OSV Approved Vessel Archive Launched
Specialist marine risk assessment company MatthewsDaniel has launched an enhanced Approved Vessel Archive (AVA) service for offshore support vessels and their operators.
BP Wins One US Court Ruling, Loses Another Over 2010 Gulf Spill
A U.S. appeals court said BP Plc, which in July reached a $18.7 billion settlement of federal, state and local claims over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, must face one of two proposed class-action lawsuits claiming that the oil company defrauded shareholders over the disaster. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said investors who bought BP's American depositary shares in a 33…
US Coast Guard Cutter Reaches the North Pole
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy arrived at the North Pole September 5, 2015, becoming the first U.S. surface ship to do so unaccompanied. Healy’s arrival to the North Pole marks the fourth time a U.S. surface vessel has ever reached the North Pole, and the first since 2005. The Seattle-homeported Healy departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska August 9 with a crew and science party of 145 people in support of GEOTRACES, a historic international effort to study the geochemistry of the world’s oceans.
Lean Manufacturing Transforms Maker of US Navy Warships
Big investments, lean manufacturing techniques borrowed from the automotive industry, and a more engaged workforce have revamped the Wisconsin shipyard where Italy's Fincantieri SpA builds the Freedom variant of the U.S. Navy's coastal warships for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. Fincantieri invested $100 million in recent years to transform the 1940s era shipyard into a state-of-the-art facility…
New ‘Diesel Doctor’ Introduced
Icon Research announced the launch of the new DK-20 Diesel Doctor instrument and version 6 engine analysis software. The updated DK-20 has been built to be even more portable, rugged, easy to use and accurate with new features such as a touch-screen and built-in test. The V6 software is even easier to use and features improved reporting capabilities and offers additional analysis features such as propeller curves and shop/sea trial comparisons.
MN 100: Freedman Seating Company
Hyman Freedman began making seat cushions for horse-drawn buggies over 120 years ago. A century later, Freedman Seating Company is still a family owned-and-operated business, producing seats to the highest quality standards, compliant to applicable safety standards. Marine products include light weight aluminum marine seats and notable customers include Kvichak, MidShip Marine, Armstrong Marine, and St. John’s Ship Building.
Liebherr Container Cranes Heading to Russia
Liebherr Container Cranes announced it will deliver four ship to shore container cranes to Fenix Container Terminal, Port of Bronka, St. Petersburg, Russia. The cranes were designed in Liebherr Container Cranes, Ireland and manufactured in the state of the art facility in Ireland.The completed cranes were then assembled in the Liebherr Rostock plant and barged through the Baltic Sea to St. Petersburg.
Engine Fire Leaves Cruise Passengers Stranded in the Caribbean
About 4,500 passengers and crew were stranded in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a second day after an engine fire on board a cruise ship operated by Carnival Corp. The company said on Tuesday that a team of experts, including representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, had boarded the Carnival Liberty to assess damage to the engine area. There were no injuries to guests or crew. Passengers and crew were…
Traffic Restrictions Lifted on Mississippi River
The safety zone and traffic restrictions in place from markers 936 to 938 on the Mississippi River following a towboat collision and subsequent oil spill have been lifted, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A section of the lower Mississippi River was closed to all traffic except response vessels last week after two towboats collided Wednesday at Mississippi River mile marker 937, rupturing the cargo tank of a barge carrying slurry oil which discharged approximately 150…
Danish Conference to Address Maritime Security
Piracy and armed robbery against ships, corruption and illegal trafficking are well-known maritime security challenges. Now it is time to find solutions. On Tuesday…
Royal Purple Debuts New Line of EALs
Synthetic lubricant manufacturer Royal Purple has launched its all-new BioMax line of Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EAL). Royal Purple said its BioMax Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants meet all environmental standards mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are Vessel General Permit (VGP) compliant for use in oil-to-sea interfaces in vessels measuring 79 feet or greater in length.
Turbocharger Overhaul for Tidewater OSVs
Marine engineering teams from diesel power specialist Royston Limited have carried out the overhaul of turbochargers on two offshore supply ships operated by Tidewater Marine in the oilfields off the coast of South West Africa. Royston said its engineers completed the full overhaul of Napier NA297 turbochargers on the Melton Tide firefighting and offshore support vessel and the success of this work led to more recent service work being undertaken on the Netherland Tide…
New Offshore Transfer Device Displayed at Offshore Europe
Reflex Marine, a specialist in offshore personnel access by crane, will exhibit its FROG-XT transfer device range for the first time at the 41st SPE Offshore Europe Conference & Exhibition from the September 8-11 in Aberdeen. Having unveiled the prototype in at OE in 2013, Reflex Marine will now show the finished product at this years’ show. The FROG-XT offers operators a flexible solution to their personnel transfer needs with a choice of four-, six- and 10-person capacity devices.
‘Double Skin’ Oil Barge Delivered to Vane Brothers
The Vane Brothers Company has taken delivery of a 55,000 BBL double hull oil barge, Double Skin 509A. Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) was contracted by the builder Conrad Industries to develop the design of the 361’ x 62’ x 24.5’, 55,000 BBL double skin tank barge. The construction of the barge took place at Conrad Shipyard in Amelia, La. The barge is certified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for oceans-fully manned trade.
Dubai Maritime Sector Showcased for Greek Shippers
In line with its efforts to promote the local maritime sector’s competitiveness globally, Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), the government authority charged with regulating, coordinating and supervising all aspects of Dubai’s maritime sector, recently organized a seminar for the ship owning and operating companies of Greece. The event highlighted Dubai’s emergence as one of the world’s leading maritime clusters…
Panama Canal Locks Tests Reveals Water Seepage
The filling of the Panama Canal’s new locks began in June, marking the start of a planned and methodical phase of operational testing of the Locks, including its culvert valves, maintenance bulkheads and gates. This stage of testing is meant to timely detect and correct any deficiencies in the project. The Panama Canal technical team is closely involved to ensure that all tests meet the quality standards established in the contract.
Radio Holland Improves VSAT Coverage for Northern Sea Route
Ship owners choosing the Northern Sea Route now have additional coverage from Kara Sea to Pacific Ocean. Radio Holland said it is the first provider who expanded its Global Ku-band VSAT network with additional coverage above Northern Europe/Russia. Recently, the Yamal 402 Northern beam has been added to the Radio Holland Global VSAT Network. With this extra beam Radio Holland offers improved coverage for its customers sailing from the Kara Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
Autonomous Ship Project Gets Satcom Link
The Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA), launched by Rolls-Royce and funded by Tekes (Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), will bring industry partners together with universities, research institutes, ship owners and other stakeholders to explore the economic, social, legal, regulatory and technological factors which need to be addressed in order to make autonomous ships a reality.
PGI Risk Portal Free to Shipping Industry
Global security specialist Protection Group International (PGI) will provide its specialist risk analysis service – PGI Risk Portal – free to the international maritime industry…
Saldanha Bay Could be S.Africa's First LNG Import Terminal
Gas seen as key to help resolve power crisis; gas could be sourced from Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique. South Africa could build its first 20 billion rand ($1.4 billion)…