Damen Names Van Heyningen COO
As of April 1, Marc van Heyningen will become the new Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Damen Shipyards Group. This completes the Executive Board of the leading Dutch maritime solutions provider.Marc is a MSc in Civil Structural Engineering at Delft University and has spent the vast majority of his career working for Fluor Corporation in various general and operations management positions in, for example, The Netherlands, The UK, India and the USA.
Grand Princess Crewmember Medevaced
A crewmember aboard the coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship was medevaced after suffering a medical emergency, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said it was notified by the ship that a man in his early-40s needed further medical attention Saturday morning.Coast Guard watchstanders consulted the duty flight surgeon who recommended the crewmember be medevaced from the Grand Princess.
Svitzer Gets 10-Year Contract Extension with Sakhalin Energy Investment
Svitzer, the towage operator that is part of Maersk, announced a 10-year extension of its marine service contract with Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd., a consortium set up to develop and manage the Sakhalin-II project, aimed at producing and exporting oil and liquefied gas.Svitzer has been providing towage services to the Sakhalin-II project since 2007, and the extension comes into effect in November 2022 to support the mooring of more than 1…
Oil, Fishing, Tourism: Alaska Economy Faces Triple Hit from Coronavirus
The U.S. state of Alaska is so far distant from the worst medical ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, but its economy is in critical condition. Alaska is especially vulnerable because it depends on oil, tourism and fisheries – basic industries that are reeling from the global coronavirus pandemic – and the state government gets most of its revenue from investment earnings that have now evaporated."Alaska is experiencing a perfect storm…
Gallery: Giant Crane Vessel Sleipnir 'Arrives Home'
Sleipnir, the world's largest semi-submersible crane vessel, has arrived in the Port of Rotterdam for the first time since its delivery from Singapore last year.Heerema Marine Contractors, the Netherlands-based offshore installation company, and the owner of the vessel has informed that vessel "arrived home" on Sunday, March 22,Heerema's newly upgraded tug Kolga joined Sleipnir at sea to guide the vessel into the Caland Canal.
Ocean Infinity’s Hunt for the Submarine San Juan
The search for the Argentinian submarine was like hunting for the proverbial needle in a hay stack, except that it was a piece of straw. Elaine Maslin reports. At 7.19am, local time, on November 15, 2017, the last message was received from the San Juan submarine. She belonged to the Argentinian navy and was on a routine mission from Ushuaia in the Patagonia region to Mar del Plata in Buenos Aires province when she lost contact with the military.
IMF: Global Impact of COVID-19 will be Severe, but Temporary
As many markets struggle to find their footing in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, a recent podcast with Martin Muhleisen, director of the IMF's Strategy, Policy, and Review department, helps to lend insight and perspective from the view of the International Monetary Fund.Muhleisen said the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic will be “quite severe,” but temporary, saying that the overall…
No Need for a Jones Act Waiver -AMP
America's maritime industry has hit back at a recent request by U.S. shale drillers to waive the Jones Act, a law requiring goods transported between U.S. ports to be carried on ships that are built, owned and operated by Americans.The American Exploration and Production Council, which represents independent oil firms that have been thrashed by an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia and the fallout from the global coronavirus outbreak…
Valaris Gears up for Possible Debt Restructuring
Offshore oil driller Valaris PLC is exploring debt restructuring options as it grapples with a rig accident and a broader collapse in energy prices, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.Valaris has tapped debt restructuring attorneys at law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP for advice on ways to rework its roughly $6.5 billion debt pile, and is exploring enlisting a turnaround firm that specializes in urgently addressing stressed finances to bolster its roster of advisers…
Saipem Inks Deal with Equinor on Floating Solar Farm Tech
Italy's Saipem has reached an agreement with Norway's Equinor to develop technology to build floating solar power farms close to the coast, the energy contractor said.The agreement is between Saipem's high-value services unit Moss Maritime and the Norwegian energy firm."The agreement with Equinor goes in the direction taken by Saipem and Moss Maritime to develop new technologies related to clean energy…
Italy-bound Cruise Ship had 36 COVID-19 Cases During Marseille Stop
An Italian cruise ship bound for the Italian harbor of Savona had 36 people on board infected with the coronavirus when tests were undertaken on passengers during a stop in the French port of Marseille, French authorities said on Friday.A Marseille area prefecture official told Reuters that he could not comment on how many of those infected had disembarked and how many were still on the ship, which was due to leave Marseille on Friday evening to sail to Savona.On Thursday and Friday…
California Asks Trump to Deploy USNS Mecy to LA 'Immediately'
California’s governor on Thursday asked President Donald Trump to send a U.S. Navy hospital ship to the port of Los Angeles “immediately” as the state braces for an expected surge in the number of coronavirus cases over the next eight weeks.Trump said earlier this week the Navy hospital ships Mercy and Comfort would be pressed into service, one on each coast, as healthcare systems become badly strained during the pandemic.But U.S.
