In Brazil's Amazon, Cargill Grains Ports Meet Local Resistance
For centuries, riverside communities, including the "quilombola" descendants of enslaved Africans who escaped from plantations and ranches, have shared Xingu Island in Brazil's Amazon Basin.Its inhabitants live in brightly painted wooden houses overlooking rivers where small boats crisscross between islands and Abaetetuba city on the mainland to trade fish, seeds and fruits gathered from the Amazon forest in their backyard.In 2016, however, strangers docked on Xingu Island, in Para stateā¦
Podcast on Maritime Safety Launched
To mark the start of Maritime Safety Week in the UK starting July 3, The Seafarersā Charity has funded five episodes of a new maritime safety podcast āSea Viewsā in collaboration with The CHIRP Charitable Trust.The podcast is hosted by Julia Gosling, who brings her extensive 20-year experience in maritime safety and search and rescue. She is joined by co-host Adam Parnell, Director of the CHIRP Maritime Programme.āCHIRP's mission is to share insights, raise awareness, and save more lives at sea.
Nonprofit Honors Boysie Bollinger for Outstanding Achievements
Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced that Donald T. āBoysieā Bollinger, Chairman and CEO of Bollinger Enterprises, LLC and retired Chairman and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards, has been selected for membership in this prestigious organization. Mr. Bollinger joins 12 other exceptional business, civic and cultural leaders from across North America in receiving 2023 honors.
Australian Mining Magnate Calls for Ban on Seabed Mining
Fortescue Metals executive chairman Andrew Forrest on Tuesday said his charitable foundation is in favor of a pause on seabed mining, the first time a prominent mining executive has spoken out against the nascent industry.Forrest said the Minderoo Foundation, which he and his wife Nicola fund with the dividends they get from Fortescue, will back a pause until there's sufficient evidence that damage to ocean environments can be prevented.Seabed mining would involve vacuuming up potato-sized rocks rich in battery metals that blanket vast swathes of the sea floor at depths of 4-6 kilometresā¦
Ghana's Historic Slave Forts are Being Swallowed by Rising Seas
For 21 years, Fort Prinzenstein's caretaker James Ocloo Akorli has watched the Gulf of Guinea's tempestuous waters eat away at both his livelihood and his heritage.The 18th century Danish citadel, set along Ghana's palm-fringed coastline, was once the last stop for captured Africans before they were forced onto slave ships bound for the Americas.Today, three-quarters of the UNESCO World Heritage site has been swallowed by the sea."There have been mornings after a storm when I have come to find large parts of the fort have just disappearedā¦
Diverse Marine to Build New Vessel for Caister Volunteer Lifeboat Service
Caister Volunteer Lifeboat Service Ltd. announced it has signed a new vessel construction agreement with shipbuilder Diverse Marine for a first of class 14-meter Medina Class Lifeboat. The vessel has commenced build and will be delivered in 2022.After a competitive international tender process using a design from Walker Marine Design, the construction of the vessel at Cowes on the Isle of Wight completes the evolutionary process that saw the original Medina Class Lifeboat builtā¦
Ship of the Month: Mercy Ships and the Quest to Build Global Mercy
Mercy Ships is known globally for its charitable work performing medical procedures in developing countries. For the first time, the organization has a new ship, Global Mercy, recently delivered from a shipyard in China. Jim Paterson, Marine Executive Consultant, Mercy Ships takes Maritime Reporter & Engineering News inside the construction of the worldās largest civilian hospital ship.Jim Paterson already had a career and Chief Engineerās Certificate when he joined Mercy Ships nearly 34 years ago, in search of a life change to make a difference.
