Austal Awarded Additional $14 Mln in LCS Work
Austal Limited has been awarded $14.656 million in modifications to a previously awarded Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) contract by the U.S. Department of Defense. Under the contract, Austal USA will perform planning and implementation of deferred design changes that have been identified during the construction period. The corrections and upgrades are necessary to support sail-away and follow-on post-delivery test and trials period.
Radioactive Waste Platform Delivered to the Russian Navy
Itarus, the semisubmersible floating platform built by Fincantieri for the Russian RosRAO, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise for radioactive waste management, was delivered at the shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia. The unit’s construction contract was signed by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, RosRAO and Fincantieri in November 2013 during the Italy-Russia Business Forum, held in Trieste.
Port NY/NJ Sees Record Cargo Volume in 2015
Annual cargo volumes at the Port of New York and New Jersey beat the previous record by more than 10 percent, according to figures released by the port. The port said it handled 6,371,720 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) (or 3,664,013 cargo containers) in 2015, an increase of 10.4 percent over the previous record set in 2014, allowing the port to maintain its position as the busiest on the East Coast with nearly 30 percent of the nation’s total market share.
Hapag-Lloyd Ups Special Cargo Focus
Container shipper Hapag-Lloyd said it has intensified its focus special cargo for container vessels. In order to be able to transport more cargo which does not fit into standard containers due to oversize or overweight, Hapag-Lloyd has strengthened its team of specialists. In addition to its Special Cargo Division at its headquarters in Hamburg, Special Cargo Teams have been established for the major markets in Asia and South and North America.
One Small Step toward Sustainable Coastal Shipping
Short sea shipping is alive and well on America’s East Coast. In the United States, counties and states directly on the shoreline constitute less than 10 percent of the total land area (not including Alaska), but account for 39 percent of the total population. From 1970 to 2010, the population of these counties increased by almost 40 percent and are projected to increase by an additional 10 million people or 8 percent by 2020. Coastal areas are substantially more crowded than the U.S.
Galley Grease Harms Equipment – and the Environment
Cleaning up the wastewater stream on marine vessels isn’t just about removing hydrocarbons out of oily separators and bilges. Workboat galleys harbor a tremendous amount of FOGs (fats, oils and grease) that, if not properly disposed of, can be a health risk, damage equipment and add to overall operational costs. Even if vessels are equipped with sophisticated grease trap systems, the introduction of nontoxic…
CMA CGM Deploys Six Mega Ships between Asia and US
CMA CGM’s six 18,000 TEU vessels named after great explorers will be deployed on the trans-Pacific market and help to accelerate its growth, the container shipping company announced today. Beginning from the end of May 2016, the CMA CGM Group will deploy its flagship fleet of six 18,000 TEU vessels between Asia and the West coast of the U.S. on the Pearl River Express service. The six container vessels – CMA CGM Bougainville…
Disney Cruise Line Plans to Add 2 More Ships
Walt Disney Co said it signed an agreement to build two cruise ships for its Disney Cruise Line business. The company, which signed the agreement with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, said on Thursday the ships are expected to be completed in 2021 and 2023. Disney Cruise Line, which comes under the company's parks and resorts business, was launched in 1998 and operates out of ports in North America and Europe. The new ships, at about 135,000 gross tons, will be the biggest in Disney's fleet.
US Navy Strengthens Battlespace Situational Awareness
The U.S. Office of Naval Research has awarded BAE Systems an $11 million contract to develop next-generation electronic warfare (EW) technology that will quickly detect, locate, and identify emitters of radio frequency signals. Known as the Full-Spectrum Staring Receiver (FSSR), this technology will enable near-instantaneous battlespace situational awareness, emitter identification and tracking, threat warning and countermeasure and weapon cueing.
