Sunday, August 25, 2024

Lost Superyacht's Builder Blames Crew for Sinking

In a series of interviews on Thursday, the builder of the sunken superyacht Bayesian claimed that the ship's crew made "incredible mistakes" that caused the loss of their vessel and the deaths of at least five people, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch. The crew failed to prepare for a forecasted storm, Italian Sea Group CEO Giovanni Costantino told Reuters, and he said that "this is the mistake that cries out for vengeance."

The giant sailing yacht went down in a sudden and extreme thunderstorm at about 0500 on Monday morning. Local residents reported seeing a waterspout in the harbor, then a flare set off by Bayesian's crew. 15 passengers and crew were rescued minutes after the sinking; the remains of five people have been found in the wreck, including Lynch's body, and one person remains missing.

Bayesian (ex name Salute) was a 180-foot aluminum-hulled sailing yacht built by Italian Sea Group's Perini Navi division in 2008. She had no previous history of trouble in 16 years, even in worse weather conditions, Constantino said.

As the investigation into the cause of the tragic sinking gets under way, the authorities will likely look at Bayesian's retractable bulb keel, which could be raised by nearly 20 feet in order to reduce the yacht's draft. In the interview, Constantino confirmed that it was raised at the time of the casualty, which would reduce the vessel's ability to resist capsizing. He faulted the crew for failing to lower the keel in advance of Monday's heavy weather, and said that they should have closed hatches and mustered the passengers as a precaution. "The storm was fully legible in all the weather charts. It couldn't have been ignored," he said.

Constantino described the vessel's loss as "impossible" in ordinary circumstances with proper preparation, and said that the yacht should have been "unsinkable."

"The stern hatch was certainly open - the divers say so - and we think that perhaps something else was open too: there are doors in the superstructure that, even with a 30-degree inclination, if opened, would have taken on water," he told Corrierre della Sera. "It is much more important to know if the port hatch, where the tender is moored and from which guests get on and off, was open, which is much more dangerous."

He said that any formal conclusions on the source of the flooding would have to come from the authorities; those initial answers could come as soon as this weekend, when Italian prosecutors hold their first press conference related to the casualty.

"It took on water with the guests still in the cabin. All it took was a 40-degree tilt and those in the cabins found themselves with the door above. Can you imagine a 60-70 year old man climbing out?" Constantino told Corriere della Sera.

Electric Ro-Ro Freight Ferries Add LEO to Expand Autonomous Tests

autonomous freight ferry — ASKO's autonomous vessels with test a new flat panel antenna system to improve connectivity (Kongsberg)

Two cargo barges introduced two years ago to ferry trailers across Norway’s Oslo fjord are set to begin their next phase of trials. Kongsberg Maritime which is operating the vessels reports in a collaborative project with Norwegian telecommunications provider Telenor Maritime, the barges will be equipped with Eutelsat OneWeb new flat panel antenna system for a trial that aims to expand shipboard connectivity.

The barges were built at India’s Cochin Shipyard and completed in June 2022 to operate for ASKO, a Norwegian grocery company. Each vessel can carry 16 trailers, each with a maximum capacity of 29 tons, and they are traveling between Horten and Moss on the fjord. ASKO reported that it runs up to 800 trailer trucks each day as part of its logistics operation. The barges save distance and fuel crossing the fjord and the longer-term plan anticipates a fleet of the vessels also operating along the coast. Annually ASKO reports it is reducing road travel by more than 1.2 million miles annually and reducing emissions by 5,000 tons.

Measuring approximately 220 feet in length, the barges are fully electric powered by a 1,846 kWh battery. Each vessel weighs approximately 600 tons. Tests began in the fall of 2022, and once fully certified, they will operate controlled by an onshore center using technology from Massterly, a joint venture between Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg. They are part of a new concept to use automation to expand efficiency and sustainability of operations.

The next round of testing for the two vessels calls for them to be remotely controlled from the Remote Operation Center. One of the challenges however remains connectivity.

