Interview: Jennifer Carpenter, AWO
Jennifer Carpenter has been president and CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO) in January 2020, but her time with the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry dates back to 1990. This month, she weighs in on top challenges and opportunities currently present in the industry, from difficult regulatory changes to the uptake of cleaner vessel technologies.What are some of the biggest and most important issues facing the tug…
DSC Dredge Promotes Laiche to VP of Engineering
Reserve, La. based dredging equipment company DSC Dredge announced it has promoted Scott Laiche to the position of Vice President of Engineering.Laiche first joined DSC’s Engineering department as a Mechanical Engineer, quickly moving up the ladder to Engineering Manager in 2016 and in 2021 he was promoted to Director of Engineering.In his new role, Laiche will continue to lead and work alongside his…
Hybrid Well Boat Joins Bakkafrost's Faroe Islands Fleet
One of the global aquaculture industry's largest well boats has recently joined Bakkafrost's Faroe Islands fleet.The 109-meter Bakkafossur was built at the Sefine Shipyard in Turkey, and it was completed and delivered to Bakkafrost in December 2022.The highly technological vessel can carry up to 1,000 tonnes of live salmon and is regarded as a huge upgrade to secure sustainable operations in the future.
Schottel's Largest EcoPeller Shipped
Propulsion systems manufacturer Schottel said Thursday that the largest Schottel EcoPeller ever manufactured was recently shipped from the Wismar production facility in Germany. The five-bladed SRE 700 features a propeller diameter of 3,600 mm and an input power of 3.2 MW. "Thanks to its compact design, the integrated LE-Drive (“embedded L-Drive”) allows more freedom in vessel design," Schottel said."In addition to this, it offers extremely low vibration and noise levels.
Western Restrictions on Russian Oil Reshuffle Global Shipping Patterns
Global fuel suppliers are turning to longer and costlier routes that produce more carbon emissions to move their diesel and other products as Western restrictions on Russian cargoes have reshuffled global energy shipping patterns.As a result of the European Union ban on Russian fuel that started on Feb. 5, tankers carrying clean oil products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and naphtha are traveling between 16 and 18 days to bring Russian supplies to Brazil or U.S.
Nord Stream Pipeline Blasts Probe Continues, but Culprits Difficult to Determine
It will likely be difficult to determine who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia and Germany in the Baltic Sea last year, Sweden's prosecution authority, which is investigating the incident, said on Thursday. The Sept. 26 explosions at the pipelines connecting Russia and Germany occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. The blast in the Swedish zone happened at a depth of 80 meters and the prosecutor said investigating it was complicated.
Taiwan Watching Chinese Movements After Beijing Denounces US Speaker Meeting
Taiwan was keeping a close watch on a Chinese aircraft carrier and threats to inspect ships in the Taiwan Strait on Thursday after Beijing condemned a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.McCarthy - the third highest ranking official in the U.S. leadership hierarchy - and other Republican and Democratic lawmakers met Tsai on Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley…
OSG Crew Rescues 12 people in Gulf of Mexico
Florida’s Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) has applauded the efforts of the crew of its vessel the Overseas Long Beach in rescuing 12 people on a vessel in distress.The Overseas Long Beach was on a voyage from Corpus Christi to Jacksonville when it found the boat. The people appeared to be out of food, water, and fuel and in need of medical assistance. In coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector New Orleans…
UMAS Says Energy Efficiency Needs to Improve by 40%
A new report by maritime advisory service UMAS has put figures on the energy efficiency improvements that are needed for international shipping if it is to meet the IPCC-derived 1.5ºC decarbonization pathway.This magnitude of GHG reduction, 37% in 2030 and 96% in 2040 on a 2008 baseline, has also been championed by some states as the targets that IMO should use in its revised GHG reduction strategy – due for adoption at MEPC 80 in July this year.UMAS states that…
Ailing Tug Crewmember Medevaced Off Louisiana
An ailing crewmember was medevaced from a tugboat approximately 60 miles south of Southwest Pass, La., Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector New Orleans received a call at 3:18 p.m. on VHF-FM Channel 16 from the crew of the towing vessel Tenner C stating a 37-year-old crewmember was experiencing severe abdominal pain.Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew to assist.Once on scene…
MacGregor to Equip Grimaldi's New Car Carriers
MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has received a repeat order with a total value of more than €20 million for comprehensive packages of RoRo equipment for a total of five Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC) vessels. These vessels will be built at China Merchant Heavy Industries for Grimaldi Group. This deal will extend MacGregor’s supply of RoRo equipment from five to ten of Grimaldi’s new PCTC vessels.The orders were booked into Cargotec’s 2023 first quarter orders received.
