It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, December 26, 2024
China Reports Building World’s Largest Heavy Lift Vessel
Fan Zhou 8 is reported to have the largest heavy lift capacity (Taizhou Municipal Committee)
Chinese officials are reporting the successful sea trials of what they are calling the world’s largest heavy lift vessel. Commentators are comparing its lift capacity to that of China’s domestically built aircraft carrier.
Named Fan Zhou 8, the vessel reportedly has a capacity for over 58,000 metric tons of cargo. The massive lift deck is reported to be 11,700 square meters. They report this gives the vessel the capability to transport ultra-large components such as offshore oilfield jackets, platform modules, port machinery, components for offshore wind power, and more.
Built by the Taizhou Zhonghang Shipyard for Jiangsu Fanzhou Shipping, the vessel completed five days of sea trials between December 16 and 20 in the seas east of Shanghai. The ship reportedly achieved a top speed exceeding 15 knots powered by two 8,340 kW main engines and two 1,200 kW bow thrusters. The power plant is fully redundant. During the sea trials, they report it was escorted by tugboats but used its autonomous navigation capabilities.
Among the other capabilities that are being highlighted for Fan Zhou 8 is the ability to operate in waters with small floating ice. They are calling the vessel polar-ready. The China Classification Society (CCS) highlights among the notations are brake system remote control capabilities, automation notations, and additional green notations that meets the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention and the European Union.
Vessel was launched in October 2024 (CCS)
The ship measures approximately 840 feet (256 meters) in length and with a beam of 167 feet (51 meters). It has a range of 16,000 nautical miles.
China has developed a large fleet of heavy lift vessels. Among the other uses, they deliver ship-to-shore and port cranes fully assembled from China to ports around the world. Analysts also argue that the fleet has critical military capabilities for China’s navy.
New Emissions Barges Readied to Help California Ports Meet New Rules
STAX's fifth barge will launch for Shell's tanker terminal in the Port of Los Angeles (STAX)
Two new emissions filter barges developed by a company called STAX are preparing to enter service. One of the barges will be deployed in an expansion of the service at the Port of Benicia while the other barge will be the first dedicated to tankers at the Port of Los Angeles.
The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) new regulations that go into effect in 2025 extend the requirements to reduce emissions for on-berth vessels. The rules phase in an expansion to cover more containerships, tankers, and car carriers. Shore power is one alternative while STAX offers a service where a barge is positioned alongside and a cap placed over the funnel to capture exhaust and filter it through the technology on the barge. STAX has been recognized as a grantee of CARB.
The company announced in April 2024 an exclusive agreement with AMPORTS, an automotive ports logistics and processing solutions provider. It was the fourth such agreement in just eight weeks and called for STAX to provide a new barge, its fourth, that will be deployed under an exclusive service agreement with AMPORTS. NYK has announced a partnership with STAX to service its auto carriers at the Port of Benicia.
Fifth barge completing outfitting before its 2025 introduction (STAX)
STAX reports its fourth barge is now complete and will soon be heading to the Port of Benecia. The port is a critical point of entry for vessels from Asia., Europe, and Mexico. At the port, AMPORTS handles roughly 260,000 imported vehicles annually. That equates to approximately 20 percent of the vehicles imported by sea into California.
The company also reports that the finishing touches are placed on its fifth barge which will be deployed in 2025 to the Port of Los Angeles. STAX and Shell Oil Products (Equilon Enterprises) entered into a five-year agreement for STAX to service tankers calling at the Port of Los Angeles’ Shell Mormon Island Terminal.
The agreement anticipates that STAX will provide approximately 1,600 hours of emissions capture and control per year making it the first company to service tankers in California. It projects it will treat more than 150 tons of emissions over the lifetime of the partnership.
STAX highlights that it is providing services at the Ports of Benicia, Log Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland. The new CARB rules also target smaller commercial port vessels including tugs as they seek to show incremental improvements in emissions in and around California’s ports.
