US Judge: BP Spill Smaller Than Feared
BP Plc will face Clean Water Act fines for its Gulf of Mexico oil spill of up to $13.7 billion, less than a maximum of $17.6 billion it could have been fined, after a judge ruled on Thursday the size of the spill was 3.19 million barrels. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier put the spill's size well below the 4.09 million barrel estimate of the government and the 3.26 million estimated by BP.
Third Fugro Vessel to Join MH370 Search
An additional Fugro vessel has been commissioned to carry out underwater search activities for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the company announced. Multipurpose offshore survey vessel Fugro Supporter is on its way to the Southern Indian Ocean search area, having conducted trials in Bali. The vessel is equipped with a Kongsberg HUGIN 4500 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) which will be used…
Nichols Brothers to Build Washington Ferry Superstructure
Ice Floe, LLC dba Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) has been contracted by Vigor Industrial to construct the superstructure portion of the third Olympic Class…
US Navy Expands Shipboard Missile Authorization
The U.S. Navy authorized ships in the Aegis Combat Weapon System baselines 5.3 and 3.A.0 series to carry the Raytheon Company Standard Missile-6. The authorization expands the missile's use from five ships to more than 35 ships. "SM-6 is the longest range integrated air and missile defense interceptor deployed, and its multirole capabilities are unprecedented," said Mike Campisi, Standard Missile-6 senior program director. To date, Raytheon has delivered more than 130 missiles to the U.S.
EFC Delivers Equipment to Chinese Shipyard
EFC Group has completed a $2.2million contract to design and build a BOP and diverter control system for China-based Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Offshore Co (DSIC Offshore).
US Navy Ships Exit AirAsia Search
USS Sampson (DDG 102) and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) concluded their assistance efforts January 15 after contributing more than 650 search hours to the Indonesian-led search effort for AirAsia flight QZ8501, The U.S. Navy reported. Working in coordination with the Government of Indonesia, the U.S. 7th Fleet assigned USS Sampson and USS Fort Worth to the mission shortly after the December 28 crash. USS Sampson departed from Singapore December 29 and arrived on station in the Java Sea December 30.
Traders to Store W.African Crude in US Until Prices Recover
Traders are shipping West African crude to the United States to store the oil until prices recover, as the global glut forces them to source any tanks available…
Norwegian Orders Rolls-Royce Propulsion Upgrade
Norwegian Cruise Line has selected a Rolls-Royce permanent magnet tunnel thruster to upgrade the propulsion package onboard cruise vessel Norwegian Epic. According to Rolls-Royce, the permanent magnet tunnel thruster offers numerous advantages over traditional tunnel thrusters including reduction in noise and vibration, an increase in power output of around 25% from the same size propeller, and is removable underwater eliminating the need for dry docking.
US Navy Eyes Next LCS Contracts in Q1
The U.S. Navy plans to award contracts before the end of the first quarter to Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal for its next three Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) as well as money to buy materials for a fourth, Navy officials said Thursday. Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley told reporters the Navy was in talks with both companies and expected to award contracts before the pricing in the current proposals expired at the end of March.
Alaska Marine Lines Lowers Fuel Surcharge
Alaska Marine Lines has filed with the Surface Transportation Board to decrease the fuel surcharge from 31% to 29% on shipments to, from and within Central Alaska and Prince William Sound locations.
ClassNK Updates Laser-Arc Hybrid Welding Guidelines
ClassNK has announced that it has released Guidelines on Laser-Arc Hybrid Welding (Ver. 2). The updated version builds on the original guidelines which were developed in December 2009.
Art Contest Invites Students to 'Discover the Marine Industry'
Students in grades K-12 are invited to participate in a North American art contest sponsored by the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), the U.S.
Lakes Defend US Build Requirement of Jones Act
An effort to remove the U.S.-build requirement from the Jones Act is being soundly rejected by Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, the largest labor/management coalition ever assembled to promote shipping on America’s Fourth Sea Coast. The Task Force said it sees no benefit to allowing foreign-built vessels to carry cargo between U.S. ports, but warns that nearly 60,000 jobs in the Great Lakes states…
Two Damen Patrol Vessels Built in Cape Town
Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) has completed the build of two FCS 5009 Patrol vessels, the first of their type to be built in South Africa. Another of the same class is already in operation with the Cape Verdean Coast Guard. “This continues our policy of building in Africa for Africa,” said Friso Visser, Sales Manager Africa for Damen, “and it makes us very proud to see our South African facility maintaining the Damen tradition of building technically advanced vessels to the highest standards.
Great Lakes: US Cargoes Surge on Milder Weather
With the vast ice fields of December 2013 a distant but still troubling memory, U.S.-flag cargo movement on the Great Lakes this past December rebounded significantly. Shipments totaled 9.6 million tons, an increase of nearly 35 percent compared to a year ago. Every commodity – iron ore, coal, limestone, cement, salt, sand and grain, registered increases ranging from 10 to 209 percent. “The increases…
Liberia Joins Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention
Liberia acceded to the Nairobi International Wreck Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007, on January 8, 2015, and thus becomes the largest flag state party to the convention. The Nairobi Convention covers shipwrecks that could have a potential adverse effect on the safety of lives and property at sea, as well as the marine environment. When it enters into force on April 14, 2015, it will fill a…
DNV GL Certification Helps Hapag-Lloyd Prepare for MRV
Hapag-Lloyd is preparing to become the world’s first MRV-Ready certified shipowner, working with classification society DNV GL on a verification program that will prove their readiness with incoming EU emission monitoring regulations for their entire own-managed fleet. MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification) are the incoming European Union (EU) regulations designed to progressively integrate maritime…
US Navy Renaming LCS Ships as 'Frigates'
U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on Thursday said the Navy would rename the modified Littoral Combat Ships it plans to build in coming years as "frigates," given their enhanced capabilities. "One of the requirements of the Small Surface Combatant Task Force was to have a ship with frigate-like capabilities. Well, if it's like a frigate, why don't we call it a frigate?" Mabus told the annual conference of the Surface Navy Association.
Massive J-Lay Tower Delivered to Saipem
The largest component of the 120-meter J-Lay tower for one of the world’s biggest crane vessels, Saipem 7000, has been delivered by tug Fairmount Expedition offshore Burgas, Bulgaria. The tower component was loaded on Saipem’s cargo barge S42. Oceangoing tug Fairmount Expedition towed the barge from Ravenna, Italy, nonstop to Bulgaria with an average speed of 8 knots. Subsequently, the Fairmount Expedition assisted during the offloading of the J-Lay tower.
Salvors to Board Hoegh Osaka
After holding Hoegh Osaka overnight, salvors are expected to board the vessel later today via helicopter and boat, the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) reported.
