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Lightship News

04 Mar 2024

BRIX Marine Launches Survey Boat Lugudi Barana

(Photo: BRIX Marine)

Port Angeles, Wash. boatbuilder BRIX Marine announced the launch of its latest survey boat, the 3011-CTC, named Lugudi Barana.The hull features 5086 alloy aluminum hull skins, 5052 alloy aluminum interior transverse frames, and longitudinal T-bars, ensuring reliability even in challenging conditions, the builder said. The vessel's self-bailing aluminum decks, watertight bulkheads and anodes for cathodic protection further enhance its safety and longevity.The Lugudi Barana is equipped with a comprehensive array of accessories for efficient survey operations…

11 Sep 2023

BRIX Marine Launches Whale Watching Vessel for Allen Marine in Alaska

(Photo: BRIX Marine)

Pacific Northwest aluminum boatbuilder BRIX Marine announced it has built a new whale watching vessel for Allen Marine Whale Watching Tours in Sitka, Alaska.The custom-built vessel Eagle is 48 feet long with an 18-foot beam, and its lightship weight is approximately 31,000 pounds.Powered by quad Suzuki 350-horsepower engines, the vessel boasts an array of features tailored to elevate the whale watching journey, BRIX Marine said. The vessel is constructed with 5086 alloy aluminum hull skins…

24 May 2023

Tall Ship Topples Over in Drydock

(Photo: Bark EUROPA)

A 112-year-old tall ship has toppled over during a drydock maintenance period in South Africa.The Netherlands-registered Europa fell over during an attempt to transfer the steel-hulled barque back into the water from drydock at a Cape Town ship repair facility, leaving one crewmember with minor injuries."The injured sailor is receiving the necessary medical care and is doing well, given the circumstances," the ship's operator Bark Europa said. "He is currently in stable condition…

15 Mar 2023

New Vessel Enters Service for Fire Island Ferries

Fire Island Maid (Photo: EBDG)

Fire Island Ferries has taken delivery of its newest vessel, Fire Island Maid, designed by Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) and built by Metal Shark in Bayou La Batre, Ala.The 70- by  23-foot multipurpose vehicle ferry features a steel hull and aluminum superstructure and is equipped with a hydraulic ramp for loading and unloading heavy equipment. The reinforced deck is capable of supporting fully loaded concrete trucks and general cargo up to 100,000 pounds. The aft pilot house accommodates two crew and up to six passengers (assumed to be in their vehicles).

17 Dec 2021

St. Louis Container on Barge Project Moves Forward

(Image: APCT)

Key stakeholders behind the efforts to launch innovative container-on-vessel (COV) service to the Midwest on Firday announced that Hawtex Development Corporation is signing on as the lead developer for a new COV port facility in Jefferson County, Mo. to be developed in collaboration with Fred Weber/Riverview Commerce Park LLC and integrating a 300+ acre adjacent parcel owned by The Doe Run Company. The new port will be a critical link on the new, all-water, north-south trade lane connecting the Midwest and the St. Louis region to the lower Mississippi River and on to worldwide destinations.

15 Dec 2021

BtB Marine Builds Twin Jet Boats for West Australian Ports

(Photo: Btb Marine)

Hervey Bay boat builder BtB Marine has recently delivered a pair of 8-meter jet boats destined for workboat duties in the Western Australia ports.Designed by Naval Architects Australia, the 800LBs are powered by turbo charged Yanmar diesel engines coupled to Hamilton jet propulsion units, BtB Marine General Manager Chris Hough said. “The Yanmar and jet combination has delivered a 30 knot top speed fully loaded, (33knots lightship), and they easily do a cruising speed of 21knots at around 2…

23 Sep 2020

Metal Shark Launches Expedition Yacht Portfolio

(Photo: Metal Shark)

U.S.-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has launched a 48-meter (158’) aluminum catamaran expedition yacht, the first in its newly introduced lineup of high-speed, long range catamaran expedition yachts.The new Metal Shark M48, named Magnet, is the first-ever private recreational yacht built by Metal Shark, a diversified builder of aluminum and steel vessels for military and commercial operators worldwide. In addition to the M48, the company’s Metal Shark Yachts portfolio includes the M30 (30 meters / 100’) and M70 (70 meters / 231’).

19 Nov 2019

Design Complete on Floating Bauxite Terminal

Photo: Rocktree Consulting

Rocktree Consulting completed the front-end engineering and design (FEED) for a new floating terminal for the Bauxite Hills Mine, operated by Australia’s Metro Mining Limited.Bauxite ore is the world’s primary source of aluminum. Australia, Guinea and Brazil are the largest suppliers of bauxite to the seaborne market, while China is the main buyer.The FEED work forms part of an updated Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the Stage 2 expansion of the Bauxite Hills Mine, located approximately 95km north of Weipa, Queensland, Australia.