ANOTHER ONE
Bulker Expected to be Stuck for Days After Grounding in St. Lawrence
Maccoa is reported to be sideways outside the navigation channel (Holly Crowe-Ortolani/Facebook)
A dry bulk carrier flagged in Cyprus is facing the prospect of being aground for a few days in Canada’s St. Lawrence River. There is no sign of pollution or water ingress, but the vessel is stuck outside the channel with a spokesperson for the Canadian Coast Guard telling the Montreal Gazette the plan to refloat the ship could be delayed by the Christmas holiday.
The Maccoa (30,898 dwt) departed Montreal at approximately 2300 on December 23 but only made it a short distance to the north on the river to the area of Ile Marie and Vercheres where it became stuck at around 0100 on December 24. The Canadian Coast Guard is reporting the vessel is “sideways outside the navigation channel.” It is not obstructing traffic on the river.
The circumstances of the incident were not reported, but local media is saying the vessel might have experienced a loss of power. There are no reports of injuries or pollution.
The Coast Guard told the Montreal Gazette that it is coordinating with the pilot authority, Transport Canada, and the vessel’s operators for a plan to free the ship. They said it could “take a few days” to finalize the plan.
The ship which is 607 feet (185 meters) in length appears to be riding high without a cargo. It was outbound for Waterford, Ireland. It is managed by Navarone of Greece.
It is not the first time the vessel has had navigation challenges on the St. Lawrence. In 2018, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada issued a report about another incident with the same ship. It was inbound loaded with 18,830 tonnes of salt rock in bulk. The Maccoa had departed Montreal bound for Johnstown, Ontario with a pilot aboard.
The Maccoa in the prior incident was near the Côte Sainte-Catherine Lock in the South Shore Channel of the St. Lawrence Seaway and a bridge crossing the canal failed to be lifted to create clearance. The pilot took a series of maneuvers attempting to slow the ship while staying in the channel. The ship’s bow thruster was not working, and it was moving to the right side of the channel. The pilot was eventually able to regain control but not before the vessel was presumed to have made bottom contact. A later survey reported no damage from touching bottom but the TSB was investigating why the bridge was slow to be raised and why the vessel lost control while attempting to slow in the river.
Earlier this month, another Laker was freed from the river south of Montreal after having been aground for more than three weeks. In that case, the Tim S. Dool required cranes to partially offload its cargo before tugs were able to pull it free and back into the shipping channel.
One Killed in Violent Boat Explosion in Fort Lauderdale
On Monday evening, a small passenger vessel exploded and burned alongside the pier in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, killing one and injuring five.
Just before 1800 hours, a blast rocked the quay at Lauderdale Marina, a dealership and fuel dock just north of Port Everglades. A 37-foot boat exploded violently when its engines fired up, startling passersby. Security camera video footage showed that the boat's main deck separated from the hull due to the force of the explosion.
"It was like a boom, kind of, and I turned around and the whole dock was already on fire," one witness told local station WSVN.
The explosion killed one passenger, identified as Quebec resident Sebastien Gauthier, 40. Gauthier went into the water in the blast, and his body was recovered by a dive team later in the evening.
The other five passengers of the boat survived the blast and were evacuated to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment, including three people with serious trauma injuries. The boat continued to burn and ignited a second vessel located nearby; both fires were extinguished, and the vessels will be hoisted out of the water for forensic examination.
An investigation into the cause of the explosion is under way, led by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. It is the second time this month that a boat has exploded at the Lauderdale Marina: the previous blast occurred during fueling, and one person was evacuated for treatment for burns.
ALT FUELS
China Conducts Its First Ammonia Bunkering Operation with Demonstration Tug
Dual-fuel ammonia tug completed China's first ammonia bunkering operation (COSCO)
China completed its first domestic ammonia bunkering operation for a vessel and one of only a handful of ammonia bunkers conducted worldwide. It is part of a broader demonstration project launched in China in 2022 to develop an ammonia-fueled tugboat.
The bunkering operation took place on December 24 in Dalian at the COSCO Shipping Heavy Industries shipyard which has also completed the construction of the tug Yuan Tuo Yi. The fueling was carried out by vehicle in a truck-to-ship method. It lasted two hours but they did not indicate the quantity of ammonia fuel loaded.
