Combining LEO and VSAT in a seamless, end-to-end managed Sealink NextGen hybrid network will enable Thoresen Shipping to optimise its operations and improve customer support through enhanced application performance and network security. Image courtesy Thoresen Shipping

Marlink is supporting digital transformation for Thoresen Shipping with the migration of its fleet to the Sealink NextGen solution.

Thoresen Shipping Facts

Thoresen Shipping is a global dry bulk shipping operator headquartered in Thailand with a presence in Dubai, London and Singapore.  Dating to 1904, Thoresen Shipping owns a modern fleet of 24 Supramax and Ultramax bulk carriers.

Marlink will deploy a complete hybrid network comprising guaranteed throughput by blending VSAT with Starlink LEO and additional backup services. The integration includes software-defined application routing (SD-WAN) using Marlink’s XChange network management tool as well as Endpoint Detection cyber protection.

The SD-WAN functionality in Marlink’s Xchange platform enables cloud applications and remote operations at sea by ensuring guaranteed connectivity levels to run business and crew applications on a hybrid network solution. XChange…

American Offshore Services (A-O-S) has taken delivery of a hybrid-ready ready Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV), the third G-Class vessel for the company in 2024, which will support the development of offshore wind industry on the United States’ East Coast.

The vessel, named M/V Guarder, has been designed and developed in partnership with Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) to transfer technicians and equipment to the rapidly expanding offshore wind industry, a service crucial for constructing and maintaining wind energy infrastructure.

As a ‘future-proof’ platform, M/V Guarder is fully prepared to convert to hybrid. With the capacity to accommodate 24 passengers and a strong focus on comfort, Guarder stands out as one of the largest and most capable CTVs in the United States.

The 30-meter, Jones Act-compliant catamaran is purpose-built to meet the demands of the offshore wind industry.

“We have taken delivery of three vessels in three quarters. The industry is growing and the demand for CTVs is steady. As I said earlier this year, we are just getting started. We are dedicated to serving the offshore wind industry and we strive to be the best at what we do,” said Michael Burbelo, Managing Director at A-O-S.

A-O-S is owned in partnership between…

GAIL (India) has signed a long-term time charter contract with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” Line) for a newbuild liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship.

The LNG ship will be a modern two-stroke vessel having a tank capacity of 1,74,000 cubic metres and will be built by Samsung Heavy Industries.

The contract was signed through GAIL’s ship-owning company established in Singapore.

This is the first long-term time charter contract between GAIL and “K” LINE involving a newly built vessel which is expected to be engaged in transportation of LNG for GAIL in 2027.

GAIL currently has four LNG vessels, GAIL Bhuwan, GAIL Urja, Grace Emilia and Maran Gas Pericles, to transport natural gas in a super cooled form.

Two more ships are expected to join the fleet next year including one newbuilt vessel on long term charter.

GAIL has a diversified sourcing portfolio for over 15 MMTPA which includes supply sources from various geographies both on FOB and DES basis.

The company’s LNG fleet is deployed to lift volumes contracted on FOB basis primarily from the North American region and is transported to meet the domestic demand as well as international customers.

Alternative fuels could account for up to a fifth of A.P. Moller-Maersk’s marine fuel consumption in 2030 as part of its goal to reach net zero by 2040, a senior company executive said on Thursday.

The container shipping giant typically consumes between 10 and 11 million metric tons of fuel oil equivalent per year, of which 3% were alternative fuels last year, Emma Mazhari, vice president, head of energy markets, told reporters.

The world’s fleet moves more than 80% of global trade and contributes about 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“We would probably look at 15% to 20% green fuel or renewable fuel in 2030,” Mazhari said, adding that this depended on how well the company performed on its energy efficiency measures.

“It’s going to be biodiesel. Green methanol is going to feature very heavily, and bio-methane as well,” she said. Bio-methane production is growing in Europe and North America which can be used as fuel in ships that use liquefied natural gas (LNG), she added.

The company launched on Thursday its latest dual-fuelled methanol container vessel A.P. Moller, part of a fleet of 18 such ships scheduled to be delivered this year and next.

The Danish-flagged vessel had been filled with 500 metric tons of green methanol fuel before it…

The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping has released an updated version of its Fuel Pathway Maturity Map, providing an overview of key alternative fuels that are expected to play a pivotal role in decarbonizing the maritime industry by 2050.

The map provides an independent assessment of readiness of key parameters across the various alternative fuel pathways that are expected to play a role in decarbonization of the global maritime industry. The update highlights the progress made since 2022.

“This update counters the prevailing narrative that maritime decarbonization is at a halt. The progress captured in the Fuel Pathway Maturity Map demonstrates that the technical side of the industry is on the right path, with tangible advancements in key areas. This should enforce confidence in the green transition in stakeholders across the value chain,” says Christoffer Lythcke-Elberling, Head of Transition Modeling & Analytics.

