Bouchard Pays $375,000 to Whistleblower
Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. and three former and current management officials from the Long Island-based petroleum barge company have paid $375,000 in restitution to the brother of one of two seamen killed in a 2017 barge explosion off Port Aransas, Texas.The seaman alleged the company fired him for cooperating with investigators and reporting safety concerns to the U.S. Coast Guard following the deadly blast on board Buster Bouchard/B. No. 255.
Survey Seeks to Gauge COVID-19's Impact on Mariner Mental Health
The U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) COVID-19 Working Group (C-19 WG) is encouraging mariners from all segments of the U.S. maritime industry to anonymously complete the “Mariner Mental Health Needs during Covid-19” online survey here.The confidential survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and asks mariners about COVID-19, mental health, and their experiences and feelings when on board vessels during the challenges of this pandemic.
Seaspan Buys Two 8,500 TEU Containerships
Seaspan Corporation said on Monday it has acquire two 8,500 TEU scrubber-fitted containerships as the Atlas Corp. subsidiary continues to grow its fleet amid strong market demand. The scrubber-fitted vessels are are on long-term charter with a global liner customer, and they are expected to be delivered during the second quarter of 2021, Seaspan said. The pair will be financed from additional borrowings as well as cash on hand.Seaspan chairman…
2021: A Year of Offshore Energy Potential
After what has seemed like the longest year ever, the offshore energy sector is emerging from a position of strength, from the standpoint of both economics and sustainability. Between the lockdowns implemented to reduce COVID-19, which reduced energy demand, to the oil price war between state-backed producers, 2020 was an unprecedented storm that hit the American offshore energy market. Now, there are unmistakable signs of a recovery, and policy makers in Washington, D.C.
European Countries Helping Taiwan with Submarine Project
European countries are providing help for Taiwan’s indigenous submarine project, the island’s defense ministry said, in a rare admission that the sensitive program is not getting assistance solely from the United States.Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has worked for years to revamp its submarine force, some of which dates back to World War Two. It is no match for China’s fleet, which includes vessels capable of launching nuclear weapons.The U.S.
New Great Lakes Bulk Carrier Delivered to Algoma
Canadian shipping company Algoma Central Corporation announced Monday that it has taken delivery of its new dry bulk carrier Captain Henry Jackman from the Jiangsu Yangzi-Mitsui Shipbuilding Company in China.The vessel is expected to begin trading on the Great Lakes in late June following its transit from China to Canada via the Panama Canal. The voyage is scheduled to commence in mid-April.The Captain…
Norwegian to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination for Passengers and Crew
Cruise operator Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd said on Monday it would require mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for all guests and crew when it restarts trips from U.S. ports in July.The company’s announcement follows the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest guidance last week to the cruise ship industry, including the need for COVID-19 vaccinations.The cruise operator has taken a hit for over a year due to the pandemic…
GONDAN Building 10 Electric Ferries for Transtejo
Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros GONDAN said it is gearing up to start building a series of 10 fully electric passenger ferries for the Portuguese river passenger transport operator Transtejo – Transportes Tejo, S.A.The 40-meter-long ferries are designed based on a catamaran-type hull form specifically optimized to make the most of the almost 2MWh of electrical energy stored in its batteries, with silent operation and no CO2 emissions.
17 Fishermen Missing After Collision with Bulk Carrier
Divers were scouring the waters of the Java Sea on Sunday for 17 fishermen reported missing after their boat capsized following a crash involving a bulk carrier, a spokesman for Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said.Fifteen crew of the fishing boat, the Barokah Jaya, were evacuated after Saturday’s crash, but five divers are searching for the remaining 17, Yusuf Latif, the spokesman of the agency…
CDC Updates Cruise Ship Guidance; Still No Date for Resumed Voyages
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention on Friday issued new guidance to the cruise ship industry, including the need for COVID-19 vaccinations, a necessary step before passenger voyages can resume.The new technical instructions, the first update since October, include increasing from weekly to daily reporting frequency of COVID-19 cases and illnesses and implementing routine testing…
Sangomar FPSO Construction Starts in China
The conversion of a VLCC into an FPSO bound for Woodside's Sangomar project in Senegal has recently kicked off in China, the Australian oil firm said in a recent report.The 323 meters-long very large crude carrier (VLCC) Astipal in February arrived in China, where it will, in Woodside's words, undergo "a metamorphosis" into the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility for the Sangomar field.
