Mediterranean Sea

Amels Launches 77m Luxury Expedition Yacht La Datcha

Damen's luxury yacht builder Amels has launched a new 77-meter expedition yacht La Datcha.La Datcha’s emergence from her building hall in the Netherlands this week marks the start of the final stages of her build process before she heads on a global charter itinerary which is set to include heli-skiing in Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and dive adventures off Papua New Guinea. This a yacht built for adventure – custom designed to explore the world’s far-reaching destinations without compromising on luxury.

Baglietto Launches Superyacht Severin°s

The Italian luxury shipbuilder Baglietto has revealed its new 55-meter motor yacht Severin°s, which hit the water for the first time at the La Spezia shipyard.The owner and his family and friends, the yacht crew and the owner’s representative from Edmiston were present and witnessed the launch of hull 10225, which features an exterior design by Francesco Paszkowski Design.Severin°s was showcased for the first time in the warm light of a golden sunset on the Gulf of Poet at the presence of many ultra-high net worth guests, civil and military authorities…

Heesen Delivers Omaha

Yacht builder Heesen announced the delivery of the first yacht in its new 50 meter Steel Class, Omaha.YN 18350, christened Omaha, has been delivered to her owners following intensive sea trials in the North Sea in favorable weather conditions, with seas ranging from calm to moderate.Omaha exceeded the contractual speed, reaching 16 knots, and proved to be extremely maneuverable in all conditions thanks to her large rudders in combination with the power steering unit. Powered by two MTU 8V4000 M63 engines, she has a range of 3,800 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots.

MS EUROPA 2 Meets Breakdancing

Guests on board the luxury ship EUROPA 2 will to be enchanted by a unique performance that blends breakdancing and classical music. The internationally renowned “Flying Steps” dance group will make their EUROPA 2 debut in July, and will perform their dynamic “Flying Bach” show on a cruise that started yesterday in Monte Carlo, cruising the Mediterranean Sea to Palma de Mallorca. Under the artistic direction of Vartan Bassil, this breakdancing group from Berlin’s Kreuzberg district has become a network of over 30 world-class athletes who have danced their way to international success.

Microplastic in the Oceans

The Volvo Ocean Race is providing an exceptional opportunity to test oceans for micro-plastics in remote and coastal areas and shed light on the scale and global distribution of micro-plastics marine pollution. The Race's latest scientific data, collected by team ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’, identified 75 particles of micro-plastics per cubic metre in waters near Hong Kong and 87 particles of micro-plastics per cubic metre along the coast near Melbourne. The highest levels of micro-plastic so far have been found in European waters where the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet with a peak of 307 particles of micro-plastics per cubic metre.

Heesen Delivers VanTom

VanTom, the sixth yacht in the popular 50 meter semi-displacement class designed by Frank Laupman at Omega Architects has been delivered. The delivery took place in international waters on February 14, 2018 after intensive tests in the rough winter waves of the North Sea. The sea trials took place on January 12 and 29 in Beaufort 4 and 6, with North Westerly winds and waves up to one meter. Captain David Burge comments: “During sea trials, the yacht handled extremely well and gave a very smooth ride, even whilst proceeding at a speed of over 20 knots with a sea running.

KVH Expands mini-VSAT Broadband Network

KVH Industries, Inc. expanded the capacity of its mini-VSAT Broadband network with two upgrades recently, supporting growing customer demand for broadband at sea. One expansion added a new satellite beam that doubled the mini-VSAT Broadband network capacity in the North Atlantic Ocean region, including Canada’s Hudson Bay. The second expansion added a new beam across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to add 30 percent more capacity across areas such as the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Huge Yacht Carrier Headed for South Pacific

New policies making it easier for foreign-flagged vessels to explore the coastlines of Australia have lead DYT Yacht Transport (DYT) to schedule its largest semi-submersible yacht carrier, the 686-foot (209-metre) Yacht Express, to deliver yachts to the South Pacific. The trip coordinates with the end of the Mediterranean charter season, starting in Genoa (Italy) in November to accommodate private luxury yachts and charter vessels departing from the Mediterranean Sea. Operating with its unique float-on/float-off method…

WaPo: Two German CEOs Launching Own Mediterranean Rescue

The Washington Post has a story today about two German men who are launching their own rescue mission to save migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Harald Höppner and Matthias Kuhnt are two CEOs of a mid-size company in eastern Germany. According to the Post, the two have invested $162,000 since October into a 21-meter vessel that they are going to use to conduct a three-month mission patrolling the area between Libya and Italy, where the dangerous migration that has cost thousands of lives in recent years is concentrated.