According to the reports, the bunkering was undertaken by the Sinopec COSCO Shipping Marine Fuel Supply Company after extensive testing and planning. The company conducted research on the ammonia fueling process, a safety assurance plan, and an emergency response plan in preparation for the bunkering operation.
Bunkering operation was conducted truck-to-ship in Dalian (COSCO)
The tug Yuan Tuo Yi is the result of an extensive research program that included the design and development of the engine and the fuel supply system. The report indicates the project earned Approval in Principle from both the Chian Classification Society (CCS) and ABS for the design of the ammonia-powered tugboat and the ammonia fuel supply systems. CCS conducted product test certification.
Construction of the tug started in January 2024. It employs the CRRC Dachai 12V240HDFA ammonia-diesel dual-fuel engine and a fuel supply system developed by Weihai Heavy Industry Technology. The tug, which measures approximately 125 feet (38 meters) in length had two C-type liquid ammonia storage tanks.
Chinese officials reported in 2023 that they had successfully operated a medium-speed ammonia dual-fuel engine. They indicated an energy substitution rate of over 90 percent and a thermal efficiency of over 40 percent within the stable operating range. Previously, with a single-cylinder engine, they reported reaching 208kW, with ammonia energy accounting for 85 percent. Carbon emissions were reduced by 80 percent.
The world’s first ammonia bunkering for a vessel took place earlier this year in Singapore as part of a test program using an offshore vessel converted by Fortescue. During the summer, NYK fueled its tug with ammonia after a conversion from LNG. U.S.-based Amogy also demonstrated its ammonia-fueled tug using technology that incorporates cracking.
Construction has started on the first ammonia-ready and ammonia dual-fuel large commercial ships which the engine companies work to complete their efforts leading to the commercial introduction of ammonia engines. Infrastructure development is also underway to support the introduction of ammonia as a marine fuel in the coming years.
Seaboard Marine Integrates LNG-Fueled Containerships into Fleet
Seaboard Voyager entered service in November followed by Seaboard Victory (Seaboard Marine)
Miami-based carrier Seaboard Marine is beginning the integration of a new class of innovative LNG-fueled containerships into its fleet servicing South America. The U.S. carrier highlights the advanced features and increased capacity as it placed the first two vessels of its new V-Class into the fleet with a total of six ships of the class due by the end of 2025.
Seaboard is part of a trend among U.S. carriers that have embraced LNG for its environmental properties and efficiency. TOTE claims the honor of introducing in 2018 the first LNG-fueled containership and has continued to expand its fleet. Pasha has also added LNG-fueled vessels including the newbuilds George III and Janet Marie while Matson has also started LNG conversions for its LNG-ready vessels while also ordering new dual-fuel containerships.
HB Hunte of Germany designed the new class of vessels for Seaboard Marine and they were ordered from China’s Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering Company. The original order was expanded in 2023 when Seaboard exercised the options for three additional ships. The shipyard highlights they are the largest containerships built by the yard.
Seaboard Victory recently made her first port calls in Peru showing the unique design of the vessels (Seaboard Marine)
Among the unique elements of the design is the first adoption of the double C-type vertical gas tanks. The tanks on the Seaboard vessels are reported to be the world’s largest vertical gas tanks so far deployed on a ship. The vessels also adopt a new bow arrangement.
Taizhou reports the design emphasizes ecological sustainability. The dual-fuel engines, MAN B&W 7570ME-C10, operate on LNG or MGO (marine gas oil). Each ship has two diesel generators and one LNG generator. They have been classed by DNV and are reported to have a design speed of 19.5 knots.
“The Seaboard Victory marks an exciting milestone as the second ship in our cutting-edge V-Class series of six vessels and the second of eight new LNG-powered ships transforming our fleet,” said Eddie Gonzalez, President and CEO of Seaboard Marine announcing the introduction of the vessel. “Its arrival reflects our dedication to sustainability and delivering exceptional service to our customers.”
Seaboard Victory followed Seaboard Voyager which completed sea trials in August and was integrated into the fleet in November. Seaboard Victory entered service this month recently making her first calls in Callao and Pisco, Peru. The ships join a route between the U.S., the Caribbean, Central and South America.
