Foss News

The U.S. Interior Department on Tuesday approved the country's eighth commercial-scale offshore wind project, which will be built off the coast of Massachusetts, bringing online electricity to power more than 900,000 homes.The approval for Avangrid’s New England Wind Project brings the U.S. one-third of the way to President Joe Biden's goal of permitting 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030—a key part of the president's climate change agenda.The project comes just a week after the Interior Department approved another offshore wind project, Orsted's Sunrise Wind, in New York.

Seattle-headquartered Saltchuk Holdings has renewed its bid to take over Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG), a New York-listed marine transportation company based in Tampa, Fla.Privately-held Saltchuk—OSG’s largest shareholder—had previously offered to acquire OSG in June 2021 but suspended those discussions several months later, citing pandemic-related market uncertainties.OSG, which operates U.S.-flag tankers and articulated tug barges (ATB), on Monday confirmed its board of directors…

Frank Manning has quickly risen through the ranks during his eight years in the shipyard business, today serving as president and COO at Diversified Marine, Inc. (DMI) in Portland, Ore. Crucial along the way has been a passion for the business itself and the people that make it all possible.“The first day I walked in a shipyard I knew that I was in the right industry,” Manning said. “DMI has always been a relationship-based business. All of our customers are close friends, and we have relationships that are second to none,” he said.

Dutch heave compensation specialist Seaqualize executed the world’s first offshore transfer lifts of wind turbine components from a heaving supply vessel.The company’s newly developed offshore lifting device, the Heave Chief 1100, is being deployed by DEME Offshore US to instal the first turbines at Vineyard Wind together with the feeder barge solution developed by DEME Offshore US, with partners Barge Master, Foss Maritime and Seaqualize, and the operators and equipment from…

A 77-year-old fish factory vessel with a checkered history is reportedly leaking ammonia in Tacoma, Wash.The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday it is responding to the incident on board the U.S.-registered Pacific Producer, a 169-foot-long seafood processing vessel with a long string of health, safety and labor violations.Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology crews in HAZMAT suits are currently working to locate leak. The vessel poses no immediate threat to the public…

Foss Maritime recently elected to refurbish two existing Markey winches aboard the Foss tug Hawaii.Though other options were considered, “these winches have been ideal for bringing the barge up tight against the stern of the tug,” noted Foss’ Danny Riser, Captain. “The brake-holding capacity of the 32s (Markey model DEPC-32) is well-suited for mounting on our 5200 HP Z-drive tugs. I’ve been a lifelong fan of Markey winches, so for us it was an easy decision.”The tandem electric models had served so well historically that only refurbishment made sense.

U.S. offshore wind farm developer Vineyard Wind will deploy and test a secondary bubble curtain noise mitigation system during foundation installation at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm, the first commercial-scale wind farm installation project in the U.S.For this, the company is investing in ThayerMahan, a firm that specializes in seabed surveys, acoustic mitigation and monitoring, and other maritime-related services, with facilities in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The $5 million in funding comes from Vineyard Wind's Industry Accelerator Fund…

Glosten is growing its PelaStar partner network to prepare for Phase 2 of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Floating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize. The expanded team will focus on identifying facilities and the requisite investment to enable U.S.-based platform fabrication and marine logistics capabilities; creating workforce development plans focused on local manufacturing in underserved communities; advancing engineering readiness for ultra-deepwater sites in the U.S.

Crewmembers from a Foss Maritime tugboat recently saved a fisherman from the water in Astoria, Ore. The company, which received a report from witness Bob Dorn, CEO of Hyak Maritime, shared on social media that the crewmembers Zach Teal and Dan Lorenz mad the rescue on April 12.The mariners were on a pier at at Hyak Tongue Point when they heard splashing and shouting from the water about two hundred yards away and took off running to assist. A local fisherman aboard the fishing vessel Sojourn was switching out gear when his dog fell in the water…

2022 closed with significant developments to advance offshore wind (OSW) and the necessary, related work required at U.S. ports – on the east and west coasts and the Great Lakes. Some of these developments included:Funding – MARAD’s Port Improvement Development Project (PIDP) grants provided over $100 million for wind at four ports.Corporate leadership – Marine giants Foss and Crowley stepped up to lead development projects in California and Massachusetts.New industry focus – The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) started a program called POWERS – “Port Opportunities With Energy…

Peter Roney has been hired to join the executive management team supporting U.S. West Coast shipyards Nichols Brothers Boat Builders and Everett Ship Repair.The news was announced by Shared Ice Services (SIS) is a subsidiary of Ice Cap Holding, the parent company of Ice Floe, dba Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) and Everett Ship Repair (ESR). SIS was recently established to support the operations of the two shipyards.NBBB is a newbuild and repair yard in Freeland, Wash., and ESR is a service and repair facility in Everett…

Foss Maritime has reached a deal to bareboat charter the tug Earl W Redd from Tug Construction, LLC for use in the U.S. offshore wind industry.The Earl W Redd will sail from Portland, Ore. to Massachusetts later this month to begin work on Foss 's offshore wind projects, including Vineyard Wind, the first large-scale offshore wind installation in the U.S. "The Earl W Redd is a great addition to the Foss fleet and will allow our skilled mariners to safely accomplish complex projects," said Joel Whitman, President of Business Development Foss Offshore Wind.

