Civil Engineering News

The cargo ship Dali knocked down three main truss spans, constructed with connected steel elements forming triangles, on the Francis Scott Key Bridge just seconds after crashing into one of the bridge piers early on Tuesday morning, March 26, 2024.The bridge collapse happened so fast that it left little time for the work crews on the bridge to escape. Civil engineers like me have been paying attention to this disaster, because we want to find ways to make infrastructure like these large bridges more resilient. For a bridge this large to collapse would require a catastrophic collision force.

Jeffrey G. Sipes has been named chief executive officer at engineering and construction firm S&B, parent company to naval architecture and marine engineering firm TAI Engineers.“S&B has a remarkable record of growth and success over the past sixty years, and we look forward to decades of further success. The markets we serve are changing, creating new opportunities for growth. Jeff is the leader who can successfully guide the company to capitalize on these opportunities. He brings extensive experience and a deep understanding of both S&B’s markets and the company’s distinctive capabilities…

Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) container terminal will equip its entire quayside with shore-based power for all vessels, slashing emissions of particulates, nitrogen and CO2 while at berth.RWG, which is already fully automated and CO2 neutral, is opting to design, finance and build the shore-based power systems itself.The first berths are expected to be equipped with shore-based power from 2026 onward, placing RWG ahead of European regulation stipulating that all container, passenger and cruise ships larger than 5…

The Supervisory Board of Van Oord intends to nominate Govert van Oord as the new CEO of Van Oord. The formal appointment will take place at Van Oord's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on April 11, 2024.The Board is pleased to be able to transfer the leadership of the family business from the 4th to the 5th generation Van Oord family.Govert van Oord has been with Van Oord since 2002 and has worked for the company in the Middle East, Spain and Brazil, among others. He is currently responsible for the Dredging & Infra Business Unit as Managing Director.

The Solomon Islands has awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to a Chinese state company to upgrade an international port in Honiara in a project funded by the Asian Development Bank, an official of the island nation said on Wednesday.The United States and its allies, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan, have held concerns that China has ambitions to build a naval base in the region since the Solomon Islands struck a security pact with Beijing last year."This will be upgrading the old international port in Honiara and two domestic wharves in the provinces…

Born in 1998 and celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023, Heger Dry Dock holds a unique position as one of the few engineering firms in the world dedicated to the design and lifecycle engineering of drydocks, primarily floating dry docks. Premal Shah, P.E., President and Principal Engineer, discussed some of the company’s recent contract wins with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.Specializing in the design and lifecycle maintenance of floating dry docks, Heger Dry Docks was founded 25 years ago, and still run today by one of its co-founders, Bob Heger.

Dutch marine services company Van Oord has appointed Meike Salvadό-de Reede to the position of Chief People Officer (CPO) in its Executive Committee as of November 1, 2022. "Van Oord’s people agenda is fundamental to its strategy and to building a high-performance organization," Van Oord, which provides dredging and offshore energy installation services,said.Meike Salvadό-de Reede has a Civil Engineering background and over 20 years of experience in commercial, strategy and HR roles, most recently as CPO in the executive council of Royal HaskoningDHV.

WSP USA, an engineering, environment and professional services consultancy, has hired Charles "Chuck" Harris as Navy program director for the firm’s Federal Programs national business line.In his new role, Harris directs the growth of the Federal team’s Navy program, which includes a recent joint venture win to directly support the $500 million U.S. Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) for improvements to dry docks at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate…

Work has started on site to build a new fourth berth at DP World's London Gateway smart logistics hub, the Dubai-owned ports giant announced on Monday.Scheduled to be completed in 2024, the £350 million project will lift London Gateway’s capacity by a third, giving it more room to handle the world’s largest vessels.DP World, which operates two U.S. deep water ports at London Gateway and Southampton, has invested £2 billion in Britain over the last decade.Ernst Schulze, UK Chief Executive of DP World…

While the average person may have a little trouble placing the name Jan De Nul, as in “JDN Group”, that’s not necessarily the case throughout parts of Europe and in nautical circles. There the Belgium-based company is known for its dredging capabilities and high-profile projects in Dubai and the Suez Canal.In addition to dredging, JDN is building a reputation as a global player in its other business segments: offshore services, civil engineering, and environmental. Today, the company continues to invest heavily in all areas of the business.

Kongsberg Maritime’s Sensors and Robotics Division has released ScanFuseTMpowered by Qii.AI, a web-based software application that enables Civil Engineers to create comprehensive mosaics of maritime assets above and below the waterline by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning.Civil Engineers use sonar images to assess the structural integrity of waterfront facilities and structures such as port wharfs and berths, bridge piers and dams. These images assist engineers to determine whether hydraulic scour threatens the structure…

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation said it has appointed David Johanson to the position of SVP, Project Acquisition & Operations, and of Christopher G. Gunsten, P.E. to the position of SVP, Project Services & Fleet Engineering.Johanson and Gunsten will assume their new roles effective August 1, 2022. Their positions will fill the roles currently held by the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, David E. Simonelli, who is retiring on September 16, 2022.

