MSC Ship Management (Cyprus) Ltd.

The deadline to apply for inclusion in Marine News magazine's annual MN100 awards edition has been extended to July 10.Each year, the publication's August issue profiles 100 of the top firms in the shallow-draft, brown water, workboat space. Is your company one of the best? Apply now.The 100 companies selected will be featured in the largest BPA-audited b-to-b publication in this genre. OEMs, service providers, shipyards, operators and the full gamut of marine-related businesses are eligible. But, only those who apply will be considered.Click here to apply.Let us know if you have questions. Reach editor Eric Haun at haun@marinelink.com.

U.S. prosecutors late on Wednesday filed a lawsuit to seize the gasoline aboard four tankers that Iran is shipping to Venezuela, the latest attempt by the Trump administration to increase economic pressure on the two U.S. foes.The government of Venezuelan Socialist President Nicolas Maduro has flaunted the tankers, which departed last month, to show it remains unbowed by U.S. pressure. The United States, has been pressing for Maduro’s ouster with a campaign of diplomatic measures and punitive measures, including sanctions on state oil company PDVSA.Gasoline shortages in Venezuela, like Iran a member of OPEC, have grown acute due to the U.S.

French engineering firm GTT announced Thursday it has signed a Technical Assistance and License Agreement (TALA) with the Russian shipyard Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex for the construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers using GTT membrane tank solutions.Zvezda obtained its GTT license after a qualification process that began in September 2017, including the construction of a Mark III technology mock-up.The TALA will allow Zvezda to build ARC7 icebreaking LNG carriers fitted with the GTT membrane storage system.

Carnival Corp announced Thursday its AIDA Cruises brand has extended its global pause on operations through the end of August due to health concerns surrounding the conronavirus pandemic."Given the gradual easing in intra-European travel, AIDA Cruises believes it will resume its cruise operation later this summer. However, the conditions for safe travel do not yet exist in many destinations worldwide," the company said in a statement.After first suspending voyages in March, Carnival announced in May that German-based AIDA would cancel all cruises globally through July 31. In June, it said all AIDA cruises making port calls in the U.S. and Canada would be canceled for the rest of this year.

The first of two new 70-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled RoPax ferries for Dutch operator Rederij Doeksen has completed sea trials in the Netherlands.The BMT-designed Willem Barentsz, and sister vessel Willem de Vlamingh, were built by Strategic Marine Shipyard in Vietnam while final outfitting and commissioning were completed by Rederij Doeksen.With an operating area within the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the main focus for Rederij Doeksen led by its managing director Paul Melles was on reducing the environmental impact of the vessel operation.