Mermaid Subsea Services Buys 50% Stake in Offshore Construction Vessel Millennium 3
Thai-based offshore services company Mermaid Subsea Services has agreed to buy a 50% ownership share in the Millennium 3 offshore construction vessel from PT David…
"THE RIG" - Saudi Arabia Launches Offshore Platform Inspired Tourism & Entertainment Project
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, announced on Saturday the launch of "THE RIG", which it said would be the world's first tourism destination on offshore platforms.The fund, the engine of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's economic transformation plans for Saudi Arabia, manages a portfolio worth $400 billion.It added in a statement that the project was located in the gulf and spanned an area of more than 150,000 square meters.It said the project would feature a nu
Biden Appoints Ann Phillips as MARAD Administrator
President Joe Biden intends to nominate Ann Phillips to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) at the Department of Transportation (DOT), the White House announced Thursday. The position has been vacant since Mark Buzby resigned from the role in the wake of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January.If confirmed, Phillips, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and currently the first Special Assistant to the Governor of Virginia for Coastal Adaptation and Protection…
China Looks to Lock in US LNG as Energy Crunch Raises Concerns
Major Chinese energy companies are in advanced talks with U.S. exporters to secure long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG)supplies, as soaring gas prices and domestic power shortages heighten concerns about the country's fuel security, several sources said.At least five Chinese firms, including state major Sinopec Corp and China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) and local government-backed energy distributors like Zhejiang Energy, are in discussions with U.S.
Russia Says it Chased US Naval Destroyer From its Waters
Russia said one of its military vessels chased away a U.S. naval destroyer that attempted to violate Russian territorial waters during Russian-Chinese naval drills in the Sea of Japan on Friday.There was no immediate comment from the U.S. side.The Russian defense ministry said the crew of a Russian anti-submarine vessel, the Admiral Tributs, had radioed a warning to the USS Chafee that it was "in an area closed to navigation due to exercises with artillery fire".The U.S.
Wreck of USRC Bear Found off Nova Scotia
The decades long mystery of a missing U.S. Coast Guard Ship has finally been solved. U.S. Revenue Cutter (USRC) Bear, lost at sea in 1963, has been found on the seafloor about 90 miles south of Cape Sable, Nova Scotia, NOAA Rear Adm. Nancy Hann announced Thursday.Widely considered one of the most historically significant ships in American history, Bear was purchased by the U.S. government and first put into service by the U.S.
Fincantieri Delivers Extended Star Pride Cruise Ship to Windstar Cruises
Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo has delivered the Star Pride, the third ship of the extension and modernization Star Plus Initiative project of cruise operator Windstar Cruises.The program, worth $250 million dollars and involved the cruise ships “Star Breeze” and “Star Legend”, delivered respectively in 2020 and last May, and now “Star Pride.”Under the extension and modernization program, Fincantieri was responsible for the installation of a new 25.6 meters mid-body section…
US Port's Supply Chain Fix Challenge: Selling 24/7 Shifts
The Port of Los Angeles is beginning the hard work of convincing terminal operators, importers, warehouses owners and trucking firms to embrace moving more cargo at night."It's not a single lever we can pull today to open up all the gates," Executive Director Gene Seroka said on Thursday.On Wednesday, the White House gathered stakeholders including retailers Walmart and Home Depot, logistics firms United Parcel Service and FedEx, and electronics supplier Samsung.
Wärtsilä to Deliver Navigation Simulator to Singapore
Wärtsilä Voyage will deliver the next generation navigational simulator for Singapore’s Center of Excellence in Maritime Safety (CEMS) to prepare seafarers for shore-based remote management of vessels and autonomous ship operations. CEMS is a collaboration between the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) and Singapore Polytechnic, supported by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The next generation…
WISTA International Elects New Board members
The Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) executive committee held its election for three executive positions during their International AGM on October 13. The AGM was hosted in Hamburg alongside a conference that is taking place today and Friday.Connie Roozen, WISTA Netherlands, retains her position as treasurer for another term, whilst two new members were elected as Executive Committee members…
US Soy Exports Picking Up - BIMCO
After a slow start to the export season, partly due to disruption from Hurricane Ida, U.S. soy bean inspections ahead of exports have jumped to 1.6 million tonnes in the week ending October 7, according to shipping organization BIMCO. This represents a 90.9% jump from the week before and is the highest level seen since the start of February 2021 which marked the end of the main export season of the 2020/2021 marketing year.U.S. soy bean exports are heavily concentrated at just a few ports.
