Maritime Vessels Directory

German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd announced on Tuesday that it has placed orders for an additional six ultra large containerships amid continued strong demand in the box shipping market.The 23,500+ TEU newbuilds are in addition to six of the same size and type ordered from Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering at the end of 2020. The fist six vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2023, followed by the next six in 2024.Hapag-Lloyd and its peers in the sector have been placing more orders for new containerships amid greater demand and higher freight rate income while ship shortages and port congestion continue to wreak havoc across global supply chains.

A tugboat in the busy Port of Singapore has become the first in South Asia to operate under remote joystick control, in a trial demonstrating the increased safety and efficiency of operations utilizing advanced digital solutions already available today.The harbor tug was controlled from a shore command center located at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Maritime Innovation Lab in April 2021.The 32-meter harbor tugboat Maju 510, which is owned and operated by Keppel O&M’s joint-venture company Keppel Smit Towage, was retrofitted with technology solutions from ABB and Keppel Offshore & Marine that enabled the test.

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s ship assist and harbor escort services group has taken delivery of Apollo, a powerful and maneuverable tugboat with the most compact size in the U.S.The tugboat has completed final outfitting at shipbuilder Diversified Marine Inc. in Portland, Ore., and will deploy soon to serve the San Francisco Bay. Like its sister tug operated by Crowley, Hercules, the Apollo was designed by Robert Allen Ltd. to be the nation’s most powerful tug under 80 feet at 78 feet long with an estimated 94 tons of bollard pull.

Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has sold another vessel. This time the platform supply vessel Far Spirit.The company said Tuesday the vessel had been sold by its subsidiary Farstad Marine to an undisclosed buyer."Delivery of the vessel to the new owner took place today June 22nd, 2021. The sale of the vessel will result in an immaterial accounting effect for Q2-2021," Solstad Offshore said, without revealing the sale price. The Far Spirit vessel, of the VS 470 Mk II design, was built in 2007 by Westcon Olen yard in Norway.

Richard “Rick” W. Spinrad, Ph.D., an internationally renowned scientist with four decades of ocean, atmosphere, and climate science and policy expertise, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and the 11th NOAA administrator.“As an accomplished and respected scientist, educator, communicator and executive, Rick has dedicated his career to the science that is at the core of NOAA’s mission,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “I am grateful for his ongoing public service to the agency and the nation, and I look forward to working alongside him as we tackle the climate crisis, conserve our oceans, and grow our blue economy.