Greece Launches Sale of Crete Port Stake
Greece on Monday launched a tender for the sale of a majority stake in a port on the island of Crete, a popular tourist destination in Europe.The conservative government has been keen to attract investment and upgrade its port facilities across the country after years of underspending and a decade-long financial crisis.Investors can submit expressions of interest for a 67% stake in the port of Heraklion…
Turkey Detains 10 Retired Admirals over Maritime Accord Statement
Turkey has detained 10 retired admirals for signing a statement in support of an 85-year-old maritime accord, accusing them of conspiring against the constitutional order, the state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Monday.Officials said their declaration on the Montreux Convention, signed by more than a hundred former high-ranking navy personnel, was a direct challenge to civilian government and evoked…
At Least 26 Die in Bangladesh Ferry Accident
A Bangladesh ferry carrying around 50 passengers collided with a cargo vessel and sank on Sunday in the Shitalakhsya River south of the capital Dhaka, leaving at least 26 people dead and a few still missing, officials said.Twenty one bodies had been recovered on Monday. The ferry sank just after it departed from the industrial Narayanganj district about 20 km (12 miles) from Dhaka, to Munshiganj, said Mustain Billah…
Suez Canal: All Ships Stranded by Ever Given Grounding Pass Through
All ships stranded by the grounding of the giant container ship Ever Given in the Suez Canal in March had passed through the canal by Saturday, ending the backlog that built up during the blockage, the canal authority said.The last 61 ships, out of 422 ships that were queuing when the vessel was dislodged on Monday, passed through the vital trade artery on Saturday, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said.International…
Shipbuilding: ASRY Receives ASME Accreditation
The New Construction & Engineering Department of ASRY received ASME Accreditation which allows ASRY to manufacture and repair Coded Pressure Vessels.ASRY attained this accreditation after an extensive review of the company's Quality Assurance Systems, Engineering, Warehousing, Production, and Quality Control capabilities. Based on the review, ASRY was found compliant with ASME work due to its commitment to applying the highest international standards in all aspects of work.Mr.
U.S. LNG Export Bonanza Reshapes Energy Map in Asia
U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China, Japan, and South Korea, the biggest importers of the fuel, have surged to record highs in recent months as the heavily industrialized region recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, Eikon trade data shows.As with the ramp-up of U.S. oil exports that forced heavyweights like Saudi Arabia to find other buyers, what was dubbed Freedom Gas by the administration…
Petrobras Suspends MODEC from Bidding for FPSO Projects
Brazilian national oil and gas company Petrobras has suspended Japanese FPSO specialist MODEC from bidding for new floating production storage and offloading vessel projects. A day after the announcement the Japanese firm named a new CEO but the change is seemingly not related to the Petrobras issue.MODEC, which sees Brazil as its main market, said last Thursday it had received a notification from…
Seadrill Asks Creditors to Write Off More Than 85% of its Debts
Offshore drilling rig contractor Seadrill has asked creditors to write off more than 85% of its debts in exchange for a 99% stake in the reorganized company, a court filing showed.The Oslo-listed firm controlled by Norwegian-born billionaire John Fredriksen in February filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, the second time it has done so in four years.Seadrill has in the past year written off billions of dollars worth of assets due to a bleak outlook for the oil sector…
Germany to Propose Beirut Port Reconstruction with 'Strings Attached'
Germany will next week present a multi-billion-dollar proposal to Lebanese authorities to rebuild the Port of Beirut as part of efforts to entice the country’s politicians to form a government capable of warding off financial collapse, two sources said.A chemical explosion at the port last August killed 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed entire neighborhoods in Lebanon’s capital, plunging…
