Maritime Vessels Directory

The U.S. Navy has begun the process to remove the island from the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) as part of an ongoing inactivation availability for the warship that was destroyed by a major fire in 2020.Salvage contractor Smit Americas started the removal process Tuesday, the Navy said. Workers will reduce the island's height down to just above the flight deck to improve the ship’s structural integrity and readiness for tow.The Navy announced at the end of 2020 it would scrap the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship after flames ravaged the vessel while it was docked for routine maintenance in San Diego in July.

The Grimaldi Group said it signed an order contract worth more than $500 million for the construction of six new ro/ro multipurpose vessels at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd (Ulsan) in South Korea.With a length of 250 meters, a beam of 38 meters and a deadweight of 45,684 tonnes, the six newbuilds  are expected to be delivered for Grimaldi's Neapolitan Group between the first months of 2023 and the end of 2024. The vessels will replace older 25-year-old-plus tonnage and will be deployed between North Europe and West Africa, particularly to Lagos, Nigeria.

The lucrative prospect of transporting COVID-19 vaccines by sea has intensified the spotlight on the maritime industry’s cold supply chain and its ability to carry high-value pharmaceuticals.At present, speed to market is critical to stemming the spread of the pandemic, so the vaccines are being shipped by air to international destinations. Delivering them by sea is a longer-term strategy; certainly, the present urgency would have to calm considerably before enough confidence could be built to support delivery times in weeks, rather than hours.

The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index dipped on Wednesday, pressured by lower rates for the capesize and panamax vessel segments.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels ferrying dry bulk commodities, was down 18 points, or 1%, at 1,709.The capesize index fell 109 points, or 6.8%, to an over one-week low of 1,485.Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, lost $901 to $12,315.The panamax index dropped 30 points, or 1.3%, to 2,276.

SES Networks is working with Virgin Voyages to provide its fleet with the industry’s leading high-speed, low-latency connectivity. The ultra-modern Wi-Fi service will be free for every crew member and passenger.According to SES, Virgin Voyages’ vessels will boast incredible speeds, unprecedented reliability, and all the bandwidth passengers could possibly need thanks to SES Networks’ satellite-enabled Signature Cruise Solution."SES Networks offers us unique, reliable capabilities that rival land speed connectivity," said Andy Schwalb, Chief Marine & Technology Officer at Virgin Voyages.