Dredging: Managing the Impact of Channel Deepening and Widening on Surrounding Structures
U.S. ports have worked toward increasing the depth and width of their channels to allow for larger ships with greater capacities. The equation is generally: bigger ships = more throughput = increased profitability. But what are the impacts around a channel after it’s widened? The ripple effects may go further than you think.Managing the Impact of Channel Improvement Projects on Structures and PipelinesWith more water to impact them…
Autonomous Ships or Better Decision Making?
Looking back through articles on autonomous shipping, one could be forgiven for thinking that it’s becoming the nuclear fusion of maritime; always seemingly five or 10 years away but never quite arriving. In 2018, numerous commentators predicted that by 2030, autonomous vessels would be commonplace. With the lifecycle of most ships making this very difficult, barring a massive program of scrappage and new building, this is now looking less likely.
PowerCell Inks $7.5m Fuel Cell System Deal with Shipyard
PowerCell Sweden AB signed a contract with a European shipyard regarding the development and delivery of a 3MW megawatt marine fuel cell system. The system will…
Ice Chart Data Satellite Network to Launch in 2022
A newly established consortium is going to develop a network for low Earth orbit satellites delivering ice chart data to ships at sea. A new research project called MARIOT (Maritime IoT) is going to develop a low Earth orbit satellite network based on the new VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) technology. The consortium behind the project is headed by the Danish satellite operator Sternula. The satcom developers GateHouse…
Two Cruise Ships Dock in Florida After Coronavirus Ordeal
An ocean liner forced by a deadly onboard coronavirus outbreak to languish at sea since mid-March pulled into a South Florida port on Thursday, after authorities settled plans for the vessel and its sister ship to dock and most passengers to come ashore.The Holland America Line cruise ship MS Zaandam and its twin, the MS Rotterdam, docked late in the afternoon at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale…
PGS Cold Stacks Two Seismic Vessels in Response to Low Oil Price
Norwegian offshore seismic surveyor PGS has said that the coronavirus pandemic and the disruption in the oil market present unprecedented challenges for the offshore services industry, including the marine seismic industry.PGS expects the low oil price will have a material adverse impact on demand for seismic services and activity levels.Brent crude futures fell 3.2%, or 97 cents, to $28.97 per barrel as of 0636 GMT…
Oil Posts Biggest One-day Gain After Trump Touts Saudi-Russia Deal
Crude prices posted their biggest-one day gains on record on Thursday after President Donald Trump said he expects Russia and Saudi Arabia to announce a major oil production cut, and Saudi state media said the kingdom was calling an emergency meeting of producers to deal with the market turmoil.Trump said he had spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and expects Saudi Arabia and Russia to cut oil output by as much as 10 million to 15 million barrels…
US Navy Relieves Commander of USS Theodore Roosevelt
The U.S. Navy on Thursday relieved the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, who wrote a scathing letter that leaked to the public asking the Navy for stronger measures to control a coronavirus outbreak onboard the ship.The removal of Captain Brett Crozier from the command of the 5,000-person vessel, which was first reported by Reuters, was announced by acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly…
Laborde Products Named East Coast Distributor for Mitsubishi Marine
Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine America has named Laborde Products the new distributor for the East Coast of the United States for Mitsubishi Marine Engines.
Hepburn and Sons Adds Senior Naval Talent
The Hepburn and Sons LLC team welcomed David Rice, CAPT David Bauer, USN (Ret), and Gary Loberg as their newest members. David Rice serves as Senior Consultant, Material Science. David Bauer will serve as the Senior Manager, Material Science. Gary Loberg serves as Senior Manager, Advisory Services.David Rice comes to Hepburn and Sons, LLC after a career spanning 45 years at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS).
Inmarsat Offering Crews Discounted Voice Calls
Inmarsat has formalized a 50% discount for crew voice calling services available for up to 40,000 ships in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on seafarer well-being.The maritime satellite service provider is also ensuring that calls made to the SeafarerHelp service provided by welfare organization ISWAN (International Seafarers’ Welfare Assistance Network) are available free of charge.
Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2020 Canceled
The 2020 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic."While OTC’s purpose is to provide an opportunity for those in the offshore petroleum industry from around the world to meet and share knowledge, our first priority is to the health and safety of our attendees and exhibitors. Therefore, OTC has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s conference…
Coronavirus-stricken Zaandam to Dock in Florida
Two Holland America Line cruise ships, including the coronavirus-hit Zaandam, are scheduled to dock at Port Everglades on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Florida port confirmed.The port said it would hold berths open for the two ships as details for the conditions of arrival are being finalized. An estimated time of arrival is to be determined.Florida has been working with the cruise line and the U.S.
New Dual Channel Power Supply for Marine Engine Control
Powerbox has announced the release of a new dual channel power supply for Marine engine control. Based on a ruggedized platform for use in harsh environments, the ENMA500D24/2x27-CC provides two 27V/20A isolated outputs and a total power of 540W. The power supply is housed in a robust IP56 case, it is mechanically designed for efficient conduction cooling, and it complies with DNV/GL standards.From…
SevenCs Upgrades Chart Validation Tool
SevenCs has released a new version of the chart validation tool, 7Cs Analyzer. 7Cs Analyzer Version 4.2. comes with new features to make chart validation more flexible and customizable.Shape File ExportMost chart production tools have a built-in shape file reader. Therefore, we have included a new module in Version 4.2. It gives users the opportunity to save the validation log file in ESRI shape file format.
Low-Speed, Dual-Fuel Engines Pass 1 Million Operating Hours
Mk II ME-GI and Otto-cycle ME-GA recently added to two-stroke portfolio MAN Energy Solutions reports that its portfolio of two-stroke, dual-fuel engines has accumulated 1 million operating hours.Bjarne Foldager – Senior Vice President, Head of Two-Stroke Business at MAN Energy Solutions – said: “This significant milestone owes everything to the dual fuel strategy we have laid over the past decade.”MAN…
IMO Urges Governments to Allow Crew Changes
United Nations shipping agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has echoed industry calls for governments to grant special travel exemptions to seafarers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.In a Circular Letter (link) issued on Monday, the IMO distributed a series of recommendations for governments and relevant national authorities, proposed by a broad cross-section of global industry…
Profiles in Training: American Seafoods
Lance Camarena recognized from a young age that he wanted to work in the learning and development arena. But his plans changed while studying in college to become a public school music teacher and a job working a swing shift at Intel led to a new path of study and a career in the IT world.Still, after graduating and securing full-time employment with another IT firm, he knew training was still his calling. “I managed to switch roles and became one of the first people in the U.S.
SBI Lynx Delivered to Ocean Yield
Ocean Yield said it has taken delivery of the kamsarmax dry bulk vessel SBI Lynx which it purchased and is leasing back to Scorpio Bulkers on a 12-year bareboat charter.In February…
Kirby Completes Savage Fleet Acquisition
Houston-based Kirby Corporation said Thursday it has completed the acquisition of Savage Inland Marine’s inland towboat and tank barge fleet. The total consideration paid was approximately $278 million and was financed with additional borrowings. Savage’s fleet consists of 46 inland towboats and 90 tank barges with approximately 2.5 million barrels of capacity. Savage primarily moves petrochemicals…