“Seamless connectivity remains one of the key challenges for remote and autonomous operations, particularly in the open oceans,” said Pål André Eriksen, Senior Vice President, Remote & Autonomous Solutions at Kongsberg Maritime. “Overcoming the challenges of global connectivity and available bandwidth will unlock great potential for the deployment of such technologies in the future."

According to the companies, overcoming the connectivity issues will unlock the next phase of the project and expand the applicability of the technologies. Knut Fjellheim, CTIO of Telenor Maritime says they are on the cusp of achieving 100 percent uptime for ship connectivity,

The integration of the Eutelsat OneWeb antenna system on the vessel they said will enable Kongsberg Maritime to experience LEO (low Earth orbit) connectivity and bandwidth for real-time data transfer, ship-to-shore communication, and remote and autonomous vessel control. LEO technology is a game-changer for all aspects of technology and the connectivity for shipping.

The current design of the ASKO vessels has a permanent bridge for manual operation with a crew aboard. The vessels however can also link to the shoreside operations center. Once the autonomous concept is proven and receives class approval, the bridge will be omitted in future builds. They are on track with the earlier announced timetable that called for a goal to test unmanned operations by 2024. ASKO expects the vessels will play a key part in its goal to achieve zero carbon emission from its logistic services by 2026.

Russia Launches Expedition to Study African Fisheries Resources

Atlantida (Courtesy AtlantNIRO)

Published Aug 25, 2024 3:15 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Russian fishing fleet is set to expand into the African fisheries sector with the launch of a major research expedition by the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries. The study is dubbed the "Great African Expedition" and aims to evaluate marine resources along the coast of 18 African countries spanning the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans.

The expedition began in Kaliningrad and involves two research vessels from the Russian federal fisheries agency. The first vessel, the Atlantniro, will cover coastal zones of countries such as Mauritania, Nigeria, Morocco, Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Angola. The second vessel, Atlantida, will focus on the waters of Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Mauritius and Eritrea.

The study is expected to last for two years. According to the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, each vessel will have a team of 12 marine experts. Additional African researchers will also join the expedition from participating countries.

During the Russia-Africa summit last year, one of the key resolutions was enhancing cooperation and joint research in agriculture and fisheries. In April this year, President Vladimir Putin okayed the federal fisheries agency to organize the expedition to Africa.

The data obtained from the study will help Russia discover new fishing areas and update information on Africa’s fish stocks.

“Last year, our fishing industry set a record by harvesting 5.37 million tons of aquatic natural resources. As a result of the Great African expedition, the scope of our fishing operations will further expand,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev.

The expedition to Africa coincides with Russian plans to build at least 100 new fishing vessels by 2025, representing a 50 percent increase in the country’s overall fleet capacity. Currently, the Russian fishing fleet is old and its fish-processing technologies are outdated. Many fishing vessels in the fleet were built in the 1980s, and the average service life is 30 years.

Russia is entering the African fishing sector at a time when the region is facing multiple threats from IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing. In regions such as West Africa, the average fish catches by traditional fishing communities have declined significantly over the past three decades. In Ghana for instance, the total landings of small pelagic fish fell by 59 percent between 1993 and 2019, despite increased fishing efforts, according to researchers from the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani. Foreign fishing operators - primarily from the Chinese distant-water fleet - and foreign fishmeal producers have been blamed by environmental advocates for evading regulations and overfishing.

NTSB: Acute Sleep Deprivation Led to Towboat Allision

The pilot who was at the helm of the towboat John 3:16 when it hit a cargo pier last year was acutely sleep deprived, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The agency found that he had had less than six hours of quality sleep in the two days leading up to the casualty.

At about 0600 on Sept. 12, 2023, the John 3:16 was under way near New Orleans carrying out fleeting work, picking up and dropping off barges. The pilot and two deckhands were on watch, and the deckhands were both below in the galley. At about 0636, as the towboat passed the towing vessel Okaloosa, it began to drift to starboard. It continued to veer off course, and it hit the pier of an industrial facility at about 0642. The wheelhouse suffered damage on the starboard side, amounting to about $90,000 in repair work, and the industrial pilings and pipework of the dock sustained about $200,000 worth of damage.

