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)
Friday, February 14, 2025
ONE Celebrates Naming of First Owned Newbuild as Expansion Proceeds
ONE Sparkle named today in South Korea is the company's first owned and operated newbuild (ONE)
Ocean Network Express (ONE) formed just eight years ago today marked the next milestone in its rapid emergence as one of the major carriers. The company celebrating the naming of its newest containership ONE Sparkle (138,000 dwt) which it reports is the first owned and operated newbuild for the company.
"The naming of ONE Sparkle represents another important milestone for ONE,” said Jeremy Nixon, CEO. “This vessel is our first owned newbuilding, and it also showcases our commitment to sustainable shipping with its innovative design and alternative fuel capabilities. As we expand our owned fleet, these advanced vessels will play a crucial role in meeting our environmental targets while enhancing our service reliability."
The company was established in 2017 through the integration of the container operations of K-Line, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), and NYK Group. The first sailing was in 2018 and by its fifth anniversary, the company was highlighting had more than 165 services connecting 120 countries. Today, the fleet is up to 255 ships with a capacity of 1.97 million TEU placing ONE sixth on Alphaliner’s ranking of the largest carriers.
Nixon in 2022 mapped out the second stage of growth for the company reporting plans to invest $20 billion by 2030. He said the time had come for the company to begin placing its own orders for newbuilds and to own its ships. By 2030, Nixon said that they would contract for a total capacity of 1.2 million TEU, but approximately half of that would be replacements for existing capacity. AlphaLiner calculates the company currently has 47 vessels on order representing 610,558 TEU of capacity. In 2023, ONE also joined with the investment group as Seaspan was taken private. They operate OneSea Solutions as the ship management company which is jointly owned by ONE and Seaspan.
ONE Sparkle was part of an order for new ships being built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea and a parallel order placed with Nihon in Japan. Nixon said today during the naming for the new ship that it is part of a series of 20 large ammonia/methanol-ready vessels that will be built in Korea and Japan and scheduled for delivery in 2025 and 2026.
ONE Sparkle has a capacity of approximately 13,800 TEU and it is 1,00 feet (335 meters) in length. Among the advanced environmental features is the design enabling the future conversion to methanol or ammonia as its fuel. The hull design was also optimized for improved energy efficiency and it is outfitted with the latest energy-saving devices. Integrated smart technology will ensure optimal vessel performance. It also has the capability to employ shore power. The ship was classed by ABS and is registered in Singapore.
The new vessel is due to head out on its final sea trials in a week before her handover. Once delivered, ONE says the vessel will strengthen its competitive position in the service it is deployed to, and showcase the company’s commitment to sustainable shipping practices.
The company continues to grow its operations announcing new routes trans-Atlantic as well as Far East to South America and using ports such as Vietnam. It is also set to take a major role in the reformulated Premier Alliance that went effective this month. The cooperation between ONE, HMM, and Yang Ming is going it alone after Hapag-Lloyd withdrew to start its new cooperation with Maersk.
Expansion Plans as Indian Cruise Market Develops
Cordelia operates with one cruise ship Empress built in 1990 (Cordelia Cruises)
The cruise market in India is continuing to grow drawing increased attention from multiple companies. Mostly it has been a port of call for cruise ships transiting the Indian Ocean, but it has also begun to develop a domestic cruise business.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has designated cruise tourism as a priority sector. Cordelia Cruises which is the sole firm active in the market currently says India’s cruise industry is poised to substantially boost both domestic and international tourism while generating significant employment opportunities for the nation’s youth. Having launched operations in 2021, the company reports it has carried over 530,000 passengers and is operating close to its full capacity.
The board of the parent company, Waterways Leisure Tourism, reports that it has decided to pursue expansion including fundraising efforts. The group is targeting a funding of Rs. 800 crores ($92 million) possibly through an initial public offer.
Cordelia was the latest effort to start a domestic Indian cruise line following a similar effort that started before the pandemic known as Jalesh Cruises. The firm did not survive the pause in operations during the pandemic and its sole ship the Karnika (ex. Pacific Jewel, Crown Princess built in 1990) was sold for scrap. The assets of the company were acquired by Waterways.
The company operates a sole cruise ship, the Empress (48,500 gross tons) with accommodations for 1,840 passengers. When the ship was introduced in 1990 as the Nordic Empress she was considered pioneering by incorporating mega-ship designs into a smaller vessel. She operated for Royal Caribbean International on short cruises later becoming the Empress of the Seas and for a time operating for the company’s Spanish company Pullmantur as the Empress. She was sold to lower costs during the pandemic.
