This Day in Naval History - May 16
1820 - Congress becomes first U.S. warship to visit China. 1919 - Three Navy flying boats begin 1st trans-Atlantic flight from Newfoundland. 1965 - First U.S. gunfire support in Vietnam by USS Tucker.
Wesmar Stabilizers in Action
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WESMAR Stabilizers ‘Likely Saved Our Lives’ Says Captain of 45-Foot Tug. For some, modern technology adds to entertainment and pleasure. Captain Robert Elves believes modern technology actually saved his life in this amazing story about a harrowing crossing on his Tugboat Ernest Hemingway. Here is his story. “The (WESMAR) stabilizers gave us a great ride in 4-6 ft swells on a 25-hour nonstop voyage from Port Canaveral to Great Sale Cay…
Historic Shipwreck Discovered in Northern GOM
During a recent Gulf of Mexico expedition, NOAA, BOEM and partners discovered an historic wooden-hulled vessel which is believed to have sunk as long as 200 years ago.
Coast Guard Publishes Final Action Memo
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A damaged hoist cable and the inability to find equipment needed to repair the fraying cable are the two causal factors in the Coast Guard’s unsuccessful rescue of an injured crewmember off the sailing vessel Freefall during heavy weather Oct. 28, 2008, according to a Coast Guard final action memo released Wednesday. The memo directs 12 actions including reviewing existing policies, checklists, and maintenance and gear stowage procedures related to aircraft search and rescue mission preparation…
Ocean Rig Corcovado Accepted by Petrobras
Ocean Rig UDW Inc. (NASDAQ: ORIG) a global provider of offshore deepwater drilling services, announced that on May 15, 2012, the Ocean Rig Corcovado completed the…
Atlas Elektronik: New Torpedo Range Record
![The SeaHake mod4 ER: modernized DM 2 A4 with range of more than 140 km.](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/the-seahake-mod4-er-modernized-8635.jpg)
Atlas Elektronik increased the reach of its torpedoes substantially, setting a new range record. At a test-firing in March 2012, the heavyweight torpedo SeaHake mod4 ER (Extended Range) achieved a range of over 140 km. SeaHake mod 4 is the latest advancement of the DM 2 A4 heavyweight torpedo, which is in service with the German Navy as well as the navies of Turkey, Pakistan and Spain. By fully exploiting the system’s unique propulsion and battery technology…
Tanker Market: A Pessimistic Outlook
Drewry Maritime Research’s latest Tanker Forecaster report indicates that Suezmax owners got some respite in the first quarter of the year, but things are looking bleak in the longer term.
Fairmount Alpine Towed Rig Ocean Whittington to Gulf
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Fairmount Marine’s tug Fairmount Alpine has towed the rig Ocean Whittington from offshore Belem, Brazil, to offshore Galveston, US. For this job Fairmount Marine was contracted by the rigs owner, Diamond Offshore Drilling, for which Fairmount has performed a series of towages in recent years. Ocean Whittington is a semi submersible drilling rig for deep water operations. The rig has worked offshore the northern Brazilian coast since 2009.
ABB to Power Subsea Construction Vessels
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ABB wins $18 million order for subsea pipeline construction vessels. Zurich, Switzerland, May 16, 2012 -- ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, recently won an order worth $18 million from Daewoo to supply energy efficient propulsion and electrical power systems for two new deep sea pipeline installation vessels that will build oil transport infrastructure off the coast of Brazil. The order was booked in the first quarter.
