ABS has published the ABS Guide to Wind-assisted Propulsion System Installation, providing class safety standards when installing wind-assisted systems.The classification society said its new guide is applicable to both Flettner rotors and wing sails, including both rigid and soft sails.
Ferry operator Viking Line said Tuesday it will restart passenger service for essential travel after the Finnish government annouced plans to gradually ease some restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.Passenger service will be restricted to travel for work and other travel defined by the authorities until at least May 31, the cruise ferry operator said.
While facing the same challenging market conditions as offshore vessel owners and service companies worldwide, Norway’s Island Offshore recently broke free from the enforced conservatism of the E&P sector, by adding not just a new ship to its fleet, but one that re-writes the rulebook in capabilities, technology and despite its size and power, environmental credentials.
It takes a thick skin to live in New York City, let alone to run its Staten Island Ferry service. James C. DeSimone, Deputy Commissioner, Ferry Division, New York City Department of Transportation, has been charged with running the ferry service for the last 16 years. We met with him for his insights on the challenges of keeping the iconic ferry running safely and efficiently.
Barry Parker, contributor to Maritime Reporter & Engineering News and MarineNews magazines, is – like many people around the world – sequestered and working from home. He is our designated “ship spotter” for the day.In the maritime business, most of us have been adept at working from home (or from remote locations).
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that major cruise lines would suspend cruises for 30 days, following a series of industry announcements that came after repeated transmission of coronavirus among passengers at sea.“At my request, effective midnight tonight, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC have all agreed to suspend outbound cruises for thirty days,” Trump said on Twitter.
Several major cruise operators have voluntarily suspended operations in response to the developing coronavirus pandemic. For most, the reason given has been "an abundance of caution".On Wednesday, Viking became the first major cruise line to temporarily suspend operations, canceling all river and ocean cruises scheduled to embark between March 12 to April 30.
There was important cruise news in January: Viking – a premier European ocean and river cruise company - will offer two new “destination-focused travel experiences,” starting in 2022. One set of cruises becomes Viking’s first foray in the inland North American market, in this case the Great Lakes. Another set of cruises will head to the Arctic and Antarctica.
Island Offshore took delivery of Island Victory, a new offshore installation vessel, at VARD Langsten today (Friday, February 7, 2020).Upon delivery the vessel will head straight into operation, spending a couple of weeks in the spot market, before commencing a series of contracts – in the Barents Sea and the Gulf of Mexico – securing work for the vessel potentially throughout October this year.
Army veteran-turned-Royal Caribbean Cruise Line founder Edwin W. Stephan passed away on Friday at 87 years old."We at Royal Caribbean mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to the Stephan family," said a statement from the global cruise company said.In 1969 Stephan founded the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and his contributions helped create the modern cruise industry we know today.
Canadian ferry owner and operator British Columbia Ferry Services Inc (BC Ferries) has made a further order of four additional electric-battery hybrid Island Class vessels from a major European shipyard.The ferry corporation announced that Damen Shipyards Group of the Netherlands has been awarded the contract to build the new vessels.
Hungarian salvage crews prepared on Monday to raise the wreck of a pleasure boat that capsized on the Danube river in Budapest, killing 26 South Korean tourists and two local crew.The Mermaid sank after a large Swiss-owned cruise liner struck it from behind on May 29 as both vessels passed under a 19th century bridge in the Hungarian capital during heavy rain.