10,000 km Kayak Journey Ends in Istanbul

Two French students arrived yesterday (9th October) in Istanbul, finishing a 14 month epic 10,000km journey by sea kayak, having set off from Gibraltar in July 2013. Sponsored by leading marine lubricant supplier Total Lubmarine, the pair conducted important research into toxic algae and noise pollution in the Mediterranean. The journey, part of the Mare Nostrum Project, saw Louis Wilmotte and Douglas Couet paddle the whole length of Europe’s Mediterranean coast in a sea kayak carrying out scientific, educational and cultural assignments.

WESMAR Adds Dealer in Italy

Italy is a region marine electronics and equipment manufacturer WESMAR has served with its roll fin stabilizers and its stainless steel counter rotating bow and stern thrusters for many years. Today, WESMAR announced a further expansion into the Italian market with the appointment of Yachtalia of Massa, Italy, as its newest international dealer. Yachtalia joins a network of hundreds of WESMAR dealers around the world. The company is situated on the Mediterranean Sea between the western coast of Italy and the islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily.

Quantum of the Seas to Embark on World Tour in 2015

World Travelers will not need to trek out to New York City to catch Quantum of the Seas, the most anticipated cruise ship to-date. The ship will come to them. Royal Caribbean International has announced the details of the Quantum Global Odyssey, a 53-night epic journey, departing May 2, 2015, from the New York-metropolitan area to its new home in Shanghai (Baoshan), China. Quantum of the Seas will take its never-before-seen-at-sea experience globally to savvy vacationers after the ship’s inaugural winter season in New York from Nov. 2014 through Apr. 2015.

GPS Spoofing and the Potential Perils to Ships at Sea

Simple annoyance or potential security threat? Spoof is defined as “a hoax or swindle.”  In the world of electronic networks, a spoofing attack is a situation in which one program successfully masquerades as another by falsifying data and thereby gaining an improper advantage. We have all heard of, and possibly fallen victim to, fraudulent card readers (often inserted on self-service fuel pumps). The fraudulent card readers copy security information from the credit card, which is then used to clone an illegitimate credit card and incur improper charges on the victim’s credit card account.

MaxSea TimeZero App Launched for iPad

MaxSea announced the launch of marine navigation app for iPad: MaxSea TimeZero, a solution for coastal navigation. The MaxSea TimeZero App is designed for outdoor use on small boats, where space is limited. MaxSea said its priority is to offer an extremely simple system allowing you to constantly display and have access to all the essential pieces of information for coastal sailing. The company said it features easy-to-use functionalities and the fastest and smoothest chart display ever, as well as 3D data and weather information for an unparalleled experience.

Places of Refuge

The concept of force majeure has been broadly accepted since mariners initially encountered the perils of the sea. Persons and governments ashore have been obligated, at least by natural law, to accept and succor those in distress at sea. Concomitant with force majeure is the notion of providing a ship in distress with a place or port of refuge. A place of refuge is where a ship could go to avoid or ameliorate the peril and then depart at the earliest opportunity. While the original need for force majeure and a place of refuge was to reduce the risk to the lives of those on board the ship…

Astrium and SES Extend Global Service

SES and Astrium Services signed capacity deals to deliver connectivity to vessels around Latin America as well as in the North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Astrium Services will renew capacity on the SES-4 satellite to provide its customers with managed services for maritime business communications, tracking equipment and engine performance as well as ensuring crew at sea to stay connected. Located at 338 degrees East, SES-4 is among several SES satellites providing capacity to Astrium Services enabling the company to customize services to satisfy specific needs of the maritime industry.