Britain Charters Barge to House 500 Asylum Seekers
Britain said on Wednesday it had leased a barge to house 500 migrants on its southern coast as part of efforts to reduce the use of costly hotels as temporary accommodation…
Keel Laid for Prysmian's New Cable Layer
Vard's shipyard in Tulcea, Romania, on Wednesday held a keel laying ceremony for the Prysmian Group's newest cable laying vessel.The new 171-meter vessel, an identical sister ship to the state-of-the-art Leonardo da Vinci delivered in 2021, is scheduled to start commercial operation in early 2025.According to the Prysmian Group, both the new ship and the Leonardo da Vinci are the only installation vessels in the world with two rotating platforms of 7…
Silver Ships Delivers Workboat to USACE Pittsburgh District
Theodore, Ala. aluminum boatbuilder Silver Ships recently delivered an Explorer 40 workboat to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pittsburgh District for use on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers.The second of three Explorer 40 series workboats ordered by USACE Pittsburgh District, the 40-foot workboat will support the Corps’ mission of improving navigable waterways and water infrastructure.The…
Dorian LPG Takes Delivery of Dual-fuel VLGC
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shipping company Dorian LPG announced it has taken delivery of the newly built very large gas carrier (VLGC) Captain Markos from Japanese shipbuilder Kawasaki Heavy Industries.The 84,000 cubic meter capacity VLGC is a dual-fuel vessel capable of running on on LPG and low-sulfur fuel oil.The ship is owned by a Japanese owner will be operated by Dorian LPG under a 13-year bareboat charter…
Power Play: Innovative Mobile Device Connects Vessels to Shoreside Electricity
Mobile Cable Positioning Devices can quickly accommodate vessels of many sizes and shapes, making shore power available almost immediately, a boon to the industry’s ambitious decarbonization goalsOne of the keys to reaching Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) target of net-zero carbon cruising globally by 2050 is switching from diesel burning engines to shoreside electricity while in port.
Helsinki Shipyard Delivers Third Expedition Cruise Ship to Swan Hellenic
Swan Hellenic has taken delivery of SH Diana, its third expedition cruse ship built by Helsinki Shipyard.The 125-meter-long, 12,100 GRT newbuild is the largest ship in the Swan Hellenic fleet. Accommodating 192 passengers, SH Diana is slightly larger than 152-passenger SH Minerva and SH Vega launched from Helsink Shipyard in in December 2021 and July 2022 respectively.The Finnish shipbuilder in December sold the ship to Swan Hellenic at auction after the original buyer…
ABB to Power Finland's Two New Patrol Vessels
ABB announced it has secured a contract with Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku to supply an integrated power and propulsion package comprising two Azipod propulsion units and the Onboard DC Grid power system for two new, advanced multi-purpose patrol vessels of the Finnish Border Guard.Due for delivery in 2025 and 2026, the 98-meter ships will replace the outgoing Tursas and Uisko patrol vessels. Alongside the existing Turva…
Ukraine-bound Commercial Ship Sinks off Turkey
Turkish coast guards were searching for nine missing crew members of a Ukraine-bound commercial ship that sank close to Turkey's southern province of Antalya. The Guinea Bissau-flagged ship had sailed from Turkey's Iskenderun port for Ukraine's Izmail port, the coast guard said. Five crew members were rescued by helicopters and other ships passing by the area, it said in a statement. The ship had in total 14 crew members of Syrian origin and sunk some 37 km off the coast of Antalya province.
Russia Using Ship-to-ship Diesel Transfers for Transatlantic Exports
Russia has started to make ship-to-ship (STS) transfers of diesel near African ports as it seeks transatlantic sales, according to traders and Refinitiv Eikon data.A…