Ocean Cleanup Struggles to Fulfill Promise to Scoop Up Plastic at Sea
Docked at a Canadian port, crew members returned from a test run of the Ocean Cleanup's system to rid the Pacific of plastic trash were thrilled by the meager results ā even as marine scientists and other ocean experts doubted the effort could succeed.The non-profit, launched in 2013 amid buoyant media coverage, hopes to clear 90% of floating plastic from the world's oceans by 2040. But the group's own best-case scenario ā still likely years away ā envisions removing 20,000 tonnes a year from the North Pacificā¦
'Don't Fear the (Fifie) Reaper': Iconic 118-Year-Old Ship from "the Great Age of Sail" Re-opens
Following a £1million conservation, the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, Fife, is set to welcome visitors back onboard the iconic āFifieā Reaper, the last of the great First Class Scottish Herring Luggers and a rare survivor from the golden age of sail.One of the few vessels in the UKās National Historic Fleet kept in seagoing condition, the two-masted, 70-ft., 50-tonne Reaper will open to the public on August 4 at her pontoon on Anstruther Harbour, once Scotlandās busiest fishing port.The refurbishmen projectā¦
SOS: Stranded, Shattered Seafarers Threaten Global Supply Lines
"I've seen grown men cry," says Captain Tejinder Singh, who hasn't set foot on dry land in more than seven months and isn't sure when he'll go home."We are forgotten and taken for granted," he says of the plight facing tens of thousands of seafarers like him, stranded at sea as the Delta variant of the coronavirus wreaks havoc on shore."People don't know how their supermarkets are stocked up."Singh and most of his 20-strong crew have criss-crossed the globe on an exhausting odyssey: from India to the United States then on to Chinaā¦
Stranded and Shattered Seafarers Threaten Global Supply Lines
"I've seen grown men cry," says Captain Tejinder Singh, who hasn't set foot on dry land in more than seven months and isn't sure when he'll go home."We are forgotten and taken for granted," he says of the plight facing tens of thousands of seafarers like him, stranded at sea as the Delta variant of the coronavirus wreaks havoc on shore."People don't know how their supermarkets are stocked up."Singh and most of his 20-strong crew have criss-crossed the globe on an exhausting odyssey: from India to the United States then on to Chinaā¦
VIKAND Hires Holmes as Director of Business Development
Maritime medical operations and public health provider VIKAND Solutions, LLC said it has appointed Russ Holmes as director of business development.Perhaps best known for providing end-to-end medical solutions to the cruise industry for its guests and crew, the company said bringing Holmes onboard positions it to further extend its medical best practices and results to the global maritime industry, including commercial shipping, private islands, the gas and oil energy sector, and the yachting market.āTo this newly created role at VIKANDā¦
Colonial Group Announces Leadership Changes
Savannah-based Colonial Group Inc. has announced a new era of leadership as it prepares to mark a major milestone in the companyās history in 2021.Christian B. Demere (Demere) has been named chief executive officer, succeeding his father, Robert H. Demere, Jr. (Demere Jr.), who had been in the position since 1986. Colonial Group has continued to operate as a privately held business since 1921 through the chairmanships of its founder, Raymond Demere; his son, Robert H. Demere Sr.; and Robertās son, Demere Jr.āThe time has come to pass the torch to the fourth generation,ā said Demere Jr.
Seaspan Shipyards Invests in STEM Education
Seaspan Shipyards announced a $300,000 investment in Letās Talk Science, a charitable organization that has been providing Canadian youth and educators with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs for more than 25 years. Seaspanās three-year commitment will support the roll-out of new KindergartenāGrade 12 (K-12) programming across Canada designed to educate and inspire youth about STEM careers in the marine and shipbuilding industries.Seaspanās contribution to Letās Talk Scienceā¦
INSIGHTS: Sean Fernstrum, President, R.W. Fernstrum
This month, listen in as Sean Fernstrum weighs in on how his firm arrived at its enviable market position, what comes next, and why.Sean Fernstrum is a third-generation owner of R.W Fernstrum & Company. He graduated from Michigan Technological University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Scientific and Technical Communications. After college, he came home to Menominee, Michigan and began working as a Technical Writer at R.W. Fernstrum & Company. He has been President of the company for the last 8 years.
