Turbine Installation Kicks Off at U.S. First Commercial-scale Offshore Wind Farm
Avangrid, Inc., a U.S. offshore wind developer and part of the Spanish Iberdrola Group on Wednesday announced the start of the wind turbine installation campaign for Avangridâs Vineyard Wind 1 project offshore Massachusetts, the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States. The installation campaign follows the transportation earlier this week of the first GE Haliade-X Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) from the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal to the wind energy development area more than 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.âOver the past yearâŚ
Sailing Beyond Coronavirus
A new reality demands a new approach. Asbjørn Halsebakke, Product Manager, Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch, argues that we canât afford to let the greatest opportunity within the current crisis slip away.We canât celebrate a pandemic. People are dying. Economies are crashing. Unemployment rates are rocketing. We are distanced â from those we love, but also from our immediate past. Life as we know it has been turned upside down. So, we canât celebrate. But nature can.Instant impactAs we have retreated into our homes, the natural world has come out to play.
Grand Princess Docks in Oakland
Weary passengers aboard a cruise ship idled at sea for days by a coronavirus outbreak erupted in cheers on Monday as the vessel sailed into San Francisco Bay en route to the Port of Oakland and the next, unexpected phase of their voyage - two weeks of quarantine.The 2,400 passengers, who have been largely confined to their staterooms since Thursday, were to begin disembarking on Monday for transport to quarantine stations or hospitals, depending on whether they are well or need immediate medical attention.Except for those with acute illnessâŚ
Stephens Elected PVA President for 2020
Colleen Stephens, President of Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises will be President of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) for 2020, the trade association announced.Elected during the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2020 held February 3-6, 2020 in Tampa, Fla., Stephens reaffirmed PVA's commitment to continuously improving safety in passenger vessel operations as well as the association's engagement in being good stewards of the environment. "PVA's Green WATERS programâŚ
Moose to the Rescue
This West Coast boat builder stays busy creating high quality fireboats for a diverse set of demanding, multi-missioned first responders. For Moose customer satisfaction is the name of the game. This year, theyâve got that box checked.Vallejo,CA-based Moose Boats builds aluminum catamaran and monohull vessels designed to meet a variety of mission-specific applications for military, law enforcement, emergency response, firefighting and security patrol purposes. Itâs been a busy year for Moose, who also recently laid the keel for a 75â catamaran crew boat for Westar Marine Services in San Francisco. But, it is fireboats that this builder is known for. And, at present, it would not be an exaggeration to say that fireboats are âhotâ for Moose Boats.
Ferry Allision in San Francisco
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the cause of a ferry allision that occurred at the San Francisco Ferry Building Friday afternoon.A crew member aboard the ferry San Francisco notified Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders of the allision around 2:40 p.m.There were reports of two minor injuries that did not require treatment beyond first aid and no reports of pollution.Photos published by the San Francisco Chronicle showed that the vessel suffered significant hull damage.The ferry's operator Golden Gate Ferry, a division of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, said it will operate on a normal schedule Monday. "We will cover regularly scheduled trips with other vessels in our fleet as the M.S.
All American Marine Launches Large Hybrid Tour Boat
The brand new 600-passenger vessel Enhydra is the largest lithium-ion battery electric hybrid-powered vessel in North America built under âUSCG Subchapter Kâ certification.The recently launched 128-foot LOA aluminum monohull vessel was designed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand and built by All American Marine in Bellingham, Wash. for Red and White Fleet of San Francisco, who will use the vessel to provide harbor tours of San Francisco Bay and the GoldenâŚ
Bay Ship and Yacht to Perform Maintenance on Balclutha
Bay Ship and Yacht Co. has announced it has once again been honored with the contract to perform maintenance on the historic sailing ship Balclutha. This is the third time the reputable ship yard has been chosen to perform much-needed detailed maintenance on the 131-year-old ship. A three-mast, steel-hulled square-rigged sailing ship, the Balclutha is one of the last of her kind. âThe Balclutha is truly a gem of American history. It is a rare day that you are able to see one of these grand old ladies high and dry in dock,â said Richard Maguire, Business Development Manager, Bay Ship & Yacht.
A Traditional Ship with a Contemporary Heart
Old photos show mid-nineteenth century sailing ships abandoned in the San Francisco Bay area by crews who caught gold fever. Some of these abandoned hulls lie under the modern day city of San Francisco. Over in Sausalito, just to the north of the famous Golden Gate Bridge, what may well be the spirit of one of those buried vessels has taken shape under the direction of Captain Alan Olson, who has several decades of experience building and restoring and sailing classic wooden ships.
Marine News Boat of the Month: March 2017
All American Marine (AAM) in February announced a deal for the construction of a new hybrid electric, 600 passenger aluminum monohull vessel to be delivered to the Red and White Fleet of San Francisco, Calif. AAMâs latest contract follows an earlier announcement made by the company regarding a construction agreement for a 500 passenger aluminum monohull tour boat for Argosy Cruises of Seattle, Wash. Both operators were originally pursuing construction contracts for steel monohullsâŚ
AAM Wins Hybrid Passenger Vessel Contract
All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), inked a deal for the construction of a new hybrid electric passenger vessel to be delivered to the Red and White Fleet of San Francisco, California. The contract for the new 600 passenger aluminum monohull was signed during the recent annual Maritrends Conference put on by the Passenger Vessel Association. AAMâs latest contract follows an earlier announcement made by the company regarding a construction agreement for a 500 passenger aluminum monohull tour boat for Argosy Cruises of Seattle, WA.
