Florida News

Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn has been elected chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority.“It is a privilege to chair SeaPort Manatee’s governing board as we continue to advance key infrastructure enhancements and hurricane recovery efforts while setting the course for even greater realization of the port’s role as a leading contributor to our region’s economy,” said Rahn, whose election was confirmed today [Dec. 19] at a meeting of the Manatee County Port Authority, following selection at the Dec.

After more than a decade of collaboration with cooperating agencies, community experts and public input, NOAA today released the final management plan and environmental impact statement for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.The documents outline NOAA’s regulatory recommendations and mark a critical milestone in the most comprehensive public process to restore the Florida Keys’ delicate ecosystem.The first management plan update since 2007 — crafted with extensive collaboration among NOAA…

HII announced that Jennifer Childs has been named vice president of quality and engineering of the company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, effective Jan. 6, 2025.She succeeds Brian Blanchette, incoming vice president of HII and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. Childs, a former Navy surface warfare officer (nuclear), has been with Ingalls for 17 years and previously served as director of technical & design engineering. She will now be responsible for the management and oversight of quality programs…

With the upcoming dissolution of the 2M Alliance in early 2025, JAXPORT is maintaining and growing its global container services through strategic partnerships with the world's top ocean carriers. New and modified service routes through JAXPORT will provide expanded global connectivity and access to new and emerging markets.Three primary changes are taking place beginning in February 2025.The Gemini Cooperation – an alliance between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd – has added JAXPORT to a new…

AME will its partnership with Fluke Reliability and PRUFTECHNIK Group, enhancing its focus of providing technology solutions for maritime and industrial mechanical applications. As the official sales representative for Florida, Georgia, North, and South Carolina, AME is ready to provide reliable support and expertise to machinery operators at every level.PRUFTECHNIK, a provider of precision alignment and condition monitoring technology, and FLUKE, known for their diagnostic tools, perfectly align with AME’s extensive knowledge and experience in condition-based maintenance and alignment.

SeaPort Manatee is furthering its ship-to-shore cargo-handling capabilities with addition of two new Konecranes Gottwald Generation 6 mobile harbor cranes at the maritime trade hub for Southwest and Central Florida and beyond.The latest pair of eco-efficient cranes arrived at the seaport Monday [Dec. 2], after a trans-Atlantic voyage from Antwerp, Belgium, on Spliethoff’s M/V Plantijngracht. The units are to enter service in January, bringing to a total of seven the number of Gottwald mobile harbor cranes in use at SeaPort Manatee.“With cargo flowing through SeaPort Manatee at a record pace…

American Cruise Lines announced its line-up for 2025, including more new ships, 8 new itineraries, and the longest river cruise in the country, the 51-Day Great United States. 2025 offerings also feature an array of exclusive U.S. cruises, including bucket-list adventures exploring U.S. National Parks from Alaska to Wyoming to the Smoky Mountains. Next year, the world’s only 100% U.S.-flagged fleet of riverboats and small cruise ships, will sail over 50 different itineraries, including brand new cruises on the Mississippi River…

Washington comes to grips with the reality that the domestic intermodal equation includes four modes. One of them is by water. It’s about time.One of the great things about spending five years in retirement (I mean, aside from being blissfully idle while you toiled) is that, when you do come back to work, you enjoy a truly fresh perspective in all aspects of your job. Not only does this provide new energy, more importantly, a half decade of change is much easier to discern. Nowhere…

American Cruise Lines announced that American Legend sets sail today, along its first cruise.The newest small ship in the country, is sailing American’s 8-Day Florida Gulf Coast & Keys itinerary, roundtrip from St. Petersburg Florida. The fully domestic cruise visits: St. Petersburg, FL; Marco Island, FL; Key West, FL; Punta Gorda, FL; and offers an optional pre-cruise hotel stay in Tampa, Florida. The cruise explores the Sunshine State’s Gulf Coast, offering many shoreside excursions…

About 10,000 Sailors served aboard 130 landing craft support (LCS) ships during World War II. The last two surviving LCS Sailors, J. William Middendorf II and Eddy Desmond, visited NUWC Division Newport to share their stories with a full audience in Chafee Auditorium on Nov. 18.Middendorf and Desmond were the most prominent members of a panel, which also included Dr. Christopher Lehman, national security and naval warfare expert; Christine Pitts, granddaughter of U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr.

The U.S. Department of Labor recovered more than $1.4 million for 36 Mexican engineers employed in San Diego by a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corp., one of the world’s largest defense contractors, that paid them in Mexican pesos below the federal minimum wage rate in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.The department’s Wage and Hour Division found National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. one of three shipyards in the Marine Systems group of General Dynamics that designs and builds auxiliary and support ships for the U.S.

