Virus outbreak on Dutch cruise ship Hondius [UPDATED]
Oceanwide Expeditions is dealing with what appears to be a virus outbreak on board m/v Hondius, which was at anchor off the coast of Cape Verde for some time, but has now left for the Canary Islands. So far, there have been two confirmed cases of hantavirus resulting...
VIDEO: New KNRM lifeboat passes capsize trial
The first new rescue boat of the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) has been subjected to a capsize trial. The KNRM and shipyard Dok en Scheepsbouw Woudsend performed the trial together in the port of Lemmer to test the boat's self-righting capabilities....
Belgian shipowner orders ten semi-autonomous ships with RensenDriessen Shipbuilding
RenssenDriessen Shipbuilding has begun construction of ten semi-autonomous ships. The vessels, named "River Drones" by the undisclosed Belgian owner, are suitable for dry cargo and containers and will be operated from the Seafar Control Centre in Antwerp, Belgium. The...
Vapour migration to bow thruster compartment causes explosion
Safety depends on training and good procedures, says The Nautical Institute in its latest Mars Report in which an explosion occurred on a ship during venting operations. In this instance, there were no written procedures for safe tank venting and equipment designed...
DNV to lead ammonia bunkering safety study in Singapore
The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) in Singapore has selected DNV to lead an ammonia bunkering safety study. The study aims to define a robust set of safety guidelines and operational envelopes that will establish the basis of a regulatory sandbox...
Jan De Nul carries out beach replenishment at Ostend on biofuel
On 15 February, Jan De Nul will start dredging and beach replenishment works in Ostend for the Belgian Public Maritime and Coastal Services Agency (MDK). The trailing suction hopper dredger Alexander von Humboldt will bring some 600,000 cubic metres of dredged sand to...
Dutch Sea Rescue Institution orders twelve custom RHIBs with Palfinger
Palfinger will develop a new series of rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) for the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM). The twelve RHIBS will be built at Palfinger's production facility in Harderwijk, the Netherlands, with the first to be delivered at...
SWZ|Maritime’s January 2022 issue: A dossier on arctic shipping
This January edition is another fine example of the knowledge the editorial staff of SWZ|Maritime can collect and the network our colleagues represent. Thanks to these qualities, Björn von Ubisch collected a mass of knowledge about all the relevant developments in...
IJmuiden now has the world’s largest sea lock
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands officially opened the IJmuiden sea lock on Wednesday afternoon, 26 January. The opening marks the commissioning of the largest sea lock in the world. The lock will be taken into use in mid-2022. The new, larger sea lock...
‘Let shipowners invest their profits in more sustainable ships’
For the debt-laden Dutch shipping company Vroon Shipping in Breda it all comes too late, but many fellow shipowners have made so much money in the past year that they can both pay off their debts and invest in new ships with more sustainable propulsion. However,...
‘On safe ships run by quality companies, persons washed overboard should be zero’
Accessing a ship's deck in heavy weather is always a risk. In its latest Mars Report, The Nautical Institute describes how a bosun was washed overboard by a large wave and subsequently never found. A preventable accident, according to the Mars editor, if the right...
