12 Sep 2019

Southampton Launches UK's 1st PEP

The Department for Transport (DfT), in partnership with ABP’s Port of Southampton, launched UK’s first Port Economic Partnership (PEP).PEP is an innovative initiative to create stronger links between ports and Government, to maximize long-term trade and economic growth. The Partnership will be launched at an event at London International Shipping Week, on board the NLV Pharos lightship.As part of its strategy, ‘Maritime 2050 – Navigating the Future’, launched in January 2019, the Government outlined the creation of Port Economic Partnerships as one way of creating a strong business environment for ports to thrive, in turn, boosting trade…

27 Feb 2019

19m Fisheries Patrol Boat Launched

Photo: Incat Crowther

Incat Crowther announced the launch of Lady Megan, a 19m Catamaran Fisheries Patrol Vessel. Built by Mainstay Marine for the Welsh Government, Lady Megan is designed to be a robust and versatile vessel that packs immense functionality into its modest platform and is designed to operate year round in the Irish Sea.The aft working deck of Lady Megan is the epicenter of this functionality, featuring a hydraulically operated tender launch and recovery system, capable of launching and retrieving a 5m RIB while the vessel is in motion in Sea State 3.

05 Dec 2018

Future Maritime Design: NETSCo Sponsors Student Design Competition

Team 9 – Black Friday, took First Place. Photo: Netsco.

NETSCo announced the winners of the 2018 Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) Student Design Competition held recently during the 2018 SNAME Maritime Convention in Providence, RI. Many interesting designs were devised with over 150 students participating in the competition. Congratulations to our winning teams: First Place Team 9 – Black Friday; Second Place, Team 8 – PlayBuoy; and, Third Place, Team 5 – Team Boats.The Competition is organized by the SNAME Student Steering Committee (SSC)…

03 Oct 2018

OOS Serooskerke Undocked at CMHI Jiangsu

China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) Jiangsu shipyard has undocked OOS Serooskerke, OOS International's newest semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV)."The undocking operation was complex because of the limited water depth in the dry dock," said a press release from the company.The close comradery between CMHI and OOS proved to be a winning formula to devising an efficient and safe method to undock the vessel, it said. The planning of the undocking operation started as early as January 2018 and ran through several iterations before the team arrived at the final plan.Due to the lack of water depth within the dry dock, three barges (stacked on top of one another) were floated underneath the OOS Serooskerke, between the pontoons.

31 Jan 2018

Rand Logistics Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Rand Logistics Inc, one of the largest bulk freight shipping providers in the Great Lakes region, filed for Chapter 11 protection on Tuesday after agreeing to a debt-for-equity swap with lender Lightship Capital LLC. Rand, with $236 million of debt, said in November it would file for bankruptcy as part of a restructuring support agreement with Lightship, an affiliate of New York-based private equity firm American Industrial Partners.

13 Nov 2017

Marine Fuels: Unmasking Gas

A primer on the way forward for alternative fuels for marine propulsion. By now, many of us have been passed by a garbage truck, taken a ride on an airport bus or hailed a taxi cab that is clearly labeled by their respective marketing departments that these vehicles are powered by clean burning natural gas. Even now in our own maritime industry, some trendy operators are looking to make the case for liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion systems, others are opting for hybrid-electric solutions, and some are even aiming for full electric configurations.

06 Oct 2017

USCG: Remain Upright by Fully Understanding Vessel Stability

Photo: Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation

This Safety Alert addresses concerns related to vessel stability and watertight integrity. Recently, a marine casualty involving a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea resulted in multiple fatalities and complete loss of the vessel. A Marine Board of Investigation is currently analyzing the various circumstances surrounding the casualty. Although the investigation is not complete, testimony and fact finding indicate that vessel owners, operators, and crews should give special consideration to vessel stability concerns.

09 Aug 2017

25th Anniversary of the Destriero’s Record Atlantic Crossing

On August 9, 1992 – 25 years ago today – the motor yacht Destriero set the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, a record that remains unbeaten to this day. The monohull, built in 1991 in less than one year in the Fincantieri shipyard of Muggiano and Riva Trigoso, sailed 3,106 nautical miles without refueling, from Ambrose Light, N.Y. to Bishop Rock lightship on the Scilly Isles, England, in 58 hours at an average speed of 53 knots (reaching a maximum speed of 66 knots), claiming once more the Blue Riband, awarded in 1933 to the legendary transatlantic liner Rex. The yacht also set a record on its return journey, awarded the Virgin Atlantic Trophy by the English business magnate Richard Branson on September 5, 1992, as well as the New York Yacht Club Columbus Atlantic Trophy.

