Atlantic Ocean News

Shipyard Bags Four Vessel Deal

Thecla Bodewes Shipyards  signing of a shipbuilding contract with Navigare Shipping, a family-owned shipping company from the Faroe Islands four new vessels, the start of a fleet renewal process for Navigare Shipping. This is the first newbuild series order for the shipowner.The GADUS 5600, designed by Thecla Bodewes Shipyards, is designed and built to revolutionize cargo transportation and embodies efficiency, sustainability, and versatility, sporting a diesel-electric propulsion system to deliver performance and fuel efficiency.

Global OTEC Presents OTEC Power Module for Remote Offshore Platforms

Ocean energy company Global OTEC unveiled the OTEC Power Module concept, a system that employs ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) technology to provide clean power for remote offshore platforms and wells.Designed as an alternative to traditional long subsea tiebacks, the OTEC Power Module could provide clean baseload electricity and flow assurance services without the need for cables and hydraulics, which typically limit reach to 35 km.Building on Global OTEC’s experience…

Russian Frigate Conducts Drills in English Channel

A Russian Navy frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles has conducted drills in the English Channel and is carrying out tasks in the Atlantic Ocean, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday.The crew of the frigate, equipped with Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic anti-ship missiles, conducted counter-terrorism drills, repelling air and sea drone attacks of a mock enemy, Russian state agencies reported."The Northern Fleet frigate Admiral Golovko has completed its…

Mobro Marine Orders Spud Barges at St. Johns Ship Building

Palatka, Fla. shipbuilder St. Johns Ship Building announced it has signed a contract to construct a pair of 80 x 54 x 12 spud barges for marine equipment company Mobro Marine, based in Green Cove Springs, Fla.The spud barges, built to support various marine construction and operations, will join Mobro Marine's fleet serving across the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.“Having St. Johns Ship Building partner with us to build these barges was only natural. We preferred…

Jet Fuel, up 11%, Powers Tanker Market

“During the first nine months of 2024, seaborne shipments of jet fuel increased 11% over 2023," said Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO. "Shipments were equivalent to 461 million barrels or 1.7 million barrels per day (mbpd). At the same time, airline passenger traffic measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) exceeded 2019 levels for the first time since COVID,”Airline cargo traffic recovered quickly after the COVID pandemic hit in 2020 and has since remained mostly within +/-10% of 2019 levels.

Billions in Lost Treasure: How Modern Technology Is Revealing Hidden Riches from the Depths!

Oceans worldwide hold untold riches hidden beneath the waves. Now treasure hunters are using  cutting-edge technology to explore them, discovering some of history's most treasured sunken finds from Caribbean waters to Arctic depths rewriting maritime history and uncovering fortunes lost at sea.According to estimates by marine archaeologists and treasure hunting experts, the value of treasure lying beneath the waves could range anywhere between $60 billion to over $100 billion.

Great Lakes Bags $342.3 Million in New Dredging Contracts

Dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has received several dredging awards totaling $342.3 million.The awarded work includes:Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement, Contract 6 Project (Capital, Texas, $219.1 million)The Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement, Contract Project 6 involves the deepening of the channel to accommodate larger vessels, reduce transportation costs, enhance channel efficiency and improve safety for local port stakeholders. This project has approximately $16 million of options pending. The client on this project is the U.S.

US Port Strike Would Spark Supply-chain Glitches from Outset, Shipping Exec Says

A threatened Oct. 1 strike by dockworkers at ports on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico would immediately disrupt the flow of goods in the country, the North America chief executive of French container carrier CMA CGM said on Wednesday.The International Longshoremen's Association union represents 45,000 workers at 36 ports including New York/New Jersey, Houston and Savannah, Georgia. The union has vowed to stop work if it does not have a new labor agreement in place when the current six-year contract expires on Sept.

Where Are the Hurricanes? Quiet Atlantic Bucks Forecast for 'Super' Season

Forecasters earlier this year predicted that hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean could be supercharged in 2024. But the tropics have been abnormally quiet in recent weeks, often the busiest ones of the year.The Atlantic hurricane season, which officially spans June 1 to Nov. 30, started on a strong note. In early July, Hurricane Beryl became the earliest observed Category 5 storm, the strongest rating, breaking the record by more than two weeks.Next week marks the traditional peak of Atlantic hurricane season…

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Reports $256.2 Million in New Contracts

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, on Monday announced the receipt of several dredging awards totaling $256.2 million.The awarded work includes:Mobile Harbor, Alabama Deepening and Widening – Phase 2A Dredging Project (Capital, Alabama, $65.9 million)The Mobile Harbor, Alabama Deepening and Widening Dredging Project 2A, involves deepening the channel by six feet to improve channel navigation to allow deeper draft vessels use of the port and to reuse material for beneficial use in the Sand Island Beneficial Use Area. The client on this project is the U.S.

Towboat Sank Due to Watertight Integrity Issues

The sinking last year of a towing vessel in the Atlantic Ocean was due to a lack of watertight integrity, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.Jackson Creek Marine's Jacqueline A was transiting the Atlantic Ocean from Virginia to a shipyard in Harvey, La., where the 1981-built vessel was to be brought into compliance with the U.S. Coast Guard's Subchapter M regulations. It began taking on water on August 8, 2023, while off the coast of South Carolina. The three crewmembers—a captain…

Ports of Indiana, Port of Antwerp-Bruges Partner on Trade and Green Shipping

Representatives from Ports of Indiana and Port of Antwerp-Bruges have signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance key economic and environmental port initiatives.The agreement formalizes a plan to work together to advance economic development, container shipping, decarbonization, port security and technology integration.The agreement was a result of past collaborations between the ports, a recent trade mission by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb to Belgium in June, and an MoU between the State of Indiana and the Government of Flanders signed Dec.

