Mustang News

Exxon and Canada-based crude pipeline operator Enbridge were sued in Illinois federal court on Tuesday over claims they barred a competitor from building a terminal to ship oil by barge from the Chicago area to refineries in the Midwest and Gulf of Mexico.The antitrust lawsuit from energy infrastructure developer Ducere seeks more than $11 million in damages for work the Illinois company said it already paid for on the project and for lost future profits.Exxon, Enbridge and their…

Kenny Ballard has been appointed Mustang Survival’s new President, taking over responsibilities from Juanita Killen, who stepped into the role of Interim President in 2023. Additionally, Lance Richardson takes on the newly created role of VP, Manufacturing and Innovation for the Wing Group, Mustang Survival’s parent company.Ballard brings a wealth of experience from previous executive roles with renowned brands, including Osprey, SwissGear, Wenger Outdoor, Kelty, and, most recently, his own successful consulting firm.

Last week, Jason Leggatt, President of Mustang Survival, and Andrew Branagh, CEO of The Wing Group, announced together that Leggatt has resigned from his daily management position as President.Leggatt will become a member of the Board following his departure, enabling him to provide the Board counsel and strategic guidance for The Wing Group and the Mustang Survival business in a governance role.The Wing Group/Mustang Survival has commenced the search process for a new business unit President engaging the executive recruiting firm Boyden Canada.

Decades of innovation has earned Wing Inflatables its place among top manufacturers of sponsons, tubes, collars and rubber craft. While the company maintains this reputation today, the Wing Group has also grown beyond it after an ownership switch set in motion a number of major changes that have helped to both expand the company and alter its DNA.In past decades, under the leadership of founder and now-former owner Bill Wing, the California company and its polyurethane rafts and air-holding tubes, and later air/foam hybrid collar, had revolutionized the rigid inflatable industry.

The Safariland Group (“Safariland”), a provider of a diverse range of safety and survivability products for the public safety, military, professional and outdoor markets, has announced that it completed the divestiture of Mustang Survival, Inc. and its related entities (“Mustang”) to the WING Group, a leading manufacturer of inflatable sponsons, small combat craft, whitewater rafting solutions, life rafts, and marine doors and windows. Financial terms were not disclosed.

DHT Holdings, Inc. will have exhaust gas cleaning systems, also know as scrubbers, retrofitted on a dozen of its tanker vessels ahead of the IMO Sulphur Cap due to enter force January 1, 2020.The Bermuda headquartered ship owner said it has entered into agreement with manufacturer Alfa Laval to supply the systems and has also secured shipyard capacity to install all systems within 2019.The scrubbers will be installed on very large crude carriers (VLCC) built between 2012 and 2004, “the part of the fleet that stands to achieve the greatest economic benefit,” the ship owner said.“We look at the upcoming IMO Sulphur Cap as an opportunity for DHT rather than a threat. We come well prepared and are very pleased with the timely project we have put in place.

The Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office, and Bouchard Transportation representatives continue to respond Sunday to an oil discharge from a barge that caught fire and was extinguished on Friday three miles off the jetties of Port Aransas, Texas. Response efforts continue to minimize impact to the environment and the maritime community, which has enabled the Coast Guard to reopen the impacted ship channels. Discharge from the barge cargo tanks appears to have stopped following the removal of 2,500 barrels of oil-water mix from the barge through lightering operations. Lightering is currently suspended due to weather, but will resume with improvement in sea conditions. Containment boom remains in place around the vessel, though sheening from the barge and containment boom is present.

The 1,004-foot M/V James R. Barker has sailed from the Twin Ports with a new specialized cargo: 60,000 tons of Mustang superflux pellets – the first shipment of its kind since the new pellet production began at Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.’s United Taconite mine last month. The specialized Mustang pellets, which will be used for the automotive industry and other markets, contain a higher level of calcium added to dolomite and limestone than the standard taconite pellets. Production of Mustang pellets began in May…

Marine electronics, navigation and communication systems supplier Voyager Maritime Alliance Group (VMAG) said it has recruited Robert Glassman as a Senior Technical Sales Engineer as it expands its portfolio to provide turnkey marine technology for refits and new builds. Glassman graduated from Palm Beach Community College, joined the Coast Guard and retired after 20+ years as a Mustang Lieutenant. During his military service, he was instrumental in many drug and migrant interdictions…

Sinking a 6,000-ton, 371-foot former cargo vessel to help create an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico is a herculean feat, one only accomplished with strict adherence to rigorous federal and state environmental regulations. When the cargo ship Kraken was recently sunk 67 miles off the Galveston coast, Matrix New World Engineering helped the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Artificial Reef Program ensure that the vessel was free of environmental hazards and safe to support coral, fish, sea turtles and other aquatic life.

A Coast Guard aircrew found the body of a 61-year-old fisherman Monday, after he was reported missing off Mustang Island earlier in the morning. The Corpus Christi Police Department notified Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders at 7:35 a.m. The police reported that the man's wife was waiting in the car when he went wade fishing Sunday at about 11 p.m. They reported that she attempted to contact him when he didn't return and she fell asleep waiting for him, calling the police when she awoke. A Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was immediately launched and joined a Corpus Christi Police Department boat, two Nueces County Fire Department boats and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shore search.