FMC Revokes PVO for French America Line
French America Line Prohibited from Offering, Advertising, or Conducting Passenger CruisesFrench America Line, a domestic passenger vessel operator (PVO), is prohibited from offering…
Crowley Charters Newbuild Tug from Brusco
Crowley Maritime Corp said Friday its marine services group has entered into a bareboat charter with Brusco Tug and Barge for an all new RApport-design tractor tug to serve Pacific Northwest and California ports, performing ship assist and harbor escort work.The vessel, which Crowley will rename Hercules after delivery next week, was designed by Robert Allan Ltd., and constructed by Diversified Marine in Portland, Ore., for Brusco.
Coast Guard Cadet Tests Positive for COVID-19
A U.S. Coast Guard Academy Cadet has tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a spring break trip to Europe.The cadet, a 20-year-old male, was in Spain along with six other cadets and a civilian friend when they were ordered to return to the U.S. based on the Presidential Proclamation suspending travel from Europe.Upon returning home to Florida, the cadet became symptomatic and sought treatment…
ACL Expects to Emerge from Chapter 11 Soon
American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL) said on Friday it expects to complete its recapitalization and emerge from Chapter 11 in the coming weeks after the U.S. Bankrptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division confirmed the company's pre-packaged plan. ACL announced it would implement the recapitalization plan in February. Upon emergence, the company will receive $200 million in new…
Baltic Index Posts First Loss in 6 Weeks
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index fell on Friday, posting its first weekly fall in six weeks, weighed by lower panamax and supramax vessel rates.The Baltic index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels that ferry dry bulk commodities, fell 5 points, or 0.8%, to 625.For the week, the index dipped 1%, its first weekly decline in six.The panamax index declined 43 points, or 5.1%, to 807, recording its 10th straight fall.
Coronavirus: How to Beat it
In the wake of the pandemic COVID-19, maritime training companies Seagull Maritime and Videotel have launched a new program called: “Coronavirus- How to Beat it.”Available free to the maritime industry, the program outlines the common symptoms that seafarers need to be aware of and details the key precautions that individuals onboard can take to minimize the spread of this highly contagious virus.Frequent…
UAE Bans Ship Over Fuel Breach
The world's number two container line MSC is in talks with the United Arab Emirates after the Gulf country banned one of their vessels from entering its waters over what authorities said was a breach of tough new sulphur emissions rules for ships.This is one of the first punitive actions taken by a jurisdiction since regulations came into effect in January which make it mandatory for ships to use fuel with a sulphur content of 0.5%, down from 3.5% previously, or install devices that strip out th
China's Reefer Situation Improving
Chinese port workers have made progress to move a logjam of refrigerated containers that has disrupted supplies of fresh and frozen food and pushed up freight rates outside China amid the coronavirus outbreakFrench container carrier CMA CGM told customers on Friday that the reefer plug utilization has improved in Chinese ports, and almost all reefers diverted to other ports are in the process to be…
