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11 Dec 2023

US Starts Internal Discussions About Renewing North American Trade Pact

Š M.DÜrr & M.Frommherz / Adobe Stock

U.S. officials have begun informal talks to prepare for new negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), David Cohen, the country's ambassador to Canada, told CBC News in an interview published Saturday."On the U.S.

08 Apr 2021

Marine News' Top Boats of 2020

General MacArthur (Photo: Callan Marine)

This year, despite innumerable challenges and setbacks, a great number of new U.S.-flagged vessels made their way into service. In addition to Maid of the Mist's new electric tour boats James V. Glynn and Nikola Tesla featured Wednesday, the newbuilds highlighted below are some of the most noteworthy to come out of U.S. shipyards in 2020.DredgerU.S. dredging contractors have been adding tonnage in a big way. This Spring, Callan Marine added a significant piece to the U.S. fleet with its new Jones Act cutterhead suction dredge (CSD) General MacArthur.

13 Jul 2020

Video: Ships Collide Head on in the Welland Canal

(Photo: Welland Firefighters L481)

Canadian officials are investigating a collision between two general cargo vessels in the Welland Canal in southern Ontario.The 138-meter Alanis and the 136-meter Florence Spirit collided Saturday while traveling opposite directions in the ship canal connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The ships are flagged in Antigua Barbuda and Canada repetitively.No injuries or environmental impact have been reported, though videos and photos of the incident shared on social media show both vessels suffered damage as a result the collision.At the time of the incident…

01 Jun 2020

Suncor Extinguishes Fire on Terra Nova FPSO

A fire broke out on Saturday aboard Suncor Energy-operated Terra Nova FPSO offshore Canada, the offshore oil and gas regulator C-NLOPB said.Suncor told C-NLOPB that everyone onboard was accounted for and safe, and that the fire had been extinguished."There are no injuries and we await further information from Suncor as to the extent & their assessment of the cause," the C-NLOPB said Saturday. According to a report by CBC, there are 82 people aboard the FPSO.Per C-NLOPB, there is no gas or crude held onboard the FPSO which has been shut down for maintenance."The facility is not producing at this time,” CNLOPB tweeted on May 30.To remind…

02 Aug 2020

Conrad Delivers 6,000hp Towboat to Canal Barge

H. Merritt ‘Heavy’ Lane, Jr. on Sea Trials (Photo: Conrad Shipyard)

Conrad Shipyard said it delivered the 6,000-horsepower towboat, H. Merritt ‘Heavy’ Lane, Jr., to Canal Barge Company, Inc. (CBC). Built at Conrad Amelia, the Subchapter M-compliant vessel measures 166 feet by 49 by 12 and is powered by EPA Tier IV-compliant Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) engines.The H. Merritt ‘Heavy’ Lane, Jr. utilizes a time-proven design concept that has been enhanced to modern standards through advanced engineering analysis, the shipbuilder said, adding efficient operation and attention to crew accommodations and noise reduction were paramount in the design process.

30 May 2019

Thousands of workers locked out at Canada's Port of Vancouver -CBC

Thousands of longshore workers at Canada's biggest port, the Port of Vancouver, were locked out on Thursday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.The B.C. Maritime Employers Association, which represents 55 companies, such as ship owners and terminal operators at the port, issued a notice this week that it would lock out some 6,000 workers who load and unload ships due to a labor dispute. (Reuters, Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Kelsey Johnson in Ottawa; Editing by Dan Grebler)

21 Nov 2018

The Smart Shipping Vision: Class Delivers

Image: ABS

Shipping’s digital transformation is all around us, impacting the smallest vendor to the largest owner, across flag, class and shipyards, right up to the primary regulator.In these early days, there are many competing visions of the digital future. But the central question for ship owners and operators should not be whether their partners are delivering the required solutions; it should be whether they themselves are undergoing the digital transformation of their operating models…

27 Sep 2018

Subchapter M Casts Off

Image Credit: Vane Brothers

Initial reports show that the towing industry is adjusting well to the new normal on inland rivers. In fact, it is business as usual for most.July 20, 2018 was a critical date for tow boat operators. That was the deadline for all U.S.-flag towing vessels – over 26 feet, or less if used to assist with transport of oil or hazardous materials – to be in compliance with Subchapter M, the U.S. Coast Guard’s towing vessel safety regulations. It’s been a long time coming. As a regulatory program…

03 Jan 2017

Mayeur to Lead CMR Group’s EIM Unit

Jacques-AndrĂŠ Mayeur  (Photo: CMR)

