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The shipping industry is becoming a major target for increasingly tough environmental laws, especially in the US. This is due to the expanding definition that is given to hazardous wastes, which can include anything that is corrosive, toxic or flammable. In addition to such implementing bodies as the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Coast Guard, each individual state in the US is free to adapt its own unique law on the protection of the environment.

The dominance of European shipbuilders has largely been unchallenged through the centuries, especially in the area of cruise newbuildings. However, Asian cruise shipbuilders, specifically Korea's HDW and Japan's Mitsubishi HI, are fast becoming a threat to the dominance of European shipyards such as Meyer Werft and Fincantieri. Most of the European shipyards have promoted their services by telling their clients that the expertise needed in outfitting cruise ships is their exclusive domain. The ability of some Asian shipbuilders to produce high-quality cruise ships at lower prices and on schedule has increased their orders.

This article from Salt Water Sportsman recounts a scouting mission in the marshes of the Lowcountry. The author and their friend encountered a bed of oyster shells that blocked their path, but decided to drag their skiff over them. On the other side, they discovered a dolphin refuge teeming with redfish, and named the waterway Hannah Creek after the author's daughter who caught her first fish there. [Extracted from the article]

International communications is expected to make advancements to meet the continuing growth of the marine industry, particularly in the Far East. Trading patterns will possibly change but Inmarsat believes that the limited number of deep water ports in the Far East may cause smaller ships to be more affected than operators of larger tonnage. Inmarsat also believes that one area which is likely to grow is social calls, since more seafarers are expected to phone home more regularly.

Ballasts of double-hulled ships need to be properly coated against salt water to prevent corrosion from setting in. A number of companies manufacture alternative marine coatings that have replaced the traditional but environmentally destructive tar epoxies. Royal Chemicals of the US makes semi-hard coatings of asphalt which requires UHP hydro-blasting, a black base coat and grey top coat 150 microns in thickness. Leigh Paints of the UK produces paints with lower VOCs which also require UHP hydro-blasting of ballast tanks.

Shipowners are upgrading their data communication system to suit their needs. High-speed data communication system answers the problem in data compilation and transmission particularly for cruise line operators. Sophisticated systems, such as the Inmarsat's -A and -B systems, are considered to be highly reliable and cost effective. Factors, which include voice mail and fax option, are also viewed to be important in choosing the right communication system.

'Carnival Destiny' is the largest cruise ship worldwide at 101,353 gross. With its 15 decks, it can carry a maximum of 3,400 passengers. It is powered by GMT-Sulzer medium-speed engines and maneuvered by twin rudders and six thrusters. The ship boasts of a 1,600-seater theater, two major restaurants, a central atrium and a discotheque. Three Sercomo vacuum operators provide freshwater. 'Carnival Destiny' also provides 22 lifeboats launched by a hydraulic telescopic system.

Mobil has added another vessel to its 33-tanker fleet, which includes 10 very large cargo carriers (VLCC). The Raven is a conventional VLCC with an additional hull. It has a special drain running from the deck into the slop tanks, which was designed to overcome the IG pressure within the tank and allow gravity drainage of any oil on deck into the tank. A DU-Sulzer 7RTA84M handles propulsion, while the main engine has two IHI-BBC VTR564A turbochargers and two auxiliary blowers. The addition of the Raven to Mobil's large tanker fleet underscores its aim of operating its own rather than rely on independent operators.

Singapore-based Pan United Corp. has delivered a second 16,000 dead weight ton cement carrier to Kedah Cement. Christened the Kedah Cement II, the new vessel has eight cargo holds which can be loaded at about 1,000 tonnes per hour using air slides and gravity. It is powered by two MaK 6M32 engines which have a total output of 5,279kW and are capable of a top speed of 13.5 knots.

Industry executives have varying opinions on the future prospects of cruise ship newbuildings. Some believe that a temporary decline will be seen in view of the large number of vessels currently being built on order. On the other hand, many cruise line and shipyard executives also believe that newbuildings will continue to increase in view of the tremendous potential for growth of the cruise business.

The Japanese shipbuilding industry's dominance over the international shipbuilding market is being threatened by the continued high value of the Japanese yen and strong competition from South Korean shipyards. Although Japanese shipbuilding groups do not consider such factors as immediate threats, they do admit that these issues need to be addressed as quickly as possible. The shipyards stress the importance of developing accurate data to determine the long-term demands for additional tonnage. Moreover, they note that shipbuilders should focus on reducing the building costs to attract more customers.

