Maritime Industry Top News
Body Found in Search for Missing Texas A&M Maritime Academy Cadet
Authorities in Galveston, Texas say they have found what is believed to be the remains of a Texas A&M Maritime Academy cadet who has been missing since Wednesday.Texas A&M-Galveston officials said they were notified by the Galveston Police Department Friday afternoon that a body found on Pelican Island near the Galveston Campus is believed to be missing cadet Brandon Lee Perlowski, though the identification…
Maryland Dredging Project Benefits the Environment and Economy
The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are marking a milestone of environmental stewardship this month on the landmark restoration of Poplar Island near Talbot County. Simultaneously, the agencies are advancing plans for their next partnership using dredged materials to preserve and protect Maryland’s waterways: the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration.Since 1998…
NOAA's New Ocean Exploration Ship to Be Based in Newport, RI
Newport, R.I. has been chosen as the future homeport for a new NOAA oceanographic research vessel being built for the agency. Discoverer will be a state-of-the-art ship that operates around the nation and the world to study and explore the ocean.“Discoverer will be one of the world’s most advanced research vessels,” said Rear Adm. Nancy Hann, deputy director for operations for NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) and deputy director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.
SAAM Acquires 70% of Intertug
Port, logistics and towage services provider SAAM announced on Friday that it has finalized a $49.7 million deal to purchase 70% of post-capitalization shares of Intertug, enabling SAAm to begin towage operations in Colombia and expand its operations in the Mexican and Central American markets where Intertug has an established a presence.SAAM’s CEO, Marcario Valdés, said, “With this deal, we improve our standing as the top tug operator in the Americas.
WinGD X-DF Engine Earns Guinness Power Record
WinGD has been calling its 12X92DF engine the world’s most powerful dual-fuel engine since the first such engine was built in 2019. Now the title is official, as the engine series has been awarded the Guinness World Records for the most powerful Otto-cycle engine ever built.In tests carried out at engine builder CSSC-MES Diesel Co (CSSC-CMD) and verified by Guinness World Records, for the official record title ‘Most powerful marine internal combustion engine (otto cycle) commercially available’…
Gallery: BP's Giant Argos Platform Loaded on BOKA Vanguard in South Korea
BP's giant Argos offshore platform, to be used for the Mad Dog 2 development in the Gulf of Mexico, was this week loaded on Boskalis' BOKA Vanguard vessel in South Korea and is preparing set sail for the U.S.According to Boskalis, the Dutch marine services contractor, the giant Argos floating production unit weighing nearly 70,000 tons was floated onto Boskalis' semi-submersible heavy transport vessel BOKA Vanguard on Tuesday."The vessel was submerged well over 29 meters to make this happen.
Global Energy Group Gets Financial Boost for Port of Nigg Facility Expansion
Scottish regional development agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), has approved an investment of up to £8.3m in Scottish Government funding for an £18.9m project to develop the East Quay at Global Energy Group's Port of Nigg facility.The project is aimed at helping the Highlands and Islands economy benefit more from the growth in renewable energy development, as well as meeting the needs of GEG's existing clients.Once completed…
Attica Group Orders Three Ferries from Brødrene
Norway-based Brødrene Aa said it has signed a shipbuilding contract with Attica Group, subject to clauses, for three AERO type high-speed catamaran passenger vessels.The three vessels will be 36 meters in length, carry 150 passengers and operate at a maximum speed of 34 knots. The light carbon fiber construction contributes to low fuel consumption and emissions, Brødrene Aa said, adding that the vessels…
Analyzing Attacks at Sea: It's Not All Piracy
Pirate attacks against merchant ships off the African coast have been reported regularly over the past decade. And despite measures to suppress it, Somalia-based piracy remains a concern. On the other side of the continent, the Gulf of Guinea is now viewed as presenting a much more serious piracy problem.Last year a record 130 crew members were kidnapped in 22 separate incidents, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
$2.6 Million Awarded to Advance US Offshore Wind Innovation
The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC)has made available $2.6 million for a group of projects aiming to advance technological innovation that will drive down costs of offshore wind development in the U.S.The Consortium, established by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2018, this week announced…
CSSC Jiangnan Launches LNG-fueled Box Ship for CMA CGM
CMA CGM Patagonia, the first in a series of 15,000 TEU liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered containerships for French shipping company CMA CGM, has been launched at the CSSC Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai.Ordered in 2019 and due for delivery in mid-August, the vessel is among a fleet of new box ships being put into service by CMA CGM that run on cleaner burning LNG fuel as a means to reduce shipping emissions.After announcing three years ago that it would adopt LNG…
Video: Jumbo Kinetic Transports 1435-tonne Shiploader
Jumbo Shipping recently transported a 1435t shiploader, measuring 135 x 25 x 43 metres, from Vietnam to Canada for the machine’s manufacturer Tenova.After almost two years of engineering, the Jumbo Kinetic lifted and shipped the gigantic shiploader from Phu My Port to Vancouver.Having conducted a final loading simulation, the time had come for the engineers to put MV Jumbo Kinetic, a K-class vessel with 3…
Electric Propulsion: The Dawn of a New Generation of Marine Power?