Control instrumentation and electrical engineering specialist CMR Group said it has appointed a senior director to oversee strategy and drive global sector operations. Jacques-André Mayeur joins as Energy Industry Marine (EIM)business unit director based at CMR Group’s Marseille head office, where he will lead and support the commercial team, the project team and the delivery of the EIM business strategy. Reporting to CEO Yves Barraquand and bringing over 15 years’ engineering and sales expertise to this key position…

23 Dec 2016

Arctic Warms Up

Temperatures at the North Pole could be up to 20 degrees higher than average this Christmas Eve, in what scientists say is a record-breaking heatwave. Temperatures throughout November and December were 5C higher than average. The surface temperatures close to the Pole was about -4C, according to data from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. At this time of year the average figure is about -30C. "There's a low pressure between Greenland and Spitsbergen, with a very powerful air current" that is sending warm air surging north, Justyna Wodziczko, a Norwegian Meteorological Institute forecaster, told Reuters. Climate scientists say these unseasonably warm weather patterns in the Arctic region are directly linked to man-made climate change.

23 Feb 2016

Vancouver: Housing the Homeless in Old Shipping Containers

The City of Vancouver has issued a request for proposal for a company to build and install up to 300 shipping container-sized modular housing units to temporarily house the homeless, repots CBC News. Providing temporary living spaces in shipping containers or other portable housing units is part of the latest plan to tackle homelessness in Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson's city. “Previous units that we have already in the City of Vancouver are two standard shipping containers off a ship that have been offset and welded together to create a two room suite. They are very nice. You would never guess that were containers,” City Councillor Kerry Jang said. Jang says developers could be offered tax incentives to allow the units to be placed on land until it’s developed.

04 Apr 2015

Canada Passed on U.S.-Mexico Climate Announcement

Canada declined a U.S. invitation last week to jointly announce climate policy cooperation with Mexico, with Ottawa saying it has not yet finalized its own domestic strategy, sources from both countries familiar with the discussions said on Thursday. On March 24, three days before the United States and Mexico announced they would partner on a high-level bilateral clean energy and climate policy task force, U.S. officials approached Canadian counterparts asking them to join the effort, three sources said. One source said that while Canadian officials said they were supportive of North American harmonization of climate policy they were not yet prepared to join the continental partners.

14 Jan 2015

Port Should Unload Brooklyn Marine Terminals

A new report from the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) suggests that the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey sell its two marine terminals in Brooklyn, both of which are hemorrhaging money, to a housing developer in order to raise cash. The Red Hook Container Terminal and the Brooklyn-Port Authority Marine Terminal have a long history of running deficits and no prospect of making money in the near future. Greater efficiencies must, therefore, be explored, according to CBC president Carol Kellerman. Annual deficits at the marine terminals are expected to hit $107 million in 15 years, the report said. The Brooklyn-Port Authority Marine Terminal in Cobble Hill lost more than $205,000 per acre last year. The Red Hook Container Terminal lost nearly $185,000 per acre.

02 Mar 2014

Canadian Navy Oiler on Tow Following Engine Room Fire

HMCS Protecteur (centre): Earlier photo courtesy of Canadian Government

The Canadian Navy Fleet Replenishment ship 'HMCS Protecteur' has been taken in tow in rough seas by  the U.S. navy cruiser USS Chosin, after an engine fire left it drifting some 600 km from Pearl Harbor, reports CBC News. Citing Commodore Bob Auchterlonie, the commander of Canada's Pacific naval fleet, CBC reports that the USS Michael Murphy, is accompanying Protecteur as the ships make their way at five knots or less [9 km/h] toward Pearl Harbor, 630 km away. In addition the fleet ocean tug USNS Sioux is also on station near Protecteur should problems arise.

24 Dec 2013

Oil & Chemical Cargo Barges Collide in Intercoastal Waterway

Photos of damage to the barge CBC 7026 and barge TTI-150 after they collided near mile marker 341 in the Intracoastal Waterway, Dec. 23, 2013. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

The Coast Guard has responded to a collision between two barges in the vicinity of Siever’s Cove on Bolivar Peninsula, in the Intracoastal Waterway. The captain of the tug pushing the barge TTI-150 contacted watchstanders at Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Texas City to report this barge's collision with barge CBC 7026. A 25-foot Response Boat from Station Galveston was sent with a team of incident responders, marine inspectors, and marine casualty investigators, to conduct a preliminary investigation and mitigate any possible further risk to the environment or the mariners aboard the vessels.

