SMI Newsdesk Archives

In a move that has been strongly endorsed by UK maritime professional services body Maritime London, Lloyd’s has confirmed that it will continue to operate the Lloyd’s Salvage Arbitration Branch (LSAB) that oversees the Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) salvage contract and procedures.

The Lloyd’s Council decision follows an industry-wide consultation over a proposal to put LSAB into ‘run off’ in the face of declining use of LOF – whether through … Read More…

Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the IMO has welcomed the World Health Organization’s decision to name seafarers as transportation workers to be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination – in instances of limited supplies.

The updated guidance for Stage II of its vaccine roadmap, from the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) states: “Seafarers and air crews who work on vessels that carry goods and no passengers, with special attention … Read More…

Greek start-up Harbor Lab recently welcomed the 300th vessel to its online disbursements platform just 15 months after the software company launched its disbursements accounting (DA) processing solution for the shipping industry.

Launched in March 2020, the Harbor Lab cloud-based DA tool was used to process more than 4,000 port calls in its first year of operation. Giving vessel operators access to agents and vendors at ports across the … Read More…

The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) announced today that it recognises the Seafarer Mental Health Awareness and Wellbeing course offered by Isca Wellbeing and for complying with BMA requirements. The course, which is non-STCW or other convention-related, is the first seafarer mental health training recognised by The BMA.

The training, which is based on the Maritime Charities Group (MCG) Mental Health Awareness & Wellbeing Training Standard, has been designed specifically … Read More…

Swiss engine developer WinGD has celebrated the launch of the first marine two-stroke engine to carry its own NOx abatement solution, offering dramatic reductions in space requirements and installation costs for shipyards seeking to comply with the strictest IMO NOx emission limits.

The X52 low-speed engine with integrated Selective Catalytic Reduction (iSCR) was launched during a ceremony at Dalian Marine Diesel Co. in China. The six cylinder two-stroke engine, … Read More…

RMK Maritime (RMK), a provider of advisory and capital raising services to the maritime industry, has appointed Petros Kefalonitis to lead its business in Athens as it expands its presence into the Greek market.

The new office will offer Greece-based clients the full range of RMK services, including direct lending through its Ascension Finance business.

Petros has been appointed to spearhead RMK’s origination efforts in Greece and the southern … Read More…

Cyprus Shipping Chamber expresses concern about the effectiveness of the proposed measures and their impact on European shipping, welcomes however the recognition of the role of the commercial operator in shipping’s decarbonisation.

The Chamber fully recognises the need for immediate action to face the climate crisis. However, the shipping related proposals issued by the European Commission last week, as part of their “Fit for 55” package to address the climate … Read More…

The results for the first half of 2021 confirm the growth trajectory presented since the end of the previous year by the Port of Sines. The aggregate of all types of cargo reached the 24 million tons handled, representing a year-on-year growth of 23.8%. This positive evolution should be coupled with the flexibility and resilience of the entire port community of Sines which, in a pandemic context, maintained the supply … Read More…

Shipping industry movers and shakers are set to reunite in person to explore the fundamental role that the ESG agenda has in shaping the future of the global shipping industry as London International Shipping Week 2021 (LISW21) confirms its Headline Conference will go ahead in the prestigious headquarters of the International Maritime Organization on Wednesday September 15.

Enjoying the full support of the UK Government, the 700-capacity conference already has … Read More…

Positive response from shoreside employees, in contrast to COVID impact on seafarers. Survey shows need for action to tackle discrimination and boost diversity & inclusion

Shipping’s employers have responded well in looking after their shore-based teams during the ongoing COVID pandemic, according to the results of a new survey of maritime employees, in contrast to the experiences of seafarers during the pandemic. Further action is needed to confront discrimination and … Read More…

RINA has signed an agreement with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) for the classification of the largest ever cruise ship to be built in China.

Speaking at the signing ceremony Mr.Wang Qi, Chairman at SWS said, “The Chinese cruise ship industry is expanding rapidly, and the new vessel is being designed to respond to that growth as well as Chinese tastes. China’s burgeoning economy is providing increased demand for leisure … Read More…

MobileOps, Inc., a pioneer in the design and development of maritime software applications (safety, compliance, vessel maintenance, scheduling, analytics) and ioCurrents, a leader in maritime data analytics and IoT technology have partnered to launch an integration designed to simplify and streamline operations management.

In a world where data plays a significant role in operational efficiencies, the integration empowers MobileOps and ioCurrents users to leave their operations on auto-pilot through … Read More…