Technological advancement is opening new doors for hybrid and fully electric vessels.In mid-2020, the U.S. Navy accepted the delivery of the USS Zumwalt, the Navy’s first full-electric power and propulsion surface combatant. The ship’s new electric propulsion plant provides favorable efficiency coupled with a reduced total cost of ownership. The design is flexible and efficient to deliver power where it’s needed, when it’s needed.
TikTok’s Sea Chanteys: How Pandemic Life Has Mirrored Months at Sea
If you’ve perused social media in recent weeks, you may have come across people singing chanteys, which were work songs employed on merchant sailing ships.Historically, chanteys – which are also spelled as “shanties” or “chanties” – began with a sing-out by a crew member recognized as “the chanteyman,” usually someone prized for his voice and ability to extemporize. Fellow sailors would respond with the refrain as they toiled away at their tasks.
Colonial Group Announces Leadership Changes
Savannah-based Colonial Group Inc. has announced a new era of leadership as it prepares to mark a major milestone in the company’s history in 2021.Christian B. Demere (Demere) has been named chief executive officer, succeeding his father, Robert H. Demere, Jr. (Demere Jr.), who had been in the position since 1986. Colonial Group has continued to operate as a privately held business since 1921 through the chairmanships of its founder, Raymond Demere; his son, Robert H.
Far East Container Spot Rates to Brazil Rise 230.5% -BIMCO
What started as a red-hot container market for Far East to U.S. trades has now spread to other routes, with rates from the Far East to Brazil seeing particularly high spot rates, BIMCO says. On January 24, 2021, the base freight rate for a forty-foot container from the Far East to the Port of Santos reached $9,299. Average rates for January are now 230.5% higher than they were in January 2020.Santos is the largest container port in South America…
Why the EU’s Proposed Carbon Border Levy is an Important Test
In the more than two decades since the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, national policies on climate change have had dangerously and disappointingly little effect on global emissions.Within the current economic system, perhaps the most ambitious attempt to reduce emissions has been the EU’s emissions trading system (or ETS). In operation since 2005, the ETS covers more than 11,000 heavy-energy-using power stations, factories and airlines, representing around 40% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Wärtsilä to Supply 36 Engines for New Arctic Gas Carriers
Finnish technology group Wärtsilä announced Thursday it has secured a deal to supply dual-fuel engines for six new 172,500-cubic-meter capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers being built by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) to serve the Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia’s Arctic waters.The icebreaking gas carriers were ordered by Russia's Sovcomflot and Japan's Mitsui O.S.K.
Oil Tanker Market Facing Rougher Seas
A plunge in the volume of crude oil stored on ships combined with unexpected cuts from top producer Saudi Arabia have created a glut of vessels available for hire, pressuring the outlook for supertankers this year.Earnings for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) in 2020 reached record highs of more than $240,000 a day as the coronavirus battered demand, creating an oil surplus and a scramble for storage on land and sea.
ABB to Power South Korea’s First Domestic Zero-emissions Ferry
ABB said it has secured a contract with Haemin Heavy Industries shipyard to provide a complete power and propulsion solution for Busan Port Authority’s first all-electric passenger ferry.Due for delivery in 2022, the new ferry represents the first commitment by South Korean authorities to a plan which will see 140 state-owned conventionally powered vessels replaced with those operating on cleaner alternatives by 2030…