Georgia News
Hybrid Waterjet Passenger Ferries Launched for Savannah, GA
Marine Jet Power (MJP), a global provider of waterjet propulsion, and Derecktor Shipyards New York announced the launch and christening of two groundbreaking passenger ferries for Chatham Area Transit (CAT) of Savannah, Georgia.These vessels represent a significant milestone as the first hybrid passenger ferries in the United States powered by waterjet propulsion.The two 65-foot ferries, The Juliette Gordon Low II and The Susie King Taylor II, powered by MJP UltraJet 305 waterjets, incorporate cutting-edge hybrid technology, marking a new era in sustainable maritime transportation.
Finland: Tanker Sabotage Crew poised to cut cables when caught
Crew on board an oil tanker accused of sabotaging undersea power and communications cables in the Baltic Sea were poised to cut other cables and pipelines when Finnish authorities boarded the vessel last month, the head of the Finnish investigation said.Baltic Sea nations are on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Leaders of the NATO member states around the Baltic Sea are set to meet in Helsinki on Tuesday to discuss the alliance's response to the threat.On Dec.
Wide Agreement for Proposed GHG Emissions Pricing Mechanism
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has joined 47 governments in a joint submission to the final round of negotiations at the IMO on a GHG emissions pricing mechanism for international shipping.The joint text is supported by major shipping nations such as Greece, Japan, Korea and the United Kingdom, the world’s largest flag States including Bahamas, Liberia, Marshall Islands and Panama, all EU States (and the European Commission), other African countries such as Nigeria and Kenya…
Obituary: Lieutenant James Earl Carter Jr., USN - 39th American President
President James Earl "Jimmy" Carter passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.President Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 with distinction, after which he was assigned to USS Wyoming (E-AG 17) as an ensign. After completing two years of surface ship duty, Carter applied for submarine duty. He served as executive officer, engineering officer, and electronics repair officer on the submarine SSK-1. When Admiral Hyman G. Rickover (then a captain) started his program to create nuclear-powered submarines…
AME Renews Partnership with Fluke Reliability/PRUFTECHNIK
AME will its partnership with Fluke Reliability and PRUFTECHNIK Group, enhancing its focus of providing technology solutions for maritime and industrial mechanical applications. As the official sales representative for Florida, Georgia, North, and South Carolina, AME is ready to provide reliable support and expertise to machinery operators at every level.PRUFTECHNIK, a provider of precision alignment and condition monitoring technology, and FLUKE, known for their diagnostic tools, perfectly align with AME’s extensive knowledge and experience in condition-based maintenance and alignment.
AME Renews Partnership with Fluke Reliability, Pruftechnik Group
US-based engineering company Advanced Mechanical Enterprises (AME) has renewed its partnership with Fluke Reliability and Pruftechnik Group and is their official sales representative for Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina under the leadership of Jorge Garcia.Pruftechnik offers precision alignment and condition monitoring technology, and Fluke, known for its diagnostic tools, aligns with AME’s experience in condition-based maintenance and alignment."We're excited to reignite our partnership with Fluke Reliability and Pruftechnik Group," said Rich Merhige, President of AME.
Liz Crisafi Appointed SVP Marketing for Hornblower
Hornblower Group has announced that Liz Crisafi will join the company as the Senior Vice President of Marketing, effective November 1.Reporting to CEO Mike Flaskey, Crisafi will lead global marketing activities, overseeing brand, communications, revenue optimization, digital and data strategy across Hornblower’s portfolio of water- and land-based experiences.Spanning a 100-year history, Hornblower Group’s portfolio of international offerings includes water-based experiences (dining and sightseeing cruises)…
At Least Seven Dead in US Dock Collapse
At least seven people were killed after part of a boat dock collapsed, sending at least 20 into the Atlantic waters off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia.U.S. Coast Guard ships were searching on Saturday night for missing people.The accident, which also caused multiple injuries, happened during a celebration of Sapelo Island's tiny Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants, authorities said.A gangway crowded with people waiting for a ferryboat collapsed late on Saturday afternoon on the Georgia barrier island about 60 miles (100 km) south of Savannah…
Watch: Bulker and Livestock Carrier Collide
The bulk carrier Bunun Ace and the Ayed 1, a bulk carrier that appears to have been converted to carry livestock, were involved in a collision in the Bosphorus Strait on October 3.The Turkish Directorate General of Coastal Safety said the Bunun Ace was heading towards the Üsküdar coast, and the swift action of the tug Kurtarma-5 averted the vessel from running aground.The Ayed 1 appeared to suffer minimal delay to its voyage. It has not been confirmed that there was livestock onboard…
ABS Approves US' First Ammonia Bunker Barge
The initial design for a new ammonia bunkering articulated tug-barge (ATB) has been granted approval in principle (AIP) from classification society the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).The partners behind the project, including ABS, A.P. Moller – Maersk A/S, Fleet Management Limited, Georgia Ports Authority, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS), Sumitomo Corporation and TOTE Services, came together in March 2023 and have been conducting a feasibility study on ship-to-ship bunkering of reduced emission ammonia along 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.
