Riverside News

For centuries, riverside communities, including the "quilombola" descendants of enslaved Africans who escaped from plantations and ranches, have shared Xingu Island in Brazil's Amazon Basin.Its inhabitants live in brightly painted wooden houses overlooking rivers where small boats crisscross between islands and Abaetetuba city on the mainland to trade fish, seeds and fruits gathered from the Amazon forest in their backyard.In 2016, however, strangers docked on Xingu Island, in Para state…

The water level at a major river port in Brazil's Amazon rainforest hit its lowest point in at least 121 years on Monday, as a historic drought upends the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and damages the jungle ecosystem.Rapidly drying tributaries to the mighty Amazon river have left boats stranded, cutting off food and water supplies to remote jungle villages, while high water temperatures are suspected of killing more than 100 endangered river dolphins.The port in Manaus…

The Port of Los Angeles has recognized the achievements of more than two dozen shipping lines and carriers for participating in the Port’s Vessel Speed Reduction Program (VSRP), an air quality and annual incentive program for vessel operators who reduce their speed as they approach or depart the port.The voluntary program is one of many sustainability efforts currently underway at the Port to reduce emissions and decarbonize operations.Emission reductions are achieved under the…

The London Fire Brigade has added a pair of new fireboats on the Thames as part of a £40 million investment made by City Hall to expand the Brigade’s fleet of equipment and vehicles.The new 16.2-meter-long boats, Tanner and Errington, are named after Auxiliary Fireman Harry Errington and Auxiliary Firewoman Gillian Tanner, who in the Second World War were both awarded medals for bravery. The call signs for the boats are H23A and H23B, a reference to Adam Mere and Billy Faust, two London firefighters who died fighting a fire in 2004.Built by Holyhead Marine…

Serbian sunseekers flocking to the riverside beaches of Novi Sad have adopted new pastime this summer—wading across a vast stretch of the Danube usually reserved for cargo barges and cruise ships.The navigable channel of western Europe's longest river, a trade and transport artery that passes through ten countries, is usually several hundred meters wide where it flows through Serbia's second-largest city.But drought and record high temperatures have reduced that to a narrow lane only being kept open by dredging…

An incorrect solution to address a main engine start issue led to the contact between an oil tanker and a loading dock in the Port of Corpus Christi, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The agency published a marine investigation report detailing its investigation into the March 15, 2021, contact of the oil tanker Riverside with Moda Ingleside Energy Center No. 4 loading dock near Ingleside, Texas. The vessel was carrying more than 717,000 barrels of crude oil and was bound for Lisbon, Portugal. No injuries or pollution were reported.

In the last week of April, with little fanfare, the U.S. Coast Guard released a much-anticipated opportunity to build up to 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters. After the detailed design and construction contract is awarded in Spring of 2022, a lucky shipbuilder will begin replacing the Coast Guard’s eclectic fleet of 18 venerable river buoy tenders (WLR) and 13 inland construction tenders (WLIC).The Coast Guard’s inland waterways maintenance fleet has been ignored for far too long.

Uber is taking to the water in London. Earlier this month the international ride-hailing company marked the start of a partnership with water taxi operator Thames Clippers to provide its services on the River Thames.The first vessel donning Uber Boat by Thames Clippers branding set sail on August 3 as part of a fleet of 20 passenger vessels departing from 23 piers across London from Putney in the west to Woolwich Royal Arsenal in the east.Uber is rolling out the service on its app…

British building materials company Tarmac has partnered with London’s fastest growing port, the Port of Tilbury, to create the UK’s largest construction materials aggregates terminal at Tilbury2, the new port being constructed on the north bank of the River Thames.The work will see the creation of new aggregate processing and manufacturing facilities, including an asphalt and ready mix concrete plant, at the new port terminal, supported by the terminal’s deep sea capacity for vessels up to 100,000 metric tonnes. Its riverside location will enable the easy import of raw materials and facilitate the use of the River Thames as a delivery route for processed construction materials into Central London.Martin Riley…

Familiarity can and does breed contempt. You don’t need anything else added to that heavy burden.We live and work in a frenetic environment replete with a wide range of both human and technological distractions. When those two elements came together on the bridge of a towboat traveling downriver to pick up a load of empty barges, the result was career-changing for the vessel’s first mate, who was on the wheel. It was yet another costly reminder of the need for professional mariners…

The HR, competence and training specialist Mintra Group said it has acquired Aberdeen headquartered learning technology services firm Atlas Knowledge.The move will bring both Aberdeen operations together to offer learning and competency systems and services to customers in the oil and gas, maritime, aviation, construction and energy sectors.With a turnover of around £15 million, Mintra employs more than 100 people globally and is backed by investor The Riverside Company. Atlas delivers digital learning solutions to safety critical industries…

Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited (BCSCL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the shipping ministry so that Bangabandhu-1 satellite will provide the connectivity to around 39,000 ships in the country in a year. A report in Star Online quoted Md Saiful Islam, managing director of the government-owned company as saying that  this is the first business promise from the BCSCL, is also engaged negotiations with eight other ministries and divisions to provide them connectivity. It said BCSCL will earn huge amount yearly by providing this service to shipping ministry when after the country’s first communication satellite will starts its commercial activity in September.

