US Announces More Grant Funding for Ferry Upgrades
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced $384.4 million in federal funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for expanding and improving the nation’s ferry service in communities across the country, as well as accelerate the transition to zero emission transportation.In total, FTA is awarding 23 grants across 11 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Freeport Gets US OK to Begin Steps to Restart LNG Plant
Freeport LNG, the second-biggest U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, got approval from federal regulators on Thursday to take early steps to restart its fire-idled LNG export plant in Texas.Freeport, however, has not yet sought permission to restart the liquefaction trains that turn natural gas into LNG for export. That resumption of LNG production will have to come in a later request with federal…
US Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Carl Levin
The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the future guided missile destroyer USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Jan. 26.Delivery represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy. Prior to delivery, the ship conducted a series of at-sea and pier-side trials to demonstrate its materiel and operational readiness.“Delivery of this ship will provide critical capacity to our surface fleet today and well into the future,” said Capt.
MOL's Ammonia-powered Bulk Carrier Design Gets AIP from ClassNK
Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and trading company Mitsui & Co., Ltd. announced they have received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society ClassNK for the design of a large ammonia-powered bulk carrier.MOL and Mitsui jointly determined the size and specifications of the vessel, and both companies entrusted Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. for design of the vessel.
Interview: Brendan Smith, President, Seaward Services
Brendan Smith brings more than a decade of maritime experience to his role as president of Seaward Services, a marine services company specializing in the operation, maintenance and repair of government and privately owned vessels. The company is part of the Hornblower Group.During his 6.5 years with the U.S. Navy, he served aboard the nuclear-powered submarine USS Santa Fe, and his roles included chemistry and radiological controls assistant (CRA)…
Mark Heward Named Director at MITAGS
The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) announced that Mark Heward has joined its team as Director. Heward came aboard with MITAGS in October 2022, after retiring from a 22-year active service career in the Royal Navy.“We are thrilled to welcome Mark Heward aboard as the Director of MITAGS. Mark’s underway time, leadership, management and training experience together with being fully STCW qualified and his continuing education experience are a rare combination…
TORM Buys Seven LR1 Tankers
Danish tanker shipping company TORM announced it has entered into deals to acquire seven secondhand LR1 vessels. The company said on Thursday that it reached a deal on January 25 to acquire three vessels after purchasing four vessels earlier this month. The seven ships were built at Korean and Chinese shipyards from 2011 to 2013.Aggregate cash consideration for the seven vessels is $233 million, the company said…
Alma's Ammonia Fuel Cell System Gets AIP from DNV
Norway-based Alma Clean Power announced its design of a 1 MW ammonia fueled marine solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society DNV.The SOFC system design has been evaluated for compliance with DNV class rules and IMO guidelines for fuel cell installations. The AIP is granted for a containerized module that includes safety systems to handle ammonia…
Swan Hellenic's SH Diana Floated Out at Helsinki Shipyard
Swan Hellenic announced that SH Diana, the newest and largest ship in its fleet, was floated out of dry dock this week at Helsinki Shipyard.SH Diana’s fitting out is now already under way, leaving the luxury expedition cruise ship on schedule for her maiden cruise leaving Palermo, Italy for Lisbon, Portugal on April 15. The 125-meter-long, 12,100 GRT vessel will then make its way up the West Atlantic seaboard of Europe for explorations of the Arctic.Andrea Zito…
Maersk Supply Service Pens Major Contract for FPSO Work in Brazil
Danish offshore vessel owner Maersk Supply Service said Thursday it had signed an assignment agreement with TechnipFMC for work in Brazil.The scope covers the pre-installation of the mooring system and hook-up of the FPSO P-78. The FPSO P-78 will be the seventh FPSO in the Búzios field, located in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil.According to Maersk Supply Service, the project will be carried out over nearly two years…
3D Printing: Navy Builds Up Additive Manufacturing on Ships
The U.S. Navy has long valued the potential of additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D Printing.AM refers to the depositing of material layer by layer to create an object. For the Navy, it’s not practical to carry every replacement part for every system on a ship, and it can be difficult to forecast if or when parts will fail. AM provides a flexible source of supply in being able to make parts instead of ordering them and waiting for them to arrive…
Training Tips for Ships - Tip #42 - What’s the Point of Testing? (Part I)
We talk a lot about assessment and how to get it right. But in order to make good decisions about testing, we have to understand why we test in the first place - and the answer is not what most people think. This is a problem because knowing the answer is critical to designing an effective training and assessment program. It informs all aspects of testing from the length and makeup of tests to what we test…
Training Tips for Ships - Tip #43: What’s the Point of Testing (Part II)?
In the previous edition of Training Tips for Ships, we made the point that assessment can never tell us whether a candidate has all the knowledge required for a role or is able to perform the skills necessary under all conditions. Instead, assessment is essentially an audit or sampling process whereby we test a subset of skills or knowledge in the hope that what we learn about that subset can be extrapolated to all the required knowledge and skills.
