Equipment Operators News

If awards were given for dominating the sustainable energy spotlight, offshore wind (OSW) would surely be in line for top honors.Consider:Big money: BOEM’s February sale of New York Bight offshore wind development rights drew a record $4.37 billion in developers’ bids. Not only is that real money, but just as critically, “This week’s offshore wind sale makes one thing clear: The enthusiasm for the clean energy economy is undeniable and it’s here to stay,” exclaimed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.Off Broadway: In January…

Ørsted and Eversource have taken the final investment decision (FID) on the South Fork Wind project that will be New York’s first offshore wind farm. The FID comes after the South Fork Wind joint venture, owned 50/50 by Ørsted and Eversource, last month received final approval from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for its construction and operations plan, the final in the agency’s review of the project. Once completed at the end of 2023, the 130MW offshore wind farm will generate enough electricity to power 70…

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has granted Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for the South Fork Wind, New York’s first offshore wind farm, Ørsted confirmed Thursday. This is the final decision needed from the agency to move the project toward the start of construction. The approximately 130 MW South Fork Wind project, owned by the Danish firm Orsted AS and U.S. company Eversource Energy, will be located about 19 miles (30.58 km) southeast of Block Island…

Through a complex operation to offload bulk salt, NORDEN is optimizing the supply chain for customer Empremar.At a chemical plant in California, 30,000 tonnes of salt is being offloaded from a bulk carrier onto a private terminal. The salt will be taken directly to the plant and used to make chlorine.This shipment is one of eight per year that NORDEN will make for Chilean salt miner Empremar. While NORDEN has been shipping salt to the US for Empremar for 20 years, this is the…

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released guidance to help state and local jurisdictions and the private sector identify and manage their essential workforce while responding to COVID-19.The Dredging Contractors of America (DCA) helped the federal government develop this first-of-a-kind guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.“This is why Government Coordinating Councils and Sector Coordinating Councils are so important.

As the demand for goods continues to rise, the need to move a higher number of containers quicker and more efficiently is also increasing with this. As a result, port operators are proactively seeking new ways to boost productivity, all while reducing costs to meet this demand.The emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a significant factor in convincing ports to adopt new technologies to help them overcome the day-to-day complexities they face and not miss a beat in a fast-paced industry.

AXIS Pipeline Construction Group and ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore shipyard have partnered to service the subsea fabrication and installation market. This newly forged partnership, combined with more than 40 years of subsea fabrication and installation management experience, provides innovative capabilities currently unavailable to the subsea installation market, the companies said.Located in Pascagoula, Miss., ST Engineering Halter Marine and Offshore (STEHMO) is a provider of services for ships, drilling rigs and other marine vessels within the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. STEHMO provides dry docking, upgrades, repair, conversion…

APM Terminals Poti, the largest port in Georgia, has commenced the implementation of uninterrupted 24/7 operations to maximize berth utilization, increase efficiency and speed up vessel handling.The implementation of a flexible workforce management solution will take place in two phases. Phase one will apply to single berth occupancy. The workforce currently allocated to the free berth will be assigned to the operational berth to cover break times and support a smooth and uninterrupted workflow.The second phase, which will apply when both berths are occupied, is expected to be fully implemented in Q4 2019. In this case, an external, flexible workforce will be applied to speed up the vessel handling process.This flexible concept also means that…

Belgium-headquartered EXMAR Ship Management has selected the LuminUltra Quench-Gone Aqueous (QGA) test kit to monitor the quality of the drinking water produced onboard the LPG FSO NKOSSA II.The decision follows the success of the QGA solution in analysing the quality of the water produced by reverse osmosis aboard accommodation barges operating offshore West Africa.Paul-Philippe Halleux, who is a Technical Superintendent from EXMAR Ship Management’s Offshore Services division, commented: “We cannot emphasise enough the importance of testing the quality of our drinking water on a regular basis. We produce drinking water through reverse…

Oceanteam Solutions has signed a contract with a European cable manufacturer regarding the supply of a transport vessel, turntable and auxiliary equipment for the transport of cables from South Europe to Scandinavia. The project is planned to be executed in summer 2017. Besides supporting the cable transport and loadout with a transport vessel and a turntable, Oceanteam will assist the multiple cable loadouts in the appointed ports by supplying equipment and a professional cable handling crew. The turntable system and auxiliary equipment will be loaded on the vessel at Oceanteam’s own quay facilities in Velsen Noord, the Netherlands, and subsequently will be shipped to South Europe. There, the cable will be spooled before heading to Scandinavia for the cable loadout.

Offshore energy presents a golden opportunity for Alaska and the United States. As we enter the final quarter of the year, one of the last and most pressing pieces of business facing the Interior Department is to finalize its next offshore leasing program, which will specify exactly which parts of the United States’ Outer Continental Shelf will be open to oil and gas development between 2017 and 2022. Having already cut the Atlantic from its proposed program back in March, the…

RSC Bio Solutions, a global leader in environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) and cleaners, will launch a new revolutionary product line of sustainable lubricants at SMM 2016 in Hamburg, Germany. These new products have the potential to improve operational efficiency, performance and your bottom line. The performance benefits alone are expected to result in greater system efficiency, fewer change-outs and extended equipment life. For more information, visit RSC Bio Solutions at Hall A5 Stand 107 at SMM Hamburg, September 6-9, or visit http://rscbio.com/makingwaves.

