Marine Link
Friday, March 29, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Allen News

27 Mar 2024

Baltimore Rescuers Lose Hope for More Survivors from Bridge Collapse

Satellite image Ā©2024 Maxar Technologies

Rescuers have lost hope of finding more survivors of the Baltimore bridge collapse, the coast guard said, as efforts switched on Wednesday to looking for bodies of the missing and more answers to why a container ship smashed into the span.Search divers were expected to return near dawn to the waters surrounding the twisted ruins of the bridge in Baltimore Harbor to search for six workers missing and now presumed dead.The disaster has forced the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the U.S.

27 Mar 2024

Divers to Search Baltimore Harbor

Search divers were expected to return near dawn on Wednesday to the waters surrounding the twisted ruins of a bridge knocked down in Baltimore Harbor by a faltering cargo ship, leaving six workers missing and presumed dead.The disaster also forced the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, and created a traffic quagmire for Baltimore and the surrounding region.As the odds of their survival vanished, the search for the six workers was suspended on Tuesday eveningā€¦

26 Mar 2024

Timeline: Within Minutes of Departure, Faltering Containership Crashes into Baltimore Bridge

Satellite image Ā©2024 Maxar Technologies

Here is a timeline of the collapse on Tuesday of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was hit by the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali. All times are EDT:01:04 a.m (0504 GMT). ā€“ Loaded with shipping containers, Dali departs from Baltimore's port, headed to Colombo, Sri Lanka.01:24 a.m. ā€“ Dali slowly approaches the Key Bridge, according to video captured by StreamTime Live.1:24:33 a.m. ā€“ Dali appears to suffer a total power failure as all its lights go out.1:25:31 a.m. ā€“ About a minute later, the ship's lights flicker back on.

13 Feb 2024

Coast Guard R&D Center Receives Auxiliary Integration Award

The photo shows 10-year Auxiliary member Steve Morowsky and 30-year member Aux Joe Romanowsky underway supporting an RDC research project focused on Private Aids to Navigation verification. Photo courtesy Auxiliarists David Thiede

The Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), under the command of Capt. Michael Chien, has won the Commodore Viggo C. Bertelsen Jr. and Vice Admiral John P. Currier Auxiliary Integration Award in the category of Applied Innovation. The award was presented by Commander Steven Koch, who leads the Auxiliary (AUX) in New England, at a command all hands. The Auxiliary is the 25,000-member volunteer organization supporting the Coast Guard across 11 missions.Regional Auxiliary Commodore Michael West notedā€¦

28 Nov 2023

Allen Marine Tours to Repower Two Vessels with Scania Engines

(Photo: Allen Marine Tours)

Scania was selected by Allen Marine Tours to power a pair of their eco tour vessels. The two 78-foot QUAD powered vessels will each be repowered with Scania V8 DI16 082M, 800 HP engines delivered by Cascade Engine Center. The custom-built catamarans are capable of 30 plus knots at their full capacity of 150 passengers, and speeds in excess of 35 knots with a lighter load.ā€œWe have seen a lot of interest in our V8,16-liter engines by tour operators in ecologically sensitive areas like Alaska due to their low environmental impactā€¦

09 Nov 2023

Oil Tanker Fire Sparked by Lithium-ion Battery Explosion -NTSB

S-Trust at anchor following the casualty. (Source: U.S. Coast Guard, courtesy NTSB)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday cited thermal runaway of a cell within a handheld radioā€™s lithium-ion battery as the cause of a fire on an oil tanker docked in Baton Rouge, La.The Liberian-registered oil tanker S-Trust was docked at the Genesis Port Allen Terminal on November 13, 2022, when a fire on the bridge was sparked by one of the cells in a lithium-ion battery for an ultra-high-frequency handheld radio exploding, the NTSB's investigation found.

11 Sep 2023

BRIX Marine Launches Whale Watching Vessel for Allen Marine in Alaska

(Photo: BRIX Marine)

Pacific Northwest aluminum boatbuilder BRIX Marine announced it has built a new whale watching vessel for Allen Marine Whale Watching Tours in Sitka, Alaska.The custom-built vessel Eagle is 48 feet long with an 18-foot beam, and its lightship weight is approximately 31,000 pounds.Powered by quad Suzuki 350-horsepower engines, the vessel boasts an array of features tailored to elevate the whale watching journey, BRIX Marine said. The vessel is constructed with 5086 alloy aluminum hull skinsā€¦

03 Jul 2023

Singapore Shipping Association President Caroline Yang Reelected

Caroline Yang (Photo: Singapore Shipping Association)

The Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) announced its president Caroline Yang has been reelected for another two-year term.In addition, seven ordinary members of the SSA were first elected during the associationā€™s 27th AGM on June 28. The 2023/2025 council also co-opted four members into their council. There are two more members that the elected council will need to co-opt into the council.Yang has been at the helm of the association through some of shippingā€™s most challenging times.

