Recent Nigerian Piracy Kidnapping Flags a Caution
“Security in this region [off the coast of Nigeria] is often not sufficient,” says maritime piracy attorney Dennis McElwee “Unfortunately, maritime companies are not always taking the necessary precautions to protect crewmembers from this type of attack.” There are many dangers of working at sea, but McElwee said that U.S. employers are obligated to take sufficient safety measures for their employees.
Australia Takes Tougher Stance on Container Stowage
A container ship which did not meet the minimum access requirements for container stow working space was recently unable to discharge containers at an Australian port and was forced to leave Australia with containers onboard, informs the UK P&I Club. Carriers carrying containers (or cargo generally for that matter) to or from Australian ports should be aware of the requirements of Marine Order, Part 32 - Cargo Handling Equipment.
Latest US Department of Defense Contracts
Included in the latest list of US Department of Defense contracts are those for a USACE Mississippi River dredging operation, and a Navy contract for the phased maintenance of the 'USS San Antonio'.
Not 'Divers Abandon Boat', But 'Thai Boat Abandons Divers'
An East Valley couple vacationing to celebrate their first anniversary found themselves abandoned in the ocean, after a dive trip went wrong off the coast of Thailand, reports KHOU.com, Houston, Texas. Lexa and Jake Mendenhall recently became certified scuba divers, and were looking forward to their first real dives in the blue waters off Thailand. They made two one-hour dives, and all was well until they surfaced. Their boat was gone.
Freeport Facility to be Authorized to Export More U.S. LNG
The Energy Department has conditionally authorized Freeport LNG Expansion, L.P. and FLNG Liquefaction, LLC (Freeport) to export additional volumes of domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States from the Freeport LNG Terminal in Quintana Island, Texas. Freeport previously received approval to export 1.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day (Bcf/d) of LNG from this facility to non-FTA countries on May 17…
New Costa Flagship Launched at Fincantieri Shipyard
The 'Costa Diadema', the future flagship of Costa Cruises & of the Italian-flagged passenger fleet, entered the water for the first time as the building dry-dock was flooded, and a traditional launching ceremony was held at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera. The Costa Diadema’s technical launch ceremony was carried out according to seafaring tradition. It started with the welding of a coin at the base of what was once the mainmast, a custom considered to bring good luck.
Mickey Mouse Bulk Carrier 'Donald Duckling' Detained in UK Port
The 'Donald Duckling' was detained by the UK's Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) this week after an inspection revealed a long list of safety concerns, and will not be allowed to leave the Port of Tyne until mechanical and safety issues are resolved, reports the 'Shields Gazette'. Maritime inspectors cited by the 'Shields Gazette' considered that standards on board the Donald Duckling were some of the worst they had ever encountered.
Scots Ferry Operator CalMac Wins Top Travel Award
Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) has beaten 13 major ferry companies to be named for the fourth year in a row, “Best Ferry Company” in the prestigious Guardian and Observer Travel Awards. The award, which is the result of an annual poll of readers who are asked to rate the quality of service they received on their holidays across the world, is CalMac’s fourth award in 2013. He added: “The…
Typhoon-Devasted Philippine Villagers Get US Navy Aid
In the small village of Guiuan, located in Eastern Samar province, villagers lined up outside the gate of a runway awaiting food, water and medical supplies to be delivered by helicopters from the 'George Washington Strike Group' (GWSG) in support of Operation Damayan. Guiuan was heavily affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan, which clocked winds up to 195 miles per hour (mph) with gusts up to 235 mph. Houses that were once big and colorful, are now gray and battered.
Bourbon Sells Two AHTS in Planned Modernization Program
Bourbon announces the sale of the 'Bourbon Surf' and 'Bourbon Borgstein', two large 10-year old Norwegian built AHTS (Anchor Handling Tug Supply) vessels for a total amount of US$130 million, generating a total capital gain of approximately US$63 million. Bourbon will continue to operate the two ships for a minimum period of 2 years to a maximum period of 5 years, with an annual bareboat charter cost of 13% of the transaction value.