Autonomous technology is adding value to the offshore wind (OSW) industry, its supply chains and government policy with the potential to deliver benefits such as increased operational efficiency and safety, and reductions in human error and operational costs. With the unique needs for wind leases and their relative close proximity to shore, a wider group of systems and technologies can be deployed.A developing regulatory landscapeAutonomous technology is the result of rapid advancements in sensors and imaging, vessel connectivity, machine learning, and more.

Cable installation has kicked off at Vineyard Wind, the U.S. first commercial scale offshore wind farm, at a site located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Vineyard Wind, the company developing the namesake wind farm, also announced that it expects to begin nearshore cable work off the south coast of Cape Cod in the coming days. The work is being conducted by Prysmian Group, the subsea cable manufacturing and installation firm based in Italy.Prysmian recently announced plans to build the first U.S.-based offshore wind subsea cable factory in Somerset…

U.K.-based Chartwell Marine is introducing its expanded range of offshore energy support vessel (OESV) designs ahead of Seawork 2022 this month.The new design range, spanning classes A to D outlined below, offers a foundation for the integration of advanced technologies and low carbon propulsion solutions, including hybrid and electric as well as BAR FOSS (Foil Optimised Stability System).Chartwell Ambitious: Chartwell Marine’s original flagship crew transfer vessel (CTV) design.

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) said Tuesday it has collaborated with Sea Machines and Foss Maritime to advance the adoption of autonomous operations at sea by issuing approval in principle (AIP) to their vessel autonomy system, the SM300, that provides autonomous navigation and collision detection and collision avoidance (CDCA).Foss is to install Sea Machines’ SM300 system on board its harbor tug Rachael Allen to enhance safety and efficiency of operations. Overall, the…

A newly launched autonomous vessel project aims to improve and assess the safety and efficiency of autonomous navigation systems and deploy a pilot on an operational ferry.Partners DNV, Kongsberg Maritime, Kongsberg Seatex, Bastø Fosen and NTNU announced the launch of the new SAFE Maritime Autonomous Technology (SAFEMATE) project, at the Nor-Shipping trade fair on Tuesday.The promise of automating more functions in shipping shows great potential, and interest continues to grow throughout the industry as more projects are developed.

A Singapore-flagged containership went adrift after losing engine power off the coast of California, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The crew of the 564-foot Wan Hai 176 told Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders that the ship started drifting as the result of mechanical problems on Friday. The ship has 21 people on board, and no injuries have been reported. The Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Office of Spill Prevention and Response and Marin County…

A Foss Maritime harbor tug outfitted with the Sea Machines SM300 autonomy system has been verified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). The tug, Rachael Allen, is deployed in California, where it provides tanker escort and ship assists for Foss’ customers. The vessel will first leverage the Sea Machines’ autonomy system for routine transit and stand-by operations, and then trial remote piloting from a shore-based command center. The SM300 transit autonomy and station keeping…

Belgian offshore installation firm Deme Offshore and Dutch company Barge Master, which specializes in offshore motion compensation systems, have partnered up to further develop a U.S. Jones Act-compliant feeder solution for the upcoming offshore wind projects in the U.S.Last year, DEME Offshore was selected by wind farm developer Vineyard Vind to provide the offshore transport and installation of 62 GE Haliade offshore wind turbines for the Vineyard Wind 1 project, the first large-scale offshore wind installation in the United States.

A first-of-its-kind crew transfer vessel (CTV) has been launched by U.K. shipbuilder Diverse Marine for offshore crew transfer specialist Seacat Services.The multihull newbuild, Seacat Columbia, is the first BARTech30 CTV designed by BAR Technologies in partnership with Chartwell Marine. The 30-meter-long features BAR Technologies' FOSS (foil optimized stability system), which enhances seakeeping and reduces fuel usage and emissions, according to the designer.Following the launch…

The Port of New Bedford in Massachusetts will add another base of operations and terminal logistics facility to support offshore wind projects off the northeastern coast seaboard.Foss is partnering with key local investors of New Bedford’s Cannon Street Holdings LLC (CSH) to develop the 30-acre site, currently home to the decommissioned Cannon Street Power Station in the city’s central waterfront. The former Sprague/Eversource site was selected for its proximity to offshore wind blocks located approximately 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket islands.

Seattle-based Foss Maritime announced it has promoted Chris Mack Jr. to Chief Operating Officer (COO), responsible for all of the company's harbor services activitiesMack will oversee Marine Assurance, HR and labor, Fleet Engineering and Foss’ regional management teams in Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii.Mack joined Foss Maritime as an Able-Seaman in the Ocean Fleet after graduating from California Maritime Academy in 2005. He held several deck positions before moving to shoreside in 2011.