East Coast News

“The enormity of this disaster is hard to imagine without seeing it in person…It may sound dramatic but given the wreckage field created by the collapsed bridge, the environment divers are working in, and the dangers posed to them, is like cleaning the site of 9/11 with blinders on.” - Rick Benoit, Emergency Management specialist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) North Atlantic Division (NAD), from USACE news report.Col. Estee Pinchasin is commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District.

A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine will undergo maintenance in Australia for the first time on Friday, a key step by AUKUS partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific, the defense ministers of Australia, Britain and the United States said.Australian personnel trained with the United States and Britain over the past year ahead of the submarine maintenance at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, involving personnel from the three nations."Our navies are committed to reinforcing…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its preliminary assessment of the grounding of the bulk carrier Indian Partnership on April 23, 2023, and implicated voyage optimization planning.The UK-registered bulk carrier ran aground at 0409 off the coast of Misool Island while transiting the Indonesian archipelago. The grounding caused significant breaches to the hull, leading to water ingress into the duct keel and five ballast water tanks.Indian Partnership had set sail from Skardon River…

American Liberty, the third new Coastal Cat in American Cruise Lines’ series of 100-passenger ships, was christened in Newport, R.I. this week.Built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., American Liberty is the newest ship in American’s ongoing Project Blue series of 12 new small ships for river and coastal cruising in the U.S. Several more ships in the series are already under construction, including the fourth Coastal Cat, American Legend, which is set to begin cruising in November 2024…

Senesco Marine recently held a launch and christening ceremony for WindServe Marine's new Jones-Act-compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV), WindServe Frontier.WindServe Marine, a sister company to the North Kingstown, R.I. shipbuilder—both part of the Reinauer Group—will operate the CTV to serve the emerging offshore wind industry on the U.S. East Coast.The BMT-designed aluminum catamaran is 29 meters long with a 9-meter beam and 1.7-meter draft. It is equipped with Volvo Penta D13 main engines (515kW at 2,300 RPM) and a Volvo Penta IPS 900 propulsion system.

The Biden administration on Monday issued an offshore wind lease to the state of Maine for a small project that will demonstrate floating turbine technology off the U.S. East Coast.The lease area covers 9,700 acres (3,920 hectares) and is 28 nautical miles (52 kilometers) from shore, an area that could accommodate up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines that could generate about 144 megawatts of electricity.Floating wind is widely acknowleded as the future of offshore wind, as it is able to tap stronger winds further from shore.

The Canadian Coast Guard has launched a new offshore oceanographic science vessel to be named the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Naalak Nappaaluk.As the Canadian Coast Guard’s largest dedicated science vessel, the new ship will provide increased capability and capacity to support ocean science missions on Canada’s east coast. It will accommodate up to 34 crew and 26 Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists and will be stationed at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth…

ExxonMobil Canada Properties (EMCP) reported a near miss event occurred on August 7, 2024, during a gangway crew change between the survey vessel Amazon Conqueror and offshore supply vessel (OSV) Victory G off Canada's East Coast.Operations were halted when it was indicated that the gangway was approaching operating condition limits for safely transporting personnel. Subsequently, the gangway detached from the landing platform on the Victory G and was left suspended between the two vessels.There were no injuries to personnel during this incident…

A potential strike at U.S. seaports on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico could back up cargo there for weeks or even months, shipping experts said on Wednesday.Retailers like Walmart and other importers have been rushing goods in ahead of the Sept. 30 expiration of the union contract covering some 45,000 dockworkers at three dozen seaports from Texas to Maine.Their goal? To land cargo in the U.S. before Oct. 1, when the International Longshoremen's Association representing those workers has vowed to strike if a new contract is not in place.Analysts at Sea-Intelligence…

Retailers are fueling a summer rush of imports to the United States this year as companies guard against a potential strike by port workers and ongoing shipping disruptions from attacks in the Red Sea ahead of a shortened holiday shopping season.Container imports and freight rates surged in July, signaling an earlier than usual peak season for an ocean shipping industry that handles about 80% of global trade.July is expected to be the peak for U.S. retailers, which account for about half of that trade…

Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine (AAM) announced it has been awarded a contract to build a 73-foot research vessel for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). The vessel will operate as a multipurpose research platform capable of conducting a wide range of scientific missions, including oceanographic surveys, biological studies and educational outreach programs along the Mid-Atlantic, U.S. East Coast and offshore waters.The 73’ x 26.7’ aluminum catamaran…

Six people were rescued after abandoning their fire-stricken fishing vessel off the U.S. East Coast, Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.At 8:56 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Northern New England command center watchstanders received a mayday call from the 81-foot trawler Three Girls stating that the vessel was ablaze and the captain, NOAA observer and four crew members on board were preparing to abandon ship about 105 nautical miles east of Portsmouth, N.H. The First Coast Guard District command center also received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon from the vessel.At 9 p.m.…

