ASMAR, Talcahuano Shipyard

For almost three months now, the spot freight rate for containerized goods shipped by sea from North Europe to the U.S. East Coast has been 210% higher than last year (July 1 – September 23), according to shipping organization BIMCO.It wasn’t until April 1, 2021 that we saw the ripple effects from the globally stretched supply chains impacting front-haul freight rates on the Transatlantic container shipping trade lane. At that time, spot freight rates for a 40-foot container jumped 52% from $2,329 to $3,544 on average for the trade lane.

First steel was cut Thursday for the first of the UK Royal Navy’s five new Type 31 frigates, HMS Venturer.The historic ceremony took place at Babcock's factory in Rosyth, Scotland, where the Type 31 Inspiration class ships are being constructed."The frigates will be at the heart of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet, deterring aggression and maintaining the security of the UK’s interests as well as providing humanitarian relief when needed. The frigates will work alongside the UK’s Allies to deliver a warship presence across the globe and enable a forward naval presence," Babcock said in a statement.

Sterling Plan B (SPBES) announced the appointment of long-time inland waterways shipping consultant Leen Schipper to the position of Vice President, Inland Waterways Europe with SPBES.SPBES said it sees increasing opportunities for marine battery use in the inland waterway shipping market, as customers move toward decreasing their climate change impacts through electrification.Schipper, who is Dutch, has an abundance of knowledge regarding inland waterway shipping in the Netherlands and in Europe as his family has worked in the field for generations. Schipper was raised on his family’s inland vessel and has owned barges himself in the past.

Höegh LNG Partners has entered into an agreement with a subsidiary of New Fortress Energy for the charter of the Höegh Gallant for FSRU operations for a period of ten years, with a planned start-up during the fourth quarter of 2021. New Fortress Energy will deploy the FSRU in Jamaica.Sveinung Støhle, Chief Executive Officer, stated: "The new long-term FSRU contract entered into with New Fortress is an important development for the Partnership as it extends the Partnership's contract coverage and average charter length and broadens our customer base and global footprint.

Classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted its Approval in Principle (AIP) to Ned Project Inc. for its hydrogen-ready wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) design.The NP20000X ULAM design is intended to be Jones Act Compliant and able to meet future offshore wind market demands, specifically operations involving 15-20 MW wind turbine installations. According to ABS, the vessel's innovative approach loads monopiles vertically on the 8,000 square-meter (m2) deck, eliminating the need to rotate monopiles to the vertical position at sea, increasing efficiency, and safety.