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Friday, April 26, 2024
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25 Apr 2024

US Military Starts Pier Construction off Gaza

Strategic Sealift Officer Lt. David Gill runs radio tests in the bridge of Military Sealift Command large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off (LMSR) vessel USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306) (Source US Department of Defense 2019)

U.S. troops have begun construction of a maritime pier off the coast of Gaza that aims to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave when it becomes operational in May, the Pentagon said on Thursday.President Joe Biden announced the pier in March as aid officials implored Israel to ease access for relief supplies into Gaza over land routes. Whether the pier will ultimately succeed in boosting humanitarian aid is unclear, as international officials warn of the risk of…

25 Apr 2024

Babcock Takes Charge of Type 23 Frigate Upkeep for Royal Navy

(Credit: Babcock)

Babcock has been awarded the contract to manage the Type 23 class frigate Refit Support Group, allowing the company to take end-to-end responsibility for vessel upkeep and regeneration in preparation for handover to the ship’s crew.This innovative change follows more than five years of close working between the Royal Navy-led Refit Support Group and Babcock.It frees up UK Royal Navy personnel for front line operations and creates new and exciting roles for 40 Babcock engineering technicians and managers at its Devonport facility…

16 Apr 2024

New Research Vessel Delivered to Thailand’s DMCR

(Photo: Incat Crowther)

Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has taken delivery of a new state-of-the-art research vessel. Designed by Incat Crowther and built by Thai shipbuilder Seacrest Marine, the 25-meter catamaran will be used by the DMCR to patrol Thailand’s coastal environments and monitor the nation’s fisheries and marine resources.Based the Incat Crowther 25 design, the vessel has a range of innovative features and equipment to help its crew monitor and protect sensitive…

03 Apr 2024

Rottnest Fast Ferries Orders New Vessel

(Image: Incat Crowther)

Construction on a new passenger ferry, designed by Incat Crowther for Western Australian ferry operator Rottnest Fast Ferries, has commenced at Austal Philippines.The new ferry will operate on the popular Perth to Rottnest Island tourism route with the 32-meter aluminum catamaran set to have an operational capacity of up to 400 passengers and five crew seated over three decks. The vessel will also feature extensive cargo and luggage space for passengers, including bicycle storage areas on the main and mid decks.

29 Mar 2024

US Military Destroys Four Houthi Drones

© Marc Calleja / Adobe Stock

The U.S. military said on Thursday that it had destroyed four unmanned drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.The U.S. Central Command said on the social media site X that the drones "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region."The drones were aimed at a coalition vessel and a U.S. warship and "were engaged in self defense over the Red Sea," the statement from the U.S. Central Command said, adding there were no injuries or damage reported to the U.S. or coalition ships.(Reuters - Reporting by Jasper Ward and Dan Whitcomb)

29 Feb 2024

KOTUG Takes Full Ownership of Its Bahamas Towage JV with SEACOR

(File photo; KSM)

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 Partners’ Bahamas Hub…

27 Feb 2024

Preparing for Change, ABS Enhances the Marine Vessels Rules Book

Copyright KengVit14/AdobeStock

As maritime faces transcendent changes in regards to decarbonization, digitalization and automation, innovators from inside and outside of the industry will be challenged to deliver new applications and technologies with increased speed and frequency. Sitting at the center of the innovation storm are classification societies, and earlier this year the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) became the first classification society to incorporate goal-based standards throughout major rule sets, enhancing its ability to handle the increasing flow of novel concepts and new technologies.

