Insights: Cherrie Felder, VP, Channel Shipyard Companies
For Cheryl āCherrieā Felder, the path to the maritime industry was both untraditional and seemingly meant to be. After studying African art, she began her career working in a museum in New Orleans before landing a role directing professional rodeo in the Big Easy.āIt was a lot of fun, and I learned a whole lot,ā Felder said. āBut as you may imagine, New Orleans is not a rodeo town. After the third year, the board of directors decided, okay, that's it. No more rodeo.āAnd thatās when Felderās doorway to the maritime industry swung openā¦
US Dredging: Plenty of Issues, New WRDA on the Way
2024 marks another year for development of a biennial WRDA billāWater Resources Development Act, critical legislation for the Nationās waterways, ports and harbors. WRDA encompasses a range of issues, from environmental regs to energy use to agriculture and, of course, a focus on projects critical for economic growth.Because these are dynamic and timely issues, Congress and the maritime sector like to keep WRDA on a two-year reauthorization timeline. Indeed, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, December and January, held three WRDA information hearings.
Inland Waterways Focus: The Pacific Northwest Columbia-Snake River System
"The Columbia River and its tributaries, wetlands, and estuaries are the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, providing abundant water, power, recreation, agriculture, transportation and natural resources that have supported livelihoods, cultural and spiritual practices, commerce and economic growth.ā - President Biden, Memorandum of September 27, 2023.Those abundant benefits directly impact about 13 million people in the Pacific Northwest. Hydropower extends that plentitude to millions more, powering cities and industry from Idaho to California.
Vestdavit Hits New Sales Record as Orders Increase 76% From Last Year
Norwegian davit supplier Vestdavit has notched up a new annual sales record for another consecutive year after seeing its order intake surge by 76% in 2023 on high demand from the offshore wind and oil and gas sectors, as well as increased sales in its core naval market.Vestdavit has expanded its market position in offshore wind after both gaining new customers and winning repeat orders with existing clients, including Esvagt and Rem Offshore, with orders in this sector accounting for more than $9.4 million (NOK 100 million)ā¦
OMSA Announces New Board Members
Industry trade group the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) announced the addition of four CEOs to its board of directors.The new board members include Wes Bordelon, Chief Executive Officer, Bordelon Marine; Stacy Jo Stanley, Chief Executive Officer, Offshore Oil Services, Inc.; David Dantin, Chief Executive Officer, Odyssea Marine; and Lasse Petterson, Chief Executive Officer, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock."With the addition of these four executive leaders, OMSA pays homage to its roots while welcoming expanded opportunities in emerging energy frontiersā¦
Furuno Unveils TZtouchXL With Risk Visualizer And AI Avoidance Route
Marine electronics manufacturer Furuno introduced the NavNet TZtouchXL series, a suite of Multi Function Displays (MFDs) designed to meet the requirements of workboat operators, including ferries and tugboats.The NavNet TZtouchXL series encompasses three large-sized MFDs: the 16ā TZT16X, 22ā TZT22X, and 24ā TZT24X. These MFDs feature super-wide, all-glass displays with exceptional clarity and brightness. The rugged all-glass design is not only functional but also enhances the durability and functionality of the helm.
Sanmar Launches First Emissions-Free ElectRA Tug for Its Own Fleet
Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar has launched electric battery-powered ElectRA tug for its own fleet, which will provide towage, ship assistance and escorting services at six ports around Turkiye.ElectRA will be the seventh electric battery tug delivered from Sanmar Shipyards within a year, five of which are already operating in Vancouver in Canada, while the sixth is currently being delivered to Norway.Based on the ElectRA 2300SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltdā¦
Biden's Pier for Gaza Aid Might Not be Ready for 60 Days
U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to build a floating U.S. military port to speed up aid to Gaza could take up to 60 days to become a reality and involve more than 1,000 American troops, the Pentagon said on Friday.The Pentagon offered the timeline a day after Biden announced the initiative in his State of the Union speech, as he seeks to cool anger in his Democratic Party over his staunch support for Israel's offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7.The United Nations has warned that widespread famine in the Gaza Strip is "almost inevitable" without urgent action.
Briggs Marine Adds New Pilot Boat in the UK
Briggs Marine announced its is adding a new pilot vessel to its fleet in response to demand for pilot services within the U.K.Built by Goodchild Marine and scheduled for delivery in March, the Forth Navigator is a 12m version of the now well-established ORC design, incorporating the high levels of performance and crew comfort, Briggs Marine said.From March 2024, the Forth Navigator will be available for charter for a range of activities, including pilot boat duties and harbor patrol either on a short or long-term basis.