Transocean Appoint Lars Sjobring Senior V-P & General Counsel
Mr. Sjobring will join the company upon completion of the notice period with his current employer and will be based in Geneva, Switzerland. In the interim, Mr. Allen Katz will continue to serve as the company's Interim Senior Vice President and General Counsel. His qualifications include over 15 years of law practice in international settings, and he received his education in both Europe and the United States. Mr.
Eastern Shipbuilding Launch First Hornbeck HOS 310 OSV
Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. has launched the 'HOS Bayou' for Hornbeck Offshore Services, LLC. The launch was held at Eastern’s Allanton facility with hundreds of Eastern employees and guests attending, including Mr. Jack Reid, Florida’s Governor Rick Scott’s Regional Representative. Attending from Hornbeck was Bill Krewsky, Director of Engineering and Project Management, who spoke about the long term commitment, partnership and future of the two companies.
Dana Gas Inks Adyard Offshore Platform Contract
Middle East’s leading regional private sector natural gas company, Dan Gas, has awarded Adyard Abu Dhabi a subsidiary of Interserve plc, a $17 million contract for the fabrication of an offshore platform for the Zora Field Development Project which spans the territorial waters of Sharjah and Ajman, UAE. The platform is an important element in the overall scope of the Zora project, the aim of which…
ABB Wins $23 Million Orders for 14 Containerships
Power and automation technology group ABB won two orders in the third quarter to provide the waste heat recovery systems, each powered by a power turbine generator (PTG), for 14 new 8,800 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) container vessels. The first seven post-panamax vessels will be built at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd., (DSIC) and the other seven vessels at New Times Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., for China International Marine Containers Group Co. and Mediterranean Shipping Co. S.A (MSC).
Great Lakes Shipyard Commissions New Cutting Machine
Great Lakes Shipyard announced the installation of a new state-of-the-art plasma cutting machine, the Plate Pro Extreme 3100. The addition of this cutting table expands the range of services available to its customers and improves the efficiency of Great Lakes Shipyard operations, while also enhancing the quality and precision of the work being produced. Bringing this capability in-house allows the Shipyard to make more of its own parts without relying on outside vendors or subcontractors.
Crowley Awarded 100 CSA Environmental Certificates
During the tenth-annual Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) awards ceremony held in Washington, D.C., this week, Crowley Maritime Corporation was awarded 100 Certificates of Environmental Achievement for 2013 – more than any other company in the running. The certificates were awarded to Crowley-owned and operated vessels for having worked at least two consecutive years without an environmental incident.
Damen-built GARÇON Wins Innovation Award
The 67m Fast Yacht Support vessel, GARÇON, built by Damen, has won the ISS Awards of Distinction for Innovation at the International Superyacht Society Awards Gala in Fort Lauderdale. GARÇON came out top of an industry-led voting process that assessed five shortlisted entries in the competitive and broad-ranging Innovation category. GARÇON was designed and customized according to the requirements of the client, the owner of an 87m luxury superyacht.
Coast Guard Fall Retrieve Operations in Full Swing
Units from around the Coast Guard 9th District continue work on their annual retrieval of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway System seasonal aids to navigation, the largest domestic ATON recovery operation in the U.S. Operation Fall Retrieve, which affects lighted and unlighted buoys and beacons, began in mid October with a goal of retrieving 1,278 navigational aids. The operation is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 28.
General Cargo Shipments Keep U.S. Great Lakes Ports Busy
The St. Lawrence Seaway reported that year-to-date total cargo shipments for the period March 22 to October 31 were 28 million metric tons, down 7% over the same period in 2012. With only two months left in the shipping season, U.S. ports are hustling to move as much cargo as possible. "The Seaway's principal commodities - iron ore, coal and grain - helped move the scales in the right direction for cargo tonnage handled on the Great Lakes-Seaway System…
L.A. Container Volumes Slip in October
The Port of Los Angeles released its October 2013 cargo volumes. October overall volumes totaled 684,207 Twenty-Foot Equivalent (TEU) containers, indicating a volume drop of 4.76% compared to October 2013. Imports declined by 5.14%, from 364,881 TEUs in October 2012 to 346,137 TEUs this October. Exports decreased 5.7%, from 179,810 TEUs in October 2012 to 169,568 TEUs in October 2013. Combined, total loaded imports and exports for October decreased 5.32%…