22 Feb 2024

SAAM Towage’s First Electric Tugs Arrive in Canada

(Photo: SAAM Towage)

The first electric tugs of the SAAM Towage's fleet, built by SANMAR Shipyards, have reached the Port of Vancouver in Canada. The vessels are named Saam Volta and Chief Dan George."We continue to make progress on this milestone for SAAM Towage, which is part of our strategy to drive innovation and development for increasingly sustainable operations. These tugs, which are the result our alliance with Teck and Neptune Terminals, show our commitment to seek alternatives in our industry to reduce the carbon footprint and support the fight against global climate change…

13 Feb 2024

Wreck of WWII-era Cargo Ship Found in the Great Lakes

(Photo: Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)

The wreck of a World War II-era freighter has been discovered in over 600 feet of water around 35 miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.Over the last 7 years, shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain has been studying remote sensing data in the search for shipwrecks in Lake Superior. After coming across a particularly deep anomaly, he reached out to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) for help in identifying the potential wreck. In 2023 GLSHS Director of Marine Operations…

06 Feb 2024

Ocean Infinity Invests in RAD Propulsion

(Photo: RAD Propulsion)

Marine electric product company RAD Propulsion announces that it has secured £1,000,000 investment from Ocean Infinity, a marine technology business that deploys innovative robotic and autonomous vessel solutions.The investment is part of a raise round to facilitate RAD’s rapid operational scale up as its RAD 40 electric drive goes into mass production. This year, RAD will see its products become available to OEM partners around the world, with new product development underway too.

22 Jan 2024

Two US Navy SEALs Died Raiding Vessel in Gulf of Aden

(Photo: U.S. Central Command)

Two U.S. Navy SEALs who went missing in the Gulf of Aden earlier this month during a raid on a boat carrying Iranian weapons have not been located following an exhaustive search and their status has been changed to deceased, military officials said on Sunday.The SEALs were reported missing after boarding the vessel in a Jan. 11 operation near the coast of Somali, the U.S. Central Command said on X.“We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example. Our prayers are with the SEALs’ families, friends, the U.S.

18 Jan 2024

US Says Houthis Launch Missiles at Tanker

© aerial-drone / Adobe Stock

Iran-allied Houthi militia launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a U.S.-owned tanker ship on Thursday night that hit the water near the vessel, causing no injuries or damage, U.S. Central Command said.The incident, the latest amid growing tensions in the Red Sea that has disrupted global trade and raised fears of supply bottlenecks, took place at around 9 p.m. Yemen local time (1800 GMT), according to the post on X, formerly Twitter.The Houthis, who control most of Yemen…

18 Jan 2024

Indian Navy Rescues Crew from US-Owned Ship After Attack Off Yemen

(Photo: Indian Navy)

The Indian Navy said on Thursday it had rescued the crew of a U.S.-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemen's Houthi movement as tensions in the region's sea lanes disrupted global trade.Following the attack on the U.S. Genco Picardy late on Wednesday, the U.S. military said its forces had conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region".Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on…

17 Jan 2024

US Conducts Strikes on 14 Houthi Missiles

© elen31 / Adobe Stock

The U.S. military said on Wednesday that its forces conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired from Yemen.U.S. Central Command said on social media platform X that the Houthi missiles presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region.(Reuters - Reporting by Eric Beech and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Caitlin Webber)

31 Dec 2023

Israel Says It's Ready to Let Ships Bring Aid to Gaza

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

Israel is prepared to let ships deliver aid to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip "immediately" as part of a proposed sea corridor from Cyprus, the Israeli foreign minister said on Sunday, naming four European countries as potential participants.Under the arrangement first suggested by Nicosia in November, cargo would undergo security inspection in the Cypriot port of Larnaca before being ferried to the Gaza coast, 370 km (230 miles) away, rather than through neighbouring Egypt or Israel.If the plan goes ahead…

12 Dec 2023

Yemen's Houthis Claim Missile Attack on Norwegian Tanker

Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sarea

Yemen's Houthis said on Tuesday they hit a Norwegian commercial tanker with a missile in their latest protest against Israel's bombardment of Gaza, underlining the risks of a conflict that has shaken the Middle East.The Iran-aligned group attacked the tanker, the Strinda, because it was delivering crude oil to an Israeli terminal and after its crew ignored all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sarea said in a statement.But the tanker's owner, Norway's Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, said the vessel was headed to Italy with a cargo of biofuel feedstock, not crude oil.