MN100: Elastec
Located in Carmi and Fairfield, Illinois and Cocoa, Florida, Elastec manufactures water pollution control products specializing in oil spill recovery equipment. Established in 1990 with the invention of the ELASTEC Drum Skimmer, the U.S. Clean Water act inspired Elastec to expand its product line to include floating booms, turbidity curtains, vacuum systems, work boats and portable incinerators. Elastecâs new Omni Cat is a waterway maintenance catamaran designed to help municipalities comply with nonpoint source pollution.
Benjamin Franklin Sails Home
The largest container ship to ever visit the U.S., the1,300-foot-long CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, left the Port of Oakland Monday afternoon around 1:15 p.m. after docking at the port on New Yearâs Eve, port officials said. It stopped at Los Angeles first before arriving in Oakland, and will export agricultural products and other items back to Asia, port officials said. CMA CGM, based in Marseilles, France, expects the Benjamin Franklin to return to Oakland regularly, hauling cargo between China, South Korea and the West Coast. Receiving an 18,000-TEU capacity vessel for the first time requires long and meticulous preparation to guarantee a flawless call and fluid operations in as little time as possible.
Redwood City Proposes Port Deepening Project
A recommended $73 million plan to deepen the Redwood City Harbor and San Bruno Shoal channels, the navigation corridors essential for commerce and the Port of Redwood City, has been issued in draft by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers' San Francisco District. The port is conducting a public hearing on what is called the "Redwood City Navigation Improvement Project" August 10 at 7 p.m. at Redwood City Hall to allow public comment and recommendations on the project's Draft Feasibility Study and Environment Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report.
Combatting Maritime Cyber Security Threats
The U.S. Executive Branch has declared that the cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation, and that Americaâs economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on effective cyber security. Before the maritime industry sounds the danger signal, it needs to monitor other industries and branches of the government and take proactive preventative measures. There is no better place to prepare future and current mariners for these challenges than in maritime simulators.
Recent Vessel Sales: May 2015
Vessel sales for May 2015 (as of June 1) as prepared by Shipping Intelligence, Inc., New York.
'Amazingly Intact' WWII-era Aircraft Carrier Surveyed
NOAA, working with private industry partners and the U.S. Navy, has confirmed the location and condition of the USS Independence, the lead ship of its class of light aircraft carriers that were critical during the American naval offensive in the Pacific during World War II. Resting in 2,600 feet of water off California's Farallon Islands, the carrier is "amazingly intact," said NOAA scientists, with its hull and flight deck clearly visible, and what appears to be a plane in the carrier's hangar bay.
Prelude By the Numbers
Out at sea, look! Itâs a ship! Itâs a floating rig! Itâs SuperFLNG! While not âfaster than a speeding bullet,â Shellâs shipzilla Prelude is certainly more powerful than a speeding locomotive, and will be able to leapfrog in size, many of the worldâs tallest buildings. By any definition, the super-size Prelude floating liquid natural gas (FLNG) vessel is gargantuan. And yet it is designed to cram everything youâll find in a full-size, shore-based processing plant into roughly a quarter of the space.
MN 100: Marine Group Boat Works, LLC
Marine Group Boat Works is a full-service, boat repair and new construction company with two shipyards in San Diego and one in Los Cabos. Its headquarters consists of 15 acres of land and water; 2,100 feet of docks; a 665-ton travelift; fabrication and welding environments for both steel and aluminum vessels up to 220 feet. Customers include Golden Gate Bridge, Crowley Maritime, Foss Maritime, Pacific Tugboat, U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Port of San Diego, and San Diego Harbor Police.
Golden Gate Ferry Captains Stage One-day Strike
The Golden Gate passenger ferry system, California's largest, was shut down on Friday by striking boat captains, disrupting service for thousands of San Francisco Bay-area commuters in a wider labor dispute over wages and benefits for transit workers. The 20 ferry pilots who work for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District walked off the job for the day to protest what union officials have criticized as bad-faith contract bargaining on the part of management. The Golden Gate service operates five ferries making 42 crossings a day - carrying roughly 8,500 passengers - between San Francisco and the Marin County communities of Sausalito and Larkspur on the north side of the bay.
Bridge Milestone Celebrated at Port of Long Beach
Port, City and Caltrans officials, along with an international team of builders and designers, celebrated a key milestone today in the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project: Construction of the first set of bridge foundations is under way. âThis new iconic bridge represents our future and itâs very exciting to see the construction in full swing,â said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. When completed, the new bridge spanning the Port of Long Beach will be one of the tallest bridges of its kind in the United States. With two 515-foot towers and a majestic cable-stayed design, the new bridge will be an icon for Long Beach and Southern California visible from miles away.
First Images of Historic San Francisco Shipwreck
NOAA and its partners released 3D sonar maps and images of an immigrant steamship lost more than 100 years ago in what many consider the worst maritime disaster in San Francisco history. On Feb. 22, 1901, in a dense morning fog, the SS City of Rio de Janeiro struck jagged rocks near the present site of the Golden Gate Bridge and sank almost immediately, killing 128 of the 210 passengers and crew aboard the ship. Fishermen in the area, hearing the shipâs distress calls, helped rescue 82 survivors, many plucked from makeshift rafts and floating wreckage.
Images of Historic San Francisco Wreck Revealed
NOAA and partners released three-dimensional sonar maps and images of an immigrant steamship lost more than 100 years ago in what many consider the worst maritime disaster in San Francisco history. On Feb. 22, 1901, in a dense morning fog, the SS City of Rio de Janeiro struck jagged rocks near the Golden Gate Bridge and sank almost immediately, killing 128 of the 210 passengers and crew aboard the ship. Fishermen in the area, hearing the ship's distress calls, helped rescue 82 survivors, many plucked from makeshift rafts and floating wreckage.