Hampton Roads News

The Virginia Pilot Association has taken delivery of a new high-speed, pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. It’s the Virginia pilots’ tenth launch built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard since 1983.The all-aluminum launch is designed and outfitted for the Pilot’s Hampton Roads harbor station. An all-new, shallow-V hull by Ray Hunt Design was created to optimize speed with a low wake while maintaining seakeeping and boarding performance. It displaces about 2,000 pounds less than a similar sized offshore pilot boat.

“With all the archival data and that real archaeological data coming together, we’ve built the most accurate virtual model ever of Monitor, and I'm not just talking just the shell of it. Every single nut and bolt is there.” Tane CasserleyThe USS Monitor was commissioned during the Civil War for the Union Navy in answer to the Confederate Navy’s new ironclad ship CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack), touted as being capable of breaking the Union blockade at Hampton Roads, Virginia. Swedish-American inventor, John Ericsson came up with a unique low, freeboard design that included a first-of-its-kind rotating gun turret.Monitor was launched on January 30, 1862, and on March 9th, famously fought the Virginia at the Battle of Hampton Roads.

Early 2024 saw a group of financial deals that have implications, in a broad sense, for how offshore wind projects may be financed. While offshore wind projects might be thought of as being in the ‘utility finance’ basket, they are ultimately high-risk deals that might better suit the portfolios of ‘infrastructure investment’ which, in recent years, has taken a shift towards tolerating more uncertainty when it comes to cash flows.A 2022 article from consultants McKinsey, titled “Infrastructure investing will never be the same”…

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, today announced its annual member safety awards for the 2023 calendar year. This year, 18 shipyards are receiving awards for their achievements in safety. “Safety isn't just a priority; it's a fundamental pillar of our industrial base. These awards not only recognize excellence in safety practices but also show our industry's dedication to ensuring every worker returns home safely each day.

Dominion Energy has announced that the first monopile foundation for the 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), the largest offshore wind farm under construction in the United States, has been installed approximately 29 miles off the Virginia Beach coast.The monopile was installed by the Orion, DEME Group's heavy lift vessel.Once complete in late 2026, CVOW will consist of 176 turbines that will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power up to 660,000 homes…

The U.S. Navy's Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) program launched the Southern California Talent Pipeline Program in Newport Beach, Calif., April 26. The program will engage hundreds of shipbuilding and ship sustainment suppliers across the region to create maritime-focused manufacturing pipelines that revitalize the defense workforce by addressing critical skill gaps."The strength of the talent pipeline is as vital as any capability of a submarine," said Program Executive Officer Undersea Warfare Systems Rear Adm. Todd Weeks and executive sponsor, Southern California Talent Pipeline Project.

Dominion Energy, the developer of Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) farm, has secured the last two major federal approvals needed to begin the construction of the 2.6 GW project.The approvals are keeping the largest offshore wind farm in the United States on schedule to generate clean, renewable energy to power up to 660,000 homes once fully constructed.The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) provided its final approval of CVOW's Construction and Operations Plan (COP), which authorizes construction offshore.The U.S.

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

HII said its Newport News Shipbuilding division continues to make progress in the area of workforce development acceleration, and is meeting hiring demand for skilled trades positions through community outreach efforts and on-site hiring events.The shipyard recently participated in the What’s Next for Success Foundation career and job fair held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. Hundreds of people, including local high school students, met with NNS talent acquisition representatives to learn about career opportunities at the shipyard…

The U.S. Department of Interior on Tuesday approved the construction and operations plan for the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, located approximately 23.5 nautical miles off Virginia Beach, VA.This is the fifth approval of a commercial-scale offshore wind energy project in the United States.Located approximately 23.5 nautical miles offshore Virginia Beach, the CVOW commercial project is the largest yet.According to the Department of Interior, the project is expected to provide about 900 jobs each year during the construction phase and support an estimated 1…

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said Monday it had completed its environmental review of the proposed Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project.“The completion of our environmental review marks another step towards a clean energy future—one that benefits communities and co-exists with other ocean users,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “The best available science and knowledge shared by Tribes, other government agencies, local communities, ocean users…

