In support of customer preparedness for IMO 2020, Shell Marine is introducing Shell Alexia 40 – a new two-stroke engine cylinder oil specifically for use with engines running on 0.5% sulphur content Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO). With a Base Number (BN) of 40, Shell Alexia 40 has been developed to optimize equipment performance and condition as ship owners…
MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has completed the construction of the first fiber-rope offshore crane on the market. The company says that its new FibreTrac crane is able to exploit its full lifting capacity because fiber rope weighs virtually nothing in water, so no additional load is experienced by the crane, regardless of the length of rope used during load handling…
Offshore wind farm company Ørsted and U.S.-based offshore wind support operator, WindServe Marine, are partnering to build two new crew transfer vessels (CTV s) for the budding Jones Act wind market. CTV’s are the workboats that carry workers to and from offshore wind towers for construction, maintenance and operations, and the new builds will be the second and third of…
Russia’s Sevmash Shipyard launched the special-purpose submarine Belgorod (KS-139) at Severodvinsk in a restricted ceremony held on 23-April-2019. The Kremlin hid most of Belgorod from public view during the launch. Belgorod started construction in July 1992 and was initially to be part of the Project 949AM submarines, also known as the Oscar II-class guided missile submarine. In 2012, the decision…
INTRODUCTION This article is an attempt by the author to relate the basic concept of submarine design parameter with respect to operation and understanding how the submarine operates at the surface of the sea, below the surface of the sea, and at the bottom of the surface of the sea, in an upright position. A submarine operation consists of horizontal…
The City of Dipolog is the capital of Zamboanga del Norte, which is the largest province of the Zamboanga Peninsula region by land area, covering 7,301 sq. km. located in northwestern Mindanao. The City of Dapitan is the place where the Spaniards exiled Jose Rizal, our national hero, for his revolutionary ways, making Dapitan a shrine-city. Since 1993, the Port…
The Earth has five major wind zones: (1) polar easterlies, (2) westerlies, (3) horse latitudes, (4) trade winds, and (5) doldrums. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA): “Early commerce to the Americas relied on the trade winds —the prevailing easterly winds that circle the Earth near the equator. Known to sailors around the world, the trade winds…
Bulusan Lake surrounds the foothills of Mount Bulusan Volcano, located in the municipality of Bulusan, Sorsogon province, Bicol Region. Mount Bulusan, which has erupted at least 15 times since 1885, is considered the 4th most active volcano in the Philippines after Mayon, Taal, and Kanlaon Volcanos; and is the highest peak in Sorsogon. On 23-October-2016, Rappler reported that a phreatic…
Purse Seiner vessels of a South Korean company, Silla Co. Ltd, is found compliant with Friend of the Sea’s sustainability criteria, following third party certification audit. Six Silla purse seiner vessels catching mainly Skipjack and Yellowfin Tuna in the Western Central Pacific have been approved according to international certification sustainability requirements. The certified Tuna does not come from overfished stock….