Civil, environmental, marine engineering, and surveying firm, MidAtlantic Engineering Partners announced Joseph Mele, P.E., P.P., P.L.S. has joined its team as part of their growth initiative for northern New Jersey and an expansion of services in New York.According to company officials, adding Mele’s strong experience in Hudson, Essex, and Bergen Counties will enable MidAtlantic’s civil engineering, surveying, environmental, and marine engineering services, which clients have engaged throughout northern New Jersey, to become a key focus of growth.

AD Ports Group's feeder service, SAFEEN Feeders, has signed a long-term trade facilitation and shipping agreement with Saif Powertec Limited, a listed firm in Bangladesh that is active in ports, logistics, civil engineering, and power sectors.Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will collaborate to facilitate trade and cargo services from Fujairah to Bangladesh over a period of 15 years. As part of the collaboration, SAFEEN Feeders is expected to provide eight Supramax bulk carriers with 55…

W&O signed a new supply agreement with Jan De Nul Group, a leading civil engineering and dredging companies, a deal which expands upon the existing 10-year relationship and will see W&O supply marine valves and instrumentation to Jan De Nul Group.The two-year supply aims to ensure product availability, a fixed price, and, when needed, technical advice for upcoming drydocks or special refit projects. Jan De Nul is one of the largest marine contractors in the world, operating a fleet of more than 80 dredging and offshore installation vessels in many remote areas across the world.

The Port of Los Angeles announced it has appointed Dina Aryan-Zahlan to Chief Harbor Engineer, lead of the Port’s Engineering Division. Aryan-Zahlan replaces David Walsh who retired in December 2021.Aryan-Zahlan most recently served as the Port’s Assistant Chief Harbor Engineer since 2015, where she oversaw the planning, development and design of infrastructure and facilities that support the diverse operations of the nation’s busiest seaport, including wharves, terminals, rail…

ABB power conversion technology ensures a stable power supply for the fast-charging units serving five new electric ferries on the round-the-clock services crossing Amsterdam’s North Sea Canal. The new ferries have been ordered by the city’s public transport company, Gemeentelijk vervoerbedrijf (GVB), as an important step in its strategy to become a sustainable, emission-free transportation company. By 2023 they will completely replace the existing diesel-powered fleet that dates…

Advanced nuclear energy technology company Core Power is working on a concept for an offshore facility that combines advanced nuclear power with an offshore ammonia production facility, which would enable affordable production of green ammonia for shipping."The production of green ammonia is a key component of the decarbonization plans for international shipping. While the largest 17,000 ships are unlikely to find economic value in using hydrogen-derived green fuels, a very significant…

Liftal Hijstechniek has acquired Damen Hoisting. The agreement will be effected on October 1, and the organization will be incorporated into the full-service specialist in lifting and hoisting technology.Damen Hoisting was established five years ago as a business unit of Damen Anchor & Chain Factory B.V., located on the premises of Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam in Schiedam. The hoisting division serves customers from various markets such as the maritime, offshore, industrial and…

Berne, Ind.-based portable sectional barge manufacturer Poseidon Barge said it has hired Jerome Lemanowicz as East Coast territory sales manager, to fill the position left by the transfer of Carl Piedmont from the Northeast to the West Coast.Located in New Jersey, Lemanowicz's territory includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C., Montreal, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova…

Quickly growing turbine numbers, installed in deeper waters offshore and farther out to sea are needed to serve accelerating demand for wind energy, but safety issues for such structures go beyond the feats of civil engineering making them possible.Supervised remotely, all of these offshore assets nonetheless need periodic physical inspection and maintenance, with the engineers landing on remote platforms either from helicopters or via gangways connecting to vessels in motion.

Dutch-based dredging contractor Van Oord said it  has signed a contract with the U.K.'s Environment Agency to continue to protect the Lincolnshire coast for the next four years.The deal, which continues on the work Van Oord has been undertaking there since 2015, encompasses beach nourishment over the length of 20 kilometers and requires around 400,000 cubic meters of sand each year.Van Oord said it will also be providing technical advice to the Environment Agency in relation to the implementation of their flood risk management strategy.

William A. O’Neil, Secretary-General Emeritus of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has died in the United Kingdom, aged 93.O’Neil was elected Secretary-General of the IMO for a first term of Office beginning in 1990, a second term beginning in 1994, a third term beginning in 1998 and a further two-year term from 2002 to 31 December 2003. He was the second longest serving Secretary-General of IMO.Current IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim expressed his sincere condolences to the Canadian Government…