On May 27, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched helicopter raids in the Strait of Hormuz to detain two loaded Greek oil tankers, Delta Poseidon and Prudent Warrior. Greece accused the Iranian government of piracy and called for the immediate release of both vessels.
In February this year, the newbuild chemical tanker Tern Island performed what is believed to have been the first zero-emissions port operation by a tanker. The vessel relied exclusively on a combination of batteries and shore power provided by the Port of Gothenburg.
The economic crisis currently impacting Sri Lanka is sad to witness but has been brewing for some time. The port of Colombo, strategically positioned between the southern tip of India and the northern entrance to the Straits of Malacca was until recently a relatively stable trading hub, bustling with activity, for vessels trading back and forth between Europe and the Far East. Anyone who has visited will attest to the fact that Ceylon as it was previously known was about as close to a prosperous tropical paradise as you could get – anyone else remember swimming in the pool at the historic Mount Lavinia Hotel? Following the granting of a bloody independence to India in 1947, Ceylon followed in 1948 which in stark contrast was an entirely peaceful transition. Not until 1972 was the name Sri Lanka adopted as the country sought to shake off its colonial legacy.
Recently completing her maiden voyage from Southampton to Barcelona was Celebrity Beyond, the third in a series of five new Edge Class cruise ships built for Celebrity Cruises, a division of the Royal Caribbean Group. She is now home ported in Barcelona for the 2022 summer season before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale for the winter.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a laser focus on policies that have resulted in Europe being heavily dependent on supplies of Russian oil and gas. Around 50% of Russia’s oil exports are destined for Europe according to recent International Energy Agency estimates which amounts to about 25% of the continent’s overall demand. This is equivalent to a VLCC from Russia each day.
Sweden’s Stena Line is well known for operating a large and diverse fleet of ferries and tankers. Innovation in design and state of the art facilities are a hallmark of the company’s approach to European market leadership.
Delivered in late 2020, Stena Embla is the third so called E-Flexer ferry to join the company’s Irish Sea fleet and operates on the highly competitive Liverpool – Belfast route. The investment represents a multi-year $536 million development program
Completed in China in 2021, the VLOC Sea Zhoushan is fitted with tilting Rotor Sails supplied by Finland based Norsepower. She is the largest vessel to date to be fitted with Rotor Sails and the first bulk carrier of any size. The five Rotor Sails are 24m high x 4m diameter.
The world’s first ammonia fuel-ready vessel, the Suezmax tanker Kriti Future was delivered earlier this month to her Greek owners Avin International. Although conventionally fueled, for the time being, the vessel complies with the ABS Ammonia Ready Level 1 requirements, indicating it is designed to be converted to run on ammonia when the time is right.
Marshal Vasilevskiy is Russia’s only Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FRSU), a prime example of these complex vessels which have the attractive option of providing in port terminal LNG capacity or trading on the open market. She was originally built to serve Kalingrad.
The first Chinese domestically built ice breaker, Xue Long 2 (Snow Dragon 2) was delivered in 2019 and made her maiden voyage to Antarctica the same year. She is Polar Class 3 and therefore capable of breaking 1.5m thick ice in polar areas. An earlier ice breaker was purchased from Ukraine and modified to China’s requirements.