AET Completes its First LNG Bunkering in the US
Oil tanker operator AET said Thursday it had recently completed its first-ever liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering in the U.S., working in coordination with Shell to refuel the LNG dual-fuel Aframax tanker Pacific Ruby outside Port Canaveral in Florida.The transfer of 600 metric tons of marine LNG onto the 113,305 DWT petroleum tanker from the Q-LNG 4000 bunker barge was completed within three hours while the entire bunkering operations took nine hours…
Gladding-Hearn to Build Hybrid-electric CTV for Mayflower Wind
U.S. offshore wind farm developer Mayflower Wind announced Thursday that it has signed an agreement with Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding/Duclos Corporation of Somerset, Mass. for the specification, design and manufacture of a Jones Act-compliant, hybrid battery diesel electric crew transfer vessel (CTV).The design utilizes technologies that will provide significant fuel savings and emissions reductions…
ABB to Turbocharge First ME-GA Engines
ABB’s A200-L turbochargers will be used on MAN Energy Solutions’ 5G70ME-C10.5-GA engines destined for six 174,000m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers ordered by four shipowners – Korea Line Corp, PAN Ocean, Knutsen OAS and JP Morgan – under a long-term charter agreement with Shell.The ME-GA is MAN’s first low-pressure dual-fuel two-stroke engine. It sits alongside MAN’s well-established high-pressure ME-GI engines…
US Supply Chain Too Snarled for Biden Christmas Fix, Experts Say
President Joe Biden is pushing to ease supply shortages and tame rising prices in time for Christmas, but unsnarling U.S. supply lines could take far longer, experts told Reuters.Biden brought together powerbrokers from ports, unions and big business on Wednesday to address shipping, labor and warehousing pain in the U.S. supply chain, and announced new around-the-clock port operations in Los Angeles.As…
ABS and Kongsberg Digital Announces Digitalization and Decarbonization Partnership
Two maritime digital service providers have joined forces through the product integration of Kongsberg Digital’s Vessel Insight and the ABS My Digital Fleet platform.The alliance brings together data acquisition capabilities from Kongsberg Digital and ABS’ business intelligence capabilities to offer shipowners, ship managers and charterers access to powerful analytics services. It unlocks simplified access…
VIDEO: Guyana-bound Prosperity FPSO Enters Drydock in Singapore
The hull of the Prosperity FPSO has recently arrived from China where it was built to Singapore where Keppel will mate it with topside modules, after which the vessel will set sail for Guyana, to become the South American country's third FPSO in production.The FPSO hull arrived in Singapore in August, when SBM Offshore, the Dutch provider of FPSO units that will deliver the FPSO to end client ExxonMobil…
U.S. Lawmakers Press for Action on Maritime Sexual Assault Allegations
U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Transportation Department to take action to address persistent allegations of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment made by midshipmen at the government's main school for merchant mariners.Lawmakers said a "toxic culture" had allowed sexual abuse to fester and go unchallenged at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), which works with major shipping lines to prepare new recruits for a life at sea.Senator Maria Cantwell…
ALMACO Delivers Crew Areas for Expedition Vessel Crystal Endeavor
ALMACO said it has delivered the crew areas for the newbuild expedition cruise vessel Crystal Endeavor built in Stralsund in MV Werften shipyard.The company’s scope of delivery consisted of all crew areas and state-of-the-art public areas, where the guests prepare themselves for the expeditions that the vessel offers.ALMACO completed the areas onboard Crystal Endeavor on time prior to the vessel delivery. The steel-to-steel installation included interior and background outfitting.
Ports Pushing to Ease Holiday Bottleneck, Biden Says
President Joe Biden on Wednesday launched an effort to ease supply chain blockages that are threatening to disrupt the U.S. holiday season, relying on expanded port and shipping operations and urging other businesses to speed up operations.The moves were a first step, Biden said, to pushing supply chains in the United States, the world's biggest consumer economy, to operate faster.Biden brought together powerbrokers from ports…
