Professional Mariner – June/July 2023 – Page 3

Maritime AI: A call to collaborate, integrate, facilitate

How far can artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced automation take the maritime industry? It could be very far indeed, but it’s relatively early days and somewhat complicated, involving many moving parts. AI and its contemporary technologies are about planning and collaboration for the maritime trade, and tackling pressing environmental, sustainability, and governance (ESG) challenges. It is the wave…

Major shipping carriers unite to launch cargo safety initiative

Several of the world’s largest maritime cargo carriers are joining forces with a non-profit technology accelerator to launch a new innovation initiative to reduce cargo loss at sea. The program will address the growing scale and breadth of challenges operators face as technology evolves and the size and complexity of modern containerships increase. Safetytech Accelerator is a London-headquartered non-profit established…

USCG awards QUALSHIP 21 status to Liberian, Panamanian registry

The U.S. Coast Guard has granted the Liberian Registry and the Panama Ship Registry QUALSHIP 21 (QS21) status for 2023-2024. To qualify for QS21, flag administrations must have a three-year Port State Control (PSC) detention ratio of less than 1.00 percent and be credited with 10-plus PSC exams per year for the last three years. Admission to the QS21…

A horrible, unnecessary way to die

A horrible, unnecessary way to die. Maritime pilots are essential for the movement of commercial vessels in and out of ports worldwide, and every man and woman I have worked with serving in that capacity was a solid professional mariner. Being a pilot has always been a dangerous undertaking, especially when embarking or disembarking a moving ship. In the last…

Calmar Steamship Company’s Calmar

The Calmar Steamship Co. was a subsidiary of the Bethlehem Steel Co. which had operated since the 1920s on an intercoastal route linking the U.S Atlantic and Pacific Coasts via the Panama Canal. After the end of World War II, the Calmar company operated ten Liberty-type ships and, in the early 1960s, the decision was made to replace six of…