Maritime News – Professional Mariner

As political winds shift, offshore wind’s future is uncertain

Within the flurry of executive orders President Donald Trump signed on his first day back in office was a halt to new leases for offshore wind projects in federal waters. The order does not directly impact the 14 already leased and in some stage of construction or development, though it does call for the Department of the Interior to conduct…

Crowley crew rescues four people from stricken sailboat off Dominican Republic

The Crowley cargo ship El Coqui was 100 miles north of the Dominican Republic en route to Jacksonville, Fla., when it received the distress signal on a recent January morning. Nearby, four recreational sailors were in trouble. Capt. Kurt Breitfeller and his crew attempted to hail the 41-foot sailboat Mariposa, whose emergency position indicating radio beacon, or EPIRB, signaled at about 0821 local…

Change of command at U.S. maritime agencies

As a new administration comes to power in Washington, several agencies have appointed (or removed) new leaders to head their organizations. Leadership changes at the top of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) and the Maritime Administration (MarAd) are likely to impact the maritime industry as a whole, though the specific maritime policy initiatives of the new administration — and…

New York City and Staten Island Ferry test renewable diesel

A pilot program at one of the nation’s largest ferry operators is testing renewable, non-petroleum-based diesel in its vessels to determine the viability of the alternative fuel. Early tests suggest that renewable diesel can be used as a “drop-in” fuel without making modifications to engines. When Professional Mariner spoke with NYC Ferry in early February, it was one week into a three- to…

New industry, new training: Offshore wind in maritime academia

With the rise of the American offshore wind industry comes the corresponding rise in mariner training and vessels. Regarding the former, several maritime training institutions and academies have already incorporated wind farm instruction into their curriculums and simulations. The space offshore wind occupies in the academic and training seascape likely parallels its place in the overall maritime economy: it’s a small…

Autonomous vessels are here, but for now, crews will remain on board

Late last year, the world’s largest shipbuilding company announced it had taken “significant steps” toward the commercialization of Degree 3 navigation, or a remotely controlled ship without mariners on board. Though international maritime law does not currently allow for completely unmanned vessels, a new era of technology is poised to transform seafaring with the goal of meeting stricter environmental regulations and enhancing safety. In…

AI and machine learning boost AIS systems

The automatic identification system (AIS), which monitors and tracks vessel movements for safety and security, is in its second decade of operation as an effective security and safety tool. The accumulation of 20 years of AIS information is now bolstered by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to monitor and analyze the huge amounts of data…

How biofuels are poised to revolutionize global shipping

Last year, Maersk, the world’s second largest containership company, celebrated the naming of its latest dual-fuel methanol container vessel, Alexandra Maersk, the sixth in its fleet using methanol in its main and auxiliary engines. At the naming ceremony, Mike Kane, the U.K.’s maritime minister, announced greener transport to be a top priority for the shipping industry. “This is exactly the…

Amid declining enrollment, Cal Maritime will merge with Cal Poly

The California State University Maritime Academy, better known to its students and alumni as Cal Maritime, will merge with California Polytechnic State University later this year in a move that aims to preserve maritime higher education in the Golden State. The merger follows years of declining enrollment and rising costs at Cal Maritime, which will become the Cal Poly Solano…

After reluctance, maritime industry embraces artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence has become a topic du jour across industries, promising, or threatening — depending on one’s own sense of job security — to upend healthcare, finance, manufacturing, security, education and more by outsourcing some parts of decision-making processes to algorithms that can learn. The maritime industry is increasingly receptive to AI, according to a recent report from Thetius IQ,…