11 Dec 2023

Panama Canal Woes to Delay Grain Ships well into '24

Copyright searagen/AdobeStock

Bulk grain shippers hauling crops from the U.S. Gulf Coast export hub to Asia are sailing longer routes and paying higher freight costs to avoid vessel congestion and record-high transit fees in the drought-hit Panama Canal, traders and analysts said.The shipping snarl through one of the world's main maritime trade routes comes at the peak season for U.S. crop exports, and the higher costs are threatening to dent demand for U.S. corn and soy suppliers that have already ceded market share to Brazil in recent years.

27 Nov 2023

Biden's Clean Energy Agenda Faces Mounting Headwinds

Credit: Dragon Claws/AdobeStock

Canceled offshore wind projects, imperiled solar factories, and fading demand for electric vehiclesA year after the passage of the largest climate change legislation in U.S. history, meant to touch off a boom in American clean energy development, economic realities are fraying President Joe Biden’s agenda.Soaring financing and materials costs, unreliable supply chains, delayed rulemaking in Washington and sluggish permitting have wrought havoc ranging from offshore wind developer Orsted’s project cancellations in the U.S.

03 Nov 2023

New High-speed Landing Craft Delivered in Australia

(Photo: Incat Crowther)

A new high-speed low-draft landing craft Island Guardian has been delivered to the Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program in Australia.The new 21-meter vessel has been custom-designed by Incat Crowther and built by Norman Wright & Sons to enhance island protected area management, research, incident response and facilitate more efficient management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.The Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program is delivered jointly by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service…

20 Nov 2023

Video: Houthis Seize Car Carrier in the Red Sea

(Photo: Screenshot from video shared by Yemeni Armed Forces)

Israel said on Sunday that Yemen's Houthis had seized a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship in the southern Red Sea, describing the incident as an "Iranian act of terrorism" with consequences for international maritime security.The Houthis said they had seized a ship in that area but described it as Israeli. "We are treating the ship's crew in accordance with Islamic principles and values," a spokesperson for the group said, making no reference to the Israeli account.The Houthis…

28 Aug 2023

Second Vessel Leaves Odesa Through Temporary Black Sea Corridor

A vessel carrying steel products to Africa has left Ukraine's Odesa port through a temporary Black Sea corridor, the second ship to do so since Russia withdrew last month from a U.N.-brokered deal that allowed for grain to be safely exported, a senior Ukrainian government official said on Sunday.Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the Liberian-flagged ship Primus had begun sailing through a temporary corridor set up for civilian vessels, confirming a report on Saturday by a Ukrainian lawmaker."The second vessel blocked due to the war has left the port of Odesa and is now sailing through a temporary corridor," Kubrakov posted on the social media platform X, formerly called Twitter.Kubrakov said the ship had been at the port since Feb.

21 Aug 2023

David Clark Company: An American Success Story

David Clark digital and wireless communication systems provide clear boat crew communications on patrol, offshore and fire/rescue craft. (Photo: David Clark Company)

David Clark Company is best known within the marine market for its wireless and digital headset workboat crew communication systems – the Series 9900 Wireless Marine Headset System and the Series 9100 Digital Marine Headset System. The company has over 20 years of experience designing and manufacturing boat crew communication solutions for a variety of workboats, e.g., patrol boats, fire/rescue craft, and offshore service vessels.But you may not know that David Clark Company started…

30 Oct 2023

US Reviews of Gas-export Permits Slow Under Biden Administration

© Wojciech Wrzesień  / Adobe Stock

U.S. Department of Energy reviews for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits have lengthened under President Joe Biden's administration to 11 months or more, from seven weeks, according to government data.The delay could mean nearly completed LNG projects may not being able to supply big European buyers because of a lack of the permit. Increasing LNG exports is opposed by some U.S. industries who fear it could raise domestic prices, while environmental groups have raised concerns about continued expansion of a fossil fuel industry.Big swaths of U.S.