Oil Barge News

At least four people have been reported dead following the sinking of an oil barge operated by a contractor of Venezuela's state-run energy company PDVSA at the country's Lake Maracaibo, according to a report of the accident on Thursday and sources.Another 19 people had been successfully rescued by Thursday morning at the accident site, the report added.Incidents involving barges that carry Venezuelan oil and fuel between domestic ports and to the Caribbean have become frequent.

At least two people died and four were declared missing following the sinking of an oil barge operated by a contractor of Venezuelan state-run energy company PDVSA at Lake Maracaibo, PDVSA said on Thursday.Sources and an internal report from the company had indicated four fatalities from the accident earlier on Thursday. But PDVSA said rescue work to find the four missing people has not finished."PDVSA reports the unfortunate sinking of barge Chantase G of company SOSCA, provider of oil well maintenance services…

Trinidad and Tobago has hired two remediation and salvage firms to help clean up an ongoing oil spill off Tobago and salvage the leaking barge, the country's Ministry of Energy said on Tuesday.It has been almost two weeks since the oil spill was first discovered off Tobago's Atlantic coast after a barge ran aground on a reef. The spill has entered the Caribbean Sea, threatening nearby Venezuela and Grenada."An international partnership comprised of T&T Salvage LLC and QT Environmental Inc…

Not every vessel in the U.S. Navy is built for major combat operations on the high seas. There are large numbers of boats and service craft that provide essential services to the sea services, the nation and its partners.The U.S. Navy procures about 100 small boats per year. Some of these boats are based on commercial designs, procured to a Navy developed specification that tailors the requirements to the end user needs. They are procured and managed by two Naval Sea Systems Command program offices—PMS 300 and PMS 325.Compared to warships and auxiliaries…

Everett Ship Repair (ESR) is a relatively new name in the U.S. ship repair business. Established in October 2019, the Pacific Northwest shipyard is owned by Ice Cap Holdings, LLC, which is also the parent company to another shipyard not too far away: Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB).Both ESR and NBBB are headed up by CEO Gavin Higgins, who is responsible for the development of new business opportunities and cultivation of new business relationships, including working with industry groups…

On October 10, 2019 the steel cutting ceremony took place at Jiangsu Jinling Shipyard, Co. Ltd. in Yizheng, China (a subsidiary of the Nanjing Jinling Shipyard) for four oil/deck cargo barges being constructed for the Government of the Northwest Territories in Northern Canada.Steel blocks will be constructed at the Yizheng shipyard and then barged approx. 50 kilometers up the Yangtze River to Nanjing Jinling Shipyard for final assembly. Following steel cutting the construction is expected to take 9 months…

Water levels along the Rhine river, a key waterway for transporting commodities and other products from coastal areas to inland locations in France, Germany and Switzerland, fell to their lowest since May 21, Refinitiv Eikon data showed.Levels at the Kaub <WL-KAUB> location in Germany hit 201 centimetres and have been steadily declining since late June, the data showed.Oil barge brokers said the low water levels meant barges were leaving the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp refining and storage hub to inland locations not fully laden.Water levels along the river hit a record low of 25 cm in October

Bouchard Transportation Co. announced the delivery of ATB unit M/V Evening Breeze and Barge No. 252 (B. No. 252), respectively, from VT Halter Marine Inc. (VT Halter Marine) and Bollinger Shipyards.M/V Evening Breeze left VT Halter Marine’s Pascagoula Shipyard facility on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, and will meet and pair up with B. No. 252 before sailing to join Bouchard’s fleet service in New York.The Evening Breeze is 4,000hp meeting U.S. EPA-Tier 4 requirements, measuring 112 feet by 35 feet by 17 feet, and equipped with an Intercon Coupler System.

Bouchard Transportation Co. acquires its first oil barge, a sunken 15,000 barrel vessel, which Capt. Fred Bouchard purchased for $100. After raising this vessel, he towed it from Jacksonville, FL, to a Norfolk, VA, shipyard, where it was then converted to a hot oil system oil barge and named the John Frederick. #BTC100  The July 2018 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News will feature a special “Bouchard Transportation Co. Celebrates 100 Years” magazine. For more information contact: Greg Trauthwein, [email protected], t. 516-810-7405.

In 2018 one of the U.S. premier vessel owners – Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc. (BTC) – celebrates its 100th year in business. Maritime Reporter looks at BTC’s evolution through the years. The year 2018 is a celebration year for the Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc., which was founded in 1918 in New York Harbor by Capt. Frederick Bouchard, and will next year celebrate a century in business. The company’s first cargo was a shipment of coal, and its first oil barge was acquired in 1931.

At least one person was killed and another was missing on Friday after an oil barge being pulled by a tug boat caught fire and exploded in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas, officials said. The barge was carrying some 133,000 barrels of crude oil to a refinery in Corpus Christi when the explosion occurred at 4:30 a.m., they said. The dead person had not yet been identified and the fire was allowed to burn itself out before being extinguished, said Rick Adams, Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Port Aransas.

Norwegian maritime transport company Skyssbåtservice has taken delivery of a Stan Pontoon 4512 from the Damen Shipyards Group. The 45-meter barge will be capable of fulfilling a variety of roles in both the general maritime transport sector projects and the oil and gas industry. As well as carrying general cargo along the Norwegian coast on its 12 metric tons per m² deck, the barge is fitted with a bow ramp giving it full RoRo capability. Tug stoppers on the stern also allow it to be pushed as well as towed to its destinations.