Shortly after the casualty, the pilot told the company port captain that he had fallen asleep on watch. He said that the wheelhouse watch alarm had gone off and woken him, "and there was the dock" ahead as soon as he opened his eyes.

The pilot had about 16 years of experience in the towing industry, was properly licensed, and passed drug and alcohol testing. However, he had slept just three hours on Sept. 10 and potentially less on Sept. 11, and had been engaged in hours of phone calls and text conversations on the day before the casualty because of personal stressors. Because the longest period between texts and calls on the 11th was less than two hours, the NTSB concluded that he had had at most two hours of continuous rest that day. He said he did not feel tired when he went on watch at 0000 on Sept. 12.

NTSB noted that fatigue has a pernicious impact on the fatigued individual's ability to recognize that their performance is going down because of sleep deprivation. "Further, self-reporting of fatigue can be hindered by industry or cultural factors that discourage individuals from acknowledging when they are too fatigued to continue operations," the investigators said. "Mariners should understand the performance effects of sleep loss and recognize the dangers of working on board a vessel while fatigued."

China Launches New Generation of Energy-Efficient Inland Cargo Ships

Chinese inland container vessel — China launched the prototypes for a new generation of inland shipping (Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding)

Chinese officials are highlighting the launch of the first of a new generation of highly energy-efficient inland cargo ships. The vessels feature a standardized design for mass production and will be the leaders in the modernization of China’s inland operations.

The two ships were launched on August 22 at the Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding Company. One is 295 feet (90 meters) in length and fueled with LNG for container transport. The second vessel is 222 feet (67.6 meters) in length and uses a hybrid electric drive to transport general cargo. Among the innovations being promoted is that they were able to increase container capacity from 70 to 161 boxes. They also feature a fuel-efficient design.

Among the technologies employed are inland power packs for electric power as well as a gas-electric hybrid power system. The hull is low resistance. They predict the ships will have about six percent lower resistance which will produce at least a three percent energy savings. The deadweight of the vessels is five percent lower than older ships and through the use of LNG and batteries, emissions will be lowered by 90 percent. Carbon emissions with lowered by 15 percent.

Two prototype vessels launched in China (Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding)

The ships will become the largest new energy intelligence shipping on the Beijing-Hangzhou canal. Officials point out that there are more than 10,000 ships operating on the inland rivers in China. Most of the ships they said are generally more than 10 to 15 years old and lack standardized designs. They also have higher emissions and lack fuel efficiency.

The new ships they predict will be the first of a batch of new energy intelligence shipping for the inland industry. A key feature is that the design has been standardized for ease of production. Xinneng reports it has four standardized designs. In addition to the 90-meter LNG-fueled containership and smaller multi-purpose vessel, they are proposing a 67.6-meter fully battery-powered multi-purpose ship and a 57.8-meter (189-foot) LNG-fueled ship.

Using the standardized designs, the shipyard says will save costs and time in production and also make the ships more efficient to operate. Xinneng Shipbuilding predicts it can each year build 400 ships, each in a range of 1,000 to 2,000 tons for inland shipping.

NYK Completes World’s First Commercial-Use Ammonia-Fueled Vessel

ammonia fueled tugboat — Sakigake becomes the world's first ammonia-fueled commercial vessel and will demonstrate operations in Tokyo Bay (NYK)

Japan’s NYK working in conjunction with IHI Power Systems has completed the conversion of a tugboat operating in Tokyo Bay to run on ammonia-fueled propulsion. The project which began four years ago marks the first successful deployment of a commercial vessel fueled by ammonia. The project was reviewed, and the vessel now classed by ClassNK.

The conversion project, which was awarded in August 2022, is based on the 272-ton tug Sakigake which was built in 2015 as Japan’s first LNG-fueled tug. At the time it was viewed as a proof of concept for alternative fuel operations in the class and it is again taking that role for ammonia fueled propulsion. The NYK Group company Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha will now employ the vessel in Tokyo Bay over a three-month demonstration period.

The vessel measures just 122 feet in length. NYK reported that the project which was under Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), is part of an effort to develop vessels equipped with domestically produced ammonia-fueled engines. They had to overcome numerous challenges in handling and operating on ammonia.