27 Jun 2023

Canadian Safety Regulators Open Probe into Fatal Loss of Titan Submersible

File photo: OceanGate Expeditions

Canadian safety officials on Friday opened an investigation into the undersea implosion of a tourist submersible that killed all five people aboard while diving to the century-old wreck of the Titanic, raising questions about the unregulated nature of such expeditions.A debris field from the submersible Titan was found at the bottom of the North Atlantic on Thursday by a robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian search vessel, ending an intense five-day international rescue effort.Fragments of Titanā€¦

26 May 2023

Asian Spot LNG Prices Slide for Fifth Straight Week

Ā© Anatoly Kolodey / Adobe Stock

Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices have weakened for the fifth consecutive week on muted demand due to healthy stocks, remaining at their lowest level in two years.The average LNG price for July delivery into north-east Asia was down 3% from the previous week at $9.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), the lowest since early May 2021, industry sources estimated."North Asia remains largely void of demand. Prices have continued to walk down week-on-week and support hasn't been helped by Japanese utilities selling into an already weak marketā€¦

19 May 2023

Asian Spot LNG Prices Slip to Two-year Low

Ā© Nicola / Adobe Stock

Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices slipped to their lowest level in two years on weak demand and high inventories, while European LNG prices also fell below the $10 mark amid healthy stock build and limited need for additional supply.The average LNG price for July delivery into northeast Asia was down 6.6% from the previous week at $9.8 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), the lowest since May 2021, industry sources estimated."Prices continue to linger sub $10 as general demand remains lackingā€¦

23 Jan 2023

Marine Services Exec Chad Verret Starts New Consultancy

Chad Verret

Chad Verret, a former executive in the offshore marine services business, has started a new marine consultancy called Verret Marine Consulting, LLC. The Louisiana-based company has offices in the Houston area and in Morgan City, La. and will be focused on areas such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, alternative fuels and marine based liquefaction projects.Verret got his start in the offshore industry nearly 40 years ago, signing on with Tidewater Marine as a deckhand in 1985ā€¦

28 Nov 2022

Vessel Autonomy in Offshore Wind: Scaling up Ops via Tech, Regulation

Image copyright Anastasiia Krivenok/AdobeStock

Autonomous technology is adding value to the offshore wind (OSW) industry, its supply chains and government policy with the potential to deliver benefits such as increased operational efficiency and safety, and reductions in human error and operational costs. With the unique needs for wind leases and their relative close proximity to shore, a wider group of systems and technologies can be deployed.A developing regulatory landscapeAutonomous technology is the result of rapid advancements in sensors and imaging, vessel connectivity, machine learning, and more.

24 Oct 2022

Inland Waterways in Focus: Balancing Maintenance and Operational Requirements

Aerial view of locks and dam on Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois, USA. Copyright Kent/AdobeStock

The integrity of the marine transportation system as a key plank in a country's economic prosperity is in heightened focus today, with logistics snarls contributing to fast rising inflation. Maintaining the integrity of the vast U.S. inland waterway system - with more than 12,000 miles of inland and intracoastal waterways including 218 lock chambers at 176 sites - is the focus of the Maritime Risk Symposium 2022, a 2.5-day conference scheduled for November 15-17, hostd by Argonne National Laboraty's TCS Conference Center.On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, James P.

19 Sep 2022

Towboats Collide on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is monitoring a barge with heavy fuel oil aground after a two towboats collided near Plaquemine, La., at mile marker 43.5 on the Port Allen route of the Gulf intracoastal waterway.Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge responded after watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans were notified that the vessels Creole Crusader and the Jack Odom collided at approximately 12:30 a.m. on SaturdayThe Creole Crusader was towing two barges containing heavy fuel oil, and the Jack Odom was towing two empty barges and three barges of steel bars. All seven barges remain on scene, two barges were intentionally grounded to prevent flooding or pollution.No injuries or pollution have been reported.The waterway was closed at mile marker 43.5 to all vessel trafficā€¦

15 Sep 2022

Maritime Risk Symposium 2022: The Importance of Inland Systems to the MTS

Russia's invasion of Ukraine emphasizes the importance of efficient maritime traffic to national security and the world economy. Pictured is an aerial cityscape of Kiev and river Dnipro at sunset, with a tugboat and barge heading down river Dnieper. Copyright Kirill Gorlov/AdobeStock

The 2022 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) is scheduled to be held Nov. 15-17, 2022, hosted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois. MRS is an annual international event focused on risks involving the global maritime transportation system (MTS). For the MRS, the U.S. Coast Guard partners with the sponsor, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and the hosting agency. MRS began in 2011 and has grown in size, scope and interest. The MRS event will be followed by the U.S.

