6. September 2006 P/F

Marine simulators are commonplace in the training and development of crew for large vessels. Not so much for small, fast patrol and attack craft.From the mid to late 1970s, marine simulators developed into a viable training tool for trainee mariners. Their initial popularity developed as opportunities for practical training became scarcer and a lot costlier, too. Since then, however, the advancement of the technology has brought a new dimension to professional crew training for small, fast craft. We gained exclusive insight into this hyper-realistic advanced technology from Cruden’s CEO Maarten van Donselaar.

This week, on December 4, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA): Title IX of the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2018.VIDA establishes a new framework for the regulation of vessel incidental discharges, adding a new Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 312(p): Uniform National Standards for Discharges Incidental to Normal Operation of Vessels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) are still assessing the implications of this new law but several important points are provided below.

The United States last week exported more crude oil and fuel than it imported for the first time on record, underscoring the nation's growing influence as a supplier of oil to the world.Exports of crude surged in the week to Nov. 30 to more than 3.2 million barrels per day, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Thursday.When adding in all imports and exports of crude and refined products, for the week the U.S. exported a net 211,000 bpd – the first time that has happened, according to U.S. Energy Department figures dating to 1973.

Choosing the ‘top stories of 2018’ was, this year, a difficult task. Many compelling story threads played out, dramatically impacting the North American waterfront, and in particular, the workboat sector – each in their own unique way. Read on to find out how and why.Autonomous Vessels: Ready or Not, Here They ComeFuturistic, remote-controlled autonomous marine vehicles aren’t coming. They are here. As the pace of change quickens, autonomous vessels are already providing service and value on the water. Out ahead of the rulemaking process, autonomous technology providers already churn out not just prototypes and designs, but also countless workboats, many already in service.

The world's first liquid natural gas (LNG) carrier tanker was named 'Boris Sokolov' and delivered by Guangzhou Shipyard International in Guangzhou City.According to Chinese state media, the Arctic condensate tanker carrier designed to traverse the world's icy northern polar region.With a load capacity of 44,550 tons, the vessel, which is built for for Dynacom of Greece, can sail in the Arctic region without icebreaker-piloting, it said. The vessel is mainly used for transporting condensate oil for the Yamal LNG project in northwest Siberia, which is the largest LNG project in the world.