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The 193-member U.N. General Assembly urged all countries to designate seafarers and other marine personnel as key workers on Tuesday after travel restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19 have left hundreds of thousands stranded at sea for months.A unanimously adopted resolution encouraged governments to ensure safe ship crew changes and travel, allowing stranded seafarers to be repatriated and others to join ships."In this crisis, we need to show our attention, commitment and support to these invisible heroes, who are working under difficult and challenging circumstances," Indonesia's U.N. Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani told the General Assembly.

The U.S. Navy announced it will scrap the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), forgoing repairs to the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship that was ravaged by a major fire in San Diego in July."We did not come to this decision lightly," said Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite. "Following an extensive material assessment in which various courses of action were considered and evaluated, we came to the conclusion that it is not fiscally responsible to restore her."Although it saddens me that it is not cost effective to bring her back, I know this ship’s legacy will continue to live on through the brave men and women who fought so hard to save her

Swedish ferry company Stena Line said it has taken ownership of its newest ferry, Stena Embla, following a handover ceremony in Weihai, China. The vessel is the third of five new next-generation E-Flexer RoPax vessels that are being constructed at the CMI Jinling Weihai Shipyard, as part of an extensive modernization of the company’s fleet. It is last of three new vessels due for the Irish Sea, which marks the end of a seven-year development program totaling a £400 million investment in new ferries and port infrastructure in the regionThe vessel will now embark on a six-week journey to the U.K.

OHT, the Norwegian offshore heavy transport firm, and soon to be offshore wind installation contractor has said that its shipbuilding contract for its first offshore wind turbine installation vessel has become effective."The shipbuilding contract for OHT’s first WTIV (Wind Turbine Installation Vessel) “Vind 1” has reached contract effectiveness following i.a. the issuance of a Refund Guarantee by China Merchants Industry Holdings’ bank and OHT’s payment of the first yard installment for the vessel," OHT said Tuesday.

Tero Marine has launched its TM Insights solution, an interactive visualization tool that converts real-time data into intuitive reports and charts which, when measured against pre-determined KPIs, identify trends and uncover hidden problem areas so remedial action can be taken to improve operational efficiency.Fully integrated to work with Tero Marine’s TM Master suite, TM Insights works with Microsoft’s Power BI software to give companies a complete and transparent overview of business performance from any desktop or mobile device and in any location.