Technology group Wärtsilä and international consulting and engineering company Elomatic have signed a licensing and cooperation agreement covering the intellectual property rights, technology, and use of trademark of Elomatic’s Elogrid thruster solution.

Elogrid is a transverse thruster grid technology, which is designed to reduce vessels’ fuel consumption while also enhancing thrusters’ performance.

This technology improves both the water flow along the hull lines once a vessel is sailing as well as the water flow into the tunnel when the thrusters are in use, unleashing full thruster capacity more efficiently, with minimized noise and vibration.

Under the terms of this agreement Wärtsilä will have the rights to sell, manufacture, install, and maintain the licensed technology within the sales areas agreed in the agreement.

The licensing and cooperation agreement will be in effect for 12 years with intermediate check points.

During this time, the solution will be offered to Wärtsilä’s customers as ‘ELOGRID by Wärtsilä’.

The Elogrid technology is suitable for most vessel types fitted with transverse thrusters. However, most benefits are gained by vessels with relatively large thrusters, and which sail at moderate or higher…

While many economic sectors were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s shipbuilding industry continued to grow, affirming its strong and growing position in the international space. Vietnam’s shipbuilding industry achieved many accomplishments in 2024 with the construction, launching and delivery of many specialized ships, contributing to the world’s fleet, operating on global shipping routes.

By 2030, to develop the maritime economy, the Vietnamese fleet is expected to be restructured and developed to about 1,600 to 1,750 vessels with a total tonnage of 17-18 million DWT, of which the marine transport fleet will be about 1,200 vessels with a total tonnage of about 13 million DWT to 14 million DWT. The aging of the fleet and the increasing requirement to comply with environmental regulations, especially the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s regulations on mandatory clean energy conversion under COP 26, will promote the growth of the shipbuilding industry in the coming time when a new generation of modern ships is needed to replace the old, aging fleet to meet the demand.

As of June 30, 2024, Vietnam has 88 shipbuilding enterprises and 411 inland waterway vehicle construction facilities (of which about 120 can build and repair…

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) will supply 2.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India’s Bharat Petroleum Corp under a new five-year deal, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Monday.

Indian’s state refiner will receive 40 cargos of LNG under the five-year contract with supplies beginning from April, the sources said.

In the initial two years, supplies would be less and will be gradually ramped up, one of the sources said.

ADNOC will sign the deal with BPCL during the four-day India Energy Week conference, the sources said.

During the conference ADNOC will also sign sale purchase agreement with Indian Oil CorpI for a 15-year LNG deal agreed in September last year, the sources said. Supplies under ADNOC’s deal with IOC will begin from April next year.

“We do not comment on commercial negotiations,” ADNOC said in an email response. BPCL and IOC did not respond to emails from Reuters seeking comments.

The world’s fourth largest importer of LNG, India aims to raise the share of gas in its energy mix to 15% by 2030 from 6.2% now.

Indian companies are also looking at buying LNG from the United States, oil secretary Pankaj Jain said earlier on Monday.

(Reuters – Reporting by Nidhi Verma; editing by David Evans)

…

Erma First Group has become a member of Green Marine, an environmental certification program for the North American maritime industry. 

The move is said to be essential to the company’s strategic expansion and reinforces its commitment to environmental responsibility in global markets.

Through the partnership, Erma First has gained access to an extensive network of maritime stakeholders, including service, product, and technology providers, engineering and environmental consulting firms, as well as ship managers, classification societies and others.

“Our participation in Green Marine is fully aligned with Erma First’s mission to drive sustainable innovation in the maritime industry. Through this collaboration, we aim to promote advanced environmental solutions, such as the complete decarbonization portfolio,” said Nikos Drimalas, Sales Director of Erma First.

TUI Cruises, a joint venture between German TUI Group and Royal Caribbean Cruises, has taken delivery of the first of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine gas oil (MGO) powered cruise ships Fincantieri is building for the shipowner.

With approximately 160,000 gross tons, the dual-fuel powered InTUItion-class ship forms the backbone of TUI Cruises’ new fleet.

Named Mein Schiff Relax, the ship is able to use LNG and is future-proof with the ability to utilize low-emission fuels such as bio- or e-LNG, marking a significant step towards climate-neutral cruising.

The ship features catalytic converters meeting Euro 6 standards, a generative turbine, using the residual heat from the diesel generators, as well as an electrical shore-power connection.

All this ensures almost emission-free operations while in port, about 40% of operating time, according to Fincantieri.

The ship is also equipped with a highly efficient waste treatment system capable of transforming organic materials into recyclable components through a thermal process.

Mein Schiff Relax’s sister ship, currently under construction at Fincantieri, is set for delivery in mid-2026.

On the night of February 8, 2000, the crew of the British research vessel, Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery, were braced for a storm.
Wind speeds had been increasing over the previous night creating conditions no one onboard had ex-perienced before – or would want to experience again.

From mid-afternoon on the 8th to mid-morning on the 9th, wave heights were topping 20 m in height and even reached 29.1 m – the equivalent to a ten-storey building – peaking around midnight.

Even for 250 km west of Scotland, out in the North Atlantic, these were abnormal conditions.  

The storm left its mark on the vessel, 25 scientists and 22 marine crew, who were conducting the Ellett Line hydrographic transect. There was a shattered interior window, broken by the ship’s structure flexing under the immense forces it was under. A lifeboat came loose, and people were thrown from their bunks, suffering bruises and even broken ribs.

Were it not for the efforts and actions of the captain and marine crew, it could have been worse (and only later did they learn that they had also come very close to a collision with a trawler, avoided only by the crew’s vigilance).

But the storm also left its mark on science. The wave heights recorded turned out to be the…