Cordelia reports it will be in the market for two secondhand cruise ships each with a capacity of approximately 2,000 passengers.
“We are in discussions with major cruise companies from the U.S. and Europe who are looking to divest ownership of their smaller ships with passenger capacities ranging between 2,000 to 2,500 guests per ship, as they transition to newer vessels with capacities of 5,000-7,000 guests,” said Jurgen Bailom, President & CEO of Cordelia Cruises.
When asked if Cordelia has already closed a deal for the ship purchase, Bailom responded, “We have multiple offers from existing cruise lines as they upgrade their fleets with larger ships. Given the current market dynamics, it is an opportune time for us to expand our fleet.”
Resorts World Cruises which was started by Genting after Star Cruises and Dream Cruises collapsed, also reports it is planning to enter the Indian cruise market. Schedules were announced for the Resorts World One (75,000 gross tons ex SuperStar Virgo) to offer cruises from Mumbai between March and June 2025. The company highlighted that it would be tailoring its product to the Indian market with a variety of offerings and entertainment, thematic cruises, and authentic cuisines from around the world, including certified Indian vegetarian, Jain, and halal food. The launch however was deferred till 2026 due to a fleet redeployment as Resorts World Cruises adds its third cruise ship to the fleet this spring.
Other cruise lines including Costa have occasionally based a ship for short periods in India working with local companies to market the cruises. With India’s emerging middle class and the efforts by Prime Minister Modi to expand India’s economy, cruising stands to benefit and is poised to realize the developing opportunities.
Former Wärtsilä CEO Jaakko Eskola Becomes Meyer Turku Chairman
Former Wartsila CEO Jaakko Eskola becomes Chairman of Meter Turku (Meyer Turku)
Meyer Turku one of the handful of shipyards in the world with the expertise to build large cruise ships announced the appointment of the former CEO of Wärtsilä Jakko Eskola to lead the shipbuilder. Eskola has more than 20 years of experience before retiring from Wärtsilä in 2021 and held leadership positions at other Finnish companies including Cargotec, Kalmar, Suominen, and Varma, and he holds a Master of Science in Engineering.
“By handing over the chairmanship of the board to Jaakko Eskola, we are once again sending a strong signal of our commitment to Turku Shipyard, in which we as a family have invested heavily for over ten years,” said Bernard Meyer.
He becomes chairman as the shipyard continues a solid orderbook with Royal Caribbean International but also looks to attract new projects. A long-term relationship with TUI’s Mein Schiff Cruises came to an end in 2024 when the yard delivered Mein Shiff 7. Carnival Corporation built four of its large LNG-fueled cruise ships at Turku but the latest orders went to the sister yard, Meyer Werft, in Germany.
Meyer Turku is currently building the second of Royal Caribbean International’s mega cruise ships, Star of the Seas, which at 250,000 gross tons will be the largest cruise ship in the world. It is due to enter service later this year. Work has also begun on the third cruise ship of the class, rumored to be named Legend of the Seas, with the first blocks lowered into the dry dock in October 2024. The ship is due for delivery in 2026. Royal Caribbean also ordered a fourth vessel of the class for delivery in 2027 and took options to build a fifth and sixth Icon Class ship.
The yard is also building two new Turva class patrol vessels for the Finnish Border Guard. The first will be delivered in 2025 and the second in 2026.
Meyer took ownership of the Turku shipyard in 2014 from STX Europe and the following year increased to 100 percent ownership. The yard trades its origins to 1737 and came to fame in the 1960s till 1990 as part of the Wärtsilä shipbuilder along with the facility in Helsinki. Historically, it built cruise ships including the first in the modern cruise industry for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, car-passenger ferries, and special vessels including icebreakers. It encountered financial difficulties in the 1990s. Meyer recently had to cede ownership of its yard in Germany as part of a rescue package from the German state.
“We have implemented several measures to turn our operations profitable again,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku. “We have developed our organization, streamlined our processes, implemented a new enterprise resource planning system, and launched a development program.” While the yard delivered the Icon of the Seas in November 2023 as the world’s largest cruise ship, reports indicate as the lead of the class the company lost money on the construction due to the complex nature of the project.
Eskola joined Wärtsilä in 1998 with a background in international projects and corporate finance. He advanced at the company becoming President of Wärtsilä Marine Solutions and as of November 1, 2015, CEO and President of the company. Eskola was replaced in the spring of 2021 by Håkan Agnevall but continued as a senior advisor to the board and executive team until retiring on June 30, 2021.
