Drummond News

Scotland's Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) announced that one of its new vessels will be named Glen Rosa following a public vote that saw nearly 5,000 entries.4,844 votes were cast in the competition on CMAL’s website, which ran for three weeks. Glen Rosa, which will be known as Gleann Ruasaidh in Gaelic, was the most popular name, garnering 52% of the votes.The vessel currently known as Hull 802, along with Glen Sannox, is currently under construction at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow…

Manitowoc, Wis. shipbuilder Burger Boat Company announced it has delivered a new car/passenger ferry vessel to the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (EUPTA), located in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.The 92-foot U.S.-made steel ferry, Neebish Island III, will operate year-round on the St. Mary’s River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between Barbeau, Mich., and Neebish Island. The vesselwas designed by Seacraft Design, LLC of Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

A newly refurbished ferry has been delivered to provide additional capacity for operator CalMac Ferries on the west coast of Scotland.Purchased out of Norway in 2021 and renamed Loch Frisa, the vessel departed Dales Marine Services in Leith on May 29 for repositioning to Oban where it is undertaking familiarization and entry-in-to service activities.Starting in mid-June, the double-ended RoPax ferry will be phased into the Oban-Craignure timetable, in tandem with Coruisk. Once Loch Frisa takes over the full Coruisk timetable…

Manitowoc, Wis., shipbuilder Burger Boat Company announced it has begun work on a new vehicle and passenger ferry for the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (EUPTA), located in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.Due to launch Summer 2022, the 92-foot steel ferry will operate year-round on the St. Mary’s River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between Barbeau, Mich., and Neebish Island. The ferry was designed to operate in the harsh winter environment and through the solid ice conditions it will encounter on its route.The ferry is designed by Seacraft Design, LLC of Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

A man who had been aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship and was infected with coronavirus has died, bringing the death toll from the ship to seven, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Saturday.The man was not Japanese, NHK said, without giving details of his nationality or age.

The upstream consortium, led by UK enerrgy giant major BP, announced that the Azeri-Central-East (ACE) project is moving forward at pace with the awards of key contracts.BP as operator of the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field development, revealed that the contracts, covering engineering, fabrication and construction, project management and other services follow the project final investment decision (FID) announced on 19 April 2019.The contract awards underpin the schedule for project delivery and complement the progress being made across the multiple areas and fabrication yards involved in this major development project.The scope of work under this contract includes collection of the materials and equipment from the suppliers’ locations and delivery to Baku sites…

Oilfield services firms C&J Energy Services and Keane Group, said  that they will merge in an all-stock deal valued at about $1.8 billion.C&J Energy, which offers a suite of oil and gas production services, and Keane, which specializes in well completions would combine in what the companies described as a merger of equals. The deal would create a company with more than $4 billion in annual revenues.Under the terms of the merger agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and the Special Committee of the Keane Board, C&J shareholders will receive 1.6149 shares of Keane common stock for each share of C&J common stock owned. The merger agreement permits C&J to pay its shareholders a cash dividend of $1.00 per share prior to closing.

Colombia, the world's fifth-largest exporter of coal, produced 19.6 million tonnes in the first quarter, down 11.7 percent from output the year before, the Energy and Mining Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. In the same period last year, Colombia produced 22.2 million tonnes. In full-year 2017, the Latin American nation produced 89.4 million tonnes, slightly below 2016 when output was 90.5 million tonnes. The biggest players in Colombia's coal industry are Drummond Co, Glencore Plc, Murray Energy Corp's Colombia Natural Resources, and Cerrejon, which is owned by BHP Billiton, Anglo American PLC and Glencore. (Reporting by Helen Murphy Editing by Susan Thomas)

Great lakes limestone shipments totaled just 1,254,226 net tons in April, a decrease of 23 percent compared to a year ago as the coldest April in more than two decades put a chill on the trade. According to the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA), loadings trailed the month’s five-year average by even more – 33.3 percent.Loadings at U.S. ports totaled 1.1 million tons, a decrease of 19 percent, while shipments from Canadian quarries totaled 177,000 tons, a decrease of nearly 41 percent…

Cammell Laird shipyard informs it has reached the nine-month milestone in its project to build the U.K.’s new polar research ship the RRS Sir David Attenborough. The Merseyside-based engineering services giant beat off competition from around the world to be appointed to build the £15 0million vessel. The ship, which is the biggest commercial shipbuilding project in Britain for 30 years, has been commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and it will be operated by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), transforming the U.K.’s polar research capability.

The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday confirmed the appointments of Long Beach City College executive Lou Anne Bynum and former City Councilman Doug Drummond to second terms on the Board of Harbor Commissioners. Mayor Robert Garcia announced the reappointments last month. Both Bynum, the Harbor Board Vice President, and Drummond, a former Board President, were originally appointed by Garcia’s predecessor, Mayor Bob Foster. “These commissioners have done outstanding jobs helping to lead the Harbor Department,” Garcia said. “Their commitment to continuing public service will provide stability and consistency to the decisions governing Long Beach’s most important economic engine.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved an $829 million budget for the Harbor Department’s next fiscal year, including more than a half a billion dollars for capital improvements at the Port of Long Beach. The budget, which will be presented to the Long Beach City Council for its consideration, designates $555 million for capital investments including the Port’s major terminal redevelopment and bridge replacement projects. For the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, 2015, the budget anticipates a 6.1 percent increase in operating revenue over the current fiscal year’s income.

