PDVSA Eyeing Export Options for Crude Oil from Nabarima FSO
Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA has begun marketing about 570,000 barrels of Corocoro medium crude recently offloaded from a floating facility that was listing last year, two sources with knowledge of the offer said on Friday.Crude onboard the Floating Storage and Offloading facility (FSO) Nabarima, operated by a joint venture between PDVSA and Italy's Eni, started to be transferred to a tanker…
Video: Containership Crew Member Medevaced Off Washington
A U.S. Coast Guard said it medevaced a woman from a containership off the Washington coast Saturday after she was having difficulty breathing and experiencing temporary unconsciousness.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound command center received a call at 11:30 a.m. from the ship’s health insurance provider stating the 65-year-old woman required medical attention.At the time, the 710-foot container ship…
ABB Unveils New System for Monitoring Vessel Emissions
A new emissions monitoring system from ABB is designed to help the maritime industry meet emissions regulations that entered into force in 2020.In January 2020, the low sulphur and nitrous oxide emission limits in the International Maritime Organization regulations became effective worldwide. ABB's CEMcaptain is designed to help owners and operators comply with the new rules, and it also provides measurement and digital capabilities increase on-board safety…
Coast Guard Foundation Elects Allegretti as Chairman
The Coast Guard Foundation said Thomas A. Allegretti has been elected to the position of Chairman of the Board, effective January 7, 2021. Allegretti first joined the Coast Guard Foundation board in 2006 and has served on the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee. In 2020, he led the Foundation’s COVID Management plan.Most recently, Allegretti served as the Senior Executive Officer of the American Waterways Operators (AWO)…
Iran MP Says Unfreezing Funds May Help Release of South Korean Tanker
A move by South Korea towards releasing $7 billion in frozen Iranian funds may help spur Iran’s judiciary to resolve the seizure of a Korean ship being held for alleged environmental pollution…
Body Found in Search for Missing Texas A&M Maritime Academy Cadet
Authorities in Galveston, Texas say they have found what is believed to be the remains of a Texas A&M Maritime Academy cadet who has been missing since Wednesday.Texas A&M-Galveston officials said they were notified by the Galveston Police Department Friday afternoon that a body found on Pelican Island near the Galveston Campus is believed to be missing cadet Brandon Lee Perlowski, though the identification…
Austal USA Names Koblas VP of Human Resources
Shipbuilder Austal USA said it has promoted Sandra Koblas to vice president of human resources.Koblas joined Austal USA in 2007 and has served as the Mobile, Ala. shipyard's director of human resources for the past eight years, leading the company’s employee relations; diversity, equity and inclusion; talent acquisition and management; and education, training and workforce development.As vice president of human resources…
Maryland Dredging Project Benefits the Environment and Economy
The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are marking a milestone of environmental stewardship this month on the landmark restoration of Poplar Island near Talbot County. Simultaneously, the agencies are advancing plans for their next partnership using dredged materials to preserve and protect Maryland’s waterways: the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration.Since 1998…
NOAA's New Ocean Exploration Ship to Be Based in Newport, RI
Newport, R.I. has been chosen as the future homeport for a new NOAA oceanographic research vessel being built for the agency. Discoverer will be a state-of-the-art ship that operates around the nation and the world to study and explore the ocean.“Discoverer will be one of the world’s most advanced research vessels,” said Rear Adm. Nancy Hann, deputy director for operations for NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) and deputy director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.
SAAM Acquires 70% of Intertug
Port, logistics and towage services provider SAAM announced on Friday that it has finalized a $49.7 million deal to purchase 70% of post-capitalization shares of Intertug, enabling SAAm to begin towage operations in Colombia and expand its operations in the Mexican and Central American markets where Intertug has an established a presence.SAAM’s CEO, Marcario Valdés, said, “With this deal, we improve our standing as the top tug operator in the Americas.