Tom Johnstone, Chairman of the Board of Wärtsilä Corporation, credited Eskola with developing Wärtsilä into a smart technology company for the marine and energy markets.
Spire Sues Kpler to Complete Maritime Acquisition and Warns of Debt Trouble
Spire Global agreed to sell its maritime business to Kpler (Spire Global)
Spire Global reported it has filed a lawsuit against Kpler for a failure to close the acquisition of its maritime group while also warning shareholders of potential debt problems if the deal is not completed. The suit was filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery requesting a declaratory judgment that Kpler breached its obligation and to proceed with the closing of the acquisition.
Kpler, a data and analytics platform, agreed to acquire Spire Maritime, a provider of satellite-powered data for real-time global vessel tracking, from Spire Global with a cash payment based upon an enterprise value of $233.5 million plus an additional $7.5 million for a 12-month transition service and data provision agreement. At the time, Kpler said the acquisition would improve its satellite AIS offering, significantly enhancing real-time visibility and analytics for the maritime and commodity markets. It was the third acquisition for Kpler following the 2023 deals for FleetMon and MarineTraffic.
Spire Maritime built its niche with real-time capabilities drawing from the proprietary satellites enhanced with analytics. Spire emphasizes that the deal does not include any part of the company’s satellite network or operations.
“The company believes all the conditions to closing contained in the purchase agreement have been satisfied,” Spire Global reports. It asserts that the “buyer has failed to consummate the closing.” Spire says it believes the failure to close is not consistent with the terms of the agreement which did not give an option to delay closing once all the conditions had been met.
“Buyer (Kpler) has cited various reasons for declining to close which the company (Spire Global) has rejected,” it writes in the filing. The case was filed on February 10 but Spire warns that there is no assurance that the transaction “will be consummated on the terms contemplated or at all.”
Spire Global had told shareholders it would use the proceeds to repay its debt. The strategy calls for focusing on its satellite network, technology, and infrastructure that serves the aviation, weather, and space services sectors.
Before entering into the purchase agreement with Kpler, Spire Global had also entered into a forbearance agreement with Blue Torch Finance so that its lenders would not exercise rights and remedies with respect to certain events of default. The forbearance expired on December 24, 2024, with Spire warning that the leaders have the right to accelerate and declare its debt due and payable.
“If the transactions do not close, the company will not have sufficient cash to repay the balance of the loans outstanding,” warns Spire Global. The finance agreement was due to mature on June 13, 2026.
Given the delay in the closing with Kpler, Spire Global tells investors it intends to seek additional equity or debt financing.
The company is also in discussions with the New York Stock Exchange after having failed to file its financial report for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. Spire Global explains it is in the process of restating its financial results for the 2022 and 2023 years and this is delaying the financial reports. The NYSE set February 19 as the deadline but Spire Global warns working with its outside accountants it does not expect to finalize the restatements until the end of February or in early March. Spire is discussing an extension with the NYSE until March 31 for the filing for the June 30, 2024 quarter.
Georgia Now has the Largest U.S. RoRo Port as Sector Continues to Grow
Brunswick was the largest U.S. port for RoRo volumes in 2024 as the GPA invests in growth (GPA)
The move of cars and trucks through U.S. ports continues to grow and as of 2024, Georgia’s Brunswick terminal has become the largest for handling RoRo volumes in the United States. The Georgia Port Authority has been investing in the facilities after deciding to concentrate RoRo volumes in Brunswick while Savannah becomes devoted to container handling.
During a State of the Port event on Wednesday, Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch highlighted the growth of the Colonel’s Island Terminal reporting it handled more than 2 million tons of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo in 2024. Brunswick achieved a record year, handling 901,912 units of autos and heavy equipment in 2024 with autos up 13.3 percent and heavy equipment up 160 percent. Brunswick also took the top spot in the nation at 600,000 tons for RoRo exports.
The operations in Georgia have been expanding rapidly in part due to the increased investment by car manufacturers in facilities in Georgia and the Southeast. The Port of Baltimore had long dominated the U.S. market for RoRo volumes. In 2023, Baltimore handled a record 765,019 tons up 42 percent. That consisted of approximately 847,000 cars and light trucks.