After eight years of tug service in Tokyo Bay, the vessel was docked at the NYK Group's Keihin Dock Co. in October 2023 for conversion to an ammonia-fueled vessel. The main engine and fuel tanks were replaced for ammonia, and sea trials were conducted using ammonia as fuel.

Bunkering of the Sakigake, which is also being called A-Tug, took place for the first time in Yokohama, Japan in July. The bunkering was completed using the truck-to-ship method, marking the first time the tug has been fueled with ammonia and followed two similar bunkering operations earlier this year in Singapore for Fortescue’s converted OSV which became the first large ship to be bunkered with ammonia as part of testing and certification by the Singapore authorities.

As part of the development of vessels equipped with domestically produced ammonia-fueled engines through NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project, NYK is also conducting research and development on an ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier with Japan Engine Corporation, Nihon Shipyard Co., IHI Power Systems, and ClassNK. This vessel is scheduled for delivery in November 2026.

The NYK Group reports it will continue to utilize the knowledge gained through the research and development of these vessels to contribute to the decarbonization of the shipping industry. The group plans to promote and expand the use of ammonia-fueled vessels.

CBO: Cost of Coast Guard's Heavy Icebreakers Could Jump By 60 Percent

After analyzing the U.S. Coast Guard's projections for the future Polar Security Cutter program, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the cost of the three-ship series of icebreakers could approach $5 billion - about 60 percent more than the current official projection. The Coast Guard previously raised its own estimate by 20 percent because of challenges in the program, and is currently undertaking another revision.

The icebreaker program program has been beset by delays. The first hull was originally awarded to VT Halter in 2019 and was expected to deliver this year. Halter has since been acquired by Bollinger, and the program has been advancing slowly because of incomplete design work, according to the CBO.

Like the design for the U.S. Navy's Constellation-class frigate, the design for the Polar Security Cutter started life as an off-the-shelf hull form from Europe. Both programs have gone through years of design changes, and both have more work ahead at the drafting table. According to the CBO, the design for the Coast Guard's heavy icebreaker program was less than 60 percent complete as of July.

CBO also believes that the conversion of the Coast Guard's soon-to-be-purchased commercial icebreaker, the anchor handler Aiviq, will take "at least two years." This is longer than previously reported, and would push Aiviq's entry into service back to late 2026 at the earliest.

The service's sole medium icebreaker, USCGC Healy, is out of service because of a recent electrical fire. CBO raised the new possibility that it might not be fully fixable. "The Coast Guard is uncertain when or if the ship will be able to resume normal operations," CBO warned.

The office warned that costs would rise if the Coast Guard decided to bring another shipyard into the program.

"If Bollinger is unable to build the ships, or if the service wants more PSCs faster than the shipyard can build them, then the costs of the program will probably be higher because the new yard will be building its own lead ship, which is a notoriously difficult task, and because each yard will experience less learning from building fewer ships," CBO cautioned.

The White House has been encouraging Canadian icebreaker builder Davie to start up a new shipyard partnership in the United States, with plans to attract foreign orders for series production and export.

Oceana Sues to Revoke 31 Offshore E&P Licenses in North Sea

In May, the government of then-UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a total of 31 new offshore oil and gas licenses for exploration in the North Sea. Now that an election has passed and Britain has a new government, advocacy group Oceana UK is filing a lawsuit to invalidate the Sunak administration's E&P licenses, arguing that the decision was unlawful because it did not adequately consider the potential impact of a possible oil spill.

The lawsuit will assert that the environmental assessments made by Sunak's secretary of state were improper, because they allegedly disregarded independent expert advice about the effects of drilling on designated marine protected areas (MPAs), which cover about a third of the lease acreage involved in the license round. A secondary claim will focus on the climate impact of the new licensing activity, including from the indirect emissions generated by end users when the oil and gas from the lease areas is burned. Oceana also believes that the assessment relied on an improper assumption that half of the lease acreage would never be developed.

