Marine Link
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Kicks Off News

18 Mar 2024

First Tow Through Lock 2 Kicks Off Navigation Season on the Mississippi

The first tow of 2024 goes through Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minn., on March 17. (Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The first towboat of 2024 passed through Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minn. on Sunday, signaling the start of this year's navigation season on the Mississippi River.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' St. Paul District said it considers the first tow to arrive at Lock and Dam 2 as the unofficial start of the Mississippi River navigation season, because it means all of its locks are accessible to commercial and recreational vessels.On Sunday, Marquette Transportation Company's Joseph Patrick Eckstein traveled through the lock with 12 barges en route to St.

15 Feb 2024

BP Welcomes FLNG Gimi in West Africa

FLNG Gimi (Credit: BP)

The floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel Gimi, that is a core component of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) LNG project, has arrived at its destination on the Mauritania and Senegal maritime border.The FLNG vessel Gimi is at the heart of the GTA Phase 1 development, operated by BP with partners, Kosmos Energy, PETROSEN and SMH.GTA Phase 1 is set to produce around 2.3 million tonnes of LNG per year. The innovative project is expected to produce LNG for more than 20 years…

31 Jan 2024

Construction of CSOV for Taiwan’s Offshore Wind Market Kicks Off in Vietnam

TSS Cruiser CSOV (Credit: Damen)

The steel cutting ceremony for the new Construction Service Operation Vessel (CSOV), being built by Damen for Ta San Shang Marine (TSSM), a joint venture between Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Taiwan’s Ta Tong Marine, took place in Vietnam.The steel cutting ceremony for the CSOV was held on January 19, 2024 in Ha Long, just two months after the initial contract was signed.TSSM’s new CSOV will be named TSS Cruiser and will be delivered by Dutch shipbuilder Damen by late 2025.TSS Cruiser will be chartered to contractors supporting the offshore wind farms near the coast of Taiwan…

07 Jan 2024

War, Weather Put Ocean Shippers on Notice for Rough Seas in 2024

© Daniel / Adobe Stock

Recent hostilities in the Red Sea have thrown global shippers of vital goods for a loop - but it is hardly the only issue that big carriers are facing as 2024 kicks off.Giants like Maersk say the industry, which handles 90% of global trade, faces the possibility of significant disruptions, from ongoing wars to droughts affecting key routes like the Panama Canal. Complex vessel schedules are likely to be knocked out of sync for giant container ships, fuel tankers and other commodity haulers throughout the year.That will increase delays and raise costs for retailers like Walmart…

18 Oct 2023

Hanwha Ocean Eyes Submarine Exports to Canada, Philippines, Poland - official

Credit: show999/AdobeStock

South Korea's Hanwha Ocean has pitched offers to build submarines to Canada, the Philippines, and Poland, a company official said on Wednesday, as the country pushes to become one of the world's top four defense exporters.Canada is studying potential builders for new submarines and has expressed interest in Hanwha Ocean among other foreign rivals, Kim Seung-min, leader of Hanwha Ocean's naval and special ship overseas marketing team, told Reuters in an interview, without naming the competitors."We are now checking on our shoelaces at the start line before the race kicks off…

13 Sep 2023

Turbine Installation Kicks Off at U.S. First Commercial-scale Offshore Wind Farm

Credit: Avangrid

Avangrid, Inc., a U.S. offshore wind developer and part of the Spanish Iberdrola Group on Wednesday announced the start of the wind turbine installation campaign for Avangrid’s Vineyard Wind 1 project offshore Massachusetts, the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States. The installation campaign follows the transportation earlier this week of the first GE Haliade-X Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) from the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal to the wind energy development area more than 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.“Over the past year…

21 Aug 2023

Speaker Program fo 47th Annual Interferry Announced

From left: Mike Corrigan, Interferry, Anders Rundberg – Carus, Finland, Peter Ståhlberg – Wasaline, Finland, John Bertell – Carus, Finland, Alex Peirce – Brock Solutions, Canada, Travis Raines – Brock Solutions, Canada. Image courtesy Interferry.

The 47th Annual Interferry Conference takes place in Hobart, Tasmania on November 4-8, 2023. With focus on elevating the customer experience and sustainability, expert presentations will feature the latest trends in tourism, service automation and onboard entertainment, as well as ship construction and conversion trends, optimised operations, and safety measures.How global tourism trends have changed and will develop post COVID-19 are part of the keynote of Robert Dougan from Tourism Australia, who kicks off the conference on Day 1.

