Crounse Takes Delivery of New Towboat from Conrad
Paducah, Ky. headquartered Crounse Corporation announced it has taken delivery of a new 6,034-horsepower towboat built by Conrad Shipyard, based in Morgan City, La.The 166- by 48- by 12-foot Alice is named after the company’s first vessel that began operating in 1949. Delivered with a U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection for Subchapter M compliance and two EPA Tier 4 compliant main engines, the newbuild is one of the most efficient and environmentally-friendly vesselsoperating on the United States' inland waterway system.Alice and powered by two General Electric (GE) diesel engines…
"Green" Loan Secured for Low-Emission Cruise Ship
Fincantieri signed a "green" construction loan for a maximum amount of $461m with Intesa Sanpaolo (IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division) and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the proceeds of which will be used to cover the financial needs linked to the construction of the Mein Schiff Relax, the first of two newly designed dual-fuel inTUItion class cruise ships (Liquid Natural Gas - LNG and Marine Gas Oil - MGO) that Fincantieri is building for TUI Cruises, a joint venture between the TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises.
US Awards More than $653 Million for Port Projects
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced over $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the nation under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).The investments—part of the largest dedicated funding for ports and waterways in history, nearly $17 billion through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—are intended to help grow capacity and increase efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports and inland…
Global Port Services Supports Construction of Scotland's Largest Offshore Wind Farm
Global Port Services, owned by Global Energy Group alongside the Port of Nigg, has said it has secured multiple contracts to support its client Seagreen Wind Energy Limited (SWEL), with site enabling works for the pre-assembly construction of wind turbine components (WTGs) at its Port of Nigg facility. The news comes as the final turbine foundations for Seagreen arrive at Nigg to be prepared for installation at Seagreen offshore wind farm site, 27km off the coast of Angus.Seagreen…
Zero-C Offshore: A New UK Firm Aiming to Address ‘Chronic’ FIV Shortage
The global offshore wind industry is staring down a potential shortage of foundation installation vessel capacity. A new UK company led by former offshore drilling executive Jon Oliver Bryce intends to help tackle this challenge as the industry’s first pure-play foundation installation vessel (FIV) firm.The number of planned offshore wind projects globally is growing, spurred by green targets and a shift away from Russian oil and gas. This growth, alongside a shift toward the next generation of larger offshore wind turbines…
More Than 60% of Port of Aberdeen's South Harbour Expansion Project Operational
More than 60% of the Port of Aberdeen's £400 million South Harbour development is now operational, marking the project's penultimate construction milestone, the port said in a statement on Thursday.The handover from construction to operations for Dunnottar, Crathes, and Castlegate (East) Quays was completed this week. Castlegate (West) is scheduled to open in December 2022, and the remaining Balmoral Quay will be brought into service in Q2 2023, making Aberdeen the largest berthage port in Scotland…
DOT Announces $703M in Port Funding; 41 Projects in 22 States
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced more than $703 million to fund 41 projects in 22 states and one territory that designed to help improve port facilities through the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. Following is the full list of FY 2022 Port Infrastructure Development Grant Awards:ALASKANorth Extension Stabilization Step 1 Project ($68,700,000), Anchorage, AlaskaThe Project will reconfigure and realign the shoreline within the “North Extension” (the area north of the existing general cargo terminals) at the Port of Alaska in Anchorage, Alaska.
CIMC Raffles Delivers Baltic Enabler to Wallenius Sol
Chinese shipyard CIMC Raffles on Wednesday delivered the ConRo ship Baltic Enabler to shipowner Wallenius Sol.The newbuild, together with sister ship Botnia Enabler delivered earlier this year, are considered to be the world’s largest ice-rated ConRo vessels with multi-fuel operation.“It’s fantastic that we can soon put both sister ships in regular traffic. Not only will we have a huge capacity increase on the container and RoRo sides, but we will also take a giant stride toward a future-oriented fleet that will reduce emissions and have a major impact on industry in the Gulf of Bothnia…
Keel Laid for Seaway 7's Offshore Wind Installation Vessel 'Seaway Ventus'
A keel-laying ceremony was held earlier this week for Seaway 7’s new offshore wind turbine installation vessel Seaway Ventus.The ceremony was held on Monday, June 6, at the China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) Haimen facility, Nantong.The GustoMSC NG-14000XL-G jack-up vessel was originally ordered by OHT, with which Seaway 7 merged in 2021."This is a very important and satisfying milestone for the Seaway Ventus construction project, marking the period where all the fabricated…
HJSC Receives LR AIP for 7,700 TEU LNG-fueled Containership
Lloyd’s Register (LR) has awarded approval in principle (AIP) to HJ Shipbuilding and Construction Co. Ltd (HJSC) – formerly Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction – for its 7,700 TEU liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled containership.The AIP follows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and joint development project (JDP) agreement between the two companies signed on November 24, 2021. Under the MOU, HJSC has delivered the concept and the design of the vessel, with LR reviewing and approving the design drawings…
Port Houston Begins $1 Billion Ship Channel Expansion Project
A $1 billion project to expand the Houston Ship Channel kicked off with an official ceremony last week, leading the way for greater safely, efficiency and economic growth in one of America’s busiest waterways.Known locally as Project 11 because it is the eleventh major construction project of the waterway in its more than 100-year history, the Houston Ship Channel expansion will widen the channel by 170 feet along its Galveston Bay reach, from 530 feet to 700 feet. It will also deepen some upstream segments to 46.5 feet…
Great Lakes Reports $132.3 Million in Dredging Contracts
Houston-based dredging services provider Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has received several major dredging awards totaling $132.3 million.The awarded work includes:Coastal Storm Risk Management Rockaway Inlet Beach Fill Subcontract (Coastal Protection, New York, $37.2 million)South Atlantic Division Regional Harbor Dredging Project (Maintenance, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, $25.8 million)Avon Village Beach Nourishment and Buxton Renourishment Project (Coastal Protection…
Alt-fueled Workboats: Building the Business Case
There’s no energy shortage when it comes to projects promoting the viability of alternatively fueled marine vessels (alt-fueled vessels).Consider just a few examples:Crowley Maritime Corp will take delivery in 2023 of an electric tugboat, dubbed eWolf, built by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala.The Hydrogen One towboat, using methanol-to-hydrogen technology, is being developed by its owner Maritime Partners.Master Boat Builders and Robert Allan Ltd. announced last fall the creation of a new battery hybrid, the ElectRA 3000-H, designed for U.S.
