Maritime news . Week 34
Taking a reality check on shipping’s digitalisation
Digitalisation and AI are reshaping shipping, promising safer, smarter and more environmentally responsible operations. This is particularly acute in the absence of a clear pathway for alternative fuels. As companies accelerate their use of technologies to optimise operations, the pathway to progress is not without its challenges. Connectivity gaps, fragmented integration, and a crowded marketplace of near-identical solutions are creating growing pains that can’t be ignored.
Marine Insurers Must Raise Their Awareness of Modern Slavery Risks
Marine insurers are being called to widen their understanding of modern slavery and forced labour across the maritime and extended global supply chains as scrutiny intensifies from regulators, investors, and clients.
In a new Information Paper, published today by the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI), the growing reputational and legal risks facing insurers that underwrite operations linked to exploitative labour practices is highlighted. While insurers are not directly involved in operational abuses, they may be indirectly and unwittingly enabling unethical practices if due diligence is lacking.
Saturation Divers Start Removing Fuel From MSC Shipwreck Off Kerala Coast
The effort to remove fuel from the wreck of MSC Elsa 3 in the Arabian Sea has entered a decisive stage with saturation diving operations now underway, according to India’s Directorate General of Shipping (DGS).
The operation began on August 20 at the wreck site located about 14.6 nautical miles off the Alappuzha coast in Kerala, at a depth of 51 metres (167 feet).
Specialised divers, supported by advanced Diving Support Vessel (DSV) Southern Nova, have started the process of pumping out the remaining fuel. The DGS said that the diving phase has been launched despite difficult underwater conditions.
Ammonia & Methanol Declared Ready As Zero-Emission Shipping Fuels
Both ammonia and methanol have moved from theory to reality as zero-emission shipping fuels, according to a new report from the Global Maritime Forum’s Getting to Zero Coalition.
Based on interviews with around 40 influential industry organisations, From pilots to practice: Methanol and ammonia as shipping fuels finds that both fuels are now ‘ready’ – methanol for low-carbon operation and ammonia for piloting – representing a significant increase in maturity since the report’s first edition in 2020.