Ro Vessels

Matson to Convert Containership

Matson Navigation Company, Inc. (Matson) has begun the first conversion of one of its C-9 containerships, MV Mokihana, to a combination roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) and container vessel to further strengthen its Hawaii service capabilities. With the conversion, the vessel will have ro-ro and container capacity comparable to two vessels in Matson's service today, the dedicated ro-ro vessel Great Land and the containership S.S. Lihue. The new garage will have the capacity to carry 1,350 vehicles. The plan is part of a multi-phase program that began in 2003 and is designed to provide Matson's auto customers with the two service features they prefer: frequency of service and ro-ro capacity. The total cost for this phase of the project, which includes construction of the garage, expansion of the company's interisland barge capacity, shoreside facility improvements and investments in new information technology for auto shipments, is estimated to be $45 million, with completion by mid-2007. Matson is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. of Honolulu The converted ship will join Matson's two other combination ro-ro/containerships in the company's Hawaii service in 2007. The Mokihana is one of three C-9s in Matson's Hawaii fleet. Matson's previously stated long-term strategy is to continue to add state-of-the-art ro-ro capacity to meet the Hawaii auto market's demands

Hual Europe Grounded in Tokyo Bay

Hual Europe, a Ro/Ro vessel built in 2000, was grounded today by the island O-shima in Tokyo Bay. The reason for the grounding is not yet known. The vessel loaded cars in Yokohama, but was instructed to leave the port due to strong winds (typhoon) in the area. The vessel has a crew of 24, of which one is reported to be slightly injured. The situation for the vessel is critical and with some oil spill reported from the vessel.

Leif Höegh Records Strong First Quarter

Operating profit before sales gain and depreciation for Leif Höegh & Co. Limited (LHC) for the first quarter showed a significant improvement compared to first quarter of last year. HUAL experienced a strong first quarter. The car carrier market continues to be very tight, with all operators experiencing space pressure. The strong cargo availability out of the Far East continued. In February another large PCTC newbuilding on long term charter was delivered

WESMAR’s Commercial Bow Thrusters Part of Huge Australian LNG Project

WESMAR has shipped six of its large commercial bow thrusters for installation on three, 80-meter Ropax (Ro-Ro) vessels that will be working on a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project of historic proportion in Australia. The vessels are part of the Curtis Island LNG project and will be working off Gladstone near Curtis Island. The order is from Ultimate Marine Power, WESMAR’s dealer along the Australian East Coast

Vessel Traffic Up at Los Angeles/Long Beach

The Marine Exchange of Southern California, a nonprofit trade organization that has monitored and recorded all vessel traffic statistics for the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach since 1923, has reported an overall increase in arrivals for commercial vessels calling into the LA/LB Harbor complex during 2003. Last year, reporting on the vessel traffic statistics for 2002, the Marine Exchange had recorded 5

Roggenbeck Appointed Director of ATB Operations for Marine Transport

Marine Transport Corporation announced that David Roggenbeck has been appointed Director of ATB operations effective February 1. Marine Transport, based in Weehawken, NJ, is a subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corporation and part of its oil and chemical distribution and transportation services segment. In his new position, Roggenbeck will oversee all articulated tug-barge (ATB) operations from Marine Transport's Long Beach, Calif.,

SMIT Salvage team evacuated from Jolly Rubino

This morning a team of 16 salvage personnel boarded the 'Jolly Rubino' and pumping operations in the engine room continued. The water, rather than being pumped overboard, is being used to cool the engine room bulkhead as the onboard fire is still encroaching on this area. Working conditions in the engine room continue to be extremely difficult with excessive heat, poor visibility and intense smoke hindering progress

Sea Trials Prove SEEMP NAPA Software Does Save Fuel

Electronic SEEMP solution from NAPA proves almost 6% annual reduction in fuel consumption for a 2860 lane meter Bore RoFlex vessel, In advance of International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) ship energy efficiency management plan (SEEMP) legislation becoming mandatory from January 2013, Finnish shipping company Bore has announced the results of its trial of electronic SEEMP software, which has verified a 5.8% reduction in fuel consumption.

Black Sea Terminal Operator Continues Development Program

NUTEP, a container terminal operator in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, completed the latest phase of its ambitious port development program  with the upgrade of its railway facilities there. The company has removed the original rail lines, constructed a new yard at the rear of the terminal and increased overall block-train capacity at the terminal to 30 trains – about 112 TEU each – a month.  

Crowley Presents Scholarships at the Connie Awards

Four exemplary United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) midshipmen were recently honored with Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships, grants which will help support their senior year at the academy. Crowley Marine Recruiter Jenny Terpenning presented Cadets Joshua Beck, William Courtney, Michael Pluhowski and Kevan Stoeckler with the scholarships during the 2012 Containerization and Intermodal Institute (Connie Awards) lunch held Monday in Newark, N.J