Maritime and Offshore News

Founded in 2008, gCaptain has since become the world leading maritime resource, providing news and community platforms to professionals working at sea. While we go sailing, here are a few stories occurring alongside us:

• Global competition for offshore wind power is so hot that license auctions now resemble the oil and gas competitions of just a few years ago, and some of the names are familiar too as global oil majors move aggressively into renewable energy.

The drive among top fossil fuel producers to make fast inroads into lower-carbon businesses comes as more and more countries roll out plans to boost wind power in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint.

The cost of securing sites to develop has risen to levels that some top wind farm operators say are unsustainable and which will hurt consumers by driving up power prices. – Full report

• The U.S. trade deficit widened in February to a record high as solid household and business demand kept imports running ahead of shipments to overseas customers.

The gap in trade of both goods and services increased to $71.1 billion in February from a revised $67.8 billion a month earlier, according to Commerce Department data released Wednesday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a $70.5 billion shortfall.

A decline in exports exceeded a drop in the value of imports during the month as severe winter weather disrupted two-way trade. The U.S. deficit has been widening fairly consistently on a monthly basis since reaching a more than three-year low in February 2020. – Full report

• A salvage team was successful in securing a tow line to the 366-foot Eemslift Hendrika and the cargo ship is now under tow to Ålesund, Norway. The team had boarded the drifting vessel by helicopter in an attempt to attach a line to the vessel to prevent it from grounding along the rugged west coast of Norway.

The Eemslift Hendrika had been adrift for several days after its crew sent a distress signal that the vessel lost stability in the Norwegian Sea approximately 60 nautical miles west of Ålesund. All twelve crew members were evacuated over fears the ship could sink, including four in survival suits who were forced to enter the water for rescue by helicopter. – Full report