Gifford News

Dutch shipbuilding major Damen Shipyards Group said that it has signed a contract with London construction services provider S. Walsh & Sons (Walsh) for a CS2010 pusher tug from Concordia Damen.The pusher will be available for quick delivery in summer this year as a result of Concordia Damen’s practice of building stock hulls, the shipbuilder said.The CS 2010 will join the growing Walsh marine fleet operating on the River Thames in the UK – including the Damen Multi Cat 1908 delivered in 2019. The new vessel will push barges on the river, transporting huge volumes of bulk freight in and out of London.On delivery it will go straight into action…

A major search and rescue training exercise has taken place off Rottnest Island in Western Australia yesterdayinvolving both state and federal authorities. Search and rescue crews from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), Western Australia Police Force (WA Police) and Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WA DFES) teamed up for the exercise which simulated an aviation incident at sea. The scenario involved a simulated light plane which had been forced to ditch into the water just before 8am AWST about 7km northwest of Rottnest Island. Four mannequins were dropped into the water along with a life raft and an active distress beacon to replicate survivors signalling for help.

The newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) arrived in San Diego July 5, after successfully completing her maiden voyage from Mobile, Alabama. Following construction and acceptance trials earlier this year at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Giffords sailed to Galveston, Texas, where she was commissioned June 10. "Our Sailors are honored to represent the ship namesake, its homeport in San Diego and the U.S. Navy," said Cmdr. Keith Woodley, Giffords' commanding officer. During her sail around transit from Mobile, Giffords Sailors conducted Combat Ship Systems Qualification Trials (CSSQT) events, various crew certification training events and regularly scheduled equipment and systems checks and transited through the Panama Canal.

North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) will hold its Environmental Intelligence in Shipping Conference on “Pathways to Sustainability” on Februar 5, 2016 at SeaRiver Maritime in Spring, Texas. The conference is designed to be a guide for navigating through the myriad of regulations leading to compliance. The maritime industry faces continual regulatory change as it strives to reduce its impact on the marine environment. NAMEPA members, in particular, are committed to “Save our Seas”, but this approach is not without its hurdles. Complex regulations require support to insure understanding and competence and to devise an appropriate strategy for each company. Discussion topics will include Global Projections for Shipping, Regulatory Outlook and Legal Hot Spots.

The U.K. Government has put its support firmly behind the inaugural London International Shipping Week (LISW) by confirming two of its Ministers as main speakers at the LISW Conference to be held at the Lloyd’s Building on Thursday, September 12. Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, Minister for Trade and Investment will address delegates on the key issue of London’s role in propelling world trade while the Rt Hon Stephen Hammond, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport and the Shipping Minister, will give a keynote address emphasizing London’s position at the center of world trade, shipping and maritime services. Confirmed speakers include The Lord Mayor of the City of London…

The industry-led Steering Group running the inaugural London International Shipping Week (LISW) has established an official Board of Advisors which will act as guardians of the event to ensure it maintains objectivity and furthers London’s role as a major global maritime center. The purpose of the Board of Advisors is to lend credibility and high profile support to the LISW event, its aims, objectives and international engagement; while also taking a strategic view of the impact of LISW’s focus, its activities and attractiveness of London’s role in the global shipping industry. The Board of Advisors will have responsibility and accountability for reviewing and assessing LISW’s progress in achieving its strategic aims…

Shipping industry heavyweights as well as City of London financial services luminaries dominate the line-up so far confirmed. Speakers so far confirmed include The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Roger Gifford; Koji Sekimizu, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization; Masamichi Marooka, Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) as well as John Denholm, President of BIMCO. Peter Hinchliffe, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Shipping Federation, will also speak. Other notable speakers who have so far confirmed their attendance include Grantley Berkeley…

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced that its Annual Tribute to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Fourteenth District will take place on Wednesday, March 9, 2011. The event will highlight the major accomplishments of the fourteenth district from the Hawaiian Islands to Guam, and celebrate the service of all of the fourteenth district guardians who enforce maritime law, protect our homeland and preserve the environment. The tribute will raise funds to support the Coast Guard Foundation’s important projects and programs including the Shipmate Fund that provides morale, wellness, recreation and education funds for enlisted members.