Baltimore’s 2024 volume was of course impacted by the harbor being closed for weeks after the containership Dali destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in late March. Georgia became the destination for vehicle carriers that were diverting from Baltimore. The Georgia Ports Authority handled 80,600 units of RoRo cargo in April 2024, an increase of more than 44 percent or 24,760 units versus April 2023. Approximately 9,000 import vehicles and 1,000 high/heavy equipment they reported had been diverted from the Port of Baltimore.
Across-the-board improvements in our shipping channel, berths, rail capacity, storage, and processing capacity will help ensure that as their volumes grow, our customers will continue to enjoy world-class service and make long-term gains in their business,” said GPA Board Chairman Kent Fountain.
GPA highlights that $262 million in improvements at the Port of Brunswick were completed in 2024, adding new warehousing and processing space, as well as 122 acres of RoRo cargo storage. Construction has also started on a new railyard on Colonel’s Island, which will increase the port’s capacity to export vehicles arriving by rail.
Phase I of the new railyard will increase the port’s annual rail capacity from approximately 150,000 autos to more than 340,000 by mid-2025. Phase II will bring annual rail capacity to 590,000 units, greater than three times the current capacity. More than 90 percent of vehicles moving by rail in Brunswick are U.S.-made exports.
Separately, construction on a fourth RoRo berth is in the planning stages and is expected to start in the summer of 2025. The new berth should be complete in 2027 and will more efficiently accommodate vessels carrying 10,800+ car equivalent units (CEU).
Port officials highlight that one of the challenges they need to plan for is the increase in the size of the vessels and their capacity. Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which signed a 20-year agreement with the GPA in April 2024, reported in November that it was adjusting its orderbook. The company has a total of 14 Shaper class vessels on order, eight of which with a capacity of 11,700 CEU and six with a capacity of 9,300 CEU vessels.
Brunswick the GPA highlights has become a center of excellence for RoRo. They highlight the future berth, processing and land, connectivity, and harbor modifications all designed to support growth in the sector.
FLNG (floating liquefied natural gas)
Golar LNG Completes Exit from LNG Shipping to Focus on FLNG Sector
Sale agreements were completed for Golar Arctic the last LNG carrier in Golar's fleet (Kees Torn - CC BY-SA 2.0)
Golar LNG reports it has executed agreements to see the company’s final LNG carrier, Golar Arctic making the end of of its operations in the segment. Despite strong demand in the LNG carrier segment, the company believes there are stronger opportunities in the FLNG (floating liquefied natural gas) as it redirects all of its focus to that segment.
The sale price for the vessel which was built in 2003, is $24 million before transaction-related expenses and it is unencumbered. Golar Arctic has a capacity of 140,000 cbm and is a stream turbine vessel, a growing rarity in the industry. The vessel reportedly offloaded its last cargo in Taichung, Taiwan over a week ago and its AIS signal shows it is anchored off Malacca City, Malaysia awaiting orders. Golar reports the transaction is expected to close, and the vessel is to be handed over to its new owner, within Q1 2025.
Golar, which started its life at Gotaas Larsen in 1946 was an early entrant into the LNG market after having made investments in other segments including an earlier investor in the cruise ship business. Gotaas Larsen in the 1960s acquired Eastern Steamship Lines, an early cruise pioneer from Miami, and was the third investor joining Wilhelmsen and Skaugen in Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
Gotaas-Larsen entered the LNG shipping market, ordering the LNG carrier Hilli in 1970 and became Golar LNG in 2001. It then embarked on its first significant LNG carrier newbuilding program. Efforts to develop its first FLNG began a decade later in 2012 and by 2024 they reported the company was down to just two gas carriers.
Fuji LNG arriving in China to begin conversion into an FLNG (Morten Skjong)
“The sale of the Golar Arctic marks the conclusion of Golar’s planned exit from the LNG shipping segment, 50 years after taking delivery of our first LNG carrier in 1975. Over the last 50 years LNG shipping has been the foundation for Golar’s pioneering maritime LNG infrastructure advances, including FSRUs and FLNGs,” said Golar CEO Karl Fredrik Staubo.
The company’s other remaining LNG carrier, Fuji LNG (115,000 cbm) was acquired in 2023 with the intent to convert the ship. She discharged her final cargo as an LNG carrier in January 2025. Chief Technical Officer at Golar LNG, Morten Skjong, reports she will be the donor vessel for Golar LNG's third FLNG conversion (the Mk II FLNG). She arrived earlier today at Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore to start the conversion. They expect she will be available starting in Q4 2027 becoming the company’s fourth FLNG.
