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National Defense News

26 Feb 2024

Many Different Vessels but One Goal – Passenger Safety

© Olivier / Adobe Stock

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

22 Feb 2024

MARAD Designates More Centers of Excellence for Maritime Training

© angeldibilio / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the designation of 32 Centers of Excellence (COE) for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education. The designated COEs consist of 50 maritime training locations across 17 states and Guam. The designation recognizes and promotes support to post-secondary maritime training programs that prepare students for careers in the maritime industry.“Our country depends on a highly-skilled mariner workforce to strengthen both our economy and our national security,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

21 Feb 2024

ARC Keeps the Cargo Rolling

Flags on M/V ARC Defender.
Image courtesy ARC

With a fleet of nine U.S.-flag RoRo ships, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC), is the U.S.’ premier commercial RoRo carrier of U.S. government and military cargo. As the world becomes an increasingly contentious place, Eric P. Ebeling, President & CEO, ARC, discusses the vast capabilities of the ARC fleet and logistics network, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead for U.S.-flag ships in the international trade.By the numbers’ is a simplistic means to gauge the size and shape of any shipping company…

05 Feb 2024

ARC Adds Ninth US-flag RoRo Vessel to Its Fleet

(Photo: ARC)

American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. (ARC) added ARC Honor as the ninth American flag roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel to its fleet.“This tremendously capable and flexible U.S.-flag ship is crewed by American merchant mariners and now operates in ARC’s global network supporting America’s national defense and economic security through trade,” said Eric Ebeling, ARC President & CEO. The vessel is ARC’s fourth large car/truck carrier (LCTC) vessel.The former Tulane was re-flagged to American registry and re-named the ARC Honor on February 2, 2024.

18 Dec 2023

Ask What Your Government Can Do For Your Industry (A 2023 Retrospective)

© rrodrickbeiler / Adobe Stock

John F. Kennedy’s famous locution, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but you can do for your country” remains the rallying call for civic action and public leadership. The message remains foundational to the success of the United States, particularly as we head into an election year that once again appears to be filled with divisiveness and vitriol. That said, before we flip the calendar, it is important to set JFK’s message aside for a moment and reflect upon what our political leadership in Washington…

18 Dec 2023

Bollinger Delivers US Navy Berthing Barge

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

Last week, Bollinger Shipyards delivered the first Bollinger-built Auxiliary Personnel Lighter–Small (APL(S)) Class berthing and messing barge (APL 71) to the U.S. Navy. APL 71 is the fifth vessel of its class to be delivered to the Navy and the third to be homeported in Norfolk, Va.The previous four APLs were built and delivered by VT Halter Marine, which Bollinger acquired in late 2022. Halter received the initial contract in 2018.APLs are used by the Navy to house crewmembers when ships are in port for availabilities and Inter-Deployment Training Cycles.

06 Dec 2023

Fincantieri Marinette Marine Dedicates New Blast and Paint Facility

(Photo: Fincantieri Marine Group)

Fincantieri Marinette Marine dedicated its new blast and paint facility in Marinette, Wis. on December 5, 2023.Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers were present to help cut the ribbon on the new facility where shipbuilders will efficiently prepare and paint large portions of Constellation-class frigates prior to final construction. Fincantieri Marinette Marine is on contract to build the lead ship and three additional vessels, with additional options for six more frigates.The 25,000 sq.ft.

04 Dec 2023

Marine News' Top Vessels of 2023

Empire State (Photo: MARAD)

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

16 Nov 2023

Bollinger Delivers USCGC Melvin Bell to the US Coast Guard

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

Bollinger Shipyards on Thursday announced it has delivered the USCGC Melvin Bell to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 181st vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 55th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.“We’re incredibly proud to deliver the USCGC Melvin Bell, the final of six Fast Response Cutters to be homeported in Boston, the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Bollinger president and CEO, Ben Bordelon.

09 Nov 2023

US Shipbuilding: Policy and Progress

© Maxim Khalansky / Adobe Stock

When asked about the top issues facing shipbuilders, executives at the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) listed a number of topics and concerns. SCA is the only national trade association representing U.S. shipyards engaged in the building and repairing of military and other government and commercial vessels, and companies providing goods and services to the shipbuilding industry.Shutdowns have consequencesMatthew Paxton and Paula Zorensky are, respectively, SCA President and Vice President. Their top federal concern at the end of September? A U.S.

17 Oct 2023

US Bolsters Its Sealift and Tanker Support Fleets

The United States has bolstered its fleet of U.S.-flagged sustainment sealift vessels and product tankers to support the Department of Defense (DoD) during times of armed conflict or national emergency.The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) in recent months has been building up fleets of commercial vessels under its Maritime Security Program (MSP) and Tanker Security Program (TSP), and on Tuesday it announced full enrollment in each.The newly selected MSP vessels Liberty Power and Tulane operate under Liberty Global Logistics, LLC of Lake Success, N.Y. and American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc.'s (ARC) shipowning component Fidelio Limited Partnership of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., respectively.