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, NY, was particularly close to the shooting this weekend of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, as her husband is U.S. Navy Captain Mark E. Kelly, a NASA Astronaut born in West Orange, NJ, and a 1986 graduate of USMMA with a bachelor of science degrees in marine engineering and marine transportation (with highest honors). Rep. Giffords was shot on Saturday, Jan. 8 at a supermarket in northwest Tucson, Arizona. According to a report in New York Newsday, it was on the campus in 2006 that Kelly proposed to Giffords. A statement on Rep. "On behalf of Gabby and our entire family, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the people of Arizona and this great nation for their unbelievable outpouring of support.

The Eighth Coast Guard District recently completed Operation Big Tow, a three-month long effort designed as a result of a collision between a cargo vessel and a loaded oil barge on the Mississippi River that spilled more than 282,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil to spill into the river. Operation Big Tow was designed to ensure vessel operators were properly licensed for their respective vessel's size, type and route. An initial investigation into the July 23, 2008 collision that closed nearly 100 miles of river near New Orleans revealed that a crewmember operating the Mel Oliver, an uninspected towing vessel (UTV) pushing the barge was improperly licensed. UTVs are towing vessels 26 ft or longer and must be under the direction of a licensed master.

Coast Guard units along the Gulf Coast, Mississippi River and Western Rivers system have begun operations to ensure towing vessels are properly manned and crews have proper licensing as part of Operation Big Tow, which is taking place from November through January. The primary objective of Operation Big Tow is to ensure towing vessels are being operated by properly licensed individuals through boardings and examinations. To minimize any impact to vessel movements or commerce by the Coast Guard by working with industry and towing vessel operators to conduct boardings and examinations at locks and dams, while vessels are tied up pier side, or through other methods that facilitate the flow of commerce while allowing examiners to check licenses and conduct safety checks.

The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) Defense Equipment and Services has commissioned Gifford, BMT Marine Projects Ltd, and Fleet Support Limited to produce a new Dry Dock Code of Practice. Clearly focused on the goal of safe dry-docking, the Code is aimed at the MoD, shipyards and other military and civil organizations involved in the dry docking of mono-hulled surface ships of over 500 tons. The Code provides a comprehensive and methodical framework for ship and dock owners and operators to review, and if appropriate further develop, the procedures and measures required for a safe dry docking. Although not prescriptive or intended for direct application, the Code provides a valuable framework for the development of safe in-house procedures. The ship is suitable to be dry-docked.

By Stuart C. Karon and Dr. In the September 2002 issue of Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, a detailed discussion was featured on the advantages of future High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) machinery for propulsion of electric drive ships. • Motors A 5-MW 230-rpm machine for the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR) is undergoing factory tests. ONR is now funding the next step - design, fabrication and factory testing of a 36.5-MW 120-rpm machine to prove the technology at full-scale for warships. • Generators Development of HTS generators has also leapt ahead with the initial production of 10-MVAR synchronous condensers for utility voltage adjusting service. These condensers are very similar in design and operation to 10-MW, 1,800-rpm generators.

Rains delayed clean up crews working in the Calcasieu Ship Channel. Although clean up crews were temporarily forced out of the water by the rainfall and safety concerns, the amount of rain falling is actually helping the clean up operation in the long term. “The rain is flushing the oil out of the hard to reach shoreline areas back into the water. But with the clean boom we repositioned yesterday, that oil is going into our collection areas,” said Cmdr. Verne Gifford, Executive Officer of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur. A recreational boating safety zone is still in effect. The zone is to the entrance to the Bayou D’Inde (light 115) and the southern tip of Cypress Point development…

Who is in charge when a land-based fire brigade responds to a blaze at sea? What are the fire risks for ships in port and under construction? How can design and technology enhance marine fire protection? Prevention, detection and control on ships and offshore structures will be examined at a new forum in London in March by key personnel including ship owners and managers, ship and harbour masters, safety officers, marine and fire protection engineers, insurance executives and senior fire-fighters. The first International Fire on Ships Conference takes place at the Inmarsat Conference Centre on March 11-12, organised by Lloyd’s List Events and supported by UK body the Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CACFOA).