50 States Sign Fishing Vessel Safety Declaration
A global regime to create much-needed safety standards for fishing vessels has moved a significant step closer following the International Maritime Organization (IMO)-led international Ministerial Conference, organized in conjunction with Spain, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and The Pew Charitable Trusts.During the conference (21-23 October), nearly 50 States signed the Torremolinos Declaration, publicly indicating their determination to ensure that the 2012 Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety will enter into force by the tenth anniversary of its adoption (11 October 2022).The Cape Town Agreement includes mandatory safety measures for fishing vessels of 24 m in length and over.
46 Countries Support Torremolinos Declaration
The Cook Islands and Sao Tome and Principe have become the latest States to become Party to the Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety.These small nations deposited their instruments of accession during the Torremolinos Ministerial Conference on Fishing Vessel Safety and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing (21-23 October).At the same time, they joined 44 other countries (46 in total) signing the Torremolinos Declaration, a non-legally binding political instrument.By signing the Declaration, the 46 States publicly indicate their determination to ensure the Cape Town Agreement reaches entry into force criteria by the tenth anniversary of its adoption (11 October 2022).
A World-First in 3D Printing
Lloydās Register and Lloydās Register Foundation support the development of the worldās first 3D printed rescue boat.Lloydās Register (LR) is partnering with Singaporeās National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), Autodesk, ST Engineering's Electronic sector and AML3D to launch a global design competition offering a first prize of S$30,000 (c£17,500) to the winner of the best innovative design idea for a 3D printed rescue boat hull. This will be the first everā¦
China Fishing Safety Workshop Mulls Treaty Ratification
National workshop discussed China's potential ratification and implementation of fisheries-related conventions, including IMO's 2012 Cape Town Agreement (CTA), aimed at improving safety standards on fishing vessels, and the 1995 Standards on Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F).Fisheries-related conventions are key tools used by flag, coastal and port States to effectively monitor and control fishing vessels and minimize the risk of illegalā¦
Fishing Vessel Safety Workshop in China
Fisheries-related conventions are key tools used by flag, coastal and port States to effectively monitor and control fishing vessels and minimise the risk of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, by enhancing transparency, traceability and governance.This was the focus of a national workshop in Shanghai, China (29-30 July), organized by the Shanghai Ocean University and the Bureau of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, with input from International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), The Pew Charitable Trusts and the IMO Number Scheme manager (IHS Markit).Participants discussed China's potential ratification and implementation of fisheries-related conventionsā¦
Ghana Focus on Safety of Ships and Fishing
In order to improve the safety of fishers and fishing vessels, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has put in place, over the years, several initiatives, culminating with the adoption of the Cape Town Agreement of 2012.Accra, Ghana, was the host for a regional seminar (8-12 July), on "Ensuring Safety Of Ships and Fishing", to encourage discussion on promoting and ensuring safety in the fishing industry.The event also provided Member Governments with the assistance they may need in implementing the Agreement."Fishing is considered one of the most hazardous occupation in the world and, despite improvements in technology, the loss of life in the fisheries sector is unacceptably highā¦
DSC's Wetta Receives Barry K Wendt Award
William J. āBillā Wetta, Senior Vice President of Product Development & Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of DSC Dredge, LLC was awarded the Barry K. Wendt Commitment Award during National Stone Sand and Gravel Associationās annual convention in Indianapolis, Indiana held February 10 ā 13, 2019.Deemed The aggregates industry's highest, most distinguished individual award, NSSGA established the Wendt award more than two decades ago to recognize individuals who exhibit the dedication and commitment to the industry that Barry Wendt did. The Barry K.
Making a Difference: Interferry acts on industryās major issues
Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan reflects on the global trade associationās hectic year of involvement in three key areas of concern.Readers with long memories will have a strong sense of déjà vu when I say that safety, security and the environment are at the forefront of Interferryās networking and lobbying mission right now. I highlighted the very same issues in this column last January, so let me explain why Iām not entirely repeating myself.Itās a fact of life that a lot can happen in a short space of time.