To be relevant and to survive, many profit-oriented organizations positively react to their changing operational environment. They are cognizant that the very thing to expect over time is change. As a consequence, they revise their structure to support a new corporate strategy with the aim to improve efficiency, promote teamwork and reduce cost. These changes could lead to mergers, acquisitions,…
The neglect by the government in implementing environmental laws and regulations caused some concerned residents to file suit, and this resulted in the issuance of the Supreme Court Continuing Mandamus on the Clean-up of Manila Bay. Lead Counsel Antonio Oposa Jr stated it succinctly: “If there is lack of political will on the part of government agencies, it is the…
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), through its Civil Relations Service (CRS), conducted four sorties of relief, psychological, social, medical and dental missions in the evacuation areas of Iligan and Marawi City. The PCG also sent alternately BRP Corregidor and BRP Pampanga to transport food packs from DSWD, and school supplies from Manila to the Iligan Port. Captain Armando Balilo, Acting…
Finally, after more than 4 decades, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has a home to call its own. The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has inaugurated its newly constructed central office building on Bonifacio Drive corner 20th Street at Port Area, Manila. The 12,000-square meter 12-storey building was constructed with a cost of PHP382 million through the assistance of the Department…
In 22-February-2019, another member from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) completed the Boatswain’s Mate “A” Course at US Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia. Seaman Second Class John Daryl Paglinawan PCG finished the 14-week course designed to equip Coast Guard personnel with knowledge in deck operations such as open-water navigation, international rules and regulation, vessel responsibility, search and rescue…
Sailors call the latitudes between 40 and 50 degrees south of the equator the Roaring Forties. In 1611, Dutch explorer Hendrik Brouwer first used this band by which it effectively halved the duration of the trip from Europe to Java. “To run the easting down” was the phrase used to describe the fast passages achieved through the Roaring Forties. During…
In the first week of April, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) showed massive support agreeing to include maritime corruption as a regular work item on its agenda. A paper on the topic of maritime corruption was presented by the Marshall Islands with many countries and international organizations expressing their endorsement of a proposal to develop guidelines to assist all stakeholders…
Under the treaty, ships to be sent for recycling are required to carry an inventory of hazardous materials, specific to each ship. Ship recycling yards are required to provide a “Ship Recycling Plan” specifying the manner in which each ship will be recycled, depending on its particulars and its inventory. The Netherlands recently became the 8th country to become a…
Following successful heavy weather trials in November 2018, the Survival Craft component of VIKING Life-Saving Equipment’s unique hybrid lifeboat/liferaft solution, the VIKING LifeCraft™ System, has now received official approval from the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA). The approval, awarded on 8-March-2019, is the culmination of a long development and approval process. But that’s not the real news. While the LifeCraft™ itself…
These Totten Beacons –19th century aids to navigation– are protected historical resources. In 1513, Spanish explorer Ponce de León sailed into the strong currents of the Florida Straits. Little did he know that within a few years, these uncharted waters, which feed into the Gulf Stream, would become a major international shipping route to and from Europe and the New…
A four-man team from global trade association Interferry were in Manila from March 18-22 in the first stage of a project to study significant safety improvements in Philippines ferry operations and produce a “lessons learned” report to help other developing nations. The FerrySafe project team had arranged one-hour meetings with a wide range of stakeholders to learn how fatal incidents…
In Calarian, Zamboanga City, a Joint Law Enforcement Operation resulted to the confiscation of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride (Shabu), and recovery of Firearms in Barangay Tenan, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay on 13-March 13-2019. The Joint Law Enforcement Troops were composed of: Naval Intelligence Support Unit – 63, Naval Intelligence and Security Group-Western Mindanao (NISG-WM); Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB); Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit Zamboanga…
The ICC – International Maritime Bureau (IMB) was established in 1981 to act as a focal point in the fight against all types of maritime fraud, malpractice and piracy. The United Nations (UN) International Maritime Organization (IMO) in its resolution A 504 (XII) (9) adopted on 20-November-1981 has among other things urged all governments, interests and organizations to exchange information…
With the Philippine Navy’s expanding operations and growing capabilities, its Air Group is poised to be upgraded to wing status. The restructure of the Naval Air Group, the first time since it was formed 7 decades ago, has become imminent due to increasing demands for maritime situational awareness and expertise. “With this wide reach of Naval Air Group nowadays, the…
The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has opened 8 RoRo missionary routes proposed by shipping operators in support of the Road Roll-on / Roll-off Terminal System (RRTS) and the priority program relating to the upgrading of the domestic shipping in support of the nautical highway development under the 10-year maritime industry development plan (MIDP). At the latest Oversight Meeting of the…
New electric ferry to operate on an Icelandic route known for its harsh weather conditions will benefit from efficiency and sustainability enabled by ABB’s technology. ABB will supply integrated power and electric storage solutions to the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration’s new ferry that will take 3,600 annual trips in the rough waters between Landeyjahöfn on the mainland and the…