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16 Sep 2013
STX Finland to Close Rauma Shipyard
STX Finland, which has seen a deterioration of its shipbuilding base for many years, today announced its latest plan to stem the flow of red ink: a phase out of the Rauma shipyard. Senior management cited the continued bad global economy in the wake of the economic meltdown of 2008 as the primary source of trouble. "The decisions made now are based on a realistic estimate of the company’s current state and the market outlook,” said Jari Anttila, EVP & Deputy CEO of STX Finland.
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12 Sep 2013
Austal USA Powers Ahead
Austal USA has arguably been one of the more progressive and aggressive U.S. shipyards in its investment in technology, facilities and people. Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle took the helm a little more than six months ago, and Maritime Reporter was able to catch up with him recently for insights on pressing matters of the day. You have been in the president’s chair at Austal USA for more than half a year…
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12 Sep 2013
Gulf Copper Keeps “Calm”
Gulf Copper’s Port Arthur facility earlier this year completed a unique 10-month project to build the three massive buoys for SOFEC, buoys which will be used to offload liquid product such as diesel or gasoline in places lacking deepwater ports. In total Gulf Copper received two separate contracts to build a total of five CALM buoys (3 and 2), for SOFEC. The order is of particular interest from the yard’s view as it is a new line of business for the company.
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11 Sep 2013
The Busy Signal
As maritime markets continue to recover and interest and investment in advanced communication systems picks up steam, Tore Morten Olsen, Head of Maritime Services at Astrium Services, says the focus now shifts now from simple connectivity to providing specific business solutions at sea. While the evolution of communications at sea has had its fair share of starts and stops, largely driven by overriding…
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10 Sep 2013
From ShipConstructor to SSI
On the sidelines at Norshipping 2013 in Oslo, Maritime Reporter caught up with Darren Larkins, a 14-year veteran of Ship Constructor, serving the last two years as CEO. The topic: the evolution of the company from that of an engineering tool supplier to a more consultative role, an evolution culminating in the changing of its name from Ship Constructor to SSI. Why the rebrand from Ship Constructor to SSI?
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05 Sep 2013
Carnival to Drydock 32 Ships by 1H 2016
In the quest meet stringent new emissions regulations, cruise industry major Carnival Corp. earlier this month reached an agreement in principle with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Coast Guard to develop its own advanced emission control technology to be used in waters surrounding U.S. coasts. The plan calls for the cruise major to drydock 32 ships between now and the first half of 2016.
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26 Jul 2013
Asia Pacific Spill Response OSRL Increases Capabilities
Last month Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), a global oil spill response cooperative funded by more than 160 companies, opened its new base with enhanced response capabilities at Loyang in Singapore. Maritime Reporter took the opportunity to speak with Robert Limb, OSRL Chief Executive, regarding the significance of OSRL’s expansion. The opening of the base last month in Singapore was touted as a milestone event for the maritime and oil and gas industries in the Asia Pacific region…
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17 Jul 2013
Powering Ahead Cleanly
MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Thomas S. When TOTE Inc. ordered the world’s first LNG-powered containerships (which were honored last month in Oslo, winning the DNV-sponsored “Next Generation Ship Award”), industry excitement was palpable. For MAN Diesel & Turbo it served as a definitive launch point for its ME-GI Dual Fuel engine, which was soon followed with an order from Teekay LNG Partners to power a pair of LNG Carriers. MR had the opportunity to sit with Thomas S.
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20 Jun 2013
Dr. Shashi Kumar
We had the privilege to pick the brain of Dr. Shashi Kumar (right) a Master Mariner, Fulbright Senior Specialist Fellow and Professor Emeritus of International Business and Logistics, for his take on a wide range of maritime matters near and far. A market boom starting in 2014? The long-term effects of Sequestration? A ‘cap’ on the size of ships? He covers it all. This maritime economy has been bad for a number of years. Put in perspective the downturn now vs. traditional downturns.
