US Ports Begin 2015 āFast and Furiousā
Even with a blip due to ice coverage in late March and early April, U.S. ports along the Great Lakes-Seaway System are tracking ahead of tonnage moved in April 2014. In fact, most ports are seeing increases in multiple categories. āIn 2015 we are excited to continue the momentum from 2014 when we finished the season with a 20 percent increase in overall tonnage,ā said Paul Toth, President and CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.
USS Cairo: Crew Safety and Fleeting Efficiency
Over that past 15 to 20 years there has been a revolution in U.S. ship docking tugs. Larger container ships and tankers made obsolete the conventional single and twin propeller tugs that could serve either line haul or ship docking functions. Pilots and insurers wanted modern technology that, more often than not, meant stern mounted azimuthing Z-drives. This revolution eventually includes ship docking on the Mississippi around the Port of New Orleans.
Iran Navy Fires at Tanker as Gulf Tensions Rise
Iranian naval vessels fired shots at a Singapore-flagged tanker in the Gulf on Thursday in what appeared to be the country's latest attempt to settle a legal disputeā¦
UN Chief Alarmed SE Asian States Turning Away Migrant Boats
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that he is alarmed by reports that some countries in Southeast Asia may be refusing entry to boatsā¦
Cruise Season Kicks Off in Portland, UK
Portland Port celebrated the launch of its 2015 cruise program receiving more than 4,000 passengers over the early May Bank Holiday weekend. Royal Caribbean Cruise Linesā Serenade of the Seas made her inaugural call on the Saturday and Holland America Linesā Eurodam returned to the port for a second consecutive year on the Bank Holiday Monday. The port expects some 26,500 passengers to call at Portland throughout 2015.
US DOE Discouraged Direct China Investment in US LNG Export
The U.S. Department of Energy discouraged U.S. liquefied natural gas exporters from allowing direct Chinese investment in their projects for fear of political backlashā¦
No Iran Warships Escorting Yemen-bound Cargo Ship
Iran has so far refrained from deploying warships to accompany a cargo ship that Tehran says is carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen, despite its announced plans to do soā¦
Furuno's Ed Davis Passes Away
Ed Davis, an industry veteran and longtime employee at Furuno USA, Inc., passed away on April 30. Ed was Furuno USAās Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager since September 1992, working closely with dealers who he not only called customers, but his friends. Prior to working at Furuno, Ed had his own marine manufacturerās rep company, where he represented Datamarine International, Audiovox and Shakespeare Electronics.
DSD Shipping Indicted on Environmental Crimes
A federal grand jury in Mobile, Alabama, has returned a seven-count indictment charging Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab AS (DSD Shipping) and four employees withā¦
Drydocks World Wins Turret Fabrication Contract
Drydocks World has secured a contract from Orwell Offshore to fabricate an external Turret for FPSO Layang. Drydocks World said its team will play an integral role in facilitating project completion during this fast track project expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2016. The external turret for Orwell Offshore will deliver improvements in operational effectiveness and weathervaning capabilities on FPSO Layang, enabling FPSO operations in water depths of up to 90m.
MH370 Searchers Find Shipwreck
Teams searching the Indian Ocean for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 have discovered a previously uncharted shipwreck. Search vessel Fugro Equatorās deep tow system detected a cluster of small sonar contacts in the southern part of the search area, 12 nautical miles to the east of the 7th arc. The sonar data was carefully analyzed and categorized to be āof potential interest but unlikely to be related to MH370.ā It could notā¦
Tanker Attacked in Mideast Gulf Reaches UAE Port Safely
Singapore-flagged oil products tanker Alpine Eternity has reached the port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates safely after coming under attack in the Gulf earlierā¦
RINA: Energy, Marine Propel Growth
International testing, inspection, certification and consulting engineering group RINA reports it has grown strongly during 2014, propelled by an upturn in marineā¦
Joint China-Surabaya Container Service Launched
Evergreen Line announced it will partner with COSCO and China Shipping in launching a joint China-Surabaya Express (CSX) Service. Evergreen said this comes in viewā¦
Iranian Ships Fire Warning Shots at Singapore-flagged Vessel
Iranian naval vessels fired what appeared to be warning shots over a Singapore-flagged ship in international waters in the Gulf on Thursday, prompting it to flee to United Arab Emirates waters, U.S.
Purpose-built Daughter Craft Delivered to Aberdeen
Unique Group, an integrated turnkey subsea and offshore solution provider, has now delivered two new dive systems and a diving vessel worth around £5 million to global services provider, Vertech. The Hydracraft 1500 Daughter Craft vessel, named the Vaila, is nearly 50 feet long and designed for air diving activity. The hull is designed to provide an enhanced stability, optimizing operational efficiency.
BMTās Fleet Management System to Debut at Nor-Shipping
BMT SMART Ltd., the specialist fleet and vessel performance management company of BMT Group, will launch its new SMARTFLEET Management system at Nor-Shipping in Oslo next month. Technical experts will be on hand to showcase the system and its capabilities whilst discussing with delegates their specific challenges and needs. Peter Mantel, Managing Director of BMT SMART commented, āWhilst there are cost savings to be made through on-board optimizationā¦
Iranian Boats Fire on Singapore-flagged Vessel
Five Iranian boats fired shots across the bow of a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel on Thursday, CNN reported, citing a U.S. official. It was unclear if the shots hit the vessel, CNN said.
Malaysia Rejects Migrants Amid Growing Crisis at Sea
Malaysia said on Thursday it would push boats full of migrants back to sea, a policy that has drawn criticism from the U.N. refugee agency as thousands remained adrift in Southeast Asian waters.
Asia Dry Bulk-Capesize Rates Steady
Rates for capesize bulk carriers, which climbed to their highest since at least January on Wednesday, are likely to remain steady next week on tighter tonnage supply, ship brokers said.