Preliminary fiscal year-end figures show Port Everglades enjoying healthy increases in cruise, cargo and petroleum volumes resulting in record revenues."Port Everglades is one of Broward County's vital economic engines, which supports more than 11,000 local jobs. That is a direct result of the success of the amazing leadership at Port Everglades and diverse array of companies served by our port," said Broward County Mayor Nan Rich.Port Everglades is a self-supporting enterprise fund of Broward County government and does not use local property taxes to operate.

US-based engineering company Advanced Mechanical Enterprises (AME) has renewed its partnership with Fluke Reliability and Pruftechnik Group and is their official sales representative for Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina under the leadership of Jorge Garcia.Pruftechnik offers precision alignment and condition monitoring technology, and Fluke, known for its diagnostic tools, aligns with AME’s experience in condition-based maintenance and alignment."We're excited to reignite our partnership with Fluke Reliability and Pruftechnik Group," said Rich Merhige, President of AME.

Almaco Group has appointed Peter Melander as President of its newly renamed Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) Division, previously known as the Accommodation Systems Division.With the cruise modernization market booming, Almaco is placing increased emphasis on major conversions and modernizations of complete hotel areas on passenger ships. This has driven the renaming and new strategic focus of Almaco’s EPC Division.Melander joins Almaco from his previous role at Alandia Engineering, where he served as Chairman and CEO.

An Australian-led scientific breakthrough to increase oil yield from plants is expected to advance the production and use of biofuels globally. Oils from plants are typically produced in seeds and fruits, but scientists from Australia’s research agency CSIRO studied how to extend that to the biomass of the plant, including the leaves and stem. CSIRO’s Dr Thomas Vanhercke, who has been working on the project for more than a decade, believes the technology has the potential to create…

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke with Donald Trump on Thursday and congratulated him on winning the U.S. presidency on the "Make America Great Again" slogan as officials in Seoul worked to prepare for "significant" economic changes.Yoon and Trump held a 12-minute phone call and discussed the close security and economic ties of their two countries across all areas, a senior South Korean official said on Thursday.South Korea's ambassador to the United States also visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida to meet with members of the president-elect's camp…

There is a small but global fleet of clean up boats preventing trash from flowing into the ocean. More than that, these battery-powered, autonomous boats are performing a growing range of other tasks.For the developers of Clearbot, the inspiration to be involved in removing trash from waterways arose from personal experience. They had watched villagers in India catching fish in rivers carpeted with trash and surfers in Bali manually hauling in trash from otherwise beautiful beaches.Samyuktha Sriram…

Gremex Shipping S.A. de C.V., a Mexican ship management company has pleaded guilty to providing false records to the U.S. Coast Guard to conceal its illegal discharge of oily bilge waste, a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS).The charge stems from a Coast Guard investigation of the cement carrier Suhar once it arrived in Pensacola, Florida, on August 25, 2023. The 7,602 gross ton Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier routinely hauled cement from Tampico…

BAE Systems won a contract by General Dynamics Electric Boat for deck module fabrication in support of U.S. Navy submarine programs. The contract between the companies will cover the production and shipment of structural steel components for both Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines from BAE Systems’ facility in Jacksonville, Florida.BAE Systems currently provides support to the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base through various business operations, particularly the company’s Louisville, Kentucky facility.

Bollinger Shipyards officially laid the keel for the R/S SpaceShip on October 24, 2024. The event, held at Bollinger Marine Fabricators, was attended by key executives, including Tory Bruno, President and CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), and Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards.The R/S SpaceShip is set to be the second vessel in ULA’s maritime fleet, designed specifically to transport Vulcan rockets from their manufacturing facility in Decatur, Alabama, to…

Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) has kicked off its second annual Coastline Initiative, a creative competition inviting local students to design innovative artificial reefs aimed at restoring coastal ecosystems. This initiative, in collaboration with the Bay County Artificial Reef Association (BCARA) and the University of Florida IFAS Extension, emphasizes environmental preservation while enhancing students’ welding and engineering skills.“Our Coastline Initiative is more than…

The Florida-Caribbean Association (FCCA), a cruise and destination trade group, has announced that the 2023-2024 cruise year brought record economic contributions to the region.According to the study released by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA), cruise tourism generated $4.27 billion in direct cruise tourism expenditures, about 27% higher than the record set by the previous study in 2018, in the 33 participating destinations.Key findings include:• Cruise tourism generated $4.27 billion in expenditures…

The U.S. Navy will commission the future USS Beloit (LCS 29), a Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, on Nov. 23, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.As the ship’s sponsor, retired Army Maj. Gen. Marcia M. Anderson will lead the time-honored Navy tradition of giving the order during the ceremony to “Man our ship and bring her to life!” At that moment, the commissioning pennant is hoisted, and the Beloit becomes a proud ship of the fleet.Following its commissioning, the Beloit will depart Milwaukee for its homeport assignment of Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville…