Donnell News

Aberdeen Harbour Board has awarded two new contracts for the construction of the South Breakwater and Crown Wall, with a total value of £60 million (USD 83,5 million)Dutch marine and offshore contractor Van Oord will act as the principal contractor for the 550-meter-long South Breakwater, and Scottish-based construction firm Beattie FRC will build the concrete Crown Wall along the length of the North Breakwater.Both structures will provide critical protection for vessels and operations within the Harbour expansion, ultimately protecting the port from a one-in-300-year storm.

In 1875, the General Moultrie was the first suction dredge built in the United States and was used in the Charleston River — until it sank within a year. During the same era, the city of Houston and other port towns formed companies like the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company to build special-purpose vessels to clear and connect waterways for commercial vessel traffic. Toward the end of the 19th century, the cutter suction dredge made its appearance and effectively dug and maintained water channels.

Two installations from Spirit Energy’s ST-1 in the North Sea have arrived at the Dales Voe decommissioning facility in Shetland, Scotland, with works set to be carried out by partners Veolia and Peterson.The 45-metre high 1,300 tonne steel jacket and 1,200 tonne topsides structure arrived into Dales Voe in Lerwick.The structures will be dismantled and disposed of by partners Veolia and Peterson. Now at the end of their working life recovering these platforms is important to maximize the value of the materials and assets they contain, and further the sustainability of the offshore industry.With a recycling target of  97% the project includes recovery of approximately 2…

Adm. Philip S. Davidson, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), became the Navy’s newest “Old Salt” during an award presentation Oct. 22 at the Pentagon.The “Old Salt” award is given to the active duty officer who has held the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) qualification for the longest amount of time."It is a tremendous honor to receive this award. I have been fortunate to be part of this organization for more than 35 years, serving alongside a number of amazing men and women.

Forth Ports, the UK’s third largest port group, has officially welcomed two new multimillion pound vessels to join their fleet of tugs and pilot boats working on the River Forth.The GBP 6 million investment in the two vessels to work on Scotland’s largest waterway sees the arrival of a powerful Sanmar tug and a state-of-the-art pilot boat from Holyhead Marine.The tug was built by leading ship builder Sanmar, is 28 metres long with two engines producing 2,700 brake horsepower and a bollard pull of 70 tonnes. It also has fire-fighting capabilities. Tugs are work horses and have a long life span which can last decades and this new tug demonstrates…

The “Old Salt” designation, honoring the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) serving on active duty with the earliest Surface Warfare Qualification, passed from Adm. Sam Locklear to Vice Adm. Kurt Tidd at a June 22, 2015 ceremony at Washington, DC. Locklear, the recent Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, retired on June 30, 2015. Tidd is currently the Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. Locklear has been the “Old Salt” since May 2014. “In the Navy, we have an expression for a respected, experienced and knowledgeable mariner. We call them ‘Old Salts,’” said Vice Adm.