In the 29 years that towboat captain Joe Gray has worked flotillas of barges up and down the Ohio River, he has witnessed the decline at the heart of industrial America in what is known as the country's Rust Belt. Gray, 46, spends up to eight months a year doing 28-day stints on the barges carrying coal, corn and gravel between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cairo, Illinois. Some 600 million tons of goods still flow each year along 25,000 miles of U.S. waterways. But he has seen a growing number of coal-fired power plants being dismantled, from Indiana to West Virginia, and says barges loaded with coal have dwindled in the face of cheaper natural gas and tougher environmental regulations.

Many visitors to Bangkok will experience a ride on the Chao Phraya Express boats. These long, sleek, wooden, commuter boats, with their dramatically raked bows, are a staple of the river’s traffic. They can also be very crowded and, with many stops, a bit of a challenge to the tourist. A popular alternative is the tourist boats. These vessels have a more limited route and series of stops, all of which are near important tourist destinations such as the Grand Palace and Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn.

For many years, the Supatra River House on the Chao Phrya River, has been a favorite with Thai and foreign dinners. Situated on the Thonburi side of the river, the most favored approach to the restaurant is by boat. To that end, the owner, Khun Supapan maintains a fleet of beautifully restored Chao Phraya River water taxis. These can pickup dinners from their riverside hotels or any one of the Express Boat docks, including Tha Maharaj pier on the Bangkok side across from the Supatra River House.

The Port of Long Beach and Long Beach Container Terminal have received a Clean Air Award for working to reduce pollution in Southern California with the Middle Harbor redevelopment project. Given by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the award in the category of Business Leadership in Air Quality Achievement is for outstanding effort to advance effective solutions to the problem of poor air quality in the region. It was presented today at the SCAQMD’s 28th annual Clean Air Awards luncheon in Riverside. “We’re building the Green Port of the Future, and Middle Harbor is a big part of that,” said Harbor Commission President Lori Ann Guzmán. “The terminal is the world’s greenest and most sustainable.

Transas has completed the installation of Scotland's most advanced integrated ship simulator suite in the City of Glasgow College, the country's largest college. The simulation solution from Transas forms a core part of the new Riverside Campus, Phase One of the City of Glasgow College's super campus development. The installed simulator suite includes a full mission engine room simulator and four simulator labs for studying electronic navigation systems, GMDSS, liquid cargo handling and DP operations.

Humber tugboat operator SMS Towage has drawn on an old name for the latest addition to its fleet. The new Englishman is the 11th Humber tug to bear the title, in a tradition stretching back to the 19th century. Built at the Sanmar yard on the edge of Istanbul to a Canadian design, she produces 3,500bhp and can bring in 270m long ships of more than 170,000 metric tons dead weight. The 25m £3.5m vessel is capable of 13 knots and is among the most maneuverable on the estuary. She is one of 13 owned by Hull-based SMS Towage…

BBC Chartering announces the opening of a new representative office in London, United Kingdom, starting immediately. “We continue to strengthen our position at important shipping hubs for breakbulk, heavy lift and project cargo”, said Svend Andersen, CEO of BBC Chartering. The London branch is the second location of BBC Chartering in the UK and closely cooperates with the existing representative office in Liverpool. Ms. Valeria Salzano, who transferred from BBC Chartering Genoa Srl., was appointed as regional Sales & Chartering Manager for the London office. Both UK offices are managed from BBC Chartering’s European hub and global HQ in Leer, Germany.

“We don’t usually remove the heads at mid-life on the Cummins engines,” Randy Beckler, Shore Engineer for Seaspan Marine, explained in reference to the 2003 launched Seaspan Venture’s third like-for-like repower. The repower was completed in the first week of February 2016. The Seaspan Venture, like her sister the Seaspan Tempest, had a pair of Cummins KTA38 M0 engines when new builds. These engines were changed out at over 40,000 hours. In 2016, the second set of engines had around 42,000 hours.

Forth Ports Limited announced today that it plans to make the largest investment in the history of the Port of Dundee. The port owner is to invest more than £10 million to create a new quayside with an industry-leading “heavy lift” capability, coupled with a significant onshore operational area. This will position the Port of Dundee at the forefront of the North Sea oil & gas decommissioning and offshore wind sectors. This privately funded investment will result in the development of the quayside at the East end of the port, connecting to the existing Prince Charles Wharf. The quayside will offer heavy lift capability over its entire 200m length with an ultra-heavy lift pad at one end.

UK's Ports and Shipping Minister Robert Goodwill said that the Port of Tyne is a model of innovation and a major contributor to both the local and national economy. During his first visit to the port yesterday (25 June), the MP for Scarborough and Whitby witnessed firsthand the progress being made on the £25m project to extend the main Riverside Quay. Scheduled for completion next year, the investment will increase capacity to handle a wide range of bulk cargoes by almost 20%, expanding the port’s ability to compete effectively in new and existing markets. "The government is strengthening the UK's maritime sector as part of our long-term economic plan.

Findings from its 10th consecutive year of tracking air pollution show the Port of Los Angeles has set new records for cutting harmful emissions from port-related sources, with diesel particulate matter (DPM) down an unprecedented 85 percent and sulfur oxides (SOx) bordering on total elimination, having plummeted 97 percent since 2005. The data also shows the Port has surpassed its 2014 emission reduction goals set in 2010 for DPM, SOx and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Released today, the Port’s 2014 Inventory of Air Emissions reports NOx emissions are down 52 percent. The percentage fell slightly from the Port’s best year for NOx reduction – 57 percent in 2013 – largely due to congestion experienced at all West Coast ports during fall 2014.