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Grain Carrier News

22 Aug 2016

Artificial Stupidity

The difference between the unmanned space missions and a similar maritime mission is fundamental. A space mission involves a large team of specialists working together for years. Assumptions are challenged and refined. Technology is pushed to the limit and beyond. Money is spent in truckloads. Tests are performed and analyzed. Triple and quadruple redundancies are built in. (the list goes on ...) Photo: NASA

There is increasing speculation regarding when the first unmanned cargo ship will set sail. The more important question is when will the first unmanned cargo ship spectacularly fail? We (not me personally, but humans as a group) have utilized artificial intelligence to launch unmanned craft into space on increasingly long and complex voyages. Mostly, these space missions succeed and provide us with wonderful images and reams of important data. Therefore, it is theoretically and practically possible to construct and operate an unmanned cargo ship.

24 May 2016

Grounded Bulker Repaired, Heads for Japan

Two tugs support Sparna past the Wauna Paper Mill while in transit along the Columbia River to their mooring destination in Kalama, Wash., March 23, 2016. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Levi Read)

The Captain of the Port for Oregon and southern Washington canceled the captain of the port order on the motor vessel Sparna allowing the vessel to leave its mooring at Kalama, Wash., Monday. The Sparna, a 623-foot bulk grain carrier, briefly ran aground near Cathlamet on the Columbia River, March 21, resulting in the ship needing to undergo temporary repairs. “We have inspected the Sparna and have approved the temporary repairs to make the vessel seaworthy,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ben Russell, chief inspections department, Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland.

29 Oct 2014

Oshima-built Grain Carrier Delivered in the US

Newly developed bulk carrier with MALS (Photo: MHI)

Today the first unit of a new bulk carrier developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) was delivered to Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) of the U.S., following its completion at Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of Nagasaki, an MHI licensing partner. The newly delivered bulk carrier is the first of three vessels, designed to serve as grain carriers, ordered by ADM in 2011 from Sumitomo Corporation. The vessel was constructed by Oshima Shipbuilding with MHI providing the conceptual design and various green technologies, including MALS.

27 Jul 2014

Bulk Grain Carrier Aground in Lake St. Claire

The Coast Guard informs it is responding to a 36,563 dwt 656-foot freighter that is hard aground in the downbound shipping channel of Lake St. Clair. Coast Guard Sector Detroit said that the motor vessel Federal Rideau, a Hong Kong-flagged vessel carrying 22,672 tons of wheat, had  grounded on the downbownd channel in Lake St. Clair near the Detroit River. The vessel was  en route to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Marine inspectors from Coast Guard Sector Detroit Prevention Department responded to the grounding to assess the situation and determine the extent of any structural damage to the vessel. Initial reports indicate there is no resultant pollution and no injuries were reported.

09 Jun 2000

Business Briefs

Hvide Marine Incorporated (HMI) and subsidiary Sun State Marine Services, Inc., recently christened the first in a series of new cargo ships at its U.S. shipyard facility in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Constructed entirely on-site by Sun State Marine Services, Inc., the 190-foot 'landing craft' type freight vessel is specially designed and ideally suited for conducting trade with Bahamian and Caribbean markets that have minimal or unimproved facilities. "The landing craft has a reinforced hull that allows use of unimproved landing sites such as beaches or boat ramps by actually grounding the forward part of the vessel," noted Robert J. Coppedge, vice president of Sun State Marine Services, Inc.

05 Jun 2000

Collision Causes Oil Spill Near Panama Canal

Two ships collided on the Atlantic approach to the Panama Canal June 1, spilling an "undetermined" quantity of bunker oil, the waterway's administrators said. The British-registered container ship M/V Sidney Star hit Panama-flagged grain carrier M/V Royal Ocean while approaching the Canal's entrance, sustaining damage to its port side fuel tanks, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said. ACP workers staunched the flow of fuel oil, and the two ships were directed to a Canal anchorage at Cristobal for inspection, the authority said. No injuries were reported.

13 Aug 2001

Collision in Welland Canal Continues To Hamper St. Lawrence Seaway

Shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway will remain badly disrupted for at least another day, Canadian marine authorities said on Monday, as an investigation continues into an accident in which a 730-ft. (222-m) freighter smashed into a lift bridge across the Welland Canal and burst into flames. The Canadian grain carrier Windoc, carrying 26,000 tons of wheat, struck the bridge after it began to lower prematurely. The collision, which took place late Saturday, tore off the ship's wheelhouse and smokestack, setting the stern of the vessel ablaze and lighting up the night sky over the small town of Allanburg, Ontario. The ship's crew of 22 escaped with minor injuries, but the accident shut down the Welland Canal linking Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, a key section of the St.

14 Aug 2001

Great Lakes Shipping Returns to Normal

Shipping on the Great Lakes should be back to normal by early Monday evening, Canadian marine authorities said, as a 730-ft. freighter, which crashed into a lift bridge across the Welland Canal, has been towed away. "They're raising the bridge at the moment and they will have to make sure it (is secure) before telling the ships to move into the canal," said Sylvie Moncion, a spokeswoman for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., which operates the key marine route into central North America. Moncion said traffic on the Welland Canal portion of the Seaway system had been stalled by the accident, with 25 ships now waiting to go through the canal. She expected the canal to resume normal operations around 6:30 p.m. (2230 GMT).