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18 Jun 2013
Non-Tankers Next on OPA 90 List
In 2008 the USCG issued the tanker final rule for salvage and marine firefighting (SMFF) under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. This rule primarily required tank ships and barges carrying oils as defined in the 33 CFR 155 as cargo to pre-contract qualified salvors to promptly respond to a marine casualty in U.S. waters. While tankers were the primary focus of the new rules, Non-Tankers – defined by the…
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13 Jun 2013
“Lies, Damned Lies & Statistics”
Popularized by Mark Twain and generally credited to 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881)*, the above line, which in its full form is “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics” is one of my favorites. This being our June 2013 “Yearbook” edition, a publication literally packed with – statistics – I will leave it up to you, the discriminating reader of our pages, to determine the veracity of the numbers reported within.
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30 Apr 2013
Nor Crane Powers Ahead
At less than 10 years old, Nor Crane is a relatively new name in deck machinery. While short on years, it is long on experience, with an impressive order book, too. Nor Crane is not unlike a number of other Norwegian technology companies in that it has a history strongly rooted in the country’s offshore and fishing fleets, espouses the mandate of quality over costs, and is truly global in its scope and reach. Nor Crane was established in 2004 by Finn M.
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29 Apr 2013
WSS’ Global Quest
With the earning of ABS global approval for its safety services and the opening of a Houston Training facility, Wilhelmsen Ships Services (WSS) passed two critical milestone’s in a quest to build and operate an efficient, technically superior maritime and offshore services juggernaut. More than a decade ago Wilhelmsen Ships Service planted the seeds for what today is growing one of the world’s premier providers of services to the maritime and offshore markets globally.
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15 Apr 2013
The Glass Half Full
I tend to be a glass half full kind of guy, as even in the worst of times there tends to lie opportunity. I would not be remiss in saying there are more than a handful…
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04 Apr 2013
Bordelon Marine Debuts Stingray Class OSV
The story of Bordelon Marine is not far afield from many others in the Gulf of Mexico, that of a small, family owned business carving a niche for itself. But when Wes Bordelon joined his namesake company in 1999, he knew that change was essential for survival. More than a dozen years later, MarineNews sat in Bordelon Marine’s brand new shipyard in Houma, La., a month before the debut of its Stingray class of offshore service vessel…
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18 Mar 2013
ClassNK
There has been a decided uptick in activities from Japan’s ClassNK in the last 18 months, as it continues to drive its world-leading tonnage numbers ever higher. Led by Chairman and President Noboru Ueda, ClassNK has been making moves to extend its influence globally, including a big push for growth in the U.S. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News was able to visit with Mr. Ueda to discuss the society’s strategy going forward.
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19 Feb 2013
Ready for Launch: MTN Nexus Targets high-volume Cruise Market
MTN Satellite Communications launched MTN Nexus, a next-generation comms network billed as a hybrid that integrates it with new terrestrial wireless technologies as well as sophisticated computing, powerful processing and specialized optimization. Targeting the high volume cruise sector, MR thought an apt time to sit down with CEO Errol Olivier to discuss Nexus and its relevance to communications at sea. We understand you are a maritime satcom industry veteran.
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12 Feb 2013
Five Minutes With Trond K. Johannessen
Trond K. Trond K. Johannessen, President & CEO, Hatteland Display, shares with MR his insights on the evolution and future direction of this Marine Electronics subsector, modern marine displays. Please tell us how you came to lead Hatteland Display. As so often in life, it was a coincidence that I got introduced to Hatteland Display in 2008 by a former colleague from McKinsey &Company that had contacts in the Board of Hatteland Display.
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14 Feb 2013
A USV Franchise Grows Strong in Abu Dhabi
As the evolution and integration of robotics in maritime vehicles continues to reshape missions and capabilities inland, near-shore and at sea, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News last month was on hand in Abu Dhabi for the unveiling of a new Unmanned Surface Vessel family. If it delivers as designed, it will revolutionize marine robotic vehicle applications for both military and commercial purposes. Robert J.
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08 Feb 2013
New "Robot Boat" Family Debuts in Abu Dhabi
Today Al Seer Marine and 5G International announced the introduction of a new family of unmanned surface vessels, a family ranging from the 3m Sea Serpent to the 11m monohull Eclipse. The USV family is designed to rapidly penetrate a vibrant Middle East defense market and to offer affordable, dependable USV options for commercial operations. Eclipse, the top-of-class 11-m monohull. While USV technology is surely not in its infancy…