Atlantic Marine News

The EnerGeo Alliance has sent a letter to New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy and Assemblyman Christopher Tully, Chairman of the state’s Committee on Science, Innovation and Technology in advance of the Assembly’s hearing on marine mammal deaths scheduled for Thursday May 18, 2023.There have been at least 11 whales that have washed up dead along New Jersey's coastline since December 5, prompting concern that they are related to offshore wind development in the region.The Alliance…

Marine Highways Gain Traction in the Intermodal Supply Chain.In the United States, landside infrastructure is at a crisis point. Congestion at the big hub ports, exacerbated by imperfect intermodal interfaces with surface transport serving cargo hinterlands is at the heart of the matter. As politicians bicker over a possible infrastructure package, the Highway Trust Fund, funded by taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, has continued its downward journey towards further deficits (now $144 billion). And, where countless U.S.

Marine Travelift has announced it is expanding its operation with the addition of Marine Travelift Mid-Atlantic. Marine Travelift Mid-Atlantic is located in Ashland, Virginia, and now offers boat handling equipment support from New Jersey to South Carolina.“The goal of this expansion is to provide our customers in the Mid-Atlantic area with the best possible access to Marine Travelift equipment locally. This includes genuine OEM parts and high-quality service with factory support,” said Erich Pfeifer, Marine Travelift President & CEO.Craig Lewis, Sales Manager at Marine Travelift Mid-Atlantic, has 16 years’ experience with Marine Travelift machines and will lead the company’s sales team.Kim Edds…

Grand Bahama Shipyard Limited (GBSL), a Caribbean shipyard providing retrofit, refurbishment and revitalization to cruise and commercial vessels, has added four new positions to its executive team in 2016. Taking up the new executive positions are Ian Edward Ross, Don Keirce, Charles Nugent and Adrian Baboi. Ian Edward Ross joined GBSL July 2016 as VP of HSSEQ, bringing with him over 25 years’ practical experience delivering strategic and operational support to major organizations in the oil and gas, power generation and heavy construction and fabrication industries.

Purpose-built oceanographic research and survey vessel New Horizon has been sold from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography to private interests, announced ship broker Marcon International, Inc. New Horizon will continue to work under her new ownership as a U.S. flag research and survey vessel. The 170' loa x 36' beam x 15' depth / 12.76' draft New Horizon was specially built as a dedicated oceanographic research ship for Scripps, whose research vessels and research platform make up one of the largest academic fleets in the world.

VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VTHM), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), announced a change of senior leadership. After more than 46 years in the shipbuilding business, including nearly two decades at VT Halter Marine, President and CEO Bill Skinner has announced his retirement. Skinner previously served as President, CEO and Director of ADDSCO Industries (1985-1989), the parent company of Alabama Maritime Corporation, where he also served as President (1982-1984) and as President of Alabama Shipyard, Inc. (1989-1997) following its acquisition by Atlantic Marine.

Rajaish Bajpaee will hand over CEO responsibility of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) to his current deputy, Capt. Norbert Aschmann, through planned succession at the end of December 2014 after more than 27 at the Schulte Group. Bajpaee will then take up the position of Chairman in a nonexecutive capacity, with effect from January 1, 2015, where he will support the continued success of BSM. Bajpaee joined the Eurasia Group of Companies in 1987, commencing as Deputy General Manager before being promoted to the position of President & CEO.

One of the most pressing problems for the bulk shipping industry is the safe carriage of nickel ore. The increasing demand for this commodity is fuelled by China’s thirst for nickel ore as it is the principal alloy component for stainless steel. Chinese nickel ore imports have spiraled from nearly 5m metric tons (mt) in 2006 to near 50m mt in 2011. The bulk of these imports come from Indonesia, with the Philippines now running very close behind. But this fast-expanding trade has been marred by the heavy price paid in terms of lives and vessels lost. In August, the 2012-built Trans Summer sank off Hong Kong, but all 21 crew were saved by rescue helicopters. All these vessels were carrying nickel ore from Indonesia to China.