Radio Holland NavCom, VSAT for 4 Newbuilds
NavCom and On Board ICT specialist Radio Holland informs it has booked multiple orders in a challenging newbuild market. The company was awarded contracts to deliver and install the complete NavCom and VSAT packages for four newbuild vessels: two of the Meriaura Group and two of Eureka, part of SMT Shipping, all built at Royal Bodewes in Hoogezand, The Netherlands. “We have completed many successful projects with Radio Holland and are happy to work with them on these four new vessels…
Harris CapRock Debuts New Cyber Security Solution
Harris CapRock Communications, a provider of managed communications services for remote and harsh environments, has launched SafePass Pro, an advanced cyber security…
New SOLAS Compliant Container Weighing System
In response to the new SOLAS regulations due to enter force on July 1, 2016, LCM Systems has launched a new fully SOLAS compliant container weighing system. The company said it has been supplying container weighing systems for around five years with more than 40 system sold to date, and have utilized this experience to design a flexible modular system that can be easily and quickly retrofitted onto straddle carriers, container cranes and telehandlers.
US Plans Naval Exercises with India and Japan
India, the United States and Japan will hold naval exercises in waters off the northern Philippines near the South China Sea this year, the U.S. military said on Wednesday…
Rosneft Reports Large Oil Spill on Sakhalin Island
Russian oil producer Rosneft said on Thursday that around 15 tonnes (110 barrels) of oil spilled off from an idled pipeline on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, while…
Tug Crew Gives Builder Invaluable Feedback
Iskes Towage & Salvage took delivery of a new Damen ASD 2411 in November 2015. In its first 100 days, the tug has been performing vessel assistance duties in the locks and canals around the Dutch Ports of Amsterdam and IJmuiden. Three months after delivery of the Venus, the captain and crew give their comments about the new member of the fleet. Home to a cross-section of industries, the two ports see a wide variety of vessel types and sizes.
GE Gas Turbine to Power Italian Navy Patrol Ship
GE’s Marine Solutions announced it will provide a LM2500+G4 gas turbine that will power the Italian Navy’s new Pattugliatori Polivalenti d’Altura (PPA) multipurpose offshore patrol ship. The PPA’s hybrid electric propulsion system also will use GE’s shock-proof MV3000 drives and a GE-designed electrical network of motors as part of the propulsion system. Avio Aero, a GE Aviation business headquartered in Italy, will have the design responsibility for the gas turbine package.
London Looking to Expand Team of Marine Pilots
The Port of London Authority (PLA) is recruiting 12 new pilots this year to respond to increased traffic on the Thames. The PLA is looking for candidates with a Class 1 Unlimited Certificate of Competency. Other suitably qualified candidate who can demonstrate experience relative to marine pilotage will also be considered. The candidates will typically undertake a 28-week training course consisting of training on the PLA’s ship bridge simulator and tug simulator…
Asia Capesize Bulker Rates Expected to Stay Flat
Freight rates for capesize bulk carriers on key Asian routes are likely to remain flat as the number of vessels for hire outpaces cargo demand, ship brokers said.
VSTEP's NAUTIS Delivered to HELMEPA
HELMEPA purchased a NAUTIS DNV Class A FMB Simulator and Instructor Station for training of its fleet members. The simulator was delivered and installed by VSTEP at HELMEPA premises in Athens, Greece. The simulator purchased by HELMEPA included a NAUTIS DNV Class A FMB simulator with 240° horizontal field of view and an Instructor Station. It is being used to train the navigation and manoeuvring skills of HELMEPA’s member shipping companies’ personnel.
Torm: Now is Not the Right Time for US Listing
Volatile markets currently prevent Danish shipping firm Torm from going through with a planned stock market listing in the United States, but the company still aims to do so later this year, it said on Thursday. "Right now, it doesn't seem like the most obvious time to go through with this (a U.S. listing). The window for capital markets opens and closes and just now, I note that it is closed," Chief Executive Jacob Meldgaard told Reuters at the sidelines of an industry conference in Oslo.
