New Kongsberg’s Information Management System for World’s Largest Cruise Ship

Dragutin Radobuljac, the Chief Electrical Engineer on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s mega cruise ship the Allure of the Seas, has described the new Kongsberg Information Management System (K-IMS) as a “Revolutionary upgrade,” with significant influence on vessel operations. K-IMS is a state-of-the-art, customised data management system that operates over a global, secure and highly scalable infrastructure. (more…)
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Panama Canal cost deadlock ‘bad news’ for world economy

Negotiations over who should pay for extra costs for upgrading the Panama Canal have collapsed, putting the project and up to 10,000 jobs at risk, the Spanish company leading the works said. In a quick response, the EU's executive deplored the breakdown in talks as bad news for jobs and the global economy and urged the parties involved to reconsider "in the coming days." (more…)
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How icebreakers work — and why they sometimes don’t work

Icebreakers are indispensable for traffic through polar seas, but they're not invincible — as the current plight of a stranded Russian ship illustrates. For the past week, 74 scientists, tourists, journalists and crew members have been stuck aboard the Akademik Shokalskiy in the midst of an expedition to celebrate the centennial of Australian geologist Douglas Mawson's polar odyssey. Thick ice and bad weather have foiled efforts to free the ship. The Shokalskiy's passengers have ample supplies — but at some point, rescuers had to decide whether to keep trying to break the ship loose or use a helicopter to take them to safety. (more…)
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Hong Kong ferry accident leaves 85 injured

Eighty five people were injured on Friday when a high-speed ferry travelling from Hong Kong to Macau hit an unidentified object in the water, authorities said. The crash, which took place on a popular tourist route, comes at a time of heightened public concern over the safety of maritime transport in Hong Kong's harbour, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. (more…)
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Martime Industry Responds to Typhoon in the Philippines

Shipowner groups, unions, and welfare organisations are pulling together in response to the devastating effects of Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines. One of the main concerns is for Filipino seafarers, who represent over 20% of the world's seafarers, to be able to contact their families and loved ones back home. Already, the Mission to Seafarers and Sailors Society are providing free phone cards, sims, and wifi to Filipino seafarers who visit their centres all over the world. The Seafarers' Emergency Fund, administered by ISWAN, is providing funds for seafarer centres around the world to facilitate free phone calls and wifi for Filipino seafarers to call back home. (more…)
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Now Open: Britain’s New Gateway to Global Trade DP World London Gateway Port

Britain’s new global shipping port today welcomes its first scheduled vessel, the ‘MOL Caledon’ from South Africa. After more than a decade of planning and construction across three square miles of development, DP World London Gateway deep-sea port is now open, providing British exporters and importers with a more efficient way to ship globally, at less cost. (more…)
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