26 Jul 2023

In a First for the U.S., DEME Installs 3,000 Ton Offshore Substation for Vineyard Wind 1

DEME's Orion installation vessel (File image)  - Credit: DEME

Offshore installation firm DEME Offshore said Tuesday it had installed the approximately 3,000 ton offshore substation for the Vineyard Wind 1 project - the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States."The installation of the offshore substation, a first in the US, took place after months of preparation with collaboration and dedication of all partners involved in the construction of the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project, including skilled union labor from the Massachusetts Building Trades…

09 Jun 2023

Steel in the Water: Foundation Installation Kicks Off for First Commercial-scale U.S. Offshore Wind Farm

DEME's Orion installation vessel - Credit: Vineyard Wind

The installation of the first monopiles and transition pieces has kicked off for the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States - the Vineyard Wind 1.“We can finally say it – as of today, there is ‘steel in the water,’” said Klaus S. Moeller, CEO of Vineyard Wind, the company developing the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm, located in a federal wind energy area 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and 35 miles from mainland Massachusetts.Vineyard…

30 May 2023

Repsol Extends Energy Swan PSV Charter

Credit: Golden Energy Offshore Services

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Golden Energy Offshore Services AS (GEOS) has secured a contract extension with Repsol for its Enegy Swan platform supply vessel.The contract extension is in direct continuation of the current charter contract which started in 2021 when the large platform supplier was chartered. The extension kicks off in early July and will run until September 1, 2023.Repsol Norge will have an option to extend the charter further.The 2005-built Energy Swan vessel is of ST 216 design and is a large PSV / pipe carrier.

26 Apr 2023

UXO Survey Kicks Off Along Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Export Cable Route

Credit: Hydra Offshore Construction

U.S. offshore wind developer Dominion Energy is this week kicking off unexploded ordinance identification within the export cable corridor and the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) lease area located offshore of Virginia Beach, Virginia.The U.S. Coast Guard said in a notice to mariners that the UXO works would start on or about April 25, 2023, and run until Fall 2023.The UXO Identification work will begin with the mobilization of the M/V Subsea Responder I, followed shortly by the M/V Subsea Responder II.

14 Apr 2023

Northern Lights Carbon Storage Project Advances as Construction of Specialized Ships Kicks Off

©Northern Lights

Construction of two ships for the Northern Lights carbon storage project in Norway started Thursday with a keel laying ceremony at the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC) yard in Dalian, China.Keel laying is a ceremonial recognition of the shipbuilding start in the construction dock at the shipyard. First steel for the ships was cut in November 2022."The keel laying is a major milestone in building the world’s first large-scale LCO2 transport ships. In 2024, the ships will be launched from the dock at the shipyard in China and will sail to the Northern Lights facilities in Norway…

06 Apr 2023

Ammonia Bunkering Study Kicks Off in Savannah

© feisty / Adobe Stock

An international group of maritime industry partners are conducting a feasibility study with the aim to establish a commercially viable green ammonia ship-to-ship (STS) bunkering network on the U.S. East Coast.The study, to be carried out at the Port of Savannah in Georgia, will cover the entire end-to-end supply chain of ammonia bunkering, which includes the development of a cost-effective green ammonia supply chain, the design of an ammonia bunkering articulated tug-barge (ATB)…

29 Dec 2022

Operation Coal Shovel: US Coast Guard Kicks Off Great Lakes Icebreking

USCG Cutter Neah Bay assisted the M/V James R. Barker (carrying 54,000 tons of taconite) stuck in Detroit East Outer Channel on Wednesday. The Barker and three vessels in the convoy were moving again carrying a total of 99,000 tons of taconite and over 19,000 tons of sand. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday commenced Operation Coal Shovel, a domestic icebreaking operation to maintain commercial vessel traffic from southern Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair, to the St. Clair / Detroit River system, and into Lake Erie and Lake Ontario including the St. Lawrence Seaway.U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers work together in these waterways as conditions worsen throughout the winter to ensure the ability to conduct search-and-rescue, exigent community service, and the facilitation of navigation to meet the reasonable demands of commerce.Both the U.S.

23 Nov 2022

US Kicks Off Unmanned & AI Systems Integration Event in Bahrain

Various unmanned systems sit on display in Manama, Bahrain, Nov. 19, prior to exercise Digital Horizon 2022. (Photo: Brandon Murphy / U.S. Army)

U.S. 5th Fleet began a three-week unmanned and artificial intelligence integration event in Bahrain, Nov. 23, that will involve employing new platforms in the region for the first time.The event, called Digital Horizon, will advance the command’s efforts to integrate new unmanned technologies while establishing the world’s first unmanned surface vessel fleet by end of next summer. U.S. 5th Fleet’s efforts are focused on improving what U.S. and regional navies are able to see above, on and below the water.“I am excited about the direction we are headed,” said Vice Adm.