“Golar’s transition into a focused FLNG infrastructure company is now complete. We look forward to expanding our market-leading FLNG position,” said Karl Fredrik Staubo.
In January 2025, Golar LNG also reported it had entered into an agreement to sell its shares in Avenir LNG to Stolt-Nielsen Gas for approximately $40 million. Golar along with Stolt Nielsen and Höegh built Avenir LNG into one of the largest small-scale LNG shipping companies. Avenir has a fleet of five LNG bunker/supply ships with two more under construction. The sale was a further part of Golar LNG's refocusing to its FLNG business.
Greenpeace released pictures of a team of activists that were successful in tagging a sanctioned shadow chemical tanker with the word “risk” while it was underway off the coast of Denmark. According to the group it was done to mark the approaching third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to highlight the dangers of the shadow fleet.
A team of fifteen activists from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine led the effort. It included at least one rigid high-speed boat which was successful in getting alongside the tanker while others displayed banners with now familiar messages such as “Oil Kills.” The team painted the word in large yellow letters on the side of the ship.
"We have painted "RISK" on the side of this tanker to draw attention to the huge environmental risk that all the old rusty Russian shadow tankers pose to nature and the marine environment. We cannot just sit and wait for an accident to happen that leaves our coasts and birds smeared in oil," said Danish Greenpeace activist Nicoline Hagen.
The targeted vessel is the Prosperity a chemical tanker built in 2006 and operated for Russia’s Sovcomflot before the imposition of sanctions designed to disrupt the Russian oil trade. The tanker operated as the NS Pride and was one of the vessels reflated to Gabon at the start of 2024. In November 2024, it changed its identity and was registered in Barbados.
Greenpeace highlights that Prosperity departed the Russian terminal in Primosk on February 8 they report loaded with 40,000 metric tons of Russian oil and is heading to Aliaga, Turkey. They contend it was one of four shadow tankers that transited Danish waters yesterday, February 12.
The tanker was included in the January 2025 listing of vessels by the United States. Greenpeace highlights its rightful owners are unknown while databases show ownership as a Seychelles-based company, Hellios Oceanway Limited. Greenpeace reports the ship is managed by Fornax Ship Management, based in the UAE, which was also sanctioned by the United States. Greenpeace also said the Prosperity is sailing without internationally recognized P&I insurance covering oil spills.
"There have been many promises and slightly fewer actual actions from Denmark and the EU, and therefore the shadow fleet continues unabated to transport Russian oil to the world market through the narrow Danish waters. Each of the rusty oil tankers poses a potential risk of an oil disaster," said Greenpeace campaign manager Sune Scheller.
Greenpeace is calling for the EU to increase its efforts against the shadow fleet. The group highlighted the EU has only placed 79 vessels on the sanctions list of which it says 52 are crude oil tankers.
NTSB: Hydraulic Leak Caused Loss of Fishing Vessel Off Maine
The fire that destroyed the fishing vessel Three Girls off the coast of Maine in 2024 was likely caused by a spray of hydraulic oil, according to an investigation by the NTSB. The crew all abandoned ship and survived, in no small part because of timely and creative action by the vessel's master.
On August 11, the Three Girls was under way in the Gulf of Maine on a routine trip, and had five crewmembers and a fishery observer aboard. At about 2050 hours, the crew was hauling in nets and running all hydraulic systems at full power when the captain smelled something burning. He checked the engine room and encountered thick smoke - so thick that he could not clearly see where the fire was coming from. He determined that the blaze was too serious to fight, and he ordered the crew to prepare to abandon ship.
The master went to the wheelhouse to make a mayday call. Though the smoke was chokingly thick, he managed to get the call out, and the Coast Guard launched response assets. Before leaving, the master also shut down the winch engine - but could not shut off the main engine or generator (which was still powering the vent fans for the engine room) because there were no remote shutoffs on board. The vessel also lacked ventilation louvers or remote shutoffs for the ventilation fans to cut off oxygen to the fire.
To prepare to abandon ship, the mate ran to the accommodations area to retrieve the vessel's immersion suits. He retrieved five suits before smoke and fire forced him out of the space, leaving the crew one suit short. The master instructed the rest of the crew to don the available suits, and he volunteered to abandon ship without wearing one.
Instead, the crew inflated the life raft on deck, the master climbed in, and the crew pushed the raft down the trawler's stern ramp with the master in it - allowing him to stay dry. The rest of the crew followed down the ramp and into the water, then climbed into the life raft.