The Port of Long Beach will seek bids on the creation of a new fleet of truck chassis for peak periods of the year, complementing the existing equipment used to haul cargo containers to and from terminals. “It’s not enough for us to be a passive landlord; the industry needs the Port to be involved in helping our terminals to be more productive,” said Harbor Commission President Doug Drummond. The “peak chassis fleet” is planned to be implemented in two phases, starting with 1,000 chassis and then adding another 2,000 chassis. “Our peak chassis pool will not compete with private fleets, but will complement the supply of chassis during those times when it is needed,” said Port Chief Executive Jon Slangerup. The Port will hold a meeting for potential bidders 10 a.m.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved the Mitsubishi Cement Facility Modification Project this week, greenlighting the addition of 40,000 metric tons of additional storage capacity consisting of storage and loading silos on vacant Port property adjacent to Mitsubishi’s existing facility at the Port’s Pier F. The site will increase in size from 4.21 acres to 5.92 acres. The board’s approval was contingent on environmental measures and upgrades. The terminal receives imported cement and cement-like materials via bulk cargo ships. The product is stored in a warehouse or in silos. It is then loaded onto trucks and taken to local and regional concrete batch plants.

Experts from across the goods movement industry spoke at the 11th annual “Pulse of the Ports: Peak Season Forecast,” an event hosted by the Port of Long Beach that drew 600 people to the Long Beach Convention Center’s Pacific Ballroom to hear how current trends will affect trade throughout the rest of the year. While the annual event explores the cargo forecast, this year’s session also discussed the recent challenges of cargo movement and how the supply chain is evolving to cope with demands for higher efficiency and improved reliability.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia is leading a Port of Long Beach delegation on a weeklong business development trip this week to meet with executives at the European home offices of the world’s three largest shipping lines. The group will update Port customers on the impact of the recent labor negotiations and steps being taken to improve congestion and make the Port more efficient. Delegation members include Harbor Commission President Doug Drummond, Commission Vice President Rich Dines, Commissioner Lou Anne Bynum and Harbor Department Chief Executive Jon Slangerup. "It's incredibly important that we let our customers know that despite the labor negotiation process and congestion, the Port of Long Beach is still the best place to do business on the West Coast," said Mayor Garcia.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Port of Long Beach’s Green Port Policy by honoring its originators and reaffirming their commitment to environmental sustainability. Adopted on January 31, 2005, the Green Port Policy is a pledge to protect air, water, community and wildlife, and to consider the environment in all of its day-to-day activities. According to the port, air quality and water quality have dramatically improved sunder the policy’s implementation…

In his first-ever State of the Port address, Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Jon Slangerup on Thursday unveiled plans for congestion-beating smart systems for cargo movement and an all-out push to achieve energy resilience for port operations with wind turbines, solar cells and other clean technologies. Speaking to an audience of nearly 900 at the Long Beach Convention Center’s Pacific Ballroom, Slangerup summed up the Port of Long Beach’s achievements in 2014 then gave his expectations for 2015 and beyond, setting high goals for himself and the port.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Harbor Commissioners and senior Harbor Department staff are traveling to several Asian countries, meeting with the Port of Long Beach’s key customers to retain and bring more business to Long Beach. The Long Beach officials are scheduled to meet with senior leadership of shipping lines based in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan to explain the Port’s competitive advantages for business, and to introduce the new Mayor, Harbor Commissioners and Chief Executive.

Andrew Tung, CEO and Managing Director of Orient Overseas Container Line, was presented today with the prestigious “Port Pilot Award” by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners. Tung is the 77th recipient of the award, which is presented to business and political leaders and advocates who have made contributions to international trade within the maritime industry. He is the first third-generation Port Pilot winner. His father, C.H. Tung (in 1987), and grandfather, C.Y. Tung (in 1977), were also recipients. “We’re pleased to present our prestigious Port Pilot Award to a very deserving Andy Tung,” said Doug Drummond, President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.

Acting to relieve cargo delivery delays, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Thursday approved the use of Port of Long Beach property as a temporary site for the storage of empty containers, which will help to free up needed equipment to move cargo out of shipping terminals faster. The “Temporary Empty Container Depot” will be operated on 30 acres of a vacant, undeveloped area on Pier S on Terminal Island. The temporary depot will help put back into circulation more of the chassis -- the wheeled trailer-frames that trucks use to haul cargo containers.

Shipments from U.S. ports dipped 4 percent, but loadings out of Canadian quarries rose 12.5 percent. Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 27.1 million tons in 2014, a decrease of 1.8 percent from 2013 and a drop of 2.1 percent compared to the trade’s long-term average. The decline Lakeswide largely reflects the significant delays in resuming shipments in the spring. Heavy ice formations covered the Lakes and loadings in April were down nearly 50 percent. Even in May shipments lagged the previous year by 8 percent. U.S.

Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Jon Slangerup on Thursday unveiled ambitious plans for congestion-beating smart systems for cargo movement and an all-out push to achieve energy resilience for port operations with wind turbines, solar cells and other clean technologies, in his first-ever “State of the Port” address. Speaking to a record audience of nearly 900 at the Long Beach Convention Center’s Pacific Ballroom, Slangerup summed up the Port of Long Beach’s achievements in 2014 then gave his expectations for 2015 and beyond, setting high goals for himself and the Port. Slangerup’s address followed welcoming comments by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Harbor Commission President Doug Drummond and Harbor Commission Vice President Rich Dines.