Pacesetter Award Winners Announced for 2014 Navigation Season
The U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) has announced that eight U.S. ports in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System are receiving the prestigious Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award. The awards were given for registering increases in international cargo tonnage shipped through their ports during the 2014 navigation season compared to the previous year. The eight winners of the Pacesetter Award for 2014 are: the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port AuthorityâŚ
US Cruise Industry Preparing for Cuba
U.S. cruise lines are preparing to enter uncharted waters -- Cuban waters. Although U.S. tourists are still technically banned from visiting the Caribbean country, one of the world's last remaining communist states, the process of normalizing relations between the U.S. and Cuba has the cruise industry ready to pounce. "Once the rules allow us to go legally, once the embargo is lifted, which is the main restriction ...
Senate Confirms Doyle to Another Term
The United States Senate confirmed William P. Doyle to another term in office as a Federal Maritime Commissioner on the evening of March 23, 2015. The vote was a unanimous 89 in favor, 0 opposed, and 11 senators not voting. Upon confirmation, Commissioner Doyle said, âI would like to thank President Obama for his confidence in me, and I would also like to thank the U.S. Senate for taking up my nomination today.
Kvichak to Build Catamaran Research Vessel
Kvichak Marine Industries, Inc. was recently awarded a contract for construction of a 60â aluminum catamaran research vessel for the California Department of Water Resources designed by Incat Crowther, Australia with design guidance and customer representation by Jensen Maritime Consultants. The vesselâs primary application will be monitoring water quality, phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic macro-invertebrates.
Sen. Paul Proposes New Harbor Dredging Criteria
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) reintroduced the Harbor Equity Act on Monday, his office announced. This legislation modifies the existing criteria used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge small harbors. Currently, the Corps' prioritizes dredging solely for larger harbors that see 1 million or more tons in traffic per year - often forcing small community harbors to fund their own dredging or be forced to shut down operations.
Bibby Offshore Secures Contract with MGTC
Bibby Offshore announced today that its Asian Division, Bibby Offshore Singapore (âBOSâ), has secured a contract with the Moattama Gas Transportation Company (âMGTCâ). MGTC, a joint venture between Total (operator), Unocal, PTT-EP and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, has appointed BOS to provide ROV pipeline inspection, remedial work and associated project management on its South East Asia asset offshore Myanmar. Bibby Offshore will supply its DP2 ROV support vessel, Bibby Spring.
Brent Oil Rises as Euro Gains Against Dollar
Brent oil prices rose on Wednesday as the euro strengthened against the dollar following a boost in business morale in the euro zone's top two economies. The euroâŚ
Rolls-Royce to Supply Engines for First Seabed Mining Vessel
Rolls-Royce has secured a landmark agreement to supply six of its new B33:45 medium-speed diesel generator sets to Chinaâs Fuijan Mawei shipyard for configuration aboard the worldâs first ever seabed mining vessel. The pioneering vessel, designed by Singaporeâs SeaTech Solutions for Dubai-based owner Marine Assets Corporation (MAC), will be powered by six B33:45L9A engines to provide 31.4 megawatts of power.
Lloyd's Launches 2015 Container Certification Scheme
Lloydâs Register launched its 2015 Container Certification Scheme today to give a clear and concise set of rules to ensure offshore and onshore containers are safe and certified correctly. Aimed at both manufacturers and operators of equipment in the intermodal industry, the Lloydâs Register Container Certification Scheme (LRCCS) gives industry the latest requirements for the design, inspection and certification for three main service areas of intermodal equipment: CSC* containersâŚ
Attracting, Retaining Talent - IRS Shows the Way Forward
At a time when the global shipping industry is going through an unprecedented and extended downturn, the overriding challenge is to stay afloat and wait for the tide to turn.
Houston Port Throughput Up 22%
Activity across Port of Houston Authority docks continues to show strength as February 2015 tonnage figures reflected a 22-percent increase compared to February 2014.
ABS Updates Guidance on LNG Bunkering
ABS has updated its guidance on LNG Bunkering in North America to support the transport sector's increasingly rapid transition to the use of cleaner fuels. The secondâŚ
USS Mount Whitney Wins Golden Anchor Award for Retention
The crew of the U.S. 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), painted the shipâs anchor gold March 19, 2015, after being awarded the Retention Excellence AwardâŚ
VesselVanguard wins Chris-Craft Order
Digital Boat Profile and Customer Service Portal Gives Cutting Edge Options for Vessel Management to Boat Owners Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. VesselVanguard, infomredâŚ
Slow Steaming âcan damage containersâ - BMT
Fuel saving measures can have a negative effect on the lashing forces on the containers, according to Maritime London member BMT Surveys. The company's risk & quality manager and marine surveyorâŚ
ASV Wins Maritime Autonomy R&D Funding
ASV Ltd, in partnership with nine other commercial and research organisations, have been awarded funding by Innovate UK to undertake in excess of £3million worthâŚ
AUSTAL Bags SCA Award For Safety
Austal USA have been notified by the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) that Austal has earned the 2014 SCA Award for Improvement in Safety. The SCA is a nationalâŚ
Cyber-Attacks New Threats for Maritime Sector
Inadequate protection against cyber risks is becoming a major threat to the maritime sector, increasingly interconnected and dependent from automation. Ports and ships have become target of hackers.
Shipping Losses Lowest in 10 Years
2014 was the safest for world shipping in a decade according to the Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SEâs (AGCS) third annual Safety and Shipping Review 2015.
The Bigger the Ship, the Riskier
Container ship safety is under the spotlight with ever-increasing ship sizes, as evidenced by the January 2015 inauguration of the worldâs largest container ship, the MSC Oscar (19,224 teu).
