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Higgins News

27 Oct 2023

Nichols Brothers Wins Contract to Build NOMARS Uncrewed Vessel

Concept design for NOMARS Defiant unmanned ship (Image: DARPA)

Freeland, Wash. shipbuilder Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) announced it has been awarded a contract to construct an uncrewed autonomous vessel for the U.S. Department of Defense's research and development agency.The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) project was awarded by Serco North America, the prime contractor and designer of the vessel, for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).The program aims to revolutionize naval operations by designing a ship that…

13 Sep 2023

US Coast Guard Calls for Comments on Duck Boat Rule

Source: NTSB / Brian Young

The US Coast Guard has issued an interim final rule on mandated requirements for DUKW amphibious passenger vessels and requested comments.The statutory mandate was enacted after the sinking of the Stretch Duck 7 on July 19, 2018, which resulted in the loss of 17 lives on Table Rock Lake, Missouri.More than seven hours prior to the accident, the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the area, followed by a severe thunderstorm warning a minute before the vessel departed the passenger boarding facility.

13 Mar 2023

Washington State Ferries' Cathlamet Repaired After Terminal Allision

(Photo: Everett Ship Repair)

A Washington State Ferries (WSF) vessel has been repaired after it allided into the Fauntleroy dock in Seattle last summer.Everett, Wash. repair yard Everett Ship Repair (ESR) served as the prime contractor for emergency repairs to WSF's Cathlamet, and it subcontracted sister-company Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) to construct a new steel pickle fork at its facility on Whidbey Island. A pickle fork is the area of a passenger deck extending above the end of the car decks…

10 Jan 2023

UK Navy Rescues Five from Sinking Tug

(Photo: U.K. Royal Navy)

Five mariners were rescued by the crew of a U.K. Royal Navy patrol ship after their tug started to sink in rough seas last week in the Caribbean.The oceangoing tug began taking on water after suffering an engine failure some 20 miles west of Sint Maarten. The vessel's crew sent out a distress call around 1 p.m. on Friday and took refuge on the large sand barge their vessel had been towing.Patrol ship HMS Medway, the Royal Navy’s permanent presence in the region, was slightly more than a dozen miles away and promptly responded to the Mayday call.

21 Sep 2022

US, Canadian Warships Sail Through Taiwan Strait

The guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) transits the Taiwan Strait. Higgins is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. (Photo: Donavan K. Patubo / U.S. Navy)

A U.S. Navy warship and a Canadian frigate made a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the militaries of both nations said, at a time of heightened military tension between Beijing and Taipei.The transit was the second in a month by a U.S. Navy ship, and the second jointly by the United States and Canada in less than a year, since October 2021.While China condemned the mission, saying its forces "warned" the ships, recent years have seen U.S. warships, and occasionally those of allied nations such as Britain and Canada…

26 May 2022

Bollinger Delivers USCGC Douglas Denman

U.S. Gulf Coast shipbuilder Bollinger Shipyards LLC has delivered the USCGC Douglas Denman to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 175th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 49th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.The USCGC Denman will travel to Alaska where it will be commissioned on September 28 in its new homeport of Ketchikan, in the 17th District of the Coast Guard. Once there, it will serve and safeguard the public…

05 May 2022

Everett Ship Repair Names New Drydock

Gavin Higgins, Everett Ship Repair CEO; Lisa Lefeber, Director and CEO Port of Everett; Jon Hie Everett Ship Repair General Manager (Photo: ESR)

On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, Everett Ship Repair, LLC (ESR) hosted a naming ceremony and grand opening for their newest drydock, the Emerald Lifter. The Emerald Lifter, formally the Zidell 220, was relocated to ESR’s facility at the Port of Everett last month. ESR performed maintenance and preservation before it was put into operation on May 3, with it’s first drydocking.The Emerald Lifter has a lifting capacity of 2,000 tons and a working deck of 220’ x 62’. It will be in use along with ESR’s existing dry dock the Faithful Servant…

21 Apr 2022

USCG Commissions Sentinel-class Cutter Clarence Sutphin Jr.

(Photo: Ryan Schultz / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its 47th Sentinel-class cutter, USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147), into service on ThursdayBuilt by Bollinger Shipyards and officially delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard on January 6 in Key West, Fla., Clarence Sutphin Jr. is Patrol Forces Southwest Asia's (PATFORSWA) sixth 154-foot Sentinel-class cutter.Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander, presided over the commissioning ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.