25 Sep 2023

White House Appoints ARC CEO Eric Ebeling to King’s Point Board of Visitors

Eric P. Ebeling (Photo: ARC)

American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group Inc. (ARC) President and CEO Eric P. Ebeling was appointed by President Joe Biden to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s Board of Visitors.The Board of Visitors provides independent advice and recommendations concurrently to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Transportation, Congress, and Superintendent of the Academy on matters related to the state of morale and discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs…

20 Sep 2023

Captain McManus Preps to Take the Helm of Empire State VII

Photo courtesy Captain Morgan McManus

Captain Morgan McManus will serve as the Ship’s Master on the Empire State VII, the first in a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), which at press time was getting its post-sea trial finishing touches at Philly Shipyard. The project to design, build and deliver the NSMV series is one of the most exciting shipbuilding programs in the U.S. – a government shipbuilding project leveraging commercial shipbuilding efficiencies. For insights, we visited with Captain McManus to discuss the ship, it’s technology suite and its role in helping to educate a new generation of U.S.

17 Nov 2023

Capital Construction Funds: A New Opportunity For Vessel Financing On The Inland Waterways

© Carisa Mitchell / Adobe Stock

Recent changes have opened up the Capital Construction Fund program to owners and operators of vessels on the U.S. inland waterways.Among the programs offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to promote the growth and modernization of the U.S. maritime industry, the Capital Construction Fund (CCF) program is one that has remained largely unavailable to the owners and operators of vessels on the inland waterways—until now.Created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936…

14 Sep 2023

Wicker Urges Navy Nominee to Focus on Shipbuilding

© Joseph Creamer / Adobe Stock

Roger Wicker, a U.S. Senator from Mississippi, urged Acting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa M. Franchetti to focus on shipbuilding and the expansion of the nation's naval forces.Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Thursday led a full committee hearing examining the nomination of Franchetti to become the next Chief of Naval Operations.In his remarks, Wicker observed that China’s naval buildup and the United States’ shrinking Navy leave our…

13 Sep 2023

MARAD Taps CNA to Help Inform New National Maritime Strategy

(Photo: Bill Mesta / U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced it has selected the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) to conduct a study that will help the agency create its new national maritime strategy.CNA is an independent, nonprofit Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) sponsored by the Department of the Navy with expertise in researching sealift needs for national security.MARAD is required under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2023 to select an FFRDC to identify the key elements and objectives it needs to develop a U.S.

13 Sep 2023

US Coast Guard Calls for Comments on Duck Boat Rule

Source: NTSB / Brian Young

The US Coast Guard has issued an interim final rule on mandated requirements for DUKW amphibious passenger vessels and requested comments.The statutory mandate was enacted after the sinking of the Stretch Duck 7 on July 19, 2018, which resulted in the loss of 17 lives on Table Rock Lake, Missouri.More than seven hours prior to the accident, the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the area, followed by a severe thunderstorm warning a minute before the vessel departed the passenger boarding facility.

17 Aug 2023

NSMV: The Model for the Future of Government Shipbuilding

(Photo: Philly Shipyard)

At the time of publication, the first National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), the Empire State VII, is steadily advancing towards its final delivery to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and SUNY Maritime College. Let’s be clear—this is a huge win, not only for MARAD, its vessel construction manager TOTE Services, the shipbuilder Philly Shipyard, and SUNY Maritime, but for the future of government shipbuilding.To put this milestone in its appropriate context, it is worth reviewing how we got here.

10 Aug 2023

Bollinger Cuts Steel on Prototype Module for First Polar Security Cutter

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

Bollinger Shipyards this week announced it has begun cutting steel at Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. on the first of eight prototype modules that will become the foundation of the first U.S. Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter (PSC), USCGC Polar Sentinel (PSC-1)—the first heavy icebreaker to be built in the United States in 50 years. "Today marks a significant step for both Bollinger Shipyards and the United States,” said Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “After over 50 years, we're back to building heavy icebreakers.

04 Aug 2023

Two US Navy Sailors Arrested for Sharing Military Secrets with China

File photo: U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Essex (Photo: Mark Alvarez / U.S. Navy)

Two U.S. Navy sailors have been arrested on charges of handing over sensitive national security material to China, U.S. officials said Thursday.Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, was charged with conspiracy and bribetaking in connection with taking nearly $15,000 in exchange for photographs and videos of sensitive U.S. military information, the officials said. U.S. Navy sailor, Jinchao Wei, whose age was not disclosed, was charged with conspiring to send national defense information…

19 Jun 2023

Dredging: Keeping the Mississippi Open

(Photo: USACE)

“Not only does the top of the river move, but the bottom of the river also moves.” - James Bodron, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division, Regional Business Director.Dredging was the Herculean act that allowed much of the U.S. economy to keep chugging along as usual, at least for Midwest and Central states, as drought conditions threatened to shut down river traffic on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, during fall and winter 2022 and early 2023.The full scope of these U.S.

13 Jun 2023

US Marine Economy Worth $432 Billion in 2021

Credit: Douglas Croft

America’s marine economy contributed $432 billion in economic impact in 2021, making up nearly 2% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).That is according to the most recent statistics from the annual Marine Economy Satellite Account released by two Department of Commerce agencies —NOAA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The marine economy statistics include activities in the US ocean, coasts and major water bodies such as the Great Lakes, Puget Sound and Chesapeake Bay.From 2020 to 2021…

06 Jun 2023

US Coast Guard Cutter Maurice Jester Commissioned

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maurice Jester (WPC 1152) in Newport, R.I., June 2, 2023. (Photo: Lyric Jackson / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Maurice Jester (WPC-1152), was commissioned on Friday at Fort Adams State Park, R.I.Lt. Terry Netusil, assumed command of the cutter during a ceremony presided over by Vice Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander. The Maurice Jester is the third of six Fast Response Cutters that will be homeported in Boston, serving along the 1st Coast Guard District.Built by Bollinger Shipyards, the Sentinel-class fast response cutter (FRC) is designed for multiple missions…

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