Inside Fairbanks Morse with CEO George Whittier

You would be hard pressed to find a corporate leader more passionate about the company they lead; more dedicated to the customer they serve. In this case it’s George Whittier, CEO, Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) and the U.S. Navy. Upon his return less than five years ago, Whittier has driven FMD to the top of the U.S. Navy supply heap, with a string of strategic acquisitions. Whittier discusses with Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast…
Black Sea Spill Volunteers Beg Putin for Help
Volunteers helping to clean up a major oil spill along Russia's Black Sea coast appealed in a video released on Monday for President Vladimir Putin to urgently send federal aid…
Baltic Index Ticks Up as Large Bulkers Post Gains
The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose on Monday, as rates increased across larger vessel segments.The index…
ABS, Akselos Sign Floating Wind MOU

ABS and Akselos have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance engineering and certification processes for floating offshore wind projects.The companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on solutions aimed at optimizing design, reducing costs, and improving efficiency for the floating wind sector globally.The collaboration utilizes ABS's expertise in offshore certification…
Petrobras inks deal to build four Support Vessels
Brazil's Transpetro, a unit of state-run oil firm Petrobras PETR4.SA, said on Monday that local shipbuilding firms Ecovix and Mac Laren had won a tender to build…
Maine Maritime Cadets win Crowley Scholarships

Cadets Anna LaDue and Odegaard Fields from Maine Maritime Academy have been awarded the Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship. These students were selected based on their performance during the cadet training periods aboard Crowley-operated or -managed ships and their intent to pursue maritime careers.LaDue, a junior from Canterbury, New Hampshire, is studying marine transportation operations, with a minor in sail training.
USCG Takes Ownership of Commercial Icebreaker
The Coast Guard announced it accepted ownership of the motor vessel Aiviq, a 360-foot polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker, from an Edison Chouest Offshore subsidiary Friday.The vessel, acquired Dec.
Trump Threatens to Retake Control of Panama Canal
President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal on Sunday, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central…
Clock is Ticking on German Shipyard to find Investors to Survive

The financing of the FSG-Nobiskrug Shipyard sites in Rendsburg and Flensburg are secured until January, 31 2025, via the insolvency substitute benefits and a loan secured by the guarantee bank of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. However, the future is dependent on the successful search for investors to revitalize the sites by completing existing and new orders.Despite the difficult situation, several…
Electric Ferries, Assembled on Site Delivered in Italy

Stralsunder Ostseestaal GmbH & Co. KG and its Ampereship business unit delivered two electric solar ferries to Lago d'Iseo near Bergamo in northern Italy as planned. The client was the responsible local authority of the operator Navigazione Lago d'Iseo, and the new vessels are the first fully electric ferries in Italy.Measuring 25 x 6.6m, the Iseo ferries each have two electric drives with 100 kW output. Electricity is supplied by two battery banks with a total capacity of around 750 kWh.
Great Ships of 2024: Ane Mærsk - World’s First Large Methanol-Fueled Containership

When talk turns to fuel transition in the maritime sector, the conversation usually starts with: ‘yes, change is happening, but the majority of the world fleet continues to operate as it always has; with diesel fuel’ and ends with ‘change is being driven by a handful of pioneers: the big companies.’Enter Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller - Mærsk, one of the biggest and most innovative companies operating ships globally today…
Vard Delivers CLV Newbuild to Danish Subsea Specialist

Vard has delivered a new cable laying vessel (CLV) to Denmark’s subsea specialist NCT Offshore less than two years after the contract was signed.The newly delivered vessel, based on the VARD 9 01 design, has been specially designed and equipped for subsea cable laying operations.In less than 18 months since the first steel was cut, the vessel has been assembled, outfitted, commissioned, and is ready to commence her maiden voyage towards Denmark where she will be further fitted and tested…
Al Seer Marine Expands Fleet with Two New Tankers

Abu Dhabi's Al Seer Marine, a subsidiary of International Holding Company (IHC), has taken delivery of two new Medium Range (MR) tankers, M.T. Saiph and her sister ship from K Shipbuilding Korea.Each vessel is equipped with an Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS) and engineered to accommodate alternative fuels such as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), ammonia, and methanol.With a deadweight of 49,757 MT each…
The U.S. Navy’s New Navigation Plan: Anticipating the Impact on Uncrewed Surface Systems

In September 2024, the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, issued her Chief of Naval Operations Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy. Admiral Franchetti describes this Navigation Plan as the strategic guidance to the U.S. Navy.This Navigation Plan embodies “Project 33” in recognition of the fact that Admiral Franchetti is the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations. Project 33…
One-on-One: Sameer Kalra, President, Marine, Alfa Laval

Tech leaders across maritime have the unenviable task of plotting for, at best, a fuzzy future. Make no mistake, the mission is clear: emission reduction leading to decarbonization. But the means to that end – and the realistic timeframe to get there – is less than clear. Sit with Sameer Kalra, President, Marine, Alfa Laval for awhile and it becomes abundantly clear he has a firm handle on the means…
Colombian PES Frigate Deal Announced

Damen Naval signed a contract with Nevesbu for the platform engineering scope of the Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) frigate for Colombia. This scope includes both basic engineering and detailed engineering. The collaboration highlights the strength of the Damen Shipyards Group, with Damen Naval and Nevesbu joining forces as sister companies within the organization.Based on Damen Naval’s SIGMA 10514 series…
Jan De Nul Nets Export Cables Installation Job for French Floating Wind Farms

Belgium-based offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul, in partnership with Greek cable maker Hellenic Cables, has entered into a framework agreement to supply and install export cables for two 750 MW floating wind farms off the coast of Southern Brittany in France.The agreement was signed with France's transmission system operator RTE, which is developing an offshore power grid to connect future…