Atlantic Marine Associates Inc. (AMA) a member of the Eagle Ocean Group appoints John S. Poulson to head the new service. Trading as AMA Consulting Services, the new entity is led by John S. Poulson, latterly president of GL Noble Denton, New York, and a leading expert in the marine engineering, survey, loss prevention and consultancy fields. AMA Consulting Services’ principal activity is carrying out independent surveys, investigations, advisory and other consultancy work for a broad maritime clientele…

Shipowners Claims Bureau Inc., American P&I Club managers, make appointments in underwriting and survey, & technical departments. Colin Snell has been recruited to SCB’s underwriting department to support the club’s European and North American business. An English lawyer by training, Colin has extensive experience in P&I, having earlier occupied senior positions with other major International Group P&I Clubs in London and New York. As vice president, working closely with Stuart Todd and his colleagues…

Famed for Finding Oil Deposits on the Seafloor after the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Accident, the Invaluable Seagoing Laboratory is up for Sale. Meticulously tended to by a professional crew, and certified for another decade of exploration, the research vessel (R/V) Cape Hatteras has a lot of life left in her. That service may, however, take place in new seas now that the craft is being retired and sold by the Duke - University of North Carolina Oceanographic Consortium (DUNCOC). Constructed for The National Science Foundation in 1981 by Atlantic Marine Ship Builders, the 135-foot craft has been operated and meticulously maintained for 31 years by DUNCOC, and berthed at Duke University Marine Laboratory (DUML) on Pivers Island in Beaufort, North Carolina.

Bill Clifford, president of Norfolk-based BAE Systems Ship Repair, has received the prestigious Frank C. Jones Award, presented by the American Society of Naval Engineers. Clifford was honored by his peers today at the annual Fleet Maintenance and Modernization Symposium held in Virginia Beach. The annual award recognizes leaders in naval engineering who have substantially and significantly contributed to ship maintenance and alteration programs for naval vessels. Prior to joining BAE Systems…

How did you come to your current position? Clifford    I currently serve as the president of BAE Systems Ship Repair and have been in this position since 2008. In this role, I lead our six full service shipyards and our 5,000 highly skilled employees. Prior to assuming my current role, I was the vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair. Before joining BAE Systems, I spent more than 20 years in the private sector serving in senior management positions at several shipyards.

In a bid to inform small and medium sized companies to tap into Atlantic Canada's $33-billion naval fleet renewal, the Government has launched the Atlantic Shipbuilding Action Plan, a long-term strategy that will facilitate the integration of Atlantic Canadian enterprises, including the construction of the Navy’s combat vessels by Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Plan will evolve as necessary to ensure it continues to address the ongoing needs of small and medium-sized enterprises in Atlantic Canada and their requirement for skilled workers. It will require a close collaboration with all four Atlantic provincial governments…

Emerald Atlantis Limited (EA) and TE SubCom,  a TE Connectivity Ltd. company, have announced the finalization of an Instruction to Proceed (ITP) to build the Emerald Express Trans-Atlantic Cable System. The first phase will provide both low-latency and ultra-high bandwidth capacity between the US, Canada, UK and Iceland, requiring 5,200km of advanced submarine fibre optic cable. To achieve the desired ultra-high capacity rates, Emerald Express has been designed to support 100x100Gbs on each of its six fibre pairs. The trans-Atlantic marine cable route survey between UK and Canada commences in early August and the Emerald Express system will enter service in late 2012.

The Maritime Administration today announced the approval of a $210.9 million Title XI loan guarantee supporting the recent construction of two articulated tug-barge units that are currently in service on Delaware Bay.   Construction of the barge units involved five American shipyards, including Bender Shipbuilding & Repair, Inc., in Mobile, Alabama, and Tampa, Florida; VT Halter Marine; Atlantic Marine; Tampa Ship; and International Ship Repair.  The federal loan guarantee is for OSG Delaware Lightering, LLC, a subsidiary of Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc.  MARAD’s Title XI program promotes the growth and modernization of America’s merchant marine industry while enabling owners of eligible vessels or eligible shipyards to obtain suitable long-term financing.

