Operation Summerstock: Strengthening Security and Saving Lives
Summer is easily the busiest season for the U.S. Coast Guard. New England is no exception, people flock to the beaches to swim, and recreational boating is at its peak. Many destinations along the coasts are hot spots for tourism and increased safety checks by local Coast Guard units. However, sometimes people of coastal states forget that the Coast Guard's presence extends inward to our inland lakes and waterways.One of those inland bodies of water is Lake Champlain…
Robinson Heads Up Bunker Desk at Tankers International
VLCC pool Tankers International announced it has appointed Stephen Robinson to head up its bunker desk.Robinson will be UK-based and brings many years of experience to the business, having previously worked as managing director for both Bomin and Cockett Marine Oil.Matthew Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Tankers International, said, “Stephen Robinson brings with him a wealth of knowledge and strong…
White House Sides with Union as US Dockworker Strike Enters Second Day
President Joe Biden’s administration heaped pressure on U.S. port employers to raise their offer to secure a labor deal with dockworkers on strike for a second day on Wednesday, choking half the country’s ocean shipping.The strike by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union has blocked goods from food to automobile shipments across dozens of ports from Maine to Texas, a disruption that…
UK Firm Orders New Aquaculture Vessel
Donegal, Ireland-based Seabound Engineering has been awarded a contract to build a new vessel for one of the largest mussel farming companies in the U.K.The 25-meter mussel harvester, designed by Rockabill Marine Design (RMD), is expected to be delivered by June 2026.“We are proud to collaborate with a major U.K. mussel producer and bring Rockabill Marine Design’s vision to life,” said Thomas Havlin, Managing Director of Seabound Engineering.
A-O-S Puts Second G-Class CTV to Offshore Wind Service on US East Cost
American Offshore Services (A-O-S) has deployed its hybrid-ready crew transfer vessel (CTV) to support the offshore wind industry on the U.S. East Coast.The M/V Generater CTV is the second vessel in the A-O-S’ G-Class series, which has been delivered from Metal Shark Boats in Louisiana.The G-Class vessels are designed to transport technical personnel and essential equipment to offshore wind farms,…
ICS Launches eLearning Academy
The world of maritime education and training continues to evolove, with the announcement last month that Lloyd's Register had acquired Ocean Technologies Group, and the announcement today that the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) launches its ICS Academy to provide on-the-go access to practical e-learning to help shipping companies ensure best practices and regulatory compliance on board. The…
Container Spot Rates Plummet 43%
“The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) fell another 10% in week 39. In total, the SCFI has dropped 43% during the third quarter, the largest Q3 drop in a year not affected by the COVID pandemic (2020-2023) since the SCFI was launched in October 2009,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.The only third quarter to see a bigger decline in spot rates was in 2022 when a 24-month…
Korean Firm Certifies Its Hybrid Offshore Wind CTV Design
Korean maritime service company MARCON has secured an approval in principle (AiP) from Korean Register (KR) for its crew transfer vessel (CTV), a passenger and cargo transport vessel dedicated to offshore wind farms.The CTV that received the AiP adopts an eco-friendly hybrid electric propulsion system using batteries.This addresses environmental regulatory issues while also offering fuel cost savings…
North Star Invites Public to Coin the Name for ‘New Kid on the Dock’
North Star, ScottishPower Renewables and Siemens Gamesa have launched a competition for local people in East Anglia to suggest the name for a new hybrid-powered service operation vessel (SOV), bound for work at the East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm.The North Star SOV will accommodate up to 60 of Siemens Gamesa’s wind technicians as they work offshore maintaining all 95 wind turbines at the East…
Vattenfall Signs Up Van Oord’s Jack-Up Vessel for Offshore Wind Servicing
Vattenfall has signed a multi-year framework contract with Van Oord for the charter of the jack-up vessel, MPI Resolution, which will be tasked with offshore wind turbine maintenance.The contract will provide guaranteed availability of the vessel for several months each year, primarily during the peak maintenance season from early March to late October.With an option to extend beyond the initial term…
New Partnership Targets CO2 Tank Development
Provaris Energy and Yinson Production Offshore have agreed to develop storage tank solutions for the bulk storage and marine transportation of CO2.Yinson Production and Provaris will jointly evaluate the technical and economic viability of adapting Provaris’ proprietary tank design for compressed hydrogen to the bulk-scale storage and transport of compressed and liquid CO2.Provaris says that, currently…
BOEM Approves New Jersey's First Offshore Wind Project
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has approved the Atlantic Shores South project plan to construct and operate two wind energy facilities.The Atlantic Shores South Offshore Wind Projects 1 and 2 have the potential to generate up to 2,800MW of renewable energy—enough to power nearly one million homes.“Securing these critical approvals enables New Jersey’s first offshore wind project to…
Great Lakes Bags $342.3 Million in New Dredging Contracts
Dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has received several dredging awards totaling $342.3 million.The awarded work includes:Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement, Contract 6 Project (Capital, Texas, $219.1 million)The Sabine-Neches Waterway Channel Improvement, Contract Project 6 involves the deepening of the channel to accommodate larger vessels, reduce transportation costs, enhance channel efficiency and improve safety for local port stakeholders.