Each of the vessels has a capacity for 3,500 TEU including over 1,000 reefer plugs. At approximately 52,500 dwt the ships are registered in Liberia.
Seaboard Blue is the company's first LNG vessel and became the first LNG cargo ship to bunker at PortMiami (Seaboard Marine)
Seaboard Marine adopted its first LNG-fueled vessel in 2023 with the purchase of the Elbblue (13,200 dwt) which had been built in 2011 and operated for Wessels Reederei as Wes Amelie. She was retrofitted in 2017 for LNG operations. The vessel has a capacity of 1,000 TEU. Operating as Seaboard Blue, she also became in March 2023 the first LNG-fueled containership to bunker at PortMiami, Florida before her inaugural sailing to Honduras and Guatemala.
The company reports it will have a total of eight LNG-powered vessels by the end of 2025. Overall, containerships are the largest segment of LNG-fueled vessels according to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight database. It shows a total of 127 LNG-fueled containerships currently in service with an additional 314 on order and deliveries to accelerate over the next four years. By 2028, DNV projects over 400 LNG-fueled containerships in service.
Israel Strikes Houthi Ports, Airport, and Power Stations
Israeli strikes damaged the ports, airport and power station (Yemen TV)
The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement confirming that the air force struck Houthi targets in Israel’s fourth retaliation against the Houthi drone and surface-to-surface missile attacks. Israel called the strikes precision attacks against the military infrastructure used by the Houthis and to smuggle Iranian weapons into the region.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Prime Minister approved the strike plan for the Israel Air Force with unconfirmed reports from Yemen saying as many as 10 targets were struck following similar strikes by Israel a week ago. Israel’s first round of strikes on the port of Hodeidah took place in late September.
The IDF said the targets were the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Kanatib on the western coast of Yemen. They also strike the Sana’a International Airport causing widespread damage and two power stations, Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib. Unconfirmed reports from TV broadcasts in Yemen showed the power stations in flames and many destroyed buildings. Unconfirmed reports from Yemen said the Israeli planes sunk another tugboat in Hodeidah while a tug operating from Salif to assist a tanker at the Ras Issa Oil Terminal was hit. They are saying this killed one crewmember and left three others msising. According to the report, Israel crippled operations across all Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports.
Reuters is citing the Al Masirah TV in Yemen which said two people were killed at the airport and one person died in the strikes on the ports. They are claiming 11 people were wounded in the attacks. Last week, Israel also struck power facilities and reportedly targeted tugs operating in the three ports.
“The Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah, and Assad’s regime and others learned,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The IDF said it will not hesitate to operate at any distance against any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.
The strikes came as the Houthis have repeatedly said their new phase of operations was focusing on firing missiles into Israel. Yesterday, they released a statement claiming to have fired two missiles into central Israel after days of similar claims.
Media reports said 16 people were wounded in the Tel Aviv area by a Houthi missile. Media reports have indicated numerous air raid sirens being sounded due to the Houthi attacks. Last week, the reports said the Israelis at least partially shot down the Houthi missiles but debris hit an unoccupied school.
The leader of the Houthis, Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi went on the airways saying no matter the pressures, the group will not stop its operations. He called for the public to turn out for a massive demonstration on Friday. The group stages a weekly demonstration on Friday in Sana’a.
The Israelis accused Iran of supporting the Houthis. They said today’s strikes were a further example of the Houthis’ exploitation of the civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
Bosphorus Closed After Tanker Previously Damaged by Houthis Breaks Down
Cordelia Moon was towed into an anchorage while traffic was suspended (Turkish TV)
Vessel traffic along the busy sea lane in the Bosphorus was suspended today, December 26, by Turkish officials as they dealt with a disabled tanker. It is the latest in a series of incidents with tankers operating in the Russian oil trade that experienced mechanical problems in the seaway.
Turkey’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety reports it dispatched three tugs, Kurtarma-8, Kurtarma-10, and Kurtarma-11, to tow the disabled vessel to the Ah?rkap? Anchorage Area. While the operation was underway traffic was suspended in both the north and southbound lanes.
