Copeland News

Massachusetts Maritime Academy conducted its annual regimental Change of Command Ceremony in conjunction with the celebration of National Maritime Day on Wednesday, May 24.The Change of Command Ceremony is both the symbolic and physical transfer of leadership responsibilities from the graduating senior class to members of the junior class. During the ceremony, held at the Clean Harbors Athletic Stadium on the Academy’s campus, the outgoing Regiment of Cadets Commander 1/C Abigail Pope of Falmouth, Mass., passed her responsibilities to 2/C Cole Francavilla of Stoneham, Mass.

More than 300 executives from the maritime industry, government and academia filled the conference hall at SUNY Maritime as the State University of New York Maritime College and the Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler jointly hosted "Offshore Wind Power: Planning For America’s Ocean Energy" today in New York.I was pleased to facilitate the lead panel entitled "East Coast Wind Farm Overview – Status of Industry,” a panel which featured executives from four of the leading companies which are investing and working to make offshore wind power a reality in the U.S.…

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, a 50/50 partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF Renewables North America, announced the launch of ocean survey operations today within the Atlantic Shores lease area, in order to inform future turbine development.Survey operations encompass 183,000 acres located 8-20 miles off the New Jersey coast between Barnegat Light and Sea Isle City and are expected to conclude by the end of October, weather permitting.The survey vessel Geosea will be utilized to characterize the seabed, collect samples and determine placement of data collection buoys, which will be deployed later this year to help measure wind…

The captain of a Dutch cargo ship that ran aground at Rathlin Island has been fined £1,000 ($1,300) at Armagh Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to failing to keep a proper look out. Ship’s captain Aleksandr Iakovtsov of the MV Ruyter pleaded guilty to charges brought by the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). He was charged under the Merchant Shipping Distress Signals and Prevention of Collision Regulations 1996 and also of failing to safely navigate his ship and causing serious damage to the ship (in breach of section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995).

The Birkenhead-based firm announced it has secured contracts to supply the Normand Oceanic and Normand Installer vessels with Bitzer compressors. Flynn Refrigeration managing director Alex Flynn said it has now supplied more than 20 Solstad vessels since it began trading with the Scandinavian firm in 2013. “Although we only started trading with Solstad two years ago we have quoted and supplied 23 of their vessels in that time,” Mr. Flynn said. He continued, “The Normand Oceanic and Normand Installer both required Bitzer CSH compact screw compressors.

U.K.-based refrigeration and air-conditioning specialist Flynn has been appointed as an official supplier for German refrigeration firm Roller, the company announced. As part of the deal, the Birkenhead business will act as a worldwide distributor for Roller’s marine and offshore products typically fitted inside cold rooms on board vessels. Flynn managing director Alex Flynn said the deal with the Gerlingen-based firm, which specializes in the manufacture of fan coil units, air coolers and heat exchangers, further boosts Flynn’s product range.

A year after Irving Shipbuilding Inc.’s successful bid to build $25B worth of combat vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy and ships for the Canadian Coast Guard, the largest procurement contract ever awarded in Canada, a positive economic buzz continues to grow across the province and throughout the Atlantic region. It’s an optimism not generated by any other project in many years. The multi-billion dollar package provided through the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS)…

Copland Events report that the 6th MTB Marine Europe forum being held in Copenhagen is now fully booked. Over 100 buyers are registered, from all over Europe, to join the forum in October 2012 to participate in two and a half days of face-to-face meetings and networking with suppliers worldwide. Copland Events have already registered over 100 Buyers, responsible for a total of over 3500 vessels to join us. Including companies such as:- Maersk, Torm A/S, Vroon, and V. Ships, as well as Disney Cruise Lines, Gearbulk Norway and RCL Cruises who are joining MTB Marine for the first time. Disney Cruise Lines (United Kingdom) are responsible for 4 cruise vessels including the new state of the art, Disney Fantasy, which they have recently launched.

Fendercare Marine provide first ship to ship transfer operation off Ireland. Norfolk based Fendercare Marine completed the first ship to ship (STS) transfer off the coast of Belfast last week. The operation was unusually requested by the owners of Genmar Companion following a discovery of a crack in the deck of the vessel en route from Rotterdam to New York. The Genmar Companion had sheltered off Copeland Islands since 16 December having been refused entry into Cork to conduct the repairs necessary to the deck.

Austal USA held a combined groundbreaking ceremony today, to celebrate the start of work on three new facilities including Phase 2 of the Modular Manufacturing Facility (MMF); a new office complex; and an additional waterfront Assembly Bay. The ceremony was held at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, where construction is underway on the U.S. Navy’s Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program and the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) program. This event was attended by several notable dignitaries, including Alabama Governor Robert Bentley; Rear Admiral Joseph F.

Just over six months after the official opening of Austal’s new Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF) in November 2009, Austal USA hosted a keel-laying ceremony at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama on July 22, to signify the erection of the first modules on the U.S. Department of Defense’s next generation multi-use platform, the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV). This is part of a 10-ship program potentially worth over $1.6b. Keel Laying is the formal recognition of the start of the ship’s module erection process.

Friede Goldman Halter (FGH) has signed nine contracts with a combined value of more than $52 million, excluding options. The contracts are outlined as follows: Halter has agreed with Foss Maritime for the construction of a 98-ft. (29.8 m) harbor tug, with options to build two additional vessels; a contract was also signed with an undisclosed foreign operator for construction of two high-speed passenger ferries, with options for two additional vessels; Sea Coast Towing has contracted Halter to build an 80,000-barrel oceangoing double-hull tank barge, with an option for an additional vessel; Trinity Yachts has agreed with Halter for hull construction of a 192-ft.

Ship owner and operator Safmarine’s new and improved reefer (refrigerated cargo) technology is providing transport solutions for produce previously considered to be unsuitable for shipment by sea. In April last year, Safmarine South Africa shipped the 40-foot Magnum reefer containers from Cape Town to the Far East. The containers are built to maintain a set temperature of –35 ºC in an ambient environment of up to 50 ºC. This is about 10 ºC cooler than most refrigerated containers. The new containers are ideally suited to the transport of premium refrigerated cargo, including fatty fish, mussels, shrimp and ice cream. In some instances, such as the refrigeration of fatty fish, this capacity can extend the product’s shelf life by more than seven months.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., has delivered the 145-ft. supply/utility boat WES BORDELON to Bordelon Marine, Inc. It is the first of three nearly identical supply/utility vessels under construction at Bollinger for Bordelon, which will double the number of oil field support vessels (OSV) in the fleet of the Lockport-based vessel operator. Speaking at the recent christening of the boat on the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Bordelon's CEO, Terry Bordelon said, "We chose Bollinger as our partner in designing and building this boat. Boysie (Donald "Boysie" Bollinger, chairman and CEO of Bollinger) gave us insightful thoughts into what customers would want now and in the future along with the new requirements of the various regulatory bodies.