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26 Jan 2018
CMA CGM Takes Delivery of 20,600 TEU Flagship
French shipping group CMA CGM said it has taken delivery of its new flagship, the first in a series of three new 20,600 TEU containerships. The French flagged CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery will enter into service on February 6 on the FAL 1 service (French Asia Line 1), which connects Asia to Northern Europe. CMA CGM said the new 400-meter long and 59-meter wide box ship features a Becker Twisted…
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25 Jan 2018
Coral EnergICE Named in Finland
The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier to hold 1A Super ice class was named Coral EnergICE during a ceremony at the Port of Turku, Finland on January 25. The 18,000-cubic-meter capcity Coral EnergICE was constructed by German shipbuilder Neptun Werft for owner Anthony Veder, and will be operated by Skangas to transport LNG to the Skangas terminal in Pori and the joint venture Manga LNG terminal Tornio in Finland.
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25 Jan 2018
Towing Vessel Ablaze on the Lower Mississippi
A push boat is ablaze on the lower Mississippi after a fire reportedly broke out in the vessel’s engine room Thursday morning. The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding to a fire aboard uninspected towing vessel George King at mile marker 390 on the lower Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Miss. Other local agencies are also involved in emergency response efforts. The nine crewmembers aboard George King were able to safely disembark to the dry cargo barges the vessel was pushing.
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25 Jan 2018
Autonomous Ship Research Center Opened in Finland
Rolls-Royce’s new research facility in Turku, Finland provides a space for the company and its partners to develop technologies that will help shape the future of an increasingly more autonomous global shipping industry. Officially opened on January 25, the new R&D center, which Rolls-Royce calls the Research & Development Center for Autonomous Ships, will focus on projects relating to autonomous navigation…
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24 Jan 2018
Cargo Vessel Refloated after Grounding off St. Thomas
A 223-foot cargo vessel that ran aground Tuesday morning near Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands has been refloated, according to local responders. The Togo-flagged vessel Ocean Spirit I grounded just off of the entrance of the harbor’s East Gregory Channel while reportedly transporting more than $1 million of cargo from St. Thomas to Puerto Rico, including six huge propane trailer trucks, automobiles, lumber and food.
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24 Jan 2018
Polarcus Awarded 4D Project in Asia Pacific
Marine geophysical company Polarcus Limited said it has received a letter of award for a 4D marine seismic acquisition project in the Asia Pacific region. The project is due to commence in the first quarter of 2018 and will run for approximately one month. A Polarcus spokesperson said the company could not share further information around the project. Following this award the Polarcus’ active fleet is 100 percent booked for the first quarter.
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23 Jan 2018
Celebrity Edge Floats Out at STX France
Celebrity Cruises’ newest cruise liner, Celebrity Edge, was floated out of dry dock for the first time at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The ship is the brand’s first in a new class in more than 10 years. It will now undergo final outfitting before scheduled delivery in October 2018. Celebrity Edge will be homeported in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., making her first sailing November 21, 2018.
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23 Jan 2018
Cargo Vessel Runs Aground off St. Thomas
A 223-foot cargo vessel has run aground near Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders in San Juan where contacted at approximately 5 a.m. Tuesday by St. Thomas Harbor pilots who reported that the Togo-flagged cargo vessel Ocean Spirit I had run aground just off of the entrance of the harbor’s East Gregory Channel. There are no reported signs of distress or oil leaking from the vessel…
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22 Jan 2018
Group Ocean Orders Two Damen Workboats
Dutch based Damen Shipyards Group said it has signed a contract with Canada’s Group Ocean for the delivery of two new workboats that will provide dredging support services at an oil sands project in northern Canada. The new vessels, both Modular Multi Cats 1205, are made of standard, container-sized units that enable easy transport. The versatile Multi Cat workboat used in many sectors for operations such as towing and anchor-handling…
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19 Jan 2018
Tug Explosion Kills Three in Kentucky
A tug boat explosion has left three people dead and numerous others injured on the Tennessee River in Calvert City, Ky. Authorities said the tug was undergoing repair…
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19 Jan 2018
Royal IHC Launches TSHD Newbuild
A new multipurpose 5,450m3 trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) was officially named and launched during a ceremony on January 11 at Royal IHC’s shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel, The Netherlands. The dredger, named DC Orisant, is being built for a joint venture between Den Herder (Reimerswaal Dredging) and Group de Cloedt and is slated for delivery in mid-2018 for work in the dredging and offshore wind markets.