WinGD X-DF Engine Earns Guinness Power Record
WinGD has been calling its 12X92DF engine the world’s most powerful dual-fuel engine since the first such engine was built in 2019. Now the title is official, as the engine series has been awarded the Guinness World Records for the most powerful Otto-cycle engine ever built.In tests carried out at engine builder CSSC-MES Diesel Co (CSSC-CMD) and verified by Guinness World Records, for the official record title ‘Most powerful marine internal combustion engine (otto cycle) commercially available’…
MAC Rebranded as Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore
Testing, inspection and certification group Bureau Veritas (BV) announced Friday that its MAC (Maritime Assurance & Consulting) will officially become Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore (BVS), the technical advisory, asset management, and assurance solutions partner dedicated to the marine and offshore energy markets.MAC was acquired by BV in 2016 and continued to operate under its own brand.
Gallery: BP's Giant Argos Platform Loaded on BOKA Vanguard in South Korea
BP's giant Argos offshore platform, to be used for the Mad Dog 2 development in the Gulf of Mexico, was this week loaded on Boskalis' BOKA Vanguard vessel in South Korea and is preparing set sail for the U.S.According to Boskalis, the Dutch marine services contractor, the giant Argos floating production unit weighing nearly 70,000 tons was floated onto Boskalis' semi-submersible heavy transport vessel BOKA Vanguard on Tuesday."The vessel was submerged well over 29 meters to make this happen.
Global Energy Group Gets Financial Boost for Port of Nigg Facility Expansion
Scottish regional development agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), has approved an investment of up to £8.3m in Scottish Government funding for an £18.9m project to develop the East Quay at Global Energy Group's Port of Nigg facility.The project is aimed at helping the Highlands and Islands economy benefit more from the growth in renewable energy development, as well as meeting the needs of GEG's existing clients.Once completed…
Attica Group Orders Three Ferries from Brødrene
Norway-based Brødrene Aa said it has signed a shipbuilding contract with Attica Group, subject to clauses, for three AERO type high-speed catamaran passenger vessels.The three vessels will be 36 meters in length, carry 150 passengers and operate at a maximum speed of 34 knots. The light carbon fiber construction contributes to low fuel consumption and emissions, Brødrene Aa said, adding that the vessels…
Analyzing Attacks at Sea: It's Not All Piracy
Pirate attacks against merchant ships off the African coast have been reported regularly over the past decade. And despite measures to suppress it, Somalia-based piracy remains a concern. On the other side of the continent, the Gulf of Guinea is now viewed as presenting a much more serious piracy problem.Last year a record 130 crew members were kidnapped in 22 separate incidents, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
$2.6 Million Awarded to Advance US Offshore Wind Innovation
The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC)has made available $2.6 million for a group of projects aiming to advance technological innovation that will drive down costs of offshore wind development in the U.S.The Consortium, established by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2018, this week announced…
CSSC Jiangnan Launches LNG-fueled Box Ship for CMA CGM
CMA CGM Patagonia, the first in a series of 15,000 TEU liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered containerships for French shipping company CMA CGM, has been launched at the CSSC Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai.Ordered in 2019 and due for delivery in mid-August, the vessel is among a fleet of new box ships being put into service by CMA CGM that run on cleaner burning LNG fuel as a means to reduce shipping emissions.After announcing three years ago that it would adopt LNG…
Video: Jumbo Kinetic Transports 1435-tonne Shiploader
Jumbo Shipping recently transported a 1435t shiploader, measuring 135 x 25 x 43 metres, from Vietnam to Canada for the machine’s manufacturer Tenova.After almost two years of engineering, the Jumbo Kinetic lifted and shipped the gigantic shiploader from Phu My Port to Vancouver.Having conducted a final loading simulation, the time had come for the engineers to put MV Jumbo Kinetic, a K-class vessel with 3…
Electric Propulsion: The Dawn of a New Generation of Marine Power?
Technological advancement is opening new doors for hybrid and fully electric vessels.In mid-2020, the U.S. Navy accepted the delivery of the USS Zumwalt, the Navy’s first full-electric power and propulsion surface combatant. The ship’s new electric propulsion plant provides favorable efficiency coupled with a reduced total cost of ownership. The design is flexible and efficient to deliver power where it’s needed, when it’s needed.