Singapore's shipyards have experienced a downturn in gross earnings and profits in 1994. Among the factors contributing to this situation are the intense competition among ship repair firms and the lack of VLCC stemmings in many big shipyards. The entry of government has also given some shipyards cause to complain especially if they are not the beneficiaries of subsidies. At any rate, the industry as a whole is optimistic about 1996 and many firms are ready with their investment plans for 1996.

A joint venture between German engine maker Deutz MWM and the US' General Electric Transportation System has enhanced Deutz's 632 engine models. The collaborative effort was motivated by GE's need for V-engines for locomotive applications and by Deutz' need to remain competitive in the face of growing markets. The new series, which is scheduled for 1996 production, will be designed as turbocharged, inter-cooled on line engines with six, eight and nine cylinders and as V-engines with 12, 16 and 18 cylinders.

The German government is currently using subsidies as a means of maintaining the country's position as the leading shipbuilder in Europe. However, shipbuilding subsidies are mostly directed towards the large shipbuilding groups in the former East Germany. For the smaller independent shipyards in the West, increased cooperation is the strategy for achieving competitiveness. Some 17 shipyards have formed a group called the Medium-sized Serial Production Company to coordinate their operations. Other similar cooperative efforts are being formed across the country.

The US shipbuilding industry is pressuring the organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to halt the building of ships under government subsidies. The shipbuilders believe that subsidized ship production has made it difficult for them to compete for shipbuilding contracts after they have begun to lose contracts from the US military. Two bills have already been introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives that will penalize subsidized ships docking in the US.

The future of Sweden's marine industry depends on the status of its membership in the EC. Sweden, together with Norway, Finland and Austria, is applying for EC membership. Sweden's business community is hoping for the approval of the application but other sectors have been negative towards the EC. Swedish marine equipment manufacturers claim that membership to the EC will have little effect on their international operations. If Sweden joins the EC, it will have to consider the impact of the membership on its exchange rate system and the ability of local companies to coordinate with foreign customers.

Australia hosts approximately 10% of the world’s reptile species, the largest number of any country. Despite this and evidence of widespread decline, the first comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of Australian terrestrial squamates (snakes and lizards) was undertaken only recently. Here we apply structured expert elicitation to the 60 species assessed to be in the highest IUCN threat categories to estimate their probability of extinction by 2040. We also assessed the probability of successful reintroduction for two Extinct in the Wild (EW) Christmas Island species with trial reintroductions underway. Collation and analysis of expert opinion indicated that six species are at high risk (>50%) of becoming extinct within the next 20 years, and up to 11 species could be lost within this timeframe unless management improves. The consensus among experts was that neither of the EW species were likely to persist outside of small fenced areas without a significant increase in resources for intense threat management. The 20 most imperilled species are all restricted in range, with three occurring only on islands. The others are endemic to a single state, with 55% occurring in Queensland. Invasive species (notably weeds and introduced predators) were the most prevalent threats, followed by agriculture, natural system modifications (primarily fire) and climate change. Increased resourcing and management intervention are urgently needed to avert the impending extinction of Australia’s imperilled terrestrial reptiles.

The last few years have been poor for bulker owners, but there are strong signs of a recovery, attributed mainly to the upturn in Asian economies.

There are no universally recognized performance standards for marine separators. Alfa Laval tested three different separators, but its results are unlikely to be supported by Westfalia or Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha.

The bulk shipping industry, which was relatively flat for much of 1999, is not expected to show much improvement in the next year or so. The prospects of recovery of the markets in Japan and Korea has been dim since companies feel that fundamental reforms have not been implemented. The only hope for a quicker recovery in the industry is expected to come with the resurgence of the countries in the Far East. However, even this is tempered by the large number of refineries coming on line in countries such as India.

Top officials at AESA have expressed apprehension over the company's future which is enveloped by numerous uncertainties. Although the company represents a major share of the Spanish shipbuilding sector, AESA has been struggling with the flatness of the European market. Problems are further compounded by tonnage shortage, which has hindered the firm from acquiring major deals with ferry and ropax owners.

Many European classification societies are considering mergers with the entry of new competition in the shipping industry and the decline in Far East trading. Diversification allows most class societies to increase revenues amidst declining markets while other classes have significant decrease especially in marine class work. These declines are pushing European societies toward increased cooperative ventures, alliances, mergers and even closer links with Asian class societies.

The removal of unsafe vessels operating in the waters of the European Union member countries is expected to commence with the passage of the ISM Code. The Code, a product of the International Maritime Organization, is the first international legislation that seeks to introduce the concept of safety management to the shipping industry. The Code, which is generic rather than prescriptive in its approach to the problem, has also been termed as a license to operate.

