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West Virginia News

16 Aug 2023

MARAD Designates Two New Marine Highway Routes

(Photo: Eric Haun)

Two new routes have been designated under the U.S. Marine Highway Program (MHP), U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced this week during a visit to Alaska.The newly designated M-11 in Alaska will add over 6,500 miles to the marine highway system, and the M-79 route extends the reach of the Ohio River system by nearly 250 miles in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. These designations allow any eligible applicant on these routes to apply for future U.S. Marine Highway Program grants…

05 Apr 2023

Silver Ships Delivers Workboat to USACE Pittsburgh District

(Photo: Silver Ships)

Theodore, Ala. aluminum boatbuilder Silver Ships recently delivered an Explorer 40 workboat to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pittsburgh District for use on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers.The second of three Explorer 40 series workboats ordered by USACE Pittsburgh District, the 40-foot workboat will support the Corps’ mission of improving navigable waterways and water infrastructure.The custom-built 40-foot vessel is powered by Twin 350HP Suzuki outboard motors that give the vessel enhanced maneuvering capabilities for working in tight spaces.

21 Sep 2022

US Plans to Hold Cook Inlet Drilling Auction in December

© Photos by E Benz / Adobe Stock

The Biden administration on Wednesday revealed plans to hold an auction of oil and gas drilling rights for up to 1 million acres in the Cook Inlet off the coast of Alaska in December.The sale is among the concessions to the oil and gas sector included in U.S. President Joe Biden's new climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).Biden paused drilling auctions on federal lands and waters shortly after taking office as part of an agenda to fight climate change. But Senator Joe Manchin…

14 Sep 2022

Biden Administration Reinstates Bids From 2021 Gulf of Mexico Oil Auction

© Troy V Smith / Adobe Stock

The Biden administration on Wednesday said it had reinstated bids from a November 2021 Gulf of Mexico sale of offshore oil and gas drilling rights, a requirement buried in U.S. President Joe Biden’s new climate change and drug pricing law.The move comes after a federal judge in January vacated the sale’s results, saying the administration had failed to properly account for the auction’s impact on global warming.The Inflation Reduction act, which President Joe Biden signed into law last month…

01 Aug 2022

US Senate Bill Could be Death Blow for Biden Anti-drilling Pledge

© Leo / Adobe Stock

U.S. President Joe Biden vowed during his 2020 election campaign to end federal oil and gas drilling as a major step in his strategy to fight climate change.The U.S. Senate Democrats' $430 billion spending bill agreed this week could kill that pledge. If it passes, it would effectively guarantee continued drilling rights auctions on federal lands and waters for at least another decade.Still, with Congress set to begin a summer recess by the end of next week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer faces a tricky road to quick passage for the bill…

03 Mar 2022

Chouest Begins Building First Jones Act SOV

(Image: Ørsted)

Physical activity to construct America's first Jones Act-qualified wind farm service operations vessel (SOV) has kicked off on the U.S. Gulf Coast.The vessel, Eco Edison, is being built at Edison Chouest Offshore shipyards in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida for planned delivery in 2024. Once complete, the vessel will immediately provide operational support out of Port Jefferson, New York for Ørsted and Eversource’s joint venture offshore wind portfolio, which includes South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind.

15 Nov 2021

Biden Signs $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill into Law

(Photo: White House)

President Joe Biden signed into law a $1 trillion infrastructure bill at a White House ceremony on Monday that drew Democrats and Republicans who pushed the legislation through a deeply divided U.S. Congress.The measure is designed to create jobs across the country by dispersing billions of dollars to state and local governments to fix crumbling bridges and roads, and expanding broadband internet access to millions of Americans.The bill-signing ceremony, held in chilly weather on the White House South Lawn to accommodate a big crowd…

04 Nov 2021

Suspect Charged After Explosives Found on Ohio River Towboats

Nathaniel Blayn Becker (Photo: South Central Regional Jail)

An Ohio man has been arrested on federal charges after suspected explosive devices were found on Ohio River towboats, authorities said.Nathaniel Blayn Becker, of Marietta, Ohio, was charged on October 28 in a federal criminal complaint with possession of one or more unregistered destructive devices.Forty-two-year-old Becker is accused of purchasing pipes and other components that formed suspected destructive devices recovered by law enforcement officers from two different tugboats on the Ohio River on October 21 and October 25, 2021.