The tanker, Cordelia Moon (163,288 dwt) was bound to Novorossiysk after undergoing repairs from damage it suffered in an attack by the Houthi. The ship was attacked and damaged by the Houthis at the beginning of October in a barrage including missiles, drones, and a bomb boat. Videos of the security team attempting to explode the bomb boat were posted online.
The tanker, which is managed from India and registered in Panama, was empty for the trip to Russia. Turkish authorities are saying it experienced an engine failure.
It was the latest in a series of incidents involving tankers in the Russian oil trade. Last month, a smaller product tanker registered in Panama, Nazan (4,600 dwt) also forced a temporary closure. The vessel reported a rudder malfunction. In August, another product tanker the Sredina (34,800 dwt) also reported an engine malfunction while in the Bosphorus. The sea lanes were again closed by the tanker which was traveling from Russia to Libya.
Earlier this week, Greek authorities detained an unidentified tanker also sailing from Russia after it was involved in a collision in a lane east of Piraeus. The tanker and a cargo ship collided and while there were no injuries the authorities were seeking to determine the cause of the collision.
Russia Struggles to Salvage its Mediterranean Investment
Russian Ropucha-class landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak off Tartus, Syria at the height of Russia's local influence. Two sister ships appear to be under way to evacuate Russian forces (Russian Ministry of Defense)
Russia is facing increasing difficulties in recovering its position in the Mediterranean and the Levant, following the overthrow by President Bashar Al Assad in Syria by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
As was predictable, Russian claims to be negotiating a continuance of its basing in Syria with its new leaders proved to be bluster. Given the Russians’ long history of terror bombing of civilian targets during the civil war, its provision of asylum to the fleeing Assad family, and having accused the HTS leader Ahmed Al Sharaa of being a CIA spy, the Syrians saw no benefit in prolonging the Russian presence. HTS has now made it clear that it sees no continuing role in Syria for either Russia or Iran.
In the meantime, the Russians have pulled back from their positions in Syria’s interior, concentrating the forces remaining at their airbase at Khmeimim and at Tartus on Syria’s coast, off which the remnants of Russia’s Mediterranean flotilla still lingers. It has been somewhat surprising that the Russians have been able to execute this withdrawal unscathed and without interference, which must be considered a credit to the discipline applied to Syria’s various armed factions by the new HTS leadership.
The Russians are likely to have explored any possibility of keeping a presence in the Mediterranean area, in particular to service their interests in North Africa. The most likely option is in eastern Libya, in the area controlled by the renegade Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar. Nonetheless, at a time when its war maintenance reserves are severely depleted by the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia’s military hardware marooned in Syria is a valuable and urgently needed resource that could have a major impact on the Ukrainian battlefield, a development which Ukraine would seriously wish to sabotage. To make the shift, helicopters, and high-value air defense units can be flown out, but armored vehicles, heavy equipment, and munition stockpiles need to be moved by sealift.
Hence the sighting in transit the Straits of Gibraltar on December 23 of two Ropucha Class landing ships (Alexander Otrakovsky (L031) and Alexander Shabalin (L110)) and the improved landing ship Ivan Gren (L135), in company with cargo vessels Sparta and Ursa Major often seen previously on the route to Tartus. Being shipped as deck cargo on the Ursa Major were two dockside cranes - not needed in well-equipped Tartus, but probably a necessity to build up one of the under-developed ports in Libya which the Russians may have contemplated adopting as their new Mediterranean base.
The Libyan option may have sunk when later on December 23, the Ursa Major foundered off Oran as a consequence apparently of an engine room explosion. If the evacuation convoy now needs to take the long route back to the Baltic instead, the Ukrainians are likely to be keenly and actively interested in preventing its safe arrival in Russia.
The Russian withdrawal from Syria also has implications for regional politics within the immediate neighborhood. Turkey is evidently keen to fill the vacuum left by the Russians, inspired by memories of Ottoman rule in the Levant and dreaming already of a revival of the Hejaz Railway destroyed by the Arab Revolt. However, autonomy of the Kurdish northeast of Syria is likely to prove an enduring obstacle to Turkish ambitions.