21 Apr 2017

Australian Built Ferry Heads for Denmark

Photo: Peter Harmsen / Incat Tasmania

A new generation fast ferry has left Tasmania on her delivery voyage to Denmark via the Panama Canal. The Express 3 is a 109 meter long high speed vehicle/passenger ferry from Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania for Danish operator Molslinjen, becoming the fourth Hobart-built catamaran in the company’s current fleet. An entirely new generation fast ferry, the 109 meter wave piercing catamaran Express 3 has evolved from Incat’s well proven 112 meter catamaran range which first entered commercial service in mid-2007. Incat’s Tim Burnell commented, “The design brief was simple.

30 Jan 2017

Citywide Ferry by Hornblower Takes Center Stage

Cameron Clark, Corporate VP, Development and Special Projects, Hornblower (Photo: Hornblower)

The construction of up to 20 new ferries for New York City is arguably the most exciting maritime new construction project in the U.S. this year. Last month we visited with Cameron Clark, Corporate Vice President, Development and Special Projects, Hornblower, the project manager for the new Citywide Ferry by Hornblower fleet, who discussed the challenges and opportunities ahead. Hornblower has, in the span of 36 years, become the force in the U.S. ferry market, with more than 2,000 employees and 20 million passenger trips annually, including a cumulative staff of 700 in the New York City area.

19 Nov 2015

SENER Presents FBASIC at SNAME WMTC 2015

Verónica Alonso (Photo: SENER)

SENER Marine north America manager, Verónica Alonso, presents a paper that was written in collaboration with Rodrigo Pérez, SENER South Europe manager. SENER engineering and technology group took active part in the World Maritime Technology Conference 2015, the annual congress organized by the US association of naval architects (SNAME), which groups most part of the maritime industry. This time the event was hold in Providence, Rhode Island, in November from 3rd to 7th. During the congress SENER Marine North America manager…

15 Sep 2015

NBBB Uses New System to Launch Tug for Kirby

(Photo: Nichols Brothers Boat Builders)

A newly built articulated tug barge (ATB) unit tugboat, was launched for Kirby Offshore Marine on Wednesday, September 2. The new vessel, the 136’ x 44’ x 19’ Nancy Peterkin, is the first of two sister vessels built for Kirby by Ice Floe, LLC dba Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB). The Tina Pyne is also being built at NBBB and is scheduled for launch in December 2015. The builder said it made use of a new track and dolly system to move Nancy Peterkin from the shipyard to the launch ramp.

31 Aug 2015

Historic WW I Shipwreck Survey Underway

Side scan sonar image of LV-71 (Credit: NOAA)

Partnering U.S. agencies have commenced surveying the historic shipwreck of an American lightship shelled and sunk by a German U-boat during World War I nearly 100 years ago. Teams from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), on Sunday, August 30, began a survey of the historic wreck of Diamond Shoal Lightship No. 71, the only American lightship to be sunk by enemy action during World War I.

09 May 2015

USN to Christen 'USNS Brunswick'

The Navy will christen the future USNS Brunswick (JHSV 6) May 9 during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony in Mobile, Alabama. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Alma B. “Lee” Booterbaugh will serve as the ship’s sponsor. "We will celebrate the christening of the future USNS Brunswick - a modern marvel - just like the incredible shipyard that built it," said Mabus. "More than 4,000 American craftsmen have made this ship possible and the partnership they have with our uniformed men and women, our Navy civilians, the shipbuilding industry as a whole, and the American people, is one of the great strengths of our system. Named for a seaport city located on the southeast coast of Georgia, Brunswick is the fourth ship to bear the name.

02 Apr 2015

Incat Tasmania’s Latest Ship on the way to Japan

Photo courtesy of Incat Tasmania

The latest delivery from Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania Akane, an 85 metre high speed Wave Piercing Catamaran Ferry, Incat hull 068, will arrive in Japan early April. Built at the Incat shipyard at Prince of Wales Bay, Hobart the vessel was sea trialled late   March, and has departed Hobart on her delivery voyage. The vessel will go into service in April with Sado Kisen, a long standing ferry operator in Japan. Akane will operate from the Niigata and Naoetsu ports on the west coast of Japan to the Sado Island ports of Ogi and Ryotsu.

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