As a Coast Guard rescue helicopter approached, the master set off two rocket flares to ensure that the raft was spotted quickly. He turned down an assist from a Good Samaritan fishing vessel, concerned that a transfer from the raft to the hard-hulled fishing boat would be risky for his crew in choppy conditions, and waited for a Coast Guard rescue boat from the cutter William Chadwick. The cutter took all survivors aboard at 2314 hours, and no injuries were reported.
The fire burned through the night, destroying most of the engine room, accommodations and wheelhouse. The vessel stayed afloat, but the blaze was hot enough to warp the bulkheads and deckplates. Three Girls was declared a total loss at a value of $1.3 million.
Courtesy NTSB
The Coast Guard, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the NTSB inspected the boat after the fire. They found evidence that the blaze had been hottest near the hydraulic return oil filter housing, next to the winch engine. Based on the fire pattern, they believed that the likely cause was a spray of hydraulic oil from the filter housing, a hydraulic hose fitting or hose segment. A fine high-pressure hydraulic oil spray could have reached uninsulated parts of the winch engine's exhaust system, igniting and then burning through other nearby flammable materials. Most serious engine room fires begin with a spray of fuel or oil onto hot exhaust components.
"After an engine room fire ignites, it is imperative to remove the sources of available fuel and ventilation to the fire to prevent it from spreading," NTSB concluded. “Vessel designers, builders, owners, and operators are encouraged to install, regularly test, and have emergency drills that incorporate remote shutoffs for all machinery within these spaces to ensure the machinery can be remotely stopped from outside the space where it is situated. Additionally, to prevent the reintroduction of oxygen to the space, vessel designers and owners should ensure that the ventilation, both natural and forced draft, can be completely and remotely secured to all engine rooms."
Video: SS United States Completes First Move as Final Journey Begins
Liner was pushed north across the slip to prepare for her departure on Monday (Photos and video courtesy of Okaloosa County)
The famous ocean liner the ss United States started her final journey today moved from the Philadelphia dock where she had sat while preservations tried to find the vessel a future. Plans call for the liner to depart Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday, February 17, to be towed to Mobile, Alabama.
After numerous delays, tugs and crews handled the nearly 1,000-foot liner timed to the midday high tide on the Delaware River. After having been at Pier 82 since 1996, the lines were released and tugs diagonalized her across the slipway moving the stern first and then the bow. She was resecured to Pier 80 on the north side of the slipway where she will remain until Monday, February 17. Reports are that there is a final planning meeting on Saturday to prepare for the momentous tow.
Monday morning, tugboats will maneuver the ss United States out into the Delaware River channel and then proceed with the tow down river at low tide at approximately 11:18 a.m. (local time). The ship will pass under various roadway bridges, including the Walt Whitman Bridge (I-76), the Commodore Barry Bridge (U.S. 322), and the Delaware Memorial Bridge (I-295) along her route. The Delaware River Port Authority has said it will be coordinating bridge closures as she passes underneath, but because it is a federal holiday road traffic is expected to be lighter than a normal workday.
The SS United States Conservancy which continues to work with the liner’s new owners, Okaloosa County, Florida, is following the move. They plan to livestream the tow under the Walt Whitman Bridge on their Facebook page.
For the tow, she will be secure to a more powerful tug. According to the tow plan, it is the Vinik No. 6, a twin screw tug, rated at 5,700 horsepower. Okaloosa has said the tow plan will be adjusted utilizing real-time route planning, which will adjust the ship's course every six hours based on weather and currents. They plan to post a track of the ship's course online.
The tow is expected to require approximately 14 days. When she reaches Mobile, she will be docked at the Modern American Repair & Recycling Services facility where the remediation work will proceed. Lose paint, PCBs, and other contaminants need to be removed as well as the fuel in her tanks. All the windows and portholes are to be removed and her funnels and radar mast dismantled and handed to the Conservancy which will explore incorporating them into a visitor’s center and museum to be in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area. The plan says it will require a year to prepare the liner for her reefing.
In a farewell gesture to Philadelphia, a group of volunteers went aboard yesterday afternoon and positioned lights on the ship. At dark, her bridge front was illuminated in green in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles football team that last weekend won the Superbowl. The city was hosting a victory celebration for the team today.
