The Panama Ship Registry continues its leadership position worldwide, ranking first among the 10 most important merchant fleets by flag registry and gross tonnage, according to the latest World Fleet Monitor from the Clarksons Research database.

Following the launch at SMM last year, global Survival Technology solutions provider Survitec has announced that its new Marine Evacuation System (MES) Life Ark has received full-type approval from classification society Bureau Veritas.

The AiP confirms that the vessel design meets the technical requirements and safety standards following a Hazard Identification Study on the associated risks of using ammonia as a fuel. The award comes as a result of a collaboration agreement Sumitomo Corporation and Oshima Shipbuilding signed in December 2021.

ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for an ammonia floating storage and regasification barge (A-FSRB) jointly developed by NYK Line, Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd. (NSY), and IHI Corporation (IHI). This is the world's first AiP for A-FSRBs handling ammonia as cargo.

 Ocyan has engaged DNV as an independent third party for the qualification process concerning a system for injecting hydrogen as an additive in the internal combustion engines of drilling rigs.

2022 has been another significant and positive year for Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) as the organisation goes from strength to strength. IRS has once again achieved strong and sustained business growth with inroads into new markets. The last 12 months has seen fleet addition of over 200 ships with more than 7 million GT – and an increased global geographical presence.

ABS and HD Hyundai signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding (MoU) to continue working together on industry-leading autonomous projects. 

The RSI members see a strong need for green newbuilds to replace the ageing shortsea fleet operating in the Baltic and North Sea dry bulk trade and beyond. Many of the vessels are expected to reach the end of their economic life in the next five to 10 years. The study, supported by R&D funding from the Swedish traffic administration Trafikverket, aims to accelerate the energy transition in the regional sea trade by identifying opportunities for green fleet renewal through transport systems analysis and interaction with cargo owners, shipowners, suppliers, and authorities.

With the start of the new year, Korean Register (KR) has launched the ‘KR PSC ADVISER’ mobile app to help customers prepare for Port State Control (PSC) inspections. The new service is designed to reduce the risk of PSC detentions by providing the latest PSC information in real-time and allowing seafarers to easily keep abreast of PSC checklists with a single app.