Tidewater Taps Inmarsat for Fleet Xpress Upgrades
Satellite communications company Inmarsat said it has secured a fleet-wide agreement with Tidewater to upgrade the majority of the offshore support vessel (OSV) owner's active fleet to Fleet Xpress, complete with advanced vessel technology efficiencies solutions and enhanced and reliable communications for crews.Tidewater was one of the largest users of Inmarsat’s legacy iFusion service, which was scheduled for network shutdown on December 31, 2020.
Barge Worker Missing in the Mississippi River
Responders are searching by air and sea to locate a barge crew member who went missing Tuesday near mile marker 105 in the Lower Mississippi River, the Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders in New Orleans were notified around 3 p.m. Tuesday that one of Zito Fleeting's barge workers had fallen overboard near Jefferson Heights in Jefferson Parish, La. Missing is 44-yeard-old Elisander Alvardo…
Boston Harbor Phase II Dredging Wraps Up Ahead of Schedule
New England’s busiest port moves closer to welcoming larger containerships and growing the regional economy with the completion of the second phase of a three-part dredging program last month, nearly one year ahead of schedule.Cashman Dredging and JV partner The Dutra Group began Phase II of the U.S. Army Corps’ Boston Harbor Navigation Improvement Project in July of 2018. The recently completed phase…
Museum Buys Rare Spanish Armada Maps to Keep Them in England
A set of 10 hand-drawn, 16th century maps showing the progress of the Spanish Armada that attacked England in 1588, an event that shaped national identity, will remain in the country after a museum raised 600,000 pounds ($824,000) to buy them.The ink and watercolor maps, thought to be the earliest surviving images of the battles between the fleets of Queen Elizabeth I of England and of Philip II of Spain…
Italy, France Give Up On Fincantieri-Chantiers Deal
Rome and Paris agreed on Wednesday that a proposed combination of Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and French rival Chantiers de l'Atlantique no longer made sense in the current economic environment.State-owned Fincantieri's bid to take over its French peer, also owned by the state, collapsed three years after it was announced, thwarted by competition issues and the COVID-19 crisis.The agreement is due to expire on Jan.
Biblia Orders New Dry Dock
Biblia, Inc., Marine Towing and Transportation has ordered a new dry dock to service its fleet tugs and barges.The 500-ton lift capacity floating dry dock was designed by JMS Naval Architects and is currently being built by Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, La. The new dry dock, which will replace Biblia’s existing dry dock in Savannah, Ga., is 120’ long, 60’ wide, has a 6’ deep pontoon, and 14’ tall wing walls.
CMA CGM to Operate Terminal at Egypt's Alexandria Port
French shipping group CMA CGM said on Wednesday it has reached an agreement with Egypt to operate a future container terminal at the port of Alexandria.Operations at the planned terminal are due to start in 2022, CMA CGM said in a statement.(Reporting by Gus Trompiz Editing by Chris Reese)
Damen's New Fast Crew Supplier Launched in Turkey
Dutch shipbuilder Damen's new Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 7011, which will be able to carry 122 people in a single trip, hit the water earlier this month at Damen Shipyards Antalya, Turkey. The vessel, which Damen has dubbed "as a quantum leap forward in marine access solutions," has been described as a "cost-effective crew transportation alternative boasting robust safety characteristics."According to Damen, the vessel is the largest ever to have been launched in Antalya Free Zone.
Op/Ed: SS United States, the Maritime Thoroughbred
There are many hallmarks of great civilizations, but perhaps none so universal as their desire to push the boundaries of human achievement through innovation. A key source of American pride has always been our ability to dream big. When it comes to ships, there is no more powerful example of this than the SS United States.“America’s Flagship” was more than a symbol of our nation’s post-war strength and global reach.
New Emissions-free Workboat Features Electric Propulsion, Hydrofoils
An innovative, zero-emissions workboat featuring hydrofoils and a fully electric propulsion system is scheduled to hit the water before the end of the year.The 11-meter vessel, announced by Artemis Technologies COO, Prof. Mark Gillan, during a presentation to the Workboat Association’s Technical Workgroup on Tuesday, will be built by Tuco Marine Group and is fitted with the Artemis eFoiler electric propulsion system.
