US: $4B in Loan Aid for Renewable Energy
The U.S. Energy Department on Wednesday unveiled a plan for up to $4 billion in loan aid for renewable energy companies to help rejuvenate a program that faced harsh political attacks over past failures of federally subsidized projects. The Obama administration's draft plan would provide loan guarantees for innovative projects that limit or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. It will specifically focus on advanced electric grid technology and storage…
A New Standard in Marine Communications
KVH provides and Harvey Gulf employs possibly the most sophisticated on-board SATCOM and related service package on the water. That’s no accident. If quality service…
Shipbuilding: Vigor Industrial Grows Stronger
Vigor Industrial has ballooned from a modest shipyard in Portland, Oregon, to the largest shipbuilder in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Vigor increasingly thinks big and builds big. The company’s new floating dry dock will be the largest in the United States. And Vigor wants to get even bigger. CEO and owner Frank Foti expresses an ambition to grow to twice the current size in the “next few years.” Foti…
Treadwell: Arctic Security Should Be National Priority
Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell delivered the keynote address yesterday at the Arctic Collaborative Workshop in Fairbanks. Treadwell discussed five reasons why Arctic national security should be a national priority: energy development and security, shipping opportunities and safety, assessing and mitigating changes in climate and fisheries, attaining land access and territorial claims, and promoting the Arctic’s strategic position for military cooperation.
SC Ports Report Record Pier Container Volumes
Today South Carolina Ports reported March pier container volumes were the highest since August 2008. Last month the Port handled 85,616 boxes, totaling 692,338 pier containers fiscal year to date. "March is traditionally a seasonally strong month," said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and CEO. "The SCPA saw an 11 percent year over year increase in pier container volumes for the month, with growth of both import and export cargo.
RCH Engineers New Steering System
Rio Controls & Hydraulics (RCH) said it has developed a new steering system by modifying existing inductive sensors used in the oil and gas industry to reach a design that the company said will provide accurate and longer lasting sensor command and feedback signals. This technology aims to replace conventional devices such as potentiometers, as RCH claims its system offers many advantages over traditional steering.
Hapag-Lloyd, CSAV Merger Finalized
Hapag-Lloyd AG and Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) today signed a binding contract on merging CSAV’s entire container business with Hapag-Lloyd, subject to the necessary approvals. Following the integration, the new Hapag-Lloyd will rank among the four largest liner shipping companies in the world, with some 200 vessels with total transport capacity of around one million TEU, an annual transport volume of 7.5 million TEU and a combined turnover of 9 billion Euro.
Quiet March Sees Cargo Slow in Long Beach
Container volumes at the Port of Long Beach dipped in March, compared to the same month one year ago, with a decline of 1.9 percent overall and imports essentially flat. March saw some shipping lines suspend services or switch to the nearby Port of Los Angeles. The prolonged and harsh winter in the Midwest and East Coast also affected cargo numbers, as residents outside of places like the sunny Southwest were hampered in their attempts to consume.
West Coast is Key for Exporting Bigger Canada Crops
Canada needs to invest in shipping more grains and oilseeds off the West Coast as harvests get larger, to avoid the massive transportation backlogs that followed last year's record crops, industry officials said on Wednesday. Last year, 19.3 million metric tons of grain moved in bulk and containers combined through Port Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, the country's biggest port, which connects Canadian commodities with Asian buyers, according to the port.
Australian Navy Assists French Fishing Vessel
While patrolling in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Darwin provided emergency medical assistance for a heart attack victim on a French fishing vessel. The French Fishing Vessel (FV) Cape Saint Vincent called for assistance late on the night of April 10. The French Joint Headquarters requested Darwin’s assistance through the United Kingdom led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150.
MAS Debuts Exclusive Armor Systems
Following on from the continued success of the product, Marine Armor System (MAS) announced its global launch and updated website. MAS is a nonlethal vessel protection system based on ballistic blinds, protecting the vessel or rig against pirate attacks and other potential threats such as armed robbery, terrorism and acts of sabotage. The system includes anti pirate blockades, bunkers and armored citadels or safe rooms onboard…
Search Resumes in S. Korean Ferry Disaster
South Korean coastguards and navy divers resumed their search on Thursday for nearly 280 people still missing after a ferry capsized in what could be the country's worst maritime disaster in over 20 years. They will also be seeking answers to many unanswered questions surrounding Wednesday's accident, notably what caused the Sewol vessel to list and then flip over entirely, leaving only a small section of its hull above water.
North Sea: Potential VLCC Moves to South Korea
North Sea Forties crude differentials were unchanged on Wednesday in very quiet pre-Easter trade, with dealers still watching two potential VLCC shipments to Asia…
All Items Approved at Stolt-Nielsen Meeting
Stolt-Nielsen Limited announced that all agenda items were approved and all nominated directors were elected at its Annual General Meeting of shareholders held yesterday in Bermuda. The final dividend for 2013 of $0.50 per common share recommended by the Board of Directors on February 7, 2014 was also approved and will be paid on May 8, 2014 to shareholders of record as of April 24, 2014. stolt.com
Q-Max Floating Dock Launched
On March 21, 2014, senior management from N-KOM and Nakilat attended the launching and naming ceremony of N-KOM’s Q-Max sized floating dock at Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in South Korea. 42,000T of fabrication work has been completed for the floating dock named Laffan, measuring 405m by 66m with a lifting capacity of 120,000T. The second Handymax-size floating dock measuring 163m by 26m with a lifting capacity of 6,250T is currently under construction at N-KOM.
Hundreds Unaccounted for in S.Korea Ferry Disaster
For the parents of the many teenagers still missing after the Sewol ferry capsized off the coast of South Korea, the wait for news - good or bad - is almost unbearable. Of 462 passengers on board the ship when it set sail from the port of Incheon late on Tuesday, nearly 340 are believed to have been from the same high school near the capital Seoul, on their way to Jeju island for a field trip. The…
US Sens. Kaine and Reed Visit Newport News Shipbuilding
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) hosted U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) Tuesday for a tour of the company's Newport News Shipbuilding division. The visit provided the senators an opportunity to meet shipbuilders and see construction progress being made on all programs across the shipyard. Huntington Ingalls Industries President and CEO Mike Petters and Newport News Shipbuilding President Matt Mulherin were joined by Adm. M.E.
Petrobras, Mitsui Study South Brazil LNG Import Terminal
Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA and Japanese trading house Mitsui Corp will study building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the country's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, to supply more fuel for local manufacturers and power generators. Petrobras, as the company is known, announced the plan in a statement late on Tuesday after signing a memorandum of understanding on the project with Mitsui and the government of Rio Grande do Sul.
JFD Awarded Australian Navy Commendation
James Fisher Defence (JFD) has been awarded a special commendation from the Submarine Force Commander of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), as a result of their dedication and innovation demonstrated during Black Carillon 2013, a naval exercise conducted annually in order to test the capabilities of the Commonwealth’s submarine rescue provision. During the exercise, JFD and the RAN simulated a rescue from submarine HMAS Farncomb, bottomed in 112 meters of water off the east coast of Australia.
Update: Spill Response Continues in Miami
U.S. Coast Guard crewmembers are responding to a fuel spill in the vicinity of Government Cut in Miami Wednesday, following a leak discovered aboard the 95-foot tug Neptune Tuesday night.
