North Bay News

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime will supply SIMRAD sonar equipment for a new 75-meter Pelagic trawler, currently under construction at Karstensen’s Shipyard in Skagen, Denmark. Commissioned in partnership by Scottish fishing companies Northbay Fishing Co. Ltd and Wiseman Fishing Co. Ltd, the new vessel – to be called Artemis – will be based in Banff, Scotland.Pelagic trawlers target fish in the mid- and surface water, such as herring and mackerel, and the range of products to be fitted to Artemis reflects this mode of operation…

Wärtsilä said it will supply a propulsion and power package for a new 75-meter-long fishing trawler being built at the Karstensen shipyard in Denmark for Scottish owners and operators Wiseman Fishing Co and Northbay Fishing Co.The vessel will feature a Wärtsilä 31 main engine, two Wärtsilä 14 power generating sets, a gearbox and a controllable pitch propeller (CPP), the combination of which represents the latest engine and power generation technology. The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard in spring 2021.In designing the trawler…

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) has welcomed Pyxis, a new 445-passenger ferry, into the San Francisco Bay Ferry fleet.Pyxis is the first new vessel added to Vallejo ferry service in some 15 years, said a release from the public transit passenger ferry service in the San Francisco Bay.Pyxis is the fifth new ferry WETA has added to its San Francisco Bay Ferry fleet since 2017. Carina, a 400-passenger ferry, entered service in February 2019. Hydrus, Cetus and Argo – all also 400-passenger ferries – joined the fleet in 2017 and 2018.“Vallejo ferry passengers are going to love riding Pyxis,” said Nina Rannells, WETA’s executive director. “Our ridership has doubled since 2012, and we are working to grow our fleet to accommodate this growth.

The Polar Research Vessel S.A. Agulhas II has been built by STX Finland for the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). The ship is a modern and sophisticated research vessel, commissioned to the DEA in May 2012, built to replace the S.A. Agulhas after 33 years of service. The ship will support the South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE IV) base on the Antarctic continent, a base which conducts research in the fields of physical sciences, earth sciences and life sciences.

Wolfe appointed Technical Support Manager for Atlas Copco Geotechnical Drilling line. John Wolfe has been appointed to the position of Technical Support Manager for Atlas Copco’s Geotechnical Drilling and Exploration business line, effective January 1, 2012. In his new role, Wolfe will report directly to Scott Slater, Business Line Manager — GDE (Geotechnical Drilling & Exploration.) He will provide training, technical and product support for all Atlas Copco store branches in the United States.

SkipperLiner delivered Romantica III, a new 124 x 25.5 ft. motor yacht, launched at North Bay Marina in La Crosse, Wis., on May 14. The 149-passenger vessel is destined for New York City and will offer dinner cruises, weddings, and private event charters. The vessel will travel 3,535 miles, consume more than 7,000 gallons of fuel, and operate for 30 days straight on its maiden voyage to position it in NYC, a journey that began May 20 in La Crosse, Wis., on the Mississippi River and concluded at Lincoln Harbor on the Hudson River. Romantica III is the largest motor yacht ever built by SkipperLiner, and the third SkipperLiner for the vessels owner. The eight-month project began in September, 2001 with two months of engineering, followed by six months of construction at the shipyard.

The money went to North Bay Ferry Service of Larkspur, which is owned by Skip Berg, a former owner of Infineon Raceway who also owns the Port Sonoma marina. The port sits on the Petaluma River at the Sonoma and Napa County lines, near the race track. None of the major transportation agencies in the area were made aware of the grant, including the Bay Area Water Transit Authority, which is developing a comprehensive ferry system for the region. The project still needs to clear other hurdles, as apparently other ferry service plans from Port Sonoma have been declined due to environmental concerns. If the project proceeds as planned, it should launch in 2009 or 2010.

To address future disasters, the Bay Area Council is working in Sacramento with the governor and legislative leaders on major infrastructure bond proposals, which may well set the agenda for decades to come. Being discussed is the legislation authored by Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland eight years ago, and signed into law by the governor, regarding the Bay Area Council’s proposal for a comprehensive high-speed water transit system that -- in addition to significantly improving daily traffic -- would provide a highly flexible disaster recovery transportation system. This new system recognized that the waters of the bay could be transformed from a transportation obstacle into a transportation asset, with high-speed ferries running to all communities with waterfront access.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a final decree regarding Alaska's assertion of ownership of certain marine submerged lands in the southeast portion of the state. The court finalized its earlier ruling that the federal government retained ownership of those portions of the Alexander Archipelago more than three geographical (nautical) miles from shore because those waters do not constitute historic inland waters. The federal government retained ownership of those portions of North Bay, South Bay, Sitka Sound, and Cordova Bay more than three geographical miles from shore because those waters do not constitute juridical bays. The federal government also retained ownership of marine submerged lands within Glacier Bay National Monument.