14 Apr 2022

Buffalo Harbor Dredging Contract Awarded

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District contractor Ryba Marine Construction Co. dredges the Buffalo Harbor in Buffalo, NY, September 23, 2020. (Photo: Jess Levenson / U.S. Army)

Michigan-based Ryba Marine Construction Company has secured a $991,500 contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District to perform dredging of the federal navigation channel in Buffalo Harbor, ensuring accessible depths for large vessels, the continued flow of commodities across the Great Lakes and the economic viability of United States waterways.“In addition to the increase in recreational use along Western New York waterways, the Buffalo and Niagara…

30 Mar 2022

Everett Ship Repair Adds Crane Barge and Second Dry Dock

(Photo: Everett Ship Repair)

Everett, Wash. repair yard Everett Ship Repair announced it is expanding through the addition of a crane barge and second dry dock.ESR said it recently purchased the dry dock Zidell 220 to be relocated to its facility at the Port of Everett for operation by early spring 2022. The dry dock, with lifting capacity of 2,000 tons and working deck area of 220 feet by 62 feet, will be renamed Emerald Lifter in tribute to Puget Sound, which is also known as the Emerald Sea.ESR said it will also bring in a 150-ton Link Belt LS518 lattice boom crawler crane with 150 ft.

13 Oct 2020

US Shipyards See Big Business Shifts

The second of three vessels for New York City’s Staten Island Ferry was launched by Eastern Shipbuilding this summer. (Photo: Eastern Shipbuilding Group)

The American shipbuilding scene, filled with participants constructing all manner of vessels, has been navigating through stormy times (lately, yards along the Gulf Coast have literally been dealing with storms). The orders for newbuild, repair and conversion projects continue to flow in—albeit at a reduced pace—and the boats and ships go down the ways into the water, but the overall panorama has seen tremendous sea changes as the business has shifted.Maritime businesses worldwide have been grappling with currents both internal and external.

17 Aug 2020

Eastern Delivers Tug to Bisso Offshore

A. Thomas Higgins (Photo: Eastern Shipbuilding Group)

Eastern Shipbuilding Group said it has delivered the second of two 80-foot, 5,100-horsepower Z-drive tugs for Bisso Offshore, a division of E.N. Bisso & Son of New Orleans, La.Following delivery on June 11, the newbuild ship-handling tug A. Thomas Higgins completed its bollard pull testing witnessed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and received its USCG Sub-M Certificate of Inspection (COI). In addition to  A. Thomas Higgins, E.N. Bisso has taken delivery of five previous modern Z-drive ship assist tugs from Eastern from 2007, including Josephine Anne, Beverly B, Elizabeth B, Archie T.

24 Oct 2019

Maritime Risk Symposium, Nov. 12-15 at SUNY Maritime

© Oleksii Fadieiev/Adobe Stock

The State University of New York Maritime College, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, National Academy of Sciences, academic institutions, industry partners, and federal, state and local agencies, will host the 10th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS 2019) Nov. 13-15, 2019, at New York Maritime College located in the Bronx, New York.MRS 2019 will bring together academics, government and commercial entities to discuss the threats, challenges and risks associated with the Marine Transportation System with a focus on current and future marine transportation challenges and threats.

06 Feb 2020

Eastern Launches Tug for Bisso Offshore

(Photo: Eastern Shipbuilding Group)

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. has launched the second of two 80’ 5,100 HP Z-Drive tugs for Bisso Offshore, LLC, a division of E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc. The A. Thomas Higgins, currently under construction at Eastern’s Allanton facility, was launched on January 31, 2020.The RAL RApport 2400 Z-Drive ship-handling tug design was provided by Robert Allan Ltd located in Vancouver, Canada. The C.D. White, the first vessel of the series, delivered in January of this year.Long-term customer E.N.

12 Jul 2021

Nichols Brothers Delivers Fourth Tug to Foss

(Photo: Nichols Brothers Boat Builders)

Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) said it has delivered the final vessel in a series of four new tugs for Foss Maritime.The ASD-90 tractor tugs Jamie Ann, Sarah Avrick, Leisa Florence and Rachael Allen were completed and delivered between April 2020 and June 2021. Foss, a division of the Saltchuk company, will station two of the vessels in Los Angeles/Long Beach, while the other two vessels will be in the San Francisco Bay providing escort and assist services to large tankers and containerships calling on the California ports.The series' fourth vessel…

01 Apr 2020

US Shipyards Forge Ahead Through COVID-19

The 56-foot icebreaking tugboat being built by Blount Boats for N.Y. Power Authority (NYPA). (Photo: Blount Boats)