Where commercial marine and safety considerations allide with recreational and other peripheral agendas, the discussion can sometimes be contentious. One such example of this reality is now playing out on the Hudson River in New York. On June 9, 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard published a three-page Federal Register notice, seeking public comments on a proposal suggesting new anchorage grounds in the Hudson River, from Yonkers to Kingston, N.Y. Officially, this was an advance notice of proposed rulemaking…

Chinese Maritime Court has sold five vessels of bankrupt Wenzhou Shipping, subsidiary of Zhejiang Shipping Group,  through online auctions on Taobao.com  for a  a total price of $22.81m. The auctioned ships include 2011-built 57,000-dwt supramax bulker Zhe Hai 167, 2009-built 33,400-dwt handysize bulker Zhe Hai 162, 2009-built 23,500-dwt handysize bulker Zhe Hai 156 , a tugboat  and an oil barge. Singapore-based company Varada One's vessel was auctioned off on online shopping platform Taobao  for $11.7,  Xinhua news agency reported. The VLCC Varada Blessing is 1993-built, 300,000 dwt tanker. According to the Xinhua report, courts in China are now increasingly auctioning seized property online.

Vigor’s Seattle shipyard recently delivered a 95’ x 38’ x 16’, 3,000 hp ATB Twin Screw Tug, Dale R Lindsey, to Harley Marine Services Inc. Designed by Elliot Bay Design Group for primary operation in Alaska, the ATB tug utilizes an Articouple FRM-43M coupler system to pair with the 20,000 barrel oil barge, Petro Mariner. It features a raised aluminum pilothouse for optimal visibility built by Kvichak. Dale R Lindsey is the 11th vessel built by Vigor for its long-time customer, Harley Marine.

The Vane Brothers Company has taken delivery of a 55,000 BBL double hull oil barge, Double Skin 509A. Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) was contracted by the builder Conrad Industries to develop the design of the 361’ x 62’ x 24.5’, 55,000 BBL double skin tank barge. The construction of the barge took place at Conrad Shipyard in Amelia, La. The barge is certified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for oceans-fully manned trade. The barge’s primary purpose is to transport asphalt and other heavy oils.

Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) informs it is currently completing the detail design phase of a 399’ x 74’ x 30’ 80,000 BBL double hull oil tank barge and a 120’ x 40’ x 18’- 6” twin screw ocean service tug. Both vessels are currently being built under ABS survey at Conrad Shipyard, L.L.C. in Amelia, La. with a 2015/2016 delivery date. The new ATB Gulf Venture and Gulf Carrier will be operated domestically and internationally by John W. Stone Oil Distributor to support the continually expanding shore bases as well as offshore operations.

In 1864 Abraham Lincoln was president, and the U.S. was embroiled in the midst of civil war. In 1864, McAllister Towing was established (originally as the Greenpoint Lighterage Co.) in New York City. McAllister Towing has persevered, and at times, served, through nine wars, 28 presidents, at least three catastrophic stock market crashes; collapsing oil prices, generations of advances in ship technology and vessel construction and design; and an explosion in maritime regulation.

Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT), a designer of membrane containment systems for the maritime transportation and storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG), via its U.S. subsidiary GTT North America, announced the signing of an agreement with Conrad Shipyard for the future production of LNG membrane tanks using GTT's technology. The signing of an agreement initiates the process of training and preparing Conrad Shipyard, a major U.S. shipbuilder, to offer GTT's membrane containment technologies for LNG storage, transportation and fuel tanks. The training process will include the construction of a membrane tank model to exhibit Conrad Shipyard's manufacturing and installation expertise.

Diversified Singapore-based containership owners Samudra Group reports registered revenue of USD 96.9 million for the second quarter ended 30 June 2014, a 7.6% decline from USD 104.8 million in the previous corresponding quarter, which they say is in line with the Group’s rationalisation of its services and disposal of underperforming vessels. Revenue for the container shipping business fell 7.3% to USD82.0 million in 2Q14, from USD88.4 million in 2Q13 as a result of rationalization of services on Indonesia domestic routes. Container volume handled increased by 6.5% to 342,400 TEUs in 2Q14, compared to 321,500 TEUs in 2Q13 due to improvement in the regional routes.

Along the way, ATBs gain speed, efficiency, safety – and popularity. Operators of articulated tugs and barges, or ATBs, say they like the maneuverability, weather reliability, stability, speed of these units, and the manner in which the tug pushes the barge. As a marine transportation concept, they can also simply be described as versatile. ATBs move petroleum, chemicals, coal, grain, containerized cargo and rail cars for customers on the U.S. coasts, rivers, the Great Lakes and overseas. As a result, demand for articulated units expanded in the last two decades with new technology.

An interview with Rich Hobbie, the leader of the Water Quality Insurance Syndicate (WQIS), the largest underwriter of pollution liability insurance for marine vessels in the United States. Can you give our readers an overview of your business today. The Premium income and growth factors in the marine insurance industry are very stagnant right now. And competition is quite heavy in all areas. In the U.S. market and in the marine market in general, there are new players. The London market has gotten more aggressive over here.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, the world's second-largest cruise operator, said its quarterly profit fell by two-thirds as costs rose and six cruises were canceled or shortened due to several mishaps. Shares of the company, whose cruise lines include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruise, fell as much as 3.2 percent in early trading. The company shortened or canceled six cruises during January-March, typically the strongest season for cruise operators. Voyage disruptions hurt yields, which include ticket sales and spending on board, by about 0.5 percent in the first quarter ended March 31. Royal Caribbean said its cruise operations were hurt by several mishaps in the first quarter.