Vessel sales for July 2016 (as of August 1) as prepared by Shipping Intelligence, Inc., New York.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that they will honor the men and women who serve on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sycamorefor outstanding service to the 17th District and our nation. The Alaska Awards Dinner will be held at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorageon Wednesday, August 10, 2016. Admiral Paul F. Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard will deliver keynote remarks and RADM Michael McAllister, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District will also address attendees. Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkoswki and Congressman Donald Young will also be in attendance. Special guest will be the renowned Iditarod Musher, AliyZirkle.

Intermarine, LLC, transporter of project, breakbulk and heavylift cargo, said it has transported four coke drums on the MV Ocean Freedom from Gijon, Spain, to New Orleans, La. The cargo was transported for forwarder Agility Project Logistics with end clients Phillips 66 and Wood Group Mustang. The cargo units measure 34.4 x 8 x 8.2 meters and weigh 333 metric tons each. The MV Ocean Freedom (14,360 DWT - 153.8 M LOA – 2 x 400 MT cranes) was selected due to the vessel’s ability to move items via single crane lift and/or tandem lift.

Wood Group has expanded into Slovakia, opening an office in Bratislava that The Automated Technology Group, a Wood Group Mustang company, will use to support automation projects in Slovakia and the surrounding region. "Proximity to Western European markets, a skilled labour force and a high number of university research facilities have resulted in an influx of high-tech and automotive multinational corporations to Slovakia in recent years," explained Mark House, president, Wood Group Mustang Automation and Control. "Although we have provided installation, commissioning and maintenance of control systems at clients' sites for a number of years, these are our first dedicated premises outside of the UK," explained Andy Robinson, CEO of The Automated Technology Group.

Vessel sales for August 2015 (as of September 1) as prepared by Shipping Intelligence, Inc., New York.

The U.S. Coast Guard brought two men to safety Thursday after a sailboat capsized 3 miles offshore and rescued another man who went overboard 11 miles offshore; all were participating in the first leg of the Great Texas 300. After being postponed due to Tropical Storm Bill, the 100-mile stretch from South Padre Island to Mustang Island of the Great Texas 300 began early Thursday morning. The race ends in Galveston. At approximately 11 a.m., a manmade a distress call on VHF marine band radio channel 16…

South Wales maritime engineering company Mustang Marine has rebranded as Mainstay Marine Solutions. The Pembroke Dock based workboat, marine energy device and waterside infrastructure specialist has adopted a new name and corporate image following its first year under new ownership. The company, which was bought out of administration in May 2014 by a group of nine investors, said it has thrived under its new ownership and is on course to double its workforce compared to 12 months ago, increasing from 27 employees in June 2014 to 60 today.

Wood Group Kenny (WGK) has secured a five year contract with Oil Spill Response (Capping) Ltd (OSRCL) to provide the maintenance support for a key part of a containment toolkit that would be used to control hydrocarbon release in the event of a subsea well control incident. The multi-million dollar project will see WGK work with OSRCL to ensure that the flexible flowlines included in the toolkit are continuously in a condition suitable for immediate load out if mobilised by subscribing oil and gas operators. This will include maintenance management, recommendations for preservation, inspection and testing of all ancillary and lifting equipment, as well as the flexible flowlines, stored at sites in the UK, Singapore and Brazil.

Workboat and marine energy device builder Mustang Marine has won a $5.34m contract to construct three new pilot boats for the Port of Milford Haven. The Pembroke Dock-based company is now looking to recruit new workers locally in a number of skilled positions to meet an increased demand for its services, having already increased the size of its workforce to 54 people over the last nine months. The new contact will see Mustang build three 19m pilot boats at its deep-water facility at Pembroke Dock.

Despite a slow start to the year, Haven Marine Services reports it is now seeing a change in fortunes with two dockings for Svitzer in quick succession, with one vessel sailing after a refit and another in on the same tide. This comes after a prolonged period of inactivity at the yard during the last three months due to lack of orders and extremes of weather which resulted in several vessels having to be diverted to other repair facilities due to the fact that they were unable to enter Milford Docks.

Mustang Marine, which is under a new ownership and management structure after being bought out of administration in May 2014 by a group of nine investors, has completed a broad range of orders in what was a successful second half of 2014, the company reports. Now, the Pembroke Dock-based firm says it is actively recruiting skilled workers and apprentices to meet a busy work schedule going into the New Year. Mustang Marine has created 12 new jobs over the last six months, bringing the total workforce to 42 people.

Wood Group announced following changes to its senior management team. Alan Semple, chief financial officer (CFO) has advised the board that he intends to retire and step down from his current role and from the board at the company’s annual general meeting in May 2015, at which time he will have held senior financial roles with Wood Group for over 19 years. Alan has been CFO and a member of the board since 2000. David Kemp, CFO of Wood Group PSN will succeed Alan and will join the board as an executive director following the 2015 annual general meeting. To ensure effective management of this change, David will assume the role of deputy CFO from 1 January 2015.