Austal USA Inks $128m Deal for Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock
Austal USA won the Detailed Design and Construction (DD&C) contract on June 17 valued at $128 million for the U.S. Navy Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium (AFDM), which marks Austal USA’s second steel vessel program for the U.S. Navy. The AFDM will be built in Austal’s modern steel panel line in Mobile, Ala. The design incorporates features to improve operability and maintainability based on the company’s experience and lessons learned from owning…
Maersk to Acquire Offshore Training Company ResQ
A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) announces an intended acquisition for its subsidiary Maersk Training of the Norwegian company, ResQ, a supplier of safety training and emergency preparedness in Norway.ResQ has five survival centers in Norway to cater for training in the North Sea and offers more than 70 course titles, while the crisis management part consists of a full emergency response setup. ResQ has…
Sovcomflot Fleet Fully Covered by Russian Insurers, CEO Says
Russia's state-run Sovcomflot has insured all its cargo ships with Russian insurers and the cover meets international rules, the chief executive said, after Western insurers withdrew cover.Western insurers halted insurance cover for Russia's biggest shipping group when Sovcomflot was hit by sanctions after Moscow sent troops across the border into Ukraine.Sources told Reuters this month that state-controlled Russian National Reinsurance Company had become the main reinsurer of Russian ships…
Bullish Freight Markets, Strong Dollar conspire to keep Ship Breaking Prices Subdued
Following the recent dramatic price plunges which have seen almost $100/LDT wiped off prices, the ship recycling industry in the Indian sub-continent seems to be taking a bit of a pause, as end buyers remain less than confident to offer any firm prices with certainty, according to GMS.Adding to the frustration is the minimal number of candidates currently available to work on, such is the bullish state of all freight sectors.
Eastern Launches R.B. Weeks Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge
Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) on Friday launched the R.B. Weeks, the second trailing suction hopper dredge the Florida shipbuilder has constructed for Weeks Marine, Inc.The R.B. Weeks is named in honor of Richard B. Weeks, a co-founder of Weeks Marine and married to Magdalen Weeks, the namesake of the sister vessel Magdalen, built by Eastern and delivered in 2017.The new 356-foot trailing…
New Product: SeaQ Remote for Autonomous Ship Ops
As the move toward advanced remote and autonomous operation of vessels proceeds at speed, Vard Electro introduced SeaQ Remote to facilitate a new generation of larger robotic vessels.The new product, which will see its debut delivery on a total of 14 newbuild marine robotic vessels contracted with shipbuilder VARD, is designed to unify the SeaQ suite of automation systems into a single user interface…
Lloyd’s Register Acquires Voyage Solutions Provider OneOcean
Lloyd’s Register (LR) has acquired OneOcean, a supplier of voyage compliance, safety and environmental solutions, from European mid-market private equity firm Equistone Partners Europe.The addition of OneOcean will expand LR’s existing digital solutions portfolio, which already includes fleet management (Hanseaticsoft) and vessel performance and optimization (i4Insight, C-MAP Commercial and Greensteam).OneOcean was created by the merger of ChartCo…
Argeo First to Operate Maritime Robotics' Mariner X Unmanned Surface Vessel
Maritime Robotics' new multi-purpose Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) platform, the Mariner X, is the company's most configurable and optimizable USV platform to date, built to deliver high-quality data acquisition at sea.The first operator of the new Mariner X USV platform is Argeo. Dubbed Argus, Argeo’s first unmanned survey and inspection vehicle is intended to exploit the strong demand for accurate ocean mapping, especially within the growing offshore wind market.