Call for North Atlantic Ocean ECA

Recent research into the impact of an Emissions Control Area (ECA) in the North Atlantic Ocean confirms that there would be significant emissions reductions benefits if such an area were to be established, says environmental organization Opportunity Green.The North Atlantic Emissions Control Area would mean stricter regulations on ships in designated areas, aimed at reducing and controlling their emissions of SOx, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and NOx.The International Council…

China Starts Regular Sea Ice Forecasts for Northeast Passage

A Chinese radio station on Monday started broadcasts on Arctic sea ice conditions off Russia's coast for vessels sailing the Northeast Passage, as China seeks to further utilise the world's northernmost routes as alternatives to the Suez Canal.Arctic sea routes are increasingly being used as an alternative global trade route connecting the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean to major economies as global warming shrinks ice packs and also allows for longer ice-free periods for vessels.China…

Russia Says West is Deaf to Moscow's Diplomatic Signals

Russia said on Thursday that the United States should not be nervous about Russian warships in Cuba but that the West appeared deaf to any diplomatic signals from Moscow and only took notice when the army or navy took action.A Russian navy frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine churned into Havana harbor on Wednesday, a stopover the U.S. and Cuba said posed no threat but which was widely seen as a Russian show of force as tensions rise over the Ukraine war.White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said there was no evidence of Russia transferring any missiles to Cuba…

Russian Warships Enter Havana Harbor Under Washington's Watchful Eye

Russian navy ships churned into Havana harbor on Wednesday, a stopover the U.S. and Cuba said posed no threat but which was widely seen as a Russian show of force as tensions rise over the Ukraine war.Small groups of fishermen and curious onlookers lined the Malecon seafront boulevard in light rain to welcome the ships as they passed the 400-year old Morro castle at the harbor's entrance.The first to arrive was a fuel ship, the Akademik Pashin and a tug, the Nikolay Chiker, while…

Russian Warships En Route to Cuba, Hold Missile Drills in Atlantic

A Russian naval frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine conducted missile drills in the Atlantic Ocean while en route to Cuba, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday.The drills by the submarine Kazan and the warship Admiral Gorshkov involved firing high-precision missiles at mock enemy targets from a distance of more than 600 km (370 miles), it said in a statement.The Admiral Gorshkov also conducted training in recent days to repel an air attack, the ministry said.The vessels are among a group of four Russian warships that is due to arrive in Cuba on Wednesday.

US National Maritime Day: Honoring Merchant Marine

May 22 is National Maritime Day in the US, and MARAD celebrated the day saying: “The United States has always been and will always be a great maritime nation. From our origins as 13 British colonies, through every period of peace and conflict since, the Merchant Marine has been a pillar in this country’s foundation of prosperity and security. They power the world’s largest economy and strengthen our ties with trading partners around the world, all while supporting our military forces by shipping troops and supplies wherever they need to go.“Ninety-one years ago…

Navigation and Wind Farms: Competing Ocean Uses Raise Existential Questions

“Wind Turbines: The Bigger, the Better” -USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, August 24, 2023Last December the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a proposed sale notice regarding new development areas for utility scale wind projects in the central Atlantic Ocean. The notice includes an upfront issue: the need to mitigate conflicts with U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) activities. BOEM explains that in certain areas the Air Force has set an airspace floor of 1,000 feet above sea level and the Air Force asked BOEM to keep structures below that height.

DEME’s Orion Vessel Heads to US After Finishing Scottish Offshore Wind Job

DEME’s DP3 offshore installation vessel Orion has departed for the United States to prepare for the installation of 176 foundations on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, following the wrap up of works at the 882 MW Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland.DEME’s flagship Orion vessel has completed monopile installation works on Ocean Winds’ Moray West offshore wind farm project in Scotland.Despite harsh winter conditions, DEME managed to install 29 monopiles in approximately two months.Meanwhile…

Season's First 'Saltie' Calls Port of Duluth-Superior

The first "saltie" of the 2024 Great Lakes shipping season entered the Port of Duluth-Superior on Monday,Oceangoing vessels that visit the Great Lakes are called "salties".This year, the first to call the Port of Duluth-Superior is the Portuguese-flagged Barbro G, a 623-foot bulk carrier operated by Sweden’s Brochart KB, which completed the season’s first full transit of the St. Lawrence Seaway en route to the Great Lakes’ westernmost port.By tradition, this first full transit from the Atlantic Ocean marks the annual opening of the Duluth-Superior Harbor…

Collision Between Containership and Fishing Vessel Caused by Failure to Keep Watch

A fishing vessel mate not maintaining a proper lookout and conducting maintenance on critical equipment while underway led to the collision of a containership and fishing vessel, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. No injuries were reported. Damage to the vessels was estimated at $6.25 million.On October 28, 2022, while the containership MSC Rita was transiting southbound in the Atlantic Ocean, the fishing vessel Tremont was transiting north-northeast in the same area.

Shipwrecks Teem with Underwater Life, from Microbes to Sharks

Humans have sailed the world’s oceans for thousands of years, but they haven’t all reached port. Researchers estimate that there are some three million shipwrecks worldwide, resting in shallow rivers and bays, coastal waters and the deep ocean. Many sank during catastrophes – some during storms or after running aground, others in battle or collisions with other vessels.Shipwrecks like the RMS Titanic, RMS Lusitania and USS Monitor conjure tales of human courage and sacrifice, sunken treasure and unsolved mysteries.