Star Cruises of Singapore further solidified its position as the premier cruise line in Asia with the delivery of the 'Superstar Leo' cruise ship by the end of Sep 1998. The delivery of the ship, shown on the World Wide Web and witnessed by over 200,000 individuals, was itself a momentous occasion for its builder, Meyer Werft. 'Superstar Leo,' the first of four cruise vessels the shipbuilder is building for Star Cruises, is expected to boost Meyer's status as a manufacturer of world-class cruise ships.

Litton Marine Systems has unveiled the Decca BridgeMaster E radar. The BridgeMaster E, which features an advanced version of clutter control technology, is the first offering by Litton since its acquisition of Decca from Racal. Decca, whose BridgeMaster line of marine radars is known throughout the industry, started developing its latest product in 1994 prior to its purchase. The BridgeMaster E features Decca's Vision automatic radar adaptive video processing system.

Fuel contamination of the lubricating oils, a problem raised by the shipping industry in 1996, has been seemingly solved by the introduction of better oil formulations from the manufacturers. However, debate still continues on the issue as some of the lubricant manufacturers maintain that fuel contamination remains a threat to the operations of the shipping industry. This belief has led to the development of various testing procedures for fuel contamination of lubricating oils.

Alstom Turbochargers intends to sell 2,000 of its turbo-chargers by the year 2000 and establish itself as the world's biggest independent supplier of the marine diesel engine equipment. The company has proven that it is an aggressive competitor in an industry that has been the traditional domain of ABB. Alstom hopes to realize its goal for the next millennium with the introduction of the 8 series line of turbo-chargers. These include the 458 model and the larger 558 variant.

The economic turmoil in Far East Asia has created negligible impact on the performance of Japanese and Korean shipbuilding companies. Despite the crisis, contracts for shipbuilding operations have been increasing in the both countries. Between the two, however, growth has been more pronounced in Korea where shipping yards have remained busy throughout 1999. Their Japanese counterparts, however, claim that the success of Korean shipbuilders is anchored on the high shipping rates levied to partners.

Shipowners are addressing technical problems by hiring a single sub-contractor to provide them with complete propulsion packages that meet their needs. SweFerry agrees that having a single contractor for the propulsion system can help it target its resources better. However, Cenargo disagrees citing the yard as the main newbuilding coordinator. Engine makers Wartsila NSD and MAN B&W claim they have the complete propulsion packages that can provide a unified solution, with their Propac and Genuine Propulsion Package, respectively. Wartsila NSD is the main contractor for the Cenargo ships.

Operators of single-hull tankers remain confident about the safety of their ships as compared with more modern tankers such as the double-hull tankers. Hellespont Shipping Corp, owner of single-hull tankers, judges its ships as safer than the double-hull ones, which appear to have the potential for hydrocarbon leakage. Despite the issue of safety, single-hulled tanker owners are expected to adhere to the Marpol rule 13G. The rule requires that single-hull tankers of 20,000 dwt or over be installed with a double-hull or a similar framework authorized by IMO.

Safety regulations for bulk carriers will be discussed at an International Maritime Organization meeting regarding Solas restrictions. The discussions will be another step in resolving the ongoing debate regarding IACS safety proposals for bulk carriers. The likely participants will be Greek shippers who argue that poor maintenance and operational abuse make bulk carriers unsafe as well as Japanese shippers who argue that IACS estimates are overly conservative.

Growth expectations in the chemical trade caused ship owners to have tonnage on order, notably in the European and Far Eastern shipyards. The shipowner with the most tonnage on order is Stolt Parcel Tankers, with its three 36,700 dwt ships under construction in the France. Stolt has another ship on order at Danyard that will be delivered later than the scheduled time. China is also gaining recognition in building chemical tankers priced 35%-40% cheaper than that of Europe.

A large number of companies are creating electronic navigation systems that are ecdis-compliant since they consider ecdis to be the dominant standard in the near future. However, there are still conflicting views on electronic charts such as the raster chart, which is still seen by many as a viable solution. The prospects of raster and ecdis in electronic navigation are expected to be clarified with the coming IHO convention in Monaco in Feb 1997.

Bigger and faster vessels are being developed to meet the growing demand for high-speed ships. Fincentieri has its MDV series made of high tensile steel with aluminum superstructure and a service speed of 40 knots. They are 145 m. long and 22 m. wide. Buquebus is using gas turbines with its B60 ferry that will boast of a service speed of 60 knots. Bazan has its Mestral and Alhambra line of mono-hull designs, while FBM Marine has a 70 m. aluminum mono-hull with a service speed of 30-35 knots. Stena is poised to build four HSS 700 to extend its HSS series.