11 Oct 2021

US Navy Engineer, Wife Charged with Selling Submarine Secrets

(File photo: U.S. Navy)

A U.S. Navy nuclear engineer and his wife have been charged with selling secret information about nuclear submarines to an undercover FBI agent who posed as an operative for a foreign country, the Justice Department said on Sunday.Jonathan Toebbe and his wife, Diana, were arrested on Saturday in West Virginia and charged with violating the Atomic Energy Act, the Justice Department said in a statement. They are scheduled to appear in a West Virginia federal court on Tuesday.Toebbe…

25 Aug 2021

Video: First Steel Cut for Aircraft Carrier Doris Miller

(Photo: HII)

A steel cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday for the U.S. Navy’s newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Doris Miller (CVN 81).Slated to be the fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, CVN 81 is currently under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard in Newport News, Va. Doris Miller’s keel is scheduled to be laid in 2026 and delivered to the Navy in 2032.Doris Miller is the second ship of the two-carrier contract award HII received in January 2019 for the detail design and construction of the Gerald R.

27 Jul 2021

Lebak Becomes Head of Huntington Ingalls Industries' N3B Joint Venture

Kimberly Lebak of its Technical Solutions division has been named president and general manager of HII Nuclear-led joint venture Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos (N3B)

Huntington Ingalls Industries, the U.S. largest military shipbuilding company, said Tuesday that Kimberly Lebak of its Technical Solutions division has been named president and general manager of HII Nuclear-led joint venture Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos (N3B).As president and general manager of N3B, Lebak is responsible for managing the 10-year, $1.4 billion Los Alamos legacy cleanup contract for the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management’s Los Alamos Field Office."Kim is well known from her numerous senior executive contributions in government…

16 Jun 2021

U.S. Judge Orders Resumption in Federal Drilling Auctions

Credit: A drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico - Credit:flyingrussian/AdobeStock

A federal judge in Louisiana on Tuesday blocked the Biden administration's pause on oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters, dealing a setback to a key White House effort to address climate change.The order granted a preliminary injunction to Louisiana and 12 other states that sued Democratic President Joe Biden and the Interior Department over the freeze on new drilling auctions. Louisiana is a major hub for offshore oil and gas production.Biden paused the government's leasing auctions in January pending a review that is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

11 May 2021

US Considering Jones Act Waivers Amid Colonial Pipeline Shutdown

© nevskyphoto / Adobe Stock

The Transportation Department said on Tuesday it was evaluating whether a temporary waiver of the Jones Act is needed to ensure sufficient gasoline supply to some U.S. states after the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline."The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has started the work needed to enable consideration of a temporary and targeted waiver of the Jones Act," the department said. The Jones Act requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by ships built domestically and staffed by U.S.

22 Apr 2021

Enabling America’s Offshore Renewable Energy Opportunity

© Fokke / Adobe Stock

Offshore wind (OSW) energy is a new focus for the U.S. under President Biden, who highlighted it in his January 27, 2021 Executive Order on climate. Since then, there have been several new supporting developments:Rulings by the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP);Announcement that workers in Alabama and West Virginia are supplying 10,000 tons of domestic steel for use at a Texas shipyard where Dominion Energy is building the nation’s first Jones Act compliant wind turbine installation vessel;U.S.

24 Mar 2021

Fourteen US States Sue Biden Administration Over Oil and Gas Leasing Pause

© Scott Bufkin / Adobe Stock

Fourteen U.S. states including Louisiana and Wyoming filed suits on Wednesday against President Joe Biden's administration to challenge his pause on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters.The legal actions, which seek to restore regular federal drilling auctions, come a day before the administration is set to launch a review of the oil and gas leasing program.Biden, a Democrat, in January signed an executive order putting on hold new leasing pending that review. During his election campaign…

17 Mar 2021

Kongsberg to Deliver $40M Tech Package for First Jones-act WTIV

Dominion Energy’s new Wind Turbine Installation Vessel, due for delivery by the end of 2023, will be built by Keppel AmFELS and fitted with Kongsberg Maritime’s field-proven integrated solution for WTIV operation - Credit: Kongsberg Maritime

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has secured a $40 million contract to supply an integrated technology solution for the first U.S.-built wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) - the Charybdis.The vessel, being built at Keppel AmFELS shipyard in the U.S., is being constructed for US energy company Dominion Energy. The vessel is expected to be delivered by the end of 2023 and will be among the largest of its kind.The new WTIV will be able to transport and install several sets of next-generation wind turbines and their foundations.

