West Calcasieu Port Adds 11.5 Acres
West Calcasieu Port officials announced today that the port has completed the $1.5 million purchase of 11.5 acres of adjacent property to the facility on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
Unmanned Vessels: The Future is Now
There is a global boom in the development of unmanned systems, from below the ocean’s surface to high in the sky to the world’s roads. Add to this list the maritime industry, on both military and civilian vessels. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News examines in depth recent developments taking place in Europe to discover general thoughts and technical trends driving the future of unmanned shipping.
Marine Firefighting at Sea: Training to Survive
Fire onboard a boat or ship is generally considered the most dangerous situation on the water. While advances in technology have helped to mitigate risk, consistently investing to upgrade a crew’s firefighting training, skills and equipment is the best means to keep crew, ship and cargo safe if disaster strikes. While innovative new fire-resistant materials and advanced fire suppression equipment onboard ships and boats has helped to improve fire security…
MOSS: Portable Survey System
Developed and manufactured for marine surveyors and naval architects by Netherlands-based TARKA-SYSTEMS, the MOSS is a portable measurement solution for monitoring and surveying. According to the developer, the MOSS System features a pragmatic design, clear functionality and the ability of reading a wide range of sensor inputs. The functionality of the MOSS can be applied for marine and offshore applications such as salvage monitoring and survey…
Maritime Security Demand Keeps US Builders Busy
Export hulls – through the FMS Program, as well as Direct Sales – are a key piece of the business model. Even as the crash in energy prices feeds the oversupply of offshore support vessels – a key staple of U.S. boatbuilding diets – and the dwindling backlogs of some so-called ‘second tier’ yards, a number of U.S. boat builders are still seeing robust demand for security vessels. Separately, tightening federal…
US Navy to Send Destroyer Near Chinese Islands
The U.S. Navy plans to send the USS Lassen destroyer within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea within 24 hours, the first of more regular challenges to China's territorial claims, a U.S. defense official said on Monday. The destroyer's patrol would occur near Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, features that were formerly submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project to turn them into islands in 2014.
USCG Guidance and Reporting Marine Casualties
U.S. Coast Guard Guidance Helps to Bring some Clarity to the Debate. In July 2015, the U.S. Coast Guard released Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 01-15 (“NVIC”), titled Marine Casualty Reporting Procedures Guide with Associated Standard Interpretations. The purpose of the NVIC is to assist vessel owners and operators in understanding the marine casualty reporting requirements, which many in the industry think are about as clear as mud.
Complex Hull Shapes Need Sophisticated Assessment
Van Oord asked MARIN to perform a full assessment of the hull lines of its new hopper dredger. Twin gondola aft bodies have been successfully applied to hopper dredgers for many years.
Learn a Lasting Lending Lesson
Two key lending practices and today’s workboat market conditions collide on the waterfront. Which course you choose depends on where you sit. Unless you are involved with your company’s borrowing and credit issues, you may not be well versed in the two principal types of commercial lending. Asset based Lending (ABL) and Cash Flow Lending (CFL) – the cornerstones of commercial credit – are also, in most respects, as different as night and day.
Inside IRClass
Arun Sharma, Chairman & Managing Director, head of IRClass, discusses advances at the classification society as it celebrates 40 years. Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) is India’s “National” Ship Classification Society, formed to fill the need for having an Indian ship classification society due to the increase in Indian flagged commercial shipping tonnage, post-independence. Accordingly, Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliar first proposed to set up a National Classification Society.
ABS' Wiernicki: The Head of Class
The Head of Class: Christopher J. The global maritime industry faces myriad challenges in the ongoing quest to run safe, profitable operations in an oftentimes tumultuous environment. More than ever vessel owners are faced with daunting regulatory and technical challenges, and the world’s leading classification societies remain the foundation upon which successful marine operations are built. Last month we visited with Christopher J.
LR Awards AIP for GTT Bunkering Concept
GTT, a designer of membrane containment systems for the maritime transportation and storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG), announced that it has received an Approval…
Damen Builds RoPax Ferry for Canada
The Damen 80-meter ice class RoPax ferry MV Veteran handover to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (GNL) took place in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada on October 23, 2015. Launched earlier this year by Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania on March 27, the vessel will start services from Fogo Island and Change Islands before the end of November. MV Veteran was delivered from the shipyard on time and within budget.
Year Zero for ECDIS Compliance
The right product for the right application is a familiar claim from marine equipment supplier Simrad, but, when compliance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements is at stake, it is a call demanding an immediate response. Compliance with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention on Electronic Chart Data and Information Systems (ECDIS) is now a matter of urgency. The mandatory…
Improved Efficiency from DFDE Propulsion - Study
Simulations indicate diesel electric propulsion can be a fuel efficient solution for LNG carriers under realistic operating conditions. Power and automation technology…
Oil Spill Halts Loadings from Statoil's Statfjord A Platform
Norway's Statoil has stopped all oil loadings from the Statfjord A platform in the North Sea after an oil spill occurred on Sunday, the company said on Monday, with no impact on production from the platform. "We had a minor leak while preparing to load on Sunday," said Statoil spokesman Morten Eek, who said that some 400 litres of crude had spilled. Sunday's leak is the second one in less than three weeks to occur at the platform. On Oct. 8, a spill shut loadings from one of two buoys.
Fishing Crew Rescued After Engine Fire
A crew of 36 fishermen was rescued Sunday from a Papua New Guinean ship after an engine fire left the fishing vessel disabled roughly 200 miles off Tokelau, a territory…
RINA Group Widens Gas Sector Services
International classification, certification and engineering group RINA said it has widened its services to the global gas industry. While its traditional classification…
Five Killed in Sinking of Whale-watching Boat
Five Britons were killed when a Canadian whale-watching boat sank on Sunday, the British foreign secretary said on Monday. The boat, carrying 27 passengers, sank off the coast of British Columbia on Sunday afternoon, sparking a rescue effort by the Coast Guard, fisherman and private mariners. Five people were confirmed dead and one was missing, while 21 were rescued. "My thoughts are with the family and friends of all those affected by this terrible accident," U.K.
Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Down in September
Iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 5.6 million tons in September, a decrease of 20.6 percent compared to a year ago, the Lake Carriers' Association (LCA) reported. Shipments were down 11 percent from the month’s five-year average. Loadings at U.S. ports in September fell 25.5 percent compared to a year ago, while shipments from Canadian ports rose 42.8 percent. Through September, the Lakes/Seaway ore trade stands at 39.1 million tons…