European Automakers to Feel Biggest Impact from US Dockworkers Strike
European automakers are the most likely to be affected by the dockworkers strike at U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports because they rely heavily on those locations, but a longer walkout could prove "debilitating" to the entire sector, industry officials and analysts said.The dockworkers began their first large-scale stoppage in nearly 50 years early on Tuesday, halting the flow of about half the nation's ocean shipping.The International Longshoremen's Association union representing 45…
Van Der Wurff Tapped to Lead Yanmar Marine International
YANMAR Marine International B.V., a subsidiary of Yanmar Holdings, announced it has appointed Wouter-Jan van der Wurff as chief executive officer, effective October 1, 2024.Prior to joining YANMAR Marine International, van der Wurff served as the CEO of Cable Connectivity Group, headquartered in the Netherlands. "I am thrilled to be joining YANMAR Marine International and leading a team dedicated to innovation and shaping the future of the marine industry.
ARC Adds RoRo Vessel ARC Endeavor to US-flag Fleet
American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC) announced it has added the roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel ARC Endeavor to its U.S.-flag fleet.The ship was reflagged to American registry on September 27 as the 10th U.S.-flag Ro-Ro vessel in ARC’s fleet. The reflag was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Port of Baltimore, Md.“ARC has consistently invested in new tonnage and this latest Ro-Ro is the ninth ship we have brought into the American fleet since 2016.
How a Minor Change in US Trade Law Turbocharged the Fentanyl Crisis
In January 2023, U.S. federal agents raided the home of a Tucson maintenance worker who had a side hustle hauling packages across the border to Mexico.They estimate that over the previous two years, the gray-bearded courier had ferried about 7,000 kilos of fentanyl-making chemicals to an operative of the Sinaloa Cartel. That’s 15,432 pounds, sufficient to produce 5.3 billion pills – enough to kill every living soul in the United States several times over.
US Navy Takes Delivery of Future USS Beloit (LCS 29)
The U.S. Navy announced it has accepted delivery of the second-to-last Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Beloit (LCS 29), from Lockheed Martin at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wis, on September 30.The 15th Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship and the 29th in the LCS class, Beloit is the first Navy warship named in honor of the city of Beloit, Wis.“Beloit is another shining example of what it means to finish strong,” said Capt.
ILA 'Scaremongering' with Hyperbolic Box Rate Claims -Xeneta
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) on Tuesday has gone ahead with strike action at U.S. ports from Maine to Texas and accused ocean container carriers of ‘gouging customers’.The ILA confirmed the strike in an announcement yesterday, Monday, while at the same time claiming ocean container carriers are now charging $30,000 per container in a ‘whopping increase from $6,000 just a few weeks…
One of the World's Largest Offshore Wind Developers Could Be for Sale
Australia's Macquarie has engaged advisors for a potential sale of its subsidiary Corio Generation, one of the world's largest offshore-wind developers, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.Corio oversees a 30-gigawatt pipeline of offshore wind projects spanning Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. It includes 5 GW of projects across the UK such as West of Orkney in Scotland…
