Trans Mountain Expansion Project – A Reasoned Perspective
One of the most contested project proposals in the history of Western Canada has been the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby in the Port of Vancouver.
Island Aurora – BC Ferries Island Class New Build
Built to a Damen design, Island Aurora and her sister ship Island Discovery departed Constanta, Romania in late November 2019 on a semi-submersible vessel for the 10,305 nautical mile voyage to Victoria BC. After final fitting out and crew training at the Point Hope Shipyard in Victoria, the two vessels entered service in June 2020, Island Discovery on the Powell River to Texada Island route and Island Aurora on the Port McNeill to Alert Bay and Sointula Island route.
The Trends That Will Shape Our Future
I was interested to note an article last month wherein California based Navis unveiled its leading predictions and trends that will drive the shipping industry in 2021.
For those unfamiliar, Navis is a subsidiary of Cargotec Corporation and has carved out a considerable niche in the development and supply of advanced container terminal operating systems across the globe. The predictions were as follows:
CMA CGM Jacques Saadé – LNG powered Ultra Large Container Vessel (ULCV)
CMA CGM Jacques Saadé is the first in class of a series of nine Ultra Large Container Ships (ULCV) which are also the largest ships in the world to be fuelled by LNG.
The vessel was laid down in 2018 and delivered in September last year (2020) for service in the Asia to Europe trade lane, the only lane currently capable of hosting ships of this size.
2020 – An Unprecedented Year of Challenges for the Marine Industry
Events of historical significance for the globe occur every year but of course some years are etched in memory. The most memorable years often relate to the outbreak or end of global conflicts or for example the first man to walk on the moon or the fall of the Berlin wall. The year 2020 will forever be synonymous with the devastation of the global economy generated by COVID 19 and the tragic number of lives prematurely lost. When the pandemic is eventually in the rearview mirror it will be an opportunity for every country to objectively reflect on their preparedness and how they responded to the challenges represented by a virus which highlighted examples of strong leadership but also examples of significant political failure to lead when it most mattered.
Yara Birkeland – the world’s first autonomous zero emission container vessel
To round off this challenging year for the marine industry on a positive note, we introduce the world’s first zero emission container vessel, the much delayed Yara Birkeland. In a further boost for technology she is also designed to operate autonomously, an objective which is scheduled to be realized in 2022.
Shipyards in Crisis
The scrapping of a number of older cruise ships has been much in the maritime media since the onset of the global pandemic effectively shuttered the cruise industry. However, a headline that caught my eye a couple of weeks ago was that it is 500 days since the last Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) was sold to a scrapyard. There are a number of reasons for this, primarily that until very recently VLCCs have been making strong returns, but also the uncertainty generated by IMO emission reduction targets. Just to remind you these are to reduce total emissions from shipping by 50% in 2050, and to reduce the average carbon intensity by 40% in 2030 and 70% in 2050, compared to 2008.
BoldWind – Specialized Deck Cargo Carrier
Delivered in May this year, M.V. BoldWind was the first of two specialized deck cargo carriers long term chartered by MHI Vestas Offshore Wind and dedicated to the movement of offshore wind energy components. She is built to a German-developed design combining optimised capacity with a multi-engine diesel-electric powering system.
Arkitka – The World’s Largest Nuclear-Powered Ice Breaker
Arktika is the first in class of a new of a new generation of Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers. Construction began at the Baltic Shipyards in St. Petersburg in 2013 with a scheduled completion in 2017, however construction delays pushed the completion back and she finally completed sea trials in mid-September 2020. Painted in the colors of the Russian state flag, she is destined to operate north of the Arctic Circle in anticipation of a year-round Northern Shipping Route in support of Russian development of a warming Arctic region and the natural resources that lie therein.
Ship Registration – The Options for an Owner
Ships are registered in the country of an owner’s choice and the options are many. Traditionally a shipowner would register his ships in his country of business identity as a matter of national pride. As recently as the 1960’s this resulted in close to half of the world’s merchant fleet being registered in the UK as a direct reflection of where the fleet was controlled. However, in the last half-century, national ship registration has declined in favour of a number of “Open Registries” which incentivize third-party ship registration. The most popular of these are Panama, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Hong Kong, and Singapore.