Mid Ocean Tanker Company, a joint venture of private equity firm Alterna Capital Partners and Mid Ocean Marine, has contracted with BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards in Mobile, Ala. for work required to launch MOTC’s 49,000dwt US Flag/Jones Act product-chemical tanker MV American Phoenix. MOTC acquired the vessel from the estate of American Heavy Lift in February of this year, and intends to complete it for service in US coastwise trade by late 2011 or early 2012. MOTC has worked closely with BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards…

Resolve Marine Group announced that the Resolve Pioneer, the company’s flagship, has been stationed in Key West, Fla. The Resolve Pioneer AHTS, a multi-service vessel with ice class hull and 80-ton bollard pull, is stationed in Key West for an indefinite period -- for emergency response and salvage standby for tanker and other commercial vessel casualties in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the U.S. east coast. The Pioneer had recently been deployed to support skimming operations throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GOM)…

RESOLVE Marine Group reports that its vessel RESOLVE Pioneer, the company’s flagship, has been stationed in Key West, Fla. Resolve Pioneer is an AHTS, a multi-service vessel with ice class hull and 80-ton bollard pull, stationed in Key West for an indefinite period -- for emergency response and salvage standby for tanker and other commercial vessel casualties in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the U.S. east coast. The Pioneer had recently been deployed to support skimming operations throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GOM)…

J.F. Lehman & Company completed the sale of Atlantic Marine Holding Company to a subsidiary of BAE Systems, Inc. Atlantic Marine is a provider of vessel maintenance, repair, overhaul and conversion (“MROC”) as well as marine fabrication services to government and commercial maritime customers. The company has operations in Mobile, AL, Jacksonville and Mayport, FL and Moss Point, MS. JFL has retained the company’s MROC operations in Boston, MA and Philadelphia, PA and a parcel of real estate in Mobile. The sale price was approximately $352 million, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. An investment affiliate of JFL acquired the business in August 2006. Tig H. J.P.

BAE Systems entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Atlantic Marine Holding Company (Atlantic Marine) from JFL-AMH Partners, LLC, a portfolio company of the private equity firm J.F. Lehman & Company for $352 million. Atlantic Marine is a privately held vessel maintenance, repair, overhaul and conversion (MROC), marine fabrication, and ship construction services provider with operations at Mayport and Jacksonville, Florida; Moss Point, Mississippi; and Mobile, Alabama. The acquisition does not include Atlantic Marine's Boston and Philadelphia operations, which will be retained by JFL-AMH Partners, LLC. The acquisition will be funded from BAE Systems' existing cash resources.

Atlantic Marine Philadelphia, LLC, Philadelphia, Pa., is being awarded a $12,771,174 firm-fixed-price contract for a 70-calendar day regular overhaul of Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Joshua Humphreys. The ship's primary mission is to provide fuel to Navy ships at sea and jet fuel to aircraft assigned to aircraft carriers. Humphreys, which deactivated and joined the Navy's Inactive Ships program in 1996, is being reactivated this summer by the direction of U.S. Fleet Forces Command to support counter-piracy and global war on terrorism operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations where the ship will serve as a duty oiler to U.S. and coalition warships.

As part of the National Shipbuilding Research Program’s (NSRP) core mission to reduce the costs associated with Navy shipbuilding and repair, the NSRP Executive Control Board has selected 14 new research and development projects for award, totaling approximately $1.2M. These projects will be executed under the purview of the 10 NSRP communities of practice known as the Ship Production Panels. Focus and interest among panel members regularly reveal relevant project opportunities which may not be well suited for larger-scale funding via the primary NSRP solicitation process. The Board therefore typically sets aside an amount of money each year to fund relatively small (less than $100K), short-term (12 months or less) projects recommended by the Panel Chairs.