Merchent Named CEO of VT Halter Marine
ST Engineering North America, Inc. announced Monday that Robert "Bob" L. Merchent has been named President and CEO of VT Halter Marine, Inc. He replaces outgoing President and CEO, Ron Baczkowski.Much of Merchent's career was spent at Ingalls Shipbuilding, where he advanced through multiple positions of ever-increasing responsibility, leading programs critical to both the business and the U.S. Navy, culminating his career there as the Vice President, Surface Combatants, Fleet Services and U.S.
Scania USA Expands Territory for Mack Boring
Scania USA Announces Expansion of Marine Territory for Distributor, Mack Boring & Parts Company. Effective August 1, Mack Boring & Parts Co. will assume additional marine territory in the Great Lakes Region of the United States to include Northern Illinois and Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northern Ohio and Wisconsin.Mack Boring & Parts Co. currently represents Scania’s latest marine platform…
Iran Plans to Continue Shipping Gasoline to Venezuela
Iran could send two to three cargoes a month in regular gasoline sales to ally Venezuela, sources say, helping offload domestic oversupply but risking retaliation from U.S.
Bulk Carrier Crewmember Medevaced near Puerto Rico
A crewmember suffering from abdominal pain was medevaced from the 653-feet bulk carrier ship Yasa Jupiter Saturday, approximately 60 nautical miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector San Juan received the medevac request from the Marshall Islands flagged ship on Friday night.The Yasa Jupiter was sailing from Morocco to Panama…
New Guidance for Carrying Methanol on OSVs
The carriage of methanol in bulk is becoming common in the offshore oil and gas industry, and although there is technical documentation on methanol handling, guidance for offshore carriage by sea is limited. Methanol is a hazardous chemical with significant toxic, flammable, and reactive properties that can adversely affect human health and the environment when not properly handled.A new information…
Bureau Veritas Opens Additional Remote Survey Centers
As maritime firms turn to remote vessel and equipment surveys to continue business operations amid the coronavirus pandemic, classification society Bureau Veritas announced it has opened two additional sites to further expand its digital classification delivery capabilities. The recently opened remote survey centers in Dubai, U.A.E. and Istanbul, Turkey are part of Bureau Veritas' strategy to deploy a 24/7 remote survey offer worldwide.
Video: Stellar Banner Scuttled
The 340-meter-long very large ore carrier (VLOC) Stellar Banner has been scuttled off the coast of Brazil after being declared a total loss due to extensive hull damage suffered during a grounding incident.The 300,660 dwt vessel, owned and operated by the South Korean company Polaris Shipping, ran aground while carrying iron ore bound for China from Vale's terminal in Maranhão in February. The 2016-built Stellar Banner began listing heavily but did not capsize…
COVID-19 Slams Vehicle Carrier Market
COVID-19 has hit the vehicle carrier market hard. The world vehicle demand has dropped by c.35%. Consequently, shipping these vehicles has fallen considerably.The only order to take place earlier this year is one from NYK line for a large LCTC for $95 million.No deals have taken place since the beginning of the year, this is a figure we have not seen historically. A break of five months on the S&P side of things in the Vehicle carrier market.