As the novel coronavirus and its impacts continue to spread across America, U.S. shipbuilders, by and large, continue to build. While most yards have been deemed essential to marine transportation and/or national security and have been able to maintain operations, the situation at and around every shipyard is different, and there are several builders across the country that have had to temporarily suspend activity. In either scenario, it’s far from business as usual for America’s…

30 Mar 2022

Insights: Gavin Higgins, CEO, Everett Ship Repair

Gavin Higgins, CEO, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders and Everett Ship Repair

Everett Ship Repair (ESR) is a relatively new name in the U.S. ship repair business. Established in October 2019, the Pacific Northwest shipyard is owned by Ice Cap Holdings, LLC, which is also the parent company to another shipyard not too far away: Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB).Both ESR and NBBB are headed up by CEO Gavin Higgins, who is responsible for the development of new business opportunities and cultivation of new business relationships, including working with industry groups…

07 May 2020

Opinion: Maritime Freedom & the Global Commons

Freedom of Navigation: The guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82) escorts the merchant vessel Tomahawk through the Strait of Hormuz.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael H. Lehman/Released)

“Freedom” – the absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic governmentIt has been decades since international relations in the world order dictated true competition for sea control, sea lines of communication, access to world markets, and diplomatic partnerships. However, it is becoming increasingly alarming that nations such as Iran, China and Russia seek to accumulate/consolidate power and re-define international maritime norms, potentially at the peril of diplomatic…

25 Oct 2019

ESR Offers Pacific Northwest Ship Repair Services

Photo: ESR

Ice Cap Holdings, LLC expands its shipyard presence to include a service and repair facility in Everett, Washington. Everett Ship Repair, LLC (ESR) was established earlier this month by Ice Cap Holdings, the parent company of Ice Floe, LLC dba Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB). The expansion creates a diverse shipbuilding portfolio between the sister companies, offering NBBB’s new build expertise and ESR’s repair and service capabilities. Everett Ship Repair will focus on vessel repair…

16 Jan 2020

Eastern Delivers Tug to E.N. Bisso

M/V C.D. White (Photo: Eastern Shipbuilding Group)

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. has delivered the first of two 80’ 5,100 HP Z-Drive tugs for Bisso Offshore, LLC, a division of E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc.The M/V C.D. White, handed over on January 8, 2020, is a RAL RApport 2400 Z-drive ship-handling tug design provided by Robert Allan Ltd.The vessel has completed its bollard pull testing witnessed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and received its USCG Subchapter M Certificate of Inspection (COI).C.D. White and sister vessel M/V A.

10 May 2021

New Legislation Seeks Timely Updates for Crew Families During Maritime Emergencies

A U.S. Coast Guard Response Boat-Medium boat crew heads toward the capsized lift boat Seacor Power about 8 miles off Port Fourchon, La. on April 13, 2021. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris)

New legislation introduced in the wake of the fatal Seacor Power tragedy would require commercial vessel owners to provide timely notifications to crew members’ families throughout search and rescue operations.The Vessel Response Plan Improvement Act was introduced by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) after the 234-foot lift boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico with 19 crewmembers on board last month. Six crew members were saved, and the bodies of six deceased personnel were recovered in the days following.

08 Apr 2021

Marine News' Top Boats of 2020

General MacArthur (Photo: Callan Marine)

This year, despite innumerable challenges and setbacks, a great number of new U.S.-flagged vessels made their way into service. In addition to Maid of the Mist's new electric tour boats James V. Glynn and Nikola Tesla featured Wednesday, the newbuilds highlighted below are some of the most noteworthy to come out of U.S. shipyards in 2020.DredgerU.S. dredging contractors have been adding tonnage in a big way. This Spring, Callan Marine added a significant piece to the U.S. fleet with its new Jones Act cutterhead suction dredge (CSD) General MacArthur.

21 Mar 2022

American P&I Club Announces Leadership Change

Joe Hughes and Dorothea Ioannou (Photo: American P&I Club)

After 27 years’ service as Chief Executive Officer of Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc. (SCB), the Managers of the American P&I Club, Joe Hughes will stand down from that role on August 1, 2022. Dorothea Ioannou, currently Deputy Chief Operating Officer of SCB, will succeed Hughes as CEO from that date, making history as the first woman to ascend to the top executive position of an International Group P&I club in the 167 year history of the marine mutuals.At the same time, Vince Solarino will step down as Chief Operating Officer of SCB, Inc.

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