The past two years have seen significant advances, driven by increased investment in dual-fuel vessels and pilot projects across the fuel landscape. Notable progress includes:

• Ammonia: Pilot projects have advanced onboard energy storage and fuel conversion technology, bringing ammonia closer to maritime…

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, will supply the complete cargo handling system for a new fully pressurized LPG Carrier being built for Meghna Fresh LPG, part of the Bangladeshi Meghna Group of Industries.

The group is one of the Bangladesh’s largest industrial conglomerates, and in addition to being the owner of the new ship, it also owns the shipyard where the vessel is constructed and is the owner of the energy industries that the vessel will serve.

The Wärtsilä scope for the complete cargo handling system covers three main parts – the engineering scope, the material scope, and the supervision, commissioning and gas trial scope.

The materials to be supplied include the machinery on deck, LPG piping, instrumentation, interface materials linking the cargo tanks and hull, as well as the cargo control system.

Wärtsilä will also provide on-site assistance at the shipyard during construction of the vessel.

When delivered, the vessel will operate both on inland rivers as well as on deep-sea oceans. The design is therefore specifically tuned for both applications. The ship is expected to enter service in 2026.

“We are delighted to continue our excellent relationship with Meghna Group. This latest order represents an…

Sometimes you read an article about your industry and think, “Yes. THIS!” 

Politico’s “Private companies need to get better at monitoring threats” article really hit the nail on the head regarding underwater infrastructure and the overall maritime risk landscape. This is a hot topic following the damage to two underwater cables in the Baltic Sea and the FCC announcement that it will update undersea cable regulations. 

Troubling Trends Before the Underwater Cables Were Cut 

Elisabeth Braw, author of the upcoming book, Undersea War, and a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, lays out the serious obstacles facing law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as well as commercial maritime organizations, and the potentially disastrous consequences of not overcoming those challenges. 

She starts by writing about the two privately-owned undersea communications cables in the Baltic Sea that were cut last week. Windward posted about this breaking news extensively on X (formerly known as Twitter), and LinkedIn, offering our AI-powered insights. 

Braw assigns geopolitical motivation to the cable cutting, which seems likely given our data: Windward’s Early Detection insights have been tracking troubling patterns for months. Here’s what we found…

Xiamen Minhua Shipping has specified a Steelpaint corrosion protection system for a trio of newbuild multi-purpose cargo ships building at Fujian Shipbuilding’s yards in China. The order marks the Germany-based coatings specialist’s first newbuilding contract with a Chinese shipowner.

The first vessel in the series, the 12,000dwt Min Hua 9 delivered from the Fujian Hengsheng shipyard in June, is now operating with a Stelpant-PU-Zinc universal primer protecting steel cargo holds, hatch covers, decks, topsides and hatch coamings against corrosion.

The polyurethane and zinc-based primer will also protect sisterships Min Hua 15 and Min Hua 16, both of which are under construction at the Fujian Donghai Shipyard, with deliveries scheduled for December 2024 and November 2025.

With its high-solid formulation and finely meshed zinc pigments Stelpant-PU-Zinc can be applied in temperatures ranging from -5°C to +50°C, and with a relative humidity level as high as 98%.

For tank tops and lower stools/hoppers, Steelpaint recommends a film thickness of 2 x 80µm after grit blasting to Sa2.5, while other areas need only one 80µm coat before a 120µm application of a conventional topcoat epoxy.

Compatible with most top-coats without the need of a tiecoat,…

ADNOC Logistics and Services plc has taken delivery of Al Shelila, the first of six newbuild liquified natural gas (LNG) carriers from Jiangnan Shipyard in China. The vessel has been delivered two months ahead of schedule, with the remaining five expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026. Immediately after delivery Al Shelila will go on hire with a top-tier, global energy trader.

Al Shelila’s naming and delivery ceremony will be attended by His Excellency Muhannad Sulaiman Al Naqbi, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in Shanghai, Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S, Lin Ou, Chairman of Jiangnan Shipyard, Tony Liang, General Manager, Wanhua Chemical Group, Rong Yao of CSTC, Norbert Kray of DNV and Sebastien Fatet of GTT.

Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S, said: “We are proud to take delivery of ‘Al Shelila,’ from Jiangnan Shipyard. In Arabic, ‘Shelila’ represents strength and grace, qualities that reflect the legacy of our forefathers’ vessels. As we expand our fleet to meet rising global demand for natural gas, our deepening partnership with Jiangnan Shipyard underscores the strong industrial ties between the UAE and China, reinforcing our shared commitment to powering global economic…