JRC/Alphatron Names Kortsmit GM for Key Accounts
Vessel bridge solutions provider JRC/Alphatron Marine said it has appointed Jeroen Kortsmit as Group General Manager Key Accounts as of July 1, 2020.Kortsmit will be responsible for the worldwide expansion and management of the company's customer relationship in the fields of customer satisfaction, maintenance agreements, digital services like e-learning as well as remote maintenance and support. He…
Fire Breaks Out Aboard French Nuclear Submarine
Fire broke out onboard a nuclear submarine docked at the Mediterranean port of Toulon on Friday and was still raging but under control by afternoon, local officials said.Nobody was hurt and no nuclear materials or weapons were on board the vessel, the Perle, which is in dry dock for repairs, the prefecture said in a statement.“The fire is under control. It will not spread, but it has not yet been put out…
Great Lakes Shipping Companies Navigate Market Challenges Ahead
For U.S.-flag shipping on the Great Lakes, 2019 was a good year. Total cargos were 90 million net tons, up 7.5% over 2018 and 4.6% over the five-year average. 49.7 million net tons of iron ore were shipped, up 8.5% over 2018 and 11.7% over the five year. Limestone was up 9.7% over 2018 and 10.2% over the five-year average. In 2010 and 2011, coal and limestone were each about 20 million net tons. Since then…
Petrobras Will Not Hire Tankers That Visited Venezuela
Brazil’s Petroleo Brasileiro SA has told shippers it will not hire any tankers that have visited Venezuela in the past 12 months, the state-controlled oil company said on Friday, signaling adherence to U.S. sanctions on the Latin American nation.The United States this year blacklisted oil tankers and shipping companies over their dealings with Venezuela, seeking to drain oil revenues that sustain the rule of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Outfitting Phase Set to Start for Nexans Aurora Cable Layer
Norway's Ulstein is set to begin the outfitting phase of the Nexans Aurora, a large, DP3, cable laying vessel (CLV) Nexans ordered from Ulstein in 2018.The Nexans Aurora hull arrived Ulstein Verft on Monday, June 15, 2020, after having been built at CRIST, Poland. The hull will now be towed into the dock hall at Ulstein Verft before activities such as outfitting, electrical work, insulation, and piping start.
Market in Focus: Gas Ships
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping hasn’t been able to avoid the negative impact of COVID-19 as gas demand fell during the first quarter of 2020.The residential sector recorded the largest drop in consumption this year compared to 2019 which wasn’t helped by the mild winter seen in the US. The shut-downs of major economies and more specifically shut-ins of cargoes due to the historically low gas…
Surge in Maritime Cyber Attacks Reported
Maritime and offshore energy companies are facing a number of new challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. One of these is an increase in cyber security threats, reports Naval Dome, who says there's been a 400% increase in attempted cyber attacks in these sectors since February 2020.While an increase in malware, ransomware and phishing emails exploiting the COVID-19 crisis is the primary reason behind the spike…
MarAd Insights: “In peace and war” -- Even Against a Virus
The U.S. maritime industry takes great pride in our motto: “In Peace and War.” It sums what we’re all about. From colonial times, through the Revolution, the Civil War, two World Wars, several regional conflicts, and many natural and humanitarian disasters, we got the cargo delivered because our economic security and our national security depend on it.Today, we confront a new kind of enemy: an invisible, debilitating, and too often deadly disease.
MARAD Awards $9.5 Mln for Marine Highways Projects
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded $9.5 million in grants to eight marine highways projects across the Nation under the America’s Marine Highway Program. The funding supports the enhancement of navigable waterways and expands existing waterborne freight services in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington…
Østensjø’s Offshore Wind Vessels Assisting SAR after Fighter Jet Crashes Off UK
Norwegian offshore vessel operator Østensjø has said it is assisting in the ongoing search and rescue (SAR) after a fighter jet crashed off the UK coast on Monday."Østensjø's offshore wind vessel “Edda Mistral” and her autonomous workboat “Mistral Worker” were in the vicinity of the fighter jet crash off the UK coast. Both vessels are engaged in the ongoing search and rescue SAR operation," the company…
Greek Ship Managers Halt Venezuela Trade as US Sanctions Bite
Three Greece-based shipping firms said they have halted trade with Venezuela after the United States imposed sanctions on vessels under their management, as Washington…
Damen Delivers New Tug to Iskes
On May 25 in IJmuiden, the Netherlands, Damen Shipyards Group delivered an ASD Tug 2312 named Jupiter to Iskes. The vessel will operate in the ports of IJmuiden and Amsterdam carrying out regular port towage duties and the tug is also capable of handling (crane) barges.Damen signed the contract for the vessel with Iskes in July 2018, at the ITS Marseille and developed the ASD Tug 2312 together with Iskes.Damen sales manager Joost van der Weiden said…
