Christie News

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) announced that Matt Mulherin Jr. has been promoted to vice president of contracts at its Newport News Shipbuilding division. Mulherin succeeds Christie Thomas, who has been appointed corporate vice president, investor relations.Mulherin will have overall responsibility for contracts, pricing, and export/import licensing and compliance for Newport News. He will report to Don Godwin, Newport News vice president of business management and…

Godmother and international icon Christie Brinkley named Seven Seas Splendor in a star-studded ceremony during black-tie festivities Friday evening at PortMiami.The Luxury ocean cruise line Regent Seven Seas Cruises stated that Seven Seas Splendor is the sister of 2016's Seven Seas Explorer."Every ship we launch gets even better, and Seven Seas Splendor is magnificent," said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. "The collaboration between the designers, engineers, craftsmen, hotel and restaurant teams and the crew on board all brings the renowned Regent experience to life on this beautiful ship."Seven Seas Splendor is helmed by 30-year veteran Captain Serena Melani…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced it has delivered Seven Seas Splendor for US-based Regent Seven Seas Cruises.The Ancona-built ultra-luxury cruise ship is the second Fincaantieri has delivered for the Regent Seven Seas Cruises, a Norwegian Cruise Line brand. The newbuild is the fifth-all-suite vessel in Regent’s fleet.Like sister ship Seven Seas Explorer, delivered by Fincantieri at the Sestri Ponente (Genova) shipyard in 2016, Seven Seas Splendor is 55,000 gross tons, 224 meters long and is able to accommodate 750 passengers on board in 375 suites all including private balconies.

U.K. based marine services company the Briggs Group announced it has acquired a consortium of three marine companies in Canada: Foreshore Technologies, Balanced Environmental and Ocean Tech. The three companies are based in North Vancouver, B.C. and have been trading for 25 years.Foreshore Technologies Inc. is an underwater survey and inspection company that specializes in diving, environmental survey, structural survey and marine operations, utilizing innovative equipment and platforms for a broad range of clients.Balanced Environmental Services Inc.

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Cheniere Energy Inc said it planned to make a final investment decision to build the third liquefaction train at its Corpus Christi LNG export facility in Texas in the first half of 2018:Cheniere said on Friday its Cheniere Corpus Christi Holdings LLC subsidiary engaged financial institutions to arrange up to $6.4 billion of credit facilities. The unit already has about $4.6 billion of existing credit facilities.Cheniere said it will use the credit facilities to fund a portion of the costs of developing…

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that Christie Thomas has been promoted to vice president of contracts and pricing at its Newport News Shipbuilding division. She will succeed Tom Johnston, who will retire on April 1. Thomas will have overall responsibility for contracts, pricing, and export/import licensing and compliance for the Newport News shipyard and will report to Don Godwin, Newport News’ chief financial officer. She joined HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in 2006 and has held director-level positions in supply chain management, business management, business development, and contracts and pricing. In 2017, she was promoted to corporate director of investor relations at HII’s corporate office. Prior to HII, Thomas spent 12 years with Lockheed Martin.

Huntington Ingalls Industries said that Christie Thomas was promoted to vice president of contracts and pricing at its Newport News Shipbuilding division. She will succeed Tom Johnston, who will retire on April 1. Thomas will have overall responsibility for contracts, pricing, and export/import licensing and compliance for the Newport News shipyard and will report to Don Godwin, Newport News’ chief financial officer. She joined HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in 2006 and has held director-level positions in supply chain management…

Edie Rodriguez, the Americas Brand Chairman for PONANT Yacht Cruises and Expeditions, has spent a life and built a career centered on travel, cruise and branding in a most luxurious manner. She was a natural to discuss the booming luxury expedition sector, the next big frontier in the global cruise industry. It is natural, in the U.S., to pronounce PONANT as “po nant,” but the French have a different style and the company name is pronounced “po non,” dropping the ‘t.’ But Edie Rodriquez, charged with spreading the PONANT name in North America, does not get hung up on diction in this case.

Moving from smart talk to practical solutions and learning from other industries will be the twin themes of an industry event scheduled for Vancouver in March. Technology will be an enabler, but the maritime industry will have to be prepared to change its model to be a candidate for a smarter digital future. Meeting the real enterprise challenges blocking shipping’s digital journey is the focus for the Transas Global Conference 2018, whose ‘Enterprise Change’ agenda brings together global business leaders…

Bankrupt South Korean shipping line Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd won U.S. court approval at a hearing on Wednesday for the $78 million sale of its stake in U.S. terminal operator Total Terminals International LLC, overcoming objections of container companies.   "My decision is to approve the sale," U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John Sherwood said, adding he would approve the transfer of the sale's proceeds to South Korea.   The container companies are creditors of Hanjin and were concerned whether the shipping line was getting top dollar for its 54 percent stake in Total Terminals, which operates container terminals at the ports of Seattle and Long Beach, California, and was rushing to close the transaction. It has already been approved in South Korea.   Reporting by Jim Christie

The speaker line-up at the next annual Transas Global Conference confirms that the innovative digital solutions company is catching the mood at the cutting edge of vessel operations by suggesting that, properly harnessed, operations and technology can transform maritime safety as well as efficiency. “If vessels, shore authorities, ports, regulators and training facilities worldwide work together on technology on a common operating platform, there is the potential to achieve extraordinary gains in operating efficiencies, but also a step change in safety,” says Transas CEO Frank Coles.

Marine News looks back at the past 12 months and showcases the best of North America’s workboat design shop and shipyard output. In a year where some stakeholders might not rank 2016 as the best of years in the shipyard or on the waterfront, we might disagree. And, there is plenty to write about. New contracts, deliveries and designs all combine to show that the collective workboat waterfront is moving forward, with technology, the environment and replacement tonnage requirements as the main drivers.

A Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd vessel is finishing unloading in California and scheduled to leave port on Monday, shipping industry officials said, as shareholders and executives associated with the South Korean firm pledged funds to help resolve the turmoil created by its collapse. The Hanjin Greece docked in Long Beach on Saturday after a U.S. bankruptcy court granted it protection and terminal operators agreed to take it. Truck drivers probably will begin moving containers from the Greece on Monday while the vessel prepares to leave late in the day for the Port of Oakland, said Teamsters spokeswoman Barbara Maynard and shipping traffic controllers.

A Hanjin Shipping Co container vessel idled off the coast of Mexico after the company's bankruptcy has received permission to dock and unload cargo at the Port of Long Beach, industry and union officials said Friday. Authorization for the Hanjin Greece to enter the port came after bankruptcy courts in the United States and South Korea cleared the way for the company to spend $10 million to unload cargo from four ships headed for ports on the U.S. West Coast. South Korea said it expects Hanjin Greece to start unloading cargo on Saturday morning U.S. time. Hanjin could not be immediately reached for a comment. "We're looking forward to getting these ships unloaded, said Ray Familathe, vice president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union representing 20,000 dockworkers.

Vigor recently delivered an 88’ x 25’ x 14’ fireboat to the San Francisco Fire Department. The yet to be named vessel is the first fireboat to join San Francisco’s fleet in 61 years. Designed by Jensen Maritime and built at Vigor’s Seattle shipyard, the unique vessel is not only a firefighting tool but also a mobile pumping station powerhouse, the shipbuilder said. It’s capable of pumping millions of gallons of water directly from the Bay into the City’s Auxiliary Water System – a feature that will keep fire hoses flowing in the event an earthquake damages San Francisco’s water mains.

Carnival Corporation & plc today announced the official opening of its Arison Maritime Center, a world-class facility dedicated to providing safety training for its bridge and engineering officers responsible for the navigation and operation of the company’s fleet of cruise ships. Located in Almere, Netherlands just outside Amsterdam, the new 75-million-euro facility features some of industry’s most advanced simulators and training equipment to provide annual training to more than 6,500 bridge and engineering officers from Carnival’s 10 global cruise line brands.

The two newest inland river towboats in Tidewater Transportation and Terminals’ fleet, Granite Point and Ryan Point, were christened during a late afternoon ceremony Saturday, June 11 at Vancouver Landing in Vancouver, Wash. After Deacon Tim Dooley from Portland’s Holy Family Parish delivered a blessing, Patty Reed, wife of Bruce Reed, Tidewater’s Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, and Diane Laya, wife of Marc Schwartz, Tidewater’s Maintenance and Engineering Manager…

Carnival Corporation & plc announced today that its Arison Maritime Center in the Netherlands will honor the legacy of the Arison family who founded and grew the company into the world’s largest cruise line operation. The company also announced that construction is now well underway for what will be a state-of-the-art campus located in Almere, just outside Amsterdam. A grand opening celebration at the center is scheduled for July 14, 2016. The centerpiece of the new seven-acre campus is the CSMART Academy…

MSC Cruises, the Geneva-based global cruise line, has unveiled ambitious plans to create an unprecedented exclusive marine reserve island experience in the Bahamas. As one of the most ecologically conscious cruise lines in the world, the company will invest approximately $200 million in creating a flourishing natural haven from a desert island. The visionary project was officially launched in the Bahamian capital Nassau, where Prime Minister Perry Christie and MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago signed a 100-year lease agreement that will enable MSC Cruises to occupy and develop the island to be called Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

Bahamas' Prime Minister Christie has met with Global Shipping Giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), in Geneva. Principal and founder of MSC, Gianluigi Aponte and his senior management team met with Prime Minister at MSCs headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland for two days of deliberations. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss about matters relating to the expiring concessions under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and growth of MSCs investments in The Bahamas. Meanwhile, Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization, H.E. Eldred Bethel and Executive Director of The Bahamas Maritime Authority London, Cmdr. Davy Rolle presented Bahamas’ contribution to Secretary General Kitack Limon Tuesday, February 16th at IMO Headquarters.

The United States turned into a net natural gas exporter for a day after the first liquefied natural gas export from Cheniere Energy Inc's Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana left for Brazil on Wednesday. The United States however is not expected to become a net exporter of gas on an annual basis until 2017 after more pipelines to Mexico and LNG export terminals enter service, according to federal energy estimates. The United States was last a net exporter of gas on an annual basis in 1957. On Wednesday, the United States imported a net 4.8 billion cubic feet of gas per day from Canada and 0.2 bcfd from various LNG import terminals for a total of about 5 bcfd in imports.

The management teams of CENTA Antriebe Kirschey GmbH and Christie & Grey Limited have announced a strategic global sales cooperation. The agreement allows the two companies to join forces to engineer and strategically supply “quiet drive” solutions - combining soft mounting systems, flexible couplings, and intermediate drive shaft systems. Christie & Grey Limited manufactures engineered and customized vibration, noise and shock control solutions for worldwide marine, industrial, and commercial applications, while CENTA Antriebe manufactures torsional coupling and drive shaft systems, offering solutions to the marine, industrial, rail, and energy industries.

The management teams of CENTA Antriebe Kirschey GmbH and Christie & Grey Limited announce a strategic global sales cooperation between their companies. The agreement allows the two companies to join forces to engineer and strategically supply the industry’s premium “quiet drive” solutions - combining soft mounting systems, flexible couplings, and intermediate drive shaft systems. As a pioneer in innovation since 1914, Christie & Grey Limited manufactures durable and highly efficient vibration, noise, and shock control solutions for worldwide marine, industrial, and commercial applications. For over 100 years, Christie & Grey has been a leader in designing and building engineered and customized solutions.