Posts Tagged ‘shipping’
Making ketchup green Baltic ports are taking a piecemeal approach to fossil-free shipping
It will only get the region so far
Read MoreClear signal Baltic states call out Russia for navigational shenanigans
Fourteen countries bordering the Baltic and North seas are pointing the finger at Russia as the source of navigational-signal jamming and ship-identification manipulation that are making their waters increasingly dangerous places to sail. The countries now urge everyone that has anything to do with shipping—flag states, shipping companies and operators, to name three—to be aware of the risks Russian antics pose and ensure their vessels are prepared, should they be forced to make due without electronic navigation systems.
Although the start of Russia’s jamming coincides with its annexation of Crimea, in 2014, the problem grew significantly worse after the start of its unprovoked war against Ukraine, in 2022. Mostly, this has been a problem for its neighbours who are in Nato (Latvia says it saw the number instances of jamming rise to 820 in 2024, compared with 26 in 2022) but, by framing jamming in terms of maritime safety, they are making it an international issue. Up to now, countering jamming has mostly involved making sure that mariners have the skills to sail without satnav—and, most recently, giving them alternative, if lower-tech, systems they can use to navigate by. Coastal states, however, say they will require that vessels adhere to the vast body of international maritime-safety regulations. Call it a pretext for preventative action.
Read MoreESL Shipping strengthens fleet with a second-hand vessel
To ensure operational reliability and sufficient capacity, ESL Shipping has acquired a geared ice-class 1A second-hand vessel. This strategic acquisition follows the sale of Kallio and bridges the gap in capacity until the first Green Handy vessels join the fleet in about two years.
The vessel, which has a deadweight of 16,600 tons, was handed over on 12 January in Tallinn, Estonia. The vessel was renamed Nordis and sails under the Finnish flag.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 15 Jan
Read MoreLighthouses will guide them Sweden goes low-tech to combat satnav interruptions
For mariners in the Baltic Sea plagued by disrupted satellite-navigation systems, help is on its way in the form of a forgotten technology. Sjöfartsverket, the Swedish maritime authority, will equip a total of ten lighthouses on Sweden’s south-eastern coast, starting with Kapelludden (pictured above), with what is known as a radar beacon, a system that, in short, emits a Morse-code signal when it receives a radar signal. Navigators who receive the signal can then determine their ship’s location from the bearing and distance to the beacon.
Sweden, like other countries in the Baltic, points to Russia as the source of disruptions to satnav systems used not just by ships, but also aeroplanes, and research has shown the signal that causes the them is strongest near Kaliningrad. Regardless of who is to blame, it is a growing problem. Mariners say it is a regular occurrence, and perhaps tens of thousands of ships in one of the world’s busiest maritime areas have been affected. Fortunately, navigators can still find their way with other methods, including navigational charts on paper. They require more effort to use—and often additional training—but they are also harder to disrupt. Necessity is also the mother of re-invention.
(📸 Stefan Svanaeus)
Read MorePilot project In Rønne, drones are pointing the way to safer shipping
The concept of a maritime pilot is simple: a local mariner boards a vessel that is sailing unfamiliar waters and steers it safely through. Two projects being run by Danpilot, the Danish state pilot agency, may redefine key aspects of that job description.
In the first, begun last month, drones are being used to assist pilots operating on the water in the Port of Rønne, sending live aerial video to give pilots a top-down view when steering ships. Rønne serves as the staging point for several windfarms being built in the Baltic, and it is just this type of bulky traffic requiring complex manoeuvring the drones are well-suited to help with.
VesCo, the DanPilot-owned firm that is conducting the project, is hoping it will result in a system in which drones can automatically follow vessels to improve situational awareness, cutting risk during heavy-lift calls and reducing turn-around time.
A separate project, being run together with Danelec, a maritime-safety firm, may take this idea a step further by keeping the pilot on land entirely and instead navigating using the video beamed down by drones.
Trials in Esbjerg, on Denmark’s North Sea coast, suggest that using drones in this way makes piloting safer and faster. For local firms, the test flights are an opportunity to push their expertise in robotics and autonomy. Pilots, meanwhile, will be finding themselves in unfamiliar job territory.
Read MoreThe Port of Gdansk with a direct container service to the USA
The Port of Gdansk has joined the European ports operating regular, direct container connections with the United States. Thus, it strengthens its position on the map of global logistics, becoming a real alternative to the largest ports in Northern Europe.
Gdansk was included in the transatlantic rotation, strengthening the MSC network between Poland and the US. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest shipowner, has expanded its Albatros service with direct connections from Northern Europe to New York and Charleston, offering full integration of inland waterway and logistics services.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 2 Sep
Read MoreFirst Test of an Ocean-Going Vessel at the T3 Quay in Baltic Hub
Baltic Hub has reached another milestone in the implementation of the T3 project. For the first time, an ocean-going container ship – MSC Stacey – was handled at the new T3 quay. This impressive vessel, measuring 365.9 meters in length and with a capacity of 15,000 TEU, arrived in Gdansk on March 30 as part of an additional call, known as an “extra call.”
This event is of great importance both for Baltic Hub and the entire Pomeranian region. The commencement of test cargo handling at the T3 quay confirms that the project is progressing in the right direction and that full operational readiness is drawing closer. The new quay will enable the efficient handling of the world’s largest container ships, strengthening Gdansk’s position as a strategic port on the Baltic Sea.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 31 Mar
Read MoreCBSS Maritime Experts to Discuss Green Shipping Corridors and Digital Twin of the Baltic Sea
On 12 March 2025, maritime experts from CBSS Member States will convene online to discuss the priorities and initiatives of the Estonian CBSS Presidency on Green Shipping Corridors and Digital Twins of the Baltic Sea. The meeting is part of ongoing efforts to map current activities on these topics at both national and macro-regional levels in the Baltic Sea Region.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 6 Mar
Read MoreBaltic Sea shipping tax could pay for undersea cable protection: Estonian defence minister
Shipping firms may need to pay a fee to use the Baltic Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, in order to cover the high costs of protecting undersea cables, Estonia’s defence minister said on Wednesday following a spate of breaches.
Nato said last week it would deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and drones in the Baltic Sea after a series of incidents in which ships have damaged power and communications cables with their anchors in acts of suspected sabotage.
In addition to the patrols, Hanno Pevkur, the defence minister, said countries are weighing other measures to protect cables, including installing sensors to detect anchors dragged across the sea floor or constructing casings or walls around the cables.
But this will come at a cost, and, whether countries or cable operators end up paying for it, consumers may be left ultimately footing the bill through higher taxes or utility costs. Another option, Mr Pevkur said, would be to levy a tax on vessels that sail through the Baltic Sea.
Source: Reuters
Read More