17 Dec 2020

Keppel AmFELS Lays Keel for First Jones Act WTIV

(Image: Dominion Energy)

Shipbuilder Keppel AmFELS has laid the keel for the first ever Jones Act compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) at its shipyard in Brownsville, Texas, marking a key milestone for the development of the U.S. offshore wind industry.With several gigawatts of offshore wind capacity to be installed along the U.S. East Coast in the next decade, access to Jones Act compliant WTIVs is of strategic importance to the U.S. offshore wind market. Currently no such vessel exists. Dominion Energy contracted with Keppel AmFELS, a wholly-owned U.S.

06 Oct 2020

Scania USA Taps Laborde Products as Gulf Coast and Inland Distributor

(Photo: Scania USA)

Engine manufacturer Scania USA said it has appointed Laborde Products as its new distributor for Scania Marine products for the Gulf Coast and inland waterways regions, effective November 1.The Covington, La. headquartered engine and power systems distributor will take on sales, service and dealer development for Scania marine engines, ranging from 220 to 1,150 horsepower, for Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Southern Ohio…

02 Apr 2020

Laborde Products Named East Coast Distributor for Mitsubishi Marine

Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine America has named Laborde Products the new distributor for the East Coast of the United States for Mitsubishi Marine Engines. Laborde Products is currently the distributor for Gulf Coast, Inland Rivers and Great Lakes regions for Mitsubishi Marine Engines.Already a Mitsubishi Marine Engines distributor for Gulf Coast, Inland Rivers and Great Lakes regions, Laborde Products has more than 20 years of experience developing the brand in the U.S. and has put more than 1100 Mitsubishi engines in service throughout this time.Mitsubishi Heavy-Duty Marine Engines are simple, mechanically controlled engines that meet U.S.

09 Mar 2020

USS Hershel 'Woody' Williams Commissioned

The Military Sealift Command expeditionary sea base USNS Hershel 'Woody' Williams (ESB 4) at anchor in the Chesapeake Bay in September 2019 during mine countermeasure equipment testing. (U.S. Navy photo by Bill Mesta)

The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Expeditionary Sea Base, USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4), during a ceremony Saturday, March 7, in Norfolk, Va.USS Hershel “Woody” Williams is optimized to support a variety of maritime-based missions and designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging support, and command and control assets. ESBs can be enhanced to meet special operations force missions through increased communications, aviation and unmanned aircraft system support.Built by General Dynamics NASSCO…

18 Sep 2019

Crowley Awards Scholarships to Four Cal Maritime Students

Photo courtesy of Crowley Maritime

Crowley Maritime Corp. awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships to four California State University Maritime Academy (CMA) cadets at the Containerization and Intermodal Institute’s Connie Awards last night in Long Beach, Calif.The recipients earned the scholarships based on their academic achievement, financial need and their interest in pursuing careers at sea.Spencer Hoffman, a third-year student from Loomis, Calif., is currently a junior studying marine transportation. He serves as a cadet ambassador for the academy.

29 Jul 2019

USCG Seeking SME's for Working Groups

File Image / USCG's Anthony Soto

The National Maritime Center is still seeking participants for the three remaining merchant mariner examination working group meetings in 2019.Deck working group – September 10-12Engine working group – October 22-24Deck working group – December 3-5Examination reviews are currently scheduled to take place at the National Maritime Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. However, dates and locations may change based on the number of attendees.Section 315 of the 2015 Coast Guard Authorization…

13 May 2019

St. Louis Ports, Terminals Tops in Efficiency

Image: St. Louis Regional Freightway.

Now Capture 39 Percent of the Upper Mississippi River Barge Traffic; new data highlights concentration of river terminals, resulting in greater efficiencies and lower costs.The latest data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reveals the St. Louis Regional Ports held onto the top ranking as the most efficient inland port district* in the nation in terms of tons moved per river mile during 2017, the most recent year for which final numbers are available. The St. Louis region’s barge industry handled 472,400 tons per mile.