Biden to Target Drilling, Fossil Fuel Subsidies in New Climate Orders
President Joe Biden was set on Wednesday to sign executive actions to combat climate change, including pausing new oil and gas leases on federal land and cutting fossil fuel subsidies as he pursues green policies in stark contrast to those of his predecessor Donald Trump.The orders map out the direction for the Democratic president's climate change and environmental agenda and mark a reversal from Trump, a Republican businessman-turned-politician who sought to maximize U.S.
Baltic Index Falls to Three-week Low
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index slipped to its lowest in nearly three weeks on Wednesday, dragged by a drop in demand for the larger capesize vessel segment.The Baltic dry index, tracking rates for capesize, panamax and supramax vessels ferrying dry bulk commodities, was down for a fourth straight session, and dipped by 119 points, or 7.2%, to 1,540, its lowest since Jan.
China Inquires About Chinese Crew Aboard Tankers Seized By Indonesia
China said on Wednesday it was seeking details about 25 of its nationals who were among 61 crew on two supertankers seized by Indonesia on suspicion of illegally…
Biofouling in Niche Areas: Addressing the Blind Spots
In a recent study that I-Tech conducted with U.K. independent marine coatings consultants, Safinah Group, we estimated that unacceptable levels of hard fouling, predominantly barnacles, across the global commercial could be responsible for at least 110 million tons of excess carbon emissions, with a significant proportion of the fleet suffering from a severe level of hard fouling.It’s a growing risk for owners…
Ex-TechnipFMC Director to Lead U.S. Dredging Giant's Foray into Offshore Wind
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, a U.S.-based dredging services giant, on Wednesday announced the appointment of industry veteran Eleni Beyko as senior vice president offshore wind – a strategic growth area for the company. Beyko, who started on Jan. 25, brings more than 20 years' experience in program engineering, business leadership and project management in the automobile and offshore oil and gas markets.
ClassNK Updates Guidelines for Remote Surveys
ClassNK released Guidelines for Remote Surveys Ver. 2.0, including a class notation requirement for the ship with advance preparation for remote surveys.ClassNK has been working on the advancement of surveys using digital technology in line with its R&D roadmap and Digital Grand Design 2030, and published Guidelines for Remote Surveys. Incorporating outcomes of investigation and examination for providing…
Stadt, Norway MOD Inks Development Contract
MOD of Norway signed an agreement to take part in a development project to extend the range and features of the STADT Stealth Naval Electric Propulsion.Due to increased use of electric and electronic weapon-systems, navies globally show increased interest for electric propulsion to power future navy vessels. Overall goals include minimizing carbon footprint, lowering power consumption with the use of new low emission power sources…
Lenders Take Control of Polarcus' Ships After Default on Debt
Lenders took control of Polarcus' ships on Tuesday after the seismic surveyor defaulted on its bank loans and bonds, hit by a drop in spending by energy companies struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic and volatile oil prices.The company's Oslo-listed shares plunged as much as 47% after they resumed trading following an earlier suspension.Polarcus said lenders had taken over shares in subsidiaries that own seismic vessels and replaced directors in each subsidiary…
Biden Sees Nord Stream 2 Pipeline as 'Bad deal' for Europe
President Joe Biden believes the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline is a "bad deal for Europe" and his administration will be reviewing restrictions on the project included in a bill that passed during the Trump administration, the White House said on Tuesday.The restrictions on the undersea pipeline project were included in the annual defense policy bill that passed on Jan. 1. Sanctions in the measure apply to any companies helping Gazprom…
ABS to Class U.S. First Offshore Wind Farm Service Operation Vessel
Maritime classification society ABS will class the first U.S.-flagged Jones Act offshore wind farm service operation vessel (SOV) ever ordered.The vessel, ordered last year, will be engineered, constructed, and operated by Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) for long-term charter to service the planned Revolution Wind, South Fork Wind, and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms in the northeast United States.Edison Chouest Offshore…