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18 Jan 2018
Pirates Release Tanker and Crew in Gulf of Guinea
Product tanker MT Barrett has been released and all crew are safe following a six-day piracy incident in the Gulf of Guinea, U.K. based Union Maritime has confirmed. Union Maritime said it lost communications with its 11,999-dwt product tanker while the vessel was at anchor off Benin, West Africa on the morning of January 10, after which the company immediately implemented its emergency response plan and alerted regional maritime authorities and other vessels.
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18 Jan 2018
Bibby Offshore Recapitalization Completed
Subsea services provider Bibby Offshore Holdings Limited said it has completed the recapitalization of its balance sheet announced on December 5, 2017. The agreement to recapitalize the balance sheet was approved January 10 by 98.7 percent of noteholders of the £175 million (approximately $243 million) 7.5 percent senior secured notes, and makes noteholders the new owners of the group. “The completion…
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16 Jan 2018
SBM Offshore Hands over FPSO Turritella to Shell
SBM Offshore said it has completed the transaction related to the sale of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Turritella to Shell E and P Offshore Services B.V. Shell exercised an option to purchase the FPSO from SBM Offshore in summer 2017. The Turritella FPSO is contracted for the Stones deepwater development in the Gulf of Mexico, which began production in 2016. The vessel has a daily production capacity of approximately 60…
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12 Jan 2018
Was Blackbeard an Avid Reader?
What did Blackbeard and his pirate crew read on board Queen Anne’s Revenge? Artifacts unexpectedly discovered in the wreckage of Blackbeard’s sunken flagship are helping researchers to determine if the infamous pirate captain and his 18th-century crew were literate and what sort of books they kept on board. While performing conservation work on artifacts recovered from the centuries old shipwreck,…
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12 Jan 2018
Jumbo Orders LNG-powered Heavy Lift Ship
Dutch transportation and installation contractor Jumbo said it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with shipbuilder China Merchants Industry Holdings (CMIH) for the construction of a new heavy lift crane vessel (HLCV) scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2020. The DP2 vessel will feature dual fuel engines capable of operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG), and will be built to serve the offshore wind and the offshore oil and gas industries.
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10 Jan 2018
Maritime Piracy Activity is at a 22-year Low -Report
Global maritime piracy activity fell to its lowest level in over two decades, according to the latest International Maritime Bureau (IMB) report. The 180 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships reported to the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) IMB in 2017 was the lowest annual number since 1995, when 188 incidents were reported. According to the IMB, pirates boarded 136 vessels in 2017, while 22 attacks were attempted, 16 vessels fired upon and six vessels hijacked.
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09 Jan 2018
Renou Named President of CMA CGM America
CMA CGM said it has tapped Ludovic Renou to lead its U.S. team from its Norfolk, Va. headquarters, effective January 1, 2018. As president of CMA CGM America, Renou has been appointed to lead an organization of more than 900 associates managing annual volumes well over 2 million TEU. CMA CGM America is the U.S. agency for CMA CGM, offering 34 weekly services calling on 15 ports. Renou succeeds Marc Bourdon…
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09 Jan 2018
Downed US Navy Aircraft Found in Philippine Sea
A U.S. Navy team has located a C-2A Greyhound aircraft that crashed in the Philippine Sea on November 22. The downed aircraft rests at a depth of about 18,500 feet, making the salvage operation the deepest recovery attempt of an aircraft to date, the Navy said, adding it will make every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and fallen Sailors, despite very challenging conditions. Eight of the 11 crew and passengers on board were recovered immediately following the crash.
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05 Jan 2018
Washington State Christens New Ferry Suquamish
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) christened Suquamish, its fourth Olympic Class auto/passenger ferry, to serve passengers on the Mukilteo/Clinton route beginning in 2019. The christening ceremony was held at Vigor's Harbor Island Shipyard in Seattle, where the new 144-car ferry has entered the final stages of construction and preparation ahead of sea trials starting in mid-2018.