’s traditional solutions that are expensive and manually intensive.
The technology deployed in the Bearing’s platform consumes data from multiple sources such as satellite positioning, weather data, and ship sensors.
By compounding this data with deep learning technologies, Bearing builds hyper-accurate models to forecast vessel performance in various operating conditions from storms to calm water.
The models provide a foundation for a range of products, including Smart Routing Engine, Performance Analysis Dashboard, and Ship Profile API.
Smart Routing Engine automatically evaluates all possible routes for an expedition and recommends the ideal route, as well as speed profile for fuel efficiency, market opportunities, and security.
Bearing said that its Smart Routing Engine has been deployed by its initial partner, MOL, a Japanese shipping company.
Performance Analysis Dashboard showcases accurate trends in efficiency for operators’ entire fleet and highlights actions that operators can take to enhance fleet efficiency.
Bearing developed and tested the dashboard in collaboration with Japanese shipping line K Line.
Furthermore, Ship Profile API enables shipping firms and other service providers to use Bearing’s deep learning models through an easy-to-use API to power their own tools.
Bearing partnered with ZeroNorth for the development and launch of the API.
Currently, Bearing’s API is driving ZeroNorth’s Optimise platform, enabling tramp shippers to augment their operations and increase overall profitability.
12 February | technology
Windsor Salt and Canada Steamship Lines to build self-unloading ship
Windsor Salt and Canada Steamship Lines (CSL), a unit of The CSL Group, have entered a strategic partnership to build a new cutting-edge self-unloading ship.
Bearing 26,000 metric tonnes of deadweight, the new ship will serve in the Gulf of St Lawrence and Great Lakes region.
After several years of joint planning, Windsor Salt and CSL started constructing the custom-made vessel in August last year.
The vessel was created to cater to Windsor Salt’s need to transport de-icing salt from its Mines Seleine salt mine on the Magdalen Islands to stockpile destinations such as Montreal and Quebec City.
The new ship will provide secure, sustainable, and reliable shipping solution to the region that depends on the Mines Seleine salt mine.
Windsor Salt marine distribution manager Tom Labash said: “Through our partnership with CSL, we wanted to prove not only that we could but we should strive for better because it’s important to challenge the status quo, especially when we have the opportunity to reduce our environmental impact and improve safety while delivering the de-icing salt Canadians know and trust.”
The new vessel will feature diesel-electric tier 3 engines, a ballast water treatment system, quieter machinery, and a unique hull design that will improve energy efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions.
The ship is expected to emit approximately 25% less greenhouse gas emissions and 80% less harmful air pollutants in comparison with the former vessel, sailing the same salt routes.
In addition, the new vessel will be equipped with a fixed, single point-of-loading system, along with a cargo handling system, as well as a modern hull design and propulsion system to improve the manoeuvrability of the vessel and enhance the safety of navigation.
In brief
SHI secures order worth $415m for LNG-powered VLCCs
Shipbuilding company Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has secured an order for four liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered very large crude oil carriers (VLCCs). The order has been placed by an undisclosed shipping corporation in Oceania and carries a total value of approximately $415m, reported Business Korea.
Schottel secures propulsion contract for electric-ready ferry
German propulsion manufacturer Schottel has secured a contract to supply main propulsion units to Vancouver-based company Western Pacific Maritime for a car ferry. Ordered by the British Columbia Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the new vessel will be fitted with four high-efficiency Schottel TwinPropellers.
Adani Ports completes acquisition of Dighi Port Ltd in India
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd has completed the acquisition of a 100% stake of Dighi Port Ltd in the Indian state of Maharashtra for $97m. DPL will now become the twelfth port to join APSEZ’s growing list of economic gateways across the eastern and western coast of India.
Samsung Heavy Industries secures order worth $708m for containerships
Shipbuilding company Samsung Heavy Industries has secured an order for five 15,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) LNG-powered container ships from a client in Asia. The total value of the order is approximately $708m, reported Business Korea.
Wartsila to provide operational performance support to Solvang fleet
Technology group Wartsila has signed an agreement with Norwegian shipping firm Solvang to provide its digital Operational Performance Improvement and Monitoring solution to enhance the operational efficiency of the Solvang fleet.
17 February | TECHNOLOGY
Bearing launches AI-powered optimisation platform for shipping firms
Technology company Bearing has launched an artificial intelligence-driven operations optimisation platform to provide actionable insights to shipping firms.
Bearing’s platform is based on precise ship performance models that are built on real-world data, enabling it to make a better prediction on fuel consumption, speed and other performance factors.
Considering the challenges of the shipping industry, the company has developed solutions to help shippers streamline their operations.
Bearing said that its technology outperforms the industry’s traditional solutions that are expensive and manually intensive.
The technology deployed in Bearing’s platform consumes data from multiple sources, such as satellite positioning, weather data, and ship sensors.
By compounding this data with deep learning technologies, Bearing builds hyper-accurate models to forecast vessel performance in various operating conditions from storms to calm water.
The models provide a foundation for a range of products, including Smart Routing Engine, Performance Analysis Dashboard and Ship Profile API.
Smart Routing Engine automatically evaluates all possible routes for an expedition and recommends the ideal route, as well as a speed profile for fuel efficiency, market opportunities and security.
Bearing said that its Smart Routing Engine has been deployed by its initial partner MOL, a Japanese shipping company.
Performance Analysis Dashboard showcases accurate trends in efficiency for operators’ entire fleet and highlights actions that operators can take to enhance fleet efficiency.
Bearing developed and tested the dashboard in collaboration with Japanese shipping line K Line.
Furthermore, Ship Profile API enables shipping firms and other service providers to use Bearing’s deep learning models through an easy-to-use API to power their own tools.
Bearing partnered with ZeroNorth for the development and launch of the API.
Currently, Bearing’s API is driving ZeroNorth’s Optimise platform, enabling tramp shippers to augment their operations and increase overall profitability.
12 February | Technology
Windsor Salt and Canada Steamship Lines to build self-unloading ship
Windsor Salt and Canada Steamship Lines (CSL), a unit of The CSL Group, have entered a strategic partnership to build a new cutting-edge self-unloading ship.
Bearing 26,000 metric tonnes of deadweight, the new ship will serve in the Gulf of St Lawrence and Great Lakes region.
After several years of joint planning, Windsor Salt and CSL started constructing the custom-made vessel in August last year.
The vessel was created to cater to Windsor Salt’s need to transport de-icing salt from its Mines Seleine salt mine on the Magdalen Islands to stockpile destinations such as Montreal and Quebec City.
The new ship will provide secure, sustainable and reliable shipping solution to the region that depends on the Mines Seleine salt mine.
Windsor Salt marine distribution manager Tom Labash said: “Through our partnership with CSL, we wanted to prove not only that we could but we should strive for better because it’s important to challenge the status quo, especially when we have the opportunity to reduce our environmental impact and improve safety while delivering the de-icing salt Canadians know and trust.”
The new vessel will feature diesel-electric tier 3 engines, a ballast water treatment system, quieter machinery and a unique hull design that will improve energy efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions.
The ship is expected to emit approximately 25% less greenhouse gas emissions and 80% less harmful air pollutants in comparison with the former vessel, sailing the same salt routes.
In addition, the new vessel will be equipped with a fixed, single point-of-loading system, along with a cargo handling system, as well as a modern hull design and propulsion system to improve the manoeuvrability of the vessel and enhance the safety of navigation.
On 29 January, the keel-laying ceremony for the newbuild was held at Chengxi Shipyard in China’s Jiangyin.
The ship is expected to start operations in the Magdalen Islands in 2022.