Shipbuilding: Methanol-powered Bulk Carrier for Proman Stena Bulk
Proman Stena Bulk, a joint venture (JV) between methanol producer Proman and Stena Bulk, confirmed that the first methanol-powered newbuild vessel under its partnership has been delivered and is preparing for commercial operation.Stena Pro Patria is named in honor of Dennis Patrick, an integral member of the Proman family and the former CEO of Proman’s subsidiary Methanol Holdings (Trinidad) Limited (MHTL)…
Taiwan Ship Design, Shipbuilding Bolstered by High Tien Offshore Newbuild Plan
High Tien Offshore, a Taiwanese company that specializes in offshore wind marine engineering services, announced its collaboration with Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Center (SOIC) and Jong Shyn Shipbuilding (JSS) to build offshore vessels.“In order to support government’s localization development policy and developers’ bidding for the offshore wind farms of zonal development in Round 3, High Tien Offshore plans to build Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV) and Service Operation Vessel (SOV)…
Oil Trade; Asia Imports more Seaborne Russian oil than Europe
Almost four months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian crude oil, Urals, has seen a switch in flow from its traditional market of Europe to Asia. Since the start of the war, based on the average of March to May 2022, Indian imports of Urals crude have picked up by 658% compared to 2021 levels, while for China the increase is 205% and for Asia as a whole 347%, Rystad Energy research shows. India has emerged as the significant Urals importer in the region…
ENSIS: GustoMSC Launches Design for Next-Gen Offshore Wind Foundation Installation Vessel
Offshore vessel designer GustoMSC, part of NOV, has launched a next-generation heavy lift crane vessel series called ENSIS, planned for foundation installation for the offshore wind farms of the future."GustoMSC's new ENSIS heavy lift crane vessel series addresses the needs of the growing offshore wind foundation market. With monopiles and jackets increasing in size and weight and the continuous need for efficiency in installation…
USCG Patrol Forces Southwest Asia Holds Change of Command
Capt. Eric A. Helgen relieved Capt. Benjamin D. Berg as commander, Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) aboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Thursday, June 16.As the commander of the most extensive Coast Guard base outside of the United States, Berg served as the senior U.S. Coast Guard representative in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, providing support to maritime security operations in the north, central, and south Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Southampton Port’s New Patrol RIB sports Cox CXO300 Drives
Associated British Ports (ABP) has taken delivery of a new fast response RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) installed with the CXO300 diesel outboard engine from Cox Marine. Designed to be both fast and agile, the patrol craft Swift has already entered service in Southampton, one of the UK’s busiest ports. Built by Berthon, Cox’s UK distributor based in Lymington, the 7.8m Commercial Grade RIB will be used…
First Hydrocarbons Introduced into Coral South FLNG Offshore Mozambique
Italian oil and gas company Eni said Saturday that the first hydrocarbons had been introduced from the Coral South reservoir offshore Mozambique into the Coral South FLNG unit.Eni operates the offshore Area 4 where the Coral South FLNG is located. Eni's partners are ExxonMobil, CNPC, GALP, KOGAS, and ENH.Coral South, also known as Coral Sul, FLNG will now be ready to achieve its first LNG cargo in the second half of 2022…
Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022: Long Term Fixes, But What’s in It for the Short Term?
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (the Act) was signed by President Biden on Thursday, June 16, 2022. The long term fixes, which require Federal Maritime Commission rule-making, establishes additional requirements requiring the FMC to issue rules related to certain fee assessments, prohibited practices, and establishment of a shipping registry, and prohibited conduct for ocean carriers. It further…
Naming Ceremony Held for Edda Wind SOV Edda Brint
Offshore wind service company Edda Wind on Friday celebrated the naming ceremony of Edda Brint, its latest service operation vessel (SOV), at Astilleros Balenciaga Shipyard in Zumaia, Spain.Edda is a name tradition that Edda Wind has continued from its founding company Østensjø Rederi, and “Brint” is Danish for Hydrogen. The purpose-built SOV is prepared to run on a hydrogen-based propulsion system…
James Fisher Names Vernet CEO
U.K.-based marine services company James Fisher and Sons plc announced it has appointed Jean Vernet as chief executive officer.He will take up this position on September 5, 2022, succeeding Eoghan O’Lionaird who will step down from his position on the board and as CEO. O’Lionaird will remain employed by the group until June 13, 2023, to ensure a smooth and effective transition of responsibility.Vernet has considerable experience working in the offshore energy sector in both the U.K.
British Seafarer Gets Prison Sentence After Deadly Baltic Sea Ship Collision
A British crew member of the ship Scot Carrier has been found guilty in manslaughter and sentenced to 1.5 years in prison after a ship collision in December last year in the Baltic Sea that killed two Danish seafarers, Danish police said on Thursday.The 30-year old British man was on duty when the 55-meter (180 ft) barge Karin Hoj was in collision with the 90-meter (295 ft) Scot Carrier in fog and darkness off the Danish island of Bornholm.
Ukraine Says it Hit Russian Naval Tugboat with Harpoon Missiles
Ukraine said its forces hit a Russian naval tugboat with two Harpoon missiles in the Black Sea on Friday, the first time it has claimed to have struck a Russian…
