Search Continues for 12 Missing from Capsized Lift Boat
The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it is still searching for 12 people missing from a lift boat that capsized in extreme weather conditions Tuesday in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.Coast Guard vessel and air crews have worked with other local agencies to scour the area overnight Wednesday and through the day Thursday in search of the dozen missing from the Seacor Power, which overturned in rough seas and hurricane force winds approximately 8 miles south of Port Fourchon, La.
Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Up Slightly in March
Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 1.3 million tons in March, a near match to 2020. However, loadings trailed the month’s five-year average by 13.5%, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA).LCA, which represents the U.S.-flag Great Lakes fleet, said the iron ore trade stands at 3.9 million tons year-to-date, an increase of 26.3% compared to last year. Iron ore shipments are 12.2%…
GTT Upgrades its NO96 Technology to Reduce Boil Off Rate
French engineering firm GTT said it has developed the NO96 Super+, an evolution of the NO96 Cargo Containment System (CCS), to help reduce the evaporation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes during operations, Having recently received an approval in principle (AIP) from classification society Bureau Veritas, the new NO96 Super+ technology integrates insulating Reinforced Polyurethane Foam (R-PUF) panels instead of plywood boxes…
Facing Maritime’s Challenges, S.M.C.'s Kozdron reasons “That's why we are here: Engineers.”
Based in Shanghai, Krzysztof Kozdron – or “KK” as he’s known to many of his Chinese colleagues, clients and friends – is the Managing Director of Schulte Marine Concept (S.M.C.). As S.M.C. passes a milestone in ship construction project management, Kozdron shares his insights on shipbuilding and repair activities throughout Asia.Starting in 1973 to today, Schulte Marine Concept has managed 600 ship construction…
Baltic Dry Index Scales Over 1-year Peak
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships ferrying dry bulk commodities, rose to its highest level since September 2019 on Thursday as demand strengthened across vessel segments.The Baltic dry index, which tracks rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels, rose 145 points, or 6.7%, to 2,323, its highest since Sept. 12, 2019.The capesize index advanced 232 points, or 7.4%, to 3,383, its highest level since Oct.
Palfinger Equipment for Ocean Infinity's Robotic Vessel Fleet
Palfinger, an Austrian manufacturer of hydraulic lifting, loading, and handling systems for marine applications, has won a contract to deliver equipment for Ocean Infinity's fleet of robotic vessels to be built by VARD.Ocean Infinity, a U.S.-based marine survey, and robotics company in February 2020 said it would build the world's largest fleet of unmanned surface vessels - the Armada, "to serve a…
Crowley Tug Running on Cleaner-burning Biofuel
A Crowley ship assist and escort tug serving the Bay of San Francisco is now running on cleaner-burning biofuel, in line with Crowley Shipping's commitment to sustainable operations that decrease the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas impacts of maritime operations.The Veteran, a 6,800-horsepower tug with a bollard pull of 182,000 pounds, received its first bunkering of 24,000 gallons of low carbon biofuel on March 9 in San Francisco…
SAFE Boats Delivers First Stormer Workboat to Long Island Customer
The Town of Hempstead Harbormaster on Long Island recently took delivery of the first Stormer Marine workboat built under a license agreement by SAFE Boats International. The 6.8-meter Porter 68S, delivered in late January, was recently put into service in the waters around the Town of Hempstead.Through this Jones Act-compliant licensing agreement between U.S.-based SAFE Boats International and the Netherlands-based Stormer Marine…
US Coast Guard Studying Columbia River Entrance
The U.S. Coast Guard is studying and seeking public comment on the Columbia River entrance in the Pacific Northwest as it seeks to validate the adequacy of the existing aids to navigation system, as well as to get a better understanding of the uses of the waterway and general safety issues.The Coast Guard's Waterways Analysis and Management System study will look at the Columbia River entrance up to Statute Mile 15/Buoy 39…
Ship Recycling: Ship Scrap Prices Soar to Nearly $500/ton During the Pandemic
Dr. Anil Sharma is a wealth of knowledge on ship scrapping, having started GMS 25 years ago, getting into the business of buying and disposing of old U.S. MarAd and Russian navy ships as a sideline while teaching as a college professor in Maryland. Today his company is dominant in the field, and in the last year he has seen an unprecedented 70% run up on ship scrap prices, approaching $500 per ton. He weighs in on ship scrapping trends and direction.By Dr.
Maersk Tankers Sells Six LR2 Product Tankers
Maersk Tankers announced it has sold six Long-Range 2 (LR2) product tankers in an en-bloc transaction.All six of the vessels were or will be built at Dalian shipyard in China, including one in 2020 and the remaining five in 2021, Maersk Tankers said.Maersk Tankers did not reveal the name of the buyer, though it is rumored to be ADNOC Logistics & Services, the shipping and maritime logistics branch of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)…
Vattenfall Selects Hvide Sande as Service Port for Danish Offshore Wind Farms
Swedish power firm Vattenfall has chosen Hvide Sande Harbour in Denmark as its service port for Vesterhav Syd and Nord wind farms in the Danish part of the North Sea. The move will create around 50 new jobs.Danish Energy Agency has approved Vattenfall's environmental assessment and construction plans for 350 MW offshore wind farms Vesterhav Syd and Nord in December 2020. "Hvide Sande will to be the…
U.S. Crude Oil Exports: When 'Less is More'
Longer sailing distances cushion fall in US crude oil exportsTon mile demand generated by US crude oil exports has fallen by 9.7% in the first two months of 2021 compared with the start of 2020. The fall could however have been much worse; In volume terms, seaborne crude oil exports have fallen by 18.8%, to 20.9m tonnes, a 4.8m tonnes decline compared with last year, according to data from the US Census Bureau.While seaborne crude oil exports to all regions have fallen…
Jumbo-SAL-Alliance: 'New Powerhouse in Maritime Heavy Lift Sector'
Dutch maritime heavy lift transport and installation contractor Jumbo and German-based breakbulk and project cargo shipping company SAL on Thursday announced the launch of their joint venture Jumbo-SAL-Alliance, dubbed "a new powerhouse in the heavy lift sector.""This is a very proud moment for Jumbo and SAL. Both companies believe that this move propels them to a greater level of geographical outreach and commercial capacity.
U.S. Ready to Facilitate Maritime Border Dispute Talks Between Israel and Lebanon
The United States stands ready to facilitate maritime border talks between Lebanon and Israel that will have benefits for the crisis-hit Lebanese economy, a U.S. envoy said on Thursday.On a visit to Beirut, Under Secretary of State David Hale blamed Lebanese leaders for failing to end a deadlock in cabinet talks to tackle the collapse, which has crashed the currency. He warned that "those who continue to obstruct" progress open themselves up to punitive actions…
BHP Completes Its First Ship Refueling with Biofuel
BHP Group Ltd said on Thursday it completed its first refueling of a ship with biofuel this month in a trial run that is part of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.It was also the first time that a ship has been refueled with biofuel in Singapore, the world's largest bunkering hub.A biofuel blend derived from certified sustainable feedstock sources such as cooking oil, crude tall oil and sewage sludge was used on April 4 to refuel the 81…
