TROPICAL

Maersk Line Introduces Sustainable Container Floors

New Maersk Line procurement policy for container floorboards aims to reduce demand for illegally logged tropical hardwood Today, Maersk Line announced a new policy to refrain from purchasing containers with floors made of uncertified tropical hardwood. “Illegal logging is widely recognised as a serious threat to forests, people and wildlife. We feel obligated to use our purchasing power to push for higher standards and ensure that the timber we use for container floors come from responsible forestry,” says Jacob Sterling, Head of Climate & Environment, Maersk Line. Traditionally, shipping lines have had their containers fitted with tropical hardwood floors. It takes two cubic metres of hardwood to produce floors for three 40 foot containers. The container industry uses approximately 1.2-1.5 million cubic metres of hardwood annually to meet demand for new containers. As a result of the new policy, all new Maersk Line containers purchased as of January 2011 will have floors made of timber from sources employing responsible forestry practices or non-wood alternatives such as bamboo and recycled plastic. Any tropical hardwood used will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). As an interim solution applicable only in 2011, tropical hardwood verified as legally compliant will be accepted while other floor types are scaled up in production.

Cruise Ships Prepare for Hurricane

Five Miami-based cruise ships have changed their itineraries to avoid Tropical Storm Chris. Forecasters have issued a hurricane watch for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands as Tropical Storm Chris threatens to intensify. Royal Caribbean's 3,114-passenger Navigator of the Seas, which plans to return to Miami by August 5, skipped a visit to St. Maarten and will arrive in Nassau on August 4, a day earlier than planned

Fire Causes Cruise Ship To Lose Propulsion

While the torrid pace of cruise line expansion continues, the cruise industry as a whole has endured some rather serious bumps and bruises lately, with a spate of collisions, groundings and fires which could result in potential travelers casting a wary eye when making vacation plans. The latest in the line of mishaps has struck Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corp., the world's biggest cruise operator. Last Sunday (September 19) a fire broke out in the engine room of Tropicale --

Gustav Blows Buoys Off Course

The Coast Guard has begun the job of repairing numerous navigational aid discrepancies throughout the Outer Banks after damages resulting from Tropical Storm Gustav. U.S. Coast Guard small boat stations throughout the Outer Banks performed preliminary surveys Wednesday and discovered nine navigational aids with discrepancies in Ocracoke Inlet and two discrepancies in Hatteras Inlet. Coast Guard Aids To Navigation Team Cape Hatteras has worked to repair some of the discrepancies.

CG Prepares for Hurricane Season

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Operations Center in Portsmouth placed North Carolina units on high alert this morning and is advising them to keep a close eye on Sub-Tropical Storm Gustav that is 290 miles southeast of Wilmington, N.C. The local Coast Guard commands were advised to: prepare for threatening winds and rain; prepare their personnel for a potential recall to duty; and make preparations to evacuate non-essential personnel and military dependents.

China Deep-Dive Expedition Anchors to Avoid Typhoon

The oceanographic ship carrying 'Jiaolong', China's manned deep-sea submersible, anchored in Yangtze entrance to avoid typhoon Mawar ahead of a 7,000-meter attempt The ship, the Xiangyanghong 09, left the eastern port city of Jiangyin earlier on Sunday and travelled about 155 nautical miles to an anchorage at the mouth of the Yangtze River near Shanghai, according to the onboard headquarter of the operation. The submersible, named after a mythical sea dragon, will dive 7

Royal Star Sports Cummins Engines

The Cummins six-cyliner in-line marine diesel is a common engine on commercial fishing boats from Seattles classic long line halibut schooners to Gulf of Mexico Shrimpers. In southern California the 85 by 24 ft Royal Star, a sport fishing boat out of San Diego, has run up a lot of hours on a pair of these engines. Extended fishing trips have routinely taken the Royal Star well into Mexican waters and, on occasion further south in Central America.

Inland Salvage to Remove Capsized Barge

Inland Salvage Inc. (ISI) was recently selected as Salvor to conduct Wreck Removal Operations of a 2,650t Inland Drill Barge following an unsuccessful attempt by another contractor to salvage the barge.   The barge partially capsized in Bayou Shaffer, near Morgan City, LA on September 4th, 2011. ISI provided initial emergency response, dive and lightering services after the barge capsized due to Tropical Storm Lee's storm surge. Inland Salvage Inc

Safety Rope Demand in Florida Spotted by Local Supplier

'Disaster Relief Supply' store in Destin, FL  stocks marine and multi-purpose rope with safety in mind Disaster Relief Supply is located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, which presents a large market for commercial fishing, military, and recreational customers. Assorted rope is used for numerous work and leisure activities in the area, and a proficient selection is hard to come by locally. “We saw a demand for rope that wasn’t being met effectively by local retailers

Wärtsilä Milestone: Supplies to 100th LNG Carrier

Wärtsilä has now been contracted to supply Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel propulsion engines to 100 Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Carrier vessels.   This notable milestone was recently passed with the supply of a LNG carrier in a South Korean shipyard. The 100 LNG Carriers represent approximately one quarter of the current global fleet. Wärtsilä's advanced dual-fuel technology was first launched in the early 1990s for use in land-based power plant applications