A few loyal fans of the liner were at the fence line of the pier today to watch as she began her final trip. It comes 75 years after the keel was laid for the liner in the dry dock at Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company. In 1952, at an average speed of 36 knots, the ss United States became the last liner to capture the speed record for an Atlantic crossing. She remained in commercial passenger service, and in later years also did a few pleasure cruises, before being retired in 1969. She passed through a succession of owners between 1980 and 2024, with plans to resume her service or to convert her to a static attraction.
After owning the ship since February 2011, the Conservancy relinquished ownership after becoming involved in a dispute with the operators of the pier. A court ordered the ship to vacate the pier. Unable to relocate the ship, the non-profit sold it to Okaloosa Country in October 2024 for $1 million as part of a $10 million plan to turn the famous ship into the world’s largest man-made reef.
Video: Whale Swallows Kayaker in Strait of Magellan
Last weekend, a whale swallowed a kayaker who was out for a paddle with his father in the Strait of Magellan, briefly engulfing him and dragging him underwater before letting him go.
Chilean national Adrián Simancas was on an excursion Saturday near the San Isidro lighthouse, about 40 nautical miles south of Punta Arenas. As his father Dell Simancas was taking a video of the outing, the whale emerged from below and took both Adrian and the small kayak in its mouth. After a brief moment, the whale decided to spit out the unusual meal; the humpback's usual diet is krill and small bait fish, and it is unequipped to eat large prey.
Dell yelled to his son to grab the boat and stay calm, and the whale disappeared below the surface. Dell towed Adrian back to safety on shore; despite the shock of the ordeal, his son was unharmed.
"I saw something blue and white passing by my face, and I did not understand what was going on. And then I went under and I thought that he had eaten me," Adrian told local media after the accident.
A similar incident happened off Avila Beach, California in 2020: a humpback surfaced and nearly swallowed a kayaker and a small yellow kayak, then let the human go. A GoPro video taken by the kayaker in that incident shows that the water was boiling with small fish just before the whale surfaced - suggesting that the humpback was chasing food when it breached the surface.
Transporting Carbon: Steering a Course to a Sustainable Future
An ABS-backed joint design study for an LCO2 carrier with Hanwha, Ecolog and Babcock, revealed in 2024 (Hanwha file image)
The United States has taken the lead in the international race to capture carbon dioxide (CO2). According to reports, the U.S. will have the capacity to capture 164 million tons of carbon by 2035, which is almost the equivalent of Europe, Canada and the Middle East combined. The global shipping industry remains at the forefront of transporting CO2; however, it is far from plain sailing. In this article, we explore the challenges of CO2 transportation and how the industry can navigate a path forward.
A billion-dollar opportunity
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has heralded carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) as a key enabler of emission reduction globally, particularly in hard-to-abate industries such as steel, power, chemical, cement and refining. Demonstrating this demand, figures show that carbon capture attracted more than USD 11 billion in global investments in 2023, which is nearly double the level recorded in 2022.
This represents a significant growth opportunity for the global shipping sector, especially for early movers, as the dependence on CO2 shipping carriers and accredited storage tanks is set to increase. Despite opportunities on the horizon, scaling the application on a global level remains a challenge so we are yet to fully understand the possibilities. According to recent analysis, CCUS uptake needs to grow 120 times over by 2050 for all countries to achieve their net zero commitments.
The CCUS market has great potential for growth and development in the U.S., partly due to incentives offered by the government. In 2023, for example, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a $1.7 billion fund for carbon capture demonstration projects, and a $1.2 billion fund for direct air capture (DAC) hubs. This has accelerated many CCUS projects, driving the momentum towards a net zero future. Despite this potential, issues around CO2 transportation persist.
Pipelines vs shipping
For more than 50 years, pipelines on the seabed have been used to transport oil successfully, and this remains an option for CO2 transportation. In our recent whitepaper, CO2 Impurities and LCO2 Carrier Design Practical Considerations, we specified that nearly 360,000 km of pipelines may be required to transport the CO2 captured from industrial processes by 2050.
Since many pipelines are still required for use in the oil and gas industry, they alone won’t meet demand. In fact, the U.S. will need to construct additional CO2 pipelines of between 17,700 and 37,000 km before 2050.
Furthermore, terminal facilities will need to be built which connect land to subsea pipelines or to ships. Subsea pipeline and termination manifolds, as well as riser connections to fixed or floating offshore platforms, are already being studied as viable options with trials underway.
When it comes to transporting CO2 in pipelines, there are many considerations. The CO2 must be set at a supercritical pressure of 73.8 bar and temperature of 31.1° C. In addition to constructing the pipelines at the required temperature and pressure characteristics, materials that avoid corrosion, pitting or cracking will need to be used when considering the content of the CO2 stream (e.g., accompanying water, nitrogen, hydrocarbons, oxygen, sulfur, and sulfides).