US Offshore Oil Production Reawakens in Wake of Hurricane Francine
U.S. Gulf of Mexico energy firms on Friday were lumbering back from hurricane disruptions as offshore oil and gas producers ramped up operations after halving the key energy region's output, ports reopened, and onshore terminals accepted oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers.Hurricane Francine shut in up to 42% of the region's offshore oil and 53% of its natural gas production. The storm missed Texas and came ashore in Louisiana late on Tuesday, causing flooding and power problems that affected onshore terminals and ports that withstood 100 mph (161 kph) winds.The port of New Orleans…
US Imports Surge Amid Threat of East Coast Port Strike
Imports of U.S. container cargo in August jumped 12.9% from a year ago as a summer volume surge delayed cargo at major ports and anxiety builds over a threatened longshore worker strike on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 1, trade data provider Descartes Systems Group said on Tuesday.U.S. seaports processed almost 2.5 million 20-foot equivalent units in August. That was 3% less than in July, when imports hit a 26-month high. Volume above 2.4 million TEU created bottlenecks and cargo backups in the early days of the pandemic…
Canadian-led Research Project Reveals Ways to Reduce Underwater Noise from Ships
As the international shipping industry continues to explore measures to conserve and protect underwater life, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is proposing the future monitoring of Underwater Radiated Noise (URN), which may lead to the establishment of thresholds combined with long-term monitoring requirements for certain regions.Underwater noise from ships can significantly impact marine life by disrupting communication, navigation, and feeding behaviors in various species.
Bay Shipbuilding Delivers US' Largest LNG Bunker Barge to Crowley
Crowley on Wednesday announced it has taken delivery of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge Progress, the largest U.S. Jones Act-compliant vessel of its kind, after construction was completed at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.The Progress will expand access to cleaner energy for ship operators at the Port of Savannah, Georgia, upon final commissioning there this month. Shell NA LNG, LLC, (Shell) signed a long-term agreement with Crowley to operate the barge…
Fishing Vessel Sinks Off Falkland Islands; Nine Dead, Four Missing
Nine people were confirmed dead and four were still missing after a British-Norwegian fishing vessel sank off the coast of the Falkland Islands on Monday, the boat's owner said on Wednesday.A total of 27 crew members had been aboard the Argos Georgia, a Saint Helena-flagged vessel, of whom 14 have so far been found alive, Stig Ervik, CEO at Norway's Ervik Havfiske Holding, told Reuters.Ervik said the fishing vessel had taken in water but that the company did not yet have full details of the course of events.The crew consisted of 10 Spaniards, eight Russians, five Indonesians, two Peruvians and
Uncertainty Clouds US Offshore Wind in the Near Term
U.S. offshore wind aspirations, both federal and state, have resulted in excitement about the potential opportunity of a large U.S. offshore wind market. But uncertainty, initially financially driven and increasingly a result of political uncertainty, is leading us into a challenging period, which will undoubtedly impact short-term activity, according to the latest market report from Intelatus Global Partners. A darkening cloud for the U.S. wind industry is the forthcoming presidential elections…
Study Sheds New Light on Ancient Shipwreck off Cyprus
When scientists in the 1960s excavated the wreck of an ancient Greek merchant ship off the northern coast of Cyprus, what they found was an amazing time capsule from a pivotal period in the Mediterranean world following the death of Alexander the Great.But determining the date of the Kyrenia shipwreck with any sort of precision has proven difficult, and some previous scientific dating yielded conclusions that conflicted with the archeological evidence. Researchers have now calculated…
Ukraine Resumes Ferry Services to Georgia's Black Sea Port of Batumi
Ukrainian ferry company Ukrferry will resume services between the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk and Batumi in Georgia, according to the company's timetable.The ferry service was halted after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Its resumption will allow Kyiv to gain direct access to its markets in the Caucasus and Central Asia.The first voyage is scheduled to depart Chornomorsk on July 9 and arrive in Georgia on July 12."Regular services accept passengers...
Maersk Skips Sailings Due to Significant Port Congestion in Asia, Mediterranean
Maersk faces significant terminal congestion in Mediterranean and Asian ports, causing substantial delays in its vessel schedule, the Danish shipping group said in a statement on Monday.As a result of that congestion, the world's second-largest container shipping company, will skip two westbound sailings from China and South Korea that had been planned to depart in early July, it added.The notice from Maersk comes as global supply chains are suffering cascading delays and higher costs due to the Yemen's Houthi militant attacks on commercial vessels near the Suez Canal.
Maersk Faces Significant Port Congestion in Asia, Mediterranean
Maersk faces significant terminal congestion in Mediterranean and Asian ports, causing substantial delays in its vessel schedule, the Danish shipping group said in a statement on Monday.As a result of that congestion, the world's second-largest container shipping company, will skip two westbound sailings from China and South Korea that had been planned to depart in early July, it added.The notice from Maersk comes as global supply chains are suffering cascading delays and higher costs due to the Yemen's Houthi militant attacks on commercial vessels near the Suez Canal.
Fluid Watercraft Hires New Government Sales Manager
Commercial rigid inflatable boat builder Fluid Watercraft announced it has hired former marine patrol agent Blake Young as the newest member of its team, taking on government sales management for the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.Having served as a police officer, deputy sheriff and maritime law enforcement agent developing a wealth of criminal justice experience, Young started his career as one of the youngest North Carolina Criminal Justice Academy candidates to earn his state law enforcement certification.
Romania Searching for Three After Ship Sinks in Black Sea
Romanian rescue teams were searching on Saturday for three missing crew members of a cargo ship that sank off the Black Sea coast, the naval authority said.Officials said they were notified very early on Saturday that the Tanzania-flagged Mohammad Z had sunk 26 nautical miles away from Romania's Danube village of Sfantu Gheorghe.The naval authority's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), border police and two commercial vessels in the ship's vicinity were involved in the search and rescue efforts.Mohammad Z had eleven crew members on board, nine Syrian citizens and two Egyptians."Eight o