Though the legal brief is prepared for filing, Oceana and its partners are hoping that they will not have to try the case in court. The newly-elected government of Prime Minister Keir Starner is opposed to future offshore E&P activity, and Oceana's hope is that the administration will concede their claims and voluntarily "bring an end" to the previous administration's licensing decision.

"These licences were issued with a shocking disregard for expert advice, as well as our seas, climate and future," said Naomi Tilley, Campaign Lead at Oceana UK. "With its commitment to end oil and gas licences, the new government has started down a world-leading path, and now it has a crucial opportunity to honor the spirit of that ambition."

Oceana is represented by Leigh Day in the case. The law firm asserted that the Sunak administration's final assessment did not meet legal review standards because it appeared to omit and disregard its own scientific advisors' views without a reason, thereby invalidating the decision to grant the licenses.

Oceana sues to protect Alaska corals

Separately, Oceana's U.S. arm is suing NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service for allowing bottom trawling near known deep-sea coral gardens in the Gulf of Alaska. Oceana alleges that five NMFS trawl management plans - covering some of America's most productive commercial fisheries - violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by failing to protect seabed species. Bottom trawls drag the seafloor along a swath hundreds of feet wide, and the National Academy of Sciences assesses that they are the largest single threat to living seafloor habitats like corals.

According to Oceana, displacing about five percent of the existing trawl effort in the Gulf of Alaska would be enough to protect thousands of sponges and coral gardens on the seabed, while still leaving high-value areas open for trawl operators.

Oceana USA's legal counsel, Earthjustice, noted that NMFS has already closed 95 percent of the central and western Aleutian islands to bottom trawling, along with 90 percent of ocean waters off the U.S. West Coast. The Gulf of Alaska is the last area in the region where bottom trawling remains largely unrestricted.

Top image: Richard Slessor / CC BY SA 2.0

WAR IS ECOCIDE

Burning Tanker in Red Sea Threatens Disaster Worse Than Exxon Valdez

Sounion explosion — Three simultaneous detonations occur at evenly-spaced locations on Sounion's main deck (Courtesy Houthi Military Media)

Two days after Houthi forces blew up the cargo tanks of the Greek-owned Suezmax Sounion, the flames emerging from the vessel's deck were still visible from space, based on imagery from the EU's Sentinel satellite system. Western governments have warned that the terrorist group's action could cause a devastating oil spill in the Red Sea, up to four times larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster - with serious consequences for the environment and for subsistence fisheries.

"While the crew has been evacuated, the Houthis appear determined to sink the ship and its cargo into the sea," said the U.S. State Department in a statement. "Through these attacks, the Houthis have made clear they are willing to destroy the fishing industry and regional ecosystems that Yemenis and other communities in the region rely on for their livelihoods, just as they have undermined the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the region through their reckless attacks."

The European Union's naval mission in the Red Sea, EUNAVFOR Aspides, echoed these concerns.

"This situation underlines that these kinds of attacks pose not only a threat against the freedom of navigation but also to the lives of seafarers, the environment, and subsequently the life of all citizens living in that region," the EU mission said in a statement.

Before the blast, multiple Houthi observers aimed video cameras at the vessel from different angles. Based on their footage, the tanker was wracked by three simultaneous explosions, and three fireballs erupted from the main deck level upwards. The pattern suggests that after they disabled the Sounion, the Houthi attackers waited for Western defenders to leave, then boarded the tanker, placed explosive charges on deck, and recorded the ensuing detonation for public release - as they have done previously.

A spokesman for Houthi forces did not address potential environmental harm from the attack, and said only that the vessel was targeted because of the shipowner's alleged decision to continue sending vessels to Israeli seaports. The Houthi militia has declared a naval blockade on Israeli-affiliated shipping because of the ongoing military operation in Gaza, though it has previously attacked vessels without any clear Israeli nexus - including vessels linked to Houthi allies.

Houthis Set Sounion Tanker Ablaze Causing Potential Environmental Disaster

tanker drifting in Red Sea — Image releases by Houthis along with video setting the laden taken on fire

The Houthis militants released video late on Friday showing explosions aboard the laden Greek tanker Sounion setting the stage for what experts believe will be one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.