13 Sep 2022

ABS Grants AiP for Autonomous System on Harbor Tug

Harbor tug Rachael Allen - Credit: Foss

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) said Tuesday it has collaborated with Sea Machines and Foss Maritime to advance the adoption of autonomous operations at sea by issuing approval in principle (AIP) to their vessel autonomy system, the SM300, that provides autonomous navigation and collision detection and collision avoidance (CDCA).Foss is to install Sea Machinesā€™ SM300 system on board its harbor tug Rachael Allen to enhance safety and efficiency of operations. Overall, theā€¦

30 Aug 2022

Greensea Opens San Diego Office

(Photo: Greensea Systems Inc.)

Marine robotics technology specialist Greensea Systems Inc. announced it has opened an office in San Diego to accommodate its growing workforce and support strengthening its presence in the region.The new locationā€”Greensea's third alongside existing offices in Richmond, Vt., and Plymouth, Mass.ā€”provides ample room to accommodate the local team, new hires, as well as a spacious production area, the company said. It also allows Greensea to take advantage of the technology hiring pool found in Southern California in anticipation of further expansion.Chelsea Allenā€¦

25 Aug 2022

Keeping the Inland Waterways Open: Balancing Maintenance and Operational Requirements

Copyright Michael/AdobeStock

Inland waterways, sometimes called ā€˜natureā€™s superhighwaysā€™ provide a strategic advantage related to security, economics, and trade for any nation whose geography, topography, and climate enable this natural infrastructure. Economic benefits are realized in small rural areas through large urban communities that utilize the system for efficient transportation and improved markets. However, deliberate operational, resource, and policy efforts, along with broad stakeholder integration, are required to maintain and operate such a system.

23 Aug 2022

Sea Machinesā€™ SM300 System On Board Foss Tug Earns ABS Approval

Rachael Allen (Photo: Sea Machines)

A Foss Maritime harbor tug outfitted with the Sea Machines SM300 autonomy system has been verified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). The tug, Rachael Allen, is deployed in California, where it provides tanker escort and ship assists for Fossā€™ customers. The vessel will first leverage the Sea Machinesā€™ autonomy system for routine transit and stand-by operations, and then trial remote piloting from a shore-based command center. The SM300 transit autonomy and station keepingā€¦

19 May 2022

Greensea Promotes Allen to VP of Operations

Chelsea Allen - Credit: Greensea

Marine robotics technology specialist, Greensea, has promoted Chelsea Allen to Vice President of Operations in response to the company's ongoing growth and subsequent strategic management and operational needs.Ben Kinnaman, Founder and CEO at Greensea, welcomes the promotion: "The ocean robotics industry has entered a period of rapid change, and we need to have the best leaders positioned to take full advantage of these changes. Chelsea is a natural leader. As the organization grows and as we add new companies to the Greensea familyā€¦

26 Apr 2022

One Migrant Dead, 26 Missing after Dinghy Capsizes off Spain's Canary Islands

Illustration only - A Spanish Maritime Safety and Rescue Agency Photo

One migrant died and 26 were missing after their dinghy capsized in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain's Canary Islands, the Spanish Coast Guard told Reuters on Tuesday.The coast guard rescued 34 people after the vessel capsized around 135 miles off the southern tip of Gran Canaria on Monday. Another two vessels carrying around 63 people, including two children, were found floating in the sea around 40 miles to the south. All those onboard were rescued, the coast guard said.Authorities were alerted on April 24 to a dinghy that had left Cabo Bojador in Western Saharaā€¦

23 Mar 2022

Army Corps Making Plans for Fort Langley-Eustis Construction

(Image: USACE)

The U.S. Army Corpsā€™ Norfolk District seeks contractors for the 3rd Port Improvements Project at Ft. Eustis, Va. Total award could be between $10 million and $25 million. The Corps will use responses from companies to ā€œdetermine an acquisition strategy.ā€ Go to SAM.gov and use ID W9123622B2017 to search. Responses are due March 28.As envisioned now, this would be a firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of improvements at 3rd Port, JBLEā€“Eustis (Joint Base Langley-Eustis, in Newport News).