Elsewhere in the region, a realignment is in progress; for transactional purposes some countries have hitherto sought to treat the West and Russia as equals, and in their own best interests may now be seeking to distance themselves from those they had previously lauded as the best of friends.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
Report: USS Gettysburg Nearly Shot Down a Second Friendly Fighter Jet
An F/A-18 equipped for a tanking mission refills a second F/A-18 (USN file image)
Early Sunday morning, a U.S. Navy cruiser accidentally shot down a U.S. Navy fighter jet over the Red Sea, forcing the two pilots to eject. The Navy confirmed the incident on the 22nd, but two days later, Fox News reported a previously undisclosed detail: a second missile narrowly missed hitting a second fighter.
"It was a tanker crew [an F/A-18 fitted for in-flight refueling] returning to land on the carrier about 10 miles out," an undisclosed source told Fox. The aircraft was returning from a refueling mission in support of strike fighters operating over Yemen.
"[The pilots] recognized the missile was guiding and punched out about 3 seconds before the missile hit the jet," the source said. The pilots safely ejected and were retrieved, though one had minor injuries.
The second jet was also lining up to land and was several miles behind. The second missile narrowly missed it by as little as 100 feet, the source said; the Navy is investigating whether its guidance system had been shut off, and whether it was targeted at the second jet, according to Fox.
The Navy's initial report suggested that a single F/A-18 was involved in the incident, and that it had been "flying off the USS Harry S. Truman." The source told Fox that this was incorrect, and that two jets had been lining up for landing onto the USS Harry S. Truman.
The Navy confirmed that the USS Gettysburg - the carrier strike group's cruiser - was responsible for the missile launch.
The friendly-fire incident occurred after a UAV and missile barrage launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels, according to U.S. Central Command - a possible contributing factor in the misidentification of the incoming F/A-18s as an incoming threat. Air defense watchstanders in the tight confines of the Red Sea operating area have seconds to decide whether to launch countermeasures against Houthi antiship missiles.
Salvage Barge Prepares to Defuel Wreck of
New Zealand Navy Ship
HMNZS Manawanui, center, is resting on its side just below the surface on a reef slope off Upolu (NZDF, October 9)
Salvors have arrived at the wreck site of the survey ship HMNZS Manawanui, which went down off the coast of Opolu, Samoa in early October. The operation to defuel the ship took weeks to mobilize, due in part to permitting and approval processes, but the New Zealand Defence Forces report that work will now begin as soon as the barge's spread-moor anchor system is installed.
Manawanui grounded on a reef on the southern side of Opolu, Samoa on October 5 while conducting survey operations. A preliminary inquiry determined that the bridge team attempted to maneuver with manual controls and failed to detect that the autopilot was still engaged. They drove onto the reef at more than 10 knots, dragging the hull along the bottom for more than 400 yards before coming to a halt. The ship subsequently caught fire and sank, but - through heroic efforts - all 75 people on board managed to evacuate safely.
The salvors' barge is now in place near the sunken vessel, and the Samoan government has approved a carefully-designed plan to lay out the barge's anchors without damaging the reef. This is the last major step before pumping off the fuel in the vessel's tanks.
The vast majority of Manawanui's fuel remains in place, according to the NZDF, but Samoan media outlets report that water sampling results have confirmed the presence of diesel contamination just off the coast. A fishing ban is in place for the nearby villages, and some local residents have complained that they have lost their livelihoods until they get the all-clear to resume.
Samoa's coastal economy is little-developed, and many residents are dependent on subsistence fisheries. New Zealand's government has previously asked to postpone any discussions of compensation, but the Samoa Observer reports that talks about payment have quietly begun.
"We know how important the coastal and marine environments are to the people of Samoa, especially those on the southwest coast of Upolu," said NZDF on-scene commander Commodore Andrew Brown. "As always, progress is dependent on sea and weather conditions . . . While this response is complex and technical, New Zealand is committed to doing the right thing."
Maccoa is reported to be sideways outside the navigation channel (Holly Crowe-Ortolani/Facebook)