MacGregor Equipment for 15 Asian OSVs
![100m 300men accommodation / work barge](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/100m-300men-accommodation-work-barge-8632.jpg)
In April, Cargotec secured new contracts to deliver MacGregor anchor-handling, mooring and towing solutions for 15 offshore support vessels (OSV) of various types being built in China for Asian customers. The ships are being built in several shipyards in China for delivery throughout 2013 and 2014 to Coastal Offshore, Nam Cheong, Ezion Holding and Middle East interests. Cargotec is supplying anchor-handling/towing solutions for two 59m anchor-handling tug/supply vessels…
Report: Containership Industry Needs to Improve
Drewry Maritime Research’s new quarterly report Carrier Performance Insight revealed that industry-wide vessel schedule reliability improved to 72.3% in the first quarter of 2012…
New San Francisco Ferry Service Set to Start
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San Francisco Bay Ferry's much-anticipated service between the East Bay and South San Francisco will launch on Monday, June 4, giving commuters a fast, stress-free alternative to the daily grind of traffic on the Bay Bridge and along Highway 101. Commuters will have the option to enjoy a comfortable and scenic 40- to 50-minute ride aboard sleek, modern vessels equipped with free WiFi and a host of other amenities. And, their fare is free for the first week of service.
Strong & Steady Start for Seaway
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Positive Outlook as St. Lawrence Seaway Opens the 2012 Season. The steel and construction industries pushed the demand for North American commodities such as iron ore, stone and cement, and provided the 2012 shipping season with a solid start. The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22 to April 30 were 4.4 million metric tons, up 2.24 percent over the same period in 2011.
Sonardyne Security Solution Deployed in Middle East
![A diver completes the installation of Sentinel sonar heads and Scylla underwater loudhailers.](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/a-diver-completes-the-installation-8627.jpg)
Sonardyne Sentinel deployed to protect high security Middle-Eastern facility. Maritime security company, Sonardyne International Ltd, has successfully completed the installation of an integrated intruder detection system for an undisclosed strategic waterside installation in the Middle East. The previously unannounced contract was awarded to Sonardyne in late 2011 and included the deployment of a network of the company’s Sentinel underwater sonars…
Dutch Ship Designers Get Unusual Malaysian Contract
![Image credit Groot Ship Design](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/image-credit-groot-ship-design-8625.jpg)
Groot Ship Design's wins contract for two types of special livestock carrying ships from Malaysian company PBHH (Pembangunan Buka Jijau Holdings Sdn. The contract is for the design and delivery of two types of livestock carriers. Of each type the Korean shipyard, Sundong will build 5 vessels for PBHH/BH Livestock. Sungdong requested Groot Ship Design to deliver the design for each type because of its…
Siemens to Provide Propulsion Systems for Maersk E-class
Siemens Drive Technologies Division has been awarded a contract worth tens of millions of Euros from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) to implement…
A.P. Møller - Mærsk Q1 Pre-tax Profit Plunge
A.P. Denmark-based conglomerate A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S reported a plunge in first-quarter pre-tax profit to 8.48 billion Danish kroner from 15.03 billion Danish kroner last year, reports RTT News.
ZF Donate Gearbox, Engine Controls for 'Chauncy Maples'
![Photo credit Chauncy Maples Trust](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/photo-credit-chauncy-maples-trust-8624.jpg)
Malawi in Central Africa is a quiet, peaceful country of immense beauty. However, it is one of the ten poorest nations in the world, with a life expectancy of only 50 years. For much of the thousand miles of shoreline of Lake Malawi, there are no roads and no access to health services. The only means of travel is by dug-out canoe, risking the dangerous currents, storms and crocodiles. Major gifts push the project forward : leading marine lawyers Holman Fenwick Willan have donated £60…
ABB Expands Australian Motor & Generator Services
ABB Australia is acquiring the business of the Victoria- and Perth-based, privately owned companies for an undisclosed amount. The proposed acquisition is expected to close in July 2012.
New Propellor Design Software by HydroComp
![Propellor Geometry Window: Image courtesy HydroComp](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w100h1500/propellor-geometry-window-image-courtesy-8622.jpg)
PropElements is a new software product from HydroComp for detail propeller design and analysis. Propeller specialists will find it an essential addition to their propeller design toolbox, but it also was developed to elegantly address the system-level hydrodynamic needs of naval architects, as well. Useful for both design and analysis, PropElements provides the ability to uniquely capture the performance of a particular propeller on a particular vessel.