Maritime Vessels Directory

Russia's Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex has cut first steel for the Leader project's flagship nuclear icebreaker Russia, said to be the world's most powerful.The Zvezda shipyard, owned by a consortium led by oil giant Rosneft, is working with Atomflot, a subsidiary of Russian nuclear group Rosatom, to build the icebreaker, which will help boost year-round commercial vessel traffic on the Northern Sea Route connecting Europe and Asia along Russia's northern coast.Scheduled to be commissioned in 2027, the icebreaker will be equipped with two RITM-400 type nuclear reactors, four turbines and four electric propulsion motors.

The Kriti Bastion oil tanker is making its way to Libya’s recently re-opened Es Sider oil port, two shipping sources said and ship tracking data showed on Thursday.The Aframax ship is the second vessel to head to the port, following Unipec’s Delta Ocean which is awaiting permission to load. The tanker was chartered by Vitol, two trading sources said.Libya’s state-owned National Oil Corp on Wednesday lifted force majeure on crude loadings from Es Sider after a six-month closure, but local guards have prevented loadings from resuming.

Italian authorities have seized a boat operated by a German NGO that last month rescued more than 200 people stranded at sea, because it did not comply with safety rules, the Coast Guard said on Thursday.In April, Italy banned migrant rescue ships from docking in its ports until July 31 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It now transfers all those saved at sea onto large ferries which must wait off its coast.Sea-Watch 3, managed by German non-governmental organization Sea-Watch e.V., had moored in the southern Italian port of Porto Empedocle.The mainly African passengers were moved to the Italian ferry Moby Zaza, where 28 tested positive for the new coronavirus.

This week, various parties in Rotterdam will be launching a new pilot project, in which containers are handled and released without a PIN code: a widely used verification method in this transport segment. The project revolves around a new application, Secure Container Release, which replaces the PIN code with a digital signal: a solution that is significantly less susceptible to fraud. It is not only intended to make container handling more efficient, but also safer. Participants in the three-month trial include CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, ONE-Line, Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam, Rotterdam Fruit Wharf, Milestone Fresh, VTO, Portmade and the application developer T-Mining.

The Liberian Registry announced Dallas Smith has been hired as the Director of LNG and Offshore Technology, and as General Manager of the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry’s (LISCR) new Houston Office.Smith brings to his new role at LISCR over 20 years of experience as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. Before his retirement last month, Smith was head of the USCG Liquefied Gas National Center of Expertise where he was responsible for executing the Coast Guard’s entire liquefied gas safety, security, and environmental compliance mission around the world.