With the successful completion of a pilot-program at five terminals, the new initiative will be in place across the entire APM Terminals Global Terminal Network by year-end. The Hague, Netherlands – APM Terminals announces a new Truck Safety program featuring carefully researched and tested standard operating procedures for outside truck drivers delivering or picking up containers will be put into effect by the end of 2016 throughout the company’s Global Terminal Network. “Our goal is to ensure we have safe operations. The basic concept here is to eliminate the risk of accident or injury to the thousands of truck drivers who enter our facilities daily by strictly enforcing a “Stay in the Cab” mandate for external truckers…

Open training courses will let more customers benefit from Alfa Laval’s in-depth expertise. Alfa Laval has conducted marine training courses for many years, both on its own premises and in other locations around the world. In most cases, however, these have been tailor-made courses for specific customers. Now the company is introducing a range of open training courses, designed to let more customers take advantage of Alfa Laval’s specialist expertise. “To ensure safety and optimal use – but also economy in maintenance and operation – it’s important that customers understand the equipment they work with and the many factors that impact its operation,” says Caroline Carlstedt, Training Manager, Alfa Laval Service.

Ten building contractors were recognized Monday, Aug. 11, 2014, by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners for hiring the most Long Beach residents for construction jobs at the Port of Long Beach’s Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project. The companies received the Port of Long Beach’s first “Community Partner Awards” for their work at the $1.3 billion terminal project. The Port started encouraging contractors to employ Long Beach residents at the project before construction started in April 2011. While there is a requirement to have at least 30 percent of workers come from the region, hiring city residents is voluntary. Since construction started…

Preserving pristine Coral Reefs in a remote location is no small task, but also of big importance. Global Diving & Salvage shows how it is done. On June 19, 1991 officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were notified of a 121 foot long fishing vessel shipwrecked and hard aground in the coral reef on the Western Terrace of Palmyra Atoll. The wreck of the Taiwanese long line fishing vessel HUI FENG #1 lay deep into the reef in 20 feet of water, about one…

Freight transport insurance specialist TT Club said it is continuing its efforts to reduce risk in the supply chain. Through constant analysis of the claims it receives, the international insurer has pinpointed an array of operational circumstances that more commonly cause dangerous incidents resulting in bodily injury, sometimes death, and significant loss and damage to cargo, equipment and property. Following in a series of presentations at industry gatherings, by which the club seeks to draw attention to such causes and advises on steps to improve safety…

With hundreds of marine workboats and crane sites active across the world, companies are looking for ways to remain competitive, while maintaining high standards of safety and increasing the bottom line. Leveraging the latest technology in situational awareness platforms is one way these companies can remain competitive while maintaining quality. Increased situational awareness can be accomplished with a combination of strategically placed and properly installed sensors or cameras systems around the work site.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administrator David Matsuda toured the site of a planned marine cargo dock at the Port of Brownsville that will help transform this vital port into a hub for international trade. The proposed infrastructure improvements are being made possible, in part, through a $12 million TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Administrator Matsuda was joined on his tour by Congressman Filemon Vela, Port Director Eduardo A. Campirano and state officials.

The Panama Canal Expansion Program passes a milestone with the arrival of first shipment of valves for the third set of locks. The valves were built in South Korea by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries. “This marks a new milestone for the Panama Canal expansion works, particularly for the construction of the new locks,” Panama Canal Administrator Jorge L. Quijano said. Arriving on board the vesel BCC England, the first shipment includes 47 valves that are part of the Post-Panamax locks electromechanical system that will regulate water flow between the chambers…

Kongsberg Maritime has officially renamed GlobalSim Inc., its wholly owned onshore and offshore crane simulator subsidiary, to Kongsberg GlobalSim Inc. The name change is part of GlobalSim’s ongoing incorporation into Kongsberg Maritime’s corporate structure, and represents a deeper connection between the company and the Kongsberg brand. Acquired by Kongsberg Maritime in 2008, Kongsberg GlobalSim, Inc. is a company in the development of advanced simulation training systems. Based in Salt Lake City…

Kongsberg Maritime has officially renamed GlobalSim Inc., its wholly owned on-shore and offshore crane simulator subsidiary, to Kongsberg GlobalSim Inc. The name change is part of GlobalSim's on-going incorporation into Kongsberg Maritime's corporate structure. Acquired by Kongsberg Maritime in 2008, Kongsberg GlobalSim, Inc. is a world leader in the development of advanced simulation training systems. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the company has delivered training systems for equipment operators in the maritime…

On Feb. 16, Fraser Shipyards Inc. President and COO Jim Korthals, briefed Rep. David Obey, D.-Wis. on how the shipyard will use the $2m the congressman secured for the City of Superior to assist with the shipyard’s continued upgrades and repairs to its facilities. The company will initiate the work as soon as funding is disbursed, ultimately employing an additional 15 to 20 skilled workers throughout the project. “This project will help ensure Fraser remains competitive, so it can continue to employ people long into the future,” said Obey. “This is a great example of private industry working cooperatively with government at every level, federal, state and local.” Obey and Sen.