Although the use of pipelines in the energy sector is well established, they require a continuous flow of compressed gas, and their user costs are highly dependent on distance. Therefore, the shipping industry is increasingly being looked at as the most viable solution for safely transporting CO2, particularly when in low volumes.
In fact, transporting CO2 by ship has been labeled essential by the European Commission’s EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities, as well as the EU Emissions Reading System (EU ETS).
While transporting CO2 in pipelines requires supercritical conditions to be met, shipping it is simpler as it can be in liquefied form (LCO?). This means it can be shipped at varying temperatures and pressures, and a ship can take approximately 1/500th of the volume of CO? transported in pipeline alternatives.
The existing fleet in operation that meets the criteria for LCO2 transportation is limited to only four carriers. They are currently serving the food and beverage industry at small capacities (~1,700 tons CO2), and operating pressures in the range of 15-19 bara (absolute pressure). There are currently two ships that can transport CO2 in the pressure range of 13-18 barg (gauge pressure).
The possibility of transporting CO2 in cryogenic conditions is being analyzed; however, currently, no ship can transport CO2 in the pressure range of 6-8 barg. Interestingly, joint industry projects, like the one between ECOLOG, Hanwha Ocean, Babcock LGE, and the American Bureau of Shipping, are exploring this as a workable solution. Through the project, approval in principle has been issued for a low-pressure, 40,000 cbm LCO2 carrier.
The trials and tribulations of shipping CO2
Unlike onshore CO2 handling systems and transportation by pipelines, there is a lack of engineering data available on shipping CO2. This creates many challenges.
The demand for robust shipping infrastructure to allow the CCUS industry to mature, creates significant economic potential for the shipping industry, while supporting net-zero targets. However, companies need to be aware that to capitalize on the opportunity, they need to invest and build dedicated LCO? carriers to support the transportation of extensive volumes of CO2 captured.
Currently, there are no standards for shipping CO2 with impurities as cargo, only recommendations such as ABS’ guide on liquefied carbon dioxide carriers. For shipping companies, following guides like these can help mitigate health and safety risks. Additionally, corrosion reactions could potentially impact the integrity of the ship and /or create harm to personnel. If liquid CO2 contains more water than gaseous CO2, it can become more corrosive.
Also, a high level of non-condensable impurities can substantially consume the volumetric capacity. For example, the presence of 10 percent hydrogen can reduce the capacity by 27 percent, which would incur a financial loss.
The density of the cargo must also be considered in that lower-density LCO2 reduces a ship’s volumetric efficiency, and a higher pressure limits tank size and increases the wall thickness. The physical properties and transport conditions of CO2 - and consequent issues like compression liquefaction system and power demand - need to be better understood in order to create definitive guidelines for cargo handling and shipping.
The design of the cargo tanks should be in accordance with the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk, or IGC code. This code has been the basis for the design of cargo tanks for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) since the 1960s.
Trials around carrier materials are also underway. New high-strength carbon-manganese steel materials are being developed by steel mills for example that could be used as CO2 Carrier tank material subject to approval by the ship’s Classification Society. Trials like these are critical in that they provide more clarity around ideal pressure, temperature, and composition mechanisms so that we can create the right condition for transporting CO2 in liquid form, throughout the shipping transport chain.
The CCUS industry is gathering pace, allowing many nations to unlock the possibilities of sustainable emissions reduction. However, the transportation of CO2 must be optimized in a way that takes into account human life, environmental protections, cost, and energy demand. If the industry, regulatory bodies, and government continue to collaborate on suitable CO2 applications internationally, the CCUS market will be able to thrive and support the transition to a net zero future.
Dimitrios Bardakos is the Global Carbon Leader at ABS. He is a seasoned professional with over 18 years of experience in corporate strategy and chemical process engineering.
He came to ABS from the onshore industry and a group of companies operating one of Europe's most complex oil refineries. His experience spans corporate strategy and planning; energy transition; refinery operations and economics; process design; engineering, procurement, and construction projects; and health, safety and environment activities.
He graduated from the National Technical University of Athens with a Master of Chemical Engineering, from the University of Piraeus with a Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and the Alba Graduate Business School with Master of Science in Finance.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
The United States has taken the lead in the international race to capture carbon dioxide (CO2). According to