07 Nov 2022

US Offshore Wind Update: New Construction Kicks Off

© Fokke Baarssen / Adobe Stock

October saw the first offshore construction activity for a commercial scale U.S. offshore wind farm. Two cable layers have commenced the laying of Vineyard Wind’s export cable. This important milestone was also accompanied by complaints around the deployment of foreign flag workboats to support the cable layers. At the same time, South Fork wind farm has deployed Jones Act compliant vessels to prepare the offshore construction areas for cable laying and foundation installation. These two projects bring into focus the ongoing opportunities and challenges of the U.S.

03 Nov 2022

Cable Installation Kicks Off at U.S. First Commercial Scale Offshore Wind Farm

©Vineyard Wind

Cable installation has kicked off at Vineyard Wind, the U.S. first commercial scale offshore wind farm, at a site located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Vineyard Wind, the company developing the namesake wind farm, also announced that it expects to begin nearshore cable work off the south coast of Cape Cod in the coming days. The work is being conducted by Prysmian Group, the subsea cable manufacturing and installation firm based in Italy.Prysmian recently announced plans to build the first U.S.-based offshore wind subsea cable factory in Somerset…

29 Jun 2022

Disney Unveils First New Cruise Ship in a Decade

(Photo: Disney)

Chief Executive Bob Chapek introduced Walt Disney Co's first new cruise ship in a decade on Wednesday, the culmination of the first project the former theme parks executive championed to the company's board of directors.The launch of the 4,000-passenger Disney Wish is a bright spot for Chapek, who became Disney's CEO in February 2020 and secured a three-year contract extension on Tuesday following recent controversies that prompted questions about his tenure.It took more than six years to bring the 144…

13 Jun 2022

Argentinian Polar Icebreaker Project Kicks Off

Signing of the meeting minutes at the project kickoff meeting at Tandanor Shipyard in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From left: Miguel Tudino, President, Tandanor Shipyard and Lars Snellman, Project Manager, Aker Arctic. (Photo: Aker Arctic)

Finnish engineering firm Aker Arctic announced it has signed a deal with Argentinian shipbuilder Tandanor Shipyard to finalize the basic engineering design of a new polar vessel for Argentina. The project officially kicked off in Buenos Aires in May 2022.Aker Arctic had developed the concept design in 2014, but the project was shelved while awaiting the most appropriate way to follow on into the shipbuilding phase.Recently, the Argentinian government made the decision to upgrade Tandanor Shipyard’s facilities in order to build the polar vessel domestically.

23 Mar 2022

St. Lawrence Seaway Kicks Off 2022 Navigation Season

© Joe / Adobe Stock

The St. Lawrence Seaway kicked off its 2022 navigation season on Tuesday, with international freighters able to arrive at the Montreal – Lake Ontario section of the binational St. Lawrence Seaway.“We’re thrilled to start the 2022 navigation season,” said Craig Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. “This year we’re confident that the St. Lawrence Seaway will continue to be a major driver of economic development while offering…

15 Feb 2022

Russia Kicks Off Naval Drills in the Barents Sea

(Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense)

Some 20 ships from Russia's Northern fleet have commence naval drills in the Barents Sea, Russia's Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday.The "planned" exercise in the Arctic waters between Russia and Norway includes surface ships, submarines, boats and fleet support vessels, as well as more than 10 Russian aircraft. The ships will fire at sea and air targets using artillery, anti-submarine weapons and electronic warfare equipment.The exercises are the latest a string on Russian naval drills performed recently amid fears that Russia may invade Ukraine.

02 Dec 2021

Icebreaking Season Kicks Off in the Bay of Bothnia

(Photo: Arctia)

Arctia’s icebreaker Otso is set to commence this winter's icebreaking season in Finland as the first icebreaker to depart from the Katajanokka base in Helsinki on December 3.The vessel will provide icebreaking assistance in the waters of Tornio, Kemi and Oulu in the Bay of Bothnia where it is scheduled to arrive on December 5, just in time for a forecasted spell of intense cold weather expected to accelerate ice formation in the northern Bay of Bothnia. Consequently, the icebreaking…

02 Sep 2021

American Cruise Lines' New Ship Kicks Off Inaugural Season

(Photo: American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines' new river cruise ship American Melody is ready to kick off its inaugural season on Friday along the line’s longest Mississippi River cruise.The 22-day complete Mississippi River cruise had originally been scheduled to operate from New Orleans, La., to St. Paul, Minn., but due to Hurricane Ida, guests will embark in Natchez, Miss.Through the end of December 2021, American Melody will also operate eight-day Upper Mississippi River cruises between St. Louis, Mo., and St.

Subscribe for
Maritime Reporter E-News

Maritime Reporter E-News is the maritime industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email five times per week