SCHOTTEL to Equip Med Marine's Six New ASD Tugs
SCHOTTEL is to equip six new ASD tugs of the Turkish Med Marine Group with the SCHOTTEL RudderPropeller (SRP). The new vessels will be built by Med Marineās EreÄli Shipyard and will be available in 2025 to meet the constantly growing demand for Med Marine tugs. A total of 12 SCHOTTEL RudderPropellers in the SRP 360, SRP 430 and SRP 490 series will be built for the new vessels by the German manufacturer of marine propulsion systems. The new tugs will cater for a range of different bollard pull requirements in the 50-ā¦
ClassNK Grants Innovation Endorsement for āACE Functionā
ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to a straight leg course control called āACE Functionā (ACE: Advanced Control for Ecology), which can be integrated with the autopilot systems, āPR-9000ā and āPR-6000ā offered by Tokyo Keiki Inc.āACE Functionā can automatically create a straight route and implement navigation at the shortest distance, only by setting the ship's current position and the heading of a destination. While navigating, it constantly estimates disturbances (tidal currentsā¦
Explosion Reported Near US-Owned Cargo Ship Off Yemen
An explosion in the vicinity of a Barbados-flagged, U.S.-owned cargo ship off the port of Aden in southern Yemen was reported by a nearby vessel, British security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday.The ship, located approximately 57 nautical miles southwest of Aden, was hailed by an entity declaring itself to be the "Yemeni Navy" and ordered to alter course, Ambrey said.Vessels in the vicinity reported a loud bang and a large plume of smoke, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.Houthi militants in Yemen have launched drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Seaā¦
Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam: Three Years of Independence
Three years ago in March, Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam gained full independence, and since then, the company has taken strategic steps to chart its own course and strengthen its independent position within the maritime sector.After the closure of the Vuyk shipyard in Capelle aan den IJssel in 1979, marking the end of all shipbuilding activities, former employees established a new company: Vuyk Engineering and Trading. Founded on the principles of technical know-how combined with experience in cost calculationā¦
Recycling Market Still Deprived of Tonnage
As freight markets push further on, global ship recycling markets remain deprived of tonnage, making it an increasingly suffocating environment for ship recyclers to operate in, reports cash buyer GMS.Bangladesh and Pakistan rely heavily on imported shipās steel, not only for domestic / large-scale infrastructure projects, but also for its comparatively āhealthierā and ārust-freeā condition than other forms of imported scrap metal / steel (HMS 1, HMS 2, shredded steel, etc.)Thereforeā¦
Malaysia Says MH370 Search Must Go On
Malaysia is pushing for a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the transport minister said on Sunday, as the 10th anniversary of its disappearance in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries approaches.Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.Malaysian investigators initially did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been deliberately taken off course, and debrisā¦
KOTUG Takes Full Ownership of Its Bahamas Towage JV with SEACOR
KOTUG International, a marine services and towage provider based in the Netherlands, announced on Thursday it has concluded its acquisition of Kotug Seabulk Maritime (KSM), taking full ownership of the Caribbean marine towage business.KOTUG said it has acquired the interest of its joint venture partner, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based SEACOR Holdings via its Seabulk subsidiary KS Maritime Holdings, owner of the 50% share in KSM.Founded in 2017, KSM acts as the exclusive provider of maritime terminal support services for Buckeye Partnersā Bahamas Hubā¦
Japan Continues to Lead Shipowner Rankings
VesselsValue has unveils this yearās top 10 shipowning nations, reviewing the total asset values for vessels by beneficial owner country. From Japan's resolute leadership in the top position with a USD 206.3 billion fleet to the emergence of Hong Kong at USD 44.7 billion, asset values and ownership strategies have changed considerably over the last 12 months, says Rebecca Galanopoulos-Jones, Senior Content Analyst, Veson Nautical.The data provided by VesselsValue and analysed by Veson is valid as of February 2024.
NYK Receives ClassNK Certification for Offshore Wind CTV Training
NYK has secured certification from ClassNK for Japanās first training program for crew members of offshore wind industry crew transfer vessels (CTVs).The training is scheduled to be conducted at the Akita School of Wind and Sea training center in Oga City, Akita Prefecture, from April - offering three programs in total.The certification from Class NK is for simulator-based training for operating CTVs, which confirms that the training program meets quality and international standards after a review of the training frameworkā¦
Svitzer Reports 2023 Revenue Growth of 6%
Towage and marine services company Svitzer has published its 2023 annual report, showing that total revenue grew 6% to DKK 5,786 million driven by, among other things, a record number of harbour towage tug jobs of more than 150,000.Adjusted for foreign exchange impact, total revenue grew 9.5%. Operating profit (EBITDA) was up 4% to DKK 1,690 million, corresponding to an EBITDA margin of 29.2%. In the past five years, total revenue has on average grown by almost 6% annually with an average EBITDA margin of 30%.
Will 2024 Settle the Turbulence of US Offshore Wind?
There is no denying that 2023 was a challenging year for the U.S. offshore wind market. Citing macroeconomic factors including high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks, Ørsted announced on October 31 that they were ceasing the development of the Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects, which were scheduled for construction off the coast of New Jersey. Unfortunately, the troubling news has continued into the new year, with Equinor and BP announcing onā¦
DP World and Masdar Team Up to Power Port Operations with Renewables
DP World has signed a partnership agreement with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to explore and implement renewable energy systems across its global port operations in the Middle East and Africa.The agreement aims to facilitate the widespread adoption of renewable energy and battery energy storage systems (BESS) within DP Worldās global supply chain.Over the course of the three-year partnership, DP World and Masdar will work together to identify optimal sites for the potential deployment of solar and energy storage systemsā¦
Virtual Marine: Simulator Training is the Real Deal
In the commercial maritime and offshore industries, where worker safety and competency are crucial, effective training practices are an absolute must. While hands-on, in-the-field learning will always be a vital component of any marinerās training, marine simulation has become a welcome enhancement to the education process. And in some cases, itās seen as a safer alternative to traditional survival craft and rescue boat training.A leader in this space is Virtual Marine, based in Newfoundland and Labrador.
ARC Keeps the Cargo Rolling
With a fleet of nine U.S.-flag RoRo ships, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC), is the U.S.ā premier commercial RoRo carrier of U.S. government and military cargo. As the world becomes an increasingly contentious place, Eric P. Ebeling, President & CEO, ARC, discusses the vast capabilities of the ARC fleet and logistics network, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead for U.S.-flag ships in the international trade.By the numbersā is a simplistic means to gauge the size and shape of any shipping companyā¦