McAllister Towing announced its new tug Jane McAllister has entered service as one of the most advanced and powerful shipdocking tractor tugs operating in the Port of Virginia.Recently delivered from East Boothbay, Maine shipbuilder Washburn & Doughty, the 6,770 horsepower vessel is equipped with 3516E Tier IV Caterpillar engines powering twin Schottel SRP 490 Z-drive units. The 93- by 38-foot tug features Markey winches on the bow and stern and achieved over 91 short tons during…

HII announced its Newport News Shipbuilding division partnered with the Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC) to donate and sink a former dry dock caisson gate offshore, giving it new life as part of an artificial reef.Caisson gates are used at the harbor end of a dry dock, with pipes inside allowing for water from the James River to enter when NNS needs to flood the dry dock. This particular gate, originally put into service at NNS in 1967, was part of a dry dock no longer in use at the shipyard.NNS crews worked to prepare the caisson gate…

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, announced its yearly member safety awards for 2023.“Workforce health and safety is embedded into the fabric of our industry because the teams that work in our shipyards and throughout the industrial base are the most important asset we have in building and repairing the U.S. commercial and military fleets,” said Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America.

An incident involving a crane toppling off a barge in Virginia could have been avoided if a spotter was present to notice the crane being driven too far aft, and the cable system securing the crane to the barge failed, according to a recent report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).While working on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project near Norfolk on February 8, 2022, an onboard crawler crane fell off the construction barge Carolyn Skaves and into Willoughby Bay. The crane was later recovered and declared an insurance loss of nearly $2 million.

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, is launching a 45,000-square-foot training and service center campus in Chesapeake, Va. The defense contractor will move its existing service center from Norfolk, Va., to the Chesapeake campus to add a state-of-the-art training facility and further expand advanced service support for its customers. The move represents a $13 million investment in the community.“We are excited to have Fairbanks Morse Defense as the newest member of our business community,” said Rick West, Mayor of Chesapeake.

Global defense and technologies company HII announced Tuesday that the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division plans to hire approximately 5,000 people this year to meet the shipbuilding needs of the Navy. The shipyard anticipates hiring nearly 21,000 people within the next decade as HII fulfills orders for U.S. aircraft carriers and submarines.“We at NNS are driven to support the men and women in uniform, to serve the nation, by delivering great ships,” said Xavier Beale, vice president of Human Resources and Trades for Newport News Shipbuilding. “This is not just a job.

The Port of Virginia and the US Army Corps of Engineers today signed the agreement committing the federal government to begin its financial investment in the construction effort to widen and deepen the commercial shipping channels and Norfolk Harbor.With a group of federal and state officials in attendance, Virginia Port Authority CEO Stephen A. Edwards and Col. Brian P. Hallberg, the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk District commander, signed the Project Partnership Agreement.

The America’s Marine Highways Program is one of several grant programs administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to promote more effective use of the nation’s navigable waterways. This particular program was established by Congress in 2007 to provide grants for projects that would promote water-borne alternatives to available landside transportation services, especially for freight carried by trucks.Consistent with this specific goal, the program’s statutory authority…

The recently approved federal work plan contains the final piece of funding for The Port of Virginia’s dredging project that will create the deepest and widest shipping channels on the U.S. East Coast by late 2024.The work plan, released last week by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, allocates funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) and contains $72 million for the dredging project. The federal government and the port agreed to a 50-50 cost share of the project at its outset in 2015 when the U.S.

Sea Change - America’s first hydrogen powered ferrySWITCH Maritime’s new 70-foot passenger ferry Sea Change is navigating uncharted waters as the United States’ first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry.The pioneering aluminum newbuild, constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), has been completed and was launched this summer, though permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels is still being worked out with the U.S. Coast Guard.“Legislation and laws for passenger safety did not exist yet for this type of vessel.

Offshore wind installation services company Seajacks UK, as of recently a subsidiary of Eneti, has established an operational base in the City of Virginia Beach, Va.Seajacks has been providing Blue Ocean Energy Marine, a Dominion Energy-owned company, with support services relating to the construction and operation of the first Jones Act compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessel, Charybdis, seen as a key vessel for the development of the U.S. offshore wind industry.The…

U.S. company Dominion Energy expects to file plans later on Friday with the Virginia State Corporation Commission for approval to construct the 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project, which will generate enough clean energy to power up to 660,000 homes."The filing keeps the project on schedule and builds on recent economic development announcements, such as the Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy turbine blade factory at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal and Dominion Energy's investment in the only U.S.