Marine Link
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Government News

04 Oct 2023

Glas Ocean Electric Snags DARPA Contract

Image courtesy Glas Ocean Electric

The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)  awarded Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada-based Glas Ocean Electric a contract to develop and demonstrate a low-cost data acquisition system that can be easily installed on a range of vessels including fishing vessels, workboats, ferries and pleasure craft.Glas Ocean Electric’s PerforMarine is a platform that collects vessel and environmental data and then, using artificial intelligence, helps operators optimize vessel performance…

09 Feb 2023

USDOT Pumps $660M More Into Port Infrastructure

Copyright panimoni/AdobeStock

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) making available more than $662 million in Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 funding for MARAD’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).The PIDP investment is intended to help modernize the nation’s ports and strengthen supply chains.“America’s ports play a central role in our supply chains,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With today’s announcement…

31 May 2022

UK Cancels P&O Ferries Contract Over Job Cuts

©Pixavril/AdobeStock

Britain says it has canceled a contract with P&O Ferries "with immediate effect" in its latest action against the DP World-owned company following its decision to axe hundreds of staff earlier this year.The Home Office (interior ministry) said it was ending its agreement with the firm to provide contingency travel services to "juxtaposed ports" where British staff operate border controls in Belgium and France to check passengers and freight destined for Britain.It comes after P&O Ferries…

10 Jun 2021

Enterprise Revisited: Titanium is the USCG Vessel Procurement Magic Bullet

Evaluating a 260-m trimaran sealift ship, comparing the cost of a titanium vessel with a steel vessel, found that the acquisition cost of the titanium vessel would be $2.3B compared to $1.5B for a steel ship. However, the lifecycle savings of the titanium vessel would be $2.74B. In other words, once you build the first vessel in titanium, with the savings you can build the next vessel for free. That is called a two-fer!
Photo By Aleksander/AdobeStock

In my May 2020 MREN USS Enterprise column I made a reference to the benefits of titanium as a hull structural material.It related to the life of the USCG cutter Bear and I concluded the column with a suggestion that titanium would be a particularly useful and cost-effective structural material for sail training vessels, aircraft carriers, research vessels, cruise vessels, tugs and Staten Island ferries. I made this suggestion assuming that the hull design (shape) would have to be mature…

07 Apr 2021

Favorable Offshore Winds Blowing from the Biden Administration

© pkawasaki/AdobeStock

As part of his Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (EO 14008)—issued on the first day he took office—President Biden made significant commitments to renewable energy. These commitments include collaborating with multiple federal agencies in the United States and promoting critical industry support for the acquisition of electric vehicles for the federal fleet, as well as rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, the landmark international agreement signed in 2015 to limit global warming.

12 Mar 2020

NOAA-Viking Public Private Partnership, a Win-win for Research

RENDERING OF NEW VIKING SHIP: This rendering shows what the new Viking expedition ships will look like, including the hangar for launching small vessels. Credit: Viking

There was important cruise news in January: Viking – a premier European ocean and river cruise company - will offer two new “destination-focused travel experiences,” starting in 2022. One set of cruises becomes Viking’s first foray in the inland North American market, in this case the Great Lakes. Another set of cruises will head to the Arctic and Antarctica. Viking is building two new vessels: the Viking Octantis and the Viking Polaris, under construction now in Norway, by Fincantieri’s VARD.In a press release Viking writes that it has created “the thinking person’s expedition.”  Indeed…

09 Dec 2019

Maritime Schools Must Prep for Offshore Wind Jobs

Gabriele Rohde/Adobe Stock

The offshore wind industry in the United States is growing exponentially, with multiple projects in the development stages off of the Atlantic coast. The total megawatt capacity of U.S. offshore wind farms is anticipated to reach 22,000 by 2030 and 43,000 by 2050. To support this growth, U.S. Department of Energy reports estimate over 40,000 new jobs will be created by 2030.The new jobs anticipated to support the offshore wind industry include a wide range of types, including engineers, trade workers, surveyors, scientists, technicians, managers, and seafarers.

10 Jul 2019

Export Licensing: Tips U.S. Exporters Shouldn’t Overlook

The author, By Curt Cultice, U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Export Control Lists Include Key Marine Tech Categories  Each year, the U.S. Department of Commerce receives thousands of inquiries from businesses looking to export, many of which involve licensing questions. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), together with other USG agencies, is responsible for export licensing and controls. BIS export licenses may be required for items (commodities, software, or technology) with proliferation, military, or terrorist uses, or which warrant control for other reasons.

22 May 2019

Canada Plans $11.7 Bln Coast Guard Overhaul

(File photo: Heath Moffat Photography, Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said Canada would spend an estimated C$15.7 billion ($11.7 billion) to renew its coast guard fleet and that it would partner with a new shipyard to complete the project.Two Arctic icebreakers will be among a total of 18 new ships ordered, Trudeau told reporters in Vancouver. They will be built by Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax on the east coast, while 16 multi-purpose vessels will be built by Vancouver Shipyards on the west coast."Our…

09 Apr 2019

Contract award for OOSV

Image:Seaspan Shipyards

Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has awarded BCS Automation Ltd. (BCS) a contract for work on the Government of Canada’s new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV).BCS has been in operation for 30 years and specializes in automated systems for the marine, offshore and cement industries. BCS represents one of almost 80 Ontario suppliers to date that Seaspan is working with to meet its commitments under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).BCS will supply a ship control and monitoring system for the OOSV.

26 Mar 2019

PDVSA Oil Port Paralyzed by Another Blackout

Venezuela's main oil export port of Jose and the country's four crude upgraders have been unable to resume operations following a massive power blackout on Monday, according to industry workers and a union leader close to the facilities.The most recent oil shipment for export, on the carrier Dragon chartered by Russia's Rosneft, left Jose, which is owned by state-run PDVSA, on March 24, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel-tracking data and PDVSA's trade documents."There is no electricity, everything is paralyzed," oil workers' union leader Jose Bodas told Reuters on Tuesday.The blackout, Venezuela's second major power outage in a month…

13 Mar 2019

Norway Watchdog Turns Spotlight on Shipbreaking

© Deborah Benbrook / Adobe Stock

The ethics watchdog for Norway's $1-trillion wealth fund will focus this year on shipbreaking on India's beaches, which endangers workers and pollutes the sea and sand.The world's largest sovereign wealth fund, created from the proceeds of Norway's oil industry, operates under ethical guidelines set by parliament.The fund's Council of Ethics checks that companies the fund invests in meet these ethical standards. It set out its latest priorities in its annual report published on Wednesday.Johan H.

04 Mar 2019

Italy's 5-Star Back Confirmation of Fincantieri CEO, Chairman

Italy's 5-Star Movement would be in favour of keeping the current chairman and chief economic officer of Fincantieri in their current jobs, a party source said on Monday.Fincantieri's Chairman Giampiero Massolo and CEO Giuseppe Bono come up for renewal at the annual general meeting.Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the right wing League party, also said on Monday he would back a confirmation of the two top executives, following media speculation the 5-Star wanted to replace them.(Reuters, Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte, writing by Alessia Pe, editing by Valentina Za )

06 Feb 2019

DOT Chief Chao Echos President's Call for Infrastructure

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao

The Statement of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao issued the following statement regarding the President’s State of the Union Address. “Tonight the President issued a bipartisan call to repair and restore America’s aging infrastructure. Over the last two years, due to the President’s policies, our economy has generated historic levels of economic and job growth for Americans and widespread private sector investment. This success is enabled by America’s transportation sector, but aging and insufficient infrastructure threatens to impede future growth.

04 Feb 2019

Tankers with Venezuelan Oil Collect off US

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

A flotilla loaded with about 7 million barrels of Venezuelan oil has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, some holding cargoes bought ahead of the latest U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and others whose buyers are weighing who to pay, according to traders, shippers and Refinitiv Eikon data.The Trump administration's move to impose sanctions last week was meant to undercut support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by targeting the Latin American nation's oil exports to the United States, the source of most of its foreign revenue.The sanctions aim to block U.S.

11 Jan 2019

Surface Navy Association to Hold Annual Symposium

Rear Adm. Ronald A. Boxall, director, Surface Warfare, addresses attendees of the Surface Navy Association's 30th National Symposium in 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Timothy Hale)

The Surface Navy Association will hold its 31st National Symposium January 15-17, 2019 at the Crystal City Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Va.The symposium will feature senior Navy leaders delivering keynote remarks, focused on the theme of “Ready, Agile, Focused: Own the Fight!”Featured speakers include Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran; Commander, Naval Surface Forces/Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Vice Adm. Richard A. Brown, USN; Director, Surface Warfare (N96) Rear Adm. Ronald A. Boxall; and Director, Expeditionary Warfare (N95) Maj. Gen.

11 Jan 2019

Exxon Ships Have Not Returned to Disputed Area off Guyana

© Zerophoto / Adobe Stock

Seismic research vessels hired by Exxon Mobil to explore for oil off Guyana's coast have not returned to the site of a December incident with Venezuela's navy, but they may in the future, Guyana's foreign minister said on Thursday.Guyana, with no history of oil production, has become the focus of intense interest since Exxon announced the discovery of over 5 billion barrels of oil and gas off its shores. That has reignited a century-old territorial dispute with neighboring Venezuela.

11 Jan 2019

PetroVietnam: Maritime Tensions Weigh on Operations

(Photo: PetroVietnam)

Vietnam's state oil firm PetroVietnam said on Friday that tension in the South China Sea will continue to weigh on its offshore operations this year.The company, formally known as Vietnam Oil and Gas Group targets to produce 12.37 million metric tonnes of crude oil this year, down 11.45 percent from last year's output, it said in a statement.Vietnam and China have been embroiled in maritime disputes in parts of the busy waterway, where China claims 90 percent of the potentially energy-rich maritime territory, which Vietnam calls the East Sea."The complicated developments in the East Sea have h

08 Jan 2019

SeaRose FPSO Production Remains On Hold

Oil production continues to be suspended at the SeaRose FPSO, about 350 kilometers east of St. John’s for the last 50 days. There’s no information on when production will resume.Production was suspended and shutdown began on November 16 after two spills -  an estimated 250,000-liter spill - following a storm.Efforts were underway to resume production after the storm when a failed flowline connector near the South White Rose Extension drill center caused oil to be spilled into the environment.According to a notification from Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB), "shutdown maintenance activities are ongoing at the SeaRose FPSO…

31 Dec 2018

Iran's Revolutionary Guards to Upgrade Speed Boats with Stealth Tech

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Monday they plan to upgrade their speed boats in the Gulf with radar-evading stealth technology and new missile launchers as tensions rise between Tehran and Washington in the vital oil shipping route.Ending a long absence of U.S. aircraft carriers in the region, the USS John C. Stennis entered the Gulf last week, and was shadowed by the Revolutionary Guards' speed boats.There have been periodic confrontations between the Revolutionary Guards vessels and U.S. military in the Gulf, although the number of incidents has dropped in recent months."We are trying to increase the agility of the Guards' speed boats and equip them with stealth technology to facilitate their operations…

14 Dec 2018

Norway Postpones Decision on Arctic Oil Terminal

The Johan Castberg oilfield is expected to start producing in late 2022 (Image: Equinor)

The Norwegian government has postponed a decision on whether to mandate the construction of an oil processing terminal near the Arctic tip of northern Europe until the third quarter of next year, it said on Friday.If built, the onshore Veidnes terminal would receive crude via a pipeline from Equinor's offshore Johan Castberg oilfield, which is expected to start producing in late 2022.Equinor originally ditched plans for an onshore terminal in order to save costs, preferring instead to load oil on to crude tankers at the field before exporting it to global markets.Parliament earlier this year u

28 Nov 2018

Brazil Ship Collision Reveals Offshore Regulatory Gaps

© Nightman1965 / Adobe Stock

Brazil has more than doubled the number of risky ship-to-ship oil transfers this year, but its monitoring of such offshore maneuvers is lax, to a point where a July 2017 collision between two tankers was not reported, according to a Reuters review of government and shipping records.Transfers are projected to keep rising as the country's deep-water discoveries have lured major companies including Exxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc to recent offshore auctions. During these maneuvers, ships pull alongside one another and oil is transferred to a vessel via high-pressure hoses.

09 Nov 2018

DSC Dredge CEO Wetta Delivers Ghana Fact-Finding Trip Report

Bob Wetta, President and CEO of DSC Dredge LLC, right, with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross during PAC-DBIA. (Photo: DSC Dredge)

As a member of the President’s Advisory Council – Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA), Bob Wetta attended the September 26, 2018 Fact-Finding Trip Report meeting in Washington, D.C., with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and 13 other U.S. Government officials. Their purpose was to deliberate and adopt the final report of the 2016-2018 term of the PAC-DBIA. Prepared by IBM’s Takreem El-Tohamy, but unfortunately unable to attend the meeting, Bob Wetta presented the Ghana information…

Subscribe for
Maritime Reporter E-News

Maritime Reporter E-News is the maritime industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email five times per week