The vessel is fully laden with approximately 150,000 tonnes (more than 900,000 barrels) of crude loaded in Iraq. Two years ago, UN officials warned that if the FSO Safer, which was also off the coast of Yemen, failed it would take 25 years for fish stocks to recover while the cost of cleanup alone would be a staggering $20 billion. The FSO Safer had about one million barrels aboard.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations earlier today issued an update saying it had been told that it appears there are three fires burning on the vessel. In addition, earlier reports had said the ship had dropped its anchors and that Delta Tankers was arranging for its salvage. UKMTO now cautions that the vessel appears to be drifting.

Yesterday, after the tanker was evacuated, EU officials had issued a statement calling for caution and urging everyone in the area to “refrain from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation.” The Houthis in the past have been known to board disabled vessels and renew their attacks.

The French frigate Chevalier Paul defended the tanker yesterday from a further attack by the Houthi while also coordinating the evacuation of the 29 crewmembers. When they left the vessel, the report said the fires had been extinguished, but that the vessel had taken on water. It was without power.

The crew of the tanker, which included a Russian captain, 24 Filipino seafarers as well as three from India and one from Nepal, arrived in Djibouti at around 2200 last night according to the port authority. They said all the crew were safe and being attended to following a similar report from the authorities in the Philippines. Reports said one crewmember received minor injuries.

Officials in Djibouti had issued an urgent call for immediate intervention by the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They were urging that actions be taken to mitigate the impact of the attack and protect the marine environment.

UN officials two years ago warned of the consequences of a large oil spill in the region. They had said if the FSO Safer failed the large spill would be an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe. They predicted the destruction would reach pristine reefs, coastal mangroves, and other sea life across the Red Sea, exposing millions of people to the pollution and cutting off food, fuel, and other life-saving supplies. Coastal communities the UN emphasized would be hit hardest with hundreds of thousands of jobs in the fishing industry being lost. A spill from the Sounion would be on the same magnitude as the FSO Safer.

Cargo Ship Blacks Out and Becomes Wedged Across St. Lawrence Seaway

cargo ship blocking St Lawrence Seaway — Heemskerkgracht has been blocking the St Lawrence Seaway since Thursday evening after the cargo ship blacked out and wedged in a key channel (Kahnawake 911/Facebook)

A Dutch general cargo ship outbound from Canada blacked out Thursday evening in one of the channels of the St. Lawrence Seaway south of Montreal, Canada. The vessel is currently wedged at a 45-degree angle across the waterway blocking navigation.

The vessel, Heemskerkgracht (12,672 dwt) is registered in the Netherlands and is approximately 453 feet (138 meters) in length. It loaded scrap metal and departed Sainte Catherine, Canada bound for Huela, Spain. According to various media reports, the vessel was attempting a turn and navigation in the seaway when its power blacked out stopping the engine at around 1840 local time Thursday, August 22.

Seaway officials told the local media the vessel first made contact with the south shore as the crew attempted to navigate and they also dropped an anchor. Residents reported hearing a scraping noise before the vessel veered into its position at a 45-degree angle to the channel and blocking all navigation on the busy waterway.

Local emergency services responded and reported that a visual survey showed no damage to the vessel or pollution. It does not appear to be wedged against the rocks but simply stuck in the mud. The crew was not reporting any water ingress while engineers were working to repair the power problems.

Two to three tugs were reported to be on standby from Montreal and a salvage master was traveling to the site. The current plan calls for the tugs to begin repositioning the vessel at first light on Saturday morning, August 24. They will move the vessel to a nearby dock for further inspection.

With the seaway blocked, officials were reporting on Friday six vessels had already become trapped. By the time they are able to clear the seaway on Saturday, it is expected that at least a dozen vessels will have been delayed. Officials were happy that there were no dangerous materials aboard but it is a busy time of the year for the seaway as agricultural products are outbound.

Update: Saturday morning, August 24, as planned two tugs, Océan Pierre Julien and Océan Intrépide, undertook the salvage operation. They were able to refloat and remove the vessel from the blocked channel. At midday, she was docked in Sainte Catherine, Canada for further inspection.

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