Kvichak Delivers for the NYPD
Kvichak, a Vigor company, delivered a fourth, 45-foot Response Boat - Medium C (RB-M C) to its longtime customer, the New York Police Department Harbor Unit. The Kvichak RB-M C is the commercial variant of the Response Boat - Medium (RB-M), purpose built for the U.S. Coast Guard. To date, 174 RB-Ms have been delivered to the Coast Guard. The vessel was designed by Kvichak in partnership with Camarc Design for high speed and high performance…
Seaway Stakeholders File Suit Against US Coast Guard
A coalition of U.S. Great Lakes ports, vessel operating companies and maritime trade associations today filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2016 increase in Great Lakes pilotage rates, the American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA) announced. The complaint was filed by a coalition including the AGLPA, along with the Shipping Federation of Canada and the U.S.
Industry Event to Explore e-Navigation
An event examining the role, development and trends in maritime e-Navigation is scheduled for October 17-19, 2016 at the San Jacinto College Maritime Campus in La Porte, Texas. More information is available online here.
Royal Caribbean Selects Quintiq Software
Quintiq, a Dassault Systèmes company, announced that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has selected its software solution to optimize the assignment of more than 80,000…
Costa Concordia Captain's Sentence Upheld
The prison sentence against the former captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner for his role in the deadly 2012 shipwreck was upheld on Tuesday by an Italian court. Both Francesco Schettino, who was commanding the ship when it hit rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio, killing 32 people, and the prosecutor had appealed against the 16 years and one month sentence handed down last year. But the Florence appeals court upheld the term.
Partners Target Improved Maritime Efficiency
On May 25, 2016, The University of the West Indies Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business (UWI-ALJGSB) together with the Trinidad and Tobago Shipbuilding & Repair Maritime Cluster (TTSR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to undertake maritime project initiatives involving research, the sharing of knowledge and showcase technologies in the context of improving energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions in the maritime sector.
KTB Joins the KPI Bridge Oil Group
KPI Bridge Oil, a global trader and broker in marine fuels, marine lubricants and risk management products, has announced that KTB will become a member of the KPI Bridge Oil Group as of June 1, 2016. The merger comes a year after the group’s acquisition of Denmark based Trumf Bunker which recently became a fully fledged physical supplier and the establishment of a new office in Greece in December.
Roger Blough Salvage Underway
Salvage divers from DonJon-Smit plan to begin an underwater survey of the hull of 833-foot U.S. cargo vessel Roger Blough, which ran aground Friday afternoon on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior. The divers aim to identify any damage the freighter may have sustained during the grounding. The U.S. Coast Guard said it continues to monitor and respond to the motor vessel, along with Canadian partners and company representatives.
Coast Guard to Remove Some Navigation Aids in Virginia
The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to discontinue 166 navigational aids within the Virginia Inside Passage (VIP) due to shoaling and other navigational safety concerns throughout the area. Fixed aids to navigation will be removed as Coast Guard resources permit over the next several years and will be listed under an Advance Notice in future Local Notice to Mariners. The decision follows a 2013 proposal, which identified 241 navigational aids for removal.
MSHS Group President Recognized for Safety Leadership
Signal Mutual Indemnity Association, a self-insured group provider of Longshore benefits, presented MSHS President Are Friesecke with the Francis R. Sharp Executive Leadership In Safety award at the association’s meeting in Park City, Utah. Friesecke was selected from more than 240 other member CEO’s in recognition for the steady and innovative improvements in safety under his leadership. Hoock added, “I would say it this way.
New OPDR Service Links Spain with Northern Europe
OPDR announced its new CAVA service, starting June 7, to connect the Spanish east coast with northern European ports, including Saint Petersburg. It will further increase OPDR’s weekly sailings from the Iberian Peninsula to Northern European ports to 23 sailings per week. The new service links the Spanish ports Valencia and Cartagena to four ports in northern Europe: Tilbury, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Saint Petersburg.
This Day In Naval History: May 31
1900 - Sailors and Marines from USS Newark (C 1) and USS Oregon (BB 3) arrive at Peking (now known as Beijing), China, to protect U.S. and foreign diplomatic legations during the Boxer Rebellion.
BIMCO President Speaks on Dry Bulk's Road to Recovery
The dry bulk market could become profitable again in 2019 – but only if a series of extremely tough and sustained measures are taken by shipowners, year on year. This is the message from BIMCO President, Philippe Louis-Dreyfus, ahead of Posidonia 2016 as BIMCO releases new market analysis – “The Road to Recovery” – on what the dry bulk sector must do to return to profitability. BIMCO has developed…
Baltic Index Up On Higher Capesize Demand
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose on Tuesday helped by an increase in demand for capesize vessels.
EU Ships in Libyan Waters Would Undermine Tripoli Govt
The U.N.-backed government in Libya has not invited European ships into its territorial waters to help stop people smuggling because this could harm efforts to broaden…
Damen Delivers Floating Pump Station to Hamburg
Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) has taken delivery of the Sauger III, a custom floating pump station by Damen Shipyards Group for supporting dredging operations. Situated 110 km inland on the River Elbe and with a tidal range of 3.6 meters, the Hamburg Port requires regularly dredging like most ports. 37 metres in length and 10 meters wide, the station features a powerful, dual pump installation and comfortable accommodation for the crew.
ABB Software to Monitor Cosco Heavy Transport Fleet
ABB, a power and automation technology group, will supply its onboard motion monitoring and forecasting system to the Xiang Rui Kou heavy lift vessel, meaning the entire fleet of Cosco Heavy Transport now benefits from the software. The system that will be installed is a mixed software and motion measurement set-up that on one hand provides clear advice on how to operate the vessel and her cargo through heavy weather…
Freighter Runs Aground in Lake Superior
The U.S. Coast Guard informs it is continuing to monitor and respond to the 833-foot U.S. cargo vessel Roger Blough, which ran aground Friday afternoon on Gros Cap Reef in Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior. The chance of a fuel spill is minimal and flooding on the vessel is stable, the Coast Guard said. The Roger Blough crew is said to be in good condition with no reported injuries. Plans to free the grounded freighter continue to progress through the combined efforts of Canadian partners…
Mothballed Vessels SE Asia Reflect Oil Slump Pain
Around 1,300 offshore support vessels lying idle worldwide. Not everyone in shipping is bemoaning the industry's worst crisis in living memory: a cluster of companies…
Striking Port Workers Protest Greek Port Sales
Greek port workers walked off the job for a sixth day on Tuesday and marched through central Athens to protest the state-sanctioned selloff of the country's two largest ports…