Ocean container shipping demand from China to North America and North Europe continued to break records in June, but the latest data from Xeneta indicates it may now have peaked.The June highs came as importers rushed to protect supply chains amid the global disruption caused by conflict in the Red Sea.The latest data, released this week, shows 800,000 TEU were shipped from China to North Europe in June, which is the highest ever monthly figure on this trade (Source: Xeneta, Container Trades Statistics).While the trade from China to North America did not set a new all-time high…

Two new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) under construction for the Canadian Coast Guard were named during a ceremony at Irving Shipbuilding's Halifax Shipyard. The July 31 event also marked the official keel laying for AOPS 7, and celebrated construction start of AOPS 8.AOPS 7, the first AOPS for the Canadian Coast Guard, will be named CCGS Donjek Glacier after the Donjek Glacier located in Kluane National Park in Yukon. AOPS 8, the second vessel for the Canadian Coast Guard and the final AOPS…

Shipping giant CMA CGM said on Thursday that brisk international trade and Red Sea disruption supported its main maritime division in the second quarter and should limit any market slowdown later this year as new ship capacity arrives.The world's third-largest container shipping line reported a 6.8% year-on-year increase in volumes in the second quarter. Volumes also rose more than 6% from the first three months of the year when the group started seeing an upturn in demand.Restocking by U.S.

Crown LNG Holdings, a provider of LNG liquefaction and regasification terminal technologies for harsh weather locations, has selected IKM Engineering & Environmental Consultants (IKM) as its partner for the design and engineering of a floating LNG import terminal in the Firth of Forth, Scotland.The partner appointment represents a critical milestone as Crown LNG advances toward Final Investment Decision (FID) for the Grangemouth project, the company said.The Grangemouth project…

The Port San Luis Harbor District has entered into a project evaluation agreement with Clean Energy Terminals (CET), a leading developer of offshore wind port facilities across the U.S., to asses the development of the West Coast's first offshore wind operations and maintenance port.The agreement enables the parties to jointly evaluate the technical and commercial feasibility of an offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) port facility in San Luis Obispo Bay.The facility…

American Cruise Lines' third new Coastal Cat cruise ship, American Liberty, has completed sea trials and is gearing up to sail its inaugural cruise in August.The 100-passenger American Liberty, built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., is the newest ship in American’s ongoing Project Blue series of 12 new small ships for river and coastal cruising in the U.S. Several more ships in the series are already under construction, including the fourth Coastal Cat, American Legend…

A tanker that fled the scene of a fiery Friday collision off Singapore entered the area of Malaysia's Bertam floating oil terminal on Monday after being tracked down and intercepted by Malaysian authorities, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed.The Sao Tome and Principe-flagged supertanker Ceres I had left the scene of the collision with the Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile about 55 km (35 miles) northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca without explanation.The Ceres I…

A tanker that was involved in a collision near Singapore last week entered the area of Malaysia's Bertam floating oil terminal on Monday morning after it was intercepted by local authorities on Sunday, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed.The Sao Tome and Principe-flagged supertanker Ceres I left the scene of a fiery collision with another tanker, the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile, on Friday.The Ceres I was found in Malaysian waters with two tugboats towing it, the coast guard…

Esgian provides an update on rig activity and discoveries in its Week 28 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.Report SummaryDrilling Activity and DiscoveriesThe Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil) has given Equinor consent for exploration drilling in blocks 32/4 and 32/7 in the North Sea.Operator LLOG Exploration Company is currently drilling its fifth well at the Buckskin field in the US GOM.Equinor and its partners Petoro, Vår Energi, and TotalEnergies started production from…

Australia has awarded new offshore acreage for petroleum exploration and carbon capture and storage (CCS) opportunities.The Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King will finalize permits for Esso and Beach Energy in the Otway and Sorrell Basins, with any discovered gas to support the domestic east coast market.Exploration permits will also be finalized for Chevron, INPEX, Melbana and Woodside Energy on Australia’s west coast. In addition, 10 permits will be finalized for carbon capture and storage exploration.“As ageing coal generation comes offline in coming years…

The dramatic spike in the ocean freight container shipping market is reaching its peak as importers push back against spiraling spot rates.Data released by Xeneta today, Monday, shows average spot rates from the Far East to US East Coast increased by 3.7% on July 15 to stand at USD 10,045 per FEU (40ft equivalent shipping container). Into the US West Coast, spot rates increased by 2.0% to stand at USD 8,045 per FEU.While this means spot rates are up almost 150% on these trades since the end of April…