KO-LINK Towing Ring Now Available from Lankhorst Ropes
The KO-LINK towing ring, developed by international maritime service provider KOTUG International BV, is now available exclusively from maritime ropes supplier Lankhorst Ropes under a worldwide marketing agreement. The KO-LINK ring significantly increases synthetic towing line service life by preventing the HMPE pennant from cutting through the line. KO-LINK is a highly polished, lightweight, aluminum ring, which is inserted and attached to the splice eye of the towline.
Smith Brothers to Christen Newbuild Tug
On October 10, 2014, Kenneth Smith, 99, the last of the original Smith Brothers, will christen the tug Captain Kenneth. The vessel was designed by the late Oliver Bryant and Parfait Designs and constructed at the company's yard on the Chesapeake Bay. Captain Kenneth is 49.5' x 19' x 7.5' with an operating draft of 6'. The boat, designed for both towing and pushing barges, with a model bow and push knees can operate in any part of the Chesapeake in most sea conditions.
MacGregor Winches for Malaysian Accommodation Barges
MacGregor has secured a winch package contract from Nam Cheong Limited group, a global offshore marine player listed on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited and Malaysia's largest offshore support vessel builder. Eight-point MacGregor mooring systems, with a 150-metric-ton line pull/270-metric-ton brake holding capacity, tugger winches and capstans have been specified for two new 500-men accommodation work barges being built at the yard.
TORM Contracts Albwardy for Diving Services
Danish product tanker carrier TORM A/S and UAE-based Albwardy Marine Engineering (AME), an Albwardy-Damen JV, have signed a Service Level Agreement for diving services in the UAE region. The purpose is to further strengthen their relations and respective commercial reliability. The diving services will be handled from AME’s facilities in Fujairah and include full hull cleanings and propeller polishing.
First LNG Containership Receives ME-GI Engine
Late last month, NASSCO engineers placed the world’s first dual-fuel slow speed engine into the World’s First Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) powered containership. The ME-GI engine represents the next generation of technology that will open the door to a cleaner and safer shipping industry, particularly in the United States. Doosan Engine built the 8L70ME-C8.2GI under license from the designer MAN Diesel and Turbo. The engine weighs 539 tons.
Port of LA Container Volumes Strongest Since 2010
The Port of Los Angeles has released its August 2014 containerized cargo volumes. In August 2014, overall volumes increased 6.7 percent compared to August 2013. Total cargo for August was 757,702 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). It’s the busiest single month at the Port since August 2010. The increased volume reflects peak season volumes and larger vessels calling at the Port of Los Angeles. Container imports increased 7.8 percent…
Maritime Reporter @ 75: The Daily Cartoon
Maritime Reporter & Engineering News was founded by John J. O'Malley (1905-1980) in 1939, and today ranks as the world's largest audited trade publication in the world serving the maritime industry, with a circulation of more than 35,000 worldwide, including ship and boat owners, ship and boat builders, naval architects and marine engineers. Today Maritime Reporter heads a group of four print and 10 websites serving the global maritime, offshore and subsea sector.
Submarine Loss Commemorated 100 Years On
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has commemorated the 100th anniversary of the disappearance of its first submarine, HMAS AE1, with memorial services in Papua New Guinea and across Australia. In a ceremony held in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, close to where the ship was last seen, Navy members, local dignitaries, traditional land owners and descendants of the crew gathered to remember the ship lost on September 14, 1914.
Sharp Slowdown in China Industrial Activity
The slowdown in Chinese industrial production growth ads to the existing concerns that China is going through challenging times, as Beijing aims for a soft landing and a transition of the economy, BIMCO reported, adding that the demand for dry bulk shipping and container shipping is bound to change accordingly. China Industrial Production continued along the retreating path of the Purchasing Managers Indexes published a fortnight ago.
New Generation of Turbochargers Announced
MAN Diesel & Turbo has announced the development of a new turbocharger series specifically matched to the requirements of two-stroke engines. For the first time ever, MAN Diesel & Turbo will develop a turbocharger series exclusively for two-stroke engines that is especially designed and optimized to fulfill Tier III requirements. Compared to the TCA turbocharger range, successfully introduced by the company during the last decade…
Port Manatee Begins Scrap Metal Vessel Calls
With the September call of the bulk carrier Sen Treasure, Port Manatee Scrap Metal Inc. is embarking upon exportation of scrap metal to Mexico from Port Manatee. The Sen Treasure departed Port Manatee bound for Veracruz on the evening of Sept. 10, after being loaded with more than 13,325 metric tons of material trucked from the Port Manatee Scrap Metal facility located less than 2 miles from the dock. The facility features a state-of-the-industry shredder system.
Wärtsilä Expands Propulsion Monitoring Services
Wärtsilä expanded its offering in propulsion monitoring services. The Wärtsilä Propulsion Condition Monitoring Service (PCMS), introduced to the market in 2010, will now feature expanded functionalities and is now available in two editions - PCMS Starter and PCMS Professional. The need for certainty of operations and long-term maintenance planning is fulfilled with a new functionality - Dynamic Lifetime Prognosis (DLP).
Green Passenger Ferries from Faaborg Vaerft
The first full-electrical passenger ferry in composite is delivered to Ballerina AB in Stockholm, Sweden. Faaborg Vaerft A/S has delivered the first full-electrical passenger vessel, Sjövägen, built in composite materials to the shipping company Ballerina AB in Stockholm, Sweden. The vessel will operate in the archipelago of Stockholm where it will transport passengers between the different stops silently and environmentally with its correct propulsion.
Brazil to Hold Next Oil Rights Auction in 2015
Brazil will hold the 13th round of its oil rights auctions in the first half of next year, a senior mines and energy ministry official said on Monday. Marco Antonio Martins…
USCG, Enbridge to Conduct Oil Spill Response Exercise
The Coast Guard 9th District, partner agencies, and Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership will conduct a full-scale oil spill response exercise in Indian River, Michigan, Wednesday. More than 200 participants from the Coast Guard; Enbridge; the Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet County Office of Emergency Management; Michigan Department of Environmental Quality; and the Environmental Protection Agency, will participate in the exercise…
Rickmers' Fleet Equipped with Bluetracker
Long-term efficiency gains for the fleet on account of data capture and analysis on board and onshore. Declaration of intent signed at the SMM. Rickmers Shipmanagement and Interschalt signed a declaration of intent at the SMM for the installation of Bluetracker. This software will enable Rickmers to digitally monitor its fleet in real time anywhere in the world. As such, the shipping company will be able to access an extensive amount of data which…
Swissco Acquires Its First Liftboat
SGX Mainboard-listed Swissco Holdings Limited, an integrated, international marine services provider, announced it has acquired its first liftboat for approximately $56 million.
Edouard to be First Major 2014 Atlantic Hurricane
Edouard, a Category 2 hurricane, may become the first major hurricane of the 2014 Atlantic season by Monday night although it poses no threat to land, the National Hurricane Center said.
Brent Oil Hits 26-month Low Under US$97
Brent crude oil on Monday slumped to its lowest in over two years, below $97 per barrel as lacklustre economic data from China, the world's top energy consumer,…
'Aker Wayfarer' Wins Petrobas Subsea Contract
Aker Solutions' subsidiary Aker Oilfield Services (AKOFS) says it has won a contract worth US$465-million over five years from Petrobras to provide subsea intervention…