DOF Subsea Secures Work for Skandi Acergy, Skandi Constructor Vessels
Norway-based offshore vessel owner DOF Subsea has secured a contract extension for the Skandi Acergy construction support vessel. It has also won a new contract in Trinidad and Tobago for the Skandi Constructor vessel.For the Skandi Acergy, DOF said Friday that "a key renewables client" had awarded an extension to an ongoing subsea construction contract in the North Sea."In direct continuation of the ongoing project, Skandi Acergy shall be further utilized up to 169 vessel days," DOF Subsea said, without sharing the identity of the client. According to MarineTraffic data, the vessel was recently en route to the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind farm site…
Supply Chain Shocks: Ocean Shipping Challenges Abound
Supply chain issues tied to liner shipping have been front page news throughout 2021; just about everyone agrees that there’s a problem. The underlying cause is right out of Economics 101: a surge in demand for moving containerized cargo, in the face of “inelastic” throughput capacity (which includes vessels and their landside interfaces to surface transportation, trucks and rail) that could not handle the swell, attributable to re-stocking of containerized cargo as economic activity recovered from the pandemic induced jolts.
Ørsted, ATP Picks Leading Contractors for Danish Energy Island Bid
Denmark-based offshore wind developer Ørsted and ATP, Denmark’s largest institutional investor, have teamed up to bring leading offshore construction specialists to Denmark to support their bid for the North Sea energy island.Back in February, Denmark approved the construction of the first of its kind wind energy hub in the North Sea that promises to produce yet unseen amounts of green electricity, in what has been described as the largest construction project in Danish history.The…
NAVFAC Awards $1.7B Drydock Construction Project
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) awarded a $1.7-billion construction project, an effort toexpand and reconfigure a dry dock complex at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Kittery, Maine, to increase the shipyard's capacity to maintain, modernize, and repair the Navy's attack submarines and return them to the fleet on time.The seven-year project, part of the Navy's comprehensive Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), will construct an addition to Dry Dock 1 within the existing flood basin area…
RFP: Electrical Integrators Sought for Skagit Count All-Electric Ferry
Skagit County Public Works and Seattle-based vessel designer Glosten are seeking proposals from electrical integrators to provide the vessel and shore electrical systems and the automated charging plug for the all-electric ferry design to replace the M/V Guemes.The Washington State Legislature recently passed SHB1502, providing authority for the county to select this equipment during the vessel’s contract design. The selected integrator will be required in the bid specifications…
Sailing Cargo Ship 'Ceiba' Comes to Life in the 'Jungle Shipyard'
Danielle Doggett, founder and CEO of SailCargo, updates the project to build Ceiba, a true sailing cargo ship taking shape in the jungles of Costa Rica.Danielle Doggett and her co-founders have been on a mission since 2014 to prove the viability of truly emission-free shipping courtesy of the construction of its $4.2m flagship Ceiba, a three masted sailing cargo vessel being built in Costa Rica.“The name Ceiba comes from a type of tree, also called the kapok or silk tree and it is recognized by the Mayan people as a spiritual tree that connects this world with the next…
Facing Maritime’s Challenges, S.M.C.'s Kozdron reasons “That's why we are here: Engineers.”
Based in Shanghai, Krzysztof Kozdron – or “KK” as he’s known to many of his Chinese colleagues, clients and friends – is the Managing Director of Schulte Marine Concept (S.M.C.). As S.M.C. passes a milestone in ship construction project management, Kozdron shares his insights on shipbuilding and repair activities throughout Asia.Starting in 1973 to today, Schulte Marine Concept has managed 600 ship construction, repair & conversion projects, starting with its own vessels and evolving into a company today that manages the majority of its projects for third-party clients.
Shipbuilding: Is there a different future for ship repair and conversion?
There is an old adage that states that a repair yard can economically build new ships, but a new construction yard should never touch ship repair jobs. In my experience there is a lot of truth to that statement, and it does not mean that new construction yards are run by less capable people; it simply means that ship construction and ship repair and conversion are fundamentally different business models. Ship construction uses a script, while ship repair and conversion is improvisation. I will not drive the theater comparison completely home, but it has some validity.
ABS Approves HHI's Design for Mexico-targeted FSO
Maritime and offshore classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) to South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries’design for a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel that is planned for operations in Mexican waters.The two-million-barrel cargo tank capacity design was reviewed for its compliance with the ABS Guide for Floating Production Installations.“As a leader in offshore classification, with a long track record of supporting industry innovations, ABS is delighted to add this project from HHI to that proud list.
Denmark to Build Giant Wind Energy Hub In the North Sea
Denmark has reached a deal on the construction of the first of its kind wind energy hub in the North Sea that promises to produce yet unseen amounts of green electricity, in what has been described as the largest construction project in Danish history.The energy hub - an artificial island - will serve as an offshore power plant gathering and distributing green electricity from hundreds of wind turbines surrounding the island directly to consumers in countries surrounding the North Sea.