13 Nov 2013

Canadian Completes Solo Atlantic Row, With Just a Little Help

Mylène Paquette: Photo credit the subject

Quebec rower Mylène Paquette has arrived in Lorient, France, after a  voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the first North American to row solo, from west to east, across the North Atlantic, reports CBC News. Mylène left Halifax just over four months ago in a specially designed 7.3 metre boat propelled only by herself and the currents. Earlier in her voyage, In September 2013, the lone rower got a helping hand from the cruise ship Queen Mary 2, after being hit by the remnants of Hurricane Humberto, losing key items including her anchor, iPhone and satellite phone.

12 Jun 2013

Canadian Arctic: Naval Base Tendering Begins

The federal government is looking for a company to build the proposed Nanisivik naval facility. The government has issued a 'Request for Qualifications  — the first step in the tendering process as it seeks a company with experience of building in the Arctic, reports CBC News. The document estimates the cost of the construction to be $56 million, but it is not clear whether that will cover all the work, and the federal government has already budgeted more than $100 million for the facility. The project has been fraught with setbacks since it was first announced in 2007. Source: CBC News

17 Mar 2013

When a Canadian Shipyard Loan Becomes a Grant ...

The government's assistance package, revealed in March 2012, includes the forgivable loan worth up to $260 million (but Irving will have to repay it if it doesn't reach those job targets) and a repayable loan of $44 million for human resources, technological, and industrial development, reports CBC News. The Department of Economic Development said the 4,000 jobs will be created over the 29-year life of the agreement, while the NDP government defends the arrangement on the basis the shipbuilding work will generate $2.8 billion in tax revenue for the province. In 2012, a Conference Board of Canada study found that Nova Scotia could benefit from an average of 8,400 indirect jobs between 2012 and 2030, peaking at 11,500 jobs during the program’s busiest years.

26 Feb 2013

Proposed Canadian LNG Export Terminal Gets License

Kitimat BC: Photo credit Wiki CC2 Sam Beebe / Ecotrust

The federal government approves a 25-year export licence for shipping LNG from Kitimat, a West Coast terminal proposed by a Shell consortium . The licence awarded to LNG Canada, a consortium of Shell, Korea Gas Corp., Mitsubishi Corp., and PetroChina International, will allow the export of up to 24 million tonnes of LNG per year, the largest of three export licences awarded to date, according to The Canadian Press. The LNG Canada terminal is one of five proposed for the B.C. coast, and the project has yet to undergo an environmental assessment. Plans to make the B.C.

24 Aug 2012

Northwest Passage Wrecks Hunt Launched

Franklin's Lost Expedition Map:Image credit Wiki CCL

The Canadian government launches its largest search yet for the lost ships of Sir John Franklin's doomed 1845 quest for the Northwest Passage. This year's search, led by Parks Canada, is the fourth government-led expedition over the past five years, and is by far the biggest, involving a much larger alliance of federal departments and other public and private interests. A previous large-scale search for the Franklin ships was launched by National Defence in 1967 as part of Canada's centennial.

30 Jun 2011

New Grand Manan Ferry Delivery Delayed

According to a report from CBC News, Grand Manan residents waiting for the island's new $65-million ferry will have to wait longer after the Grand Manan Adventure experienced mechanical problems on June 26 in Panama City, Fla., where 82-car ferry is being constructed, the Department of Transportation announced.   Source: CBC News

02 Apr 2012

Canadian Shipyard Gets Government Finance for Naval Ship Construction

Irving gets $304 million assistance for next-generation naval ship construction from Nova Scotia authority Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is getting $304 million from the Nova Scotia government to help prepare for the construction of the Royal Canadian Navy's next fleet of vessels, according to a CBC news report. The government's assistance package, includes a forgivable loan worth up to $260 million and a repayable loan of $44 million for human resources, technological and industrial development. The company said it needed provincial support to be the winning bidder for the federal $25-billion shipbuilding contract to build 21 combat vessels. The contract is expected to maintain a steady flow of work at the Halifax Shipyard over the next 20 to 30 years.

07 Jun 2012

Saint John NB Sees Season's First Cruise Ship

'Carnival Glory': Photo credit Wiki CCL

The Carnival Glory is the first of 73 cruise ships that are expected to make a stop in Saint John this summer, informs CBC News. More than 187,000 passengers are expected to visit Saint John between now and the end of October. Clive Douthwright, a greeter in the city, said he looks forward to the stampede of passengers coming off the ships.